Westplex Today Sports Page:   June 24, 2008

In baseball:   The Cardinals are in Detroit to face the Tigers tonight, to begin a 3-game interleague series.   The Cardinals had the day off yesterday to savor taking 2 out of 3 games from the World Champion Boston Red Sox, and Cardinal fans might look at Detroit’s 36-39 record and think their team will have an easy time with the Tigers.   However, Detroit has won 12 of its last 15 games after suffering a horrible start to the season.   And, despite winning the 2006 World Series by a 4-1 margin, the Cardinals are only 6-14 in their brief regular-season history against the Tigers.

Braden Looper takes his 8-5 record to the mound against the Tigers’ Kenny Rogers.   Rogers was the only pitcher who won a game against the Cardinals in the ’06 World Series, and he has not faced them since that World Series game in which he also seemed to have a smudge on one of his hands that some thought was an illegal substance.   Rogers is 5-4 this season, and he and Looper both only gave up a run in 7 innings during their last outings.   The first pitch will be at 6:05 , and KWRE begins the broadcast at 5:22 .

The Cubs look for their fourth straight win tonight when they open a series against the Baltimore Orioles at Wrigley Field.  Chicago is coming off the sweep of the White Sox over the weekend which boosted their home record to a baseball-best of 32-8.  The Cubs are 48-28 overall which is also the best record in the Majors.  And, the Cubs also lead the Cardinals by 4 ½ games in the National League Central.   Jeremy Guthrie gets the start for the Orioles, while the Cubs counter with southpaw Sean Marshall.  Game time is 7:05 .

Ben Sheets tossed a complete-game gem as the Brewers beat the Braves 4-1 in the opener of a three-game set at Turner Field.  Sheets scattered four hits, struck out seven and didn't walk a batter to improve to 9-1 with the victory.   Mike Cameron hit a two-run homer, and J.J. Hardy and Ryan Braun each doubled in a run for Milwaukee , which has won three straight and seven-of-eight overall.   The Brewers are back in the NL Central chase, 6 games behind the Cubs, and only a game-and-a-half behind the 2^nd place Cardinals.

Seattle Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez achieved a feat that no one had accomplished in 37 years…becoming the first American League pitcher to hit a grand slam since 1971.   Unfortunately, Hernandez later injured his ankle while covering home plate, and the Mariners still lost 5-2 to the New York Mets.

St. Charles native Mark Buehrle takes the mound for the White Sox tonight as they open an interleague series in Los Angeles against the Dodgers.  The Chicago left-hander has lost his last three starts and has posted a record of 4-6.  His last victory came on May 17th against the San Francisco Giants.  The White Sox have lost three in a row overall and nine straight on the road.

Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling had successful surgery on his right shoulder on Monday.  Dr. Craig Morgan told the "Boston Globe" that the procedure went as planned, and Schilling will likely wear a sling for three weeks.  There is no timetable for any return.  Schilling has been on the disabled list all season, and there is a possibility he will never pitch in the majors again.  The 41-year-old Schilling was 9-8 with a 3.87 ERA in 24 starts for the World Series champs last season.  He was also 3-0 with a 3.00 ERA in four playoff games last year.

The New York Yankees make their first official appearance in Pittsburgh since they lost the 1960 World Series to the Pirates tonight at PNC Park at 6:05 .  The Yankees will be greeted by a familiar face from the past tonight when Bill Mazeroski throws out the first pitch.   Mazeroski ended the 1960 World Series with his historic 9th inning walkoff home run that was the beginning of the end of the long Yankees’ dynasty that stretched all the way back to the late 1920s.

The Gateway Grizzlies used a three-run first inning and a three-run eighth to secure an 8-4 win over the River City Rascals last night.   The Rascals’ lead the Frontier League's West Division dropped to one game ahead of Windy City .  The Grizzlies, meanwhile, are three games off the lead.  The two rivals wrap up their series at GCS Ballpark tonight at 7:05 .

Blues fans can get a close look at the team's future as the club opens its development camp this morning at Scottrade Center .  The four-day camp is for the team's top prospects including T.J. Oshie, Patrik Berglund, Ian Cole and Lars Eller, as well as young Blues stars David Perron, Roman Polak and Steve Wagner.  The players take the ice this morning for the first session at 9:00 and the second at 10:45 .  All sessions will be held at Scottrade Center and are free and open to the public.

There are more questions than answers about Tiger Woods and if he will make an appearance at the AT&T National in Bethesda over the holiday weekend.  The world's top golfer is scheduled to undergo reconstructive knee surgery in Utah .  But, sources close to Woods say the date for that procedure remains up in the air.  Therefore, so do his plans for the tournament he sponsored for the first time last year in the DC area.  Fred Couples has been asked to step in for at least the first couple of days of the tournament at Congressional Country Club.  Woods has cleared the rest of the year to rehab from the extensive knee surgery, which means he will miss the BMW Championship in St. Louis September 4^th through the 7^th.    

The Georgia Bulldogs can claim their first national baseball championship since 1990 when they play Fresno State in Game Two of the College World Series Final tonight.  Georgia scored four times in the eighth inning to rally for a 7-6 win in last night's Game One.

Reigning NBA MVP Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers and Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James top the U.S. Olympic Men's Basketball roster, introduced Monday in Chicago .  Dwyane Wade of Miami and Denver 's Carmelo Anthony are also on the team.   Point guards Jason Kidd of Dallas, Chris Paul from New Orleans, Carlos Boozer and Deron Williams of Utah, Toronto's Chris Bosh, Detroit's Tayshaun Prince, Orlando's Dwight Howard, and Milwaukee’s Michael Redd.  The 2008 Summer Olympics will be held in Beijing , starting August 8th.

Top seeds Roger Federer and Ana Ivanovic were Day One winners at Wimbledon Monday.  Federer, the men's number-one-ranked player, ousted Slovakian Dominik Hrbaty 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 at the All England Club.  It was the Swiss man's 60th-straight match win on grass.  Federer is looking to become the only men's player to win six-straight Wimbledon titles in the Open Era.  Last season, he tied Bjorn Borg with five consecutive championships.  Third-seeded Novak Djokovic was also a Day One men's winner.  He battled German Michael Berrer to a 7-5, 2-6, 6-3, 6-0 win. 

On the women's side, world number-one Ana Ivanovic defeated Rossana De Los Rios in straight sets, 6-1, 6-2.  The 20-year-old French Open champ will play Nathalie Dechy in the the second round.  Fourth-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova was also a Day One winner, as was sixth-seeded American Serena Williams.  Kuznetsova eliminated Mathilde Johansson 6-7 (5-7), 7-5, 6-3, while Williams defeated Kaia Kanepi of Estonia 7-5, 6-3.

Barry Melrose will be named the new head coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning at a news conference this morning. Melrose takes over for John Tortorella, who was fired a couple of weeks ago. Melrose hasn’t coached in 13 years and has been an ESPN analyst since 1996. Melrose coached the L.A. Kings from 1992-1995 and led them to the Stanley Cup Finals during his first season there.

Dallas Cowboys cornerback Adam Jones says he is "truly upset" over remarks made on-air by controversial radio host Don Imus.  In a back-and-forth discussion with sportscaster Warner Wolf, Imus asked about Jones' race.  Wolf had been talking about the arrest record of Jones, who has been arrested six times since being drafted.  When told by Wolf that Jones was African-American, Imus responded, "Well, there you go.  Now we know."  Jones told the "Dallas Morning News" that he believes Imus "has problems with African-Americans."  He also said that he hopes "the station he works for handles it accordingly," adding that he would include Imus in his prayers.  Imus lost his job last year over racial remarks about the women's basketball team at Rutgers University .