Daily Sports News

Saturday, June 18, 2011

SPORTS - Mexico, Honduras reach Gold Cup semis (AFP)

at 11:00 PM Posted by Rick Jhonson

SPORTS - Mexico, Honduras reach Gold Cup semis (AFP)

AFP – Mexico's Aldo De Nigris celebrates scoring during their 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup quarter-final match …

– 6 mins ago

EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey (AFP) – Second-half goals from Aldo De Nigris and Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez lifted Mexico to a 2-1 victory over Guatemala and into the semi-finals of the CONCACAF Gold Cup.

Second-half substitute De Nigris on Saturday grabbed an equalizer for defending champions Mexico in the 48th minute after Carlos Ruiz's fifth-minute strike put Guatemala ahead.

Hernandez scored the match-winner in the 65th minute as Mexico advanced to a semi-final clash against Honduras, who won 4-2 on penalties against Costa Rica after they played out a 1-1 draw after extra time.

Honduras advanced in the first game of a doubleheader at New Meadowlands Stadium that drew a largely pro-Mexican sellout crowd of 78,807.

Mexico and Honduras will play on Wednesday in Houston.

"Our team is very strong at the core," coach Jose Manuel de la Torre said. "They know they should win versus any adversity.

"We knew it was a difficult match and a difficult opponent. The early goal was because the field was a little complicated and heavy but we knew that we would come back, and we did."

Mexico stayed on course for a title repeat despite a squad depleted when the national federation withdrew five players who tested positive for banned clenbuterol at a pre-tournament training camp in May.

Guatemala came out focused on pulling off an upset, and Ruiz's quick strike shocked the pro-Mexico crowd.

Elias Enoc Vasquez's long ball started the move. After Mexican defender Hector Moreno failed to clear the ball, Guatemalan captain Ruiz floated it over Mexico keeper Alfredo Talavera.

Mexico had not previously trailed in the tournament.

Ruiz came close again in the 73rd minute, with Talavera saving his 25-yard shot to keep Mexico ahead.

Mexico, whose 14 first-round goals were seven more than any other team in group play, made one substitution at halftime as De Nigris replaced Israel Castro and made an immediate impact.

Hernandez scored the winner after a pass from Pablo Edson Barrera as Mexico enjoyed the bulk of the scoring chances in the second period.

"This time it was different than the other games when we scored first," said Hernandez, the Manchester United star who leads the scoring table with six goals. "We went in and worked hard in the second half to get chances."

Guatemala coach Ever Hugo Almeida said he was proud of his team.

"I think we have to be sincere, we're not at the same level as the national team of Mexico," Almeida said.

In the night's opening match, Honduran goalkeeper Noel Valladares saved a penalty for the second time in as many matches as Honduras and Costa Rica ended extra time level at 1-1.

Costa Rica's Celso Borges and Alvaro Saborio both hit the crossbar in the penalty shootout.

Jerry Bengtson had given Honduras the lead in the 49th minute, with Dennis Marshall equalizing in the 56th.

Valladares made sure the match stayed level in the 76th minute with a diving stop of Saborio's penalty attempt.

"I've felt the emotions of scoring a goal for my country, but you can't compare it to stopping a PK (penalty kick)," Valladares said. "I've lived (stopping PKs) more, and I've felt it more."

Carlo Costly, Victor Bernardez, Wilson Palacios and Bengtson all converted in the penalty shoot-out for Honduras.

Bryan Ruiz and Joel Campbell converted in the shoot-out for Costa Rica.

The remaining two quarter-finals are slated for Sunday in Washington, where the United States will face Jamaica and Panama take on El Salvador in the regional championship for North and Central America and the Caribbean.

The winners of the tournament will book a berth in the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup.

SPORTS - Danks shrugs off shot to head in 6-2 White Sox win (AP)

at 11:00 PM Posted by Rick Jhonson

SPORTS - Danks shrugs off shot to head in 6-2 White Sox win (AP)

AP – U.S.'s Serena Williams plays a return to Russia's Vera Zvonareva during their second round single tennis …

By HOWARD FENDRICH, AP Tennis Writer Howard Fendrich, Ap Tennis Writer – Sat Jun 18, 1:12 pm ET

WIMBLEDON, England – Two simple words at the end of a June 7 tweet said it all: "Serena's back!"

And Venus is, too.

Yes, as Serena Williams announced to the world less than two weeks ago, the most successful tennis-playing siblings in history are returning from lengthy layoffs right on time for Wimbledon, where they just so happen to have won nine of the past 11 singles championships.

For Serena, it will be her first Grand Slam tournament — and only second event — since she took home a second consecutive title from the All England Club in July 2010. Her nearly yearlong absence resulted from a series of health issues, including two foot operations and blood clots in her lungs, that she said left her depressed and "on my deathbed." Venus, meanwhile, was sidelined by a hip injury from January until June.

All eyes will be on them when the grass-court Grand Slam tournament begins Monday.

"I feel like we've been on a similar road together. Her road hasn't been as arduous or as long as mine, but I know what she's been through coming back," Serena said when she made her 2011 debut at a tuneup tournament this week in Eastbourne, England. "We've been really enjoying our time just getting back together and practicing next to her and looking over and seeing her play so well. I'm like, 'OK, I've got to do better.'"

There are, to be sure, other plot lines worth tracking during the fortnight.

Among them: Can Roger Federer make a real run at a seventh Wimbledon title? Can Rafael Nadal extend his recent excellence to five titles in a span of six Grand Slam tournaments? Can Novak Djokovic recover from the end of his 43-match winning streak to win a major title other than the Australian Open? Can Andy Murray finally — and mercifully — put an end to the locals' 75-year wait for a British male champion at the All England Club? Might No. 1-ranked Caroline Wozniacki win her first Grand Slam title? Could China's Li Na win her second in a row? Will Maria Sharapova end her 3 1/2-year major drought?

But the biggest curiosity, at least at the outset, is: How will the Williams sisters do?

"It will be interesting to see how they come back. I think it's interesting for the tour. It's a good story," Federer said Saturday. "It's been an up-and-down, bumpy road for the women's tour as of late. But we'll see now how it goes here with the sisters back in the game."

Part of the interest stems from wondering how much longer they'll be around. Venus turned 31 on Friday; Serena will be 30 in September.

"Whenever they enter a Grand Slam tournament, it's double the excitement and double the intrigue, I think, that they bring to the sport. They just bring a different level of tennis also, as far as the power and the emotional content," said ESPN2 analyst Chris Evert, who won 18 Grand Slam titles.

"It would be monumental in my mind if Serena pulled off a win," Evert added. "I personally don't know how it's humanly possible for someone to take a year off like that and have gone through what she's been through physically with her ailments and ... it would almost shock me if she did. But knowing Serena and the way she's come back before, you can never count her out."

Evert — who said she never was away from the tour longer than four months — is one of only five women in tennis history who have won more major championships than Serena's 13. The others are Margaret Court (24), Steffi Graf (22), Helen Wills Moody (19) and Martina Navratilova (18). Among active players, of course, Serena ranks No. 1, followed by Venus with seven.

No one else in this year's Wimbledon women's field has more than three Grand Slam titles (Kim Clijsters has four, but she pulled out with a foot injury).

Indeed, it's remarkable to examine the measurable ways in which Serena and Venus have dominated women's tennis, in general — and the All England Club, in particular — across the years. That's why Serena is seeded No. 7 at Wimbledon, despite being ranked 26th; Venus is seeded 23rd, despite being ranked 33rd.

"You know," Sharapova said, "they're obviously the ones to beat on grass."

Not only has Venus won five titles at Wimbledon, and Serena four, since 2000, but they've also produced four all-in-the-family finals there in that span. They've played in a total of eight all-Williams Grand Slam championship matches, with Serena holding a 6-2 edge.

At Wimbledon, Venus is 68-9, Serena 57-7. No one else in the 2011 draw has more than 27 match wins there.

"Obviously," Wozniacki said, "no one wants to play them."

Overall, Serena has been to 16 major finals, Venus 14. No one else in the draw has reached more than four.

As seven-time major champion John McEnroe put it: "I wouldn't minimize their chances."

Hey, at least one British bookmaker installed Serena as a 3-1 favorite to win Wimbledon.

The interest generated by the sisters' rise to the top of their sport is widely pointed to as the reason for the U.S. Open's decision to move its women's final to prime time in 2001. Venus beat Serena that year for the title, and nearly 23 million viewers tuned in to the CBS broadcast, giving their match the largest TV audience of any program that night, including a game between traditional college football powers Notre Dame and Nebraska.

The last major tournament, the French Open, was the first Grand Slam since 2003 without Serena or Venus — and chaos reigned. It's the only French Open in history where none of the top three seeded women reached the quarterfinals, and it left some looking forward to when the sisters would pick up their rackets again.

"I'm sure when they come back, they'll come back ready. That's how they do it. Tennis has been pretty spoiled by their success and they're pretty special, two special sisters," top-10 U.S. man Mardy Fish said in Paris. "And when they're not around, you can feel it. You can feel at a Grand Slam when they're not here, and so I think everyone's hoping that they'll be back, better than ever, soon."

Serena lost in the second round at Eastbourne, a three-set struggle against the woman she beat in last year's Wimbledon final, Vera Zvonareva. Venus lasted one round longer.

They're not merely happy to be back, though.

They want to contend for more titles.

"I always believe in myself when I go on the court," Venus said. "And I'm not just here to look good on the court; I'm here to win every match I'm in."

___

AP Sports Writers Caroline Cheese in Eastbourne, England, and Rachel Cohen in New York contributed to this report.

___

Follow Howard Fendrich at http://twitter.com/HowardFendrich

SPORTS - Wimbledon would be biggest win, says Sharapova (AFP)

at 11:00 PM Posted by Rick Jhonson

SPORTS - Wimbledon would be biggest win, says Sharapova (AFP)

AP – Junior Dos Santos, right, of Brazil, hits Shane Carwin, of Greeley, Colo., during their main event heavyweight …

– Sun Jun 12, 12:32 am ET

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Junior Dos Santos bloodied Shane Carwin to win a dominant decision at UFC 131 on Saturday night, earning a shot at heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez.

Twenty-two of their 26 combined fights had ended in the first round so no one was expecting a marathon. And Dos Santos (13-1) almost finished Carwin in the first, with a barrage of unanswered blows.

But Carwin (12-2) stayed up and the Brazilian made him pay, using his superior striking to batter Carwin's face.

The judges scored it 30-27, 30-27, 30-26 for Dos Santos, who already is looking forward to his next fight.

"Cain, I'm coming for you," he said.

"I'm excited," said Velasquez, who entered the cage after the fight.

Kenny Florian won his debut at featherweight with a 29-28, 29-28, 30-27 decision over highly touted Brazilian Diego Nunes in the co-main event at Rogers Arena. Florian fought a smart fight, using his size and versatility to frustrate the flashy Nunes.

The Boston native was clearly the villain of the night, stemming from his Bruins jersey at the weigh-in. Vancouver faces Boston in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup finals on Monday night, and the crowd chanted "Go Canucks Go" and jeered Florian during the fight.

"Despite the boos, I love you Vancouver," said Florian (16-5), who became the first UFC fighter to compete in four weight classes.

Carwin had not fought since last July, sidelined by neck surgery. Dos Santos' last bout was in August. He had served as a coach on the UFC's reality show.

Dos Santos had been set to meet Brock Lesnar but the former title-holder was sidelined by diverticulitis.

Dos Santos stuffed two Carwin takedown attempts in the first and began to find his striking range as the round neared a close. He put Carwin down with a right-left-right combo, then threw more than 40 punches at his downed opponent. But Carwin continued.

Dos Santos used kicks in the second round, looking to set up his crisp punches. Carwin caught him with a left but Dos Santos ignored it, moving away to set up his next attack.

Carwin managed an early takedown in the third, but Dos Santos got right back up and started punching again.

Canadians went 3-1 on the undercard, including lightweight Sam Stout's knockout against veteran Yves Edwards.

Stout connected with a left hook in the first round and Edwards toppled backward. Stout (15-4-1) went to follow up, but held back when he saw Edwards was motionless.

Edwards (40-17-1) eventually got up on a stool to the applause of the crowd but needed a helping hand as he was led away.

"That is one of the nastiest KO's I have EVER seen!!!!" UFC president Dana White posted on his Twitter account.

The 27-year-old Stout, who is from London, Ontario, celebrated the victory with a backflip in the cage.

The card started less than 24 hours after the Canucks beat Boston 1-0 at Rogers Arena to move within one victory of their first Stanley Cup title.

Also on the undercard, Mark Munoz had to work hard for a 29-28, 29-28, 30-27 decision over Demian Maia in a back-and-forth middleweight fight. Krzysztof Soszynski earned a 30-27, 30-26, 30-27 decision against Mike Massenzio, and Calgary middleweight Nick Ring stopped James Head in the third round.

SPORTS - Rodriguez pitches six strong for Astros (AP)

at 11:00 PM Posted by Rick Jhonson

SPORTS - Rodriguez pitches six strong for Astros (AP)

Florida's Brian Johnson motions from second base that his RBI two-run double in the seventh inning against Texas was actually a home run because the b

AP – Florida's Brian Johnson motions from second base that his RBI two-run double in the seventh inning against …

By ERIC OLSON, AP Sports Writer Eric Olson, Ap Sports Writer – 1 hr 59 mins ago

OMAHA, Neb. – Texas hasn't done anything the easy way so far in the NCAA baseball tournament, and it will be no different in the College World Series.

The Longhorns face elimination after losing 8-4 to Florida in their first game at the new TD Ameritrade Park on Saturday night.

Hudson Randall and two other Florida pitchers limited the Longhorns to five hits, and Brian Johnson broke open the game with a two-out, two-run double in the seventh inning.

Now the Longhorns, in the CWS for a record 34th time, must beat North Carolina in a win-or-go-home game Monday afternoon.

"We've been pretty good in elimination games," Texas coach Augie Garrido said, "and here we are again."

Texas (49-18) won three straight after losing their second game in regionals, and they beat Arizona State twice after dropping the first game of their super regional.

"We all know we played a below-average game, and they capitalized on it," Garrido said. "But it doesn't mean we have to lose our spirit or our confidence in each other and it doesn't have to mean we give up. We've been here before. We know we can win. This championship's been won out of the losers' bracket before. So we know it can be done."

Taylor Jungmann (13-3), the Milwaukee Brewers' first-round draft pick, had another rough postseason outing for the Longhorns. He went 4 1-3 innings for his shortest start of the season, and four of the five runs against him were earned.

Jungmann, who started the season 13-0, had come into the CWS off losses in his previous two starts. He allowed two doubles and a single, walked four, hit a batter and threw two wild pitches.

"I felt for the first three innings I had decent command, but after that I fell out of rhythm," Jungmann said. "I walked more guys than I usually do. They took advantage of it, and that was about it."

Florida's Johnson came up with his big hit, off Nathan Thornhill, in his first game back since suffering a freak concussion.

"Sully talked to me before the at-bat," Johnson said, referring to coach Kevin O'Sullivan. "He said it's going to be a big at-bat for the game. So I just went up there really looking for one pitch I could drive. And I ended up getting that pitch.

"I was really excited to get back out there after three weeks not being able to play."

Johnson, the Gators' designated hitter and No. 2 starter, was knocked out by a throw from catcher Mike Zunino while pitching in the Southeastern Conference tournament May 28. Zunino, Johnson's roommate, tripped trying to throw out a runner at second base and hit Johnson in the back of the head.

It turned out Johnson's big hit in the seventh inning should have been ruled a home run. Replays showed that the ball bounced back into play after striking the railing above the yellow line atop the right-center wall. NCAA umpire coordinator Gene McArtor said in a statement after the game that the umpires' decision to hold Johnson at second base was wrong. Umpires aren't allowed to use video review.

The No. 2 national-seeded Gators (51-17), who play Vanderbilt on Monday night, are off to a winning start in the CWS after going two games and out last year.

"We came here last year and we were very disappointed to go two and done," Daniel Pigott said. "So to start out this way — having a great game, good pitching, solid hitting — I think it was very, very big for us. Definitely going to give us a lot of confidence going through the rest of the tournament."

Randall (11-3) followed up a terrific eight-inning outing in the super regionals against Mississippi State with another 6 2-3 strong innings against the Longhorns.

Randall scattered five hits, walked none and struck out five. Only one of the four runs against him was earned.

Randall, Greg Larson and Maronde limited Texas to five hits, with Maronde earning his third save with two innings of no-hit relief.

Randall retired 13 straight starting in the third inning. Jacob Felts broke through with a two-out single in the seventh, and Jordan Etier followed with a run-scoring double to cut Florida's lead to 5-4 and bring on Larson.

The 6-foot-8, 225-pound right-hander caught Tant Shepherd looking at strike three to end the threat.

The game drew an overflow crowd of 25,521 at the new TD Ameritrade Park, which replaced Rosenblatt Stadium as the CWS host.