WASHINGTON (AP) — The Big Unit was held up by Mother Nature, putting history on hold.
Randy Johnson's bid for 300 wins was postponed Wednesday night after a series of thunderstorms left the field at Nationals Park unplayable for Johnson's San Francisco Giants and the Washington Nationals.
At 10:47 p.m. EDT — more than 3 1/2 hours after the scheduled 7:05 p.m. first pitch — Nationals president Stan Kasten announced that the game had been called and would be made up as part of a doubleheader, starting at 4:35 p.m. on Thursday.
"The field is not playable, and that's the reason we can't play," Kasten said after sloshing through masses of standing water in the outfield with the umpires. "We really tried. We were all trying to get it done, but at the end of the night, it's not worth the risk to our players."
Johnson will pitch the first game of the doubleheader against Nationals rookie Jordan Zimmermann, the same matchup that had been scheduled for Wednesday night. San Francisco's Matt Cain will face Ross Detwiler in Game 2.
Because of two Giants off days, Johnson will be pitching on seven days of rest since winning No. 299 last week against the Atlanta Braves. He left the ballpark without speaking to reporters.
"You look at his career, and he's been through everything," San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy said. "Randy's fine. I'm sure he's anxious to pitch, not just because it's 300."
The weather was ominous from mid-afternoon, when the tarp was placed on the field before batting practice. It was removed during a break in the storms around 8 p.m., but it was soon put back on when weather radar accurately predicted the imminent arrival of another line of lightning, thunder and rain so dense that the Capitol dome was no longer visible from the upper deck.
Still, Kasten consulted with Giants president Larry Baer and announced at 10 p.m.: "We are going to play this game" — in part because of the history at stake. They had to recant less than an hour later.
"For a player going for a milestone, you want something more optimal," Baer said. "We can recapture that feeling tomorrow. Under no circumstances do you want to get someone hurt."
Johnson is attempting to become the 24th pitcher to win 300 games. Before the storms hit, discussions centered on whether the 45-year-old lefty will be the last. Pitch counts, quick hooks and an overall abundance of caution with pitchers have made consistent big-win seasons a rarity.
"He's going after a tremendous accomplishment that probably we'll never see again," Washington manager Manny Acta said. "It's becoming tougher and tougher."
Only four pitchers have averaged at least 15 wins over the last six full seasons, and the career leader among those four — Roy Halladay — has only 140 wins at age 32, putting him about a decade away from 300 at his present pace. The only contenders above 200 wins are 46-year-old Jamie Moyer (250), 36-year-old Andy Pettitte (220), 37-year-old Pedro Martinez (214) and 42-year-old John Smoltz (210).
"I think we'll see it again. It'll be a while," Bochy said. "Of course, there's Moyer. He can pitch until he's 50, I guess. The way bullpens have evolved in baseball, it makes it more difficult for these starters to get the decisions. They're not in there when the game's decided. Randy, if you look at his decisions, and the guys who have won 300, that's one common denominator that they have. That's why it's going to be a lot more difficult."
by the associated press
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Wednesday, June 03, 2009
Brewers beat Marlins 9-6
MIAMI (AP) — Ryan Braun homered and Milwaukee scored three runs on walks to snap its five-game road losing streak with a 9-6 win Wednesday night over the Florida Marlins.
The Brewers scored six runs in the fifth inning, three on bases-loaded walks after Hayden Penn relieved rookie Sean West (0-3) with runners on first and second.
Seth McClung (3-1) pitched 3 1-3 innings of relief, allowing only an eighth-inning homer by Dan Uggla. Trevor Hoffman pitched a perfect ninth for his 14th save in 14 chances this season.
Milwaukee was up 3-1 going into the fifth. An error by shortstop Hanley Ramirez on a grounder by Braun and Prince Fielder's one-out single put runners on first and second and chased West. A grounder by J.J. Hardy forced Braun at home for the second out and it seemed Penn might get out of the jam.
But Penn then walked three consecutive batters with the bases loaded, including starter Braden Looper.
He was relieved by Brian Sanches after getting to a 2-1 count on Corey Hart.
Hart reached on third baseman Emilio Bonifacio's throwing error, which also scored the fourth run of the inning before Casey McGehee doubled home two runs for a 9-1 lead.
Florida got four runs back in the bottom half on a throwing error by Looper, a double play, and singles by Bonifacio and Jorge Cantu. McClung came on and struck out Uggla with the bases loaded to end the inning.
Braun hit a two-run homer in the third for a 3-0 lead. The Marlins made it 3-1 on Cantu's solo home run in the fourth, the first hit of the game off Looper, who allowed five runs in 4 2-3 innings.
Notes:@ Milwaukee CF Mike Cameron returned to the lineup after missing Tuesday's game with tendinitis in his left knee and a sore right throwing shoulder. ... The Brewers won for just the third time in their past 15 games in Miami. ... Fielder hit an RBI double in the first.
by the associated press
The Brewers scored six runs in the fifth inning, three on bases-loaded walks after Hayden Penn relieved rookie Sean West (0-3) with runners on first and second.
Seth McClung (3-1) pitched 3 1-3 innings of relief, allowing only an eighth-inning homer by Dan Uggla. Trevor Hoffman pitched a perfect ninth for his 14th save in 14 chances this season.
Milwaukee was up 3-1 going into the fifth. An error by shortstop Hanley Ramirez on a grounder by Braun and Prince Fielder's one-out single put runners on first and second and chased West. A grounder by J.J. Hardy forced Braun at home for the second out and it seemed Penn might get out of the jam.
But Penn then walked three consecutive batters with the bases loaded, including starter Braden Looper.
He was relieved by Brian Sanches after getting to a 2-1 count on Corey Hart.
Hart reached on third baseman Emilio Bonifacio's throwing error, which also scored the fourth run of the inning before Casey McGehee doubled home two runs for a 9-1 lead.
Florida got four runs back in the bottom half on a throwing error by Looper, a double play, and singles by Bonifacio and Jorge Cantu. McClung came on and struck out Uggla with the bases loaded to end the inning.
Braun hit a two-run homer in the third for a 3-0 lead. The Marlins made it 3-1 on Cantu's solo home run in the fourth, the first hit of the game off Looper, who allowed five runs in 4 2-3 innings.
Notes:@ Milwaukee CF Mike Cameron returned to the lineup after missing Tuesday's game with tendinitis in his left knee and a sore right throwing shoulder. ... The Brewers won for just the third time in their past 15 games in Miami. ... Fielder hit an RBI double in the first.
by the associated press
Tuesday, June 02, 2009
Cleveland Indians loss to the Minnesota Twins
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Cleveland Indians shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera separated his left shoulder in the first inning of Tuesday night's 4-3 loss to the Minnesota Twins.
Cabrera said the shoulder had to be popped back in. X-rays were negative, but he will undergo an MRI on Wednesday.
"Maybe it's a situation where it's just a couple of days, hopefully," Cleveland manager Eric Wedge said.
Cabrera hurt himself sliding into second base to break up a double play and had to be assisted off the field.
Cleveland already has eight players on the disabled list, second most in the majors behind Tampa Bay.
by the associated press
Cabrera said the shoulder had to be popped back in. X-rays were negative, but he will undergo an MRI on Wednesday.
"Maybe it's a situation where it's just a couple of days, hopefully," Cleveland manager Eric Wedge said.
Cabrera hurt himself sliding into second base to break up a double play and had to be assisted off the field.
Cleveland already has eight players on the disabled list, second most in the majors behind Tampa Bay.
by the associated press
Yanks 12-3 win over Texas
NEW YORK (AP) — Mark Teixeira sparked the Yankees with a takeout slide at second base after being hit with pitches twice, Hideki Matsui and Jorge Posada hit three-run homers and New York beat the Texas Rangers 12-3 Tuesday night to take over best record in the American League.
Derek Jeter became the fourth active player with 1,500 runs — and just the fourth in Yankees history — when Teixeira sent rookie shortstop Elvis Andrus tumbling on Alex Rodriguez's fourth-inning grounder. A-Rod beat out the relay to avoid an inning-ending double play as Jeter scored for a 4-3 lead, keeping alive what would turn into a seven-run inning.
Robinson Cano chased Vicente Padilla (3-3), making his first start after a stint on the disabled list, with an RBI single and Posada followed with another run-scoring single off Derek Holland.
Matsui then homered over the fence in right-center for a 9-3 lead — he also homered off Holland last week in Texas.
Posada homered against Warner Madrigal in the sixth as the Yankees (31-21) defeated Texas (30-21) for the third time in four meetings this season and set a season high for runs. New York has won 16 of 20 to reach 10 games over .500, a mark the Yankees didn't achieve until their 100th game last year.
A.J. Burnett (4-2) beat Texas for the second time in a week, allowing three runs and eight hits in seven innings and striking out eight. He threw a pitch over the head of Nelson Cruz in the fifth that sent the cleanup hitter sprawling, prompting plate umpire Doug Eddings to warn both dugouts. Cruz had put the Rangers ahead 3-2 with a three-run homer in the third.
Sidelined since May 16 with a strained right shoulder, Padilla hit Teixeira on an arm in the second and on the buttocks in the fourth, just after Johnny Damon's RBI single had tied the score at 3-3. The forceout by Rodriguez, who had stranded five runners in his first two at-bats, allowed Jeter to join Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and Mickey Mantle as the only Yankees with 1,500 runs. The only other active players to reach the mark are Rodriguez, Ken Griffey Jr, and Gary Sheffield.
In a matchup between the top two home-run-hitting teams in the majors, the Yankees hit two to raise their total to 82, two behind the Rangers. There has been at least one homer in all 24 games at the Yankee Stadium, two more than San Juan's Hiram Bithorn Stadium for the longest streak at the start of a big league ballpark. The 90 homers are one shy of the record for most in the first 24 games at a major league park, set at Houston's Enron Field in 2000, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
New York's record-setting errorless streak ended at 18 games when catcher Jorge Posada threw the ball into center field on Andrus' fourth-inning steal of second base. Posada's error, which allowed Andrus to take third, was the Yankees' first since shortstop Ramiro Pena misplayed a grounder by the Blue Jays' Jose Bautista at Toronto on May 13.
New York broke the previous major league mark of 17 games, set by the Boston Red Sox from June 11-30, 2006.
Padilla gave up seven runs, seven hits and four walks in 3 2-3 innings, his ERA rising to 5.57. Before the game, Texas put All-Star outfielder Josh Hamilton on the disabled list with an abdominal strain, an injury that will sideline him from two weeks to two months.
Notes:@ The Yankees' May 3 rainout at home against the Los Angeles Angels has been rescheduled for Sept. 14 at 7:05 p.m. ... New York OF Xavier Nady (elbow) made 40 throws in the outfield in his second day of his throwing program, and felt pain on just two, according to Yankees manager Joe Girardi. "It's much better today," said Nady, who is scheduled to take a day off before resuming Thursday. Infielder Cody Ransom (right quadriceps) is to start at rehab assignment Thursday with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. LHP Damaso Marte (left shoulder tendinitis) is to throw a bullpen session Friday.
by the associated press
Derek Jeter became the fourth active player with 1,500 runs — and just the fourth in Yankees history — when Teixeira sent rookie shortstop Elvis Andrus tumbling on Alex Rodriguez's fourth-inning grounder. A-Rod beat out the relay to avoid an inning-ending double play as Jeter scored for a 4-3 lead, keeping alive what would turn into a seven-run inning.
Robinson Cano chased Vicente Padilla (3-3), making his first start after a stint on the disabled list, with an RBI single and Posada followed with another run-scoring single off Derek Holland.
Matsui then homered over the fence in right-center for a 9-3 lead — he also homered off Holland last week in Texas.
Posada homered against Warner Madrigal in the sixth as the Yankees (31-21) defeated Texas (30-21) for the third time in four meetings this season and set a season high for runs. New York has won 16 of 20 to reach 10 games over .500, a mark the Yankees didn't achieve until their 100th game last year.
A.J. Burnett (4-2) beat Texas for the second time in a week, allowing three runs and eight hits in seven innings and striking out eight. He threw a pitch over the head of Nelson Cruz in the fifth that sent the cleanup hitter sprawling, prompting plate umpire Doug Eddings to warn both dugouts. Cruz had put the Rangers ahead 3-2 with a three-run homer in the third.
Sidelined since May 16 with a strained right shoulder, Padilla hit Teixeira on an arm in the second and on the buttocks in the fourth, just after Johnny Damon's RBI single had tied the score at 3-3. The forceout by Rodriguez, who had stranded five runners in his first two at-bats, allowed Jeter to join Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and Mickey Mantle as the only Yankees with 1,500 runs. The only other active players to reach the mark are Rodriguez, Ken Griffey Jr, and Gary Sheffield.
In a matchup between the top two home-run-hitting teams in the majors, the Yankees hit two to raise their total to 82, two behind the Rangers. There has been at least one homer in all 24 games at the Yankee Stadium, two more than San Juan's Hiram Bithorn Stadium for the longest streak at the start of a big league ballpark. The 90 homers are one shy of the record for most in the first 24 games at a major league park, set at Houston's Enron Field in 2000, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
New York's record-setting errorless streak ended at 18 games when catcher Jorge Posada threw the ball into center field on Andrus' fourth-inning steal of second base. Posada's error, which allowed Andrus to take third, was the Yankees' first since shortstop Ramiro Pena misplayed a grounder by the Blue Jays' Jose Bautista at Toronto on May 13.
New York broke the previous major league mark of 17 games, set by the Boston Red Sox from June 11-30, 2006.
Padilla gave up seven runs, seven hits and four walks in 3 2-3 innings, his ERA rising to 5.57. Before the game, Texas put All-Star outfielder Josh Hamilton on the disabled list with an abdominal strain, an injury that will sideline him from two weeks to two months.
Notes:@ The Yankees' May 3 rainout at home against the Los Angeles Angels has been rescheduled for Sept. 14 at 7:05 p.m. ... New York OF Xavier Nady (elbow) made 40 throws in the outfield in his second day of his throwing program, and felt pain on just two, according to Yankees manager Joe Girardi. "It's much better today," said Nady, who is scheduled to take a day off before resuming Thursday. Infielder Cody Ransom (right quadriceps) is to start at rehab assignment Thursday with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. LHP Damaso Marte (left shoulder tendinitis) is to throw a bullpen session Friday.
by the associated press
Rays' win
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Matt Joyce hit a tiebreaking two-run double and added a two-run homer, and Andy Sonnanstine allowed two runs in 6 2-3 innings to lead the Tampa Bay Rays past the Kansas City Royals 6-2 on Tuesday night.
Joyce made it 4-2 on his two-out double during the sixth off reliever Horacio Ramirez. He extended the Tampa Bay advantage to 6-2 on his third homer of the season in the eighth.
Sonnanstine (4-5) gave up six hits and had three strikeouts, rebounding from a start last Wednesday at Cleveland when the right-hander allowed eight runs and nine hits in three innings.
Tampa Bay, which won for the third time in nine games, also got a homer from Ben Zobrist.
Jose Guillen and Miguel Olivo homered for the Royals, who have lost five in a row and 10 of 12.
The Rays took a 2-1 lead on a two-run homer by Zobrist off Kyle Davies (2-5) in the fourth.
Davies lost his fourth consecutive start, allowing four runs, three hits and six walks over 5 2-3 innings. He struck out seven during his 114-pitch outing.
Guillen put the Royals up 1-0 on a second-inning homer. Olivo tied it at 2 with solo shot during the fifth.
Tampa Bay third baseman Evan Longoria left the game with tightness in his left hamstring. Gabe Gross pinch hit for Longoria, who the designated hitter due to a sore throwing arm, in the seventh. The Rays said Longoria, the leading AL vote getter for this year's All-Star Game, is day to day.
Notes:@ The Royals reinstated closer Joakim Soria (right rotator cuff) and SS Tony Pena Jr. (left hand) from the 15-day disabled list, and put RHP Sidney Ponson (right elbow) on the DL. ... Tampa Bay DH Pat Burrell (neck) could resume batting practice this week. ... Kansas City C John Buck, hospitalized after hurting his lower back while to preparing to bat Saturday, has been released from the hospital and will be re-evaluated in five to seven days. ... Royals SS Mike Aviles (right forearm strain) was scheduled to undergo additional tests, including an MRI exam.
by the associated press
Joyce made it 4-2 on his two-out double during the sixth off reliever Horacio Ramirez. He extended the Tampa Bay advantage to 6-2 on his third homer of the season in the eighth.
Sonnanstine (4-5) gave up six hits and had three strikeouts, rebounding from a start last Wednesday at Cleveland when the right-hander allowed eight runs and nine hits in three innings.
Tampa Bay, which won for the third time in nine games, also got a homer from Ben Zobrist.
Jose Guillen and Miguel Olivo homered for the Royals, who have lost five in a row and 10 of 12.
The Rays took a 2-1 lead on a two-run homer by Zobrist off Kyle Davies (2-5) in the fourth.
Davies lost his fourth consecutive start, allowing four runs, three hits and six walks over 5 2-3 innings. He struck out seven during his 114-pitch outing.
Guillen put the Royals up 1-0 on a second-inning homer. Olivo tied it at 2 with solo shot during the fifth.
Tampa Bay third baseman Evan Longoria left the game with tightness in his left hamstring. Gabe Gross pinch hit for Longoria, who the designated hitter due to a sore throwing arm, in the seventh. The Rays said Longoria, the leading AL vote getter for this year's All-Star Game, is day to day.
Notes:@ The Royals reinstated closer Joakim Soria (right rotator cuff) and SS Tony Pena Jr. (left hand) from the 15-day disabled list, and put RHP Sidney Ponson (right elbow) on the DL. ... Tampa Bay DH Pat Burrell (neck) could resume batting practice this week. ... Kansas City C John Buck, hospitalized after hurting his lower back while to preparing to bat Saturday, has been released from the hospital and will be re-evaluated in five to seven days. ... Royals SS Mike Aviles (right forearm strain) was scheduled to undergo additional tests, including an MRI exam.
by the associated press
Astros over Rockies
HOUSTON (AP) — Miguel Tejada hit a game-winning homer off Josh Fogg in the 11th inning to cap a three-RBI night and lift the Houston Astros to a 3-2 win over the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday night.
Tejada, the NL's leading hitter coming in with a .353 average, tied the game in the ninth with an RBI single off Huston Street. He also had an RBI single in the fifth against Rockies starter Ubaldo Jimenez.
Tejada has 27 RBIs in his last 25 games.
Fogg (0-1) got Michael Bourn on a groundout leading off the 11th before Tejada drove a 2-2 pitch into the left-field porch, his sixth homer of the season. It was the fifth time the Astros have won a game in their last at-bat, and the second time Tejada has driven in the winning run.
Colorado had a chance to score in the top of the 11th.
Omar Quintanilla led off with a single off Russ Ortiz (3-2) and advanced on Paul Phillips' bunt. Ortiz struck out Ian Stewart and backup second baseman Matt Kata made a diving stop to rob Dexter Fowler of a hit.
The Rockies took a 2-1 lead to the bottom of the ninth before Street blew a save for the first time in nine chances this season.
Ivan Rodriguez led off with a single and Bourn reached on a bunt after Street threw wildly to first for an error. Tejada drove in Rodriguez with a bloop single to right.
The Astros' rally ruined an effective start by the Rockies' Ubaldo Jimenez, who allowed seven hits and four walks in six innings.
Felipe Paulino was dominant early, striking out five of the first 10 batters he faced. But the Rockies took a 2-0 lead in the fourth on back-to-back doubles by Todd Helton and Brad Hawpe and an RBI single by Seth Smith.
Jimenez wasn't as sharp as Paulino early, but kept the Astros in check.
Notes:@ The Rockies placed C Yorvit Torrealba on the restricted list for personal reasons and purchased the contract of C Edwin Bellorin from their Triple-A affiliate in Colorado Springs. ... Astros RHP Geoff Geary threw about 40 pitches in a simulated game on Tuesday. The middle reliever has been on the disabled list since May 14 with tendinitis in his right biceps. ... Tejada's 16-game hitting streak is the longest by an Astro since Berkman's 17-game streak between April 30 and May 18 last season. ... Rockies SS Troy Tulowitzki left in the fourth inning with an injured left hand and was replaced by Omar Quintanilla. Tulowitzki was taken to a Houston hospital for X-rays.
by the associated press
Tejada, the NL's leading hitter coming in with a .353 average, tied the game in the ninth with an RBI single off Huston Street. He also had an RBI single in the fifth against Rockies starter Ubaldo Jimenez.
Tejada has 27 RBIs in his last 25 games.
Fogg (0-1) got Michael Bourn on a groundout leading off the 11th before Tejada drove a 2-2 pitch into the left-field porch, his sixth homer of the season. It was the fifth time the Astros have won a game in their last at-bat, and the second time Tejada has driven in the winning run.
Colorado had a chance to score in the top of the 11th.
Omar Quintanilla led off with a single off Russ Ortiz (3-2) and advanced on Paul Phillips' bunt. Ortiz struck out Ian Stewart and backup second baseman Matt Kata made a diving stop to rob Dexter Fowler of a hit.
The Rockies took a 2-1 lead to the bottom of the ninth before Street blew a save for the first time in nine chances this season.
Ivan Rodriguez led off with a single and Bourn reached on a bunt after Street threw wildly to first for an error. Tejada drove in Rodriguez with a bloop single to right.
The Astros' rally ruined an effective start by the Rockies' Ubaldo Jimenez, who allowed seven hits and four walks in six innings.
Felipe Paulino was dominant early, striking out five of the first 10 batters he faced. But the Rockies took a 2-0 lead in the fourth on back-to-back doubles by Todd Helton and Brad Hawpe and an RBI single by Seth Smith.
Jimenez wasn't as sharp as Paulino early, but kept the Astros in check.
Notes:@ The Rockies placed C Yorvit Torrealba on the restricted list for personal reasons and purchased the contract of C Edwin Bellorin from their Triple-A affiliate in Colorado Springs. ... Astros RHP Geoff Geary threw about 40 pitches in a simulated game on Tuesday. The middle reliever has been on the disabled list since May 14 with tendinitis in his right biceps. ... Tejada's 16-game hitting streak is the longest by an Astro since Berkman's 17-game streak between April 30 and May 18 last season. ... Rockies SS Troy Tulowitzki left in the fourth inning with an injured left hand and was replaced by Omar Quintanilla. Tulowitzki was taken to a Houston hospital for X-rays.
by the associated press
NHL Championship , 2-1
PITTSBURGH (AP) — For three straight years, the home team has won the first three games of the Stanley Cup finals.
The Pittsburgh Penguins secured that accomplishment for the second consecutive year by beating the Detroit Red Wings 4-2 Tuesday night. However, the Game 3 winner hasn't managed to stay alive past Game 6.
"In my opinion, in the two games at home, one of them could have gone the other way, too," Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said. "So this series is where it should be."
The Ottawa Senators cut the Anaheim Ducks' lead to 2-1 in the 2007 finals, only to drop the next two games and go out in five. The Penguins lost Game 4 to the Red Wings last year, forced the series back to Pittsburgh with a Game 5 win, but had its season end on home ice.
Not that the Red Wings are relying on history to come through for them again this time.
"I don't think so. It's a new year," forward Valtteri Filppula said.
___
THIRD-PERIOD TURNAROUND:@ After being outshot 26-11 through two periods, the Penguins turned things around in the third en route to the 4-2 victory.
Lucky to be tied 2-2 through 40 minutes, the Penguins turned it on and outshot Detroit 10-3 in the third. Sergei Gonchar's power-play goal snapped the deadlock with 9:31 remaining, and Max Talbot's empty-netter sealed Pittsburgh's win.
Before Tuesday, Detroit's previous low shot total in a period in this year's playoffs was six, done four times. The Red Wings had outscored opponents 19-6 in the third period and outshot them 210-153 during the postseason.
The Penguins rebounded after being outshot 14-4 in the second period.
"It's probably a little easier when you come out of a bad period like that and you're still tied," Penguins captain Sidney Crosby said. "You feel like you've kind of dodged a bullet."
___
LIDSTROM SPEAKS:@ You can count on Nicklas Lidstrom meeting the media every day during the Stanley Cup finals.
One day after 21-year-old Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby took a break from reporters questions, Lidstrom gave his take Tuesday about standing up in front of cameras, tape recorders and notebooks on a regular basis.
"I look at it as being part of the job, the same as coming to practice," said Lidstrom, in his third season as Detroit Red Wings captain. "You go out there and skate at practice, you talk to the media afterward, too. I just consider that as part of the game and part of being a hockey player."
Crosby is a regular participant at the postseason podium, but after the Penguins returned to Pittsburgh on Monday following two consecutive losses in Detroit at the start of the Stanley Cup finals, he left the talking to other teammates and coach Dan Bylsma.
Crosby failed to record a point in either of Pittsburgh's 3-1 losses.
"I actually have a game plan for the playoffs. I made a point of saying every day doesn't need to be Sidney Crosby day," Bylsma said Monday. "There have been days when he hasn't been out here. So that was it. We made a choice to give other people a chance to be up here and for you to talk to them and feel it's important for it to be a team thing, not just Dan Bylsma and Sidney Crosby talking at the podium every day."
The demand for Lidstrom's time went up once he took over the captain's 'C' after Steve Yzerman retired.
"I get lot more requests and I talk a lot more to the media than when I wasn't the captain or even assistant captain," the generally soft-spoken Lidstrom said. "There is a little bit more responsibilities now when you are the captain."
___
THE CITY OF (ROAD) CHAMPIONS:@ By losing the first two games of the Stanley Cup finals in Detroit, the Penguins left themselves with little chance of ending a Pittsburgh sports curiosity. When the city's sports teams win championship-clinching games, they usually do it on the road.
Over the past 38 years, Pittsburgh's three major pro sports teams have won a combined 10 Super Bowls, Stanley Cup titles or World Series championships, but not one was accomplished in Pittsburgh.
The Steelers' six Super Bowl victories were won at neutral sites. The Pirates' 1971 and 1979 World Series titles were won in Baltimore. The Penguins won the Stanley Cup in 1991 at Minnesota and in 1992 in Chicago.
The last title won by a Pittsburgh team at home was by the 1960 Pirates, when they defeated the New York Yankees 10-9 on Bill Mazeroski's homer in Game 7 of the World Series.
The Penguins can play a maximum of three home games in the Stanley Cup finals (Games 3, 4 and 6) and thus needed to win four in a row to have any chance of winning the Cup in Pittsburgh.
___
AWARDS:@ St. Louis Blues president John Davidson, a longtime local and national NHL commentator before he switched jobs, was selected as the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award winner for his contributions in hockey broadcasting, the Hockey Hall of Fame announced Tuesday.
Davidson, had been an analyst for MSG Network on New York Rangers telecasts, along with NBC and CBC, and had been in the broadcast booth for the past five Winter Olympics.
"John Davidson has had a remarkable career in almost every aspect of professional hockey, and we as a broadcast community benefited immensely from his expertise and professionalism," said Chuck Kaiton, president of the NHL Broadcasters' Association. "He is an incredibly deserving recipient of this honor."
Pittsburgh sports writer Dave Molinari was chosen as this year's recipient of the Elmer Ferguson Memorial Award for print journalism.
Molinari, the lead hockey writer for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, has covered the Penguins since 1984. He was recognized by the Professional Hockey Writers' Association for his "subtle blend of dry wit and unending sarcasm," and for chronicling the career of Hall of Fame forward Mario Lemieux.
"The fans of Pittsburgh of been fortunate to have highly skilled players such as Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr, Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby," PHWA president Kevin Allen said in a statement. "And they have been equally fortunate to have a highly skilled writer such as Dave to chronicle their successes."
Davidson and Molinari will be honored at a luncheon on Nov. 9, before the Hockey Hall of Fame induction.
by the associated press
The Pittsburgh Penguins secured that accomplishment for the second consecutive year by beating the Detroit Red Wings 4-2 Tuesday night. However, the Game 3 winner hasn't managed to stay alive past Game 6.
"In my opinion, in the two games at home, one of them could have gone the other way, too," Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said. "So this series is where it should be."
The Ottawa Senators cut the Anaheim Ducks' lead to 2-1 in the 2007 finals, only to drop the next two games and go out in five. The Penguins lost Game 4 to the Red Wings last year, forced the series back to Pittsburgh with a Game 5 win, but had its season end on home ice.
Not that the Red Wings are relying on history to come through for them again this time.
"I don't think so. It's a new year," forward Valtteri Filppula said.
___
THIRD-PERIOD TURNAROUND:@ After being outshot 26-11 through two periods, the Penguins turned things around in the third en route to the 4-2 victory.
Lucky to be tied 2-2 through 40 minutes, the Penguins turned it on and outshot Detroit 10-3 in the third. Sergei Gonchar's power-play goal snapped the deadlock with 9:31 remaining, and Max Talbot's empty-netter sealed Pittsburgh's win.
Before Tuesday, Detroit's previous low shot total in a period in this year's playoffs was six, done four times. The Red Wings had outscored opponents 19-6 in the third period and outshot them 210-153 during the postseason.
The Penguins rebounded after being outshot 14-4 in the second period.
"It's probably a little easier when you come out of a bad period like that and you're still tied," Penguins captain Sidney Crosby said. "You feel like you've kind of dodged a bullet."
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LIDSTROM SPEAKS:@ You can count on Nicklas Lidstrom meeting the media every day during the Stanley Cup finals.
One day after 21-year-old Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby took a break from reporters questions, Lidstrom gave his take Tuesday about standing up in front of cameras, tape recorders and notebooks on a regular basis.
"I look at it as being part of the job, the same as coming to practice," said Lidstrom, in his third season as Detroit Red Wings captain. "You go out there and skate at practice, you talk to the media afterward, too. I just consider that as part of the game and part of being a hockey player."
Crosby is a regular participant at the postseason podium, but after the Penguins returned to Pittsburgh on Monday following two consecutive losses in Detroit at the start of the Stanley Cup finals, he left the talking to other teammates and coach Dan Bylsma.
Crosby failed to record a point in either of Pittsburgh's 3-1 losses.
"I actually have a game plan for the playoffs. I made a point of saying every day doesn't need to be Sidney Crosby day," Bylsma said Monday. "There have been days when he hasn't been out here. So that was it. We made a choice to give other people a chance to be up here and for you to talk to them and feel it's important for it to be a team thing, not just Dan Bylsma and Sidney Crosby talking at the podium every day."
The demand for Lidstrom's time went up once he took over the captain's 'C' after Steve Yzerman retired.
"I get lot more requests and I talk a lot more to the media than when I wasn't the captain or even assistant captain," the generally soft-spoken Lidstrom said. "There is a little bit more responsibilities now when you are the captain."
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THE CITY OF (ROAD) CHAMPIONS:@ By losing the first two games of the Stanley Cup finals in Detroit, the Penguins left themselves with little chance of ending a Pittsburgh sports curiosity. When the city's sports teams win championship-clinching games, they usually do it on the road.
Over the past 38 years, Pittsburgh's three major pro sports teams have won a combined 10 Super Bowls, Stanley Cup titles or World Series championships, but not one was accomplished in Pittsburgh.
The Steelers' six Super Bowl victories were won at neutral sites. The Pirates' 1971 and 1979 World Series titles were won in Baltimore. The Penguins won the Stanley Cup in 1991 at Minnesota and in 1992 in Chicago.
The last title won by a Pittsburgh team at home was by the 1960 Pirates, when they defeated the New York Yankees 10-9 on Bill Mazeroski's homer in Game 7 of the World Series.
The Penguins can play a maximum of three home games in the Stanley Cup finals (Games 3, 4 and 6) and thus needed to win four in a row to have any chance of winning the Cup in Pittsburgh.
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AWARDS:@ St. Louis Blues president John Davidson, a longtime local and national NHL commentator before he switched jobs, was selected as the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award winner for his contributions in hockey broadcasting, the Hockey Hall of Fame announced Tuesday.
Davidson, had been an analyst for MSG Network on New York Rangers telecasts, along with NBC and CBC, and had been in the broadcast booth for the past five Winter Olympics.
"John Davidson has had a remarkable career in almost every aspect of professional hockey, and we as a broadcast community benefited immensely from his expertise and professionalism," said Chuck Kaiton, president of the NHL Broadcasters' Association. "He is an incredibly deserving recipient of this honor."
Pittsburgh sports writer Dave Molinari was chosen as this year's recipient of the Elmer Ferguson Memorial Award for print journalism.
Molinari, the lead hockey writer for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, has covered the Penguins since 1984. He was recognized by the Professional Hockey Writers' Association for his "subtle blend of dry wit and unending sarcasm," and for chronicling the career of Hall of Fame forward Mario Lemieux.
"The fans of Pittsburgh of been fortunate to have highly skilled players such as Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr, Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby," PHWA president Kevin Allen said in a statement. "And they have been equally fortunate to have a highly skilled writer such as Dave to chronicle their successes."
Davidson and Molinari will be honored at a luncheon on Nov. 9, before the Hockey Hall of Fame induction.
by the associated press
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