Sports Chips.. News From Across The Country

A Look At Some Of The News Worth Items From Across The Country With Stellar Commentary by Sports Freak 58

MLB

Ozzie The Racist?

Ozzie Guillen knew right when the announcement was made on Monday, the e-mail box would fill up. So when the club sent out notice in the afternoon that Carlos Quentin was recalled from his rehab assignment with Class AAA Charlotte, and Brian Anderson was sent down over Dewayne Wise to make room for Quentin, sure enough, the "Ozzie is a racist'' comments were fired. "What he needs to do is start playing better,'' Guillen said of Anderson's demotion to Charlotte. "It's been four years, and I've got a lot of e-mails from people calling me racists and stuff because, 'I don't like Anderson.' Well, when you don't like the players, they don't last too long. When I don't like one player, believe me, he'll be out of here in a hurry because I've got the power. "If I tell [GM Kenny Williams], 'This guy isn't good for the ballclub,' Kenny will do everything he can to get him out of here. If people think we don't like Brian, yes we do, yes we do. I think Brian hasn't produced like we thought. We've given him four years in-a-row to produce, we gave him a shot to be the everyday center fielder and that didn't work. Since I've been managing the ballclub, we've given him a legit shot. - Chicago Sun Times

I am Cubs Fan, and at most times think Ozzie is a clown, but not in this case. The clowns are the White Sox Fans. They haven given Brian Anderson so many chances to produce, and he has not come through. I would expect Anderson to be gone after this season, but to call Ozzie a racist is a joke. It just makes you wonder what the fans who emailed Ozzie were thinking? I forgot they are white sox fans so there is not much thinking involved, just kidding. - SF 58


Dodgers Interested In Halladay?

Toronto GM J.P. Ricciardi says his deadline for Roy Halladay will be sooner than the July 31 MLB deadline, according to the New York Times. He says this is because the team will have to be blown away by a offer.
Gammons reported Monday that the Dodgers are in on Halladay but won't trade their top young players and want the Blue Jays to pick up a lot of the money owed to Halladay for this year. So how are they going to make a deal? Well, they imposed similar conditions but still pulled off trades for Casey Blake and Manny Ramirez last year, so never say never. - espn insider

That would make sense as they were able to make a big deal last season, and really whomever gets Halladay in the NL, if he does go to the NL, could be the team playing in the World Series. Where Roy goes will impact a lot of what happens late in the MLB season. He is that good. - SF 58


Phillies Run Win Streak To 9 Win Beatdown Of Cubs

Raul Ibanez hit a three-run homer, Carlos Ruiz and Ryan Howard each went deep to back Lopez, and the sizzling Phillies won their ninth consecutive game, 10-1 over the Chicago Cubs on Monday night.

With Jack Nicholson watching from a front-row seat, Philadelphia's A-list lineup was about as good as it gets. The Phillies rocked Ted Lilly (9-7) in his shortest outing of the season for the Cubs, and they won for the 13th time in their last 14 games.

Up ahead, a shot at their first 10-game winning streak since 1991.

"You go out with a good feeling, and right now, things have kind of been going well for us," Howard said. "You just try to continue the feeling that you have." - cbs sports


There are two main points here, the Phillies are on a roll and look headed towards another run at the title trying to becomes the first NL team since the Big Red Machine back in 70's to repeat as World Series Champs. The second point is the Cubs looked like they didn't belong on the field. Now the Cubs could still win their division, but too many overpaid players like Alfonso Soriano not getting it done. Last night, Cubs are down by 6 already when a routine fly ball bounces off Soriano's glove to let two more runs score. Soriano would be gone already, but when you are paying him 18 million a year, no one would take him. If the Cubs want to make a run I'd keep Soriano on the bench, his numbers are awful and he can't field. The most overpriced outfield maybe in baseball history with Soriano, Fukudome, and Milton "How many outs in an inning Bradley" Bradley. Part of me wants them to miss the playoffs just so they can gut most of this team, but with big contracts the Cubs might be stuck with some of these underachieving bums for a while. -SF 58


NFL

Big Ben In Trouble?

RENO, Nev. -- Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has been accused of sexual assault in a civil lawsuit, his lawyer said, denying the claim.
The lawsuit was filed Friday in Washoe County District Court accusing Roethlisberger of assaulting a woman in July 2008.

Roethlisberger is one of nine defendants listed in the online court docket report. Further details of the lawsuit were not available Tuesday morning.

"Ben has never sexually assaulted anyone ... The timing of the lawsuit and the absence of a criminal complaint and a criminal investigation are the most compelling evidence of the absence of any criminal conduct. If an investigation is commenced, Ben will cooperate fully and Ben will be fully exonerated," David Cornwell, Roethlisberger's lawyer, said in a statement released early Tuesday.

A phone message and e-mail from the AP to Cornwell were not returned.

Attorney Calvin R. Dunlap, of Reno, filed the lawsuit, according to court documents. A telephone message left for him was not returned.

Steelers spokesman Dave Lockett said Tuesday the team is aware of the lawsuit, and "we are gathering information."


I heard about this a couple days ago, and really didn't want to report it since it seems like B.S., but it is timely news. It seems very sketchy that this woman would file this lawsuit a year after it supposedly happened. There doesn't seem to be much detail yet, but I hope it gets settled before the season. The last thing Ben needs is some crazy Patriots fan trying to invent a lawsuit to take him off his game for the upcoming season. He will get through it, and be exonerated. - SF 58


MLS


Baby Beckham

At halftime of Sunday's 2-2 tie with AC Milan, Beckham walked toward the "L.A. Riot Squad" section of the stadium and motioned to a fan to come closer. The man jumped down from the seats and was arrested by police for trespassing.

Afterwards, Beckham said he'd wanted to shake the fan's hand. "One of the guys was saying things that really wasn't very nice," he said after the game, according to the Los Angeles Times. "It was stepping over the line. I said, 'You need to calm down and come shake my hand,' and he jumped over."

But fans in the section, who booed Beckham every time he touched the ball and displayed banners reading "Go Home Fraud" and "23: Repent," told the Times that Beckham was not blameless in the altercation and used foul language.

"He called the guy out," said Eric Lewis of Los Angeles, a member of the fan group, according to the report. "He called out a drunk fan. How stupid is that? He's the player. He's the professional. He should have kept himself under control. He didn't."

Another Riot Squad member, Jeff Austin of Highland Park, said in an e-mail to the Times that Beckham's actions were "way out of line for a professional athlete," according to the report. "Anything that he says putting the blame entirely on the fan is nothing short of a complete lie," he added.

It was Beckham's first game in Los Angeles since returning to the Galaxy from a five-month loan to AC Milan, during which he tried to arrange a permanent transfer from MLS to the Serie A club. - ap, espn


The bottom line is that Beckham has been a complete bust in the MLS, LA have gotten worse, he is injured all the time, and most importantly doesn't want to be there. This guy is supposed to be the face of MLS and is requesting a permanent transfer? I applaud the fans in LA for calling him out, because he is a fraud. If the fans weren't enough you have Donovan saying what a lousy captain he has been.
I completely understand the quality of soccer is much better over seas then fine keep playing there, but don't commit to the Galaxy and never play. To think that people thought Beckham was going to have an impact like Gretzky did is comical. Pele was able to do it with the NY Cosmos in the early 80's, but Beckham is nowhere near the player and athlete that Pele was and never will be. My only hope is that Bechkam gets his transfer, and the U.S. somehow face England in the world cup and beat them. - SF 58