Jon Lester turned in his shortest and worst start of the season as the Boston Red Sox fell to the Tampa Bay Rays 8-3 on a night where the Sox southpaw ace tied a career-high by allowing seven walks. The Rays homered three times against Lester, as Desmond Jennings, Evan Longoria and Matt Joyce all went deep before the pitcher was removed before completing the fifth inning.
The Red Sox took an early lead when Dustin Pedroia drove home Jacoby Ellsbury in the first inning, but the Rays countered as Lester walked James Loney with the bases loaded in the bottom half of the inning to force in Jennings, who then homered in the second inning to give Tampa Bay a 2-1 lead. Continue reading Walks Sting Lester as Rays Thump Red Sox »
Tags: Alfredo Aceves, Boston Red Sox, Desmond Jennings, Dustin Pedroia, Evan Longoria, Jacoby Ellsbury, James Loney, Jose de la Torre, Jose Molina, Matt Joyce, Mike Napoli, Roberto Hernandez, Ryan Roberts, Tampa Bay Rays
For the first time since 1979, two Original Six teams will square off in the Stanley Cup Finals, with the Bruins taking on the Chicago Blackhawks.
Both teams have been playing well this post season and are coming off dominating performances. The Boston Bruins swept the playoff favorites, the Pittsburgh Penguins, out of the Eastern Conference playoffs, while the Chicago Blackhawks defeated hockey’s hottest regular season team, the L.A. Kings, 4-1 in the Western Conference Finals.
The Bruins and Blackhawks have won a Stanley Cup in recent past, with the Blackhawks winning in 2010 and the Bruins winning in 2011. This will be the first time all season that the two teams have matched up. Continue reading Stanley Cup Preview: Chicago Blackhawks vs Boston Bruins »
Tags: Blackhawks, Bruins, Defense, original six, Stanley Cup, stanley cup finals
The artist formerly known as Ochocinco is at it again. This time, however, his antics aren’t costing his team 15 yards for unsportsmanlike conduct but rather landing the out-of-work wide receiver in jail for 30 days.
Chad Johnson was in court Monday hoping to make a plea deal to avoid jail time in his probation violation case. Johnson sought community service and counseling but his demeanor in the courtroom prompted Judge Kathleen McHugh to angrily change her mind.
When asked if he was pleased with his attorney’s work, Johnson patted attorney Adam Swickle on the backside, a commonplace and congratulatory act on the gridiron. McHugh, on the other hand, felt insulted by Johnson’s actions, stating that this was not the first time he had misbehaved in her courtroom and questioned if he was taking the situation seriously. Continue reading Chad Johnson Spanks Attorney in Court, Gets 30 Days in Jail »
Tags: Chad Johnson, Cincinnati Bengals, Ochocinco, Patriots
With the game tied 8-8 in the 14th inning, Daniel Nava came up to the dish with runners on first and second and one out and lined a base hit up the middle to score Shane Victorino to give the Boston Red Sox the 9-8 edge over the Tampa Bay Rays. Jarrod Saltalamacchia added a RBI single of his own to make it 10-8.
Franklin Morales, who was supposed to start Wednesday’s game, got the win and retired six of the eight batters he faced, including two strikeouts.
The Red Sox scored eight runs (six in the first inning) and somehow found a way to rally in the tenth inning to take the 8-6 advantage on the Rays. Andrew Bailey came in for the save and was a little shaky allowing a leadoff homer from Jose Lobaton and a walk to Yunel Escobar, before walking Matt Joyce and allowing a hit to Ben Zobrist to load the bases with no one out in the inning. Continue reading Red Sox Blow 6-0, 8-6 Leads, Manage to Win 10-8 Against Rays in 14 Innings »
Tags: Alex Cobb, Boston Red Sox, John Lackey, Tampa Bay Rays, Will Middlebrooks
For the first isntalment of our Draft preview, on Louisville’s Gorgui Dieng, click here. For part 2, on German PG Dennis Schröder, click here.
Name: Rudy Gobert
Club: Cholet Basket (France)
Position: Center
Age: 20
Stats: 7’2″, 240 lbs.
Background
Gobert will enter the NBA largely on the strength of his physique, much more than on his skill. Not only does he stand 7’2″, but he set NBA draft combine records with his wingspan (7’8½”) and standing reach (9’7″). This year, his third pro season with Cholet Basket, the same team that produced current NBA players Rodrigue Beaubois and Kevin Seraphin, he averaged 8.4 points and 5.4 rebounds and was selected to his first all-star game. Continue reading Celtics 2013 Draft Targets: Rudy Gobert »
Tags: Celtics, Fab Melo, NBA Draft, Rudy Gobert
With the Red Sox leading the American League and the Bruins about to enter the Stanley Cup Finals for the second time in three years, the beginning of Patriots minicamp was on the backburner of Boston’s hot stove of sports stories. That all changed on Monday evening when it was reported that Tim Tebow had signed with the Patriots and is expected to be at camp on Tuesday.
Although it’s not immediately clear what position Tebow will play – ESPN’s Ed Werder said on SportsCenter, “I have confirmed that the Patriots signed him with the intent of playing quarterback,” while CBS Sports’ Mike Freeman reported Tebow will “study a great deal at tight end” – his signing automatically creates a level of distraction that seems out of touch with the Patriots usual no-nonsense approach. Still, if any organization can put a stop to the circus that Tebow usually creates, it’s probably New England.
As details about the story continue to emerge, here are a few things to consider: Continue reading Done Deal? Tim Tebow to the Patriots »
Tags: Bill Belichick, Brandon Lloyd, Foxboro, Josh McDaniels, New England Patriots, Patriots, Signing, Tim Tebow, Tom Brady
There were a variety of question marks hovering around the Boston Red Sox entering the 2013 season. Few loomed as large as starting pitcher John Lackey’s return after sitting out last season as he recovered from Tommy John reconstructive elbow surgery. Two months in, it is safe to say that question has been answered, and Red Sox Nation couldn’t be more delighted with the result.
The 34-year-old is sporting a 2.79 ERA and WHIP of 1.14 through nine starts this season and has tallied 50 strikeouts while only walking 14 batters. He’s kept opposing teams to three or fewer earned runs in eight of his nine starts so far this season. That is something he managed to do only 13 times in 28 opportunities during his 2011 campaign, which also included career highs in both ERA (6.41) and WHIP (1.62). It’s amazing what some surgery and a year off can do, but Lackey isn’t surprised by his success at all. Continue reading John Lackey: A Tommy John Surgery Success Story »
Tags: Boston Red Sox, John Farrell, John Lackey, Tommy John Surgery
