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Tri-County Sentry
Friday APRIL 4, 2014
Sports News Tiger Woods' Back Injury Forces Him Michael Sam Writes Touching to Miss Bay Hill, Masters in Doubt Open Letter to His Alma Mater
By Doug Ferguson ORLANDO, Fla. — Tiger Woods withdrew from the Arnold Palmer Invitational because of persistent pain in his back, creating even more uncertainty for golf's No. 1 player with the Masters only days away. And that's if Woods can even play in the Masters. "I personally called Arnold today to tell him that, sadly, I won't be able to play in his tournament this year," Woods said on his website. "I would like to express my regrets to the Orlando fans, the volunteers, the tournament staff and the sponsors for having to miss the event. Unfortunately, my back spasms and the pain haven't subsided." Woods had to withdraw after 13 holes of the final round at the Honda Classic three weeks ago because of what he called back spasms and pain in his lower back. He tried to defend his title the following week at Doral, only for his back to flare up again in the final round. He closed with a 78, the highest Sunday score of his PGA Tour career and the first final round without a birdie. After a week of rest and treatment, he didn't feel fit to play Bay Hill, where he is an eight-time winner, including the past two years.
Tiger Woods "I am certainly sorry that Tiger is not able to play," Palmer said. "Quite obviously, we will miss having him here this week. He called me to tell me that his back was still giving him a lot of trouble and he didn't feel he should play. I told him I understood and wished him well." This is only the second time that Woods has not played Bay Hill. He also missed in 2010 when he sat out more than four months during the scandal in his personal life. The Masters, which is April 10-13, is the only major Woods has never missed. "It's too early to know about the Masters, and I will continue to be evaluable and work closely with my doctors," Woods said. "I feel bad-
By John Breech If you’re interested in Atlanta Falcons season tickets and you don’t want to pay for them, then just go argue college basket-
ball with Roddy White on Twitter and you might get them for free. That’s what one fan did. White was asked on March 18 how far he
ly that I won't be able to play in this great tournament." Woods first showed signs of back pain at Bethpage Black at The Barclays in 2012, which he attributed to a soft bed at his hotel. He felt twinges during the final round of the PGA Championship last year, and when his back bothered him in the final round of The Barclays two weeks later, he said it was unrelated. This has been the longest sustained problem with the lower back. "A bad back is no joke," Woods said at Doral. Woods is off to the worst start of his 18 years on tour. At Torrey Pines, where his eight victories included a U.S. Open, Woods shot his highest score on American soil with a 79 to miss the 54-hole cut. He tied for 41st in the Dubai Desert Classic a week later for his worst finish in that event. Woods had said he spent his offseason working on his body and didn't spend enough time on his game, so it was troubling for him to then deal with yet another injury. He shot a 65 in the third round of the Honda Classic before having what he described as back spasms similar to The Barclays last year.
Roddy White Owes a Fan Season Tickets
Roddy White thought Duke would go in the NCAA Tournament this year and he thought the Blue Devils would go pretty far. One of White’s Twitter followers didn’t think much of the prediction and said that Duke would lose in the first round. White was so sure that Duke wouldn’t lose in the first round, he responded with this: If mercer beat duke I will give you season tickets 50 yard line first row If you missed the game, here’s what happened: The 14th-seeded Mercer Bears stunned the No. 3 seed Duke Blue Devils and won some free Falcons season tickets for Dylan Hoyt. The only question now is: Will White pay off the bet? On March 21, Roddy White responded to everyone asking about the bet. White won’t be giving the fan season-tickets, but he will be giving him something. This is almost like the time Aaron Rodgers made a bet on Twitter for one year of his salary that Ryan Braun wasn’t using steroids. Braun was using steroids and Rodgers never paid up.
By Ryan Grenoble Michael Sam, the former Missouri defensive lineman poised to become the NFL's first openly gay player, appeared before NFL scouts during Mizzou's pro day. But before the media could scrutinize his potential in the NFL, Sam took a moment to issue a heartfelt open letter to his alma mater. Adressed to his "fellow University of Missouri students, athletes, faculty, alumni and supporters," the letter is a warm thank-you to the community for their support when he came out in early February. "You gave me a chance to live my truth without judgment, without hesitation and with great discretion and respect," he wrote in the letter, published in the The Missourian. "When I came out, I did it with the confidence that
Missouri's All-American defensive end Michael Sam waves to the crowd during the Cotton Bowl trophy presentation. my Mizzou 'family' would Mizzou Stadium, writalways be there for me. ing an "S" and "A" in the To put it mildly, the love snow to spell out "SAM" and acceptance I felt was in block letters. amazing." He references the disHe also published the play in his letter as an exletter on his Facebook page. ample of the school's "unThe day after Sam came conditional love," writing, out, fans modified the "M" "I worked hard not to cry printed in the stands be- because of the amazing rehind the end zone at the ception."
By Alan Eskew SURPRISE, Ariz. — Cincinnati Reds closer Aroldis Chapman broke bones above his left eye and nose when he was hit by a line drive, the latest frightening injury to a pitcher struck in the head by a batted ball. Chapman was undergoing further testing at Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center, where he was set to spend the night for observation, according to a statement from the Reds. First-year manager Bryan Price said Chapman was conscious and talking as he was taken off the field during Cincinnati's spring training game against the Kansas City Royals. The exhibition was called after an 8-minute delay with Kansas City leading 6-3. "Not good," Price said. "He left the field on a stretcher, took a line drive just above his left eye is what it looks like — a
Aroldis Chapman contusion, a laceration, and certainly needs to be taken to the hospital and checked. We've got Tomas Vera, an assistant trainer, is going to be with him. And then we'll get our updates from there." The hard-throwing lefthander was struck by Salvador Perez's liner with two outs in the sixth inning — the pitch was clocked at 99 mph. Chapman crumbled to the ground, face down, his legs flailing. The ball caromed into the third base dugout. Medical per-
sonnel, including Royals Dr. Vincent Key, rushed onto the field. Blood could be seen on the mound. Perez put his hands on his helmet before reaching first base. He immediately went to the mound where players from both teams huddled as the 26-year-old Cuban reliever was being attended to in an eerily silent stadium. An ambulance's siren could be heard in the background while Chapman was loaded onto the stretcher. Players from both teams kneeled, some bowing their heads and crossing themselves in prayer. Chapman was taken to Banner Del E. Webb Medical Center in Sun City. He was then transferred to Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center. Perez appeared to be in tears as he left the field, and first baseman Eric Hosmer hugged him. Perez quickly left the clubhouse without speaking to reporters.
Julian Green and welcomed me from the beginning. Clint Dempsey gave me a jersey with my name on it, and the way they supported me gave me a lot of belief. The coaches have shown a lot of trust in me, and now I hope to do everything I can to earn a spot on the World Cup roster." U.S. Soccer made the announcement after Klinsmann revealed the news on Twitter. Green made his firstteam debut for Bayern in a Champions League match
in November but is yet to feature in the Bundesliga. He plays regularly for Bayern's reserve side. Although Green most recently represented Germany on the youth level, he did play for the U.S. Under-18 side in a September 2012 friendly. The one-time switch is required because Green played for Germany this past fall in U-19 European Championship qualifying, an official competition. The player will join the USA for its friendly against Mexico on April 2 in Glendale, Ariz., although it remains to be seen if his switch will be approved in time for him to play. "He is a very special talent," Klinsmann said. "We wanted him to feel comfortable with our program and listen to his heart when making this decision. I personally want to thank Kalle Rummenigge and everyone at Bayern Munich for their support through this process. He is an exciting player with a tremendously bright future."
Reds Closer Hit in Face By Line Drive
Teen Soccer Star Picks U.S. Over Germany
By Thomas Floyd After securing the services of myriad dualnationals during his tenure as U.S. national team coach, Jurgen Klinsmann has locked down perhaps the program's most prized commitment yet. Bayern Munich prospect Julian Green has filed a one-time switch to play for the USA over Germany, U.S. Soccer announced Tuesday. The 18-year-old winger, who was born in Tampa, Fla. to an American father and German mother, trained with the USA earlier this month before the national team's friendly against Ukraine. "Obviously this was a big decision, and I spent a long time discussing it with my family," Green said in a news release. "I was born in Florida and my father still lives there, so I have deep roots in the U.S. I'm very proud to be representing the United States. "A big part of the decision was the experience I had in Frankfurt. All the players were super nice