THE VICKSBURG POST
SPORTS Sunday, July 25, 2010 • SE C TION B PUZZLES B11
Steve Wilson, sports editor | E-mail: sports@vicksburgpost.com | Tel: 601.636.4545 ext 142
Big comeback propels Braves mlb
By The Associated Press
Headed to the Hall Dawson, Herzog headline HOF Class of 2010/B4
SCHEDULE
YOUTH BASEBALL Governor’s Cup July 30-Aug. 1 at Halls Ferry Park
GOLF
Warren Co. Championship July 31-Aug. 1 at Clear Creek Golf Course
ON TV
Noon FSN - The Atlanta Braves will leave Miami with their NL East lead intact, no matter what happens today, but they can win the series against the Marlins with a victory in today’s finale.
WHO’S HOT PARKER RUTHERFORD
Vicksburg resident won his third tournament this week, the Randy Watkins Junior Invitational, by winning a one-hole playoff Saturday at Patrick Farms. Rutherford won the 14-15-year-olds’ title.
SIDELINES
Kiffin angers Fisher with coaching move
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Add Titans coach Jeff Fisher to the list of people Lane Kiffin has ticked off in Tennessee. Kiffin hired Titans assistant coach Kennedy Pola on Saturday to be his offensive coordinator and running backs coach at Southern Cal, irking Fisher by failing to follow the usual protocol in courting another team’s assistant. Fisher told the Tennessean newspaper that Kiffin hadn’t made the customary contact to tell the NFL team he was interested in Pola, a former USC player and assistant coach who joined the Titans after last season ended. The move also left the Titans without a running backs coach one week before training camp opens. “... I am very disappointed in the lack of professionalism on behalf of Lane, to call me and leave me a voice mail after Kennedy had informed me he had taken the job. It is just a lack of professionalism.” Kiffin infamously bolted from the University of Tennessee in January after 14 months to take the job at USC, leaving an angry mob in Knoxville.
LOTTERY
La. Pick 3: 6-4-0 La. Pick 4: 4-4-9-3 Easy 5: 1-2-20-27-37 La. Lotto: 5-6-9-18-31-39 Powerball: 20-30-38-46-59 Powerball: 27; Power play: 2 Weekly results: B2
MIAMI — The Atlanta Braves enjoyed their best inning of the season by taking advantage of the Florida Marlins’ mistakes, including the fat pitch Brooks Conrad hit for a grand slam. Conrad’s second pinch-hit grand slam of the year put the Braves ahead in an eightrun eighth inning, and they rallied past hapless Florida 10-5 Saturday night. Six of the runs were unearned because of two errors by third baseman Jorge Cantu. “Like they say in baseball, after the errors come the base hits,” said Atlanta’s Alex Gonzalez, who reached on one of Cantu’s misplays. “Against this team, you can’t make a mistake. Somebody is going to pay. That’s what happened tonight.” Nine of the first 10 batters reached in the eighth, and the Braves scored off all three Florida pitchers — Taylor Tankersley, Jhan Marinez and Burke Baden-
hop. Conrad homered on Badenhop’s sinker down the middle with one out to put the Braves ahead 9-5. “Stuff like that you can’t really expect,” Conrad said. “It’s just going up there and trying to get a ball off the ground. I got a great pitch to hit and put a pretty good swing on it.” Eight runs in an inning were a season high for Atlanta, and the most allowed by Florida. But even by the standards of the NL East-leading Braves, the comeback was a rarity. They improved to 4-33 when trailing after seven innings. Dan Uggla homered and drove in three runs for the Marlins, and Mike Stanton also homered. Anibal Sanchez left ahead 5-2 after six innings, but the bullpen acouldn’t protect the lead. “That’s a game we should have won, and we gave it away,” said Tankersley, a former Warren Central star.
The associated press
Atlanta Braves starter Kris Medlen delivers in the third inning Saturday against the Florida Marlins. The Braves scored eight runs in the eighth inning to win 10-5.
A-Rod still stuck with 599 home runs By The Associated Press NEW YORK — The last thing that Kyle Davies wanted to do was allow another milestone home run to Alex Rodriguez. That’s why the Kansas City pitcher could smile while standing in front of his locker on Saturday, despite giving up two homers to Mark Teixeira and another to Jorge Posada. After all, he kept Rodriguez in the park and pitched the Royals to a 7-4 win over the New York Yankees. “It’s almost like I learned from before,” said Davies, who gave up A-Rod’s 500th
M-Braves-Smokies game rained out From staff reports
On B4 • Dawson, Herzog set to enter Hall of Fame • Major league roundup home run and wasn’t about to let him hit No. 600. “I just tried to make the best pitches I could.” Rodriguez finished 1-for-4 and stayed on 599 home runs. “The fans have been so great. Everyone wants it so badly here at home,” A-Rod said. “But I have to stay within myself, hit it the other way, try to stay comfortable.”
The associated press
New York Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez leans back from an inside pitch Saturday against Kansas City.
Johnson eyeing history
Busch takes checkers in Nationwide race By The Associated Press
By The Associated Press INDIANAPOLIS — Jimmie Johnson played it safe in Saturday’s Brickyard 400 qualifying. Today, he’s planning to be back in his regular post-race spot in Indy — Victory Lane. The first Cup driver to win four straight series titles is trying to become the sixth member of Indy’s revered four-time winner’s club and the first American to win three straight races on the famed 2.5-mile oval. “It doesn’t change my mindset going into the race,” Johnson said after qualifying second with a lap of 182.142 mph. “I’m very thankful for the opportunity, but I’m still going to go to bed tonight and do everything I can like I would on a normal weekend to make sure my car is right and run the race the same way tomorrow. I can’t change what I’m doing much.” Why would he? Johnson already has five wins this season, matching
The Mississippi Braves will have to wait at least one more day to snap their losing streak. Saturday’s game between the M-Braves and Tennessee Smokies was postponed by rain. It was rescheduled as the first half of a doubleheader today at 4 p.m. at Trustmark Park. The second of two seven-inning games will be played immediately afterward. The M-Braves have lost four in a row, including the first two games of this series.
The associated press
Jimmie Johnson sits in his car during practice for the Brickyard 400 on Friday. Johnson will start second in today’s race, and is trying for his fourth Brickyard victory.
nascar Denny Hamlin for the most in the series. Johnson also is third in points as he tries for an unprecedented fifth straight title. If things go well today, Johnson will join a list that includes some of racing’s biggest names — A.J. Foyt, Al Unser, Rick Mears, Jeff Gordon and Michael Schumacher. Schumacher, the seven-time Formula One champ from Germany, is the only driver with five Indy wins, four of which came from 2003-2006 though one was in a six-car field. Indianapolis fans have
On TV Noon ESPN Sprint Cup, Brickyard 400
Inside
Brickyard 400 lineup/B2 Montoya takes pole/B5 Sagging attendance a concern at Indy/B5 already seen this scenario play out once this year. In May, three-time Indy winner Helio Castroneves won the pole but failed to win a record-tying fourth Indy 500, losing to Scotland’s See Brickyard, Page B5.
CLERMONT, Ind. — Kyle Busch held off Carl Edwards in a two-lap sprint to the finish to win the NASCAR Nationwide race at O’Reilly Raceway Park on Saturday night. Busch used a perfectly timed restart to keep a hardcharging Edwards at bay and pick up his eighth win of the season and fifth in his last six starts. Edwards, who was docked 60 points and fined $25,000 for taking out series points leader Brad Keselowski at the end of last week’s race in St. Louis, kept things clean this time. He used a late gamble to take on tires to roar through the field but didn’t have quite enough to track down Busch. Aric Almirola finished third, followed by pole-sitter Trevor Bayne and Reed Sorenson. Keselowski faded late to finish eighth. A week after their run-in forced NASCAR officials to step in, saying they each crossed the line, Keselowski and Edwards were on their best behavior at the crowded 0.686-mile oval.
The rivals found themselves running within a couple car lengths of each other for a long stretch at the Kyle beginning of Busch the race and again on a late restart. This time each driver gave the other a wide berth. All of that happened in Busch’s rearview mirror. He led 144 laps, dominating at times before using a little moxie to fend off Edwards, who had fresher tires after making a late pit stop. Busch appeared to be in the clear before Joe Nemechek hit the wall with less than 10 laps remaining. The caution set up a green/white/ checkered finish, with Busch opting to take the outside lane on the restart. While Edwards hung back, Busch took off. He quickly drew clear to take command. Edwards rallied to get on Busch’s rear quarterpanel coming out of Turn 4, but unlike last week, he opted not to dump Busch into the wall.