Basketball always came easily to Eddie Griffin. It was life off the court that he had trouble handling. The former Minnesota Timberwolves forward died last week when his sport utility vehicle collided with a freight train in a fiery crash, the Harris County medical examiner’s office said Tuesday. Investigators used dental records to identify Griffin, 25, who began his pro career with the Houston…
Chad Billingsley threw strikes, got important outs and put his team in position to win. For change, it was enough. Billingsley struck out seven in seven sharp innings to earn his first victory in a month and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Philadelphia Phillies 5-2 Thursday. Billingsley (8-4) allowed one run and four hits, winning for the first time since he beat Houston on July 23.
Now that his scoreless streak is over, Brandon Webb is setting his sights on something else: a second straight Cy Young Award. Webb’s string ended at 42 innings Wednesday night when he gave up a run in the first against Milwaukee. He went on to pitch the NL West-leading Arizona Diamondbacks to a 3-2 win.
The New York Jets have reached an agreement to trade disgruntled veteran Pete Kendall to the Washington Redskins, who hope the 34-year-old lineman will make up for the team’s inability to find a suitable starting left guard in the offseason. Pending a physical, the Jets will receive a fifth-round pick in 2008 or a fourth-rounder in 2009 for Kendall, an official within the NFL said Thursday.
