This videotape needs no interpretation: Patriots coach Bill Belichick walked out of his news conference Wednesday when pressed repeatedly about the sideline spying scandal that landed him on NFL commissioner Roger Goodell’s crowded docket. Ten minutes before his regular availability, Belichick issued a one-paragraph statement apologizing to his team and confirming that he has spoken to Goodell…
Eleven dog advocacy groups asked a federal judge to send Michael Vick to prison for nearly five years when the quarterback is sentenced and to turn the property he and others used for dogfighting into a shelter for abused dogs. The group, which includes animal rescue organizations and the National American Pit Bill Terrier Association, also said Wednesday in the filing that it wants the suspended…
The Oakland Raiders once again aren’t saying who their starting quarterback will be. This time the issue is Josh McCown’s health, not an attempt at a competitive advantage. Coach Lane Kiffin kept secret his decision to start McCown over Daunte Culpepper in last week’s opener against Detroit, hoping to make the Lions prepare for two quarterbacks.
A bruised hand forced right-hander Derek Lowe out of Wednesday night’s start against the San Diego Padres, and will keep him on the sidelines until this weekend at the earliest. Right-hander Chad Billingsley replaced Lowe, and left-hander David Wells will be moved up to pitch Thursday night in the finale of a crucial three-game series.
A loss like this hurt in April and May, for sure. When a contending team like Milwaukee climbs back from a four-run deficit, ties it up in the late innings and then loses in September, the defeat feels a whole lot worse. Ronny Paulino singled in the go-ahead run during a three-run eighth inning, and the Pittsburgh Pirates staged a rally of their own to beat the division-leading Brewers 7-4…
The hardest day for JaMarcus Russell during his 48-day contract dispute with the Oakland Raiders was the first, when his teammates reported to training camp and he stayed home. Russell then watched all the other first-round rookies sign their multimillion dollar deals, figuring his pay day was coming soon.
The St. Louis Rams placed left tackle Orlando Pace on injured reserve Wednesday, ending the seven-time Pro Bowl player’s season after one game because of a shoulder injury. A second player was added to compensate for another hole: defensive tackle Claude Wroten’s four-week suspension Tuesday for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy.
Kevin Everett can move again and Domenik Hixon can smile again. For 48 hours, despair enshrouded the Denver Broncos returner who was on the receiving end of Everett’s devastating hit that left the Buffalo Bills’ backup tight end with a life-threatening spinal cord injury. Doctors grimly predicted initially that Everett would never walk again.
Sales were up 9.4 percent Wednesday at Keeneland’s September Yearling Sale over the third day of the 2006 sale, but overall sales are down 14.2 percent from a year earlier. High price Wednesday was $1 million, paid for a Distorted Humor colt out of the Saint Ballado mare Santa Croce and from the family of graded stakes winner Broad Dynamite.
Jim Thome is just one away now, and he’s having a whole lot of fun with his pursuit of a memorable milestone. Thome hit his 499th homer and drove in three runs to lead the Chicago White Sox over the Cleveland Indians 7-4 Wednesday. “It’s been pretty awesome,” Thome said. “I guess it’s kind of reality now.
