Revolution and Galaxy tie 2-2

Posted by NECN - Sports August 30, 2008 at 10:26 pm

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) - Landon Donovan scored a pair of goals
for the Los Angeles Galaxy, but Shalrie Joseph's first goal of the
season helped the New England Revolution salvage a 2-2 tie Saturday
night.

Joseph's goal in the 71st minute helped New England (11-6-5)
extend the Galaxy's winless streak to 10 (0-5-5). The Revolution
are unbeaten in their last nine matches (7-0-2) against Los
Angeles, which brought David Beckham to New England for the first
time.

Joseph, New England's all-star midfielder, took a pass from

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Pedroia leads Red Sox in 8-2 win over Chicago

Posted by NECN - Sports August 30, 2008 at 10:00 pm

BOSTON (AP) - Dustin Pedroia went 4-for-4 for the second
straight game and got plenty of help from a makeshift lineup as the
Boston Red Sox pounded Chicago's pitching again in an 8-2 victory
over the White Sox on Saturday night.

The spunky second baseman took over the AL lead with a .327
batting average. And he did it from the cleanup spot, the first
time last year's rookie of the year batted there in the majors.

Kevin Youkilis, who usually hits fourth, was sick and missed the
game. So the 5-foot-7 Pedroia moved into that slot held by slugger

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Roster breakdown

Posted by Reiss' Pieces August 30, 2008 at 9:16 pm

A breakdown of the Patriots' 53-man roster following today's moves:

Quarterback
Tom Brady, Matt Cassel, Kevin O'Connell
Quick hit: In a bit of a surprise, Matt Cassel sticks and Matt Gutierrez gets cut; if Gutierrez clears waivers he could return on the practice squad.

Running back
Laurence Maroney, Sammy Morris, LaMont Jordan, Heath Evans
Quick hit: Kevin Faulk does not count against the roster due to his 1-game suspension; BenJarvus Green-Ellis is cut and could return to the practice squad if he clears waivers.

Wide receiver
Sam Aiken, Jabar Gaffney, Chad Jackson, C.J. Jones, Randy Moss, Ray Ventrone, Kelley Washington, Wes Welker
Quick hit: Ventrone and Jones scrap their way onto the roster in surprising fashion, with Ventrone's all-around play providing added value and Jones' speed on special teams helping his cause. The extra bodies could be a sign that Wes Welker (ribs) won't be ready for the opener.

Tight end
Benjamin Watson, David Thomas, Stephen Spach
Quick hit: Watson and Thomas were considered locks, so the addition of Spach is a bit of a surprise. Spach's addition could be tied to the health of Watson, who missed practice last week, as well as the preseason finale.

Offensive line
Wesley Britt, Dan Connolly, Russ Hochstein, Nick Kaczur, Dan Koppen, Matt Light, Logan Mankins, Billy Yates
Quick hit: Connolly, a third-year player who had a fairly rough preseason but shows promise at guard and center, gets the nod over veterans Mike Flynn and John Welbourn.

Defensive line
Jarvis Green, Richard Seymour, Le Kevin Smith, Ty Warren, Vince Wilfork, Mike Wright
Quick hit: No surprises.That Smith made the roster is a sign that the undisclosed injury which has kept him out of training camp is not currently seen as a longer-term situation.

Linebackers
Eric Alexander, Tedy Bruschi, Shawn Crable, Gary Guyton, Larry Izzo, Jerod Mayo, Adalius Thomas, Mike Vrabel, Pierre Woods
Quick hit: An injection of young blood with rookies Crable, Guyton and Mayo, as they beat out veteran Victor Hobson. Fellow rookie Vince Redd could return to the practice squad if he's not claimed on waivers.

Cornerbacks
Ellis Hobbs, Lewis Sanders, Terrence Wheatley, Jonathan Wilhite
Quick hit: Disappointing results from free-agent signings Fernando Bryant and Jason Webster leave this group thin in numbers. Ty Law remains available, but nothing is imminent at this point.

Safeties
Rodney Harrison, John Lynch, Brandon Meriweather, James Sanders, Matthew Slater
Quick hit: Versatility of players like Harrison, Lynch and Meriweather -- all of whom can drop down and play corner in sub packages -- add some cushion to the cornerback spot.

Specialists
Stephen Gostkowski (kicker), Chris Hanson (punter), Lonie Paxton (long snapper)
Quick hit: No surprise.

EXTRA POINT: One aspect to keep in mind is that rosters are ever-evolving at this time of year, and it wouldn't be a surprise if there are more changes in the coming days.

Don’t change him

Posted by Extra Bases August 30, 2008 at 9:09 pm

The message from a long-time scout watching Michael Bowden tonight is "don't change a thing about him" The scout has seen Bowden in the minors and also tonight.

"There are those of us who feel he might hurt his shoulder with that delivery, but this is the way the kid throws. He feels good throwing that way. He's been successful throwing that way. So leave him alone," said the scout.

Bowden was leading 5-2 after four innings.

After a strong first inning, he's been hit hard at times. He allowed two doubles in the second, one by rookie of the year candidate Alexei Ramirez driving in Chicago's first run. Bowden allowed a leadoff triple to Joe Crede in the third on a ball Jacoby Ellsbury nealry came down with. MVP candidate Carlos Quentin drove him in with a ground out.

In the fourth, after getting the first two batters out, Ramirez singled and Ken Griffey Jr. banged a ground-rule double to right. Bowden bowed his neck and after falling behind 3-1 to Nick Swisher, struck him out on a breaking pitch.

The Sox, who scored three in the first, also got a Jeff Bailey homer to center field in the second inning. Ellsbury also tripled in the inning and came in on Jed Lowrie's sac fly.

Pedroia’s a Prize

Posted by Mike Giardi August 30, 2008 at 9:05 pm

I wasn’t - nor am I still - much of a poetry guy. My favorite is “I float like a butterfly, sting like a bee…” by noted poet laureate Muhammad Ali. But I’m thinking about doing something special for Dustin Pedroia. If not a poem, perhaps a limerick or haiku or - and this is more my speed - an ode. The guy is simply one of my all-time favorite baseball players.

Dusty is just wearing out White Sox pitching in this series, a perfect 7-for-7 here midway through Saturday night’s tilt. And that slide he just made, the one where he lifted up his lead hand, then dropped it over the tag to reach safely at second for a double was further proof that his instincts are second to none. Not bad for a pip squeak batting clean-up for the first time in his career (said Pedroia, ” It’s about time!”)

It was just 10 days or so ago that noted friend of Sports Late Night Joe Haggerty and I were discussing Kevin Youkilis as a viable MVP candidate. How does Pedroia not factor into that discussion as well? This isn’t a normal year, with some slugger piling up off-the-chart stats like A-Rod, or Vlad or Justin Morneau (or Big Papi, but that’s another story for another day). So who has been more valuable than the Sox second baseman? Maybe Youk. Maybe not. Maybe Cliff Lee, but they have an award for that: it’s called the Cy Young. Who else? Carlos Quentin? He’s not even the best hitter on that team (say hello to Jermaine Dye). If there was ever the time for a scrappy second baseman who is still motivated by slights uttered two September’s ago about his size and swing, this is it. I mean, there’s a reason why Ortiz has a massive man-crush on him. Pedroia’s earned it.

 
****From the Sox’s crack PR staff following the game. More reasons to love Pedroia.
PEDROIA PRODUCES: With 4 hits tonight, Dustin Pedroia is the 1st Red Sox player with 4 hits in back-to-back games since Wade Boggs on June 8 and June 10, 1989…He now has 182 hits this season, one shy of Del Pratt (183 in 1922) for the Red Sox record by a 2nd baseman…He has hit safely in 8 straight at-bats and reached base safely in 10 straight plate appearances, going 8-for-8 with 2 walks over the last 2 games.

Pedroia becomes the 3rd Red Sox player ever to record 180 hits, 100 runs, 40 doubles and 15 home runs in his 2nd full major league season, following Ted Williams in 1940 and Nomar Garciaparra in 1998.

 

Roster moves: the last cut is the deepest

Posted by New England Patriots News Feed August 30, 2008 at 9:00 pm

A position-by-position analysis of the roster cuts that determined the Patriots 53-man active roster.

Brock: Not surprised Patriots kept Cassel

Posted by NECN - Sports August 30, 2008 at 8:46 pm

(NECN) - Former Patriots lineman Pete Brock joins Mike Giardi to discuss the cuts the Patriots made.

The Patriots opted to keep quarterback Matt Cassel as Tom Brady's backup. Quarterback Matt Gutierrez was released. Many believed Cassel's future with the team was in jeopardy, after he failed to lead the Patriots to a touchdown in 17 series during their 0-4 exhibition season.

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Patriots keep Matt Cassel as Brady’s backup

Posted by NECN - Sports August 30, 2008 at 8:31 pm

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) - The New England Patriots released
quarterback Matt Gutierrez on Saturday and kept Matt Cassel as Tom
Brady's backup for a fourth season.

Cassel's roster spot appeared to be in jeopardy after he failed
to lead the Patriots to a touchdown in 17 series during their
winless exhibition season. Gutierrez, who signed as a rookie free
agent
before last season, played better.
Brady, nursing a right foot injury, did not play in the four
exhibition losses but said he'll be ready for the season opener

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Sox score three for Bowden

Posted by Extra Bases August 30, 2008 at 8:21 pm

Michael Bowden's strong first inning was rewarded with a three-run bottom of the first by the Sox offense.

The Sox scored all three runs after two outs. A leadoff double by Jacoby Ellsbury against White Sox starter Mark Buerhle followed by two outs set the stage for a single to left by cleanup hitter Dustin Pedroia and then back-to-back ground rule doubles by Mark Kotsay and Jason Bay. The second one was completely misplayed by right-fielder Jermaine Dye, who lot track of the ball down the right field line and took a poor path to the ball.

It's 3-0 Sox.

In another move, the Red Sox designated righthander Eric Hull for assignment to make room for Bowden on the 40-man roster.

Sox score three for Bowden

Posted by Extra Bases August 30, 2008 at 8:21 pm

Michael Bowden's strong first-inning was rewarded with a three-run bottom of the first by the Sox offense.

The Sox scored all three runs after two outs. A leadoff double by Jacoby Ellsbury against White Sox starter Mark Buerhle followed by two outs set the stage for a single to left by cleanup hitter Dustin Pedroia and then back-to-back ground rule doubles by Mark Kotsay and Jason Bay. The second one was completely misplayed by right-fielder Jermaine Dye, who lot track of the ball down the right field line and took a poor path to the ball.

It's 3-0 Sox.

In another move, the Red Sox designated righthander Eric Hull for assignment to make room for Bowden on the 40-man roster.

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