Monday's Sports in Brief
By The Associated Press
May 13, 2008 - 09:31:20 CDT
Here's a look at sports around the country for Monday.
BASEBALL
CLEVELAND (AP) — Indians second baseman Asdrubal Cabrera turned the 14th unassisted triple play in major league history in the second game of a doubleheader against Toronto.
Cabrera made a diving catch on a line drive by Lyle Overbay, touched second base and then tagged out Marco Scutaro to quickly end the fifth inning of Cleveland’s 3-0 loss in 10 innings.
This was the record third unassisted triple play by a Cleveland fielder.
Indians shortstop Neal Ball made the first one in history, in 1909. Cleveland second baseman Bill Wambsganss turned the only one in the World Series, in 1920 during a Game 5 win over Brooklyn.
Colorado shortstop Troy Tulowitzki made the last unassisted triple play in the majors, on April 29, 2007, against Atlanta. Oakland second baseman Randy Velarde last turned the trick in the AL, on May 29, 2000, against the Yankees.
HOCKEY
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — The San Jose Sharks fired coach Ron Wilson after his club followed another outstanding regular season with yet another early exit from the Stanley Cup playoffs.
The Sharks won the Pacific Division title and compiled the NHL’s second-best record with 49 wins and 108 points, but the Dallas Stars knocked them out of the second round in six games on May 4. San Jose has ended its past three seasons with six-game losses in the second round, and general manager Doug Wilson decided his coach would take the fall for his talented playoff underachievers.
The Sharks led the NHL in total victories over the past four seasons, but San Jose never repeated its trip to the 2004 Western Conference finals in the last three years despite fielding one of the NHL’s most talented rosters starring former MVP Joe Thornton, captain Patrick Marleau and goalie Evgeni Nabokov.
Ron Wilson, who coached nine seasons in Anaheim and Washington before joining San Jose, became the Sharks’ leader in victories and winning percentage while going 206-134-45 and winning two division titles during 4 1/2 seasons behind their bench. His 518 victories are the eighth-most in NHL history, trailing only Mike Keenan and Bryan Murray among active coaches.
HALIFAX, Nova Scotia (AP) — New York Rangers forward Brandon Dubinsky scored three goals and the Americans scored three times in each period to wrap up their qualifying round at the world hockey championships with a 9-1 win over Norway.
With the win, the U.S. (3-2) locked up third place in Pool F. The Americans, who already had clinched a quarterfinal berth before the game, next play Finland, which lost to Canada 6-3.
Also, unbeaten Russia got first-period goals from Dmitry Kalinin, Alexander Ovechkin and Maxim Sushinsky in a 5-3 win over Switzerland in Quebec City. In late games, Denmark upset Belarus 3-2 and Germany beat Latvia 5-3.
GOLF
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Tiger Woods is chipping and putting again, and he hopes to play in the Memorial in two weeks.
Woods had surgery on his left knee April 15 for the second time in five years, this time to clean out some cartilage. He has not played since finishing three shots behind Trevor Immelman at the Masters.
Doctors said the recovery would be four to six weeks, and Woods said his rehabilitation was going well.
AUTO RACING
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Indianapolis 500 is an attractive target for terrorists, federal authorities said, but there has been no credible or specific threat aimed at the Memorial Day weekend race.
In an internal FBI/Homeland Security Department assessment released to local police, officials said such sporting events, which attract hundreds of thousands of spectators, are attractive potential targets. The assessment said these popular events are inviting to terrorists because of the potential to inflict large numbers of casualties while the whole world is watching.
The assessment is supported by a congressional report, expected to be released this week, about the threat to mass gatherings. The report, written by the democratic staff on the House Homeland Security committee, finds that major events — such as NASCAR races, the Super Bowl and presidential nominating conventions — are all attractive targets to terrorists. The report also raised the potential for infectious disease outbreaks and other bioterror threats at such events.
TENNIS
ROME (AP) — Tenth-seeded Vera Zvonareva extended her impressive streak of clay-court victories, cruising past Ai Sugiyama 6-3, 6-3 in the first round of the Italian Open.
Also, 11th-seeded Agnes Szavay routed Yan Zi 6-1, 6-1 to advance on an overcast day at the Foro Italico. Virginie Razzano easily defeated Julia Vakulenko 6-1, 6-2, while Virginia Ruano Pascual eliminated Anastasia Rodionova 6-1, 6-3.
Samantha Stosur marked her return to the WTA Tour with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over 42nd-ranked Michaella Krajicek. Stosur, a former doubles No. 1, had been out for several months due to illness. She next will face seventh-seeded Venus Williams.
HAMBURG, Germany (AP) — Jo-Wilfried Tsonga rallied to beat Nicolas Mahut 0-6, 7-6 (5), 6-2 in the first round of the Hamburg Masters for his first win since returning from a knee injury.
The Australian Open runner-up missed a month because of the right knee injury and lost in the first round of the Rome Masters last week to Gilles Simon. Tsonga is seeded 14th at Hamburg, a major clay-court warmup for the French Open.
It was Tsonga’s first ATP Tour win on clay. A serve-and-volley player, he rarely plays on the slow surface.
Also, 10th-seeded Mikhail Youzhny lost to Fernando Verdasco 6-3, 6-2, 12th-seeded Juan Monaco advanced when Filippo Volandri retired with a knee injury with Monaco leading 6-1, 4-0, Nicolas Kiefer upset 16th-seeded Paul-Henri Mathieu 6-4, 6-4, and No. 15 Andy Murray topped Dmitry Tursunov 6-4, 6-1.
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BASEBALL
CLEVELAND (AP) — Indians second baseman Asdrubal Cabrera turned the 14th unassisted triple play in major league history in the second game of a doubleheader against Toronto.
Cabrera made a diving catch on a line drive by Lyle Overbay, touched second base and then tagged out Marco Scutaro to quickly end the fifth inning of Cleveland’s 3-0 loss in 10 innings.
This was the record third unassisted triple play by a Cleveland fielder.
Indians shortstop Neal Ball made the first one in history, in 1909. Cleveland second baseman Bill Wambsganss turned the only one in the World Series, in 1920 during a Game 5 win over Brooklyn.
Colorado shortstop Troy Tulowitzki made the last unassisted triple play in the majors, on April 29, 2007, against Atlanta. Oakland second baseman Randy Velarde last turned the trick in the AL, on May 29, 2000, against the Yankees.
HOCKEY
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — The San Jose Sharks fired coach Ron Wilson after his club followed another outstanding regular season with yet another early exit from the Stanley Cup playoffs.
The Sharks won the Pacific Division title and compiled the NHL’s second-best record with 49 wins and 108 points, but the Dallas Stars knocked them out of the second round in six games on May 4. San Jose has ended its past three seasons with six-game losses in the second round, and general manager Doug Wilson decided his coach would take the fall for his talented playoff underachievers.
The Sharks led the NHL in total victories over the past four seasons, but San Jose never repeated its trip to the 2004 Western Conference finals in the last three years despite fielding one of the NHL’s most talented rosters starring former MVP Joe Thornton, captain Patrick Marleau and goalie Evgeni Nabokov.
Ron Wilson, who coached nine seasons in Anaheim and Washington before joining San Jose, became the Sharks’ leader in victories and winning percentage while going 206-134-45 and winning two division titles during 4 1/2 seasons behind their bench. His 518 victories are the eighth-most in NHL history, trailing only Mike Keenan and Bryan Murray among active coaches.
HALIFAX, Nova Scotia (AP) — New York Rangers forward Brandon Dubinsky scored three goals and the Americans scored three times in each period to wrap up their qualifying round at the world hockey championships with a 9-1 win over Norway.
With the win, the U.S. (3-2) locked up third place in Pool F. The Americans, who already had clinched a quarterfinal berth before the game, next play Finland, which lost to Canada 6-3.
Also, unbeaten Russia got first-period goals from Dmitry Kalinin, Alexander Ovechkin and Maxim Sushinsky in a 5-3 win over Switzerland in Quebec City. In late games, Denmark upset Belarus 3-2 and Germany beat Latvia 5-3.
GOLF
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Tiger Woods is chipping and putting again, and he hopes to play in the Memorial in two weeks.
Woods had surgery on his left knee April 15 for the second time in five years, this time to clean out some cartilage. He has not played since finishing three shots behind Trevor Immelman at the Masters.
Doctors said the recovery would be four to six weeks, and Woods said his rehabilitation was going well.
AUTO RACING
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Indianapolis 500 is an attractive target for terrorists, federal authorities said, but there has been no credible or specific threat aimed at the Memorial Day weekend race.
In an internal FBI/Homeland Security Department assessment released to local police, officials said such sporting events, which attract hundreds of thousands of spectators, are attractive potential targets. The assessment said these popular events are inviting to terrorists because of the potential to inflict large numbers of casualties while the whole world is watching.
The assessment is supported by a congressional report, expected to be released this week, about the threat to mass gatherings. The report, written by the democratic staff on the House Homeland Security committee, finds that major events — such as NASCAR races, the Super Bowl and presidential nominating conventions — are all attractive targets to terrorists. The report also raised the potential for infectious disease outbreaks and other bioterror threats at such events.
TENNIS
ROME (AP) — Tenth-seeded Vera Zvonareva extended her impressive streak of clay-court victories, cruising past Ai Sugiyama 6-3, 6-3 in the first round of the Italian Open.
Also, 11th-seeded Agnes Szavay routed Yan Zi 6-1, 6-1 to advance on an overcast day at the Foro Italico. Virginie Razzano easily defeated Julia Vakulenko 6-1, 6-2, while Virginia Ruano Pascual eliminated Anastasia Rodionova 6-1, 6-3.
Samantha Stosur marked her return to the WTA Tour with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over 42nd-ranked Michaella Krajicek. Stosur, a former doubles No. 1, had been out for several months due to illness. She next will face seventh-seeded Venus Williams.
HAMBURG, Germany (AP) — Jo-Wilfried Tsonga rallied to beat Nicolas Mahut 0-6, 7-6 (5), 6-2 in the first round of the Hamburg Masters for his first win since returning from a knee injury.
The Australian Open runner-up missed a month because of the right knee injury and lost in the first round of the Rome Masters last week to Gilles Simon. Tsonga is seeded 14th at Hamburg, a major clay-court warmup for the French Open.
It was Tsonga’s first ATP Tour win on clay. A serve-and-volley player, he rarely plays on the slow surface.
Also, 10th-seeded Mikhail Youzhny lost to Fernando Verdasco 6-3, 6-2, 12th-seeded Juan Monaco advanced when Filippo Volandri retired with a knee injury with Monaco leading 6-1, 4-0, Nicolas Kiefer upset 16th-seeded Paul-Henri Mathieu 6-4, 6-4, and No. 15 Andy Murray topped Dmitry Tursunov 6-4, 6-1.