NFL Kicks Off-Season in Overdrive• After Monday's vote to end the NFL lockout the off-season started with a flurry... ok, a blizzard of activity. Big name Free Agents like Deangelo Williams, Santonio Holmes and Charles Johnson all inked long term deals to stay with the teams that they played for last year. Players like Johnathan Joseph(Texans), Sidney Rice (Seahawks), Quintin Mikell(Rams) and Jason Babin(Eagles) all decided that the grass was greener on the other side and subsequently relocated.
• Big name Free Agents Nnamdi Asomugha and Cullen Jenkins have yet to make up their minds.
• The trading wire was also active, with the cream of the crop, QB Kevin Kolb, being traded from Philadelphia to Arizona. The Washington Redskins took care of a lot of their locker-room issues by trading Donovan McNabb to Minnesota and Albert Haynesworth to the New England Patriots, who acquired Chad Ochocinco from the Bengals as well. The firesale prices of these moves only highlighted that the Redskins are in full-on rebuilding mode at this point.
Santana no-hits Indians
• On Wednesday, LA Angels pitcher Ervin Santana threw the third no-hitter in the MLB this season, as the Angels defeated the Indians 3-1. If it seems unusual that an opposing team would score a run without getting a hit, you'd be correct.
• The run scored after a player reached on an error, then advanced on a stolen base, fielder's choice and then came home on a wild pitch. Only one other Indians player reached base, on a walk in the 8th inning.
• No team has scored a run without getting a hit since September 8th, 1993 when the late Darryl Kile of the Houston Astros threw a no-no against the Mets but allowed a run.
• The Angels hadn't thrown a no-hitter since 1990 when Mark Langston threw the first 7 innings and Mike Witt finished the last 2 in a 1-0 victory against the Mariners. The time before that was in 1984 when Witt started as well as finished another 1-0 game, this time against the Rangers.
Tar Heels Athletic Department Hits the Fan
• University of North Carolina chancellor Holden Thorp took to the podium in Chapel Hill on Thursday to announce that he had begun the process of firing the Tarheels' head football coach Butch Davis. Athletic Director Dick Baddour (who was going to retire at the end of the year either way) handed in his resignation.
• This all came on the "heels" of an increased NCAA investigation of the football team for players getting paid during their time on the team. The all encompassing nature of the violations left little to doubt that Coach Davis had an idea of the violations. Despite excellent recruits and solid in-game performance, the violations were just too much for a university that consistently strives to maintain its reputation.
• Thorp announced that former defensive coordinator Everett Withers would take over for the year while he searches for a new Athletic Director who would then find a permanent head coach.
Well, it looks like tickets at Kenan stadium will be cheap again this year!
ReplyDeleteQuestion for the bright minds at Sportico - what is the record for number of runs scored by an MLB team who has been no-no'ed?
According to Wikipedia, there have been four instances where a single pitcher has thrown a no-hitter while giving up 2 runs, and one instance where two pitchers combined for a 2-run no no. The most recent instance (the 2 pitcher combo) was in 1967, when Steve Barber and Stu Miller combined for a no-hitter and LOST THE GAME(to the Detroit Tigers)! Their Orioles were only able to score one run. This is one of two instances where a team threw a no-hitter and lost the game.
ReplyDelete