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Inside Conditions...Only a mother could love
Category: Sports Written by Aubrey Bruce

O.J. SIMPSON (AP Photo/File)
by Aubrey Bruce
Hey guys and dolls. Happy Mothers’ Day to you all.
Now I always hear the loud and clear message of mothers who are forced to wear the hats of both parents when for whatever reason the absentee fathers are not on the scene.
Last Updated on Wednesday, 15 May 2013 15:51
Hits: 484
Overtime: Spurs will win West and upset Heat for title…say what!?!
Category: Sports Written by Bill Neal

Lil'Wayne walks past Warriors bench during playoffs. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
:10 Just so you know, cause I know it got by ya, there’s a great long standing church on the corner of Lincoln Avenue and Shetland Avenue in East Liberty, Sixth Mt. Zion Baptist Church, celebrating 115 years of glory. My grandfather was there for 93 of them 115 and my family is still rooted there. Not only is the church celebrating 115 glorious years of service to the Pittsburgh community, but they have been blessed with a new minister. Welcome home to the good Rev. W. David Lee, and he can preach ya’ll!
Now listen to me on this one. If you grew up there, go back there. If you been away for a little while, come back the church doors are open. And if you’ve never been there or you’re looking for a place to go to praise his name, Sixth Mt. Zion is waiting for you, and that you can take to the bank…God can cash that check!
:9 All that said, them boys, Golden State, is giving San Antonio all they can handle. They won’t win the West, but they’re in the fight. Still on record, the Spurs win the West and upset “The Heat” for the title…say what!?!
:8 The Pens beat the Islanders in the first round to advance in the NHL playoffs. That’s all I got. I don’t know who they play next…that’s all I know…oh please, that’s all you know too!
:7 Your Pittsburgh Pirates took three out of four from the Mets this past weekend. Granted the Mets are not about to win the World Series, but it all counts towards winning and finishing above “500” for the first time in forever!
:6 How good is Floyd Mayweather? He’s the richest boxer in history!
:5 There is no question that Mark Jackson, the coach of the NBA Golden State Warriors, is one of the greatest guards to play in the NBA. In fact, still one of the top five assist leaders of all time. And it goes without saying that he has seen and played with and against some of the greatest of all time. And so that you know…that I know…he was trying to motivate his backcourt combo of Curry and Jack to be the best they can be, but to suggest they’re the best tandom to ever lace up a pair of sneakers would make him “outside his mind” and here’s a few people that would agree with me—“Magic” and Norm Nixon, “Magic” & Byron Scott, Michael and Scottie, Jerry West and Elgin Baylor, Walt Frazier and Earl Monroe…wait, wait, wait…does Cousy and Jones ring a bell, do you not remember Isiah and Dumars and as much as I hate to give it up, is he not aware of the boys down south uh…uh…uh…LeBron and Wade. Mark Jackson c’mon man!!!
:4 Sergio Garcia said Tiger pulled his club out of his bag on purpose when he was about to swing so the crowd would make noise and that caused him to bogey the hole. What? Sergio, shut up mmmaaannn!!!
:3 The Champions Association/Champion Enterprises, now celebrating “38” years of dedicated community service and here’s what we need…volunteers, grant writers, coaches and anybody that wants to help us help save the lives of our young people. Just call us. 412-628-4856.
:2 Speaking of champions…and I was, the 38th Annual Connie Hawkins Summer Basketball League—Youth Development Division, we are now accepting 14 and under middle school boys’ teams for the league starting June 15. Call the Champions now. Only four team spots are open. 412-628-4856.
:1 I keep telling ya how much fun you can have at The Savoy, but I never had more fun than I did last week. Ya’ll know they’re the best wings in town. Well, at least me and LaTonia think they are. But noooooo not Miss Stephanie. She thinks her wings are the best. Well, we know better. And I told “Chef Kevin” to take her Savoy “eatin’ card.” Let her go home and be a “connoisseur”over her own wings. I ain’t scared of Stephanie, even if she is packin’!)
:00 Double Overtime:
See, I told you everybody should be concerned about O.J. Apparently somebody cares because he’s going to get a new trial. I’m just sayin’!
:000 Triple Overtime
The next and best Harlem Nights Old School Par-tay is coming Friday, May 31–3 Lakes Golf Course–8-1 p.m.–the line dance master Roland Ford will be there—music by the legendary Sly Jock—free parking—cash bar—cash kitchen till 11 p.m.—50/50—best dressed man and woman—cash prize—The Corvette Club and their cars will be out on display and yes—this is the big one to kick off Memorial weekend and the summer—we need ya’ll on this one. It raises money for the 38th Annual Connie Hawkins Youth Development Summer Basketball League. Starting June 15 at the Penn Hills YMCA—come out and meet former world heavyweight kickboxing champion Jacquet Bazemore and light heavyweight champion Rayco “War” Saunders as he gets ready for his title fight—and,the Spring Cabaret brought to you by “Happy Feelings” and my man former Penn Hills football star, Kenny Lewis, Saturday, May 18, 8 p.m.-2 a.m.—The Moose Lodge, 120 51st Street in Lawrenceville. Call 412-512-9873 for info. BYOB well…say what!?!
~ GAME OVER ~
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Last Updated on Wednesday, 15 May 2013 15:21
Hits: 321
New Rutgers basketball coach Jordan doesn't have degree
Category: Sports Written by Associated Press

Rutgers President Robert Barchi stands with new Rutgers head coach Eddie Jordan during a news conference April 23, 2013, in New Brunswick, N.J. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)
by Ralph D. Russo
(AP)--New Rutgers basketball coach Eddie Jordan is not a graduate of the university as the school had claimed, another embarrassment for an athletic program still smarting from the firing of previous coach Mike Rice.
Last Updated on Sunday, 12 May 2013 18:57
Hits: 268
FIFA president appalled at racist incident in Milan-Roma
Category: Sports Written by Associated Press

AC Milan forward Mario Balotelli scores on a penalty kick during a Serie A soccer match between Pescara and AC Milan, at the Adriatico stadium in Pescara, Italy, May 8. (AP Photo/Sandro Perozzi)
MILAN (AP) - FIFA president Sepp Blatter was "appalled" when he learned that AC Milan's match against Roma was suspended because of racist chanting.
Sunday's game was stopped for 97 seconds during the second half when visiting Roma supporters would not stop chanting at Milan players cg.
"Appalled to read about racist abuse in Serie A last night," Blatter tweeted Monday. "Tackling this issue is complex, but we're committed to action, not just words."
Blatter added that FIFA's taskforce against racism and discrimination is "serious about devising a unified approach for FIFA's 209 members."
Referee Gianluca Rocchi made the decision to suspend the match briefly after warnings issued over the stadium speaker system went unheeded. Roma captain Francesco Totti had also attempted to calm the fans to no avail.
Balotelli was born in Italy to Ghanian immigrants and is the star forward of Italy's national squad. Boateng was born in Germany to a German mother and a Ghanian father and plays for Ghana's national team.
The match at Milan's San Siro stadium ended 0-0.
Roma general director Franco Baldini said it was uncertain whether the chants were racist.
"The boos were directed at Balotelli because he's a feared player," Baldini said, according to the Gazzetta dello Sport. "The nature of the chants was not clear. And I clearly heard the Milan fans chanting 'romano bastardo' - 'roman bastard' - which is just as discriminatory. It's difficult to figure out where the border is between racial discrimination or simple boos."
This was the first time a Serie A match was suspended due to racism.
In January, Boateng famously walked off the field with his teammates after enduring racist abuse during an exhibition against a fourth-tier Italian club.
"The perception is still that in certain areas of the stadium you can do anything," Italian players' association president Damiano Tommasi said. "It's important to make those people feel more and more in the minority.
"The goal is to make people who behave poorly leave the stadium, although that's not simple for reasons of public safety," Tommasi added. "It's always a very fine line between penalizing the majority of people who go to the stadium to enjoy the show and punishing the minority who ruin it. It's not simple but it seems to me that yesterday everyone was in agreement with Rocchi's decision."
Last Updated on Monday, 13 May 2013 13:41
Hits: 281
Bounce goes against Mets in 3-2 loss to streaking Pirates
Category: Sports Written by Associated Press

Pittsburgh Pirates' Starling Marte, left, Travis Snider, center, and Andrew McCutchen celebrate after a baseball game against the New York Mets at Citi Field, Sunday, May 12, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
by Howie Rumberg
NEW YORK (AP) — For a split second, Lucas Duda's sharp grounder looked as if it was going to lift the Mets out of their doldrums.
An unfortunate bounce later, New York was headed toward another loss in a season in which they are rapidly mounting.
Duda's grounder down the first-base line with runners on second and third hit the bag and caromed straight up in the air. That allowed the Pittsburgh Pirates to get the third out of the eighth inning of a 3-2 victory Sunday, sending the Mets to their third straight loss in the four-game series.
"It's cliché to say it, but when times are tough, when it rains, it pours," said Mike Baxter, who had a tying single in the seventh.
The Mets lost for the fourth time on a just-completed six-game homestand in which they went 7 for 40 (.175) with runners in scoring position, including 1 for 7 Sunday. They have lost 11 of 15 following a 10-9 start.
"You talk about how we're snake bit, but that's just part of the game," Collins said. "What's the next thing that's going to keep us from having a big game? But we won two games on this homestand by getting a couple of big hits. We've just got to start hitting with guys in scoring position like we did early and we did last year in the first half."
Pedro Alvarez broke a 2-all tie with an RBI single in the eighth after Matt Harvey left for a pinch-hitter in the seventh.
Mets relievers had pitched 13 innings over the previous three games, so manager Terry Collins was looking for another deep effort from Harvey in his 18th big league start following a nine-inning, one-hit gem on Tuesday.
Scott Rice (1-2) walked Pirates slugger Andrew McCutchen with one out in the eighth before Brandon Lyon walked pinch-hitter Gaby Sanchez. Lyon struck out pinch-hitter Jose Tabata, then gave way to closer Bobby Parnell.
Alvarez, who played high school ball in New York City, singled to left-center for a 3-2 lead.
"We've been hit now with a two-headed monster: We're not hittin' and we're not pitchin', Collins said. "Certainly, we've got to get it going and there's no secret formula how to do it."
The Mets had an opportunity in the eighth against Mark Melancon, putting runners on first and third with one out. Ike Davis struck out as David Wright swiped second — New York's fourth stolen base of the day — and Duda hit a sharp grounder that struck first base and shot straight up in the air. Second baseman Brandon Inge fielded the ball and tossed to Melancon for the final out of the inning, drawing gasps from many of the 28,404 in attendance.
"Inge stayed with the play, Melancon finished his route right to the bag, and we get the out," Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. "Our guys didn't quit once maybe a little adversity was thrown at them."
Said Duda: "Anything could happen in that situation. You didn't know which way it was going to ricochet or what's going to happen. But it is what it is."
Jason Grilli pitched a perfect ninth for his 15th straight save to start the season.
Jeanmar Gomez gave the Pirates another solid start in place of injured James McDonald, yielding one run in five innings. But Pittsburgh's bullpen gave up the lead in the seventh on Baxter's looping single off Justin Wilson (3-0) that tied it at 2.
Baxter, a pinch-hitting specialist with two game-winning hits this week — including one in Thursday's the series opener — got a start Sunday. He drove in John Buck, who walked and advanced on a wild pitch, with the Mets' first hit since a one-out single in the second. Baxter then stole second, and third when Juan Lagares struck out for the second out.
Collins tried to jolt his lineup by restoring slumping sluggers Davis and Duda back into the middle of the order, and the move paid quick dividends when Duda homered to center field. Hitless in his previous nine at-bats, Duda ran around the bases in his pink spikes on Mother's Day as New York went up 1-0.
Davis went 0 for 4, his average falling to .180.
The no-nonsense Harvey appeared out of sorts from the start — maybe it was Buck using pink stick-ons on his fingernails rather than the usual white to make pitch signs more easily readable.
Relying more heavily on his slider and curveball than a fastball that reaches 98 mph, Harvey gave up two runs in the third, and it could've been worse if Lagares hadn't made a sensational catch in center field.
After Clint Barmes led off with his second homer of the season, Gomez hit a sinking liner and Lagares reached low to get his glove on the ball, which popped out as he stumbled forward. Lagares' momentum carried him into a dive and he made the catch — for good — as he fell to the turf.
Harvey then loaded the bases on two walks around a single. Garrett Jones hit a sacrifice fly for a 2-1 lead, and Jordy Mercer had an inning-ending popout.
Still, the 24-year-old right-hander gave up little to the Pirates on a day when he struck out a season-low four. Harvey allowed two runs and five hits. He also walked two and plunked his first batter of the year.
"It was tough. It was definitely a battle. You're going to have those days. You're not going to have your pinpoint location every time," he said. "I needed to put up zeros today, and I wasn't able to do that, but I was happy that I went seven innings and gave us a chance to win."
NOTES: The Mets recalled RHP Greg Burke from Triple-A Las Vegas and placed RHP Jeurys Familia on the 15-day DL, retroactive to May 9, because of right biceps tendinitis.
Last Updated on Sunday, 12 May 2013 20:11
Hits: 218
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