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Projo SoxTalk with Sean McAdam, from Oakland

Click the play button below to hear Sean's comments, recorded this morning. He discusses the the Red Sox' challenges in the month of April, Clay Buchholz's tenuous hold on the fifth starter job, and J.D. Drew's health questions.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 3:43 PM to Red Sox | Permalink | Comments 0

Rays decline Baldelli's option

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) - Carl Crawford's $8.25 million for 2009 was exercised Tuesday by the Tampa Bay Rays, who declined Rocco Baldelli's $6-million option and agreed to a $10.5 million, three-year deal with reliever Dan Wheeler.

Crawford, who is earning $5.25 million this year, is a two-time All-Star and four-time AL stolen base champion who is just the seventh player since 1900 to increase his batting average over five consecutive seasons.

The 26-year-old is one of 10 major leaguers who have hit .300 or better each of the past three years.

"I'm grateful for the opportunity for this day," Crawford said in a statement released by the team. "I'm looking forward to being here for a long time because I think we're at the start of something great going on here."

Baldelli, 26, has been sidelined since last May because of lingering hamstring problems and what doctors have told him and the Rays is mitochondrial disorder, a condition that causes extreme fatigue. He was placed on the 60-day disabled list last month.

Rather than exercise his option for 2009, the Rays bought out the final three years of his contract for $4 million. The club had a second option for 2010 and 2011.

Wheeler will earn $2.8 million this season, $3.2 million in 2009 and $3.5 million in 2010. The 2011 option is for $4 million with a $1 million buyout.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 2:45 PM | Permalink | Comments 0

Today's high school postponements - updated

Here's the list for Tuesday. Where known, the reschedule date is in parentheses.

Baseball
Johnston at Mount St. Charles
Burrillville at Davies (tomorrow, 4 p.m.)
Fatima at PCD (tomorrow, 3:30 p.m.)
Tolman at Shea (tomorrow, 3:45 p.m.)
Central Falls at Mt. Hope (tomorrow, 4 p.m.)
Juanita Sanchez at Mount Pleasant (tomorrow, 4 p.m.)
Scituate at Prout (tomorrow, 4 p.m.)
Cumberland at North Providence (Thursday, 3:30 p.m.)
Narragansett at East Greenwich (Thursday, 3:45 p.m.)
Coventry at Cranston West (Thursday, 4 p.m.)
Tiverton at Moses Brown (Thursday, 4 p.m.)
Barrington at Portsmouth (Thursday, 4 p.m.)
St. Raphael at Woonsocket (Saturday, 11 a.m.)
Central at Classical (April 17, 1 p.m.)
Wheeler at North Smithfield (May 12, 3:45 p.m.)

Softball
Ponaganset at Smithfield
Tiverton at Rogers
Burrillville at Classical
North Smithfield at North Providence (tomorrow, 3:30 p.m.)
West Warwick at Cranston East (tomorrow, 3:30 p.m.)
Mt. Hope at Middletown (tomorrow, 3:30 p.m.)
Portsmouth at Narragansett (tomorrow, 3:45 p.m.)
Barrington at East Greenwich (tomorrow, 3:45 p.m.)
Prout at Exeter/West Greenwich (tomorrow, 4 p.m.)

Boys tennis
Cumberland at Burrillville
Lincoln at North Smithfield
Smithfield at Scituate (tomorrow, 3:30 p.m.)
Barrington at Cranston West (tomorrow, 3:30 p.m.)
East Greenwich at Ponaganset (tomorrow, 3:30 p.m.)
Pilgrim at Rogers (tomorrow, 3:30 p.m.)
North Kingstown at South Kingstown (tomorrow, 3:30 p.m.)
Prout at Toll Gate (tomorrow, 3:30 p.m.)
Shea at Tolman (tomorrow, 3:30 p.m.)
Middletown at West Warwick (tomorrow, 3:30 p.m.)
La Salle at Hendricken (tomorrow, 3:30 p.m.)
Woonsocket at North Providence (tomorrow, 3:30 p.m.)
St. Raphael at Classical (tomorrow, 3:30 p.m.)
Tiverton at Coventry (tomorrow, 3:30 p.m.)
PCD at Cranston East (tomorrow, 3:30 p.m.)
Warwick Vets at Westerly (tomorrow, 4 p.m.)
Mount St. Charles at Wheeler (Saturday, 3:30 p.m.)

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 2:43 PM to High School | Permalink | Comments 0

Twellman to miss six weeks after knee surgery; Ralston has dislocated shoulder

FOXBORO -- The New England Revolution today announced that captain Steve Ralston and forward Taylor Twellman will miss extended time because of injuries suffered last week.

Ralston, 33, suffered a dislocated left shoulder following a tackle in the 61st minute team’s season-opening 3-0 victory over the Houston Dynamo on Saturday. He will undergo further tests on his shoulder tomorrow to fully determine the extent of his injury and his expected recovery period.

Twellman, 28, will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his right knee tomorrow, after suffering a tear of his medial meniscus in training. Head team physician Dr. Bertram Zarins will perform the procedure at Massachusetts General Hospital. Twellman is expected to miss at least six weeks, but a full prognosis will be made following the surgery.

The Revolution (1-0-0, 3 pts.) return to action Thursday, when the team travels to face the Chicago Fire on ESPN2’s first MLS Primetime Thursday match of the season. Coverage of the match begins at 8 p.m., with kickoff slated for 8:30 p.m.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 1:27 PM | Permalink | Comments 0

Bruins send Jeff Hoggan to Providence

BOSTON (AP) - Boston Bruins forward Jeff Hoggan has been reassigned to the team's AHL affiliate in Providence.

Hoggan was called up for Sunday's 2-1 overtime loss to Buffalo. It was his first appearance for Boston this season after playing 46 games for the parent club in 2006-07.

He has 28 goals and 30 assists for Providence this year.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 1:25 PM to Bruins | Permalink | Comments 0

Belichick promises no more Spygate revelations ahead

PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) - Bill Belichick emphatically swears there are no new revelations to come about Spygate.

"I think they've addressed everything they possibly can address," the New England Patriots coach said Tuesday morning, disclosing he had been reinterviewed after the Super Bowl about allegations that former team employee Matt Walsh had illegal tapes. Those tapes presumably included a walkthrough by the St. Louis Rams on the day before the 2002 Super Bowl, a game the Patriots won.

"I've addressed so may questions so many times from so many people I don't know what else the league could ask."

Commissioner Roger Goodell confirmed that the NFL had spoke again with Belichick and other Patriots employees after last January's Super Bowl loss to the New York Giants. The league has been negotiating an agreement with Walsh that it hopes will get Walsh, a golf pro in Hawaii, to come forward with what he has.

"We followed up on other things because certain things had been tossed out," Goodell said of the added round of interviews with Belichick and other members of the Patriots.

Your Turn: Is Belichick telling the truth?

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 9:10 AM | Permalink | Comments 0

URI risks loss of state money for athletics center

By MIKE SZOSTAK
Journal Sports Writer

State funding for the proposed Student Athlete Development Center at the University of Rhode Island is in jeopardy as a result of looming budget deficits.

The House Finance Committee is scheduled to meet Thursday to rescind authorization of a $7.2-million appropriation to URI for construction of the SADC, a critical component in the plan to upgrade athletics facilities on the Kingston campus and the focus of active fundraising the last several years. The SADC, if built, will feature a new weight room for varsity athletes, improved treatment space for the athletic training staff, and academic space for athletes to study. The proposed site is at the rear of the Keaney-Tootell complex.

The Finance Committee will also consider withdrawing funds allocated for a parking garage at the J. Joseph Garrahy Judicial Complex in Providence.

House spokesman Larry Berman said yesterday that the Finance Committee wants to hear from URI officials on the status of the project before restructuring the arrangement in light of any changes.

“They don’t want to pull the rug out from under them,” Berman said.

The SADC has been on URI’s wish list going back to the term of athletics director Ron Petro. Tom McElroy shepherded the project during his brief tenure, Gregg Burke guided it along during his year as interim director, and Thorr Bjorn picked up the torch when he arrived on campus last summer. The SADC is part of a $10-million athletics initiative in the $100-million Making a Difference capital campaign. A Student Wellness Center for the general population to work out is part of a $20-million cut for facilities.

The SADC went before the public in 2004, but Rhode Island voters rejected a bond referendum. Two years later Gov. Carcieri included $5.4 million in his budget proposal to match an amount to be raised by the university. The General Assembly authorized $7.2 million from the Fiscal Year 2009 budget with URI to repay the state over 20 years. The deficits projected for this fiscal year, ending in June, and next fiscal year, starting July 1, make such an authorization tenuous now.

URI has received $1.3 million in contributions and pledges for the SADC, Kevin McGinniss, director of athletic development, said yesterday. About $1 million has come in the last six months, he said, since the arrival of Bjorn as director of athletics. The working goal for this drive is $3.5 million.

A delay in building the SADC would probably delay other capital projects on the drawing board such as a new east grandstand, artificial turf field and lights for Meade Stadium, an outdoor track and a press box for soccer. A $1-million gift from an anonymous donor to the baseball program will allow work on Bill Beck Field to begin after the season.

The State of Rhode Island contributes only 14 percent of URI’s operating budget, down from 24 percent in 1997.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 9:08 AM to URI Basketball | Permalink | Comments 0

Download today's sports cover

On today's sports cover, Sean McAdam writes from Oakland that the Red Sox are set to return to a typical regular-season schedule tonight against the A's. Bill Reynolds has a column about Michael Holley's new book focusing on Red Sox skipper Terry Francona, and Kevin McNamara cautions that PC will have to pony up some serious cash if it wants to reach a deal with Jim Larranaga.

Click here to download the file in pdf format.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 8:29 AM | Permalink | Comments 0