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PawSox postponed

Tonight's PawSox game has been postponed due to inclement weather. The game will be made up Saturday as part of a twin bill against Indy, beginning at 1 p.m.

Posted by Art Martone  at 5:55 PM | Permalink | Comments 0

Today's high school postponements for today and Saturday

Reschedule dates are in parentheses, where known:

Baseball
Postponed today
Juanita Sanchez at Hope
Smithfield at Cumberland
East Providence at Barrington
Portsmouth at Moses Brown (tomorrow, 3 p.m.)
North Providence at La Salle (Sunday, 3 p.m.)
Westerly at Narragansett (Sunday, 3:30 p.m.)
Lincoln at St. Raphael (Monday, 3:30 p.m.)
East Greenwich at Chariho (Monday, 3:45 p.m.)
Warwick Vets at Coventry (Monday, 3:45 p.m.)
South Kingstown at North Kingstown (Monday, 3:45 p.m.)
Cranston West at Hendricken (Monday, 4 p.m.)
Toll Gate at Cranston East (Monday, 4 p.m.)
Classical at Tolman (Tuesday, 4 p.m.)
Postponed tomorrow
Prout at Fatima
Central at PCD
Exeter/West Greenwich at Central Falls
Davies at Mount St. Charles (Tuesday, 3:30 p.m.)
Mount Pleasant at Mt. Hope (April 14, 11 a.m.)
St. Raphael at Woonsocket (April 19, 11 a.m.)
Burrillville at Johnston (April 28, 3:30 p.m.)

Softball
Postponed today
Tolman at Davies (canceled)
Bishop Keough at Fatima
Mount Pleasant at Hope (Monday, 4 p.m.)
Scituate at Central (Monday, 4 p.m.)
Shea at Central Falls (Wednesday, 4 p.m.)
Tiverton at Rogers (April 17, 3:30 p.m.)
East Greenwich at Prout (May 10, 2 p.m.)
Postponed tomorrow
Chariho at North Providence
Mount Pleasant at Tolman (canceled)
Classical at Cranston West (canceled)
Coventry at Westerly
Stonington at Westerly
Barrington at Cranston East (canceled)
Ponaganset at Mount St. Charles (canceled)
Burrillville at Lincoln (canceled)
Woonsocket at Cumberland (canceled)

Boys lacrosse
East Providence at Mount St. Charles
Middletown at East Greenwich
Warwick Vets at Toll Gate
Narragansett at Prout (Wednesday, 3:30 p.m.)
South Kingstown at Tiverton (April 21, 4:30 p.m.)
Mt. Hope at La Salle (April 28, 4 p.m.)

Girls lacrosse
Chariho at Mount St. Charles (Tuesday, 4:30 p.m.)
Prout at Narragansett (Wednesday, 3:30 p.m.)

Boys tennis
Lincoln at Ponaganset

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 3:43 PM to High School | Permalink | Comments 0

PC's search moves South

By Kevin McNamara

Providence College athletic director Bob Driscoll is traveling to San Antonio today. The city is the site of Saturday's Final Four and the national title game Monday night.

Once he checks into his room, Driscoll will be inundated with `Who are you going to hire?' questions from the hundreds of AD and coach-types who fill Final Four cities every year. Driscoll is expected to meet with the candidates he says are on his `short list' beginning Saturday.

One name that's appeared in The Journal since Tim Welsh was fired three weeks ago is that of Tim O'Shea, the former URI and Boston College assistant who is now the head coach at Ohio University. O'Shea is one of the coaches likely to sit with Driscoll over the next few days.

O'Shea has compiled an impressive resume at Ohio, a member of the Mid-American Conference which happens to be one of the most competitive leagues in the country. Over the last 18 seasons, only one school (Kent State, 2001-02) has repeated as conference tournament champion.

Ohio won that tourney in 2005 and put a major scare into Billy Donovan and Florida before losing, 67-62. The Bobcats finished 21-11 that season and that success has continued with O'Shea's teams winning 19, 19 and 20 games the last three years. In his seven years as coach, Ohio has beaten North Carolina, DePaul, Virginia, Cincinnati, Rhode Island (twice), St. Joseph's, Maryland and St. John's.

Ohio finished 20-13 this season, including the win at Maryland and over SJU in Hawaii. Interestingly, the Bobcats thumped Jim Larranaga's George Mason team, 69-57, in February when it erupted for 50 second half points. Larranaga is the coach who turned down an offer to come to PC on Wednesday.

Neither Driscoll or O'Shea will comment publicly about a potential meeting. That means we can't report it. But it seems likely the two will talk. Who else will get Driscoll's ear. Brown's Craig Robinson seems likely. So does UMass' Travis Ford but the Kentucky native is reported to be waiting to see if he can get involved at LSU.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 2:43 PM to PC basketball | Permalink | Comments 0

Projo SoxTalk with McAdam: On Colon, Hansen, Wakefield and the Blue Jays

Click the play button below to hear Sean's comments, recorded this morning. He puts last night's events in Pawtucket into context and looks ahead to the weekend series in Toronto.

Here are some excerpts from Sean's comments:

What's next for Colon: "I would think, and this is just conjecture on my part, that they would want at least one more Triple A start for him, if only to build up that pitch count a little bit. ... I would think they would want him to crack that 90-pitch threshold somewhere else other than the big leagues for the first time, and that would translate into at least one more start, and then you're looking at probably the 16th, 17th, 18th of April where he's ready to make his [Boston] debut.

Craig Hansen -- this year's Manny Delcarmen? "I think that's exactly how they envision him. ... They have not given up on this guy, and that's understandable. They invested a lot of money in their number-one pick, signed him to a major league deal to get him signed, rushed him to the big leagues to their detriment -- and his, now it would seem. But anyone who can throw in the mid 90s the way he can, and has the kind of arm and raw ability that he has; they believe he's still salvagable."

Wakefield on the eve of his 14th Red Sox season: "He had a great spring and there are no physical worries on the Red Sox part at all."

Can the Blue Jays contend? "It seems every year we think that this is going to be the year they break through that glass ceiling in the American League East and give the top two teams a real run for their money, and unfortunately for the Blue Jays it seems like every year something happens to derail them. A lot of times it's been injuries, and already they've got Scott Rolen sidelined for a month and [closer B.J.] Ryan not quite ready to go. ... I think Dustin McGowan is going to be one of the guys to keep an eye on in the American League; I really think he could break through into a 15- to 18-game winner this year, and that would give them some additional pitching depth. But the key is keeping everybody healthy. ... If they do, I think they can hang in there at least for a while. Even with their injuries the last couple of years, they've given the Red Sox all they can handle."

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 2:42 PM to Red Sox | Permalink | Comments 0

Former Yankee secretary gets probation for tax violations

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) - A former New York Yankees traveling secretary was spared prison time Friday for failing to report tips from players and coaches.

David Szen was sentenced to two years probation and a $7,500 fine. He also must pay back more than $10,000 in taxes on the tips he didn't report.

"I was wrong in not reporting all my income and I humbly apologize," Szen said in court. "I can assure you you won't see me back here again."

Szen could have faced up to three years in prison, though federal guidelines called for zero to six months.

Szen was the Yankees' media relations director in 1982, later worked for the Seattle Mariners and returned to the Yankees in the 1990s as traveling secretary, arranging charter flights, buses and hotel rooms for the team.

Szen pleaded guilty in December to filing a false tax return and admitted he failed to report more than $50,000 in tips from players and coaches. He was fired.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 2:09 PM | Permalink | Comments 0

Fans arrested at Yankee Stadium say they made a 'stupid mistake'

NEW YORK (AP) - Two New York Yankees fans say they were overcome with Opening Day excitement when they tried to take home some decorative bunting from Yankee Stadium.

John Bunjaporte (BUN'-jah-port) admits Tuesday's stunt was "a stupid mistake." But he says he hopes authorities will drop the attempted larceny and criminal mischief charges against him and baseball buddy Keith O'Rourke.

Yankees chief operating officer Lonn Trost says the team is "taking the incident very seriously."
Police arrested Bunjaporte and O'Rourke after witnesses reported seeing them trying to take down the bunting following the Yankees' victory over the Toronto Blue Jays. O'Rourke says the two "love the Yankees to death" and wanted a souvenir, but then thought better of it.

The two are due in court May 19.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 9:07 AM | Permalink | Comments 0

Celtics have bigger goal in mind

BOSTON (AP) - For Paul Pierce and the Boston Celtics, their tremendous turnaround is not enough.

With 36 more wins than last season, the Celtics are tied with the 1997-98 Spurs for the most single-season progress in NBA history. San Antonio, though, only made it to the second round of the playoffs.

Boston has a bigger goal - winning its first NBA title in 22 years.

Click here to read the rest of the story.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 8:44 AM to Celtics | Permalink | Comments 0

Girl named A-Rod buzzed by hawk at Fenway

BOSTON (AP) - A 13-year-old girl touring Fenway Park on a school trip was attacked by a resident red-tailed hawk that drew blood from her scalp.

She wasn't seriously hurt, but some observers saw an omen for a certain New York Yankees slugger in the attack Thursday at the home of the Boston Red Sox. The girl's name is Alexa Rodriguez.

Vice Jenetta, a teacher who chaperoned her class trip from Memorial Boulevard Middle School in Bristol, Conn., told The Boston Globe that Alexa is "a little shaken, but OK."

The hawk perched on a railing in the upper deck behind home plate as the group toured the stadium. The hawk took flight and swooped at the girl with its talons extended, scratching the her scalp.

A single egg lay in the hawk's nearby nest in an overhang near the stadium's press booth.

The nest and egg were removed at the direction of state wildlife officials.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 8:41 AM to Red Sox | Permalink | Comments 0