Projo Sports Blog

April 23, 2008 Archives

BOSTON -- Providence Bruins goalie Jordan Sigalet will be honored tonight as a Boston Celtics Hero Among Us.

When Sigalet was 23, he was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, a disease which affects the central nervous system and haunts over 400,000 Americans and 2.5 million people worldwide.

During a game on Nov. 16, his body completely shut down in response to the MS. Sigalet refused to let that be the end of his career, and through his unparalleled determination and positive attitude, he made a stunning recovery and was back on the ice in less than two months.

Sigalet has dedicated himself to inspiring others with MS to never give up and has founded the "Sigalet Saves for MS" Foundation.

| Categories Celtics P-Bruins

The Patriots released the following statement this afternoon upon the announcment that Matt Walsh will meet with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell on May 13:
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The New England Patriots are pleased to learn that Matt Walsh is finally willing to come forward to meet with the NFL. We are eagerly anticipating his honest disclosures to Commissioner Goodell next month and the return of all the materials he took during his time of employment. We fully expect this meeting to conclude the league’s investigation into a damaging and false allegation that was originally levied against the team on the day before this year’s Super Bowl.

It is important to note that there has never been a confidentiality agreement restricting Matt Walsh and no legal protections were ever necessary for him to speak to the NFL, to media outlets or to anyone else regarding his employment with the Patriots. He demanded to be released from responsibility for his statements, and after a frustrating and lengthy negotiation period, a settlement has finally been reached. Walsh has been granted a significant number of privileges through this agreement, none of which the Patriots or the NFL were obligated to give.

At all times, we cooperated fully with the league’s investigation and stand by our initial public statement from Saturday, Feb. 2, 2008: “The suggestion that the New England Patriots recorded the St. Louis Rams’ walkthrough on the day before Super Bowl XXXVI in 2002 is absolutely false.”

The Patriots’ organizational focus at this time is on the NFL Draft and preparing for what we hope will be an exciting 2008 season. We will have no further comments regarding Matt Walsh at this time.

FOXBORO, Mass. (AP) - The New England Patriots signed three free agents Wednesday: tight end Marcus Pollard, punter Scott Player and defensive lineman Kenny Smith.

Pollard has been in the league for 13 seasons with Indianapolis, Detroit and Seattle. He has 349 catches for 4,280 yards and 40 touchdowns in 191 career games. The 36-year-old led Seattle's tight ends last season with 28 receptions for 273 yards and two touchdowns.

Player punted in three games last season for Cleveland before being released on Oct. 8. He sent nine seasons with the Arizona Cardinals. The 38-year-old kicker has 727 punts for 31,345 yards.

Smith has 69 career tackles in 30 games. The 30-year-old has not played since 2003 when he was with New Orleans.

| Categories Patriots

The New England Sports Network announced thus afternoon that Heidi Watney has been hired as a reporter/host and will join Don Orsillo and Jerry Remy on Red Sox broadcasts beginning the first week of May. She will assume the role that Tina Cervasio filled before leaving for the MSG Network in New York last month.

“Heidi is a skillful reporter who is smart, resourceful and has a terrific sense of humor,” said Joel Feld, NESN’s vice president of programming and executive producer. “Her talent for connecting with viewers makes her the ideal choice to join Don and Jerry as part of our Red Sox coverage.”

Watney comes to NESN from Fresno, Calif., where she has served as a sports anchor and reporter for KMPH Fox-26 News and a sports talk radio show host for 1430 ESPN Radio KFIG. The University of San Diego graduate began her career as a sports reporter/assistant producer for KUSI News in San Diego, California.

STORRS, Conn. (AP) - Connecticut women's basketball coach Geno Auriemma said the regular-season series against rival Tennessee was canceled because Lady Vols coach Pat Summitt accused the Huskies of a recruiting violation.

Auriemma, speaking to reporters on campus Tuesday, said Summitt "doesn't have the courage to say it publicly."

UConn officials said in March they self-reported a secondary violation of NCAA rules in connection with a 2005 ESPN studio tour that the women's basketball office arranged for then-top recruit Maya Moore.

Tennessee canceled the 12-year series with UConn last summer, even though UConn had already signed a contract to extend the annual game through the 2008-09 season.

Summitt had said ending the series would let the schools develop other rivalries. Auriemma said if she wouldn't explain why the series ended, he would.

>> Continue reading: Auriemma says Pat Summitt ratted on UConn

NEW YORK (AP) - Former Patriots assistant Matt Walsh will meet with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell on May 13 about New England's videotaping of opposing teams.

The league reached an agreement with Walsh on Wednesday. The NFL had been negotiating for two months with Walsh, now an assistant golf pro in Hawaii, who has indicated he has further information regarding Spygate.

Goodell fined Patriots coach Bill Belichick $500,000, the team was fined $250,000 and was stripped of its first-round draft choice for taking video of New York Jets coaches on the sideline of the 2007 season opener. But the specter of what information Walsh might have has hung over the matter since the Super Bowl, when Walsh reportedly said he had other tapes.

The agreement with Walsh will allow him to "share with the NFL information about activities occurring during his employment with the club from 1997-2003," the league said in a statement.
Walsh also will be required to return any tapes and other items in his possession that belong to the Patriots.

Click here to continue reading.

| Categories Patriots

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) - An East Hartford lawmaker says he helped negotiate a compromise that will allow the University of Connecticut to play an abbreviated football series with Notre Dame, with the games being played out of state.

A news conference is scheduled for 2 p.m. UConn officials confirmed they would attend.
The universities have previously discussed a 10-game series with UConn's home games being played at Foxboro, Mass., or East Rutherford, N.J. But some state lawmakers were upset that the games wouldn't be played in UConn's publicly funded Rentschler Field in East Hartford.

Rep. Michael Christ, a Democrat whose district includes East Hartford, says the compromise allows a shorter series between the universities. He says a guaranteed number of home football games against other opponents would be at Rentschler.

Tonight at 6, you can find the 2008 HSGameTime Providence Journal All-State boys indoor track team online at www.hsgametime.com/rhodeisland.

We asked each of our first-team selections to fill out a personal survey with questions including favorite TV show, favorite subject in school, and something people would be surprised to know about me.

The athletes' answers, as well as audio clips of the athletes talking about what inspired them this past season, will accompany their bios on their own personal pages.

Also, you will find full listings for second-team, All-Division and Academic All-State selections. The All-State girls indoor track page in The Providence Journal will run tomorrow.

Here is the full schedule for the All-State teams. The teams will be revealed at 6 p.m. each day online, and in the following day's newspaper.

Online now: Wrestling, gymnastics, cheerleading, girls basketball, boys basketball, girls indoor track
Tonight: boys indoor track
Tomorrow: girls swimming
Friday: boys swimming
Saturday: boys and girls hockey
Monday: independent stars

| Categories High School

Click the play button below to hear Kevin McNamara discuss the latest on the Celtics: Does Atlanta have anything to hold on to from Game 1, Doc Rivers as a Coach of the Year candidate, and Kevin Garnett's Defensive Player of the Year award.

| Categories Celtics

Click the play button below to hear Sean's comments, recorded this morning. Today's topics: Jacoby Ellsbury's terrific night against the Angels, the Ellsbury-Dustin Pedroia duo looking great, David Pauley's future with the team, and the roster move to come later today.

| Categories Red Sox

The Providence Bruins will open the best-of-seven Atlantic Division finals against the Portland Pirates at the Dunkin Donut Center on Saturday at 7:05 p.m.

Game Two is scheduled for Sunday at 4:05 p.m. at the Dunk.

The series moves to Portland for Game Three on Friday, May 2, at 7:05 p.m. Game Four will be Sunday, May 4, at 4:05 p.m. in Portland, and Game Five, if necessary, will be on Tuesday, May 6, at 7:05 in Portland.

Games Six and Seven, if needed, will be in Providence on Friday, May 9 at 7:05 p.m., and Saturday, May 10, at 7:05 p.m.

| Categories P-Bruins

Right now on our Fantasy Sports Blog, you can find updated position-by-position hitter rankings, complete rankings for starting and relief pitchers, plus Michael Salfino's weekly Baseball by the Numbers column. This week, he looks at hitters who are extreme in the category of strikeouts (both on the positive and the negative side) and projects how that might impact their values going forward.

On today's sports cover, Paul Kenyon and Steven Krasner both sing the praises of Jacoby Ellsbury, who did just about everything he could do to help the Red Sox to their sixth straight win. Kevin McNamara interviews some Celtics players and finds that, talent aside, they are giving a lot of credit for their success to head coach Doc Rivers. And Shalise Manza Young reviews the Patriots' history of draft weekend trades.

Click here to download the file in pdf format.