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11 Sports BLOG |
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June 2008
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Matt Musil: May 2008 ArchivesRice is a #6 National seed in the NCAA baseball tournament ...but it will be very tough for the Owls to get through this Regional. Texas ...fresh off winning the Big-12 Tournament is here ... along with Sam Houston State ...and St. John's. The Bearkats just won their 2nd straight Southland title ... and the Red Storm is in it's 2nd straight NCAA Tournament ..sporting two All-America players on the squad. ...High School Baseball is big in Houston. No ..let me re-state that ...it's not just big .... it's BIG. A pair of HISD schools ... Bellaire and Westside .... will battle later this week for a state tournament berth and you might be surprised who's favored. Rice will host an NCAA Regional ..... the University of Houston will play at the College Station Regional .... and Texas Southern will play in the Baton Rouge Regional. That's right 3 Houston teams are in the NCAA Tournament. ...When Brad Lidge entered Thursday night's game at Minute Maid Park .... to try and close the game out for his Philadelphia Phillies ..... he was both booed and cheered. The chorus of boos was loud and it included my girlfriend. But just as the boos got started .... many people stood up and cheered for Lidge ... .in a salute for all the things he did right while he was an Astro. ...Relief pitcher Brad LIdge is back in town as the Phillies meet the Astros this week. Lidge was traded away during the off-season ...and the change of scenery seems to have done a world of good for him. He was just as professional as ever when I spoke with him before Thursday's game. ...Not that head coach Kyla Holas will let her young women get ahead of themselves .... but at the same time she says it's a positive that they're looking ahead to something possibly historic for the school. "Sometimes this enthusiasm is just something that you can't bottle and you hopwe each player goes out there with thus much passion and fire within them." Lance Berkman says he feels like he's under more pressue now than he was last year .... when his batting average was about 150 points lower...but he's not complaining. Berkman says,"When you're going through streaks like this when things are falling for you ..... it lends itself to a feeling of confidence. When you step in there you think ....'Man I'm gonna get a hit ..... as opposed to in teh past sometimes when I have thought ...'Man ..how in the world am I gonna get a hit??" The Texans began their 13 OTA'S ...or On The Field Activities Monday ... but star wide receiver Andre Johnson didn't take place in full-scale practices. He had his troublesome knee scoped after last year's mini-camp sessions and although he says he feels much better about it .......he'll be limited in his activity until training camp in July. ...The Dynamo beat the Fire in Chicago Saturday night in impressive fashion. Playing in cool, rainy and windy conditions ..... the Dynamo took the early lead on the Fire ....but faced with dropping temperatures ...and an iconic star for Chicago controlling the referees attention by his sometimes outlandish actions ...... the Dynamo turned in their best performance of the season. ...As we first reported on 11 News at 10pm last night .... Texas Southern University has agreed in principle to invest several million dollars in the proposed downtown soccer stadium. Mayor Bill White tells me,"That's great! This is a significant step." ...A few years ago I was approached by representatives of the local skating community about a potential downtown skatepark. At the time .... there was an indoor facility (Van's Skate park) open just outside the loop on I-10. Now ... though there is a first class outdoor skate park with a scenic view of the downtown skyline. We lost a great friend Tuesday. Former Ch-11 & Ch-2 News Anchor Ron Stone lost his battle with cancer at age 72. If you never met Ron ... I'm sure you've heard of him .... he was one of the nicest guys you'd ever want to meet. ...Which team is it?? No it's not a Guy V. Lewis team of the past .... it's the 2008 U.H. softball team. Head coach Kyla Holas' Cougars are an impressive 50 & 9 heading into the NCAA Tournament. ...Minutes after the Texans finished their first mini-camp practice session on Friday .... team owner Bob McNair told the gathered members of the media the he's,"planning to be in the playoffs. I think that's what the players want and everyone wants." ...Far off the beaten path ......in the middle of the Sam Houston National Forest .... there is serius work being done. Not by biologists, forest rangers or environmentalists ..... no this work is being done by the finest female gymnasts in the U.S. ...The Houston Coments of the WNBA held their annual media day Tuesday ....and the players on hand ..... seem truly excited about the "season of change" that lies ahead. ...If you're a Rockets fan then you know all about the bad officiating going on in the playoffs this year. Last year the league had to deal with the horrendous call........ that possibly cost the Suns a playoff series versus the Spurs ....followed by the gambling scandal. This year it's just plain bad officiating!! ...The Texans were scheduled to play in a charity golf event Monday .... to raise money for the team's Foundation. The tournament was rained out .....but head coach Gary Kubiak was still beaming. The reason ...?? ... |
