Hometown boys undrafted still with NFL contracts

Despite not being selected in the 2012 NFL Draft, here are several hometown East Texans that have inked deals with some NFL teams. Those players that have come to deals so far are as follows:

Derrick Choice (JT/SFA) - St. Louis Rams
G.J. Kinne (Gilmer/Canton) - NY Jets
George Bias (SFA) - Tennessee Titans
Lennon Creer (Tatum) - Washington Redskins
Marcus Jackson (Tyler Lee) - Atlanta Falcons
Bryce Beall (Tatum) - Dallas Cowboys
D.J. Hall (Palestine) - Jacksonville Jaguars
Chase Ford (Corrigan/Kilgore College) - Philadelphia Eagles
Ben Wells (SFA) - Washington Redskins
David Snow (Gilmer) - Buffalo Bills

I wish all the best to these hometown boys in the big leagues. Although it isn't like they will need it.

Deion Sanders' wife arrested for domestic violence charges

Police arrested Deion Sanders' estranged wife, Pilar Sanders, on domestic violence charges the Monday night of April 23rd. In a series of tweets, Deion Sanders, a former Dallas Cowboy, said his children watched as their mother and a friend of her's jumped him in their home. Deion also tweeted a photo in which he says shows him filling out the police complaints, along with their kids. Pilar Sanders' bond was only set at $264. This comes in the middle of The Sanders' high dramatic divorce after they have had 12 years of marriage.

I was personally both surprised and like "You go, Deion!" when I read this.I hope for the kids sake that they are able to get their affairs in order.

Cardinals Holliday in a funk

Matt Holliday has been struggling at the plate so far this year. However, Holliday had a very solid day against the Brewers Friday. He went 3 for 3 with a run scored and two RBIs. This raised Holliday's batting average to .233.  Holliday has now started to hit safely in four of his last five games. This streak involves two multi-hit games. It may be too early but at this rate I would say that Matt Holliday is back and out of the funk he has been in.

Chipper Jones makes history

3B Chipper Jones made Braves franchise history. How you may ask did Chipper do that? Today Chipper appeared in his 2,400th major league game. This puts Jones as second on the franchise list behind only Hank Aaron. Aaron has 3,076 major league games for the Braves franchise.

Bulls Ross injuried

Chicago Bulls  PG Ross left game 1 of the Eastern Conference playoffs after having pain in his left knee. He was  However, upon having an MRI done Ross discovered that he tore his ACL. This however will hinder the Bulls' chances of making a run at the NBA Finals. However, Rose will be out the rest of the season.
The interesting thing was Rose did not have any player contact on the play. His knee appeared to have given out on him after he performed a jump shot in the lane.

Humber throws perfect game

Philip Humber did something few current pitchers have been able to do in their careers. In Saturday's game against the Seattle Mariners Humber had 9 strikeouts in a total of 96 pitches in a game that has  left him among an elite club that includes Cy Young, Sandy Koufax, Randy Johnson, Catfish Hunter and Roy Halladay. So at the age of 29 he is now the 21st pitcher in major league history to have thrown a perfect game and he is the fourth one since 2009 and the fifth one since 2004. His perfect game lead to the Chicago White Sox defeating the Seattle Mariners 4-0. This was the third perfect game for the team and the first since Mark Buehrle had his back in 2009. Humber had never thrown a complete game, let alone a perfect game in 29 previous career starts. Humber said that his first phone call after the game was to his wife, who is nine months pregnant and due to deliver their son in just two weeks. He said he just wanted to make sure she didn't go into labor from excitement.

Resources:
http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/7841218/mlb-humber-perfect-surprise

Marc Colombo to retire a Cowboy

    Colombo signed a ceremonial one-year contract with the Dallas Cowboys on Friday to make sure that his NFL career would came to a close with the team in which he had the most success with. The move will be official come Monday.
    In 2005, the Cowboys took a major chance on Colombo, who was a first-round pick by Chicago in 2002 after the Bears released him in part because of a serious knee injury he sustained. However, the gamble paid off in 2006 and he started every game (72) in which he was healthy. He missed seven games in 2009 with an ankle injury and one game in 2010 with a knee injury.
    The Cowboys released Colombo after the lockout ended in 2011 to give the starting job to Tyron Smith. Colombo, 33, signed with Miami and played every snap for the Dolphins last season.
Sources:
http://espn.go.com/blog/dallas/cowboys/post/_/id/4691923/marc-colombo-to-retire-a-cowboy

Pudge to retire as a Ranger

    Former Texas Rangers catcher Ivan Rodriguez will announce his retirement on Monday at the Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, Texas, after 21 major league seasons. Pudge will also be retiring as a Texas Ranger on Monday.

   Rodriguez and the Ranger Ball Club confirmed these plans Thursday. The Rangers plan to honor the All-Star catcher with an on-field ceremony before they face the New York Yankees. Rodriguez will throw out the ceremonial first pitch.

    Rodriguez won the 1999 American League MVP and also went to 10 straight All-Star Games with the Rangers. He was not able to find a job this spring. The 40-year-old who is affectionately known as "Pudge" began his two-decade-plus major league career with the Rangers back in 1991.

    Rodriguez was also a four-time All-Star with the Detroit Tigers and he won a World Series as a member of the 2003 Florida Marlins.

    Rodriguez signed with the Marlins after spending all or parts of 12 seasons with the Rangers. He then returned back to Texas in 2009 when the Rangers acquired him after their catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia was injured late in the season.

    Rodriguez was part of three AL West champion teams in Texas in 1996, 1998 and 1999. He hit .332 with 35 homers and 113 RBIs and stole 25 bases during his MVP season.
    Rodriguez becomes the third longtime catcher to retire since last season ended, joining Jorge Posada and Jason Varitek.
    Rodriguez finishes his career with a .296 batting average, 2,884 hits, 311 home runs and 1,332 RBIs. He broke the record of 10 Gold Gloves at catcher that had been held by Johnny Bench and hit .300 or better 10 times.

Adrian Beltre injuried

      Texas Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre left Saturday's game in Detroit with a strained left hamstring.

Beltre hit a double in the second inning and was grabbing the hamstring just after reaching the base. Alberto Gonzalez replaced him.

      Beltre is listed as day to day. But the 33-year-old missed 37 games in late July through August last season with a left hamstring strain, when Michael Young filled in as the primary third baseman.

      He had a single and a double in Saturday's first game of a double hitter and is hitting .303 with two homers and seven RBIs. Beltre is hot on this road trip, going 11-for-30 (.366) with three doubles, a homer and five RBIs.

Allmendinger takes Kansas pole

Allmendinger captured his second career Sprint Cup pole Saturday, turning a lap of 175.993 mph in his Penske Racing Dodge to knock Kevin Harvick off the top spot.

Joey Logano had the third fastest time but will start at the rear after changing engines during practice Friday.

It was the first pole for Allmendinger since 2010 at Phoenix.

He nearly had the pole last month at Bristol but was edged out by Greg Biffle by a thousandth of a second.

Logano went off first in qualifying and posted a lap of 175.724 mph, then watched as car after car failed to touch his time. It wasn't until Harvick turned a lap of 175.747 that Logano was finally bumped.

Denny Hamlin posted the fourth-fastest lap, followed by Mark Martin and Martin Truex Jr.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. qualified seventh for Hendrick Motorsports, which is trying to end a 13-race drought and reach milestone win No. 200. The team hasn't reached Victory Lane since Jimmie Johnson's win at Kansas last October, the longest winless stretch since the 2002 and '03 seasons.Local favorite Clint Bowyer -- who is from Emporia, Kan., and raced on the dirt track at nearby Lakeside Speedway -- qualified eighth. Kasey Kahne was ninth and Sam Hornish Jr. was 10th.

resource:

http://espn.go.com/racing/nascar/cup/story/_/id/7839752/aj-allmendinger-fastest-kansas-speedway-second-career-pole

Jason Hammel Makes Memorable Debut with Baltimore

     Jason Hammel just wanted one more chance to prove that he could be an effective Major League starter. He was traded away by the Tampa Bay Rays for an almost shamefully after the 2008 season. Hammel was then moved to the Rockies' bullpen in mid-August before he was dealt to the Orioles this winter as part of the trade for right-hander Jeremy Guthrie.
     Following his first start of this spring, Hammel talked about  his time in the bullpen -- where he made seven appearances for the entire rest of 2011 -- and how it allowed him to reflect on his career. He since vowed to become a more aggressive pitcher this season by relying on his strengths rather than each hitter's weakness.
     The newly found confidence -- along with a muched  improved two-seam fastball -- was on full display as Hammel dominated the Minnesota Twins, allowing just one run over eight innings in the Orioles' 3-1 win.
      Hammel entered the game with a career 6.28 ERA in three starts at Camden Yards -- followed up impressive starts by Jake Arrieta and Tommy Hunteras well by holding the Twins completely hitless through the first seven innings. Working off fastballs, Hammel faced the minimum number of batters til two doubles in the eighth inning cost him a no-hit and a shutout.
     The possibility of a no-hitter creeped into Hammel's mind after he got through the sixth inning. He took the mound in the eighth inning after having thrown just 77 pitches. The no-hitter ended when Justin Morneau delivered a double to right field, and the shutout up to that point was lost when Morneau scored on Josh Willingham's double.
     After allowing the Twins to get a run, Hammel didn't give up, but finished the inning and picked up two more strikeouts. He become the third consecutive Orioles pitcher to go seven or more innings to start the season. Baltimore last accomplished that feat back in 2001.
     Hammel exited to a standing ovation from a crowd of 14,738 in favor of closer Jim Johnson, who recorded his second save of this season.
    

Picture from http://www.chron.com/
http://www.mlb.com/

Kings to Move

The Sacramento Kings had talked about moving to Anaheim after last season. However, the Kings agreed to stay for this season while the city would be trying to put together a plan that would work for replacing Power Balance Pavilion. A deal to build a new arena for the Kings has fallen through today. This leaves open a window of  possibility that the team's owners, The Maloof Family, could once again try to move the team away from California's capital. The Maloof family said Friday that they want to remain in Sacramento, and NBA commissioner David Stern says he believes them. However, Stern also stated that it was the Maloofs' right to re-examine the deal that had been agreed upon just last month, and he also added that there is nothing more that the league can do to help broker a new deal. I feel that The Maloof Family will most likely make the move they had planned on last year. However only more time is needed to see if my prediction is accurate.

Astros Rally to Take Series

      Just when it looked like the Houston Astros would lose tonight's game against the Rockies. The Astros were down 2-1 going into the eighth. They had two outs already when Jose Altuve and J.D. Martinez then had back-to-back singles to finally put runners on first and second. Carlos Lee  then hit a broken-bat ground ball to third. However, the Colorado Rockies third baseman Jordan Pacheco skipped the throw past first which allowed Altuve to score the tying run. Bogusevic then shot the next pitch into right field to allow Martinez to score and put the Astros ahead, 3-2.
     Houston Astros starter Bud Norris worked through seven innings and allowed only four hits, two runs and three walks, all of which went to Jason Giambi, while striking out eight batters.
      Colorado Rockies starter Juan Nicasio was magnificent in his first game start since he broke his neck back when he was struck on the side of his head by a line drive off the bat of Ian Desmond last August. Nicasio held the Astros to just five hits and one run in seven innings. I feel he has proved that despite the injury he had suffered back in August that he still has what it takes to get it done.

A-Rod to Rest

      Joe Girardi was strongly considering giving Alex Rodriguez a day off Sunday, but instead the Yankees' manager put the three-time American League MVP in his starting lineup at third base.      "I told him we'd talk about it," Girardi said. "I talked about it with him last night. I re-checked with him this morning and he said he feels great. My guess is I'll DH him Monday against Baltimore."
      However, Girardi expressed some concern playing his veterans like Rodriguez and Derek Jeter, who served as the designated hitter on Saturday, three straight days on the hard artificial turf at Tropicana Field.
     Girardi also has said that it will be important to him to be able to keep both Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez as fresh as possible this year to avoid the same injury problems that hampered both of the stars in the 2011 season.
      Girardi said that he has decided to use Nick Swisher as the teams DH on Sunday, with Raul Ibanez getting an outfield start, because Swisher has battled groin injuries since Spring Training.

Hudon's Return to Braves Promising

      Tim Hudson enjoyed three pain-free innings last night while pitching for Class A Rome against Charleston. The 36-year-old right-hander's goal is aimed at rejoining the Braves' rotation during their series against the Pirates at the end of this month.
       Hudson allowed only two runs (one earned) and four hits in three innings. Two of those four hits that he surrendered were infield singles recorded by Dante Bichette Jr.
      "He felt great and now he'll go toward his next start," Atlanta manager Fredi Gonzalez said.
       Fredi Gonzalez and Braves pitching coach Roger McDowell will be at the State Mutual Stadium on Thursday night, when Hudson starts Rome's home opener against this same Charleston team. He will be scheduled to throw a total of 60-65 pitches and attempt to complete at least four innings.
        Tim Hudson has been very encouraged by the steady progress he has been making since he underwent back surgery on Nov. 28.

Opening Day

Today was opening day of the 2012 baseball season. There were many good games played today. Here is the break down of who played who and also who won.

Chicago White Sox vs Texas Rangers: The Rangers won 3-2 tonight. However, what made this game more interesting was that Nolan Ryan and Robin Ventura were in together again.
Minnesota Twin vs Baltimore Orioles: The Orioles defeated the Twins today 4-2.
New York Yankees vs Tampa Bay Rays: The Yankees lost their opening game to the Rays 6-7.
St. Louis Cardinals vs Milwaukee Brewers: The Cardinals dominated the Brewers will an awesome 11-5 win.
San Fransico Giants vs Arizona Diamondbacks: he D'backs won it 5-4. The Giants did try to make a come back in the 9th but it just was not enough.
Colorado Rockies vs Hoston Astros: The Rockies beat the Astros today 5-3

As of 11:00 CST The Following games were still being played

Kansas City Royals vs Los Angeles Angels: At the end of the 7th inning, currently the game is tied 0-0. If it continues this way I can see it going to extra innings.

Seattle Mariners vs Oakland Athletics: During the top of the 6th the score is Seattle 6 and Oakland 2

Los Angeles Dodgers vs San Diego Padres: The Dodgers have been dominating this game so far. It is strech time in San Diego and the Dodgers lead it 6-0.

Tolowitzki against the Mariners

     I am sure you remember hearing about Troy Tolowitzki getting hit by a pitch from former teammate Ubaldo Jimenez on Sunday, which resulted in Jimenez getting a five suspension. Well great news for Colorado Rockies fans. Tolowitzki played in the Rockies game against the Seattle Mariners today. However, he left the game after four innings. Tolowitzki went 0 for 2 tonight. I guess that elbow is still bothering him a bit. The Rockies have him listed as day-by-day. He was said to be looking good at Tuesday's batting practice

http://www.espn.go.com/