Hookscenter’s free NFL picks for week 1 against the spread.
September 7, 2008
Its that time of the year again where your good friends at Hookscenter put extra money in your pocket for free.
Did I say free?
Yes free?
Last year Hookscenter made the average NFL bettor $2100 on a $100 wager per game during the 2007 NFL season and I look to improve on that percentage again in 2008.
5 Star Pick of the Week (0-0): Arizona (-2.5) @ San Francisco.
4 Star Picks of the Week (0-0): Dallas (-5.5) @ Cleveland, Denver (-2.5) @ Oakland, Pittsburgh (-6.5) vs Houston.
Rest of the Week Picks (0-0): Cincinnati (-1.5) @ Baltimore, New York Jets (-2.5) @ Miami, New England (-15.5) vs Kansas City, Jacksonville (-2.5) @ Tennessee, Detroit (-2.5) @ Atlanta, Buffalo (-1) vs Seattle, New Orleans (-3) vs Tampa Bay, Philadelphia (-7) vs St. Louis, San Diego (-9) vs Carolina, Indianapolis (-9.5) vs Chicago, and Green Bay (-2) vs Minnesota.
Roger Federer advances to 2008 U.S. Open championship.
September 6, 2008
Roger Federer beat Novak Djokovic 6-3, 5-7, 7-5, 6-2 to move one victory from a fifth consecutive U.S. Open championship and 13th Grand Slam title overall on Saturday.
“One more match is all I need,” Federer said in an on-court interview.
It was his 33rd straight win at Flushing Meadows and put him in his 13th final in the past 14 major tournaments.
The one gap in that span was the Australian Open in January, when Djokovic upset Federer in the semifinals en route to the title. Perhaps that gave Federer extra motivation on Saturday, as he enjoyed a stellar start and a fantastic finish to their semifinal.
Even he knew he sensed his magic had returned.
“I definitely had moments during today where I thought, ‘This is how I would like to play every time,’” Federer said. “It was a very nice feeling to get that feeling back.”
Federer, who finished with 20 aces and only one double fault despite a swirling wind, will meet No. 1 Rafael Nadal or No. 6 Andy Murray in Sunday’s final. Nadal-Murray was in a rain delay in the third set; Murray won the first two, and Nadal was up a break in the third.
Federer was asked whom he’d rather face. A reasonable question, given that Nadal routed him in the French Open final, edged him 9-7 in the fifth set of the Wimbledon final, and supplanted him atop the rankings last month after Federer’s record 237-week stay at No. 1.
“Who do I prefer? I prefer the trophy, that’s what I prefer,” Federer said, drawing a roar of approval from the fans in Arthur Ashe Stadium.
And then came an answer that might surprise some.
“I guess I’ve got to say Rafa,” Federer continued, “because we’ve had such great battles over the years. Wimbledon was unbelievable, so I hope we can do it again here.”
Instead of back-to-back semifinals on Ashe, worries about impending rain from Tropical Storm Hanna prompted tournament officials to shift Nadal-Murray to Louis Armstrong Stadium and start it while Federer-Djokovic was in progress.
When that court shift was announced in Ashe, there was pronounced booing from fans who bought tickets believing they would see both semifinals. Thousands of fans rose from their seats and ran from one court to the other, spurring security guards to yell, “Slow down!”
“I definitely had moments during today where I thought, ‘This is how I would like to play every time,’” said Federer, who had 20 aces and only one double-fault despite swirling wind. “It was a very nice feeling to get that feeling back.”
The fans cheered for both the No. 2 Federer, from Switzerland, and the No. 3 Djokovic, from Serbia, but there was more support for the reigning champion.
“A feel a little bit New Yorker right now,” Federer said. “I definitely appreciate the efforts from the fans, supporting me and pushing me forward.”
Maybe that’s because they remembered what happened Thursday night. After beating Andy Roddick, Djokovic drew merciless boos by lashing out at the American, taking him to task for making light of the Serb’s series of medical issues earlier in the week.
“It’s been a very exhausting tournament, mentally and physically, for me,” said Djokovic, who didn’t want to discuss what happened the other night.
Maybe the fans simply figured Federer needed an extra push during what, by his so-special standards, has been a sub-par season.
He has 12 losses, more than in any entire year from 2004-07.
He has only two titles, from minor events, his lowest total entering a U.S. Open since 2002.
He faces the possibility of going through an entire year without a Grand Slam title for the first time since 2002. Remember, he won three of the four major championships in 2004, 2006 and 2007.
There was this hanging in the balance, too: Had Djokovic won Saturday and gone on to take the title, he would have surpassed Federer in the rankings, dropping the longtime No. 1 all the way to No. 3.
“This was a big match,” said Federer, who is chasing Pete Sampras’ record of 14 career major championships. “I knew it from when I saw the draw.”
He began flawlessly. Federer compiled seven winners and no unforced errors as he raced to a 4-1 lead. And race he did, wasting not a second between points, quickly stepping up to the baseline when it was his turn to serve.
It was as though Federer knew that those gray clouds could stop things at any moment and he wanted to get as far ahead as fast as possible.
Looking more confident and supremely competent than he had all tournament, Federer smacked a 130 mph serve to set up a forehand winner and end the first set. By then, Federer had won 20 of 24 points on his serve and accumulated 13 winners and three unforced errors.
What about Djokovic?
His game and his demeanor were far duller than usual.
“It was important stay grounded,” Federer said. “I knew the tough times were going to arrive.”
The real Djokovic showed up in the second set, striking shots more crisply, pressuring Federer more consistently. When Federer served while trailing 6-5, Djokovic earned three set points, three chances to pull even.
On the first, Djokovic sailed a forehand long. On the second, Federer wrong-footed Djokovic with a cross-court forehand winner.
A year ago in the U.S. Open final, Djokovic led 6-5 in each of the opening two sets. In the first, he held five set points. In the second, he held two. He capitalized on zero, prompting this postmatch one-liner: “My next book is going to be called, ‘Seven Set Points.”‘
But Djokovic is no longer as inexperienced, nor Federer as invincible. This time, Djokovic seized his third set point, returning a 121 mph serve and watching as Federer stepped up for what should have been an easy shot and rushed a forehand long.
Hookscenter.com wire report.
Hurricane Gustav causes LSU to postpone game against Troy.
September 3, 2008
LSU has postponed its football game against Troy after Hurricane Gustav rolled through Louisiana this week.
The university made the decision on Wednesday after having a full day to get a handle on damage to Tiger Stadium and around the community, much of which is expected to be without power into next week.
“The welfare of the people of Baton Rouge, the uncertain power issues facing all of us and the condition of Tiger Stadium were all factors in making this decision,” LSU director of athletics Joe Alleva said. “We are fortunate that both schools had a common open date later in the year. I am appreciative of the cooperation of the good people at Troy for their understanding of this situation.”
The seventh-ranked Tigers’ game versus the Trojans will be played Nov. 15. Classes are canceled through the end of the week, with only part of campus on generator power.
LSU’s football team met at the Tigers’ on-campus training center Tuesday afternoon, then went ahead with practice. They continued practice on Wednesday afternoon on their indoor field, which also has generator power.
Gustav caused some damage at Tiger Stadium, including broken glass and torn awnings over club seats. Debris littered the stands and playing field.
Alleva said facilities crews were not yet certain if the stadium lights or scoreboards were still working because regular power was still out at the stadium. A generator was used to power meeting rooms below the stands behind one end zone.
Troy athletics director Steve Dennis said his university was happy to accommodate the postponement.
“This is a football game, nothing more, and the people of Baton Rouge have more to worry about right now than a football game,” Dennis said. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Baton Rouge and LSU and we wish them nothing but the best as they work to overcome the effects of this storm.”
Trees are down on campus and throughout Baton Rouge, some resting on the roofs of houses. Dangling and shredded power lines were also a common sight.
Normally, more than 100,000 fans flock to campus for Tigers games, enjoying tailgate parties on campus even if they cannot gain entrance to 91,600-seat Tiger Stadium, then filling area hotels.
LSU officials said there was no way the Baton Rouge area could accommodate such an event this weekend, but remained hopeful that a scheduled home game on Sept. 13 against North Texas would be played in Death Valley.
The eye of Gustav passed just west of Baton Rouge, battering the capital city with recorded gusts of 74 mph for hours. Damage appeared worse in Baton Rouge than in New Orleans, where the Saints remain scheduled to play their regular season opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Louisiana Superdome.
Tropical Storm Hanna is also causing schedule changes this weekend. The Colgate-Coastal Carolina football game has been moved from Saturday night to Sunday at 1 p.m. in Conway, S.C.
Hookscenter.com wire report.
Louisiana Superdome receives only minor damage from Gustav.
September 2, 2008
The Louisiana Superdome, for now still scheduled to host an NFL regular-season opener Sunday between the New Orleans Saints and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, appeared to be in good condition after the worst of Hurricane Gustav had passed, the stadium’s operator said.
“We’re in good shape,” said Doug Thornton, vice president of SMG, the company that manages the Superdome and neighboring New Orleans Arena. “We’ve got some exterior signs ripped and things like that, downed fences and light poles blown over, but nothing major, nothing structural or nothing that would affect the interior condition of the building.”
Thornton, who spearheaded the ambitious $200 million, eight-month renovation of the Superdome following Hurricane Katrina, remained in the stadium with a handful of staff during the storm Sunday night and Monday.
Thornton said there was no noticeable structural or interior damage, but stressed that a more thorough inspection still needed to be done. The stadium had yet to lose normal power as of Monday afternoon, he said.
While the dome may be in good shape, whether or not the Saints play there depends on several factors that may be out of stadium management’s control.
Thornton said those matters include:
• When the city allows residents to return, which affects not only the amount of fans who can attend but also the staff of approximately 2,500 needed to stage an NFL game, including police who handle security and may still be needed for post-hurricane patrols.
• Whether suppliers can ship in needed food and drink for concession stands, suites and lounges. Thornton said all food had been shipped out before the storm for fear it could spoil if the power went out.
“Just based on my gut right now, it all of it looks pretty positive,” Thornton said. “But again, we don’t have a full report on damage out in the community and how long it may take to restore power and all those things that may influence the decision.”
If officials decided it was not practical to play the game in New Orleans this Sunday, it was not clear what the backup plan would be.
“We are continuing to monitor the situation in close coordination with the Saints,” NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said. “Our focus today is on the brave people of the Gulf Coast. We have great admiration for them and for the public safety and emergency personnel who are tirelessly working to protect lives and property in that region. We will make an announcement at the appropriate time about the status of the Saints’ game scheduled for Sunday in the Superdome.”
Because Tampa Bay and New Orleans play each other twice by virtue of being in the same division, they could potentially flip-flop home dates. New Orleans is scheduled to visit Tampa Bay on Nov. 30.
Thornton said the dome would be available to host that game, which would be one day after Grambling State and Southern play there in the annual Bayou Classic.
The Buccaneers were unsure which scenario would play out.
“I don’t even want to think about it, really,” Bucs coach Jon Gruden said. “I’ve got enough on my mind. We’re going to stay on schedule and prepare to go as planned. God forbid, if any adjustments need to be made, the people that have authority to make those decisions will make them.”
Switching home dates is not something Saints general manager Mickey Loomis wants to do.
After moving his team to Indianapolis for practice this week, Loomis is hoping to get the Saints back in time to host their season-opener if at all possible — and not just so they get a jump on their division rivals.
“We want to be one of the first ones back because we want to play that game and lift the spirits of our city after what’s been a tough week,” he told reporters in a hastily called news conference at an Indianapolis hotel.
Loomis’ thoughts weren’t far from home, either.
He said players, coaches and staff have reported no injuries among family members although it was clear the Saints wanted to get home as soon as possible.
“Our plan is to practice here until Friday regardless of the circumstances,” he said. “We’re going to continue to practice here and stay in the routine we’re in until Friday and then return to New Orleans on Friday.”
Meanwhile, Thornton said the neighboring New Orleans Arena, home of the NBA’s Hornets, also did not appear to have any serious damage. None of the windows in its atrium around the main entry broke. It appeared flying debris dented the siding, “but that could be easily fixed,” Thornton said. He also said a large outdoor video board was out.
There were no concerts or other major events scheduled in the arena this week, Thornton said.
When Katrina hit on Aug. 29, 2005, high winds ripped a hole in the Superdome’s roof, allowing rain water to pour in. With power out in New Orleans humid late summer, mold festered. In addition, the stadium was trashed by about 30,000 evacuees who were stuck there for days without plumbing or air conditioning.
The entire roof was replaced and much of the inside gutted and disinfected before suites, concession stands and club lounges were rebuilt in time for the Saints’ 2006 home opener.
This time, New Orleans was under a mandatory evacuation and the Superdome, a vital economic engine for the city for all the major events it hosts, is no longer used as a refuge of last resort.
Hookscenter.com wire report.
College football in the South waits out Hurricane Gustav.
September 1, 2008
LSU and Troy share a common bye week should their game this week in Baton Rouge be cancelled due to Hurricane Gustav or its after effects.
Troy coach Larry Blakeney said Monday that his program was in a “holding pattern” on deciding whether to play the game scheduled for 7 p.m. CT on Saturday at Tiger Stadium. Gustav hit the Gulf Coast on Monday putting several college football games in peril. It’s hard, though, to think about football considering the potential damage that could be caused.
“We’re hopeful that everybody is OK down there,” Blakeney said during the Sun Belt Conference teleconference on Monday. “I’d like to play the game, I’m sure they would too. We’ll see what the storm holds for that area.”
LSU moved Saturday’s season opener to 10 a.m. CT to ease traffic for the massive evacuation ahead of Gustav. Coach Les Miles released his team to be with their families on Monday. There are no plans, he said, for the team to evacuate.
Ironically, Troy, located in Alabama, will be traveling to Baton Rouge. Tulane already has relocated to Alabama after the campus was closed in anticipation of the storm. The Green Wave play at Alabama on Saturday.
Lafayette, La. was close to the eye of the storm on Monday. The Louisiana-Lafayette campus is closed through Wednesday. The Ragin’ Cajuns don’t play this week.
“I’m not really thinking about (football) right now,” said coach Rickey Bustle. “We’re right in line with it. We’re probably about 45 minutes away from the eye. It’s really windy and kind of crazy.
“After the game the other night (a loss to Southern Miss) a number of our kids went home with their families … They’re scattered everywhere.”
Sun Belt Conference employees have been released for their own personal evacuation plan for the moment. Commissioner Wright Waters has relocated from the conference headquarters in New Orleans to Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Hookscenter.com wire report (Dodd).
Prosecutors target relatives of Bonds’ trainer Greg Anderson.
August 30, 2008
Federal prosecutors are considering charging the wife and mother-in-law of Barry Bonds’ personal trainer in an effort to pressure Greg Anderson to testify against the slugger during his perjury trial, the New York Times reported.
A lawyer representing Anderson’s wife, Nicole Gestas, and others familiar with the matter told the newspaper that prosecutors are considering charging her and her mother, Madeleine Gestas, with tax-related crimes.
“There are violations that both Nicole and Madeleine are worried about,” Nicole Gestas’s attorney, Charles J. Smith of Redwood City, Calif., told the Times.
“They are matters that I don’t believe would rise to the level they would prosecute under the current standards of the U.S. Attorney’s office. But in this circumstance, perhaps they’ll ignore their own standards to prosecute Madeleine or her daughter to get what they want.”
The newspaper reported in June that Nicole received a “target letter” from federal prosecutors in November, shortly after Bonds was indicted on perjury charges for allegedly lying to a federal grand jury about his use of performance-enhancing drugs.
Anderson spent three months in prison after pleading guilty to steroids distribution as part of the investigation into a sports doping ring at the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative, known as BALCO.
Anderson also spent more than a year in prison after refusing to testify before a federal grand jury investigating Bonds for perjury. Prosecutors told a judge that Anderson’s testimony about Bonds’ alleged drug use was vital to their perjury case and asked that he be jailed to coerce him to talk.
He was released the same day Bonds was indicted and has vowed to keep his silence, even if ordered to testify at Bonds’ trial.
Anderson could be sent back to prison if he resists a government order to testify.
Hookscenter.com wire report.
Danica Patrick looks for strong run at Detroit Indy Grand Prix.
August 29, 2008
Danica Patrick would be ecstatic with another strong run at Detroit Indy Grand Prix.
After starting 11th at the Raceway at Belle Isle Park, Patrick worked her way up to fifth late in the race when the cars running second, third and fourth were involved in an incident with two laps to go. Patrick sped past the wreckage and held on for a second-place finish behind Andretti Green Racing teammate Tony Kanaan.
“I remember it like it was yesterday,” said Patrick, fifth-fastest in practice Friday with a lap at 100 mph. “I’m very fortunate that I didn’t get caught up in it. It was great to stand next to Tony Kanaan on the podium, first and second. Hopefully we can do something similar again.”
Despite winning her first IndyCar race earlier in the season at Twin Ring Motegi, nothing has come easy this year for Patrick. She has finished in the top 10 in nine of 15 races this year, but only three times in the top five, including a fifth-place showing Sunday in Sonoma, Calif.
“It’s been a year of ups and downs, and drama,” Patrick said. “It’s either been something on the track drawing attention or something off the track. It’s just been like that this year.
“(Winning) hasn’t lessened the pressure to win again. We’re shooting for No. 1 every week. It’s the other drivers who are making it hard on me. The competition is very deep out there, especially on the road courses. It’s tough every single weekend.”
The success has been accompanied by some distractions. The most notable one occurred during practice for the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio when Patrick marched over to driver Milka Duno’s pit box to complain to her and Dreyer & Reinbold crew members that Duno was too slow on the course and blocking faster drivers. Duno responded by twice snapping a white towel at Patrick before eventually yelling at her to leave.
Still, Patrick has been able to continue to focus on her driving. She’s sixth in the driver standings, 45 points behind fifth-place Ryan Briscoe.
“Every year at the end you think if it wouldn’t have been for that one thing,” Patrick said. “That’s just the way it goes. But you can’t control it. Everybody has their bad races. Everybody has their throwaways. That’s what makes a season.
“Obviously Scott Dixon is kicking everybody’s butt and doing a good job this year.”
Patrick admitted that a repeat of her last performance at Detroit is going to be difficult on the 14-turn, 2.07-mile circuit.
“Passing is very difficult here,” she said. “It’s difficult to pass on any road course, really, but here it’s not like you drop a wheel off in the gravel and keep going or get pushed wide. You hit a wall.
“There’s just nowhere to go. I did a couple of them last year, but they weren’t pretty. A lot of crashes end up happening when you try. The only other spot you can make up spots outside of actually passing would be through strategy, through fuel saving, through pit stops. I think a lot of us tend to rely on strategy for the cleanest passing.”
Plus, Patrick noted that this year’s race field was expanded from 17 to 26 with IndyCar’s merger with the Champ Car series.
“We’ve got 10 or 11 new entries and that definitely gets into the mix. It fogs it up,” she said. “Last year there were a lot of top fives and running up front a lot. This year it’s just not been quite the same. There’s just too many drivers out there.”
Hookscenter.com wire report.
New Orleans and the Saints brace for Tropical Storm Gustav.
August 28, 2008
If the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina wasn’t enough to remind Saints offensive lineman Jammal Brown what he went through when New Orleans flooded, the latest storm to threaten the Gulf Coast certainly did.
As much as any Saints player, Brown could relate to the anxiety Tropical Storm Gustav was causing in south Louisiana. A first-round draft choice in 2005, Brown bought his first house in an upscale golf course development in eastern New Orleans only months before Katrina hit.
“Last time, (team officials) called me up and said, ‘We’re going out to Oakland for a week. Pack up a week’s worth of clothes,”‘ Brown recalled. “So I pack up some clothes and get out to Oakland and look on TV and every thing I own is under water.”
Katrina stuck Aug. 29, 2005, smashing levees and flooding 80 percent of New Orleans.
Third-year coach Sean Payton said his team, has a plan for moving to a safe location should Gustav strike the New Orleans area. The Saints were to play the Miami Dolphins in their final preseason game Thursday night at the Louisiana Superdome.
Payton said the plan encompassed the process of moving the team, but not where to go, because that wouldn’t be decided until the storm’s track had narrowed enough to know whether it was best to go east, west or north.
“We’ve all had time to put together a clear plan as to how it affects the organization, the team, the families of the team,” Payton said. “I don’t want to go into detail as to what we do, because what we do is really predicated on when it’s supposed to arrive.”
The Saints are scheduled to open the regular season in the Superdome against Tampa Bay on Sept. 7. The storm is expected to strike the Gulf Coast — anywhere from Texas to the Florida panhandle — around Tuesday morning.
“We will be focused and ready to play the Buccaneers,” Payton said. “We’re planning on that game being at the Superdome, but the powers that be will have a clear plan in place if that should change any or if our preparation should have to be somewhere else. It won’t be a distraction; we won’t allow it to be.”
The Saints have played two full seasons before sellout crowds in New Orleans since ignoring the naysayers who predicted pro football had no future in the Big Easy after Katrina. Even faced with the potential of another hurricane-related disruption, players said they cherished the opportunity to play in a place that really needed them, both in terms of the morale boost they provided and the community service projects they undertook.
Cornerback Jason Craft, who’s been with the Saints since 2004, said a lot of players initially did not want to return to New Orleans after their displacement to San Antonio because they didn’t really understand what life in post-Katrina New Orleans would be like. As they began to appreciate the extent to which they could inspire hope, they embraced the move and were rewarded with a once-in-a-career experience during a 2006 home-opening victory over Atlanta in an emotional Monday night game.
“That first game, that right there, I’ll never forget that,” Craft said. “Even though we didn’t make it to the Super Bowl that year, that was my Super Bowl. I never seen anything like that and I was just happy to see people out in the streets, just happy to see the Saints play that day. That’s probably one thing I’ll always remember about New Orleans is that day.”
Drew Brees was the first major free agent to come to New Orleans after the storm and bought an old home in a historic neighborhood only six blocks from areas that flooded during Katrina.
Brees, whose foundation has raised nearly $2 million for projects aimed at helping children around the city by rebuilding schools, playgrounds, athletic fields and the like, said witnessing the city’s recovery has been both inspiring and disappointing, often depending on the neighborhood in question.
“There are some areas where it looks like it happened yesterday,” Brees said. “Those are houses people used to live in and they’re not (living there) any more, so where are they?”
Brown’s first house is one of the empty ones. He’s rebuilt it, but is trying to sell it and has moved to a largely undamaged suburb west of the city.
At the same time, Brees has been pleased to see new construction, or flooded buildings being restored, throughout town. He’s also met young business owners who saw the rebuilding city as “a land of opportunity.” Brees can relate, having come to New Orleans after his stint in San Diego ended with a career-threatening shoulder injury.
“I felt like we were all kind of in this thing together,” Brees said. “I’m trying to rebuild my career coming off the injury and changing teams, kind of a fresh start for me, a fresh start for the organization and a fresh start for the city.”
Their home stadium was a prime example. During Katrina, it became a symbol of suffering while being used as a refuge of last resort. After being rebuilt with new and better amenities, it became a symbol of rebirth, and the Saints’ first season there was a memorable one, as they went to the NFC championship game for the first time.
In 2007, the NBA’s Hornets returned full time to the arena next door and are thriving as well.
“The more you talk to people and the more you drive around, I think you just feel like life is back,” Brees said. “When the storm happened, your mind-set had to be: we’re going to make things better than they were before. We’re going to try to turn this into a positive somehow, some way. I see that happening in a lot of areas. … So just to kind of be there and just feel like you’re kind of a part of the rebuilding process is rewarding.”
The reward, of course, will be even greater if the progress achieved during the past three years isn’t undone by the latest threat.
Hookscenter.com wire report.
Flyers invite defenseman Bryan Berard to training camp.
August 27, 2008
Veteran NHL defenseman Bryan Berard will attempt to make an NHL club on a tryout contract, after being invited to training camp with the Philadelphia Flyers.
“Bryan has been around a number of years now (and) he has been a good defenseman for quite some time,” said Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren. “I’m excited about Bryan’s willingness to come here on a tryout. It will certainly pick up the competition level of what is going to take place in training camp.”
The 31-year-old Berard was the No. 1 overall draft pick of the Ottawa Senators in 1995, but refused to sign and was traded to the New York Islanders.
In 619 career games covering 12 years with the Islanders, Toronto, New York Rangers, Boston, Chicago and Columbus, Berard has 76 goals and 247 assists. Last season with the Islanders, he had five goals and 17 assists in 54 games.
Berard, from Woonsocket, R.I., sustained a severe eye injury in 2000 while playing with Toronto that was thought to be career-ending. He made it back to the NHL but tested positive for steroids in 2005 after he was listed on a U.S. Olympic hockey preliminary roster, and was banned from international competition for two years.
He wasn’t suspended by the NHL because the failed test wasn’t a part of the league’s drug program.
“I thank the Flyers for giving me this opportunity to try out,” said Berard. “I am really looking forward to this. I have been around for a while and training camps are nothing new for me. I like to come in and compete at a high level.”
Hookscenter.com wire report.
Former Red Sox Yastrzemski exits hospital after triple bypass.
August 27, 2008
Baseball Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski was released from a hospital Tuesday, one week after having triple bypass surgery.
The former Boston Red Sox outfielder had surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital after experiencing chest pains. His discharge was announced by team spokesman John Blake.
Yastrzemski, the last player to hit for the Triple Crown by leading the AL in batting average, homers and RBI in 1967, turned 69 last Friday.
His family released a statement after the surgery saying it was “a complete success.”
Yastrzemski took over for Ted Williams in left field in 1961 and spent his entire career with the Red Sox before retiring after the 1983 season.
He hit 452 home runs, drove in 1,844 runs, had 3,419 hits and batted .285. He won seven Gold Gloves and was an 18-time All-Star.
After finishing ninth in the 10-team AL in 1966, Boston finished first in 1967 before losing the World Series in seven games to St. Louis. Yastrzemski led the AL that year with a .326 average, 44 homers and 121 RBI.
Hookscenter.com wire report.