Triple Crown jockey

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Sunday,
May 17, 2009
Triple Crown jockey
Calvin Borel rides
Rachel Alexandra to
victory, this time.
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Loon call
Jeremy Bonderman
pitches for the West
Michigan White Caps
against the Great Lakes
Loons on Saturday in
Comstock Park.
Loon Line, Page 3.
Short start
+ Angels
starter
John Lackey
was ejected after
throwing only
two pitches in his
season debut Saturday.
The first pitch thrown by
Lackey, activated from the
disabled list to start the game,
went behind the head of Texas
Rangers second baseman Ian
Kinsler, who homered twice
Friday night. The next pitch hit
Kinsler in the side of his upper
body. Home plate umpire Bob
Davidson immediately ejected
Lackey.
Manager Mike Scioscia
argued at length with Davidson
and crew chief Tim Tschida to
no avail. Lackey, who had been
sidelined because of a forearm
strain, raised his arms on the
mound with a look of disbelief
on his face.
Lackey is the first starter
in the majors to throw only
two pitches in a game since
Colorado’s Zach Day on Sept.
16, 2005. Day was knocked out
of that game at Arizona when a
line drive broke his right thumb.
BETH HARRIS
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
BALTIMORE — Girls
rule!
The best 3-year-old in the
land just happens to be a filly
named Rachel Alexandra.
Jockey Calvin Borel all
but guaranteed victory in
the Preakness Stakes and,
boy, did she deliver, becoming the first filly in 85 years
to win the second leg of the
Triple Crown.
A rangy bay — as big as
most of the horses she beat
— Rachel Alexandra shot
to the front Saturday and
wasn’t seriously challenged
until a late close by Kentucky Derby winner Mine
That Bird.
She led by a head at the
quarter and half-mile poles.
She stretched it to a halflength at the three-quarters pole. She was ahead by
four lengths going down the
stretch. In the end, the 9-5
favorite won by a length in
her first race against the boys.
The win also validated
Borel’s decision to climb off
Mine That Bird and stay on
the filly as her regular rider.
Now Borel may get a shot
at a personal Triple Crown,
if Rachel Alexandra goes
on to the Belmont Stakes in
three weeks. The 11/2-mile
race is the most grueling of
the three.
GARRY JONES/ THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Calvin Borel crosses the finish line aboard winning horse
SEE PREAKNESS, PAGE 2 7 Rachel Alexandra in the Preakness Stakes on Saturday.
One win short
Duck!
+ Detroit
police say a woman
was accidentally hit by a chair
swung by Ducks General
Manager Bob Murray after
Anaheim’s loss to the Red
Wings in Game 7 of their
Western Conference semifinal
series.
Sgt. Alan Quinn said on
Saturday that the woman was
struck while in the press box
Thursday night at Joe Louis
Arena, and Murray apologized.
Quinn says police took a report
and the woman declined to
seek charges.
The incident was first
reported on Friday by WJBKTV in Detroit.
The Ducks said Saturday
that Murray denies throwing
a chair. On Friday, he told the
Los Angeles Times that it was a
“complete accident.”
With the 4-3 win, the Wings
advanced to the conference
finals that start today in Detroit.
Redskins win appeal
+ A federal
appeals court is
siding with the Washington
Redskins against a group of
American Indians who say the
football team’s trademark is
racially offensive.
The decision issued Friday
by the U.S. Court of Appeals
in Washington doesn’t address
the main issue in the 17year-old case of whether the
trademark is racist. It upholds
the lower court’s decision in
favor of the football team on a
legal technicality.
The court agreed that the
seven Native Americans who
challenged the trademark
waited too long to sue over the
trademark issued in 1967.
Two cents
It’s early, but
Great Lakes
Loons fans
should hurry
to Dow
Diamond
before the
current hitters are
promoted. At the top of the
list is Kyle Russell, who has
shown the ability to hit home
runs to all fields in a league that
discourages impressive hitting
statistics. There is one other
reason to focus on Russell.
At the risk of offending the
anti-gun lobbies, Russell has
an absolute cannon in right
field. His arm is so strong, the
Loons moved a similar cannon,
Alfredo Silverio, to left field. I
suspect Russell’s next stop is
Double A Chattanooga.
+ The Saginaw News is
committed to accuracy.
If you have a question or
comment about a local
news report, please contact
me, Paul Neumeyer,
776-9770, or pneumeyer
@thesaginawnews.com.
MICHAEL HOLLENBECK/ THE SAGINAW NEWS
Saginaw Valley State University first baseman Stacy Kraatz is unable to come up with this throw during a Division II
Super Regional against Indianapolis on Saturday. The Cardinals lost 5-2 and 12-3 to fall one win shy of the World Series.
Saginaw Valley State falls shy of the softball World Series
MARK CONSTANTINE
THE SAGINAW NEWS
The bus was warming up in the parking lot, ready to whisk Saginaw Valley State University’s softball team
to Salem, Virginia, for the start of the
NCAA Division II World Series.
But before it could get out of the
SVSU parking lot, the wheels came off,
resulting in a 12-3 mercy-rule shortened
loss to the University of Indianapolis
Saturday on the Cardinals’ diamond.
The loss was the second of the day
for Saginaw Valley, allowing Indianapolis to take the best-of-three Super
Regional 2-1 following the Cardinals’
come-from-behind 2-1 victory over the
Greyhounds Friday afternoon.
So instead of the SVSU bus heading down the highway, Indianapolis is
bound for Virginia.
The Greyhounds earned the trip by
starting Saturday with a 5-2 victory
over the Cardinals, before rallying for
11 runs in the sixth inning of the championship game to erase a 3-1 deficit,
which lead to them eliminating SVSU.
Saginaw Valley didn’t help itself at
all, making four errors in the inning.
Cardinals’ starter Jade Fulton
deserved a better fate because if her
teammate at third base cleanly fields
two balls hit it her, there’s two outs in
the inning and a quiet Indy bench. She
takes the loss, but seven of the eight
runs she allowed were unearned.
Ironically, Saginaw Valley coach
Everett Roper talked the umpires into
erasing the call the man behind the
plate made in the sixth inning, which
opened the flood gates for Indianapolis.
A hard hit grounder to third base
appeared to hit the Indy runner in fair
territory, but the home plate umpire originally called the ball fair and no interference. When the play was finally over, one
run had scored but SVSU was able to get
another runner out at the plate and one at
third base to end the inning.
If Roper loses the argument, the
inning would have been over and SVSU
would have trailed 5-3. But after a 15minute discussion, the three-man crew
reversed the call, putting Greyhounds
back on first and second with two outs
and a 4-3 lead.
Once the Greyhounds got another chance, they made the most of it,
parading across the plate seven more
times, scoring 11 in all, leading to the
nine-run lead and eventually the downfall of the Cardinals. Once Indy bolted
out into the big lead, all relief pitcher
CHICAGO vs. DETROIT
+ Today,
Chicago at Detroit,
3 p.m., NBC
+ Tuesday, Chicago at Detroit,
7:30 p.m., VERSUS
+ Friday, Detroit at Chicago, 8
p.m., VERSUS
+ Sunday, May 24, Detroit at
Chicago, 3 p.m., NBC
+ Wednesday, May 27,
Chicago at Detroit, 7:30 p.m., if
necessary, VERSUS
+ Saturday, May 30, Detroit at
Chicago, 8 p.m., if necessary,
VERSUS
+ Monday, June 1, Chicago at
Detroit, 7:30 p.m., if necessary,
VERSUS
Cleary
comes
around
The Blackhawks, at
one time, had high
expectations for the
Detroit forward.
ANSAR KHAN
SAGINAW NEWS LANSING BUREAU
DETROIT — Detroit Red
Wings coach Mike Babcock
chuckled when he overheard
Dan Cleary bragging to some
of his teammates recently
about how hot a prospect he
was years ago.
“I had to laugh, but he
was,” Babcock said. “He was
beyond gifted.”
The Chicago Blackhawks know
all about that.
They selected
Cleary with
the 13th overPLEASE SEE SVSU, PAGE 2 7
all pick in the
1997 NHL
entry draft.
Less than two Dan Cleary
years later,
after he had played only 41
games, the Blackhawks traded the highly skilled forward
“It felt like TRACK STATE FINALS but reeled
“She’s an amazing athto Edmonton.
someone else
in
o n e lete,” said first-year CavaAfter struggling to find his
+
When: Saturday,
was in my
foe after liers coach Angela Jankosniche,
Cleary resurrected his
30
b o d y , ” s a i d May
another.
ka. “She excels at everycareer many years later with
+ Where: Division 1
Turk, a Car- —East Kentwood; Division 2 —
T u r k , thing she does.”
the Red Wings. Now he is
rollton junior. Zeeland; Division 3 — Comstock who is an
The 16-year-old was the
an important, well-rounded
“My legs were Park; Division 4 — Ada Forest
a l l - a r e a top individual on a day
player for a team that faces
just moving.”
basketball when Freeland won its first
Hills Eastern
Chicago in the Western ConM o m e n t s + Times: 8 a.m. — Gates Open; p l a y e r , boys regional team troference finals. Game 1 is
earlier, Turk 9:30 a.m. — Field Events;
r e t u r n e d phy, while Valley Lutheran
today at Joe Louis Arena.
1:30
p.m.
—
Running
Finals.
had capped an
t o h i g h returned to the top of the
Cleary ranks fourth on
+ Admission: $7
“amazing” day +
s c h o o l heap on the girls’ side.
the
team in points (nine)
Read more at
by running the highschoolsports.mlive.com/
track after
Freeland scored 121 points
and first in plus-minus ratanchor leg of region/saginaw.
taking last for first, while Standish-Stering (plus-10). He scored the
winning goal with three minthe winning
year off to ling had 108 and Reese 79.
utes remaining in Game 7
1,600-meter relay team concentrate on basketball.
“I have a really talented
against Anaheim the previafter she had taken the The decision netted the group in the middle distancous round.
baton in fourth place.
junior four regional crowns es, from the 200 on up,” said
At age 30, he is not the
“I just kept looking at on Saturday with wins in Falcons boys coach Jason
same player the Blackhawks
the finish line,” said Turk, the 200-meter dash, the 400 Robinson.
unloaded too soon.
who was still fourth with run, the 800-meter relay
SEE TRACK, BACK PAGE 7
fewer than 200 meters left and the 1,600 relay.
Next stop: track state finals
Area athletes
dominate a track
and field regional at
Standish-Sterling.
GREG MANCINA
THE SAGINAW NEWS
STANDISH — A teammate just shook her head
and said, “Amazing.”
Another broke down in
tears.
Shawntoreah Turk was
seated near the finish line
of the Division 3 regional
track meet at Standish-Sterling High School on Saturday, accepting one hug after
another.
PLEASE SEE
WINGS, PAGE 3 7
Tigers rough up Oakland again, winning 9-1
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
DETROIT — Miguel Cabrera
drove in four runs, Ryan Raburn hit
a three-run homer and the Detroit
Tigers roughed up the Oakland Athletics for the second straight night,
winning 9-1 on Saturday.
Raburn has two homers and eight
RBIs as the Tigers have outscored
Oakland 23-2 in the first two games
of the weekend set.
The Tigers took a
TIGERS 9, A’S 1
Rick Porcello (4-3) +
1-0 lead when GerToday: Oakland (Cahill)
allowed one run on at Detroit (Galarraga), 1 p.m.,
ald Laird ended an
three hits and two FSN
0-for-26 slump with
walks in six innings. + Read more at mlive.
an RBI double in the
T h e 2 0 - y e a r - o l d com/tigers.
second inning, but
rookie is 3-0 with a
Oakland tied it in the
1.00 ERA in three May starts.
top of the third. Ryan Sweeney led
Dallas Braden (3-5) gave up six off the inning with a ground-rule
runs on nine hits and two walks in double to center and scored on Trafive innings.
vis Buck’s one-out single.
Detroit broke it open in the fifth.
Curtis Granderson led off with
a double and took third on Placido Polanco’s single. Clete Thomas
struck out, but Cabrera hit a dribbler
down the first-base line and Braden
threw wildly to the plate after tagging Cabrera allowing Granderson
to score.
PLEASE SEE
TIGERS, PAGE 3 7