SPORTS
May 21, 2012 | By Lisa Dillman
He wasn't invoking the wisdom of hockey greats such as the legendary Gordie Howe or even Wayne Gretzky, a star with some serious Kings cred in his background. Kings Coach Darryl Sutter thought about the topic of playing with a lead, reached into his own coaching/playing past and landed in the Midwest — more precisely, in Chicago. "What was Michael Jordan's famous line? Structure gets me to the fourth quarter and then I take over," Sutter said on Monday in El Segundo. The third period would work just fine too. For the second time in three days, the Kings will attempt to close out the Phoenix Coyotes in the Western Conference finals, this time as the visiting team.
SPORTS
May 9, 2012 | By Mike DiGiovanna
MINNEAPOLIS — It was the third inning, and it was only one run, but Ervin Santana reacted in the dugout as if it was the turning point of a playoff game, thrusting both fists sharply into the air after Mike Trout's run-scoring double clanged off the left-center field wall in Target Field. The Angels right-hander, for the first time in seven starts this season, had a lead. "I was very excited," Santana said after throwing 71/3 strong innings to lead the Angels to a 6-2 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday night.
SPORTS
May 8, 2012 | By Dylan Hernandez
Certain aspects of baseball never change, which is part of the game's charm. Players today are as superstitious as they were in the days of Babe Ruth. Pitchers still drill opposing hitters in retaliation if a batter from their team is hit. Rookies continue to be hazed. Then there's the sacrifice bunt. There is statistical research indicating the tactic is counterproductive, but teams continue to use it. Teams such as the Dodgers. The Dodgers tried two late-inning sacrifice bunts Tuesday night, one that resulted in a double play in the seventh inning and another that took the bat out of Matt Kemp's hands in the eighth.
SPORTS
April 28, 2012 | Staff and wire reports
Kyle Busch capped a perfect weekend in Virginia on Saturday night by winning the spring NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Richmond for the fourth consecutive year. The victory snaps a 22-race winless streak for Busch. It came a day after he went to Victory Lane for the first time as a Nationwide Series team owner, celebrating brother Kurt Busch's Friday night win. Busch beat Tony Stewart off pit road on the final stop of the race, which came after a caution for debris with 13 laps to go. He then pulled away from Stewart on the restart with nine laps left and wasn't challenged for the victory.
SPORTS
April 26, 2012 | By Mike DiGiovanna
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — It's a postgame scene the Angels have grown far too familiar with: dead silence in the clubhouse, grim looks as players shuffle past each other, the room filled with dejection. Add a veteran consoling a kid reliever by putting both hands on his shoulders and whispering in his ear, and you'll feel what the Angels felt after their stunning 4-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays in Tropicana Field on Thursday. Two outs away from a well-played and much-needed victory, closer Jordan Walden, in only his second save opportunity this season, gave up a single to B.J. Upton and a walk-off, two-run home run to pinch-hitter Brandon Allen, who was claimed off waivers from Oakland last week.
SPORTS
April 20, 2012 | By Kevin Baxter
When: 7:30 p.m. Where: Home Depot Center. On the air: TV: Prime Ticket, KWHY. Records: Chivas 3-3, Philadelphia 1-3-1. Record vs. Philadelphia: 0-1-1 (2011). Update: Not only is Chivas USA winless at home this season, in its three matches at the Home Depot Center it hasn't even scored. And the Union hasn't allowed a goal in its last 242 minutes. Something will have to give because Philadelphia is winless on the road. Chivas is riding a two-match winning streak, victories Coach Robin Fraser says have resulted in renewed confidence.