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Oklahoma Sooners Linebacker Death Is An Accident

Oklahoma Sooners Death

The Oklahoma Sooner’s linebacker Austin Box had several prescription painkillers as well as an anti-anxiety drug in his system when he suddenly died, according to a report released Tuesday by the medical examiner’s office.

The 22-year old’s death two months ago was ruled accidental.  The report says the combination of drugs caused likely pulmonary edema or fluid in his lungs along with aspiration pneumonia which is an inflammation of the lungs which comes from inhaling foreign substances.

The sports world has lost too many athletes way too soon. Here are a few:

”There is no greater pain than the loss of a child,” Box’s parents, Gail and Craig Box, said in a statement. ”The pain is intensified by knowing that the death of your child could have been prevented.

”Anyone that knew Austin would give testament to his pure heart. The love and pride we feel for our son cannot be diminished by the cause of his death. He gave us so much joy and so many wonderful memories. He will forever be `Mommy’s baby’ and `Daddy’s little boy.”’

It was a friend of Box’s that found him unresponsive in his El Reno home.  He called authorities the morning of May 19.  He told a dispatcher that Box was not breathing and that Box had taken some pain pills.  He later told police officers that he thought Box had overdosed.

An autopsy of Box’s body shows the painkillers morphine, oxymorphone, hydrocodone, oxycodone and hydromorphone in his system.  The anti-anxiety drug Alprazolam was also found in Box’s body.  The report says Box’s medical conditions included cardiomegaly or an enlarged heart and a chronic pain history.

NFL Dooms Day Is Drawing Near

NFL Dooms Day

As each day passes so does the hope of an NFL season being played in 2011.  Arguments between the NFL Players’ Association and the NFL over a collective bargaining agreement have gone on much longer than most fans want to know.  A decision needs to be made some as time is quickly running out to save the season.

When the season traditionally starts is getting closer and it seems as though nothing has happened since the end of the last season.  Players and owners are continuing to argue over dividing $9 billion in revenue and a lockout.  This has kept players from being at events in their own respective team’s facilities.  It has now dragged on for more than four months.

The individuals involved in the labor dispute met all during last week in New York yet nothing was resolved in the private meetings.  NFLPA head DeMaurice Smith and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell took the weekend off and plan to resume negotiations on Monday.

These meetings will be without the mediator of the labor dispute Judge Arthur J. Boylan.  He scheduled a mediated session for July 19 in Minneapolis while encouraging both sides to keep talking until that time.

As the struggle to agree on a collective bargaining agreement continues things are becoming more dire outside of the meetings.  The first preseason game between Chicago Bears and the St. Louis Rams in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game is supposed to happen on August 7^th.  Just a few short weeks after the Minneapolis meeting planned by Judge Boylan.  Some teams have also cancelled training camps, which usually draws fans and helps tourism.

Rangers Fan’s Plunging Death Docuses On Baseball Safety

Texas Rangers Fan Died

A Texas Rangers fan that died while trying to catch a ball thrown by outfielder Josh Hamilton is a tragic story for all baseball players and fans.

‘‘It’s a horrible feeling ­because he’s a human ­being and a baseball fan, and I think everybody should be thinking, praying for them,’’ White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said. ‘‘You don’t want to even see a foul ball hit anybody. You wish that never happened. Unfortunately, it did. It’s a very sad situation. A very sad moment for baseball.’’

The accident occurred Thursday night during the second inning of the game between the Rangers and Oakland Athletics at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, Texas. Hamilton retrieved a foul ball off the bat of the Conor Jackson from the A’s and tossed it to the fan. But the gentleman, who was at the game with his 6-year-old son, fell 20 feet when stretching to catch the ball. The 39-year-old man was a firefighter and he was conscious for a time but died later at a hospital.

‘‘It’s unfortunate, and it’s sad,’’ Alex Rios, Sox outfielder said. ‘‘They [fans] need to be a little more careful when they’re reaching out for balls. People have to be more careful and judge the situation a little better ­because it’s just a ball. The guy lost his life for a ball, and that’s a shame.’’

The incident has really affected Hamilton.

‘‘That’s the first thing that went through my mind,’’ Guillen said. ‘‘Obviously it’s not his fault. I hope people understand that. Fans, ­media people have to understand that Josh had nothing to do with it. I don’t know him very well, but I hope he can forget. It will be hard, but he can’t do anything about it.’’

‘‘Obviously you’re ­going to feel bad for him, but there’s nothing you can do,’’ Rios added. ‘‘You don’t know what’s going to happen when you throw balls in the stands. I know how he has to be feeling. He’s got to be feeling bad, but it’s not his fault.’’

Officials from Major League Baseball talked about the matter Friday to see if new guidelines should be established for ballparks.

‘‘At this point, there’s nothing,’’ Sox senior vice president of communications Scott Reifert said. ‘‘If you look around the 30 ballparks, each one is different and each profile is different, so I think it’s difficult to say, ‘Hey, here’s a rule for all 30 ballparks.’ In our case, the renovations we did about 12 years ago actually brought fans right down to the field, so in many cases you’re eyeball to eyeball with the player.

‘‘Obviously you want as much interaction as you can have between the fans and the players, and you just try to balance that with fan safety.

‘‘What a tragedy. You have to stop and realize that for the family and the people ­involved, the player involved, it’s a terrible tragedy out of a moment that occurs how many times a night at every ballpark.’’

Hines Ward, Steelers Receiver Arrested In DeKalb County For DUI

Hines Ward Arrested

Former UGA receiver Hines Ward who now plays for the Pittsburgh Steelers was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol on Saturday in DeKalb County on the Buford Highway.

According to the DeKalb police, Ward was apparently stopped around 2:00 in the morning on Buford Highway close to Briarwood Road because an officer saw that his Aston Martin failed to maintain its lane and hit a curb.

Ward failed the field sobriety test that he was given and he also refused to take a breathalyzer test.  He told the officers he had only two drinks at a downtown club.

A passenger in Ward’s car was not drinking so he was allowed to drive the car instead of having the car impounded.

Ward was cooperative during the stop and was later taken to the DeKalb County Jail.  The Jail records indicate the 35 year old Ward was booked into the jail at 3:41 AM and he was later released on $1,000 bond.

The jail records have Pittsburgh as Ward’s current home but he also has another home in Sandy Springs.

When he was reached on Saturday afternoon Ward told the AJC the he was “with my family right now, so I can’t talk right now. I’ll put out a statement later today.”

This arrest is not Ward’s first serious traffic charge in DeKalb.  He was charged with speeding and reckless driving in April of 2006.  He paid a $1,350 fine for speeding but the reckless driving charges were dropped.

Friday Ward had posted on Facebook that he had a bad texting while driving habit and wanted fans to help him stop that habit.

Maryland Football NCAA Violations, Imposing Penalties And Limits Practice

Maryland Football Violations

The University of Maryland has imposed penalties upon itself which include limiting football practice time during the fall semester due to secondary violations which occurred last season under the coach at that time Ralph Friedgen, which was announced by the school Saturday morning.

Some of the violations involve the “countable athletically-related hours” which players had during the fall semester of 2010.  The athletic department found an extra 1.25 hours per week were used last year over the allowed 20 hours per week.  The report also mentioned “some administrative interns involved with football also were in attendance during non-mandatory summer workouts prior to last season.”

Maryland reported these violations to the NCAA and the ACC and recommended imposed penalties during this season.  The football team will be limited to only 17.5 hours of activity per week during this first semester. The penalty will be imposed during weeks when fall classes are in session.

Also, the football administrative interns will only be observing and participating in on-field activities during the preseason practice period of August.  Graduate assistants are prohibited from participating in August for 16 practices.

Practice season regulations as well as rules-education sessions regarding playing and rules involving permissible summer activities will also be conducted with all players, coaches and football-related staff.

Letters of admonishment will be sent to all non-coaching staff members still employed as well as two Friedgen assistants retained by new coach Randy Edsall, wide receivers coach Lee Hull and offensive line coach Tom Brattan.

“We have already put processes and controls in place to better ensure things like this don’t happen in the future,” Kevin Anderson Athletic Director said in a statement. “It’s fundamental to me and to the department that we operate with integrity and do things the right way as we move forward. Our view is that we need to deal with the past so we can be better tomorrow.”

The athletic department heard Friday that the NCAA accepted these penalties as being sufficient.

Brian Wilson Cranky Closer Has Dugout Tantrum

Brian Wilson Gets Cranky

Brian Wilson is well known for his beard.  He is also known for his World Series-clinching pitch and best 72 saves in the major league since the earlier part of last year.  He is also known for his all-around craziness.

Friday he was entertaining in a different way by offering up the most thrilling reaction to blowing a save this year.

Wilson in his own words gave himself “30 seconds to absolutely lose it.”  He did not disappoint after exiting the game during the Giant’s ninth inning of what was eventually a 4-3 victory over the Tigers.

Part of Wilson’s ranting included flinging the Giant’s Gatorade cooler in the dugout.  He took a bat and with a running start he tomahawked the cooler while it was sitting on the ground.  Then for good measure he smacked the wall with the bat.

He then tossed the bat away and continued to stomp for a few more minutes.  He then picked up the bat again and decided to drop it with contempt.

Then to top of the ranting he punched an object which was either a tray of bubble gum or sunflower seeds with his beloved right pitching hand.

When asked later how his hand was, Wilson replied, “My hand’s fine. Ask the wall.”

The entire scense made Carlos Zambrano look amateur.

Wilson was then asked if it will be hard to watch replays on SportsCenter.  “I don’t watch SportsCenter, so it’s not going to be too difficult,” Wilson replied. “I mean, why would that be difficult? I squared it up.”

‘Fireworks & Fights & Fireworks’ Appearing This Weekend

Fireworks and Fights and Fireworks

While there will be plenty of fireworks in the skies across Mid-Michigan this weekend, there will also be a few fists flying too.

Both Sides Fail To Reach A New Deal In NBA Lockout

NBA lockout

NBA players locked out the owners according to union chief Billy Hunter as the two sides failed to reach an agreement through collective bargaining.

This action on behalf of the NBA now means that half of the major professional sports in the USA are in lock out.  The National Football League locked its players out in March.  The two sides had been discussing a deal this week, trying really hard to work out a new deal.

After a three-hour meeting on Thursday, the National Basketball Association along with its players couldn’t even come close to closing the wide gap which still remains in their positions.  All business of the league is officially on hold including Friday’s opening of the free agency period.  As of now it is possible that games will eventually be enough lost.   The most recent lockout reduced the 1998-99 season to only 50 games in their schedule.  This was the only time the NBA had missed any games because of a stop in work.

“We tried to avoid the lockout; unfortunately, we couldn’t reach a deal,” Matt Bonner, union executive committee member stated.

Both sides remain a good deal apart on almost every major issue, including salary caps and salaries to revenues and revenue sharing.

South Carolina Repeats College Baseball National Title

South Carolina National Title

South Carolina won the first CWS at TD Ameritrade Park.  Last year they won the national title at the Rosenblat Stadium.

Michael Roth SC’s starting pitcher was dominating at the mound in game 2.  The whole SC team was thinking about mimicking the Oregon State team of 2007.  South Carolina set records Tuesday night for having 11 straight victories in the CWS.  South Carolina became one of only six teams to win consecutive national college baseball

Florida’s Coach was focused on forcing game 3, but SC held up strong.  “You have to be a little lucky to win this game,” said Gamecocks coach Ray Tanner.

Wingo was clutch against Texas A&M in the bottom of the ninth.  Wingo was very successful late in game one against Florida as well.  .

“He’s been so valuable to this program,” Tanner said. “He loves this program. He has fun. That’s how you have to play this game.”

Michael Roth pitched a whopping seven innings against Virginia in last year’s National Championship game.  “Mike has the biggest heart of anyone I’ve seen on the field,” said South Carolina’s Christian Walker.  “You want him out there even if he’s not 100 percent.”

Roth 1.17 ERA over 38 innings is second all-time behind Steve Arlin who played for Ohio State in the 60’s.

Roth gave up a double to Florida’s own Mike Zunino who ended up scoring a run later in the inning.

Matt Price, SC’s closer went in for the kill with his 20^th game save. worked 1 1/3 innings for his 20th save.

Florida’s pitching came out strong in the 8^th and 9^th inning but South Carolina prevailed.   Whitson, Florida’s star pitcher will be leaving the team next season due to a 9^th overall draft pick to the San Diego Padres.

“I just think I started nibbling a little bit and pitched behind the count, walked a couple of guys, hit a few,” Whitson said. “It wasn’t very good execution on my part. Just tried to keep my team in the game as best as possible.”

The Los Angeles Dodgers Filing for Bankruptcy

Dodgers Filing for Bankruptcy

According to Los Angeles Dodger’s owner Frank McCourt the team has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy under the U.S. Bankruptcy code.  The move is being done to protect the franchise and help to provide a path where it will enable the Club to complete a media transaction while capitalizing the team.  McCourt says that the reason for the bankruptcy filing is because Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig refused to allow the Fox transaction.

“The Dodgers have delivered time and again since I became owner, and that’s been good for baseball,” McCourt said. “We turned the team around financially after years of annual losses before I purchased the team. We invested $150 million in the stadium. We’ve had excellent on-field performance, including playoff appearances four times in seven years. And we brought the Commissioner a media rights deal that would have solved the cash flow challenge I presented to him a year ago, when his leadership team called us a ‘model franchise.’ Yet he’s turned his back on the Dodgers, treated us differently, and forced us to the point we find ourselves in today. I simply cannot allow the Commissioner to knowingly and intentionally be in a position to expose the Dodgers to financial risk any longer. It is my hope that the Chapter 11 process will create a fair and constructive environment to get done what we couldn’t achieve with the Commissioner directly.”

The Dodgers have been trying for about a year to have Commissioner Bud Selig put his stamp of approval on a transaction.  The transaction would ensure that the Los Angeles Dodgers would be one of the top capitalized franchises in Major League Baseball now and for years to come.  The Dodgers sought Selig’s approval for a transaction that the Dodgers negotiated with FOX.  That deal would have immediately given hundreds of millions of dollars in capital to the Dodgers. The commission denied the deal to go through, knowing that the Dodgers franchises’ projected cash and liquidity needs for 2011.

“The deal with Fox demonstrates that the Dodgers have enormous value which substantially exceeds the team’s current and future liabilities,” announced Bruce Bennett, bankruptcy counsel from Dewey & LeBoeuf. “The team is entering the bankruptcy case with enough committed financing to meet all of its short term expenses and to successful reorganize. The media rights will, one way or another, generate enough value to facilitate a reorganization.”