Minneapolis Clubs » Sports

Sports News For 1/28/10

Wed, 25 Aug 2010 13:15:37 +0000

NBA NEWS

NBA league commissioner David stern has suspended Washington Wizards players Gilbert Arenas, and Javaris Crittenton for the remainder of the season. The two players were the ones involved in the gun incident at the team locker room that started with an argument over playing cards while flying back from an away game.

NBA GAMES ON TODAY

7:30 PM ET Toronto at New York MSG
8:00 PM ET Boston at Orlando TNT
10:30 PM ET Dallas at Phoenix TNT

NBA SCORES FROM 1/27/10

Cleveland 109, Minnesota 95
LA Lakers 118, Indiana 96
Toronto 111, Miami 103
Memphis 99, Detroit 93
New Jersey 103, LA Clippers 87
Milwaukee 91, Philadelphia 88
Chicago 96, Oklahoma City 86
Denver 97, Houston 92
San Antonio 105, Atlanta 90
Utah 106, Portland 95
New Orleans 123, Golden State 110

COLLEGE BASKETBALL NEWS

Joel Branstrom was once a walk on basketball player at the University of Kansas, but since then he has being teaching biology and coaching high school basketball. During the school pep rally students decided to pull a prank by telling him if he could hit a half court shot blind folded he would win tickets to this years March Madness Final Four games. The only thing was there were no tickets it was a joke, which Branstrom learned after he made the amazing shot. Even after he realized it was all a joke he still had a big smile and was happy he could make the kids at the school have a good time. Once the news got out about what happened Branstrom was told he would be getting the tickets for him and his family and all accommodations paid for. Branstrom has not said how he got them but that he was very thankful.

The game between the University of Washington and Seattle University took an unusual turn last night with less then 2 minutes remaining. In a game that never seemed to end Seattle had 6 players foul out of the game leaving only four players to finish the game. Seattle’s coach Cameron Dollar who helped led the 1995 UCLA Bruins to the national championship had one player left he could have played but opted not to because the player Adam Eakles is a red shirt freshman. If he played it would have ruined a year of eligibility in a game that was already a blowout with Washington winning 123-76.

TOP 25 GAMES ON TODAY

11:00 PM ET (8) Gonzaga at Santa Clara ESPN2
7:00 PM ET (16) Wisconsin at (12) Purdue ESPN
7:00 PM ET St. John’s at (17) Pittsburgh ESPNU
9:00 PM ET (20) Mississippi at Auburn ESPNU
7:00 PM ET Wake Forest at (22) Georgia Tech

TOP 25 SCORES FROM 1/27/10

(3) Villanova 90, Notre Dame 72
(6) Texas 95, Texas Tech 83
(7) Duke 70, Florida State 56
New Mexico 76, (10) Brigham Young 72
(23) Vanderbilt 85, (14) Tennessee 76
Charlotte 74, (15) Temple 64
Providence 81, (19) Connecticut 66
(24) Ohio State 65, Iowa 57
(25) Northern Iowa 67, Drake 51

NHL GAMES ON TODAY

7:00 PM ET NY Islanders at Carolina
7:00 PM ET Atlanta at Philadelphia COMCAST NHLNET
7:00 PM ET Ottawa at Pittsburgh FOX PITT TSN
7:00 PM ET Los Angeles at Columbus FXSO
9:00 PM ET Minnesota at Colorado ALTI
9:00 PM ET Calgary at Phoenix
9:30 PM ET St. Louis at Edmonton RSNW
10:30 PM ET Chicago at San Jose

NHL SCORES FROM 1/27/10

Buffalo 2, New Jersey 1 (SO)
Carolina 5, NY Rangers 1
Tampa Bay 3, Montreal 0
Washington 5, Anaheim 1
Minnesota 5, Detroit 2
Dallas 4, Calgary 3 (SO)
Vancouver 3, St. Louis 2

TENNIS NEWS AUSTRALIAN OPEN

The Finals are approaching fast and so far we have the women finals pairing all set between Venus Williams and Justine Henin who just came out of a 20 month retirement. On the men’s side Andy Murray will be taking on the winner of Roger Federer and Joe-Wilfried Tsonga in the finals.

NASCAR NEWS

Danica Patrick is scheduled to race in 12 of the NASCAR Nationwide races in her debut season. Patrick’s first race is set for Feb 20 at the California Auto Club Speedway even though her car is registered to race on Feb 13 at Daytona. Even with her twelve races in the Nationwide series Patrick will continue to race in the Indycar series as well.

By: Frank Bilotta

Frank helps people learn about Dish Network Satellite TV, and how they can save money every month with popular Dish Network Packages. Dish has advanced, award winning, Dish DVR and Dish HD receivers, there is a lot of good news to share. Frank and his team also help people determine if satellite internet is right for them and, if so, helps explain the offers from WildBlue and Hughesnet

When I bought the team, I didn’t care to name it correctly (a list of the worst names in all of sports)

Sun, 22 Aug 2010 14:43:31 +0000

After several years of flipping through the channels and watching bad teams play a bad game of whatever, it’s come to my attention that there really are some poorly named PROFESSIONAL franchises out there. Don’t get me wrong, for the fanbases of those teams certainly aren’t bad fans for supporting their local home town team, however you would think that at least any fan would want to be proud of what they are wearing on their hat, shirt, pants, or whatever else you can buy with your team’s logo on it.

That’s where we come to my list today, compiled of stupid team names in all of sports, covering all sports except for the NFL, because honestly with the exception sometimes of the Texans, which sometimes sound like a lazy drunk named the team, and other times sounds like an ingenious idea for a name, were left off the list. So now I present, with a lil research, and a lot of time, the list.

The MLB team

Florida Marlins and Panthers (NHL)

The state of Florida obviously has some sort of insecurity among their citizens considering half the professional teams within the state start with the state (I was going to suggest maybe they do it for a tax break…but they don’t even have state tax in Florida!) With all the cities and population they have in Florida, Tampa Bay, Jacksonville, Ft. Lauderdale, Miami, you should at least give them a reason to come to your games, and not give the whole state a reason to ignore you. Don’t get me wrong, Carolina has been known to do this too, but they don’t have the city roster Florida does. Believe me if we had the Illinois whatever, I wouldn’t go to any of their games either.

The NHL teams

Columbus Blue Jackets

Here’s the official explanation from a unnamed team official:

Yellow jackets are industrious and team oriented, which should strike fear into the hearts of our opponents, but we wanted to use blue jackets because Ohio had more soldiers in the Civil War than any other state, and some people call soldiers “blue jackets” (though not many), and after all two of the new NHL teams are in the south, and we want to emphasize we aren’t naming this after the Indian Blue Jacket because that’s not politically correct, although we decided to spell it like the Indian since bluejacket should be one word like yellowjacket.

Hmm….

Nashville Predators

Formed in 1998, the team came to existence almost by accident after the New Jersey Devils originally tried to move to Nashville in 1995, talks became reality, and the city began to construct an arena for their hopeful new team. However, those plans fell through, leaving Nashville and it’s citizens upset having constructed a new arena and not having a team to play in it. Then in 1997, expansion talks began with the NHL and soon proposals were on the table for names. Among the suggested were “Ice Tigers”, “Fury”, and “Attack” were selected among 75 purposed names. Craig Leipold, a Wisconsin businessman founding the new team, suggested the name “Predators” to be entered into a vote between the four. His name won…but why would he come up with that name you might ask? Well, apparently they found ‘part’ or a saber tooth tiger during a site dig for a local bank in Nashville in the early 70s. Guess it’s a good thing he used his imagination and didn’t come up with Dirt…although that would fit in with the music industry their better I’d imagine.

Dallas Stars

It’s always a shame when a team moves from one city to another, but we that here with the Dallas Stars. Originally, the Minnesota North Stars, moved to Dallas in 1993. One of the things that I’ve never quiet understood is why you would keep the name of your team, and just change the city…but that’s not even what happened here! The North Stars dropped the ‘North’ which was the best part of that name and just became the ‘Stars’. WTF? Why would you do that? Why not “Dallas Wranglers” or something that is a little more texasy? Why try to BRING TRADITION with you to a state that doesn’t even deserve a hockey team (but then again, I don’t’ think any team south of Tennessee Deserves a hockey club, but that’s me. Quiet possibly one of the great tragedies to ever hit the state of Minnesota.

The NBA teams

Toronto Raptors

Part of the great Canadian NBA push of 1995 (along with the Vancouver Grizzlies who in only 6 years realized Canada sucked and moved to Memphis) were the first NBA team based in Toronto since 1947 when the Toronto Huskies played before leaving the league the following year. So why the Raptors? Honestly, it was because of Jurassic Park. The dinosaur was popular in the movie and based on a vote, that was what became of the team. In recent years, Canadians have become angry with the name because of the fad relationship it was built on and sites such as torontohuskies.org have surfaced calling for a name change. Let this be a lesson to us all not to let fans vote for a team name, otherwise we could have had even more stupid team names, such as the New York Tomogotchis or the New Jersey Vampires. A chilling thought.

Los Angeles Lakers

Another team lost for Minnesotans, they left for Los Angeles in 1960 after being the Minneapolis Lakers for the prior 23 years (which makes since, land of 1,000 lakes, etc) This was a new name brought to the club after the ORIGINAL franchise, the Detroit Gems, moved from Detroit to Minneapolis in 1947, and they didn’t call themselves the “Minneapolis Gems” they were called “The Minneapolis Lakers” IE Land of 1,000 lakes, etc. It was an original idea and held the test of time. Who would have thought however that they would move to the land of 1,000,000lbs of pollution? Guess that makes you think twice about jumping in any lakes huh? Oh well.

Honorably Mentioned:

Charlotte Bobcats

Apparently the owner named the team after himself (his name is bob) bad karma all around.

Shane Saathoff is a freelance writer from Bourbonnais, IL.

Sports News For 1/25/10

Sat, 31 Jul 2010 02:28:06 +0000

NFL NEWS

For the first time since 1993 both number one teams from the NFC and AFC have made it to the Super Bowl. The Indianapolis Colts were able to comeback from an 11-point deficit to win the game 30-17 despite stars Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark being shut out of the game. The New Orleans Saints were able to take down the Minnesota Vikings on a 40-yard field goal in overtime for a final score of 38-21. The Vikings had their chances to win but to many turnovers cost them the game. This years Super Bowl XLIV is looking like a high-powered event that features two of the best quarterbacks in the NFL today. The game will be held at Miami’s Sun Life Stadium on Feb 7 6:25 pm.

NFL PRO BOWL ROSTERS for Jan 31 at 7:20 pm

AFC

Quarterbacks — Matt Schaub Houston, Vince Young Tennessee, David Garrard Jacksonville
Running Backs — Chris Johnson Tennessee, Maurice Jones-Drew Jacksonville, Ray Rice Baltimore
Fullback — Le’Ron McClain Baltimore
Wide Receivers — Andre Johnson Houston, Brandon Marshall Denver, Chad Ochocinco Cincinnati
Tight Ends — Antonio Gates San Diego, Heath Miller Pittsburgh
Centers — Nick Mangold N.Y. Jets
Guards — Alan Faneca N.Y. Jets, Logan Mankins New England, Kris Dielman San Diego
Tackles — Ryan Clady Denver, Jake Long Miami, D’Brickashaw Ferguson N.Y. Jets, Joe Thomas Cleveland
AFC Defense
Ends — Mario Williams Houston, Kyle Vanden Bosch, Tennessee
Interior Linemen — Haloti Ngata Baltimore, Vince Wilfork New England, Casey Hampton Pittsburgh
Inside-Middle Linebackers — Ray Lewis Baltimore, DeMeco Ryans Houston
Outside Linebackers — Elvis Dumervil Denver, James Harrison Pittsburgh; Brian Cushing Houston, LaMarr Woodley Pittsburgh
Cornerbacks — Nnamdi Asomugha Oakland, Darrelle Revis N.Y. Jets Champ Bailey Denver
Strong Safety — Brian Dawkins Denver
Free Safeties — Ed Reed Baltimore, Jairus Byrd Buffalo, Brandon Meriweather Patriots
AFC Specialists
Punter — Shane Lechler Oakland
Kick Return Specialist — Joshua Cribbs, Cleveland
Placekicker — Nate Kaeding San Diego
Special Teamer — Kassim Osgood San Diego

NFC

Quarterbacks – Aaron Rodgers Green Bay, Donovan McNabb Philadelphia, Tony Romo Cowboys
Running Backs — Adrian Peterson Minnesota, Steven Jackson St. Louis, Frank Gore San Francisco, DeAngelo Williams Carolina
Fullback — Leonard Weaver Philadelphia
Wide Receivers — Larry Fitzgerald Arizona, Steve Smith N.Y. Giants, DeSean Jackson Philadelphia, Miles Austin Dallas, Sidney Rice Minnesota
Tight Ends — Vernon Davis San Francisco, Jason Witten Dallas
Centers — Andre Gurode Dallas, Jonathan Goodwin New Orleans, Shaun O’Hara New York Giants
Guards — Jahri Evans New Orleans, Steve Hutchinson Minnesota, Leonard Davis Dallas
Tackles — Bryant McKinnie Minnesota, Jason Peters Philadelphia, Jonathan Stinchcomb New Orleans
NFC Defense
Ends — Jared Allen Minnesota, Julius Peppers Carolina, Trent Cole Philadelphia
Interior Linemen — Darnell Dockett Arizona, Kevin Williams Minnesota, Jay Ratliff Dallas
Inside-Middle Linebackers — Patrick Willis San Francisco, Jonathan Vilma New Orleans, London Fletcher Washington
Outside Linebackers — Lance Briggs Chicago, Clay Matthews, DeMarcus Ware Dallas, Brian Orakpo, Washington
Cornerbacks — Asante Samuel Philadelphia, Charles Woodson Green Bay, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie Arizona, Terence Newman Dallas
Strong Safety — Adrian Wilson Arizona
Free Safeties — Darren Sharper New Orleans, Nick Collins Green Bay, Quintin Mikell Philadelphia
NFC Specialists
Punter — Andy Lee San Francisco
Kick Return Specialist — DeSean Jackson Philadelphia, Percy Harvin Minnesota
Placekicker — David Akers Philadelphia
Special Teamer — Heath Farwell Minnesota

NCAA FOOTBALL

There are millions of reasons why we will probably never see a college playoff system and they all relate to money. Just from Boise State and TCU making it to a BCS Bowl game their entire conference will earn a profit. The Mountain West Conference which TCU belongs to will split $9.8 million, the Western Athletic Conference which Boise St belongs to will share $7.8 million. But the real winners are the big major conferences like the Big Ten and the SEC conferences each earning $22 million, while the other four Big Twelve, Big East, Pac 10, and the ACC each earning $17.7 million. While a playoff system is what many fans want to see, the bowl games bring a lot of revenue for all the schools even if they don’t qualify for a bowl game.

NBA NEWS

Things just don’t seem to get any better for the NY Knicks who lost yesterday to the Dallas Mavericks 128-78; the 50-point loss was the worst loss in team history. At the beginning of the game the Knicks looked like they were going to make a good game out of it by only being outscored by the Mavericks by two points in the first quarter. But after that the game quickly turned into a blowout as the Knicks got outscored by at least 9 points in the remaining three quarters.

In other NBA news the LA Lakers got the chance to meet president Barack Obama today. The Lakers were invited to the White House in honor of winning their 15th NBA title last years NBA championship.

Today’s NBA GAMES

7:00 PM ET Indiana at Philadelphia FOX MIDW COMCAST
7:30 PM ET LA Clippers at Boston FSN Prime Ticket
7:30 PM ET Cleveland at Miami Sun Sports NBA TV
8:00 PM ET Orlando at Memphis Sun Sports Fox South – Tenn
8:30 PM ET Atlanta at Houston SportSouth Fox Sports Net Houston
8:30 PM ET Chicago at San Antonio Comcast Sports Chicago FOX SW
9:00 PM ET Charlotte at Denver SportSouth Altitude Sports
9:00 PM ET Phoenix at Utah KUTP 45 FOX ROCKY
9:00 PM ET New Orleans at Portland

NBA SCORES FROM 1/24/10

Dallas 128, New York 78
LA Clippers 92, Washington 78
Toronto 106, LA Lakers 105

MENS COLLEGE BASKETBALL NEWS

After losing to both Connecticut and Kansas St the Texas Longhorns dropped from 1st to 6th place in the current college standings. With the Longhorns out of first place the Kentucky Wildcats takeover the Number one spot and remains the only team in Division 1 with no losses.

TOP 25 GAMES TODAY

9:00 PM ET Missouri at (2) Kansas ESPN
7:00 PM ET (11) Georgetown at (4) Syracuse ESPN

TOP 25 SCORES FROM 1/24/10

Seton Hall 64, (11) Pittsburgh 61
Florida State 68, (18) Georgia Tech 66
(19) Wisconsin 79, Penn State 71
(22) Northern Iowa 67, Indiana State 58

OLYMPIC NEWS

Former Olympian Nancy Kerrigan father passed away this weekend at their home in Stoneham MA. Kerrigan’s mother originally told authorities he passed away from a heart attack, but police still arrested Kerrigan’s brother Daniel for assault on a person over 60 years old.

World Cup Soccer News

Paraguay’s World Cup Soccer star and lead striker Salvador Cabanas was shot in the head and is in critical condition after being at a bar in Mexico with his wife. So far two suspects have been detained but no formal arrest have been made. Cabana was currently playing for the Mexican team Club America where he has become one of the top strikers in the Mexican league.

By: Frank Bilotta

Rochester Minnesota Sports Clubs

Tue, 20 Apr 2010 05:58:39 +0000

Rochester offers a multitude of fun activities for people of all interests and ages. Although sporadic outings and events are enjoyable, there are also opportunities to become part of a more regular activity schedule. A number of sports or athletic clubs exist in town to offer an exciting way to get active and to get out of the house. Some of the clubs are competitive; some are just relaxed, but pretty much all of them welcome novices, experts, and simple enthusiasts alike.

Some of the clubs found in Rochester are listed below with a short description of each. Use this list to help find a healthy activity to add recreation to your life.

- Med-City Aquatics Swim Club – A family-based swim program that welcomes swimmers of any skill level, casual to serious, and welcomes youths through adults. The club offers swimming lessons, a swim team, and a Masters Swimming program. Members are grouped according to age and ability, and there are different options for workouts based on the interest and commitment level of the swimmer. Some swimmers have competed at Division 1 Universities and at State and National competitions.

- Rochester Swim Club – A private swim club, with members known as the Orcas, which was founded over 40 years ago. The Rochester Swim Club is the largest swim team outside of the Twin Cities. The club offers swimming lesions, Masters swimming, and age-group swimming.

- Rochester Active Sports Club – This is a nonprofit, multi-sport club that is designed to provide a framework for the development and support of a number of sports, such as cycling (MTB and road) and Nordic skiing in South East Minnesota. Members of the club are allowed to form addition groups to support other activities as well, such as in-line skating, running, or hiking. Kayaking, triathlon, and duathlon groups have also been created. The Club has a strong emphasis on endurance sports, and many of the members compete in whichever sports they are passionate about. Coaching sessions, ski events, bike races, and regular bike rides are organized by the club’s members from time to time to encourage participation in these sports, and to improve skills. Whether a novice or expert, the Active sports club is a good place to get experience and tips from other knowledgeable athletes.

- Rochester Rowing Club – An all-volunteer organization that offers both junior (age 12-18) and adult rowing opportunities. High school students can earn varsity letters in the spring. Adult programs include learn-to-row sessions and competitive opportunities throughout the summer. The rowing club’s primary mission is “To enjoy the people and the sport of rowing.”

- Rochester Track Club – Determined to promote and encourage running in Rochester and the surrounding communities, the Track Club provides support, information and events for runners of all ages, abilities and levels of fitness at any time of the year. The Club is open to walkers, experienced runners, and all those in between. Although the club does not have a competitive running team itself, it does offer members a chance to run with others who appreciate running. Social events, races, and meetings are held throughout the year.

- Rochester Tennis Connection – The Tennis Connection is a tennis club that provides organized tennis opportunities for lessons, league play for junior, adult, and senior players, and tennis camps. There are two sites used by RTC. The Outdoor Site is one of the top outdoor facilities in the state with 15 courts. The Indoor Site has six courts, and is the only Rochester facility that uses Rebound-Ace court surface. This surface is used at the US Open, and is built with layers, providing optimum bounce and give, enhancing gameplay. This club also welcomes players of any skill level.

Rochester411 provides information about the city of Rochester Minnesota, including Motel and Hotel information, restaurants and fine dining guides, movie theaters and live theatre, and a complete Rochester MN business directory.

SDSWA Awards: Vikings’ Greenway Named State’s Top Sports Celebrity For 2009

Thu, 24 Dec 2009 17:40:53 +0000

SDSWA Awards: Vikings’ Greenway Named State’s Top Sports Celebrity For 2009
The South Dakota Sportswriters Association has announced the winners of its year-end awards for 2009.

Thursday’s Sports in Brief

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 01:25:17 +0000

Thursday’s Sports in Brief
Here’s a look at Thursday’s sports in brief around the world.