MLB
RAYS BEAT ANGELS IN BATTLE OF TOP TEAMS
The Tampa Bay Rays built a 5-1 lead after three innings and held on to beat the L.A. Angels in a battle of the top two teams in Major League Baseball.
Cliff Floyd (2-for-3) and Eric Hinske (2-for-3) each had two-run homers and Andy Sonnanstine won his 13th game in 19 decisions, inching within one victory of the franchise record set by Rolando Arrojo in 1998. Willy Aybar also helped Tampa Bay at the plate by going 3-for-4 with two runs scored.
Vladimir Guerrero (2-for-4, RBI) led the Angels at the plate.
With the victory, Tampa Bay improved to 76-48 and have a 4 1/2 game lead against the Boston Red Sox. Los Angeles is now 76-47 and hold a commanding 15 1/2 game lead against the Texas Rangers.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Pittsburgh 5, N.Y. Mets 2
San Francisco 5, Atlanta 0
Milwaukee 9, Houston 3
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Boston 6, Baltimore 3
Tampa Bay 6, L.A. Angels 4
Detroit 8, Texas 7
Oakland 3, Minnesota 2
Chicago White Sox 13, Seattle 5
SPORTS SPECTRUM INSIDER
Getting to the heart of what matters in life -- in the words of an athlete in the news.
Stephanie Brown Trafton
BIO NOTE: Before winning the gold medal in the discus on Sunday, Trafton had placed 11th at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. She was a three-time Big West Champion in the discus at Cal Poly San Louis Obispo.
RECENT NEWS: After placing third at the U.S. Olympic Trials in July, Trafton became the first U.S. woman to win the discus in the Olympics since 1932 when she . Her first throw was her best and it held up through all six rounds.
FAITH QUOTE: "I really didn't believe that I could win a medal or throw over 220 feet in the discus. I finally admitted this sentiment to my Father, Jesus Christ. While praying about it, I had a breakthrough one day. God put into my heart one of the most commonly used phrases by Christian athletes; one that I had been ignoring for a long time. 'For I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength.' (Philippians 4:13) One word jumped out at me: 'CAN.' I realized that Christ has the ability to make the 'impossible' possible in my life. I believe now that I can do the things He has placed in my path while looking to Him for strength. The outcome of my season is out of my direct control, but as long as I stay disciplined, I know 'I can.' If it is God's will, I will accomplish my goal of winning an Olympic medal."
TRIVIA/BY THE NUMBERS
TRIVIA QUESTION: Who was the last U.S. woman to win the discus in the Olympics before Stephanie Trafton Brown won on Monday?
(Answer below)
76 - Years since a U.S. woman had won the discus in the Olympics until Trafton won.
24 - Years since a U.S. woman medaled in the discus in the Olympics until Trafton did so on Monday. The last one before Trafton was Leslie Jean Deniz in 1984.
6-4 - Height, in feet and inches, of Stephanie Brown Trafton.
TRIVIA ANSWER: Lillian Copeland in 1932.
DAILY WEEKLY POLL RESULTS
Last week we asked readers which team they thought would win the Super Bowl. Ok, so it’s probably too early to be asking this, but 19 percent said the Indianapolis Colts would win and 12 percent chose the Dallas Cowboys and the New England Patriots. Only 3 percent said the New York Giants would repeat.
Interesting that 1 percent chose the New York Jets (who Brett Favre plays for now) and 6 percent chose the Green Bay Packers (who Favre left after leading the Packers to the NFC Championship game before losing in overtime to the eventual Super Bowl Champion New York Giants).
Note: Despite giving readers the choice to choose each of the division winners from last year (except
Other 21 %
MINI MEMOS
OLYMPICS
I'm not sure what to make of the commentating of Bela Karolyi and Tim Daget.
I find myself agreeing with them most of the time when they say the Chinese seem to be getting a break on the scoring, while the U.S. gymnasts seem to be getting a raw deal.
Karolyi is a little more blunt about it, while Daget seems to be a little subtle. Daget still lets us know what he thinks, but we see Karolyi, as opposed to just listening to Daget. Also, Karoly is animated and you can hear the fluctuations in his voice as he gets excited when talking about the perceived discrepancies.
Whether or not it's true -- and if we were Chinese we would probably disagree wholeheartedly with Karolyi and Daget -- we learn a lesson that when we complain too much, it might just turn off the very audience we are trying to persuade.
SS RADIO
THE TUESDAY INTERVIEW
Terri Jordan, Former Olympic distance runner, now ParaOlympic coach
An exciting week of track and field will headline much of the action this week at the 2008 Summer Olympics in China. On this edition of Sports Spectrum Today, Bill Houston, will talk with Jordan, a former Olympic distance runner.
Jordan is the former Terri Anderson and was an oustanding runner at Kansas State in the 1970's. She was a member of the U.S. Olympic team in 1972 and is now the Coordinator of the Disability program at Penn State University.
She will provide her perspective on the Olympics and the ParaOlympics and will also provide a perspective from a Christian athlete and coach.
It is an exciting and busy time in China for Olympians and ParaOlympians. Don't miss this edition of Sports Spectrum Today.
To hear this interview, go to the Sports Spectrum radio home page. It can be found at www.sport.org.
MOTORSPORTS
NASCAR
Points leader Kyle Busch isn’t the only one who can win multiple races in the Sprint Cup Series. Carl Edwards held off Busch to win his fifth race of the season, the 3M Performance 400 at Michigan International Speedway, and second in three Sprint Cup races.
RESULTS1. Carl Edwards
2. Kyle Busch
3. David Ragan
4. Greg Biffle
5. Matt Kenseth
6. Mark Martin
7. Brian Vickers
8. Kevin Harvick
9. Elliott Sadler
10. Jamie McMurray
11. Jeff Burton
12. Tony Stewart
13. Travis Kvapil
14. David Reutimann
15. Scott Riggs
The next race is Sunday, when the Sprint Cup Series visits Michigan International Speedway. The 3M Performrance 400 will be the 23rd race of the season. The following are the leaders in the Sprint Cup standings:
SPRINT CUP STANDINGS
1. Kyle Busch 3,429
2. Carl Edwards 3,207
3. Jimmie Johnson 3,127
4. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 3,084
5. Jeff Burton 3,080
6. Tony Stewart 2,871
7. Greg Biffle 2,854
8. Kevin Harvick 2,812
9. Jeff Gordon 2,791
10. Matt Kenseth 2,783
11. Kasey Kahne 2,756
12. Denny Hamlin 2,735
13. Clint Bowyer 2,709
13. David Ragan 2,709
15. Brian Vickers 2,569
Note: The top 12 drivers after 26 races make the Chase for the Cup, which includes 10 races.
RACE SCOUT
Ever thought of a career in motorsports?
Now, you have the opportunity. You don’t even have to be a driver, and, each week you can work as close as anyone will get during a race.
How?
On Aug. 25, Oct. 10 and Dec. 8 in
Participants will go through testing to prove they belong, data will then be collected and made available to any team in the motorsports industry. For more information, go to: www.motorsportsracescout.com.
THIS JUST IN
Notes of significance from the Christian sports community
New Book: The Mulligan
By Wally Armstrong
After ending a successful career as a PGA golfer, Wally Armstrong began a venture of teaching golf and of using gold analogies to teach Biblical principles. One of his latest ventures is teaching timeless truths through golf in a book called The Mulligan. It's a book that can be used by the Christian for edification, and it can be given to the non-Christian as an outreach tool.
Find out more about the book at www.wallyarmstrong.com.
