Renovated Sam Suplizio field by permission from Neosho pitcher Jackson Rowe (@jacksonrowe)

The tournament for the Junior College (JUCO) World Series is set to begin on Saturday in Grand Junction, Co. All these years Colorado baseball fans have pined for a World Series, and yet they've continually hosted one annually in the Western Slope since 1959. This season marks the grand reopening of Sam Suplizio field. Renovations of the park were completed in earnest for the opening of the Grand Junction Rockies debut and for the JUCO tournament. For more on the renovations and to view pics of the new stadium check out Mesa County's website here.

For more info on the JUCO Tournament there's a wonderful website here.
There will be a live streaming video feed of the games you can watch.

Top Players

Dylan Baker - Western Nevada

1.86 ERA, 114 K's
Top Pitcher in JUCO this year. Touches 100 mph on his fastball with a commanding breaking ball.

Happy to pluck up Dylan Baker with #Pirates #mlbdraft sandwich round pick, top juco arm, could go late 1st in 2 weeks perfectgame.org/Draft/MockDraf...

— Patrick Ebert (@PGPatrickEbert) May 21, 2012

Damek Tomscha - Iowa Western

.444, 14 HR
The third baseman is JUCO's top hitter this season and is ranked the #14 JUCO prospect by Baseball America. Tomscha has been drafted twice already by the Phillies out of high school in 2010 and the Florida Marlins last season. He has already committed to Auburn for next year.

School breakdowns after the jump

Continue reading this post »

Susan Wheldon posthumously celebrated her late husband's Indianapolis 500 victory on Thursday evening as she and her children received a ring in his honor at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Last October Susan's husband Dan Wheldon was involved in a horrific crash in Las Vegas that took his life.

"I'm ready. I think I'm ready, or I have to be ready, because it's something that I want to do and I want to be able to be a part of that for Dan as far as having the boys there," she told AP news.

The ring was a 14-karat gold ring encircled with one full carat of diamonds and Wheldon's name on the side. The ring was designed by Herff Jones and holds an estimated value at $5,000.

Wheldon's 2011 win at Indy was his second, his first coming in 2005. Team owner Bryan Herta is planning on taking Wheldon's No. 98 car from last year's race, on a lap around the oval during the pre-race ceremonies.

For more on the Indy 500, please be sure to check out our blog, Pop Off Valve. Also take a look at our StoryStream and SB Nation Philly for all the latest news and updates.

The Boston Celtics may pick Illinois center Meyers Leonard at number 21, according to the most recent mock draft from Draft Express. The athletic 7-footer would be a project pick as some experts consider him to be unpolished on both offense and defense.

Other mocks have him going sooner in the draft as Centers with his size and athleticism tend to be chosen higher in the draft. Boston would be a good spot for Leonard however as Kevin Garnett is reaching the end of his contract in Boston.

The Sophomore averaged 13.6 points per game in his final season in Illinois. He also averaged 8.2 rebounds and showed defensive prowess with 1.9 blocks per game. Leonard would benefit from Boston's defensive philosophy as their 89.3 points allowed was ranked second in the Eastern conference.

For more on the Celtics, please check out our site Celtics Blog and SB Nation Boston for all the latest news and updates. For more in-depth coverage of Illini basketball, head over to Hail to the Orange. And for more from around the world of college hoops, check out SB Nation's NCAA basketball news hub.

Continue reading this post »

Former Phillies pitcher Curt Schilling's troubled gaming company 38 Studios has laid off 400 employees today and announced it is shutting down their Rhode Island office and subsidiary Big Huge Games, based out of Maryland according to reports by The Verge gaming website.

According to WPRI all employees received the following email:

The Company is experiencing an economic downturn. To avoid further losses and possibility of retrenchment, the Company has decided that a companywide lay off is absolutely necessary.
These layoffs are non-voluntary and non-disciplinary.
This is your official notice of lay off, effective today, Thursday, May 24th, 2012.

Schilling's company showed initial signs of trouble earlier this month when it defaulted on a $1.125 million payment to the state of Rhode Island. Layoffs have been confirmed by Rhode Island governor Lincoln Chaffee. Schilling's gaming company had initially moved its offices to Providence after receiving a $75 million dollar inducement payment, essentially making it a tax-payer backed entity.

A live feed of the press conference can be heard here.

Former Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling's 38 Studios has laid off all of its employees today and has announced it is shutting down their Rhode Island office and the subsidiary Big Huge Games company based out of Maryland according to reports by Polygon gaming website. Schilling's gaming company employs around 400 people.

According to WPRI all employees received the following email:

The Company is experiencing an economic downturn. To avoid further losses and possibility of retrenchment, the Company has decided that a companywide lay off is absolutely necessary.
These layoffs are non-voluntary and non-disciplinary.
This is your official notice of lay off, effective today, Thursday, May 24th, 2012.

Internal trouble became apparent earlier in the month when Schilling's company failed to make a $1.125 million payment to the state of Rhode Island. The gaming company had moved to Providence after receiving a $75 million dollar inducement payment to move their offices.

View a live stream of the news conference here.

Phillies starting pitcher Cole Hamels may be intimidating from the mound while throwing at rookie Bryce Harper, but when it comes to his work off the diamond he's all heart. Cole and his wife Heidi Hamels have announced plans to donate $300,000 from The Hamels Foundation to renovate Bayard Taylor Elementary School.

Check out the Hamels Foundation press release after the jump:

Continue reading this post »

The Boston Red Sox have announced pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka will continue his rehab assignment on Saturday for AAA Pawtucket against Toledo. Matsuzaka received a cortisone injection in his shoulder on Saturday after his rehab start this past Thursday due to pain in his trapezius muscle.

Daisuke Matsuzaka will make his next rehab start for Triple-A Pawtucket on Saturday.

— Brian MacPherson (@brianmacp) May 24, 2012

Initial reports indicated Matsuzaka had been experiencing tightness in the shoulder since his previous start. Daisuke's rehab start on Thursday was his longest outing to date, he went 6.2 innings and allowed four earned runs. Two of his runs were off of homeruns allowed including off of the first batter he faced.

Matsuzaka's rehab was scheduled to end on Wednesday, the injury allows for the Red Sox to restart his 30 day rehab process. The Japanese pitcher received Tommy John surgery on his elbow last June and has been working towards a return to the rotation.

For more Boston Red Sox coverage, visit our team page and blog, Over The Monster.

Celtics shooting guard Avery Bradley may be shut down for the rest of the postseason due to a left shoulder injury according to the Boston Globe. A source confirmed to the Globe that there is a 90 percent chance Bradley will not suit up for the remainder of the playoffs and will likely need surgery.

Bradley has already missed the previous two games due to soreness in both shoulders and has been listed as day-to-day by Celtics coach Doc Rivers. Bradley is close to making a decision on whether to undergo the surgery.

The former Longhorn took over as the shooting guard back in April and has been a strong defensive presence for the Celtics. However, injuries have come often to Bradley, as they wrecked his rookie season limiting him to only 31 games.

For more on the Celtics, please check out our site Celtics Blog and SB Nation Boston for all the latest news and updates. For all news and information regarding the Philadelphia 76ers, please visit Liberty Ballers and SB Nation Philadelphia.

Speaking at luncheon today in Atlanta, Hawks co-owner Michael Gearon Jr. complained about his team's lack of calls by the referees and referred to Kevin Garnett as being the dirtiest guy in the league.

"[Kevin] Garnett is the dirtiest guy in the league. We are playing Boston last night and they had two fouls the whole first half. We had five times that and we're athletic."

Sam Amick of SI reported that Gearon was being fined by the NBA for his words against Garnett:

Last but not least, Atlanta owner Michael Gearon is fined $35,000 by the NBA for, in essence, calling Boston's Kevin Garnett a dirty player.

— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) May 12, 2012

On Saturday the NBA also fined Hawks forward Ivan Johnson for making an obscene gesture to the fans after the Hawks first round loss to the Celtics. The former D-leaguer was fined $25,000 for his actions.

For 2012 NBA Playoffs news, follow our stream. For Celtics coverage, visit our team pageand CelticsBlog. Visit Liberty Ballers and SB Nation Philly for additional 76ers coverage.

Jimy Furyk and Tiger Woods are both tied for 34th in the 2012 Players Championship in TPC Sawgrass of Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida after each shooting a 72 on Saturday.

The West Chester, PA native found himself performing well on the first and 11th hole for the second day in a row, birdying each only to struggle again on the 7th with a bogey for the second straight day. Furyk putted better than he had in the previous two rounds shaving two shots off his putting alone.

Kevin Na leads the group after avoiding any bogeys in the third round. His 69 on Saturday was good enough to put him -12 for the tournament slightly ahead of Matt Kuchar, who shot a 68 on the day.

SB Nation Philly has you covered for news and updates from the 2012 Players Championship, and for anything and everything golf, head over to SB Nation's golf blog Waggle Room.

The New York Yankees defeated the Seattle Mariners by a score of 6-2 on Saturday at Yankee Stadium. The win brings the Yankees to 19-14, still trailing the Tampa Bay Rays and Baltimore Orioles in the American League East.

Phil Hughes (3-4) pitched a gem for the Yankees, going 7.2 innings and scattering six hits. Hughes struck out four and walked only one batter on the day, lowering his ERA to 5.50. Saturday was the 25-year-old’s longest outing of the season and builds upon his previous best last week where he surrendered three earned runs in 6.2 innings.

Yankees beat writer Erik Boland was excited about Hughes performance:

For the first time in a while, we're seeing the Phil Hughes we saw the first half of 2010

— Erik Boland (@eboland11) May 12, 2012

Boone Logan pitched 1.1 innings to get his first save of the season for New York.

Former Yankee Hector Noesi (2-4) took the loss for Seattle. Noesi was facing his old team for the first time since being traded in the offseason to Seattle. He didn’t fare well, allowing five extra base hits, including Raul Ibanez’s seventh home run of the season.

The Yankees will go for the sweep against Seattle on Sunday at 1:05 p.m. in Yankee Stadium.

Pinstripe Alley is your source for all things New York Yankees, and if the Seattle Mariners are your team, news and analysis can be found at Lookout Landing. SB Nation's MLB hub can cover all your other baseball needs.

Keegan Bradley shot a disappointing 74 on Saturday in the Players Championship at TPC at Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. The native of Woodstock, Vermont had previously shot a 72 on Thursday and was feeling good after his 70 on Friday:

Grinded it out today. Feels so good!In a good position going into the weekend. Playing with @tigerwoods tomorrow at 1125 #PGATOUR

— Keegan Bradley (@Keegan_Bradley) May 12, 2012

Unfortunately it didn’t carry over into Saturday’s play. Birdies on the 7th, 8th and 11th hole couldn’t offset the double bogey he shot on the 14th.

Keegan’s partner on Saturday, Tiger Woods finished with an even 72 the day after he also barely made the cut at the Players Championship. Woods was in danger of missing two cuts in a row after last week’s disaster at Quail Hollow.

Stay tuned to SB Nation Boston for updates as the tournament continues, and don't miss SB Nation's golf blog Waggle Room for all the lastest golf news and analysis.

Former St. John’s golfer Keegan Bradley shoots a 74 on Saturday for his worst round yet in the Players Championship TPC at Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. He had previously shot a 72 and was feeling good after his 70 on Friday:

Grinded it out today. Feels so good!In a good position going into the weekend. Playing with @tigerwoods tomorrow at 1125 #PGATOUR

— Keegan Bradley (@Keegan_Bradley) May 12, 2012

Unfortunately it didn’t carry over into Saturday’s play as birdies on the 7th, 8th and 11th hole couldn’t offset the double bogey he shot on the 14th.

Keegan’s partner on Saturday, Tiger Woods finished with an even 72 the day after he also barely made the cut at the Players Championship. Woods was in danger of missing two cuts in a row after last week’s disaster at Quail Hollow.

Stay tuned to SB Nation New York for updates as the tournament continues, and don't miss SB Nation's golf blog Waggle Room for all the lastest golf news and analysis.

The UMass men's lacrosse team watched their season come to an end after losing, 13-11, to Colgate in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Garber Field on Saturday. UMass was the No. 1 ranked team in the nation going into Saturday's match playing against the No. 9 Colgate Raiders.

The Minutemen built leads of 7-2 and 9-5 before the Raiders tied it at 9-9 late in the third quarter. Senior Art Kell was the offensive leader for the Minutemen scoring three goals on six shots.

The Raiders went on to take the lead when senior Chris Zielinski scored in the fourth quarter with 7:12 remaining. The leading scorer in the nation Peter Baum added an extra goal with less than four minutes to play for his 66th goal of the season.

UMass player Will Manny was a Tewaaraton Finalist, awarded to the top Lacrosse player in the nation.

For more on college lacrosse head over to the SB Nation blog College Crosse.

Continue reading this post »

The New York Mets defeated the Miami Marlins, 9-3, at Sun Life Stadium on Saturday. The win moves the Mets to a record of 19-14. They trail only the Atlanta Braves and Washington Nationals in the N.L. East standings.

Pitcher R.A. Dickey (5-1) limited the Marlins to only two earned runs while scattering nine hits over six innings. The knuckleballer failed to record a strikeout, but he made the Marlins batters work by only walking one on the day.

David Wright was on fire today going 4-for-6 with three RBI on the day. Against Miami starter Ricky Nolasco, Wright hit his fifth career home run in just 61 plate appearances. Lucas Duda and Daniel Murphy combined for six hits in 10 at-bats.

Nolasco suffered his first loss of the season for the Marlins, surrendering nine hits and six runs in 4.2 innings. Nolasco is 4-1 on the season.

The Mets and Marlins meet again on Sunday at 1:10 p.m. ET at Sun Life Stadium.

Amazin Avenue is your home for all things Mets, and Fish Stripes has all your Marlins news and analysis.

TMZ is reporting Philadelphia Eagles Wide Receiver DeSean Jackson was pulled over and forced to perform a roadside sobriety test Saturday morning en route to his own charity event. The four year veteran was allegedly detained for driving a vehicle with tinted windows and suspected of drunk driving.

Jackson was eventually allowed to leave without a ticket. Check after the jump for a photo.

Continue reading this post »

Continue reading this post »

The Philadelphia Sixers may be looking to shakeup their starting lineup after losing in Game one 91-103 to the Chicago Bulls. The Sixers play game Two of the NBA Playoffs on Tuesday night at 8:00 p.m. ET on TNT.

Coach Collins was quick with trigger on Sunday pulling guard Jodie Meeks after only seven and half minutes into the game. Collins was clearly frustrated with Meeks poor shot selection and turnover as Evan Turner finished the game with 29:30 minutes of floortime.

Asked whether he could commit to Meeks starting on Tuesday, Coach Collins replied:

"I have to think about it," Collins said. "I'm not going to show my hand right now. I have 2 days to prepare so I'll see about that."

The Philadelphia Flyers announced on Monday they will be switching to 97.5 The Fanatic to broadcast all of their games in the regular and postseason starting in the 2012-2013 season.

The Flyers parent company commented on the move:

"We're thrilled to be working with a partner that is 100-percent committed and excited about the Philadelphia Flyers," Comcast-Spectacor President Peter Luukko. "We're also happy that the Sixers have moved over to Greater Media Radio, along with us. Greater Media Radio is an incredible partner which offers us numerous promotional support for the Flyers on all their stations."

Tim Saunders will continue to handle play-by-play duties and Chris Therien will work color.

The new deal for the Flyers coincides with 97.5 scoring the rights to broadcast Sixers games over the weekend. Previously both teams were covered by WIP causing a scheduling conflict when the two Philadelphia teams played at the same time. Fans hoping for top billing may be disappointed when their favorite Philly team is moved to a different station as in year's past.

Continue reading this post »

With the 32nd pick in the fourth round of the 2012 NFL Draft, the New York Giants have selected Adrien Robinson, a tight end out of Cincinnati.

Robinson had 29 catches for 434 yards and five touchdowns while playing at the University of CIncinnati. He has the prototypical size that a team looks for at tight end, as he is 6-foot-4, 267 pounds.

Robinson visited the Giants on a pre-draft visit and impressed them according to Star-Ledger reporter Mike Garafolo:

Giants loved Robinson. Was in for a pre-draft visit. Had a tremendous spring. I was gonna project him later but no 5th for them. #nyg

— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) April 28, 2012

For more on the Giants' picking of Wilson, head over to Big Blue View. To read more on the whole 2012 NFL Draft, visit SB Nation New York's StoryStream. For even more comprehensive coverage of the NFL Draft, visit Mocking The Draft.

Temple Owls tight end prospect Evan Rodriguez has been selected by the Chicago Bears with the 111th overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, Rodriguez was ranked by ESPN as the eighth best TE in the draft.

Evan’s college playing career included 811 yards and 7 touchdowns. He is a slightly undersized TE at 6’1" and 239 pounds, but what he lacks in size, makes up in speed recording a 4.58 40-time at the Scouting Combine. Rodriguez showed durability in his college career missing only one game due to undisclosed reasons. He is a tough player who shows his toughness by running hard after the catch.

For more on the 2012 NFL Draft, visit SB Nation Philly and for in-depth analysis on the Chicago Bears be sure to visit Windy City Gridiron. For a complete list of 2012 NFL Draft results as they happen, visit SBNation.com. For even more comprehensive coverage of the NFL Draft, visitMocking The Draft.

The New York Red Bulls face the New England Revolution on Saturday at Red Bull Arena. The Red Bulls are currently in third place in the Eastern Conference with 10 points earned in seven games. The Revolution are in eighth place with six points.

The Red Bulls are 14-8 all time at home against the Revolution and look to improve their defending after allowing a team high four goals last week. Their only goal came from a free kick by Thierry Henry, a beautiful shot over the wall with enough english to drop past the goalie. Henry leads the MLS with eight goals scored, his 32 shots are good enough for second in the league.

The Revolution's last match was also a loss to United by a score of 2-1.

Game Time: 3:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, April 28

TV Coverage: NBC SN

For more coverage of the Red Bulls, visit our team page, or our blog Once A Metro.

Saturday's matchup between the New York Yankees and the Detroit Tigers at Yankee Stadium is the second in a three game series. The Yankees are 11-8 after winning game one on Friday and are only a game and a half out of first place in the A.L. East.

Starter Freddy Garcia is starting for what may be his last turn in the rotation. Andy Pettite is nearly ready to return and Garcia failed to pitch past the third inning in his last start. Derek Jeter's 15 game hitting streak was snapped on Friday.

For more on the Yankees, check outPinstripe Alley. To stay updated on news and notes around Major League Baseball, visitBaseball Nation.

The Philadelphia 76ers travel to face the Chicago Bulls in Game 1 of the first round in the NBA Playoffs at 1:00 p.m. ET at the United Center. The Sixers earned the No. 8 playoff seed after finishing with a 35-31 record in the Atlantic Division.

The Sixers are getting the matchup they wanted according tweets and commentary by guard Evan Turner.

"I think we compete well against Chicago." said Turner.

"We match up better with them." he later tweeted

The Sixers were hot on the road, closing out the regular season with wins in four of their last five contests. Louis Williams remains the Sixers most aggressive scorer averaging 14.9 points in only 26 minutes played per game. The Sixers will look to defend against Derek Rose who has been slowed by a groin injury since March.

For more on the Sixers, check out the SB Nation blog Liberty Ballers.

The New England Patriots are being linked in mock drafts with Michigan State running back Edwin Baker by ESPN analyst Todd McShay, who still remains on the board as the third and final day of the 2012 NFL Draft begins Saturday.

Edwin Baker, a Junior running back, who declared after the Spartans defeated Georgia in overtime of the Outback Bowl, is a diminutive runner at 5’8" and 204 pounds who runs strong behind his pads. Baker rushed for a total of 2,293 yards in his career and scored 19 touchdowns. His Sophomore year was his best season when he averaged 5.8 yards per carry and scored 13 TD’s.

The 2012 NFL Draft best available players can be found at SB Nation's Mocking The Draft.

For more Patriots coverage, visit our team page and blog, Pats Pulpit . For NFL Mock Drafts, visit our stream and check out Mocking The Draft. Prospect profiles can be found at the National Football Post. Visit SB Nation's NFL Draft hub for more coverage.