<h4>Watching the pedal power </h4>
Adam Duvendeck of the U.S. (back to camera) watches Spanish cyclists riding past during a training session Friday in Beijing.
University of Arizona defensive tackle Earl Mitchell is at a new position, but he still seems to be finding himself in the offensive backfield.
That is a good thing as the former H-back/tight end is showing the move to the defensive line is paying off with his rushes through the Arizona offensive line.
Mitchell was around the quarterback and the ball plenty during Thursday’s practice at Tucson High.
“Earl is good,” UA defensive coordinator Mark Stoops said. “He is starting to get more and more confident and playing like he understands. I love the way Earl is playing.
“He is starting to find his way at that position.”
• The Wildcats have added 6-foot-4, 275-pound offensive lineman Jake Baratz for the 2009 recruiting class. The two-star Rivals prospect is from North High School in Naperville, Ill.
• Arizona punter Keenyn Crier continues to be held out of practice after back surgery two weeks ago to remove a cyst. Alex Zendejas is showing off his strong leg in punting drills, with deeper and higher hang time on Thursday than he previously had.
• Arizona receiver David Roberts was holding for some of the place-kicking duties, a chore usually done by Crier.
• The Wildcats will have their first scrimmage of the fall at 6 p.m. Saturday at Arizona Stadium. It is open to the public at no charge.
Desert Thunder eliminated
Canyon del Oro High School’s Kenzie Fowler threw a complete game two-hitter Thursday morning to lead the Arizona Desert Thunder Gold to a 4-0 win over Louisiana United in the ASA Gold Nationals in Oklahoma City.
In the nightcap, however, the team lost 2-1 to the Oklahoma Quakes and were eliminated from the tournament, finishing 25th in the 64-team national championship tournament.
Fowler, the Gatorade National Softball player of the year, struck out six in the win over Louisiana.
The Desert Thunder managed just four hits in the win, led by Mountain View graduate Nicole Bryan’s 2-for-3 showing. She reached base four times.
The loss to the Quakes comes six weeks after the Desert Thunder beat them in a tournament in Missouri to qualify for the ASA Gold Nationals.
GEOFF GRAMMER
ggrammer@tucsoncitizen.com (%20ggrammer@tucsoncitizen.com)
Metham a No. 1 seed
University of Arizona junior Pat Metham and Portland State sophomore Lacey Pflibsen are the men’s and women’s open top seeds this weekend in the annual Tucson Citizen City Tennis Championship.
The tournament, with 13 divisions, will be Saturday and Sunday at the Randolph Tennis Center.
Metham participated in the NCAA Regional this year for the Wildcats. Pflibsen, from Vista, Calif., was a two-time Vista High tennis MVP and two-time letter winner in surfing.
Other top men’s seeds in order are Bob Helmig, former UA assistant coach; Nick Caldwell, named the No. 6 NJCAA singles player this year at Pima Community College; and John Nanosky of the University of Minnesota, the 2006 state champion at Sabino.
Other top women’s seeds are Melissa Schroer, 2006 city champion and former Pima player; Anya Dalkin, former Catalina Foothills player and also a Portland State sophomore; and Tristany Leikem, who with twin sister Kirsten won four state state doubles tournaments at Flowing Wells. They will play at Rhode Island this year.
Kirsten Leikem is also entered in the singles and the duo is the top-seeded doubles team.
Sunday’s men’s and women’s semifinals will start at 7 a.m. The finals begin at 9:30 a.m.
Skip Caray to be honored
ATLANTA – Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin, Braves chairman Terry McGuirk and Skip Caray’s longtime broadcast partner Pete Van Wieren are among those scheduled to speak at a tribute to Caray at Turner Field on Tuesday morning.
Caray, 68, died Sunday. He was the son of well-known Cubs Hall of Fame broadcaster Harry Caray and a member of the Braves broadcast team for 33 years.
Caray’s last game in the broadcast booth was July 31. He called in sick Aug. 1. Various health problems had limited Caray to calling only home games this season.
One of Caray’s sons, TBS broadcaster Chip Caray, also is scheduled to speak at the tribute. Another of Caray’s longtime Braves broadcast partners, Joe Simpson, will lead the event.
The Associated Press
QUOTABLE
‘The idea is to improve from the first preseason game to the second. We’ve got a lot to work on.”
tom coughlin,
giants coach, on losing to the lions 13-10 thursday in a preseason game. it was first game for new york since winning super bowl.” width =640 height =429 />
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ON THIS DATE
1936: At the Berlin Olympics, the United States finishes 1-2-3 in the men’s decathlon. Glenn Morris sets a world record with 7,900 points, followed by Robert Clark and Jack Parker.
1945: Harry Pownall drives Titan Hanover to a two-heat sweep to win the 20th Hambletonian Stakes.
1982: Ray Floyd, who shot a record 63 in the opening round, wins the PGA Championship by three shots over Lanny Wadkins.
1992: The Dream Team picks up its gold medal and Carl Lewis anchors a world-record 400-meter relay, winning his eighth gold medal in three Olympics. The U.S. men’s basketball team beats Croatia 117-85, with the 32-point margin of victory the smallest of the Games. In the 400 relay, Mike Marsh, Leroy Burrell, Dennis Mitchell and Lewis set a world record of 37.40 seconds.
The Associated Press
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SPORTS SOUND-OFF
Beard case shows Chinese have thin skins
Re: Ex-UA swimmer Amanda Beard posing without clothes
I agree with the general consensus: If Chinese officials are offended by what Amanda did, then they never should have agreed to host the Olympics.
ROBERT D.
Amanda, you pose with anything you want – my father and son have defended this country for freedom of expression. You do what you want and the hell with the PC people and those that are hypocrites.
BILL L.
Nude photography does not equal pornography. Big difference, folks.
LISA M.
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NUMBER OF THE DAY
42
Passes George Blanda had intercepted in 1962, the most of any quarterback in NFL history. Others:
Vinny Testaverde, 1988 35
Frank Tripucka, 1960 34
Fran Tarkenton, 1978 32
John Hadl, 1968 32
Sid Luckman, 1947 31
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TRIVIA CORNER
Which NFL coach has the most career playoff losses?
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Answer: Don Shula with 17.
By John Moredich, Citizen Staff Report