BOSTON – American Kara Goucher ripped off the gloves she wore for the first 25 miles and threw them to the pavement.
The sprint was on.
Kenya’s Salina Kosgei outkicked Goucher and defending champion Dire Tune in the last mile of the Boston Marathon on Monday, going back and forth with Tune in the final blocks of Boylston Street to win the closest women’s finish in event history. Goucher finished third.
Ethiopia’s Deriba Merga won the men’s race, with Ryan Hall picking up another third place for the Americans – their best showing in more than 20 years.
“I’ve never experienced anything like this, and I’ve been in the Rose Parade. So that’s a pretty big deal,” said Hall, who finished 10th in the Olympics and threw out the first pitch at a Red Sox game over the weekend.
“The bar’s continuing to get raised, and I think it’s time for Americans to step up and meet the challenge. It’s just going to keep getting better and better and faster and faster. I know I have a lot to learn. But it’s exciting.”
Hall took the early lead with a blistering pace and was shoulder-to-shoulder with the leaders until they passed from Wellesley into Newton, with about 10 miles to go.
Merga had pulled away by the bottom of Heartbreak Hill, winning in 2 hours, 8 minutes, 42 seconds – 50 seconds ahead of second-place finisher Daniel Rono of Kenya, with Hall another 8 seconds back.
Merga led much of the Olympic marathon last summer before he wilted in the Beijing heat and was passed in the last quarter-mile, finishing fourth.
His victory Monday gave Ethiopia its second in five years; Kenya had won in 16 of the past 18 years, and will have to be satisfied with a women’s title ≠ its seventh since the turn of the century.
Kosgei won the women’s race in 2:32:16, ahead of Tune (2:32.17) and Goucher (2:32.25).
The Associated Press
Fiercer lion debuts
MADISON HEIGHTS, Mich. – Detroit has added teeth to its new Lions logo. Only time will tell if the product on the field also has teeth.
The franchise revealed subtle changes to the logo and how the word “Lions” is spelled out during a news conference Monday attended by dozens of fans.
Detroit stumbled to the NFL’s first 0-16 season last year and has the first pick Saturday in the NFL draft.
The leaping lion appears more fierce, while the team name features an italicized slant.
The team says the changes are consistent with its “sense of mission and direction.”
New trim lines also have been added to team uniforms.
The team’s Honolulu blue, white and black colors remain unchanged.
The Associated Press
Edgerrin James’ girlfriend, mother of his 4 kids, dies of leukemia
The girlfriend of Arizona Cardinals running back Edgerrin James and mother of his four children died of leukemia on Tuesday.
Andia Denise Wilson, 30, of Naples, Fla., died at the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Fla., after battling acute myeloid leukemia. James is listed as Wilson’s “loving spouse and significant other” in an obituary notice.
The Associated Press
Carroll’s book out in 2010
LOS ANGELES – Southern California football coach Pete Carroll will author a book called “Win Forever,” due out next spring.
The book will include previously untold details and anecdotes about USC football, as well as Carroll’s advice for building teams that stick together and consistently outperform expectations. He will also discuss leadership off the field, based on his charitable work with kids on the streets of Los Angeles, according to the book’s publishing house Portfolio.
Carroll will donate a portion of the proceeds to A Better LA, a nonprofit organization that focuses on reducing gang violence in the city.
He is 88-15 in eight seasons at USC.
The Associated Press
Stanford coach tied for 8th
STANFORD, Calif. – Stanford baseball coach Mark Marquess won his 1,342nd game to tie former Southern California coach Rod Dedeaux for the eighth most ever.
Marquess got the milestone win with an 11-1 victory Monday night against Santa Clara.
He has a 1,342-685-7 record in 33 seasons with the Cardinal. Dedeaux got his wins over 42 years at USC.
The Associated Press
Another no-no for pitcher
NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla. – A Florida high school pitcher has tossed his fourth consecutive no-hitter.
Mitchell High senior Patrick Schuster did it Monday night on his home field at the suburban school northwest of Tampa.
The lanky left-hander (7-0) struck out 17 to help his team beat rival Pasco High 5-0 in front of a full house of several hundred spectators.
Schuster’s streak began April 3. He’s piled up 60 strikeouts in the four games, helping Mitchell to a 19-3 record. Schuster, whose fastball tops 90 mph, has signed to play at the University of Florida next year but hasn’t ruled out going straight to professional baseball.
NUMBER OF THE DAY
.298
Batting average by Luis Gonzalez with the Diamondbacks, the highest in team history. Other career leaders:
2. Danny Bautista .296
3. Orlando Hudson .294
4. Conor Jackson .285
4. Chad Tracy .285
6. Alex Cintron .279
Minimum 1,500 plate appearances
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ON THIS DATE
1951: Bob Davies’ two foul shots and Jack Coleman’s layup give the Rochester Royals a 79-75 triumph over the New York Knicks in the seventh game of the NBA championship series.
1951: The Toronto Maple Leafs win the Stanley Cup for the fourth time in five years as they beat the Montreal Canadiens 3-2 in the fifth game.
1975: Bill Rodgers breaks the Boston Marathon record by finishing in 2 hours, 9 minutes and 55 seconds.
1980: Bill Rodgers wins his third straight Boston Marathon. Rosie Ruiz is disqualified eight days later as women’s champion when it’s discovered she did not run the entire distance.
1994: Eddie Murray sets a major league record with his 11th switch-hit home run game as the Cleveland Indians beat the Minnesota Twins 10-6.
1995: Defending champion Utah continues its domination of the NCAA women’s gymnastics championships, capturing its ninth national title since the event began in 1982 with a score of 196.650.
1996: The Chicago Bulls wrap up the most successful regular season in NBA history with their 72nd victory, getting 26 points from Michael Jordan in a 103-93 decision over Washington.
2002: Iva Majoli, ranked 58th in the world, becomes the lowest ranked player to win a top-tier tournament when she beats Patty Schnyder 7-6 (5), 6-4 for the championship of the Family Circle Cup, her first singles title since the 1997 French Open. It was the first top-tier tournament final between unseeded players.
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SPORTS SOUND-OFF
UA softball attracting huge crowds
Re: UA softball beats California
The UA fans were out in force. Another sellout crowd. And more fans were turned away.
Big games are coming this weekend. So, buy your tickets today. Hopefully, the UA will not turn away any more fans. For weeks, UA was aware that more and more fans are coming to the ballpark.
Can UA add more seats? A total of 3,500 or more would be great.
CLAUDIA44