Ohio State Buckeyes

By Freddie Brister

The baseball team for Ohio State University was known be the name of the Ohio State Buckeyes. The initial starting of the base ball program initiated in 1882. The home ground for the Ohio State Buckeyes was the Bill Davis Stadium. It has a capacity of being able to hold up to 5,500 spectators and fans. The uniform color for the Ohio State Buckeyes is Scarlet and Grey.

The Ohio State Buckeyes has joined several games and tournaments which include the National Championships, CWS, NCCA Tournament and the Conference Tournament Champions. Even though the team has not won any major awards or tournaments, their persistence and diligence are what makes them stand out among all the other collegiate baseball teams.

For more than 20 years now, and counting, the team is blessed to be under the wing of Hall of Fame coach Bob Todd. He is responsible for making sure that the team steps up its performance after each game.

The Bill Davis Stadium has always been witness to the Ohio State Buckeyes' home games. The stadium can hold a roaring crowd of up to 5,500 people. The team can easily be set apart from its rivals because of its distinctive colors, Scarlet and Grey.

Ohio State Buckeyes has also produced some top quality players who have found their way in major league baseball. Some players include Nick Swisher, Steve Arlin, and Frank Howard.

Steve Arlin is another player that deserves attention. Arlin was born on September 25, 1945. He has a pitching record of 34-67 and an earned run average of 4.33. His total strike outs amounted to 463.

He started out with the San Diego Padres and played his first game on June 17, 1969. He stayed with the Padres, but decided to move to the Cleveland Indians on his last year in the major league and played his last game on September 14, 1974.

Another popular player that made it to major league in the early years was Frank Howard. He was born on August 8th, 1936. His debut game was for the Los Angeles Dodgers on September 10th, 1958. He did change to a number of different teams during his career.

Swisher, Arlin and Howard are just some of the Ohio State Buckeyes players that made it big in the major league tournaments. With such a rich historical record, and a reputable coach, the Ohio State Buckeyes is surely on its journey to success and victory. - 31493

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Niners Nip Broncos As Orton Struggles In Denver Debut

By Ross Everett

Kyle Orton's debut as the Denver Broncos starting QB didn't go quite as planned. Orton, who was acquired from Chicago in the off-season, threw interceptions on each of his first three offensive series. San Francisco's offense didn't exactly light up the scoreboard, but it did do enough to eke out a 17-16 NFL preseason victory before their home fans.

The good news for Orton is that despite his three interceptions Broncos coach Josh McDaniels remained steadfast in his support. Orton appeared thankful of this fact in his postgame comments:

"That's great. That's certainly what you need in this league is the support of your coach. I'm not worried about it. I've got a lot of confidence in myself. I think my team has a lot of confidence in me. ... I don't want to make those decisions and throw three interceptions."

Orton was acquired after McDaniels relationship with NFL pro bowler Jay Cutler soured due to his effort"and subsequent denial"that he was trying to move the quarterback. Its been a rough start to Ortons tenure in Denver"he was even booed during a public scrimmage after throwing an interception.

McDaniels put Orton's struggles and the loss into perspective:

"I feel very confident in where we're at. There's no reason to start tailspinning into this and that when we've only had one preseason game."

Even when Orton got decent pass protection, San Franciscos rapidly improving defense was able to disrupt the passing lanes. Niners' cornerback Nate Clemens in particular was a huge factor, hauling in one of Ortons three miscues. After the game he commented on the play:

"I saw the route and played my responsibility and he threw it. I like seeing all of our defensive backs get interceptions and just making plays because we're game breakers."

Shaun Hill and Alex Smith are battling for the Niners' starting QB job and both played solid, if unspectacular, football. Hill spoke of his first preseason action:

"We were able to move the ball and we had a big conversion on third down. That last sack kind of hurt us. That was completely on me. The offensive line did a great job out there. So I'd like to have that play back and I feel like we could have gotten seven out of that."

Smith was just happy to be back on the field after missing the entire 2008 season due to injury:

"Obviously, I was raring to go when I got out there. It's been a long time for me, so I was pretty amped up."

The Broncos open the NFL regular season on Sunday, September 13th against the Bengals at Cincinnati. San Francisco will get the regular season underway on the same day as they head to Tempe, Arizona to face the Arizona Cardinals. - 31493

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LSU - A Great School

By Freddie Brister

The LSU baseball team is known to represent the Louisiana State University. They are known to play for the NCCA Division I college baseball league since 1893. They are part of the West Division of the Southeastern Conference as well.

Paul Mainieri currently coaches the team and has been the coach for LSU for three straight years. LSU is known for the colors purple and gold.

During their home games, LSU's favorite arena is the Alex Box Stadium. All of the team's home games are held in this stadium, which is one of the largest in the state of Louisiana and can accommodate up to 9,200 viewers.

There have been a large number of players that have made it to major league through LSU. One of the most famous names includes Ryan Theriot. Ryan was born on December 7th 1979. His first debut match was for the Chicago Cubs. He was drafted for the Cubs on September 13th, 2005 where he played his first game.

Aside from this, LSU has produced remarkable players that have been drafted to ply for major league baseball teams. This is enough proof that LSU is really a force to reckon with in the baseball playing field.

Ryan Theriot, born on December 7th 1979 is currently playing as a short stop and wears shirt number two for the Chicago Cubs. He was drafted for the team on September 13th 2005. He continues to amaze fans up to this time. With quite remarkable statistics, he is expected to perform and do well this season. Theriot currently holds a record of 153 home runs and has a batting average of 0.288 with 14 home runs.

In total he has 111 home runs and has a total of 427 runs in which he has batted in. His on base percentage is 0.377 and has a slugging percentage of 0.498. He is known to wear the number 11 for the Rockies playing as a right fielder. During his career, he has already received over a number of prestigious awards, with hope for more in the future.

Mike Fontenot was born on June 9th, 1980. He played his debut for the Chicago Cubs on April 13th, 2005. Even though he has had a quiet career, his statistics are quite impressive. His batting average at the current moment in time is 0.266 with 21 home runs.

Although Fontenot's major league career is quite uneventful, his statistics are promising and he is a player to watch out for. He has a batting average of 0.266 and 21 home runs. He also has a total of 11 runs in which he batted in. In due time, Fontenot may be the next major league hit. - 31493

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Iowa- A Great Sports Team And School

By Freddie Brister

The Northern Iowa Panthers, based in Cedar Falls Iowa, was known to be the baseball team of the University of Northern Iowa that took part in the NCCA Division I. With the discontinuation of the baseball program by the Northern Iowa University, there is longer a baseball team.

Their head coach during the time was Rick Heller who served for the team for a period of ten years. Their home stadium, Waterloo Riverfront Stadium had a capacity of holding up to 4277 fans and spectators. The nick name for the team was panthers. Seeing as baseball at university level no longer exits, we focus our attention towards the minor league teams.

Even if they are not as famous as other teams, the four Class A teams in the Midwest League known as Burlington Bees, Quad Cities River Bandits, Clinton Lumber Kings and Cedar Rapid Kernels, they too have produced some quality players who have reached a professional level. It is worthwhile taking a look at some of them who did make it to the major league.

Kenn Anthony Kasperk is one of them who received a draft from Chicago Cubs in the year 2004. Born on 23rd Sept. 1985 in Texas, he was very young when he received the draft and turned it down. In 2007 he received another draft from the Washington Nationals, which once again he turned down.

However, he decided to take up the offer from Seattle Mariners in 2008 and was drafted during the Major League Baseball draft in the 12th round. Kenn has made quite an impression early in his career with the Seattle Mariners.

He is known to be right handed for both batting and bowling. Seeing as he still has a good number of years to go, many are looking forward to see the progress that he achieves in the near future.

Another player of similar nature is Denny Almonte. Denny was born on September 24th, 1988 in Miami Florida. Even though he was younger than Kenn, he was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the 2007 Major League Baseball Draft. Denny was able to work on his game while playing little league during his school years.

It wasn't long till he tried for something more challenging at national level where his talent was noticed. Being a switcher in his batting and a right handed thrower, he has already caught the eye of many other teams. Depending on how he progresses in the future, there is a high chance that other teams may try to sign him on.

Famous coach, Jerry Nyman who trained players in the Midwest League for several years was a player himself and had initially played for the Chicago White Sox before becoming a coach. - 31493

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Clemson - An All Out Sports Team

By Freddie Brister

The baseball team of Clemson is known to represent the Clemson University in the NCAA Division I college baseball. They are also known to be part of the Atlantic Coast Conference. The head coach at the current time is Jack Leggett. Since the early years, there have only been two coach changes.

Long before Jack Leggett took over coaching in 2000, it had been Bill Winheim who had coached the Clemson baseball team during the period from the 1970's to the 1990's. The Doug Kingsmore Stadium which is the Clemson home ground stadium is said to be able to accommodate a crowd of up to 6217 spectators and fans and is known to be the grounds on which the Clemson baseball team plays all their home games.

Their uniform colors have been burnt orange and northwestern purple. Clemson has always been seen as the one team that has been consistent with their wins. They have an average of 40 wins in the last 21 games. There are a number of players that have been able to go to Major league after leaving Clemson University.

Some of the great names include Jeff Baker, Brian Barnes, Kris Neson, Jerry Brooks, Mike Brown and many more. Some names are more familiar than others which are why we are going to take a look at those that are more common in much greater detail.

Scott Winchester who was born on the 20th April 1973 was a right handed pitcher and was one of the first from the Clemson University to go major League by signing in for Cincinnati Reds and playing his first game on 8th Sept. 1977. When Scott retired on 9th August 2001, having played his last game for the Reds, his performance was not really reflected in his stats which red as a 3:8 win loss ratio, an earned run average of 5.42 and 55 strike outs.

Ken Vining Ken Vining, who played as a pitcher, was born on 5th December 1974 and was a popular player who made his first appearance in Major League on 23rd May 2001 playing for Chicago White Sox. On 5th July 2001 however, he made his final appearance for the White Sox.

With an earned run average of 17.55 and just 3 strike outs, Vining's career statistics also did not show his real capabilities.

Matt White was a relief pitcher for the Red Sox. He was born on August 19th, 1977 and made his debut for the Boston Red Sox on May 27th, 2003. His career varied amongst a number of teams. Matt was known not only to play for Boston Red Sox, but also played for Seattle Mariners, Washington Nationals, Yokohama BayStars and the Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions.

Even though Matt was a good player in the field, his career statistics of a win loss ratio of 0:2, an earned run average of 16.76 and with just 3 strike outs, did not do justice to his capabilities on the field. - 31493

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Sanchez Struggles As Ravens Top Jets In NFL Preseason Play

By Ross Everett

NY Jets rookie QB Mark Sanchez struggled early, though recovered to throw a TD before he left the game for the night. Despite the score, the Baltimore Ravens held on to defeat the Jets 24-23. The Jets scored a touchdown with :22 seconds remaining and could have tied the game, but was stopped on a two point conversion attempt. Baltimore improved to 2-0 on the NFL preseason while the Jets dropped to 0-2.

Sanchez, who is trying to win the Jets starting QB job threw an errant pass that was intercepted and returned for a touchdown on his first drive. After the game, he spoke of the play:

"Not obviously the way you want to start. I thought I was doing the right thing; I felt Ray come free on the right side from the protection. I was checking it down to the flat, perfect. Haloti just jumped right in front of the ball and made a really athletic play."

Ravens defensive leader Ray Lewis talked about the young QBs inexperience:

"You put a young guy like Sanchez in there and you see our defense, it can be difficult. You saw his eyes get big, and he was jumping around in the pocket. Bottom line: We gave a lot of looks and disguises and we confused him a little bit."

Sanchez agreed that it was a tough assignment:

"Oh, they were flying. They were flying around. You practice for it and you see it on film. These guys were doing it. You're trying to keep one eye on Ed Reed and one eye on Ray Lewis and a D-lineman gets you."

Jets head coach Rex Ryan was proud of how Sanchez faced up to the pressure:

"I'm proud of the way he responded. It ain't going to be perfect; sometimes you have these type of nights. You've got to give credit where credit is due, and most of that goes to their defense."

The Jets will continue their preseason slate as they take on their local rivals the New York Giants next Saturday night. Baltimore will travel to Carolina for a game against the Panthers. The Jets will get the NFL regular season underway on Sunday, September 13th as they travel to Houston to play the Texans. The Ravens will host the Kansas City Chiefs. - 31493

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College Football Flashback: Trojans Top Buckeyes In College Football Heavyweight Clash

By Ross Everett

While not a vintage performance by their lofty standards, the University of Southern California Trojans overcame a number of mistakes to make big plays when they counted to prevail in a come from behind victory over Ohio State. Stafon Johnson capped a late game drive by scoring the game winning touchdown with just over a minute remaining as the Trojans won by a final score of 18-15. It was the first time the Trojans held the lead since early in the first quarter. The USC victory moved their record on the college football season to 2-0, while the Buckeyes dropped to 1-1. The Trojans have now won ten straight games against Big 10 opponents.

Ohio State did cash tickets for college football bettors, however, covering the spread as a +7 home underdog. USC won and covered last year, but the pointspread setback this year dropped the Trojans to a still impressive 13-5 ATS against the Big Ten conference since 1992. It was also only the second non-cover by a USC team in a non conference game in their last ten opportunities.

19 year old freshman Matt Barkley engineered the game winning touchdown drive. After the game, he spoke of the Trojan tradition of victory:

"We're Trojans. That's what we do. This is what we dreamed of, coming back like this. Doesn't matter where we are in the score. We found a way. I love this."

Tailback Joe McKnight sarcastically dismissed suggestions that Barkley was rattled by a Buckeye defense that had shut the potent Trojan offense down for the entire game:

"He was scared, really. No, he came in with the same composure he had the whole game. He was calm. He made plays."

USC coach Pete Carroll praised Barkleys composure in such an intense environment:

"He's not 19. He's our quarterback. I'm not worried about how old he is. Numbers mean nothing."

Ohio State linebacker Greg Rolle said his defense couldnt have played better"until the final drive:

"It's very frustrating, but we knew eventually they'd make plays. The last drive was heartbreaking. Give McKnight lots of credit on that last drive, he was good. The last drive was definitely, you go back and you think about, and you think about how close you came to winning.

Ohio State will travel to Toledo for a non-conference game before starting their Big 10 schedule at home against Illinois. USC now faces three straight Pac 10 games, starting next weekend on the road at the University of Washington. Theyll return home the following weekend for a game against Washington State. - 31493

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