What does the "Lost" finale tonight have to do with sports? ... Not much, really, except the writers once wove the Red Sox into a story line and have had a fixation with numbers, including 108, which happens to be the number of stitches on a baseball … and no one knows what that means. The show also focuses on redemption, a theme often running through the sports world. Tonight, Kobe Bryant and the Lakers play in the NBA playoffs, far removed from his 2003 sexual assault case. How far removed?
Turning point: The Redbirds ended any idea of a River Cats comeback in the seventh inning. Up only 1-0, Memphis strung together three hits for two runs to put the game out of reach of a Sacramento club that mustered three hits all night. Memphis tacked on six more runs in the final inning to account for the final score ... Take a bow: River Cats reliever Edwar Ramirez inherited runners at first and second with no outs when he entered the game in the sixth inning. The Dominican Republic native
Turning point: With the bases loaded and the River Cats ahead 6-3 in the seventh inning, pinch hitter Adrian Cardenas worked the count full before depositing Pete Parise's pitch into the Sacramento bullpen for a 10-3 lead. It was Cardenas' first home run ... Take a bow: Chris Carter broke a 3-for-26 slump with a double to left-center field in the fifth, driving in two runs and putting the River Cats up 4-3 ... Who's hot: River Cats starter Clay Mortensen got his fifth win ... Who's not: Six
While he waits for a medical checkup, Lovensky Alexandre, 7, examines the scar left from the surgery that closed a hole in his heart. Doctors at Sutter Medical Center in Sacramento donated their services after a Sacramento fire captain, volunteering in Haiti after the quake, met Lovensky and his mother ... Lovensky Alexandre, a tiny boy with a hole in his heart, came to Sacramento from the devastation of the earthquake in Haiti ... The frail 7-year-old showed up in March with an eager grin and a
Drive south about 50 miles to Stockton and you'll find one of the most intriguing stories in sports this month ... The Stockton Thunder of the ECHL is holding its own in the National Conference finals, down 2-1 against the league's best team, the Idaho Steelheads. Game 4 is tonight at Stockton Arena ... This is the same team that made the playoffs by four points despite losing its last three regular-season games. It's the same team that changed ownership after a season of worry about its future
It appears the most expensive River Cat has woken up ... Jack Cust, who was demoted from the A's before the season, has homered in four consecutive games, including Thursday's 5-4 loss at Fresno ... That's significant because Cust, who makes $2.65 million this year, entered this week's series in Las Vegas with no homers ... Cust wants to get back to the A's, where he was their top power hitter the past three seasons. The problem was he showed no power in Triple A until now ... While he has
I have seen several fliers and information around Sacramento for a free event that the Sacramento River Cats are putting together and I thought I would share it with everyone else. The event is called Mommy and Me Day. Admission is free and the flier ...
San Juan coach Dave Watson got the baseball program back on track when he arrived six years ago. Declining enrollment has forced him to rebuild again ... Dave Watson has been through one resurrection at San Juan High School ... But the veteran baseball coach doesn't mind enduring another, even when he needs "The Dime" but has only "The Nickel." ... Watson is attempting to build a baseball program from among a dwindling number of male students, few of whom have exposure to the sport ... Before
You don't have to tell Sacramento baseball fans about Eric Byrnes. Fans of the Triple-A River Cats fell in love with his hustle, infectious enthusiasm and unique takes on life ... It was just three seasons ago that Byrnes was at the top of his game: He signed a three-year, $30 million extension with the Diamondbacks. He hit 21 home runs and stole 50 bases in helping them reach the 2007 National League Championship Series. He was 11th in MVP voting. He even had his own TV and radio shows ...
The fare at House of Chicken and Ribs is a feast in every way. For example: here's a mini-sampler plate with smoked ribs, Southern-style chicken and tri-tip, with collard greens,cole slaw, mac 'n' cheese and more sides ... Every so often, you will walk into a place of business not knowing what to expect, stay awhile, soak in all that is right about it and leave feeling so much better than when you arrived ... How can you put a price tag on that? ... It's that way at the modest, working-class,