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Tejada two years older than Astros thought Shortstop, actually 33, lied about age when he signed in 1993 PHILADELPHIA — Saying he wanted to unburden himself, Miguel Tejada approached general manager Ed Wade and asked to correct misinformation he gave the Oakland A’s when he signed in 1993. The Astros’ new shortstop is actually 33, two years older than he’s listed in the club’s media guide and other baseball records. Tejada was actually 19 when he signed as a kid out of poverty-stricken Bani, Dominican Republic. At the time, he says, a local coach encouraged him to say he was 17. "I'm a poor kid that wanted to sign," he said. "I’m feeling free now,†he said. “It’s something that I had in my mind.†Tejada was signed out of the Dominican Republic by Hall of Famer Juan Marichal, but he was clear that Marichal had no part in the deception. Moreover, Wade and Tejada both said the shortstop’s green card, driver's license and other legal papers in the United States reflect his actual birthday, May 25, 1974. The Astros’ media guide lists his birthday as May 25, 1976. “The thing is I didn’t want Houston to find out from somebody else,†he said. “I wanted to find out just from my face. I’m a man and I’m responsible for everything. That’s why I prefer to come to them and say, ‘You know what? That’s the way it is and we’re moving forward.’ “I was feeling like I had something to say in the last three days. That’s why I waited for today to do it.†Tejada, a former American League Most Valuable Player, has been well chronicled since before he reached the majors with the Oakland A’s. A book was even written about him, but his actual age is barely coming out now. “Fact of the matter is that he plays like he's 25, so I don't think it really matters a whole lot,†said Wade, who indicated the age discrepancy first came out during the course of a media interview. “We're still trying to figure out Jose Cruz Sr's age.â€

Predictions?

New Patriot hoops coach ready to go By Dave Rogers Published April 17, 2008 He’s only officially had the job for a couple of days, but already Jeff Keener feels at home in Baytown. “I’m very excited,†Goose Creek Memorial’s first boys’ basketball coach said by phone Wednesday. “I think this is a great opportunity for me and my family.†Keener, 39, was hired Monday night, ending a six-year stay at Hitchcock that saw his teams win six district titles and twice advance to the Class 2A state tournament. “One thing I’ve always said is in this business, eventually I want to be in a place where I want to stick around and put down roots with my family. “I have two children and I think Baytown would be a great place for them to go to school and grow up.†The graduate of Sugar Land Dulles High School, Stephen F. Austin State and the University of Houston naturally listed the move up to a bigger school as one reason he sought the job. “I’ve had a lot of success in Hitchcock, and I look forward to the challenge to move up in classification (to Class 4A) and to a very good school district to build a program from the ground up.†Memorial High is set to open in August and will immediately compete in athletic competitions in UIL District 19-4A. The Patriots will play their first year without any seniors. “How many seniors do you usually have? Four or five,†Keener said, not sounding a bit concerned. “I don’t think a kid’s grade (level) is that big a deal. What I want are players that will get out there and compete as hard as they can. “People may not have high expectations for our first year, but I’ll have very high expectations. We’re going to compete as hard as we can and let the scoreboard speak for itself at the end of the night.†Keener earned his bachelor’s degree at SFA and his first job was at a Fort Bend junior high. From there, he went to Beaumont, where he was an assistant coach at Class 5A West Brook for five years. His first head coaching job was at Class 3A Hamshire-Fannett, where he spent three years. Along the way, he went earned a master’s in education from UH and an administrative certificate. He doubled up as basketball coach and assistant principal in Hitchcock. “Oh, no,†he said when asked if he would be an assistant principal in Baytown. “One reason for the move was to cut down on my responsibilities and make more time for my family.†At Hitchcock, Keener’s teams went 141-51. After going to state his first two years there, Hitchcock lost in the playoffs to the regional finalist or regional champion each of the past four Februarys. “I like pressure defense,†he described his coaching philosophy. “I think offense becomes easier when you’re able to put pressure on people and create opportunities for yourself that way. “I think everything starts with defense.†Speaking of starting, Keener doesn’t plan to waste any time getting to work here. He says he’ll make arrangements to start working with Memorial’s players immediately. “I know they’re working out with the kids,†he said, referring to football coaches Bret Boyd and Wes Rodgers running daily athletic periods at Sterling High for future Pats. “I’m going to try to get over there and help them with what they’re doing. I want to start creating relationships. “My relationship with these kids is most important.â€

I agree! Hopefully things will turn out fine!

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Rockets to meet Utah once again HOUSTON WINS HOME-COURT ADVANTAGE By Tom Halliburton The Port Arthur News HOUSTON – Yogi Berra would call this “Déjà vu, all over again†for the Houston Rockets and Utah Jazz. Just as with the 2007 post-season, the Rockets are officially the No. 5 Western Conference seed and the Utah Jazz No. 4. Yet, once again, the NBA playoff rules’ strange loopholes give Houston a welcome home-court advantage. San Antonio’s 109-80 over Utah and Houston’s relatively easy 93-75 romp over the Los Angeles Clippers enabled the Rockets to finish their regular season at 55-27 – Houston’s best in 11 years. The loss caused the Jazz to end at 54-28. Of course there are all sorts of differences between the 2008 and 2007 versions of these teams, especially the Rockets. With a new coach and several different players, Houston definitely hopes that history fails to repeat itself. As of Wednesday night’s deadline time, the NBA had not released its first-round opening-weekend schedule. But most of the Rockets officials expected a late Saturday night Game 1 in Toyota Center. Enough of the Shane Battiers and Tracy McGradys remained in the locker this year to remember the pain of last year’s first round Game 7 in Houston when the Jazz prevailed 103-99. That victory enabled Utah and veteran coach Jerry Sloan to rebound from an 0-2 deficit and capture the series 4-3. With two energetic rookie forwards – Carl Landry and Luis Scola – and without Yao Ming – foot injury – and some improved depth, the Rockets definitely are a different squad. Their biggest difference from a year ago may be Houston’s more diverse offensive capability thanks to its new head coach Rick Adelman. “They’ve counted us out all year and I think we can take some strength in that,†Battier said late Wednesday night. “When Yao Ming went down, if anybody told you the Rockets would still get the home-court advantage, you’d think they were sniffing glue. “But make no mistake about it – as far as analyzing the differences between this year and last year – when you lose Yao Ming, it’s not a better matchup.†Another difference from last year has been the late-season addition of backup point guard Bobby Jackson from New Orleans. Jackson likely will have to start at least the first two games in the Utah series because of a right hamstring strain to Rockets starting point guard Rafer Alston. Jackson warmed up for the playoffs on Wednesday night by playing 30 minutes and scoring 15 points. Jackson and his teammates prepared for a lengthy workday this afternoon. Practice at Toyota Center would start at 1 p.m. and will last a good three hours with some film watching. “If we had Yao, we would be a lot more confident,†Jackson admitted. “But if we put our best foot forward, we know that we will have our opportunities… The West is very tough. We just have to get ready to buckle down when it comes time to play.†The Rockets head coach also submitted and welcomed the idea that Houston would be regarded as an underdog to Utah, a 2007 Western Conference finalist. “It doesn’t bother me if that happens,†Adelman said. “That’s a natural thing. If we were playing San Antonio and they didn’t have (Most Valuable Player Tim) Duncan, I’d be feeling pretty good, too. “The big thing for us is how many days that we will have to prepare… A lot of people who don’t expect that we will win, they also did not expect us to win 22 games in a row either.â€

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Ole Lucky.

LC-M baseball field receives new look Tommy Mann, Jr. The Orange Leader LITTLE CYPRESS — Fans of Little Cypress-Mauriceville High School baseball will see a lot of changes to the ballpark the next time they attend a game. In a span of approximately three months, the LC-M Beautification Project has gone from raising funds to remodel the entrance to Don Gibbens Field to finishing the project. According to Patty Cloeren, the group consists of parents, coaches, and team members. “The point of the beautification project was to give the entrance of Gibbons Field a face lift,†Cloeren said. “Ever since Hurricane Rita, things have just looked old at the park. It seems like everyone has been happy to help.†Cloeren said changes at the ballpark will be evident from the moment fans walk up to the entrance as new wrought iron gates and fencing have been installed, sidewalk, park benches and two trees. Cloeren said a Live Oak tree has been planted in memory of Corbin Burnett and a Magnolia tree in memory of Victoria Enmon. “All of the boys on the baseball team knew Corbin, whether playing little league or school,†Cloeren said. “And everyone knew about Victoria. So, we planted the trees to honor them and named Corbin’s tree ‘The Mighty Oak,’ and Victoria’s ‘The Little Gem.’†Cloeren said a bronze plaque will be made and placed at the gate entrance and will include the names and the donation level of each donor, which helped give Don Gibbons Field a new look down to the new ticket booth which is slated to arrive today. Donation levels start at the “single†level which is $150, and increase incrementally from there through “double,†“triple,†“home run,†“grand slam,†and “all star.†“Donations have come from ex-players, community members and area industries,†she said. “It’s been wonderful how so many people have wanted to help, and this all goes back to an idea the players had.†The dedication ceremony will be at the new gate entrance of Don Gibbons Field at LC-M High School at 5:30 p.m., Friday, and it will last approximately 15 minutes. The public is invited to attend. “Considering we just started the project in January, it has moved along really well,†Cloeren said of the LC-M Beautification Project. “Once we are done here, we’ll have to decide what project we want to do next.â€

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I was just thinking about that!!

Lamar Rolls To 22nd Southland Conference Men's Golf Championship Three Cardinals finish among the top five April 16, 2008 LAKE CHARLES, La. - Lamar played the first seven holes five-under par and cruised to a 28-shot victory and its 22nd Southland Conference Men's Golf Championship at Gray Plantation Wednesday. Lamar shot two-over for the day and finished the 54-hole tournament at 866, well ahead of second-place Sam Houston State and Texas State at 894. The 28-shot margin was just shy of last season's league-record 33-stroke victory. During the same stretch that Lamar was firing on all cylinders, SHSU was five-over and Texas State two-over. Sophomore Hugues Joannes led the Cardinals on Wednesday with a 69 on the final round to finish third at 217. He had three bogeys on the day after birdying three of the first five holes, had a birdie on the 12th and chipped in for eagle on the par-5 15th - the only eagle recorded on the hole all week. Junior Justin Harding and senior Russell Helson each finished a stroke back at 218, tying for fourth to give Lamar three of the top five finishers. Senior Casey Clendenon carded a 77 to finish tied for eighth at 221. Junior Leroux Ferriera totaled a 229 after a 75 on Wednesday. The league title is the fourth by a Lamar athletic team in the 2007-08 academic year. Men's cross country, volleyball and men's basketball also won SLC championships. Lamar earns the Southland's automatic bid to the NCAA regional, which runs May 15-17 at Ohio State's Scarlet Course in Columbus, Ohio. The Cardinals will be in Ardmore, Okla., for The Maxwell, May 10-11.

Newton and Kirbyville will finally get to play now!!

Nothing like it!

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Orange Countians Pitch Well Lamar's Jordan Thibodeaux (WOS) and Matt Gore (LCM) pitched well enough to win but the Lamar Cardinals couldn't get their offense going in a 3-1 loss to UTSA Tuesday. Thibodeaux got his first start for the Cards, giving up just one run on 3 hits in 5 innings with 5K's. Gore then pitched 3 scoreless innings of relief before UTSA scored 2 in the ninth for the win. Lamar has lost 5 straight and seven of their last nine.

Sources: Ford likely to succeed Sutton at Oklahoma State Multiple sources have confirmed that barring unforeseen circumstances, Massachusetts coach Travis Ford is expected to be named the new head coach at Oklahoma State, ESPN's Doug Gottlieb reports. Ford, who reached a new deal on a contract at UMass less than a week ago, planned to meet with the UMass team in Amherst on Wednesday, Gottlieb reported. A week ago, at the Minutemen's end-of-season banquet, UMass athletic director John McCutcheon announced Ford, who had just turned down an offer from Providence, would be staying and had reached a new deal, but would not discuss its terms. Ford led UMass to the NIT championship game this past season, where the team lost to Ohio State. He is 62-35 in three seasons at UMass. Ford was also named as a candidate for the LSU opening, but he withdrew his name from consideration. The Tigers hired Trent Johnson on Friday. Sean Sutton resigned from Oklahoma State after going 39-29 in two seasons. The Cowboys failed to reach the NCAA tournament in 2007 and 2008. In 11 years as a head coach, Ford, who previously coached at Campbellsville, Eastern Kentucky and Massachusetts, never faced a Big 12 team. However, he was named to the Big Eight all-freshman team in 1989-90 in his one year at Missouri. During that season, the Tigers won both of their meetings with Oklahoma State.

Central will begin Spring Football May12th. Nederland, PN-G and Lumberton will not be doing Spring Football.

Mets fan dies after falling over railing at Shea NEW YORK -- A man attending a New York Mets game with his family lost his balance on an escalator and fell two stories to his death, police said. Antonio Nararainsami, 36, and several relatives, including his two young daughters, were leaving the stadium at the end of Tuesday night's game against the Washington Nationals when he fell in a section below the left field stands and landed on a concrete floor. Nararainsami, a Guyanese native who lived in Brooklyn, was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead half an hour later. Kevin Prashad, a cousin who attended the game, said Nararainsami was walking down the escalator, which wasn't moving, and was holding the hand rail when he "lost his footing." The Mets said in a statement that they had been "advised of a tragic accident that resulted in the death of a fan." They said team officials and police were investigating. "Our deepest and heartfelt condolences go out to the fan's family," the team's statement said. The death of Nararainsami, who was wearing a Mets cap when he fell, appeared to be an accident, and no charges had been filed, police said. Nararainsami installed heating and air conditioning systems for a living, loved sports and was the captain of a local cricket club, his relatives said. His wife, pregnant with their third child, had stayed home while he attended the game. Nararainsami's death wasn't the first at Shea. In 1985, a 21-year-old Yonkers man fell 100 feet from an escalator and was killed. This is the Mets' last season at Shea Stadium. A new stadium, Citi Field, is scheduled to open next year. Tuesday's game, which the Mets won 6-0, had celebrated Jackie Robinson Day, the 61st anniversary of when the Brooklyn Dodgers legend broke major league baseball's color barrier. Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press

I agree!

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