8 I TUESDAY, JULY 20, 2010
Kovalchuk decides to stay with Devils
By Tom Canavan
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
NEWARK, N.J. -- Ilya
Kovalchuk is staying with the New
Jersey Devils.
Kovalchuk's
agent and the
team announced
on Monday that
the biggest prize of the NHL free
agent market agreed to a new
contract, ending weeks of specula
tion where the high-scoring left
wing would play next season.
Terms were not immediately
available.
"This was a long arduous
process that has taken frankly a
little longer than I thought," agent
Jay Grossman said in a telephone
interview with The Associated
Press. - But you know what, noth-
Beat-up Red Sox trying to stay in playoff race
HOWARD ULMAN
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
BOSTON -- The floor of the Red
Sox clubhouse was filled with
black equipment bags as players
packed for their
10-day West Coast
Amid the
clutter, the stuff -
that revealed the
team's current condition was still
hard to miss.
The protective boot on Dustin
Pedroia's broken left foot. The
splint on Victor Martinez's frac
tured left thumb. The crutches
leaning against Jason Varitek's
locker, and the boot on his broken
right foot.
Battered physically and beaten
in eight of the last 11 games, the
Red Sox flew across the country
Sunday night to face the Oakland
Athletics, Seattle Mariners and
Los Angeles Angels.
It's a crucial stretch for the Red
Sox to stay in contention, but to
Boston manager Terry Francona
its just another road trip.
"I feel like I always feel," he said
after Sunday's 4-2 home loss to the
Texas Rangers.
- Pack our bags and go play. I
don't think that ever changes. I
don't know if I really feel any dif
ferent than ever. I hope they have
good food on the plane."
His team's troubles are no
laughing matter.
The offense sputtered in losing
three of four games at home to
Texas in the club's first series
since the All-Star break. They
were outscored 21-11 and outhit
40-25.
The Red Sox dropped from a
half-game behind the AL East
leading New York Yankees on July
3 to 6' 2 games off the pace after
Sundays loss a span of just 15
days. Going into Monday nights
game against the A's, who were
Midfielder Joe Cole kicks a ball while playing for Chelsea in last year's UEFA Champion's League match at
Stamford Bridge against Apoel. Cole, a member of England's national team, was released by Chelsea and
decided to sign a four-year contract with Liverpool of the English Premier League on Monday.
ing is worth anything unless you
work for it. I can tell you he is very
happy to be with the New Jersey
Devils."
The Los Angeles Kings, New
York Islanders, Devils and SKA St.
Petersburg of Russia's
Kontinental Hockey League
talked with Kovalchuk since free
agency started on July 1.
The final decision came down to
the Kings and Devils. New Jersey
will officially reintroduce
Kovalchuk to New Jersey at a
news conference on Tuesday.
Grossman refused to say that
Kovalchuk decided to stay
because he felt the Devils had a
better chance to win the Stanley
Cup.
"This was so far complex that I
don't want to get into those ques
tions," Grossman said. "Obviously
tY
i
eamr
Jason Varitek (left) is one of several key Red Sox players out with injury
riding a five-game winning streak, That process starts this week
the Red Sox trailed Tampa Bay by with Clay Buchholz set to pitch
3' 2 games in the AL wild-card Wednesday in the finale of a three
race. game series at Oakland. Josh
Boston can't afford to fall much Beckett is expected to return
further back before the ailing play- Friday for the second of four
ers return. games in Seattle if all goes well
his goal is to win the Stanley Cup.
If he didn't think there was an
opportunity to do that, then he
would not have gone there. -
Neither Devils president and
general manager Lou Lamoriello
nor star forward Zach Parise
immediately returned telephone
messages seeking comment.
The team's only major loss dur
ing the offseason was defenseman
Paul Martin, who signed with the
Atlantic Division-rival Pittsburgh
Penguins.
The 27-year-old Kovalchuk was
traded to the Devils by Atlanta in
February after rejecting a 12-year.
$lOl million extension offered by
the Thrashers.
Kovalchuk (KOH'-vul-chuck)
had 41 goals and 44 assists last
season while earning $7.5 million,
but he posted only 10 goals and 17
' -«-tg
Michael Dwyer 'Associated Press
assists with the Devils.
When the trade with the
Thrashers was completed,
Lamoriello felt his team finally
had the goal scorer it needed to
make a run at a fourth Stanley
Cup title since 1995.
It didn't work out that way.
Kovalchuk had two goals in the
postseason, but the Devils were
eliminated by the Philadelphia
Flyers in five games in the open
ing round. It was New Jersey's
third straight exit in the first
round.
Kovalchuk has won only one
playoff game in his NHL career.
The first pick overall in the 2001
NHL draft. Kovalchuk has scored
338 career goals, the most by any
player in the league in that period.
He has only been to the playoffs
only twice in eight NHL seasons.
during an extended bullpen ses
sion on iliesday.
Buchholz (10-4) was named to
the All-Star team but has been on
the disabled list since July 5 with a
strained left hamstring. Beckett,
who began the season as the Red
Sox No. 1 starter, went on the DL
on May 19 because of a lower back
strain and is just 1-1 with a 7.29
ERA in eight starts.
Beckett allowed three runs in
four innings during a rehab start
for the Pawtucket Red Sox on
Saturday night.
"I threw 80 pitches (Saturday). I
felt like I still had gas in the tank,"
he said. "Fm ready to start
Friday"
Pedroia is to be re-evaluated in
late July after a CT scan Friday
was encouraging. meaning he will
probably miss the entire trip.
Varitek's recovery is going slower.
Center fielder .Jacoby Ellsbury
has played in only nine games
because of broken ribs and hasn't
appeared in any rehab games yet.
Martinez played catch Sunday for
the first time since being hurt on
June 27, but Francona called it "a
baby step."
4 it 'w l
In their places, Boston has used
Eric Patterson, Daniel Nava,
Darnell McDonald. Bill Hall,
Kevin Cash, Dusty Brown and
other little-known players.
Backup outfielder Jeremy
Hermida has been sidelined since
June 10 with fractured ribs, but he
could play in Seattle. Infielder Jed
Lowrie, coming back from
mononucleosis. has played in
rehab games, and third baseman
first baseman Mike Lowell, with
hip problems, could return to
action this week
Meanwhile, the roster keeps
changing. From Friday through
Sunday, the Red Sox promoted or
demoted eight players.
"Every day there's something
new going on, so I tiy to stay away
South Africa lauds
Oosthuizen's victory
By Paul Newberry
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
ST. ANDREWS, Scotland --
One week after beaming in
pride at its historic hosting of
footbal's World
Cup, the
nation torn
apart by
apartheid just
a generation ago watched as a
white Afrikaner with a black
caddie on his bag crossed over
the Swilcan Bridge, tapped in
the last putt and lifted the claret
jug.
Oosthuizen (WUHST'-hy
zen) just wanted to celebrate
the moment with family and
friends. Others realized there
was something more signifi
cant going on at the Old Course,
another instance of sports tran
scending a societal divide.
"It's fantastic," said Gary
Player, the most prominent
golfer to come out of South
Africa. "Wonderful things are
happening to South Africa. I
went back for the final match of
the World Cup, and they did a
way better job than people
imagined."
Of course, football's biggest
event won't solve the everyday
problems and racial tensions
that still linger in South Africa.
,Nor will one man winning a golf
tournament.
But there's no denying the
pride felt by those who cheered
on Oosthuizen while waving the
post-apartheid colors of their
nation red, blue, green, yel
low and black or wearing
jackets and shirts bearing the
words "Bafana Bafana," the
nickname of South Africa's foot
ball team.
"It is a great event for all
South Africans, especially
because it is the birthday of
Nelson Mandela," said caddie
THE DAILY COLLEGIAN
Ilya Kovalchuk will remain a Devil
from it," Kevin Youkilis said.
"When guys come back, guys will
be back. For me, I've just got to go
out there and focus on getting
myself prepared every day. You
can't worry about who's coming
back, who's coming up, all that,
because it's going to be crazy for
the next month."
Youkilis has missed just four
games and is one of the Red Sox
few productive hitters since the
All-Star break. On Saturday night,
he hit a tying double in the ninth
inning and a winning sacrifice fly
in the 11th for a 3-2 victory over
Texas.
- You can't say enough about
this club," said John Lackey, who
allowed two runs in seven innings
in that game. "We've got a lot of
things going against us right now.
We kept battling. We keep grind
ing."
When, or if, all the injured play
ers are back, the Red Sox should
have a dangerous lineup. Even
with the recent slump, they lead
the majors in runs, RBIs, slugging
percentage and doubles. Boston is
second in homers and on base
percentage, and fifth in batting
average.
With the speedy Ellsbury lead
ing off, opposing pitchers would
likely throw more fastballs to No. 2
hitter Pedroia to keep Ellsbury
from stealing. They're followed by
David Ortiz, Youkilis and
Martinez.
Then come J.D. Drew, Adrian
Beltre, Mike Cameron and Marco
Scutaro.
Martinez's thumb was still sore
and painful on Sunday, but he took
a positive step.
tried to squeeze the glove, but
at least I was able to put my hand
in the glove," he said. "It's defi
nitely a lot better."
By Aug. 15, the Red Sox would
still have 46 games left and, possi
bly all their disabled players back.
Zack Rasego, who usually con
verses with Oosthuizen in
Afrikaans, the language
despised by blacks during
apartheid as a symbol of the
ruling white minority "It's a
great day for us."
It was a great week for
Oosthuizen, who started the
week as such an unknown that
the Royal & Ancient felt com
pelled to put out a fact sheet
with 11 things one needed to
know about the 27-year-old
from Mossel Bay.
None of those tidbits was as
compelling as his golf game,
which was rock-solid for all four
rounds and never gave anyone
a chance to make it close. He
led over the final 48 holes of the
championship, closing with a 1-
under 71 that left him at 16-
under 272 overall.
No one else was within seven
strokes.
"It felt a bit special out
there," he said.
Oosthuizen, who had made
the cut only once in eight previ
ous majors, claimed the lead for
good way back in the second
round. Some figured he was the
beneficiary of a fortuitous tee
time in the morning, before
the wind started gusting more
than 40 mph (64 kph) and
would surely falter in the spot
light of the weekend.
He turned in 13 pars and four
birdies on Saturday, giving him
a commanding four-stroke lead
going into the finale. He started
Sunday with seven more pars
before his bogey-free streak
finally ended with a 6-foot miss
at No. 8. Again, everyone won
dered if he might finally realize
this was a position he'd never
been in before. Again, he quick
ly snuffed out the hopes of
England's Paul Casey, the only
guy who really had a chance to
catch him in the final round.