Henderson on Hall of Fame Ballot First Time

NEW YORK (AP) -- Career steals leader Rickey Henderson heads 10 first-time candidates on this year's Baseball Hall of Fame ballot.

Other newcomers are Jay Bell, David Cone, Ron Gant, Mark Grace, Jesse Orosco, Dan Plesac, Greg Vaughn, Mo Vaughn and Matt Williams.

Just 23 players are on the ballot, the smallest group ever.

Holdovers include Mark McGwire, Jim Rice, Harold Baines, Bert Blyleven, Andre Dawson. Tommy John, Don Mattingly, Jack Morris, Dale Murphy, Dave Parker, Tim Raines, Lee Smith and Alan Trammell.

A 10-time All-Star who played from 1979-to-2003, Henderson holds the career records for steals, 1,406, and runs, 2,295, and his 2,190 walks are second to the 2,558 issued to Barry Bonds McGwire, eighth on the career home-run list with 583, received 128 votes in the 2008 election from 10-year members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America, matching his total from 2007, when he was eligible for the first time. His percentage of 23.6 percent was well short of the 75 percent necessary for election.

Rice received 392 votes, or 72.2 percent, in 2008, 16 short of the 75 percent needed.

U of L tries to end season at .500

http://uoflcardgame.com/

From the moment he stubbed his toe on the way to the podium at his introductory news conference as the new football coach, things have not gone well for Steve Kragthorpe at the University of Louisville. That little stumble would become emblematic of a major two-year crippling of the football program.

His assumption of the reigns of UofL football was ill-timed at best, the first week in January, forced to select a staff, retain some key players, and get in the thick of the recruiting battles quickly before the February deadline. Kragthorpe also encountered significant pressure from the administration and fans to retain some people he had never worked with as a coach.

On top of that, he was replacing the most successful football coach in the university’s history, still celebrating the Orange Bowl appearance and its first BCS win while finishing eighth in the national polls. While his predecessor was not well liked, Bobby Petrino was a winner on the football field and could do no wrong as far as fans were concerned. Kragthorpe took the position in spite of the conventional wisdom of never following a legend.

The observer recalls standing in a long line at the Neutral Zone store in Middletown, waiting for the coach to sign a football for the grandson. We waited, waited and waited some more. The coach would be over an hour late before getting there. Word was that he was lost, trying to find the place.

No apologies, at least none that may it back to our place in the long line. The ball coach sits down at a table, methodically signing the memorabilia handed to him. A minimum of effort to get to know the fans, the coach rarely acknowledging the person standing in front of him, little time or no interest in fan introductions.

Then came a long string of mysterious dismissals of players from the team with minimal communications from the coach. Lackluster performances against the equivalent of Division II teams. Loss after loss, including losses to mediocre Division I football teams. Players missing games because of suspensions or injuries, again with little explanation. As his tenure progressed, there were few signs of improvement on the offensive side of the ball. Too many recruits favoring other scenarios. The outlook for next season appearing even more grim.

The coach made minimal effort to win fans over to his side, expecting them to somehow understand the obstacles he was up against. The worn out clichés wore thin quickly. He was unwilling or incapable of relating to the fans’ frustrations, a martyr wanting to bear the burden while hoping he would have plenty of time to turn the program around.

These handicaps put his friend and boss Tom Jurich in the unenviable position of attempting to defend Kragthorpe. Certainly a football coach should have more than two seasons to build a program, but not when all available evidence indicates that the program is going in reverse.

Steve Kragthorpe may be a fine person. We have no reason to believe otherwise. But we may never know for sure, because Kragthorpe has been unable to relate to Louisvillians and their expectations for the University of Louisville and U of L football. These shortcomings may have been his biggest stumbles.

UK hammers Lamar 103-61

http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20081204/SPORTS03/812040463 (Full story)

Patrick Patterson was on his way to a career high in scoring, and the Wildcats were off to a fast start in what turned into a 103-61 rout of Lamar last night at Rupp Arena.

Then things took a sobering turn.

With 13:42 to play in the first half, UK teammates Ramon Harris and Michael Porter bumped heads during a loose-ball collision. Harris was examined by the UK medical staff while Gillispie and Harris' mother, Carmen Bowles, looked on.

Harris was carted off the court on a stretcher after lying nearly motionless for almost eight minutes.

"(Harris) was crying on the floor in pain," Patterson said. "His mom ran out there, and we knew that it really was serious. He was shaking. Watching that, it made our hearts drop, because we felt like we were going to lose a teammate for the rest of the year."

Harris was taken to UK Chandler Hospital, where he was alert, had movement in all his extremities and had improved in the hours immediately after the game, said UK team spokesman DeWayne Peevy.

The 6-foot-7 Harris was expected to stay overnight for observation.

"The initial scans all look good at this point," Peevy said. "He is doing well."

Porter had 10 stitches to close a cut over his left eye and did not return to the game. It wasn't clear, Gillispie said, whether Porter sustained a concussion. When Porter returned to the bench for the second half, the back of his white jersey was stained with blood.

"It was scary for us," UK junior Jodie Meeks said. "We were just praying that they were all right."

Rattled though they were, the Cats (5-2) bounced back and pounced on Lamar (5-1).

UK led 19-7 when the collision occurred. The halftime score was 56-30.

In the second half, the Cats, led by Patterson's career-high 31 points and Meeks' 19, went ahead by as many as 46 points.

"I think it shows that we can fight through adversity no matter what happens," Meeks said. "You never like to see any of your teammates go down like that, but I think it showed a lot of heart that we could step up and fight through that."

Giants Suspend Burress, End His Season

http://views.washingtonpost.com/theleague/nflnewsfeed/2008/12/giants-suspend-burress-end-his-season.html?hpid=topnews

Wide receiver Plaxico Burress won't play for the New York Giants again this season.

The Giants have announced that they've fined Burress, suspended him for four games for conduct detrimental to the team and placed him on the non-football injury list, making him ineligible to play for the club again this season and postseason.

Burress was charged Monday with criminal possession of a weapon after suffering a thigh wound in an accidental shooting early Saturday. Burress reportedly shot himself in the leg with a gun he'd taken to a New York nightclub.

Burress rejoined the team today and, according to the Giants, underwent treatment for a previous hamstring injury and his gunshot wound. According to the Giants, Burress went to Manhattan to undergo an MRI exam by one of the team's physicians. When he returned to Giants Stadium, he was informed by General Manager Jerry Reese of the team's actions.

The physician, Scott Rodeo, believed that Burress would need 4-6 weeks to recover sufficiently from his gunshot would to be ready to play, according to the Giants. A report over the weekend had indicated that Burress might be ready to play within a couple weeks.

"The decision we made today regarding Plaxico's roster status was based on the examination of Plaxico by our team physician," Reese said, according to the team's website. "Dr. Rodeo believes Plaxico would be out at least four to six weeks with the gunshot wound. I had two conversations with Plaxico today, and it was obvious that he understood the magnitude of this situation. He knows that we are here to support him and help him get healthy."

Burress also had separate meetings today with Giants co-owner John Mara and Coach Tom Coughlin, according to the team.

"As we have said since Saturday morning, our concern is for Plaxico's health and well-being," Mara said, according to the team's website. "This is an important time for him to take care of his body and heal up and also deal with the very serious legal consequences and other issues in his life. When I spoke with Plaxico he expressed great remorse for letting down his teammates."

According to the website, Steve Tisch, the franchise's other co-owner, said: "Our concern all along has been for Plaxico the person, not Plaxico the player. We are here to support him and his family as he recovers from his wound and deals with some serious issues."

The Giants did not announce the amount of Burress's fine. His four-game suspension for conduct detrimental to the team would cost him $823,529 of his $3.5 million salary for this season if it's without pay, as it presumably is.

Under the collective bargaining agreement between the league and the players' union, a franchise can suspend a player for up to four games without pay for conduct detrimental to the team. The Giants suspended Burress for one game without pay earlier this season after he missed a team meeting. Coughlin also benched him for a little more than a quarter of another game, saying that Burress had missed a treatment session the previous day.

The NFL Players Association can, if it chooses, file a grievance on Burress's behalf to appeal the suspension by the team. The union and the Giants worked out a settlement to reduce Burress's lost pay when the team suspended him earlier this season.

Placing Burress, 31, on the non-football injury list potentially could enable the team to attempt to force him to repay a portion of the bonus money in his five-year, $35 million contract completed hours before this season's opening game.

It's not clear if the Giants' actions will preclude discipline by the NFL under the league's personal conduct policy. That policy empowers NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to act even if a player has not been convicted of a crime. League officials had said the NFL was investigating the incident.

The NFL's gun policy warns players that possession of unlicensed firearms makes them subject to possible disciplinary action by the league. According to reports by New York newspapers, Burress was not properly licensed to carry a gun in New York.

Any penalty imposed by Goodell under the league's personal conduct policy could be appealed only to Goodell or a person designated by him, an arrangement that the union has indicated it will seek to change in the next set of labor talks.

Neither Burress nor his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, was immediately available to comment. Rosenhaus had said during a televised interview Monday night that he'd spoken to Giants officials but the conversations had focused on Burress's health, not his playing status or contract situation. The agent had said he was hopeful that Burress would play for the Giants again.

"I'm an optimist," Rosenhaus said at halftime of ESPN's "Monday Night Football" telecast.

Burress made a court appearance Monday after turning himself in to police. He's free after posting $100,000 bail and is scheduled to be back in court on March 31.

Burress, who caught the winning touchdown pass in last season's Super Bowl, finishes this season with 35 catches for 454 yards and four touchdowns. The Giants, with Domenik Hixon starting in place of Burress, beat the Washington Redskins on Sunday at FedEx Field without Burress to improve their record to 11-1. Burress had been ruled out of that game Friday because of his previous hamstring injury. The Giants reportedly will add a player Wednesday to fill Burress's roster spot.

"When you lose a player of Plaxico's ability, it is incumbent that everybody step up and fill the void," Coughlin said, according to the Giants' website. "In the last two seasons, this team has done an outstanding job of that. We made it clear to Plax today that we are here to support him in any way possible."

Source: Burress tells Giants he shot himself in leg by accident

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3733021

New York Giants receiver Plaxico Burress has told the team that he accidentally shot himself Friday night, a league official told ESPN's Sal Paolantonio.



Burress was treated and released from New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center. He was there overnight and was released at 2 p.m. Saturday, the Giants said. A team official told The Associated Press that Burress shot himself in a nightclub.

New York City police say they are investigating whether the incident took place at Latin Quarter, a sprawling 15,000-square-foot restaurant and club in midtown Manhattan.



A league official told Paolantonio that the bullet went through the skin and muscle tissue of Burress' right thigh and did not hit any major arteries, and that there were no broken bones.

The Giants said in a statement Saturday afternoon that Burress suffered a wound to his right thigh. The team did not specify in its statement how the shooting occured.


"We are aware of the fact that Plaxico was involved in an apparent accidental shooting last night. We have been in contact with Plaxico since shortly after the incident," the team said in a statement. "Obviously, our primary concern is for Plaxico's health and well-being, and given the circumstances, we are relieved to say he was released from a New York City hospital at approximately 2 p.m. today.

NFC East blog

Plaxico Burress' bizarre 2008 season has taken another strange turn, writes ESPN.com's Matt Mosley. Blog

• Blog network: NFL Nation
"We have been in touch with NFL Security on this matter. At this point, we are attempting to gather all the facts surrounding this incident. This incident could become a matter for law enforcement officials, and because of that, we have no comment on any of the details."

Police told ESPN's Jeremy Schaap that Burress was with Giants teammate Antonio Pierce when the shooting occurred. Pierce, who is now with the team in Washington, D.C., for Sunday's game against the Washington Redskins, is cooperating and has spoken to police by phone. Director of NFL security Milt Ahlerich also is in Washington to investigate.




A source told Paolantonio that Pierce will start Sunday.


New York and local police went to Burress' New Jersey home Saturday to speak with the receiver but were denied entrance.



Giants coach Tom Coughlin told Paolantonio: "We have people on the scene trying to gather information, get all the facts, determine exactly what happened. Right now, we're concerned about Plaxico and finding out all the details."

NFL.com Video

Plaxico Burress turned himself in to police Monday after accidentally shooting himself last weekend.
According to a team official, no determination about Burress' roster status will be made until the facts are gathered. That may not be until sometime next week or until "the police investigation has been fully realized and completed," Paolantonio reported.


According to police, Burress could face criminal charges if he is not licensed to carry a concealed weapon in New York.



Burress, who was ruled out for Sunday's game against the Redskins because of a hamstring injury, was not at team meetings and did not attend the team's Saturday walkthrough.


ESPN medical analyst Dr. Michael Kaplan said the gunshot wound inflicted by Burress, at short range with soft tissue damage, can cause bleeding and swelling. But because there was no artery, nerve or bone involvement, and assuming there is no tissue death or infection, Burress probably can return to the Giants' lineup in two to four weeks.



Phone calls to Burress' home and to his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, were not immediately returned, The Associated Press reported.

"We are gathering information, just like everyone else," NFL spokesman Joe Browne said.

In late September, Burress was suspended one game and fined $117,500 for a violation of team rules, reportedly for failing to appear at a team meeting and failing to notify the team of his absence. At the time, Rosenhaus said that Burress was tending to urgent family matters.


NFL.com Video

Watch highlights from the New York Giants' 23-7 win over the Washington Redskins.
He also was fined $45,000 by the NFL for his conduct during a game against the 49ers in October, when he abused an official and tossed a ball into the stands.


Burress signed a five-year, $35 million contract this fall after helping the Giants win a Super Bowl championship last season.



The signing came after an unsettling offseason, during which Burress was fined $25,000 for refusing to practice at a mandatory minicamp in June. He also missed most of training camp at the University at Albany with a sprained ankle. He had insisted the injury -- not his contract -- kept him off the field.


Despite his lack of practice time, Burress started in the Giants' Week 1 game against Washington and caught 10 passes for 133 yards. The following week, he had five catches for 81 yards and a touchdown in a win over St. Louis.


But Burress has not been as productive the rest of the season. The most passes he has caught in any game since then is four, in a loss to Cleveland on Oct. 13, the game that followed his suspension.


Burress has 35 catches for 454 yards and four touchdowns in a season during which he has constantly drawn double coverage. His streak of receptions in 115 consecutive games ended last week in Arizona. He aggravated his hamstring injury during the first series and did not return.

It was the sixth-longest active streak in the league, dating to Nov. 26, 2000 against Cincinnati, Burress' rookie season in Pittsburgh.

Signed as a free agent in 2005, Burress had caught a pass in all 56 previous games he had played for the Giants.


ESPN's Sal Paolantonio and Jeremy Schaap, ESPN.com senior writer John Clayton and The Associated Press contributed to this report.