Padecky: Tony Stewart shows there"s still a bit of fire in Smoke

Tony Stewart confronts heckler in grandstands at Chili Bowl

So Stewart gave the lost-traction-Hamlin a shove with his race car and 100 feet later Stewart crossed the finish line first.

If this was a fist fight, Stewart said of the contact he made with Hamlin, Denny would have got two black eyes. I used him up pretty hard.

Stewart did it without apology. Apology is not a word that frequents his conversation. But he did it dare I use this word with compassion. It was as if Stewart was allowed no choice. Nothing personal. Flavored, of course, with Stewarts imagination.

I didnt have time to think about wine, flowers or ponies, Stewart said. No one was quite sure what ponies meant but he was just, well, Tony being Tony. That seems to be the mantra of the day with Stewart. Tony is just being Tony. Before, that meant tolerating his combative behavior. Now, in the twilight of his career, with metal imbedded in his body, Stewart is seen different. Tony being Tony means the end of an era, when drivers werent afraid to voice opinions.

Stewart may have lost a little of his skills. oh, but wait.

I missed just three corners today out of 160, Stewart said defiantly. He didnt elaborate. Didnt feel the need. Deal with it. Tony was just being Tony. After 18 years that sentence didnt feel as harsh.

Ninety percent of the guys in the field I have a ton of respect for, Stewart said. Theres five or six percent that Id knock over the grandstands if thats what it took the win a race. I wouldnt have cared.

Those 18 years have dulled the verbal blade Stewart uses, probably because he has used it so often. What once seemed shocking and offensive is now Tony being himself. It was the same with Gordon and Earnhardt, what once was objectionable was now admirable. For they stayed the course in whom they are, as Stewart has, their independence reflective of the sports iconic nature.

I got a lot of scores to settle with people (drivers) and Ive got only six months to do it, Stewart said. Ive just got to figure out if its economically feasible to do it (NASCAR fines).

That one got another laugh. And a wish as well. For old times, at least once more, Tony, could you get into one more dust-up. Doesnt need to be a full-thrown down to the garage floor. Some veins pulsing. A few words bleeped. A grab around the neck. Something to remind of us the good ol days, when Tony Stewart was Smoke, not just a Wisp.

To contact Bob Padecky email him at bobpadecky@gmail.com.

Source: http://www.pressdemocrat.com/sports/5783261-180/padecky-tony-stewart-shows-theres

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Simone Biles takes fourth straight all-around national title

Simone Biles - Vault 1 (end view) - 2016 P&G Gymnastics Championships - Sr. Women Day 2

The national titles are starting to run together for Simone Biles, a three-year blur of near flawlessly executed routines and carry-on cases full of medals.

If Biles is being honest, the fourth straight all-around championship she cruised to on Sunday night wasn"t so much a competition as an exhibition and one more thing for Biles to scratch off her checklist before the next real test, the one that in some ways will help define her legacy:

Rio de Janeiro and the Summer Olympics.

It"s a destination Biles is finally allowing herself to think after putting up a two-day total of 125.00 the highest during her historic run at the top to beat three-time Olympic medalist Aly Raisman by nearly four points. Only next week"s Olympic Trials, a mere formality, stand between the 19-year-old Texan and the global stage.

"I guess there"s really no other steps besides trials and making the team," Biles said. "We"re one step ahead again."

Technically Biles has been there for years. She hasn"t lost a meet since July, 2013 while creating a gap between herself and the rest of the planet, one that shows no signs of closing with 40 days to go before opening ceremonies in Brazil. Biles began the night with a dynamic floor exercise that combines peerless tumbling with the kind of charisma that should play in living rooms across the world in August.

She followed it up with a difficult Amanar vault one of the most challenging currently being done in competition in which she seemed to drop out of the sky before landing. Only a minuscule hop stood between Biles and perfection, just enough of a miscue for judges to deduct a tenth of a point while giving her a 9.9 for execution.

"I don"t think there"s any such thing as perfect in gymnastics anymore," Biles said. "They always find something."

Biles is as close as the sport gets at the moment as the leader of a team that will be heavily favored to dominate the podium in Brazil. The five-woman Olympic squad won"t be officially announced until July 10. Biles" place is secure, and the picture around her appears to be rapidly clearing up.

Raisman began the year struggling with her form following a disappointing by her standards performance at the 2015 world championships, when she failed to qualify for the all-around final after finishing behind Biles and Olympic champion Gabby Douglas during qualifying.

The 22-year-old spent the winter vowing to regain Karolyi"s trust and now finds herself in perhaps the finest stretch of a career that includes two golds and a bronze from the 2012 games.

Steady on beam. Powerful on floor. Efficient on uneven bars, Raisman may be the best gymnast in the world not named Biles at the moment. The current Olympic champion on floor exercise began the night with a gravity defying tumbling pass she managed to finish with a smile. She joked after the first round on Friday that staying within a couple of points of Biles would be a victory in itself. Raisman"s score of 60.650 on Sunday was just 1.5 behind her good friend.

"I think that I am better (than I was four years ago)," Raisman said. "And I feel like I"m on track to be a better gymnast than I was."

Raisman isn"t the only one surging. So is electric 16-year-old Laurie Hernandez, who looks right at home on the big stage in her first year at the senior level. Her routines are is a study in attitude and aggression, character traits Karolyi prizes as much as any cleanly executed skill.

Gabby Douglas, trying to become the first gymnast in nearly 50 years to repeat as Olympic champion, ended up fourth and admitted she needed to improve after a sloppy night on Friday. Douglas got off to a shaky start as she fought to stay on bars the event that first drew Karolyi"s admiration and posted a pedestrian 14.5. She was better on balance beam, landing her dismount with an emphatic stick that might as well have served as a reminder of what she can do when she"s on.

"Trials, I"ll be better a trials," Douglas said with a laugh.

The only real drama heading to San Jose is likely for the fifth and final spot. Madison Kocian, who won gold on uneven bars at last fall"s world championships, continued her impressive comeback from a leg injury in February. Though she was second to Ashton Locklear on bars at nationals, she also finished in the top half of the field on beam and floor, versatility that would be valuable in international competitions as Karolyi tries to put together a group for the three-up, three-count crucible that is the Olympic team finals.

Karolyi began the weekend with a team in mind and didn"t see much to change her preferences over the course of two nights. Whoever hops the plane to Rio will go as the heavy favorites to bring back copious amounts of gold led by Biles, who is head and shoulders, legs and everything else above the rest.

Associated Press

Source: http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/international/ct-simone-biles-gymnastics-national-title-20160627-story.html

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Jesse Williams Moves BET Awards Crowd With Passionate Speech

My Reaction To Jesse Williams Speech at BET Awards | Brief Talk About Prince Tribute

Actor Jesse Williams brought the energy of a civil rights rally to the BET Awards Sunday night as he accepted the humanitarian award, demanding equal rights and calling for an end to police brutality against black people and white appropriation of black culture.

The "Grey"s Anatomy" star brought the Microsoft Theater audience to its feet with his passionate speech.

"A system built to impoverish, divide and destroy us cannot stand if we do," he said, adding, "We know that police somehow manage to deescalate, disarm and not kill white people every day."

Williams compared spending money on brand-name clothing to the days when slaves were branded with their owners" markings. He said it"s not the job of the brutalized to comfort the bystander.

"We"re done watching and waiting while this invention called whiteness uses and abuses us, burying black people out of sight and out of mind while extracting our culture, our dollars, our entertainment like oil, black gold, ghettoizing and demeaning our creations then stealing them, gentrifying our genius and then trying us on like costumes before discarding our bodies like rinds of strange fruit," he said.

Backstage, Williams said he hopes his remarks during the show remind people "just because we get to be here tonight doesn"t mean we made it.

"What I"d like to see us do is return to a space where it"s OK for folks to be proud and outwardly black in public," he said, "and not have to feel like we have to be safe to live in white spaces and to make everybody comfortable when we"ve spent centuries being uncomfortable. It"s time to shed that fear."

Source: http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory/jesse-williams-moves-bet-awards-crowd-passionate-speech-40152739

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Pat Summitt family: "Past few days have been difficult" for legendary coach

Geno Auriemma on Pat Summitt"s Impact - SportsCenter (04-19-2012)

Dan Fleser, USA TODAY SPORTS NETWORK 2:29 p.m. EDT June 26, 2016

The legendary University of Tennessee coach stepped down as the Volunteers" head coach after being diagnosed with dementia. Video provided by Newsy Newslook

Tennessee Lady Volunteers head coach Pat Summitt in 2013.(Photo: Randy Sartin, USA TODAY Sports)

Pat Summitts family released a statement late Sunday morning regarding the health of the former University of Tennessee womens basketball coach, acknowledging: "the past few days have been difficult for Pat as her early onset dementia, Alzheimers Type progresses."

The statement from Erin Freeman of Ackermann Public Relations also said, "She is surrounded by those who mean the most to her and during this time, we ask for prayers for Pat and her family and friends, as well as your utmost respect and privacy. Thank you."

Five hours earlier, a source told the News Sentinel that Summitt was "struggling" and those close to her were "preparing for the worst."

"I dont think anybody knows whether she will last a day, a month, or a year," the source said.

Summitt announced in August 2011 that she had been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimers disease.

As of late Saturday, Summitt, 64, had not been moved from the retirement center where she has been living since late January, the source said.

Summitts family and some former players were with her during the weekend and preparations were made to make public statements on her condition when necessary. ESPN reported that Los Angeles Sparks star Candace Parker flew to Knoxville on Friday. Indiana Fever star Tamika Catchings told the News Sentinel that she visited Summitt. She came after the Fevers game in Dallas on Saturday night and has returned to Indianapolis.

Social media was buzzing with prayer wishes for Summitt and her family. Among the well wishers was Tennessee quarterback Joshua Dobbs, who tweeted early Sunday morning: "Praying for Coach @patsummitt and her family tonight!"

Incoming womens basketball freshman Kamera Harris also tweeted: "My thoughts and prayers are with @patsummitt and her family!#PrayForPat"

Later on Sunday, Lady Vols forward Diamond DeShields tweeted, "Shes The reason why Im even here man. #PrayForPat hang tight in there coach. We got your back."

Fellow Lady Vol Andraya Carter tweeted "My thoughts are with the greatest coach of all time and her wonderful family. Keep fighting @patsummitt!"

South Carolina coach Dawn Staley advised her Twitter followers "to lock hands and #PrayForPat."

Despite her diagnosis, Summitt coached the 2011-12 season before stepping down. She concluded her storied 38-year career with 1,098 victories and eight national championships.

Summitt, known for her icy glare on the sideline, was hired as the Lady Vols head coach as a 22-year-old in 1974. Two years later she was co-captain on the silver-medal winning U.S. Olympic team. In 1984 she coached the Olympic team to a gold medal.

Basketball factored into almost every aspect of her life, including the birth of her son, Tyler, in 1990. Even though her water had broken she finished a recruiting visit in Pennsylvania, then urged pilots not to stop on the way home so her son could be born in Tennessee.

Her all-time record was 1,098-208 (.840). She coached 47 percent of her games against ranked opponents and also had a .913 winning percentage at home (504-48).

The court at Thompson Boling Arena, where the Lady Vols and Vols play, is called "The Summitt."

The "We Back Pat" campaign began almost immediately after Summitts medical announcement. Fighting Alzheimers became her cause before her coaching career ended as well. In November 2011, Summitt and Tyler announced the formation of the Pat Summitt Foundation Fund, with proceeds going toward Alzheimers research.

President Barack Obama announced she was a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom in April 2012.

ESPN recognized her accomplishments with the documentary "Pat XO" in July 2013.

In November 2013, the Pat Summitt Plaza, which included a statue, was dedicated on campus.

Dan Fleser writes for the Knoxville News-Sentinel, part of the USA TODAY SPORTS NETWORK

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Source: http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaw/2016/06/26/pat-summitt-tennessee-lady-vols-ncaa-championships-dementia/86402446/

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Jose Reyes comes full circle, returns to the Mets

Boomer and Carton: Will Jose Reyes be a Met again?

The Nationals couldn"t have this road trip end soon enough.

What was supposed to be a golden opportunity to pad theirdivision lead in a stretch that included struggling opponents like the San Diego Padres and Milwaukee Brewershas instead turned into a season-high seven-game losing skid.

Luckily for the Nats, they"ll finally be headingback to D.C. on Sunday night after they try to salvage a win inMilwaukee. Butbefore they do, here are a few thoughts on Saturday night"s6-5 loss to theBrewers:

Gonzalez" struggles continue:Gio Gonzalez" season has started to spiral out of control, and he did nothing on Saturday to stop the bleeding. He allowed six runs on six hits over just three innings of work his shortest outingof the year and putting the Nats in catch-up mode the rest of the game.

When Gonzalez is struggling, his starts tend to follow a typical script: trouble with command he registered a walkand two hit batsmen and boutswithpitch inefficiency. Not only that, but he"s no longer throwing his changeup down and away to right handed hitters anymore, instead catching too much of the plate,as was the casein the first inning on Saturday when Chris Carter launched a three-run home run.

It"s all added up to an 0-6 record in his last seven outings with an eye-popping 8.44 ERA. Ouch.

Offense can"t complete comeback: Though Gonzalez put the Natsdown in an early 6-1 hole, theyfound a way to slowly climb back to make it a 6-5 game by the seventh inning thanks in part to another multi-hit game from both Daniel Murphy and Wilson Ramos. However, as has been in the case over the last week, that big go-ahead knock they needed never came. Washington had chances in each of the last three innings to level the game with the tying run on base, but came up short in each instance.

Unlucky seven: TheNats" seven-game losingstreak marks the team"s longest skid since the dark days of 2009, a season in which there were four different seven-game slides and the clubfinished with the worst record in baseball at 59-103. Of course, Washington"s come a long way since then.So while this current streak is sparking plenty of doom-and-gloom talk right now, remember that the Nats still own a two-game NL Eastlead over the New York Mets, who will travel to D.C. for a three-game set starting Monday.

Time to be concerned about Strasburg? As if thelosing streak wasn"tbad enough, Dusty Baker told reportersafter Saturday"s loss that Stephen Strasburg will miss Sunday"s start after feeling continued discomfort in his upper back. The scratch will make it two straight starts that the 27-year-old right hander has missed, so it"s fair to wonder just how serious this latest setback might be. Can Tanner Roark be the stopper the Nats desperately need right now?

Source: http://www.csnmidatlantic.com/washington-nationals/jose-reyes-comes-full-circle-returns-mets

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Morning Briefing: Brandon Nimmo, Jose Reyes set for big days

Jose Reyes - Blue Jays/Rockies - 2015 Highlight Mix HD

ATLANTA -- There are a pair of games worth watching involving the New York Mets organization on Sunday.

At Turner Field, 2011 first-round pick Brandon Nimmo is poised to make his major league debut as the Mets face the Atlanta Braves at 1:35 p.m. ET.

Meanwhile, Jose Reyes begins what is expected to be a week to 10-day tune-up in the minors when he starts at third base for the Brooklyn Cyclones at MCU Park on Sunday at 4 p.m. ET.

In the major league game, Bartolo Colon (6-3, 3.00 ERA) starts opposite Braves right-hander Bud Norris (2-7, 4.69).

Colon departed his last start after only four pitches because he was struck in the right thumb on a sharp comebacker off the bat of Kansas Citys Whit Merrifield. X-rays were negative. Colon was diagnosed with a bruise.

SUNDAYS NEWS REPORTS

• The Mets made Reyes signing official Saturday afternoon. He will play for Brooklyn on Sunday and Monday, then is expected to move to Double-A Binghamton or Triple-A Las Vegas. Reyes will start at third base and also get outfield exposure during his minor league stint. Sandy Alderson met in person for an hour with Reyes after he was placed on waivers by the Colorado Rockies. Alderson said he came away satisfied that Reyes is remorseful for an Oct. 31 domestic violence incident involving his wife. Read more in the Post, Daily News, Times, Journal, Newsday, Record and at NJ.com and MLB.com.

• Michael Conforto was demoted to Las Vegas before Saturdays game. Conforto suggested that it might be beneficial to temporarily get out of the spotlight in order to reset. Alderson said Confortos demotion should be for a relatively short period of time. Nimmo will regularly play left field for the Mets, with Yoenis Cespedes remaining in center field. Read more in the Post, Daily News, Newsday, Record and at NJ.com and MLB.com.

• Kelly Johnson"s pinch-hit homer against ex-Met Dario Alvarez in the 11th lifted the Mets to a 1-0 win against the Braves on Saturday. Jacob deGrom again received no run support and remained winless since April 30. DeGrom tossed eight scoreless innings in a no-decision. Read game recaps in the Post, Daily News, Times, Newsday and at NJ.com and MLB.com.

• Columnist Mike Lupica in the Daily News concludes about the Reyes-Mets reunion: Reyes needs a job. The Mets need help, all over the field. Once, there would have been tremendous romance to this sort of homecoming. Maybe there still can be. For now its strictly about business. And a different kind of song, just a sadder one, for Jose Reyes.

• Citing the case involving Aroldis Chapman, columnist David Lennon in Newsday notes that fans are quick to forgive productive ballplayers.

• Roger Bernadina went 4-for-5 with two homers, five RBIs and four runs scored in Las Vegas" 16-8 win against Sacramento. Dominic Smith"s three-run homer lifted Binghamton to a 4-3 win against Richmond. Lednier Ricardos solo homer accounted for the lone run in St. Lucies 6-1 loss to Palm Beach. Columbia stranded Joe Tuschak on second base in the ninth and fell to Augusta, 3-2. Joe Marias RBI single provided Kingsports lone run in a 5-1 loss to Elizabethton. Joel Huertas allowed six runs in four innings and Hudson Valley beat Brooklyn, 6-4. Read the full minor-league recap here.

• Jim Hickman, an original Met, died Saturday at age 79, Mike Organ writes in the Tennessean.

• From the bloggers ... Mets Report looks at Cespedes brain cramps.

BIRTHDAYS: Jason Middlebrook turns 41. ... Luis Hernandez is 32.

TWEET OF THE DAY:

YOURE UP: How long should Conforto remain in the minors?

Source: http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york/mets/post/_/id/121002/morning-briefing-brandon-nimmo-jose-reyes-set-for-big-days

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Mother shoots, kills her 2 daughters, is killed by police

Houston Gun Advocate Christy Sheats Shoots 2 Daughters Dead On Father"s B-Day B4 Police Kill Her

FULSHEAR, TX (KTRK/CNN) - A mother shot and killed her two daughters before being killed by police.

One of the adult daughters was found dead in the middle of the street and the other was wounded nearby and flown to the hospital by Life Flight. She later died of her injuries.

Police identified the mother as Christy Sheats, 42. The daughters were Taylor Sheats, 22, and Madison Sheats, 17.

The women"s father was there when the shooting spilled out into the street, but was not hurt.

The mother, still brandishing the weapon, was killed by a Fulshear police officer.

"It would be too premature to give you a motive as to why something like this took place," a police spokesman said. "All we can do is the best we can to pray for the father and husband so he can work through this.

A neighbor spoke about the family, but asked to remain anonymous. He said the shooting shocked the neighborhood.

"Those parents are good. They are hard-working," the neighbor said. "I do not know how this happened, so I cannot believe that."

Source: http://www.kalb.com/content/news/Mother-shoots-kills-her-2-daughters-is-killed-by-police-384419191.html

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