Your morning roundup for July 9, the day Detroit teaches us to respect the crackheads who walk among us.
What we watched: Mexico faced Peru in Copa America play last evening. There were anywhere from one to four reasons why a Peru victory was the preferred outcome. With three legitimate scoring opportunities in the first six minutes, this looked like a distinct possibility. But then, a watered-down Mexican side fought back and looked as if they were taking the match over. This, despite the fact that they sent a younger team after the Gold Cup, and some of the active roster was rendered inactive because of doping accusations now being played — and accepted — as food poisoning.
In the 29th minute, when the Peruvian keeper Raúl Fernández Valverde punched a cross right onto a Mexican right foot seven yards out, a defender took Mexico's best shot to either his side (or possibly arm) to save el dia. Peru reestablished firm footing by the end of a scoreless half and carried it over after the break. For a brief spell, it seemed as if they were threatening at least once a minute up to/including shots off the crossbars and goalposts.
At this point, it must be noted that the camerahombres have not provided Peruvian crowd shots in a quarter-filled stadium.
Finally, Peru struck. Corner kick bounces around with little danger of going on or getting cleared. That's always a bad proposition for the D. Then came a nifty little spin move, teammate Michael Fidel Guevara Legua swiping the ball and crossing it behind three Mexican defenders right onto José Paolo Guerrero's foot. A gimme. Peru leads in the 83rd minute. And what's the crowd shot they show? This:
What a waste of time. I'm starting to think that whole Irina and Daysy story was just a ruse. I mean, isn't it winter down there anyway? And weren't they prancing about in halter tops vowing to strip if they win the tournament? That's not winter-time behavior. (Brian Hickey)
What we're watching: Atlanta Braves pitcher Tommy Hanson goes for a sixth consecutive victory today. He'll do so in Philadelphia, on an afternoon when his opposing pitcher is Cliff Lee, who was on quite a tear of his own until he got lit up in the eighth inning against Toronto the other day. Philadelphia extended its division lead to 3.5 games last night after a rain delay and game which catcher Carlos Ruiz tied late and leftfielder Raul Ibanez ended with a walkoff HR in the 10th.
Elsewhere
"Chris was laying in a ditch, and he was very shaken.": RadioShack veteran Chris Horner "fractured his nose and rode for almost 24 miles on sheer grit. He was later diagnosed with a concussion and a bruised calf, and his team will decide Saturday morning if he can keep racing." He can't. [Los Angeles Times]. (H/T Seth)
RIP Lt. Shannon Stone: Time stops for few tragedies, so a night after a fan fell to his death at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, Texas, the players affixed black ribbons to their uniforms and played baseball. The flags were at half mast. It weighed heavily on Josh Hamilton, the Rangers outfielder drawn into the story by the horrendous happenstance of trying to throw Stone a foul ball for his 6-year-old son Cooper. Said Hamilton, "It was just hard for me, hearing the little boy screaming for his daddy after he had fallen, and then being home with my kids. It really hit home last night."
He singled in the first, which would be his only hit on a night when the Rangers beat Oakland 8-5. Earlier, team president Nolan Ryan had asked for the courtesy/humanity of not posting or airing the video of Stone's fall. He recounted the night, as well.
He said he "heard the crowd" and was told by a Secret Service agent that a fan had just fallen from the bleachers. And he explained what happened to Stone's son, 6-year-old Cooper, after his father disappeared from view:Usher went up to the seats and took Cooper down. He rode to the hospital with father, sitting in the front seat of the ambulance. Members of the Brownwood Fire Department, and their priest, drove Shannon's 36-year-old wife Jenny to John Peter Smith.
"This is one of the saddest things I've ever seen at the ballpark," said Ryan, who would also describe the fall as "a freak accident." [Dallas Observer]
The city of Brownwood has set up a memorial fund for Stone, a fire department for whom services are pending. If you want to contribute, go here.
David Ortiz is not a strong puncher: Orioles reliever Kevin Gregg got all mouthy with David Ortiz of the Red Sox late in a Boston blowout. So, Ortiz went mound-ward before his pop fly was even caught and threw some haymakers that didn't make much hay. Benches cleared. Order eventually restored. "I think there are some ethics to this game and guidelines that you have to stay within," Gregg said. "Run. You hit a lazy fly ball, you have to run the bases. And apparently, he didn't like me telling him that stuff and he came out there. If he thinks there's something wrong with me saying that, then he has other things he has to check out in this game." [Boston Herald]
Fare thee well, most retiring Yao Ming: "Any athlete who's gone through that much surgery on one single area of the body, it makes it very difficult for them to subject themselves to continued risk of reinjury and the potential for creating a problem that isn't as easily treatable and might not heal," former Houston Rockets team Dr. Tom Clanton said. [Fox 26 Sports]
Serves them right: Let's watch Yankees fans bitch and moan about how rain prevented them from watching Derek Jeter try to hit a white ball twice last night so they could tell people they were there for the 3,000th time he did so. [Star-Ledger]
The NFL Lockout crime wave continues: Hines Ward got arrested on DUI charges overnight in Georgia. [TMZ]
Your Fighting Platypus Interlude:
Lawyers vouch for the Buckeyes: "It's like making a criminal defendant tell the judge to throw the book at him. At this point of the game, you don't want to overpenalize yourself," said Richard Karcher, director of the Center for Law and Sports at Florida Coastal School of Law in Jacksonville. Karcher said Ohio State took the first step to show that it doesn't take the NCAA violations lightly. [Columbus Dispatch]
WVU gets off easy for ever messing around with Rich Rod in the first place: "I am pleased that the committee accepted the self-imposed penalties the university proposed, without imposing any additional ones,'' West Virginia athletic director Oliver Luck said in a statement. "The university has already taken corrective action and put new systems in place to address all the issues raised." [Charleston Gazette]
RIP Neil Dougherty: The former TCU basketball coach died while jogging in Indianapolis. He was 50.
"He picked up jogging at night and did it religiously," North Texas director of basketball operations Jeff Luster said. "He was a good person. The only thing he ever did that was bad was eat dessert before the main meal. It's crazy. He was a good-looking guy who did everything right. I just don't get it." [Star-Telegram]
A guy named Derek Dilday dedicated his very ass to Dirk Nowitzki: "When Dirk lifted the Larry O'Brien and the MVP trophy it was the greatest sports moment of my life. I sports-cried, called a high school friend that does tattoos and have been on a Dallas Mavericks championship high ever since. Now I realize that I will be sitting on a big German man's face for the rest of my life." [Hoop Doctors]
We are all Dave McKenna CL: Here's your daily link to Dave McKenna's brilliant "Cranky Redskins Fan's Guide to Dan Snyder," which we'll be posting until he buys Bleacher Report and turns it into the new worldwide leader in sports journalism and thought.
Your semi-regular world of soccer story collection: As evidenced by the video you hopefully just watched, Mexico used two late goals — the second of which was absolutely fantastic — to defeat Germany in the FIFA Under-17 semifinals. They'll face Uruguay in the championship match tomorrow [Goal].
Noted head-butter Zinedine Zidane will soon become Real Madrid's director of football [Guardian].
A second person has died from injuries sustained when a roof at FC Twente's Grolsch Veste stadium collapsed [Daily Mail].
Midfielder Charlie Adam has moved from Blackpool to Liverpool [Scotsman].
And, the #USMNT will have a chance to avenge their Gold Cup loss to Mexico in a "friendly" match in Philly on Aug. 10 [Fox Soccer].