Rotoworld: Oregon RB LaMichael James and Oklahoma State WR Justin Blackmon among top 10 players who are being overhyped for the 2012 draft.
SportsTalk: Albert Pujols signs with the Angels and Prince Fielder joins the Tigers. Which team is better now?
The Detroit Red Wings equaled an NHL record with their 20th straight win at home, beating the Philadelphia Flyers 4-3 Sunday night on the strength of Johan Franzen's tiebreaking goal early in the third period.
PBT: Boston's Rajon Rondo continues to be named in trade talks, which is madness. The Celtics guard creates offense and makes everyone around him better, which was evident in Sunday's win over the Bulls.
Arc: Syracuse is among a solid group of No. 1 seeds in our latest tournament projections, but the middle of the pack is much more murky.
Miami coach Al Golden says the worst is behind him, but his headaches figure to continue now that former booster Nevin Shapiro, now in jail, says his involvement with the Hurricanes program will result in stiff penalties.
Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods greeted their Sunday pairing at Pebble Beach with optimism. But the day would end happily only for one.
The United States completed a 5-0 rout of Switzerland in the Davis Cup on Sunday, with 19-year-old Ryan Harrison and John Isner winning closing singles matches.
Zambia has won the African Cup of Nations, beating pre-tournament favorite Ivory Coast 8-7 on penalties in a dramatic final at Stade de l'Amitie.
Tessa Worley of France fought off gusting winds to win a second consecutive World Cup giant slalom Sunday in the Andorran Pyrenees. Overall leader Lindsey Vonn was more than a second behind and finished eighth.
Robins: It’s the Year of the Dragon on the Lunar calendar, and this Chinese influence could extend to it also being the year of the Pekingese on the green carpet at the 136th Westminster Dog Show on Tuesday.
Reuters
CINCINNATI - Working with a fastball that was past its prime, Pedro Martinez made a vintage comeback.
Back on the mound for the first time in almost a year, the right-hander got his 3,000th career strikeout Monday and led the resurgent New York Mets to a 10-4 win over the Cincinnati Reds.
A victory and a little bit of history, too.
“Can’t ask for anything better than that,” manager Willie Randolph said. “He’s amazing. I shouldn’t even be surprised, really. Pedro was superb.”
Martinez (1-0) had major shoulder surgery last Oct. 5. He returned after just four rehabilitation appearances in the minors, leaving some questions about his readiness. The Mets decided to put him on a 75-pitch limit that left him no margin for error to get through five innings and get a win.
Somehow, he managed.
Martinez threw 76 pitches while limiting the Reds to three runs and five hits in five innings. Four of his pitches came on an intentional walk. With two runners aboard in the fifth, Martinez got Adam Dunn — the last batter he’d get to face — to hit into a rally-killing groundout.
Then, he pumped his fist.
“Indescribable,” the three-time Cy Young winner said. “So far, so good. It was good enough. I did what I was supposed to do. I got 75 pitches in. I gave my team an opportunity. I felt I settled down after the first inning and got everything in control again.”
His performance helped the NL East leaders get control of their division again, increasing their lead to five games over Philadelphia. The lead was down to only two games last week, when the allure of adding a pitcher with playoff experience became too much to resist.
Martinez didn’t disappoint.
“That’s Pedro, and he’s going to get better,” catcher Paul Lo Duca said.
Even though the Reds didn’t do much against Martinez, they could see he had a long way to go.
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“He didn’t look like he had his old stuff, and I wouldn’t expect him to,” said first baseman Scott Hatteberg, who was his 2,999th strikeout victim. “He has a long way to go to get back to his old stuff.
“He had just electric stuff, with a 94 mph fastball and sharp, breaking curve. He may get there, but he isn’t close now. It’s obvious he knows how to pitch.”
Martinez fanned Aaron Harang in the second inning to become the 15th pitcher with 3,000 career strikeouts. Boston’s Curt Schilling was the most recent to join the group, getting his 3,000th in August last year.
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Moises Alou had three hits, including a solo homer, and scored three times. David Wright also had three hits, including a two-run homer that put the Mets in position for their fourth straight victory, matching their season high. Carlos Delgado hit a solo home run in the ninth, his 22nd.
Harang (14-4) had been 4-0 in his last five starts, but matched his season high by giving up 10 hits and six runs in 5 2-3 innings.
“I can’t be perfect all the time,” Harang said. “The ball just carried today.”
With his swinging strikeout in the second inning, Harang also became a footnote — No. 3,000 for a 35-year-old pitcher who enjoyed every minute.
Martinez was smiling broadly when he walked into the clubhouse exactly two hours before the scheduled first pitch. He joked with teammates, then headed for his locker to trade his magenta shirt, white slacks and white loafers for a black-and-gray Mets uniform.
SportsTalk: Albert Pujols signs with the Angels and Prince Fielder joins the Tigers. Which team is better now?
HBT: Prince Fielder is gone and Ryan Braun will likely miss a third of the season because of a failed PED test. Can Milwaukee stay in contention until he gets back?
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Zambia has won the African Cup of Nations, beating pre-tournament favorite Ivory Coast 8-7 on penalties in a dramatic final at Stade de l'Amitie.
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