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SportsTalk: Albert Pujols signs with the Angels and Prince Fielder joins the Tigers. Which team is better now?
Ryan Callahan scored for the fifth time in four days and defenseman Ryan McDonagh snapped a second-period tie to lift the New York Rangers to a 3-2 victory over the Washington Capitals on Sunday.
Kobe Bryant hit a baseline jump shot with 4.2 seconds left and the Los Angeles Lakers wrapped up a six-game road trip by holding on to beat the Raptors 94-92 on Sunday, their eighth victory in nine meetings with Toronto
Arc's five up, five down: After No. 11 Michigan State's 58-48 upset of No. 3 Ohio State, you'd be a fool to discount the Spartans' national title chances now.
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.
Golf's dream pairing - Woods and Mickelson - is on the course in the final round at Pebble Beach. Jason Sobel has hole-by-hole reports.
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.
Euro Roundup: First-place Manchester City won 1-0 at Aston Villa on Sunday on Joleon Lescott's goal in the 63rd minute, maintaining its two-point lead over Manchester United in the Premier League.
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.
AP file
PHILADELPHIA - Tug McGraw, the zany relief pitcher who coined the phrase “You Gotta Believe” with the New York Mets and later closed out the Philadelphia Phillies’ only World Series championship, died Monday. He was 59.
McGraw died of brain cancer at the home of his son, country music star Tim McGraw, outside of Nashville, according to Laurie Hawkins, a family spokesperson. He had been battling the disease since March when he underwent surgery for a malignant tumor.
McGraw’s illness came as a shock to fans and friends alike last spring. He was at Phillies’ training camp in Clearwater, Fla., as a special instructor, looking fine and acting as funny as ever. On March 12, he was hospitalized and the tumor was discovered. He later said there had been signs something was wrong. For example, he mistakenly showed up at the ballpark on an off day.
“We lost a part of Mets history tonight,” Mets owner Fred Wilpon said. “Tug was a battler on and off the field. I know he fought the disease with every ounce of energy he had. We’ll all miss him dearly.”
Especially former Phillies teammate and Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt.
“He put up a gallant fight,” Schmidt said. “Publicly, he never let on that he had gotten a raw deal. He was Tug through the entire thing. As he always said, ‘I front-loaded my life, just like my contract.’ His passing is hard to take because his presence meant so much to people around him.”
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“I was real pleased I was able to be with him a little bit the last couple of months,” Boone said from his home in Anaheim, Calif. “All of a sudden it hit and he went real quick, which probably is a blessing.
“I know he got more living out of his 59 years than anybody. What you saw was what Tug was. There was no phoniness at all. He loved people and loved life.”
McGraw participated in the closing ceremonies for Veterans Stadium, which will be demolished next month. During the program, he re-enacted his final pitch of the 1980 World Series, striking out Kansas City’s Willie Wilson for the title.
“It’s a very sad day,” baseball commissioner Bud Selig said in Milwaukee. “He was really a marvelous pitcher and a great baseball personality.”
He popularized the phrase “You Gotta Believe” during the Mets’ 1973 World Championship season and carried the slogan through his illness, vowing he’d be on hand next month to push the button to bring down the Vet.
McGraw was known for charging off the mound, slapping his right hand on his thigh and tapping his chest after a close call.
“Patting his hand on his heart after a guy hits a home run foul, who would do that in the heat of the battle?” said Phillies manager Larry Bowa, who played with McGraw on the 1980 championship team. “But it showed he had no fear. He was loose. That’s how he played the game.”
A left-hander who threw a screwball, McGraw could be a bit of screwball himself.
Once asked whether he preferred to play on a grass field or an artificial surface, he said, “I don’t know. I never smoked any AstroTurf.”
McGraw’s playful personality often overshadowed his talent. He was an outstanding big-game pitcher during his 19-year career.
In 26 postseason games, he had a 2.23 ERA and was 3-3 with eight saves.
McGraw was 96-92 with a 3.14 ERA and 180 saves, and was a two-time All-Star. He made his major league debut with the Mets in 1965 at age 20 and finished with the Phillies in 1984.
After the 1974 season, McGraw was traded by the Mets to Philadelphia in a six-player swap that sent John Stearns to New York. With McGraw, the Phillies won five division titles, two NL pennants and one World Series.
McGraw had 20 saves and a 1.46 ERA in 1980, helping put Philadelphia into the playoffs. After the Phillies got past Houston in a tight NLCS — McGraw pitched in every game of the best-of-five series — they faced the Royals in the World Series.
In addition to his son Tim, McGraw is survived by sons Mark and Matthew McGraw; a daughter, Cari Velardo, and four grandchildren.
Funeral arrangements were not immediately available.
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Ryan Callahan scored for the fifth time in four days and defenseman Ryan McDonagh snapped a second-period tie to lift the New York Rangers to a 3-2 victory over the Washington Capitals on Sunday.
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