Newspaper names Tarlandus Mitchell game MVP

The former Alto Yellowjacket gave up two hits in three innings in Idaho's 3-2 win over Yakima, according to The Idaho Press-Tribune.

Craig Whitaker hitless

The former Panther pitched 1.1 innings, giving up a walk while striking out two in San Jose's 5-1 loss to Modesto, according to Our Sports Central.

Nacogdoches a border town?

An AFP article states Clint Dempsey was raised on a trailer park in a border town, playing with Mexican immigrants. Well, I guess Nacogdoches is close to Louisiana, and there is a good-size Hispanic population, but I don't think it's necessarily Laredo or El Paso.

The Wall Street Journal has a much better article on the former Dragon:

Mr. Dempsey wasn't just liberally firing everything at net. He was efficient, too. The FIFA Castrol Index, which measures the effectiveness of a player's passes and rates the distance from which they shoot, ranked Mr. Dempsey as the second-best player in the entire tournament -- trailing only Brazilian defender Lucio.

So does MLS Talk:

To Clint Dempsey may I say that I apologize to you for being so harsh & overly critical of your play on the field. Your performence in these last three matches have made me believe in you again, but I must admit seeing you break down in tears after recieveing the bronze ball for scoring showed me that you do want to earn your place and caring for the National Team. Good luck in the match against Mexico on August 12th Clint, we need you badly.

Ja'Corey Shepherd helping at-risk kids

The former Panther and many other Rice football players will take part in the Youth Impact Program, according to a story posted on Earth Times.

Steven Hill singles

The former Dragon also scored a run in Springfield's 9-0 win over Tulsa, according to Our Sports Central.

Clint Dempsey thankful to Fulham

Mirror.co.uk has a good story on how playing for Fulham has made him better for the FIFA Cup:

"You never know in football, it's so crazy, but I feel like I'm developing as a player and don't need to move. That's the most important thing.

"Roy Hodgson, Mike Kelly and Ray Lewington have done a great job helping me develop as a player.

"I'm a more complete player now than when I first arrived in England.

Rex Hadnot football camp

Kevin Thomas gets win

The former Central Bulldog gave up just three hits, according to Our Sports Central:

Kevin Thomas (3-3) controlled the tempo on the mound, twirling 5.1 innings of scoreless baseball while limiting the Cougars to just three hits. The sinkerballer struck out three and walked two, lowering his ERA to 3.54 and earning the win with the stifling performance.

Wes Musick gives up run

The former Hudson Hornet gave up an unearned run, two hits and two walks in Tri-City's 2-1 win over Vancouver, according to The News Tribune:

"Musick overthrew a little, but he handled better in the next inning," Ocasio said.

Steven Hill ends homerless drought

The Springfield News-Leader has a full story on Steven Hill snapping his homerless streak in Springfield's 7-5 win over Arkansas:

"I was getting frustrated, but you've got to deal with it," the 24-year-old Texan said. "It's going to happen. Even the best players go through slumps."

Clint Dempsey ready for Brazil

The former Dragon told Yanks Abroad he is anxious to play Brazil:

"Everyone is happy after beating Spain and now we get another chance to play Brazil," Dempsey told YA. "I think we are all looking forward to the next game."

Titans sign Dominique Edison

The former San Augustine Wolf agreed to a four-year deal, according to The Tennessean:

Edison agreed to terms on a four-year deal with the team with rookie minimums of $310,000 (in 2009), $395,000 (in 2010), $480,000 (’11) and $565,000 (in ’12).

Clint Dempsey scores goal in huge upset

The former Dragon scored the U.S.'s second goal in a 2-0 win over Spain, according to The New York Times.

Robert Ray's recovery 'slow'

The former Panther is slowly making progress after being put on the DL, the Blue Jays GM told MLB.com:

"He's been checked out. [But] he's not 100 percent," the GM said. "He's able to throw, but he's not ready to get on a mound."

Chris McClendon finds early success in independent league

The former Panther has signed with the Gateway Grizzlies and picked up his second RBI of the year in their loss to Southern Illinois, according to Our Sports Central.

Clint Dempsey calls goal one of most important in his life

FIFA.com has an excellent story with the former Dragon:

"That goal was something really special for me," Dempsey told FIFA.com about his flying header in the 71st minute in Rustenburg that coupled with Brazil's 3-0 win over Italy sent the Americans through to the semi-finals of a FIFA Confederations Cup for the third time. "I can't say that it was the biggest goal of my international career, but it is definitely a close second. The goal I scored against Ghana in the World Cup [a 2-1 loss] is still the biggest for me. Scoring in a World Cup was always my dream, but the goal here against Egypt is something I will remember with a smile for the rest of my life."

Reggie McNeal settles in at receiver

The Toronto Star has an excellent story on the former Panther and how he's settling in at the receiver position:

"I still think like a quarterback," McNeil admitted. "I go to quarterback meetings, but now I can just focus on one position. I don't have to worry about going here or there and what am I going to be doing today? I know when I'm going to practice I'm lining up here and I know what I've got to do. That takes a huge load off my mind. At the same time I still know what the quarterback's thinking and what he's looking at."

Craig Whitaker gives up hit

The former Panther pitched a scoreless ninth inning in San Jose's 8-2 win over Stockton, according to The Raw Feed.

Clint Dempsey scores a goooooooooooooooooallllllll!

The former Dragon kept the U.S. alive in a 3-0 win over Egypt, according to a story posted on Guardian.co:

"I wasn't aware there was a possibility of getting through," Dempsey told a media conference after scoring the third and decisive goal for his team, who inched through ahead of the Italians on the number of goals scored.
"It was only after the coach mentioned it to us. We really just wanted to end on a good note."

Clint Dempsey speaks up after loss

The former Dragon told Yanks Abroad about how tough it is to come back from a multiple-goal deficit:

"It's tough to come back against teams like Italy and Brazil. It's a difficult situation to be put in so early," said a frustrated Dempsey to YA following the defeat. "Once they got two goals up, they kept the ball and were passing it around. We were chasing the whole match."

Corey Jones named to all-academic team

The former Diboll Lumberjack made the Southland Conference all-academic team, according to NewOrleans.com.

QB praises Jermichael Finley

The former Diboll Lumberjack received rave reviews from Aaron Rodgers, according to The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel:

"Yesterday he made two really impressive catches for touchdowns," said Rodgers. "He's a guy who has all the physical tools you could want - speed, athleticism, hands. Mentally he's just got to understand what we're trying to do on offense and make the right plays and not make any mental mistakes. And if he does that, you can't help but want to give him the ball."

Trajinski Grigsby tries out for ABA

The former Dragon tried out for the Dallas Generals, according to Our Sports Central.

Steven Hill breaks tie

The former Dragon had a two-run double in Springfield's 4-3 win over Arkansas, according to Our Sports Central.

Brandon Belt has game-tying hit

The former Hudson Hornet drove in two runs with the hit in Texas' 11-4 win over Southern Miss, according to The Sports Network.

Craig Whitaker pitches perfect inning

The former Panther had no strikeouts in San Jose's 7-4 loss to Visalia, according to Our Sports Central.

Jermichael Finley hits two homers

The former Diboll Lumberjack participated in a charity softball game, according to Packer Report.

Wes Musick gets assignment

The former Hudson Hornet will be a Tri Cities Dust Devil, according to Our Sports Central.

Brandon Belt gets punked

The former Hudson Hornet was the victim of a Chance Ruffin prank, according to the Austin American-Statesman:

Brandon Belt was especially affected. Ruffin somehow got a key to Belt's room, went upstairs and hid in the closet. When Belt arrived, Ruffin opened the closet door a time or two, making it creak.

Eventually he jumped out.

"I remember Belt had a bat in his hand," Ruffin laughed. "I was like, 'Whoa, whoa!' "

Steven Hill an all-star

The former Dragon will be a reserve in the Texas League All-Star Game, according to Our Sports Central.

Rex Hadnot saves team from night practice

The former Panther caught a punt, so the Browns didn't have to practice at night, according to CantonRep.com:

Hadnot cleanly caught the next pressure-cooker punt. Minicamp was over.

A huge roar went up. Players from both sides of the ball sprinted to swarm the big guard.

Jermichael Finley playing in charity softball game

The former Diboll Lumberjack will play in Donald Driver's charity game, according to Scout.com.

Damion James returning to Texas

The former Dragon will be back in Austin for his senior year, according to a story posted on Time of the Internet:

"This process has been a great learning experience," James said in a statement. "I've been able to get a much better understanding of how the NBA works and what they are looking for from me. That will definitely help when I go through this process again next year."

Kevin Thomas gives up two runs

The former Central Bulldog went five innings, giving up two runs and four hits while striking out three in Quad Cities' 5-0 loss to Manaurys, according to Our Sports Central.

Giants draft Brandon Belt

The former Hudson Hornet was selected in the fifth round, according to The Lufkin Daily News:

Belt is one major reason the Longhorns are making the first trip back to the College World Series since 2005. He leads the team in batting average (.336), hits (71), doubles (17), triples (3), homers (8), runs (46), stolen bases (14), slugging percentage (.559) and on-base average (.436). He is also tied for the team lead in RBI with 40.

Rockies draft Wes Musick

The former Hudson Hornet was selected in the ninth round, according to Coog Crew Dustin:

Wes Musick was the next Cougar to get the phone call, with a 9th round selection (271st overall) by the Colorado Rockies. As a fourth-year junior, Musick is something of an enigma. If he were draft eligible after his redshirt freshman year, he would've been a sure-fire top-5 round draft pick. But he regressed in 2008, was drafted by the Giants, but came back to school to try and improve upon his draft status. Despite another rocky (ha!) season, Musick's still got the left-handed arm to go this high. I'd be quite surprised if Wes is back. Congrats, and thanks for a productive career, Wes.

Craig Whitaker throws shutout inning

The former Panther threw one inning, giving up a walk and striking out one, according to Our Sports Central.

Mother inspires Raymond Harris

The former Dragon has been more inspired since his mother survived a gangrene infection, according to Texas Sports:

But, Harris had a tough transition to collegiate competition and he was struggling to find his niche. Then, in the winter of his sophomore season, Harris found out that his mother's appendix had burst without her knowing and gangrene had set in, leaving to question whether or not she'd survive. Fortunately, she did and Harris has used her inspiration ever since. Since that time, he's been more focused on high jumping and the result, two All-America honors, one at last year's outdoor meet and one indoors earlier this season, and a Big 12 Indoor Championship.

Reggie McNeal happy with playing receiver

The former Panther tells The Toronto Sun his best shot is to stay at wide receiver, rather than move to quarterback:

"I'm comfortable," McNeal said. "It makes the job easier because now I have to concentrate on one thing. If I want to be on the field, this is my best shot."

But doesn't McNeal pine for the attention that comes with being a quarterback?

"I get jealous," McNeal said with a laugh. "They don't have to do the running, they get to sit back in the pocket and look good. They also get most of the blame, too."

Brandon Belt triples

The former Hudson Hornet cleared the bases with his three-bagger in the first inning in Texas' 5-2 over TCU for a World Series berth, according to The Houston Chronicle.

Jermichael Finley playing softball

The former Diboll Lumberjack will take part in a charity game, with the Green Bay offense against the Green Bay defense, according to postcrescent.com.

Brandon Belt strikes out three times

The Austin American-Statesman quotes the former Hudson Hornet following Texas' 3-2 loss to TCU:

"I have no idea (what happened)," Texas first baseman Brandon Belt said of his team's anemic offense. "I kept getting the same pitch over and over again and I couldn't hit it. I'm confident in my abilities, and I'm confident in my team's ability. So I think coming back tomorrow that I'll be OK. We've got to be able to reset and not think about today."

The Daily Texan had an excellent story on Belt leading up to the super-regional:

In the middle of his dominant senior season as the ace of Hudson High School, a small school in East Texas, something changed for Belt. His velocity dropped below 90 mph. As his fastball’s speed dipped so did his draft status.

“I had a chance to do really good, and go really high, but my velocity wasn’t as high as it once was, and I kind of slipped,” Belt said.

Craig Whitaker perfect

The former Panther struck out two in one inning of work in San Jose's 9-3 win over Bakersfield, according to The Raw Feed.

Jermichael Finley shenanigans continue

At mini-camp, the former Diboll Lumberjack slapped a teammate "upside the head" and has been told to watch his tweets, according to The Green Bay Press Gazette:

“It was probably when he had the rough go of it about the middle of the season with some of those throws and trying to figure some things out,” McAdoo said when asked when things clicked for Finley.

“He just hadn’t played a lot of football. But the encouraging thing is that didn’t discourage him as a player and as a person. We talked a lot about not letting your performance on the field define how you work and who you are, and he really started to improve.”

Steven Hill doubles

From the Springfield News-Leader:

Hill entered the game hitting .048 in the last 10 games but broke out of his slump with a double down the left-field line to score Tony Cruz. Smith followed with a hard single up the middle to score Hill and put the game out of reach.

Damion James impresses physically

The former Dragon had the second-fastest time in the 3/4-court sprint and the seventh-highest vertical leap at the NBA combine, according to Burnt Orange Nation.

Craig Whitaker gives up three runs

The former Panther pitched 1.2 innings and gave up five hits, three runs and three walks while striking out one in San Jose's 16-7 loss to Stockton, according to The Raw Feed.

Reggie McNeal to start at receiver

The former Panther is listed as a quarterback but will start the season at wide receiver for Toronto, according to The Toronto Sun.

Police arrest McKinner Dixon

The former Panther was arrested Sunday morning for having no insurance and an open container, according to The Daily Sentinel.