For people who drive standard or have at least tried to learn, the most difficult part of the learning process is getting moving in first gear without stalling.  Shifting from first to second is also tough but once you can do that, you can do the rest.  David Ortiz’s 2009 season follows a similar start.  [...]

Red Sox manager Terry Francona revealed yesterday that John Smoltz will pitch for the big league team next week while Brad Penny and Daisuke Matsuzaka stay with the club. How is this possible? The team will go with a “six-man rotation” for the time being.
This writer calls shenanigans on this six-man rotation. [...]

Three members of the Bruins organization took home the jackpot at the NHL Awards in Las Vegas on Thursday.
Bruins goalie Tim Thomas won the Vezina Trophy (top goaltender), defenseman Zdeno Chara was awarded the Norris Trophy (top defenseman), and Bruins coach Claude Julien was honored with the Jack Adams Award (top coach).
“It’s always a great [...]

Red Sox righthanded pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka will miss at least his next start in the rotation, manager terry Francona said Saturday. Medical tests including a possible MRI and he will be evaluated throughout the week.
“We need to get him looked at physically,” said Francona. “He’s gonna get looked at by (Red Sox physician) Tom Gill. [...]

After picking fireballer Stephen Strasburg out of San Diego State with the first overall pick in last week’s Major League Baseball amateur draft, the Washington Nationals have more reason not to rush him to the majors or in any other way try to win more games this season: getting the top pick in the 2010 [...]

The Los Angeles Lakers won their 15th franchise championship on Sunday night, defeating the Orlando Magic, 99-86, in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.
Finals MVP Kobe Bryant, who won his fourth NBA title, had 30 points in Game 5 and averaged 32.4 points in the series.
“It felt so good to be able to have [...]

After falling behind 3-1 on Thursday night, the Red Sox rallied for a 4-3 win against the visiting Yankees. With the win, the Sox swept the series and improved to 8-0 against New York this season.
David Ortiz homered twice during the series and has brought his average back up over the Mendoza Line.
“Man, [...]

43-year-old pitcher Tom Glavine, who was coming back from shoulder and elbow surgery, was released from the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday. He is the most winningest active pitcher in the majors with 305 career wins in the big leagues, the majority of which was spent with the Braves.
Glavine threw six scoreless innings in a rehab [...]

Yankees starting pitcher A.J. Burnett has been suspended for six games and fined an undisclosed amount for intentionally throwing a pitch near the head of Nelson Cruz during a June 2 game against the Texas Rangers.
Burnett, who was expected to pitch against the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday, will appeal the suspension. There’s no [...]

He hasn’t played in the majors since 2007, but Sammy Sosa still felt it necessary to announce that he will officially announce his retirement soon.
Here are some excerpts from his ESPN Deportes interview on Wednesday.
“Everything I achieved, I did it thanks to my perseverance, which is why I never had any long, difficult moments [as [...]

The Detroit Red Wings took a 3-1 win on Sunday night at Joe Louis Arena, giving the defending Stanley Cup champions a 2-0 series lead over the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Wings, who were without stars Pavel Datsyuk and Kris Draper,  hope to capture their fifth title in twelve seasons.
Pittsburgh’s Evgeni Malkin scored on a power [...]

Red Sox pitcher John Smoltz pitched five innings with Low-A Greenville on Sunday. He allowed one run on four hits, walked none and striking out six. He threw 73 pitches, 52 of them strikes.
Smoltz plans to make two more rehab starts, this time with Triple A Pawtucket, before joining the Sox rotation in mid-June. If [...]

A spokesman for the Orlando Magic  said Sunday that All-Star point guard Jameer Nelson may return to the lineup for the NBA finals., which begin Thursday night in Los Angeles.
Joel Glass said Nelson’s shoulder rehabilitation, which has sidelined him since February, has been moving forward ahead of schedule but his status is still uncertain for [...]

Four-time defending champion Rafael Nadal, the No. 1 seed at the 2009 French Open, fell to No. 23 Robin Soderling 6-2, 6-7 (2), 6-4, 7-6 (2) on Sunday.