Post by buwu on Dec 21, 2012 6:45:05 GMT -5
OAKLAND, Calif. Paul Hornung Jersey . -- Oakland Athletics pitcher Brandon McCarthy was in stable condition in the critical care unit of a Bay Area hospital on Thursday, a day after having surgery for a skull fracture and brain contusion caused by a line drive. McCarthy was hit in the right side of the head Wednesday by a line drive off the bat of Erick Aybar of the Los Angeles Angels. He was knocked down by the shot and hit his head on the ground. The 29-year-old McCarthy eventually walked off the field under his own power and was taken to the hospital for further tests and observation. A CT scan after the accident showed McCarthy had an epidural hemorrhage, brain contusion and skull fracture. McCarthy was transferred to another hospital and had a second CT scan. He then underwent two hours of surgery Wednesday night to relieve pressure in his head. A CT scan taken Thursday showed improvement from the previous scans and McCarthy is currently resting in the hospital. The As did not give a timetable for how long McCarthy will be out. "Our first concern is Brandons health, and we are heartened to learn he has shown progress in his recovery after surgery," general manager Billy Beane said. "We are glad to report he is stable, awake and alert. The team will provide further updates as they become available in the coming days. ... Brandon remains in everyones thoughts as we wish him a speedy recovery." The As travelled to Seattle on Thursday where they will begin a three-game series on Friday against the Mariners. Oakland went into the day tied for the AL wild-card lead with Baltimore after being swept in a three-game series against the Angels. McCarthy is 8-6 with a 3.24 ERA in 18 starts. The As also announced on Thursday that third baseman Brandon Inge was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right shoulder. Inge will have season-ending surgery on the shoulder. Randall Cobb Camo Jersey . Mattia Destro scored twice for the hosts, in the 25th and 57th minutes, and Gaetano DAgostino made it 3-0 in the 61st before Davide Moscardelli pulled one back for Chievo in the 75th. Clay Matthews Black Jersey . TSN 1290s coverage begins with Hustler and Lawless live from the front concourse of MTS Centre at 4pm ct. Rick Ralph hosts the official Jets pregame show at 6:30pm ct. www.greenbaypackersgears.com/jordy-nelson-jersey/ . Marcin Gortat had 16 points, 16 rebounds and three blocked shots and the Phoenix Suns held off a late Detroit rally to beat the Pistons 92-89 on Friday night for their first victory of the young season. Josh Sitton Jersey . The three-time Olympic medallist in trampoline has mentored teammate Rosannagh MacLennan to the point where the newcomer is on a world level with Cockburn. Brett Favre Packers Jersey . Durant scored 18 of his 36 points in a scintillating final 7 minutes, Serge Ibaka added a career-high 26 points and the Thunder evened the series at two games apiece by beating the San Antonio Spurs 109-103 Saturday night.SAN ANTONIO - Tony Parker has found balance in his role as a scoring point guard. Two more wins, and the San Antonio Spurs will find themselves playing for another NBA championship. Parker had 34 points and eight assists, Manu Ginobili added 20 points and the Spurs stayed perfect in the playoffs with a 120-111 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals Tuesday night. The Spurs set an NBA record with their 20th consecutive victory bridging the regular season and the playoffs. They came in sharing the longest such streak with the 2000-01 Lakers, who won 19 straight before losing to Philadelphia in the first game of the finals. Those Lakers went on to win the championship and Parkers performance is yet another reason to think the Spurs will do the same. Guided by their All-Star point guard, San Antonio shredded Oklahoma Citys defence with pinpoint passes for three quarters. The Spurs were shooting 63 per cent from the field and 64 per cent from 3-point range at one point in the third quarter and stretched the lead to 22 points in the second half. Parker went 16 for 21 from the field, including a 3-pointer. "Tonys been great all year," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "Hes been really focused the entire season." Parker had his highest scoring average since 2008-09 (18.3 points), but he also averaged 7.7 assists in the regular season, a career high. In his 11th season, Parker finally feels comfortable knowing when his demanding coach wants him to pass and when to shoot. "Its always been a battle my whole career," Parker said, "when youre a scoring point guard and Pop wants you to score, then he wants you to pass, and he wants you to score, and he wants you to pass. You go back and forth. "Its always been the biggest room for me to improve, to find a happy middle between scoring and passing, and find that good balance," Parker said. "I think, over the years, I got better at it." The Thunder made a late surge to get within six points, but Parker, Ginobili and Tim Duncan helped San Antonio finish off the Thunder for a 2-0 lead heading into Game 3 Thursday night in Oklahoma City. "First, weve got to worry about Game 3," Thunder guard Russell Westbrook said. "Regardless of whats going on with this last game or the next game, weve got to worry about Game 3 and come in with the same mindset and try to get a win." Kevin Durant had 31 points, Westbrook had 27 points and eight assists and James Harden rebounded from a rough Game 1 to score 30 for the Thunder, who have lost two straight for the first time since early April. Oklahoma City dropped to 15-4 in games after losses this season. "There are no moral victories for us," Durant said. "We were down. We dug ourselves a hole. We did what we normally do, which is fight all game, and we lost." San Antonio picked up where it left off from the 39-point fourth quarter that turned Game 1 on Sunday. With sharp passes and hot shooting, the Spurs jumped to a 19-9 lead after the Thunder missed six of their first seven shots and had three turnovers in the first 4 minutes. The Spurs shot 52 per cent (12 for 23) in the openiing quarter and led 28-22. Mason Crosby Elite Jersey. Durant was on the bench at the start of the second quarter, and Parker and the Spurs put together a 14-4 spurt to stretch the gap to 13 points. Westbrook hammered Parkers arm on a drive and he crumpled to the court. That didnt faze Parker, who scored the Spurs next seven points to keep San Antonio rolling. The Spurs shot 58 per cent (22 of 38) and had 13 assists in the first half. They also cut down their turnovers, committing only six in the first half after giving away 14 in the first two quarters of Game 1. "You never go out and say, Were going to start out fast," Popovich said. "You dont know what is going to happen. You just want your team to be aggressive. Good teams are aggressive and it is, its a matter of making shots or not making shots." The Spurs resumed picking apart Oklahoma Citys defence with precision passes after the break, scoring on five straight possessions. The biggest cheer from the crowd came after Ginobili flipped a behind-the-back pass to Parker in the corner for another 3 and the lead ballooned to 78-58. Late in the third quarter, the Thunder began intentionally fouling Tiago Splitter, a 32 per cent free-throw shooter during the playoffs. That backfired, too. Splitter went 5 for 10 over a 54-second span before Popovich replaced him with Duncan, and Oklahoma City trailed by the same margin ¡ª 16 ¡ª that it did when Brooks called for the "Hack-a-Splitter" strategy. It may not have showed on the scoreboard, but the Spurs seemed to lose their edge after that. "Theres a reason why you do it, to kill the rhythm," Parker said. "I think it got us out of our rhythm." Parker returned with 10:58 left and San Antonio leading 92-78, but he was shaky on offence for the first time. Gary Neal promptly curled around a screen and swished a 3-pointer, the Spurs 10th of the game. Parker, Ginobili and Duncan were on the court together at the 8-minute mark, after the Thunder cut the deficit to eight. Ginobilis floater in the lane was only the Spurs third field goal of the fourth quarter and put San Antonio up 99-89. The Thunder had the deficit down to six with just over 5 minutes remaining. The Spurs missed 12 of 15 shots during one stretch, but Parker hit an off-balance, high-arcing jumper with 3:39 left for a 107-96 lead and San Antonio controlled the game from there. At least now, the Thunder get to return home, where they are 5-0 in the playoffs. But only 14 teams in NBA playoff history have overcome 2-0 deficits to win series, and the Spurs show no signs of letting the Thunder back in it. Notes: The Spurs winning streak is the longest in the NBA overall since the Houston Rockets won 22 straight between Jan. 29-March 18, 2008, all in the regular season. ... The Thunder are the first team to reach 100 points against San Antonio in the post-season. ... Kawhi Leonard scored 18 points, including three 3-pointers for the Spurs. ... Duncan blocked four shots to tie Hakeem Olajuwon for second in career blocks in the post-season (472). Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the leader (476). ... Oklahoma Citys Derek Fisher went 2 for 11 from the field after scoring 13 points in Game 1. ' ' '