Project Spurs:  Neal could participate in Goodman-Drew rematch - Gary NealSan Antonio Spurs guard Gary Neal has been no stranger to pro/am basketball this summer.  He's played with Washington D.C.'s Goodman League throughout the summer, including the first Goodman vs. Drew showdown and played for Carmelo Anthony's teaming two separate games.  It appears Neal could be lacing them up again for the Goodman League for a rematch against the Drew League on October 9.  In the first game, Neal's Goodman team won 135-134 in DC, but the game is now moving to Los Angeles.   READ MORE

Project Spurs:  Bonner: Both sides need to make sacrifices - San Antonio Spurs forward Matt Bonner, who is also the Vice President of the NBA Player's Union, talked with Fan 590 in Toronto recently to discuss the recent lockout meetings.  Matt BonnerWhile it seemed the players and owners were close to a deal, it appears that was just a facade by the owners, who according to Bonner, took steps back in their labor discussions.  "There's definitely some discouragement and frustration from the players point of view," Bonner said. "We were willing to put forth the effort and make some compromises and sacrifice, but the owners didn't budge."  Bonner said the two biggest issues are the hard cap and the Basketball Related Income or BRI.  "Both sides need to make sacrifices, we just want a fair deal. They're just trying to stick it to us on both sides," Bonner said. "To me it's not fair, you can't have everything."   READ MORE

Jet's wishes: An extension and a hug - Dallas Mavericks shooting guard Jason Terry, who redeemed any all past playoff failures by capping a remarkable postseason run with stunning bravado in the NBA Finals, wants a contract extension.  Terry is headed into his eighth season with the Mavs and the final year of the six-year extension he signed following the 2006 Finals. The just-turned 34-year-old would like one more to avoid becoming a free agent next summer.  "It’s definitely something that I would love to see happen," Terry said in a phone conversation Tuesday. "Again, it gives me stability, it allows my family to know that next summer we won’t be off moving to somewhere else. So, that would be good for me. Again, the goal is to retire a Maverick. That is the No. 1 priority for me."  The question for Terry is when his agent will be able to start negotiations. All league business ceased when the owners locked out the players on July 1. Terry said he's confident he'll get a deal done that will keep him in Dallas for the remainder of his playing days.   READ MORE

Dirk will wait until January before looking outside NBA - Dirk Nowitzki has had a busy 12 months and because of that he's going to give the NBA every chance to settle its labor dispute with players before committing to play in another league.  Holger Geschwindner, longtime personal coach and close friend to the Mavericks' perennial all-star and MVP of the NBA Finals, said Tuesday that Nowitzki plans on waiting until January before striking any deal with a German or other European club.  January is widely considered the drop-dead month for the NBA having to reach a new collective-bargaining agreement and still being able to conduct a shortened season - presumably 50 games like the one played in 1999, the last and only time the league has lost regular-season games because of a labor dispute.  "Dirk will wait until January,'' Geschwindner said. "If the complete season will be canceled, he has to join a team to stay in shape.''   READ MORE

Staffs of NBA, union to meet Wednesday - A person with knowledge of the plans says staffs from the NBA and players' association will meet Wednesday, without top negotiators from either side.  The two sides will gather without Commissioner David Stern, union executive director Billy Hunter or president Derek Fisher, and the hope is that if the meeting goes well, the leadership would rejoin the talks later in the week.   READ MORE

 

 

 

 

 

Michael Young has 200 hits for sixth time - Rangers designated hitter and super-utility man Michael Young got his 200th hit on Tuesday in Oakland, driving in Josh Hamilton from second on a single to right in the third. It gave the Rangers a 5-0 lead.  Young now has 200 hits for the sixth time in his career. He's the 16th player in major league history with as many as six 200-hit seasons and the third active player (Ichiro Suzuki has 10 and Derek Jeter has 7).   READ MORE

Rangers' pitchers chasing franchise records - With nine games to go, Rangers pitchers have a chance to set a new club record for strikeouts. They went into Tuesday's game with 1,106 strikeouts after setting a new record with 1,181 last season. They are striking out 7.31 batters per nine innings this season as opposed to 7.30 last year.  The Rangers have allowed 11.60 baserunners per nine innings. It would be only the sixth time in club history they have allowed fewer than 12 baserunners per nine innings and the first time since 1983. The lowest was 11.39 baserunners per nine innings in 1981.  Rangers pitchers had a .308 on-base percentage in 1981, the lowest in club history. That was also a strike-shortened season that canceled 57 games. The Rangers have a .309 opponents' on-base percentage this season.   READ MORE

Martinez, Johnson not enough as Astros fall - The Astros' run of solid starting pitching came to an end Tuesday night, and so, too, might have right-hander Bud Norris' season.  Norris lasted only 2 2/3 innings in a 6-4 loss to the Reds at Great American Ball Park, leaving the game with discomfort in his right shoulder. It's unclear whether Norris will be able to make his final scheduled start Sunday against the Rockies.  Reds starter Homer Bailey, who has dominated the Astros in his career, allowed six hits and two runs in seven innings. The Texas native entered the game with a 3-0 record and a 0.86 ERA in three starts against the Astros this year.   READ MORE

Astros lose 101st game against Reds - Bud Norris' forgettable second half might end early.  The Houston right-hander left his start at Cincinnati on Tuesday in the third inning with shoulder problems after giving up three runs in a 6-4 Astros loss.  Norris felt his shoulder catch on a one-strike pitch to Paul Janish with runners on first and second and two outs.  "I might've overextended a little bit," Norris said about his 71st pitch of the game. "It was a little scary. I was trying to get a fastball down and in and it went way up in the middle.  "I'd thrown a lot of pitches. They had a lot of full counts."  Manager Brad Mills wasted no time calling in Lucas Harrell.   READ MORE

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stars take pre-season opener, 6-3, at Montreal - Glen Gulutzan had a pretty solid challenge this week.  Not only did he have to take a large group of players and try to get them on the same page, he had to do it in three days in a foreign place and then get ready for a revved up Bell Centre in Montreal for his first game behind the Stars' bench.  Now, it's only one pre-season hockey game, but you have to give the Stars' new head coach a lot of credit for putting together a very organized effort in a 6-3 win over the Montral Canadiens Tuesday night.   READ MORE

Dallas Stars Start Preseason With 6-3 Win Over Canadiens - Right off the top lets remind ourselves that it is pre-season NHL action.  The stats don't really count, the final result doesn't factor into any kind of playoff race and presumably half the players on the ice for both sides might not even be in the opening night lineup in a matter of a couple of weeks...  That all said though, watching the Dallas Stars beat the Montreal Canadiens by a score of 6-3 was still pretty sweet right?  Six different goal scorers for Dallas...  Brenden Morrow, Adam Pardy, Michael Ryder, Krys Barch, Matt Fraser and Mike Ribeiro.  Right off the bat we were treated to a bit of a different look compared to last season as the Stars started quick with three goals in the first period and were all over the Habs in the first 20 minutes.  Included in those three goals were signs of what's to come under Glen Gulutzan with aggressive forechecking leading to some prime scoring chances.   READ MORE







---Staff and Wire Reports contributed to this story

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