Kamloops native Tyson Gillies, an outfielder entering his second season in the Philadelphia Phillies’ organization, won’t be going to the major league camp this spring. Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports on his blog: “All three of the prospects exchanged for (Cliff) Lee were in big-league camp last spring. But this year, it’ll just be J.C. Ramirez, who is on the 40-man roster. Both (Phillippe) Aumont and Tyson Gillies will be in minor-league camp.” . . . The trio was acquired from the Seattle Mariners a year ago and went to the big camp because management wanted to get a look at them. . . . The Phillies tried to turn Aumont into a starter last season, but they have abandoned that experiment. Wherever he plays this season, Class A Clearwater or Class AA Reading, he’ll be in the bullpen. . . .
Headline at SportsPickle.com: Roger Goodell hoping to purchase new NFL private jet with upcoming Steelers-Ravens fines. . . . There were some amazing stories with the Russian junior hockey team, none moreso than its goaltending. The OHL’s Erie Otters’ roster includes Russian goaltender Ramis Sadikov, who is having a fine season. The Russians, however, didn’t choose him, instead taking Igor Bobkov, who is the backup with the London Knights. And, of course, it was Bobkov who came on in relief to beat Canada in the WJC final. . . . It was Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun who pointed out that at that point Bobkov had beaten only two teams this season — the Peterborough Petes and Canada. . . . By now you are aware that the Russians got booted off their original flight home due to unruly behaviour. As Dwight Perry of the Seattle Times put it: “Tempers apparently flared when Delta only gave them two minutes for boarding.” . . .
If you’re an NFL fan, have you had enough of those CTV promos yet? Thought so. . . . PVRs were made for NFL playoff games. . . . Ron Judd, in the Seattle Times, prior to the upset in Seattle a week ago: “Maybe Matt Hasselbeck will play and won’t fumble, Marcus Trufant won’t get beat deep, and big Russell Okung won’t sprain something. Maybe the Seahawks, shown by some statistical analyses to be the worst NFL team to make the playoffs, can stun the world. Yeah. And the new Congress will restore America, freeway-lane campers will all move to the right, and there won’t be lines at Costco on Saturday morning. Who are you kidding?” . . . On Sunday, it’s the New York Jets of Rex Ryan against Bill Belichick’s New England Patriots. That led to this headline in the New York Post: The Roar vs. The Bore. . . .
Jack Todd, in the Montreal Gazette: “If ever there was a case of addition by subtraction, it was the Canadiens’ decision to dump Maxim Lapierre on New Year’s Eve. Over the past two seasons, Lapierre had contributed 22 points — and he was a minus-21. Lapierre likes to talk, in other words, but he doesn’t back it up — with his play or with his fists. The only pity is that Lapierre wasn’t traded to Irkutsk.” . . . One more from Todd: “Pete Carroll creates a giant mess at USC, bolts to the Seattle Seahawks — then gets a home playoff game with a lousy 7-9 record, while the 10-6 Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the 10-6 New York Giants go home. Then his undeserving Seahawks get by the Saints. Sometimes, there’s no justice.” . . .
When Auburn beat Oregon on Monday to win the Tostitos BCS National Championship Game, the victory was worth US$700,000 to head coach Gene Chizik. He picked up a cool 500G for winning the title and another 200G for what was his 14th victory over the season. . . . Not a bad night’s work. . . . If you watched the game, you heard play-by-play man Brent Musburger say the attempt at the game-winning field goal was “for all the Tostitos.” Len Berman of thatssports.com wonders: “In next year’s Meineke Car Care Bowl, will it be for ‘all the carburetors?’ ” . . . It turns out the Car Car Bowl will be renamed the Belk Bowl, after a chain of department stores, before another game is held. . . .
On the subject of cash, here is ESPN football analyst Tom Jackson, talking about the contract belonging to Chicago Bears defensive end Julius Peppers, who gets a 100G bonus if he makes the Pro Bowl: “I am not arguing with the fact that anybody would take the money if it is offered; I’m wondering why it is offered. Julius Peppers, if I signed a $90-million contract, why would you give me $100,000 to go to the Pro Bowl? With $90 million, I expect you to go to the Pro Bowl.” . . .
The way Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun sees it, the Ottawa Senators will open next season without GM Bryan Murray and head coach Cory Clouston. So who will be running things? “One name to surface — once again — is television’s Pierre McGuire who has been second choice in a number of NHL situations lately,” Simmons writes. “A McGuire-(Dave) Cameron combination is not at all out of the question for next year’s Senators.” . . . Cameron, who coached Canada’s national junior team, is head coach of the Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors, who are owned by Eugene Melnyk, who just happens to own the Senators. . . .
Stephen Ross, the owner of the Miami Dolphins, flew west to chat with Jim Harbaugh, the Stanford Cardinal head coach who then signed with the San Francisco 49ers. Ross then gave Dolphins’ head coach Tony Sparano a new deal. To which Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel responded: “That’s like telling Fish fans, ‘I know you wanted a new iPad for Christmas, but how about this old Etch-a-Sketch instead?’ ” . . . A tweet from Arash Madani of Sportsnet as he was watching the host Phoenix Coyotes beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-1 on Thursday: “Announced attendance 11,205 here at Jobing.com arena. That must include the TV audience & anyone who has said the word ‘Coyote’ today.” . . . We close with a tweet from Steve Martin (yes, that Steve Martin): “Vacation, Day 5, Sardinia: It’s possible to be lonely even when surrounded by adoring fans who pretend not to know who I am.”
Gregg Drinnan is sports editor of The Daily News. Email him at gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca, follow him at twitter.com/gdrinnan, or visit his blog at gdrinnan.blogspot.com. Keeping Score appears Saturdays.
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