If you haven’t yet watched outfielder Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels, you should. Joe Girardi, the New York Yankees’ manager, said it all about the 20-year-old rookie when he told The Associated Press: “Most guys don’t hit triples down the left-field line.” . . . Sean Payton, the suspended head coach of the NFL’s New Orleans Saints, and his wife, Beth, both have filed for divorce. “Wonder if she couldn’t face the idea of him being around the house for a year,” wonders the Left Coast Sports Babe. . . . Meanwhile, Robert Kraft, the owner of the New England Patriots, and actress Ricki Noel Lander are said to be an item. . . . He’s 71. She’s 32. . . .
Going into last night’s game, Buck Pierce, the starting quarterback for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, had opened 57 CFL games. In 21 of those, he had to leave due to injury. . . . Here’s one from R.J. Currie, over at SportsDeke.com: “CFL referee Andre Proulx suffered a mild heart attack. Three possible causes: 3. Ricky Ray in an Argos uniform; 2. He got a raise; 1. Rod Black pronounced his name correctly.” . . . Headline at SportsPickle.com: Tiger Woods sets PGA record for most times back in a single season. . . .
Forward Olli Jokinen signed a two-year, US$9-million contract with the Winnipeg Jets. As Rob Vanstone of the Regina Leader-Post points out: “Something is seriously wrong with this picture: Jokinen’s average annual salary of $4.5 million exceeds the payroll of each CFL team. The CFL’s salary cap is $4.35 million per team.” . . . Scott Ostler, in the San Francisco Chronicle: “I tried to watch women’s tennis from Wimbledon but got worn out jumping off my couch every three seconds to see if someone was stealing my car.” . . . Ostler, again: “Guess I go to dull parties. I never get stabbed.” . . .
In case you missed the happy couple’s photo in these pages last week, Molly and Andy Clovechok have celebrated 65 years of wedded bliss. Congrats to one of our city’s finest couples. . . . And it’s been all bliss. Right, Molly? . . . Outfielder Tyson Gillies of Kamoops, who had been on the Class AA Reading Phillies’ disabled list with a concussion after being injured on May 26, played a couple of games with the Lakewood BlueClaws, a Low-A team. He was 2-for-3 with two runs on Wednesday. . . . What that meant is that Gillies, for two games, was teammates with pitcher Colin Kleven of Kamloops, who is 4-6 with a 4.68 ERA in 17 starts with the BlueClaws. . . . With the Eastern League’s all-star break now over, Gillies has rejoined the R-Phils and should play today or Sunday. . . .
Pitcher Denver Wynn of Kamloops now is with the Western Major Baseball League’s Regina Red Sox after things didn’t work out with the Frontier League’s London Rippers. He began the season with the TRU WolfPack. . . . Wynn threw a complete-game four-hitter, beating the visiting Yorkton Cardinals a week ago. Most impressive was the game time of two hours 18 minutes. Yes, it was a nine-inning game. . . . Former TSN sportscaster Paul Romanuk has lived in London for the last seven years. Prior to Sunday’s Wimbledon final, he tweeted: “Good luck to (Andy) Murray — British to the English if he wins, a Scot if he loses.” . . .
Dwight Perry, in the Seattle Times: “The Vatican is reportedly $19 million in the red. David Stern immediately offered to make it an honorary NBA franchise.” . . . Left-hander Jamie Moyer, who is looking for work, is 49 years of age. “Moyer is so old,” writes Greg Cote of the Miami Herald, “he remembers when ’roids meant hemorrhoids.” . . . Mike Lupica, in the New York Daily News: “You look at the money being thrown (around) in the NBA, especially by teams WITH money, and wonder all over again what the lockout actually, you know, accomplished.” . . . He could have been writing about the NHL, which is on the brink of its second work stoppage in eight years. . . .
LeBron James has had more than his share of critics since The Decision. “If I’m in LeBron James’ shoes,” notes Dan LeBatard of the Miami Herald, “I’m going to have a hard time not putting that championship ring on my middle finger.” . . . Jarret Stoll of the Los Angeles Kings, having left Rachel Hunter at the altar and then taken a spin with Katie Cassidy, David’s daughter, now apparently is an item with Paulina Gretzky. . . . The statistics? He’s 30. She’s 23. . . . “Scientists at the University of California, Davis, say they’ve solved the genetic mystery behind bad-tasting tomatoes,” writes Ron Judd of the Seattle Times. “Does this mean they are now free to finally do something about Brussels sprouts?”
(Gregg Drinnan is sports editor of The Daily News. He is at gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca, gdrinnan.blogspot.com and twitter.com/gdrinnan. Keeping Score appears Saturdays, except when it doesn’t.)
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