Atlanta, GA–The Colorado Rockies sure missed the bats of Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez last night in Atlanta. The Rockies fell to the Braves, 5 to 3.The Rockies send winless Aaron Cook to the mound tonight to face one of the best in pitchers in the game in righthander Jair Jurrjens. Jurrjens is looking to become the National League’s first 12 game winner.
Elsewhere in sports…
DURBAN, South Africa (AP) – The South Korean city of Pyeongchang
has been awarded the 2018 Winter Olympics after failing in two
previous attempts. Pyeongchang defeated rivals Munich and Annecy, France, on Wednesday in the first round of a secret ballot of the
International Olympic Committee. The Koreans had lost narrowly in previous bids for the 2010 and 2014 Olympics. Pyeongchang will be the first city in Asia outside Japan to host the Winter Games. Japan held the games in Sapporo in 1972 and Nagano in 1998.
WASHINGTON (AP) – Roger Clemens, one of the most imposing and
accomplished pitchers in baseball history, is going on trial
Wednesday to fight allegations that he used drugs to enhance his
power on the mound. Like other players who have been indicted in baseball’s steroids era, Clemens has not been charged with drug crimes but instead is
accused of lying about drug use. Clemens told a House committee
under oath in 2008 that he never used performance-enhancing drugs
during a standout 23-season career in which he won a record seven
Cy Young Awards as his league’s top pitcher.
NEW YORK (AP) – Lawyers for the NFL and the players’ association
are again sorting out contract language and details that could
speed the process in reaching a new collective bargaining
agreement. A person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated
Press that attorneys began meeting for a second straight day
Wednesday at a Manhattan law firm’s headquarters.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because a judge has
directed that details of the court-ordered mediated negotiations
not be disclosed. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and NFLPA chief DeMaurice Smith are expected to return to the negotiations Thursday, along with several owners and players.
INVERNESS, Scotland (AP) – Thomas Levet’s (leh-VAYZ’) exuberant
celebration after winning his home tournament in France last
weekend has cost him a place in the British Open.
Levet withdrew Wednesday from the year’s third major after being
ruled out for six weeks with a broken shin. He broke the bone when
jumping into a lake to celebrate his victory at the French Open on
Sunday. His spot will go to American Robert Garrigus (GEHR’-ih-guhs).
The 42-year-old Levet says he’s “extremely disappointed to miss
out on the Open Championship.” His specialist has advised him “to
have an operation on the fracture.” Colin Montgomerie called jumping into greenside lakes a silly celebration that players have done over the years.
