Archive - Aug 2012 - Sports Article
PAWTUCKET â Believe it or not, pitchers do gain velocity as the season deepens. In the case of Josh Fields, the spike in the right-handerâs radar gun readings have proven most dramatic â not to mention raise eyebrows.
These days a fixture in Pawtucketâs bullpen, Fields generally sits at 93-95 miles per hour with his fastball occasionally touching 96 mph.
August 29th
NEW BRITAIN, Conn. â Thereâs a certain aura that surrounds those lauded as top prospects in the Red Sox farm system, and it only intensifies the higher they progress through the system.
August 28th
WOONSOCKET â Having called Providence home for half of his life, Andre Soukhamthath is no stranger to attending events at the Dunkinâ Donuts Center.
Heâs seen concerts, pro wrestling events, and Providence College basketball games there. And on Oct. 6, he will be at The Dunk for the arenaâs first mixed martial arts show.
But instead of attending the show, Soukhamthath will be the show and fight on the undercard of Classic Entertainment & Sports, Inc.âs âReal Painâ show at the well-known Providence arena.
August 27th
His tenure with the Pawtucket Red Sox may have ended in a less-than-desirable fashion, yet make no mistake: Mark Prior remains as determined as ever to refute the industry bias surrounding him by pitching again in a major-league setting.
August 25th
CUMBERLAND -- When Ray Sikorowicz and his family drove from their Lincoln residence to Camp Ker Anna for the âYoâ Raymond Memorial 5K early Saturday morning, the 45-year-old veteran runner had two modest goals in mind â run a time that was in the low-18 minute range and compete for the top spot in his 40-49 age division.
Sikorowicz was able to accomplish both of those goals, as well as do something that in his wildest dreams he could not have envisioned â win the sixth annual race.
August 24th
WOONSOCKET â The time of the year has changed and so has the location, but the YMCA Race Against Racism 5K is coming back to Woonsocket for a second running and looking to improve on its success from a year ago.
Last yearâs event became the first road race in nearly two decades to hit the streets of Woonsocket. Held on a sunny April 10 at River Island Park, over 200 people signed up for the race and 181 finished it.
August 22nd
Starting Thursday, a series of chess matches will break out on high school football fields across the state.
By definition, scrimmages are akin to shifting pieces around on a square board. Some moves work while others produce less-than-desirable results. Regardless of what transpires during these low-pressure yet highly valuable tussles on the gridiron, coaches understand that the time has come to embark on the next phase of preseason camp following a period of steadily bringing the unit along.
PROVIDENCE â Monday saw the R.I. Interscholastic League Principalsâ Committee on Athletics officially welcome St. Patrickâs School of Providence into the fold for boysâ and girlsâ basketball, along with boysâ volleyball.
August 21st
BOSTON â Thereâs bringing a player up to speed after heâs been out for a lengthy stretch due to injury. Then thereâs the term that Angels manager Mike Scioscia used in describing the heightened state of urgency Chris Iannetta finds himself in after missing 2 1/2 months with a broken bone in his right hand.
âYou can study and simulate stuff all you want, but when you get behind the plate, youâre like that jockey on a saddle,â Scioscia explained prior to Tuesdayâs Red Sox-Angels game at Fenway Park. âThatâs the feeling you need and thatâs where Chris needs the time in order to come together.â
August 19th
PAWTUCKET â If the Washington Nationalsâ decision to pose an innings limit on ace pitcher Stephen Strasburg was debated and haggled over in a court of law, itâs quite possible the rendering would be a hung jury.
Such a case involving a high-profile player and a playoff-starved franchise that has October baseball in its sights poses a provoking conundrum that can be argued and debated from both sides of the equation.
On one hand, Washington can be viewed as looking to protect the investment they have in Strasburg, a star at age 24 who underwent Tommy John surgery nearly two years ago.
