Sharapova slams Williams off court

Written by Fox Sports on . Posted in Sports

LONDON –  Maria Sharapova took quite a shot at Serena Williams -- and it had nothing to do with tennis.

At her pre-Wimbledon news conference Saturday, Sharapova slammed Williams for the tennis star's controversial remarks regarding a high-profile rape case and told her to keep her opinions to herself when asked about a recent interview Williams gave Rolling Stone.

"I was definitely sad to hear what she had to say about the whole case," Sharapova said according to a report by the Times of India.  "If she wants to talk about something personal, maybe she should talk about her relationship and her boyfriend that was married and is getting a divorce and has kids," Sharapova said, who was defeated by Williams in the French Open final earlier this month.

In the article, the author also surmised that critical comments directed at an unnamed player by Williams were referring to Sharapova.

Williams apologized in a statement released through her agent on Wednesday.  ''I am currently reaching out to the girl's family to let her know that I am deeply sorry for what was written in the Rolling Stone article,'' the statement said. ''What was written -- what I supposedly said -- is insensitive and hurtful, and I by no means would say or insinuate that she was at all to blame.''

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The Bruins have their work cut out now

Written by Fox Sports on . Posted in Sports

Life got a little tougher for the Boston Bruins Saturday night with a loss to the Chicago Blackhawks.  Going into game six with a three game lead, the Hawks will be out for blood.  It is now do or die for the Black and Gold.

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Chicago, IL –  Patrick Kane scored a pair of goals and the Chicago Blackhawks grabbed the series lead in a 3-1 victory over the Boston Bruins in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals from United Center.

Kane scored a goal in the first and second period, while Corey Crawford stopped 23 shots to give the Blackhawks a 3-2 lead in this best-of-seven series. Dave Bolland wrapped up the win with an empty-netter in the final moments.

Chicago can wrap up its second Cup championship in four years on Monday as Game 6 will be played at TD Garden in Boston.

Zdeno Chara scored the lone goal for the Bruins, who played half of the second period and all of the third without Patrice Bergeron. The forward left the game with an undisclosed injury and was taken to a local hospital for observation...

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Red Sox dominate Astros

Written by Fox News on . Posted in Sports

Houston ace Bud Norris tries to avoid a four-game sweep on Sunday when the Astros visit Fenway Park for the finale of a weekend series with the Boston Red Sox.

The hosts won their third straight over Houston on Saturday, when Felix Doubront pitched into the seventh inning and David Ortiz continued his prolific start to the season at the plate by driving in three runs in an 8-4 Boston triumph.

Doubront (3-0) gave up four hits and three runs over 6 2/3 innings. The Venezuelan lefty also walked four batters and had eight strikeouts.

Ortiz, who went 2-for-3, has a 19-game hitting streak going back to last season. That is tied for his career-best (July 17 - Aug. 6, 2002 with Minnesota). Ortiz, who was sidelined at the start of this season due to a right Achilles injury, is hitting .519 so far in 2013.

Jacoby Ellsbury hit a two-run single as the Red Sox won their fourth in a row.

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Duke comes back strong after Miami Blowout

Written by Starla M. Brown on . Posted in Sports

After Miami gave #1 Duke a blowout game and defeated the Blue Devils 90-63 in what was a shocking upset, Duke comes back strong today defeating Maryland.

 

In familiar Blue Devil's style Maryland lost 84-64 with Duke proving once again they are number one in college basketball.  The Terrapins are 15-5 and 3-4 in the ACC.

 

Sulaimon lead the Blue Devils with 25 points, 1 rebound and 2 assists.  The Terrapin's Mitchell racked up 13 points as lead scorer for his team.

 

After an accomplished team sees the defeat the Hurricanes brought to play you have something to prove in the next game.  Duke did just that with a blowout.

 

Duke plays on the road at Wake Forest and FSU for the next two games.  They meet Maryland again February 16th in Maryland.  Will the Terps be able to redeem themselves?

High School Football deals with Rape, Scandal and Social Media

Written by Starla M. Brown on . Posted in Sports

Steubenville, Ohio is not historically Peyton Place, and in fact is better known for glass factories, pottery, iron and steel industries than for scandal.  Steubenville like a lot of small towns across America are known for high school football, but in recent months scandal has come to Steubenville and the Big Red, Steubenville High School's football team.

 

Saturday, August 11, 2011 began a controversy in this town of just over 18,000 along the banks of the Ohio River that has now turned this small town of athletic pride into a modern-day Peyton Place.  An alleged rape by two of Big Red's football players, Trent Mays and Ma'lik Richmond of a 16 year-old girl from West Virginia who has been described as unconscious from the use of alcohol, has divided its citizens.

 

On August 22 the two boys were arrested, charged with rape and kidnapping, and are currently awaiting their collective trial.  A trial that as recently as this past week has had motions filed and withdrawn by a defense attorney to close the trial.  Judge Thomas Lipps now must consider the statements from both the girl's attorney and the defense, but will be ruling without a motion.  The office of Attorney General Mike DeWine is prosecuting the case.

 

Perhaps the media has been fueled by what centers around a football team, but not just any team.  Steubenville High School, known as Big Red, has had back to back undefeated seasons and repeat championships.  In a small town, big winners like Big Red are often the anchor of a community, the proverbial tie that binds.  So when something like rape and scandal come to light, people take sides and the Steubenville story has now brought national attention to small town America.

 

The night of the incident has a modern day twist involving social media as other students attending the party posted to twitter and took pictures of what will be determined in court as rape or as the defense may argue consensual sex.  The divisive nature of these evident posts is that some believe that a coverup in the name of nepotism and football would have occurred had it not been for social media.  Steubenville in the 1990's had a history of corruption with its police force leading to a Department of Justice investigation.

 


Since the arrests of Mays and Richmond, a once rallied town with a high school football team at its very core has become increasingly divided.  Leaks of videos, pictures and social media posts have found their way to hackers, some of which mock the alleged victim.  A website for Steubenville High School whose primary focus was the school's athletics was also hacked.

 

While accusations continue to circle around the story and city officials, the courts will ultimately decide the fate of two 16 year-old boys whose alleged actions if found guilty are perhaps more a sign of our culture.  Football is the heart and soul of many small towns, but football isn't above the law.  A young girl may have been drinking underage and too much, but what allegedly happened next is not about football, and this is where a small town should come together and not be divided.