Morning Jolt: Mills on the clock in Houston
Thursday, April 15
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Ed Wade took the chance to hire Brad Mills, whom he'd fired in 2000, to take over a difficult task. Wade's kept a keen eye out for Mills in the past decade, and he convinced Astros owner Drayton McLane to give him the first major-league managerial job of his career. Now, Mills may be the perfect manager for a most imperfect job. The Astros aren't very good and may not be for a while. And no one sees the big picture better than Mills, a 53-year-old baseball lifer who was given only a two-year contract with a club option for a third. In other words, the patient, organized and communicative Mills had better fix this franchise quickly. (Austin Statesman)Comment
Durant: Jackson is 'disrespectful'
Phil Jackson added his name to the list of NBA insiders who think Kevin Durant is getting too many calls, and the NBA's scoring leader isn't standing for it. When asked whether Jackson's comment fired him up more, Durant, "Yeah, it does. Because it's taking away from what I do," Durant said. "That's a part of my game, getting to the free-throw line and being aggressive. If you say that I get superstar calls or I get babied by the refs, that's just taking away from how I play. That's disrespectful to me. I don't disrespect nobody in this league. I respect every coach, every player, everybody." ... And Durant didn't care one bit that Jackson eventually linked the term "superstar" to him. "Yeah," he said, "but that's after he said I get babied by the refs." (The Oklahoman)Comment
Kroenke hasn't earned St. Louis' trust
Skepticism is brewing that Stan Kroenke is on the side of keeping the Rams in St. Louis. He's a businessman first. He's a player on the world stage of sports, which to me overrides his Missouri roots. Kroenke's base is Denver. He has a place in Malibu. Go back and read Kroenke's statement from Monday night; there is absolutely nothing in there -- not even a throwaway line -- about St. Louis. Understand that these statements are carefully worded and reviewed by attorneys and PR men. You can find a lot in them based on what you DON'T find in them. And to me Kroenke's choice to immediately distance himself from anything concerning the team's future in St. Louis was interesting, to say the least. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)Comment
Must-See Photo
KC's David DeJesus slides in safely after knocking the ball from Tigers catcher Gerald Laird (AP).
Must-See Video
Let's forget about Jerry Jones' recent drunken rant and instead focus on the decline of journalism. It'd make sportscaster Dale Hansen proud.
Game To Watch
(8) Canadiens at (1) Capitals, Round 1, Game 1 -- 7:00 p.m. ET
- Montreal Canadiens
- Washington Capitals
SI Vault: More Jackie Robinson
This Day in Sports
- 1997 -- Baseball honors Jackie Robinson by retiring No. 42 for all teams
- 1991 -- Magic Johnson sets the NBA record with 9,898 career assists
- 1991 -- Sacramento sets the NBA record by losing its 35th straight road game
- 1976 -- Yankees top Twins in first game at reopened Yankee Stadium
- 1958 -- The San Francisco Giants beat the L.A. Dodgers in the first baseball game played in California
- 1947 -- Jackie Robinson makes his major league debut
