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Sparks waste 14-point second-half lead, lose to New York Liberty
NEWARK, N.J. -- Cappie Pondexter had 21 points and 12 rebounds, Plenette Pierson scored 17 points, and the New York Liberty rallied to beat the Sparks, 73-71, on Sunday.
Essence Carson scored 14 points, including 11 during a 21-3 run in the third quarter that gave the Liberty (12-17) the lead after it trailed by 14 points in the second half.
Kristi Toliver scored 17 points, Candace Parker had 14 points and 15 rebounds, and rookie Nneka Ogwumike had 13 points for the Sparks (20-10), who remained two games ahead of San Antonio for second place in the West. The Silver Stars lost, 81-62, to Minnesota earlier Sunday.
New York's win, coupled with Chicago's 82-77 loss at Connecticut, moved the Liberty half a game ahead of the Sky for the fourth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Carson's three-pointer tied the score at 70-70 with 48 seconds left, and Pondexter made two free throws 26 seconds later to put the Liberty ahead, 72-70.
Ebony Hoffman made one of two free throws for the Sparks to make it 72-71 with 15 seconds left. On the ensuing inbounds play, the Sparks double-teamed Pondexter and tied her up when she received the pass near half court, forcing a jump ball between her and the Sparks' DeLisha Milton-Jones.
The Sparks grabbed the tipped ball and called time out. Toliver then missed a three-point shot with about five seconds left; Pondexter corralled the loose ball, was fouled and made one of two from the line. Parker got the ball and when she dribbled, it was knocked away by Pondexter as time expired. After a lengthy video review, the officials ruled there was no time remaining when the ball went out of bounds.
After trailing by 15 in the second quarter, New York cut the deficit to 48-36 at halftime.
Then Ogwumike made one of two free throws and scored a three-point play to give the Sparks their biggest lead of the second half at 52-38 with about 8 1/2 minutes remaining in the third quarter.
The Liberty then went on its big run to take a four-point lead into the fourth, with Carson's jumper with 1:38 left in the period tying the score at 55-55 and her go-ahead basket 53 seconds later giving New York its first lead of the game.
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Sparks waste 14-point second-half lead, lose to New York Liberty
Pondexter, Pierson rally Liberty past Sparks
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) -- Cappie Pondexter had 21 points and a career-high 12 rebounds, Plenette Pierson scored 17 points, and the New York Liberty rallied to beat the Sparks 73-71 Sunday.
Essence Carson scored 14 points, including 11 during a 21-3 run in the third quarter that gave the Liberty (12-17) the lead after they trailed by 14 points. New York also trailed by 15 points in the first half.
''We fought hard,'' said Pondexter, who also had eight assists. ''At one point we were down almost 16 points. I told the guys at halftime that if we fight back and be victorious, it's going to feel even better than (just) winning.''
Coupled with Chicago's 82-77 loss at Connecticut, New York moved a half-game ahead of Chicago for the fourth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The Liberty have five games remaining - at home against Washington on Wednesday, followed by road games against the Mystics, San Antonio and Tulsa, and a home date against the Shock in the season finale on Sept. 22.
''We've got to play like we have to win every game,'' Liberty coach John Whisenant said. ''If we get into the playoffs with a three-game series and we play as hard as we did tonight, there won't be anybody more athletically gifted like we played tonight.''
Kristi Toliver scored 17 points, Candace Parker had 14 points and 15 rebounds, and rookie Nneka Ogwumike added 13 points for the Sparks (20-10). Los Angeles, which has lost four of its last five, remained two games ahead of San Antonio for second place in the West. The Silver Stars lost 81-62 to Minnesota earler Sunday.
''We have plenty of stuff to move forward with in terms of just trying to be the best playoff team we can be,'' Sparks coach Carol Ross said. ''We still have more business to take care of before we get to the fun stuff.''
Carson's 3-pointer tied the score at 70-all with 48 seconds remaining, and Pondexter made two free throws about 26 seconds later to put the Liberty ahead.
Ebony Hoffman made 1 of 2 free throws for Los Angeles with 15 seconds remaining. On the ensuing inbounds play, the Sparks double-teamed Pondexter and tied her up when she received the pass near half-court, forcing a jump ball between her and the Sparks' DeLisha Milton-Jones.
The Sparks grabbed the tipped ball and called timeout. Toliver then missed a 3 with about 5 seconds remaining, Pondexter corralled the loose ball, was fouled and made 1 of 2 from the line. She missed the second free throw, Parker got the ball and when she dribbled it was knocked away by Pondexter as time expired. After a lengthy video review, the officials ruled there was no time remaining when the ball went out of bounds.
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V.P. Candidate Jim Gray To Speak At U.S.D.
VERMILLION Libertarian Party vice presidential candidate Jim Gray will speak at the University of South Dakota in Vermillion at 11 a.m. Sept. 12. He will speak in the Muenster University Center Pit Lounge
The USD College Libertarians will host Gray as he makes a campaign stop at the University of South Dakota. After his speech, Gray will be available to answer questions from students and the media until 1 p.m. The event is free to attend and open to the public.
Judge Gray is the running mate to former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson. Campaign bumper stickers, posters, yard signs, and pamphlets are available at the event. The College Libertarians have free copies of the book After the Welfare State, internship information and, student-libertarian conference information available to students.
Judge Grays speech at USD will expose South Dakotans to an ideology that is quickly growing in popularity around the country, says College Libertarian President Brad Omland. The liberty movement is especially popular with college students.
Gray was the presiding judge of the Superior Court of Orange County, Calif., from 1989 to 2009. He also ran for U.S. Senate against incumbent Barbara Boxer (D) in California with the Libertarian Party in 2004. Gray is an outspoken critic of drug laws and the War on Drugs. He is the author of Why Our Drug Laws Have Failed and What We Can Do About it A Judicial Indictment of the War on Drugs. He is featured in the 2007 film documentary American Drug War: The Last White Hope.
Gray resides in Newport Beach, Calif. He is married and is the father of three children.
The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of yankton.net.
We encourage your feedback and dialog, all comments will be reviewed by our Web staff before appearing on the Web site.
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IN OTHER WORDS: Libertarian Gary Johnson still trying
Enlarge Photo
Libertarian Gary E. Johnson, who is on the presidential ballot in more than 40 states, successfully got onto Virginias last week as well despite a challenge from the state Republican Party.
But the former New Mexico governor was rather hard on himself when describing the evolution of his thinking on getting on ballots across the country, as he now faces similar challenges in other states, including Pennsylvania, Michigan, Iowa.
I feel really naive looking back, he said. I guess I had a kind of Pollyannaish belief. Santa Claus is not coming. My tooth is going to go unclaimed. I cant believe.
He pointed to a recent Zogby poll that gave him 4.3 percent of the national popular vote, saying national media would almost be forced to cover his candidacy at least on Election Day if he pulled 5 percent of the vote.
Lets just say I got 5 percent on general-election day, he said. If that really happens, can you think of 5 percent going unreported?
We keep plugging away with the amount of money that we have, he added. If we just had money to compete with these guys for one week, youd see a gigantic bump.
For now, though, Mr. Johnson is willing to play the role of the happy warrior. He pulls no punches with either party (The debate about Medicare shouldnt be about which partys going to spend more on Medicare) and expressed particular disbelief that the war in Afghanistan essentially flew under the radar at the GOP convention in Tampa, Fla., last month.
It is hilarious in a really bad way, he said. Its an indictment on all of us. Are we that stupid? We cant be that stupid.
Statehood karma?
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Chapman professor shares his love of Galapagos Islands
The sign outside Fred Caporaso's door lists his official title: professor of food science. And it's true that his research area is sensory evaluation, the science of how food tastes. But step inside, and it's clear that his heart never strays far from the Galapagos Islands.
His cluttered desk and shelves are lined with tortoise trinkets and photos with him and his students, mementos from the 18 trips he has taken to the islands.
The professor has become enamored with the islands made famous by Charles Darwin, and he has emerged as something of an authority taking students each year and giving lectures nationwide about the creatures inhabiting the islands.
It's a breathtaking place, remote and almost untouched by mankind, where many of the animals have little fear of humans.
"A bird will land on you as easily as [it would] somewhere else.... You can snorkel with penguins, and sea lions will swim up to your face," Caporaso said. "You can walk the same path 18 times and see 18 different things happen."
Of all the animals he's encountered over the years, none of them had as much of an effect as a tortoise named Lonesome George. The massive reptile had become an icon for the islands, with a reputation for being finicky and quirky.
Lonesome George died in June, marking the end of his subspecies named after Pinta Island in the Galapagos, where he lived.
Caporaso talks about George like an old friend and slips into the present tense when talking about him, even though he's been gone for a while.
George was notorious for not reproducing, despite having two female tortoises with him in his protected habitat for nearly 40 years. One laid eggs a couple years ago, but they were infertile; the other one drowned.
Caporaso admitted that his pal had gotten overweight in the last few years of his life, weighing in at well over 300 pounds.
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MSU lecture series to explore biology of sexuality
Eric Vilain, professor of human genetics, pediatrics and urology and director of the Institute for Society and Genetics at the University of California, Los Angeles, will deliver a lecture titled, “Born This Way: Biological Tales of Sexual Orientation” at 4 p.m. today in Wells Hall room 115B at Michigan State University.
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Jackie Cilley 'gets it' on health care reform
Opinion: Letter
September 10, 2012 2:00 AM
Sept. 6 To the Editor:
I am a physician volunteering for Jackie Cilley's campaign for governor. Jackie is not a health care specialist, but she knows how important the health care debate is to the people of New Hampshire. That's why she has already formed, and asked me to lead, a health care policy advisory team, which includes doctors and nurses, and specialists in the insurance industry, health care law, hospital administration, and employer and union benefits. We even have an expert on "RomneyCare" from Massachusetts.
Based on our discussions and my own experience of more than 30 years in health care, I believe there are two primary ways a governor can lead on health care: by holding an effective conversation on federal-state initiatives, such as the Affordable Care Act and the evolution/reform of Medicare and Medicaid, and by supporting the innovation and partnerships that are already improving health care service delivery in our state. I also believe Jackie Cilley is the candidate best positioned and equipped to provide this leadership.
As a fundamental principle, Jackie Cilley believes that our state will make its best decisions on complex subjects only through open conversations with everyone affected having a seat at the table. From her academic and business experience, Jackie understands transformation and recognizes the power of creativity and innovation to bring it about.
Jackie Cilley is already prepared to use the leadership of the governor's office to highlight as best practices what is already working very well in health care delivery in our state.
This is why I support Jackie Cilley for governor, and I hope you will join me in voting for her on Sept. 11.
Martin D. Merry, M.D.
Former senior medical adviser
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Romney Says He Would Keep Parts of Obama Health Care Law
By Lisa Lerer and Margaret Talev - 2012-09-10T04:01:00Z
Republican Mitt Romney said he would keep parts of President Barack Obamas health care law, shifting his focus to independent voters as polls showed the president gained support after the Democratic convention.
Both candidates focused on health care yesterday as Obama wrapped up a two-day bus tour across the swing state of Florida by attacking Romneys proposal to change Medicare.
Romney, speaking in an interview on NBCs Meet the Press, said he would replace Obamas health care law with his own plan while keeping some popular provisions including coverage for people with pre-existing conditions. The Obama administration contends that requiring insurers to cover those people, without also mandating that almost everyone have insurance, would cause prices to soar.
Im not getting rid of all health care reform, said Romney. Of course there are a number of things that I like in health care reform that Im going to put in place.
Obamas post-convention Florida bus tour showed signs of a gain in intensity at the rallies. His audience in heavily Puerto Rican Kissimmee was so fired up that he said he was tempted to just say thank you and leave the stage.
An audience of 6,000 at his final stop in West Palm Beach broke into a sing-along before he took the stage, as the speakers played Al Greens Lets Stay Together. He told the crowd that while he knew he was preaching to the choir, now he needed them to go out and preach to the unconverted.
Romney, 65, has made opposition to the health care law a central theme of his campaign, saying one of his first actions in office would be to seek to repeal it.
On coverage for people with pre-existing conditions, Nobel- prize winning economist and New York Times columnist Paul Krugman wrote yesterday that such a requirement, without an insurance mandate, would lead healthy people to opt out of insurance, leaving behind a high risk, high cost pool.
Its not as easy as keeping some of the pieces without a requirement that individuals obtain insurance, Obama campaign spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters. Romney needs to explain his proposal with details and math, she said.
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Obama vies for health care edge in Florida
Mitt Romney said he would retain some popular parts of the new health care law he has pledged to repeal, while President Barack Obama focused attention in all-important Florida on the Republican ticket's stand on Medicare, an issue that's been more favorable to Democrats.
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Insurance That Would Serve Seniors Better Than Medicaid
Illustration by Bloomberg View
By the Editors 2012-09-09T22:30:27Z
As the dust settles from the political conventions in Florida and North Carolina, one issue important to the health care of older Americans is rising into the sunlight and finally getting some of the attention it needs.
We dont mean Medicare; for months, the campaigns have taken regular shots at each other on that.
We mean Medicaid, the program generally thought of as health insurance for poor families. Yet one-third of Medicaids budget -- about $120 billion -- goes to fund long-term care for the disabled and frail elderly, most of it in nursing facilities.
People who need custodial care often fall back on Medicaid after theyve used up their own resources and can qualify for the programs very low income and wealth limits.
Even though President Barack Obama and his Republican challenger, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, have said little specifically about long-term care, its clear from their general views on Medicaid that they differ on how much to continue this support. Obama intends to preserve Medicaid as an entitlement program -- which means it promises to pay all acceptable expenses that arise for qualified beneficiaries. He even plans to expand the program, starting in 2014, to cover 11 million more Americans, including people with income as much as 138 percent of the federal poverty level.
Presumably, then, if Obama is re-elected, support for nursing-home care would continue -- though it could be squeezed a bit by budget constraints, especially after 2020 when the federal government stops financing 100 percent of Medicaids expansion.
Romney has endorsed his running mate Paul Ryans proposal to change Medicaids structure entirely, so that it would no longer be an entitlement program at all. Instead, the federal government would give the states block grants to spend on health care as they please. (The idea is to make the program work better by giving states more control.)
These grants would increase every year at a rate of 1 percentage point more than inflation, but this would be significantly less than Medicaids budget is expected to expand under the current structure along with the changes set in motion by the 2010 health-care law. By 2022, the difference would add up to a budget cut of about $1.26 trillion, a new analysis by Bloomberg Government shows. That would mean considerably less money for long-term care -- and everything else Medicaid pays for.
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Obama, Romney aim at swing voters on health care
BOSTON With swing voters in his sights, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney is tacking toward the center on health care and defense spending now that he's put his final partisan hurdle behind him and the sprint to Nov. 6 is underway.
Romney said in an interview that aired Sunday that he would retain some popular parts of the 2010 health care law he has pledged to repeal, saying the features he would keep are common-sense measures in what he calls an otherwise costly, inefficient plan.
The former Massachusetts governor also faulted congressional Republicans for going along with the White House on a budget deal that has set up automatic spending cuts that include huge reductions in defense spending a deal his running mate, Rep. Paul Ryan, helped steer.
Meanwhile, President Barack Obama focused Floridians' attention on the Republican ticket's stand on Medicare, an issue that's been more favorable to Democrats.
Romney's campaign dismissed the idea that the comments were a lurch toward the middle now that the Republican convention, the last partisan event of the campaign, has passed, even as Romney was visiting the most competitive states on the election map.
"I'm not getting rid of all of health care reform. Of course, there are a number of things that I like in health care reform that I'm going to put in place," Romney told NBC's "Meet the Press" in an interview taped Friday and Saturday. He cited coverage for people with medical conditions and new insurance marketplaces.
Romney's aides said that was consistent with his previous position that those who haven't had a gap in coverage shouldn't be denied coverage.
But the comments brought renewed attention to the similarities between Obama's plan and the one Romney championed when he was Massachusetts governor, which included protections for health conditions and an individual mandate that the Republican has since railed against.
The GOP nominee, who attended church in Boston before debate practice sessions Sunday, didn't offer specifics for how he'd deal with the affordability of insurance, but suggested competition would help bring down costs. For seniors, Romney has called for restructuring Medicare by giving retirees a government payment that they would use to choose between traditional Medicare and private insurance.
Romney aides dismissed the idea that the candidate's comments about the defense cuts or health care were an effort to appear less partisan with the race for undecided voters now under way.
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Romney, Obama aim at swing voters on health care
With swing voters in his sights, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney is tacking toward the center on health care and defense spending now that he's put his final partisan hurdle behind him and the sprint to Nov. 6 is underway.
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Institute of Health: Health Care System Needs Change
Gary Feuerberg Epoch Times Staff Created: September 9, 2012 Last Updated: September 9, 2012
(L to R) Gail Cassell, Ph.D., Harvard Medical School; Craig Jones, M.D., Vermont Blueprint for Health; Mark Smith, M.D., California HealthCare Foundation; Rita Redberg, M.D., editor, Archives of Internal Medicine; and T. Berguson Jr., M.D., Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, East Carolina University, Greenville, N.C. The panel discussed Sept. 6 an Institute of Medicine report, Best Care at Lower Cost. (Gary Feuerberg/ The Epoch Times)
WASHINGTONOur health care delivery system needs to be fundamentally reformed, according to a new report from the Institute of Medicine, titled Best Care at Lower Cost.
In the past 50 years, there has been an explosion in biomedical knowledge and impressive innovations in therapies and surgical procedures, as well as new capabilities in improving the survival of patients. Yet in terms of quality of care, cost, and meeting patient needs, American health care is falling short.
How is it possible that we spend much more on health care and at the same time we do not attain in health care outcomes and performance that [other countries] are able to achieve? asked Dr. Harvey Fineberg, president of Institute of Medicine (IOM). Fineberg was speaking at a press conference, Sept. 6 on the release of the report.
The 331-page Institute of Medicine report was written by an 18-member committee, five of whom were present at the news conference.
The findings are staggering. About $750 billion or 30 percent of health spending in 2009 was wasted, according to the report. Moreover, if the quality of care were raised to the level of the best performing state, an estimated 75,000 fewer deaths across the country would have occurred in 2005, according to one estimate cited in the report.
One reason for inefficiencies is the ever-increasing complexity of the health care system. From diagnostic and treatment procedures, to the care management options available, and even administrationso many aspects of the system are more complicated than ever before.
Today, a clinician cannot keep up with the expanding volume of new discoveries in treating disease. The number of research publications on health care topics per year has grown from slightly over 200,000 in 1970 to more than 750,000 in 2010, said Mark Smith, M.D., committee chair. The sheer volume of new discoveries stresses the system to manage the knowledge and effectively apply it to regular care.
Care delivery has increased in complexity. Clinicians in intensive care units, who care for the hospitals sickest patients, must oversee about 180 activities per day ranging from replacing intravenous fluids to administering drugs.
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Health care in election spotlight
Boston — Mitt Romney said he would retain some popular parts of the new health care law he has pledged to repeal, while President Barack Obama focused attention in all-important Florida on the GOP ticket's stand on Medicare, an issue that's been more favorable to Democrats.
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Freedom Walk off against Grizzlies; Deciding Fifth Game Monday
September 9, 2012 - Frontier League (FL) Gateway Grizzlies FLORENCE, KY - Drew Rundle hit a three-run walk off home run in the ninth inning to give the Florence Freedom a 7-5 win against the Gateway Grizzlies in game four of the Frontier League Division Series at the Home of the Freedom Sunday night.
The Freedom win set up a series deciding game five on Monday night at GCS Ballpark. Ace right-hander Tim Brown will get the start for the Grizzlies. The winner of the game advances to the Frontier League Championship Series against the Southern Illinois Miners. First pitch is set for 6:35 CT.
Rundle's home run capped off an impressive comeback by the Freedom, who trailed 5-1 after four innings. Rundle homered off Grizzlies closer Richard Barrett with two outs and Florence trailing by one run.
After Florence took a 1-0 lead on an Eddie Rodriguez home run in the second inning, Gateway responded with five runs on four hits and one Florence error in the fourth inning. Landon Hernandez and Rogelio Norris picked up RBI doubles, John Shelby drove in a run on a single and Richie Jimenez Jr. brought in two runs on a double.
Florence finished the game with six unanswered runs and Gateway went down 1-2-3 in the last five innings of the game.
Barrett suffered the loss for the Grizzlies.
Gateway starting pitcher Paul Tremlin surrendered only two runs on five hits in six innings.
Playoff tickets are on sale through the Grizzlies Ticket Office. To get tickets, call 618.337.3000 or go online to gatewaygrizzlies.com.
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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
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Freedom Walk off against Grizzlies; Deciding Fifth Game Monday
Florence Freedom Come From Behind With One Out Left
The Florence Freedom will play a fifth and final game Monday night to determine who will play in the Frontier League Championship.
The Freedom were down to their final outSunday night when Drew Rundle ended the game with a 3-run homer, giving the Freedom a 7-5 win over the Grizzlies.
Rundle sent a 2-1 changeup from Gateway Grizzly closer Richard Barrett over the right field wall to tie the series at two and send it back to Gateway for a decisive game five Monday night.
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Rundle's Three Run Homer Keeps Freedom Season Alive
September 9, 2012 - Frontier League (FL) Florence Freedom Florence, KY-The Florence Freedom were down to their final out Sunday night when Drew Rundle ended the game with a 3-run homer, giving the Freedom a 7-5 win.
With the Freedom trailing 5-4 and with two runners on, Rundle sent a 2-1 changeup from Gateway Grizzly closer Richard Barrett(0-1) over the right field wall to tie the series at two and send it back to Gateway for a decisive game five Monday night.
The Freedom took a 1-0 lead in the second off a solo homerun by Eddie Rodriguez.
Gateway came right back and placed five runs on the board in the fourth, but the Freedom began to chip away at a 5-1 deficit.
In the sixth, Rundle hit an RBI double to the gap in right center field to cut the lead to 5-2. Then in the seventh, Peter Fatse singled home two runs on an infield single. There was also an error on the shortstop Richie Jiminez Jr which allowed the second run to score.
With Gateway leading 5-4 in the ninth, the Freedom started their rally against Barrett. David Harris drew a leadoff walk. Junior Arrojo then lined a single into center. After Fatse flew out to left field and Rodriguez reached on a fielder's choice, Rundle then extended the Freedom's season with his heroics. Rundle was mobbed at home plate by his teammates as they celebrated his game winning homerun.
It was the eleventh win for the Freedom this season when trailing after the fifth inning.
The Freedom bullpen pitched five perfect innings after starter Andres Caceres went four innings giving up five hits on five runs (one earned). Brandon Mathes struck out four batters in his four innings of perfection. Jorge Marban(1-0) then collected the win pitching a 1-2-3 ninth.
The Freedom and Grizzlies will play a fifth and final game to determine who will play in the Frontier League Championship Monday night. RHP Brad Allen (1-0, 0.00) will make the start for Florence. RHP Tim Brown (1-0, 2.25) will take the mound for the Grizzlies. The game can be heard with Steve Jarnicki starting at 7:20 on Real Talk 1160 and realtalk1160.com.
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Water rescues prompt Seaside Heights police to close beaches
SEASIDE HEIGHTS — Seaside Heights police have locked gates to the beaches and closed the areas Sunday evening after emergency responders were called to perform two water rescues within three hours.
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Water rescues prompt Seaside Heights police to close beaches
Shark sighting closes Brighton, Trigg beaches
Brighton and Trigg beaches have been closed after a shark was spotted 150m from shore.
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