Sports news 17 April 2008

Pound for pound
Boston Globe
NEW YORK – Were Josh Beckett to come into Yankee Stadium tonight, take the New Yorkers by storm, and pitch seven or eight innings, there would certainly be sighs of relief from Red Sox relievers.

Rookie Staal atones for Game 3 mistake in Rangers’ win
USA Today
By Tom Canavan, AP NEW YORK – The New Jersey Devils plan on getting even with the New York Rangers, and only part of that involves rallying from a 3-1 deficit in their first round Eastern Conference quarterfinal playoff series.

In sudden shift, he leaves UMass
Boston Globe
LSU had some interest; Providence had more. But for Travis Ford, the right fit is Oklahoma State. When Cowboys officials called this week to see if the University of Massachusetts men’s basketball coach would be interested in coming to Stillwater, …

West playoffs finally settled with games in Texas
SI.com
Three games in Texas on the last night of the regular season settled the final six spots in the Western Conference playoffs – and set up some intriguing first-round matchups.

Nellie still deciding about next season
SI.com
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -Don Nelson plans to take a couple of months before deciding whether he will return for a third season as coach of the Golden State Warriors.

Johnson still wants trade
Boston Globe
Responding to a statement made by Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer that suggested the receiver told Palmer he would be at the team’s minicamp in mid-June, Johnson told ESPN.

Felix goes distance, dominates Athletics
Seattle Post Intelligencer
By JOHN HICKEY Teammate Ichiro Suzuki said Hernandez represented the entire pitching staff when he threw 115 pitches over nine innings in a 4-2 win over the Oakland A’s.