Sports Roundup: Tigers

Tigers

The Detroit Tigers continue their road trip with a stop in Chicago.  Justin Verlander starts on tonight on six days rest and Max Scherzer will pitch tomorrow afternoon.   It’ll be a short two-game series, and there’s more rain in the forecast. Detroit will finish their road trip with a weekend series against the Kansas City Royals before returning to Comerica Park for a seven-game home stand.  Tigers and White Sox tonight, weather permitting.  Broadcast time is 7:45 on WBCK-FM.

Red Wings

Detroit Red Wings center Pavel Datsyuk will meet with doctors this week to decide if he needs surgery on his injured left knee. Detroit General Manager Ken Holland said Datsyuk would need three months to recover if he has the minor procedure.  There’s a lot of speculation about who won’t be a Red Wing next season.  Todd Bertuzzi,  Daniel Cleary,  Jonas Gustavsson, David Legwand,  Kyle Quincey and Mikael Samuelsson are all veterans who may have played their last game as a Red Wing.   The Wings have assigned forwards Tomas Jurco and Riley Sheahan, defenseman Xavier Ouellet and goalie Jake Patterson to the AHL's Grand Rapids Griffins.   They’re up 2 games to none in their first-round playoff series with Abbotsford.

NHL Playoffs

The Pittsburgh Penguins are moving on in the NHL playoffs after a 4-3 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Pens won the series 4-2 and will face the New York Rangers or Philadelphia Flyers next. Elsewhere, the Minnesota Wild avoided elimination with a 5-2 win over the Colorado Avalanche. The teams play Game Seven in Denver on Wednesday.  The Los Angeles Kings also avoided the boot on home ice, beating the San Jose Sharks 4-1. The Sharks host Game Seven on Wednesday.  There's just one game on tap Tuesday as the Philadelphia Flyers look to force a Game Seven hosting the New York Rangers.

NBA Playoffs

LeBron James posted 31 points and nine assists to carry the Miami Heat to a 109-98 win and a four-game sweep over the Charlotte Bobcats in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals.  The Atlanta Hawks pushed the Indiana Pacers to the brink of elimination following a 107-97 victory on the road. Atlanta leads the best-of-seven set 3-2 with Game Six on Thursday.   The San Antonio Spurs avoided a large hole by winning 93-89 over the Mavericks in Dallas. That series is tied 2-2.  The Washington Wizards look to close out the Chicago Bulls in Game Five on Tuesday. The Wizards are up 3-1 in the best-of-seven series.  A pair of Western Conference quarterfinals will break 2-2 series ties. The Memphis Grizzlies are on the road to play the Oklahoma City Thunder, and the Los Angeles Clippers host the Golden State Warriors.

NBA News Conference Today

The NBA will hold a news conference today to make an announcement about the investigation involving Clippers owner Donald Sterling and those racially charged comments attributed to him. A suspension of indefinite length and fine of up to $1 million are possible options. And the controversy is now hitting the Clippers in the pocket book as several corporations have pulled their advertising.

Jack Ramsay Dies

Hall of Fame basketball coach Jack Ramsay has died at age 89. Ramsay coached in the NBA for parts of 21 seasons, including a 1977 championship with the Portland Trail Blazers before a long career as a radio and television analyst. He also took Saint Joseph's to the 1961 Final Four and was GM of the Philadelphia 76ers when they won the 1967 NBA title.

Michigan Recruits Guard
The Michigan Wolverines basketball team got a verbal commitment yesterday for 2014.
Reports say New Hampton School guard Aubrey Dawkins committed to Michigan on Monday.  Dawkins is the son of Stanford coach and former NBA veteran Johnny Dawkins.   He is rated as a three-star recruit on the 247 Composite and by Rivals.com.
Dawkins' commitment makes him the sixth incoming member of coach John Beilein's 2014 recruiting class.

Baseball

Olivet beat Marshall, 10-9 and 10-7.   Alex Walton had 5 hits on the day, including a 2-run homer.

Union City 14, Colon 1  Darren Austin with the Chargers’ pitching win.

Game 2 was suspended due to darkness with Colon up 8-4.

Homer swept Bellevue.

Softball

Olivet swept Marshall, 14-0 and 5-4

Union City beat Colon 3-1 and Colon came back to win game two 6-1.  Marissa Mead earned the game 1 win for Union City.

Girls Soccer

Pennfield 6, Hackett 1.  Madison Rench with three goals for Pennfield.  Caitlin Reed had six saves in goal.

Marshall 8, Harper Creek 0.  Chelsea Tobias with two goals and an assist.

Coldwater 7,  Battle Creek Central 0.

Dansville 2, Olivet 0.

Girls Tennis

Harper Creek 8, Battle Creek Central 0

Galesburg-Augusta 6,  St. Philip 2

Marshall 7, Loy Norrix 1

Prom at the Big House

Michigan Stadium is getting ready for prom season, with plans to host two high school dances at the home of Wolverines football. It's part of an effort to use Michigan Stadium more during its typical offseason. The stadium has hosted the NHL and is welcoming world soccer powerhouses Manchester United and Real Madrid this summer.

Baseball Trip

You could win a trip for two to see a Major League baseball game of your choice from WBCK! You also get roundtrip airfare for two, hotel for two days/one night, double occupancy and $300 cash.  Just on the VIP/Contests link to Win a Baseball Trip and sign up!  You must be 21 and the contest ends April 30th.