Kyrie Irving's injuries should worry Cleveland Cavaliers: Bill Livingston

Is Kyrie Irving injury-prone? Even granted that his Summer League injury was a fluke, even given the Cavaliers’ denial of that premise, there is ample reason for concern.

Danny Johnston, Associated PressCan Kyrie Irving avoid injury and stay on the court?

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- If you saw the tape of Kyrie Irving spinning through the U.S. Olympic team's defenders, baffling one and all, you know what a major talent the Cavaliers have on their hands.

The Cavs, however, face another bad break with injuries after Irving apparently went Nick Hagadone on a padded wall in a team scrimmage, following the young point guard's spectacular efforts against the Olympians in Las Vegas. Irving has a broken right (dominant) hand, on which surgery was performed Wednesday, which the Cavs called "successful," adding they expect him to be ready for training camp. They might have an injury-prone prodigy.

Even if the summer injury was a freak one, it took away time for Irving and the fourth overall pick in this year's NBA Draft, Dion Waiters, to play together in the NBA Summer League.

It was probably better for Irving's burgeoning confidence that he played with the USA Select Team against the Olympians anyway. The media buzz that created led to widespread predictions that the 2011-12 Rookie of the Year will be the NBA's next big star. Irving was all set to play Kobe Bryant one-on-one in a game for $50,000, to be donated by the winner to charity, before the injury.

With Irving, Waiters would almost surely be having a smoother transition in the backcourt. The shooting guard of the future, the player coach Byron Scott called the second-best in the draft behind shot-predator Anthony Davis -- Waiters is shooting 12-for-40 from the field and one-for-six from the three-point arc in his first three Summer League games.

An ecstatic Scott compared Waiters to the Miami Heat's Dwyane Wade for Waiters' fearlessness in penetrating the lane. Right now, because of the brittleness factor, that analogy seems to fit Irving better.

Wade has played nine NBA seasons. The wear and tear of attacking the basket so often for so long with a relatively slight, or at least non-LeBronian, frame is showing on him.

As for Irving, he is only 20 years old. But with his spinning and crossovers, he gets to the rim more often than a free throw by Chris Dudley. Punishing fouls await at the rim in attempts to discourage such plays.

Perhaps significantly, Irving has proven fragile before. He played only 11 games in his only season at Duke after suffering a toe injury. He returned in time to play well in the NCAA Tournament and allay doubts about the toe.

Irving missed three games after he banged his head against the knee of Wade in a fall during a game against the Heat last season. He missed a total of 10 more games after spraining his right shoulder in a collision with Milwaukee's Ergan Ilyasova. Irving said it was the same shoulder he had injured as a sophomore in high school. He did not play in 15 of 66 games overall, two of them by coach's decision, and was on the inactive list twice.

It doesn't mean Irving is going to prove fragile throughout his career. Zydrunas Ilgauskas' career appeared to be over because of recurring foot problems. Then a medical miracle restored him to the lineup, and he became the franchise's all-time leader in games played. Still, this is not an event with Irving, it's a trend.

Nor does it mean that Waiters will continue to shoot 30 percent overall (and 16.7 percent from the arc). As Mike Hargrove used to say when he managed the Indians, it's a concern, not a worry.

Irving has shown far more for the Cavs than the Browns got for Montario Hardesty, whom they picked in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft despite his injury history in college. Hardesty missed all of the 2010 NFL season with a torn ACL. But wishful thinking about injured players by the local franchises can create its own set of problems. See the Indians' gamble on Grady Sizemore for this season.

By the way, despite Irving's edge in quickness and youth, it was hard to see him countering Bryant's size and experience in that proposed one-on-one game. An NBA axiom is to go with the good big man over the good little man. In this case, the latter can only have a hot hand if he has a mended one.

To reach Bill Livingston: blivingston@plaind.com, 216-999-4672 Twitter: @LivyPD

Source: http://www.cleveland.com/livingston/index.ssf/2012/07/kyrie_irvings_injuries_should.html

Weekend breaks Lloyds Banking Group New Castle United Reality TV Banks and building societies Green politics

Cleveland Indians' Carlos Santana hasn't homered in 135 at bats: Tribe pregame briefing

For now, the Indians will stick with Carlos Santana, despite him having no homers since May 15 and hitting .185 in that span.

View full sizeAP Photo/Jim MoneIt's been 135 at-bats since catcher Carlos Santana has homered.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Yes, the Indians have talked about sending slumping Carlos Santana to Class AAA Columbus.

But here's the problem -- if not Santana, then who?

As in, who catches?

They can go with Lou Marson, who is batting a respectable .287 (.787 OPS) in 101 at bats this season.

But would Marson continue to hit?

He entered the year with a career .218 batting average and five homers in 570 big league at bats.

If the Indians do engage in some shock therapy and turn Santana into a Columbus Clipper, they would not promote someone such as Russ Canzler or Matt LaPorta.

They'd need another catcher, and that catcher would be 31-year-old Luke Carlin. He's a career minor-leaguer, who has been in the Majors in parts of three different seasons -- batting .175.

So they will continue to work with Santana, whose .221 batting average with five homers and 30 RBI fails to tell the entire sad story.

This Santana who slammed 27 homers last season hasn't hit one since May 15 ... or no homers in 135 at bats.

In that span, he is 25-of-135 (.185) with 10 RBI.

As the Indians prepare to play the third game of their series against Tampa Bay tonight at 7:10, they continue to work with Santana.

In batting practice, the switch-hitter shows some progress.

But as one baseball man told me, "That's because they don't throw you 2-and-0 curveballs and changeups in batting practice. Santana's problem is adjusting to the different speeds."

Santana sees only 51 percent fastballs, according to Fangraphs.com. Pitchers love to throw him things that slide, sink, dip and almost crawl up to home plate.

He's such a mess right now, that when he finally gets a fastball -- he fouls it off, pops it up or takes it for a strike.

The 26-year-old Santana signed a five-year, $20 million extension early this season.

He was a career .290 hitter (.899 OPS) in the minors who was batting .316 at Columbus when promoted during the 2010 season.

Santana has always hit for power and drawn a lot of walks, even if his big league batting average was .244 heading into the season.

He still has a respectable .348 on base percentage, because he draws walks.

For all the talk about his "pre-swing mechanics," this is more than a discussion of his toe-taping and high leg kick as he prepare for the pitch.

His confidence is drained, his sudden lack of power is alarming.

The Indians have made sure there are no lingering problems from his concussion in May. They say he rarely is even in the trainer's room. They don't believe health is an issue.

It's timing, it's confidence and it's a young hitter who clearly is thinking too much, trying too hard and delivering too little.

As Justin Masterson (6-8, 4.14 ERA) take the mound tonight, the Tribe is 46-44. They are 2-3 since the All-Star break and have scored 1-9-0-3-2 runs. In other words, only once in five games have they scored more than three runs.

Santana isn't the only reason for that, but he's a big one.

Quick Tribe Hits & Misses:

1. I heard the Indians are talking trade, but not really getting anywhere. There is a sense that they don't have enough in terms of prospects to bring an established hitter.

2. If the Indians decide to promote LaPorta or Canzler from Columbus, they'd probably send down Shelley Duncan. They don't want to do that because Duncan (.228, 9 HR, 24 RBI) is 13-of-36 (.361) in the last 12 games. They also are not sure LaPorta or Canzler would be an upgrade. That can change, but that is the thinking right now.

3. They believe they need Aaron Cunningham on the roster because he's the only backup outfielder who is even average defensively and capable of playing center. So he'll stay (at least for now), despite batting .189.

4. The Indians put Michael Brantley in the cleanup spot in the last two games, and he went 0-of-3 with five walks. Tampa Bay doesn't even want to pitch to him.

5. For now, they want to stick with Johnny Damon, who is hitting .278 with three homers and 12 RBI since June 1.

6. The Indians are now batting .114 with two outs and the bases loaded, lowest in the American League.

Source: http://www.cleveland.com/pluto/blog/index.ssf/2012/07/carlos_santana_likely_to_stay.html

Fulham Self-catering Chelsea Tromso Carlos Tevez Television

Copycat incident as Israeli attempts to self-immolate

A third attempt in Israel at self-immolation occurred on Tuesday morning in a Leumi bank branch in Holon. A 72-year-old man, carrying flammable liquid, threatened to set himself on fire before being restrained by security guards at the bank. The man's acts were due to his inability to pay back debts and he has since been taken into custody at the local police station.

The incident is the third of its kind, which began on Saturday night in Tel Aviv, when social justice activist Moshe Silman was successful in his attempts to set light to himself in his protest against the growing inequalities within Israel. Silman is currently in hospital, having suffered third degree burns covering 94% of his body.

On Monday, a man tried to set himself on fire at the entrance of the Beersheba municipality building, but was prevented from doing so by security guards and passers-by.

The incidents follow last summer's activities in Tel Aviv, which saw social protests on a much larger scale. It is expected that similar scenes will soon arise, with mass demonstrations and rallies anticipated in attempts to pressure the government into advancing social reform.

Source: http://www.thejc.com/news/israel-news/70167/copycat-incident-israeli-attempts-self-immolate

al-Qaida Consumer spending Allen Stanford Consumer affairs Roy Hodgson Mergers and acquisitions

Head to Donegal or Sligo for the weekend's waves

Eoghan Deasy

It has been a fairly good week for summer surfing around the country, with favourable winds and swell hitting the North West from Tuesday onwards. In fact, it was a pity there wasn’t better waves for Sea Sessions, which would have made a great weekend absolutely epic. Unfortunately, as the weekend approaches, the waves on offer around the country will not be of the highest calibre, nor will the weather either by the looks of things. Bloody Irish summers. All that’s left to do is say another mass and hope for the best!

Weather Outlook
Saturday: A fairly breezy day, with moderate to fresh northwest winds. Mostly cloudy with scattered outbreak of rain and drizzle, most likely occurring early on in the day. Long dry periods developing through the day though, with best chance of any sunshine in the west. Highest temperatures will range 16 degrees Celsius near north and northeast coasts to 20 degrees Celsius near Atlantic coasts.
Sunday: Winds will be much lighter, coming from a northerly direction. Once again a good deal of cloud is expected to cover the country, but some sunny spells will break through at times. Overall the day will bring mostly dry conditions, but some light passing showers will occur. Highest temperatures will range 16 degrees near northern margins to 20 degrees Celsius along southern margins.

North
Saturday: Doesn’t look great on Saturday with two to three foot of northerly swell hitting Portrush, with a short five to seven-second period and light cross-shore breezes all day.
Sunday: Much the same as Saturday, with swell dropping off over the course of the day so if there’s anything to be had, you’ll have to ge ton it early.

Northwest
Saturday: Northerly swell is hitting the coast but the short period will probably mess things up with moderate cross-shore breezes keeping things fresh!
Sunday: Bit more size and longer period but still a great weekend’s surf in store in Donegal or Sligo.

West
Saturday: One to two foot of westerly swell hitting the coast with moderate northerlies keeping things fresh!
Sunday: One to two foot with short five-second period and northerlies again for the day

South and South West
Saturday: There may not be much happening in Kerry with a northwesterly swell coming through with a short seven second period. There will be Little to nothing hitting the Cork coastline, which is fairly disappointing as well!
Sunday: Sunday may see small waves in the Kingdom but nothing to write home about. The Rebel county will have to do without too I’m afraid, with no discernible swell hitting the coast.

South East
Small waves hitting the coast on Saturday with one to two foot, seven-second period and moderate onshore winds. Sunday is not really worth writing about

Ni fhanann on tioda le fear mal.

Eoghan Deasy is a surfer and blogger on Irish surf site www.surfrepublic.ie

Source: http://feeds.examiner.ie/~r/iesportsblog/~3/snhL0M-HkYo/post.aspx

Aberdeen Discrimination at work Caribbean Lee Carsley Radio industry Bank of England

Columbus Clippers' Zach McAllister strong in win: Indians Farm Report

Righty Zach McAllister (5-2, 2.98) threw six sharp innings and 2B Cord Phelps (.275) hit a three-run homer to lead Columbus past Gwinnett in International League action Sunday in Lawrenceville, Ga.

AAA Columbus Clippers

Clippers 6, Braves 2 Righty Zach McAllister (5-2, 2.98) threw six sharp innings and 2B Cord Phelps (.275) hit a three-run homer to lead Columbus past Gwinnett in International League action Sunday in Lawrenceville, Ga.

Phelps, now with seven homers this season, also walked, singled and scored two runs.

McAllister gave up two runs on seven hits and one walk. He struck out two.

AA Akron Aeros

Phillies 4, Aeros 2 Akron managed just three hits in support of right-handed knuckleballer Steven Wright and lost the Eastern League game in Reading, Pa.

Wright (5-4, 1.79) went six innings and gave up four runs (three earned) on three hits and one walk. He struck out seven.

DH Nick Weglarz (.242) and CF Jordan Henry (.167) each knocked in a run for Akron.

Advanced A Carolina Mudcats

Mudcats 14, Red Sox 8 Carolina scored 10 runs in the eighth inning to win the Carolina League game in Salem, Va.

Mudcats SS Ronny Rodriguez (.275) went 5-for-5 and RF Carlos Moncrief (.243) hit his ninth home run of the season.

A Lake County Captains

Dragons 5, Captains 3 Dayton scored two unearned runs on three Lake County errors in the ninth inning and won the Midwest League game in Eastlake.

Captains DH Alex Monsalve (.250) and C Alex Lavisky (.235), a St. Ed grad, each hit a home run. Monsalve has five homers this season, Lavisky four.

Right-handed reliever Cole Cook (2-3, 3.46) took the loss. He pitched the eighth and ninth innings, allowing two unearned runs on one hit.

Independent Lake Erie Crushers

Crushers vs. Freedom, ppd. Rain forced the postponement of Lake Erie's Frontier League game against visiting Florence (Ky.). The teams will play a doubleheader Monday beginning at 6:05 p.m.

Source: http://www.cleveland.com/tribe/index.ssf/2012/06/columbus_clippers_zach_mcallis.html

Egypt Botswana Sir Michael Lyons Robert Schumann Energy Redrow

South Wales Evening Post published Woman admits: 'I did give heroin to drug-user teen Kyle Bates...

A WOMAN has admitted giving heroin to a 16-year-old who was found dead with high levels of drugs in his body.

Source: http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/32715/f/503366/s/21740e87/l/0L0Sthisissouthwales0O0CWoman0Eadmits0Edid0Eheroin0Edrug0Euser0Eteen0EKyle0EBates0Cstory0E165533760Edetail0Cstory0Bhtml/story01.htm

Reality TV Banks and building societies Green politics Facebook Snowboarding European football

Morning Call: Showery across Europe - Best through the Mediterranean, Jul 18 - 06:04

Hot across Iberia and southern Europe Today Dry, hot and sunny across Portugal, Spain, the Balearics and eastward across Corsica, Sardinia into Italy, Greece and Turkey. This fine weather extends up across Bulgaria, the former Yugoslavia, Hungary and Romania. Frequent, and heavy showers with the risk of thunder are expected across Sweden, Austria, the Baltic States into Belarus, will Ukraine and Russia. Sunny across Switzerland, Austria and the Czech Republic and very warm. Mostly cloudy across Belgium, Holland and Denmark with showers and spells of rain and this will extend across the northern half of Germany. Southern Germany looks dry and mostly sunny. Scattered showers and sunny spells are expected across Norway with most of Finland fair and dry. Strong north winds will be blowing down through the Aegean Sea while gale force easterly winds prevail through the Straits of Gibraltar.

Thursday For today a number of showers will affect England, northern France, Belgium, Holland and all of Germany down across the Alps with the risk of scattered thunderstorms there. Rain clears Denmark to heavy showers with heavy showers and isolated thunderstorms forecast for the northern half of Poland. Persistent and heavy rain is expected across Sweden today. Heavy showers forecast across Norway and Finland. Here also expect sunny spells. Expect a good deal of dry weather from southern Poland down through, Austria, into Hungary, the Czech Republic, Romania and the former Yugoslavia. Continued very hot and sunny across Portugal and Spain and across into the Balearics, Italy, Greece and Turkey. Hot and sunny as well across southern parts of France today with heavy showers across the Alpine region along with thunderstorms. Those strong winds from the north will continue blowing down on the Black Sea through into the Aegean Sea while a brisk east wind prevails through the Straits of Gibraltar

Source: http://feeds.weatheronline.co.uk/~r/weatheronline/~3/_4gIAkrJgYQ/reports

Arsenal Oscars The FA World Cup 2018 US constitution and civil liberties State pensions