Atlanta Braves’ Derek Lowe racing before DUI arrest, police say – ESPN

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Apr 292011
 

ATLANTA — Atlanta Braves pitcher Derek Lowe apologized Friday after being charged with drunken driving, saying he hoped his arrest would not be a distraction to the team.

Gordy Wright, a spokesman for the Georgia State Patrol, said a trooper stopped Lowe’s vehicle about 10 p.m. Thursday after it was spotted racing another car down an Atlanta street. The trooper detected an odor of alcohol and administered a field sobriety test, which resulted in Lowe’s arrest.

The 37-year-old right-hander was charged with DUI, reckless driving and improper lane change, Wright said. Lowe declined to take a breath test before he was released, the spokesman added. The other driver was also stopped, but there were no details on whether he was charged.

“I would like to apologize to my family, teammates, fans and the Braves organization for the attention arising from this matter,” Lowe said in a statement. “However, I am hopeful that this incident will not be a distraction to the Braves organization while we are focused on returning to the playoffs.”

The Braves were off Thursday after returning home from a West Coast road trip. They opened a three-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday night.

“This is a legal matter and I anticipate this case can promptly be resolved within the court system,” Lowe said.

The Braves said they would wait for the case to be resolved in the courts before they considered any disciplinary action against Lowe. He will make his next scheduled start Sunday against the Cardinals.

“We don’t condone it. We don’t like it,” manager Fredi Gonzalez said. “But it happens. It happens in all walks of life, all professions. It’s not good. He’s got to go through some legal stuff that everybody goes through. Hopefully, our guys learn a lesson from it.”

Lowe’s arrest came while the team was already dealing with allegations that pitching coach Roger McDowell made homophobic comments, along with crude and threatening gestures, while bantering with fans before a game at San Francisco last weekend.

McDowell was placed on administrative leave Friday while the team investigated his conduct. Dave Wallace, the Braves’ minor league pitching coordinator, took over as the interim pitching coach.

Lowe is in the third season of a four-year, $60 million contract with the Braves. He has been the team’s opening day starter all three years.

This season, Lowe is 2-3 with a 3.21 ERA.

via Atlanta Braves’ Derek Lowe racing before DUI arrest, police say – ESPN.

 Posted by at 4:54 pm

New Orleans Saints hit daily double with Mark Ingram, Cameron Jordan | NOLA.com

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Apr 292011
 

The New Orleans Saints got a lot better on Thursday night.

The Associated PressThe Saints got their man, well, the first one anyway, in Cameron Jordan.

A whole lot better.

In a head-spinning 30-minute period, they upgraded the two weakest aspects of their football team.

In defensive end Cameron Jordan, they added some lightning to their tepid pass rush.

And in running back Mark Ingram, they injected some thunder to their sputtering running game.

In two bold strokes, they landed the second-ranked defensive end in the draft by NFLDraftScout and the consensus top running back.

About the only one in Who Dat Nation unhappy about the unlikely set of circumstances was the Saints other Heisman Trophy-winning running back, Reggie Bush, who tweeted “It’s been fun New Orleans” soon after the selection of Ingram.

Otherwise, the Saints received nothing but praise for their aggressive action at the bottom of the first round.

It’s always dangerous to leap to conclusions on draft picks. But at first glance, this looks like a pair of hits. From all accounts, Jordan and Ingram own the makeup, character and talent to be solid pros. Maybe they won’t be the second coming of Mike Strahan and Deuce McAllister — the players Saints officials compared them to on Thursday — but they also aren’t the kind of guys who are going to fall on their facemasks and be outright busts.

“Obviously, we’re excited,” Saints General Manager Mickey Loomis said. “We didn’t think either of these guys would be there (at No. 24).”

The coach in Sean Payton wouldn’t allow himself to get too giddy Thursday night. Asked how much better his roster was on Thursday night, his response was a nonplussed “two players better.”

But rest assured, Payton popped a couple of cold ones with the rest of the Saints’ brain trust after the first-round festivities wrapped up.

After all, the Saints didn’t get their man. They got their men.

Jordan and Ingram address two of the most glaring weaknesses on the team. And both are ranked among the top players at their respective positions.

Loomis called the double-play “a bonanza.”

Sure, the move mortgaged a little bit of the Saints’ future. It cost them a pick in today’s second round and their first-round pick in 2012. After all, everything comes with a price. But this one was justified.

But if ever there was a year to do it, this was it. The talent pool in this year’s lottery drops off considerably after the top 25 picks or so. The Saints are likely to get a player of similar caliber with their third-round picks than they would have with their second-rounder at No. 56.

And if things go as planned and the Saints contend for another title next season, then the first-rounder they dealt will be a low one at that.

So, in truth%

via New Orleans Saints hit daily double with Mark Ingram, Cameron Jordan | NOLA.com.

 Posted by at 8:43 am

Cam Newton goes No. 1, then come NFL draft’s first-round surprises | al.com

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Apr 292011
 

NEW YORK — It wasn’t an unexpected phone call, but Auburn quarterback Cam Newton said it stunned him just the same.

“Just to get that phone call, it was like a shock going through my body,” Newton said of a call from Carolina general manager Marty Hurney, who told Newton the Panthers had taken him with the No. 1 pick in Thursday night’s NFL draft in New York City. “I’m just blessed to be part of a great organization and I’m ready to get to work.”

The Panthers, 2-14 last season, hope to rebuild their franchise around the 2010 Heisman Trophy winner, who was one of six players from the state and two from Mobile to be selected in the first round Thursday.

The six first-round selections from Alabama matched the 2005 draft, when Auburn’s Ronnie Brown and Carnell Williams led another group of six first-rounders from the state.

After the Panthers took Newton and Denver took Texas A&M’s Von Miller at No. 2, Alabama defensive lineman Marcell Dareus went to Buffalo with the third pick, Crimson Tide receiver Julio Jones of Foley went to Atlanta at No. 6, Auburn defensive tackle Nick Fairley of Mobile went No. 13 to Detroit, Alabama offensive lineman James Carpenter was taken 25th by Seattle, and Alabama’s 2009 Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram went to New Orleans at No. 28.

The Saints took Cal defensive end Cameron Jordan with their first-round pick at No. 24, then traded their second-round pick this year and a first-rounder next year to New England to get Ingram.

“It was a long wait,” Ingram said moments after his selection. “I’m going to a great organization … and I hope to help them win another championship.”

Carpenter’s selection was one of the biggest surprises of the night. A two-year starter at left tackle for the Crimson Tide, he had been projected as a late second- or early third-round pick but boosted his stock with a strong week at the Senior Bowl, where he showed he could make the adjustment to guard.

Other surprises included Tennessee’s selection of Washington quarterback Jake Locker at No. 8 and Minnesota’s choice of Florida State quarterback Christian Ponder at No. 12. Missouri’s Blaine Gabbert was the other quarterback selected Thursday as he went to Jacksonville, which traded up to No. 10 to take him.

Locker and Ponder were among 12 first-round selections who played in the Senior Bowl.

As expected, the first round featured several trades, including a huge move by Atlanta to get Jones. The Falcons, who originally had the No. 27 pick, sent their first-, second- and fourth-round picks this year and first- and fourth-round picks next year to Cleveland in order to move up to No. 6.

“I wasn’t expecting them to trade up and come get me at six,” Jones told Wes Durham and Dave Archer of Falcons Radio%2

via Cam Newton goes No. 1, then come NFL draft’s first-round surprises | al.com.

 Posted by at 8:41 am
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