Lim Chang-yong gets called up by Cubs, becomes 14th S. Korean in MLB

Lim Chang-yong got called up from the minor league by the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday, becoming the 14th South Korean national to join Major League Baseball (MLB).

The Cubs announced that they picked up Lim'shttps://twitter.com/roxanneblannces

The right-hander received No. 12 for his jersey as he made the Cubs' 40-man roster.

Lim joins pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin of the Los Angeles Dodgers and outfielder Choo Shin-soo of the Cincinnati Reds in the South Korean contingent of the big leagues this year. All three are in the National League (NL).

The call-up caps off a remarkable comeback for the 37-year-old, who had his second Tommy John elbow reconstructive surgery last summer. He spent the first half of 2013 recovering from the operation, after signing a two-year deal with the Cubs in December.

He made 21 appearances in the minors, allowing four earned runs in 22 1/3 innings for a 1.61 ERA. He struck out 24 and issued only seven walks. He held his opponents to a .173 batting average and didn't give up a home run.

Lim returned to the mound in June at the Rookie League, the lowest level in the minors, and climbed all the way up to Triple-A by the end of July.

At the start of each September, MLB clubs expand their rosters from 25 to 40. To make room for Lim, the Cubs designated right-hander Michael Bowden for assignment.

The Cubs have the second-worst record in the NL at 59-80. They haven't won a World Series since 1908.

Lim began his professional career in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) in 1995 and spent 13 seasons with two different teams. He then pitched the next five seasons for the Yakult Swallows in the Central League of Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), before joining the Cubs.

Lim is the fifth South Korean to play for teams in the KBO, the NPB and MLB, after pitchers Koo Dae-sung, Lee Sang-hoon,AFL Snapbacks       
  Park Chan-ho and Kim Byung-hyun, though Kim only pitched in the minors for the Rakuten Golden Eagles in 2011.

Lim had often said his lifelong dream was to one day pitch in the majors.

"I want to see how it feels like," Lim told the Cubs' official website. "I'm nervous and excited."

Lim collected 128 saves in Japan,http://pageeasy.com/waticaps/

In the KBO, Lim led the league in saves in three different seasons, while bouncing between the rotation and the bullpen. He went 104-66 with 168 saves in 534 games with a 3.25 ERA in the KBO.

Vols' Barton sees rivalry from new perspective

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Antonio Barton says he's still getting used to being on a different side of the Tennessee-Memphis rivalry.
His new teammates are making the point guard's adjustment easier.
After graduating from Memphis in three years,Tha Alumni Snapbacks 
  Barton decided to transfer for his final season of eligibility. He cited the sales pitch of Tennessee's players as a major reason why he selected the Volunteers.
"We talked as if they knew me all my life," Barton said. "That just made me feel comfortable."
Tennessee believes Barton can help the Vols return to the NCAA tournament after making back-to-back NIT appearances.
The Vols return first-team all-SEC guard Jordan McRae and second-team all-SEC forward Jarnell Stokes. They welcome back former second-team all-SEC forward Jeronne Maymon, who sat out last season with a knee injury.
But they needed an experienced point guard to replace Trae Golden, now at Georgia Tech. They expect Barton to fill that void.
"I didn't want to go anywhere where I would score all the points and we wouldn't win," Barton said. "I wanted to come somewhere where I could compete and be a contender for a national championship."
Barton's blue-collar mentality makes him an ideal point guard for this particular program.
"We're a team that's built on toughness,http://pageeasy.com/snapbackshatsoutletsale/

Barton said that toughness arose from his Baltimore upbringing and continued when he was overlooked as a recruit.
When he signed with Memphis, Barton was overshadowed by his brother, Will Barton, who played alongside him in college and now is with the NBA's Portland Trail Blazers. Memphis coach Josh Pastner disputes the notion that the Barton brothers were a "package deal" and said the Tigers recruited Antonio on his own merits.
"I've been playing with a chip on my shoulder all my life, guys saying I was a throw-in coming to Memphis with my brother," Barton said. "I don't let it get me down. I just use it as motivation."
Barton averaged 8.2 points per game as a freshman and made 19 starts a sophomore, but he missed much of the 2012-13 season with a hairline fracture in his right foot. When he returned, Memphis was on a roll. His playing time consequently dipped.
"It was just hard to work him in because we were in such a rhythm," Pastner said. "To his credit, Antonio even said, 'Hey, coach, I don't want to break the rhythm. Let's just keep it moving so we keep on winning.' That's to his credit. He's such a team guy."
Barton's new team knows him well.
When Memphis beat Tennessee 99-97 in the 2011 Maui Invitational, Barton scored 21 points and made a jumper that put the Tigers ahead for good in double overtime. Less than two months later, Barton scored 19 points in a 69-51 victory over Tennessee.
"He beat us up quite a bit," Martin said. "You want a guy like that. You don't want to play against a guy like that."
When Barton chose to transfer, Pastner said he agreed to release him to any school that wasn't on Memphis' 2013-14 schedule. Tennessee isn't playing Memphis this season for the first time since 2004-05. Because he already has his degree, Barton is eligible to play for his new school immediately.
Barton said his cross-state move shocked some people, but he noted his brother cheered the decision and called Tennessee a "positive fit" for him.
Barton replaces Golden, a streaky player who pretty much served as the barometer for Tennessee's fortunes last season. When Golden was hot, the Vols usually won. When he wasn't on his game, Tennessee struggled.
The Vols hope Barton provides morehttps://twitter.com/sninadolore

"I think he'll do a great job," Pastner said. "I know Cuonzo is big on toughness. Antonio's going to fill that bill. They got themselves a very good starting point guard."

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/09/04//v-fullstory/3606193/vols-barton-sees-rivalry-from.html#storylink=cpy

Drivers' girlfriend slaps Max Papis

Max Papis told ESPN.com that he suffered a dislocated jaw following Sunday's Camping World Truck Series race at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in Bowmanville, Ontario, when another driver's girlfriendhttps://twitter.com/dominicnicoler

Papis did not know the lady's name, but said she was driver Mike Skeen's girlfriend.

"This crazy lady comes shouting at me, and I had no idea, didn't even understand her, she just started shouting," Papis told ESPN.com some four hours after the altercation. "And all the sudden, she took a full-hand -- and she slapped me so hard. I'm not kidding. My jaw got dislocated and my left ear is still ringing, big time."
Papis did not retaliate.

"What do you do? You don't hit a lady," Papis said. "I was in disbelief. Complete disbelief. If she would've closed her hand it would have been a bad punch, because she hit me so freaking hard. I went to (Skeen) and said, 'I guess we know who's the man in the family here, because the guy didn't even have the (guts) to talk.'"

While battling for second-place in the final corner of Sunday's Trucks race, Papis said Skeen made an ill-advised aggressive move, which ultimately wrecked both trucks.

The drivers exchanged hand gestures during the cool-down lap. That was just the beginning. As Papis unbuckled his seatbelt, he said one of Skeen's crewmembers grabbed him inside his truck.

"So I say, 'Come to the hauler and we'll talk, because I don't want to beat the s--- out of you right here,'" Papis said. 'I Snapbacks For Cheap   
 asked him, 'Do you think that's a good move? You hit me and the tire barrier.' And the guy was like, 'Yeah, but I did this before and it stuck.' I said, 'Well it didn't stick this time.

"I've never seen this kid before, and I know you're trying to make a name for yourself. But if that's how you're doing it, you're not going to go very far. I'm a hard racer, but what that guy did was very amateur. It was crazy, honestly."

Papis said he approached Camping World Truck Series director Chad Little with the request that NASCAR take some action against Skeen's girlfriend.

"It needs to stay between the drivers," Papis said. "I think NASCAR should do something about it. I don't even like that (Skeen's) team member pulled me out of the truck, much less this lady slapping me.http://shippingsale.blogspot.com/

Gareth Bale joins Real Madrid on record deal

Real Madrid have broken the world transfer record to sign Tottenham forward Gareth Bale in a deal worth 85.3 million pounds (100 million euros).

The Wales star will sign a contract for six years with Real and expects to earn 300,000 pounds per week. The transfer https://twitter.com/dominicnicoler

Bale will have a medical and then be presented to the Real Madrid fans at the Bernabeu at 11:00 GMT on Monday before speaking at a media conference, the BBC said.

He said: "I am not sure there is ever a good time to leave a club where I felt settled and was playing the best football of my career to date.

"I know many players talk of their desire to join the club of their boyhood dreams, but I can honestly say, Snapbacks Hats Wholesale          

  this is my dream come true.

"Tottenham will always be in my heart and I'm sure this season will be a successful one for them.

"I am now looking forward to the next exciting chapter in my life, playing football for Real Madrid."

Bale joined Spurs as a left-back for 10 million pounds from Southampton in 2007 and scored 26 goals last season as he was named both the Professional Footballers' Association's and http://storeenjoy.blogspot.com/

Five Iron rolls in Saranac

Fred Allor's homebred Five Iron scored a third straight front-running victory Sept. 1, this time nailing down the first graded stakes win of his career in the $150,000 Saranac Stakes at Saratoga Race Course.

After leading at every call in back-to-back stakes victories at Woodbine, Five Iron shipped to Saratoga for the Saranac.New Era Hats Wholesale The pair broke well in the Saranac to cruise to a clear lead through :22.97, :46.76, and 1:10.90 fractions in the 1 ⅛-mile turf race for 3-year-olds.

Grade 1 winner Joha and Frac Daddy, a recent winner of a high level allowance race in his career debut on turf Aug. 24 at Saratoga, gave chase into the turn but could make up little ground on the easy-striding son of Sharp Humor.

At the top of the stretch, Repole Stable's 2-1 favorite Notacatbutallama took a run at the front-runner but Five Iron found morehttps://twitter.com/natadliedorine

"The lead came easy to my horse so I let him run," said winning rider Luis Saez. "Coming for home, I still had a lot of horse. When I saw Notacatbutallama coming, I knew we could hold him off. He gave me everything he had to win this race."

Saddled by Brian Lynch, Five Iron completed nine furlongs in 1:48.31 on good turf with Notacatbutallama holding second, 2 ½ lengths over Joha.

"I knew if he could get the lead and get left alone, he'd be very dangerous," Lynch said . "He's a very determined horse. I've never had a horse prick his ears when he makes the lead like that and run into the bridle like he does. He's a fun horse, and as he's gotten older, he's found his niche and become effective at it."

Five Iron returned $12.80 to win, $5.20 to place, and $4.60 to show. Notacatbutallama paid $3.70 and $2.90, while Joha returned $4.90 to show.

Five Iron won the Victoria Park Stakes June 16 on the Woodbine Polytrack and entered off a score in the Toronto Cup Stakes July 27 on the Woodbine turf. In 11 starts, Five Iron has registered a record of 4-2-1 with earnings of $381,060.

Bred in Kentucky, Five Iron is out of the Thuder Gulch mare Tee Off.

Tattenham finished fourth in the field of seven, followed by Front, Favor Factor, and Frac Daddy. Battier, Micromanage,http://representhats.blogspot.com/

Women's wrap: Thursday, Aug 29

Top-ranked defending champion Serena Williams rolled into the third round of the US Open on Thursday while Italian fourth seed Sara Errani, a 2012 semifinalist, was beaten by one of her best friends.
Williams, seeking her 17th Grand Slam titlehttp://pageeasy.com/castlhat/ and fifth US Open crown, beat 77th-ranked Galina Voskoboeva 6-3, 6-0. Williams won the last eight games, breaking to capture each set, and advanced in 69 minutes.
"Galina played very well in the first set. You can see how much she has improved," Williams said. "But I played pretty well myself."
Yaroslava Shvedova, like Voskoboeva a Russian-born Kazakh player, beat Austrian Patricia Mayr-Achleitner 6-2, 6-3 to put herself into the world No 1's path.
Williams would become the oldest US Open women's champion at 31 if she repeats on the Flushing Meadows hardcourts.
Errani, last year's French Open runner-up, was in tears after falling to 83rd-ranked Flavia Pennetta 6-3, 6-1 in 71 minutes.
"It was difficult," Errani said. "The worst thing was the 'fight.' Normally it's the best thing I do on the court and today it was not good. I don't know why. I think it's the pressure. Everything was very difficult for me."
Pennetta, a former world number 10, said thehttps://twitter.com/donnanicoler hardest part for her was facing a friend.
"We know each other really well," she said. "It's not easy to play against your friend so well but you have to get on the court and play your best."
Pennetta improved to 4-2 against Errani in their first meeting off clay, smacking seven aces and 33 winners.
Pennetta will next face Russian 29th seed Svetlana Kuznetsova, the 2004 US Open winner who defeated China's 37th-ranked Peng Shuai 6-1, 4-6, 6-4.
"I never beat her. She's a really good player, a strong powerful player," Pennetta said. "She also doesn't have a lot of good wins the last two years and she is also my friend, but you have to put that aside when you go on the court."
In another upset, Japanese qualifier Kurumi Nara advanced to the third round by defeating Romanian 19th seed Sorana Cirstea 7-5, 6-1. Nara next faces Serbian ninth seed Jelena Jankovic, who beat Russian Alisa Kleybanova 6-3, 6-2.
AZARENKA ADVANCES TO THIRD ROUND
Two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka advanced to the third round by defeating Canada's Aleksandra Wozniak 6-3, 6-1.
Belarus second seed Azarenka moved into a matchup against French 26th seed Alize Cornet for a berth in the last 16.
Azarenka, who had 16 winners and 19 unforced errors, improved to 3-0 in top-level matches against Wozniak, who until this week had played only two matches in the past 12 months because of a right shoulder injury.
"I'm glad I got the first set," Azarenka said. "I was able to force the rhythm better in the second set."
WOZNIACKI ROARS INTO THIRD ROUND
Former world number one Caroline Wozniacki raced to a 6-1 6-2 win over South Africa's Chanelle Scheepers to reach New Era Snapbacks Wholesale the third round.
The sixth-seeded Dane, made to work hard for her first-round victory over Chinese qualifier Duan Yingying, dropped her first service game on Arthur Ashe Stadium court but never looked back in the 67-minute romp.
"I'm really pleased with the way I was moving today and moving from defense to offense," Wozniacki said on-court.

Wozniacki will next play Italy's Camila Giorgi, a 6-4 7-6 (8) winner over Hsieh Su-Wei of Taiwan.

Four Kiwi crews qualify for finals

      A clean sweep of semifinal qualifiers gave Rowing New Zealand another boost at the world rowing championships today.
All four Kiwi boats in the semifinals at Chungju, South Korea, advanced to their finals on Sunday, giving the national team seven entries into the last two days of finals at the regatta.
The New Zealand men's double sculls crew of Michael Arms and Robbie Manson opened proceedings when they were second in the second http://castlhat.yolasite.com/ semifinal in their class to comfortably make Sunday's final.
The duo, who have won all three World Cup regattas this season in Sydney, Eton Dorney and Lucerne, finished behind Lithuania with Italy third.
Norway, Germany and Argentina were the crews to qualify from the first semifinal.
The Kiwi women's double sculls combination of Zoe Stevenson and Fiona Bourke were then second in the first of the two semifinals to also advance, with the first three from each semi qualifying. Lithuania were again winners, with Belarus third while Great Britain, Germany and Denmark will also contest the final.
The Kiwi duo, who joined up as a crew last summer, have made a fine fist of their first year together, with a win in Sydney and a third place in Lucerne in their two World Cup appearances.
The New Zealand lightweight men's four still have a chance to win their fourth major title of the year by finishing second in the second of the semifinals in their class.
The crew of Curtis Rapley, Peter Taylor, James Lassche and James Hunter led for the first 1500m before being passed by Great Britain but staved off late finishes from Olympic champs South Africa (third) Cheap Snapbacks For Sale
They advanced to Sunday's final, where they will seek to complete a perfect season with a win to follow their three World Cup triumphs this year.
Arch-rivals Denmark won the first semifinal, with France and the United States also qualifying.
Kiwi women's single sculler Emma Twigg was second in her semifinal to compete a hugely successful day for New Zealand boats.
Twigg, fourth at the London Olympics, kept close to winner Kim Crow, of Australia, to indicate she's a definite contender in Sunday's final, with Eleanor Logan, of the US, third.
Earlier, NZ men's lightweight single sculler Duncan Grant won his C final while women's lightweight single sculler Louise Ayling was second in the B final. The Kiwi men's four won their C final while the NZ men's quad were second in their C final.

Three New Zealand boats will contest finals in Chungju tomorrow - the men's pair of Hamish Bond and Eric Murray,https://twitter.com/murieleileera the women's pair of Kayla Pratt and Rebecca Scown and the women's lightweight double sculls crew of Lucy Strack and Julia Edward.