Sunday, January 30, 2011

CHOOSE BARON DAVIS FOR THE 2011 TACO BELL SKILLS CHALLENGE


For the first time, Clippers fans will have the opportunity to vote for point guard Baron Davis to take part in the Taco Bell Skills Challenge as part of the “Choose Your Squad” program.  In addition to adding a fan vote, the 2011 Taco Bell Skills Challenge will feature an expanded field from four to five participants.  

Voting runs through 11:59 p.m. ET on Feb. 14, and fans can log on to NBA.com/chooseyoursquad to choose from among eight players to determine four of the five participants in the 2011 event in Los Angeles.  The players taking part in the “Choose Your Squad” vote include: Davis, Stephon Curry, Tyreke Evans, Derek Fisher, Tony Parker, Derrick Rose, John Wall and Russell Westbrook. 

The four finalists will compete against “Choose Your Squad” spokesman Chris Paul of the New Orleans Hornets. A three-time NBA All-Star and Taco Bell Skills Challenge (2006 to 2008) participant, Paul will chronicle his preparations on the program microsite NBA.com/chooseyoursquad.  The site will also feature highlights of each of the eight players eligible in the fan vote.  
  
This year’s event will include a new charitable element from NBA Cares and Taco Bell Foundation for Teens’ “Graduate to Go” program, a national initiative to help teens graduate from high school through real-world experiences.  Each of the five participants will be matched with a teen member of a local Boys & Girls Club. The teen paired with the event winner will receive a four-year college scholarship, while the other scholarship winners will each receive an educational scholarship, all courtesy of the Taco Bell Foundation for Teens.

Introduced at NBA All-Star 2003 in Atlanta – the Taco Bell® Skills Challenge will feature five players competing in a two-round timed “obstacle course” consisting of dribbling, passing, and shooting stations. All players must observe basic NBA ball-handling rules while completing the course. The two players with the fastest times from the first round advance to the finals with the order of competition determined by inverse order of the first-round times. At the discretion of the referee, television instant replay may be consulted for clarification of rules compliance. 

Last year in Dallas, Steve Nash finished with a winning time of 29.9 seconds, joining the Miami Heat’s Dwyane Wade (2006 and 2007) as the only other two-time winner in Taco Bell Skills Challenge history.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

ANGELS AGREE TO TERMS ON 2011 CONTRACT WITH C JEFF MATHIS


ANAHEIM, CA -- The Angels Wednesday agreed to terms on a 2011 contract with catcher Jeff Mathis, thus avoiding arbitration.  Today’s announcement was made by General Manager Tony Reagins

Mathis, 27, spent his third full season with the Angels in 2010 batting .195 (40/205) with 19 runs scored, six doubles, one triple, three home runs and 18 RBI in 68 games played. The backstop started the season batting .324 (11/34) before fracturing his right wrist, April 19, causing him to miss 55 games. Despite the injury, Mathis put together a 13-game hit streak from April 5 – June 22, matching the longest streak by an Angel in 2010 (Alberto Callaspo, August 14-28).

Mathis is the second Angel to agree to terms and avoid arbitration, leaving the Angels with six remaining arbitration-eligible players (Erick Aybar, Howie Kendrick, Kendry Morales, Mike Napoli, Jered Weaver & Reggie Willits).
               
                The Marianna, Florida native was originally selected by the Angels in the first round (33rd overall pick) of the 2001 amateur draft. He owns a .199 career batting average with 36 doubles, 23 home runs and 117 RBI in 333 games. Mathis is single and resides in Marianna, Florida. Following is a glance at his career statistics:

Year
Team
G
AB
R
H
2B
3B
HR
RBI
SB
CS
BB
SO
BA
OBP
SLG
2005
5
3
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
.333
.333
.333
2006
23
55
9
8
2
0
2
6
0
0
7
14
.145
.238
.291
2007
59
171
24
36
12
0
4
23
0
1
15
49
.211
.276
.351
2008
94
283
35
55
8
0
9
42
2
2
30
90
.194
.275
.318
2009
84
237
26
50
8
0
5
28
2
3
22
73
.211
.288
.308
2010
68
205
19
40
6
1
3
18
3
0
6
59
.195
.219
.278
6 Seasons
333
954
114
190
36
1
23
117
7
6
80
286
.199
.265
.311



 --ANGELS—

DODGERS PRIDE NIGHT WITH THE L.A. KINGS


Dodger Manager Don Mattingly will drop the puck at the start of the game

WHAT:          The Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angeles Kings will present the second annual Dodgers Pride Night at Staples Center on Thursday, January 13 as the Kings host the St. Louis Blues. Dodger Manager Don Mattingly will drop the puck at the start of the game and former Dodger Billy Ashley will sign autographs for fans in the concourse before and during the game. Dodger staff will be on hand at the autograph booths to answer questions for fans about 2011 Dodger ticket packages. In addition, Dodger-themed elements will be incorporated into the Kings’ in-game entertainment.

Several of the Dodgers’ top minor league prospects will also be in attendance and Kings President and NHL Hall of Famer Luc Robitaille will meet with the group during the game.

WHEN:          This Thursday, January 13
6:00 – 7:30 p.m. – Former Dodger Billy Ashley signs autographs for fans
                        7:10 p.m. – Don Mattingly puck drop and gametime
 
WHERE:       STAPLES Center
                        1111 S. Figueroa St.
                       
MISC:            Tickets for Dodgers Pride Night come with a limited edition Dodgers Pride Night
puck. Ticket information and event details can be found at www.dodgers.com/kings, as will information about a Kings Night at Dodger Stadium in 2011.
 
The Dodgers and Kings both gave away prize packages via Twitter in the days leading up to Dodgers Pride Night. Yesterday, the Kings gave away a James Loney autographed baseball on their Twitter account (www.twitter.com/LAKings) and earlier this afternoon the Dodgers gave away a Wayne Simmonds autographed puck and a James Loney autographed baseball on their Twitter account (www.twitter.com/Dodgers).
 
The Kings are also hosting a VIP contest on their Facebook page this week where fans can win a prize package that includes tickets to the game, dinner, VIP passes, a James Loney autographed ball, a team-signed Kings jersey and a meet-and-greet with Kings President of Business Operations and NHL Hall of Famer Luc Robitaille and the Dodgers’ top prospects. To enter, visit www.facebookcom/LAKings.

Media interesting in covering the event should contact Jeff Moeller at jmoeller@lakings.com, Mike Kalinowski at mkalinowski@lakings.com or Jeremy Zager at jzager@lakings.com.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

ANGELS AGREE TO TERMS ON 2011 CONTRACT WITH INF ALBERTO CALLASPO

  
 
ANAHEIM, CA -- The Angels Monday agreed to terms on a 2011 contract with infielder Alberto Callaspo, thus avoiding arbitration.  Today’s announcement was made by General Manager Tony Reagins
 
Callaspo, 27, was acquired from Kansas City on July 22, 2010 in exchange for RHP Will Smith and RHP Sean O’Sullivan. The third baseman played at every level in the Angels’ minor league system from 2001 to 2005 and returned to play in 58 games with the Halos in 2010, finishing the season batting .265 (149/562) with 27 doubles, 10 home runs and 56 RBI.
 
Callaspo is the first Angel to agree to terms and avoid arbitration, leaving the Angels with seven remaining arbitration-eligible players (Erick Aybar, Howie Kendrick, Jeff Mathis, Kendry Morales, Mike Napoli, Jered Weaver & Reggie Willits).
               
                The Maracay, Venezuela native was originally signed by the Angels in 2001 as a non-drafted free agent. He owns a .278 career batting average with 85 doubles, 14 triples, 21 home runs and 158 RBI in 454 games. Callaspo resides in Maracay, Venezuela with his wife, Marianny and child. Following is a glance at his career statistics:
 
Year
Team
G
AB
R
H
2B
3B
HR
RBI
SB
CS
BB
SO
BA
OBP
SLG
2006
  23
42
2
  10
  1
1
0
6
0
1
4
6
.238
.298
.310
2007
  56
144
10
  31
  8
0
0
7
1
1
9
  14
.215
.265
.271
2008
  74
213
21
  65
  8
3
0
16
2
1
  19
  14
.305
.361
.371
2009
 155
576
79
173
41
8
 11
73
2
1
  52
  51
.300
.356
.457
2010
TOT
146
562
61
149
27
2
 10
56
5
3
  31
  42
.265
.302
.374
2010
  88
349
40
  96
19
2
8
43
3
1
  19
  29
.275
.308
.410
2010
  58
213
21
  53
  8
0
2
13
2
2
  12
  13
.249
.291
.315
5 Seasons
454
1537
173
428
85
14
21
158
10
7
115
127
.278
.327
.393