RALEIGH, N.
.C. -- Jeff Skinner has returned to practice with the Carolina
Hurricanes in the latest step in his recovery from a concussion.
Last years NHL rookie of the year skated Monday with the Hurricanes for
the first time since the injury. The forward wore a yellow jersey that
meant no contact.
He says there remains no timetable for returning to games but that "were
just trying to go through the steps and get me back ready to play."
Coach Kirk Muller says "it looks like hes on the right track."
Skinner has missed 10 games since the concussion came during a hit Dec. 7
at Edmonton. The 19-year-old led the team with 12 goals and 24 points
when he was hurt.
. 15 in Omaha, Neb.
The show is the first on American channel Fuel TV, a subsidiary of Fox.
Sanchez (25-4) is coming off a March win over Martin (The
Hitman)Kampmann in an all-action fight that saw him rally for the win
despite being battered and bloodied.
.
"Its in the best interests of myself and the England team that I dont
carry on into next year," Johnson said at a news conference at
Twickenham. Appointed without any coaching experience in 2008, he didnt
want to renew his contract which expires in December.
."
"Sacrifice a chicken or something," Johnson joked Tuesday before
Washingtons game against the San Diego Padres.
"Things just go in bunches sometimes," he noted. "But I try to always
look on the bright side of things -- well, heres an opportunity for
another guy to get a chance to express his talent.
.Y. - Mets closer Frank Francisco was placed on the 15-day disabled
list Sunday with a strained muscle on his left side, and shortstop
Ruben Tejada returned to the lineup after missing seven weeks with a leg
injury.
. -- Phoenix Coyotes captain Shane Doan waited a long time for a season
like this.Each week, The Reporters put their thumbs out to the good and
the bad in the world of sports. This week they discuss American surfer
Garrett McNamara, dinners with Joe Frazier, Hockey Hall of Fame inductee
Mark Howe and Bill Belichicks recent signings.
Cathal Kelly, Toronto Star: My thumb is up to American surfer Garrett
McNamara. Fair to say, its been a heavy week in the sports world.
McNamaras achievement is pure lightness. This week, while surfing off
the coast of Portugal, McNamara caught the largest wave ever ridden. It
towered 90 feet or nine storeys in the air. In the video, McNamara looks
like a flea being tossed through a waterfall. He didnt see the giant
behind him until it began crashing on his shoulders and said afterward
that he made it out in one piece by "the grace of God". McNamaras feat
is a lovely reminder of what is best in sport - men and women pushing
themselves to their physical limits and the sheer joy of surviving to
tell the story.
Steve Simmons, Sun Media: My thumb is up, and this purely personal, to
my dinners with Joe Frazier. Years ago, when covering one of Sugar Ray
Leonards training camps at a resort in the Poconos, we were assigned our
dinner companions. I got lucky. I got the former heavyweight champion
for all my meals. And after a dinner and a lunch I got to know Smokin
Joe, understand him, comprehend his burning dislike and anger with
Muhammad Ali, something he never got over, and never as a child of the
South got over being called an Uncle Tom. Joe Frazier didnt float like a
butterfly or recite poetry or make many people laugh, but he waas
fighter, through and through, the heavyweight champion when it really
meant something to be heavyweight champion. .
Rest in peace, Smokin Joe.
Michael Farber, Sports Illustrated: My thumb is up to Mark Howe, who
will be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on Monday along with other
worthies - Doug Gilmour, Joe Nieuwendyk and Ed Belfour. Howe is not
going into the Hall because he was Gordies son - or despite being
Gordies son. Hes going in, albeit belatedly, because he was Mark Howe, a
forward who turned into one of the best defencemen of his time. He
carried the weight of the Howe name on his back, but he had wings on his
feet and a fabulous hockey mind. He averaged close to a point per game
in his WHA and NHL careers. One year in the mid-80s with the Flyers, he
was plus-85. Yes, its inevitable, Mark Howe will best be remembered as
Mr. Hockeys son. But this weekend, Gordie will be known Mark Howes dad.
Dave Hodge, TSN: My thumb is down to the once-accepted belief that Bill
Belichick can take players with bad reputations and turn them into
productive New England Patriots. This weeks release of Albert
Haynesworth was another example of a bad idea gone worse in New England.
Randy Moss famously wore out his welcome -- its a wonder Chad Ochocinco
is still around, or that Terrell Owens hasnt been brought in to replace
him. You can admire the Patriots for overachievers like Wes Welker and
Danny Woodhead. The underachievers, the problem children, no longer
belong, if they ever did, and Belichick should know that before he signs
them, not after he releases them.
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