Molinas bases-loaded grounder ricocheted off Haran

LOS ANGELES -- SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -- In a story April 28 about responses to racist comments attributed to Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling, The Associated Press misidentified a lawmaker who denounced the statements. Assemblywoman Shirley Weber, D-San Diego, spoke out against the comments, not Assemblywoman Cheryl Brown, D-San Bernardino. The NAACP has decided against honouring Donald Sterling with a lifetime achievement award from its Los Angeles chapter after the Clippers owner allegedly made racist comments in a recorded conversation. Donations made by Sterling, who has owned the team since 1981, will be returned, Leon Jenkins, president of the Los Angeles NAACP, said at a news conference Monday. Jenkins would not say how much money was involved. "There is a personal, economic and social price that Mr. Sterling must pay for his attempt to turn back the clock on race relations," he said. Sterling, 80, had been scheduled to receive the honour on May 15 as part of the 100th anniversary celebration of the Los Angeles branch of the nations oldest civil rights organization. He had been chosen to receive the award because of his long history of donating to minority charities and giving game tickets to inner city children, Jenkins said. The NAACP has honoured Sterling several times in the past. The Donald T. Sterling Charitable Foundation gave $5,000 to the NAACPs Los Angeles chapter in 2010, according to tax records, and Sterling was listed as his foundations only contributor. There were no records of further NAACP contributions in 2011 or 2012, the latest years for which records were available. Sterlings purported comments have overshadowed the NBAs opening playoff round and prompted an NBA investigation. The league is planning a Tuesday news conference to discuss the probe. There has been no official confirmation that it is Sterling on the recording, portions of which were released over the weekend by TMZ and Deadspin. Sterling "is emphatic that what is reflected on that recording is not consistent with, nor does it reflect his views, beliefs or feelings," according to a statement from team president Andy Roeser on Saturday. Neither Sterling nor his representatives have since commented on the controversy. Jenkins, of the NAACP, was asked how detrimental he considered Sterlings alleged remarks. "On a scale of one to 10? Eleven," he said. "It goes back to a segregation system and a time that nobody in America is proud of." Members of the state Legislatures black caucus joined those denouncing Sterling. Assemblywoman Shirley Weber, D-San Diego, said lawmakers should not ignore the countrys history of discrimination. "Once again we are reminded of the ugliness and sometimes what appears to be the pervasive permanence of hatred," Weber said while speaking in support of a resolution declaring Holocaust Remembrance Week. "So I want to simply challenge us as we go forward to not think that, Yes, we see the past, but recognize the past has a profound impact on the present. And if we are not conscious (of it), it will direct our future." Assemblyman Isadore Hall, D-Compton and secretary of the black caucus, blasted Sterling and compared him to a "slave master" looking down at his African-American players. "Its an utter embarrassment," Hall said in an interview after the floor session, "not just to the NBA, but also to all the individuals who believe that at some point, in California at least, we have risen above that, and we obviously havent." Cheap Nike Shoes China . -- Chris Tillman paid no attention to the Baltimore bullpen as it started to stir in the ninth inning. Nike Clearance Sale .com) - Rakeem Christmas scored 21 points, B. http://www.clearancenikeshoes.com/ .com) - They didnt meet in the regular season, so Sam Houston State might be saying it won the de facto title game between the two Southland Conference co-champions Saturday. Nike Shoes Outlet Clearance .J. -- Omar Cummings helped the Houston Dynamo advance to the MLS Eastern Conference finals. Nike Shoes On Sale . Off-Season Game Plan looks at what the Blue Jackets may do to build upon last seasons success to return to the playoffs again next year.ATLANTA -- When Andrelton Simmons botched a grounder, the St. Louis Cardinals seized their opportunity. For the Atlanta Braves, it was another night of missed chances. Matt Carpenters two-run double that helped carry St. Louis past the slumping Braves, who shook up their lineup but still lost their seventh in a row, 4-3 on Monday. The Cardinals scored three runs in the fifth inning, taking advantage of shaky defence by Atlantas Gold Glove shortstop. In fact, Simmons had a couple of plays that couldve been scored errors but were initially ruled hits. The second one was changed to an E-6 and turned out to be especially costly, leading to a pair of unearned runs. St. Louis built a 4-0 lead and barely held on to win the series opener. "It was big," Carpenter said. "Especially when we got out to a big lead, to be able to hold them off, that was big for us." Desperate for more offence, Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez batted pitcher Aaron Harang eighth and put second baseman Ramiro Pena in the ninth spot. Pena had two hits, including a seventh-inning homer that brought the Braves within a run, but they couldnt overcome a 4-0 deficit. Juston Upton took a called third strike from Trevor Rosenthal to end the game with the potential tying run at second base -- Uptons fourth strikeout of the night and extending Atlantas woes with runners in scoring position. The Braves were 1 for 12 in those situations and are 6 of 51 during their losing streak, though Freddie Freeman saw some encouraging signs. "We hit some balls hard with runners on," he said. "We were in the game the whole game. We couldnt say that the past week." The last time the Braves had such a lengthy skid was May 21-28, 2012, when they dropped eight in a row. Their longest losing streak last season was four straight. Shelby Miller (4-2) got a shaky win, giving up six hits and two runs in five-plus innings. Trevor Rosenthal pitched out of trouble for his ninth save, giving up a leadoff single to Simmons. Jordan Schafer bunted the runner to second, but Pena flied out to right before Upton whiffed. Harang (3-3) took the loss, though he pitched much betteer than his previous start, when he was pounded for nine runs by the Marlins.ddddddddddddThis time, he gave up four runs in six innings but only two were earned. The game was scoreless until the fifth, when Peter Bourjos led off with a single before Mark Ellis grounded one off Simmons glove. The shortstop, looking to make a force at second, appeared to take his eyes off the ball as it skipped past him. After Miller bunted the runners to second and third, Carpenter doubled to right-centre to bring them both in. Matt Holiday followed with a hard liner past third baseman Chris Johnson to make it 3-0. "Those things happen," Harang said of Simmons error. "I told him not to be too hard on himself. Hes probably going to save my butt plenty of times this year." St. Louis added another run in the fifth on Bourjos RBI single, but Gonzalez challenged a call at third base that had seemingly given the Cardinals a 5-0 lead. Yadier Molinas bases-loaded grounder ricocheted off Harangs leg, right to Johnson at third. He caught it and blindly stepped back in search of the bag and managed to barely nick it, as the replay showed. The called was quickly overturned after a review of only 37 seconds. The Braves knocked out Miller in the bottom half of the sixth, the first three hitters reaching safely. The Cardinals went to the bullpen after Evan Gattis RBI single, and B.J. Upton followed with a sacrifice fly off Pat Neshek. Neshek escaped the jam by striking out Simmons. NOTES: The Cardinals sent pitcher RHP Joe Kelly back to St. Louis to continue his rehab from a strained left hamstring. "Joe just wasnt to the point where they thought they could push him, so keeping him around the rest of this road trip didnt make any sense," general manager John Mozeliak said. "I dont know Id call it a setback as much as he just wasnt progressing as quickly as we wanted." ... Atlanta RHP Gavin Floyd will make his season debut when he starts Tuesday against LHP Tyler Lyons (0-2) of the Cardinals. Floyd is coming back from Tommy John surgery and will start in place of Ervin Santana, who has a bruised right thumb. ' ' '