♪ ♪ >> now on espnews, red sox ace josh beckett seeking to be the first with 14 wins facing a.j. burnett and the yankees. >> and john smoltz, well, he is released by boston. more details. tigers woods remains at par. and phil mickelson finds an eagle at the wbc.

>> ♪ ♪ >> welcome to espnews keeping you current with the latest breaking news, scores and highlights. with mark morgan, i am michelle lafountain. this half hour, our guests will be joe schad with an eye on cheble college football and a red sox insider and the breaking news that smoltz has been released. >> more on smoltz in a second. we begin with the bridgestone invitational. tigers woods who won this event 6 times. 4 shots off the pace. 2nd round play began today. padraig harrington 2 birdies today. verplank 2 shots back.

stricker and a few other golfers. tigers woods the 6-time winner. today is even par 70. he is at minus 2 right now. off the leaders a bit. 36 more holes to play. more on tigers woods. we hope to hear from him later in the show. highlights coming up in about an hour. >> ♪ >> lebron james said he is unlikely to accept a contract extension from the cavaliers until after next season when he can become a free agent. to unveal his signature sneakers for nike he made his strongest comments yet about his future. i signed a contract in 2006 with an option. it would make no sense to sign that contract if i didn't keep my options open. i the legal you fill in the-- i

will let you fill in the blanks: a look at his years: he made $13 million in 2007 and 2008 and $14 million last season. he is scheduled to make $16 million next year after which he will likely opt out of his final season and become one of the most highly coveted free agents in nba history. >> the kansas city chiefs signed their 1st round pick tyson jackson for 5 years and 57 million dollars with $31-million guaranteed. according to john clayton, jackson out of lsu can practice with the kings. >> no sign of michael crabtree at 49er's camp. his advisor said he will sit out the entire season if the 49er's don't make an offer he will accept. he has missed all of the ota's.

one reason why michael crabtree thinks he deserves a large salary: 2 time award winner in college football. the other 3 players who received that award have had significant success in the nfl. >> the 49er's took another hit with the loss of bran an jones for 8 weeks with a small fracture in his right shoulder. he was hurt diving for a pass in practice. >> jason giambi's 2nd tour with oakland is over. the a's released him today. the 38-year-old has been on the dl with a strained quad. just 11 home runs in 83 games. he hasn't been producing. among the 37 primary 1st

basemans, giambi ranks dead last in the majors in slugging percentage and ops. >> carl pavano was acquired in a trade with the indians. he will wear torii hunter's old number 48 in minnesota. >> pavano had a mediocre 2009 season. the reason the twins might be acquiring him now is he had some success against the other al-central teams. 6 and 3 with a much lower era against the tigers; the white sox and royals. making up over half of the twins remaining schedule. >> john smoltz of the red sox shelved by the yankees last

night. 8 earned runs before being sento the shower. just a little while ago smoltz was designated for assignment by the red sox. more on that later in the show. >> what-2-watch-4 tonight: game 2 between the red sox and the yankees. the yankees pounded smoltz and hit 4 home runs winning their 4th straight game and increasing their lead over the red sox to 3 and a half games in the al-east. >> nick joins us now on the phone from the boston globe. nick will discuss a lot of things red sox related. first john smoltz is designated for assignment. what is the latest? >> well, he wasn't around. he must have gone home already.

the red sox could not give him anymore time to work things out. they cut their losses with him. i thought they might try him in the bullpen because he has times thrown good innings. i figured he's done this before. might as well as try him out there since they need another bullpen piece. they elected to move on and brought up a young pitcher they signed from japan in the off-season. he pitched well in double-a. >> how do you see the red sox rotation stacking up now? >> i think he will be in there some smoltz's spot. wakefield is a week and a half away from coming back to the rotation. i would think pasa would go back to the minors. i think the red sox are looking to make a teal for a veteran pitcher. they signed paul byrd who will

work fort myers in the next 2 and a half weeks. >> daisuke matsuzaka said he will pitch again this season. where does he stand as we speak? >> well,, he is in 40 meyers and working out-- in 40 fort meyers and working out. then things will accelerate. they are hoping they can get him into a minor league game or two before that season ends. we are still looking at the end. month. >> after the loss what is the talk among the boston players about how important tonight's start is for josh beckett? >> it's huge. the urgency, you can tell it in their faces and voices. they have to salvage a couple of games here in new york. especially with your ace going. you have 2 pitchers right now

beckett and lester. you have to win when those 2 guys are pitching. >> last night was the first time that vict martinez started at catcher moving varitek to the bench. how much will we see that? >> the plan is to it play him 2 to 3 times a week behind the plate. i think they don't want to wear him down. like the indians philosophy. and the red sox do like varitek defensively. especially their top 2 pitchers. they really want him to pitch. they want to get the most out of victor's bat. they believe like cleveland did the best way to do that is play him at 1st base and maybe even dh him occasionally. >> david ortiz scheduled a news conference tomorrow to discuss the deals about his positive ped test from 2003.

do you expect that to relieve part of the pressure on big papi? >> i suppose. i am just wondering how much will be revealed. the results of that test are sealed. if david ortiz doesn't know what he tested positive for-- i am not sure why he would know now. i don't expect a lot to come out of that. i might be surprised. but i expect just an explanation of a am not sure what to be honest. >> nick, from the boston globe, thanks for joining us. we appreciate it. >> again david ortiz has scheduled a news conference. the time is to be determined. it remains to be seen what we will learn or what ortiz says he has learned about his 2003 positive ped test. it will be on espnews tomorrow when the news conference occurs.

>> coming up: the quarterback competition at usc. corp and barkley. joe schad up next to tell us who has the edge. when your engine's running clean... you feel it. ...and pennzoil motor oil actively cleans out up to 15 percent of sludge the first time you use it. so feel the clean. not just oil, pennzoil.

>> the bigger name schools that open college football games tomorrow: miami, nebraska and notre dame. the mountaineers opening their first game without pat white in 5 seasons. >> with the college football regular season just around the corner. espn's joe schad is here to fill us in on the more intriguing

stories across the country. south bend, 15 losses over the last 2 seasons for charlie weis. how important is this upcoming season for him? >> it's critical obviously. despite the large buyout, notre dame fans can only take so much. they begin the season ranked in the pre-season top 25. they are in the pre-season top 15 from my perspective. when you look at the schedule. there is no reason notre dame should not win a 10 football games. they have charlie weis calling offense plays. and clauson calling the defensive plays. >> is this the season that everybody in south bend expects clauson to take the next step? >> it is. it's hard to separate clauson from brady quinn. they are almost the same. clauson has a great arm and has all of the tools to be a successful quarterback. you saw how perfect he was in the bowl game last year against

hawaii. now he has to step up in other areas and be ed weller on-- be a leader on the practice field and do more quinn-like things. you learn to charlie weis he believes clausen is starting to do more brady quinn-like things. >> a quarterback competition out west at usc. which guy has the edge right now? >> corp enterses fall with the light edge. he's a sophomore. pete carroll will have a difficult time holding off the true freshman mark barkley. usc had a true freshman start at every position except quarterback and pete carroll tells me barkley may change all of. that the offensive coordinator said that he has skills tom brady-like.

there a gave alabama the edge based on their outstanding performance last year. they have a new quarterback and have to replace key offensive linemen. sneed is the 2nd best quarterback in the sec behind you know who. >> does it start with a t.

>> the only segment on espn where we don't mention him. >> cool. >> sneed might be the highest drafted quarterback in next year's draft. he is that good. he has a huge arm and good mobility. who knows what would happen if he beat out mccoy at texas. both guys are in a great situation. >> cool. keep an eye on the rebels. it appears that the miami hurricanes could make their reappearance among the nation's elite. who will be the one team player? >> miami needs better offense productive in the quarterback position with harris who did beat out robert marv last season. he transferred to purdue. you have to think with the new offensive coordinator they will be more i did ferse on offense have a couple of good running backs. new offensive coordinator and defensive coordinator for ranon

shannon. a brutal start to the schedule. 4 teams at the front end. a lot of pressure on shannon to win. >> let's keep it in the state. south florida has a chance to make waves with games against florida state and miami. how important are those games to the bulls in terms of recruiting? >> 13 years ago, jim leavitt started the south florida baseball program in a traylor. they did not even have mailboxes. 2 years ago they rise to number 2 in the nation. since then it's been a mess. a losing roar in the big east. the perseption is south florida has the losing left overs and this is their grand opportunity. they were not picked to win the big east. in today's coaches poll, there were not one big east team in the conference. anybody can win the big east conference including south florida. they probably have the 2 most recognizable players with the quarterback and the defensive

end. it's a great opportunity. can they get it done? most people think no. >> we did not mention him. >> don't say it! >> he is joe schad. >> good job. >> thank you very much. >> jay cutler and kyle orton, 2 quarterbacks learning lessons about their new fans. details ahead on espnews

>> how has your experience been with 20,000 people? >> we had a few fans out. it was fun. in denver we didn't have this many fans. that's the chicago bears fans for you. >> how different is chicago with denver as a football town? >> a lot. denver is like a 6 and chicago is like a 9. it's quite a bit different. just the fans and how passionate they are. that's the biggest difference. >> usually the pre-season is boring. you are going back to denver? >> am i looking forward to it? no. the hoopla that will come with. it i am excited to go back and see some of the guys there. i have really good friends back there and see if my house is still standing. >> [laughing]. >> other than that,yeah, that's about all i can say about that. >> strong comments there.

it this past summer nfl quarterback jay cutler and kyle orton traded places. now during training camp they are learning about the fans of their new teams. passionate is the operating word. this is how cutler described bears fans. though he dis-ed the denver fans. passionate is how the broncos fans reacted to ortiz last night when he threw 2 interceptions in practice. "nfl live" has more. >> welcome to the "nfl live" studio. jay cutler the bears new quarterback with comments raising eye brows in denver. he said the chicago bears fans are a 9 and broncos fans slabbed them in there at number 6. they are playing in denver 3rd pre-season game. will that haunt jay cutler? >> well, they will spell it out and they will blitz him. >> they will get after him, but

they would get after him regardless. he will get booed regardless. week 3 in the nfl pre-season is as close to the regular season as you will get. they will open up a whole new can of blitzs for him. he better get a flack jacket. >> people will tune in for that one. jay cutler, we know about hisitalen and skill set. what kind of a leader does he need to be in chicago? >> i don't think he needs to be the leader. i think it's led by the by defense urlacher. he is in a position. he will play on a team that is built with defense want he doesn't have to try to score 35 points. he just has to play well. he can do that. you are talking about the bears. they were 9 and 7 last year without jay cutler. >> he will do well.

all he has to be is himself. he doesn't have to live up to the shadow or anything in denver like john elway. he doesn't have to be any of that. all he has to be is jay cutler. the difference for the bears this year is the years past they knew they would rely on defense and play it tight. they had to have special teamses. offensively they had to hope they being make a big play. this guy has big play in him. that's the great advantage for the bears with cutler right now. they have a die who is capable of carrying the whole deal. but doesn't have to. >> does he have big play weapons? >> a great quarterback doesn't need a big play weapon. he can make a big play weapon. he has enough players around him. kevin jones will surprise a lot of people. olsen in the tight end spot is a good year for him to break out. he has to have a guy outside on the edge. he will make that guy. >> and hester is a big play guy when he gets the ball in his

hands. jay cutler has always been good in a 2 minute situation. they have a quarterback that can take them length. field and score. >> the best quarterback at soldier field in recent memory. jake peavy taking the helm for the chicago bears. "nfl live" monday through friday at 4 p.m. back to you. >> thanks. kyle orton had success as the bears starting quarterback last season: that hides the fact that orton had most of his success in the first quarter of games. an average quarterback in the remaining 3 quarters. something he wants to improve on in denver this season. >> the u.s. national team roster was released for the world cup qualifier against mexico next wednesday. one of the key players excluded from the roster was freddie who played poorly in the gold cup.

>> here are some of the big names, named to the roster: >> everyone wants to get to the next level. when you make a commitment it's about who you think can get you there. a lot of coaches can and do. but he's been there. that's what dominick ferguson said to espn.com's dana o'neal. ferguson the 8th ranked rising senior in espn's top 100 was talking about the new florida head coach isiah thomas. the 6-8 power forward decided to attend fiu.

a move that will stun many observers because ferguson was considering duke, florida, kentucky, indiana and ucla. he said he plans to sign a letter of intent in november. >> red sox versus yankees. so much at stake. boston designated a pl

>> now on espnews. red sox ace josh beckett seeking to be the first one to 14 wins faces a.j. burnett and the yankees. the man who was smorthed by the bombers last night smoltz has been designated for assignment and tigers woods remains in par and phil mickelson finds an eagle. ♪ ♪ >> welcome to espnews. where we are always keeping you current. with mark morgan, i am michelle lafountain. a packed half hour. red sox and yankees and so much more. "baseball tonight"'s eduardo perez is here and gene on the notre dame coach charlie weis. >> we begin with a bridgestone

invitational. tigers woods won this 6 times. 4 shots off the pace as the 2nd round began today. padraig harrington is at minus 7. tim clark so far still playing. 1 shot back at 6 under. clark is through 17. verplank 2 shots off after a 69 today. phil mickelson still on the course. phil minus 1 currently. 6 shots off the pace. tigers woods is a bit off the track right now. he is minus 2 for the. later in the show we will have highlights from the bridgestone invitational and hear from tigers woods. stay tuned for that. >> lebron james is unlikely to accept a contract extension from the cavaliers after next season.

he said i signed a contract with an option. it would make no sense if i didn't keep my options open. i will let you fill in the blankses." . he made $13 million in 2007 and 2008 and $14 million last season. lebron will make nearly 16 million dollars next year after which he will likely opt out of his final season and become one of the most coveted free agents in nba history. >> the kansas city chiefs signed tyson jackson. the deal is to believed to be 5 years and $31-million guaranteed. jackson out of lsu can at last practice with the team. >> no sign of at michael

crabtree at 49er's camp. if he shows up he will have missed all of the ota's and a chunk of training camp. one reason why michael crabtree might think he deserves a large salary: the last 3 players to receive that same award are: all of whom had significant success in the nfl. >> 49er's receiving core took a hit with the loss of brandon jones for 8 weeks. he was hurt diving for a pass in practice. coach mike singletary said he won't need surgery just time. >> the twins try to boltster their starting rotation getting

pavano from the indians. he will wear torii hunter's old number 48 in minnesota. >> poverty pockets-- pavano had a mediocre season. >> ♪ ♪ ♪ >> we now welcome in "baseball tonight"'s eduardo perez to discuss the red sox and yankees series. last night smoltz shelled 8

earned runs in 3 and a 3rd. earlier he was designated for assignment and may go to the bullpen. what did his performance tell you about where he stands? >> that he longs in the bullpen. one reason is the 4th inning. john smoltz struggled in the 4th inning this season. 13 runs earned and hitters are hitting .474 off him. that's the key. he said he might go to the bullpen. this is the issue: sources inside the boston red sox organization have offered smoltz a deal and said okay, go down. we will give you until wednesday. you decide if you want to go back to pantuctet and we will call you back up when the roster expands from the bullpen standpoint. the red sox are also asking him to waive that $35,000 a day salary he is making bonus for being in the big papi-- big

league roster. that won't happen. smoltz, you can't renege on your deal and the players association won't allow it. that's the bottom line. the benefit for the player applies as far as labor issues are concerned. smoltz has a decision to make. he has until wednesday. >> he will have to decide whether he wants to still play and go to the bullpen and give up the money? >> that's the problem. the players association is not going to advise for that. >> the red sox 3 and a half back of the yankees. lost 3 in a row and 5 of 9. josh beckett on the bump tonight. this seems like it's a huge sart for him? >> the biggest start for the red sox so far this season. and they got the biggest guy they need on that mound. josh beckett after a loss, he is 7 and 1 with a 2.99 era. he's been lights out. he is competing for a cy young

award candidate. josh beckett is the guy that the red sox need. the only issue is he will be facing a.j. burnett which is also done a phenomenal job with the yankees since the june outing he had, the 7-0 loss against the red sox. it will be a great pitching match up. look for these 2 guys to pitch quickly in a red sox-yankees match up. quickly. i am making a bold statement. a quick game. 3 hours and 30 minutes is a quick game for the red sox and yankees. >> [laughing]. it would be and i don't buy your theory. team-wise what are the main differences between the yankees team that lost the first 8 games to the red sox and the one that drilled boston last night 13-6? >> just balance. one of the biggest differences finally the yankees have an identity. they go out there and play the game the way it is posed to be played. they have a-rod back healthy and

it's providing protect for mark teixeira and the rest of the gang. phil hughes has done a phenomenal job? the bullpen. they bridge it to mariano rivera. pitchers are more consistent now. they don't have that much pressure to go deep in the game because they do have that the 6 to 8 innings covered from the pen. >> the pitching aspect. teixeira last night with his 28th home run of the season. a.j. burnett, tonight he goes against beckett. burnett looking for his 11th win. do you think he's been what the yankees expected? >> yes. it goes back to that june outing he had where he scuffled. he embraced the media in new york and said i will change. i will be more aggressive with my fastball. it will open up that pitch you saw right there. the breaking ball. hitters have no idea what is coming. once he throws the 98 miles per hour fastball with movement, it's a tough pitch to hit.

he has a wicked curveball. as long as he keeps the fastball in check he will be fine. if he throws out of the zone, then the yankees might be in a little trouble. >> game 2 of the 4 game set tonight. issue be a great one. david ortiz struggles at the plate. 0 for 5 for big papi last night. how do you think his news conference tomorrow-- we don't the time yet-- to discuss his 2003 positive ped test, do you think that will ease some of the pressure on him or not have an effect? >> i think it will take some pressure off. how much worse can it get? it's so difficult to take all of the stuff off-field and just erase it from your mind. especially when you are a dh. you don't have to worry about defense or anything. you have to worry what is going on in the media? he is trying to do too much and prove himself and prove he is capable to hit without the performance enhancing drugs.

that's just way too much pressure. he is still human. he has to go out and get that off his chest. we have seen in the past players that opened up-- it happened to a-rod and other players where they say, okay, i admit. let's go on with baseball. >> all right. the ortiz presser more on in a moment. "baseball tonight"'s eduardo perez, thanks for stopping by. >> thank you. >> and the press conference has been scheduled for 12:30 p.m. eastern time. we will have that live on espnews. don't miss it. big papi facing the media. >> coming up: noshawn moreno and the broncos negotiate. and

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>> broncos dawkins had surgery to repair a broken right hand according to team sources. he is expected to return in twoke what's. he was injured during practice on tuesday. he was a 7-time pro-bowler in 13 seasons with the eagles. >> the broncos and knowshawn moreno made significant progress in contract negotiations. the denver post reports they are close to a 5 year agreement with the team's number 12 overall pick. the deal could be done by the end of the day. >> the denver broncos are a week into training camp. they hope to make the playoffs this year for the first time since 2005. and from there we welcome in chris, the beat writer.

this is day 8 of the knowshawn moreno holdout. what is the latest on his situation? >> the denver post is all over it. i talked to their guys and other people here in the broncos organization. the sticking point is the amount of the signing bonus. that's usually the case with any contract in the nfl. the broncos are getting the rest of the day off today. you can hear noise in the background. that's broncos players trying not to run. they get the day off today and until sunday. they are optimistic knowshawn moreno will be at the practice sunday. >> the pre-season begins a week from today for denver. how important is to sign knowshawn moreno and get him in the mix in training camp? >> he was here through all of the ota's and mini-camps. he knows the playbook and knows the system. he missed a lot of reps. but if he can get in before the

first pre-season game next week in san francisco, he issue be right on pace by the time the season rollsarn 2nd weekend of september. >> and brandon, dawkins is expected back in 2 weeks from hand surgery. with a player of his age, 36 in october, how much issue the broncos be concerned this injury could linger or be a sign of more to come? >> i don't think they are too concerned. the surgery already happened. they don't expect him to be out too long am a player that is old you are concerned with anything. they would be more concerned if it was lower body or something you being not tape up. dawkins uses his forearms so as long as his elbows are working he will be okay. he wasn't going to be here for practice today anyway because of jim johnson's funeral. he is such a smart player and one of the leaders the defense. he's been able to not miss a beat.

i am sure he will get all of classroom time he needs. i don't think there is a concern. if it turns into a month and he misses real game, then there is concern. >> and last night during a team practice, the new broncos quarterback kyle orton made several mistakes. the 13,000 fans there let him know they were not happy. you were there. tell us about it. >> kyle orton was booed and he deserved it. he threw picks in back-to-back series. to goodman the free agent from miami. one he took back for a touchdown. he was missing receivers. he made some good passes but last night was like the entire camp kyle orton has had so far. some great passes and then flat out missed guys. and the defenders have been there to make plays. kyle orton has been inconsistent. crim simms, hasn't overwhelmed but he's coming off injury and

not being traded for jay cutler. >> let's talk about broncos head coach josh mcdaniels. he camurn fire early in the tenure with the controversial trade of jay cutler. now at training camp, how is the team responding to mcdaniels? >> i think the team really likes him. talking to champ bailey, he believes in him. the age thing that's the first thing he sees. just 33 years old. champ bailey is 31. josh mcdaniels knows football. he comes from a football family. he ran a great piece on outside the lions. he's been on the football field since he was 4. his dad is a hall-of-fame coach in ohio. he can handle the football part. fans see that and everybody in the media is seeing that. the fans are buying in. with the jay cutler situation, but as things progress, i think people in denver will give him a long leash and are excited about

josh mcdaniels era. >> all right. brandon the beat writer from broncos training camp. thank you very much. >> after a total of 15 losses the past 2 seasons, charlie weis and notre dame hope to turn things around. we will hear from the head coach and espn.com's gene as well. these days, when you have to spend, shopping online can help save. doing it with bank of america can help save a lot more. up to 20% cash back from over 300 online retailers with our add it up program. just sign up and use your bank of america debit or credit card when you shop online. it's one of the many ways we make saving money in tough times a whole lot easier.

>> college football head coaches are lightning rods for criticism. at notre dame charlie weis is 28 and 21 in his first 4 years. the 15 losses are most in any 2 season span if school history. the irish are 1 and 14 against teams that finish the season with a winning record. under that backdrop notre dame opens camp tomorrow and weis held court with the media today. >> if clausen struggles what is your level of confidence in chris? >> that's kind of a subjective way to get going. we are presuming the starting quarterback will be bad right off the bat. [laughing]. what a way to go. >> i have him winning the heisman trophy. >> i have a lot of confidence that dane with run our offense since i have been here this is the most encouraging depth chart i have been able to go into the season with. not only do i have a quality gun slinger in dane.

but i got a guy in evan who has experience back here to. this is the most depth with talent at the quarterback position since i have been here. >> the poll for the coaches. you were at 23. do you think notre dame deserves to be ranked going into the season? >> i think after the first 10 teams or so, that you usually get into a lot of subjectivity. there are teams unranked that deserve to be in the top 25s and teams in the 20s that should be in the teens. the teams in the teens that issue be in the 20s. after you get past the couple of teams that earn their stripes, you look at the florida and the texas and oklahoma and the usc, which i believe were ranked, 1, 2, 3, 4, they earned their stripes to be there. that's based off their performance last year and the depth charts going in.

but i think in polls before you start playing games, i think there is a lot of subjectivity based off of returning the starters and the strength of schedule and all of those things. i think that until you get through the month of september, once you get through the month of september, everything starts to settle. >> first of all, the percentage of touchdowns to interceptions has to change. we have to be a lot more careful with the ball. not forcing the ball into coverage. i think that's going to be very important. i feel confident that, that ratio will change from the past to now. i feel very confident of that. some of the things that i have identified as weaknesses is: we spent a lot of time in the spring working on it. i think some of those things he's already shown great improvement. now it's day 1.

tomorrow is the first practice. let's not talk about expectations. it's time to put it up. the intent is to compete at the highest level. i think notre dame is in a good place right now. that's what i think. as far as the coaching staff, even though we had some coaching changes, my taking the head coach job and a couple of others, i feel very, very confident and comfortable with our coaching staff. but it's show me, right? it's from the head coach right on down. let's not talk about it. in the past i would come in here and the comment made before was about coming in and giving you a 10 minute oration on all of the expectations and everything. we are not going to do that. we are going to get to work. that's what we are going to do. >> college football overdrive kicks off on september fifth.

dari nowkiah the host. they will take you live to more than a dozen games each weekend and post-game news conference. every saturday during college football season. three p.m. eastern to 8 p.m. on saturdays. >> we are joined by espn.com's senior national columnist gene who was in south bend today and attended today's charlie weis's news conference. you have been around charlie weis a lot in the last few years. do you see anything different about him now preparing for this season? >> this was different today. you just played part of the clip. he must have said that 10 different times in different forms during the 45 minutes that he addressed reports. he was not going to discuss the past. i tried. he was not going to discuss the future, at least not like he has before. he made the point, basically,

it's time to back up what we said in the past. with action. so this time we are not going to tell you how great we are going to be. we are going to have to show you. i think there is a real sense of urgency for a lot of the logical reasons. and to weis's credit, he came in there and he said this is the theme of this season. this is what we are going to follow. i am starting it right now with me. >> is this the year quarterback clausen needs to take his game to the next level? >> well, he has improved each year. there were a lost expectations on him when he showed up in the hummer limo way back when. it's obvious listening to weis today and the quarterback later in the day, this is the guy that they have handed the keys to this notre dame car. they are going to go as far as clausen can drive them. he is definitely charlie weis's

we. they feel as if he is made huge strides as a leader. he needs to improve his touchdown-interception ratio. that was too high. they have a pair of good wide receivers at notre dame. clausen made an effort to reach out to them from the off-season flew out to california and spent a week working 8 hours a day catching passes and building that football relationship. yes, it is a huge year for clausen. as clausen goes and the running game goes, so will notre dame. . >> gene, thanks for joining us here on espnews. >> my pleasure. >> john smoltz may have thrown the last pitch. the red sox designated him

>> now on espnews, red sox ace josh beckett seeking to be the first to 14 wins facing a.j. burnett and the yankees. meanwhile, the man who was spottered by the bombers last night, john smoltz, has been designated for assignment. phil mickelson finds an eagle while tiger woods remains as par as par can be at the w.g.c.

captioning by captionmax >> after being shelled for eight earned runs and three an one-third innings against the yankees last night, 42-year-old john smoltz has been designated for assignment. red sox g.m. travelled to new york personally to tell smoltz the team designated him for assignment. they have ten days to trade or release him. courage his 20 previous seasons with the atlanta brais, smoltz won nearly 60% of his games and opponents batted .235 against him. this year with the red sox he's 2-5 with an e.r.a. above 8 and opponents batting a career high .343 against him. >> welcome to espnews. we'd like to keep you current with the latest breaking news, scores and highlights. along with mark morgan, i'm michele lafountain. as always, we've got packed half

hour for you. thanks for joining us. >> that's right. let's tee things off with the bridgestone invitational. both tiger woods and phil mickelson in action in this event. tiger has won the bridgestone six times. he was four shots off the pace as second-round play began today, and woods shot an even par 70 today and is at minus two, currently five shots in back of padraig harrington. harrington the defending pga championship winner, but he's not finished in first in any of this year's tournaments. scott very blank alone in third at minus five. very verplank a 69, two birdies and a begy today. verplank only has one win in his pga tour career. mickelson a 69. phil is six shots back. we mentioned woods now five shots off the pace at minus two. tiger with an even par 70. and again, just a little while we'll have extended highlights from the bridgestone. we'll hear from tiger woods, as

well. all of that ahead right here on espnews. >> lebron james says he's unlikely to accept a contract extension from the cavaliers until after next season when he can become a free agent. his strongest comments yet about his future, "i signed a contract in '06 with an option. it would make no sense for me to sign that contract if i didn't keep my options open. i'll let you fill in the blanks." here's a look at lebron james' salary by season for his six years in the nba. after making a relatively low salary under his rookie contract, lebron made $13 million in 2007/'08 and over $14 million in his campaign last season. lebron is scheduled the make nearly $16 million next year, after which he will likely opt out of his final season and become one of the most highly coveted free agents in nba history. the kansas city chiefs have signed their first-round pick, defensive end tyson jackson. the deal is believed to be for five years, $57 million.

with $31 million guaranteed according to espn.com's john clayton. jackson out of l.s.u. can at last practice with the team. still no sign of michael crabtree at 49ers' camp. nothing has changed from yesterday when his cousin/adviser david wells told our joe schad crabtree was ready to sit out the entire season if the niners don't make an offer he can accept. if both sides work it out, crabtree would have missed all the o.t.a.s and a growing chunk of training camp. here's one reason why crabtree might think he deserves a large salary. that's two-time defending blit any cough award winner. the last three players to win that award and be drafted in the top ten are calvin johnson, braylon edwards and larry fitzgerald, all of whom have had significant success in the nfl. the niners receiving core took another hit to its depth chart with the loss of brandon jones for eight weeks because of small fracture in his right shoulder. he was hurt diving for pass thursday in practice.

coach mike singletary said jones will not need surgery on the shoulder. >> i told you highlights were coming up on the bridgestone. that's tiger woods. he started on the back nine on the par five 16th. even par. woods for birdie. dude got in the way, but it went in. tiger improves to minus one. here's woods on the par four eighth hole. his second shot from the rough. and that is sweet. woods went on the birdie eight to move to two under par. on the ninth hole, tiger's final of the round for birdie. misses it just to the left. woods knows he missed a big opportunity. he finished with an even par 70. he's at two under for the tournament. phil mickelson entered his second round six shots back. here's phil, his second shot on the par five second hole. and we follow along with lefty. that's pretty good.

that set up an eagle opportunity for mickelson. phil drains it. mickelson's eagle drops him to two under par. phil on 18 now, second shot from the rough directly behind a tree. and it ends up right of the green, back into the rough. mickelson staring at a possible bogey now. this is the next shot from the rough. chips it. oh, boy. that's called saving par, folks, which he did. mickelson a one under 69. he's one under for the tournament. padraig harrington continuing to play well. his birdie on two there. he shot a one under 689 in round two. he leads the field at minus seven. tim clark at minus six, scott verplank at minus five. we'll hear from tiger and phil in a little while. >> in baseball news, the pens looking to bolster their start ing rotation acquired carl

pavano in a trade with the indians far player to be named later. he has a 9-8 record with a 5.37 e.r.a. pitching for cleveland this season. he will wear torii hunter's old number, 48, in minnesota. while carl pavano has had a mediocre 2009 season -- >> what to watch for tonight. we'll get to that in a moment, michelle. game two between the four-game set between the yankees and red sox. the yankees sale john smoltz to the showers after only three and one-thirdment smoltz giving up three earned runs. the yankees increase their lead over the red sox to three and a half in the a.l. east. and tonight at the the new yankee stadium, the red sox will try to bounce back from last night's 13-6 loss to the yanks. amelie benjamin covers the sox for "the boston globe" and she's also joining us here on espnews, she does right now on the phone. amelie, john smoltz shelled, eight earned runs in three and one-third. he's within designated for assignment by the team. is this the end of his career? >> i would imagine that this is the end of his career, mark. it seems that he just really couldn't put it all together.

i was talking to jason varitek earlier, and he seemed to have some optimism that smoltz might be able to figure it out this year, that he was very close in some ways, but from the way that we've been seeing him pitch, he's not located his fastball. he's had an excellent slider, but the fastball has really been a problem, and batters have been laying off the slider, waiting for the fastball and just whacking it. >> so how does the red sox rotation stack up as we speak? >> well, right now they have not announced who will take smoltz's place on tuesday, but it's likely to be the 22-year-old they brought up today. he's been getting very good reviews in the minor leagues. he came out of the industrial league in japan. so unless they need him this weekend at yankee stadium, it will probably be tazawa on tuesday. some other guys haven't been performing well lately in clay buchholz and brad penny. >> tim wakefield has been out

since roughly mid-july with the lower back strain and left calf injury. what's his status? >> he went out and threw today, just a couple of innings. and he will throw again. if all goes well, he will throw again on monday, a simulated game at fenway park. then we can look for him maybe at the end of next week, but it's hard to tell. you saw some weakness in his pass was the latest we've heard. it's been a little bit longer than maybe we expected for wakefield. >> now, daisuke matsuzaka, amelie, says he will pitch again this season. where does he stand? >> oh, that's... he is the tough one. it look like they're hoping for him to be back some time in september. that's about as good a time line as we have. having seen him pitch this year, you have to do quite a turnaround from what we saw earlier in the season, and i think they're hoping that this time of strengthening and rest and all that in fort myers has helped him, but it will be very interesting to see what kind of

pitcher he comes back as. >> what's the talk among the boston red sox players about how important tonight's start is for josh beckett? >> yeah, i think they all acknowledge this is a very difficult time for this team. they have a lot of injuries. they've had a lot of poor performances, certainly from their starting pitching lately and from their offense coming out of the all-star break. i think they're very well aware that they have not been pitching well. you -- i mean, they have not been playing well, and against a team they're trailing in the standings, they need to come out and they need to play well. josh beckett is exactly the guy they want to have on the mound tonight. it's not an easy matchup for him. a.j. burnett is no slouch. i think sox players acknowledge and understand this is a big game for them. >> now, david ortiz is scheduled a news conference to possibly discuss details surrounding his positive drug test for 2003. that set for tomorrow.

you're around this team every day, amelie. do you expect this news conference to relieve some of the pressure on big papi? >> i think he is hoping that it will relieve some of the pressure. you know, i was talking to him today. he just told me... in fact, we were having a conversation today, and he seemed a little bit more upbeat than he has over the last couple days, which maybe he sort of sees a light at the end of the tunnel. he a.o.l. have this news conference tomorrow, he'll feel better, maybe he'll stop getting some of these questions. whether or not he'll do that is what we're going to have to see tomorrow. we don't know exactly what he's going to say. we don't know how he's going to address this. so it will be interesting to see how he does, but i think he's looking forward to it. >> amelie, as always, thanks so much for joining us here on espnews. we appreciate it. >> thank you, mark. >> and again, the david ortiz news conference set for tomorrow in new york at 12:30 p.m. eastern time. we will carry it live right here on espnews. so make sure and check that out.

again, that's tomorrow here on espnews. isiah thomas the brand-new coach at florida international university. he has a verbal commitment from one of the best players in high school basketball and we'll talk to that recruit next. the new mcdonald's bacon and cheese angus third pounder. before taking it on, one must study it first. rushing in unprepared may prove overwhelming... with all that juicy, 100% angus beef.

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>> espnews brought to you by: >> everyone wants to get to the next level, and when you make a commitment, it's about who you think can get you there. a lot of coaches can and, do but

he's been there. that's what dominique ferguson said to espn.com's dana o'neil. ferguson, the eighth-ranked rising senior in the espn top 1400 was talking about new florida head coach isiah thomas. the 6'8" power forward has decided to attend f.i.u., a move that will stun many observers because ferguson was considering duke, florida, kentucky, indiana and u.c.l.a. he says he plans to sign a letter of intent with f.i.u. in november, and ferguson joins us now on the phone to discuss his decision. dominique, why f.i.u. over those five schools, which all have won multiple national titles? >> f.i.u., you got to look at the situation and the coach that they have. it's a great situation and you got to look at coach thomas' past history and his success with all the players that he's gone to the next level with the their play. i feel like if i come to florida international, he can help take

me to that next level. >> now you say coach thomas can help you get to the next level, which is the nba, better than some other coach, but john calapari at kentucky and mike krzyzewski at duke and ben howland at u.c.l.a. all have numerous players in the nba. why is isiah different? >> isiah's been to the leaguement he's played in the nba. he's been to the league. he's coached numerous years in the nba, and i, mean, he just has the players the back it up. you can coach college players, but he has players in the nba that he took them to the next level and turned them enter nba all-stars. what can you do with somebody coming out of high school and going to college. >> what parts of your game do you feel he can specifically help you improve? >> just making more of a weapon on the court. i mean, i'm labeled as a versatile player. i think he can make me even more deadly. he can help me with my jump

shot. i don't know what type of stuff he has planned with me, like for drills and everything, but i'm pretty sure they're pretty intense and there are pretty good things to do. >> dominique, do you consider yourself a one and done after your freshman year, right to the nab? >> i'd like to do that, but i'm not going to rush it. after my first year if i feel like i can't succeed, i'm not ready for nba, i'm not going to rush that. if it takes me two years, three years or four years, whatever i need to do, that's what i'll stay for. >> dominique ferguson joining us on espnews, good luck. >> okay, thank you. >> there is a q.b. competition at u.s.c. at u.s.c. (announcer) the edge pizza from pizza hut is back.

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>> espnews brought to you by: >> here are some of the bigger-name schools that open college football games tomorrow. miami, nebraska, notre dame,ge l three once-proud programs looking to return to prominenceo start practice tomorrow as do purdue, texas tech, three-time defending rose bowl champion u.s.c. and west virginia. the mountaineers opening their e first camp without pat white in five seasons. and with the college football regular season just around thes corner, espn's joe schad is here to help fill us in on some ofus

the more intriguing stories mor across the country. south nd in south bend. 15 losses over the last two seasons for charlie weis.t how important is this upcomingsn season for him. >> it's a critical season obviously.til despite the large buyout, notre dame fans can only take so muchn that said, they begin this season ranked in the coach's preseason top 25. they're in the preseason top 15s for my perspective. look at the schedule, there's no reason that notre dame shouldn't win a minimum of eight football game, perhaps as many as ten football games. jimmy clausen should be an even better player this year, and a they have charlie weis calling offensive plays, so it should be a big step for the irish. clausn >> you mentioned clausen.de is this the season that everybody in south beptiond andd the coaching sy taff expect them the take that step to the next e level? >> it system statistically it'st hard to separate jimmy klausen o from brady quinn in their twolas years. b statistically they're almost the same. clausen has a great arm.son he's got all the tools you need al to be a successful quarterback.

you saw how perfect he was insa the bowl gameho last year againt hawaii. now what he has to be do is step in the other areas.no he has to be a leader on thebe practice field, in the weight room.n-- b he has to step up and do more o brady quinn-like things, and in think that you listen to charlie weis and he believes clausen is starting to do more brady quinn-like things. >> keep an eye on him. we'll hear from charlie weisnn-k later in the show. a quarterback competition out west at u.s.c., which of thesehe guys has the edge now? >> well, aaron corp enters the fall with a slight edge. he is a sophomore. he was a highly recruited quarterback. he would be nose athleticedge. quarterback that pete carroll has ever had, but he will have a difficult time holding off the true freshman matt barkley. s.c. has had a true freshman at start the opener at every position but quarterback. pete carroll tells me barkley might be the guy the change all that. their offensive coordinator john morton says he has skills that f are tom brady-like in terms of his anticipation of where receivers should be, the safety

taylor tells me he's walking around the campus like he's a senior, not a care in the world, taking his cues from pete carroll. when all is said and done, barkley has a great opportunity to end the season with more snaps than any other u.s.c. quarterback. that said, i still give a slight edge to corp to start the opener. >> we all love polls, joe, as you know. the "usa today" preseason poll was out, florida number one. no real surprise there. the gators are number one in your pole -- poll, as well. you have ole miss fifth. is geoffen snead the reason? >> the coaches gave alabama the edge based on their outstanding performance. they have a new quarterback. they have to replace key re offensive linemen. i think he's the second best quarterback in the u.s.c. behind you know who.

>> what's his name?>> does it start with the? istar t it's going to be the only segment on espn where we don't mention him. >> cool. go for it. cooet's see if we can do it. this guy, geoffen snead, might be the highest drafteddraftear quarterback in next year's draft he's that good.s he's got a huge arm. a h he's got good mobility. who knows what would have happened if he beat out colt mccoy at texas. we'll never know, but both guys are in great situations. >> cool. situatcertainly keep an eye on the rebels.io it appears, but no one has played a game yet, that the miami hurricane could make their reappearance among the nation'se elite. who will be the one key player if they do reemerge?e one >> obviously miami needs better offensive production.etter it all starts at the quarterbace position with jacory harris who did beat out robert marve last season.as last season robert marve transfering to purdue.u you have to think with the newof offensive coordinator they wille be more diverse. they have a couple good running backs in janes and hooper.ne

new offensive and defensivehe coordinators for randy shannon. they have a lot of pressure too win.>> l >> cool.et let's keep it in the state far moment. south florida has chance to maks name this season against gamesho with florida state and miami. how important are those games i with the bulls? >> 13 years ago jim levitt started the south florida f football program in a trailer.n he didn't even have mailboxes. h 2 yetwo years ago they rise to number two in the nation. since then it's been a mess. its they had a losing record in then big east. m the perception is that south florida has gotten all thee big. recruiting leftovers from the powers like florida, florida state and miami.h now this is their grand opportunity. south florida was not picked tod win the big east, and in today's preseason coaching top 25 poll,' there wasn't even one big eastwn team in the conference. so clearly anybody can win the big east conference, including h south florida. they probably have the two most

recognizable players with quarterback matt grothe andac defensive end george selvie.end. so it is a great opportunity.ca can they get it done? most people think no. >> we just did an entire segmen. without mentioning florida... sy >> don't say it. >> quarterback's name. >> good job. >> thanks. >> in with bang, out with a whimper. jason giambi's return to oakland was much touted. today the a's told him good-bye. today t(announcer) him good-bye. what does greatness taste like? round of miller lite. (announcer on call) ...here it comes... watch this now... got it! my goodness! now you have seen it all. (announcer) that's what greatness tastes like. triple hops brewed. great pilsner taste. miller lite. taste greatness.

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coming up on "o's xtra" aplayer move as gregg zaun was moved on wafers and traded to tampa bay. bergesen is on the disabled list and he'll talk about his rehab. >> tonight it is game one of the three-game series against the jays, and jason berken looks to turn it around as he gets the start in the opener. it is the orioles and the blue jays and r and it is o's exthere on masn!

>> good evening and welcome in. it is "o's xtra" presented by at&t. game one of the three-game series in toronto, and there is the pitching match-up. it will be jason berken looking to snap his long losing streak and he goes against ricky romero who is 10-4 with a stellar e.r.a. of 3.53. hi, everybody. jim hunter with rick deferltiony. brad bergesen is in studio. he'll talk about his rehab and how soon he hopes to get back with the orioles. it is game one in toronto. we know what the season is all about. the experience r. experience that the players are learning is invaluable, but somewhere along the line the winning has to factor in. what step has to be taken, in particular for the players, to go from being prospects to guys who can go in and know they have a chance to win? >> if the orioles want to win

their division next year, go out and get a number four hitter and stick him right in the middle of the lineup. one of the kind of guys that is going to hit 40, 50 home runs and drive in 125, 150 runs. that would help. two, you would get an ace like roy halladay, and they can watch. he has great work ethic, and they're going to learn a lot from him and they're going to get a lot about the way he goes about doing it that is going to help them all. if you don't get those guys, can we win? i think they can. it is a matter of developing what i call killer instinct. i think it is coming with this ball club, maybe a little slower, but i think it is on its way. guys like adam jones are starting to figure it out. they're starting to get upset that the ball club is giving up too many games by stupid things like base running and cut-off men and doing things in the infield that cost them pitches

on the mound, innings, and having to work overtime for the bullpen. those kind of things, little things here and there that if you just bring it to everybody's attention, maybe spring training next year everybody says how did we lose control of this season. little things before we cut this conversation off and go somewhere else is you have to learn things about addressing certain hitters in certain situations. one thing and i'm just making an example of this, a two- strike count on a hitter, and a man on third base, less than two outs, what pitch does he never look for, the breaking ball right at him. if it hits and breaks the outside corner, you are the strikeout. that will save you a lot of trouble during the course of the ballgame. they need to learn these things. >> the roster is a work in progress. if you look ahead to next year, third base and first base among the position players now are the only two up in the air and the pitching staff is coming together. four of the five starters in

the rotation, not even including brad, are on the d.l. the roster, another change today as a player who has been with the orioles all year is now on the move. let's head up to the center and get the laidest as we welcome in mark vive an know. >> hey, jim. there season of transition does continue now at the catcher spot. gregg zaun is dealt to the tampa bay rays for a player to be named later and chad moeller is called up from norfolk. he comes as the back-up to matt wieters. zaun says it did catch him off guard. the manager dave trembley says this deal does a couple of thins. one, it allows greg zaun to play for a contender, and, two, it further signals the emergence of matt wieters as the catcher of the present and the future of the orioles and now the back-up catch ser now complete. i asked the manager if there is any difference in having moller in that position now other than

gregg zaun and here is what he had to say. >> his demeanor is a little bit different than zaun, but kind of the same approach. very much a student of the game, very much of a mentor. i think he'll be somebody that wieters leans on for the rest of the season. >> i don't know what i can do for him. he is pretty good on his own. i hope to be able to help him out any way he needs. for me it is an opportunity that i'm grateful for and, you know, if there is something i can help him with, awesome. if there are certain things you learn along the way that you can only learn with experience, and that can help him speed up that process, that would be great. chad moeller was with the club prior to matt wieters being called up. at that time he played in 15 games, had 50 at-bats. the manager dave trembley says this is also an opportunity now for matt wieters to play even more. he's been getting a couple of days off each week. i asked wieters about the work load. he says he actually caught more in the minors. it has been quite a luxe to

have as many days off as he has. he is looking forward to taking on more that is the story from here rogers centre in toronto. back to jim and rick. >> thank you very much. and the rogers centre in toronto. so gregg zaun at age 38 now goes to tampa bay. he gets right in a race. tampa bay in third place in the division. they're trying to catch boston to get in that wildcard spot. they still have the sights on catching the yankees. i know you're close to the situation being gregg zaun's uncle. >> break it down for me. >> i think zauny has been to the world series, been on a championship team, got the ring, and he does a lot of things well behind home plate defensively. he is one of the best plate blockers in the game. i'm really very proud of the fact that he is considered one of the best. he also is a guy who is very conscious about the kind of game that he calls for the pitching staff. he communicates well, which is something we've had problems with in the past of javy lopez and hernandez and a lot of guys

we've had. good players in their own right. but defense and being able to handle a pitching staff is invaluable. that's why they always say a good hitting -- good catcher and a light hitting catch here can catch well, is always more valuable because the pitching staff needs him so much. >> what about chad moeller now taking over that role? >> he is a good defensive guy. we know that when he was with the new york yankees. he came here with the reputation of being able to handle a pitching staff. he is very much along the same lines as greg is. together they were very equal in a lot of the talents, and i don't think we've lost really much with having moller here. >> the orioles, 1-3 so far on the trip losing the finale in detroit yesterday. take a look back at the highlights. david hernandez facing a red hot brandon ink, that made it 2- 0, tigers. >> did he ever. hernandez just did not have the sharp break on his ball. the fastball wasn't sinking. his curve ball wasn't as sharp.

inge gets a hold of one. >> later in the same inning, the tigers add a run and polanco literally hits a base and that allows him to score. >> i don't know if wigginton would have had a chance to make the play, but it is always better to be lucky than good. he stays at third base and get as ribby. >> the orioles trailing 7-1 in the sixth. ty wigginton nearly hits it out. >> another good day offensively. he catches a hanging breaking ball just over the out over thomas in left field. he had two hits on the day and drove in the orioles' two runs. >> the orioles lost 7-3 and following the game the orioles talked about anytime the clubhouse. >> losing is not fun. it has never been fun and never will be fun. i guess we're all trying to keep in focus what we're doing here, and what we're -- our --

our end goal is. it is not today, tomorrow, but you still want to win games. >> i was just trying to overthrow, trying to press. and i'll make some pitches. i'd get some quick outs, and for some reason i'd throw 15, 20 more pitches just to get out of that inning. >> and it was a grind out there. it was a tough day, and, you know, i just didn't have it. >> you always know throughout the season you're going to get hit hard, and -- but you still want to be able to go out there and battle and you want to think that you're going to throw, six, seven innings strong. it is just not going to happen like that. these guys are big leaguers and they know what they're doing. i faced these guys. it is not like i was intimidated. it was one of the days i didn't have my best stuff. >> three of the five runs allowed came after two outs. when we km back, brad bergesen

joins us here in studio! @@00h

>> a huge out for bergesen! >> coming up on tuesday when the orioles are back home, it is brad bergesen t-shirt night. and no, he is not wearing number 64. the t-shirt is number 35. that is his current number. the first 10,000 fans 15 and over receive the brad bergesen t-shirt that is going to be a busy day for brad because earlier in the day he has an appearance at espn zone from noon in the harbor. we're very happy to have brad with us in the studio. rick dempsey, you have so many connections that we were able to get the brad bergesen t- shirts here a little early. i don't know how often you have

seen the beating that you took on the line drive. let's take a look at it. i'm curious what you were thinking as soon as it hit you and the moments after that. >> i'll be honest. my first thought is where is the ball? i kind of saw that it bounced off and wet was able to throw him out. i was just pretty pumped that it saved two runs. it put me out for a couple of weeks. it was good that nay didn't score. >> you have to be happy the way things have started in your major league career so far. your first outing was outstanding, and it seems like you just kind of got locked in. what was the difference between the very first game, what did that feel like, and then from the transition period, from what i call where you really started to get locked in? i think learning to make adjustments. the hitters are just so good and even during the game working with cranny. he would come up to me in between innings, zauny, hey, next time out, next inning, you have to make this pitch and

you're showing this pitch too early. very little things like that i have learned this season to just try to get into a consistent mode. >> you were the first of this very talented group to get the hains to get promoted to come up and join the orioles' rotation, and you've learned quickly because in this division, in the a.l. east, which is the toughest division, you really have to be on your game, every pitch as you're out there. what have you learned pitching against these teams and what you have learned about the a.l. east where the orioles hope to be contending soon. >> it is such a tough league, you pitch against the boston red sox or the new york yankees or the tampa bay rays or even the toronto blue jays and you look at some of these lineups, and i'm looking at them about four hours before the game. i know who this guy is, i know who this guy is. you're facing lineups like take day in and day out, and so, like i was saying earlier, you need to learn how to make those adjustments to be successful because they're doing the same thing against you. >> we all have been pretty excited about the fact that a

lot of you coming up from the minor leagues have had pretty successful records so far. talk about some of the guys you played with that are here so far, tillman in particular, and what they are capable of doing? >> i think these guys have unlimited potential right now. mat advertise, tillman, dave, and even with berken, i know he's had a couple of losses here in a row, but these guys have great stuff, and, you know, they're so young and i think with these guys it is just a matterrer of getting their feet wet and getting comfortable out there. >> it has been pretty unique the way this group for the most part has been able to come along together. you go back a couple of years ago. frederick had the big season. won the karen championship, a lot of your starters were on the bowie baysox rotation. what it is like learning together and coming up collectively as a group, although none of you could have anticipated this. >> it is unbelievable. to have four of the five guys in the bowie last year that are here, i mean, it is an absolute

blast to experience this, and come up to the big leagues with these guys that we were just -- last year we were on a 10-hour bus ride. to be able to have this and now traveling on a plane and just looking back on the year, it is pretty exciting. >> all of you young guys down at a ball frederick, you went to bowie. all of you got used to winning. you won your division at frederick and went on to win at bowie also and you look at this major league ball club and they have struggled to win. they have struggled to play .500 baseball. have you noticed a difference between the attitude of all of your players and what you guys were mike in the -- like in the minor leagues compared to what is going on in the major league level? >> i don't know what the big difference is. i know last year the team chemistry was great, and not to say it ask not here. it is a great clubhouse atmosphere, but there we just hung out all the time, and, you know, it seemed like it was a

pretty tight knit group of guys. i think a lot of us still have that. >> we were talking before, and even with you on the disabled list. innine of the 25 players active on this roster were drafted and developed by the orioles. it is getting younger by the day. mat advertise was even promoted. can you sense the wronger players are beginning to take over the team even if it is subtle at this point? >> i don't think the young guys are taking over this team by any means. i have too much respect for the veteran guys that are there. guys like danys baez and i know jamie walker is not with us anymore, but -- and aubrey huff, brian roberts. i have learn sod much from these guys. they're the ones that we really look to now and have learned a lot and hopefully we'll continue to do so and some of the younger guys, even adam jones, it seemed -- seems like he is getting more vocal. >> and matt wieters came up.

the accolades were there from the very beginning. we all see what the ceiling is with him and the potential. as far as the pitching staff is concerned, how do you guys interact that is on a positive basis before you go out for every game and what do you think his potential is from behind home plate? >> i think he has unlimited potential right now. the guy, he has all of the tools. the biggest thing i tell people is, you know, there's obviously all of the wieters' hoopla, but a guy like gregg zaun who has 14 years experience behind the plate. he just knows the hitters inside and out and i think that is the one thing that matt wieters will learn and probably lacks most in his game, but is learning tremendous amount, you know, my pre-game routine and what i do is every day or not every day, but before each start, i'll get together with matt and the pitching coach cranny and we'll go over every single hitter and get a game plan with each guy. >> we're running a little long,

but we have to ask you, how is the rehab going and how soon back on the mound? >> it is going good now. i'm doing three sessions a day. >> sort of like work. >> yeah. i'm doing it all day long right now, which i don't mind. i've got nothing else to do while the team is on the road. but hopefully it will only be the 15 days. i want to make sure i come back 100%. >> congratulations on a great start. get back as soon as you can. congratulations on the t-shirt. they're good. >> thank you very much. thank you for having me. >> that is brad bergesen hoping to get back within a couple of weeks. rehappening three times a day. that is more than going out and facing the yankees. the orioles opening up a weekend series in toronto. big games tomorrow and sunday close out the road trip and the orioles head home. it is a week-long home stand beginning with three against oakland. when we come back, we'll get a look at the orioles' starting lineup. brian roberts is in there. the o's an blue jays coming up

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>> fans you can meet oriole pitcher brian bass. they'll be at the wendy's in owings mills. get on masn sports.com for more information. opening gym of the three-game set in toronto. brian roberts is in the are lead-off spot. he has been hitting well over the past 10 games. .326 with a home run and 10 runs scored. reimold in left with mora at third. matt wieters will catch and caesar izturis at shortstop. adam jones, he has been on a tear since the all-star break. >> he really has. as far as i am concerned this guy is superman of the american league. his second year at the major league level. this guy is just capable of doing anything. he never ceases to amaze me. the breaking ball down the other way. now what we have seen, the development of a very short,

quick, powerful, balanced swing. it wouldn't be out of my imagination to see this guy get hot and hit almost 40 home runs. he is certainly capable of doing that. he gets his pitch and he makes somebody pay. >> and for the bliewjs tonight, scutaro, hill and the d.h. is balling third. .330 ample, 11 home runs and over 30 rbi's in his home ballpark. overbay at first with vernon wells in center field. alex rios at right. and edwin encarnacion and joe inglett in left field will bat ninth. it is the orioles and the blue jays game one on this three- game weekend series. when we come back, rick dempsey's keys to the game!

>> "o's xtra" is brought to you by corona and corona light. please relax responsibly.

the opening game of three in toronto. what is the rick dempsey key to the game? tonight we have to outdouble them because brian roberts leads the american league in doubles with 38. nick markakis is third with 33. adam for the toronto blue jays second with 35 and scutaro is fourth. all of these guys are going to play tonight. they hold the top four positions for doubles in the american league. whoever gets the most doubles tonight is probably going to end up driving in the most runs. >> the "o's xtra" challenge which is a rick dempsey run away. who is your player to watch? >> i think pete is going to be on top again tonight. he has been so hot since the all-star break. he has only been hitless in four games out of his last 20 and tonight it wouldn't surprise me, three hits tonight i have to call. >> you talk so glowingly about adam jones during our lineup segment that i'm picking adam jones a day off yesterday. he's rested, ready to go. seven home runs and 17 rbi's

since the all-star break. the all-star is going to shine tonight in toronto. >> i don't care who it is. i hope adam jones has a great night. i hope we go down to the last at-bat and each of them already has two or flee rbis in their pocket. >> our remaining seconds here for jason berken. he just has to calm down, go do mound and be himself. >> calm down, slow down, keep it down if you want to stay around. that sounds like a country- western song, but it is true. i think he has good stuff and let's see it tonight. >> the blue jays are honoring the 1992 and 1993 championship teams. it will be a limb bit of a delayed start. we're going to send you to gary and buck. we're going to talk more about tonight's match-ups, including getting rick dempsey's scouting report. if you venture away from the television, you can turn on the radio as the orioles' radio network is there. joe angel and fred man are fra have the call and there is the

hall of famer, the former blue jay as the blue jays honor their championship teams. stay tuned now. gary and buck are next. the orioles and jays from toronto!