European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 24, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 38 0 stars and stripes saturday March 24 2007 Roy Sammy Sosa 21 and Ramon Vazquez second from right of the Texas rangers talk with the Chicago cubs Alfonso Soriano second from left and Derrek Lee prior to their Spring training game on wednesday Sosa downplays game is his longtime team the associated press Sammy Sosa Doest want to look Back at his time in Chicago just yet Hes too Busy preparing for the season with the Texas rangers Sosa got some Boos and cheers in his return to the cubs Spring training Home wednesday he went lfor3 and the cubs beat the rangers 117 on Daryle wards grand slam in the Bottom of the ninth inning Chicago i played so Many years but i got to step away and focus Here in Texas this is the team that gave me the Opportunity Sosa said in Mesa Anz starting in right Field Sosa grounded into a Force out legged out an infield single and hit a hop per that took a wild Bounce be fore cubs shortstop Ronny cede no reached up and made a Nice play before throwing him out sos As still batting 410 this Spring How did the fans in right Field treat him he used to be their Dar Ling an entertainer when he played the position in Chicago great he said did they yell at him in my favor yes he said he deserves Good things from the fans he did a lot of Good things in Chicago cubs Pitcher Carlos Zambrano said the Only major leaguer to have three 60homer seasons Sosa was once the most popular sports Fig ure in Chicago especially during his epic Long Ball Duel in 1998 with Mark Mcgwire his Home run hop and a series of other quirks like racing to his position before Home games saluting the fans from his heart and touching his Finger to his lips were part of his showmanship but the Luster began to fade when Sosa was caught using a corked Bat in 2003 and when he left the clubhouse before the sea son finale in 2004 his Days with the cubs were nearly Over he was fined and later said he was tired of being blamed by former manager Dusty Baker for the cubs failures he was subsequently traded to the Baltimore orioles you know regardless no mat Ter where i play my heart is Al ways going to be in Chicago Sosa said i dont think anyone Spring training going to take my name away from Chicago my name is always going to mentioned in Chicago in other notable Spring training games White sox 10 giants 9 at Tucson Ariz Bobby Jenks Era ballooned to 1050 for his five Spring games after he allowed three runs and three hits in two innings White sox manager Ozzie Guillen said he is concerned about his closer i worry about Bobby if you Are not ready one week and a half before the season starts you have problems Guillen said if you Are not ready to this Point and you Are not in condition to Start the season right now you have to dig in and Start pushing yourself to get better red sox 7 pirates 3 at Bradenton Fla Daisuke mat suzaka allowed one run and one hit in innings the red sox right hander struck out seven and got a standing ovation when he left the game those Are the results the red sox hoped for when they invested million in Matsuzaka mat suzaka hoped for More his overview of the Outing was that i was Able to pitch despite struggling a Little bit he said through an interpreter i was having a Little bit of trouble con trolling my fastball the wind May have contributed to that said manager Terry Francona if that struggling were in for some fun i think Hes a perfectionist Phillies 10 Blue jays 6 at Dunedin Fla Phillies starter Freddy Garcia left the game after the first inning because of stiff Ness in his right biceps Garcia picked up in an offset son Trade with the Chicago White sox was to be examined by the Phillies medical staff on thurs Day team spokesman Larry Shenk said he want throwing a whole lot up there manager Charlie Manuel said after the Phillies 106 Victory i figured that some thing might be wrong la Russa charged with dui the associated press Jupiter Fla St Louis cardinals manager Tony la Russa was arrested thursday on a Drunken driving charge after police said they found him asleep in Side his running sport Utility vehicle at a Stop Light the 62yearold la Russa gave two Bream samples and had a blood alcohol Content of 0093 per cent Jupiter police said in a state ment Florida Legal driving limit is 008 percent undercover officers saw la Russas Sun partly in an intersection around Midnight and not moving despite two Green lights police said officers knocked on the vehicles window and la Russa did not initially respond the Sun was in drive and run Ning with la Russas foot on the Brake police said when he eventually woke up the officers asked him to get out of the car la Russa was booked into the Palm Beach county jail on the Misdemeanour count about four hours later according to police and jail records he was released about am after posting Cash Bond said Paul Miller a Palm Beach county sheriffs of fice spokesman la Russa declined to comment while he was outside the club House in uniform hours later at Roger Dean stadium in Jupiter where he planned to manage a Spring training game against the Florida marlins twins Mauer sidelined with leg injury Minneapolis Minnesota twins Catcher Joe Mauer has a stress reaction in his left leg the team said thursday the twins described the injury As a precursor to a stress Frac Ture they discovered the injury after Mauer complained of sore Ness in the leg Mauer last seasons american league batting Champion Hurt his left knee in his Rookie season in 2004 Mauer was to be treated with a Bone stimulator and physical ther apy and was to be reevaluated sunday twins spokesman Mike Herman said basically All that we know right now is they caught it Early obviously before it turned into a stress fracture Herman said there shutting him Down until sunday Dukes Mcroberts declares for Aba draft Durham no Duke for Ward Josh Mcroberts declared himself eligible for the Aba draft thursday several online draft projections have Mcroberts one of two soph Omore team captains for Duke As an Earl to midair Stroud pick the draft is june 28 in new York Mcroberts averaged 13 Points and a Tea leading 79 rebounds for the Blue devils it was not immediately Clear whether he has hired an agent underclassmen who do not sign with agents have until june 18 to withdraw from the draft and re turn to school Yankees wont extend Arod Tampa Fla the new York Yankees dont intend to offer Alex Rodriguez a contract Exten sports briefs Sion leaving him the option of opt ing out of his Deal after the season and becoming a free agent Alex has a significant con tract the most significant in base Ball history Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said wednesday he has a decision to make its in his contract its a right Hes earned Rodriguez has four seasons left in the record million 10year agreement he signed with Texas before the 2001 season under the terms of the Deal Rodriguez can terminate it after this season he also can stay for 2008 and have the right to opt out of the final two seasons if the Yan Kees dont boost his salary to million annually for the final two years if he exercises it Hes a free agent if he Doest Hes not Cashman said wed love to have him stay with us Furcal injures ankle Vero Beach Fla los an Geles dodgers shortstop Rafael Furcal injured his left ankle thursday in the first inning of an exhibition game against the Balti More orioles and was taken to a Hospital for rays Corey Patterson opened the game by hitting a Fly Ball to Short Center Furcal and Jason Repko both went for the Ball and after Repko Dove for it Furcal made the catch leaping Over the Center fielder Furcal landed awkwardly and immediately grabbed his ankle we do know that its a sprained left ankle team spokes Man Josh Rawitch said he went to the Hospital and were awaiting an update Bucks Bogut Villanueva will miss rest of season Milwaukee Milwaukee Bucks Center Andrew Bogut and Forward Charlie Villanueva will miss the rest of the season be cause of injuries Bogut missed a game for the first time in his career wednes Day night against the los Angeles clippers because of a sprained left foot the Bucks announced that neither player would return this season the second year Center was Hurt against the los Angeles Lak ers on March 7 he reinsured his foot in practice on tuesday it became a Point where after every game he was in pain Bucks general manager Larry Harris said Villanueva also a second year player has developed recurrent right shoulder pain that will re quire arthroscopic surgery its More exploratory Harris said of the surgery it could be a Short amount of time it could be a longer amount of time sonics without Allstar Allen Seattle Ray Allens sea son May be headed for an Early conclusion Seattle Allstar guard sat out wednesday night because of continued pain and discomfort from Bone spurs in his left ankle and indicated before the game against Washington that surgery is be coming More of an option surgery to remove the spurs is the Likely solution to Allens pain and that May happen before the season ends us to face Venezuela in opener of olympic qualifier Las vegas the United states basketball team will open qualifying for the 2008 olympics against Venezuela in the Fiba americas tournament Brazil Canada and the us Vir Gin islands were placed in the same group As the americans in a draw held wednesday the tournament will be held from aug 22sept 2 at the Tho Mas Mack Center the top two teams will earn spots in Beijing while the teams finishing third through fifth have another Chance in a qualifying tournament to be held in july 2008 each team plays the other four teams in its group with the top four finishers advancing to the second round Roddick Blake to Lead Davis cup team against Spain Andy Roddick and James Blake were selected wednesday for the us Davis cup team that will face Rafael Nadal and Spain on an indoor hard court in next months quarterfinal Captain Patrick Mcenroe will also go with the worlds to ranked doubles team of Broth ers Bob and Mike Bryan for the matches in Winston Salem no the us which Hast won the Davis cup since 1995 beat the czech Republic 41 in the first round last month with Roddick winning the decisive match texans acquire a a Schaub possibly signalling end for Carr Houston the Houston texans Are close to acquiring Matt Schaub from the Atlanta fal cons a Trade for the highly regarded backup quarterback was expected to be announced thursday according to a person with knowl Edge of the Deal who spoke on condition of anonymity because the Deal haunt been completed the person did not disclose the details of the Trade the Houston chronicle and the nil network said the Falcons will get Sec Ond round picks in 2007 and 2008 and that the teams will Swap first round picks this year with Atlanta moving from 10th to eighth the acquisition of Schaub would seemingly make it unlikely that David Carr will remain with the team unhappy with Carrs performance Houston tried to sign Jeff Garcia and Patrick ram sey before those two signed with other teams Gene Upshaw reelected As a Flea executive director Wailea Hawaii Gene up Shaw was reelected wednesday for his ninth consecutive three year term As executive director of the nil players association the 62member Board of player representatives voted unanimously to reelect the former guard for the Oakland raiders a member of the pro football Hall of Fame Upshaw 61 was first elected to the position in 1982 immediately after his playing career ended