ng State looked like a SWAC contender | Forum

NEW YORK -- Pitcher Chien-Ming Wang opted out of his minor league contract with the New York Yankees and plans to sign with the Toronto Blue Jays. Michael Frazier Rockets Jersey . Wang signed with the Yankees on March 23, and the 33-year-old right-hander was 4-4 with a 2.33 ERA in nine starts for Triple-A Scranton-Wilkes Barre. New York released him Friday. He originally signed with the Yankees in 2000 and went 55-26 in five seasons. Wang has been slowed by injuries since then, starting when he injured his foot in 2008. Wang was 2-6 with a 6.68 ERA in 10 games last year in his third season with Washington. Agent Al Nero said the agreement with Toronto was in the process of being finalized. The Blue Jays 4.56 ERA is 28th in the major leagues. When asked about Wang before Torontos home game against the Texas Rangers, Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said he didnt "know anything about that." -- With files from The Canadian Press Trevon Duval Jersey .C. -- Chris Thorburn thinks one of the reasons the Winnipeg Jets have been successful under new coach Paul Maurice is that theyre playing together as a team. Tyler Ennis Rockets Jersey . There are surprises among the Vezina candidates, but most of the others are standard top-tier performers, even if the two Hart Trophy runners-ups have never been quite as good as they have been through the first half of the season. https:///...City-Edition-Jersey/ . The Redskins announced Monday that the quarterback who led the team to the Super Bowl championship in the 1987 season will serve as a personnel executive. TUCSON, Ariz. -- For a half, Arizona seemed headed for a loss to a Grambling State team the Wildcats had been favored to beat by 45 points.To call it an ugly loss would have been a major understatement.Then Brandon Dawkins and an avalanche of Grambling turnovers prevented the unthinkable.Dawkins, starting in place of injured Anu Solomon, ran for two touchdowns and threw for another, all in the second half, and Arizona rallied from an 18-point deficit and escaped with a 31-21 victory.We werent very pretty, thats for sure, Wildcats coach Rich Rodriguez saidArizona (1-1) trailed 21-3 at halftime and looked in danger of their first-ever loss to an FCS school.But the Tigers (1-1), who lost quarterback DeVante Kincade to injury late in the first half, committed six second-half turnovers, four of them in a row in the third quarter. Backup Trevon Cherry threw three interceptions and fumbled the ball away once.They capitalized on all our mistakes, Grambling coach Broderick Fobbs said.Dawkins, a redshirt sophomore, completed 15 of 29 passes for 223 yards and gained 97 yards in 16 carries. He scored on runs of 21 and 2 yards and threw a 34-yard touchdown pass to Trey Griffey. Nick Wilson rushed for 116 yards, including an 11-yard TD run.Brandon, for his first start, sometimes looked like a first-time starter, Rodriguez said. Sometimes he competed and made some plays.Kincade completed 15 of 19 passes for 193 yards and two scores before leaving with a leg injury with 2:38 to play in the second quarter. Gramblings Chad Williams caught 13 passes for 152 yards.Cody Ippolito recovered two fumbles, both leading to Arizona touchdowns, but was ejected from the game for targeting and must sit out the first half of next Saturdays game against Hawaii.The Tigers took the opening kickoff and went 81 yards in seven plays, Kincade throwing a 2-yard touchdown pass to Verlan Hunter.The Wildcats had Grambling pinned in a third-and-29 situation at the Tigers 17 when Kincade threw short to Martez Carter, who raced down the sideline 49 yards to the 34. Six plays later, Kincade threw 26 yards to Devohn Lindsey for a touchdown that made it 14-0 with 11:55 left in the half. Gerald Green Jersey. Dawkins 42-yard run highlighted a drive to the Grambling 6 but, on fourth-and-1, Wilson was hit in the backfield and fumbled the ball away.A 70-yard pass from Dawkins to Samajie Grant led to Arizonas only first-half points, Josh Pollocks 31-yard field goal.At halftime we just challenged them to see what they were made of a little bit, Rodriguez said.Arizona linebacker Michael Barton said the team came out the first half flat and we did not come out with any energy.We came out in the second half and responded how we should, he said.INJURED QBsSolomon, a three-year starter who had to fight off Dawkins in the preseason to keep the job, injured a knee in practice during the week.Rodriguez said surgery would not be needed but Solomons status for next weekend was yet to be determined.Kincade was sprinting into an open field for what looked to be a big gain when he came up lame, hopping out of bounds on one leg in front of the Arizona bench. He had to be carried from the field.Cherry came on to direct another score. Carter 1-yard dive initially was ruled to come up inches short of the goal line. But a video review showed the ball was just over the line for a touchdown that put Grambling State up 21-3 with 16 seconds to play in the half.Our tackling was as bad as its ever been, Rodriguez said.THE TAKEAWAYGrambling State looked like a SWAC contender when Kincade was in there and the extent of his injury could go a long way in determining how successful the Tigers are on from now on.Arizona avoided what would have been the worst loss of the Rich Rodriguez era but the coach will have plenty to criticize in his teams first 30 minutes of play.UP NEXTGrambling State: The Tigers open SWAC play at Jackson State next Saturday.Arizona: The Wildcats play their final nonconference game, at home against Hawaii next Saturday night. ' ' '