SB Nation Detroit: All Posts by Foster Landerhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48919/detroit-fave.png2012-08-12T12:00:02-04:00https://detroit.sbnation.com/authors/foster-lander/rss2012-08-12T12:00:02-04:002012-08-12T12:00:02-04:00Tigers Vs. Rangers: Rick Porcello Faces Tough Task In Sunday's Rubber Game
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<p>The Ballpark at Arlington is normally a launching pad, but a matchup of two struggling starters and two potent lineups could mean an especially high-scoring series finale Sunday.</p>
<p>Porcello (9-6, 4.62 ERA) has an 8.47 ERA in four career starts against Texas, but improved in his last start against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.lonestarball.com/">Rangers</a> (six innings, one run). He went 6 2/3 innings against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.pinstripealley.com/">Yankees</a> Tuesday and allowed just three runs.</p>
<p><span>Yu Darvish</span> (11-8, 4.57 ERA) has a 7.04 ERA in his last six starts, but he's been successful against this potent Detroit lineup, with five runs allowed in 13 1/3 innings combined in his two victories over Detroit. The Japanese rookie's fastball command has lagged recently, meaning his array of off-speed pitches aren't as effective against selective big league hitters.</p>
<p>Detroit will not have to face Rangers catcher <span>Mike Napoli</span>, who landed on the 15-day Disabled List with a strained quadriceps.</p>
<p><i>For more on the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.blessyouboys.com/">Tigers</a>, head over to <a href="http://blessyouboys.com">Bless You Boys</a>, and be sure to check out SB Nation's <a href="http://mlb.sbnation.com">dedicated MLB hub.</a></i></p>
https://detroit.sbnation.com/2012/8/12/3237655/tigers-vs-rangers-rick-porcello-yu-darvish-texasFoster Lander2012-08-12T10:41:10-04:002012-08-12T10:41:10-04:00London 2012 Closing Ceremony: TV Coverage, Streaming, Live Updates And More
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<p>The 2012 London Olympics come to a close Sunday, and the Closing Ceremony should provide a fitting end to the games by paying tribute to Britain's long musical history. British musicians like The Who, George Michael, Annie Lennox, and Muse, among others, will perform Sunday at London's Olympic Stadium.</p>
<p>All athletes will enter the Olympic Stadium for the 'after-party,' which will also feature the traditional Men's Marathon medal ceremony.</p>
<p>Finally, the ceremony will serve as the official hand-off to Rio de Janeiro for the 2016 summer games, and the flame at Olympic Stadium will be put out.</p>
<p>NBC, which did not live-stream the Opening Ceremony a fortnight ago, will stream the closing ceremonies live online beginning at 3 pm CT on <a href="http://nbcolympics.com/"><b>NBCOlympics.com.</b></a> The network will show the ceremonies on NBC's primetime coverage across all time zones beginning at 6 p.m. CT.</p>
<p>For the live stream, check out NBC's online listings <a href="http://www.nbcolympics.com/online-listings/day=august-12/index.html"><b>here</b></a>, or stick with <a href="http://sbnation.com/"><b>SB Nation</b></a> for live coverage of the event.</p>
<p><i>Stay with this <a href="http://minnesota.sbnation.com/2012/7/24/3180933/london-olympics-2012-minnesota-participants"><b>StoryStream</b></a> for coverage of the remainder of Sunday's events, or head over to SB Nation's <a href="http://sbnation.com/london-olympics-2012"><b>Olympics hub.</b></a></i></p>
https://detroit.sbnation.com/2012/8/12/3237553/london-2012-closing-ceremony-tv-coverage-streaming-live-updates-andFoster Lander2012-08-12T09:37:34-04:002012-08-12T09:37:34-04:002012 London Olympics: Sunday Daily Preview
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<p>The US Men's Basketball team looks to defend their gold medal in a rematch with Spain as the Olympics wrap up Sunday. It took the Americans nearly the full 40 minutes to pull away from Pau Gasol's Spanish team in Beijing in 2008, but the US was finally able to pull away for a 118-107 win. It only seemed fair for Spain to get another shot at the US with Olympic gold on the line.</p>
<p>Men's volleyball wraps up with Brazil and Russia playing for gold, meaning the Brazilians have the chance to sweep indoor volleyball. Italy and Croatia play for gold in men's water polo, after the US took eighth this morning with a 10-9 loss to Australia.</p>
<p>The US wrapped up the overall medal count lead over China with less than one day left of competition. A full medal count is available <a href="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/olympics/2012/medals/tracker/?xid=sbnation">here</a>.</p>
<p>As usual, NBC will stream all events live on <a href="http://www.nbcolympics.com/online-listings/day=august-12/index.html">NBCOlympics.com</a>, but the site requires a username and password to your cable/satellite TV provider for access. Otherwise, NBC will televise events throughout the day on its family of networks.</p>
<p><i>For coverage of the final day of the 2012 Olympics, stick with this <a href="http://detroit.sbnation.com/2012/7/20/3171639/london-olympics-2012">StoryStream</a>, or head over to SB Nation's <a href="http://sbnation.com/london-olympics-2012">Olympics hub.</a></i></p>
https://detroit.sbnation.com/2012/8/12/3237436/2012-london-olympics-sunday-daily-previewFoster Lander2012-08-05T12:00:11-04:002012-08-05T12:00:11-04:002012 London Olympics: American Jake Dalton Finishes Fifth In Men's Gymnastics Floor Exercise Final
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<p>Jake Dalton, the 2011 U.S. national champion on floor, took fifth in the Men's Floor Exercise final Sunday morning.</p>
<p>Dalton's score of 15.333 placed him six-tenths of a point behind gold medalist Zou Kai of China, the defending Olympic gold medalist on floor. Kohei Uchimura of Japan, who has won three consecutive world all-around titles, took silver with a score of 15.800, and Russia's Denis Ablyazin earned bronze at 15.800, as well.</p>
<p>The 20-year-old Nevada native and University of Oklahoma gymnast helped the U.S. to a fifth-place finish in the men's team final this week and turned in a solid performance Sunday morning against perhaps the world's two best male gymnasts in Zou and Uchimura.</p>
<p>Dalton scored lower because his floor routine was half a point less difficult than Zou Kai's routine, though he did not incur any penalties during the routine.</p>
<p><i>For more Olympics news and updates, stick with <a href="http://detroit.sbnation.com/2012/7/20/3171639/london-olympics-2012">this StoryStream</a> or head over to <a href="http://sbnation.com/london-olympics-2012">SB Nation's dedicated Olympics hub</a>.</i></p>
https://detroit.sbnation.com/2012/8/5/3221476/gymnastics-mens-floor-exercise-jake-dalton-fifthFoster Lander2012-08-05T11:46:25-04:002012-08-05T11:46:25-04:002012 London Olympics: U.S.' McKayla Maroney Settles For Silver In Women's Gymnastics Vault
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<p>McKayla Maroney, who helped lead the United State to the women's team gymnastics gold medal with her dazzling vault earlier this week, settled for silver in the women's vault final after falling on her second attempt.</p>
<p>She scored 15.866 on her first vault but just 14.3 on the second because of the fall. With the scores being averaged, Maroney finished with a score of 15.083. Romanian Sandra Raluca Izbasa took the gold medal with a score of 15.191, while Maria Paseka of Russia took bronze with a 15.050.</p>
<p>During the team final, Maroney's vault scored 16.233 thanks in part to the difficulty of the move, called the Amanar--named, ironically, after champion Romanian gymnast Simona Amanar. Of course, she still has to execute the move flawlessly, as she did in the team final</p>
<p>Maroney would've taken the gold medal comfortably had she landed her second attempt, but instead she fell on her butt on the dismount, allowing Izbasa to slip by.</p>
<p><i>For more Olympics news and updates, stick with <a href="http://detroit.sbnation.com/2012/7/20/3171639/london-olympics-2012">this StoryStream</a> or head over to <a href="http://sbnation.com/london-olympics-2012">SB Nation's dedicated Olympics hub</a>.</i><i></i></p>
https://detroit.sbnation.com/2012/8/5/3221462/gymnastics-womens-vault-mckayla-maroney-silver-medalFoster Lander2012-08-05T10:38:18-04:002012-08-05T10:38:18-04:00Lions Training Camp: Cliff Avril Signs Franchise Tender, Reports To Training Camp
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<p>After the Detroit Lions and DE Cliff Avril were not able to reach a long-term deal by the July 16 deadline, both sides knew the former Purdue Boilermaker would have to play the 2012 season under the one-year franchise tag. It was just a matter of when Avril would sign the tender and report to training camp. This morning, that situation finally was resolved.</p>
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<p>Lions defensive end Cliff Avril ended his holdout this morning and reported to Lions training camp.</p>
— Tim Twentyman (@ttwentyman) <a data-datetime="2012-08-05T11:53:54+00:00" href="https://twitter.com/ttwentyman/status/232081996208283648">August 5, 2012</a>
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<p>Lions DE Cliff Avil has passed his physical and officially signed his $10.6 million franchise tender.</p>
— Tim Twentyman (@ttwentyman) <a data-datetime="2012-08-05T13:41:14+00:00" href="https://twitter.com/ttwentyman/status/232109009707077633">August 5, 2012</a>
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Avril finished with 11 sacks last season to go along with six forced fumbles to lead a much-improved Detroit defense.</p>
<p>The Lions' third-round pick from 2008 missed eight days of training camp. He reportedly said no to an extension that would've paid him $30 million over the next three seasons prior to the July 16 deadline, <a href="http://blogs.detroitlions.com/2012/08/05/lions-de-cliff-avril-reports-to-training-camp/">Twentyman says</a>.</p>
<p><i>For more on the Detroit Lions, head over to <a href="http://prideofdetroit.com">Pride Of Detroit</a>, and be sure to check out SBNation's <a href="http://sbnation.com/nfl">dedicated NFL hub</a>.</i></p>
https://detroit.sbnation.com/detroit-lions/2012/8/5/3221351/lions-training-camp-cliff-avril-signs-franchise-tenderFoster Lander2012-08-05T09:59:20-04:002012-08-05T09:59:20-04:00Tigers Vs. Indians: Ryan Raburn Hits Disabled List With Thumb Sprain
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<p>To say Tigers utility man Ryan Raburn has struggled this season would be putting it nicely. He's played in just 63 games this season and is hitting just .172 in 198 at-bats with a miniscule .483 OPS (on-base plus slugging).</p>
<p>He has not played since July 31 against Boston, and we now have a reason why:</p>
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<p>Tigers have placed Raburn on DL retro to 8/1 with right thumb sprain. Worth has been recalled from Toledo. <a href="https://twitter.com/search/%23tigers"><s>#</s><b>tigers</b></a></p>
— Brian Britten (@BBritten_Tigers) <a href="https://twitter.com/BBritten_Tigers/status/232095612391288832" data-datetime="2012-08-05T12:48:00+00:00">August 5, 2012</a>
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<p>Raburn has struggled with injuries throughout his Major League career, as he's missed at least 41 games in each of his five seasons since 2007.</p>
<p>He played in 113 games in both 2009 and 2010 and hit 31 home runs and drove in 107 runs combined during those two seasons, with an OPS above .800 both years.</p>
<p>Raburn played 121 games in 2011 but posted just a .256/.297/.432 slash line with a career-high 114 strikeouts.</p>
<p>Danny Worth, who the Tigers recalled from Triple-A Toledo to replace Raburn, hit .277 with five home runs and six stolen bases (.848 OPS) in 36 games with the Mud Hens this season.</p>
<p><i>For more Detroit Tigers news and analysis, head over to <a href="http://blessyouboys.com">Bless You Boys</a>, and be sure to check out SB Nation's <a href="http://mlb.sbnation.com">dedicated MLB hub</a>.</i></p>
https://detroit.sbnation.com/detroit-tigers/2012/8/5/3221305/tigers-vs-indians-ryan-raburn-disabled-list-thumb-sprainFoster Lander2012-08-05T09:25:32-04:002012-08-05T09:25:32-04:002012 London Olympics: Serena, Venus Williams Take Third Straight Women's Doubles Gold
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<p>Serena and Venus Williams earned the distinction as the greatest Olympic tennis players of all time with their third consecutive gold medal in women's doubles Sunday.</p>
<p>It was the fourth Olympic gold medal overall for both Serena and Venus, both of whom also boast an Olympic singles title after Serena defeated Russia's Maria Sharapova for the women's singles gold medal Saturday.</p>
<p>The sisters breezed past the Czech duo of Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4, in just over and hour and a half at the All England Club to earn yet another Olympic gold.</p>
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<p style="margin-bottom: 12px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: bottom; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'Liberation Sans', FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">Serena and Venus combined to hit 35 winners against the Czech's 26 and took 78 percent of their first serve points, compared to 66 percent for the Czechs. Hlavackova and Hradecka could not convert any of their four break point chances, while the Williams' took two of six.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 12px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: bottom; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'Liberation Sans', FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><i>For more London Olympics coverage, stick with this <a href="http://detroit.sbnation.com/2012/7/20/3171639/london-olympics-2012">StoryStream</a>, or head over to SBNation's <a href="http://sbnation.com/london-olympics-2012">dedicated Olympics hub</a>.</i></p>
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https://detroit.sbnation.com/2012/8/5/3221260/2012-london-olympics-serena-venus-williams-womens-doubles-goldFoster Lander2012-08-05T08:40:23-04:002012-08-05T08:40:23-04:00Tigers Vs. Indians: Sunday Preview, TV Info And More
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<p>After outscoring the fading Cleveland Indians by a combined 16-3 score in the first two games of this series, the Detroit Tigers will turn to hard-throwing righty Max Scherzer in hopes of earning a home sweep.</p>
<p>Doug Fister pitched a gem Saturday for Detroit, going the distance while allowing just one run on four hits. Scherzer (10-6, 4.62) struck out nine Red Sox in his last outing but allowed five runs in 6 1/3. He faced this Indians lineup last Wednesday and allowed just two runs in seven innings, striking out eight.</p>
<p>Cleveland called up 28-year-old Chris Seddon, who last appeared in Major League Baseball in 2010 as a reliever with Seattle, where he posted a 5.64 ERA in 22 1/3 innings pitched. Seddon posted a 3.44 ERA at Triple-A Columbus this season.</p>
<p>Indians starting pitchers are 0-7 with a 12.08 ERA on Cleveland's nine-game road trip, so Seddon can't do much worse.</p>
<p><b>Date/Time:</b> Sunday, August 5, 2012; 1:05 pm ET</p>
<p><b>TV: </b>Fox Sports-Detroit</p>
<p><i>Head over to <a href="http://blessyouboys.com">Bless You Boys</a> for more on the Tigers, and check out <a href="http://letsgotribe.com">Let's Go Tribe</a> for Cleveland Indians news and analysis. Baseball Nation is SBNation's dedicated MLB hub and your source for news and analysis.</i></p>
https://detroit.sbnation.com/detroit-tigers/2012/8/5/3221216/tigers-vs-indians-sunday-preview-tv-info-and-moreFoster Lander2012-07-29T12:05:43-04:002012-07-29T12:05:43-04:002012 London Olympics: USA Men's Basketball Cruises To 27-Point Victory Over France
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<p>Team USA used 22 points from Kevin Durant and a huge surge in the second and third quarters to run away from a solid French team Sunday.</p>
<p>The USA led by just one, 22-21, and the end of the first quarter, but a 9-0 run to begin the second quarter gave the Americans a double-digit cushion they would not relinquish. Mike Krzyzewski's US squad outscored France, 30-15, in the second quarter for a comfortable 16-point halftime lead.</p>
<p>Because FIBA rules allow only five fouls in their 40-minute games, the USA went into halftime with foul concerns, but the Americans adjusted at halftime and packed the paint instead of allowing the French to beat them off the dribble and draw fouls. It worked--Team USA outscored France, 26-15, in the third.</p>
<p>The US got a balanced rebounding effort, as Durant, Tyson Chandler and Carmelo Anthony all pulled down nine boards. Outside of Durant, only Kevin Love (14) and Kobe Bryant (10) scored in double digits, though three others scored nine apiece.</p>
<p>Ali Traore led France with 12 points, while the Spurs' Tony Parker finished with 10 and five turnovers.</p>
<p><i>Stick with this <a href="http://detroit.sbnation.com/2012/7/20/3171639/london-olympics-2012">SB Nation Detroit StoryStream</a> or head over to SB Nation's dedicated <a href="http://sbnation.com/london-olympics-2012">Olympics hub</a> for all news and analysis from the London games.</i></p>
https://detroit.sbnation.com/2012/7/29/3199973/2012-london-olympics-usa-mens-basketball-win-franceFoster Lander