Quasselstube » cess, the Spartans lost a bit of that chip

ATLANTA -- Atlantas six-time All-Star catcher Brian McCann will come off the disabled list on Monday when the Braves open a series in Cincinnati. McCann had surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder last October. Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said after Sundays 9-4 win over the Mets that McCann will be active and with the team Monday. Gonzalez said infielder Tyler Pastornicky will be optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett to clear a roster spot for McCann. McCann completed his rehab assignment with Gwinnett on Sunday. "Thats huge," said first baseman Freddie Freeman. "Thats like trading for an All-Star." McCann hit .364 with four homers in his first six games with Class A Rome and Gwinnett, but the bigger question has been how his shoulder holds up to his throws to second base. McCann said his arm is ready. "The way Im throwing now is basically the way I was throwing before I got hurt," McCann said this week. "The ball is coming out great. "I tested my arm as much as I could possibly test it and woke up the next day and felt the same as the day before." The decision to send Pastornicky to Gwinnett will leave the Braves with three catchers: McCann, Gerald Laird and rookie Evan Gattis. Gattis, who had two hits on Sunday, is hitting .261 with seven homers and 18 RBIs. Gattis, the NL rookie of the month for April, is expected to play behind McCann and may have spot starts at first base and in the outfield. Gonzalez said third baseman Juan Francisco is day to day with a mild right ankle sprain he suffered Friday. Francisco has shared time with Chris Johnson at third base. Right fielder Jason Heyward, who had his appendix removed on April 22, is ready to take batting practice. Heyward will be with the team as it begins its 10-game road trip in Cincinnati and San Francisco. Gonzalez said "theres still no timetable on where or when" Heyward begins his minor league rehabilitation assignment. "Hes taking it day by day right now," Gonzalez said. "Hes feeling better every day." Soon after his surgery, Heyward said he hoped to return by the end of May. It is possible Heyward could recover faster than he expected. Also, right-hander Cristhian Martinez, who has been on the disabled list since April 7 with a right shoulder strain, is headed to the Braves extended spring training in Orlando to begin a throwing program. Patty Mills Spurs Jersey . -- Anaheim Ducks defenceman Luca Sbisa will be out at least six weeks with a torn tendon in his right hand. LaMarcus Aldridge Spurs Jersey . The Dane followed up his first European Tour title last weekend with eight birdies and just a single dropped shot on Thursday for a one-stroke advantage over South Africas Allan Versfeld and Portugals Ricardo Santos. https://www.spurslockerroom.com/Derrick-White-City-Edition-Jersey/ . -- Matt Rupert scored once in regulation and again in the shootout as the London Knights extended their win streak to nine games by defeating the Owen Sound Attack 4-3 on Friday in Ontario Hockey League action. Lonnie Walker Spurs Jersey . Halladay signed a one-day contract with the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday that allowed the veteran right-hander to retire as a member of team with which he broke into the majors and spent the bulk of his distinguished 16-year career. DeMar DeRozan Spurs Jersey . Just as Montreal was settling into the first full working week of a new year, the Impact announced the appointment of their new head coach. EAST LANSING, Mich. -- A penalty gave Michigan State first-and-goal from the 2, so for the next four plays, the Spartans gave the ball to standout running back LJ Scott.Each time, Michigan stopped him.The second-ranked Wolverines went on to beat their in-state rivals 32-23 on Saturday, and although the margin was a little slimmer than expected, there was plenty positive about the way Michigan played. Michigan State had won seven of the previous eight meetings, in many instances bullying the Wolverines physically, but Jim Harbaugh has already closed that toughness gap -- and Michigan finally enjoyed a breakthrough on the scoreboard.Defensively, we made plays, guys made plays, Harbaugh said. Fourth-down stops were huge in the ballgame.The unbeaten Wolverines (8-0, 5-0 Big Ten) were huge favorites against the Spartans, whose season had already unraveled. Michigan State (2-6, 0-5) didnt wilt, though. Scott ran for 139 yards, and the offensive line had some success against the tough Michigan front.Since Harbaughs arrival, however, the Spartans have had a hard time imposing their will against Michigan. They needed a shocking last-second touchdown to beat the Wolverines last year and had to grind just for a close defeat Saturday.There arent any moral victories, Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio said. Weve got to take it, but I think that you can feel good that you competed. You can feel good that things went this direction. You can feel good as a coach that we got an opportunity to win this football game.Michigan State delivered some bad news Sunday when the school said quarterback Brian Lewerke would miss the rest of the season with a broken leg. Lewerke has been mostly a backup, but he played well toward the end against Michigan. He is not expected to need surgery, and the Spartans expect him back for spring practice.The challenge for Michigan State is to bounce back quickly from this season. The Spartans have joined the elite in the Big Ten by winning conference titles two of the past three years, but Harbaughs arrival has brought Michigan back to prominence and made the league tougher.dddddddddddd Its hard to attribute too much of Michigan States collapse this season to Harbaugh -- the Spartans couldnt even beat Indiana or Maryland -- but every loss threatens to shift the balance even more from East Lansing toward Ann Arbor.For years, Michigan State has relished its status as an underdog surrounded by glamor programs like Michigan, Ohio State and Notre Dame, playing some of its best football against those teams. Its possible that after so much success, the Spartans lost a bit of that chip on their shoulder.Michigan, meanwhile, is in the ascendency again, and the game against Michigan State didnt need to be a blowout to be immensely satisfying for the Wolverines.Its a rivalry game so when you go into games like that, records really dont matter, said Michigan receiver Amara Darboh, who had eight catches for a career-high 165 yards. We understood that they were a good team.Michigan allowed an early touchdown, and with the score 7-7 in the second quarter, the Spartans went for it on fourth-and-1. Wolverines star Jabrill Peppers stopped Gerald Holmes.Michigan led 27-10 at halftime, but an interception gave the Spartans a chance to cut into the lead early in the third. Thats when the Wolverines stood up to Michigan State on those four straight carries by Scott.Every time the Spartans appeared to be building momentum, Michigan was there to push back.We treat every game like its the championship game and fortunately our guys made the play today and the credit goes to the players, Harbaugh said after the game.---More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org ' ' '