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September 24th 2010: Daily Sports News – Gossip – Headlines

Sports water cooler headlines and sports gossip for Friday September 24th, 2010. Shea Matthews weighs in with his analysis and opinions on today’s sports action…

Water Cooler – September 24th, 2010

Here we go with today’s sports water cooler talk. Here, you won’t just find the straight news; you’ll find the stuff everyone is talking about – the ice breakers, the Twitter Sports Picks and topics…well, basically all the stuff you discuss at the water cooler.

Enjoy!

Major League Baseball takes a few headlines this Friday thanks to some milestones – some of them prestigious and some of them bizarre.

MLB news: Jose Bautista slugs 50th home run; Ichiro posts 10th straight 200-hit season; Javier Vazquez beans three straight batters

In yesterday’s win over the Seattle Mariners, Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Jose Bautista hit his 50th homer. Cool.

Wait – it wasn’t his 50th career homer? He has 50 this season? What the hell? Yep, longtime utility man and bench player Jose Bautista is just the 26th player ever to hit 50 in one campaign and has now surpassed the Blue Jays’ franchise record by three dingers. This has to be the most surprising 50-homer season since Brady Anderson’s. Gulp.

In that same game, Ichiro Suzuki enjoyed his own milestone. He became the first major leaguer ever to record 10 straight 200-hit seasons. If he maintains this pace, the 36-year-old could reach 3,000 hits in three or four more seasons.

New York Yankees starter Javier Vazquez’s accomplishment was equally unlikely but not as proud. Vazquez plunked Tampa Bay’s Desmond Jennings, Willy Aybar and Kelly Shoppach consecutively, becoming just the eighth pitcher ever to hit three straight batters.

Percy Harvin back at practice, good as new?

Reigning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Percy Harvin has been a real rollercoaster for the Minnesota Vikings this year. First he passes out from migraines, then the doctors think they’ve cured them by diagnosing him with sleep apnea, then he bruises his hip, then the migraines return.

But just when it looked like Harvin wouldn’t play at all this week – he woke up yesterday feeling energized and refreshed. He returned to practice and appears set to play this weekend, though we never know when he could suffer another setback.

NBA news: Don Nelson out as Warriors coach; Keith Smart takes over; Hornets, 76ers make multi-player swap

It can’t be easy nudging the NBA’s all-time winningest coach out the door but the Golden State Warriors are in the process of doing so. It appears Nelson will resign and accept a settlement on the $6 million remaining on his contract. Assistant coach Keith Smart will take over head coaching duties while Nelson retires to Hawaii.

The New Orleans Hornets and Philadelphia 76ers pulled a four-player trade yesterday. New Orleans sent forwards Craig Brackins and Darius Songaila to Philadelphia for Jason Smith and Willie Green.

Brackins was New Orleans’ first-round pick this year, 21st overall, and the 76ers had targeted him earlier. Songaila averaged 7.2 points for New Orleans last season. Smith is a seven-footer who averaged 3.4 points and 2.4 boards last season and Green is a guard who averaged 8.7 points per game last year.

NCAA football news: NCAA suspends Tar Heels’ Kendric Burney, Deunta Williams

Slowly but surely, the NCAA is ironing out the North Carolina probe. Ten players’ statuses remain in doubt for the weekend action but two more were officially suspended this week.

Cornerback Kendric Burney (six games) and safety Deunta Williams (four games) have each been suspended for receiving improper benefits tied to trips. Burney got extra games for his ties to Chris Hawkins, a former Tar Heels defensive back who paid $1,000 for A.J. Green’s jersey and qualifies as an “agent.”

Comments are welcome below!

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