Second thoughts

Matheny sees big-time flaw in replay use

St. Louis Cardinals manager Mike Matheny points to a lineup in the dugout during a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers Saturday, July 19, 2014, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
St. Louis Cardinals manager Mike Matheny points to a lineup in the dugout during a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers Saturday, July 19, 2014, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Replays showed that Milwaukee's Jean Segura beat the throw of St. Louis second baseman Kolten Wong to second base on a bloop single to center by the Brewers' Elian Herrera in the sixth inning Friday night.

Cardinals Manager Mike Matheny disagreed, even after his team lost a challenge for the 15th time in 18 calls this year. Team that with a 6-0 deficit, an earlier balk against ace pitcher Adam Wainwright and what Matheny said was a tight strike zone, and frustration boiled over.

Shortly after pulling Wainwright for reliever Seth Maness, Matheny yelled at second base umpire Will Little -- who called Segura safe and made the balk call on Wainwright -- and was ejected for the second time this season.

About an hour and a half later, his team having lost 7-4 to fall three games behind the Brewers in the National League Central, Matheny still hadn't cooled down.

"Sooner or later, the system has to allow us to say something," he said. "We've gotten to the point to where we can't even say anything or we get tossed. They've taken a lot of emotion out of the game.

"It doesn't come down to an individual call so much as it does process. We haven't benefited from it at all."

Sorry, he's not

Former Bills star receiver and Hall of Fame inductee Andre Reed issued an apology to Jon Bon Jovi after being quoted in a New York magazine article last week using a profanity in referring to the New Jersey rocker, who is a contender to buy the Buffalo Bills.

In apologizing, Reed did not retract the statement. Instead, he said the comment he made was supposed to be off the record and not for publication.

Bon Jovi is part of a Toronto-based ownership group that is in the running to buy the franchise, which is for sale after Hall of Fame owner Ralph Wilson died in March. Buffalo-area leaders and Bills fans have raised concerns questioning whether Bon Jovi's intent is to buy the Bills and potentially relocate them to Toronto.

Reed insists the franchise should stay in western New York.

"People in Buffalo don't want Bon Jovi to buy the team and move it," Reed said. "So basically, I said stuff that people would maybe say. But again, that was off the record."

Postseason prediction

Not only did the Dallas Cowboys send season-ticket holders their regular tickets last week, but they also included playoff tickets, including one for the NFC Championship game.

"Well, to be fair," wrote Janice Hough of leftcoastsportsbabe.com, "maybe the team figured it was the only way their fans would ever see playoff tickets."

Sports quiz

What current NFL team has never played in the Hall of Fame Game?

Answer

The Baltimore Ravens

Sports on 08/03/2014

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