Houston Clinches Bid To C-USA Title, Will Face Either Southern Miss Or Marshall

Houston set a school record for wins on Friday, with a 48-16 win over Tulsa that moved the Cougars to 12-0 on the season, with a chance to move to 13-0 on December 3 with a win over either Southern Miss or Marshall in the C-USA Championship game.

At stake for the Cougars will be a BCS bid, the first in history for a C-USA team, if they can beat either the Golden Eagles or Thundering Herd. Southern Miss controls their own destiny, with a home game against lowly Memphis. If the Tigers were able to pull a massive upset, then Marshall could win the C-USA Eastern DIvision with a win over East Carolina today. 

As if the Cougars needed any more of an advantage, next week's title game will take place at Houston, who will host their second C-USA Championship (their third appearance since the game's creation). The last time Houston hosted a C-USA title, however, they lost to East Carolina in 2009. 

Tests reveal no new heart complications for Ryan

Nolan Ryan is expected to be released from a Houston-area hospital either today or Wednesday after experiencing the recurrence of a heart condition Sunday morning.

The Texas Rangers' CEO, team president and minority owner felt discomfort at his ranch in Georgetown and

was taken to Houston, where his cardiologist practices.

A series of precautionary tests were performed Monday and revealed no new complications. The condition will continue to be treated with medication.

Ryan, 64, was scheduled to throw out the first pitch in tonight's game between the Rangers and LA Angels as part of the Angels Hall of Fame ceremonies, but that appearance has been canceled.

The condition plaguing Ryan is believed to be hereditary. It was first discovered in 2000, after Ryan had a double-bypass operation to relieve an arterial blockage.

He was hospitalized again in 2007 with an issue related to the condition.

Stress can be a trigger for heart-related issues. Ryan oversees all aspects of the Rangers and is very hands-on in his role atop the Rangers organization.

He also was the face of the franchise following the death of Shannon Stone, the Brownwood firefighter who died July 7 from injuries suffered after falling from the left-field stands while trying to catch a ball thrown to him by Josh Hamilton.

Ryan held two news conferences and was part of a Rangers contingent that attended Stone's funeral last week.

Surgery for Borbon

Julio Borbon, the Rangers' Opening Day center fielder the past two seasons, underwent surgery on his left ankle and won't resume baseball activities for six weeks.

Surgery was seen as a better option for the speedy Borbon, who was injured July 8 at Triple A Round Rock, because it would offer more support to the ankle ligaments.

Borbon suffered a similar injury during his final year at Tennessee in 2007.

Not all injury news was bad for the Rangers. Triple A right-hander Neil Ramirez has no structural damage in his shoulder. He won't throw for seven to 10 days but will concentrate on strengthening the shoulder.

Michael Jackson doctor's court hearing postponed

A hearing in the criminal case of Michael Jackson's doctor has been postponed because lawyers are bogged down viewing hundreds of hours of rehearsal footage from the singer's This Is It concert.
In a conference with lawyers on Wednesday, Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor accepted the requests to

delay a July 12 hearing to July 20. He said he wants to know then when the involuntary manslaughter trial of Dr Conrad Murray can go forward. It is now set for September 8.
Prosecutors want to show jurors clips from the posthumous feature film This Is It to prove Jackson was healthy in the days before his death. The defence wants to show he was ill.
Murray, a Houston cardiologist with an office in Las Vegas, is accused of giving the superstar an overdose of the anaesthetic propofol and other sedatives when he could not sleep. Jackson died on June 15, 2009, in his rented Beverly Hills mansion where Murray had been attending him.
Murray has pleaded not guilty. The transcript of the conference with the judge and lawyers was released on Thursday.
Lawyers indicated it will take weeks for them to view all of the relevant video recordings of Jackson. They said they have been working every day since June 28 and have gotten through only one of 21 boxes of materials.
"So far, we have found a lot of important stuff," said defence lawyer Nareg Gourjian.
Lawyers have been barred from discussing publicly any evidence they find in the videos.
Prosecutor Deborah Brazil said she has been working along with Gourjian, defence lawyer Ed Chernoff, Sony lawyer Kevin Vick and a technician going through material on computer hard drives.
Gourjian, who originally estimated there were 100 hours of footage from rehearsals, said he now believes there is much more.
"There are about eight to ten different cameras that were recording the rehearsals and each one has different views and different footage," he said. "So it is critical that we review the footage from each camera."

Pence diagnosed with elbow sprain after MRI

LOS ANGELES -- The Astros got good news out of Houston on Sunday when an MRI on Hunter Pence's injured left elbow showed no tears or ligament damage. Pence was examined by team doctor Tom Mehlhoff and diagnosed with an elbow sprain. His range of motion has significantly improved since he was scratched from Saturday's starting lineup during batting practice, and he is listed as day to day. "He's questionable now for the Texas series, but at the same time, we're thrilled to death it's nothing more than that,

" Astros manager Brad Mills said. "We want to make sure he's OK before he comes back." Pence, who flew back to Houston Sunday morning to see Mehlhoff, is hitting .321 with nine homers this season. He injured his left elbow attempting a head-first slide into first base in the sixth inning Friday. With Pence out of the lineup Sunday, Mills used Jason Bourgeois in right field for the second straight game. In Pence's absence, Houston fell, 1-0, to the Dodgers.

Corporan makes fourth straight start for Astros LOS ANGELES -- Typically, when a day game follows a night game, the catcher is the first person the manager will offer a day of rest to. Given Saturday's collision at home plate that Astros catcher Carlos Corporan was on the receiving end of, it would seem even more likely the rookie might get a reprieve from his duties behind the plate. But starting catcher J.R. Towles is still banged up, and as a result, Corporan's name was inked in the eighth-spot in the lineup Sunday, marking his fourth consecutive start. He has started seven games in nine days since being called up from Triple-A Oklahoma City. Asked if he felt sore, Corporan shrugged the bumps and bruises off with his usual smile. "A little bit, nothing bad," Corporan said. "When you're a catcher, you get used to it. You expect to get hit. That's my job." Corporan, who missed a month in Oklahoma City with a broken finger, was called up to the Astros on June 10 and got his first start the next day. Manager Brad Mills praised the 27-year-old from Puerto Rico for his hard work during that time learning a new pitching staff. "It's a tough situation, for a catcher anyway, when you have to learn the staff down in Triple-A," Mills said. "Then you have to learn a whole other staff, especially with the amount that we're asking him to catch." Towles hasn't played since he fouled a ball off his ankle Wednesday, but Mills said he is available should Corporan get hurt. For now, Mills is very pleased with what Corporan offers, especially defensively. The last two days, Corporan has caught two of Houston's best-pitched games this season. Friday, Brett Myers tossed a complete-game four-hitter, and Saturday, four Astros pitchers combined for the team's first road shutout of the season. "That's what it's all about," Corporan said. "I got a CG, I got a shutout. What more can you have?" The switch-hitting Corporan hasn't been able to adjust to big league pitching, however, saying he simply hasn't felt comfortable at the plate yet. He has just three hits, all singles, in his 21 at-bats entering Sunday. It wasn't one of his best seasons at the plate in Triple-A, either. A year after hitting .290 with 12 home runs, his average dipped to .250, with just seven extra-base hits in 80 at-bats. "I'm going to start feeling better," Corporan said of his struggles at the plate. "But it's the big leagues. Every pitcher's good here. That's why they're here. I just need to put the ball in play more often, and I'll be all right." 

Astros to honor 'My Dad, My MVP' winner LOS ANGELES -- For the Rochford family, Alan Rochford is truly an MVP. He helps the homeless during the winter holidays, he volunteered during the hurricanes, and when he and his wife both had cancer at the same time, he waited until his wife was treated to receive his own treatment, just so he could be there for her. On Father's Day, he was recognized by Major League Baseball as a "My Dad, My MVP" contest winner. One MVP Dad was chosen for each team, and Rochford, who continues to be a great father at age 74, was the Astros' winner. Rochford will be honored by the Astros on Friday before their game against the Rays. Here's an excerpt from Rochford's winning entry: "Doesn't miss a ballgame, dance recital or band concert, is front center camera ready. Dad leads by example, the way he lives his life."

Bourn, Mills ejected in finale against Dodgers LOS ANGELES -- Michael Bourn took exception to a 2-2 fastball that was called a strike on the inside corner. Home-plate umpire Jeff Nelson took exception to Bourn's reaction. Bourn was ejected from Sunday's game against the Dodgers in the fifth inning after he argued with Nelson following the called third strike. He appeared to yell at Nelson as he walked back to the dugout, and after a few words, Bourn was tossed. He went 0-for-3 in the game. Manager Brad Mills came out to argue, and did so for a couple minutes, but he was not tossed until the following inning when he reemerged to talk with Nelson. Bourn was last ejected for disputing a call at first base on May 8, 2010, in an Astros loss to San Diego. Mills has now been ejected three times this season. Jason Bourgeois moved to center field in Bourn's place, and Jason Michaels entered the game in right.

Astros playing complete baseball in LA LOS ANGELES -- Something always seemed to be missing. That was the way shortstop Clint Barmes described the Astros' struggles this season. They have played well in different phases of the game, but haven't been able to play complete baseball. The Astros won the first two games in their three-game weekend series against Los Angeles, but more importantly to Barmes, is the type of baseball they've played. "It just seems like we haven't been able to put it together on both sides in all aspects of the game, and it's hurt us this year," he said. "But the last two days, it's one of those things where we've played good ball." For manager Brad Mills, he sees the last two victories -- both relatively easy wins -- as a reward for his club's hard work. "They had a knowledge that they're going about things the right way," Mills said. "They're always preparing and so forth, coming out and getting ready to play. Those things that they're doing are getting paid off for." Barmes said the two games have given the clubhouse some life after a disappointing stretch in which Houston lost 11 of 14 games. Saturday, they won despite right fielder Hunter Pence and catcher J.R. Towles being scratched during batting practice. Barmes said there is no reason the Astros can't continue playing the baseball they have in the last couple days. "We feel like for the most part, we've swung the bats pretty well as a whole," he said. "There have been a lot of times where we've had situations to drive runs in that we've needed and we've come up short on it."

Photos show Congresswoman Giffords

HOUSTON | Images of a smiling Rep. Gabrielle Giffords were posted Sunday on her Facebook page, photos that show her with shorter hair but few signs that she suffered a gunshot wound in the head. The photos were taken May 17 outside the rehabilitation facility where Giffords has been undergoing treatment since she was wounded in the Jan. 8 attack in Tucson, Ariz. Since then, access to the Arizona congresswoman has been tightly controlled. Until Sunday, no clear images had been released. Giffords spokesman

C.J. Karamargin said staff members released the photos Sunday to help satisfy “intense interest in the congresswoman’s appearance.” The timing coincides with plans to release Giffords from the hospital later this month or in early July. But the photos give little indication of Giffords’ cognitive abilities — what, for example, her speech is like after being shot in the left side of the head. The images also provide no hints as to when, or if, she will be able to resume her job. Pia Carusone, Giffords’ chief of staff, has indicated that while the congresswoman is able to speak and walk, she remains a shadow of her former self.