Tigers Muffle A's;SoCal Fire Threat Soars

Strong pitching by the Detroit Tigers muffled the Oakland Athletics' bats as the Tigers took game one of the American League Division Series 3-2 Friday night at Oakland Coliseum.Max Sherzer manhandled the A's with his fastball,striking out 11 in his 7 innings of work,and reliever Joaquin Benoit finished the job,getting the save.*
The only real excitement for the boisterous,towel-waving A's fans came in the seventh inning,when strongman Yoenis Cespedes clubbed a two-run homer,but it was too little too late for the Bay Area squad as they dropped the opener of the best 3 out of 5 ALDS.
One A's fan was so anxious,he bit his yellow towel as he watched the Tigers pitching shut his team down.*
In Southern California,the anxiety this weekend is about a severe wildfire threat as the annual ritual of the Santa Ana winds kicks into gear.These winds form when high pressure builds in the desert,pushing cool,dry air over the mountains and down toward the coast.As the air descends the slopes,it heats up rapidly and,striking the tinder dry vegetation,has a strong potential of igniting wildland fire.
Red flag fire warnings are posted for much of Los Angeles;Orange;San Bernardino;and Riverside Counties;plus other areas as far south as Campo on the Mexico border.Critical fire conditions will persist till Sunday evening,the National Weather Service said.
Los Angeles County is preparing by staffing nearly 500 extra firefighters on equipment across the county.Together with US Forest Service firefighters and a few dozen aircraft,they will handle the danger posed by near record low fuel moisture levels combined with the Santa Anas.Gusts of up to 85 mph are possible this weekend,with humidity in the single digits.Explosive fire growth is a distinct possibility,given the horrendous conditions in the region.
Update:In game 2 of the ALDS,Oakland evened the series to one game apiece by edging Detroit 1-0.The series now moves to Detroit for the third game on Monday.

Knicks Stifle Celtics;Zurich Classic Golf

The New York Knicks notched their first road Playoffs win since 2001 as they dominated the Boston Celtics 90-76 Friday night in Boston.The win brings the Knicks to 3-0 in the NBA Playoffs.No team has ever recovered from being down 3-0 in the Playoffs.
Carmelo Anthony led the Knicks with 26 points and 1 rebound,and Raymond Felton added 15 points,2 rebounds and 10 assists.For the Celtics,Jeff Green contributed 21 points,9 rebounds and 4 assists,while Paul Pierce scored 17 points,4 rebounds and 5 assists.
Anthony said it wasn't easy.We took our time,executed.We stayed composed.This is a total team effort.We're working on it.It's not over yet.
A crowd of 18,624 fans,including a contingent who came up from New York to support the Knicks,watched the game at TD Garden.
The Celtics have won 17 NBA championships,with an amazing eight consecutive crowns from 1959-66.The Knicks won their two championships in 1970 and 1973,in the days of Walt Frazier and Willis Reed.
At the Zurich Classic of New Orleans,American Lucas Glover topped the leader board with his 12 under par 67.Glover,33,is a Clemson University graduate and finished fourth at the Honda Classic this year,as well as 49th at The Masters.He is 102nd on the money list.
Others on the leader board include:
Boo Weekley(USA) -11
D.A. Points(USA) -10
Morgan Hoffman(USA) -9
Ernie Els(SA) -8
Brian Davis(ENG) -7
Jerry Kelly(USA) -7
Justin Rose(ENG) -7
Jeff Maggert(USA) -7
Robert Gates(USA) -7
In Major League Baseball,the Baltimore Orioles blanked the Oakland Athletics 2-0 at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum,California.Both teams are in second place-the Orioles in the American League East,and the A's in the AL West.A crowd of 16,944 attended the San Francisco Bay Area game.The winning pitcher was Wei Yin Chen(2-2),and Tommy Milone(3-2) was the loser.

Guatemalan Volcano Beckons To Tourists;Yankees Still Share First

Volcan del Fuego,the Volcano of Fire near the picturesque Guatemalan city of Antigua,caused a welcome tourist boom for local tour guides as it eased up Friday.Authorities lowered the alert level from red to orange when the lava flow died down to two 3,000 foot streams from the big flow it had been.It was the volcano's biggest eruption since 1974 by Volcan del Fuego,the country's most active volcano.
Antigua is a colonial era city with cobblestone streets and Baroque church architecture.About 5,000 people had evacuated;they began returning home to their villages as the danger lessened.The volcano is 12,346 feet high,or 3763 meters,looming over the region of widely scattered aboriginal villages.
Tour operators scheduled hikes beginning at dusk to observe the rare sight of the ribbons of fiery lava.Heavy ash fall continued to pose a health hazard for the sick,elderly and the very young.
On Friday night,the New York Yankees lost to the Tampa Bay Rays 6-4 at Yankee Stadium,but still held on to share of first place in the American League East with the Baltimore Orioles,who lost to the Oakland A's 3-2 at Oakland Coliseum.Yoenis Cespedes hit the crucial home run for the A's.More than 35,000 fans provided loud support for their San Francisco Bay Area team.