A Spurs fan at a San Antonio middle school could be suspended if he doesn’t change the image shaved into the back of his head of Spurs reserve center Matt Bonner. That’s right. Not Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, or even coach Gregg Popovich – but Bonner, the sharp-shooting 6-foot-10 center with career averages of 6.8 points a game in 19 minutes a game.

Fox 29 in San Antonio reports that Patrick Gonzalez wanted to do something to show his pride for the Spurs and his love for Bonner, who he described as one of his favorite players. When he went to class, his first-period teacher at Woodlake Hills Middle School called the principal, saying that Gonzalez’s haircut was a distraction. Gonzalez’s mother has indicated that she had visited the school’s front office to get clearance for her son’s Bonner hairstyle. School officials denied this claim to Fox 29, saying the boy must change the haircut by today to avoid a suspension.

“There was no permission that was given if the parent thought that, then it was a miscommunication,” Judson ISD spokesperson Aubrey Chancellor told Fox 29 in San Antonio, adding that district officials thought of the tribute to Bonner as a classroom distraction. “Whether it’s the Spurs or whether it’s the Cowboys, anything people obviously support, it doesn’t matter.”

The haircut on the back of Gonzalez’s red hair, the same color as Bonner, shows a clear visual of Bonner spotting up for a 3-pointer.

Messages left by CBS Houston seeking an update on whether Gonzalez has altered the haircut today were not immediately returned.

“I’m mad,” Gonzalez said. “I thought we had permission.”

The Preakness Stakes, the second leg of the Triple Crown, will be contested at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore on Saturday. Six colts who ran in the Kentucky Derby will return for the Preakness including the top two finishers I’ll Have Another and Bodemeister. Also returning are the fourth and fifth place finishers Went the Day Well and Creative Cause as well as also-rans Daddy Nose Best and Optimizer. The remainder of the field will be made up of unproven colts and minor stakes winners that would be a shock should they come anywhere near a winner’s circle on Saturday.

In recent years, the Preakness has been the most predictable of the Triple Crown races with only three winners since 2000 paying more than $10 for a $2 win bet. During that same period the Kentucky Derby has had eleven win payouts over $10 and the Belmont Stakes has had nine. Another thing to consider is colts that compete in the Derby tend to win the Preakness. Since 1997, only three Preakness winners did not run in the Derby. If the trends hold, the winner of this year’s Preakness will be one of the six that ran in the Derby and will go off at odds of less than 4 to 1.

Here is a closer look at the eleven who will line up for the 2012 Preakness Stakes:

Bodemeister
Morning Line Odds: 8-5
While I’ll Have Another won the Kentucky Derby, more attention is being paid to second place finisher Bodemeister. In fact, Bodemeister was made the morning line favorite in this year’s Preakness. From a pace perspective, he ran one of the most impressive Kentucky Derbys in history. He set a blistering pace and only lost by a length and a half. In perusing the past performances of the field for the Preakness, there are no other colts with early speed so Bodemeister should have an easier time of it on the lead. This anticipated pace scenario makes him the one to beat when the gates open on Saturday.

I’ll Have Another
Morning Line Odds: 5-2
I’ll Have Another, the second choice on the morning line, has been perfect in 2012 and enters the Preakness as the only one with a shot at sweeping the Triple Crown. He shipped to Pimlico soon after his Derby win and reports from the scene say he has trained brilliantly over the track. In looking at his past performances, he has the ability to press a fast pace, so watch for him to run close to pacesetter Bodemeister from the start. The question is: Will he have what it takes to make the lead if Bodemesiter is able to set a more reasonable pace in the Preakness?

Went the Day Well
Morning Line Odds: 6-1
While Bodemeister has received all the attention for his valiant but losing effort in the Derby, Went the Day Well also ran a tremendous race to finish fourth. In only his fifth career start, he ran into trouble early in the race and around the first turn. Jockey John Velazquez had to check twice, literally pull back on the reins, when other horses cut into his path. He was eighteen lengths from the leaders with only three beaten when they turned into the backstretch. Just a few hundred yards from the finish, he was moving as fast as any horse in the field, and ended up only two and a half lengths away from the winner in the end. He will get a better trip in the Preakness and could be in a prime position to make a winning move in the stretch.

Creative Cause
Morning Line Odds: 6-1
The California-based Creative Cause is as game a race horse as any among this year’s 3-year-olds. He showed his class in the Derby making it to third in the deep stretch before being passed by Went the Day Well and Dullahan. He finished fifth just three lengths behind the winner. He will run well in the Preakness, as he always does, but it’s hard to figure him turning the tables on the three that finished in front of him in the Derby.

Teeth of the Dog
Morning Line: 15-1
Teeth of the Dog is the lone entry that did not run in the Derby with a chance to fill out the bottom of trifecta and superfecta tickets. He made his graded stakes debut in the Grade 1 Wood Memorial where he finished third at odds of 53 to 1. He comes into this race as a mystery but his trainer Michael Matz has no reason to embarrass himself with an entry in the Preakness that can’t run.

Daddy Nose Best
Morning line: 12-1
After emerging as many racing pundit’s longshot pick leading up to the Kentucky Derby, he ran mid-pack throughout and finished a disappointing tenth. Should he revert to the form he flashed in winning the Sunland Derby in March, he has a chance to fill out the bottom of exotic tickets but he seems a step below the top contenders.

Zetterholm
Morning Line: 20-1
Zetterholm has won three of five career races but all of his wins have come in races restricted to horses bred in New York. The Preakness is a monumental jump in class and it’s hard to comprehend him being competitive against this group.

Optimizer,
Cozzetti,
Tiger Walk,
Pretension
Morning Line: 30-1
The four colts listed on the morning line at 30-1 are all deserving longshots in this year’s field of eleven.

Betting the 2012 Preakness

Knowing the lack of early speed in the race, watch for jockey Mario Gutierrez aboard I’ll Have Another to run close behind Bodemeister from the start. With those two clocking what is sure to be a swift pace on the front-end, look for Went the Day Well to put himself in a stalking position behind the leaders and make a big move to run by them both in the stretch. Creative Cause is the pick to round out the bottom of the superfecta but it might be worthwhile to play some exotic tickets with Teeth of the Dog as well.

1) Went the Day Well
2) I’ll Have Another
3) Bodemeister
4) Creative Cause

For more information, visit the Hello Race Fans Preakness page. For a quick summary for all of this year’s contenders, check out the HRF Preakness Cheat Sheet.

Kevin Martin is the founder of the thoroughbred racing history site Colin’s Ghost and a contributing editor at Hello Race Fans.

The Celtics captain put in 24 points in Boston’s 101-91 Game 3 victory over the 76ers in Philadelphia, putting his knee injury behind him and getting aggressive when it came to pretty much every aspect of the game.

“Whether I shot the ball well or not, everything I was going to do was being with aggression,” Pierce said.

Aggressive might be an understatement. Pierce was in attack mode early on, even if his shots weren’t falling. Early in the first quarter, he missed four shots from close range, but it was the fact he fought for the three put-backs in the paint that showed he was determined to make a difference after scoring just seven points in Boston’s Game 2 loss.

He continued to go strong to the basket, following up his early misses with two ferocious dunks. Pierce finishing with nine points in the first 12 minutes of the game. He ended up hitting six of his 17 attempts from the floor, but did most of his damage at — and getting to — the free throw line. After just two trips to the charity stripe on Monday, Pierce found his way to the line 14 times in Game 3, scoring 11 of his points at the line.

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He made it known to all of Philly when he was making his way to the line, following each drive to the hoop with an aggressive scream that would make Mel Gibson’s “Braveheart” jealous.

“Everything I was going to do was going to be aggressive because they were really collapsing on me on the down-screens, on my jumpers,” said Pierce. “I just tried to get to the hole and I was able to get to the line; able to get to the rim a number of times. It’s something I have to continue to do.”

“Paul is just a grinder,” head coach Doc Rivers said following the win. “He really is. You look at him at times and you wonder, ‘How is this guy getting open?’ He just has great fundamentals. He never does it with speed. He just knows how to play basketball. He’s a throwback guy, that he knows how to play basketball. We jokingly call him our ‘professional scorer’ and that’s what he is in a lot of ways.”

“[Pierce] played great for us tonight,” said point guard Rajon Rondo, who scored 23 points of his own while dishing out 14 assists. “Paul has been struggling scoring, but he has been doing the intangibles. On those [first-quarter] drives, he didn’t get some calls early in the game and thought they were fouls, so he went out and was aggressive and finished strong.”

Recap: Thunder Go Up 2-0 On Lakers

Pierce had been just 5-for-20 in the series in the first two games, but helped the Celtics send a message as they took a 2-1 series lead. While he only added four assists, he credited the team’s ball movement for getting the offense going.

“Our offense finally came alive,” Pierce said. “We moved the ball. We knew that’s what we were going to have to do to score 100 points.”

“We just wanted to come out and establish who we are as a team,” Pierce said.

They certainly did that. Now they just need to keep it going on Friday night.

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So far, Norris is getting just what he wanted.

Carlos Lee had three hits, including his first homer since April 22, and three RBIs to back another solid outing by Norris, and the Houston Astros beat the Milwaukee Brewers 8-3 on Wednesday night.

Norris (4-1) yielded four hits and a run with a season-high nine strikeouts in seven innings, improving to 3-0 in his last four starts to help Houston end a four-game skid.

“He came in saying he wanted to have a different year this year and I think with the way he’s gone about his business and gone about how he’s pitched has been along those lines,” Mills said. “There’s no reason to think that’s going to change as he continues to put together good outing after good outing.”

The team is 7-1 in his eight starts this season and he’s pitched fewer than six innings just once this year.

“I’m growing up and I guess I’m getting a little older and a little wiser,” the 27-year-old said. “Each offseason I’m going to try to make strides in the right direction and I’ve got a lot of people around me helping.”

Lee’s home run was a solo shot to left-center field in the seventh inning that put Houston up 8-1. His third homer of the season came just moments after he narrowly avoided being hit by a foul ball from J.D. Martinez while waiting in the on-deck circle.

“It was too close,” he said. “If the ball is coming right at you, you’re so close right there that by the time you react, the ball’s already by you. So it’s scary to be out there.”

Lee looked a bit shaken after ducking to avoid the ball and running out of the way. He recovered by the time he was at the plate, and the homer was the culmination of a good night for Lee, who singled and scored in the second then drove in two runs with a single in Houston’s three-run third.

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Box Score | Playoffs Schedule

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) Kevin Durant scored 22 points and rattled in the go-ahead basket on a baseline runner with 18 seconds left, and the Oklahoma City Thunder scored the final nine points to rally for a 77-75 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals Wednesday night.

Oklahoma City trailed by seven with 2 minutes left before surging back with a series of defensive stops by its stars to take a 2-0 lead.

Game 3 is Friday night in Los Angeles.

Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum scored 20 points apiece for the Lakers, who came up empty on their last six possessions after Bynum’s hook shot made it 75-68 with 2:09 remaining.

Game 2 Photo Gallery (Photo:Layne Murdoch/NBAE via Getty Images)

After struggling throughout the second half, the Thunder suddenly came alive after Scott Brooks called timeout following Bynum’s basket that gave Los Angeles its largest lead of the game.

James Harden drove for a layup before Durant used his height advantage to reach up and tip away a pass from Bryant, who he was guarding. Durant ran out for a right-handed dunk at the other end before Russell Westbrook forced another turnover by aggressively challenging an outlet pass to Bryant along the sideline.

Harden made the next stop, blocking Bryant’s jumper on the next Lakers possession and getting a layup in transition off it to cut the deficit to one in the final minute.

Bryant couldn’t connect again, this time on a 3-pointer, to give the Thunder the ball back with the chance to take the lead and Durant was able to make it happen.

Steve Blake missed a 3-pointer from the right side with about 5 seconds left after Metta World Peace couldn’t get the ball to Bryant on the inbounds play. Durant was then fouled with 0.3 seconds left and made his first try before missing the second on purpose – failing to hit the backboard or rim for a violation.

The Lakers got a desperation try but World Peace’s long pass for Bynum was intercepted by Harden.

Westbrook added 15 points for Oklahoma City, which matched its lowest scoring total of the season but still gutted out the win.

Historically, the loss makes a huge difference. Los Angeles is 29-12 when splitting the first two games of a seven-game series and has lost 17 of 19 when falling into a 2-0 hole. The Lakers’ last comeback was in the 2004 West semifinals against San Antonio.

The Thunder have won all nine of their series after leading 2-0, dating back to the franchise’s days in Seattle.

In a game that was nip-and-tuck throughout, the Lakers started inching away early in the fourth quarter while Westbrook was on the bench.

Bryant drilled a jumper from the left wing and Blake followed with a 3-pointer before World Peace hit one of two free throws for a 69-63 advantage with 7:27 remaining – the Lakers’ largest lead to that point.

Westbrook returned then but only provided the briefest of sparks for the struggling Oklahoma City offense, and Bynum’s second straight basket – on a left-handed hook shot at the left block – made it 75-68 with 2:09 to play.

Until that point, Oklahoma City had made only 7 of 27 shots in the second half while committing eight turnovers.

After getting ripped apart by the Thunder’s pick-and-roll attack and giving up 119 points in Game 1, the Lakers made it an emphasis to put up more resistance in the rematch and it showed. Matt Barnes shuffled back and forth around three Nick Collison screens to contest Harden’s jumper and preserve the Lakers’ 22-21 lead after one quarter.

The Lakers’ defense was at its best just after halftime as they got out of a 48-45 deficit by holding Oklahoma City scoreless for the first 4 minutes and allowing just two baskets in the first 8 minutes. But Los Angeles still couldn’t create any sort of a cushion and Westbrook’s wide-open 3-pointer from the left corner – after World Peace airballed a similar shot on the opposite end – had the Thunder back within 57-56 with 3:31 left in the third.

Notes: The NBA on Wednesday fined Devin Ebanks $25,000 for actions related to his Game 1 ejection and Bynum $15,000 for failing to speak to reporters Tuesday. Bynum, who has had recent disciplinary issues within the team, talked at the Lakers’ morning shootaround Wednesday and called it a make up for skipping the previous day. “I think he’s learning. Is he going to be a perfect citizen the rest of his career? I don’t know,” coach Mike Brown said. “He’s bound to make mistakes. I think everybody makes mistakes.” … World Peace has said he supported Scott Brooks to become Sacramento’s coach back in 2007, when Brooks had been an assistant under Eric Musselman. “Little does he know, if I would have got the job, I was going to ask for him to be traded,” Brooks joked. He then called World Peace, or Ron Artest at the time, the third-best two-way player at the time behind Bryant and Kevin Garnett. … Harden caught World Peace with an inadvertent elbow to the face in the first quarter.

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It worked twice, and the Eastern Conference finals are all even, as a result.

David Clarkson scored a tip-in goal off Adam Henrique’s shot 2:31 into the third period to break a tie and lift the Devils to a 3-2 victory over the Rangers that squared the series at one game apiece on Wednesday night.

“It’s a very hard building to play in, and 1-1 sounds much better than down 2-0,” Devils captain Zach Parise said. “We’re happy. We would have liked to have snuck out of here with two wins, but it didn’t happen.

“We’ll take 1-1.”

For the third straight series, the Rangers are wondering what went wrong in Game 2 after they took the opener. They stressed how important it would be to grab a 2-0 lead, which would have been their first two-game edge in this postseason, but didn’t provide the necessary effort to get it done.

New York was riding high after its 3-0 series-opening win on Monday night, but now has relinquished home-ice advantage again.

“You need to improve as a hockey team every game,” said succinct and disappointed coach John Tortorella, who declined to say what areas were deficient.

Game 3 will be Saturday in New Jersey.

Clarkson built off the momentum created by Ryan Carter’s deflected goal late in the second that tied the game, 2-2. Ilya Kovalchuk had given the Devils a 1-0 lead with a power-play goal in the first. Defenseman Bryce Salvador added two assists, and Martin Brodeur stopped 23 saves for his 108th playoff win.

Clarkson has three goals in this postseason, and every one has been a winner, including the clincher against Philadelphia in Game 5 of the second round.

“Mr. Clutch? I don’t know about that,” Clarkson said. “I’m going to skate up and down and finish the checks and just bounce off people. It’s just a great feeling to be able to contribute. To get a tip on that felt pretty good.”

New Jersey had 26 attempted shots blocked in Game 1, five more than they got through to goalie Henrik Lundqvist. The Devils cut the blocks to 16 on Wednesday and managed to get 27 on goal — two more than New York.

“That team blocks so many shots,” Clarkson said. “It’s unbelievable how many. I think we found a way to shoot it and get sticks on it, and definitely that was big for us.”

Marc Staal and Chris Kreider scored power-play goals in the second for the top-seeded Rangers, who received 24 saves by Lundqvist.

New Jersey got even at 2 when Salvador wound up for a shot at the blue line and fired a drive that Carter — with his back to the net — brilliantly deflected past Lundqvist with 1:51 left in the second. Marian Gaborik stood up straight in front of Salvador, but didn’t drop down as many of his teammates have to try to block the shot. For that, he was pinned to the bench by Tortorella, even through New York’s power play in the third.

Gaborik returned to the ice with 8:40 remaining as the Rangers pressed to tie.

The Devils kept the pressure on the Rangers at the start of the third and wiped out the good work the Rangers displayed in the second.

“It was a much different reaction when we went down by a goal than it was in the first game,” Parise said. “We didn’t change the way we played, and I think that was a big difference. We were comfortable with how we were playing.

“All I think they got was really on their power play.”

After spending much of the first trapped in their own end, the Rangers rebounded to erase their early deficit and briefly take the lead thanks to the previously inept power play.

With Alexei Ponikarovsky off for interference, Staal fired a shot that sailed wide of the net and struck the back boards before popping back in front and pinballing into the net off Salvador and Brodeur at 2:23. The goal was originally credited to Derek Stepan, who was in front, but the puck managed to miss him both on the way toward the net and on the bounce back.

“I saw most of the pucks, but the Rangers came out hard,” Brodeur said. “They were around me a lot, and there were some bad bounces. It’s such a tough place to play sometimes here. There are bad bounces, and the boards are terrible.”

Staal nearly netted another moments later when he ripped a drive that Brodeur had to lunge fully to his left to snare with his glove.

Kreider, the rookie from Boston College, scored for the second straight game to give the Rangers a 2-1 lead at 12:19. Anton Stralman let go a shot from above the right circle that ticked Kreider’s stick and fluttered past Brodeur for the rookie’s fourth goal. He had to wait to get it because it was first given to Stralman before being changed during a commercial break.

But that was hardly the longest delay of the night. Before Kreider’s power-play goal, the action was stopped for about eight minutes as arena workers struggled to get the door to the Devils’ penalty box opened. Travis Zajac stood patiently as he waited to have a seat in the box. He even managed to laugh as did New Jersey coach Peter DeBoer and the usually stoic and agitated Tortorella.

Zajac, who first was sent to the Rangers’ box, stayed in New Jersey’s sin bin for only 1:47 before Kreider scored the Rangers’ second power-play goal of the night.

New York registered the first six shots of the period before New Jersey had its first about eight minutes in, but the teams were even at 17 through 40 minutes.

Lundqvist had a bit of glove magic of his own midway through the second when a shot by Anton Volchenkov was deflected by Kovalchuk but tracked and grabbed by Lundqvist.

The Devils got their elusive first goal of the series, and the all-important lead in the game, when Kovalchuk connected on the power play late in the first period.

After Brian Boyle was sent off for slashing Parise, the Devils continued their puck-possession prowess in the Rangers’ end. New Jersey moved the puck all around the zone in search of a clean shot that could get past the diving New York defense and perhaps challenge Lundqvist, who made 21 saves in the series-opening win.

Marek Zidlicky curled with the puck to the center of the blue line and slid a pass down to the left circle to Kovalchuk, who calmly and patiently drifted in and snapped a shot up and under the crossbar in the upper corner of the net for his sixth goal of the playoffs and fourth on the power play.

“We had to keep going to the net, and I think we were doing some good things,” Clarkson said. “We’ve been playing some good hockey and we’ve got to continue to do it. That is a big win for us.”

The Devils didn’t record a shot on goal until 6:01 in when Patrik Elias put a wrist shot in on Lundqvist, but New Jersey finished the first period with an 8-5 edge in shots — despite having six more blocked by the Rangers.

Whether Brodeur was kidding or not about wanting Rangers to be injured by blocking shots, the home team wasn’t deterred from getting in front of drives. New York forward Brandon Prust was doing a bit of a dance in front of the dangerous Kovalchuk, trying to deny any potential drive, even though he was defending without a stick.

“We have to try to get in lanes,” Rangers captain Ryan Callahan said. “Try to limit their time with the puck. If we do that, they are not going to have time to shoot.”

When Kovalchuk finally scored later in the period, he let out a big yell — part celebration and an exclamation of relief — as he skated in front of the glass behind the net.

“We have built some momentum,” Brodeur said. “And now, we have to try to take that into our building, and make our building a tough place to play.”

NOTES: The Rangers were 10 for 61 (16.4 percent) on the power play in the postseason before Wednesday. This marked the second time they netted a man-advantage goal in consecutive games, but the fourth time they scored two in a game. … The Devils returned defenseman Peter Harrold to the lineup and sat rookie Adam Larsson. Harrold replaced Larsson in the lineup late in the season and started the first nine postseason games. Larsson played in the previous five games.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Andrew Blomberg’s acquittal Wednesday has caused in an uproar among the black community, which has called into question whether the case was about race. Blomberg, 29, is white, while Chad Holley, a teenager at the time who was apprehended on suspicion of burglary, is black. The selection of the jury has also come under scrutiny as the case was decided by an all-white jury

In the video, Holley, 15 at the time, fell over the hood of a police car as he was fleeing was the scene of a burglary with several other men. As Holley is rolling onto his stomach and putting his hands behind his back several Houston Police Department officers proceed to kick, punch and stomp the teen. Holley was later convicted of burglary charges stemming from that day.

The decision sent activists into an uproar outside the courtroom.

“What they did today is send a message to black people, to all of us, that our lives aren’t worth a damn in this city,” activist Quanell X told the Houston Chronicle.

U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee of Houston has indicated that she will make overtures to the Department of Justice to see whether civil rights laws had been violated during the course of the trial. Houston lawmakers are also hoping for a complete judicial review, a process similar to that of the Rodney King case in 1991. “Every citizen deserves due process and their right to a trial by a jury, but also every victim deserves a thorough review of their case to determine if justice has truly been rendered,” Jackson Lee said to the Chronicle.

Blomberg’s defense team, however, refutes claims of the decision being motivated by race.

“This was not – is not – a racial thing,” Blomberg’s lawyer, Dick DeGuerin, told the Chronicle. “It has been made into that by others for their own reasons.”

On Wednesday, Houston Mayor Annise Parker publicly disagreed with the verdict, but remained supportive of HPD as a whole, as well as the decision to dismiss Blomberg from the department for his role in the beating.

“There are thousands of Houston police officers, most of whom do an outstanding job every day under very difficult circumstances,” Parker said during a news conference. “There are always officers who fall short, and it is our responsibility to weed those officers out. I think the majority of the community here – whatever their reaction to this verdict – supports the Houston Police Department and understands how diligent we are in maintaining professional standards in that police department.”

Blomberg was the first of four HPD officers to go to trial as a result of the recorded beating.

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KILLEEN, Texas (AP) — A 6-foot-long inactive training missile accidentally fell from a military helicopter into field near a Texas military post, causing the brief evacuation of nearby homes but not harming anyone, officials said.

About 100 homes in a neighborhood near Fort Hood were evacuated Tuesday night after a witness reported seeing something fall from the sky around 8 p.m., Killeen police spokeswoman Carroll Smith said. Residents were allowed back into their homes within an hour of the incident.

Ordnance technicians from the Army post examined the missile and determined it didn’t have a warhead or propulsion system, Fort Hood officials said. The training missile, which had implanted itself into the ground, was removed before midnight and left a hole in the ground several feet deep.

“Safety is always our No. 1 concern, and we regret the inconvenience to the families affected in the area,” Col. Howard Arey, a Fort Hood aviation officer, said in a statement Wednesday. “We want to reassure the public that our military aircraft never fly off the installation with live munitions.”

Arey said the post is investigating and reviewing its safety procedures, but “we believe at this time that it is not a systemic issue.”

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

HOUSTON (AP) — Child welfare officials in Texas say a Houston boy found in March after being kidnapped as an infant eight years ago is still not ready to meet his parents.

At a court hearing Wednesday in Houston, Child Protective Services officials updated state District Judge Mike Schneider on the case of 8-year-old Miguel Morin. The boy will remain in the state’s care at least until a Sept. 12 hearing.

CPS officials say a therapist working with Miguel doesn’t believe he’s ready to have visits with his parents.

Officials say Miguel’s parents, Auboni Champion-Morin and Fernando Morin, who live in Houston, are being cooperative and have received photographs of the boy. The father’s attorney says the parents “are holding up well.”

The boy’s baby sitter and her mother face kidnapping charges.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Bootsie recovered by jogging in place, and Job had to undo his zipper.

Smart one, guys.

Bootsie, Job Put Icy Hot On Their Parts…Moronsview gallery

While Wolf will seek a sixth straight win over Houston, Norris will try to help the Astros snap a four-game skid Wednesday night at Minute Maid Park.

Houston (15-21) is 2-7 in its last nine with the two victories by one run apiece. Norris (3-1, 3.95 ERA) earned one of those Friday by giving up three hits over six innings and matching a season high with eight strikeouts in Pittsburgh.

He also worked out of a bases-loaded jam in his final frame of that 1-0 victory and did the same during an 8-2 home win over St. Louis on May 5 in which he allowed only one unearned run over six innings.

“He knows he’s got enough good stuff to work through that, and he did for the second time in a row,” manager Brad Mills told the team’s website. “We wish he wouldn’t have to go through it like that, but at the same time, it’s good to see him battle and tighten the screws a little bit.”

Norris, though, hasn’t worked himself out of too many jams against the Brewers (16-20) as he’s 0-3 with a 10.13 ERA in his last three matchups. He matched a career high by giving up seven runs over 5 2-3 innings in a 9-6 loss at Miller Park on April 24.

Wolf (2-3, 5.63) was also the opposing starter in that game, and allowed two runs and four hits over six innings. The veteran left-hander is 5-0 with a 1.32 ERA in his last seven starts against Houston and has surrendered one run in each of his last two outings at Minute Maid Park, although he didn’t receive a decision in either game.

He’s also coming off one of his best performances of the season.

Wolf tossed six scoreless innings Friday against the Chicago Cubs but did not get a decision in an 8-7 home victory.

He’ll next face a team that snapped an 11-game skid to the Brewers last month. The Astros have dropped six straight at home to their NL Central rivals and might not be at their freshest as they’ve played 31 innings over the last three games.

They rallied for two runs in the ninth inning Tuesday in Philadelphia but Brett Myers gave up a homer to former teammate Hunter Pence in the 10th for a 4-3 defeat.

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Kelly Marie Crosby was arrested for allegedly throwing canned goods at a 78-year-old woman, the same elderly woman who was giving shelter to Crosby, who is homeless. The Houston Chronicle reports that Crosby, 53, has been staying with an unidentified 78-year-old woman at her northwest Harris County home on occasion.

According to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, Crosby “started an argument with the (victim) and during the argument, the suspect started throwing canned goods at her.” Police indicated that Crosby hit the woman on the arm and wrist. The Chronicle reports that the elderly woman did not require a visit to the hospital for her injuries.

Crosby has been charged with injury to an elderly individual and is currently in Harris County Jail. Since 1990, Crosby has been convicted on several charges, including assault on a family member and possession of a controlled substance.

“This will help reduce the city’s financial burden for handling public intoxication cases, ease crowding in our city jail and make our streets safer,” said Mayor Parker. “There will be services for those who need them, whether in the short term or the long term, and hopefully we’ll see real change for them. We hope it eventually also creates savings in the form of reduced operating costs at the city jail.”

The Sobering Center is an alternative to jail for people detained for public intoxication, allowing the opportunity to regain sobriety in a safe, medically-monitored environment.
The city’s annual cost to lease, maintain and staff the new center is estimated to be $1.5 million, compared to the $4-6 million currently being spent to process public intoxication cases at the city jail.

Those who choose the Sobering Center will be observed and given necessary outpatient services to manage various intoxication levels. Once sober, detainees will meet with recovery specialists and Star of Hope referral staff who will offer opportunities for long-term treatment with appropriate social service agencies. In addition, the Houston Police Department (HPD), Houston Department of Health and Human Services and Houston Fire Department (HFD) will provide city services at the site.

“Star of Hope is pleased to be a partner in this new venture,” said Star of Hope President and CEO Hank Rush. “In other cities, 60-80% of the individuals who utilize a Sobering Center are homeless. Here in Houston, we’ll be on site to counsel and refer them to appropriate providers who can help them with their recovery and transitional needs as they return to independent living.”

The new center will operate out of an existing two-story building located behind the Star of Hope Men’s Development Center on Ruiz Street in north downtown.
A 501(c) 3 foundation will also be created to aid in future fundraising for operations and possible future expansion.

Playing for the sixth time in 11 days, Los Angeles gave San Antonio its toughest first half of the playoffs before fading fast. And unlike their stunning Game 1 comeback at Memphis in the first round, the Clippers didn’t have the wind this time.

Manu Ginobili added 22 points for the Spurs, who’ve won 15 in a row. It’s the longest winning streak sustained in the NBA playoffs since the 2004 Spurs won 17 straight.

“It’s the playoffs. It’s going to be physical. We knew that coming in,” Duncan said. “We just expected to attack the basket as much as possible.”

Eric Bledsoe led the Clippers with 23 points.

Game 2 is Thursday night.

That gives the beat-up and banged-up Clippers one full day of rest — which is all the time they’ve had to recover between games for the past week and a half.

Los Angeles couldn’t even fly home first after knocking out the Grizzlies on Sunday in Game 7 of a grueling series that had the Clippers hobbling next to Texas. Blake Griffin scored 15 points in 28 minutes a day after estimating his sprained left knee had him feeling “80 percent” at best.

The Clippers said the injury is bad enough that their All-Star and leading scorer might be missing up to two weeks if this were the regular season. But unlike in Game 7 on Sunday, Griffin didn’t take a seat in the fourth quarter until the Spurs were safely ahead in the final minutes.

Rookie Kawhi Leonard added 16 points, hitting all three of his 3s, and Danny Green added 15 points for the Spurs.

The marquee matchup of the series — All-Star point guards Tony Parker and Chris Paul — was a fizzle. Paul, who ended the first round with an aching hip, scored just six points and didn’t make a single basket in the second half. Parker had seven points and 11 assists.

Caron Butler scored 15 points and Nick Young had 13 for the Clippers. Los Angeles cut the deficit to single digits with a 10-burst in the fourth quarter before San Antonio, which hasn’t lost in a month, ran away with its 11th double-digit victory during this dominating winning streak.

The Clippers didn’t even need San Antonio’s help getting more bumps and bruises: Mo Williams, already playing with his sore right fingers taped, took a lump on the head when teammate Reggie Evans kicked him with an errant foot after Williams fell on his back in the lane.

Williams wobbled when he tried standing, sat back down, and the Clippers burned a timeout. He never left the game, but the Clippers weren’t getting any fresher.

Parker, meanwhile, finally felt the hard knocks and slow-him-down shoves that Utah repeatedly promised but never delivered in the first round. Sometimes, the All-Star looked in vain to officials when the whistle didn’t blow. When that didn’t work once in the first quarter, he kept jabbering about a no-call on the last possession while lining up to shoot free throws on the current one.

Popovich, pacing and sensing an impending technical foul, silenced his leading scorer.

“Tony!” Popovich snapped from the sideline. “Shoot!”

Parker waved off the NBA Coach of the Year — he was under control. But his frustrations didn’t end there. He was 1 for 9 despite playing 38 minutes, scoring all but two of his points at the foul line.

Notes: Before this became the deepest Spurs team yet under Popovich, Butler said he came so close to signing with the Spurs after the lockout that he canceled a flight to San Antonio when the Clippers counteroffered. “They made a great pitch,” Butler said. …Leonard finished fourth in the Rookie of the Year voting, the highest finish for a Spurs player since Ginobili finished fourth in 2003. Said Popovich: “He’s done a good enough job to make me trust him to be in the starting lineup. I’m happy for him.”

David West scored 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, George Hill added 15 and the Indiana Pacers took home-court advantage away from Miami by beating the Heat 78-75 in Game 2 of the teams’ Eastern Conference semifinal series Tuesday night.

LeBron James scored 28 points for Miami and Dwyane Wade finished with 24, but both missed big chances for the Heat late. James missed two free throws with 54.3 seconds left and Miami down one, and Wade was short on a layup that would have tied the game with 16 seconds remaining.

Mario Chalmers’ 3-pointer to tie bounced away on the final play, and the series was tied 1-1.

Danny Granger scored 11 points and Paul George added 10 for Indiana, which took advantage of Heat forward Chris Bosh’s absence and outrebounded Miami 50-40.

Game 3 is Thursday in Indianapolis.

James had a chance to give Miami the lead with 1:22 left, but his shot was blocked from behind by George, who was fouled two seconds later. He missed both free throws, keeping the Indiana lead at 76-75. And after Wade missed a jumper, James was fouled by Granger — his sixth — battling for the rebound with 54.3 seconds remaining.

James couldn’t connect on either, and the Heat didn’t score again.

Bosh is expected to miss the rest of the series with a strained abdominal muscle. Without him, James and Wade combined for 52 points — and no other Miami player scored more than five.

A dreadful third quarter by Miami — 3 for 17 shooting — allowed Indiana to lead by as much as 11, before the emotions picked up considerably in the fourth.

Wade was steaming when he missed a shot after trying to create contact with Indiana’s Dahntay Jones with 9:53 left. As Wade argued, Jones went the other way and set Leandro Barbosa up for a score that put the Pacers up 63-56.

Chalmers turned the ball over on the next possession, and as the Pacers took off for what set up as a 2-on-none break, Wade caught Darren Collison from behind and knocked him over. A flagrant-1 was called, Collison hit both free throws, the Indiana lead was nine and tensions were suddenly high.

It all seemed to spark Miami.

The Heat scored the next six points, James — who got hit in the head by Granger with 7:25 left, sparking a bit of shoving that led to double-technicals given to both players — added a putback off an offensive rebound and Wade did the same about a minute later, getting Miami within 69-66 with 5:57 left.

James missed a free throw that would have tied it with 4:30 remaining, but after George got the rebound, James dove in to create a jump ball situation. The MVP easily won the tap, sending it to Wade, whose bank shot over West put Miami back on top 72-71.

Barbosa scored on the next Indiana possession. The Pacers weren’t rattled, and left celebrating minutes later.

Indiana scored 16 points in the first seven minutes of the first half, then scored 17 in the next 17 minutes. And even after a drought like that, Miami’s lead was only 38-33 at the break.

George missed four shots in a 60-second span early on, setting the tone for an icy-cold half by the Pacers. Indiana was up 16-9 midway through the first when the Heat went to a smaller lineup that paid quick dividends.

Three baskets at the rim — a layup by Wade, then James firing a pass to Turiaf for a dunk, followed by a Wade touch pass to James for another slam — erased most of the early deficit, and defense did the rest. Indiana missed 24 of 29 shots in one stretch, and after Hibbert used his size advantage to get three shots in the first 1:11, he only got two attempts over the rest of the half.

Miami was 0-for-7 on shots that would have pushed its margin to double digits in the first half, continuing a trend from Game 1. Neither team ever led the series opener by more than nine either, and when George made a 3-pointer with 6:09 left in the third, the Pacers had pulled into a 46-all tie. A steal and dunk by George followed on the next possession, putting the Pacers back on top.

Before long, the Pacers had that first 10-point edge of the series. Collison’s jumper with 1:29 left in the third put Indiana up 59-49, and the margin was 61-52 entering the fourth.

For as bad as Indiana’s first half was offensively, Miami’s third quarter was equally dreadful — the Heat were outscored 28-14 on 3-for-17 shooting in the period, the third-worst shooting effort by the reigning East champs in any quarter this season.

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Los Angeles dominated the opener and was even better in Game 2, withstanding Phoenix’s initial push and string of penalties for a 2-0 series lead.

Dwight King scored his third goal in two games and Quick tied a team record with his third career playoff shutout to give the Kings a dominating lead heading into Game 3 Thursday night in Los Angeles.

The Kings have won nine straight road playoff games in two seasons, matching the NHL record set by the New York Islanders from 1982-83.

The Islanders won the Stanley Cup both of those years.

Quick matched Felix Potvin’s team record for playoff shutouts and Carter finished off his first career playoff hat trick in the third period, securing the Kings’ seventh straight win overall.

The Coyotes played better early and fell apart late, becoming frustrated after being unable to contain the more-skilled Kings.

Phoenix was hit with a string of penalties starting late in the second period, including a game misconduct to captain Shane Doan for boarding Kings center Trevor Lewis. Martin Hanzal also received one for boarding Dustin Brown in the third period and the Coyotes had 13 penalties for 56 minutes — most coming after the final 5 minutes of the second period.

The Kings won the opener 4-2 by outplaying and outhustling Phoenix.

Knowing Phoenix’s makeup, the Kings figured to get more of a pushback in Game 2.

And the Coyotes were much more aggressive early, winning some of the individual battles they lost in Game 1 while creating some decent scoring chances.

Even with all of Phoenix’s hard work and a couple of line changes by coach Dave Tippett, the Kings still managed to score first. King got it, redirecting a shot by Drew Doughty that beat Mike Smith stick side late in the period.

Hard work in the corners by Mike Richards set up Los Angeles’ second goal, by Carter. He muscled the puck past Smith’s glove side as he was going down on a feed from Dustin Penner that made it 2-0 early in the second period.

“I’ve been working hard in practice to get my game where I wanted it,” Carter said.

Then things completely unraveled for the Coyotes.

Doan, who was suspended three games for elbowing earlier in the season, was given a game misconduct and a five-minute boarding penalty for ramming Lewis from behind. Defenseman Keith Yandle was already in the penalty box and Daymond Langkow joined him after a slashing penalty, giving Los Angeles a two-man advantage for more than 2 minutes.

Brown was sent off for diving on a slash by Smith, but that didn’t bother the Kings. Carter scored his second a few seconds later on a redirect of a shot by Anze Kopitar, putting Los Angeles up 3-0.

“It’s no secret we been struggling a bit with the power play and to get some goals will give us confidence on it,” Carter said. “We have some pretty skilled guys out there on the power play.”

With the Coyotes racking up penalties seemingly on every shift, Carter finished them off with his fifth career hat trick, punching in a rebound with the Kings on a two-man advantage after Hanzal’s hit on Brown.

Notes: The Kings were without D Colin Fraser, out of the lineup attending to a family matter. … Coyotes LW Ray Whitney played in his 100th career playoff game. D Michael Stone played his first with Adrian Aucoin still out of the lineup and David Schlemko still not fully healthy. … Rocker Alice Cooper, who lives in the Valley, attended the game. … The last team to win seven straight road playoff games in one season was Chicago in 2010.

Think about it. Our last two Super Bowl Champions had NINE wins going into the playoffs. The NBA, a league where over half the teams make the big dance, sees teams rest their big names down the stretch for the post-season. Meanwhile, the MLB has taken even more meaning out of its 162-game death march by adding two more Wild-Card teams for 2012.

It’s even become irrelevant at the collegiate level. College hoops sees bad teams like Georgia in 2008 stink through the regular season, yet sneak into the Big Dance by winning the conference tournament. And on the college gridiron – the only place where the regular season is EVERYTHING – we are seeing a push for a four team playoff.

Let’s face it. If it’s not football, it’s tough to sit through an 82 or 162 game season. As the post-season approaches, you grow bored, anticipating the games that really matter.

It’s a shame. Because if the right changes were made to these leagues, we’d be able to see drama like we saw yesterday in the English Premiere League.

You heard what I said. When it comes to making every game matter, SOCCER has its figured out. Watch why:

Down 2-1 in stoppage time, Manchester City rallied for two goals to win 3-2. The victory helped them edge arch-rival Manchester United in the EPL standings for the league crown. If you watched the game live like myself, you couldn’t help but get caught up into the spectacular finish – even if you had no rooting interest.

Unfortunately, not a lot of us care about soccer. So how can we apply what happened yesterday to our own sports?

The NFL and college football (even with the BCS) have it correct. But here are my suggestions for improving our other favorite pastimes:

MLB:

Ironically, a sport that values its own history over just about everything knew what it was doing in the past. Even more bizarre, the most dramatic ending we’ve seen in years to the regular season inspired baseball to add MORE playoff teams. Let’s be honest. Heading into each baseball season, we have a damn good idea who the league’s top ten teams are.

It’s time to jump in the Delorean and go back in time. Bye-bye Wild Card. Hello old-school pennant race. Two divisions, two winners, and one playoff series in each league. Quit trying to create drama when it came naturally last year:

NBA:

Do we really need 8 teams from each conference? Let’s be honest, very often the 7 and 8 seeds are sacrificial lambs waiting to be swept. By reducing playoff teams from eight to four in each conference, you’ll see dogfights down the stretch to make the cut. No longer will teams like the Spurs and Celtics play their JV teams while waiting for the real games to start.

COLLEGE HOOPS:

Fact: Turd sandwiches like Georgia in 2008 have NO business being in the NCAA tournament. Throw conference tourneys in the trash to get rid of awkward situations like that, and give your automatic bids to the teams that proved for 30+ games they belong in the Big Dance.

Agree or Disagree? Post a comment below.

Get in contact with Paul Gallant on Twitter – @PaulGallant610 – or on Facebook – Paul Gallant: SportsRadio 610.

The Harris County jury deliberated for nearly five hours without reaching a verdict in the trial of Andrew Blomberg before being excused for the day. They were ordered to return Wednesday.

The 29-year-old former officer was fired and charged with official oppression after a videotape surfaced of the beating of Chad Holley during his March 2010 arrest. Blomberg’s attorney Dick DeGuerin told jurors, however, that “the video doesn’t tell you everything.”

Blomberg, who could face up to a year in jail if convicted, is first of four fired police officers to stand trial for their roles in the incident.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

McALLEN, Texas (AP) — Two men have been indicted on charges of conspiring to harbor illegal immigrants and harboring them after authorities found about 115 suspected illegal immigrants in three clustered South Texas homes.

A federal grand jury in McAllen handed up the indictments Tuesday against Vicente Ortiz-Soto and Marcial Salas-Gardunio.

A criminal complaint filed against them described authorities arriving to find immigrants fleeing two houses in Edinburg while others remained locked in a third. Immigrant witnesses told authorities that Salas greeted them at the stash house with “Welcome to hell,” according to the complaint. Salas told investigators Ortiz paid him $500 per week to smuggle immigrants.

Ortiz-Soto’s attorney didn’t return a message for comment, but Salas-Gardunio’s attorney, Oscar Alvarez, said he anticipated not guilty pleas.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

AMARILLO, Texas (AP) — A teen who says he was injured at his Texas Panhandle high school in a Holocaust role-playing exercise has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the school district.

Andrew Yara alleges he was seriously hurt in a fall when he was jumped while carrying a classmate on his back two years ago.

The suit says the annual two-day exercise at Perryton High School teaches students about the Holocaust. Students who play Jews are required to obey demands by classmates playing Nazis — and will get a failing grade if they don’t.

The suit was filed Monday in Amarillo against the Perryton school district, 100 miles to the northeast. Yara, who’s now 19, seeks unspecified damages and attorneys’ fees.

School district officials didn’t return calls for comment Tuesday.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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He atoned for his error an inning later with one big homer to left.

Pence redeemed himself for a ninth-inning misplay by hitting his second home run of the game, a solo shot in the 10th that lifted the Philadelphia Phillies over the Houston Astros 4-3 Tuesday.

Pence connected off former Philadelphia closer Brett Myers (0-1) with one out to give the Phillies their first three-game winning streak of the season. He was mobbed at the plate in celebration by his easily forgiving teammates while his fielding gaffe was filed to the blooper reel.

Pence’s error in right field while trying to make a throw home allowed Houston to tie it with two outs in the ninth.

“I felt horrible that it happened,” Pence said. “The team really picked me up.”

The NL East champions ended a dubious drought with Pence’s ninth homer of the season. This was the longest stretch of games (37) into a season without a three-game win streak for the Phillies since 1971, when they needed 51 games.

“I’ve never had a hitter like Hunter,” manager Charlie Manuel said, “but he’s a good one.”

Chad Qualls failed to hold a 3-1 lead in the ninth and kept Cliff Lee winless in five starts this season.

Lee allowed one run and struck out 10 over eight strong innings. Jake Diekman tossed 1 1-3 scoreless innings to win his major league debut.

Phillies closer Jonathan Papelbon was shut down for a day after pitching in back-to-back games. That opened the door for a Houston rally against a scuffling bullpen.

Carlos Lee hit an RBI single off Qualls to cut it to 3-2.

Pinch runner Brian Bogusevic kept the rally going when he stole second. J.D Martinez hit a liner to right and got the hold sign at third. Pence let the ball slip out of his hand as he was preparing to throw and Bogusevic sprinted home for the tying run.

“I was charging it hard and I really can’t tell you how it came out of my hand,” Pence said. “I was trying to fire it as hard as I could.”

Jason Castro then doubled to chase Qualls and put runners on second and third.

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According to My San Antonio, 26-year-old Amanda Ann Nabers will also have to register as a sex offender, a title which will stay with her for the rest of her life.

From February, 2011 to August, 2011, Nabers reportedly engaged in similar trysts with the child four or five times.

She also told authorities that she was high on a combination of marijuana and Xanax, an anti-anxiety medication, when she copulated with the unnamed teen.

Prosecutors involved in the case had recommended a prison sentence for Nabers, but District Judge Juanita Vasquez-Gardner decided otherwise.

The judge said that if Nabers had been a man, she would have likely been incarcerated, My San Antonio noted.

Defense attorney Carlos Martinez introduced her confession, the loss of her children, job and home, and the wishes of the victim’s family into the argument, which allegedly swayed Vasquez-Gardner.

The Jacksonville Jaguars running back skipped the first day of organized team activities Tuesday, and coach Mike Mularkey said the three-time Pro Bowler wants a contract extension.

“He’s talked about trying to get an extension for his contract, which I think everybody’s aware of,” Mularkey said. “I’m on the coaching end of those matters. I talk to him about football and what I can do for him on the field and in the locker room.”

Jones-Drew is scheduled to make $4.45 million this season, considerably less than other top tailbacks like Chris Johnson, Arian Foster and Marshawn Lynch.

Since the workouts are voluntary and Jones-Drew has stayed away before, it’s not a huge concern. But the Jaguars would like to have their best offensive player in attendance to get acquainted with a new coaching staff and new playbook.

“It’s all voluntary,” Mularkey said. “I wish he was here. He knows we wish he was here. His teammates have talked to him about it. It’s a personal decision. There’s nothing I can do about it. I think if I spend a lot of energy on worrying about that, it’s not going to go in a good direction for the guys that are here. And I want to show them that positive energy that I have and I don’t want to let anything be a distraction from the guys that are here. He’ll catch up when he comes back in.”

Jones-Drew hasn’t worked out in Jacksonville the last three years. He missed OTAs in 2010 to train on the West Coast, and the NFL lockout canceled offseason training sessions last year.

Nonetheless, it hasn’t slowed him down. Jones-Drew led the NFL in rushing last season, gaining 1,606 yards for the league’s worst offense and making his third consecutive Pro Bowl. He has two years remaining on a five-year deal worth $31 million that he signed in 2009.

Jones-Drew is entering his seventh season. He has 6,854 yards rushing, 2,473 yards receiving and 74 total touchdowns. He carried a career-high 343 times last season, averaging 4.7 yards even though defenses knew he was the focal point of Jacksonville’s offense.

It makes sense that he would want a new deal after a career year. Plus, he’s considered underpaid compared to some of the league’s other top backs. Johnson is getting $13.5 million annually. Foster is making $8.7 million a year. And Lynch is earning $7.75 annually. St. Louis’ Steven Jackson, Carolina’s DeAngelo Williams and Minnesota’s Adrian Peterson also make more than Jones-Drew.

MORE>>>

Blondes vs. Brunettes was established by the Alzies, a young professionals group of the Alzheimer’s Association Houston & Southeast Texas Chapter, to raise awareness and support of Alzheimer’s disease in greater Houston. To date, the 2012 season has raised over $101,900. Blondes vs. Brunettes has spread to Alzheimer’s Association chapters in many cities nationwide drawing fans, volunteers, supporters and media from all over the country for the big game.

“It is so important that we come together to fight this disease,” said Richard Elbein, Chief Executive Officer of the Alzheimer’s Association Houston & Southeast Texas Chapter. “It is good to know we have people in the community willing to support the cause.”

Alzheimer’s disease is a growing epidemic and is now the nation’s sixth leading cause of death.  As many as 5.4 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s and this number is estimated to grow to as many as 16 million by year 2050.  In Texas alone, there are more than 340,000 thousand people living with Alzheimer’s.

Proceeds from the game support Alzheimer’s Association Houston & Southeast Texas Chapter care, support, advocacy, and research efforts.

Click here, for more information or call 713-314-1313.

(credit: Jackson and Sons Commercial Photography

Blondes vs. Brunettes is a volunteer-driven event that raises awareness and funds for the Alzheimer’s Association. Two teams of women – divided to reflect the age-old rivalry between blondes and brunettes – compete in a flag football game to help end Alzheimer’s. The participants also recruit coaches, announcers and other volunteers to build an atmosphere of fierce, friendly competition. Leading up to game day, the two teams participate in a series of events to socialize and increase awareness for Alzheimer’s disease.

Whether you’re blonde or brunette – or somewhere in between – you can team up to help end Alzheimer’s!

About the Alzheimer’s Association

The Alzheimer’s Association is the leading voluntary health organization in Alzheimer care, support and research.  Our mission is to eliminate Alzheimer’s disease through the advancement of research; to provide and enhance care and support for all affected; and to reduce the risk of dementia through the promotion of brain health.  Our vision is a world without Alzheimer’s.  The Houston & Southeast Texas Chapter serves 37 counties in Southeast Texas.  For more information, visit www.alz.org/texas.

]]> http://houston.cbslocal.com/2012/05/15/blondes-vs-brunettes-powder-puff-this-weekend/feed/ 0 http://houston.cbslocal.com/2012/05/15/barwin-says-mercilus-will-improve-the-pass-rush/ http://houston.cbslocal.com/2012/05/15/barwin-says-mercilus-will-improve-the-pass-rush/#comments Tue, 15 May 2012 18:58:42 +0000 Jim Mudd http://houston.cbslocal.com/?p=135644 Texans OLB Connor Barwin joins Texans All Access. He looks back on his favorite plays of last season.]]> Texans OLB Connor Barwin joins Texans All Access. He looks back on his favorite plays of last season.

Just days after President Barack Obama affirmed his belief that same-sex couples should have the right to marry, First Baptist pastor Gregg Matte urged his parishioners Sunday to look to pray that God reaches gay people to provide guidance. In the video of Matte’s sermon posted on First Baptist’s Vimeo page, Matte also pushed for the 6,000 in attendance at Sunday’s 9:15 a.m. service to keep their theological beliefs in mind when heading to the polls in November.

“It’s not a civil rights issue; it’s a theological issue,” Matte said. “Because God in the very beginning of days declared what is life and when is life … he declared long before politicians what marriage and family looked like. So for us to come within political realms and step over into theological realms, it’s just one more statement that human is above God because we think we as a government can determine the things God’s already determined.” He later said: “We must first vote with our theology, then we vote our preferences on policy.”

Matte’s sermon reaffirmed the position of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, which bans churches from “endorsing homosexuality as an acceptable lifestyle.” His sentiments also echoed the feelings of evangelicals nationwide. In recent findings from the Public Religions Research Institute, 74 percent of evangelicals polled said same-sex marriage should not be legalized.

“We pray father for the homosexual community in our city,” Matte said. “We pray that they would turn to know Jesus Christ … we pray the same for adulterers, we pray the same for the immoral, the greedy, the swindlers, the drunkards, all these things mentioned in 1 Corinthians.”