Madden says Super Bowl call will ‘torment’ Carroll forever
Hall of Fame coach and broadcaster John Madden thinks Pete Carroll’s Super Bowl call will “torment” the Seattle Seahawks coach forever.
Madden said the memory won’t get any easier with time for Carroll, who has acknowledged he would always regret the decision to pass at the goal line rather than run in Seattle’s 28-24 loss to the New England Patriots.
“That will torment him forever,” Madden told Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times during an interview that covered a wide range of topics. “Winning one game is hard. Getting to the Super Bowl is hard. Then getting that close and losing has to be tough, because we only remember the winners of the Super Bowl.
“One of the biggest gaps in sports is the difference between the winning and losing teams of the Super Bowl. They don’t invite the losing team to the White House. They don’t have parades for them. They don’t throw confetti on them.
“Does it haunt you? Hell yes, it haunts you. I’m still haunted by some championship games.”
Madden’s Oakland Raiders, who lost five conference championship games in seven years, won Super Bowl XI over the Minnesota Vikings in the 1976 season.
Sox put Victorino on 15-day DL
The Boston Red Sox placed right fielder Shane Victorino on the 15-day disabled list with a left calf strain and activated infielder Jeff Bianchi from Triple-A Pawtucket.
Victorino, sidelined for the second time this season and 11th time since 2007, left Saturday’s game in the third inning after injuring his leg while catching a fly ball.
Red Sox right-hander Anthony Varvaro, designated for assignment earlier this season and claimed by the Chicago Cubs, returned to the team Sunday and was placed on the DL with a right flexor strain.
Giants designate 3B McGehee for assignment
The San Francisco Giants obtained third baseman Casey McGehee from the Miami Marlins in December hoping he would be an adequate replacement for Pablo Sandoval, but because of his lack of production the team designated McGehee for assignment Sunday.
McGehee, 32, is hitting just .200 with just two home runs and nine RBIs in 35 games this season. He has been benched for a number of games recently.
The Giants acquired McGee in December in a trade that sent two minor-league pitchers to the Marlins.
Last season, he hit .287 with four homers and 76 RBIs for the Marlins and was named National League Comeback Player of the Year. He hit just .217 in 2012 and spent the 2013 season in Japan.
McGehee is unlikely to be claimed by another team off waivers because he is due $4.8 million in his final year of arbitration.
Orioles reliever ejected for using foreign substance
Baltimore Orioles reliever Brian Matusz was ejected in the 12th inning of Saturday night’s game against the Marlins in Miami for using a foreign substance on the mound.
After Matusz retired the first two batters he faced, Marlins manager Dan Jennings came out of the dugout to speak with home plate umpire Jordan Baker. Crew chief Paul Emmel and Baker went to the mound along with Orioles manager Buck Showalter to inspect Matusz and then tossed him from the game.
Matusz was seen on television replays reaching for a forearm with his left hand between pitches. He was replaced by left-hander T.J. McFarland with the score tied 0-0.
The Marlins won in the 13th on a walk-off hit by Martin Prado.
Matusz is the second pitcher ejected this week for having a foreign substance on his arm. Milwaukee Brewers reliever Will Smith was tossed earlier in the week and later suspended for eight games by Major League Baseball. Smith appealed and pitched Saturday for the Brewers.