Final Fours will end at two and there will be a new national

CINCINNATI, Ohio -- Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips had surgery Friday to repair a torn ligament in his left thumb, an injury thats expected to sideline him for about six weeks. The Reds entered a weekend series against Pittsburgh with their infield depleted by injuries. First baseman Joey Votto was out indefinitely with a strained muscle above his left knee. Skip Schumaker, who was expected to help fill in at second base, went on the 7-day disabled list with a concussion. Schumaker ran into the outfield wall as he tried to make a catch during a 6-4, 12-inning loss to the Cubs on Thursday. He was sore when he showed up at the ballpark on Friday, and he was later diagnosed with a concussion. The Reds called up infielder Donald Lutz from Triple-A Louisville to take Schumakers spot. Lutz was one of only three bench players left for the game against Pittsburgh, along with catcher Brayan Pena and infielder Kristopher Negron. Phillips hurt the thumb when his glove bent awkwardly as he tried to make a sliding catch on Wednesday. Ramon Santiago started at second base on Friday. Manager Bryan Price had intended to use Santiago and Schumaker there while Phillips is gone. Now, theyre just trying to make it to the All-Star break. "I like what we have here," Price said before Schumaker went on the DL. "I just want to make sure that, coming out of the All-Star break, the guys that we have here are as healthy as possible. That will be the biggest challenge." Centre fielder Billy Hamilton was back on Friday after being out of the lineup for one game because of a sore hamstring. Pena has several nagging injuries. The Reds decided to bolster their worn-down bullpen before the game, adding two relievers. Right-handers Carlos Contreras and Curtis Partch were called up from Louisville. Catcher Tucker Barnhart was optioned to open a spot. Starter Homer Bailey had to leave in the fifth inning on Thursday after slightly straining his right knee on a pitch. Price expects him to be able to make his next start. "It seems like every game weve played lately, something has happened," Price said. "The good news on Homer is he feels better today and were encouraged that he should be ready to go once we get through the All-Star break." Vans Sk8 Hi Leather .7 million, one-year contract, a raise of $2.2 million. Wieters had asked for $8.75 million and the Orioles had offered $6. Cheap Vans Sk8 Hi Shoes . He was still a kid, going into his senior year of high school. Thursday, the point guard stood in front of a couple dozen members of the media and spoke with poise about how much hed grown since then, and how hes ready for the next level. http://www.vansshoesclearancesale.com/vans-old-skool-sale/white.html . - Steve Kerr of the Golden State Warriors will coach the Western Conference in the All-Star Game on Feb. Vans Sk8-Hi Shoes For Sale . According to a report from the Vancouver Province, the Lions are expected to replace former DC Rich Stubler with defensive backs coach Mark Washington. Vans Old Skool Black . -- Chris Jones and Louisville have done a tremendous job protecting the basketball this season and thats led to easy victories.INDIANAPOLIS -- Nobody will accuse these Kentucky kids of being the fastest learners. Not this season. And certainly not during most of Friday nights game against Louisville. But once again, late in the game with everything on the line, they figured things out just in time. Aaron Harrison hit a 3-pointer for the go-ahead score with 39 seconds left and Julius Randle made a pair of clutch free throws to lift the fantastic freshmen of Kentucky to a 74-69 victory over their in-state rivals. The eighth-seeded Wildcats (27-10) led for a grand total of 65 seconds in this Midwest Regional semifinal. Theyll play Michigan on Sunday for a trip to the Final Four. "I told them before the game, youll get punched in the mouth and youre going to taste blood," coach John Calipari said. "You can fight or you can brace yourself for the next shot. They fought." Fourth-seeded and defending champion Louisville ends its season at 31-7. Few expected a run this deep for the Wildcats as this season played out and their five freshmen starters struggled to play a team game. But theyve been learning slowly. They trailed by 13 midway through the first half, then by seven with 4 1/2 minutes left. Suddenly, things kicked in. Actually, it was a sophomore, Alex Poythress, who scored five points and blocked a Russ Smith layup attempt during a 7-0 run that tied the game at 66 with 2:11 left. "Alex Poythress won the game for us," Calipari said. "We were begging him the whole game to start playing, and he played at the right time." From there, it was the Kentucky freshmen -- the Kiddie Cats -- who showed all the poise against the defending national champs, who were led by seniors Smith (23 points) and Luke Hancock (19). Harrison took a pass from Julius Randle and spotted up in the corner for the go-ahead shot. Both finished with 15 points, as did yet another freshman starter, Dakari Johnson. On the next possession, Louisvilles Wayne Blackshear got fouled. The 71 per cent career free throw shooter missed the first. Randle came down and made two free throws to put Kentucky ahead by three. Harrison guarded Smith and forced him to miss a tough 3-pointer on the next possession -- "His first stop of the game," Calipari quipped. A few seconds later, the Wildcats were chest bumping and Calipari wass pumping his fists to a loud stadium that was about two-thirds Kentucky blue, one-third Cardinals red.dddddddddddd Kentucky has now knocked off previously undefeated Wichita State, defending national champion Louisville and has a meeting with last years runner-up, Michigan, coming next. Earlier, the Wolverines beat Tennessee 73-71. The latest win for Kentucky was the ultimate lesson in patience for a team that, for so long, had trouble showing any. They were touted on T-shirts as the team that would go 40-0 and win the national title, then all head off to the NBA. Two out of three is still possible. "They finally have surrendered and lost themselves in the team," Calipari said. "Its just taken a long time." Louisville coach Rick Pitino, who fell to 11-1 in Sweet 16 games, produced a matchup zone that the Wildcats had trouble working through. The Cards took the double-digit lead early, yet went to halftime only up three despite holding Kentucky to 33 per cent from the floor. The difference in Pitinos mind: Louisville went 13 for 23 from the free throw line while Kentucky went 22 for 27. And the Wildcats had a 37-29 rebounding edge, which also led to eight more second-chance points. "I told them we probably beat ourselves a little bit down the stretch," Pitino said. "But how can any of us complain with the run weve been on?" Louisvilles string of Final Fours will end at two and there will be a new national champion. Making this win even more impressive for the Wildcats: They played almost the entire game without Willie Cauley-Stein, an NBA-caliber forward who sprained his left ankle early. "Its not a good ankle injury, let me just put it that way," Calipari said. Another NBA prospect, James Young, fouled out with 5:32 left. That left it to Harrison, his twin brother, Andrew (14 points) and Randle, a lottery pick in waiting who was a monster inside. He had 12 rebounds to go with the 15 points. Hes had a double-double in all three tournament games. Calipari makes no apologies for recruiting the best talent and taking his chances theyll leave before they really set up shop at Kentucky. That strategy helped him bring the eighth national title back home two years ago. Now, Kentucky is a win away from the programs 16th trip to the Final Four. ' ' '