Published: June 25, 2009 07:52 am      

MARK MAYNARD: Jennings making case with Montreal

Chris Jennings continues to impress with the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League.

Jennings, the former Fairview High School All-Stater, ran for 44 yards on seven carries as the Alouettes defeated Winnipeg 31-27 Tuesday night in front of 20,202 fans at Percival Molson Stadium in Montreal.

It was the last preseason game for the Alouettes, who open the season on Wednesday.

Jennings, who played two years of college at Arizona, had the second-most carries behind Brandon Whitaker.

“I thought Whitaker ran hard and played well, and Jennings also had some nice runs and Avon (Cobourne) also did well,” said Montreal coach Marc Trestman in a team release.

Jennings rushed for 122 yards and a touchdown in Montreal’s first preseason victory last week.

Montreal opens the season against Calgary on Wednesday. Jennings will probably learn if he made the roster later this week. CFL teams have a limit on how many non-Canadian players can be on rosters.

Surgery for Webb?

Season-ending surgery looks like a strong possibility for Arizona ace Brandon Webb, according to a report in the Arizona Republic.

Webb, the right-hander from Ashland, hasn’t pitched since the Diamondbacks’ season opener. He had his second MRI in the last week on Tuesday and met with Arizona team physician Dr. Michael Lee.

Surgery to repair his labrum appears to be a possibility, the newspaper said. That procedure would require a nine-month rehabilitation.

The 30-year-old Webb, who is in the last year of his contract with the Diamondbacks, is seeking a second opinion. Arizona can either pick up an option for 2010 for $8.5 million or pay Webb a $2 million buyout, which would make him a free agent.

Webb won the 2006 Cy Young Award and finished second the last two years.

Sports Day tickets

The Elks Sports Day honoring former Ashland Tomcat great Bobby Lynch will be July 17-18 at the Elks Lodge.

Lynch starred in baseball and basketball for the Tomcats, graduating in 1968. He pitched for Ashland’s three consecutive state championship teams and was a starting guard on the 1966 regional champion basketball team.

Lynch went on to play for Alabama under coach C.M. Newton where he had several memorable games, including a 31-point outing against Kentucky.

Lynch also played two games against LSU great Pete Maravich, including a night when the “Pistol” scored a then NCAA record 65 points.

Tickets are available at The Frame Up Gallery, Ashland Sporting Goods and the Elks Lodge.

The cost is $30, which includes the reception on July 17 and banquet on July 18.

Guest speaker will be Jim Fannin, an Ashland native who is a motivational coach for high-profile sports athletes in tennis, golf, major league baseball, the NFL and NBA.

Baseball stars Randy Johnson and Alex Rodriguez are among those who have been on his client list.

Sports Day activities begin at 7 each night.

Hall of Famers

Five players with NFL ties were recently inducted into the Kentucky Pro Football Hall of Fame.

They are:

-Former Boone County High School running back Shaun Alexander (Seattle Seahawks).

-Former DeSalles High School and University of Kentucky star Joe Federspiel (New Orleans Saints, Baltimore Colts).

-Former University of Louisville standout Sam Madison (Miami Dolphins, New York Giants)

-Former Danville High School star Jim Marshall (Cleveland Browns, Minnesota Vikings).

-Former Eastern Kentucky University lineman John Jackson (Pittsburgh Steelers, San Diego Chargers, Cincinnati Bengals).

Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Indianapolis Colts head coach Tony Dungy was given the Blanton Collier Award for integrity on and off the field at the ceremony at the Lexington Oprea House.

MARK MAYNARD can be reached at mmaynard@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2648.