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August 11, 2008GA Top 50 Teams Countdown: 50-41 Michael Paden GAVarsity.com High school football in the Peach State is just around the corner and excitement is in the air. This week GAVarsity.com will reveal our top 50 teams in the state heading into the 2008 season. Today we reveal #s 50-41. GAVARSITY.COM TOP 50 TEAMS; #50-#41 50. Flowery Branch Falcons The Falcons have evolved into one of Class AAA's better teams in just six years of varsity play, having won 30 of its past 36 games. The offense will have to endure the departure of perhaps the program's best player to date�quarterback Jaybo Shaw who is now a Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket. The Falcons offense will now be in the hands of Jaybo's younger brother Connor, a rising junior who could be a top recruit himself this time next year. The offense will also feature West Hall transfer Daniel Drummond, a bruising fullback who is headed to the Georgia Tech. Izaan Cross is the marquee attraction on defense. Cross stands at 6-foot-2, 253 pounds and has offers from schools across the South. 49. Baldwin Braves The Braves will compete in AAA after spending the last 30 years in Class AAAA. The team's staple should be its defense, led by hard-hitting linebacker Corico Hawkins, who notched 126 tackles as a junior. In all, seven starters return on defense and six are back on offense, including last year's leading rusher Jerrico Ford. The Braves seem to be a sure bet to return to the playoffs this year after missing out last year for the first time in four years, despite winning eight games. 48. Clinch Co. Panthers The Panthers have been one of Class A's strongest teams the last two years, going 23-6 and deep into the playoffs. The Panthers lost to Emanuel County Institute in the semifinals last year after losing in the finals to Lincoln County the year before. They may have been one of the best three-loss teams in the state with its losses coming to Charlton County, Coffee and E.C.I. Clinch should contend again for the Class A title. 47. East Coweta Indians After a 10-2 season, its best in six years, the Indians will be under the direction of first-year Head Coach Clint Wade, who replaces Danny Cronic, the Indians coach the last 18 years. Wade inherits nine starters from last year's team, including one of the state's fastest running backs in Henry Dixon. 46. Calhoun Yellow Jackets The Calhoun Yellow Jackets have been a model of consistency in Class AA with seven consecutive seasons of double-digit victories. 15 starters are back from last year's 10-2 squad, including nine on a defense which features one of the state's best defensive tackles in Eric McDaniel. 45. Lovett Lions Head Coach Mike Muschamp has quickly turned Lovett into one of Class AA's most feared teams. The Lions are 31-10 since his arrival in 2005 and reached the state finals last year for the first time since 1970. They ran into Buford in the finals, a game they would most likely want to keep in the very back in the memory bank after coming up on the wrong end of a 50-0 blowout. The Lions were hit hard by graduation, but should still be a threat in AA. 44. Henry Co. Warhawks If you like offense, you might want to check out the Henry County Warhawks this year. The 'Hawks average 32 points per game during last year's 10-win season, the best season in the school's history. The offense could actually be better after the moving down to AA from AAA and with 7 offensive starters returning, including one of the state's best pitch-and-catch combos in QB Drew Little and WR Jamal Patterson. Throw in one of the state's top junior wide receiver prospects in Markeith Ambles, a transfer from Griffin, and nine starters back on defense and Henry County could be a serious contender in Class AA. 43. Whitewater Wildcats It has not taken Whitewater long to become a force in Class AAAA. Coach Amos McCrary's team is 31-10 in four years and made it to the semifinals for the first time last year. Whitewater's three losses in '07 came to Class 5A power Newnan, Fayette County and Thomas County Central, two of the best teams in Class 4A last year. Whitewater will have talented players like Zach Mann and Thomas Frierson back in the fold. 42. Thomasville Bulldogs After a couple of years of mediocrity, the Bulldogs returned to their winning ways, winning 10 games and going deep into the playoffs. A key contributor to last year's success was Tyrone Williams, a talented running back and linebacker who's back in the mix and has already committed to the University of South Florida. The Seminoles certainly had to be one of the best teams not to make the playoffs last year, winning seven regular season games and playing eventual 4A champ Northside-Warner Robins as close as any body in last year's regular season. 41. Westside-Macon Seminoles The Seminoles welcome back an abundance of talent that should be enough to get them into the playoffs this year with Northside now in Class 5A. Quarterback Orrin McFadden is back to lead the offense after accounting for 1,500 yards and 16 touchdowns as a junior. His primary target will be Danny Madison, a Division-I prospect. The defense features one of the state's best and most underappreciated linebackers in Julian Burnett. Talk about it in Alligator Alley

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October 3, 2008Pac-10 race is wide open Spencer Smith Related Links:Pac-10 Review: Week 5Talk about it in The Dawg PoundWith USC losing last week and the rest of the Pac-10 faltering in non-conference play, the Pac-10 has never been so difficult to predict. With the playing field as level as ever, the conference appears to be up for grabs.I think we can safely eliminate Washington State, Stanford, UCLA and Washington from the Pac-10 champion discussion, leaving Arizona, Arizona State, California, Oregon, Oregon State and USC as the teams capable of winning the conference in 2008.Between those six teams, the race is wide open. None of these teams have shown enough dominance to be a consensus favorite, but despite their early-season blunders still have solid talent. Let's examine each team:Arizona: What's to like: The options quarterback Willie Tuitama has.Mike Thomas leads the Pac-10 in receptions and receiving yards this season after making First Team All Pac-10 in 2007. The return of Rob Gronkowski is huge. Receivers Delashaun Dean and Terrell Turner can contribute well in addition to Nicolas Grigsby, who is a dangerous weapon out on the flats.What's not to like: This is not familiar territory for Mike Stoops and his players.Cal and Arizona State have split the conference title with USC in the past two years, and Oregon finished second in the conference in 2005. Arizona may be used to winning against elite teams in past years, but it has never had such a realistic shot finishing at winning the conference. The Wildcats need to be able to handle the pressure of being one of the conference's best because they aren't going to be able to sneak up on top teams anymore.Arizona State:What's to like: Rudy Carpenter.The conference traditionally known for quarterbacks isn't quite so this year, but Rudy Carpenter is the most decorated of the Pac-10's starting hurlers. He leads the conference in passing yards (1,183), completion percentage (69.1%), yards per attempt (9.6) and has a quarterback rating of 165.43. Wow, think what would happen if he had an offensive line.What's not to like: Arizona State can't win the big game.Remember how good the Sun Devils were last year? Remember how they could only win the games they were supposed to? I'm not going to count Arizona State's win over #21 Cal last year because it was in the middle of the Bears' meltdown, which means Arizona State's last win over a ranked opponent was its victory over #12 Iowa on Sept. 18, 2004. Since then, Arizona State has gone 0-13 and been outscored 504-264 overall in games against ranked opponents. That's getting beat by an average of over 18 points per game, Ouch!California:What's to like: Cal's running game.Most people don't know this, but Cal has had the most rushing yards in the Pac-10 over the past six years. Credit the work of assistant offensive coordinator/ offensive line coach Jim Michalczik for the offensive line offering Cal's backs great lanes through the years. Then there is Jahvid Best, whose 100-meter dash time in high school was 10.31 seconds and already has two touchdown runs of 80 yards or more. Also, redshirt freshman Shane Vereen is a danger; the media has named the two "lightning and lightning." Don't let either of these guys get out into open space.What's not to like: Cal's receiving core.Cal lost its top four receivers from last year, and the new receiving group is showing growing pains. Cal's best receiver is LaReylle Cunningham, and while he leads the team with 157 receiving yards, he ranks 19th in the conference with less than half the yards of Mike Thomas. If this team continues to rely on its running game then it will be in big trouble when it gets shut down on the ground, as it did against Maryland.Oregon:What's to like: Oregon plays great late in the game.Oregon has been outscored 48-12 before halftime against Purdue and Boise State; however, it has responded each game, outscoring both opponents 52-19 in the second half. While the Ducks' second half dominance does not serve as any kind of excuse for them sleep-walking the first 30 minutes of each game, being able to come from behind (especially how far they have been down by) is always a tremendous asset for a team to have. This is especially useful during a season where the Ducks play USC, Arizona State, and Cal all on the road…What's not to like: The Ducks play USC, Arizona State, and Cal all on the road.They say Autzen is the toughest place to play in the Pac-10. Too bad Oregon doesn't get that advantage against the upper half of the conference this year. Oregon must travel to the Coliseum in Los Angeles, Berkeley's Memorial Stadium (now tree-sitter-free!), and Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe. That's a pretty tough slate, especially considering that the Ducks haven't won in Berkeley since 2001 (the year before Jeff Tedford arrived and Cal finished 1-11) nor beaten USC in L.A. since 2000.Oregon State:What's to like: Running back Jacquizz Rodgers and receiver Sammie Stroughter.If you have read my Pac-10 recaps each week, you have noticed that I have had a huge crush on Stroughter since his week one performance against Stanford. He hasn't had nearly the same success since his monster game against Stanford but he is still a big-time threat every time he steps on the field. As for Rodgers, he had to earn every one of his 186 yards against USC. What's not to like: Oregon State's run defense.Maybe it was just a slow start on the road, but Oregon State surrendered over 200 yards on the ground in its losses to Stanford and Penn State. While it did manage to shut down USC's multiple running threats, I am still not sold. The dangerous running teams in the conference are biggest thing standing in the way of Oregon State.USC:What's to like: USC has the best talent in the county, let alone the Pac-10.Not only does USC have the most talent in its starting line-up, it serious depth of talent as well. Most of its reserves would be starters on any other Pac-10 roster. It isn't even debatable, USC has by far the most talented team in the conference.What's not to like: The Pac-10 has figured out how to beat the Trojans.One thing that has Pac-10 critics scratching their heads is the fact that Pac-10 teams are the only ones that have been able to beat USC. USC has continually dominated other conferences in regular season and bowl games. The last out of conference team to beat USC in the regular season was Kansas State in 2002. Since then, USC has gone 22-0 against non-conference opponents and nearly all of those victories were lopsided. In the same time period, the Trojans have dropped six conference games.FEATURED PRODUCT

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Home Sports Columnists Sports Columnists Debate in the DMV: Are the Redskins Now Better than the Ravens? AFRO Sports Desk Faceoff by Perry Green and Stephen D. RileyAFRO Sports Desk Click on the photo to view additional Photos. Ravens/Redskins (Courtesy Image) It is rare for both the Baltimore Ravens and Washington Redskins to make the playoffs and win their divisions in the same season. The DMV's north and south football teams not only finished the year with the same record at 10-6 but they also squared off along the way with Washington beating Baltimore, 31-28 on Dec. 9. Both teams have used power running games and efficient quarterback play to qualify for the 2012 postseason. Winning football is back in the District thanks to rookie signal caller Robert Griffin III while the term winning is still nothing new around the streets of Charm City. But which team is the best between Redskins and the Ravens? Perry Green and Stephen D. Riley of the AFRO Sports Desk looked to some local fans for answers before feuding with their own perspectives: Darren Eyers of Baltimore, Md. – “It may sound biased because I’m a Ravens fan but Baltimore is the better team. They just reached the playoffs for the fifth straight year, and Washington can’t say that. If we’re talking about long history wise, then I’ll say the ‘Skins because of all the Super Bowls. But for now, Baltimore is better.” Jermaine Johnson of Northwest, D.C. – “Redskins, all day! We have RGIII and they have Joe Fluke-o, so that should tell you everything you need to here. HTTR! Hail to the Redskins!” Kelvin Brown of Forestville, Md. – “As a Cowboys fan, I don’t like the Ravens nor the Redskins so my opinion should be the only one worth value and as much as I hate to say it but I’m going with the ‘Skins on this one. RGIII is better than everyone on the Ravens’ offense besides Ray Rice. And the Ravens defense is getting old so they aren’t the same team they once were.” Riley: They aren't too many teams hotter than the Washington Redskins. Everything they do appears to be working whether their running misdirection run plays or subbing in a backup rookie quarterback. How many teams can say they have two promising young quarterbacks to go along with a rookie rusher who just ran for a team record 1,613 yards? Football isn't just back in D.C. but it's better than ever and dare I say better than Baltimore's. Green: Let's not forget that Washington at one time was 3-6 and their coaches were already talking about evaluating talent for next year. Granted, the seven-game winning streak is nice but Baltimore has been steady from the get-go this season. They've found ways to win and have played some pretty stiff competition from Denver, New England, Houston, Cincinnati (twice) and Pittsburgh (twice). They've also beaten both Dallas and the New York Giants. The schedule has been severe but Baltimore has survived through it all. They're proven and more reliable than the still-not-too-sure-about Redskins. Riley: You also forgot to add that despite Baltimore beating Dallas and New York they lost to Redskins after RGIII went down with a knee injury and rookie signal caller Kirk Cousins stepped in. It's kind of hard for me to believe a team is better than a team that they can't even beat. Green: It wasn't like the game was a massive blowout or something. Washington won by three points and had to go to overtime to do just that. Also keep in mind that Baltimore has been really banged up whether it was Ray Lewis, Haloti Ngata or Terrell Suggs all missing time. Those players are slowly getting healthy now and talent means a lot when you're talking about who's better. Baltimore is clearly better, they just haven't been able to play to their full strength. The Ravens have the more proven quarterback, the more proven running back, and more proven stars on defense. That’s why they’re the only team to reach the NFL playoffs for each of the past five seasons. Meanwhile, Washington is making their first postseason trip in six years. Riley: Talent goes out the window to me when you're talking about who's hot. Momentum is key to most sports and coming off a seven-game winning streak, clearly Washington at this point is better. It’s not about the past five seasons, it’s about now. Right now, Washington’s run game is at the top of the league and their run defense is top five, two characteristics that define strong playoff teams. Griffin and Morris just might be more effective than Joe Flacco and Ray Rice. And considering Baltimore just fired their offensive coordinator a few weeks ago, the whole structure of how to run a football team is trending in Washington's direction. Green: Calm down, now. Flacco and Rice are one of the best backfield combos in the NFL. I like what Washington's doing right now but let’s wait and see what they do against Seattle in the first round of the playoffs. It’s one thing to reach the playoffs, but it’s a whole different challenge to actually win a playoff game. The Ravens are 5-4 in the playoffs since 2008, winning at least one playoff games each year. They’re the only team in the league that can claim that feat. Let me know when the Redskins can say the same thing about their franchise.

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» Events Coverage » Senior Bowl » Articles » Ryan, Smith Impressed With Buccaneers Under Schiano Ryan, Smith Impressed With Buccaneers Under Schiano Written by VictoriaHorchak Josh Freeman and the Bucs host the Falcons Sunday Falcons head coach Mike Smith and quarterback Matt Ryan spoke with the Tampa Bay media this week on a conference call and praised the Buccaneers under the leadership of Greg Schiano. The Falcons (9-1) come to Tampa on Sunday to play against their division rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-4) and the two teams are no strangers to each other. Atlanta Falcon quarterback Matt Ryan spoke with the Tampa media about the Buccaneers and what the Bucs have been doing defensively and offensively, as well as the new additions in Tampa. Ryan knows that this Buccaneer defense is tough and that statistics do not tell the whole story. “Absolutely, I think their statistics are sometimes misleading,” Ryan said. “I think it is a good defense. It is a defense that plays with great effort. They got [a] very good pressure package. You have to be on top of it. I think it is a defense you have to be prepared for. You have to respect the talent that they have on that side of the ball and we will. I think we just need to be on top of our game plan and try and execute [it] as best we can.”Even though the Buccaneers may not be playing very well in the secondary at, they has made up for it in causing turnovers and capitalizing off of those turnovers. What this defense is doing has not gone unnoticed throughout the league, and especially to division rivals such as the Falcons. “Yes, I think so,” Ryan said. “I think it is important. You want to score points when your defense gives you an opportunity. Oddly enough that is one of the things I think the Bucs have done better than anybody this year. I think they have something like 12 touchdowns or 11 touchdowns off turnovers which is the best in the league. It is something that we try to do a good job of and certainly something that Tampa has done a great job of.” Falcons head coach Mike Smith has also been impressed with the way this Buccaneer team has taken the ball away and scored off of turnovers. “You got to look at it they are number one in run defense,” Smith said. “They have been very opportunistic in their turnovers. They are doing a very good job offensively not turning the ball over. When they have taken the ball away on defense, they score touchdowns. I think they have been very opportunistic when they have taken the ball away. I believe they are number one in the league in terms of scoring touchdowns off of turnovers. Right now they are No. 6 six in the league in the turnover ratio. Really when you start looking at wins and losses that turnover ratio is one of the most important. All the other things can be empty yards, [but] it is really about points and being able to possess the football.”Smith also has been impressed with the new additions that Tampa has made under new head coach Greg Schiano. He had high praise for rookie running back Doug Martin, as well as Josh Freeman. “They are playing very confidently,” Smith said. “It is a very well coached team in terms of what they do in all three phases. [I have] been impressed with their ability to stop the run. They are the number one team in the league in terms of run defense. That talks about a mentality and they are also running the football extremely well. I have been very impressed with the new parts that they have added in terms of the running back. Doug Martin is a 1,000 yard rusher. He is a guy that has got very good vision. [He] runs well behind his pads and you are going to have to put multiple pads on him to get him down. Vincent Jackson has been a great addition. I think Josh Freeman has returned to the form that he had two years ago when to me he was playing at a Pro Bowl level. I think he is playing at a Pro Bowl level right now. He is doing a great job in running their offense.”With Josh Freeman and the offense playing so well the past few games Smith said the Falcons will have their hands full.“This is a very potent offense,” Smith said. “I think you can see statistically that they are very good. They are top ten in numbers of what I call the critical factors for a football team. They are scoring at a very high rate and they are doing it both running and throwing the football. I think that’s something that will create issues and it is something that we are going to have to deal with this week. They are the number two scoring team in the NFL over the last four games. They have been playing very well the last four games and through the season they are number four. Their numbers are very impressive in terms of total yards, passing yards, [and] running yards. They are playing really good.”When these two teams face each other on Sunday expect both teams to battle through because each knows what is at stake. “I think it is definitely a rivalry,” Ryan said. “I think anytime you are in a division those games always carry extra weight. With Tampa like you said the games have come down to the fourth quarter seemingly every time we have played. We have come up short sometimes and we have won our fair share too. In these kinds of games you just know going into it [that] it is going to be a battle and it is going to come down to a handful of plays throughout the game that are going to determine the outcome. So you just have to be prepared for that and have your mind right and your game plan right so you can execute well.”–Mark Cook contributed to this report ARTICLE RATING 1 « Schiano Says Blount Is Still No.2 Running Back Bucs Five Keys To Victory Game 11: The Falcons » I don't think a Bucs victory is going to shock any non biased media members Horse. I have seen plenty of analysts pick the Bucs to win this game already, and others that I have heard pick the Falcons don't sound like they expect anything other than a close game. This game could go either way and I think most rational people recognize that. What else would they have said? The Falcons are tough on defense and excellent on Offense. I am comfortable that we will do our best; that's all that can be asked. Go Bucs! Shock the NFL news media!

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January 18, 2013Hardison set to join Sun Devil defense ASUDevils.com Talk about it in the arizonastate Message BoardsArizona State's defensive front returns all of its starters from the 2012 season, including consensus All-American tackle Will Sutton, but that apparently didn't bother Dodge City (Kan.) Community College standout Marcus Hardison in the slightest. Hardison, a 6-foot-4, 285-pounder regarded as the No. 14 junior college prospect nationally, committed to Arizona State Friday over Kansas State, South Florida and West Virginia even though his best position may be the one Sutton occupies. "I've been talking to Will a lot, including last night," Hardison said. "He was just in Seattle to accept an award. I want to push him and want him to push me. That's what I told him. He said that's what he wants, that he wouldn't want it any other way. I also talked to (freshman All-American defensive tackle) Jaxon (Hood). I told them there's no reason we can't all go to the (NFL) League."ASU led for Hardison following his official visit to the school in November but Kansas State eventually closed the gap and even nudged ahead earlier this month. But Sun Devil assistants Paul Randolph and Chris Ball took a visit in the last week to frigid Kansas to reheat Hardison's fire to be a Sun Devil. "They love my versatility," he said. "That's one of the big reasons I picked ASU. "I saw the way they move Will around to put him in position to make plays and they do a great job of that with all their players. I'm someone who can play different positions and they have the ability to get me in the right spots. Their guys get a lot of tackles for loss in that scheme and that's (future) money to a player like me." Hardison said his mother is a big influence on his life and weighed heavily on this decision, but ultimately liked both of his top choices quite a bit after head coaches from ASU and Kansas State visited her in Florida, where the family resides. "It wasn't easy," he said. "ASU was on top but then K-State took the lead not too long ago but at the end I just kept thinking about it and felt like I had to go to ASU because it was best for me. We're going to be eatin'."My mom loved (ASU) coach (Todd) Graham but she also loved (Kansas State) coach (Bill) Snyder so that made it tough. I always listen to her but I don't think there was a bad choice. ASU just kept popping up back in my mind and I thought it was where I needed to be."Hardison said his plan is to lean out and get stronger and quicker in the off-season and try to arrive at ASU at 270 pounds so that he can play the field end position -- which is where senior Davon Coleman returns -- or the 3-technique spot locked up by Sutton. Coaches will allow him to regain the weight if he demonstrates he can play at his current 285 pounds. "Man, I am so excited, you don't even know," he said. "I just feel this is like this is the biggest opportunity of my life and is going to put me that much closer to my (ultimate) dreams. Our d-line is about to fierce. Man, just talking about it gets me hyped."FEATURED PRODUCT

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hide Lions Lose at Lambeau For 22nd Straight Time by Kelly Meyer Green Bay Packers helmet. GREEN BAY, WI (WHBL) - The Green Bay Packers came from behind to defeat the Detroit Lions at snowy Lambeau Field on Sunday night, 27-20. The Packers are now in a position to win the NFC North Division title by beating the Bears next week at Soldier Field. Early in the game it looked like the Lions might win their first game at Lambeau Field since 1991. Detroit scored the first two touchdowns of the game to take a 14-0 lead. The sluggish offense got a boost when Mike Daniels returned a Detroit fumble 43 yards to cut the lead to 14-10. Lion quarterback Matthew Stafford had dropped back to pass when the wet ball slipped out of his hand. Still four points behind in the third period, Aaron Rodgers ran it in from 27 yards away, the longest run of his career and the long running play of the season for the Packers. Detroit never caught up and lost at Lambeau for the 22nd straight time. DaJuan Harris iced the game with the team’s second rushing touchdown from 14 yards out. The ground game, ineffective for the first half, bulldozed its way to 98 yards after intermission. The Lions have lost five in a row, and blew a lead of at least 10 points for the third game in a row. That’s an NFL record. The only bright spot was wide receiver Calvin Johnson’s 118-yard outing, putting him over 15 hundred yards on the season. Tweet

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Why the New York Giants Must Stick With Hakeem Nicks and Let Victor Cruz Go By Ted Vouyiouklakis Elsa/Getty Images The Giants know it will be difficult to sign both of their prized wide receivers. The New York Giants could face the unenviable task of choosing between two star players this offseason, at the same position no less.High-priced talent is often difficult to retain when one positional unit includes several of the team's most expensive players. Such is the case with the Giants. They would be wise to prepare for a scenario in which they must extend Hakeem Nicks' contract and allow Victor Cruz to depart. Like many teams, the Giants are still in the process of adapting to the new collective bargaining agreement consummated in 2011 and must make sacrifice several quality players to get under the cap, one of whom may be Cruz. General manager Jerry Reese has released several veterans this offseason in the hopes of re-signing younger players. Despite slashing payroll, New York may not have the breathing room to bring back two top-tier receivers. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Giants have already had internal discussions about their valuation of Nicks over Cruz. Victor Cruz is set to become a restricted free agent this spring, while Hakeem Nicks still has one year remaining on the rookie contract he signed as a first-round pick back in 2009. It's natural to assume Nicks' talent is being leveraged against Cruz by Big Blue's front office. Even so, the team has a case to be made for keeping their former first-round pick over an undrafted free agent. Preparation is paramount in all aspects of football. Just as coaches prepare their players for game day, general managers must be ready for any situation regarding their personnel. New York undoubtedly would prefer to hold onto both Nicks and Cruz, as the duo amassed 1,784 yards on 139 catches last season. But what happens if the market for these players becomes exceedingly overpriced? Victor Cruz is coming off an impressive Pro Bowl campaign in 2012. Carrying the status as a restricted free agent, Victor Cruz has the right to shop his services around to 31 other teams this offseason. Ultimately, New York will have the ability to match any offer and retain the star receiver. Should the Giants encounter a "poison pill" contract, however, they should not hesitate to allow Victor Cruz to walk away. For instance, if a team offers a Vincent Jackson-type deal in the neighborhood of five years, $55.5 million, expect Victor Cruz to salsa dance his way out of town. Jerry Reese has attempted to iron out a long-term deal with Cruz for months now. The inability of the two sides to come close to an agreement increases the likelihood that the former University of Massachusetts star will be able to test free agency. A lucrative deal will inevitably find its way to the New Jersey native this spring, wherever he ends up landing. In the past two seasons, he has amassed 168 receptions, 2,628 yards and 19 touchdowns. These numbers are sure to grab the attention of general managers around the league. While the statistics for Cruz are gaudy, they don't necessarily tell the whole story. The argument for keeping Nicks over Cruz begins and ends with the disparity in physical composition between the two players. Cruz is predominantly a slot receiver, benefiting statistically from the fact that he was often a safety valve for Eli Manning. Although he is only one inch taller than Victor Cruz, Hakeem Nicks fits the Giants' system as a prototypical "No. 1 receiver." Nicks thrives in a completely different dimension of the receiving game than Cruz, which the Giants will certainly value moving forward. Nicks has the ability to make plays for his team on any part of the field, as opposed to the more restrictive route tree that Cruz' role entails. Abnormally large hands (10.5") allow for Nicks to catch the ball in traffic over the middle of the field. Positional awareness and above-average leaping ability have opened up connections on back-shoulder passes near the sideline. Perhaps the most outstanding quality Nicks possesses is deceptive top-end speed. This has allowed Eli Manning and the Giants offense to stretch the field on numerous occasions. Yes, Victor Cruz can do all of those things, but can he do them consistently? Nick Laham/Getty Images The reserved Hakeem Nicks made plenty of noise during the 2011 postseason. In the three games Hakeem Nicks missed due to injury in 2012, Cruz totaled 13 catches and 115 yards, outproduced by teammates Rueben Randle and Ramses Barden. His pedestrian numbers during that stretch support the argument that Victor Cruz struggles to deal with added attention by the defense. Nicks, on the other hand, has thrived on big stages. In four postseason contests in 2011, Nicks tallied 28 catches, 444 yards and 4 touchdowns. Much of these accomplishments came by way of defeating double teams, or in this case a halfhearted quadruple team. The Giants already allowed a solid outside receiver walk one year ago when Mario Manningham packed his bags for San Francisco. Manningham's departure all but cemented the team's necessity to retain Hakeem Nicks as their premier outside receiver. Randle, 21, has shown he has the ability to become a solid No. 2 receiver outside the hashes, but will need time to develop. An underlying reason for the urgency to extend Hakeem Nicks could potentially be his current market value compared to other wide receivers. Along with Victor Cruz this offseason, Greg Jennings, Mike Wallace, Dwayne Bowe, Wes Welker and Danny Amendola are on the cusp of hitting the free agent market. If you were given the choice, which player would you keep? Reaching an agreement with Hakeem Nicks this offseason makes more sense for the Giants. Nicks will acquire long-term security in the form of $7-8-million a year. Considering his struggles with injury in 2012 and ability to forgo playing in a contract year, the Giants will be able to extend Nicks at a discounted rate. Having to choose between two prominent and upstanding athletes can be like asking a mother to profess which of her children is her favorite in front of said children. This may turn out to be an excruciatingly painful process for Jerry Reese and his staff, but ultimately there is not enough room, at least cap-wise, for both receivers.New York's core is still intact. They understandably want to retain an inside-out threat from their respective No. 1 and slot receivers.Each of these players has exhibited tremendous skill and prowess during their respective careers but, if the Giants become handcuffed into a decision, they should stick with Nicks as their top receiver.

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Want more real-time Tennessee-Martin Basketball news? Enough With Stephen Curry: Meet Lester Hudson By Ari Kramer Don't let the headline mislead you: Stephen Curry is one of the finest college basketball players in the country. We all know what he has accomplished in his two seasons at Davidson, yet articles about this Wildcat's magic continue to circulate ESPN, Fox Sports, and even our own site, Bleacher Report. Even with the departures of Reggie Williams (27.8 ppg), Charron Fisher (27.6 ppg), and Michael Beasley (26.5 ppg), Curry's regular season 25.1 points per game is not the best among returning players. Lester Hudson, a 6'3" Skyhawk from the University of Tennessee-Martin, bested Curry by six-tenths of a point. Curry raised his average to 25.9 ppg during the Tournament, but Hudson didn't have that opportunity. Not only is Hudson the NCAA's top returning scorer, but he also ranked fifth in steals (2.8 per game) last season and first among guards in rebounds (7.8 per game). The guard also averaged 4.5 assists per game and shot 38.8 percent from beyond the arc. Over the course of last season, Hudson tallied eight double-doubles, one triple-double, and scored 25 points, grabbed 12 rebounds, dished 10 dimes, and accumulated 10 steals en route to the NCAA's first quadruple-double. Playing for a small school, Hudson made the most of his opportunities against power teams. He posted double-doubles against Memphis (35 points, 10 rebounds), Mississippi State (27 points, 11 rebounds), and UNLV (26 points, 11 rebounds). He dropped 36 points at Vanderbilt and only fell one rebound shy of a double-double. The Skyhawk possessed the talent to play at any one of those schools, but he stumbled over too many bumps on his journey to college basketball. Born and raised in a poor section of Memphis, Hudson went through childhood with a negative attitude towards school. He rarely showed up to class, and his grades suffered. To Hudson, basketball was the only part of life that mattered, yet he never played on an AAU team. He primarily played on the streets of Memphis and was a member of his high school's Varsity squad as a junior. His coach, Andre Applewhite, was able to convince him to keep his grades up so he could play on the team. He averaged double-figures in scoring as a junior but was ineligible to play as a senior. In Memphis, all members of high school basketball teams need to be 18 years old or younger, and Hudson turned 19 before his senior season because he needed to repeat an earlier grade. The 19-year-old still had to graduate from high school before he could go to college but did not finish his senior year with grades deserving of a diploma. No college was permitted to take a high schooler who did not graduate, so Applewhite exhorted his alma mater, Southwest Tennessee Community College, to let Hudson try out. Hudson dominated the tryout, and STCC immediately signed him. At STCC, the Memphis streetballer earned his high school diploma, had a 2.5 GPA, and transcended what was expected of him as a basketball player. However, he did not graduate from the junior college because he was unable to meet all of his educational requirements. Jason James, an assistant coach at Tennessee-Martin, knows that UTM was able to ink Hudson for his last two years of collegiate eligibility because the power schools that he could be "helping get to the Final Four" lost interest when he didn't graduate from STCC. At 22 years old, Hudson began his academic studies at Tennessee-Martin, but had to sit out for one year as a result of failing to graduate from STCC. He was forced to pay his tuition on his own and has done so by applying for financial aid and taking out student-loans. Happy to have one more chance, Hudson complied with all the regulations in order to reach his goal of playing Division I basketball. The game against Memphis was Hudson's debut with the Skyhawks and proved that he was worth the risk that the coaching staff took to sign him. His junior campaign continued to be impressive, and he was awarded with the Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year award. The Associated Press listed Hudson as an honorable mention for their All-American teams. Hudson decided to enter the NBA draft but withdrew before he signed with an agent. Now 24, he is back at UTM, looking to stay in school, compete with Curry and other guards to be America's best collegiate guard, and continue his climb from an unpromising life to one with tremendous potential. More Tennessee-Martin From Early 2014-15 CBB Top 25 Poll Randle Sets Press Conference for Tuesday Report: Vols Eyeing Louisiana Tech's White from Bleacher Report College BB Newsletter We'd like to send you the most entertaining College Basketball articles, videos, and podcasts from around the web.

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« The Takeaway: Yale Dominates Harvard, Wins 5-1 The Takeaway: BC Overcomes Another 3rd Period Deficit to Beat UMass » The Takeaway: Merrimack Completes Sweep with 4-2 Win Posted by: Scott McLaughlin NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – Merrimack beat Northeastern 4-2 Saturday night to sweep the weekend series and win the season series. Jordan Heywood scored what proved to be the game-winner with 3:28 remaining in the game. He took a pass from Mike Collins, walked in from the left half-wall and beat Chris Rawlings (29 saves) with a snap shot. Justin Hussar tacked on an empty-netter at the buzzer. Vinny Saponari opened the scoring for Northeastern (2-4-1, 2-4-1 HE) 12:05 into the game when he took a pass from Mike McMurtry and beat Rasmus Tirronen (24 saves) for his first goal of the season. McMurtry added to the lead with a power-play tally six minutes later when he tipped in a Kevin Roy one-timer. The Warriors (4-3-1, 3-1-1 HE) came storming back in the second, though. Shawn Bates cut the lead in half 2:51 into the middle frame when he collected his own blocked shot and beat Rawlings on the second opportunity. Collins tied the game with 27 seconds left in the period when a Vinny Scotti shot left him with a rebound right in front. What I saw -Collins’ goal was his fifth of the season, breaking a five-way tie for the conference lead in goals. He also leads the league in points with 12. Collins was actually held off the scoresheet in Merrimack’s first two games, so all 12 of his points have come in the last six games, including 10 in his last four. Collins showed a ton of promise with a 30-point freshman season, but he couldn’t take the next step as a sophomore last year. It certainly looks like he’s ready to as a junior. Merrimack coach Mark Dennehy said after the game that not only is he scoring, but he’s also doing everything else right. -After these two teams combined for 17 penalties Friday night, they cut that number down to eight Saturday night. Both teams were more disciplined, leading to a much cleaner game. Both sides even seemed a little hesitant to play physical early on, but the hitting did eventually pick up. The discipline did break down in the final five minutes, though, as each team took a pair of penalties. Kyle Singleton killed a Merrimack power play with a crosscheck in front of the net, but the Warriors scored on the ensuing 4-on-4. The Huskies failed to capitalize on a late too many men penalty on Merrimack. What I thought -The Merrimack offense continues to impress. The Warriors lost four of their top five scorers from last season, but they currently lead the league in offense with 3.50 goals per game. Collins has been huge obviously, but he’s had plenty of help as well. Josh Myers has seven points, Connor Toomey and John Heffernan each have six, and Rhett Bly, Kyle Singleton and Justin Hussar all have four. Then there’s the defensemen chipping in — eight points for Jordan Heywood, seven for Dan Kolomatis, six for Brendan Ellis. If the Warriors keep getting offensive contributions from all over the lineup, they could end up in the home-ice mix, somewhere very few people thought they had a chance to be. -Northeastern coach Jim Madigan changed up his lines from Friday night, but the offense continued to struggle. The Huskies are now 0-4-1 in their last five games, and they’ve scored just seven goals in those five games. They certainly have talent up front, but right now nothing seems to be clicking. Madigan said after the game that he’ll continue to tinker with the lines in hopes of finding some goals. A series against lowly Alabama-Huntsville next weekend might be just what the doctor ordered. -Madigan: “Obviously disappointing to have a two-goal lead and then give it up. We’ve done that a couple times now. Lose with three minutes left in the game on a bad turnover in our own zone, it was disappointing. I liked our effort. It was much better tonight than it was last night. I liked the way we competed better, and we certainly played a lot more disciplined tonight. But at the end of the day, it’s about getting points in this league, and we didn’t get any points.” -Dennehy: “Games like that and games like last night and even the game against Fairbanks out there, they go a long way toward giving you an idea of what you’ve got in there. Early on, I recognized that these guys, whatever the score is, are gonna keep playing. It’s a little early for playoff games, but that was a playoff game today. For our guys to grind it out and come back from a 2-0 deficit, I think it says a lot about our leadership in the locker room.” -Dennehy on Collins: “I think it’s also the little things, like chipping pucks out of the zone, like playing the body when he gets the chance, blocking shots. Scoring’s gonna come and go, I don’t care how good of a scorer you are. But the game you bring to the ice every night, you control. Anybody who comes to watch him, any NHLer who comes to watch him, knows he can put the puck in the net. It’s, is he gonna be able to do those other things? He wasn’t doing them the first couple games. But he’s been our best player, our best forward, because he’s doing all that. It’s great because now the young guys see that and they think they can score like that too if they do those things. I hope they can.” Saturday, November 3rd, 2012 - 11:24 pm | Blogs, Hockey East, Notes, Thoughts, Ramblings

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Home > Sport Tickets > NHL Tickets > San Jose Sharks Tickets The San Jose Sharks may be underdogs entering the 2013 NHL season but they could very well end up being a serious contender for the Stanley Cup. The Sharks have proven to be solid over the years and though they have yet to claim Lord Stanley’s Cup, they have advanced to the playoffs 13 of the past 14 seasons. With a 43-29-10 record from last season, the Sharks may not be as good as they were in the 2008-09 NHL season but they are still force to be reckoned with. Their upcoming season can easily see a successful Stanley Cup run with help from a group of talented forwards like Patrick Marleau, Logan Couture, Joe Pavelski, and captain Joe Thornton. If the Sharks are to win it all, Thornton will need to be the one who leads the way. Couture and Pavelski led the Sharks in goals last season (31) and both are on track to have great seasons. Defensemen Dan Boyle, Brad Stuart, and Brent Burns complement each other nicely and help form both a dominating and scoring defense. But the past few years have shown this team that it isn’t enough to solid offensively and defensively; a team needs a strong goaltender if they hope to be a Stanley Cup contender. Enter Antti Niemi. Niemi is a proven talent in the Sharks’ goal who has already won a Stanley Cup in his relatively short career and the best candidate on the Sharks to do it again. The Sharks face a toughening division with the L.A. Kings looking to defend their Stanley Cup title, a solid Phoenix Coyotes’ team, and a much-improved Dallas Stars. But the Sharks are hungry for a title and they can easily slide under the radar and become a dark horse to win the Stanley Cup in the 2013 NHL season. Be there live to watch the San Jose Sharks in the 2013 NHL season by getting your tickets from Gold Coast Tickets today! The San Jose Sharks are based in San Jose, California and play hockey in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. The Sharks joined the NHL in 1991, and although they have yet to claim a Stanley Cup title, they have missed the playoffs only one time in the past 14 seasons. They have also claimed 6 division titles, the last time being in the 2010-11 season. The Sharks play their home games at the HP Pavilion at San Jose, which has been dubbed “The Shark Tank” by fans and media. Some of the traditions at The Tank include a pre-game entrance through the mouth of giant shark and the theme song from the movie Jaws being played when they get a powerplay. Some of the best players to ever play for San Jose include Ed Belfour and Igor Larionov, both Hall of Famers. The Sharks’ most heated rivalries are shared with the Anaheim Ducks, L.A. Kings, andeven the Detroit Red Wings. For more information on the San Jose Sharks and their 2013 NHL season, visit their website at: http://sharks.nhl.com/index.html San Jose Sharks vs Los Angeles Kings NHL Western Conference First Round - Round 1 Home Game 3 (If Necessary) Tickets Saturday, April 26, 2014TBA HP Pavilion at San Jose (Hockey)San Jose, CA Wednesday, April 30, 2014TBA NHL Western Conference Semifinals San Jose Sharks vs TBD Round 2 Home Game 1 Tickets Monday, May 12, 2014TBA NHL Western Conference Finals San Jose Sharks vs TBD Round 3 Home Game 1 Tickets Stanley Cup Finals San Jose Sharks vs TBD Round 4 Home Game 1 Tickets Sunday, June 1, 2014TBA Tuesday, June 10, 2014TBA Thursday, June 12, 2014TBA

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HockeyGiant.com Blog Hockey Equipment Reviews, Tips and Educational Information Shop at HockeyGiant.com Jerseys & Apparel Fisticuffs – A Closer Look At Hockey Fights "Are hockey fights really necessary?"... "What's the point?"... "How can you condone the same type of behavior on the ice that you would be arrested for off the ice?"... If you’re a hockey player, fan, or both, I’m sure that you’ve heard these questions before. Maybe you’ve asked yourself the very same questions. So, how do you respond when you’re confronted by someone who sees hockey fights, or perhaps, even the very sport of hockey as nothing more than barbarians with clubs and blades?The Roots of Fighting in HockeyFisticuffs have been a part of North American hockey since the first leagues were formed in the late 1800’s / early 1900’s. In those days, there weren’t any half-skilled, one dimensional “enforcers” or “goons” taking up roster spots; that trend arose in the 1970’s and thrived in the 1980’s. When the sport of ice hockey was still young, in the pre-expansion era, securing a roster spot on a professional team was no simple task; it was a cut-throat competition that kept every player on his toes, ready to fight for his right to play.Pride and honor are far too lofty for the hearts of the weak. Desperation and hunger fueled the fire in every player who earned his right to step onto the ice. The game was rough and raw, and the stakes were always high. If you’re a hockey player, you know exactly what I’m talking about. When it’s game time, nothing else matters. And when every player has that mindset, there are bound to be altercations. As I said before, in the early years goons didn’t make the cut because they didn’t have the skills to compete. So who was dropping the gloves? When someone was fed up with the cheap shots being dished out by an opposing player, they slugged it out and reestablished the terms of engagement. The ref simply can’t and won’t see every stick in the gut or chop on the laces. So if someone was bustin’ your chops, you squared up, dropped the mitts and let him know that you weren’t gonna take it. “The Code” It may seem primitive, but what the casual observer doesn’t recognize is that there are several, unspoken, but clearly understood rules that the players subject themselves to when it’s time to dance. “The code” is what keeps a fight from turning into an assault. A few of the fundamental rules would include the prohibition of hair-pulling, eye-gauging, fish-hooking, punching your opponent when he’s down, and many others. In addition to these seemingly obvious lines in the sand, it’s important to understand that fights rarely break out without a verbal agreement between the players beforehand. This is the first and most important rule. To give a loose analogy, imagine that you’re asking a girl to join you for a dance. If she says no, would you grab her by the arm and drag her out onto the dance floor as she kicks and screams trying to break free? Absolutely not – you would lose the respect of the girl and everyone else who witnessed the incident. Such is the case when you’re playing hockey and your opponent is primed for a beating. Unless he consents, you do NOT engage. There are many reasons why a player may choose to decline, and that’s his prerogative. Maybe he’s playing with an injury, or his coach has given him specific instructions not to fight in that particular game. If you ask, you might even get a legitimate answer. Or he might just be scared. Whatever the case, no one has the right to assault an unsuspecting player.Hockey Fights in the 21st CenturyHockey has evolved quite a bit since its humble beginnings. Some changes have been for good, others have not. We all have our own opinions on the subject. With these changes to the rules, equipment, and the overall style of play, fighting has also evolved. Players are bigger, stronger and faster than ever before. In fact, the average NHL player today is about 2” taller than the average player in the 1920’s. Modern training methods have also increased the skill level and overall athleticism of the 21st century athlete.The game has certainly evolved over the last century, but the sole purpose of hockey fights has remained the same – regulation of the players by the players. Now, we can’t be naïve and pretend that fighting isn’t also used as a means of intimidation, swinging the pendulum of momentum in your team’s favor, settling personal vendettas, and pure entertainment value. Those are the natural byproducts of fighting, but at the core we can clearly see that fighting is a way for the players to keep one another in check and protect the scorers, danglers and playmakers who are often the targets of the opposition.Critics of Hockey FightsI think we can all agree that it’s a sad sight to see a player fall to the ice unconscious, bloodied, and broken. There’s still something inside us, or at least some of us, that enjoys the raw carnage. But, once again, that’s simply a perverse byproduct of fighting in hockey, and it shouldn’t be dismissed as we consider the motives behind fighting in hockey. Unfortunately, there are goons out there who are hell-bent on breaking the bodies of their opponents. Many critics are quick to point the finger at the men with no mitts, but I would propose that in most cases, the biggest goons on the ice are the hackers, choppers, and ‘bow-throwers – not just the fighters. They’re quick to target the goaltender and they’ll bend the rules when no one is looking, just to piss off you and your ‘mates.Anyone who spends much of their time watching or playing ice hockey knows that goons don’t target other goons – they go after the star players. They agitate, frustrate, intimidate, and do whatever else they can to get a scorer off his game. If a player is being targeted by an opposing player, it’s the responsibility of the referees to make an assessment of the methods being used and then determine whether or not to penalize the player(s) in question. If the referee fails to handle the situation, the enforcer gets a tap on the shoulder, makes his way onto the ice and confronts the offender. The goon knew all along that his time was coming, so he graciously receives his beating and serves his 5 minutes along with the player who was assigned to the task of restoring civility. Problem solved – in most cases. Of course, there are times when a player involved in an altercation is injured. Sometimes the injuries are quite severe. Take the Colton Orr vs. Todd Fedoruk fight shown in the video above. Fedoruk is an agitator. As the announcers stated, in the previous meeting between the two teams he was running around hitting everything that moved, wreaking havoc on the ice. So, Colton Orr was sent out to deal with the situation. The result was unfortunate. Fedoruk was knocked unconscious and consequently missed several months of action. It happens, but not much. When it does, we all have the same gut reaction. Does that mean that fighting should be banned? In my opinion, and the opinion of many others, these isolated incidents do not warrant a full-scale ban on an integral part of our game. The majority of hockey fans and players agree that fighting should remain, while those of the general population seem to think they know better.The Heart of the FightI suppose it begs the question, can the anti-fighting proponents see things from a less biased perspective, or are they speaking out of ignorance? And, are we truly holding on to this sacred part of our game for the right reasons? It’s worth thinking about, and I would recommend that you examine your heart and mind on the issue. Our goal ought to be to provide an entertaining game which appeals to as many people as possible. If fighting is the only reason that a fan comes to a hockey game, God bless him, but he’s missing the mark. Most of us love a good scrap, but our sport has so much more to offer.I still believe that fighting has its place in our game, and I think it always will. But, as a community of fans and players, we need to make sure that the spotlight stays focused on the playmakers, goal scorers, danglers, and soft-handed toe-draggers, not the bare-knuckle boxers. Every player has an important role on his team, but KO’s don’t win games, goals do. Let’s do our best to remember why we picked up our first hockey stick as a child. Jeremiah Lafica Fisticuffs, Hockey Blog, Hockey Fights, paulabDecember 3, 2010 at 1:35 PMGreat article, and I am not really a hockey fan. It does help to understand the real dance and not just a superficial assessment of the fights.ReplyDeletestevengrace2000December 3, 2010 at 7:08 PMGreat analysis. Thanks for giving perspective to an uneducated fan and telling it straight. It begs one question. If refs were on top of the game more, would the need for fighting radically diminish. I'm thinking of Olympic hockey, for instance.ReplyDeleteKenneth FordDecember 4, 2010 at 2:41 PMGood perspective, and well written. As a life long player, I cannot agree more, the action has a place in the game and it won't ever change.Kenneth James FordReplyDeleteAdd commentLoad more... More Hockey Articles Hockey Help Links Hockey Player Tips Warrior Hockey Forechecking and Backchecking: Techniques and Stra... www.HockeyGiant.com

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JibJab and MLB Advanced Media Debut New Starring You® Video, “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” Free Campaign Allows Baseball Fans to Personalize the Legendary Song with their Favorite Photos and Share their Team Spirit Online LOS ANGELES, May 26, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — JibJab Media Inc., the leader in personalized entertainment, and MLB Advanced Media, the interactive media and Internet company of Major League Baseball, have partnered on a new Starring You® campaign to offer baseball fans a fun and engaging way to immerse themselves in the game and with the teams of their choice. The family-friendly program, which launched today on JibJab.com, MLB.com and the 30 MLB Club Web sites, is free and enables fans to choose their favorite teams and insert photos of themselves their families and friends into a humorous, animated video of the traditional seventh-inning stretch song “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.” After creating their videos, fans can share them via e-mail, through social networking platforms such as Facebook and Twitter and by embedding them into their blog at no cost. “As baseball fans we are thrilled to be in business with MLBAM,” said JibJab co-founder and CEO Guy, Gregg Spiridellis. “With 30 MLB Clubs to choose from, and up to five team members to personalize, we hope this provides hours of entertainment for friends and families across the country and world.” “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” is the newest release utilizing JibJab’s popular Starring You® technology platform, which also has featured campaigns from Star Wars, AMC’s Mad Men, Disney’s High School Musical and Justin Bieber. To date, users have created over 275 million actors using the Starring You® technology platform that have appeared in personalized videos and images that have been viewed over 750 million times. To personalize a “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” Starring You!® video visit http://mlb.jibjab.com/, MLB.com/jibjab or the 30 MLB Club Web sites. About JibJab JibJab makes things that make people laugh. From offbeat Sendables® eCards to personalized Starring You!® videos and satirical viral videos, JibJab is on a mission to help more people share more laughs than any other company in the history of the world. With over 100 million visits to its websites in the past twelve months the company is well on its way to doing it. For more information, please visit http://blog.jibjab.com/about/. SOURCE MLB.com http://www.mlb.com http://mlb.jibjab.com

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2005 Bluffton Universityfootball coaching staff Front Row: St. coach Zach Canfield, asst. coach Mark Spencer, head coach Greg Brooks, asst. coach Brent Burkheimer, asst. coach Steve Rogers.Back Row: Team chaplain Dave Stratton, athletic trainer Phill Talavinia, asst. coach Louis Stokes, asst. coach Denny Phillips, asst. coach Allen Curtiss. Head Coach Greg Brooks Coach Greg Brooks begins his third season at the helm of the Bluffton Beavers football team. The Beavers were 2-8 during his first season as head coach at Bluffton and recorded a 5-5 finish in 2004 for a third place tie in the Heartland Conference. He took over the reins following 24 years as the offensive coordinator and coach of the quarterbacks. Brooks graduated in 1977 from Ohio University, where he was the quarterback and four-year letterman for the Bobcats. He then went on to Marshall University to complete his master's degree and was a graduate assistant for the football program from 1977-79. He was an assistant track and football coach at Huron High School for two seasons before coming to Bluffton. Since Brooks' arrival at Bluffton, the Beavers have had 15 seasons where they averaged more than 300 yards per game in total offense, including five seasons with an average of more than 400 yards per game. Brooks has directed the top six scoring squads in Bluffton history and helped lead the Beavers to the NAIA national playoffs in 1987 and 1988 and to the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference title in 2000. He was the head baseball coach at Bluffton for 22 years, coaching his teams to a school-record 276 wins. His teams made the NAIA District 22 playoffs four times in the 1980s and twice the Beavers were the Association of Mideast Colleges tournament runner-up in the 1990s. Brooks gave up coaching baseball last season to serve as director of football operations until he was hired as head football coach. He continues his teaching duties as assistant professor in the health, physical education and recreation department.A native of Albany, Ohio, Brooks was a four-sport athlete in high school (football, basketball, baseball and track), lettering 16 times. In his senior year he was named All-Ohio in football and MVP of his team. On top of that, he was valedictorian of his graduating class.Brooks and his wife, Carol, reside in Bluffton with their two sons, Matthew and Adam. He is also a proud grandfather to Victoria. Assistant Coach Allen Curtiss Defensive coordinator and linebacker coach Allen Curtiss is now in his 18th season at Bluffton University. For four out of the past six years he has guided the Bluffton defense to a No. 2 ranking in the Heartland Conference in both pass defense and total defense. Two out of the last four years the Beavers have ranked in the top three in the league in scoring defense.In 2000 Curtiss led the Bluffton defensive unit to three shutout victories on their way to an HCAC co-championship. It marked just the fifth time in Bluffton history that the defense had totaled three shutouts in the same season. After coaching the defensive line from 1988 through 1999, Curtiss took over the linebacking corps in the 2000 season and has produced a first-team All-HCAC middle linebacker the last five seasons-Greg Ditz in 2000, Chris Sommers the 2000-03 and Scott Steiner Curtiss also serves as the main football recruiter for the Beavers.Allen lives in Findlay with his wife, Phyllis, son Eric, and daughter Carrie. Assistant Coach Louis Stokes Entering his 18th season at Bluffton University, offensive line coach Louis Stokes continues to put together an offensive blocking unit that is at the heart of the Bluffton football team. Since his arrival in 1987, the Beavers have averaged better than 300 yards per game in total offense 11 times, four of those seasons averaging better than 400 yards per game. Since joining the Heartland Conference in 1998, Bluffton has led the league in rushing in all but two seasons. Thanks to Stokes' offensive line blocking, a Beaver running back won the individual rushing title every season until 2002. Stokes was a standout offensive lineman for Bluffton in the early 1970s. In 1972 he helped lead Bluffton to a conference championship and was named first-team All-NAIA District 22. Stokes teaches health and physical education at Ottawa-Glandorf High School.Louis lives in Ottawa with his wife, Melanie. Assistant Coach Denny Phillips Now in his 17th season on the Bluffton University football staff, Denny Phillips coaches the defensive secondary and serves as Bluffton's strength and conditioning coach. The Beaver defense has been ranked second in the Heartland Conference for three out of the last five years and was third in total defense in the 2004 campaign. He has produced at least one All-HCAC defensive back in five of the last six years. Last season Phillips coached the Heartland Conference freshman-of-the-year, Ryan Christy.A native of Castalia, Ohio, Phillips earned Associated Press All-America honors in track at Margaretta High School before coming to Bluffton, where he lettered in track and basketball. He was Bluffton's head track coach in the early 1990s, leading his teams to three conference titles in the Association of Mideast Colleges. His football coaching experience included tenures at Lima, Perry and Leipsic high schools. He now teaches health and physical education in the Bluffton public school system.Denny lives in Bluffton with his wife, Kaye, and sons Adam and Justin. Assistant Coach Steve RogersSteve Rogers has been named an assistant coach for the Bluffton University football team and weight room supervisor starting with the 2005 fall season.Rogers will be entering his 13th year as a football coach and 12th on the collegiate level. He started his coaching career at Mt. Union College as a student coach in 1993. After his first year he served at Defiance College for two years as an offensive line coach. Rogers then went to Arizona Western College as a defensive coordinator. He recently filled the defensive coordinator position at MacMurray College from 1999-2001, 2003-04.Rogers played football at Mt. Union College as a defensive back. He was All-Ohio Athletic Conference and All-American in his four-year stay. Rogers received his bachelor's at Mt. Union and continued his education at Defiance where he received his master's in 1995.Coach Rogers resides in Bluffton with his wife Donnell. Assistant Coach Mark SpencerMark Spencer has been named the graduate assistant coach for the Bluffton University football team for 2005.Spencer will be entering his fourth year as a football coach and second on the collegiate level. He started his coaching career at Thomas Worthington High School, where he coached the running backs. He also worked as a graduate assistant with the University of Cincinnati football program where he was responsible for off-the-field duties and video coordination.Coach Spencer attended Ohio University and was a two year letterwinner at the running back position. He received a degree in sports administration and later continued his education at Franklin University in Columbus where he received a degree in business. Assistant Coach Brent BurkheimerBrent Burkheimer has been named as an assistant coach for the Bluffton University football team for the 2005 season.Burkheimer will be in his eighth year as a football coach and first year on the collegiate level. He was recently an assistant coach (offense) for Lima Senior High School. Prior to that position he was the head coach for Paulding High School in 2002. Burkheimer played for Ohio Northern University as a middle linebacker and graduated in 1993. Burkheimer then received his master's degree from Bowling Green State University in

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Tonight’s Robin Yount Ceremony at Miller Park a Special Treat for Brewers Fans Robin Yount is perhaps the most iconic player in Brewers history. Any Brewers fan can tell you how much he meant to the teams he played on and to Milwaukee. Tonight, Yount was honored in a very special pre-game ceremony at Miller Park that celebrated the 20th anniversary of his retirement as a player. Also participating in the ceremony were fellow Hall of Famers Hank Aaron and Rollie Fingers, Brewers Chairman and Principal Owner Mark Attanasio and Brewers President of Baseball Operations Doug Melvin. Yount, Aaron and Fingers (Getty Images) “Hard to believe it has been that long,” Yount said today. “That saying ‘The older you get, the faster time goes by,’ I can attest to that.” Yount’s 20-year Major League career was spent entirely in Milwaukee and he retired after the conclusion of the 1993 season. His number 19 was retired in a ceremony on May 29, 1994 at Milwaukee County Stadium. He finished his career with 3,142 career hits and was the first player to enter the National Baseball Hall of Fame as a Brewer after being inducted on July 25, 1999. Yount broke into the big leagues at age 18. He won the American League Most Valuable Player awards in 1982 (shortstop) and 1989 (outfield), becoming the third player in Major League history to win that award at two different positions. By looking at Yount today, he looks he could probably put on a uniform tonight and go 2-for-3 at the plate. “I stay active,” Yount said. “I certainly don’t have any workout regimen, but I don’t sit still long. My parents passed off good genes.” The ceremony itself was definitely memorable. Seeing three Hall of Famers together like that on the Miller Park field was a rare opportunity and something the fans in attendance tonight will not forget. The celebration included a presentation of an original painting commissioned to remember the occasion. The first 30,000 fans through the gates for the tonight’s game received a poster of the painting that presented to Yount during the ceremony. Doug Melvin presented a $10,000 check from the Brewers Community Foundation on behalf of the Yount to the MACC Fund (Midwest Athletes Against Childhood Cancer). “Robin’s contributions to the Brewers are far too numerous to list, and we’re looking forward to welcoming him back for this special occasion,” said Brewers Chief Operating Officer Rick Schlesinger. “His time in Milwaukee was marked by great personal and team success, and it’s an era that will forever be remembered as a magical time for baseball in Wisconsin.” Yount’s first pitch tonight. (Getty Images) Yount met with the media before the game at Miller Park and with all the news surrounding the recent suspension of Ryan Braun, the issue of violations of the MLB drug prevention and treatment program was a hot topic and one that Yount didn’t shy away from. “I don’t have a comment on anyone individually, because you need to know all the facts and in Ryan’s case, I don’t have all the facts,” Yount said. “Obviously this is a bump in the road for baseball, but I hope that maybe this will put an end to all of this once and for all. Hopefully the guys that are testing the system will realize that maybe they can’t beat it.” Yount continued to say what this all means for the game itself. “It’s important to baseball that we get rid of this. It is not something we want to focus as an industry. We want to focus on the game itself. This will pass. There are no players bigger than the game. It is not our brightest moment, but hopefully this will make the guys aware that they are not going to beat the system.” For the 2006 season, and part of the 2008 season, Yount served on the Brewers coaching staff. He also spent some time with the coaching staff of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Although he has been out of coaching for over five years now, he sounded pretty secure in the fact that he enjoys his life as a retired player today. “I loved every second of the coaching that I did,” Yount said. “I really enjoyed working with the guys. My biggest issue was that it takes so much time and such a commitment and I have a lot of other things that don’t have to do with baseball that I enjoy and that I would have to give up. I’m just not willing to give up these hobbies and free time, but that is not to say I didn’t enjoy the coaching that I did because I really did enjoy it.” So what does Yount do with all that free time? Plenty. In addition to his hobbies of racing and dirt bikes, he has “Robinade”–his “old-school lemonade” that supports the MACC Fund–and, his latest venture, part ownership in the Lakeshore Chinooks baseball team of the summer Northwoods League. “It’s (the Chinooks) been great, I was out there last weekend and we are playing really well in a playoff run,” Yount said. “Everyone is excited. In doing this we are promoting baseball. It’s not just about the college kids that are playing the game, but we also have college kids running the show too behind the scenes. They are getting a taste of what it is like to be involved with a sports franchise. Hopefully someday it won’t be a player that makes it, but it is a guy selling merchandise now that will one day work in marketing with the Brewers. I just think the opportunity that is provided out there is a good way to promote the game.” Like many of my friends who I grew up with in Milwaukee, Robin Yount was our hero. He was a great baseball player, a great person and he represented Milwaukee. Tonight’s ceremony was a perfect reminder of how lucky every Brewers fan is to call Robin Yount a Brewer. johnandcait@brewers.com Filed in: Uncategorized Tags: Doug Melvin, Hank Aaron, Mark Attanasio, Miller Park, Milwaukee Brewers, Robin Yount, Rollie Fingers 2 Comments Aaron was the best Brave/Brewer ever, Robin is next. Both are the most loyal. It was great watching them play. I once saw Hank throw a runner out at 1st after he thought he singled to right field By mlblogswhaleman on August 3, 2013 10:27 am - Reply Reblogged this on Pepper Allowed. By pepperallowed on August 3, 2013 11:07 am - Reply

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Briercrest Athletics Men's HockeyMen's BasketballWomen's BasketballMen's VolleyballWomen's VolleyballWomen's Softball Support the NationMission/VisionDirector of AthleticsLeague InformationFacilities NewsPhotosVideosSchedule Poster Online Game Broadcast Sports CampsSpring Hockey About BriercrestTestimonialsRecruitment Form Intramural Sports & Recreation Contact Athletics AnnouncementWill Con to lead the women’s basketball programApr 17, 2014Carlie Pagens to coach Briercrest’s inaugural softball teamApr 16, 2014Wendel siblings highlight Briercrest Athletics Awards banquetMar 27, 2014Jamie Ramer to lead Briercrest hockey programMar 24, 2014View all Athletics Announcement stories. Men's Volleyball Back in Tie For FirstNigel Mullan | Dec 2, 2010 Your Briercrest Clipper teams have all finished the first half of their respective regular seasons. The teams are now enjoying a break from regular season games to prepare for final exams and get ready for the second half of the season.<strong>Volleyball</strong>The men’s volleyball team has had a very successful first half, as they ended on a high note by defeated Mount Royal University in both matches this past weekend. The guys moved back into a tie for first place in the ACAC, as both they and the NAIT Ooks have a record of 8 – 2. The host for the ACAC Conference Tournament will be determined this weekend, as The King’s University College and Red Deer College both have opportunities to move into first place with a pair of wins in their final first-half matches against Mount Royal and SAIT respectively. The team that finishes in first place at the Christmas break earns the right to host the Conference Tournament at the end of February.The women’s volleyball team had a tough match-up against the top team in the ACAC this past weekend, and came away with a pair of straight-set losses to Mount Royal. This leaves the ladies four points out of a playoff spot after the first half. They are still in position to make playoffs with a good run of wins in the second semester, and have a lot of opportunities against teams that are currently just ahead of them in the standings. They will have matches against SAIT, King’s and Red Deer who are all currently tied for the final playoff spot, along with a pair of matches against Augustana who is behind them.Both the men’s and women’s teams will host the Medicine Hat College Rattlers to kick off their second half on January 7th and 8th. Both teams will also be playing in an exhibition tournament at Mount Royal University on January 2 – 4th, to get ready for regular season action.<strong>Basketball</strong>The men’s basketball team finished off their first half with a pair of losses to the CCAA number five-ranked Lethbridge Kodiaks. The Clippers record dropped to 4 – 6, but they are still in a great position to make playoffs for the first time in a few seasons. They currently sit two points out of a playoff spot behind the SAIT Trojans and Red Deer Kings. The guys will start the second half on the road against a pair of North Division opponents, as they will face the Concordia Thunder and the Augustana Vikings on January 14th and 15th respectively. Before that, they will have a set of exhibition games in North Dakota from January 3 – 5th, where they will be taking on Dickinson State University, Minot State University, and Williston State College.Also, there is currently an article posted on our two American players, Christian Sacoman and Matt Meyers, which you should definitely check out on the ACAC website at this link: http://www.acac.ab.ca/pages/posts/sun-to-snow.-basketball-has-no-borders.712.php . The women also had a pair of losses against the Lethbridge College Kodiaks this past weekend, losing a couple of hard-fought battles to the team they are currently six points behind for the final playoff spot. The ladies will also open up their second half on the road at Concordia and Augustana and will also be heading to North Dakota for some exhibition matches in early January. The girls have shown resilience and hard work to battle through some tough injuries as they continue to get better each week. <strong>Hockey</strong>The men’s hockey team finished off their first half with a pair of games against the Mount Royal Cougars. Both games were tight as the Clippers battled hard against the second place Cougars, but Mount Royal prevailed in both games, winning 2 – 1 and 3 – 1. The guys now sit four points behind Portage College for the final playoff spot, although the Voyaguers have one more game this weekend to close out their first half. There are plenty of opportunities ahead for the Clippers, as they have 12 games left in their second half – two games against each team in the league, other than MRU. The SAIT Trojans will be coming to town on January 7th and 8th to start off the second half of the regular season. Enjoy the Christmas Holiday season! Your Briercrest Clipper teams look forward to your continued support as you cheer them on to the playoffs in the second half! About Briercrest

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Britton, Hardy, Reynolds & Wieters on the sweep Here are some extra quotes from today’s 5-1 sweep over the Tampa Bay Rays. It’s always easier to talk to guys after a win and given that it was getaway day, I didn’t get a chance to post these earlier. Enjoy. ZACH BRITTON [on his nerves] “I was really excited. It really wasn’t as bad, I remember spring training with Philly when I was really just everywhere, it wasn’t that bad. After that first inning I started to get a lot more comfortable out on the mound but at the same time I was really excited.” [on his plan of attack] “We canned the sinker. We were throwing four-seams al day and they hit some balls hard. But I think I was too amped up today to throw the sinker, so I wasn’t able to get the groundballs that I wanted to, but I had to be able to go to four-seam to be able to throw strikes. I was walking guys with the sinker so there was really no reason to watch that.” “The offspeed pitches were there, especially the changeup. So thankfully they were there without the sinker.” “I was disappointed that I didn’t have the sinker but the guys were like, they think about it. You can pitch here without your best pitch. And that’s something I’ll take out of today.” [on the moment hitting him yet] “I don’t think so. Maybe tomorrow when I wake up I’ll be able to take a step back and remember today. I was just excited. We’ve been playing great baseball and I think this is what everyone expected just bringing in the guys that we did. It’s Orioles baseball. It’s putting runs together, guys getting people over, getting good pitching, hopefully we can take this over into the next series and continue it.” [on Monday's home opener] “It’s going to be really special especially my first opening day at Camden yards. My first day at Camden Yards. It’s going to be really exciting. We have a lot of momentum going in. Like I said, hopefully this is the way that the Orioles are going to play baseball and the other teams, they have to respect that.” [on the sweep] “It’s big. We had all the confidence in the world going through spring training and as many expectations as we’ve had on ourselves. It’s nice to get off to a good start like this.” [on Britton] “I’ve been impressed by him every outing I’ve seen. Even in spring training. He’s opened a lot of eyes. And to go out and do this his first start was pretty awesome.” “He seemed really calm. He seemed like he was right in his element. I looked over at him when he was throwing his bullpen warming up and he looked like he’s been doing it for years. That was a good sign to see that.” [on his two-RBIs double, which chased Wade Davis from the game] “He was throwing me a lot of fastballs my first two at-bats. I think I saw maybe one changeup and a lot of fastballs. He started me off with a slider and threw a fastball in and I was able to get the barrel on it.” [on going home 3-0] “It’s great. It just adds to that confidence that we had coming out of spring training and it’s just a great way to start the season.” [on Britton's composure] “I thought he was real calm especially for a first start. I was expecting him to be a little amped up today but he came in here like it was just another work day. That was impressive that he was as calm as he was out there.” [on the rotation] “That’s a great start. It’s just good to be able to set the tone for the rest of the season and the rest of the staff. I they get out there and throw strikes and show confidence with all of their pitches, it’s going to be a pretty good year for us.” [on going back home] “I expect a good turnout tomorrow. Baltimore is a great city. If you are winning, they are going to come out and support you. Hopefully they can get behind this team and we’ll be able to keep winning.” [on the pitching] “They are throwing strikes. We’re starting kind of slow out of the gates hitting wise, but they are keeping us in games and we’ve come up with some big hits the past couple of nights.” “He went out there like he’s done it before. If he had nerves, it didn’t show. He was throwing hard and he was giving us every chance to stay in the game. We were lucky enough to score a couple there to give him a win.” [on the offense] “We have a lot of veteran guys in the lineup, a lot of guys who can hit. If the pitching keeps doing what we’re doing, hopefully we’ll be in more games than we’re not. Just keep grinding away. We have a lot of games left and a lot could happen.” “It’s huge. It was important for us to get off to a good start, get some confidence going and kind of get that losing attitude out of here, and come away with a sweep from the Rays. It just gets tougher. There are some good clubs coming in. I know everyone here will be pumped up to play in front of the hometown fans.” Pingback: Orioles News & Links 4/4 | Orioles Hangout

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CookingLight.com Community > Healthy Living > Healthy Living > FYI - Chocolate Milk is the best sports drink View Full Version : FYI - Chocolate Milk is the best sports drink funnybone03-02-2006, 05:38 PMMy son just showed me an article in Sports Illustrated claiming that Chocolate Milk is the best sports drink out there. I did a bit of research and found some stories on the web that back it up. It seems that even in Oct. 2005 there was mention of this in the news, but I didn't see it. Here is one article I found: A great sports drink? It's chocolate milk! Get milk -- chocolate flavor -- and get better. That's the ad slogan UPMC sports nutritionist Leslie Bonci suggests the American Dairy Council ought to be pitching to energy-depleted, hard-training athletes. Recent research has shown that the drink is as good or better than products like Gatorade and Endurox R4 when it comes to replacing fluids and carbohydrates. "I was at a Gatorade sports supplement convention this summer, and every researcher said chocolate milk works just as well," said Ms. Bonci, director of sports nutrition for the UPMC Center for Sports Medicine. That was the conclusion of a 2004 study at Indiana University at Bloomington, Ind., in which the two manufactured products and chocolate milk were tested on elite bicyclists. The study has just been accepted for publication in the International Journal of Sports Nutrition and it also was presented to the American College of Sports Medicine last year. Joel Stager, a kinesiology professor and director of Indiana's Counsilman Center for the Science of Swimming, oversaw the research. "The milk was twice as effective as [Endurox]," he said. "It was just as effective as Gatorade." The idea for the study came while he was working as a club swimming coach. A young swimmer brought in an expensive can of powder for mixing a fluid and carbohydrate replacement drink and Dr. Stager thought the ingredients looked familiar. He walked through a grocery store until he found the label he was looking for -- on a carton of chocolate milk. "We knew before we took this into the lab that it was going to work," he said. Chocolate milk contains a slew of other healthful ingredients: a high protein component, calcium, riboflavin and Vitamin D, among others. The caloric content of milk, however, is higher than that of the other drinks. "Milk has more because of the fat proteins in carbohydrates," Dr. Stager said. "That is one of the dilemmas. Our next study is designed to control calorie content and other carbohydrate content." But the higher calories are not a major problem. Many elite athletes fail to eat enough because they are too tired, and, Ms. Bonci said, and drinking their nutrition is easier. "The amount of chocolate in milk is not enormous," she said. "It's maybe 50 extra calories. The chocolate is used in adding carbohydrates and taste and that's critical. "It's a fluid, it's got carbohydrates, calcium and protein. Sounds pretty good to me."

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Sterling J. Atkins, 18 February 20, 2013 Sterling James Atkins was born on a snowy day - April 11, 1994, in Kearney, to J.B. and Sonya Atkins. His life of fun loving mischief had begun. If Sterling had been born a horse, then he would have tested the electric fence daily just to see if it was still hot. Sterling and his parents moved to Broken Bow in 1997, where he attended school and graduated in 2012. He was joined by a sister, Jayde, in 1998. Sterling enjoyed many local activities including 4-H and baseball, but may be more known for his “deer tackling incident” at the ball diamond than for his prowess at the plate. His extracurricular activities included hunting and rodeo, as well as competing at horse shows. His accomplishments in the horse show arena were plentiful, with multiple Finals appearances at the AQHA Youth World Championship Show and to 10 finishes in reining and reined cowhorse. This young man decided to take his talents and cross over to the rodeo arena. He soon excelled in the cutting event with qualifications for the High School National Finals Rodeo three years in a row, including a top 10 finish at Nationals his junior year, and a state championship his senior year. He added team roping and calf roping to his rodeo events and enjoyed success there as well, including his most coveted of prizes - winning the first round of calf roping at the State High School Finals in 2012. Sterling’s most important decision came at a Young Pro’s Team Roping Clinic during the USTRC roping in Broken Bow. The Young Pro’s were a group of young Christian cowboys that help teach young people how to rope. Along with the clinic they witness about Jesus Christ. During this clinic, Sterling made a decision to follow Jesus. This decision guided his footsteps from that day forward. Although his path sometimes did not always follow the gospel, he knew that he was forgiven. The pursuit of humor occasionally put Sterling in a few tight spots. His tales of mischief are too numerous to mention, but they are famous among certain locales - in particular his neighbors, his school teachers, his coaches and even his Sunday school buddies. Sterling’s life touched everyone he knew in a manner impossible to describe in words. He was not a ghost among us, but a bright light that sometimes shed the darkness and sometimes burned like a hot iron - but he refused to go unnoticed. It was his way. This young bright light went to be with God on the snowy evening of Feb. 9, 2013. He left behind his parents, J.B. and Sonya, and his sister, Jayde, all of Broken Bow; grandparents, Maurice and Marlene Atkins of Broken Bow, and Curt and Nilda Havner of Elsberry, Mo.; and a host of uncles, aunts and cousins from Nebraska, Missouri, South Dakota, Kansas, Texas, Illinois, Florida, Alaska, Puerto Rico, Australia and Spain. Published in Custer County Chief, Feb. 21, 2013

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D CEO ⋅ October 2012 A New Model for North Texas Healthcare How Fossil Keeps on Growing Breakfast With: JoAnn Brumit A Bright Idea in Castle Hills Jack Black Cares For Men Meet the CEO: Stephen Clark Twins on a Mission “If he talked to you, he’d have to talk to everybody,” West said. “That’s something he doesn’t want to do.” illustration by Jim Salvati Ray C. Davis: The Undercover Billionaire He’s made a fortune in the energy business and co-owns the Texas Rangers baseball club. But he flies notoriously under the radar. We set out to track down the mysterious mogul and try to learn why. By Thomas Korosec From D CEO October 2012 “If he talked to you, he’d have to talk to everybody,” West said. “That’s something he doesn’t want to do.” illustration by Jim Salvati The second-floor courtroom in Fort Worth’s Depression-era Eldon B. Mahon U.S. Courthouse made a suitable backdrop for the high-dollar auction sale of the Texas Rangers.Marble floors, rich oak paneling, and Art Deco-detailing gave the place a sumptuous feel. And the 21-foot ceiling was just tall enough to contain the egos of all the pricy lawyers in attendance, not to mention the men who were prepared to write the half-a-billion-dollar-or-more check it would take to buy the MLB team.Mark Cuban, owner of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks, swapped greetings with reporters as he and Houston businessman Jim Crane, his bidding partner, took their seats at one of the courtroom tables. “Going over some last-minute figures?” one reporter asked Cuban, who was a bit tardy. Cuban shot a look as if the guy were crazy, waving off the idea that he might be worried about something so trifling.The August 4, 2010, auction turned out to be a grinding affair, punctuated by long pauses in the bidding. As a reporter covering the story for a national business news outlet, I used the intermissions to pad around and try to get some of the key players to comment on behind-the-scenes developments.During one break, I approached a man who had stayed completely in the background, but who nonetheless was a central participant in the Rangers sale saga. Dressed nattily in a blue-gray pinstripe suit, white shirt, and violet tie, Ray C. Davis stood several inches taller than the Rangers’ six-feet-two-inch Nolan Ryan, with whom he had arrived.I introduced myself to the rangy Davis, who retired as a billionaire from Dallas-based Energy Transfer Partners, a publicly traded pipeline company where he’d served as co-CEO. He gave my hand a firm grip, said hello in a deep voice and then, before I could get my first question out, nodded and walked away.The non-interview was not only disappointing from a professional standpoint; it was so brief I hadn’t formed the slightest impression of Davis. Was he shy, or someone who loathes the media, or nothing of either?My interest in Davis hardly abated when, 10 hours after the auction began, the group led by Ryan and attorney Chuck Greenberg won the American League club with a bid worth $593 million. Davis and another billionaire, Bob Simpson, co-founder and former CEO of XTO Energy Inc., reportedly provided the bulk of the purchase price and, once the sale closed, became co-chairmen of the team’s board of directors.News reports over the next few hours, including mine, ran with quotes from Cuban and Ryan and a memorable one from Greenberg, who conceded that while the auction price was “a little expensive … it’s all part of the color and pageantry of the affair.”Nowhere, though, was there a quote from Davis, who’d picked up a big part of the sale tab and then slipped out of the courthouse without a word.Owners of professional sports teams in most cities, but especially in Dallas, play a unique role in the fans’ views of their beloved teams. Here, Cuban and Jerry Jones of the Dallas Cowboy get endlessly analyzed. For every “Top Ten Shortstops of All Time” list, there are five titled “Ten Worst Owners of All Time.” Fans need someone to blame when teams sink in the standings, and ownership is a favorite place to start. So, it’s fair to ask, who is this billionaire pipeline businessman and co-owner of the Texas Rangers? And, why does he maintain such a low profile?Active InvestorIn the two years since the auction sale, the 70-year-old Davis has rarely broken his silence, though it’s clear that he is far from a passive investor in the club. Refusing all interview requests, including three I’ve made myself over that span, Davis has positioned himself as the anti-Mark Cuban. He’s not only invisible in terms of the team, but he declines to say much about his business dealings either. He is, simply put, the last investor on the planet you’re going to see showing off his business savvy on TV’s Shark Tank—where Cuban stars—or anywhere else.What we do know, though, is that Davis is still active at his investment company, Avatar Investments LP, which has offices on Sherry Lane in Dallas. So it was with great interest that I learned that he was to speak this spring to the Dallas-Fort Worth chapters of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners at the group’s annual conference. Ray Davis, left, showed up at a 2011 news conference with Nolan Ryan to talk about the resignation of Texas Rangers CEO Chuck Greenberg. photography courtesy of the Fort-Worth Star Telegram It was like hearing someone had spotted a woodpecker that was thought to have gone extinct.The fraud examiners group, which was good enough to let me attend the private presentation, said Davis would be talking about “his experience on avoiding and finding investment swindles.” That sounded promising, I thought as I drove to the meeting at Dallas’s Cityplace Conference and Event Center. But first, it turned out, Davis wanted to talk about baseball. “Anybody who feels tired after a nice lunch can go to sleep. That’s just fine,” the businessman deadpanned, warming up as the luncheon speaker at the late-May event. He was dressed in standard business attire: tie, gray suit, white shirt. “My wife said she falls asleep after 15 minutes of me talking. Here’s a little about the business of baseball . . .”Baseball is like a lot of other businesses, Davis told the group. “We’re no better than the players on the field, and no better than the scouting and development and people in the office.“There are no shortcuts in this business,” he said. “People have tried to buy championships before without success. You win with people, you build from within, and you try to keep as much payroll flexibility as you possibly can.” Then, referring to issues facing the team in the current season, he declared, “This year is going to be extremely difficult. . . . We have some real challenges coming up, trying to make the decisions we’re going to have to make on all our free agents, seeing who we can sign, and what young players we have coming up who can fill the need.”Once Davis had finished his talk—later, he would also address non-Rangers business issues—I intercepted the normally reticent billionaire on his way off the stage, only to have my request for an interview rebuffed again. “I don’t do interviews,” he said tersely. Persevering, I said it appeared that he had quite a lot to do with the team.“It’s a business. It’s not an ego thing. It’s a business,” Davis allowed. He agreed with Bob Simpson’s view, given at a news conference last year, that Ryan and General Manager Jon Daniels were running the team day-to-day, and that the co-chairmen were acting more as “wise counselors” with experience to offer. Only twice has Davis been seen in the public eye on Rangers business. He accompanied then-team CEO Chuck Greenberg to Little Rock, Ark., on a trip to woo free agent Cliff Lee in late 2010—a trip that failed to land the pitching ace. Four months later he appeared with Ryan and Simpson at a news conference announcing that Greenberg had resigned—a move widely reported as an ouster. Why the Rangers Cut Chuck Greenberg CEO of the Year: Nolan Ryan The Best Beer in Dallas

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Chicago Public High School League (Redirected from Chicago Public League) This article includes a list of references, related reading or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. Please improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (August 2012) This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (August 2012) The Chicago Public High School Athletic Association, commonly known as the Chicago Public League (CPL), is the interscholastic competition arm of the Chicago Public Schools. The governance of the CPL is set through the Department of Sports Administration and Facilities of CPS. 2 Administration 3 Basic playing levels 4 "The Shield" 5 Athletic divisions 5.1 Football 5.2 Basketball 5.3 Baseball 5.4 Other sports Origins of the Chicago Public League can be traced back to its predecessor, the Cook County High School League, which started during 1889-90. Some of the schools that participated in the Cook County League still exist today: Crane (as English High and Manual Training), Englewood, Lincoln Park (as North Division), Hyde Park, Phillips (as South Division), Calumet, Marshall, Austin, Lake (now Tilden), and Lake View. Three other schools from this League have since gone to other leagues around the area: University High, which plays in the Independent League, Lyons Township High of LaGrange and Oak Park High, both of which now play in the West Suburban Conference. The Chicago Public High School League was formed in the summer of 1913, when the Cook County High School League broke apart as a result of the Chicago Board of Education desire to be responsible for a league in which all the schools would be under its jurisdiction. The suburban schools joined by University High formed the Suburban League (Chicago area). In the first 15 years of the Public league's history a full plethora of sports were offered. The dominant powers were such traditional powers as Hyde Park, Lane Tech, Crane Tech, Englewood, joined by new powers Senn, Lindblom, Schurz, and Tilden Tech. The mid-1920s saw the adoption of such exotic sports as gymnastics, rifle marksmanship, fencing, indoor golf, and speed skating, but none of these sports ever attracted more than a small percentage of the schools. During the 1920s, the Chicago Public League, which had unofficially abided by the Illinois High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) ban on all girls interscholastic contests, began to relax its strictures against interscholastic sports for girls. The league in 1922 began sponsoring tennis, golf, and swimming competition, and became lax in its ban on the other sports, so that the girls began interschool competition in basketball, volleyball, and softball. However, when the CPL schools began joining the IHSAA in 1926 (so as to participate in the state golf, tennis, and track and field contests, in which the IHSAA that year assumed joint sponsorship with the University of Illinois) the league then ended its sponsorship of girls' golf, tennis, and swimming, and cracked down on girls' interscholastic contests in the other sports. The CPL did not return to girls' interscholastics until the early 1970s, with the passage of Title IX by the federal government in 1972. Beginning with the Great Migration coming in the 1920s, a number of schools became predominantly African American, notably Phillips (started as South Division), DuSable (started as New Phillips), Dunbar, Forrestville (now King), Carver; and later into the second half of the 20th century with Julian, Simeon, Curie, Orr, and Kennedy. The advent of charter schools in the late 1990s and early 2000s yet saw another expansion of the league as schools such as CICS, Noble Street, and ACE Technical Charter High School were included. The CPL as it stands today is very diverse with nearly every major nationality and race represented in all sports. Administration[edit] The CPL is headed by the Director of Sports Administration and Facilities of the Chicago Public Schools. Calvin Davis currently holds this

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- Marcus Harrison arrives overweight Marcus Harrison arrives overweight By Michael C. Wright ESPNChicago.com BOURBONNAIS, Il.. -- Marcus Harrison's expected push for serious playing time didn't start Saturday, when the rest of the team hit the field for its first practice. Instead, the third-year Bears defensive tackle will likely be placed on the non-football injury list -- according to an NFL source -- after reporting to training camp 11 pounds overweight. Harrison was a spectator on Saturday, but ran conditioning drills on another practice field, after reporting to Olivet Nazarene University earlier in the week weighing 327 pounds, 11 more than the team-prescribed 316 pounds. "I feel like I probably should be out here tomorrow or no later than [Aug. 4]. I'm not that far off, like I said. It's up to the coaches," Harrison said. "I'm doing conditioning [work], I mean the weight isn't going to disappear by [itself]. I'm just going to keep working out and stuff. Now that the lockout is over and I'm where I can eat better on a daily basis, I feel fine about dropping this weight real fast." Harrison has struggled in the past to maintain his weight. In 2009, Harrison reported to camp 14 pounds overweight. It took Harrison four days to shed enough weight for the staff to allow him to rejoin teammates for on-field drills. So Harrison's latest setback isn't expected to be as lengthy of an ordeal. "Marcus hasn't passed his physical," coach Lovie Smith said. "We're trying to get him in condition to go through one of our practices. We'll just keep monitoring him and see when he'll be ready to go." The non-football injury list is similar to the physically unable to perform list, with the difference being that Harrison's condition didn't occur in a Bears practice or game (players who fail conditioning tests are often placed on the non-football injury list). Harrison played five games last season, contributing one tackle, in addition to batting down a pass. During the NFL lockout, Bears officials expressed optimism about Harrison's prospects for the upcoming season, saying 2011 would be the defensive tackle's best opportunity to become a significant contributor in the defensive-line rotation. Harrison was inactive for six of the club's first seven games last season, but played in four consecutive games from Nov. 14 to Dec. 12, before being an inactive over the last four contests. A third-round pick in 2008, Harrison has played in 37 games with nine starts. He's posted 53 career tackles, and three sacks. Michael C. Wright covers the Bears for ESPNChicago.com.

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Tag:Mike Brown CONTINUED: 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6 · 7 · Next » Bengals hire Hue Jackson as assistant By Josh KatzowitzWhatever faults you might find with Bengals owner Mike Brown -- and I haven’t been ashamed in pointing them out -- you never can begrudge the man his loyalty. And he made another example of that today as the Bengals have announced they’ve hired former Raiders coach (and former Bengals receivers coach) Hue Jackson as an assistant helping the secondary and special teams*. Jackson, you might recall, was fired only one season into his Oakland tenure after leading the team to an 8-8 record and trading first- and second-round picks to the Bengals for quarterback Carson Palmer.*It should be noted that Jackson doesn't appear to have ever coached defense, though he did work with special teams when he was at Cal State-Fullerton in 1990 and the World League's London Monarchs in 1991. So yeah, this totally seems like a loyalty hire. After Al Davis’ death and the hiring of general manager Reggie McKenzie, Jackson’s stay with the Raiders was doomed. Particularly after he tore into his team following a Week 17 loss, saying he was pissed off and disappointed. “I’m going to take a stronger hand in this whole team, in this whole organization,” Jackson said at the time. “There ain’t no way that I’m going to feel like I feel today a year from now. I promise you that."Well, that’s totally true now, because Jackson should be in Cincinnati in Week 17 of 2012. Latest NFL news, notes Freeman: Why do players go broke? Rooney makes clear Tomlin wanted Haley Slauson played 2011 with bad shoulder injuries Prisco: Finding best free agent for your team NFL says concussions down 50 percent BUF, Johnson exchanging numbers Flacco wants top-five money It’s a place where he spent 2004-06, helping mold Chad Ochocinco and T.J. Houshmandzadeh into two of the better receivers in the league. And while he had the Raiders in the race for an AFC West title this year -- until, that is, a guy named Tim Tebow emerged for the Broncos -- McKenzie decided to bring in his own coach after the season.“A the end of the day, I didn’t win enough games, didn’t get to the playoffs,” Jackson said in January. “Once Mark (Davis, Al’s son) saw where the franchise was, after he hired Reggie, he gave Reggie the opportunity to bring in his own coach.”There has been speculation on who actually brokered the trade that seems like it’ll pay off awfully well for the Bengals -- Jackson now says he only helped bring the Raiders and Bengals together and that those on a higher pay-grade made the final decision. But now, Jackson is in the strange position to see how the deal works out from the opposite side of where he was when he first helped make it. For more NFL news, rumors and analysis, follow @EyeOnNFL on Twitter, Like Us on Facebook, subscribe to our NFL newsletter, and while you're add it, add our RSS Feed. Tags: Carson Palmer, Chad Ochocinco, Cincinnati Bengals, Hue Jackson, Josh Katzowitz, Mark Davis, Mike Brown, Oakland Raiders, Reggie McKenzie, T.J. Houshmandzadeh Add a Comment | Comments (14) Greg Cook played one season but had major impact By Josh KatzowitzIn 1969, Greg Cook was a specimen at quarterback during his rookie year for the Bengals. He led the AFL by completing 53.9 percent of his passes for 1,854 yards, 15 touchdowns and 11 interceptions (he played in only 11 of the team’s 14 games), and at the time, it was one of the best seasons ever by a rookie quarterback. He could throw the ball 70 yards, and he possessed great touch and timing. In his rookie season, he also averaged 17.5 yards per pass – the 12th best season average in NFL/AFL history. Cook – who, at 65 years old, died Thursday – was destined to be a superstar, perhaps one of the best quarterbacks of all time.But while that one season was the highlight of his entire playing career, Cook’s legacy indirectly impacted much of the NFL offense you watch today. Cook, you see, was the main reason Bill Walsh had to implement the West Coast offense in 1970.“Greg was the single most talented player we’ve ever had with the Bengals,” Bengals president Mike Brown said in a statement. “His career was tragically short due to the injury. Had he been able to stay healthy, I believe he would have been the player of his era in the NFL.“Greg was a personal friend to me. He was a good person whose company I enjoyed over all his years as a player and after that. I feel a great loss at his passing.”The reason you probably don’t remember Cook today is because in the third game of his rookie season, he suffered a bad shoulder injury that was later diagnosed as a torn rotator cuff. He missed the next three games, but returned for the final half of the season to finish his rookie year on a high note. But after undergoing several surgeries to repair his shoulder, Cook would play only one more game in his career, throwing just three passes in 1973 before disappearing into the Cincinnati landscape. Yet, Cook was a godsend for Walsh, who was helping run the Bengals offense. He had expected Cook to return for his second season in 1970, and Walsh planned to continue using Cook’s big arm to mold a downfield vertical passing attack. But without Cook, the Bengals had to go with backup Virgil Carter, who was not as talented but was considering a quick-thinking quarterback. As Sports Illustrated’s Paul Zimmerman wrote in 2001, “Carter was able to go through his progressions quickly and throw on the go; not blessed with a big arm, but accurate. So Walsh crafted an offense to suit him, a horizontal offense with a lot of motion and underneath routes and breakoff patterns, an attack that now goes by the misnomer ‘West Coast Offense.’”It’s a misnomer because, although Walsh had his greatest success in San Francisco, the idea was hatched in the Midwest. And though the man from whom Walsh took much of his cues in developing the offense was a longtime Los Angeles Rams and San Diego Chargers coach, Sid Gillman had started making his passing game more horizontal when he coach at Miami (Ohio) and the University of Cincinnati in the 1940s and 1950s.Once, Zimmerman asked Walsh how much his system would have changed if Cook had a long career. “Completely different," he said. "It would have been down the field." And thus, how much differently would the NFL look today without the West Coast offense and Cook’s contribution? I imagine it wasn’t any consolation to Cook, but without his injury, the league could have been a vastly-different, less-exciting place. For more NFL news, rumors and analysis, follow @EyeOnNFL on Twitter, Like Us on Facebook, subscribe to our NFL newsletter, and while you're add it, add our RSS Feed. Tags: Bill Walsh, Cincinnati Bengals, Greg Cook, Josh Katzowitz, Mike Brown, Sid Gillman, Virgil Carter Add a Comment | Comments (7) Jackson thinks 'I could have done it different' By Josh KatzowitzOn the heels of Yahoo Sports’ Michael Silver’s initial interview with just-fired Raiders coach Hue Jackson, in which Jackson said he believed Oakland owner Mark Davis was the one who wanted him gone, Jackson participated in Rich Eisen’s podcast Wednesday to offer more insight into how and why he was let go. While the Raiders are moving forward with the news that they’ll interview Todd Bowles for the head coaching job, Jackson and Eisen took a look back at what happened since general manager Reggie McKenzie was hired in Oakland.A few highlights from the interview: So, um, what happened? “A the end of the day, I didn’t win enough games, didn’t get to the playoffs. Once Mark saw where the franchise was, after he hired Reggie, he gave Reggie the opportunity to bring in his own coach.” Did your comments after the Week 17 loss to the Chargers hurt you? “It could be. When you look at anything, it could have been the one thing that turned it the other way. Do I wish I could have done it different? Yeah. Normally after a game, I go in and shower and put on my suit and go talk. On that particular day, I didn’t do that. I was emotional. It was a big game for our football team for the opportunity to have a nine-win season for the first time since ‘02, an opportunity to win the AFC West outright, to host a playoff game the next week, to honor Al Davis’ death. There was a lot riding on it and not to play like I thought we could, what spilled out of me was the emotional side. “But I think everybody took that wrong. Was I disappointed and pissed off? Yes. But when I said I wanted to be involved in every aspect of the football game, I was saying that because I didn’t have the opportunity to do that. This was Al Davis’ team. This is what he wanted on the football team. The point I was trying to make moving forward, whether it be with the staff or schematically, I can now make those changes because the 2011 season had already been in place and wasn’t going to change.”On how much impact he had on the Carson Palmer trade: “All I did was help facilitate that because I have a relationship with Carson and had a relationship with (Bengals owner) Mike Brown. There’s been so many reports that I did the deal. I don’t do deals. I’m not the general manager. I’m the coach. But I opened the line of communication, and the rest of it was done within our organization with our team of people.”For more NFL news, rumors and analysis, follow @EyeOnNFL on Twitter, Like Us on Facebook, subscribe to our NFL newsletter, and while you're add it, add our RSS Feed. Tags: Al Davis, Carson Palmer, Coaching Rumors, Hue Jackson, Josh Katzowitz, Mark Davis, Mike Brown, Oakland Raiders, Reggie McKenzie Add a Comment | Comments (11) Edited on: January 4, 2012 1:47 pm 2012 NFL Postseason Awards Brees and Rodgers could square off three times this year, if you count awards. (Getty Images) By Will Brinson We won't bore you by listing our preseason predictions (you can read those here), but suffice to say, all of mine were correct. Take a peak at the midseason hardware if you want too, but right now we're interested in dishing out the awards for the full season. Speaking of which, I've already ranted on Drew Brees vs. Aaron Rodgers for the MVP, but I find it fascinating that at midseason, no one even picked Brees for Offensive Player of the Year, much less MVP. I'm not here to knock Brees, I'm just saying the award's for an entire season's worth of work.Anyway, below are our full season picks. (You can also read Pete's full season picks here and Clark's full season picks here.)Most are obvious but "BFA" is "Best Free Agent Addition," "WFA" is "Worst Free Agent Addition," and "DOH!" is "Pick I'd Like to Have Back." (Haha, yes I did pick the guy who eventually iced his own kicker to win "Coach of the Year." At least I was driving the Camwagon though.) Dive in below and leave your gripes and complaints in the comments. Katzowitz MVP Aaron Rodgers OPOY Drew Brees DPOY Jared Allen OROY Cam Newton DROY Von Miller COY Marvin Lewis ASST Rob Chudzinski BFA Darren Sproles WFA Sidney Rice Comeback Steve Smith Most Improved Matthew Stafford Surprise Bengals Disappoint Eagles Executive Rick Smith DOH! Garrett for COY Rivers for MVP Fins in/Lions out Rams in NFCW For more NFL news, rumors and analysis, follow @EyeOnNFL on Twitter, Like Us on Facebook, subscribe to our NFL newsletter, and while you're add it, add our RSS Feed. Tags: 2012 NFL Awards, Aaron Rodgers, Aldon Smith, Atlanta Falcons, Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers, Cincinnati Bengals, Clark Judge, Darren Sproles, Denver Broncos, Detroit Lions, Drew Brees, Green Bay Packers, Houston Texans, Jared Allen, Jim Harbaugh, Josh Katzowitz, Marvin Lewis, Matthew Stafford, Mike Brown, Minnesota Vikings, MVP, New Orleans Saints, NFL Awards, Pete Prisco, Philadelphia Eagles, Ray Edwards, Rick Smith, Rob Chudzinski, Ryan Wilson, San Francisco 49ers, Sidney Rice, Steve Smith, Von Miller, Wade Phillips, Will Brinson Add a Comment | Comments (69) Edited on: December 23, 2011 10:03 pm Mike Brown now owns most of Bengals franchise By Josh KatzowitzBengals owner Mike Brown just got a little richer. Well, that’s not necessarily true. He owns a little more of his team today -- which might, in effect, make him slightly poorer. Either way, Brown purchased the minority share of the franchise held by the estate of one of the team’s co-founders, Austin Knowlton. According to the Cincinnati Enquirer, Brown purchased about 30 percent of the Bengals for $200 million. The team announced the sale today, saying that although Knowlton’s estate had already reached terms to sell its team shares to New York investors, Brown had a right to match the terms of that deal. Which is exactly what he did. “This transaction solidifies the local ownership of the Cincinnati Bengals, with the Brown family continuing to hold the controlling interest,” the Bengals said in their statement. “The Bengals have been locally owned since the Club’s inception in the mid-1960s and, as a result, have enjoyed long-term stability. The Club’s football operations will not be affected by the transaction and no further or carry-on transactions are contemplated.”“We are proud to be the owners of the NFL’s Cincinnati franchise,” Brown said in his statement. “We are committed to steps that will continue the Bengals as an asset for Greater Cincinnati.”This means the Brown family owns most of the 586 team shares, and according to an economics professor reached by the Enquirer, the purchase “will do wonders for Mike Brown’s balance sheet.’’ So, it might make him richer, after all.And it will make sure that whatever Brown wants to do with his squad -- whether that’s making sure the team stays in Cincinnati (or moving it somewhere else, I suppose) or simply continuing his reign as one of the most-disliked owners in the NFL -- no one has the ability to stop him. Tags: Cincinnati Bengals, Josh Katzowitz, Mike Brown Add a Comment | Comments (2) Posted on: October 30, 2011 2:40 pm Edited on: October 31, 2011 2:32 am Report: Bengals owner wanted Mallett over Dalton Owner Mike Brown drafted Dalton but reportedly wanted Mallett. (US PRESSWIRE) Posted by Ryan Wilson During the 2001 draft, there were rumors that the Bengals, with the fourth-overall pick, gave serious consideration to taking Drew Brees. They ultimately selected defensive end Justin Smith, who had a fine career in Cincinnati but leaving for San Francisco but … well, he ain't Brees. The Bengals ended up with the first-overall pick in 2003 and drafted Carson Palmer. And while Cincy made a couple postseason appearances, they never managed a playoff win. Last offseason, Palmer said he'd retire if the Bengals didn't trade him, and that prompted the organization to select Andy Dalton in the second round of the 2011 draft. Turns out, according to a report from ESPN's Adam Schefter, that owner Mike Brown preferred Arkansas QB Ryan Mallett to Dalton. Mallett, by most accounts, was a first-round talent but dreaded off-field concerns dropped him down NFL draft boards. Mallett was eventually selected by the Patriots in the third round. Schefter says that Bengals offensive coordinator Jay Gruden was "instrumental" in persuading Brown that Dalton was their guy, and through seven weeks, Gruden looks pretty smart (taking wideout A.J. Green in Round 1 wasn't a bad move, either). Dalton has started all six games, thrown for 1,311 yards (62.4 completion percentage), including seven touchdowns and five interceptions. Oh, and Cincy's 4-2. Dalton ranks 18th in Football Outsiders' QB metric, ahead of Joe Flacco, Jay Cutler and Josh Freeman (and just behind Philip Rivers, Mark Sanchez and Alex Smith). But maybe Brown is finally getting the hang of this whole winning thing. First he was talked into drafting Dalton over Mallett, then he duped the Raiders into giving up (potentially) two first-round draft picks for Palmer. The Cincinnati Bengals look to keep their winning streak alive as they prepare to take on the Seattle Seahawks at CenturyLink Field on Sunday. Jason Horowitz and NFL.com's Pat Kirwan take a look at this matchup. Watch the game on CBS at 4:15 PM ET. For more NFL news, rumors and analysis, follow @EyeOnNFL on Twitter, subscribe to our NFL newsletter, and while you're at it, add our RSS Feed. Tags: AJ Green, Andy Dalton, Carson Palmer, Cincinnati Bengals, Drew Brees, Jay Gruden, Mike Brown, Ryan Mallett, Ryan Wilson Add a Comment | Comments (5) Palmer admits he was selfish by leaving Bengals Posted by Josh KatzowitzFans in Cincinnati have been upset with Carson Palmer ever since he walked away from the Bengals and (kinda, sorta) retired. They think he abandoned the team -- which he did -- and they think he was selfish. But he had his reasons, considering he knows exactly how the Bengals organization is run, and I think he had good reasons for not returning.But … he was still selfish for leaving, and even he’s willing to admit it. “Well it’s been a long eight years,” Palmer told KNBR in San Francisco (via sportsradiointerviews.com). “I’ve been through a lot, seen a lot within that organization, and just decided. I definitely realized it was a selfish decision that I was making. I talked about it a lot with my family and decided that I’d like to continue to play but it was time to move on. And it was time for them to move on.“I’m just excited and happy and blessed to be in the situation I’m in now playing for Coach Jackson and with this organization. I’m excited where this one is headed, and it’s also good where the Bengals organization is headed -- they’re headed in a great direction. They’ve got a good young nucleus of players, they’re playing really well, and I think it worked out well for both organizations.”So, did he think he would actually beat Bengals owner Mike Brown in a game of chicken? “I actually thought I might not get a chance to play this year,” Palmer said. “I didn’t think (Brown) was going to do it and was hoping for next year. But if that was what it was going to take, that’s what it was going to take. But fortunately I got the chance to play this year.” Palmers Intro to Oakland Jackson doesn’t regret playing Palmer Coach Killers: Carson Boller, everybody! Boller benched; Palmer inserted Campbell found out about trade on TV Jackson calls Palmer trade greatest ever And sure, the Raiders were terrible last week, watching as Kyle Boller and then Palmer threw a combined six interceptions, but Palmer is pleased to be reunited with Hue Jackson. Meanwhile, the Bengals have moved on with Andy Dalton. But still, that doesn’t stop Marvin Lewis from taking shots at Palmer’s willingness to remain loyal to the team that committed tens of millions of dollars to him. “At what point did Carson quit?” Lewis asked Yahoo Sports. “At some point last year he decided he didn’t want to be here. This didn’t happen at the end of the season. There was a point earlier on when he said, ‘This isn’t the place for me.’”Or as one unnamed Bengals official told Les Carpenter: “We got rid of all our [expletive].”Which strikes me as blatantly unfair. But Palmer seems happy in his location. The Bengals seem happy with their new quarterback. And everybody can go along on their merry way. For more NFL news, rumors and analysis, follow @EyeOnNFL on Twitter and subscribe to our RSS Feed. Tags: Andy Dalton, Carson Palmer, Cincinnati Bengals, Hue Jackson, Josh Katzowitz, Kyle Boller, Marvin Lewis, Mike Brown, Oakland Raiders Add a Comment | Comments (56) Posted on: October 23, 2011 10:50 am Campbell found out about Palmer trade on TV Posted by Will Brinson When Carson Palmer was traded from the Bengals to the Raiders, we made the argument that the biggest loser in the whole deal was Oakland incumbent Jason Campbell. After all, Hue Jackson's decision to make a play for Palmer essentially sealed Campbell's future by the bay.Cementing that theory, then, is the news that Campbell found out about the Palmer trade while watching television. In his hospital bed. With his fiancée. "I was halfway still on pain medicine," Campbell told Bay Area radio station 95.7 The Game. "It was kind of a moment of silence. My fiancée looked at me to see if I was gonna say something. There's different things that go through your mind but you don't want to fill your mind with those thoughts."Can you imagine how awkward that is? I mean, Campbell's a professional athlete and he's been through a couple Redskins regimes, so the guy knows a thing or two about getting punched in the stomach by a front office. But the anesthesia on his broken collarbone hadn't even worn off before the Raiders had hauled him out behind the house and thrown his Oakland career in the (metaphorical) dumpster ... without giving him a heads up. And letting him find out in front of his lady."I started receiving these text messages and everything about, you know, 'Hey what's going on?' and 'There's been a trade' and everything, and 'They've just given up a first round,' " Campbell said.Look, the NFL is a cold business. This stuff happens a lot and the Raiders aren't supposed to be sending flowers -- they're supposed to be doing everything in their power to improve their team. It's just that Campbell, more than most players, has been on the icy receiving end of things over his career and you'd think they could at least give him a heads up that they were calling the dogs off on his career in Oakland. For more NFL news, rumors and analysis, follow @EyeOnNFL on Twitter, subscribe to our NFL newsletter, and while you're add it, add our RSS Feed. Tags: Carson Palmer, Carson Palmer Trade, Cincinnati Bengals, Hue Jackson, Jason Campbell, Mike Brown, Oakland Raiders, San Diego Chargers, Will Brinson Add a Comment | Comments (7)

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What Mickey Hatcher Really Does – Part Three As previously discussed, people with no knowledge of the game blame Angels hitting coach Mickey Hatcher for everything from global warming to the heartbreak of psoriasis. Orange County Register beat writer Bill Plunkett tempts the wrath of the ignorant with an article today about some recent success stories. Hatcher can point at two recent success stories in Mike Napoli and Shea Hillenbrand. Napoli had been mired in a slump that stretched all the way back to midseason of last year. Three weeks ago, he was hitting .185 for the season — .142 over 66 games dating to last July. After Hatcher finally sold him on making an adjustment with his hands, Napoli has taken off. He was not in the lineup for Thursday’s day game, but Napoli has a career-high 11-game hitting streak during which he has batted .359 with home runs in each of the past three games he has played. "At that time, he was slumping so badly he was ready to listen," Hatcher said. "There was something in his mechanics I thought we needed to do, basically just simplifying his hands. He had that big loop in his swing, trying to hit the ball out. Where his hands were (high, with the bat wrapped behind his head), he thought he was Vlad Guerrero. "I just talked to him about flattening his bat out and getting his hands in a better hitting position. I’d talked to him about it before. But it’s pretty tough to get guys to change when they’re going good. Sometimes you have to let a guy get to the point where they’re thinking, ‘Hey, I need to change something.’" Hillenbrand had certainly reached those depths when he was benched for three games two weeks ago. At the time, he was hitting .225 with one extra-base hit (a double) and seven RBIs. He and Hatcher spent the three days studying videotape of Hillenbrand’s 2003 and 2004 seasons, when he averaged around .300 and 80-plus RBIs per season. "A lot of that was just trying to get information. I hadn’t seen him much before this season," Hatcher said. "What we worked on had a lot to do with his setup, getting into a strong, balanced hitting position." Elsewhere … Under the subject of people who think they know more about hitting than the professionals because they can work a four-function calculator, Los Angeles Times writer Bill Shaikin has this quote from Gary Matthews Jr. about how pitch counts work. Some of the more extreme in the sabermetric community claim the evidence proves a batter should never ever swing at the first pitch. Matthews, who works in the real world, counters that theory. … Matthews says he focuses on a portion of the strike zone and swings if the pitch is there. It is too simple, he says, to automatically take a pitch from a pitcher struggling with his control. A pitcher searching for the strike zone might throw a fat strike, he says, and the first pitch might be the most hittable pitch he’ll see. "There can be no rhyme or reason for a pitch sequence," Matthews said. "You can’t take a pitch and think he’ll give you a 1-0 fastball down the middle."

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Manning thanks Helton for two big assists By Arnie Stapleton, The Associated Press • Updated: September 19, 2013 at 4:15 pm • Published: September 19, 2013 Colorado Rockies Todd Helton (17) high fives Rockies pitcher Rex Brothers after the Rockies 6-2 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals during the first inning of a baseball game in Denver on Monday, Sept. 16, 2013. Helton announced he plans to retire after the season. He has spent his entire 17-year-long career with the Rockies.(AP Photo/Joe Mahoney) Related Articles Champ Bailey returns to Broncos practice Awini's first weeks at the helm of Air Force's offense have been complicated Football: Manitou Springs weathers adversity Klee: Duke of 'D' takes road less traveled to Broncos Prep football preview capsules Related Documents Related Document ENGLEWOOD — Peyton Manning plans to catch Todd Helton's final home game for the Colorado Rockies next week so he can pay homage to his college buddy who gave him two big assists over the years. The first came when Manning was a homesick freshman at the University of Tennessee in 1994 and Helton, already a star in both football and baseball, took him under his wing and helped him adjust to college life. The second came when Manning was plotting his comeback from neck problems two years ago that nearly derailed his NFL career. Manning was prevented from seeing his team doctors or rehabbing at the Indianapolis Colts' facilities during the lockout that offseason. So, Helton arranged for Manning to use the Rockies' facilities to work out. After missing that 2011 season, Manning switched teams and rejoined his good friend in Denver, where Helton has played his entire 17-year baseball career. Helton announced over the weekend that he's hanging up his cleats at age 40. "I'll be there next Wednesday to see his last game," Manning said Thursday. After listing what he admires about Helton as a pro — consistency, toughness, dogged determination — Manning spoke about what Helton's friendship has meant to him over the last two decades. "He was nice to me as an 18-year-old homesick freshman up there in Knoxville," Manning said. "Todd was a big star when I got there already, a Knoxville legend, and so he took time to be nice to me, and I appreciated that." Although Manning unseated Helton as the Volunteers' QB, they've remained close, attending each other's games when they've had the chance. "A couple of years ago, during that lockout when I was in a strange and new situation, for him to get on that phone and call me and invite me out here to work out with the Rockies in private and use the Rockies' trainers, I'll always be indebted to him," Manning said. "Because I was in kind of a weird place, unknown, I had nobody to turn to medically because of the lockout." Helton is in the midst of his final homestand and will make his last appearance at Coors Field when the Rockies play the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday night. "I'm happy for him," Manning said. "I feel like he's at peace with it. I have communicated with him. I hope he enjoys these last games, but there won't be another one like him here, I can promise you that." Notes: CB Champ Bailey practiced Thursday for the first time since injuring his left foot in an exhibition game at Seattle on Aug. 17. "I feel good. I didn't set it back, let's say that," Bailey said. "I'm on my way." ... With All-Pro LT Ryan Clady on IR, the Broncos needed a new offensive captain and they elected WR Wes Welker, whose last captainship came in 2006 when he was in Miami. ... TE Joel Dreessen returned to practice for the first time since undergoing his second arthroscopic operation on his left knee in June, and OL Chris Kuper, who had offseason ankle surgery, was a full participant in practice for the first time since last season. Follow AP Pro Football Writer Arnie Melendrez Stapleton on Twitter: http://twitter.com/arniestapleton Trending related Article Champ Bailey returns to Broncos practice Check out this article on Colorado Springs Gazette: http://gazette.com/manning-thanks-helton-for-two-big-assists/article/1506483

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Houston Texans NFL Sports Indianapolis Colts 27 - Jacksonville Jaguars 10 In Week 10, Colts' rookie quarterback Andrew Luck decided to use his legs instead of his arm to lead the surging Colts to another win. Luck threw for 227 yards, but ran for two touchdowns in 27-10 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday night. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) Baltimore Ravens 55 - Oakland Raiders 20 The Baltimore Ravens came out of the locker firing on all cylinders against the Oakland Raiders. Ravens' QB Joe Flacco drove his team down the field and scored points on six of their first seven posessions. The 55 points scored by Ravens is a team record and it ties a Raiders record for most points allowed in a game. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) Denver Broncos 36 - Carolina Panthers 14 Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers were no match for Peyton Manning and the Broncos' defense. Manning threw for 301 yards and a touchdown; the touchdown tied Dan Marino for second on the NFL's all-time list. The Broncos' defense was all over Newton, sacking him seven times including a safety and an INT returned for touchdown. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) Cincinnati Bengals 31 - New York Giants 13 Andy Dalton and the slumping Bengals ended their four-game losing streak against the defending Super Bowl champion Giants. Dalton threw for a career-high four touchdowns in the win. The Giants head into the bye with a lot of questions to answer on both sides of the ball. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) Tennessee Titans 37 - Miami Dolphins 3 The Tennessee Titans and Chris Johnson captialized on the Miami Dolphins' four turnovers. The Dolphins threw three INT's and fumbled a ball, while Johnson rushed for 126 yards and a touchdown. The loss drops the Dolphins to two wins behind the Patriots in the AFC East. (Photo by Marc Serota/Getty Images) Minnesota Vikings 34 - Detroit Lions 24 Adrian Peterson (credit: Getty Images) The Lions' Matthew Stafford threw for 329 yards and three touchdowns with 207 of those yards going to Calvin Johnson. But that wasn't enough to overcome Adrian Peterson and the Minnesota Vikings. Peterson rushed for 171 yards including a 61-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter to seal the victory for the Vikings. (Photo by Andy Clayton KIng/Getty Images) New England Patriots 37 - Buffalo Bills 31 Tom Brady and the New England Patritos continued their dominance over the Buffalo Bills at Gillette Stadium. Brady threw for 237 yards and two touchdowns, but it was Devin McCourty who intercepted the ball in the endzone with :37 seconds left to extended the 11-game winning streak against the Bills at Gillette Stadium. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images) New Orleans Saints 31 - Atlanta Falcons 27 Jimmy Graham of the New Orleans Saints caught a career-high 146 yards and two touchdowns

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Looming Large: Albert Haynesworth Albert Haynesworth (Getty Images) By Jon Passen Staff, JagNation.comPosted Jul 17, 2008 For the second consecutive year, the Jaguars open the season against the Tennessee Titans, this time swapping venues and playing in Nashville. Last year the Titans physically dominated the Jags up front, which was an unusual sight since Jack Del Rio took over the team in 2003. Tennessee won the game largely due to out-rushing the Jaguars by 210 yards. The key to the disruption of the vaunted Jaguars rushing attack centered on defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth. This was the game that ignited a season in which many analysts were calling for Haynesworth to be given the Defensive Player of the Year award. Haynesworth was in the backfield all game and recorded five solo tackles. Haynesworth, the 15th overall selection in the 2002 NFL Draft, has always been linked with Jaguar defensive tackle John Henderson. Both were dominant in college and both were high first round picks out of the University of Tennessee. Prior to last season, Haynesworth never played up to his ability for a variety of reasons while Henderson flourished with two Pro Bowl appearances and an All-Pro selection in his first six seasons. Haynesworth routinely came into camp overweight earning the nickname “Fat Albert” from rival fans and the media alike. He was also involved in altercations in practice, most notably kicking former Titans center Jeff Hartwig in the chest. Haynesworth then went on to earn the longest suspension for on-field behavior in NFL history for stomping on Cowboys’ center Andre Gurode’s head in a game in 2006. Even with a temper reminiscent of the NBA’s Ron Artest, Haynesworth is a guy that needs to be on the field for the Titans to be successful. He has not played a full season in his entire career. Since his second year in the NFL, the Titans have a 33-26 record with Haynesworth on the field and a 6-15 record with Haynesworth either sidelined by injury or suspension. Over the last two seasons, Tennessee is 16-8 with Haynesworth and 2-6 without. Last season was a turning point of sorts for Haynesworth, though. Gone were the incessant personal fouls and suspensions, and out came the raw talent that everyone knew he possessed but never were able to see consistently. Before his hamstring injury last season, Haynesworth was arguably the most dominant defensive player in the entire NFL. He accumulated five of his six sacks on the season during the first eight games. The Titans amassed a 10-3 record with Haynesworth battling in the trenches and were winless in the three games Haynesworth missed due to injury. Not only did he earn his first trip to Hawaii, but he was named a first-team All-Pro and finished tied for second for the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year award. Instead of letting Haynesworth walk into free agency after his spectacular 2007 season, the Titans slapped the franchise tag on him. While Tennessee was hoping to sign Haynesworth long-term, the two sides could not come to an agreement before the July 15th deadline for franchised players. Assuming he signs the franchise tender ($7.25 million for one year), he will be in another contract year and we all know what he did last season in the last year of his contract. Related Stories Haynesworth Stays Home -by TitansInsiders.com May 8, 2008 Final Preview: Texans at Titans -by BattleRedNation.com Sep 20, 2008 NFL Early Games Preview: Players to Watch -by ScoutNFLNetwork.com Sep 20, 2008 Don't miss any news or features from JagsInsider.com. Subscribe to our newsletter to have our newest articles emailed to you on a daily or weekly basis. DT Albert Haynesworth (profile) Football > Hartsville HS > Alumni Football > Jacksonville Football > Tennessee > Alumni

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hide Viking star's young son dies in Sioux Falls by Mark Russo Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson accepts the NFL MVP award during the NFL Honors awards show in New Orleans, Louisiana Februar SIOUX FALLS (KELO-AM) The 2-year-old son of Minnesota Vikings running back, Adrian Peterson, died Friday of his injuries at a Sioux Falls hospital. He had been in critical condition with head injuries since Wednesday when police found him at an apartment at 6201 South Connie Avenue. They reported that the injuries were consistent with child abuse and charged 27-year-old Joseph Patterson, the boyfriend of the child's mother. He faces up to 40 years in prison. Earlier Friday, Peterson told the media that he was still planning to play Sunday's game because he says football helps him through tough times. It is unclear whether Peterson knew his son had died when he announced his decision to play.

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April 21, 2014Joe Girardi rips White Sox fans for cheering when Alex Rodriguez was hit (Video) August 7, 2013 By Steve DelVecchio Leave a Comment Your browser does not support iframes. New York Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez was hit by a pitch during a loss to the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night, and the fans in attendance seized the moment. As expected, White Sox fans booed A-Rod mercilessly when he appeared in his first MLB game this season on Monday night. However, Joe Girardi thought they took it too far by cheering when Rodriguez was hit by a pitch. “There’s something wrong with that,” Girardi said after the game, via CBS New York. “I often think that it starts from the adults. And if it was their child, would they want them to be hit? Because the kids will only repeat what the adults do.” Girardi has a point. You never want to see fans cheering for injuries under any circumstances, but this seemed pretty harmless. If you watch the video, the fans started cheering once it was obvious A-Rod was fine and he started trotting down the line. The ball barely grazed him. Had he been hit in the head and fallen to the ground, I’d like to think the fans wouldn’t have cheered. Rodriguez himself didn’t seem to mind. Instead, he found it funny that he happened to get hit after he forgot to wear his elbow pad for the first time in years. “I didn’t hear that,” A-Rod said. “It was the weirdest thing. I forgot to put my elbow pad on — probably the first time in 2,000 at-bats. Walking up to the plate, I said, ‘Whatever you do, don’t get hit in the elbow.’ On the second pitch, I got hit on the elbow. I couldn’t believe it. I love the fans in Chicago.” We have seen NBA fans cheer when opposing superstars get hurt and NFL fans do the same when their own quarterback gets injured. Both of those situations were far more classless than what Chicago fans did on Tuesday night. Filed Under: Baseball Tagged With: Alex Rodriguez, Chicago White Sox Fans, Joe Girardi

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FD aquatic center has successful first full season Save | By BILL SHEA Messenger staff writer The Fort Dodge aquatic center was a refreshing oasis for those who felt like they were being broiled during the simmering summer of 2011. Article Photos Hannah Zinnel, 10, left, and her friend Natalie Nordstrom, 11, both of Fort Dodge, share a float during the summers first Flick and Float at the Rosedale Rapids Aquatic Center. Guests could float or relax on lawn chairs while watching The Twillight Saga movie Eclipse. The center held several more of the evenings during the summer. And it wasn't just a watery getaway for children. Total admissions to the center were 49,438, a number that includes lots of adults, according to Lori Branderhorst, the city's director of parks, recreation and forestry. ''This aquatic center isn't just about having a swimming pool for kids to splash around in,'' she said. ''This aquatic center is an important part of our active adult community.'' Last year marked the first full season for the aquatic center. Branderhorst and her staff plan to build on the lessons of a season she described as a ''really successful summer'' to provide a good experience for swimmers this year. She said this summer, swimmers will get a chance to be in the water after dark one night each week. She said the center will be open from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. on that day. The day on which those night swimming hours will be offered has not been determined yet. Two feature films were shown at the center last year to movie-goers who watched from the water. This year, Branderhorst expects to show three movies, one each in June, July and August. Doing a better job of notifying swimmers about things like unexpected center closures due to weather is a major focus for Branderhorst and her staff this year. She's encouraging people to sign up for text messages and emails from her department that will instantly notify them of changes at the aquatic center. ''If you want to be in the know, we'll give you the opportunity to be in the know,'' she said. The only big physical change planned at the center this year is the construction of a picnic shelter near the playground. The aquatic center at 32nd Street and 10th Avenue North is properly known as Rosedale Rapids/Fort Dodge Aquatic Center/Schmoker Family Park. The Rosedale Rapids name is a salute to the area's history as the former Rosedale farm. Schmoker Family Park honors Tom and Norma Schmoker, the Fort Dodge couple who donated the land to the city for the facility. The aquatic center has these features: The center was built to replace the old Expo Pool on North Seventh Street. That pool, which hasn't been used for three years, remains in place. City leaders have yet to decide what should be done with the property. Replacing the basic rectangular pool with a water park featuring a variety of toys had been a dream of many in the community for about 20 years. That dream started becoming a reality in August 2008, when city voters approved the borrowing of up to $8.95 million to build the aquatic center. That debt is now being paid off with property tax revenue. After the bond issue was approved, city staffers, citizens and representatives of Water's Edge Aquatic Design in Lenexa, Kan., spent about a year designing the facility. Construction began in the fall of 2009. Christensen Construction Co., of Pender, Neb., was the general contractor. The center opened to swimmers for the first time on July 19, 2010, and stayed open until Labor Day of that year. On May 30, 2011, it opened for its first full season, which ended on Labor Day. During that time frame, only three full days were lost due to rain, according to Branderhorst. ''The weather was very cooperative,'' she said. ''It was a good season for pools.'' The 49,438 admissions included 24,719 who paid daily admission fees and 26,724 uses of season passes. Branderhorst said the center generated more revenue than projected and cost less to run than what was anticipated. The audited figures for the fiscal year that began July 1, 2010, and ended June 30, 2011, show that the center's revenues were $382,192.30. It cost $276,596 to run the center during that period. Branderhorst also compiled financial figures for the past season at the center. She said that for budget purposes, the season began in October 2010, when season passes first went on sale, until Sept. 30, 2011. During that time, the center generated $338,692.47 in revenue. The expenditures incurred to operate it totaled $316,916.10, she said. ''I think it's been a terrific asset to the community,'' said Neven Mulholland, a Fort Dodge man who led the effort to get the 2008 bond issue approved. ''It's exceeded my expectations. I have heard nothing but positive comments, not only from people in town but also from people from out of town who have visited the center.'' Contact Bill Shea at (515) 573-2141 or bshea@messengernews.net Save | Subscribe to Messenger News Fort Dodge Weather Forecast, IA

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Unfair of Tortorella to rip Rangers star By Larry Books June 2, 2012 | 4:00am PLAYOFF SLUMP: Marian Gaborik, limited to five goals in 20 playoff games after scoring 41 in the regular season, played most of the postseason with a torn shoulder labrum, but that didn’t stop coach John Tortorella from criticizing his play. So who exactly is being disrespectful to Rangers players, the writer who suggests a game plan based primarily on blocking shots and packing the defensive zone might not be broad enough to win the Stanley Cup, or the coach on his way to the summer who takes a verbal swipe at a player he knew to have played the final two rounds of the playoffs with a substantial injury? Marian Gaborik, who first revealed his condition during a press conference in Slovakia before the Rangers confirmed it yesterday morning, will undergo surgery next Wednesday in New York to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder, an injury he either sustained early in the first round of the playoffs against Ottawa. Gaborik’s rehab is expected to take up to six months in the aftermath of the surgery that will be performed by club physicians Dr. Andrew Feldman and Dr. Tony Maddalo, which means the club’s lone accomplished goal-scorer could miss the first two months of 2012-13 if the start of the season is not delayed by labor issues and opens as scheduled in October. VOTE: WHICH RANGERS TO KEEP? It was an injury that obviously diminished Gaborik’s capacity to compete as the Rangers progressed through the tournament, but one to which coach John Tortorella made not even a passing reference on Monday’s breakup day while stating that the team’s best players hadn’t played well enough in the six-game conference finals defeat to the Devils and then chose to ignore during a radio interview on Wednesday while critiquing/criticizing Gaborik’s effort against New Jersey. “Gabby … still has to learn, I believe, along with a number of our guys … that when you get to the conference finals — and Gabby wasn’t bad in the first two rounds — as it ratchets up and there are four teams left, you have to get it to another level, and I don’t think he was able to,” Tortorella said on the Michael Kay Show on ESPN Radio. This was a day after Gaborik had taken the MRI exam that revealed the extent of the damage to the 30-year-old winger’s shoulder. Even if the coach didn’t know the specifics, he knew all along that Gaborik’s play had at least been compromised by the injury. He could have mentioned that Gaborik — who scored in Game 1 against Ottawa, then recorded three goals against Washington (including the Game 3 triple-overtime winner) before getting one against the Devils (the fluky one from behind the goal line that banked in off Martin Brodeur to tie Game 5) — had been playing through pain. But, no, instead the coach railed that skepticism concerning the club’s reliance on blocked shots as its signal strategic component is “disrespectful to the player.” Well, no, it isn’t. Gaborik, the Rangers’ third-leading playoff scorer with 11 points (five goals, six assists), was benched by Tortorella for a large portion of the third period of the 3-2 Game 2 defeat to the Devils after his failure to clear the puck at the blue line led directly to New Jersey’s game-tying goal late in the second. That decision, which becomes easier to understand with knowledge that Gaborik’s condition might have rendered him unable to compete to the degree necessary, was not explained at the time by Tortorella. Wednesday, though, the coach said, “People just don’t understand … that I’ve got to put players on the ice I think gives us the best chance for that game, and that’s what kind of put Gabby in a bad spot because he just wasn’t playing well.” It just doesn’t get any more respectful than that, does it? Filed underNew York Rangers Read Next: Former Canarsie football… Former Canarsie football coach takes… Twitter

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Keeping up with the Pack: Hartford hits its stride It was a good weekend for the Hartford Wolf Pack, which turned a pair of road games into a pair of victories, nudging the club’s record above the .500 mark for the first time in this young season. The Pack started the weekend’s festivities with a trip to the Dunkin’ Donuts Center in Providence to face the baby Bruins, the team they’d embarrassed with a 7-0 shutout defeat just six days earlier. While the score wasn’t quite as lopsided on Friday, the result was the same, with Hartford outpacing the Bruins by a 5-3 margin. Brodie Dupont ended a nine game goalless drought with a pair of tallies — his first multi-goal game as a pro — and finished plus-3 en route to earning first star honors. P.A. Parenteau, Evgeny Grachev, and Jordan Owens each finished with a goal and an assist. Also worth note is the plus-4 performance by Corey Potter, who showed signs that he might finally be adapting to the Wolf Pack’s new, aggressive style of play. Chad Johnson got his third consecutive start in goal, stopping 29 shots to improve his record to 5-3-0-0 on the season. Saturday brought the Wolf Pack’s first trip to nearby Bridgeport to face the Sound Tigers. The two teams are no certainly no strangers to one another, but this season the local rivalry takes on added meaning, as the clubs find themselves in the same division for the first time since the 2002-2003 season. The Pack took the first of the ten scheduled meetings this season with a 4-1 decision in a scrappy match which saw a combined 110 minutes in penalties assessed. Corey Locke, Bobby Sanguinetti and Grachev each had a goal and an assist, while Johnson added another 28 saves to extend both his and the team’s win streak to four. The four game winning streak improved the team’s record to 8-6-0-0, bumping them up to fifth place in the Atlantic Division, just one point behind a three-way tie for second. The Wolf Pack is tops in the division in goals for with 50, and second only to defending Calder Cup champions the Hershey Bears in the league. Hartford’s offensive success is driven in large part by its potent power play, which remains tops in league at 29.4% — almost six percentage points higher than their nearest competition. The club’s penalty kill continues to languish at the bottom of the league, however, tied for last in the league with the Portland Pirates at 74.6%. In transaction news, Devin DiDiomete’s fractured arm has healed enough to allow him to start working his way back into game shape, and toward that end the sophomore forward was assigned to the Charlotte Checkers last Wednesday. Chris Chappell, who’d made his AHL debut four nights earlier, traveled back to Charlotte with him. But Chappell’s demotion didn’t last long, as the 21-year old rookie was recalled again on Monday after veteran center Tyler Arnason’s defection to Europe and subsequent suspension by the Rangers opened up a spot on the roster. Who’s Hot Evgeny Grachev’s four points in two games this weekend give him 12 in 14 games, moving him into a tie for third place in rookie scoring, just a single point behind his friend and former teammate Andrei Loktionov and Christian Hanson, each of whom have 13 points on the season. The one constant in the Pack’s current win streak has been goaltender Chad Johnson, who quietly wracked up an impressive 1.47 goals-against average and .947 save percentage in the four game span. The 23-year old rookie hasn’t needed to be spectacular, but his steady play has allowed the team’s collective confidence to grow from the goal out. The Pack play three games this week, starting with a home-and-home series with the division-leading Manchester Monarchs. The club travels to Manchester for a 7:00pm start on Wednesday and then host the Kings’ farm club on Friday, also at 7pm. Then it’s off to Worcester on Saturday, where Hartford will face-off with last season’s playoff nemesis, the Worcester Sharks, at 7:05pm. Laurie covers the Wolf Pack and the Rangers’ Russian players and prospects for her blog, Beyond the Blueshirts. She’ll be bringing us weekly updates on the Rangers’ top farm club throughout the 2009-2010 season. SNY RangersBlog » Keeping up with the Pack: Hartford hits its stride Andrei Loktionov | MCSORLEY'S STICK says: April 8, 2012 at 5:01 pm [...] SNY RangersBlog » Keeping up with the Pack: Hartford hits its stride. Share This:StumbleUponRedditDiggTags: Andrei [...]

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About SOTB European Listings Glasgow 2014 TV Rights + Free To Air Latest from SOTB Celebration of the 96 live on BT Sport UEFA Champions League 2013/14: Semi Finals on ITV & Sky FA WSL 2014 season live on BT Sport Hillsborough 25th anniversary on LFC TV Joseph Hadfield wins BT Sport Young FA Cup Presenter prize Dave tackles World Cup with England specials FA Cup 2013/14: Semi Finals live on ITV & BT Sport Sports News County cricket – live! Rubin 'Hurricane' Carter, wrongly imprisoned boxer, dies - video Sport picture of the day: don't fear the reaper Predictable Shawn Porter provides ideal challenge for Kell Brook Para Sport Rugby 7s Olympics Watch Paralympics Watch C'wealth Games Xmas Watch Subscribe to SOTB Partners You Are Here: Home » Football » UEFA Europa League Final 2013 – Benfica v Chelsea live on ITV By SOTB on May 11, 2013 // 2 Comments Rafa Benitez has not had the easiest time of in his spell as Interim boss of Chelsea, but the Spaniard his guided his side to their first UEFA Europa League final as they take on Portuguese giants Benfica. The Blues have recovered from the setback of losing their Champions League crown at the group stage and their convincing victory over FC Basel in the last four means they have a chance of winning continental silverware for a second successive campaign. ITV will broadcast exclusive free-to-air coverage of the climax to the 2012/3 UEFA Europa League campaign from the Amsterdam ArenA on Wednesday, May 15 (kick-off 7.45pm). Rafael Benitez has never shaken off his original Chelsea moniker of ‘interim manager’ during his short spell with the club following the sacking of Roberto Di Matteo. Fans chanted for the return of Jose Mourinho during their comfortable semi-final win against FC Basel, but Chelsea’s successful passage to the final of Europe’s second club competition confirms them as England’s most successful club on the continent for the second season in a row. David Luiz, a former Benfica player, has thrilled with a series of spectacular long-distance strikes in this season’s European campaign. The 26-year-old joined the Blues in 2011 from the Portuguese side and was an integral part of the club’s success in winning the UEFA Champions League and the FA Cup last season. Striker Fernando Torres has rediscovered his scoring touch in the competition, with the Spaniard leading the line backed up from midfield by the creative talents of Juan Mata and Eden Hazard. Benitez may never be able to win the fans over, but what he can win is another European trophy for the Chelsea cabinet, while also bolstering his potential job prospects at another major European outfit once his spell at Chelsea comes to an end. However, there is no under-estimating that the Blues face a difficult task against the Portuguese outfit they face in this season’s final in Amsterdam. Benfica have been in fine form in their domestic league and earned a hard-fought victory over Fenerbahce in the semi-finals to reach this stage. But an injury-time winner for Porto in the a league game at the weekend ended Benfica’s unbeaten run, moving Porto top of the Portuguese league with one game left. Portugal’s top two sides both came into the game having avoided defeat all season long, and Benfica will have to pick themselves up for Wednesday’s final. Despite a domestic title seemingly slipping from their grasp, they boast plenty of attacking talent themselves in the form of Oscar Cardozo and Nicolas Gaitan. Both Benfica and Chelsea finished third in the Champions League group stage and so entered the Europa League competition in the last 32. The Portugese side have plenty of European pedigree having qualified for their ninth European final, though their first in 23 years since a 1-0 defeat to AC Milan in the 1990 European Cup Final. Previous notable appearances include back-to-back victories in the 1961 and 1962 European Cup showpieces and unsuccessful presences in four other European Cup finals (1963, 1965, 1968 and 1988), and a UEFA Cup final in 1983, where they lost to Anderlecht. Before this season, Chelsea had never reached a final of the UEFA Cup or UEFA Europa League. They previously appeared in two Cup Winners’ Cup finals in 1971, beating Real Madrid 2-1, and in 1998 where they defeated Stuttgart 1-0, plus two Champions League finals , the first in 2008 where they lost on penalties amid torrential rain in Moscow to Manchester United. Four years later they avenged that defeat with a win over Bayern Munich in their own back yard on penalties. In a unique first, Chelsea are the only Champions League holders to play in the following season’s Europa League final, after becoming the first Champions League winners to be eliminated in the group stage. They can also become the first club to respectively win the Champions League and Europa League in successive seasons. If Chelsea win, they will join a unique group of four clubs, after Juventus, Ajax and Bayern Munich, to have won all three major UEFA club titles. The only previous meeting between Benfica and Chelsea in European competition was in last season’s Champions League quarter-finals, where Chelsea won 3-1 on aggregate en route to the title. Three players may face their former clubs in the final: Benfica’s Nemanja Matic, who was transferred from Chelsea, and Chelsea’s David Luiz and Ramires, who were transferred from Benfica. More than 50,000 fans will pack into the Amsterdam ArenA, the home of legendary Dutch club Ajax, to witness the first major European final of the season. A year ago Chelsea won the Champions league with a tremendous victory over Bayern Munich, and almost exactly a year on from that extraordinary triumph, they will play in another European final. Can they claim a unique European double? Full details of how to follow the 2013 Europa League Final below: ITV will screen exclusive free-to-air coverage of the 2013 UEFA Europa League Final between Benfica and Chelsea. Matt Smith presents live coverage from inside the Amsterdam ArenA on ITV and in high-definition on ITV HD. Build-up to kick-off begins at 7.15pm. Analysis and opinion will be provided throughout the evening by regular ITV pundits Roy Keane, Lee Dixon and Gareth Southgate. Match commentary comes from Clive Tyldesley and Andy Townsend, while Ned Boulting will provide reports and interviews with the managers and key players. Live coverage will be available to watch in high-definition on ITV HD, plus live streaming can be viewed online via itv.com/football. Wednesday 15th May UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE FINAL 2013: Benfica v Chelsea LIVE: 7.15pm-10.15pm – ITV Watch ITV’s live coverage online via - itv.com/football Thursday 16th May UEFA Europa League Final Highlights 7.30pm-8.00pm – ITV4 Both BBC Radio 5 live and talkSPORT will have live audio commentary of the 2013 UEFA Europa League Final from Amsterdam. Mark Pougatch presents 5 live Sport from the Amsterdam ArenA with coverage beginning at 7pm. talkSPORT will have all the build-up, special interviews and analysis in its programming throughout the day, starting in Alan Brazil’s Sports Breakfast, and running through to the start of live coverage at 7pm. Mark Saggers introduces live coverage from the stadium, with match commentary from Sam Matterface and Stan Collymore. Related PostsUEFA Champions League 2013/14: Semi Finals on ITV & SkyUEFA Champions League 2013/4: Quarter Finals on ITV & SkyIndian Premier League 2014 live on ITV4British Superbikes 2014 live on EurosportMalaysian Grand Prix 2014 live on BBC One & Sky Sports F1 Share this:FacebookTwitterGoogleLinkedInEmail 2 Comments Anonymous says: May 14, 2013 at 8:53 am d sky is blue.By d special grace of God Chelsea will be crown champion on wednesday Reply UEFA Europa League 2013 Finale showdown at Amsterdam says: May 15, 2013 at 6:39 am […] Image Courtesy – link & link […] Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Notify me of new posts by email. Tags: 2013, Amsterdam, Amsterdam ArenA, Andy Townsend, BBC Radio 5 Live, Benfica, Chelsea, Clive Tyldesley, coverage, Eden Hazard, Europa League, Europa League Final 2013, Frank Lampard, Gareth Southgate, highlights, ITV, ITV HD, ITV Sport, itv.com/football, ITV4, John Terry, Juan Mata, kick off, Lee Dixon, live, Mark Pougatch, Mark Saggers, Matt Smith, online, preview, radio, Rafael Benitez, route to the final, Roy Keane, Sam Matterface, schedule, Stan Collymore, talkSPORT, team news, tv schedule, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Europa League Final, watch live This Week AEGON Championships - BBC/Eurosport Next Week Royal Ascot - Channel 4 Coming Soon Wimbledon - BBC 2014 Winter Olympics: Sochi 2014 © 2013 Sport On The Box · Subscribe:PostsComments Send to Email Address

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Bowl bid gives Tar Heels proof of resiliency Updated: December 10, 2010, 5:41 PM ET CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- North Carolina is headed to a bowl game for the third straight season, though the Tar Heels could argue they've accomplished more this time just by getting there.When the Tar Heels face Tennessee in the Music City Bowl on Dec. 30, they will have a chance to match their record from each of the past two seasons despite the distraction of an ongoing NCAA investigation into the football program. That probe into agent-related benefits and academic misconduct forced 14 players to miss at least one game and seven to miss the entire season."It's very rewarding," quarterback T.J. Yates said Friday. "Everybody on this team has extremely high expectations for ourselves and our team. We know we could've done better. ... With all the stuff that happened, this situation is a pretty good one for us and we all kind of realize that."The bowl game will cap an emotional and volatile season for the Tar Heels (7-5), who looked ready to contend for an Atlantic Coast Conference division title behind a defense that returned nine starters from a unit that ranked among the nation's best the previous year. But that was before the NCAA first visited campus in July, which ultimately led North Carolina to open the season with 13 players out indefinitely due to the probe.In the weeks that followed, the team often prepared for games uncertain of whether some of the players on that list would be in the lineup by the weekend. In one case, the school even announced shortly before kickoff against Clemson that it was holding out an additional player who was later declared permanently ineligible by the NCAA.Of the players caught up in the probe, defensive tackle Marvin Austin and defensive end Robert Quinn were regarded as potential NFL first-round draft picks, while receiver Greg Little, safety Deunta Williams and cornerback Kendric Burney all flirted with the idea of entering the NFL draft after last season. Of that group, Austin, Quinn and Little were either ruled permanently ineligible or dismissed from the team and never played this year.It would be easy for the Tar Heels to have what-if thoughts, especially after they nearly upset LSU in that opener despite the depleted roster and stayed in the ACC Coastal Division race until November. Yates admitted it will be difficult to avoid it in the offseason, while coach Butch Davis said he hasn't allowed himself to do it -- yet."I'm sure there will come a time when you look back and say, 'Gosh,' with a little bit of sadness -- sadness for the kids that didn't get a chance to play, sadness for the guys that did play," Davis said. "But I will tell you I'm probably more pleased and happier with the way the season went than probably most of you could imagine."I think whatever tiny amount of time you look back and say what could have been, I look at what did happen and I'm very proud of them."The Tar Heels will get to experience something a little different on this bowl trip. North Carolina hasn't played a bowl game out of state since reaching the Peach Bowl nine years ago, reaching the Meineke Bowl in Charlotte in 2004, 2008 and 2009. This time, they're heading to Nashville for their first game against the Volunteers since 1961.The seniors remember the thrill the players had when they finally reached a bowl game two years ago. Tailback Anthony Elzy pointed out the team is still waiting for its first bowl win under Davis after a couple of happy-to-be-here attitudes.Then again, Williams said, being in this position is a bit of reward by itself."I don't think it's the same type of feeling," Williams said. "This year was kind of a more satisfying kind of feeling. I think we have worked so hard just to get here. A lot of guys are feeling real good about that."Copyright 2010 by The Associated PressThis story is from ESPN.com's automated news wire. Wire index

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Red Sox have asked to make Fenway a landmark Updated: August 24, 2005, 10:05 PM ET Boston Red Sox: The Red Sox have applied to have Fenway Park recognized as a national historic landmark, which would make renovation and expansion work eligible for federal tax credits. Janet Marie Smith, the team's vice president of planning and development, said Tuesday that the application was submitted to the National Park Service about a month ago. She did not know how long the review would take. The Red Sox are in the midst of a decade-long, $200 million renovation of Fenway. Built in 1912, it is Major League Baseball's oldest and smallest stadium. Smith could not put a dollar figure on the rehabilitation tax credit, which is designed to give property owners an incentive to save historic structures. However, according to the Park Service's Web site, the rehabilitation tax credit "equals 20 percent of the amount spent in a certified rehabilitation of a certified historic structure." According to the federal government's list of National Historic Landmarks, the only other Major League stadiums considered for landmark status were Wrigley Field and Comiskey Park, both in Chicago. The process was never completed for either stadium, and Comiskey has since has been torn down.Setback for Foulke? Closer Keith Foulke's throwing session didn't go smoothly Tuesday, casting doubt about his simulated game scheduled for Friday, the Boston Herald reported."He played catch and will play catch [today] and then we'll see how he progresses the next day," manager Terry Francona told the Herald after the 5-2 Red Sox victory over the Royals. "`He still felt it. He got hit pretty hard." Good step for Miller: Wade Miller threw on Tuesday for the first time in 15 days."I felt good," Miller told The Globe. "There were no problems going through the throwing motion. No pain. I wasn't babying it. I'll play catch a couple more times [before progressing to a mound]."The right-hander twice backed off on his rehab -- postponing throwing sessions last Monday in Detroit and Friday in Anaheim. But, general manager Theo Epstein told the paper Tuesday, "It wasn't like he was supposed to throw and was scratched. [Trainer] Chris [Correnti] is in charge of his rehab, and he thought to get the most out of this break it actually had to be a break so that his shoulder has some time off to feel better and strengthen it."He's had some time off, he's feeling better, he's strengthened it a little bit, he's ready to crank it up again." New York Yankees: Veteran left-hander Al Leiter said he's ready to do what's best for the Yankees, even if that means a move to the bullpen."Whatever position I'm in, this [being with the Yankees] has been a very good thing for me in my career, from when it started to where it is now," Leiter told The New Jersey Star-Ledger. "I don't know what [the coaches] are thinking or what anyone else is thinking, I just truly think about being physically and mentally prepared to execute pitches and not worry about my position on the team. I'm thrilled to be here. It sounds kind of corny, but it's true." Leiter mentioned to manager Joe Torre in conversation last weekend that he can be useful to the team in the bullpen. "There was some question as to whether I'm deserving [of that move], and that's fine," Leiter told the paper. "I'll do whatever I can do. I told Joe I can throw strikes, I can get lefties out. Whatever is asked of me, I'll do. "But I like starting. It's pretty cool." Chicago Cubs: Cubs All-Star third baseman Aramis Ramirez left Wednesday's game against the Atlanta Braves with a strained left quadriceps muscle. Ramirez injured his leg while grounding into a double play in the first inning. An MRI revealed a moderate to severe strain of the quadriceps and Ramirez was to be re-evaluated Thursday or Friday. Earlier this season, Ramirez strained his quad on the other side. Last year he was bothered by a problem on the left side. Ramirez was examined by a team orthopedist after he'd been seen by a team doctor and trainer Mark O'Neal. "We didn't feel any significant defect," O'Neal said. "You're looking to see that you don't have any major muscle disruption. ... We didn't find anything like that." O'Neal said the MRI would give the Cubs a better timeframe on healing. "This is the one he had problems with last year," he said. "We don't really know what we are dealing with now. When you have one and you have injured the other, there are times when you compensate. That could be an issue." Ramirez, with 31 homers and a team-leading 92 RBIs, pulled up as he neared first base, stumbled and fell forward as he crossed the bag. Moments later, he got to his feet and was helped off the field by a trainer and manager Dusty Baker. The double play ended the inning. Jose Macias replaced Ramirez in the second inning. The Cubs have been beset by injuries this season with Nomar Garciaparra, Kerry Wood, Mark Prior and Todd Walker all spending time on the disabled list. Detroit Tigers: Tigers outfielder Rondell White will have surgery to repair a tear in his left rotator cuff, ending his season. White was examined Monday in Cincinnati, where an MRI revealed a significant rotator cuff tear, according to Kevin Rand, the team's head athletic trainer. The 11-year veteran will have surgery there before the end of the week, probably Friday. Dr. Timothy Kremchek, the Cincinnati Reds' team physician, will perform the surgery. "The chances of him rehabilitating that and being able to come back and play aren't very good and (Kremchek) feels his best option to continue his career is to get it operated on," Rand added. White, who will be a free agent at the end of the season, dislocated the shoulder Aug. 14 when he attempted a diving catch in Kansas City. He was placed on the 15-day disabled list a day later. His 2000 season ended after 95 games when he injured the same shoulder sliding into second base as a member of the Cubs. "It's not my throwing shoulder and it won't affect my swing, so the rehab might not take as long as others," he said, adding that he hopes to play next season. The Tigers signed White as a free agent in 2004. He hit .270 in 121 games last year with 19 home runs and 67 RBI. He played 97 games this season for the Tigers, hitting .313 with 12 homers and 53 RBI as an outfielder and designated hitter.• Tigers withdraw offer to draft pick: The Tigers have pulled their offer to first-round draft pick Cameron Maybin, Maybin's advisor Brian Goldberg told the Detroit Free Press.In a call with a Tigers' attorney, Goldberg said that owner Mike Ilitch wouldn't authorize a deal for $3.2 million or the $2.75 million the Tigers had offered a few weeks previously. The highest Ilitch would go, Goldberg told the paper he was told, was "in the low $2 millions.""As confused and disappointed as the Maybins are, they are still interested in negotiating a deal," Goldberg told the paper Tuesday night. "But at this point, I wouldn't know who to talk to at the Tigers to get that done. As the attorneys at the Players Association told us Monday, why continue to negotiate with people who don't have the authority to do so?"Maybin has until shortly before next June's draft to sign with the Tigers. The only way he'll lose his right to sign with them before then is if he attends a class at Southern University, where he has accepted a baseball scholarship. Baltimore Orioles: Right-hander Jason Grimsley was placed on the 15-day disabled list by the Orioles, who activated outfielder B.J. Surhoff from the disabled list and optioned first baseman Alejandro Freire to Double-A Bowie.In another move, Baltimore added right-hander James Baldwin to the 25-man roster. Baldwin was acquired on waivers from Texas on Monday and joined the Orioles on Wednesday. Grimsley, 38, has a strained left Achilles' tendon. He was activated from the 60-day disabled list on July 14 after making a surprisingly rapid recovery from elbow ligament replacement surgery. Grimsley is 1-1 with a 7.98 ERA. He allowed at least one run in nine of 14 appearances and has not pitched since Aug. 17, when he allowed three hits and three runs without retiring a batter. Surhoff, who was sidelined with a strained left groin, returned from his second stint on the DL and started as the designated hitter Wednesday night against the Los Angeles Angels. During Surhoff's absence, Freire hit .250 in seven games. Baldwin was delighted to be back in Baltimore. He joined the Orioles on May 21 after a stint with Triple-A Ottawa, was claimed on waivers by Texas on July 21 and now is with Baltimore again. Los Angeles Dodgers: The Dodgers could lose the rights on their No. 1 draft pick this week, The Los Angeles Times reported.While classes start at Tennessee on Wednesday, Luke Hochevar, the 40th overall pick, is expected to take a few days before deciding his future. The Dodgers have offered Hochevar about $2.5 million, but the right-handed pitcher, who is represented by agent Scott Boras, is asking for $4 million, according to the paper. If he attends a class, the Dodgers lose their rights to him.Dodger scouting director Logan White is not optimistic that a deal will be struck. Hochevar has not returned White's calls, either. "There is a strong chance he will go back to school," White told The Times. "When we took him we knew it would be a possibility. We knew it was a gamble."It's going to take an effort by Luke and his family to get this done." Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.Recommend0 Tuesday roundup: BoSox' Wells to have appeal heard Monday roundup: Yanks admit Big Unit has struggled Sunday roundup: Grudzielanek hospitalized by infection

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In the 90th baseball season of his life, former commissioner Happy Chandler is still at the top of his game It was time for lunch. Happy Chandler, who is five years older than the World Series, suggested the barbecue at Scotty's Pink Pig over in Frankfort, which is Kentucky's capital and where he arrived as a state senator going on 60 years ago, making $10 a day when the legislature was in session. Mama is playing bridge today at the famous Bluegrass blue-blood hangout, the Idle Hour, which the Governor describes as "the flooziest country club in the commonwealth." Happy himself does not play bridge, inasmuch as "there are too many cards for one hand to hold," but then he has never played poker, either, or bet the thoroughbreds or partaken of any other games of chance. Notwithstanding, one of his very best friends in Washington was Cactus Jack Garner, FDR's first vice-president, who, during his years in Congress before ascending to that high office, spent enough of his time at poker to make $100,000 at that noble pursuit, which came in handy when he went back home and bought downtown Uvalde, Texas. So, understand: The Governor certainly has nothing personal against cardplayers, or against folks who drink whiskey, either, even though John Barleycorn has never touched his own lips. This is largely on account of his grandfather, a second sergeant in Morgan's cavalry during what Happy refers to as the War Between the States (as southern people of his generation and perhaps the next still do), because Grandfather Chandler frittered away the Chandler money while manfully attempting "to drink up all the whiskey in the world." As a consequence, Happy's father and Happy himself never drank, which helps explain why the elder teetotaling Chandler lived to 90 and why Happy was 89 this Bastille Day. The bourbon-guzzling Grandfather Chandler paid dearly for a life of excess, of course; he bought the farm when he was a tipsy 93. It would appear, then, that Happy, who is older than the Boy Scouts, has one year left sober—or four if he gets down to some serious drinking. The Governor is so old that he calls Ted Williams, who's old enough to be on Social Security now, "a nice boy" and refers to Barry Bingham, the patriarch of the famous Kentucky newspaper family, as "a lovely youngster." Bingham is 81. Most people know of the wife of John Y. Brown, another former governor. Happy knew his grandparents. Happy ran for office through so many generations, he developed a slogan: Be like your pappy, vote for Happy! Happy knows most everybody, living or dead. When people say, "Governor, do you know so-and-so?" Happy usually replies, "I knew his parents before he was born." Happy is older than the Rotary, Southern Methodist University and jazz. He is two years older than the Ayatollah Khomeini. He gets to kiss a lot of pretty women, regardless of their age. At Scotty's Pink Pig, for example, Clayton Bradley, proprietress of that establishment and president of the Democratic Women's Club of Kentucky, gives him a big kiss when he arrives. As does Clayton's daughter. As do various and sundry female customers. Many good-looking women tell the Governor that he is the only man, save their husbands, allowed to take such liberties. He calls these shameless hussies either "honey" or "baby" and much enjoys this physical gratuity. If Mama, who married him a scant 62 years ago, wants to go over to the flooziest country club in the commonwealth and waste her time playing bridge with the girls, then that's her own tough luck. "Governor, my, aren't you looking well," says one of his female fans at the Pink Pig. "There's three stages of life," Happy replies, winking. "Youth, maturity and my-aren't-you-looking-well." Often, though, he is so damned proud of such compliments that he holds up his arm and makes a muscle. It's solid, too. And Happy is five years older than airplanes. Also, apart from Muhammad Ali and maybe Man o' War, the Governor is the most famous Kentuckian of the 20th century. And he has outlived just about everybody. John Stennis is the only one left in the United States Senate from Happy's days there, and Alf Landon must surely be the only governor still living from back when Happy first ran the commonwealth 52 years ago. Colonel Matt Winn is long gone from Churchill Downs, and Alben Barkley, the Veep, from Washington; Adolph Rupp, the Baron of the Bluegrass, is spinning in his grave about something or other, and Colonel Sanders has some white wings now, to match his suit. But Happy's still just fine. Be lucky, go Happy! was his first campaign slogan. His baby blues twinkle, and that's a bounty. When he was a younger fellow, Happy Chandler's eyebrows were so black and full—a surrey with the fringe on top—that they dominated his face, and his crinkly little eyes got lost in the shadows. But now those eyebrows are thin and white, and people—those who kiss him and those who don't—can see how pretty his eyes have been all these years. "Let me get my stick over there, pardner," he says. The cane is his only evident concession to age. He puts on his blue Kentucky Wildcat cap, to go with his white Kentucky Wildcat sport shirt, and starts moving through the house at 191 Elm, where he and Mama have lived for 54 years, raising their four children and manifold laughs and memories. "Gonna take you down to the basement later, Pardner," Happy says. "Want you to see the natural stone foundation. This is the best-built house in the commonwealth." But first there is another sight to visit on the property. The Governor leads the way out the backdoor and down the path past the tomato plants to his cabin, which is made of walnut logs. The walls inside are lined with his lawbooks and the mounted sailfish he has caught. "I'm just showing you this because you can't see it anywhere else," he explains. And then he takes his place at his desk and points to the chair next to it, where the Mahatma sat and puffed on his big cigar one winter's day 40 years ago. Two other people the Governor has outlived are Branch Rickey and Jackie Robinson. If Happy Chandler had been a slightly better football coach, which is all in the world he wanted to be, he never would have become baseball commissioner. He played quarterback (and some linebacker) at Transylvania College in Lexington after arriving there in 1917 from Henderson County with barely five bucks in his pocket. His father was a postman, and his mother had run off when he was four, leaving little Happy to help out the best he could for a quarter a day, planting tobacco. He was Albert then (as christened) or, occasionally, Irish, but once he was tagged with Happy at Transylvania, it never left him. TELLING NUMBER 19 Points by which the Gamecocks were outscored in the first quarter last year (72--53); South... - August 20, 2012 Why Ask Why? TO ZACH CONE AND JOHNATHAN TAYLOR—BEST FRIENDS, GEORGIA TEAMMATES AND BASEBALL BROTHERS—THERE IS... - August 20, 2012 TELLING NUMBER 438.1 Yards per game for Arkansas last year, the first season in which the Razorbacks led the SEC in... - August 20, 2012 Leo Durocher COVERSSoutheastern Conference (56)

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7 DAYS IN THE LIFE OF A CATASTROPHE THE AUTHOR SPENT A WEEK IN LOUISIANA REPORTING ON THE GREAT GULF OIL SPILL OF 2010. HE WAS LOOKING FOR A SPORTS STORY, BUT HE FOUND MUCH MORE Kerry Sanders, the NBC correspondent, wanted more. "Look over your shoulder," Sanders ordered Dudley, camera rolling. "What do you see?" "It's devastating ... it's very emotional." Not enough. "Can we see it on your hands," demanded Sanders, "and can you tell us what it is?" Dudley, on a contrition mission, scooped up the goo and gave NBC its money shot, blood on his hands. "This is oil from right here," he recited dully. Not enough. From the railing of a boat that the group had climbed aboard, CBS's Harry Smith pointed to a phalanx of orange, fist-sized tar balls. "This is your oil," declared Harry. "Do you feel guilty?" Dudley, hangdog but litigation-leery: "I just feel sad." Sorrow without money means nothing anymore, of course, so Dudley stepped dutifully in front of a media mob back at Grand Isle's community center and pledged $360 million to build six sand berms along Louisiana's barrier islands, to keep more crude from reaching the wetlands. At his sides he was still trying to get the oil off his hands. Jindal bounced back to the microphone for a second go-round, shouting, "We're in a war! Sean Payton gets it! Drew Brees gets it! Reggie Bush gets it!" A gust of relief went through me. It did have something to do with sports. DAY 5: Bring on the Saints. Bring on the marching band. Bring on the NFC championship trophy and the Lombardi Trophy and the two military guards with white gloves standing sentry over them. They all came the next day to rally the oil refugees at Fort Jackson, in Plaquemines Parish. Men like Daniel Bourgeois, who'd spent the first two months of the crisis reporting to his boat every morning and staring into nothingness for hours, a shrimper for 44 years who'd grown up without electricity or running water and now feared he was going to die that way. He, like many fishermen, was about to sign on with BP to join the cleanup, and he, like all of them, was appalled at the thought of a moratorium on drilling because it would wipe out the other half of the local economy. He, like almost everyone else here, was now dependent for subsistence on the very company that was choking them. They were grateful to the Saints and to sports for giving them a few hours to forget all that, and they sent up a howl that drowned out Jindal's speech about the monster in the Gulf. The governor gave up, surrendered the microphone to the quarterback, but just as Brees opened his mouth the mike went dead. A hush fell over all. "It's the oil!" hooted a lady. DRAFT BUST-OUTS Top draft choices get the pub, but that doesn't always equal production. Here are less heralded... - August 27, 2012 Silly Season NFL training camps are open, which means one thing: pranks - August 27, 2012 THIS ONE TIME, AT TRAINING CAMP The road from late July to early September is long and winding, and it bypasses Chicago and New... - August 20, 2012 COVERSNational Football Conference (185)

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The January transfer window has been a bit of a damp squib to date, with the exception of Manchester City’s big money purchase of prolific Bosnian striker Edin Dzeko, but rumours of possible signings abound. Perhaps surprisingly, one club that has featured prominently in the feverish press speculation is Birmingham City, who have been linked with a series of attacking players in an attempt to resolve their goal scoring problems, including Kenny Miller and Robbie Keane, and have signed David Bentley on loan.The reason for Birmingham’s activity in the transfer market is clear, as they are currently languishing in 15th position in the Premier League (albeit with a game in hand), a single point ahead of the relegation places. Even though the Blues have proved their usual obdurate selves defensively, particularly at St. Andrews, they have only won four times with their points tally being damaged by an unusually high number of draws (ten).Realistically, the fans’ hopes should not be overly high, as Birmingham have only won one major trophy, back in 1963 when they beat local rivals Aston Villa 3-1 on aggregate in the League Cup, though they have played in the top tier of English football for the majority of their history. Nevertheless, the team achieved a highly creditable ninth place finish last season, which was particularly praiseworthy, given that this came immediately after being promoted from the Championship.Great stuff, but this was always likely to be a hard act to follow and, sure enough, Birmingham are suffering from a classic case of second season syndrome, whereby a promoted team that exceeds expectations invariably struggles the following year."Alex McLeish - Big Eck"In fairness, the club’s prospects have been hurt by the long-term absence of James McFadden, exacerbated by the failure in the summer to secure manager Alex McLeish’s preferred striking targets, including Bobby Zamora, Fabrizio Miccoli and Moussa Dembele. As an alternative, he has had to make do with beanpole Serbian forward Nikola Zigic and Chilean winger Jean Beausejour, supported by loan signings Matt Derbyshire and Aleksandr Hleb, and none of these players has had a meaningful impact on the scoring charts.So they need to do something if they want to ensure survival in the Premier League. When Carson Yeung’s investment vehicle Grandtop International Holdings Limited took over the club in October 2009, it made it very clear that this was the cornerstone of their strategy, “Our aim is to work hard to secure our position in the Premier League, not only this year, but for many years to come.” Nothing wrong with that, of course, as this is the strategy of the majority of clubs in the Premier League, because the financial implications of relegation are too hideous to consider. When Birmingham were relegated in 2006, they warned, “A prolonged absence from the Premier League will force the club to make wide-ranging economies.”This explains the club’s apparent willingness to reinforce its squad, though there is a degree of confusion over just how much money is available for new players. Alex McLeish first claimed, “We are not in a position to spend at the moment. We are looking at the loan situation and if push comes to shove then we will see.” However, this reticence was later clarified by Peter Pannu, the club’s vice-chairman, “We will consider each request on a need to buy basis, and need to play basis and finally on a need to strengthen the team basis and not on a buy for the sake of buying basis.”"David Bentley - dreaming of a new start"It’s a real dilemma for Birmingham: in the immortal words of Richard Keys, do they stick or twist? If they don’t improve the squad, they run the risk of relegation and all that entails, but, on the other hand, if they do splash the cash, they will place an additional financial burden on the club’s threadbare financial resources. Last year McLeish explained his ethos, “There will be money to spend, but there has got to be prudence.” Of course, if the money spent were to result in the club maintaining its place in the Premier League, it would certainly recoup its investment, but this still represents a gamble.This is especially so in the case of the Blues, as highlighted by the latest accounts for Birmingham City PLC, which were released last week and included the dreaded “Emphasis of Matter” warning, which stated, “These conditions indicate the existence of a material uncertainty which may cast significant doubt about the Group’s ability to continue as a going concern.” Although some have under-played the significance of this statement, suggesting that it’s merely a case of accountants covering their backsides, the reality is that auditors do not make such remarks lightly, as supporters of Liverpool and Hull City would appreciate. In simple terms, there is a risk that Birmingham City will be unable to pay its bills and could even go bust.The same accounts make it crystal clear that the club “is reliant on continued funding from Carson Yeung.” Of course, Birmingham are by no means the only club that is dependent on the support of a wealthy benefactor, but the comments on future trading and liquidity emphasise the hand-to-mouth nature of the club’s existence, as “the forecasts show that the Group needs funding of around £7.5 million from its parent company in the short term in order … to continue to operate within its agreed bank facilities.” Even that hinges on finishing in an unspecified position in the Premier League with a further £3 million required if the club avoids going down. There is no mention of what happens in the worst-case scenario of relegation, but we can make a pretty good guess, as the club posted a £19 million loss the last time this happened."Hleb - known to Arsenal fans as Dribbly McNoscore"Even more worrying is the fact that the parent company, Birmingham International Holdings Limited (BIH), does not appear to have this funding readily available, but needs to organise a placing of shares on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange “to provide general working capital and financial support.” Only £7.5 million is fully underwritten (i.e. guaranteed), leaving a further £17.5 million to be raised on a “best efforts” basis. That’s not particularly comforting, especially as the accounts state that the net proceeds “are expected to be transferred by the end of November 2010”, but there has been no further press release from BIH regarding the results of the placing. Instead, the company’s shares were suspended on 5 January, “pending the release of an announcement regarding proposed very substantial acquisition.”To a certain extent, the warning in the football club accounts is old news for Blues fans, as the BIH accounts published last October contained exactly the same “going concern” statement, while also noting that the Group’s current liabilities exceeded its current assets by around £28 million (depending on exchange rate with Hong Kong Dollar), after incurring a loss of £35 million, though much of this was due to a paper loss from writing-off goodwill arising on the acquisition of the football club. Clearly, the funds from the proposed share placing will be used to shore up the balance sheet, but that means that only limited funds will be available for transfers or stadium development.At the time, Peter Pannu eased the fans’ fears, “The accounts are those of the holding company and has nothing to do with BCFC, which in the last year had shown profits”, but this is palpable nonsense. Birmingham City Football Club PLC is the only trading subsidiary of Birmingham City PLC, which is in turn wholly owned by Birmingham International Holdings Limited (formerly Grandtop International Holdings Limited). If the chain of ownership is not enough to convince, try this for size: 99.6% of BIH’s turnover comes from the football club.All of this has cast significant doubt over the viability of the club’s holding company, which is crucial, as the football club is reliant on its support. Birmingham City’s June 2010 balance sheet has net current liabilities of £27 million, while net debt is £14 million. Almost all of this has arisen in the last year, very largely comprising a £12 million loan (bearing 5% interest) from Carson Yeung, though he has promised not to seek repayment in less than 12 months. Since the books were closed, he has advanced a further £2.8 million, so the total owed now stands at £14.8 million. The club also has £2 million of bank loans and a £2 million overdraft, both of which are secured on the club’s land and buildings, offset by £1 million of cash.So, the club is no longer debt-free, as it had been during the reign of previous owners David Sullivan and David Gold, thanks to their frugal approach. Of course, Birmingham’s debts are not huge compared to other clubs, something that Pannu was keen to announce, boasting that they were “nowhere near the level of some major Premier League clubs and some of the powerhouses in Spain and Europe.” That’s true, even though his grasp of European geography seems rather loose, but the revenue generated by those clubs is considerably higher.In fact, Birmingham’s debt is effectively higher, as they also owe £13 million to other football clubs for transfer fees, of which £8 million is due in the next financial year. Stage payments of transfers is a fairly common practice, but this is quite a high sum for a club of Birmingham’s size and it has been increasing over the past few years.They also potentially owe the taxman £5 million on image rights if Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs win a court case against a number of football clubs. Similarly, the club has provided around £1 million for a VAT dispute.However, the majority of the debt has come from Birmingham’s recent largesse in the transfer market. People might be taken aback by the fact that Birmingham’s net spend of £36 million over the last two seasons is the third highest in the Premier League, only behind Manchester City and Chelsea. In a way, this is perfectly understandable, as a team promoted from the Championship has to improve their squad to be competitive in a higher division, but it’s still a surprising statistic.Although Carson Yeung has not quite delivered on his initial pledge to spend £80 million on new players (“£40 million in the January transfer window is my commitment to the Birmingham fans. And next season we put another £40 million into the team.”), this still represents a significant outlay. Of course, boasting about such spending power did not appear to be a wise move from a negotiating perspective and Yeung has since admitted, “In hindsight, I can see that wasn’t the best thing to do. We learned one lesson – that suddenly prices shot up.” Well, they would do, if you show your hand so blatantly, e.g. the price of Roman Pavlyuchenko jumped 50% overnight.Looking at Birmingham City’s profit trend, we can see why Yeung’s loan was so important in funding the transfer spend. Even though the club was one of a select few to make a profit last season, it was extremely small at £0.1 million, necessitating cash injections. Let’s be very clear about this: Birmingham City have been run very well from a financial point of view, reporting profits in six of the last eight years, but they simply don’t produce enough cash to justify their recent activity in the transfer market.At its simplest, Birmingham are profitable in those seasons when they play in the Premier League, but make a loss if they drop down to the Championship. In 2008/09, the club took the calculated gamble of retaining most of its players, which paid off in the sense that Birmingham came back up at the first time of asking, but this did produce a hefty £19 million loss. This was in contrast to the approach they took after relegation a couple of seasons before, when they “took immediate action to alleviate the financial implications” by releasing 13 first team squad players in order to cut the wage bill and realise some profit on player sales (mainly Emile Heskey and Jermaine Pennant to Liverpool), though they still had the “highest investment in the division.”I should note at this stage that the last accounts only cover ten months, as the accounting close was changed from 31 August to 30 June, in order to be in line with the parent company BIH. This probably has limited impact on the revenue figures, as the TV money from the Premier League is distributed during the football season, while matches are not played in July and August. However, costs are booked evenly throughout the year, so a full year’s costs would have been higher than reported.Despite turnover more than doubling on Birmingham’s return to the top tier from £28 million to £56 million, this is still relatively low for clubs in the Premier League. Even though it’s a different year, if we take the Money League for 2008/09 as a comparison, Birmingham would have been in 15th position or about the same level as Stoke City. To place that into context, Manchester United’s revenue is nearly five times as much, while Aston Villa earn 50% more.The graph of the revenue mix vividly highlights Birmingham’s challenge with almost all of their income (£42 million) being derived from television, leaving relatively little from the other revenue streams with £7 million coming from each of match day and commercial. The difference between TV revenue in the Premier League and the Championship is by far the biggest swing factor in each year’s revenue. In fact, it has become increasingly important over the years. Note that match day revenue in the earlier years was over-stated in the accounts, as it included “FA and League distributions.”In fact, 74% of Birmingham’s total income comes from TV, which is only behind Wigan in terms of Premier League clubs’ dependency on the small screen, even though their £42 million is nowhere near as much as the leading clubs earn, mainly due to the money those teams earn from the Champions League. Like others, Birmingham have enormously benefited from the Sky revolution with £41 million of their £42 million broadcasting income emanating from Murdoch’s empire.The distribution of the Premier League TV revenue is therefore of particular interest to a club like Birmingham. Much of it is shared out equally, namely 50% of the domestic rights and 100% of the overseas rights, but not all of the money is allocated in this manner. Merit payments account for 25% of the domestic rights with each place in the final league table being worth around £800,000, which we have already seen is important for Birmingham’s cash flow. In addition, the remaining 25% of the domestic TV rights comes from the facility fee, which is based on how many times Sky broadcast a club’s matches live. Last season Birmingham were shown eleven times, while the viewing public was treated to Manchester United the maximum 24 times.As such, Birmingham’s turnover is heavily influenced by the timing of broadcasting deals, with the significant increase in 2008 revenue being partly due to promotion and partly due to the new Sky agreement. Happily for the Blues, they can anticipate a similar boost to revenue in next year’s accounts, as the central payments from the latest three-year deal, which kicked off in the 2010/11 season, will climb by around £7-10 million, largely thanks to the steep increase in overseas rights.Although the parachute payments paid to clubs dropping out of the Premier league have been increased to £48 million (£16 million in each of the first two years, £8 million in each of years three and four), this would still represent a drastic reduction for Birmingham. They can expect around £48 million revenue from the Premier League this season, so they would have to manage a £32 million reduction in their revenue, which is a big ask to say the least.The accounts proudly announce that match day revenue increased by £2 million from £5 million to £7 million, though this is partly due to promotion. In a way, this was still impressive, as season ticket prices were reduced by 10%, but this amount is still insignificant compared to most other clubs. If you consider that clubs like Manchester United and Arsenal collect over £100 million of match day revenue, it’s hardly a level playing field. In fact, only three clubs have lower gate receipts: Blackburn Rovers, Bolton Wanderers and WBA.This is pretty much in line with crowd levels, as Birmingham’s average attendances rising of 25,000 (up from 19,000) were the 16th highest in England last season, partly because only 84% of St. Andrews’ 30,000 capacity is being filled. In fairness, the West Midlands has been stricken by severe unemployment, with many manufacturing plants (notably Longbridge) being closed down and other workers having their hours reduced."Big Ben Foster"The club has invested some money into the stadium in the past, with the accounts specifically mentioning £1 million on refurbishing the main stand in 2008 and £2 million on the ground and training facilities in 2007, but the 2004 proposal to build a 55,000 capacity City of Birmingham Stadium has been put on hold, after the government refused to issue a licence for a super casino.If the Blues are adversely impacted by low match day revenue, the picture is even worse when it comes to commercial income with only WBA earning less than Birmingham’s £7 million. Again, the “big boys” generate substantially more revenue here with Manchester United and Liverpool receiving ten times as much at around £70 million. Note that the £10 million commercial revenue reported in 2008 was artificially inflated by the £2.5 million compensation received for former manager Steve Bruce joining Wigan.The shirt sponsorship deal with F&C Investments is worth just £650,000 a season, which compares very unfavourably with the £20 million that Standard Chartered pay Liverpool. In fact, only Blackpool’s deal with the inappropriately named Wonga is lower in the Premier League.As of this season, the club has signed a five-year deal worth £7 million with Chinese sportswear manufacture Xtep to provide kit, replacing the three-year deal with Umbro. Peter Pannu was proud of this off-pitch signing, “Not only is it a superb deal commercially, being the biggest sponsorship the club has acquired, but also on a brand level, as it promotes the club internationally.”"Karren Brady - the first lady of football"This is part of the owners’ long-term strategy, which was outlined after the acquisition, “We believe that there is a major opportunity to build BCFC’s fan base in China and to generate new sources of revenue for the club.” Former chief executive Karren Brady gushed, “I can foresee links with the powerhouse Chinese economy”; while one BIH’s legal advisors went even further, “With a population of 1.3 billion in China, the prospects are unlimited.”Stirring stuff, but is it really credible? Sure, football is widely followed in China with Premier league matches broadcast on free-to-air state channel Guandong TV, but even franchises like Manchester United have struggled to make any tangible impact there. Indeed, only a tiny percentage of United’s revenue comes from outside the UK. Of course, Yeung has many more local connections, which he believes will lead to Birmingham being “more popular than Manchester United and Chelsea”, but there’s been little evidence of that so far, beyond a pre-season tour. It’s obviously early days in the relationship, but to break through in a major market like China is likely to require the kind of funds that Birmingham do not appear to possess.Where Birmingham can be justifiably lauded is their cost control. In five years, total expenses have only grown from £45 million in 2005 to £55 million last year, though we should probably pro-rate 2010, as those accounts only cover ten months. If we do that, we get £65 million, which gives a growth of 44%, which is not too bad. As a comparison, Bolton, a club with similar revenue (£56 million), has seen cost growth of 95% in the same period.Using the same pro-rata technique, the annual wage bill is £44 million, which is one of the lowest in the Premier League at 15th. This means that Birmingham significantly outperformed their expected league position based on wages when they finished 9th. To place their wage bill into context, teams like Aston Villa and West Ham pay 50% more.This is an area that the board takes very seriously, indeed it is listed as the club’s principal risk in the accounts, “The acquisition of players and their related payroll costs are deemed the core activity risk and, whilst assisting the manager in improving the playing squad, the Board is mindful of the pitfalls that are inherent in this area of the business. The aim is therefore to manage these costs whilst being as competitive as possible within the club’s financial constraints.”In 2007 wages were cut following relegation, but this was not repeated in 2009 when the club was again demoted, leading to an unsustainable wages to turnover ratio of 100%. This was lowered to 78% last season, due the rise in turnover following the return to the Premier League, but this is still a little on the high side. To be fair, this could fall to UEFA’s recommended maximum limit of 70% with a £7 million increase in revenue, which is entirely possible following the new Sky contract.The question is what would happen if Birmingham were to be relegated? Yeung has spoken in the past of maintaining a “magic formula of 60-70%” and “a fall-back option in case you are not in the Premiership”, which implies that there would be a sale of players in this eventuality, unless the players’ contracts include clauses reducing salaries in the Championship.Similar to wages, player amortisation of £12 million is far behind most of Birmingham’s Premier League rivals, who are still “paying” for the transfer excesses of previous years. Amortisation is an “accounting” expense, which occurs as the result of transfer purchases. When a player is bought, the cost is capitalised as an intangible fixed asset and amortised (written-off) over the length of his contract. This means that the costs of buying a player are not fully reflected in the books in the year of purchase, but over time the amortisation costs can have a real impact on the profit and loss account, e.g. Manchester City’s annual amortisation is an astonishing £71 million. Again, for Birmingham, this expense tends to rise and fall, depending on whether the club is in the Premier League or Championship.The impact that the new owners have had on the club’s transfer policy can be seen by looking at the net spend over the last decade. During the last eight years of the Sullivan and Gold era, this amounted to £41 million, but this has almost been matched with £36 million in the two years under Yeung. OK, a couple of the buys in 2009 took place when the “two Davids” still had their hands on the tiller, but the point largely remains valid.Many of the purchases, such as defenders Roger Johnson, Scott Dann and Craig Gardner have proved quite astute, while the club has also made good use of the loan system over the years, most notably with goalkeeper Joe Hart from Manchester City last season, but also the likes of Sebastian Larsson, Fabrice Muamba and Nicklas Bendtner from Arsenal.This is an example of the thrifty stance adopted by the previous owners, Sullivan and Gold, who appear to have provoked contrary reactions in most supporters. On the one hand, they rescued the club from receivership in 1993 when they bought it for £700,000 and they ran the finances in a sensible manner, generating profits in many years, which is a rare feat in the pressurised world of football. On the other hand, they were criticised for milking the fans and not investing more of their own money, leading to two relegations in four years, which many felt could have been avoided.Indeed, the former regime’s reputation for financial competence has taken a few hits in recent years. In March 2010, Sullivan himself declared, “Last summer we knew the club had a financial problem, as we publicly stated we loaned it £5 million to pay the deposits on two new players, because there was no money to do that.” In the same interview, when confronted with Birmingham’s £19 million loss in 2009, he admitted, “I can’t see where this loss has come from”, even though he had sanctioned the policy of retaining the Premier League squad in the Championship – which, admittedly, was vindicated when promotion was secured."Gold and Sullivan - the dynamic duo"Then, there’s the small matter of a few legal difficulties, including a tribunal finding against the club in 2007 over the issue of reclaiming VAT on agents’ fees, and Sullivan and Karren Brady being arrested the following year on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud and false accounting (though no charges ensued).While these incidents may have raised supporters’ eyebrows, they were more angered about the size of Brady’s pay-off, when the club was sold. According to the circular sent to Birmingham City shareholders, this amounted to a staggering £959,000, comprising 12 months’ notice £179,000; once-off bonus on company sale £520,000; and a bonus for each season played in the Premier League, starting 2009/10 £260,000.Indeed, Yeung sued the former owners, as he believed that they had taken too many management fees out of the club, and even though they ultimately dropped the lawsuit, the 2010 accounts did note that the club recovered a total of £2.65 million “relating to management charges incorrectly invoiced to the club in previous years.”Of course, the old saying caveat emptor springs to mind and it is fairly obvious that Yeung’s due diligence could have been better, especially as this was his second bite of the cherry, having failed to raise sufficient funds in his collapsed takeover bid of 2007, when he had to settle for a 29.9% stake instead. Despite this inside track, Yeung surely over-paid when he finally bought the club in late 2009 for £81.5 million, which was £17.5 million more than Randy Lerner paid for Aston Villa and £58.5 million more than Venky’s paid for Blackburn Rovers (though in both those cases, the new proprietors took on more debt)."McFadden - absence makes the heart grow fonder"In this case, Sullivan was right on the money, “He merely asked us about ten questions and failed to bring in accountants or auditors. It’s a bit like me buying a house and failing to conduct a survey and then moaning when the damn thing collapses.”A similar lack of attention to detail was exposed when Yeung’s company lost a court case to stockbroker Seymour Pierce, who had sued the club for £2.2 million of unpaid fees relating to advice provided in the initial takeover bid, apparently because they had failed to submit three months’ written notice. At one stage, there was talk of this case causing the owners to lose control of the club, which may have been an improbable scenario, but it did raise questions over the strength of their financial backing.As Seymour Pierce’s lawyer said, “Any reputable business would not choose to be in contempt of a British high court. If they are well funded and they are as substantial as they have told people, they would easily be able to fund the fee and then try to get leave to appeal the judgment.”There has always been a dichotomy at the heart of Birmingham’s new owners: plenty of bullish talk about money being made available for new players, even though the holding company appears to have little financial substance. Indeed, Grandtop made significant losses in the four years prior to the acquisition and required a £57 million bridging loan to fund the takeover, which was only repaid after a share issue. This was a sign of things to come, as the current working capital issues are once again being addressed via another share placing."Nikola Zigic - more bang for your buck?"If that’s not bad enough, there is also confusion over the identity of the real owner of the football club with some questioning Carson Yeung’s role, leading to a rebuttal by Peter Pannu, “He is not a front man, he is the main man”, though even he admitted, “I can understand why people have made assumptions. The legal documents are very complex and difficult to explain.”That’s certainly true, but the latest placing document clearly identifies the anticipated dilution of Yeung’s stake that would result from this process. He currently holds 18.54% (in his name 5.82%, wholly owned Great Luck Management Limited 12.72%), which would fall to 16.25% after completion of the fully underwritten element and 12.47% if the maximum number of “best effort” shares are placed.Apart from demonstrating the lack of confidence in BIH, given that less than 25% is underwritten, this share placing raises a couple of important questions: (a) If Yeung has so much money, why is he prepared to let his stake be diluted, especially as the price is half of what he previously paid? (b) How can he still be the “main man”, when he will own less than an eighth of the company?In fairness, he would still be the major shareholder, if not the majority shareholder, and it is possible that other large shareholders are close business associates, who are happy to see him to lead the organisation. That said, he sure has come a long way since the days he ran a chain of hair salons, before apparently making money from the ubiquitous “property development” and becoming chairman of Hong Kong Rangers football club."The focus of Roger Johnson"The company’s share placings have been under-written by Kingston Securities, a Hong Kong brokerage owned by Pollyanna Chu, chief executive of the Golden Resorts casino hotels company in Macau and reputedly one of the wealthiest women in Hong Kong. There are suspicions that she is the true power behind the throne, with some believing that it is only a question of time before she shows her hand, especially with BIH’s continual financial headaches, but Pannu has denied her involvement. Such a change might be welcomed by Blues fans, though it could be a case of jumping out of the frying pan into the fire, as she has a somewhat controversial past, having been investigated by the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission for “unauthorised and improper trading activities.”There have been a number of bizarre potential acquisitions announced by BIH, including Peace International Creation Limited (aviation), Diligent King Investments Limited (telecoms) and Good Partners Group Limited (property), though none of these appear to have been completed. Again, it makes you wonder what are the attractions of these unknown companies, when there many businesses around that would be far less speculative investments. As Spandau Ballet once sung, “Questions, questions/Give me no answers.”In fairness to Carson Yeung, he has so far delivered on a number of promises: the money was found to purchase the club, the bridging loan was repaid and money has been provided to fund transfers (albeit not to the levels initially pledged). That said, the lack of transparency must be a concern for Birmingham City fans, not helped by the club’s parent company being incorporated in the Cayman Islands, an offshore tax haven. The Premier League have been satisfied to date, but their tests only require a guarantee that the club is funded until the end of the season and is not designed to look at long-term solvency."Calling Cameron Jerome"Push will come to shove soon enough, as Birmingham’s ageing squad will need to be rejuvenated and that will require a fair bit of cash. The concern is that the complicated structure is acting as the proverbial smoke and mirrors to disguise fundamental financial weaknesses, while the hope is that the club do indeed manage to break into the lucrative Chinese market and reap the benefits. We shall see.Encouragingly, Peter Pannu recently stated that Birmingham had to be “financially prudent” and could not be run on a “benefactor’s model” otherwise they would end up like Portsmouth, but he also said that Yeung was not going to “turn off the taps.” It’s a delicate balance that affects all clubs, but many of them do not suffer from the Blues’ Byzantine ownership structure.In many ways, Birmingham City is an admirable club with solid, down-to-earth principles. They have a small budget, but have continued to punch well above their weight, earning the respect of the Premier League. Much of this is due to a fiercely loyal support that deserves more clarity from the club’s owners. As Peter Pannu said, when talking about the previous administration, “The fans would like to see the lifting of the corporate veil and their club run in a responsible and open way.” I couldn’t have put it any better myself. Posted by Birmingham City, Carson Yeung, David Gold, David Sullivan, BumpyfunkJanuary 14, 2011 at 3:54 PMExcellent and thorough. Well done.ReplyDeleteAdriaanJanuary 14, 2011 at 5:28 PMAnother excellent article. Well done Mr. SwissRamble.ReplyDeleteAnonymousJanuary 14, 2011 at 5:58 PMThis is a great report for us Birmingham City fans. The report clarifies some of the hidden aspects. Would be nice if there were some wealthy people who would help us in our dreams. If the club is being financed by some mysterious Chinese they would reap some good rewards with their huge population. We are not too far off being a half decent premiership side. I feel if we invest prudently in a couple of years we could be a top half club. We the long suffering supporters realise we need to go slowly; but not too slowly.ReplyDeleteGoatJanuary 14, 2011 at 7:38 PMInteresting commentary, and apt timing given the breaking news that Spurs have accepted a £6m bid for Robbie Keane from Birmingham.Suggests that further capital has been provided (or, at least, will need to be ultimately), which doesn't necessarily sit well with the suspension of the share trading - something that rarely ends well, unfortunately.ReplyDeleteAnonymousJanuary 14, 2011 at 8:20 PMFantastic article,amazing,all that is missing is the golden nugget,a chinese player,to get in the squad,which could bring in 1.5billion pounds,just like the basketball player.ReplyDeleteAnonymousJanuary 14, 2011 at 11:26 PMI am grateful for this. The local Birmingham newspaper - the Birmingham Mail is saying nothing about this issue by either ignorance or suppression. When Grandtop took control the newspaper issued a veiled threat to Yeung that they would be watching every step he made. For whatever reason they have failed to do this.The financial collapse of BCFC looks like being 2011's work in progress.A scandal.ReplyDeleteAnonymousJanuary 15, 2011 at 12:38 AMAs fans all we can do is continue to support the club in the best way possible, by attending matches. Understanding the ownership is like trying to read a newspaper in a smoke filled room.If BIH collapse it'll take Blues with it and the Portsmouth scenario will haunt us too. Crashing down two divisions is something I NEVER want to witness again!!!ReplyDeleteAussi blueJanuary 15, 2011 at 12:59 AMAt last an excellent review of BCFC financial details.This raises more questions for us fans.Better to live in hope... and I like Big Eck with new players and a rise up the table and dare I say it, one or two good Cup runs,the rest of 2011 might be a good and a profitable one !!ReplyDeleteAndrewJanuary 16, 2011 at 5:16 AMExcellent Article Mr. Ramble...As someone who's never been to Birmingham it seems to me by looking at some of the numbers that the city has more Aston Villa supporters than BCFC supporters, can anyone verify this??Also you stated that the last time the club suffered relegation they lost $19 Million, does that take the Parachute payments they received into account? I know that this helps clubs remain financially viable (and why we see yo-yo clubs like West Bromwich moving back and forth from the EPL to the Championship).ReplyDeleteAlan MacLeodJanuary 16, 2011 at 2:05 PMWhat I don't understand is all the public and media animosity toward Gold and Sullivan. For all that is said about them and their businesses (hardly more seedy than most owners' dealings), they have acted as astutely and prudently as any owners in the country and seem to have a firm grasp of the economic situation and in reality. Now they are running West Ham very well, considering the mess it was left in. There's a very illuminating Hardtalk interview with Sullivan in which he comes across as one of the most genuine, down to earth and shrewd owners in football.ReplyDeleteAlan MacLeodJanuary 16, 2011 at 2:07 PMand here's the link to it. Not sure if it will work in Switzerland though.http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00qllqv/HARDtalk_David_Sullivan_Coowner_West_Ham_United/ReplyDeleteAnonymousJanuary 16, 2011 at 3:03 PM"What I don't understand is all the public and media animosity toward Gold and Sullivan."That's because they promised Champion's League football for West Ham, and at the moment it looks like they are getting Championship football instead.Their bid for the Olympic Stadium is stupid too and they are bidding for something that's essentially a crappy temporary stadium, with crappy facilities, no proper roof and a running track. Not to mention it's hard to believe that club will be able to fill up a 60000 stadium. Spurs have shown that they know a lot better about what they are doing, which is why I will be surprised if they don't end up with the Olympic Stadium.ReplyDeleteThe Swiss RamblerJanuary 16, 2011 at 8:46 PM@Andrew,Yes, that £19m loss included parachute payments, though they have increased since then. There are two ways of looking at this. On the one hand, it's a huge drop in revenue compared to the Premier League. On the other hand, it's still likely to give a relegated team a larger budget than other teams in the Championship.ReplyDeleteAnonymousJanuary 17, 2011 at 11:16 AMDoesnt really answer any questions though does it? Blues fans are obsessed with the hope that there is a mystery billionaire backer and there isn't. Yeung runs the club with a plethora of associates and business contacts who invest in BIHL. There is a lot of scaremongering and almost a wish by the media that they do a Portsmouth. The Chinese play the long game and because no one can get any sense out of them it therefore follows that the club have had it, which doesn't seem to the caseReplyDeleteAnonymousJanuary 19, 2011 at 11:36 AMExcellent stuff again Mr R - I am finally beginning to understand all the accounts with your expert help.ReplyDeleteAnonymousJanuary 20, 2011 at 7:21 PMReally like this blog!What about an analisys of Wolverhampton Wanderers? Must be interesting as they have a very low wage budget (and a low revenue) + a stadium renovation project: a gamble?ReplyDeleteThe Swiss RamblerJanuary 20, 2011 at 10:17 PM@Anonymous (7:21),Thanks for the kind words.I would actually like to review Wolves, but I shall wait until their 2010 accounts are published, so that the article is as up to date as possible.ReplyDeleteAnonymousJanuary 28, 2011 at 1:22 PM"while the hope is that the club do indeed manage to break into the lucrative Chinese market and reap the benefits. We shall see."The lucrative market is the Asian gambling market. Rack up the losses and access the cashflow in the football concern and make the money elsewhere.....*cough* Portsmouth *cough*ReplyDeleteAnonymousJanuary 28, 2011 at 1:33 PMIt's interesting how many clubs are run as loss making shells, picked clean by dodgy owners, management, agents and players, leaving fans and naive investors to take the hit.I mean whose money is really sunk here anyway?Do we really know who has skin in the game?ReplyDeleteAnonymousMarch 8, 2011 at 7:38 AMthey win the carling cup, and will have the chance to play in europe next season.. but there are reports that they may not be able to compete in Europe unless they can assure the Premier League, UEFA and the Football Association their financial future is secure.. Portsmouth anyone?ReplyDeleteAnonymousMay 18, 2011 at 5:28 PMOnly we do disaster so well...we seem to always jump out of the frying pan into the fire...when will it ever end...we win the cup and get into the Europa Cup and only have 2 games to get into the group stages...and what do we do...we put ourselves into a position were all this progress will be destroyed overnight following a end of season inevitability....We keep right on....but slowly by slowly the road is wearing out and the fans are dropping off...soon this club will implode and there will only be a handful of us left...Everyone talks about a club underachieving.....well this club should not be this small and move from one tragedy to another...but it does...and this has made one of the clubs with the most untapped potential be the biggest underachieving clubs if not Europe but certainly in England.But we will keep on going as it is all we know...KROReplyDeleteAnonymousMay 26, 2011 at 3:53 PMGet a young manager.ReplyDeleteAdd commentLoad more...

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Posts Tagged "Hull City" » The Petulant Outbursts Of Assem Allam By Mark on Jan 15, 2014 in Latest, Politics | 4 comments There’s nothing like a bit of blackmail to liven up English football in a quiet news week (and, alas, FA Cup third round replay week is such a week). Good job, then, that Hull CITY owner Assem Allam isn’t resorting to blackmail in order to force English football’s governing body (the Football Association, in case you didn’t recognise them from the description) to... There Are No Prizes: The 200% End Of 2013 Awards By Ian on Dec 31, 2013 in Latest | 3 comments It’s the time of year when handing out awards for things that have happened to people and organisations over the previous twelve months or so comes into vogue, and even though the football season somewhat inconveniently doesn’t pay too much attention to the machinations of the Gregorian calendar, we’re going to give it a go anyway. (For those of... On Coventry City, Cardiff City & Hull City’s Winter Of Discontent By Ian on Dec 23, 2013 in Latest, Politics | 0 comments There are three football clubs at which the Christmas period may well prove to be a period of reflection. The circumstances that have engulfed these three clubs over the last few weeks and months have come to act as something of a barometer for the state of professional football in this country at the moment. None of them are sufficiently insignificant as clubs to... Hull City’s Assem Allam Is A Symptom Of A Broader Problem By Ian on Dec 12, 2013 in Latest, Politics | 4 comments There’s an attempt at a coup d’etat going on in football in this country at the moment, and it feels as if point is rapidly approaching at which supporters of all hues will draw a line in the sand and say “enough.” Indeed, that point may already have been reached this week with the confirmation that, having originally promised that there... Dr Assem Allam Writes His Own Legacy At Hull City By Ian on Dec 1, 2013 in Latest | 1 comment Dr Assem Allam is not a young man. At seventy-four years old, we might have expected him to start taking things a little easier at his time of life, to spend a little more time with the Daily Telegraph’s cryptic crossword, tending to his garden and feeding the birds in the park, but one of the more unfortunate traits of the sort of capitalist baron of which...

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hide Retired judge Otton to lead investigation into UCI (Reuters) - Former Court of Appeal judge Philip Otton will chair the three-member commission set up to investigate allegations made against the International Cycling Union (UCI) over the Lance Armstrong doping scandal, the UCI said on Friday. The retired judge, who has dealt with Formula One disputes at the International Court of Appeal, will work with Britain's 11-times Paralympic champion Tanni Grey-Thompson and Australian lawyer Malcolm Holmes. The UCI said last month it would set up an independent commission to address issues and allegations which arose during the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) investigation into Armstrong and the U.S. Postal Team. The commission, assembled by the International Court of Arbitration for Sport president John Coates, will be independent from any other sports body, the UCI said. "The appointment of these three eminent figures demonstrates clearly that the UCI wants to get to the bottom of the Lance Armstrong affair and put cycling back on the right track," UCI president Pat McQuaid said in a statement. "As I have said previously, the Commission's report and recommendations are critical to restoring confidence in the sport of cycling and in the UCI as its governing body," he added. "We will co-operate fully with the Commission and provide them with whatever they need to conduct their enquiry and we urge all other interested stakeholders to do the same. We will listen to and act on the Commission's recommendations." The commission is to hold a hearing in London in April and will submit its report to the UCI by June 1, 2013 or shortly afterwards. In the coming two weeks, the UCI will also announce details of a stakeholder consultation to look at the future of cycling and discuss how to bring in lasting improvements, as well as to tackle other issues of concern, the governing body said. Armstrong was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles and banned for life after USADA concluded the now-retired rider had been involved in the "most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program that sport has ever seen." The USADA report said the 41-year-old American told his then team mates Floyd Landis and Tyler Hamilton he made a positive drugs test go away with a payment to the UCI in 2001. The UCI acknowledged they received a $100,000 donation in 2002 but have denied the money was part of a covering up of a positive test. Armstrong, who has always denied using performance-enhancing drugs, chose not to contest the USADA charges. (Writing by Gregory Blachier in Paris; Editing by Alison Wildey)

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related storiesMessi future to be resolvedBerbatov keen on Monaco stayHazard misses Chelsea trainingGaray fuels transfer talkCourtois up for Chelsea testDebuchy issues rallying callTweet3 January 2013, 10:37Davis hoping to climb table Steven Davis believes Southampton have now adjusted to life in the Premier League and are ready to push on in the second half of the season. Saints have spent much of the first part of the campaign in the relegation zone and found it particularly hard at the start as they won just once in their opening 11 games. However, a draw with Arsenal on New Year's Day lifted Nigel Adkins' men out of the bottom three and midfielder Davis says the summer signings are now fully settled. But he is taking nothing for granted and insists Southampton will continue working hard to ensure they keep moving in the right direction. "Over the last six to eight weeks we've shown the shape of the team is really good," Davis told the Daily Mirror. "We've got the right balance in the side and we'll just try and continue that. Hopefully that will see us climb the table. "We were new to the league and had tough fixtures. A lot of new players came in and it took a lot of time for the players to bed in and get to know each other's games. "We are feeling confident but we know it is going to be an important second half of the season. "Each and every game is going to count and you don't know how valuable some of these draws might be come the end of the season."Tweetarticle367233advertisement

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hide Bolt and Blake split wildcards for worlds Wednesday, June 12, 2013 10:54 p.m. CDT Sprinting champion Usain Bolt of Jamaica speaks during a news conference at the Russian embassy June 11, 2013. REUTERS/Vegard Grott/NTB Scan By Kayon Raynor KINGSTON (Reuters) - Usain Bolt will have to qualify for the 100 meters at this year's world championships after Jamaican officials decided the country's automatic entry into the race should go to his training partner Yohan Blake. But Bolt was given his country's wildcard entry into the 200m after the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA) ruled in his favor for the longer sprint. The JAAA was forced to choose between its own athletes after the sport's world body ruled that only one wild card would be allowed per country for each event. Jamaica had two runners in each race who were entitled to wild cards. Bolt qualified for the 100m after winning the event at last year's Diamond League and the 200m after he won the event at the last world championships in 2011. Blake also qualified for the 100m after he won the blue-riband race at the 2011 world titles. And Nickel Ashmeade qualified for the 200m, as last year's Diamond League winner. Faced with a dilemma over who to choose and who to leave out, the JAAA's President Warren Blake announced its decision on Wednesday. "The executive of the JAAA has decided that in cases where Jamaica has both the Diamond League champions and the defending (world) champion, it is the defending champion that will get the nod," he said. The decision means that Bolt, Blake and Ashmeade will all have to compete at the trials in at least one event. The trials start June 20.

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Green Bay Packers Draft 2012 NFL Mock Draft: Jerel Worthy A Popular Pick For Green Bay Packers "Hi, I'm better than Devon Still." U MAD, Team Still? A month or two ago, it seemed to me like the popular opinion was that the Green Bay Packers were either going to select a pass rushing outside linebacker or Peter Konz with the 28th overall pick in the NFL Draft. As the date approaches, though, there seems to be almost a consensus that the two-way defensive tackles/3-4 defensive ends offer more value than the 3-4 outside linebackers that will be available at No. 28, and I tend to agree. There are going to be, in my opinion, multiple tackle/3-4 end prospects available at No. 28 who are first round talents. One of them is likely to be Michigan State defensive tackle Jerel Worthy, who I wrote about a couple of days ago. In their latest mock drafts, both Peter King and Don Banks of Sports Illustrated are projecting that the Packers will select Worthy. You can check out the explanations of both Banks and King after the jump. Here's Banks' mock draft, and here's what he had to say. "The Packers stay true to the value of their draft grades, and Worthy is likely to be the highest-rated player available at No. 28. He'd bounce outside to defensive end in Green Bay's 3-4, and hopefully make everyone in Titletown forget Cullen Jenkins." That is some extremely high praise. King's mock draft is a little bit different. He makes his picks based on what he think teams should do, but also notes who he thinks they should pick. "Worthy would be the long-term replacement for Cullen Jenkins, though I could see G.M. Ted Thompson going for a big-potential outside threat like Nick Perry or Shea McClellin as a bookend pass rusher for Clay Matthews. Martin is the kind of versatile cold-weather back who would fit the Pack perfectly. 'He's this draft's Ray Rice,' one personnel man told me." It's worth noting that all of Devon Still, Nick Perry, Shea McClellin and Andre Branch were available when Banks and King projected Worthy to Green Bay. Do you agree that Worthy's the best pick of the bunch? And what do you make of Doug Martin? I feel forced to do a profile on him before the draft starts tomorrow, I guess I hadn't thought about the possibility of taking a running back in the first round until reading this. I have no idea how to feel about it.

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LifeLock to sponsor Indy 500 team LifeLock® CEO Todd Davis and Rubicon Race Team owners Jason Priestley and Jim Freudenberg announced today that LifeLock would be the primary sponsor for their first entry in the 92nd running of the Indianapolis 500 on May 25, 2008. The car will be formally entered in March for the world’s largest one day sporting event as the Rubicon Race Team/LifeLock entry.LifeLock, the recognized leader in the identity theft prevention industry, helps consumers fight the problems associated with identity theft by enabling and by setting and automatically renewing fraud alerts with the major credit bureaus and removing members’ names from junk mail lists. The service is backed by the most complete $1 million service guarantee available. Recently, LifeLock added an additional service to all members –free of charge – called WalletLock™. WalletLock works to cancel and replace all documents and personal identifying information inside a wallet if it is lost or stolen. “We are extremely excited to be joining forces with the Rubicon Race Team to participate in the 92nd Indianapolis 500 and bring an increased awareness about preventing identity theft,” said Davis. “This crime has been one of the fastest growing in the U.S. for years and will remain so until everyone takes the necessary steps to limit access to personal information. We look forward to doing whatever it takes to help the team be successful.”The strategic alliance between LifeLock and Rubicon is a business to consumer program with the racing platform providing access to new members. The team has created a sweepstakes that will enter all new LifeLock members for a position on the LifeLock Rubicon Race Team during race weekend as well as other various prizes. “Although you may enter the sweepstakes without purchase, we are grateful that the vast majority of our constituents are savvy enough to want to protect themselves and their families from identity theft”, explained Freudenberg. “By going to www.Lifelock.com and using the 90210 Promo Code, we are able to offer a Rubicon Race Team rate for those interested in LifeLock.” As part of their growing brand identity and marketing strategy, LifeLock will be prominently featured on the cars sidepods, nose cone, pit equipment and driver and crew uniforms. Hot News Archives

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The Dirty Bowl: Blunt Apology After Eye-Grabbing Eye Poke Daniel J. Flynn Naval Academy football players have suffered worse. Midshipman Earl Wilson lost his life after attempting an awkward tackle of a Villanova player in 1909 and Jonas Howard Ingram survived the Battle of Veracruz a few years later to win a Medal of Honor. But have they ever seen anything like Roderic Blunt? On December 30, referees ejected the Middle Tennessee linebacker from Fort Worth's Armed Forces Bowl after several indiscretions that violated NCAA rules and perhaps the Geneva Convention, as well. Blunt’s aggressive play elicited two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties. The second one, called on a late hit in the fourth quarter, resulted in an automatic ejection. However, it was a foul caught by ESPN’s cameras but not the NCAA zebras that has provoked outrage. Roderic Blunt went Moe Howard on the floor of Amon G. Carter Stadium, conscripting Keenan Reynolds to unwittingly play Curly in his impromptu revival of The Three Stooges. In the third quarter, Blunt’s fingers invaded Keenan Reynolds’s facemask, poking the quarterback’s eyes following a tackle. The Midshipman missed three plays waiting for a plastic visor to be installed in his mask and fumbled immediately upon his return to play. The eye-poke poor sportsmanship ultimately did little to alter the outcome: Navy 24, Middle Tennessee 6. “I’m not going to back down one bit,” head coach Rick Stockstill maintained after the game. “We had something to prove. I thought our defense was very, very physical and tough. I loved how they played.” But less than 24 hours later, Stockstill has backed down quite a bit. “After seeing the replay of the game, I saw things that I was unable to see live from the sideline,” Stockstill announced in a prepared statement. “I have called Navy head coach Ken Niumatalolo, quarterback Keenan Reynolds, and Brant Ringler, the executive director of the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl, and apologized for Roderic Blunt’s actions.” Blunt issued an apology, which failed to live up to his name the way his play did, noting that the contest was his last as a collegian and that his emotions ran high. The linebacker’s uncontrolled energy was apparently contagious. One Middle Tennessee defensive back, for instance, received a taunting penalty after strangely whooping it up in front of Navy’s sideline after the Midshipmen had won a new set of downs. “I have strived to run a first-class program and I do not condone this type of play,” Stockstill declared. “We have shown a history of good sportsmanship and, this season, we ranked as the ninth-least penalized team in the country. We were called for just one defensive personal foul penalty prior to the bowl game.” ON BREITBART TV MTSU's Roderic Blunt's Unsportsmanlike Ejection Highlights

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Kings fans take fight for their franchise to Tumblr In this photo taken March 24, 2013, Sacramento Kings fan Rachel Blado / Rich Pedroncelli, AP by Sean Highkin, USA TODAY Sportsby Sean Highkin, USA TODAY Sports Filed Under Rich Pedroncelli, AP As the clock winds down on the future of the Sacramento Kings, fans have ramped up their social media-based efforts to keep the team from moving to Seattle. Tom Ziller of Sactown Royalty, one of the most prominent figures in the "Here We Stay" movement, has started a new Tumblr page for fans to submit photos of themselves in Kings gear. The goal of the Tumblr is not just to represent the current state of the movement, but to document the entire history of the city of Sacramento's efforts to keep their team. And that history is an impressive one. Dating back to 2011, it has survived one near-move to Anaheim and a new arena deal that fell apart at the last minute. They're currently up against their biggest and most powerful foe yet: a pending sale of the team to a powerful group led by hedge-fund manager Chris Hansen, intent on moving the Kings to Seattle. Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson, a former NBA player, has spearheaded an effort to put together a competing ownership group to keep the Kings in Sacramento, and they scored a huge victory this week when the city council approved a proposal for a new downtown arena. The NBA's board of governors is expected to vote on both bids for the Kings in April. Practically speaking, the new Tumblr and the rest of Kings fans' social media efforts will have no bearing on the way the situation is resolved. But it's difficult to imagine Sacramento's effort to keep its lone professional sports team being this successful without a fan base this vocal and passionate. The addition of this Tumblr is not only the latest example of that, but could serve as an important historical document no matter where the team ends up playing next year. Copyright 2014 USATODAY.comRead the original story: Kings fans take fight for their franchise to Tumblr The Here We Stay movement has started a Tumblr as the city fights to stop a move to Seattle A link to this page will be included in your message.

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Speedway : Media : News Archive Bank of America & LMS to Honor Racing Legends Junior Johnson among the drivers recognized. Richard Petty among the drivers recognized. Rusty Wallace among the drivers recognized. Bank of America and Charlotte Motor Speedway (LMS) today announced their plans to honor past champions from this marquee event on the NASCAR schedule prior to the Bank of America 500 on Saturday, October 14. The special, pre-race ceremony will showcase many of the greatest moments at LMS, and will celebrate the thrilling achievements of both former and current drivers, including Junior Johnson, Fred Lorenzen, Buddy Baker, Charlie Glotzbach, Bobby and Donnie Allison, Richard Petty, Benny Parsons, Darrell Waltrip, Harry Gant, Rusty Wallace, Geoffrey Bodine, Ernie Irvan, Dale Jarrett and Jeff Gordon. "These racing legends, whose achievements embody our company's values of teamwork, leadership and winning, have had an important impact on the sport, contributing to its success and helping to build the loyalty of its fans," said Ray Bednar, Sponsorship Executive for Bank of America. "It is our great privilege to use our sponsorship of the Bank of America 500 to mark their victories at Charlotte Motor Speedway and to celebrate their place in the annals of racing." "As we begin a new era with our new Bank of America event partnership, it is appropriate to pause and honor these great drivers who helped build the rich heritage this race enjoys," said H.A. "Humpy" Wheeler, President/GM of Charlotte Motor Speedway. "I think the fans will enjoy seeing and acknowledging these great legends here in the epicenter of NASCAR racing." The 20-minute pre-race celebration at the Bank of America 500 includes a video tribute to Charlotte Motor Speedway and its winning drivers, and an honorary lap around the track on a customized float. In addition, lucky race fans and Columbus, NC residents, Mickey Jackson, and his five-year-old son, Kalob, will serve as Honorary Grand Marshals and give the command to start engines alongside the celebrated legends, after winning the Bank of America 500 Honorary Grand Marshal contest. The champions expected to be honored for their accomplishments at Charlotte Motor Speedway span nearly fifty years of racing. Among them: (**denotes win at the October race at LMS) . Alfred "Speedy" Thompson - One of the most successful drivers of the late 1950's, Thompson scored 20 wins, 78 top fives, 106 top 10 finishes, and 19 poles (deceased). **1960 • Junior Johnson - Truly a legend of NASCAR, Johnson was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1991, Johnson captured 50 victories as a driver and 139 wins as a team owner. **1962, 1963 • Benny Parsons - Currently an award-winning race analyst for NBC Sports and TNT, Parsons dominated the NASCAR scene in the early 1970's winning the Cup Championship in 1973. **1977 • Harry Gant - Known to his fans as "Handsome" Harry, Gant currently holds the record for being the oldest driver to win a Cup race at 52 years old. Throughout his career, Gant collected 18 Cup wins and 21 Busch wins. **1982 • Rusty Wallace - A champion on both the track and now in the broadcast booth, Wallace took home 55 NASCAR wins, and is currently tied for 8th place on NASCAR's All-Time wins list. In 2007, Wallace will be in the broadcast booth for ABC and ESPN. **1988 • Geoffrey Bodine - The oldest of three Bodine brothers, Geoffrey won Rookie of the Year honors in 1982. Eighteen wins later helped secure him the honor of being named one of NASCAR's 50 greatest drivers. **1991 . Ernie Irvan - After out racing a star-studded field in the 1990's, Irvan bounced back from a near-fatal crash to one of NASCAR's most prolific careers capturing 15 victories. Dominated this race in 1993. **1993 • Jeff Gordon - One of the most recognized drivers of this era. Going into the 2006 season he had amassed 73 victories, 199 top-five and 269 top 10 finishes in 437 starts spanning 14 years. **1999 Charlotte Motor Speedway held its debut race on June 19, 1960 and, since has become a destination for the world's best drivers seeking to earn a place in racing history. Many of the track's greatest moments have occurred during the October race. Among them: • 1961: Joe Weatherly passed his teammate Bob Welborn with just five laps remaining, and then held off Richard Petty to win by 1.5-car lengths. Weatherly was practically counted out of the race early in the event when rookie Woody Wilson spun, taking Weatherly for a harrowing 200-yard slide through the first turn. • 1972: Bobby Allison and Buddy Baker changed the lead five times in the final nine laps before Allison made what would prove to be the winning pass with just four laps remaining. Baker's last-lap effort to get back around Allison and claim the victory was thwarted when he was boxed in behind the lapped car of Cecil Gordon. Allison had a comfortable 15-second lead with 16 laps to go when second-running Richard Petty blew a tire and hit the wall, bringing out the caution flag. After Petty's car was removed, the memorable 10-lap trophy dash ensued. • 1983: This race is best known for what happened after the checkered flag. Richard Petty seemingly came from nowhere, passed Darrell Waltrip with 23 laps remaining and won by 1.3 seconds. It was the 198th victory of Petty's career. But during post-race inspection, NASCAR officials discovered that Petty's Pontiac was equipped with what they described as a "whopper" engine and that the left-side tires were put on the right side of the car for better traction. In the ruling, Petty kept the victory, but he was fined a record $35,000 and stripped of 104 Winston Cup points. • 1986: Dale Earnhardt made up two laps, passed Harry Gant for the lead on lap 297 and beat his former sportsman division rival to the checkered flag by 1.9 seconds. Two early pit stops to replace cut tires left Earnhardt struggling to remain in the top 30. However, with the aid of two caution flags and a speedy Wrangler Chevrolet, Earnhardt quickly made up the three-mile deficit and then methodically sliced through the field. • 1988: Rusty Wallace battled back from a seemingly insurmountable two-lap deficit and held off Darrell Waltrip in an electrifying finish. Wallace pitted early as his crew changed the carburetor on No. 27 Pontiac. With the help of timely caution periods, Wallace worked his way back onto the lead lap. He drove around Brett Bodine for the lead with 12 laps remaining and edged Waltrip by a car length at the checkered flag. On the final lap, Waltrip literally pushed Wallace down the backstretch and into Turn 3, turning the Blue Max Pontiac sideways. However, Wallace was able to hold on and kept Waltrip behind him. • 1997: Proving that it is sometimes better to be lucky than good, an unplanned chassis adjustment helped Dale Jarrett record the victory. The middle stages of the 500-mile event featured some of the best racing of the season as Jarrett, Dale Earnhardt and Mark Martin exchanged the lead. Bobby Labonte recovered from an early race tangle involving several cars and was back to fifth by the 200-lap mark. By the time a green-flag cycle of pit stops was completed on lap 227, Labonte had taken the lead. Not to be deterred, Jarrett, who had an unplanned set-up change when a spring rubber fell out of the right front on the final pit stop, used his car's improved handling to charge back through the pack, took the lead on lap 277 and never looked back. He was 4.1 seconds ahead of Labonte at the checkered flag. • 2000: In a race that featured 46 lead changes among 13 drivers, pit strategy proved the key to Bobby Labonte's victory. Jeremy Mayfield's team opted for a two-tire change during a lap 307 caution period while most of the other front-runner chose four tires over track position. Mayfield's strategy earned him the top spot for the restart, but Labonte began to move forward from the sixth position. Labonte swept around Mayfield with just seven laps remaining and went on to victory while Mayfield held off Ricky Rudd for second. Bank of America's involvement with racing dates back to the early 1980's, when its legacy banks in Virginia and North Carolina sponsored races and provided financing for motor speedways throughout the United States. Over the last two decades, the company's foray into racing has significantly expanded. Today, Bank of America has multiyear sponsorship agreements with International Speedway Corporation (ISC) and Speedway Motorsports Inc. (SMI), for a combined total of 10 track sponsorships and title sponsorship of the Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, NC. In addition, through its completed merger with MBNA, Bank of America is designated the Official Credit Card Issuer of NASCAR - with participation from more than 80 drivers - and all SMI and ISC tracks. Bank of America also is the presenting sponsor of "Countdown to Green," NASCAR's pre-race program, which airs on NBC and TNT prior to each Nextel Cup Series race. Bank of America: Bank of America is one of the world's largest financial institutions, serving individual consumers, small and middle market businesses and large corporations with a full range of banking, investing, asset management and other financial and risk-management products and services. The company provides unmatched convenience in the United States, serving more than 54 million consumer and small business relationships with more than 5,700 retail banking offices, more than 16,700 ATMs and award-winning online banking with more than 19 million active users. Bank of America is the No. 1 overall Small Business Administration (SBA) lender in the United States and the No. 1 SBA lender to minority-owned small businesses. The company serves clients in 175 countries and has relationships with 98 percent of the U.S. Fortune 500 companies and 79 percent of the Global Fortune 500. Bank of America Corporation stock (NYSE: BAC) is listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Charlotte Motor Speedway Hosts Opening Day Kickoff of the Mustang 50th Birthday Celebration Sprint Fan Vote Gives Fans Power to Determine Who is Worthy of NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race Earnhardt Jr. and Harvick Headline Hunt Brothers� Pizza All-Star Pizza Party Ford Mustang Marks 50th Birthday Celebration This Weekend Hight, Brown, Alund and Hines Claim Wins at the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals Langdon, Capps, McGaha and Ray Top the Leaderboard Going Into Sunday's Eliminations at NHRA Four-Wide Nationals Send to Friend Printer Friendly Discuss RSS Share:

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Dave McGillivray is Thinking Big By Don Allison So, you want to put on run. Not just any run, it's got to be big, important, something that will get some major attention, raise major money, even raise the consciousness of everyone who comes in contact with the event. You need a location, then decide the entire USA will be your location, coast to coast, west to east. You decide the run will go all day, every day for two weeks straight, no stopping. Then you decide to invite some of your running acquaintances, people that might help attract attention. So you get in touch some of the biggest names in marathon running and triathlon, people who have won the majors such Boston and the Hawaii IronMan. Dave McGillivray finishing the 1998 Boston MarathonPreposterous, you say-no one can put on a run of that magnitude. Then you learn that Dave McGillivray is behind this project. You nod your head and say sure, he can pull it off all right. That's the kind of admiration, confidence, and respect Dave McGillivray has earned through the years, with emphasis on the word earned. You learn quickly that word is very big in Dave's vocabulary. This is a guy who truly has earned everything he has accomplished in the sports of running and triathlon, which is plenty. After talking with him for while you wonder if you have ever met anyone so immersed in the sport? Pretty much all you need to know about McGillivray's motivation, drive, and get-things-done mentality is contained in the story of how he arrived at the decision to run across the country in 1978, 20 years ago this month. Always the smallest guy on the team in his schoolboy years, McGillivray was frustrated in his attempts at playing traditional sports. Here was a kid who was thinking BIG, while everyone else was seeing the small picture. The coaches all kept telling him he was not big enough, so he put a big sign over his bed that said "Dear God: Please let me grow!" What grew was his burning desire to achieve. He just needed the right forum, a place where there would not be a coach to tell him to go home because he wasn't good enough or big enough. He found his place in running, a sport that was all substance, no style. Go out and get results. Put on your shoes and go until you can't go anymore. That was Dave McGillivray's kind of sport. But he wanted to do something in running that would make a statement. Running a marathon was nice, but lots of people were running marathons. So he decided he would run the country. Yup, the entire US of A. But could he do it? That was the question. Even for a little guy with a heart the size of Alaska, 3,000 miles is a long way to run. You don't just head out the door for a run of that length. So Dave planned a test run. He explains, " My sister lived in Rochester, 240 miles from Boston. So I drove there and made motel reservations for the following week, every 40 miles along route 20. Then I took a backpack, a book, and a change of socks and ran to Rochester, all 300 miles, in seven days." That gave him the green light for his cross-country trek. " I felt if I could run 40 miles every day by myself, I could run go all the way across the country with support." And so he did. From Medford, Oregon to his hometown of Medford, Massachusetts, McGillivray ran his way across the country and into the consciousness of runners and non-runners alike. Thinking big even then, he concluded his journey by running into Fenway Park during a Boston Red Sox baseball game, which tied in nicely with his charity the Jimmy Fund, the official charity of the Red Sox. I mean, if you are going to run across the country, you might as well have 30,000 cheering fans applaud your effort at the finish. There was more to come. As McGillivray says, "I'm not one to live off my accomplishments." No, he is not. A run up the East Coast of the US from Florida to Boston, 1,520 miles, and a 24-hour run for charity followed in 1980. He also heard about a new kind of race in Hawaii called the Ironman triathlon. It was a crazy challenge that involved 2.4 miles of swimming, 112 miles of cycling, and a full 26.2-mile marathon to top it off. Who could possibly finish that kind of race? A few loonies out west had done it, so Dave wanted in. Along with two buddies, he went to Hawaii and finished this new race, "the triathlon." Instead of just telling people how great it was, Dave decided to bring the sport back home with him. As usual, he was thinking big. He would put on his own triathlon in New England. Who's to say he couldn't do it? He ran across the country for heaven's sake; how hard could staging a triathlon be? So it was that the Bay State Triathlon was born and the sport was introduced to New England. McGillivray found a new passion in organizing events. He had worked so hard to feel good about what he accomplished, and here in one fell swoop he was able to make all of these other people feel good about their accomplishments by completing a race he was directing. His talent for organizing and seeing the big picture was made to order for race directing. In addition, he was a natural leader who had the rare ability to inspire people to believe what he and they were doing really mattered. It wasn't long before he had an entire series of triathlons in New England. A corporation DMSE (Dave McGillivray's Sports Enterprises) was founded and he was off and running on his business career. In addition to directing events, Dave became involved in the administration of the sport on its highest level and branched off into a new venture of representing elite triathletes as an agent for marketing and sponsorship. By the late 1980s the Boston Marathon was making a comeback, having secured the major sponsorship of John Hancock. A couple of embarrassing logistical incidents exposed the lacking technical coordination of the race. Who ya gonna call? Someone who can get things done-you know who. In short order, as the newly appointed Technical Director of the Boston Marathon, McGillivray had the race running like a Swiss watch. Not only that, but each year after the Boston Marathon was long over, McGillivray would head out to Hopkinton to run the course alone, in order to keep his streak of consecutive Boston's alive. Gotta keep proving he had what it took. What-you think he's not big enough to organize the Boston Marathon and run it too? The technical director position, which he has now performed for more than 10 years, is special to Dave. "I am truly honored to be associated with an event like the Boston Marathon," he says. "I grew up with the Boston Marathon-it was everything to me, the Olympics of the sport." You think he might become complacent in the job, but then you remember whom you are talking to. "There are always challenges involved with coordinating the technical aspects of this race," he says. "Everyone looks at the Boston Marathon with a very critical eye. If you do everything right, that's expected. If you make even one mistake, you will be called on it. The bar is constantly being raised on this race; we are always looking for ways to improve" As you might expect, McGillivray did not shirk the challenge of getting 40,000 runners down the narrow roads that make up the Boston Marathon in the 100th anniversary in 1996. "I lived for that race!" he exclaims. "The big story of the 100th was not who was going to win, but rather how were we going to do it? How were we going to handle that many people? I'm proud we met that challenge." Bob HallThe special interest groups, such as amputee Mike Welsch and the hand cyclists, presented yet another concern for the Technical Director this year. But like other aspects of the Boston Marathon, these situations too were seamlessly merged into the event. Dave explains, "Everyone knows how I feel about physically challenged athletes. I went all the way up the East Coast with (wheelchair racing pioneer) Bob Hall. I will go to the nth degree to include anyone who wants to participate. You have to try to do that without compromising the big picture, however." By the beginning of the 1990s, Dave's professional career was becoming more and more refined. "I have become more of a consultant to events, rather than directing them," he says. He turned over the triathlon series to his buddy Rich Havens, gave up much of the agent business, and focused on the few really big events that continued to stoke his fire: The Boston Marathon, the Jimmy Fund Walk, the 1998 Goodwill Games Triathlon, and his series of Thanksgiving Day Races. The rocky road was not finished however. Married and the father of two, McGillivray suffered through the woes of a divorce, which took him to a new personal low. "I went right to the bottom, and took a long time for me to work my way out," he says. Between that and his business commitments, Dave's athletic accomplishments tailed off somewhat. "The only things that I kept doing every year were the Boston Marathon (always after his duties as technical director were over) and running my age (in miles) on my birthday." Could it be that he had finally exorcised the demons of his youth and was now satisfied that he had proved all there was to prove on the playing field? Nah. As he says, "I feel you have to earn the right to set goals. When you publicly state that you are going to attempt something, it has to be legitimate. Where I was in my life the past several years, I felt I did not have the right to set goals that I could not achieve." But with the ship righted, McGillivray's mind was racing again with dreams and possibilities. And unlike many people who have grandiose dreams, this is a guy who can not only dream big, but execute even the biggest of plans. "I started thinking that it had been 20 years since my run across the country; I wanted to so something special to commemorate that run." He also realized it had been a while since he had really challenged himself physically. " My last real endurance race was 10 years ago at the IronMan Triathlon World Championships," he adds. At age 43 however, he knew realistically that another solo run across the country was just not possible. Thus, the idea of his Run Across America was hatched. More than just a run, McGillivray's real mission is to reach out to young teens just getting into sports, in order that he motivate them to realize their own goals and dreams. He is in the process of writing a book, which will be targeted at that audience. He knows what it's like to be a youngster all fired up with nowhere to go, because others are dousing rather than stoking the fire. He wants to let these kids know that it's all right to dream big even when others tell you you are crazy and you can't do it, because he dreamed big and realize those dreams even beyond his own wild imagination. The way he envisions the relay, it will cross the entire USA during a two-week period next May or June. It will be a moving caravan that will stop at schools along the way, so that he can deliver his message to thousands of young people en route. He hopes to achieve this by enlisting the support of superintendents of schools along the way. Having elite "name" athletes participate will help attract the media so that he can increase the size of the audience that hears his message about being "The Last Pick," the proposed title of his book. He explains: "I was always picked last in any games I played in as a kid, because I was always the smallest kid. I want to show that even those who are the last picks can achieve great things if they have the desire and motivation." "I realized a while back I had the burning desire to be involved in another trek," McGillivray says. "This run will have many benefits and it will be just as much of a thrill as running solo across the country was 20 years ago. I will also be a good physical check and keep me involved." When asked about the incredible logistical concerns such an event would present, he dismisses them with a wave of the hand. "That will not be a problem," he says. "Getting the athletes to be available for the run will be the toughest part, but once that is worked out, I could have the run organized in a week." He adds, "Once I set my mind on something, I don't give up until it is done," as if you were not already convinced of the irrefutable truth to that statement. McGillivray is also fired up about the late 20th century technology that offers all kinds of possibilities for the run. He looks forward to working with Cool Running, providing up to the minute updates and photos of the run. So there you have it. Things have come full circle for Dave; he thoughtfully reflects upon the fact that 20 years have passed since a brash young man filled with dreams and desire ran across the USA. "I started out all by myself 20 years ago, built up a company with 10 to 20 full and part-time employees, now have gone back to working for myself again," he says. He feels that he would like to take all he has learned and offer up those lessons to as many people as possible, that those prayers asking God to let him grow were answered. You think he's big enough to make it happen? Oh, you bet he is. If you would like more information on Dave's cross country relay next year or would like to help out in some way, you can e-mail DMSE at davemcg@baa.org. Cool Running welcomes Dave to it's editorial team. You can expect to see regular articles from Dave, starting soon. Return to Dave's Home Page

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Week In Review, Jan. 4, 2013 Here is the latest edition of Week In Review - a series of weekly messages from the Mayor and City Council to help Richardson residents and businesses keep up to date on events at City Hall. New Richardson Gymnastics Center Opens The City of Richardson celebrated the grand opening of the new 16,000-square-foot, freestanding Richardson Gymnastics Center on Wednesday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, demonstrations and building tours. The new facility was funded by the City’s 2010 Bond Program, and the City hopes to achieve LEED certification for the Center in the coming months. The new Gymnastics Center, located at the southeast corner of Arapaho Road at Grove Road, features a full array of gymnastics equipment and sufficient space and amenities to accommodate regional and state-level gymnastics meets, as well as amateur and competitive gymnastics training and practice. It replaces the previous gymnastics facility, which was housed in the Heights Recreation Center. The new Richardson Gymnastics Center was built to serve the need of the rapidly growing gymnastics program. The City partnered with Brinkley Sargent Architects and Richardson-based Hill & Wilkinson to design and build the new facility. Additionally, the same design-and-construction team is working to develop the new Heights Recreation Center and Family Aquatics Center, which will be completed later this spring. The project team is seeking LEED Silver certification for the Heights Recreation Center. In addition to a more modern design, the new Gymnastics Center will offer a significant amount of space for equipment. The facility was also built with a large viewing area for parents, ample bleachers for gymnastics meets and events, and a multipurpose room for meetings, parties and private events, all of which are upgrades compared to the previous facility. For more information, or to watch a video on programs at the new facility visit http://www.cor.net/index.aspx?page=38. Federal Law to Restore Availability of Lake Texoma Water The red line shows the 46-mile pipeline project. A new law approved last week will allow North Texas Municipal Water District (NTMWD) to resume pumping water from Lake Texoma when a new $300 million pipeline is completed in the fall of 2013. NTMWD, which supplies water to Richardson, currently cannot utilize water from Lake Texoma, which represents 28 percent of its water supply, because of the invasive zebra mussel. The change gives the NTMWD an exemption from the Lacey Act, which had prohibited use of water from Lake Texoma due to the presence of zebra mussels. Now use of water from the lake will be allowed as soon as a 46-mile pipeline to transfer water from the Texoma pump station directly to the water treatment plant in Wylie is completed. The closed pipeline and the water treatment process will prevent any invasive species, including the zebra mussels, from being released into the environment while restoring a major portion of the NTMWD’s water supply. Despite the legislative action that will restore the Lake Texoma water supply late next year, the NTMWD remains under Stage 2 water management measures in response to the current drought conditions. An unseasonably dry summer and fall has resulted in Lavon Lake, the district’s primary reservoir, to drop almost 10 feet below the normal water level. Water efficient practices are necessary to extend the current available supplies until Lavon Lake receives much needed rain inflows and the Texoma supply is restored. Performer Announcements Begin Next Week for Wildflower! Richardson's Arts & Music Festival Facebook fans will be the first to find out about the show lineup coming together for this year's Wildflower! Festival. Wildflower! will begin posting the lineup on its Facebook page next week, and will continue to post show information as contracts are signed with new performers. The information will also be included on the Festival's website, the City's homepage, and Richardson Today's Facebook and Twitter feeds. Wildflower! Festival website: www.wildflowerfestival.com/ Wildflower! Festival Facebook: www.facebook.com/wildflowerfestival?ref=hl January Richardson Today in Mailboxes The January edition of Richardson Today has been delivered to post offices and should be arriving in Richardson mailboxes. The latest edition provides an update about the 2010 Bond Program, including stories about the Gymnastics Center and the new Fire Training Center. Other top stories focus on the transit-oriented development planned for the Bush Turnpike-Central Expressway area and progress on the Main Street/Central Expressway Corridor Study. Richardson Today is mailed to every residence in the City and is also available at Huffhines Recreation Center, the Senior Center, City Hall and the Richardson Public Library. Ask your local mail carrier if you live in the city and do not receive your copy. An interactive edition of Richardson Today that includes links to CITV video, as well as links to archived editions, is available at https://www.cor.net/index.aspx?page=148. 2013 Major City Events Scheduled for the Upcoming Year Special events including the twice-annual Cottonwood Art Festival, Wildflower! Richardson’s Arts & Music Festival, Family Fourth of July and Huffhines Art Trails have been scheduled for 2013. See the full calendar of events below. Volunteer ESL Tutors Needed The Richardson Adult Literacy Center is again holding a training workshop for ESL tutors. The class is designed to train volunteer tutors who can then help others learn to speak English. Training will take place 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 12, at the Richardson Public Library. To register for the workshop, contact the RALC office at 972-644-5119 or director@ralc.org. “Tree Cycle” Your Christmas Tree Now through Jan. 31, Richardson residents may “tree cycle” their Christmas trees by dropping them off at the Municipal Service Center, 1260 Columbia Dr. The site is open 24 hours seven days a week. Residents may also call 972-744-4111 to request a Brush and Bulky Item Collection (BABIC), then set the tree out at the front curb for collection. All trees must be natural and unflocked, with all ornaments, tinsel, lights and other decorative items removed. Calls for BABIC must be received before the designated collection day (your BABIC day is the same as your recycling day). “Not a Box” Event at the Library “Magical Symphony Tour” Features Richardson Symphony Orchestra Beatlemania Now, a live onstage tribute to the Beatles, will join with the Richardson Symphony Orchestra for three shows this weekend at the Eisemann Center. The concerts will take place at 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and 8 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are $34-$52 and are available through the Eisemann Center Ticket Office at www.eisemanncenter.com or by calling 972-744-4650. Pegasus Theatre Performance of “XSR:Die!” Continues at Eisemann Center Pegasus Theatre will present “XSR:Die!” at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the Eisemann Center. The show's run will continue through Jan. 20. The murder mystery show uses special effects to appear like a black and white movie. Tickets cost $20 to $35 and are available at www.eisemanncenter.com or by calling 972-744-4650. For more information, visit www.pegasustheatre.org. Richardson Animal Shelter Pet of the Week This is Zena. She is a domestic long hair, spayed female, about 4 years old and up to date on all her vaccinations. She is a very sweet and gentle cat and has been at the shelter since October 2012. She is great with people but was never around other pets. Contact the Animal Shelter (972-744-4480) about Zena or other animals available for adoption. For information about other animals available for adoption, visit the Animal Shelter’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/RichardsonAnimalShelter. Related Links City Council videos: http://bit.ly/LSHJzE City Council agenda: http://bit.ly/QoOWF4 City Council meeting documents: http://bit.ly/OrSIQ2 Find Richardson Today on Facebook and Twitter. Mayor Bob Townsend Place 1 Email Mayor Pro Tem Laura Maczka Place 4 Email Council Member Mark Solomon Place 2 Email Council Member Scott Dunn Place 3 Email Council Member Kendal Hartley Place 5 Email Council Member Steve Mitchell Place 6 Email Council Member Amir Omar Place 7 Email

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Baseball fans got a treat when Maddux came to town Tom Lindley Thu Jan 09, 2014, 12:26 PM CST It was an early afternoon game at the Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati when I didn’t care so much who the Reds were playing or what the pitching match-ups would be. Just being at the stadium on a sunny day in July was a good thing - even if we were stuck out in the right field stands. Our distant seats did offer a view down into the visitor's bullpen, where the San Diego pitchers were shuffling around. Some players moved onto the field, where they jogged across the green turf and later did some stretching. A pitcher and catcher started tossing a ball before they got serious and moved back to the bullpen, where the lobs became fastballs and preparation intensified. At some point it became clear that Greg Maddux would start for the Padres – an unexpected bonus for those of us who had managed to escape from work for an afternoon. Maddux was marvelous. Through five innings or so, he thew a few more than 60 pitches. The game was half over and just reaching the one-hour mark. Maddux, then in his 23rd year as a major leaguer, made one perfectly placed pitch after another. All the Reds had to show were mostly weak grounders to the second baseman or shortstop. It was classic Maddux. Then the Padres fell apart. A couple of singles put runners on base. A line-drive home run to left field scored two runs, and the Reds were off and running. It wasn’t long after that Maddux was out of the game, leaving Cincinnati to feast on San Diego’s relievers. It wasn’t a winning afternoon for Maddux, but fans at the ballpark knew they had watched a great pitcher. That memory resurfaced Wednesday when news broke that Maddux was selected to Baseball's Hall of Fame, along with pitcher Tom Glavine and first baseman Frank Thomas. They will be formally inducted on July 27 with three managers – Joe Torre, Bobby Cox and Tony La Russa.

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by James Slater -- Former world bantamweight champion Wayne McCullough has informed top news site, Fight News.com, that despite what almost everyone seems to think, he has not quit the sport of boxing. Wayne has been reading tribute after tribute to his fine career on many a web site and he felt the need to put the record straight.. Speaking with FightNews, the 37-year-old had the following to say. "Contrary to press reports, I haven't officially announced my retirement although lately many journalists have felt the need to hang up my gloves for me," McCullough said. "One of my problems is that I wear my heart on my sleeve and tend to say what's on my mind. Sometimes that gets me in trouble. And that's what happened on June 20th following my withdrawal from a fight that I was winning against Juan Ruiz in The Cayman Islands. After the bout I told the crowd in attendance that "This might be my last fight." Unfortunately everyone assumed I was retiring but I never intended to retire that night." It seems "The Pocket Rocket" has had a change of heart. For although the former champion feels the fans and members of the media in attendance at the Ruiz fight - in which Wayne remained on his stool after six rounds were completed - got the wrong end of the stick with regards to his post-fight comments, it genuinely sounded like a retirement speech. But now McCullough says it wasn't at all. Of course, Wayne has the right to choose to fight on, but is there really any good that can come of it? Still incredibly tough and durable, "The Pocket Rocket's" other skills are not what they once were. Still, the 37-year-old Irishman is apparently planning another fight already. Continuing his statement to FightNews, McCullough said he was already back in training. "For the past week I've been reading career eulogies on every web site and in every newspaper you can imagine. I'm extremely grateful that so many journalists (many of who are dear friends) have felt the need to write such moving tributes but please wait until I make the official announcement. I'm back in training and ready for my next fight. I want you all to know that "The Pocket Rocket" could be back in the ring soon!" A born fighter, it was never going to be easy for Wayne McCullough to walk away from the sport of boxing, but at age 37 and with three defeats coming in a row now - is there really anything the featherweight can achieve? Article posted on 01.07.2008 previous article: Two Aging Heavies Carry American Title Hopes next article: Felix Sturm: "The fight against Griffin will be the most interesting in the middleweight division"

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Messi with group from first day The FC Barcelona striker will be with the team for the whole preseason, an unusual circumstance since the Argentinian has been in the first team The summer of 2009, when he decided to cut his holiday short by a week, is the only other time that he’s been with the team from start to finish Tweet in Twitter (open new tab in the browser) Leo Messi undergoing medical exams this Monday/ PHOTO: MIGUEL RUIZ - FCB Under starters orders for 2012-13 season Leo Messi is one of the 14 FC Barcelona players that reported back today for the 2012/13 preseason. And this year he’s here to stay, something unusual for him. But it’s excellent news for Barça and Tito Vilanova that the best player on the world will be able to concentrate fully on preparing with his club. The only other time Messi has taken part in a full preseason schedule was in 2009, when he voluntarily cut his holiday short by one week in order to be there for his team. Every other time he has either come back late or has had to leave at some point. This year, Messi has had 36 days of holiday after playing more games in one season that ever before, a total of 69. Preseason 2005/06 After his first season with the first team, Messi played at the Under 20 World Cup for Argentina. His team won the competition and a week later he reported back for training at Barça.Preseason 2006/07 In the summer, Messi went to the Germany World Cup, and like the other FCB internationals, missed the first fortnight of the preseason.Preseason 2007/08 The squad started training on July 21, but Messi didn’t join them until August 7 for a gentle session at the old Masia. The reason was his presence at the Copa America.Preseason 2008/09 He came back earlier to meet the new coach, Pep Guardiola, and started training. However, a few days later, he had to leave for the Beijing Olympics and therefore missed about a month of the preseason.Preseason 2009/10 The only time Messi has been here from start to finish. Even though the club allowed him an extra week of holiday, he came back on July 20 and flew to England to join the rest of the squad. Preseason 2010/11 Several players came back late due to their presence at the South Africa World Cup. The squad returned on July 19, but Messi wasn’t back until August 1, just in time to join the others on the trip to Asia. Preseason 2011/12 Messi missed three weeks of the preseason after playing for Argentina at the Copa America in July. He had a two-week holiday before retuning along with international team-mate Javier Mascherano. Preseason opponents (I): Hamburg Preseason opponents (II): PSG Preseason opponents (III): Manchester United Preseason opponents (IV): Raja Club Athletic Pre-season 2012/13

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2013-05-20 Game Review: 'Guacamelee' Carl Lyon Monday, May 20, 2013 - 4:00pm up21 One of these days I’m going to rub the back of my neck, and I’ll finally feel that implant that the gaming industry has managed to sneak onto my body during one of the alcohol-induced benders of my youth. At some point, in between the 11th and 12th shot of Wild Turkey, I was hauled into a van and chipped like a bear in Yellowstone Park so that my brainwaves can be scanned and a game that somehow manages to scratch every weird itch I have can be developed and released. It first happened in the early 2000s with Bloodrayne, a title featuring a feisty redheaded vampire clad in black leather slaughtering the Third Reich, and now it’s happening again with Guacamelee, which combines Metroidvania-structured platforming with the dizzying delirium of lucha libre cinema. From its birth lucha libre struck a chord with Mexico, becoming a bizarre pop culture phenomenon that saw the biggest stars of the sport starring in countless films. These luchadors were revered in their native country, and the heroic technicos (I’m not gonna get into the deeper aspects of it, otherwise we’ll be here a while) would find time to solve mysteries and fight the supernatural between exhibition matches. El Santo, Blue Demon, Mil Mascaras, and others would face off against zombies, Aztec mummies, vampires, and werewolves, usually in kicky 1960s outfits and always with their masks firmly laced to their heads. It’s a fascinating slice of pop culture history, and that same sense of sportsman-vs-supernatural is present in Guacamelee. Guacamelee tells the story of Juan Aguacate, a wannabe luchador who earns his mask after he tussles with the undead Carlos Calaca and is left for dead. Earning a blue mask and losing his shirt, Juan has to try and rescue El Presidente’s daughter (the woman he loves, naturally) from Calaca before he can complete a ritual to merge the world of the living with the world of the dead. The plot is just as silly as it sounds, and developer Drinkbox Studios makes sure that they don’t lose sight of that absurdity at any point during the game. The art style of the game is bold and colorful, with sprites seemingly cobbled together from scraps of paper (sticking with the 1960s aesthetic that the great lucha libre films sprung from) but animated with a buttery smoothness. The Metroidvania DNA is clearly on display as well, with new areas of the map opening up as you get new special moves to help you smash your way through barriers or rebound off the walls of a narrow crevice. Even the backgrounds are lively and irreverent, rife with more internet memes than the front page of Reddit and silly “Mexicanized” versions of pop culture icons. Where the game differs from its sequential-platforming forebears is in its combat. Juan is a luchador, and his combat skills reflect that. There are no guns or ranged weapons, just a series of grapples, punches, and throws that you can combo together into seemingly endless chains, juggling one enemy into the air before you fling him unceremoniously into his skeletal cohort on the ground below. The controls are tight, but at times the game can be unforgiving, sealing you in a room to fend off a horde of enemies. That difficulty is increased by Juan’s ability to switch between living and dead worlds, as some enemies can only be harmed in one world, but still harm you in the other. The two-world concept is also present in many of the game’s puzzles, which often have you skipping between dimensions in midair to jump from platform to platform or bounce between walls. These sequences can be truly hair-pulling at times, but the game mercifully forgives your mistakes. Falling into the sinister energy pooling on the ground will simply teleport you back to the start of the room, no worse for the wear. Guacamelee is also part of Sony’s “Cross-Play” initiative, which means that purchasing the game on the PS3 will also net you a copy on your Playstation Vita, with saving to the cloud allowing you to go from home to portable and back again…which means that, once again, my PS Vita will make my trips to the bathroom more enjoyable. Now, if you’ll pardon me, I’m going to try and get this tracking chip going again. I want a JRPG starring the atomic turtle Gamera with a soundtrack by Depeche mode. I hope this works… Games, Playstation 3, PlayStation Vita, Guacamelee <none> <none> <none> FEARNET is a registered trademark of Horror Entertainment, LLC. © 2014 Horror Entertainment, LLC. All rights reserved.

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Federal Highway Administration > Publications > Public Roads > Vol. 66 · No. 5 > Behind the Scenes at the Olympics March/April 2003Vol. 66 · No. 5 Communication Product Updates Training Update Behind the Scenes at the Olympics by Pamela Mathis The Utah DOT shares the know-how that it gained from managing transportation for such a major event. From February 8-24, 2002, Salt Lake City hosted the XIX Olympic Winter Games. With more than 75 events, 2,500 athletes, 750,000 visitors, and 11,500 representatives of the media, the winter games were the largest in history—in the number of events, participants, and attendance. The XIX Olympic Winter Games were also the largest event ever in the history of Utah, a State with 2.2 million people. The massive influx of visitors, combined with the added pressure from international scrutiny, placed unparalleled demands on the region's transportation system. More than 196,000 spectators made their way to mountain venues like Park City to attend the Olympic competitions and festivities. Cooperation with the trucking industry led to a significant drop in interstate truck traffic during the Olympics, minimizing congestion on major travel routes. Proudly, the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT)—in concert with a multitude of local, State, and Federal agencies—rose to the occasion. The public was provided with a highly efficient, safe, and effective transportation system throughout all 17 Olympic days. Indeed, transportation for the 2002 Winter Games received universal acclaim, with many observers crediting Utah with providing the best transportation of any Olympic Games. "The Salt Lake City games proved to the country and to the rest of the world that Utah can competently host a world-class event," says Andrew Gemperline, director of Olympic Transportation Planning for UDOT and the Salt Lake Organizing Committee (SLOC). "Thanks to the remarkable dedication and cooperation of UDOT and all coordinating agencies, the Olympic transportation system was seamless." The secrets behind this success and the lessons that can be learned from the experience can benefit the planning and implementation of transportation systems at future major events around the world—including football games, concerts, and major holiday events—as well as the day-to-day operations of local transportation agencies. The Olympic Challenge "With the world watching, we strived to achieve a transportation system that was invisible to everyone," says UDOT Executive Director John Njord. "We needed to create a system that enabled people to move around in an efficient manner, without drawing attention to ourselves." But this was not easy. Under the area's pre-Olympic transportation system, traffic planners projected congestion during the early-morning peak on the major corridors of cities such as Salt Lake, Provo, and Ogden to the skiing, slalom, bobsleigh, and snowboarding venues in the mountains east of Salt Lake City. In these areas, it was also predicted that continuous congestion was likely from the early afternoon to late evening. Downtown Salt Lake City was expected to have delays from mid-day until late in the evening, and normal commuter traffic to the city and traffic from spectators traveling to events were expected to coincide to create significant congestion. Under inclement winter weather, the prognosis was significantly worse. According to UDOT's Travel Demand Management program, the department needed to accomplish several daunting tasks to achieve its goals. To handle the anticipated increase in traffic during the Olympics, UDOT needed to reduce freeway delays by 20 percent, reduce incident removal time by 20 percent, reduce signal stops by 20 percent, and increase speeds during peak hours by 15 percent. These sizable changes could be achieved only by getting the public onboard and improving road access to Olympic venues—particularly those in remote areas like Snowbasin Ski Resort, which was accessible only by a two-lane winding mountain highway. Turning Vision into Reality With farsighted vision and unrelenting teamwork, UDOT worked in concert with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the Utah Transit Authority (UTA), SLOC, the State of Utah, the Utah Olympic Public Safety Command (UOPSC), Salt Lake City, and other venue communities. To persuade the public to change its travel behaviors, UDOT and its partners implemented a four-part plan: dissemination of travel information to commuters, spectators, commercial drivers, and residents; outreach to long-haul trucking; expansion of public transportation; and outreach to local businesses and employees (see "UDOT'S Campaign to Change Travel Behaviors"). To improve traffic movement, extensive construction, reconstruction, and improvement projects began nearly 5 years in advance of the Olympics. UDOT built one interchange and two new roads, reconstructed two interchanges, and improved eight sections of highway. A new state-of-the-art Traffic Operations Center (TOC) and extensive use of high-tech and intelligent transportation systems (ITS) equipment also were part of the Olympic transportation plan. The result? Transportation goals were not only met, they were exceeded. Substantially. "We had better travel ability in the area during the Olympics than we normally ever have," says Gemperline. Traffic in downtown Salt Lake City dropped 30 to 40 percent from background flows, while traffic in other hotspots, such as West Valley and Davis County, decreased by 20 to 30 percent during peak travel times. Furthermore, thanks to the success of the Know Before You Go campaign, travelers alternated work schedules to produce a 1- to 2-hour shift in peak rush hours. This map of Salt Lake City and nearby mountains shows the sites for the Olympic events and major traffic routes. Interagency Cooperation "While there were many factors that contributed to our success," says Njord, "the single most important one was that all agencies at all levels were working on the same page. Both within and across agencies, everyone was sharply focused on a common mission." UDOT built working relationships with other public agencies before the Olympics began. Individuals from the different organizations came to understand each other's responsibilities, which enabled problems that arose during the Olympics to be solved quickly and in a coordinated way. To maintain close interagency ties, representatives of UDOT, Public Safety, UTA, SLOC, Salt Lake City, and FHWA were located at the joint command center, so that multidisciplinary teams of experts could deal with issues as soon as they arose. For enhancing interagency cooperation in general, UDOT recommends that working relationships be fostered every day. One way to achieve this is for personnel to attend staff meetings of other agencies on a periodic basis. Issues discussed should include common operational problems, coordination of upcoming events, development of contacts, and establishment of working groups. UDOT's Intelligent Transportation System, CommuterLink, played a vital role in directing spectators and visitors to Olympic events. More than 60 overhead Variable Message Signs like this one directed spectators to established routes for Olympic venues and park-and-ride lots. "Getting people to change their travel habits was one of the most important keys to UDOT's overall success," says Gemperline. "As a result of the Know Before You Go campaign, the local citizenry actually listened to UDOT... for the full 17 days." The Know Before You Go campaign provided timely, accurate information on expected traffic conditions, travel times, areas of congestion, and alternative modes of transportation. More than 57 million hits were registered on the Web site in the first 2 weeks alone. The creation of an effective traffic demand management (TDM) program, developed by consideration of lessons learned from other Olympics around the world, was critical in identifying and projecting the traffic-related information that travelers needed and wanted to know. Without a TDM program, the Know Before You Go campaign could not have achieved the level of success that it did. In addition to a TDM program, UDOT recommends that maintenance, construction, and operations develop event plans in concert with community relations, to address expected traffic conditions, travel times, areas of congestion, and alternative modes of transportation. UDOT's Campaign to Change Travel Behaviors Nearly 700,000 people made 2.5 million trips into the downtown area via TRAX Light Rail or the Olympic shuttles. UDOT and its partners implemented an extensive four-part outreach plan to educate travelers during the Olympics: Dissemination of traveler information. The Know Before You Go campaign included distribution of a 36-page Olympic Transportation Guide; an ITS Web site with real-time information on travel routes; a toll-free information hotline providing up-to-date traffic, road, transit, Olympic event, and weather conditions; and a radio station, with traffic and weather updates every 10 minutes. Outreach to long-haul trucking. UDOT distributed four fliers to national long-haul trucking companies and individual truckers at all ports of entry, and made presentations to local trucking companies about when and where events would be held and what routes would be affected. During the Games, UDOT e-mailed transportation news releases to trucking companies and the Utah Truckers Association so that they could get the word out via citizens band radio and through their electronic distribution list. UDOT also placed portable VMS boards at ports of entry to notify truckers of important, up-to-the-minute traffic information. Public transportation. UDOT extended the hours of operation and capacity of buses and TRAX (not an acronym) light rail, and established six temporary park-and-ride and park-and-walk lots, all of which were revegetated and restored to their natural condition after the Olympics. Education of businesses and employees. UDOT implemented a business game plan, notifying companies of how they could help minimize traffic during peak hours through telecommuting, carpooling, flexible work schedules, and alternative delivery schedules. In addition, UDOT visited more than 200 businesses prior to the Olympics, giving presentations to enable each firm to tailor-make its own transportation plan. Operational Tools A service patrol and Incident Management Teams (IMT) proved key to providing safe, efficient operations. During the Olympics, UDOT increased its IMT crews from 13 to 23, and IMT volunteers from Illinois, Tennessee, and Washington helped out. UDOT also added 40 service patrol personnel, consisting of UDOT staff reassigned from their normal duties. Over the 17-day period, nearly 1,900 assists were made to stalled or out-of-gas vehicles. The prompt removal of traffic impediments also prevented secondary accidents—of which none were recorded during the Olympics. UDOT emphasizes the need to dedicate resources to employ service patrols and IMTs during events, including dedicated, equipped vehicles and a trained staff. Contingency plans for crashes, congestion, weather, security, and parking lots were crucial and focused on potential trouble spots, including traffic corridors, specific event locations, airports, and cities. Planning included alternative routing and advanced traffic management systems. Based on UDOT's experience, contingency plans also should be developed for normal operations, facilitating quick response to a variety of scenarios at different locations, with alternative routing, communication protocol, and implementation clearly spelled out. A traffic observers program was integral to the effective functioning of the Salt Lake City transportation system. Specifically, UDOT stationed approximately 40 traffic engineers with hand-held radios at potential trouble spots, extremely important in areas with limited or no camera coverage. UDOT believes that this program should be implemented for inclement weather under normal operations as well as large events. Traffic control was used extensively and effectively during the Olympics to close roads, create detours, channel traffic, and manage pedestrians. UDOT believes that traffic control programs are extremely effective for large events and should be continued. All operational tools used during the Olympics—including those already discussed and others such as aggressive signal timing and park-and-ride shuttles—could be used to improve day-to-day operations. UDOT recommends that the public be polled about the level of service they expect from their State DOT to determine which programs should be expanded, developed, or abolished. This feedback will enable the DOT to maximize benefits using limited resources. During the Olympics, UDOT added more Incident Management Teams, and IMT crews from other States sent additional volunteers to help. Nearly 1,900 motorists received roadside assistance from UDOT's service patrol. Various types of equipment facilitated internal and external communications. Of greatest benefit were closed-circuit television (CCTV) devices, preprogrammed variable message signs (VMS), highway advisory radio (HAR) messages, and pager text messages. During the Olympics, UDOT made use of approximately 220 already-operational CCTVs, which provided instant verification of traffic and environmental conditions and incidents to permit almost-immediate responses to changing road and parking lot conditions. Where CCTV coverage was limited or nonexistent, UDOT generally was slower in resolving problems. UDOT learned the importance of expanding camera coverage to include both urban and rural sections of the State. The TOC and public relations developed a set of preprogrammed VMS messages for each hour of each day to communicate with the public through 60 signs at various locations. The messages notified the public of incidents, parking restrictions, and Olympic events. The TOC also employed HAR messages to relay important messages to travelers. Even today, these preprogrammed messages continue to be put to good use. Transit agencies from 26 different States volunteered 680 buses and drivers to shuttle spectators back and forth to Olympic venues. The command center used text messages to page more than 300 individuals from all agencies about updates on canceled events, traffic and weather conditions, suggested alternate travel routes, and the like. UDOT recommends that this type of service continue to be offered to other agencies during normal operations. To maximize benefits associated with text messaging during normal operations, UDOT suggests that periodic visits to other agencies should be instituted to inform them of the advantages of this system, and surveys should be conducted to improve it. In addition, traffic-related text messages dispatched by the TOC were accessible to anyone with a pager, including all spectator and athlete shuttle bus drivers, delivery trucks, and other service providers, which proved to be highly valuable. This service continues to be offered during UDOT's normal operations. To improve the pager system during routine operations, however, UDOT recommends that customer comments, questions, concerns, and suggestions be solicited. More than 1.2 million spectators took advantage of fix enormous park-and-ride and park-and-walk lots that UDOT constructed near competition venues. Given the success and usefulness of the technologies employed during the Olympics, and the fact that State DOTs do not have the financial resources to provide Olympic-level service year-round, departments need to identify, prioritize, and implement those improvements that provide the biggest bang for the buck. In Utah, three all-day training events took place 1 month prior to the Olympics. Staff members assumed their roles and positions in the field or at the various regional offices. UDOT believes strongly that event planning should incorporate this kind of simulation with staff members practicing for expected and unexpected situations, with operational contingencies incorporated into the training. "We prepared for so many scenarios that our people were well-trained on how to make decisions," says Gemperline. He estimates that about 3 percent of the more than 1,000 contingency plans that staff had trained for actually occurred during the Olympics. Private companies pitched in another 420 motor coaches to ensure that Olympic spectators arrived at mountain venues, such as Snowbasin, on time. Teams were authorized to make decisions in the field to solve issues that were not (and could not have been) addressed by contingency plans. Having the flexibility to "invent" new solutions empowered staff. Finally, UDOT held daily debriefing meetings for the multidisciplinary teams at each of the 11 event sites. For large events and also for normal operations during snowstorms and reoccurring traffic congestion, UDOT suggests that lessons learned be discussed, collected, documented, and presented at each interested transportation organization. Taking the Message Home The success of UDOT's transportation operations demonstrated what is possible—not only in Salt Lake City, but also across the country. Ultimately, what it takes is a common vision, fierce dedication, and perseverance. But the payoffs make it worthwhile. UDOT installed more than 250 purple way-finding signs along interstates and surface streets leading to Olympic venues. Here, motorists on U.S. Highway 40 are directed to Soldier Hollow, the site of cross-country ski events. "As difficult, arduous, and stressful as the Olympics were for all transportation workers involved," says Njord, "everyone looks back on the experience as one of the proudest of their careers—without exception." Applying UDOT's lessons learned to improve special and routine transportation operations at home can provide benefits to transportation staff and commuters alike. All that is needed is the dream and the drive. Pamela Mathis is a contract writer for FHWA and a contributing editor for Public Roads magazine. Page Owner: Office of Corporate Research, Technology, and Innovation Management

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Thomas Ince turns down Cardiff City to stay at Blackpool with Paul • Former Liverpool player opts to remain at father's club• £8m fee had been agreed for England Under-21 winger by Stuart James 9 months ago Cardiff City have suffered a major blow after Thomas Ince rejected the chance to join them in an £8m deal and elected to commit his short-term future to Blackpool instead. Ince's father, Paul, who is manager at Blackpool, broke the news to Cardiff on Friday, bringing an end to a saga that the Premier League club had already started to fear would end in disappointment.Both clubs had agreed an £8m fee, with a further £500,000 to follow in add-ons, a substantial sum of money for a player who has never played in the Premier League and who has only 12 months remaining on his contract.Ince travelled to the Welsh capital on Monday with his father. He visited the club's training facilities and was given a tour of the city. Ince and his agent agreed personal terms on a lucrative long-term contract, and the player spoke with Malky Mackay, the club's manager, about his potential role in the team.Cardiff felt the discussions were positive and were under the impression that the England Under-21 international was keen to sign. Yet doubts started to creep in when 48 hours passed without contact. On Wednesday afternoon Cardiff were told that Ince needed a further 48 hours to decide. By that point Cardiff began to suspect the transfer was not going to happen and that Ince would play under his father for another season in the Championship. Those fears were confirmed on Friday.A statement on the Cardiff website said: "Cardiff City Football Club can confirm that Blackpool midfielder Thomas Ince will not be joining the Bluebirds. Having agreed a fee with Blackpool FC towards the end of June and with the player and agent happy with personal terms offered, Blackpool manager and Thomas' father Paul confirmed on Friday that, due to the recent birth of Thomas' first child this week, the player didn't want to leave his family or the Seasiders at this stage of his life."Blackpool now find themselves in a strange situation. They have retained the services of their most prized asset but run the risk of losing him for nothing next summer, unless they receive another bid that meets their asking price and the player is willing to move. The situation is complicated further because Liverpool, whom Ince left in 2011 to join Blackpool in a £500,000 deal, are due 35% of any sell-on fee. Cardiff City's Peter Whittingham spot-on after Stoke's own penalty David Marshall determined to save Cardiff City from relegation Michael Kightly puts Burnley on brink of promotion at Blackpool • Blackpool Atlético Madrid's Miranda: We don't fear Chelsea in Champions League

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Villafuerte! Buckeyes just find a way Dec 20, 2012 | 1016 views | 0 | 8 | | The Gilmer Buckeyes have done it again. They have made it to the state football championship game for the fourth time since 2004. They were told before the season that they were too young and inexperienced. In the newly-configured District of Doom, with the additions of Kilgore, Bullard and Chapel Hill, it was possible they wouldn’t even make the playoffs this season, much less win District 16-3A.Well, the pundits and prognosticators were wrong again. The Villafuerte Buckeyes of 2012 turned out to be the strongest link of their strong community and, with only one exception, they have just “found a way to win” week after week for 14 out of the last 15 games.No one is shocked anymore at what Coach Jeff Traylor, his staff and his players do on Friday nights. The young men who attend Gilmer public schools are talented and dedicated student-athletes, no doubt. But they’d probably be the first to tell you that they have the best coaches in the state and maybe in any state.Let’s not get spoiled at what this team has accomplished, however. They deserve the support of our entire community and they’ll get it. And there’s plenty of room on the Buckeye Bandwagon for anyone else who wants to go along for the ride. First, you need to turn out to the community pep rally at the Gilmer High School Gym Thursday night at 6 p.m.Then, Friday morning at 8 a.m., you need to be in downtown Gilmer for the Sendoff to Cowboys Stadium in Arlington. If you have a business downtown, you ought to decorate your windows in honor of the Villafuerte Buckeyes.Finally, you are strongly encouraged to attend the Class 3A Division II State Championship Game at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington Friday afternoon.The kickoff of the Buckeyes’ game against the Navasota Rattlers is at 4 p.m. You’ll want to be in your seats way before then, maybe even in time to see our neighbors, the Daingerfield Tigers, play Cameron Yoe for the Class 2A Division I title starting at 12 noon. Your ticket grants you admission to all three games that day.With so much wrong in the world, it’s about time we celebrated what is right with it and one of those things is the Gilmer Buckeyes and this strong community from which they hail.Villafuerte!Read The Mirror's Preseason Interview with Coach Traylor Former Buckeyes hold grand reunion MARY L. KIRBY Lady Buckeyes win District 16-3A track meet Unsolved Mysteries are the Worst MALU BRADFORD BEYONCE

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GoDuke.com Catches Up with Alum Marian Dickinson Thursday 06/11/2013 - Duke Sports Information Print Email RSS DURHAM, N.C. – Former Duke field hockey player Marian Dickinson ranks third on Duke all-time career list in points (151) and goals (58) and ranks fourth all time in assists earned (35). Since leaving Durham, the three-time All-America honoree has been busy with the Canadian National Team and pursuing her master’s degree. Recently, GoDuke.com caught up with Dickinson to learn more about what the Calgary, Alberta, Canada native has been up to. GoDuke.com: What have you been up to since graduating?Marian Dickinson: “I graduated in May of 2010 and moved to Vancouver to rejoin the Canadian National Team. Once I was here and got picked up, I figured I should probably do something else so I applied at the local university, which is the University of British Columbia to do my Master’s in Biomedical engineering. So for the last two years, I have been playing, training and touring while completing my master’s. I just finished that in December (2012). Now, I am attempting to balance national team hockey with a real job.” GoDuke.com: What does your typical day look like?MD: “It is really very similar to what I did at Duke. I was a biomedical engineer in undergrad. We would have weights in the morning, go to class all day and go to practice in the afternoon. Now it is pretty much the same, the day is just extended a bit. We train in the morning with weights or whatever, then I go to work all day and go straight from work to practice. It is busy but I love playing hockey. Playing for your country is an honor that you will never get a chance to do again, it is kind of a one shot deal. I am really loving every opportunity that it brings me, playing the sport that I love for as long as I can at the highest level that I can. Every day is a challenge and I am learning and experiencing new things. Then, with work, it is an entirely different challenge. It is a part of my life that I haven’t focused on that much in the last little while so that is all new experiences and lessons to be learned there. It is really nice at this point to have an income. It was time for that to happen.” GoDuke.com: What is your favorite part of playing in international tournaments?MD: “All of it. The competitor in me loves that I know that every time I step on the field to play a match I am playing against some of the best athletes in the world in my sport. I want to be one of those athletes, I always have ever since I started the sport when I was six or seven. It is really exciting to be up there and playing against people who are setting the standard for the sport and be where all the young kids aspire to be. That is really fun. Of course, every time you pull on the jersey that is a different feeling every time. Like I said, playing for your country is a huge honor and there is nothing else like it. Playing at tournaments for example, like the Pan Am games, where there is a big crowd and you might get to go the opening ceremonies and other events. Those are very unique experiences. Especially in a sport like ours, where there is not a huge following in North America, those times when you get the big crowds, you are kind of living the dream.” GoDuke.com: What are some of the biggest differences in playing professionally and at the collegiate level?MD: “The speed is so much higher, of everything. The ball travels a lot faster; the players are a lot more skilled and fast themselves. The required fitness level is also much higher. The game doesn’t change that much but everything happens a lot faster.” GoDuke.com: What is the next big tournament for the Canadian National Team?MD: “the Pan- Am Cup is in September in Argentina” GoDuke.com: Did Duke prepare you well for the professional level?MD: “I was very fortunate to play at Duke at time when we went to a couple Final Fours and also the championship game, experiencing college hockey at the highest level that I could. I think it was a natural leading point to playing at the next level. Of course, all the time management and skills you learn as a Duke athlete, there is not much else you can do to prepare for something like this.” GoDuke.com: What is one of your top Duke field hockey moments?MD: “There are a few. My first year, my first match, which was in Louisville, I scored a hat trick, which is pretty sweet. That will probably forever live on in my mind. Then, my first year, when we went to final game. The entire Final Four experience is lodged in my mind forever. Unfortunately, the goal that they scored against us [to win] is also lodged in my mind forever but that will happen. My sophomore year was a really special year because we had Maria Whitehead as our coach and she died that year from cancer. We went to the Final Four and we were playing against Wake [Forest] in the semi-finals and we tied it up within one minute of regulation by scoring two goals in one minute to take it to overtime. That was just unreal. Unfortunately, we couldn’t cap it in overtime but that was a really really special experience and the team was very together in that effort. We felt like we were playing for Maria. There are a lot of special memories from my time at Duke.” GoDuke.com: What was one of your favorite off the field Duke moments?MD: “Honestly, I loved everything about being at Duke and I miss it a lot. I just love the community of the university how every day when you walk into class you run into people that you know, even though I was going to the engineering quad and all my friends weren’t. Also, just how beautiful it is. It astounds you every day to be in a place like that for four years. My classes were great, my professors were great. I had an amazing experience to go with DukeEngage to Tanzania one summer. Those are some very special memories that Duke enabled and without my time at Duke I wouldn’t have had that opportunity.” GoDuke.com: What did you do in Tanzania?MD: “We worked with Engineering World Health. Dr. Malkin at Duke is very key in that organization. We were repairing medical instruments in hospitals for two months.” GoDuke.com: Did the academic standards at Duke prepare you well for your future? MD: “I felt more than prepared. I was ahead of the curve. Duke definitely prepared me for grad school. It is a different environment once you are outside of Duke. The expectation at Duke of its students and community is to always demand the best and expect the best. I think that is something that I’ve carried on with my own life to demand the best and expect that best out of myself and others. That served me pretty well and I think it will continue to do so. GoDuke.com: What advice would you give to incoming Blue Devils? MD: “I would say to take advantage of everything Duke offers. It is such a unique environment and there is so much opportunity there that you just have to make the time to take advantage of it. Just enjoy every minute of the experience there and live it to the fullest.” Field Hockey Celebrates Alumnae Weekend Fee Named to U.S. Champions Challenge Roster Field Hockey Scrimmages North Carolina Saturday Bustin Selected to USA Field Hockey Hall of Fame Blue Devils Open Spring with Scrimmages at Jack Katz

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← Latest On Jordan Hill Main A.J. Price To Become Unrestricted Free Agent → Kevin Love Urges Wolves To Upgrade Roster July 8 2012 at 9:09pm CDT By Chuck Myron Kevin Love tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports that if the Timberwolves don't starting winning more often this season, he isn't sure how long he'll want to remain in Minnesota. "My patience is not high," said Love, in Las Vegas this week to practice with the U.S. Olympic team. "Would yours be, especially when I'm a big proponent of greatness surrounding itself with greatness? All these [Team USA] guys seem to have great players around them. It's tough seeing all these guys that are young and older who have all played in the playoffs. When they start talking about that, I have nothing to talk about. If I don’t make the playoffs next year I don’t know what will happen." Love was hoping to get a maximum five-year contract extension from the team earlier this year, but settled for a four-year, $62MM extension that kicks in this coming season. As part of that deal, Love has an early termination option he can invoke for the 2015/16 season. The Wolves went 26-40 last season, an improvement after finishing with the league's worst record in 2010/11, and were in contention for a playoff spot before Ricky Rubio suffered a season-ending knee injury March 9th. Love said he was disappointed the Wolves didn't find a replacement for Rubio to help the team make the postseason. The Wolves have nonetheless been active this summer, reaching an agreement to sign Brandon Roy and trading for Chase Budinger, while coming to terms on an offer sheet for Nicolas Batum, among other moves. Love acknowledged the efforts, but called upon the team to be even more aggressive, as Spears writes. Wolves GM David Kahn told Spears he believes the team is "on the right track," cautioning that, "The one thing we can't control is injuries. I'm hopeful for a healthy year." —– Full Story | Full Story | Categories: Kevin Love | Minnesota Timberwolves View the discussion thread.blog comments powered by Disqus

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2014 Super Bowl stay at local hotel: $619/night and upSome have a few rooms left; local residents’ apartments available Adriana Rambay FernándezReporter staff writer Oct 21, 2012 | 7457 views | 0 | 13 | | view slideshow (2 images) For the New York-New Jersey Super Bowl Host Committee the clock is winding down, literally – their website has a ticker that counts down the days, hours, minutes, and seconds until the 2014 Super Bowl, which is slated to take place nearby in the Meadowlands and be the biggest Super Bowl celebration in history. Last week, the clock said there were 472 days, 23 hours, 57 minutes, and 20 seconds and counting left until the big game day.While the game isn’t taking place in Hudson County, a few local towns plan to host related events, including Hoboken and Secaucus, which have been designated Super Bowl primary impact zones._____________ “This is likely to be the most expensive Super Bowl in history, from the ticket price to a hotel room.” – Jim Kirkos____________While area residents are still debating who will host the next Sunday football gathering, out-of-town visitors will soon start thinking about which hotel will host them during their visit in February of 2014.Some area hotels are already sold out for that time period, and some local residents are renting out their apartments or rooms during that period, using web sites.Two types of fansIs it time to get out the air mattress and set-up the futon for a visit from Aunt Bea in Florida with family and friends in tow?Local business leaders anticipate a “frenzy” of reservations immediately following the 2013 Super Bowl in New Orleans next February, which is the focus at the moment.Once the New Orleans Super Bowl is over, the area will see much publicity and attention on plans for 2014, according to Bill LaRosa, director of cultural affairs and tourism for Hudson County.“You have two sets of fans who will attend the game,” said LaRosa. “One is the fan who attends no matter who is playing in it…the second group is [comprised of] the teams’ fans.” LaRosa noted that the fans of the Super Bowl experience tend to book far in advance, whereas the fans that follow a specific team may not book until they know the outcome of the NFL playoffs in 2014.“We just don’t know,” said LaRosa of the potential impact on the area. “We have never had this kind of event.”An estimated 150,000 out-of-town visitors are expected in the area during Super Bowl 2014. MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford holds 82,500 people. The northern New Jersey area as a whole has 10,000 to 12,000 hotel rooms, while New York City has 90,000 hotel rooms.In Hudson County, most of the hotels are concentrated in Jersey City, Secaucus, and North Bergen, with one in Weehawken and one in Hoboken.Despite the fact that some tourists may stay in New York City, which welcomed an estimated 50 million visitors in 2011 and $48 billion in spending, Hudson County destinations will be much closer to MetLife Stadium and provide less expensive alternatives, some with Manhattan skyline views.Game attendees will have to compete for rooms with private companies, media outlets, and sports travel companies that arrange for accommodations as part of their travel packages. The NFL also books rooms for their teams, media, support staff, officials, and other professionals. Rates going upWhile some hotels in the area are unlikely to start taking reservations until February 2013, some are already sold out for 2014. The Sheraton Lincoln Harbor in Weehawken and the Westin Jersey City, which are part of the Starwood Hotels brand, are sold out for the week ending Sunday, Feb. 2, according to the reservation agents handling their calls.Meanwhile, the W Hotel in Hoboken, an upscale Starwood Hotel, has a few rooms available starting at $619 during Super Bowl week, triple the rate for the same time period in 2013 when a room is available starting at $206 a night.Places like the Hyatt in Jersey City, Extended Stay America, La Quinta Inn, and Embassy Suites in Secaucus said they are not taking individual reservations for the Super Bowl yet – and may not do so until a year before the event.“Reservations are typically open to the public 365 days in advance; however, group and special project bookings are often made earlier,” said Mark Mahoney, vice president of sales for Extended Stay America. Their Secaucus hotel recently underwent upgrades. “We expect all Extended Stay America area hotels to be filled throughout the big weekend, with overflow stretching to Ramsey, Newark, Elizabeth, and beyond. Guests that normally stay in Secaucus for business will expand further from the area to find accommodations.”Mahoney added that it’s too soon to state what the rates will be for Super Bowl 2014, but that they will be affordable.La Quinta Inn’s current rates for 2013 end of January are around $144 and Embassy Suites has rooms available at $213, but the prices may increase for the event.Secaucus hotels are often in excess of 80 percent occupancy regardless of the time of year.Regarding the likely rate increases, “That happens everywhere,” said Jim Kirkos, president of the Meadowlands Liberty Convention and Visitors Bureau (MLCVB), last month. He has anticipated that it will likely be very difficult to get a hotel anywhere in northern New Jersey.“With demand always comes price,” he said. “This is likely to be the most expensive Super Bowl in history from the ticket price to a hotel room.”“Regardless of what the [hotel] rate is, we will benefit from the taxes,” said LaRosa. Some local municipalities like Secaucus collect 3 percent of a 6 percent state hotel tax. OverflowSome local residents are advertising rooms in their apartments and condos during that period (see sidebar), boasting of a James Bond-like kitchen and Manhattan views.But most visitors will likely stay in hotels.LaRosa anticipates that hotel overflow will cause people to stay in clusters at places that provide ease of transportation to the game, such as the Newark airport area, Route 17 in Bergen County, and other parts of New Jersey within a half hour drive. If all else fails, Aunt Bea may just land on your couch. Adriana Rambay Fernández may be reached at afernandez@hudsonreporter.com.SIDEBAR 1: Rent someone’s apt. in Weehawken, UC or JC – with stipulationsWith the possibility that hotels will be booked solid during the Super Bowl 2014, some local residents are offering up their apartments, or rooms in their apartments, through web sites like AirBnB.com.A search of that site for the period of Jan. 20, 2014 to Feb. 4, 2014 revealed a number of listings in the area.One Weehawken dweller lists a private room with NYC skyline views for $59 a night.A Jersey City resident offers to share a sunny two-bedroom apartment for $170 a night, but the individual must like cats, because the host has one named Tyson.One listing in Union City for $60 a night has photos of a room that simulates a hotel setting with a sleigh bed, duvet covers, fluffed pillows, and even a bottle of champagne on a silver tray.The host includes in the description that after a day in the city the, “private luxurious room with a queen size bed…will welcome you with open arms,” and that the visitor can “take a bath or soak in marble soaking tub with a shower head that makes you feel like your bathing in the rain.” The host goes on to describe the kitchen as out of a scene from a James Bond movie.SIDEBAR 2: Tickets to the Big GameThe greatest number of tickets to the 2014 Super Bowl will be made available to the teams participating in the game, as well as sponsors, broadcasters, and other business partners. “If someone really, really wants to go they will find a way to get the ticket,” noted Bill LaRosa from the Hudson County Tourism Office.NFL fans may buy tickets at a hefty price from tour operators or ticket company vendors once they become available. For example, 2013 Super Bowl tickets for New Orleans range in price at online vendors from $2,500 to more than $9,000 and even higher for premium tickets at web sites like stubhub.com. Hudson County hospital trends reflect nation Innovation, consolidation, and smaller care centers for...

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McDonough Named PRSA "Executive of the Year" Tweet The Chicago chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) has named Chicago Blackhawks president John McDonough "Chicago Executive of the Year." The annual award recognizes a local individual outside of the public relations profession who uses PR effectively to further his/her organization's goals. "From holding fan events for Blackhawks legends to putting home games on TV, McDonough tapped PR and marketing tactics to re-energize a franchise and generate new fan support throughout Chicagoland," the PRSA said in a statement. "I am honored to accept this award on behalf of the entire Chicago Blackhawks organization," said McDonough. "We made tremendous strides this past season and look forward to even more success as we embark on a new era of Blackhawks hockey." The PRSA will present McDonough with his award at its Skyline dinner and awards ceremony on Monday, May 21 along with fellow 2008 winners Cathy Calhoun (co-president, Global Consumer Marketing; regional president, Weber Shandwick) and Jack Wleizen (account executive, Public Communications Inc.). Calhoun will be recognized as the Chicago Public Relations Professional of the Year while Wleizen will accept the PRSA Chicago Young Professional award. "Cathy, John and Jack join some of the most respected professionals in Chicago as honorees of these awards," says Michael McGrath president, PRSA Chicago, and senior vice president, FD-Ashton Partners. "Over the years, the chapter has had the privilege of recognizing individuals who truly are the best and brightest in our profession. Their achievements aren't just a testament to their own talent, but also to the advancement of the industry overall." About the Chicago Skyline Awards The PRSA Chicago Skyline Awards recognize programs and tactics that have successfully addressed communications opportunities and challenges with superior skill, creativity and resourcefulness. The dinner celebration and awards ceremony will be held at Galleria Marchetti in Chicago on May 21, 2008 at 5:30 pm. Tickets are available now for purchase by contacting the chapter's offices at (847) 526-2010. The event is being sponsored by Arment Dietrich PR, CME Group and FD-Ashton Partners. For more information, visit www.prsachicago.com. With more than 28,000 members, PRSA is the nation's largest association of public relations professionals. The PRSA Chicago chapter, with more than 500 members, is one of the largest, and represents business and industry, counseling firms, independent practitioners, military, government, associations, hospitals, schools, professional services firms, and nonprofit organizations.

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Home | Greatest 33 Profile: Jacques Villeneuve Two drivers named Jacques Villeneuve competed in the Indianapolis 500, both related to legendary Formula 1 racer Gilles Villeneuve. Gilles’ brother Jacques made one start in the ‘500,’ qualifying 15th and finishing 20th in 1986. Gilles’ son, also named Jacques, was much more successful in his two starts; he started fourth and finished second, claiming Rookie of the Year honors in 1994, and a year later, he won the race. The younger Villeneuve then switched from Indy cars to Formula 1 and went on to win the 1997 F1 World Championship. Although he won only six F1 races, Gilles Villeneuve is one of the most famous and captivating figures in the history of F1. Much was expected of his son Jacques when he came of age, and sure enough, the younger Villeneuve pursued a racing career at an early age. His earliest success came driving Formula 3 cars in Italy and Japan, but his exploits did not go unnoticed in his home country of Canada. In fact, Player’s Ltd., the Canadian branch of British American Tobacco, formed the Player’s Racing Team in 1993 around Villeneuve in an effort to foster Canadian driving talent. The program would eventually groom several successful Canadian Indy car drivers, including Greg Moore, Patrick Carpentier and Alex Tagliani. Player’s contracted Forsythe/Green Racing to campaign cars for Villeneuve and fellow Quebecois Claude Bourbonnais in the 1993 Formula Atlantic championship. The top Player’s driver would then advance to the CART-sanctioned IndyCar World Series in 1994. Although Bourbonnais won seven races to Villeneuve’s five, both drivers were beaten to the championship by David Empringham. Still, Villeneuve was the man chosen to move up to Indy cars. Villeneuve’s Indy car career got off to a scary start when he was involved in a huge accident at Phoenix International Raceway in only his second start. However, he had settled down considerably by the time he arrived in Indianapolis for the month of May and Jacques calmly qualified the Forsythe/Green Racing entry fourth for his first Indy start. With a special Indy-only engine produced by Mercedes-Benz, Penske Racing dominated the Indianapolis 500 with drivers Emerson Fittipaldi and ultimate race winner Al Unser Jr. But rookie Villeneuve was clearly the best of the rest, to the satisfaction of team co-owner Barry Green. “We figure we’re first in Class B,” Green said. “The Penskes were running to different [engine specification] rules than we are, so we’re pretty happy.” For a driver with a reputation as a wild man, Villeneuve’s polished performance at Indianapolis was a revelation. “Indianapolis is the one place where you have to stay concentrated for a long period of time,” Villeneuve added. “Not only is it the longest race, it’s a whole month from the start of practice to the end of the race. It’s easy to lose your focus, or to get mad if things aren’t going well. “We spent the whole month without losing focus. We have a good chemistry on the team and the result was great for us.” Villeneuve went on to score his first Indy car race win at Road America in August 1994. At the end of the season, Jerry Forsythe and Barry Green decided to split and field individual entries for 1995 and onward. Villeneuve stayed with Team Green, while Forsythe hired 1983 Indy 500 Rookie of the Year Teo Fabi as his driver. Villeneuve started the 1995 season on a winning note, claiming the CART opener on a downtown Miami street course. He ranked second in the championship standings when he arrived in Indianapolis at the start of the Month of May, and once again, Jacques was a frontrunner all month long. He overcame a heavy crash the day before Pole Day to land a qualifying berth in the middle of Row 2. Villeneuve then ran a fuel conservation strategy early in the race that put him into the lead on Lap 36 as drivers ahead of him pitted. Just then, however, the yellow flag flew, creating a great deal of confusion, and in that confusion, Villeneuve passed the Pace Car not once, but twice. He was assessed a two lap penalty and dropped to 24th place. “When we got that penalty, it knocked us on our backs,” related Green. “I mean, no one even wanted to talk on the radio. It was just quiet, so I rounded up the troops and said, ‘Come on guys, we’re not out of it yet!’” The lead of the 1995 race was passed around like a hot potato. Michael Andretti, Mauricio Gugelmin, Scott Pruett and Jimmy Vasser all led significant portions of the race, but attrition was high. Villeneuve continued to play the fuel mileage card, and when Vasser and Pruett crashed out in separate incidents, Jacques found himself back on the lead lap, in second place behind Scott Goodyear. Then one of the most controversial moments in Indianapolis 500 history unfolded. Following the cleanup for Pruett’s accident, the race was set to resume on Lap 191. Almost unbelievably, leader Goodyear shot past the Chevrolet Corvette Pace Car before the Pace Car entered the pits. The Pace Car appeared to be going slower than the customary 120 mph when it reached the pit entrance, but it was still the lead driver’s responsibility to remain behind it on the track until the green flag waved. In this case, clear evidence existed that Goodyear passed the Pace Car, an offense subject to penalty. The black flag was displayed to Goodyear on laps 193-195, but he chose to ignore it. USAC stopped scoring Goodyear after 195 laps, leaving Villeneuve to cruise home as the winner of the race over Christian Fittipaldi. Goodyear actually crossed the finish line about 8 seconds before Villeneuve, but he was classified 14th. “Obviously in hindsight, I should have just hung back there before the restart,” Goodyear said. “If I had passed three or four guys before the green light, then I’d understand the need for a stop and go. But in this situation, as the leader, I think the penalty was a bit excessive. “I guess I've never understood how the Pace Car could affect the outcome of a race,” he added. “Weird circumstances, but if I was re-doing it again today, I’d have my foot in it. I wasn’t going to take my foot off the gas and have all those guys collect me from behind.” Villeneuve used the momentum of his Indianapolis win to claim the CART series championship in only his second year of racing Indy cars. By then, he had attracted serious interest from Formula 1 teams, and he duly signed for Williams-Renault. Jacques finished second to his teammate Damon Hill in the 1996 F1 championship before claiming the crown after a dominant 1997 season. Once again, British American Tobacco made a heavy investment in Villeneuve’s career, luring him to a start-up BAT F1 team in 1999 with technical support from Indy car chassis constructor Reynard Racing Cars. The BAT team was never very competitive, and Villeneuve’s Formula 1 career would end in 2006 after a series of desultory campaigns. Even though his last Indianapolis 500 start occurred in 1995, Villeneuve competed at Indy on the road course in F1 from 2000-06 with a best finish of fourth place in 2000. He also made one start in the NASCAR Brickyard 400 (in 2010), making him the only driver who has competed in all three of the major car races at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. But Villeneuve’s Indy legacy is cemented in that remarkable, come-from-behind-after-a-penalty victory in the 1995 Indianapolis 500. “I knew the team was ready to win the race and I knew I was ready,” Villeneuve said in his post-race interview. “When we were behind Goodyear, I thought he was going to be the first Canadian to win the race, but it turned out to be us. “This is the best feeling I’ve had in motor racing so far,” he added. “Indy is the race to win. Winning this race is as big as winning a championship, and it’s a great feeling.”

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The Jewish Jordan: A decade after the hype died by Brad A. Greenberg May 28, 2009 | 6:57 pm I last mentioned Tamir Goodman, the much-hyped high schooler known as the Jewish Jordan who now plays for Maccabi Haifa, I was writing a profile about the NBA’s lone MOT, Jordan Farmar. I interviewed Goodman for that story, but ended up leaving him out. Coincidentally, NBC Washington checked in on Goodman with the above report the following week—sort of a “Where is he now?” They capture him dribbling a ball between his legs, and having it sway his tzitzit back and forth. And discovered one surprising factoid: Goodman didn’t just become the first Orthodox Jew to play college basketball, he was the first Orthodox Jew to play professional ball in Israel. “Goodman believes he’s a messenger from God, and he doesn’t spend much time looking back,” the NBC reporter says. Often TV reporters are hyperbolic in such statements. But not here. When I spoke with Goodman, I was amazed by how passionate he was for the Jewish religion, and how strongly he felt that his skills at basketball were merely a vehicle for spreading Jewish pride. He seemed, as we Christians say, like a man on a mission, almost evangelistic. “My biggest blessing that I have always had is being able to grow closer to the Torah and closer to God through the Commandments and it has just helped my basketball in every way. The same type of dedication and faith and hard work and everything that the Torah expects from you, is the same tools that you need to succeed at basketball—hard work, prepration, team work. You can’t just pray in the morning. You have to prepare. There are no days off in Judaism, just like basketball.”

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Football's Robertson Named CAA Defensive Player of the Week For Second Straight Week HARRISONBURG, Va. - James Madison redshirt-senior lineback Stephon Robertson has been named the Colonial Athletic Association Defensive Player of the Week for the second consecutive week, the league announced today. It is the second time this season and fourth in his career he has earned the honor. The reigning CAA Football's Preseason Defensive Player of the Year picked up his second-consecutive weekly honor on the heels of a standout defensive effort against Delaware on Saturday. The senior turned in a career-high 16 tackles, including a career-best 4.5 for loss, in Newark and now leads the league with 61 stops on the year. Robertson also came away with his third career interception in the loss, one that led to the first points of the game for JMU. JMU will return to action at Bridgeforth Stadium on Oct. 5 to face CAA newcomer Albany at 1:30 p.m. The Family Weekend contest is sold out. Tickets for the Oct. 12 game against Richmond are currently on sale, as well as available for student online pickup and for students to purchase guest tickets. To purchase tickets for the Dukes-Spiders game online, click here.

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Former BSU corner Taylor blessed to be drafted, plans life in the NFL Former BSU corner Taylor blessed to be drafted, plans life in the NFL Print by Ryan Larrondo | Email | Follow: @KTVB KTVB.COM BOISE-- Former Boise State cornerback Jamar Taylor has had a busy weekend. He was drafted with the 54th overall pick by the Miami Dolphins in the second round of the NFL Draft on Friday. Since then, Taylor has received congratulatory phone calls from friends, celebrated with his family, and returned to Boise to start planning for the next chapter in life. “It's been really exciting, just to get your name called,” Taylor said on Sunday. “To go through the process of it was kind of frustrating, but it's a blessing at the same time. I'm really blessed to be in the situation that I'm in. It's just been real amazing.” Taylor will spend the next couple of days in Boise packing up his belongings and arranging for the move to Miami. He will also continue his training and workouts in preparation for mini-camp with the Dolphins. Even though he now becomes an unproven rookie on the team, Taylor says he hopes to make an impact as soon as possible. “We're a rebuilding team. We're trying to make a name for ourselves. I think they were like 7-and-9 last year. So, I'm just hoping to get in there and learn as much as I can from the coaches. Hopefully I can contribute this year.” When he gets to Miami, Taylor will have to get used to a lot of new things that come with playing in the NFL. One of those will be getting used to a new number due to an NFL rule that only allows cornerbacks to wear the numbers 20-49. It’s something that Taylor has already addressed. “I talked to the equipment manager. I wanted 21, but I think (Brent) Grimes has it right now. So for now, starting off, unless they switch it, I'm going to be wearing number 22.”

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Denison's White promoted to athletic director Updated: Tue 11:11 PM, Dec 02, 2008 / Article Denison High School’s Head Football Coach, Cody White, will be promoted to Athletic Director/Head Football Coach effective at the close of this school year, according to Dr. Henry Scott, Superintendent of Denison schools. “Our community and our fans expect a quality athletic program that gives all our student athletes a chance to compete at a high level. I believe Coach White will do an outstanding job of leading the Yellow Jacket program,” Dr. Scott said in a press release. Current athletic director and former longtime Denison head coach Bob Brown will step down after 17 years as athletic director. During his fifteen years as head coach, he compiled a record of 127-51-1 including 8 district championships and 3 state finalist games. Coach Brown has the most wins of any coach in Denison’s long history of football success. His overall record of 227-118-3 ranks him as one of the top coaches in Texas. Denison students learn about Black History Comments are posted from viewers like you and do not always reflect the views of this station.

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ASSOCIATED LINKSThank you Sir AlexView our special section celebrating his successCelebration WallpapersDownload exclusive Champions 2013 designsBlog: United TodayLatest news and views from inside the club Sir Alex Ferguson was presented with the Barclays Merit award at Carrington on Friday and he'll receive the Barclays Manager of the Season award before his final game at West Brom on Sunday. 17/05/2013 13:49, Report by James Tuck Sir Alex nets awards Sir Alex Ferguson has been named Barclays Manager of the Season, as well as picking up a Barclays Merit award for his outstanding contribution to the Premier League.It’s the 11th time the retiring Manchester United boss has won the Manager of the Season accolade and he'll receive it on Sunday at West Brom, his final game in charge.He won the inaugural award in 1994 and also claimed it in 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2011.The Merit award, which was presented to Sir Alex at Carrington on Friday, recognises his remarkable achievements in the competition over the last two decades, in which he has guided the Reds to 13 titles.Sir Alex’s final league triumph will be among the most satisfying of the lot as his side emphatically bounced back from last season’s final-day heartache, winning the title with four games to spare.More: Sir Alex eyes one last win | Sir Alex: I feel honoured | Sir Alex looks ahead

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News Sports Opinion Lifestyle Sections Ads Jobs Classifieds CU Extras Customer Service Minnesota Sports / Minnesota Sports Twins, Phil Hughes agree to 3-year deal Save | MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Phil Hughes probably needed to leave hitter-friendly Yankee Stadium, and the Minnesota Twins were desperate for proven arms to strengthen a woeful rotation. The two parties have come together, hoping to help each other out. The Twins and Hughes agreed to a $24 million, three-year deal, a person with knowledge of the agreement told The Associated Press. The person requested anonymity because Hughes still has to pass a physical before the contract can become official. The Star Tribune of Minneapolis first reported the deal. Hughes went 4-14 with a 5.19 ERA last season for the New York Yankees. He was 1-10 with a 6.32 ERA at Yankee Stadium though, so a move to pitcher-friendly Target Field could be exactly what the 27-year-old needs to jumpstart his career. He was an All-Star in 2010 when he went 18-8 with a 4.19 ERA and was shaping up as a building block for the Yankees’ rotation. Hughes was a former first-round draft pick and a once coveted young pitcher by many teams. Among them was the Twins, who had discussions with the Yankees about Hughes headlining a package for ace Johan Santana after the 2007 season. The Yankees eventually pulled out of the talks, in part because of how highly they thought of Hughes, and the Twins sent Santana to the Mets. But Hughes developed shoulder problems in 2011 that limited him to 17 starts and has been underwhelming the past two seasons while also dealing with back problems. Hughes has made 61 starts in the past two years, and Twins hope that getting him into spacious Target Field could help him stabilize one of the worst pitching staffs in the majors. The Twins have lost at least 96 games in each of the last three seasons, mostly because of their starting pitching. Last year, their starters had an MLB-worst ERA of 5.26. Only two of their starters had ERAs under 5.00, with Samuel Deduno’s 3.83 leading the way and Kevin Correia next at 4.18. Upgrading the rotation was by far the biggest priority for the team entering this winter, and the Twins have plunged into the task with uncharacteristic free-spending verve. They kicked things off by agreeing to terms with Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Ricky Nolasco on a $49 million, four-year contract last week. They have now committed $73 million on Hughes and Nolasco, the two biggest contracts the franchise has given to players outside the organization. And the Twins may not be done. They have been in discussions to retain veteran Mike Pelfrey while looking at other free agents, including Bronson Arroyo and Matt Garza. It would, however, be somewhat surprising to see them add another high-priced starter after landing Nolasco and Hughes. The club could also bring back veteran catcher A.J. Pierzynski, who started his career in Minnesota but was traded to make room for Joe Mauer. The Twins announced earlier this offseason that Mauer will be moved to first base, creating a need for a veteran behind the plate. ——— Follow Jon Krawczynski on Twitter: http://twitter.com/APKrawczynski Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. Save | Subscribe to Marshall Independent Marshall Weather Forecast, MN

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Showing posts with label Jeff Wilpon. Show all posts Mets News: The Mets have refinanced their $250 Million Loan Mets News: The New York Mets owner Fred Wilpon and family, who faced a massive $250 million loan against the team coming due in the next few months, have successfully arranged for it to be refinanced, according to a published report. The NY Post reported that the refinanced loan will not come due for seven years, freeing the cash-strapped owners from an immediate, burdensome obligation that could put their ownership of the team in peril. The newspaper added that interest payments will remain about the same for team owners under the new terms. They will not be required to immediately pay down any principal as part of the refinancing agreement -- avoiding the type of immediate lump-sum obligation that could trip them up. The refinanced loan reportedly also does not restrict the Mets' payroll, whereas the original loan's terms capped how much the Mets could spend on players. The Mets' payroll currently is about $87 million for 2014 -- well below what is customary in a large market such as New York. The owners have faced financial peril in recent years in part because they invested in swindler Bernard Madoff's Ponzi scheme. They recently sold minority ownership shares in the club in order to pay down debt, including a loan from Major League Baseball. Madoff Scandal Refinance Loans Mets News: Super Agent Scott Boras Bashes Mets Spending Habits In a report from ESPN NY, Scott Boris bashes the Mets and calls out the Wilpon's and says, They are frugal. "The Mets are like NASA," Boras said Wednesday afternoon at the GM Meetings. "They have big rockets, a lot of platforms and very few astronauts. Astronauts are hard to find. They've got one guy with the 'Wright' stuff. That's for sure. And they've got a lot of 'Arm'-strongs, too. But they're certainly a club that I'm sure is in a pursuit of a higher level of talent." On the Mets Willingness to spend: Well, I think the ability to spend and actually spending are two different things," said Boras, who represents free agents including Jacoby Ellsbury, Shin-Soo Choo and Stephen Drew. "And that's only for the Mets to diagnose. Certainly their franchise value has gone through the roof -- they're in the well over $2 billion. They're a very successfully run business operation. The Mets have the ability to pretty much do what they want to do. But it's hard to find astronauts." Responded Alderson: "I don't think his intergalactic metaphor is exactly right. I'm not sure, because I've got to first understand it." Labels: Mets News and Notes: 2013 Coaching Staff, Greenburg, Van Dusen, Pelfrey, Wilpon, Keys to Dickey They will be back in 2013 Mets News and Notes: The entire Mets coaching staff -- pitching coach Dan Warthen, hitting coach Dave Hudgens, bench coach Bob Geren, third base coach Tim Teufel, first base coach Tom Goodwin and bullpen coach Ricky Bones -- will return next season. Wally Backman, who managed the Triple-A club this season before joining the Mets in September, has yet to be presented with a 2013 role. A team source told ESPNNewYork.com that Las Vegas, the Mets' new Pacific Coast League home, may not be attractive to Backman. Connecticut native Adam Greenberg, who was struck in the head with a pitch in his lone major league plate appearance -- on July 9, 2005 -- and subsequently developed vertigo will pinch hit for the Marlins today. He likely will face Dickey in the middle innings. The Mets will treat him like any other major league hitter. Fred Van Dusen, the only other player in major league history to be hit with a pitch in his lone major league plate appearance and never play the field, will be on hand and throw out the ceremonial first pitch. It appears highly unlikely Mike Pelfrey will return in 2013, but Terry Collins and Warthen wouldn't mind having him back -- as a back end of the bullpen option, perhaps. Pelfrey, who underwent Tommy John surgery on May 1, has to be cut loose in December. Otherwise, the Mets would have to pay him at least 80 percent of this year's $5.6875 million salary. Once a free agent, Pelfrey would be free to sign anywhere. And agent Scott Boras likely would try to place Pelfrey with a team to start on a one-year contract with a reasonable base salary (maybe $2 million) and performance-based incentives. 2013 Mets Coaching Staff Mets News and Notes Mets News and Notes: Mejia, Johnson, Cyclones, Tejada, Wright, Wilpon, Backman, Phillies Jenrry Mejia will enter the rotation Saturday at Milwaukee, with Jeremy Hefner moving to the bullpen. Nats manager Davey Johnson delighted in officially eliminating the Mets from division-title contention. "That made me a little happy," Johnson told Washington reporters postgame. The Mets' tragic number for wild-card elimination is 12. The Brooklyn Cyclones mustered only one hit and were eliminated from the New York-Penn League playoffs Sunday. Both Mets affiliates to qualify for the postseason -- St. Lucie and Brooklyn -- were eliminated in a winner-take-all Game 3 in the opening round. Ruben Tejada, who previously had confirmed he would train during the offseason in New York and Port St. Lucie, told Kevin Burkhardt (Twitter link) that he will work out with Jose Reyes at the Garden City, L.I., facility where Reyes has trained for several years. Among the other athletes who train together there: Pedro Beato, the Rockies' Adam Ottavino and Mets minor leaguers Cam Maron (Hicksville High product), John Mincone (Half Hollow Hills East) and Steven Matz (Ward Melville). David Wright and Jeff Wilpon visited the Squad 18 firehouse in lower Manhattan on Monday morning. Wright told Marc Carig in Newsday there have been no developments with a contract extension. "I don't think it's the right time, but I guess I'll answer your question," Wright said. "There's nothing new. I guess status quo." Said Wilpon: "I think we've said all along that we plan on keeping David and we want David to be part of the organization long term. Let's not get into the contract. He didn't want to negotiate during the season. We're not going to negotiate during the season. We'll find the right time to sit down and talk." Read more » Wilpons must convince the jury that they did not act in "bad faith" when they profited from Madoff In a major ruling Wednesday heading into next week's trial, U.S. District Court Judge Jed S. Rakoff threw a curveball to the defense team in the $386 million lawsuit against Fred Wilpon, his family, businesses and charities. Five days before jury selection is set to begin in the civil trial in U.S. District Court in lower Manhattan, Rakoff ruled the burden is on the Wilpons to convince a jury they did not act in “bad faith” when they profited from convicted swindler Bernard Madoff’s Ponzi scheme. The burden will not be on trustee Irving Picard, who brought the lawsuit, to prove the Wilpons were “willfully blind” to the Ponzi scheme. Read the ESPN Article for more info Madoff/Wilpon Case Saul Katz Jeff Wilpon buys shirts to motivate Mets Players The Mets players found another shirt in their lockers after the workout was over. To motivate the team, Jeff Wilpon ordered orange T-shirts for the entire roster that featured the U-shaped logo from the cartoon series “Underdog,” which aired in the 1960s. Wright seemed lukewarm on the concept of the shirt. He said: “I don’t really like using the whole Underdog thing. I don’t like playing that card.” But he said he understood the intent behind them. “Obviously, the expectations from the outside are low, and understandably so, but we in here kind of have to rally around that and get it going, and I guess at the end of the Read more » Mets T-Shirts Hearing on Thursday could predict Mets Owners Fate in Madoff Case According to the NY Times, Lawyers for the Mets’ owners and the trustee for the victims of Bernard L. Madoff’s fraud will meet in Manhattan federal court on Thursday, less than a month before a jury trial is scheduled to start. Both sides have filed motions for summary judgment and a federal judge could decide from the bench and potentially make significant rulings in the multi-million-dollar case against the Mets’ owners. The legal fight has lasted more than a year. It started in federal bankruptcy court and moved to district court. In total, it has produced thousands of pages of legal filings. The stakes are high. Fred Wilpon and Saul Katz, brothers-in-law and Mets’ co-owners, could be held liable at trial for $83 million to $386 million — and possibly more depending on future appeals. David Wright stops by Citi Field to check out the new dimensions (Photos) Wright: "I'm excited about the changes...I can't wait until April" Wright and Jeff Wilpon Labels: Citi Field Dimensions Moving the walls in Jeff Wilpon says Mets' sale of minority shares are going very well According to the NY Daily News, Mets chief operating office Jeff Wilpon said Monday that his team's sale of minority shares was "going very well." After negotiations with potential investor David Einhorn collapsed last month, the Mets - whose principal owners are Fred Wilpon, Jeff Wilpon and Saul Katz - decided to sell smaller shares of the team, for approximately $20 million apiece. Since then, there has been scant news about the process. Wilpon said Monday that the club was under no pressure to complete all deals by a certain date. "There is an internal timetable that we're not going to share, but there is not a deadline where we have to make sure that everything has to be done," he said. "Some of the people might never be public. I don t think anybody knows all the minority shareholders in the other teams... it's just not widely known." The Mets have yet to announce the completion of any sales. Mets Minority Ownership Team Shares The Mets release statement on Einhorn negotiations The New York Mets' Owners announced today that their period of exclusive negotiations with David Einhorn regarding a minority, non-operating interest in the Mets has expired and Ownership has decided not to extend the exclusive negotiating period any further. After months of negotiation, the parties were unable to reach agreement, and Mets Ownership has decided to explore other options. Ownership has provided additional capital to cover all 2011 losses and is moving forward with the necessary resources to continue to operate the franchise. Ownership will explore other strategic transactions and is under no financial pressure to do a deal on any particular schedule. "We are very confident in the team's plans - both off and on the field," said Mets Chairman and CEO Fred Wilpon. "We will engage with other individuals, some who have been previously vetted by Major League Baseball, along with other interested parties, regarding a potential minority investment into the franchise. My partners and I thank David for his interest in considering this opportunity and wish him well in the future." David Einhorn Mets Deal Mets Owners Official Statement Mets Help Fund 9/11 Charity Jess Estremera The Mets are helping to fund a charity program for the families affected by the September 11th terrorist attacks. The charity is called Tuesday's Children. The Mets announced that the team will help pay for The First Responder Alliance Mentoring Program- $10,000, which will provide trained mentors for children whose parents died due to illness attributed to their time working at ground zero or Fresh Kills Landfill. For the 10th consecutive year, Mets players will meet and greet the families of Tuesday's Children, signing autographs and taking photos during pregame receptions throughout the season. Jeff Wilpon said the team is "honored to have worked with Tuesday's Children since its inception." Tuesday's Children Jeff Wilpon says Mets can be buyers if they need to be Will the Mets be Buyers? According to Dan Martin of the Ny Post, Jeff Wilpon made clear that the Mets if suited with the opportunity to be in a race they would spend by saying, "He'll have all the opportunity in the world to bring anybody he wants in," team COO Jeff Wilpon said yesterday, without giving the GM carte blanche. "The way for him to do that is to bring the ideas to us and we'll talk about it. But he does not have restrictions. We'll deal with everything on a case-by-case basis." Sandy Alderson clearly has decisions to make , but they will have to come down the road. Alderson was quoted saying, "The next three to four weeks will tell a lot," said Alderson, adding he will keep finances in mind when he considers any potential move, but won't make it the overriding factor. "The focus will be on the baseball side." Report: Steve Cohen seen with the Wilpons in CT. Steak House, Could he be the next part owner of the Mets? The NY Times identified hedge fund manager Steve Cohen as the frontrunner to buy a minority share of the Mets. Today the New York Post is reporting that is still the case, reporting that Cohen was to meet with the Wilpons and/or Saul Katz ”at 8 pm at Gabriele’s Steak House in his hometown of Greenwich, Conn.”. In the Times’ report, people who knew Cohen said that they would be surprised that he would accept a minority stake in the Mets, on the presumption that such a stake would provide him with no control over the direction of the team. The Post reported last week, however, and repeats today, that “a minority owner will have significant input immediately on key budgetary decisions” and that he would “be part of a newly created board.” Of Course, MLB has to approve such a owner, even a minority owner and yesterday it came out that he is being investigated by the feds for insider trading, Stay Tuned! Labels: Mets Minority Owner Mets potential Buyer Things are getting tight financially, Mets want a deal fast Image by Getty Images via @daylifeMets owner Fred Wilpon wants to select a minority-share partner by the end of this month, two people with knowledge of the talks said Friday. There is a sense of urgency about the timetable because the team has mounting financial obligations, starting in June when a payment estimated at $21 million is due on the bonds that financed Citi Field, according to the New York City Industrial Development Agency's most recent audited financial report. In addition, the Mets took out a $25 million loan from Major League Baseball last November because the team had used up its $75 million line of credit. Forbes magazine has reported the Mets have $450 million in debt. Money from the partial sale -- estimated at $200 million -- will be earmarked to finance the team's day-to-day operations and to pay down debt, said a person familiar with the sale discussions. The Mets also must now begin paying salaries to players, who are not paid during the offseason or spring training. The Mets have a 2011 payroll in the vicinity of $140 million, which averages to around $11.6 million doled out every two weeks. Video: About Potential Buyers Labels: Potential Buyers Mets Seeking $200 Million, Eight to Nine Bidders have been approved by MLB Image via WikipediaAccording to the NY Times, the Mets are seeking $200 million for a minority portion of the team — a badly needed cash infusion that the team’s owners would pour directly into the club’s operations and use to pay off some of their debt, according to a person briefed on the sale process. The owners of the team are also telling potential bidders that they might sell a portion of SNY, their cable network, but that such a negotiation would take place separately from any deal for the team, and would probably not be seriously contemplated for a year or two. The owners believe that they can get more for a stake in the profitable SNY if it is not packaged with the team, the person said. Some of the eight or nine bidders approved by Major League Baseball to bid on the Mets have been identified: Statement: Wilpons/Katz Fight Back in Court Here's the press release issued on behalf of Fred and Jeff Wilpon and Saul Katz on the day they answer the $1 billion lawsuit against them with a filling in U.S. Bankruptcy Court. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE STERLING PARTNERS REJECT MADOFF TRUSTEE’S LAWSUIT AS WORK OF FICTION GREAT NECK, N.Y., March 20, 2011 – In court papers filed today, Fred Wilpon, Saul B. Katz and their Sterling Equities partners (the “Sterling Partners”) began the process of defending themselves in court against the false allegations made by the Trustee overseeing the liquidation of Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC (BLMIS). In the motion filed today, the Sterling Partners provide clear evidence that the Trustee’s amended complaint: Read more » Mets Lawsuit Trustee Irving Picard NYT: Jeff Wilpon: “We’re not selling controlling interest in the team, It’s not on the table.” According to The NY Times, Jeff Wilpon, the son of the longtime Mets owner Fred Wilpon, said his family had received many offers to buy a part of the team, but he emphasized that his family would not relinquish a majority share of it. “We’re not selling controlling interest in the team,” he said. “It’s not on the table.” In January the Mets said that because of the uncertainty brought by the lawsuit, they would seek to sell up to 25 percent of the team in order to raise money tosettle it. Since then, negotiations between the sides have broken off. On Tuesday Donald Trump said in an interview with The New York Times that he had contacted Fred Wilpon two weeks ago about buying a share of the team, but wanted to buy a controlling share. Jeff Wilpon seemed to downplay the prospect of a Trump bid for the team. Read more » Mets Selling Shares Mets hope to sell 25% Stake by End of June Image by Getty Images via @daylifeAccording to The Wall Street Journal, the New York Mets hope to complete the sale of up to a 25% stake by the end of June, according to a person involved with the planned transaction, as the baseball team seeks funds to make up for a potential settlement related to investments with fraud figure. Mets owners Fred Wilpon and Saul Katz met with Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig and his lieutenants Tuesday in what was described as an effort to update Major League Baseball on the Mets' financial problems and the owners' plans to sell a minority stake in the team, which they revealed Friday. They discussed the Mets owners' exposure from a lawsuit by the court-appointed trustee gathering assets for victims of Mr. Madoff's Ponzi scheme, according to people with knowledge of the meeting. The people described the meeting as "cordial," noting that Messrs. Wilpon and Selig are longtime friends. Afterward, the men attended a benefit lunch at New York's '21' Club. Labels: Mets seek buyer Official Wilpon Statement from Yesterday Fred Wilpon, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the New York Mets, and Jeff Wilpon, Chief Operating Officer of the New York Mets, issued the following statement: As Sterling Equities announced in December, we are engaged in discussions to settle a lawsuit brought against us and other Sterling partners and members of our families by the Trustee in the Madoff bankruptcy. We are not permitted to comment on these confidential negotiations while they are ongoing. However, to address the air of uncertainty created by this lawsuit, and to provide additional assurance that the New York Mets will continue to have the necessary resources to fully compete and win, we are looking at a number of potential options including the addition of one or more strategic partners. To explore this, we have retained Steve Greenberg, a Managing Director at Allen & Company, as our advisor. Regardless of the outcome of this exploration, Sterling will remain the principal ownership group of the Mets and continue to control and manage the team's operations. The Mets have been a major part of our families for more than 30 years and that is not going to change. As we have said before, we are totally committed to having the Mets again become a World Series winner. Our fans and all New Yorkers deserve nothing less. Mets Statement Wilpons are looking to sell 20-25% of team (Mets) According to Evan Brunell of CBS Sports, the owners of the Mets, Fred (on the right in the photo) and Jeff (left) Wilpon, issued a statement Friday announcing that they are seeking to sell a minority share of the team. In the statement, the Wilpons acknowledge they are part of a lawsuit brought against them by the trustee of the Bernie Madoff bankruptcy. The Wilpons had a significant amount of money invested with Madoff, and despite claims that they would be able to run the baseball team with no impact from the Madoff swindling, the evidence over the last few years has mounted that the Wilpons did, in fact, get too much of their savings wiped out. While most of their payroll is taken up by aging and/or broken-down players, the fact remains that New York has added just $7 million in payroll this offseason. The Wilpons are considering allowing others to buy a minority stake in the Mets "to address the air of uncertainty created by this lawsuit, and to provide additional assurance that the New York Mets will continue to have the necessary resources to fully compete and win." The Wilpons made it clear that they will remain the majority partners, but that could just as easily mean a 51 percent share. However unlikely, if someone bought in for 49 percent, it would bring in what appears to be a very needed infusion of cash. And yet, it is going to be very difficult for the Wilpons to convince an investor to fork over millions -- if not hundreds of millions -- of dollars for a share and not get any interest at all. It would be far easier for the Wilpons to sell the Mets outright, or sell the majority of the team. In fact, most compelling offers will likely attempt to buy a majority of the club. And there will be no shortage of interested investors, given the Mets' presence in New York City. UPDATE: Tyler Kepner of the New York Times reports that Fred Wilpon plans to sell 20-25 percent of the team. Labels: Selling Team

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For Small Town Fighter Woodard, Bellator Tourney Offers Chance to Shine By Ben Fowlkes MISSOULA, Mont. – When undefeated lightweight Lloyd Woodard (10-0) heard he'd finally get a shot at the big leagues via Bellator's 155-pound tournament, he did what any self-respecting Montanan would do: he started growing a mustache. We're not talking some Brooklyn hipster lip fuzz, either. There is nothing ironic about Woodard's facial hair, though it is intended to send a message when he shows up on MTV 2 to face Carey Vanier on Saturday night. "I want everybody to know I'm from Montana," said the 26-year-old Woodard. It's not simply regional pride, although, sure, there's some of that wound up in Woodard's Western-style 'stache. But there's a strategic element to this, too. You see, when you're an unbeaten fighter coming out of a little gym no one has heard of in a state most people never think about, you get used to being written off. You live with it, and if you're smart, you embrace it. You use it as one more weapon in your arsenal. Take, for instance, Woodard's last fight in Council Bluffs, Iowa against local favorite Alonzo Martinez. "Basically, they liked the idea of Lloyd because of his record," said Woodard's coach, Matt Powers, who owns and operates Missoula's Dog Pound Fight Team. "They could put that 9-0 record on a poster, but being from Montana they thought he'd just beaten up a bunch of farmers. They essentially brought Lloyd out as a feeder for [Martinez] to help get him noticed by a big show, but they didn't count on Lloyd being as good as he is." It didn't take long for the promoters to discover their error. Woodard submitted Martinez with a rear naked choke a little over four minutes into the first round. One of the big shows did come calling after that, only for Woodard instead of Martinez. Now, with his TV debut at Bellator 36 just a day away, the process starts all over, albeit on a much bigger stage. "I love that people think that," said Woodard. "That's why I show up with a big mustache, to let them keep thinking that. I love that people underestimate me. But definitely when you get in there, after a couple exchanges, you're going to know different."Woodard picked up MMA after graduating from Missoula's Hellgate High School, where he'd wrestled for three years. Back then, there weren't a lot of training options in this small college town, but Woodard managed to find a mentor in Powers, a local businessman who was renting out mat space for himself and a few friends in a judo club's downtown basement. Slowly, the Dog Pound Fight Team took shape there [full disclosure: I was a member of that loosely affiliated original squad], and Woodard quickly became one of the team's most enthusiastic fighters. "I had one amateur fight and I just loved it," he said. "I couldn't get enough." Woodard picked up a couple of amateur bouts in various regional promotions around the Pacific Northwest, but things didn't really get serious until one mistake nearly cost him his shot at a pro career. In August of 2005 Woodard followed some friends into the apartment of a former University of Montana basketball player, where they were looking for a fight. The ensuing assault left the basketball player with a broken jaw, and while Woodard didn't throw a single punch according to police reports, he was arrested as an accessory to the crime.I had one amateur fight and I just loved it. I couldn't get enough.-- Lloyd Woodard "I was charged with felony burglary," said Woodard. "It sounds like I was in there to, like, steal somebody's stuff. But definitely I'm guilty of a burglary because I went into somebody's house with a friend of mine and I was there to back him up on a fight. It was just a bad decision." Woodard spent nearly two years incarcerated for the crime, which he said gave him plenty of time to think about what he wanted out of his life, and how easily it could slip through his fingers. "Fighting was pretty much the only thing I could think about while I was locked up. Right when I got out I knew that I was going to get serious. You have a lot of time to think, and this is what I thought about the whole time. Now that I'm doing it, it satisfies me that I have something that I love that I can actually do as a career. When I got out, I was determined to make something of myself." Woodard had his first pro bout in October of 2008, and then racked up six more wins throughout 2009. The more success he had, he said, the more people encouraged him to leave Missoula and take up residence at one of MMA's more notable gyms, where he might have a better chance of getting noticed. He made a couple visits to bigger gyms, and even served as a sparring partner for UFC lightweight Jeremy Stephens in San Diego at one point, but his home was still in Missoula. When it came time to prepare for his Bellator debut, Woodard said, he knew he wanted to be in his home gym with his longtime trainer Powers helping him prepare.I want to be in wars where people can learn who I am.-- Lloyd Woodard "What a lot of people don't realize is, I've been with Matt for about eight years now and I can't compare him to any other coach. He knows how I move, what I do. Like when I went down to San Diego, it's a lot different. They want you to do things their way. But Matt knows every injury I've ever had in my life. He knows exactly what's going on with me. He knows the way I think, the way I react, the way I feel inside. That's why no one's ever going to be able to coach me better, and that's why I've chosen to stay in Montana for as long as I have." Of course, that comes with a price. The larger regional promotions in Colorado, Oregon, and Washington want to use either local fighters who can sell tickets to their friends and fans, or else they want out-of-state tomato cans who can bolster the records of the hometown boys. For a while, Woodard got offered almost exclusively the latter type of fight, though the outcome wasn't what the promoters expected. "His last four fights have been like that," said the 41-year-old Powers. "That's when it dawned on me what we were looking at." The win over Martinez finally got Woodard some national attention and the chance to go from fighting in front of small, regional audiences to a nationally televised stage. And with Bellator's tournament format, the only thing stopping Woodard from becoming a household name in MMA are the other fighters standing between him and the finals – beginning with Vanier on Saturday night. "I haven't thought about anything but winning the entire tournament," said Woodard. "It's not that I'm looking past anybody, but that's what I'm in it for. That's why I went and watched videos on the internet of everybody in the tournament, even guys who I just heard on forums and stuff that might be in the tournament." As for Vanier – a Greg Jackson-trained fighter who lost in the semi-final round of Bellator's season two lightweight tournament before coming back to defeat UFC veteran Rich Clementi by decision at Bellator 28 in September – Woodard expects a wrestler who will try to take him down and keep him there. But since it's Woodard's goal to introduce himself to the national audience with a performance they'll remember, he said, it's up to him to make sure that doesn't happen. "I can't really say anything good or bad about him. I just want to go in there and put on a show, and I can only hope that he's doing the same thing and not underestimating me, because I don't want to be in a boring fight, and I also don't want to be in a fight where I knock the guy out in a couple seconds. I want to be in wars where people can learn who I am. A fight should be a struggle, just the way life is."

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Dunwoody Fencing Club preps for championship June 12, 2013 11:41 AM | 1849 views | 0 | 73 | | Dom Florio (left) and Madeline Janowski (right) prepare for the USFA National Championships in Columbus, Ohio June 28.Special / Laurel Florio The Dunwoody Fencing Club will host a tournament on Saturday, June 15 at the Fellowship Christian School in Roswell. The event will serve as preparation for the fencers participating at the United States Fencing Association’s National Championships which will take place in Columbus, Ohio starting on June 28.The DFC services the youth fencing community in Fulton and DeKalb counties as the coaching staff trains the epee teams at numerous Georgia high schools, including Milton, Cambridge, Roswell and Dunwoody.“We’ve seen an increase in the amount of young fencers in Georgia,” said Dr. Kathy Vail, the head coach at DFC. “The Georgia High School Fencing League has grown the fencing activity in our area.” Fulton high schools such as Alpharetta, Centennial, Chattahoochee and Johns Creek also have fencing programs.The DFC has some of the area’s top prep fencers including Alpharetta’s Rachel Halper, the 2013 GHSFL Individual Women’s bronze medalist, and Kylie McFadden, of Milton, who finished in the top 10 in the same competition.Last season, the DFC has the largest number of USA Fencing Academic All-America members in the nation. Furthermore, students from the Club have matriculated to NCAA teams such as St. Johns University, North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Duke, Brown University, Columbia and the United States Air Force Academy.“Our fencers are learning that our sport is attractive to colleges when they begin the application process,” said Vail.” Strong academic institutes value the characteristics the sport brings to their schools and the individuals in it.”The host tournament on Saturday will be open to any participants and numerous pools of fencers will be placed in divisions such as under-14, under-12 and under-10. The final group will be an open division for fencers aged 14 and older. There will be a direct elimination tree to determine the winners and up to eight contests may take place at one time during the peak portions of the tournament. The DFC has also found success in the youth training program as numerous fencers such as Dom Florio of Queen of Angels Catholic School and Woodward Elementary student Madeline Janowski are in first place on the USA Fencing Regional Rolling Points standings for the under-10 epee divisions within their respective categories. Jimmy Wallace of Fellowship Christian and Clary Bond are also in first place for the under-14 divisions within the same rankings. “Fencing skills such as concentration focus and athleticism translates to anything in life,” stated Vail. Even within the midst of its 10th anniversary, the DFC continues to host fencers of all skill levels willing to compete within the sport. “We encourage anyone to try fencing and visitors are welcomed for free on their first visit,” said Vail. “We’ll provide equipment for beginners and show them how to get started in fencing.”For more information about the Dunwoody Fencing Club, visit dunwoodyfencingclub.com. UFC gym in Dunwoody first of its kind in Georgia

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About NH action:article | category:SPORTS0101 | adString:SPORTS0101 | zoneID:40 Home » Sports » Baseball » Red Sox/MLB Kansas City completes twinbill sweep of Sox The Sports Xchange BOSTON - Kansas City's Lorenzo Cain drew a bases-loaded walk on four pitches with two outs in the 10th inning Sunday night, and the Royals completed a doubleheader sweep of the Boston Red Sox with a 5-4 win.The Royals won 4-2 in the afternoon game at Fenway Park, snapping the Red Sox's seven-game winning streak.After striking out pinch hitter Miguel Tejada looking, Red Sox left-hander Andrew Miller (0-1) gave up a single to Alex Gordon, then walked Alcides Escobar. Billy Butler struck out before Eric Hosmer singled to load the bases. Miller then walked Cain, giving the Royals what proved to be the game-winning run.Kelvin Herrera (2-2) pitched two scoreless innings, giving up a hit and one intentional walk with three strikeouts.Greg Holland struck out the side in the 10th inning to earn his fourth save.Royals right-hander Jeremy Guthrie went six innings, giving up four runs on eight hits, including one home run, and four walks with two strikeouts.Red Sox right-hander Allen Webster started in his major league debut. He went six innings, giving up three runs (two earned), on five hits, including two home runs, and a walk with five strikeouts.Boston first baseman Mark Napoli went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and a run, falling a triple shy of the cycle.In the bottom of the fifth, with Daniel Nava on second and Dustin Pedroia on first, Napoli's third hit of the game, a single to center, drove in Nava, giving the Red Sox a 4-3 lead.Webster got off to a rocky start. Gordon greeted him with a first-pitch double off the wall in left field. Gordon scored when the next batter, Escobar, hit an infield single, with shortstop Pedro Ciriaco committing a throwing error. However, Webster settled down and retired the next three batters.The Red Sox got two runs in the second when Napoli led off against Guthrie with his third home run of the season. Jarrod Saltalamacchia followed with a walk, and he scored on Mike Carp's one-out double. Boston added a run in the third when Jacoby Ellsbury doubled and scored on Pedroia's single.The Royals tied the score in the fifth on solo home runs by George Kottaras, his first hit of the season, and Gordon, his first homer of the season.Royals 4, Red Sox 2In the opener, Ervin Santana picked up the win, improving to 2-1. He went seven innings, giving up two runs and six hits with no walks and seven strikeouts. He is the first pitcher to hold the Sox to two or fewer runs without allowing a walk since Tampa Bay's David Price did so on Sept. 25, 2012."It took him two innings to get settled in, then he was really rolling from that point on," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "Struggled with his slider a little bit early, but then it got locked in pretty good and did a real great job."After a leadoff single by Will Middlebrooks in the second inning, Santana retired 17 of the final 18 batters he faced. David Ortiz had Boston's only hit in that stretch with a sixth-inning double."I was leaving a couple of pitches up in the first inning and after that I settled down," Santana said. "It's building a little bit. I feel comfortable every time I take the mound and I have confidence."Ryan Dempster took the loss, falling to 0-2. He went seven innings, giving up four runs and six hits, including a home run, and three walks with eight strikeouts.Kansas City scored first on Alcides Escobar's first-inning home run, his second homer of the season.Boston went ahead in the bottom of the first when Nava, Pedroia and Ortiz hit consecutive one-out singles and Napoli's groundout drove in a run.But the Royals responded with three runs in the fourth. Butler and Hosmer opened the inning with back-to-back singles. Butler scored on Cain's double. After Dempster struck out Mike Moustakas and Jeff Francoeur, Salvador's Perez single to center scored Hosmer and Cain, giving the Royals a 4-2 lead.

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ESPN's Rachel Nichols jumps to CNN, Turner Sports LOS ANGELES (AP) — ESPN reporter Rachel Nichols is leaving to work for CNN and Turner Sports. The companies announced Thursday that Nichols will anchor a new weekend CNN sports program beginning later this year, and will report on a wide range of sports. Nichols' hiring comes as new CNN Worldwide President Jeff Zucker puts his stamp on the struggling U.S. news channel, which he's promised to make more "vibrant and exciting." Nichols will be an important part of expanding CNN's programming, the former NBC Universal chief said Thursday. Nichols, who worked at ESPN for nine years, said she "couldn't be more excited" about working for CNN and Turner Sports. Both are divisions of Turner Broadcasting System Inc. Her first assignment will be the Feb. 3 Super Bowl in New Orleans.

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TV ratings up for first month of golf, thanks in part to chilly winter weather Getty Images Jhonattan Vegas' surprise victory at the Bob Hope Classic drew a huge larger audience than the same event did in 2010. PRINT TEXT By Doug Ferguson Associated Press Series: PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem said golf doesn’t depend solely on TV ratings, although good news never hurts. Golf has shown some promise the first month of the year, with significant increases in viewers on The Golf Channel, which broadcast the opening three events and the first two rounds of Torrey Pines; and CBS Sports, which had the weekend at Torrey. Even without Tiger Woods around -- he tied for 44th in the Farmers Insurance Open and was on the air for about 30 minutes Sunday -- CBS said its national rating for the final round was 3.5 with a 7 share, which was up 59 percent from a year ago. The Golf Channel, meanwhile, said it got a 1.0 with 997,000 viewers for the first round of Torrey Pines, which was up 89 percent from last year. It said the season-opening Hyundai Tournament of Champions was up 38 percent, and the Bob Hope Classic was up 60 percent, despite the final round going up against the NFC and AFC Championship games. Finchem described ratings as a “unique animal,” and said golf depends on them less than other television programs. The tour over the last few years has touted “cumulative audience” because it is on TV for some six hours on the weekend. He also mentioned that golf ratings were hurt last year by a successful Winter Olympics, Woods being out of action for the first three months of the season and having his worst year, and by the NFL having one of its best years. “We’ll see how we perform this year,” he said last week. “We’re up a little bit early in the year, but it’s way early.” It might have helped golf its first network coverage came on a weekend when the East Coast was buried under snow. Home » TV ratings up for first month of golf, thanks in part to chilly winter weather

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NFL Notebook: St. Louis beaten 'in every phase' The Boston Patriots dominate at England's Wembley Stadium, 45-7. The Associated Press WEMBLEY, England - It all started so well for the St. Louis Rams on their first trip to the famous Wembley Stadium. It all ended so badly. Related headlines Patriots give Rams a London mauling Sam Bradford led the Rams (3-5) to a 7-0 lead on their first possession, but Tom Brady and the Patriots (5-3) took over from there Sunday and won 45-7 in the NFL's sixth regular-season game in London. "We just got beat in every phase of the game. We got dominated," Bradford said. "I don't think there's any other way to put it." The Patriots elected to kick off after winning the opening toss. Once they did, Bradford went to work. After a New England penalty on the first play, Bradford completed a 14-yard pass to Steven Jackson. Then came a 5-yard pass to Austin Pettis. After a pair of short runs by Jackson to bring up third-and-2, Bradford sent Chris Givens deep and connected on a 50-yard touchdown pass. Eighty yards on five plays. "You can't ask for a better start to the game. First time we touched the ball we go down and score," Bradford said. "It just all fell apart from there." Bradford ended up 23 of 31 for 205 yards, but the Rams offense just couldn't put anything else together, while the defense couldn't stop the Patriots. "What is required to beat a team that well on both sides of the ball is a near perfect game, and obviously we were unable to do that today," Rams Coach Jeff Fisher said. "Tom got a hot hand and had a good sense, and those guys made a lot of plays for him." The Rams played as the home team, but much of the 80,004 fans at rainy Wembley -- the home of England's national soccer team -- were cheering for New England every step of the way. Brady led four straight touchdown drives to give New England a commanding 28-7 lead by halftime, then hit Brandon Lloyd for a 9-yard score to start the third quarter. Brady passed for 304 yards with four touchdowns, and tight end Rob Gronkowski caught eight passes for 146 yards and two scores. Lloyd also had two touchdown catches, while Stevan Ridley ran for 127 yards and a score as the Patriots put themselves atop the AFC East heading into their off week. "I know the game got out of hand today, but that's the Patriots," Brady said. The Rams also have a bye next week, giving them a chance to regroup and get ready to face the 49ers in San Francisco in two weeks. "Our bye comes at a good time. Obviously, we've had a rough stretch the last couple of weeks," Bradford said. JETS: Fighting back tears and surrounded by some of his former teammates, Dennis Byrd walked to the middle of the MetLife Stadium field as his No. 90 jersey was retired by the New York Jets. Byrd, briefly paralyzed 20 years ago in a game against Kansas City, became the fifth former Jets player to receive the honor Sunday -- joining Joe Namath, Don Maynard, Joe Klecko and Curtis Martin. "What an amazing honor," Byrd told the fans, nearly all of them standing. "Thank you so much." Were you interviewed for this story? If so, please fill out our accuracy form

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Chop it down Roger Levesque has been the target of Timbers fans for years March 10, 2010 Matt Gaschk Special to MLSnet.com Ten goals and three assists. Scoring a goal in the opening minute of the third round US Open Cup playoff game in 2009. Scoring all three goals over the course of a home-and-away playoff series on the way to a USL title in 2005. Portland Timbers fans have several reasons to dislike Roger Levesque – and he has a laugh at every one of them. Especially when he tells the story of the one-off game that he played for them. It came after the 2007 USL season had come to an end. It had already been announced that Seattle would join Major League Soccer in 2009, but there had not been any conclusions about what the USL side would do in 2008. Unsure of his immediate soccer future, Levesque left the door open for an invitation from Portland head coach Gavin Wilkinson for a friendly with Toronto FC. “I walked out on the field to see a giant sign in the Timbers Army section that said ‘True fans hate Levesque’,” the Sounders forward said. “After the game, Gavin was so agitated with how they were treating the guest players that he told the team not to go down and thank the fans like they always do.” If they held just a strong dislike for Levesque before he scored on a diving header 45 seconds into the Sounders 2-1 US Open Cup win at Portland’s PGE Park, Timber fans must have grown into an all out hatred after Levesque scored and raced to an empty patch of grass and stood like a tree to have Nate Jaqua mime cutting him down like a tree in celebration. “Maybe the celebration added fuel to the fire,” Levesque laughed. “It was a collaboration of a group of us on the busride down. We were going to chop Nate down – he’s more tree-like. But somehow in the heat of the moment, he pulled out his axe and chopped me down. I don’t know that I’ve ever hit the ground that hard.” Regardless of the reason, Levesque has been the primary target of scorn from the Rose City. Ever since he joined the Sounders in the USL in 2003, he has been a thorn in the side of the Timbers. Not only does he have ten goals and three assists in that span, but they have all seem to come at critical points for the Sounders. “I think it’s great that they have embraced the game and are as passionate about it – regardless of whether that is cheering for their team or hating opposing players. As long as they are passionate about it, people see that around the country and I think it’s great for the sport,” said Levesque, who clarified that he had no ill-will toward Portland’s players. “The soccer community is pretty small, so I have personal relationships with a lot of those guys. We get along off the field, but once you put on the jersey, you do anything you can do to win Levesque looks forward to the 2011 season, when Portland will join MLS, particularly because of the intensity of the rivalry and the value that has to the league as a whole. First and foremost, he hopes to see a great turnout Thursday night in the Community Shield match, when the Sounders will face Portland at Qwest Field. “It’s great that we can continue that rivalry this year, especially leading into them joining MLS next year. The atmosphere should be great. It’ll be good to get it going again,” he said. “They’ve been successful and with the success we had last year, it’s exciting to see where both organizations have come and what the future holds for both of them.” Kickoff is slated for 6 pm at Qwest Field and gates open at 5. General admission tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for children ages 6-17 and free for children under 6. Proceeds from the match will benefit the team's four community partners: Boys and Girls Club of Washington State, Seattle SCORES, Soccer Saves and Washington Youth Soccer. Following the match the Sounders FC coaches and players will sign autographs from the field.

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Seeing Perfect Visionary Fourteen years is a long time for a major free route in Yosemite to go unrepeated. On October 3, Tommy Caldwell made the second free ascent of the Dir... Amazing Climbing in Armenia, Must See! Squamish has been a staple on the Great American Summer Road Trip as much for the bouldering at its base as the traditional climbing on the Chief. Everyone knows Squamish is a great place to pull down, but lesser known is the cool and vibrant art scene in this outdoor mecca. The climber/artist Candace Webb is at the crossroads of these two worlds. On my last road trip to Squamish, I met Candace, who, on a rainy rest day, took me on a tour of the renowned potter Vincent Massy's home, which she was watching while he, her mentor, was away. Everything in and outside the house was completely custom, from a sink and stovetop fired in his personal kiln, to chairs and staircase handrails carved from driftwood. Soon Candace was pulling beautifully crafted pots out of the kiln, explaining the minutia of the craftsmanship. To my surprise, I eventually found out that nearly half of the work belonged not to Massy, but to the unassuming and bubbly girl standing before me. "One of these pots would look great on the mantel of my house," I said. "I'd definitely like to buy one." "No!" Candace blurted. "You can't be one of those lame poser people who buys a piece of pottery and then doesn't use it. It's insulting!" She laughed. For the last six years, Candace, 27, has lived in Squamish and divided her time between painting, pottery, mountain biking and climbing. Her preferences for climbing are as eclectic as her preferences for art, and she does it all, from sport and trad climbing, to bouldering to the occasional ice climb. First introduced to climbing six years ago, Candace has more recently found a fresh spark for the sport. "I like how creative and dynamic climbing can be," Candace said. "The way your body has to move." Her most recent climb was a 5.10b crack at Smoke Bluffs called S.M.'s Delight. "Soooo fun!" Candace said. After a three-year apprenticeship with Vincent Massy, Candace has developed a strong and distinctive style. She was recently accepted to the Alberta College of Art and Design, a two-year program that she hopes will help her go forward with her work, teaching and collaborating with other international potters.

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Better Know An Opponent: West Virginia By ghtd36 This is the second in a (hopefully) six-part series highlighting 10 things you may not know about Mizzou's opponents in the NCAA Tournament. Please keep in mind that while everything below is true, it's meant in jest.Part One -- ClemsonToday's profile: The West Virginia Mountaineers.1) I'm going to start this version of "Better Know An Opponent" in a different way than usual: by addressing the West Virginia faithful directly. I need to get out in front of this one.Dear Mountaineer Fan who has stumbled upon this post: It has come to my attention that your fan base has gained a reputation for being, um, intense. You guys have been known to throw things on the field, hurl things in the direction of opposing teams and have apparently set around 1,100 street fires between 1997 and 2003. So, with all of that said, I feel it necessary (for my own safety) to reiterate to you that EVERYTHING WRITTEN IN THIS IS A JOKE. You see, you don't want to be "that guy." You don't want to be the one group of fans who takes this super seriously and calls me a "Missouri goat turd" because you're too dumb to understand that it's a joke. Because you're not, West Virginia. You're an intelligent group of humans who can understand that things written in jest are not cause for making death threats. And yes, I'm writing this so that you don't make death threats against me. Plus, we both hate Kansas, right? That's something! Thank you for your readership, and God bless. Sincerely,ghtd36 2) On to the funny stuff that hopefully doesn't get me injured! The University of West Virginia is a land-grant institution located in Morgantown, West Virginia. Now, West Virginia is often considered one of the worst states in the Union, but I really want to give WV a chance. I've never been there, so it can't be that bad, right? 40th in infant mortality, 46th in average annual pay, 44th in poverty, 4th-most mobile homes? Uh. Sure it's lovely! [/nervously making sure couch remains un-ingulfed in flames] Anyway, to be totally honest, Morgantown seems to be the a jewel in an otherwise forgettable state. It's the fourth-largest city in the state behind the capital Charleston, Huntington and Parkersburg. I'd be lying if I told you I'd heard of all three of those cities. But seriously, Morgantown is a highly touted city that has taken home a variety of national awards. What follows is a list of ten awards that Morgantown has won in the past, including three that I made up. Try to spot them! -No. 1 "Dreamtown" in America, as named by BizJournals.com -3rd best "Small Town in America", as named by Men's Journal -Whitest City Evar, as named by the National Association for the Advancement of Honkys -12th Hottest Small City, as named by Inc. Magazine -5th Best Place for Business and Careers, by Forbes -Best City for Corn Cob Pipe Smoking, as named by Old Fogey Monthly -5th best Boomtown City in Country, by Inc.com -No. 3 "Dreamtown" in America, as named by FurnitureArsonEnthusiast.com3) I've got to admit that Morgantown does boast one of the coolest things I've ever read about (and actually learned) through researching for "Better Know An Opponent." Did you know that Morgantown and WVU boast one of the most inventive, futuristic public transit systems in America? And it doesn't even run on coal and racism! The Morgantown Personal Rapid Transit system uses 73 vehicles that kind of look like miniature buses, and rides on a series of tracks around Morgantown like a monorail. They go up to 30mph all around Morgantown, and it's all powered by electricity. I've done a ton of research on this (seriously, I'm fascinated by this type of crap) and here's how I figured out it works: -You go to one of the five stations around Morgantown (including one right in the middle of the cluster of dorms on the WVU campus, which is BRILLIANCE) -You swipe your card (it's free for students/faculty, and $0.50 a ride for citizens) -Within five minutes, one of those little buses show up and take you anywhere you need in Morgantown That's awesome, if you ask me. But it's an idea I had actually thought of about ten years ago. I even wrote a screenplay for it. 4) West Virginia University boasts one of the top forensic science programs in the nation. The program was established through a partnership with the FBI, and has become nationally recognized as one of the strongest in the world. And if you didn't think I was going to take advantage of the terrific "CSI Meme Generator", you're kind of dumb. 5) Now, I'd like to introduce a new recurring meme in Better Know An Opponent. I call it "ghtd36 Captions Stock Photos From The Opponent's University Web Site." 6) Another one of the things that West Virginia hangs its hat on is its extensive library. The University has six libraries on its Morgantown campus, boasting 1.5 million printed volumes, 2.3 million microfilms and over 10,000 electronic journals. Or, as I call it, one external hard drive. West Virginia University: Where Technology Is Something To Be Burned At A Stake.7) Hmm. I wonder what I'm going to put in this EMBARRASSING ALUMNI TIME! Let's do it. TV spokesman, cocaine enthusiast and PERSON WHO SPOKE ONLY IN THE LOUDEST POSSIBLE TONE OF VOICE Billy Mays. Fullback Owen Schmitt. Just a real sweetheart. Matt Carson, author of On A Hill They Call Capital: A Revolution Is Coming‎ who is silently and viciously judging you whilst he holds his Guinness. Patsy Ramsey, mother of JonBenet Ramsey. There isn't a joke here. She's an esteemed alumni. I'm moving on. Actor David Selby, a fine actor who played Gary Ewing on Knot's Landing. But more importantly, he played the Dean in "D3: The Mighty Ducks." WHAT A JERK.8) I did leave one important alumnus out of the "embarrassing alumni" portion of our presentation, and that's Natalie Tennant. Ms. Tennant is the current Secretary of State of West Virginia, a Democrat in a heavy-Red state. But she's a proud alumnus of WVU. Why was she elected? She used to be the mascot. That's right: the current Secretary of State of the entire state of West Virginia used to dress up like a Mountaineer. Gun and all. Imagine Claire McCaskill dressing up as Truman. WAIT DON'T DON'T DON'T. 9) A sort of spectacular controversy occurred around West Virginia in 2007, when Heather Bresch, the daughter of West Virginia governor Joe Manchin and the COO of pharmaceutical company Mylan, was accused of having a false Executive MBA degree from WVU. An investigation ensued and proved this to be true. How they missed it, considering the degree, is sort of baffling. 10) And, as promised, here are the top three candidates for the recently held "Bob Huggins Look-Alike Contest." Vote for your favorite in the poll below. The winner gets nothing! TigerChief says Bob Huggins looks like the guy from Pee-Wee's Big Adventure. NYCBirdo says Bob Huggins looks like Jeff Garlin. RPT says Bob Huggins looks like a fat Alex Baldwin. Me? I just say he looks like a scumbag. Tune in (hopefully) next week for another edition of "Better Know An Opponent!" Who wins the "Bob Huggins Look Alike Competition"? TigerChief for "Guy from PeeWee's Big Adventure" (94 votes) NYCBirdo for "Jeff Garlin" (16 votes) RPT for "Fat Alex Baldwin (92 votes) 2010 ncaab tourney

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Take Two for November 12, 2012 Can new coach Mike D'Antoni turn the Lakers' season around? Take Two | November 12th, 2012, 9:40am Head coach Mike D'Antoni of the New York Knicks watches his team play against the Cleveland Cavaliers during the game on February 25, 2011 at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. The Lakers have a new coach and it's not Phil Jackson. Despite rumors he'd return as head coach, the team announced late last night that Mike D'Antoni will take the helm. D'Antoni has agreed to a 3-year contract worth $12 million. For more on this I turn to my co-host A Martinez who is also the host of Lakersline on ESPN LA 710. What will the fiscal cliff mean for California? The year of women in US government Why is there a lack of female 'geniuses' throughout history? Rumors and predictions for the 2013 Academy Awards nominees Movement growing to help students in military families Voice therapy and training wards off illness that rob voices Parent Cafe gatherings teach men how to be better dads UCLA and USC fans look ahead to Rose Bowl game on Saturday

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The NBA Under-25 Dream Team Hoophead Posted by: Gary Gramling No sport has more amazing young talent than the NBA. But who's the best of the best of these young superstars? You're about to find out. SIKIDS.com has assembled a 12-man dream team of young NBA talent. All of these players were under the age of 25 when the season tipped off. Read on to see who made the team... Center: Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic (age 23) I never like to exaggerate, but there's a chance Howard is the most athletic freak the NBA has ever seen. He came into the league as a 6' 11", high-flying beanpole. Since then, he has packed on the muscle, making him one of the strongest players in the league. His accomplishments tell most of the story: three All-Star appearances, a Defensive Player of the Year award, and a Slam Dunk title. Superman also led the Magic to a surprise appearance in the NBA Finals last year. Orlando may have fallen short against the Lakers, but at his age, I have a feeling that Howard will be playing for plenty of championships down the road. Power forward: Josh Smith, Atlanta Hawks (age 23) Power forward was the toughest spot to fill on this roster. There are plenty of good ones, but no true superstars. We went with Smith, the high-flier from Atlanta. He's a big reason why the Hawks have moved up from mediocrity to Eastern Conference contender. Smith has averaged 15-plus points each of the past three seasons, many of them coming on thunderous dunks and acrobatic alley-oops. And despite being somewhat undersized at 6' 9", his ridiculous athleticism has made him one of the NBA's top shot-blockers. He has averaged 2.4 blocks per game over his first five NBA seasons, second-most in the league during that span. Small forward: LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers (age 24) Shocking that he made this list, huh? Even if you don't think the reigning MVP is the best basketball player in the world right now, you have to agree that he's no worse than second (behind Kobe Bryant). The league has never seen a player like LeBron, who combines the size of a power forward with the skills and quickness of a wing, and the court vision and basketball IQ of a point guard. Since he added a

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GAME NOTES | MEDIA GUIDE (PDF) Men's Basketball hosts Missouri State Wednesday Senior Night Game promotion is Black-Out night. Fans are encouraged to wear black to the game. Men's Basketball adds two more freshmen to 2014 class Men's Basketball players Marcus Fillyaw and Mike Balogun to transfer Men's Basketball hosts Postseason Celebration • CBSSports.com Hoops • Top 25 Rankings • Bracketology Feb. 22, 2011By Tim McCaughanSIUSalukis.com CARBONDALE, Ill. - Southern Illinois (12-16, 5-11) will host Missouri State (21-7, 13-3) at 7:05 p.m. Wednesday on Senior Night at SIU Arena. Saluki Basketball will recognize the team's four seniors in a ceremony before the game -- Carlton Fay, John Free- man, Jack Crowder, and Nate Mitchell. It is also a "Black-Out" game, in which fans are encouraged to wear black. Head coach Chris Lowery met with the media before Tuesday's practice. How well do you guys have to rebound tomorrow against Missouri State, and have you made progress between Saturday and now? "You never know until you play. Saturday was the first time we had played zone extensively like that. We obviously learned some things -- where we have to rebound at, where the ball balls go on certain shots. Missouri State is coming off a tough road loss, they are still very good. Coming off a road loss, they are still playing for a championship and we know they have to play Wichita State at the end for it. It's senior night for us and it's a big night. Can you talk about those seniors if you would? "Carlton is a guy that has been here for four years, and obviously I'm the closest with him. He came at a time when we were on top, he came when we had great players to learn from in Randal Falker and Matt Shaw as seniors. He seems to get it at this point, and hopefully he can transfer that to some of the younger guys." What was your first impression of him? "We knew he was very good, he was the Class A player of the year. He was a very big 'get' for us at the time. Our impression now is he's very versatile, he can do a lot of different things, and his ability to shoot the basketball just made him that much more of a priority for us." Why do you think he has been that much more consistent this year? "There are no distractions in his life, and he realizes he doesn't have that many more games left, and he's worked that much harder. His level of consistency every day has been tremendous. From the beginning, he has been very good." For senior night, do you expect the players to get really hyped up for this game? "I expect Carlton to really be emotional, because he's been a part of a senior night for us, seeing some of the other guys. He understands it's an emotional time for me too; with me spending time with kids and putting that much time and effort into getting them to this point. It's always an emotional time for our coaching staff." Talk about Nate Mitchell, you brought him on as a walk-on; you gave him a scholarship and made him a captain. What did he bring to the team this year? "He's going to get an engineering degree in two years. That is unbelievable for a junior college guy to come in and say I want to be an engineer. We were like ok, we'll see. Obviously, he's shown us. He doesn't have to go to summer school, he's going to graduate on time, he's been a terrific student, role model, and a great person in the locker room. He's definitely a person you're very proud to have in your program." What did you want to show by him earning his scholarship? "We've done this in the past when we've had good walk-ons here. Guys have earned scholarships in the past by doing a great job for us. I think if you're a good person, you come out and do what you're asked, and you come out here and work hard every day, good things will happen." Are you encouraged by the last time you played Missouri State, it was a four-point game? "We're encouraged because we knew we made some mistakes. We missed like five layups in the first half. That killed us. Seck was phenomenal in that game rebounding the basketball, with his energy level. Now we have to take some of that energy and put it into ways to attack them. We had so many offensive rebounds in that game, but we just didn't score." How key will defending their frontline be tomorrow with Davante? "When we got to the Missouri State game, we started seeing older guys taking advantage of him. The guys at Missouri State got him in foul trouble right away. He played 2-3 minutes in the first half and was in foul trouble. Hopefully now, he can settle in and just play up to the level that we expect him to." Can you give us an update for Gene tomorrow? "We're still going to see. We're not going to push it. He has to get healthy, and in the best shape he can. Missing practice yesterday with some of his issues." Are you ruling him out? "I'm not ruling anything. He's still possible to play." Do you plan to use zone as much as you did last game? "We expect to use it as much as we need too. When we are struggling to guard guys off the dribble, I think it's something we have to go to. For the simple fact it gives us more time. The thing is, we can't play it unless we rebound. This is a very big team. Green Bay had one big guy, one long guy, everyone else was smaller than us. We have to rebound out of this zone to make it effective." Will keeping them off the free-throw line be a factor too? "It's definitely a key, too. It comes from hand checking, it comes from all the small stuff that has plagued us all year. So if we have some chances, we will play zone and probably try to give them less time to get into the shot clock with a little 2-2-1 then fall back into a 2-3." Do you expect them to come in here like a wounded animal, with the showing they had against Valparaiso this week? "I think they know what is at stake. We want them to know that it's not going to be a cakewalk for them to just come and win the conference championship. That's our job, it's our senior night, and to make it memorable for us." Take us down memory lane coach, what do you remember about your senior night? "It's crazy, one of my teammates talked about it a few days ago. We had Drake on my senior night. We weren't playing very well, and got going in the final three minutes and won the game. It was emotional because we had just gone to the NCAA Tournament the year before, and we were in second place in the Valley, knowing we couldn't get to first and it was kind of a bummer for us. We played well, then we won three-straight in the conference tournament and got back. It was a memorable time for me. My whole family was here, knowing that it was all coming to an end, knowing that I would never play again in this building. That was very emotional for me, and some of the guys I came in with." Have you been able to talk to some of the players on a personal basis since Walt talked to you guys on Friday, and their perceptions of him? "I think they were shocked how approachable he was. He said funny things. They thought he would be very guarded, they didn't think they would have a chance to just speak with him and have a one on one with him. He signed everything they put in front of him. Most guys with that credibility and stature would be very wary of guys putting stuff on the website. These guys were having him sign shoes and shirts. That may be the only time they could meet someone like that." Are you worried Carlton could be a little over-hyped for Senior Night tomorrow? "In the many senior nights we've had since I've been here, only one time we've felt like that. Matt Shaw...he just completely broke down and just cried from the time he came out till the tip of the ball. It really hurt us because he wasn't emotionally ready to play, but it showed that he really loved this place and it hurt him to be playing his final game here. I have to keep it in check to let them know that it's still a game that has to be played." Calendar Men's Basketball squares off with Indiana State... Men's Basketball holds on for dramatic win over... Men's Basketball opens MVC Tournament play... Coach Hinson finishes runner-up for Coach of... Anthony Beane named to Most-Improved team,... Desmar Jackson, Anthony Beane named Second-Team... My All-Conference ballot and Saluki Basketball ... Southern Illinois Men's Basketball

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Main » North America David Egan: Finding His Voice David Egan has always dreamed big. When he was a youngster, starting out as a Special Olympics swimmer, he dreamed of winning his races. As he grew, he looked to bigger goals –having a job and finding ways to change attitudes toward people with intellectual disabilities. David Egan’s leadership skills shine as he chats up members of the Senate after wrapping up his testimony before the Health, Education and Labor Committee. Meet DavidNow 33 years old, David has been living his dream – and inspiring others to live theirs. Among other things, he’s grown up to be a sought-after spokesman for people with intellectual disabilities, speaking at international conferences, testifying at a U.S. Senate hearing last year, and addressing a global audience at the United Nations this year. David’s family says he has always worked hard to succeed, even when he was little. Determination to SucceedFor David, who has Down syndrome, his many achievements haven’t come easily. That’s where determination comes in – to keep pushing even when things seem hard. David says he learned that as a young athlete. “Special Olympics taught me to succeed, to set a goal and do my best,” says David. “It changed my life.” David is also marking 15 years working at the technology consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton. He and his family say his path to success began early; in many ways, it began with sports. His mom, Kathleen, says young David worked hard to compete in local swimming events, where he was the only swimmer with disabilities. “But David was a competitor and wanted to be Number 1,” says his mom. “And that was hard in a pool of strong swimmers who broke records.” When he joined Special Olympics, Kathleen says he began to really gain confidence and build self-esteem. “He could be his best and be Number 1,” she says. “For us parents, the greatest thing was to see his joy and motivation…and celebrate his successes.” As David recalls, “It was hard for me to accept that I have Down syndrome. But it became easier when I joined Special Olympics and discovered I was not alone.” For the Whole FamilySoon, Special Olympics became more than just David’s thing; the whole family got involved. While David played soccer and basketball, his dad coached, and his little sister and brother helped on the field and chased the balls. Says Kathleen, “Those practices and games have made a long impression on all of us. Then it was not only David gaining confidence and experiencing joy, it was all of us as a family volunteering.” David’s sisters also began mentoring figure skaters with special needs; his brother coached soccer and played unified softball. Kathleen admits to being hugely proud of David (“he amazes me”) and gives Special Olympics credit for helping him reach his dreams. As for the rest of her family, she says Special Olympics “has also changed their lives for the better.” She adds, “They know now how to appreciate the little successes and give it your best: ‘Let me win and if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.’ They have applied this to their lives.” About Special Olympics in North America Find Special Olympics near youStories from North AmericaWorld, Regional and National Games Results Pledge not to use the word "retard" Slideshow: The Power of SportsVideo: Speechless

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Spurs game key for Utd: Fergie Alex Ferguson (AFP) Agger blow for Liverpool Liverpool's Reina in race row Reds to curb transfer spree London - Sir Alex Ferguson believes that Manchester United's trip to Tottenham on Sunday will prove pivotal to his side's hopes of securing a 20th league title. United trail leaders Manchester City, who host struggling Bolton on Saturday, by two points going in to the weekend. Spurs' own push for the top has come unstuck in recent weeks but they still represent a major test to United. Ferguson believes that a win at White Hart Lane and keeping up with City at this stage could prove decisive, with United facing a game at City in the third last fixture of the season. He said: "It's a very, very important game for us. If you look at the rest of the season you would certainly say that building up to a game that could turn out to be the decider against Manchester City later in the season, Tottenham is our hardest away game but we'll be looking to navigate it. "I'm looking at Manchester United. We realise how important it is on Sunday to maintain our challenge. "We're not interested in anyone else's challenge but to maintain our challenge we need to win on Sunday." Ferguson feels that Tottenham managing to fight off Chelsea's interest in Croatian midfielder Luka Modric last summer has been key to their successful campaign. The playmaker made it clear that he wanted to leave but Spurs rejected a string of offers from Chelsea. Ferguson said: "I think it swung the players around too that they decided to hold on to Modric against what we thought was a big Chelsea bid and it's an indication that they mean business. "It's worked because they've had a great season and up until about three weeks ago they were playing the best football in the league. "They've hit a little bit of a plateau at the moment but we know that going down there on Sunday is a big game for us and it's the most important game for us so far." Ferguson has a doubt over defender Chris Smalling, who sustained a head injury in England's 3-2 friendly defeat to Holland in midweek. Wayne Rooney has trained all week after missing international duty and United's previous two matches due to a throat infection. Antonio Valencia and Tom Cleverley remain on the sidelines but Michael Owen has returned to training after being out since November with a thigh injury. Ferguson added: "Michael Owen has started training which is good news. Hopefully the lad has a bit of luck because he's not had much at all. "When he gets an injury it's always a long-term one but hopefully he's back for the rest of the season which will help us." Ferguson believes that the contribution of Michael Carrick has once again been vital to United's challenge for the title. Carrick, 30, joined from Tottenham in 2006 and has won four league titles in his five seasons at Old Trafford as well as helping United to three Champions League finals in four years. Ferguson has always claimed that Carrick is a slow starter but feels that the player's partnership with Paul Scholes has been key to United keeping pace with City. Read more on: alex ferguson NEXT ON SPORT24X

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34Final 1234ScoreDenver31414334Baltimore0031417Preview | Matchup | Log | Wrap | Box 17NFL News NFL Preview - Denver (10-3) at Baltimore (9-4) By Lyle Fitzsimmons, Contributing NFL Editor (Sports Network) - There's Denver Broncos history. And then there's Peyton Manning history. And given the drastic difference between them when it comes to the Baltimore Ravens, it's easy to grasp why fans of the orange-clad Broncos are choosing to go all in with their quarterback's pedigree. Denver has lost in each of its last five trips to Maryland's Inner Harbor -- where it will visit the Ravens Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium -- including the two most recent games by a combined 37 points. Meanwhile, Manning, who arrived in Colorado this season after 13 glorious years with the Indianapolis Colts, has won eight in a row against Baltimore -- most recently in a divisional playoff contest in January 2010. Four of those wins came on the Ravens' home field. Yet, with playoff positioning at a premium for the two AFC division leaders, Manning isn't leaning too heavily on accomplishments. "I can't speak to the past," he said. "All I know is we're going on the road, playing an excellent team." Both the Broncos and Ravens are jockeying for an edge in the upcoming postseason tournament. Denver has already clinched the AFC West and trails conference leader Houston by one game with three to play. The Ravens are two games clear of Pittsburgh and Cincinnati in the AFC North, though they trail the top-seeded Texans by a similar two-game margin. As of today, the Broncos are seeded third in a six-team field and Baltimore is fourth. "This will be a playoff-type game," Denver coach Jon Fox said. "You're talking about a team that's been in the playoffs four straight years. I think Coach (John) Harbaugh's done a tremendous job. They've got excellent staff, excellent football team, they know how to win and part of that is being tough at home. They've only lost one game there this year." The Broncos have run roughshod over their division in an eight-game win streak, the franchise's longest since it won 13 straight to begin the 1998 season -- which ended in a second straight Super Bowl for quarterback-turned- executive John Elway. The most recent win in the streak came last week in Oakland, where Manning connected on 26 of 36 throws for 310 yards and a touchdown in a 26-13 win. He leads the conference with 30 touchdowns and is fourth in the league with a 104.0 passer rating. Thus, the stakes are not difficult to ascertain for Baltimore's Harbaugh. "It's a big game. We don't really need an incentive," he said. "The fact that us and Denver are both kind of in the mix for seeding and for division championships and those kinds of things, that makes it really interesting. This is a game that everybody should be excited about." That said, the Broncos' recent eight-game joyride contrasts sharply with the Ravens, who've dropped two straight in excruciating fashion. Baltimore lost to Pittsburgh via last-second regulation field goal on Dec. 2 and fell in overtime last week against Washington. The Steelers are the only team to win in Baltimore since Manning and the Colts did it in November 2009. The rare in-season slump -- which has featured four Ravens turnovers in two weeks -- led to a change on Harbaugh's staff on Monday, when offensive coordinator Cam Cameron was fired and replaced by Jim Caldwell, who'd been the quarterbacks coach under Cameron and previously spent 10 seasons with Indianapolis. He was Manning's QB coach for seven years and his head coach for three more before being replaced by Chuck Pagano in January. Soon after, Manning was released and signed with Denver when the Colts chose to pursue top-rated collegiate prospect Andrew Luck as their franchise passer. "I felt like (Caldwell) really took my game to another level," Manning said. "He's also a tremendous mentor and friend to me." Caldwell has had a similar rapport so far with Baltimore quarterback Joe Flacco, who threw for three TDs and completed 76.1 percent of his passes against the Redskins. On defense, it's been a battle of attrition for the Ravens, who may get Terrell Suggs back after he missed last week with a biceps injury. Also on the brink of a return is veteran Ray Lewis, who's not played since Week 6 with a triceps problem. Linebacker Jameel McClain is definitely out with back/neck issues, and defensive back Asa Jackson will miss four games after a Tuesday suspension for violating the league's PED policy. "This is by far one of those years," said safety Ed Reed, whose team is 24th in total defense and 25th stopping the run. "I think when coach first got here, second year, we had a lot of injuries. But not like this." The Broncos are fourth in the league in both offense and defense. Running back Knowshon Moreno stepped in for the injured Willis McGahee and ran for 119 yards last week against the Raiders. "I think any quarterback would tell you that his best friend is a good running game," Manning said. "It's a tough bunch against the run, starting in Baltimore, but we feel it's important, like all season, to be balanced." The Ravens lead the all-time series, 5-3, and have won two straight games against Denver, including an October 2010 matchup in which Ray Rice ran for 133 yards and scored twice. Harbaugh is 2-0 against the Broncos, while Fox has won two of three in his career against Baltimore. WHAT TO WATCH FOR Baltimore has long been known for an opportunistic, ball-hawking defensive unit and no player exemplifies that style more than Reed. Expect Manning to determine the veteran safety's whereabouts on every trip to the line of scrimmage and attempt to deceive him with a long-established ability to focus his vision on one receiver before ultimately unloading the ball somewhere else. It's a tactic Manning will have to employ successfully to gain big chunks of yardage against a deep zone scheme. OVERALL ANALYSIS Manning continues to add to the surprise -- and his MVP credentials -- every week the Broncos continue to win. And as long as he's at the level he's performed for the last two months, it's difficult to pick against him, especially when he's facing a foe whose defense has been gashed by lesser opponents. In the end, helped by his own stingy defense, look for No. 18 to find just enough ways to get points. Sports Network predicted outcome: Broncos 20, Ravens 17 12/13 12:49:50 ET

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... Boys BB wins last home game, drops one game on the road The boys basketball team started out the regular season with a great win at home and finished the regular season with a great win at home. The team needs to improve a bit on what happens in the three months between the first and last games, but with a boatload of players coming back next year that is possible. By Doug DeDecker SJA Saints beat GHEC Mustangs 67-60 The boys basketball team started out the regular season with a great win at home and finished the regular season with a great win at home. The team needs to improve a bit on what happens in the three months between the first and last games, but with a boatload of players coming back next year that is possible. For now, the Saints closed out the 2012-2013 regular season with a satisfying 67-60 win over GHEC. It was good to get a win for the seniors on parents night. Heck, it was good to get a win for everybody. The Saints finished the regular season 3-21. But on Monday night, Saints were the better team on the floor and outplayed the competition. In the first half the Saints took an early lead and built it up to an 11-4 score at the 13:45 mark on a nifty scoop shot by Zach Brandts. The Mustangs came back with an 11-2 run and took a 15-13 lead. This type of run by an opponent had been an all too often experience suffered by the boys this year. Based on the season record it meant the Saints fell behind and didn’t win. Monday was different. The Saints hung tough, got back into the lead and pushed it back out to a 21-15 lead. A driving layup by Ryan Menssen kept the Saints in the lead 25-21. Menssen has developed into the Saint’s third scoring option this year. He’s a slasher that attacks the basket. He played fullback for the football team, and plays basketball a bit like a fullback. Menssen has an instinctual ability to spot the smallest gap in a defense and charge through it to the basket. I don’t think this can be coached, you’ve either got it or you don’t. Ryan’s got it. With a little over three minutes to go in the half, GHEC pulled within one at 27-26 on a pair of free throws and the Mustangs tied the game at 30 with 1:35 to go. Then it was time for another chapter of the Zach Brandts scoring show. Zach scored the go ahead basket with 1:25 to go and put the Saints up 32-30. SJA got the ball back and with nanoseconds on the clock Zach tipped a missed basket in and that put the Saints up by four at the half.Page 2 of 3 - On that play there was no time to grab a rebound and put another shot back up, it was score on a tip or nothing. The ball went in at the buzzer. The refs took a look at each other on whether the ball went in time. They both nodded yes, and one of them thrust his arm down to count the basket. It wasn’t known at the time, but that score meant the Saints would never be tied or trail the rest of the game. The Saints were steady in the early minutes of the second half and a driving layup along the baseline by Sam Carlson put SJA up 41-35 with a little over 16 minutes to play. During this stretch Walker Froehling had a smooth tip in of a missed shot that rivaled in style points the Brandts tip in of the first half. With just under eight minutes to play the Saints built their largest lead when the scoreboard flashed 55-41. GHEC scored and called time out. After the break the Mustangs came out in a full court press. It caught the Saints flatfooted and GHEC started to force some turnovers. The Saints got out of the synch. GHEC went on a 17-6 run to close the lead to 61-58 with just under two minutes to play. The Saints made just enough shots down the stretch to win it 67-60. Brandts led the Saints with 27 points, Menssen had 15 and Froehling had a dozen. In their last home game as Saints Sam Carlson had six and Joe Nelson had two points. Head Coach Steve Walker said, “It was a great way for our two seniors to go out.” Summarizing the game Walker said, “We ran the court well at times and got some easy transition layups. We had good ball movement most of the time and rebounded fairly well against a team with some size and physical players inside. We made enough FT's down the stretch to hold on.” Now the road to the state tournament begins and the Saints have to play conference foe Fairmont at the Cardinals’ gym in an opening 3AA Section game. SJA is eighth seeded and Fairmont is top seeded.The Saints played Fairmont close at home before Christmas and then lost by 30 at Fairmont on the last day of January. Third time’s a charm? Well, in the tourney both teams start out 0-0. Coach Walker said, “Fairmont is a very good team. They are athletic at all five spots on the floor.Page 3 of 3 - “We are confident that if we play the way we are capable we have a shot to pull off an upset. I think our kids feel they have something to prove. But, you still have to play at a high level in tourney play on the road if you are to get wins at this time of the year. We will do our best.” SJA falls to Cedar Mt./Comfrey 84-68 The Saints were on the road last Thursday playing a game with Cedar Mt./Comfrey that was originally scheduled for Monday. Bad weather canceled the game on Monday and the coming storm of last week threatened the rescheduled game. But the weather held off and the Saints were able to get the game in. Unfortunately it was another loss for SJA as they fell to the CMC Cougars 84-68. Zach Brandts led the Saints with 21 points. Joe Nelson and Ryan Menssen each had a dozen points. Brandts and Walker Froehling each had 12 rebounds. The Saints are often out rebounded, but in this game SJA out rebounded CMC 44 to 38. The Saints dominated the offensive boards collecting 19 board to CMC’s seven. What offset a strong rebounding night was a poor shooting night. The Saints shot just 33 percent from the floor and were 4-22 from beyond the arc for a 22 percent result. CMC shot 52 percent. The Cougars made ten more baskets while taking ten less shots. Head Coach Steve Walker said, “We got off to a good start and we played well in spurts. “We had too many quick possessions. When we were patient we got any shot we wanted to get, so there wasn’t a need for quick shots. It was one of those nights where the Saints got off to a good start, but fell behind as the first half progressed. SJA trailed by 14 at the half. SJA played CMC just about even in the second half, but the deficit was too much to make up. By Doug DeDecker

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College sports administrators recognize growing gulf NCAA president Mark Emmert suggested Wednesday at the Intercollegiate Athletic Forum in New York that those who seek to split from the organization should be careful what they wish for. / Michael Conroy, Associated Press by Kelly Whiteside, USA TODAY Sportsby Kelly Whiteside, USA TODAY Sports Filed Under NEW YORK -- Amid conference expansion and the growing gap between the top five major football playing conferences �?? the SEC, Big Ten, Pac-12, Big 12, ACC and Notre Dame �?? and everyone else, the question remains: Do the five power conferences need the NCAA? Would they better off taking their football and playing on their own? Two university presidents said Wednesday they aren't in favor of a split from the NCAA. However, Nebraska chancellor Harvey Perlman added that a "serious conversation" needs to take to place about the gap. "You have to either fight it or accommodate it, but I think some accommodation needs to be made," Perlman said at the IMG Intercollegiate Athletics Forum. Wake Forest president Nathan Hatch also doesn't believe five power conferences should leave NCAA. "We would have to set up a whole system," he said. When asked what could be one of the biggest changes to come to college sports in the next five years, Notre Dame athletics director Jack Swarbrick cited an "another division, a Division 5" in the NCAA among the top football-playing schools. "My only point is the tension grows as the business models get diverse," Swarbrick said. "It gets really hard to reconcile them over legislation and governance and the number of games played and all those things." When asked what adjustments he would like to see in the current model, Swarbrick said, "You can't legislate competitive equity, and a lot of times we get ourselves in trouble when we try to do that. The Dallas Cowboys and the Indianapolis Colts have different resources but they manage to compete with each together. College basketball has proven that it could happen." The NCAA has been examining its Division I governance structure amid sentiment to split its top football-playing schools. In the wake of the delay or defeat of several reforms backed by the Division I Board of Directors, including the defeat of a measure would allow up to a $2,000 stipend beyond the value of a full athletics scholarship early this year, tensions have increased. (Emmert said Wednesday he remains committed to the stipend proposal, which is being examined by a working group.) Some kind of split of Division I has long been speculated as its portion of NCAA membership has ballooned to 338 schools and financial and political divisions have increased. Disparities among the 120-member bowl subdivision have grown increasingly pronounced. Individual schools' athletics revenues ranged from $3.8 million to nearly $144 million in 2010, according to the NCAA, prompting more schools to rely on student fees and other institutional subsidization to stay competitive. However, a complete exit from the NCAA would be complicated. "If BCS schools or any other schools decide they'd be better served by having their own association, then they can and should go do that," NCAA president Mark Emmert said. "You'd have to start your own enforcement arm, replicate all the championships and recreate all the arms of the NCAA but just do it in a way that serves your own purposes better." Given the diversity of the group's membership, Emmert characterized the NCAA as "a very weird organization." He added, "We have 1,100 members. We have twice as many votes as Congress." (Not to mention a divisive fiscal cliff of their own.) "We have to craft solutions that work across the members, when your budget is $5 million you look at (issues) differently when it's $155 million," he said. "We're trying to find rules that will work across all those disparate entities." As college football moves to a four-team playoff in 2014, money is the focal point of the discussion. How that revenue will distributed could further divide the haves and have nots. After Perlman said Wednesday morning that the playoff revenue distribution formula was finalized, North Carolina State athletics director Debbie Yow and Missouri athletics director Mike Alden both essentially said, "That's news to me." "I haven't seen it," Yow said. "The distribution formula will be the single biggest thing to ever happen in college sports." Perlman, who serves on the BCS Presidential Oversight Committee, said conference commissioners will likely make the formula available when "we put dollars to it." Bill Hancock, the executive director of the BCS, said the framework of the formula has been set but is not a finished project because "we don't know what the final revenues will be." Determining how the pie will be sliced wasn't an easy process. "It was contentious," Perlman told USA TODAY Sports. "I'm sure they went through a lot of drafts and a lot of negotiations which you would expect. But in the end, they all arrived in a place where the presidents were comfortable. We all left the room singing Kum ba yah." The most controversial part? "In the end how much do I get?" Perlman said. "There's a balance between access and money. The smaller conferences have to figure that out. What do they want? More teams playing or more revenue? That's the balance that was done and I think they were satisfied. �?� Every conference agreed to it and it wasn't with a gun to their head. This is a fair distribution." Hancock said the next step of the playoff process will be determining the members of the selection committee, which will be worked out during the next three or four months. Then the site of the first playoff championship game, held on Jan. 12, 2015 will be determined. Hancock said it will likely be held at a current BCS bowl site. Copyright 2014 USATODAY.comRead the original story: College sports administrators recognize growing gulf College sports officials discuss creation of a super division, with or without the NCAA. A link to this page will be included in your message.

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Go For The Gold Go For The Gold: Patrick Deneen Go For The Gold: Jamie Anderson Go For The Gold: Erika Brown Go For The Gold: Tim Burke Go For The Gold: Jonathan Cheever Go For The Gold: Julie Chu Go For The Gold: Kelly Clark Go For The Gold: Davis And White Go For The Gold: Shani Davis Go For The Gold: Billy Demong Go For The Gold: Heidi Jo Duce Go For The Gold: Susan Dunklee Go For The Gold: Jazmine Fenlator Go For The Gold: Bryan Fletcher Go For The Gold: Taylor Fletcher Go For The Gold: Nick Goepper Go For The Gold: Gracie Gold Go For The Gold: Chas Guldemond Go For The Gold: Erin Hamlin Go For The Gold: Elena Hight Go For The Gold: Steven Holcomb Go For The Gold: Jen Hudak Go For The Gold: Nolan Kasper Go For The Gold: Hannah Kearney Go For The Gold: Steve Langton Go For The Gold: Ted Ligety Go For The Gold: Taylor Lipsett Go For The Gold: Todd Lodwick Go For The Gold: Chris Mazdzer Go For The Gold: Heather McPhie Go For The Gold: Elana Meyers Go For The Gold: Andy Newell Go For The Gold: Alana Nichols Go For The Gold: Zach Parise Go For The Gold: Noelle Pikus-Pace Go For The Gold: Kikkan Randall Go For The Gold: Heather Richardson Go For The Gold: Rico Roman Go For The Gold: Ida Sargent Go For The Gold: Mike Shea Go For The Gold: Mikaela Shiffrin Go For The Gold: Leanne Smith Go For The Gold: Marco Sullivan Go For The Gold: John Teller Go For The Gold: Katie Uhlaender Go For The Gold: Ashley Wagner Go For The Gold: Jeremy Wagner Go For The Gold: Tyler Walker Go For The Gold: Seth Wescott Go For The Gold: Torin Yater-Wallace BY DOUG WILLIAMS I JUNE 11, 2013 U.S. Olympic skier Patrick Deneen poses during the NBC/U.S. Olympic Committee photo shoot in West Hollywood, Calif., in April 2013. After an excellent season on the World Cup circuit, U.S. Olympic moguls skier Patrick Deneen was almost disappointed to see it come to an end. He made it to the podium eight times — including a second-place finish at the Olympic test event in Sochi — and finished third overall in points. More importantly, he felt very good about the way he was skiing. Deneen put together one of the most consistent stretches of his career. “I’m skiing really well right now and luckily we don’t have to change anything major in my skiing,” Deneen said recently. “Everything is working really well. … We just have some little tuning things to do and then we’ll be ready for next year." U.S. moguls coach Scott Rawles has been watching Deneen develop since joining the U.S. team in 2005 and is encouraged by what he has seen in Deneen lately. "He’s pretty locked in on everything," Rawles said. For Deneen, however, the challenge now is to keep that edge — and perhaps sharpen it a bit — over the next few months until the World Cup season picks up again in December. That is when he needs to make his push to qualify for the U.S. Olympic Team for Sochi. The team will be selected in late January. As he spoke about his performance this past season and his hopes going forward toward the Winter Games in Sochi in February, Deneen was in the midst of training at Mount Bachelor in Oregon. After Bachelor, he was scheduled to go to Park City, Utah, for some water-jump work. The rest of his summer includes coaching at a youth camp at Oregon’s Mount Hood and then three to four weeks of skiing and training in Australia — interspersed with some good down time on his family’s Washington ranch in the foothills of the Cascades where he can ride horses, play with the dogs and roam through the beautiful countryside. “It’s definitely a busy summer, but I’m doing what I love and getting better and preparing for Sochi,” Deneen said. * * * Deneen, a 25-year-old from Cle Elum, Wash., has been one of the top performers in international mogul skiing since 2008, when he was named Rookie of the Year on the World Cup circuit. The following year, he captured the FIS Freestyle World Ski Championship. He started the 2009-10 campaign slowly, failing to crack the top 20 in his first two events and then faced stiff competition from a youngster named Jeremy Cota at the U.S. Trials in Steamboat Springs, Colo. But in the final round at the Trials, Deneen was dominant. He won the Trials and secured himself a spot at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games. The experience in Vancouver, however, was where that momentum came to a crashing halt. Patrick Deneen takes 3rd place during the FIS Freestyle Ski World Championship Men's and Women's Moguls on March 06, 2013 in Voss, Norway. Patrick Deneen, who finished second in the event, sales over the course while competing in the USANA Freestyle World Cup Moguls competition at Whiteface Mountain in Lake Placid, New York. Feeling as if he needed to make a big splash to impress the judges and secure a medal in the finals, Deneen decided to try a D-spin move on the second jump of his run that he had not yet perfected in practice. For a moment it appeared as if he had pulled it off, but when he landed he lost his balance and crashed face-first. Instead of medaling, he wound up tied for 19th. Just after the disappointing result, Deneen told a reporter: “I had to give it everything I’ve got. I was going for the win." Now, on the eve of perhaps making his second Olympic team, Deneen believes Vancouver was a learning experience. He certainly has rebounded. He won the World Cup Finals in 2012 and collected two bronze medals at the World Championships in 2013 to put himself in position to contend for a medal in Sochi. Perhaps more importantly, he feels more confident that he’s a much wiser competitor. “The Olympics is a crazy event,” he said. “It’s a pretty crazy bubble to be in. Anybody going into their first Olympics, it will catch them a little by surprise how big an event it is.” He adds that he now has a better idea how to prepare and how to “attack this thing." Rawles said he believes Deneen came out of Vancouver with some lessons learned. “The old adage in sports is that you learn more from your defeats than your victories, and I really think that's true,” Rawles said. “I think he learned a lot from that experience and has been able to apply it the last three years on the World Cup. I think we’ll really see some great things from him in Sochi." The key to Deneen’s evolution, Rawles said, is in his approach. “I know that everybody wants to win and that whole side of it,” Rawles said. “But I think the main thing that he’s learned out of it is that he just needs to stick to his guns of skiing his run and his performance and let the results play out from that. “I think the little bit that I talked to him after Vancouver, he was like, ‘Well, I was trying to win.’ But you know, that’s the end point of it. What’s it going to take you to get to that? I think sometimes athletes forget that. It’s about being in the moment and thinking about that performance and letting the results lay out where they will." Over the past two seasons, Deneen has done just that. Always one of the fastest — if not the fastest moguls skiers in the world — Deneen feels good about his entire package. Because speed is worth 25 percent of the score on a run, it’s a big aspect he doesn’t have to worry about. The technique and cleanliness of the run through the bumps is worth 50 percent, with the performance on two jumps worth the final 25 percent of the score. This past season, Deneen was consistently strong in all aspects. “For me being the fastest skier makes my life a lot easier because I’m able to ski only about 75 percent of my ability level and still ski faster than everybody else,” he said. “So when you start doing that you learn to get really consistent and I was doing that all last year and I was on the podium all the time without having to really push myself to the next level. “That’s what you need to do going into the Olympics,” he added. “You don’t want to really change a whole lot." Rawles believes there are several factors that have contributed to Deneen taking his game to another level the past couple of years: his speed, his technical skiing ability (which he says always has been strong) and his strength. Though he’s just 5-foot-7, Deneen always has been a physically strong skier. Plus, Rawles said, “Patrick works very hard at his craft." Rawles sees Deneen (currently ranked No. 3 in the world) as a very strong candidate —among many — to make the U.S. team for Sochi. Among some of Deneen’s toughest challengers from the United States are expected to be Cota, Sho Kashima, Bradley Wilson and his brother, 2010 Olympic bronze medalist Bryon Wilson. Now, Rawles said if Deneen can incorporate some more challenging jump routines, he can be an even stronger skier by the time Sochi comes around. Rawles said Deneen is working really hard on his degree-of-difficulty on his jumps to “make that next step up to the top of the podium." To Deneen, it’s all about continuing to get better. “I do feel like I’m getting better each year,” Deneen said. “I think it would be a little boring if you weren’t. We’re always working on new things and ways to improve and ways to get more consistent. If I wasn’t improving I probably wouldn’t spend so much time training. But to stay ahead in this sport you need to keep moving forward and keep trying to innovate.” Story courtesy Red Line Editorial, Inc. Doug Williams is a freelance contributor for TeamUSA.org. This story was not subject to the approval of the United States Olympic Committee or any National Governing Bodies.

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FANTASY FOOTBALL WEEKLY FEATURES Week 3 Injury Update #1 Philip Gentles September 19, 2006 Tiki Barber, RB, NYG Bruised Forearm and Knee Huddle Up: According to reports Giants' RB Tiki Barber suffered bruises to his forearm and his right knee during Sunday's overtime game against the Eagles. Barber was reportedly seen limping in the locker room after the game and he was seen with his right knee wrapped on Monday. He also had his left forearm X-rayed as a precaution, and while the results have not been made public team officials didn't believe that it was more than just a bruise. We will know more about his injuries and status for Week 3 today or tomorrow so keep an eye on the news wire for an update. Aaron Brooks, QB, OAK Strained Pectoral Muscle Huddle Up: Raiders' QB Aaron Brooks will miss the next 2 - 4 weeks after an MRI on Monday revealed a strained pectoral muscle in his right (throwing) shoulder. Brooks was hurt while trying to recover his second fumble in the first quarter of Sunday's game against the Chargers. The team's medical staff initially thought that he had suffered damage to his rotator cuff, which would have knocked him out for significant portion of the season. But the MRI revealed a small tear in the Pectoralis muscle in his shoulder. The Raiders' have a bye in Week 3 but it looks like Andrew Walter will be the starter when the team plays in Week 4. Brooks might be ready to return by Week 5 but despite what head coach Art Shell has told reporters if Walter is playing well Brooks might not get back the starting job. Drew Carter, WR, CAR Fractured Finger Huddle Up: Panthers' WR Drew Carter was seen wearing a soft cast on his right hand on Monday after breaking a finger during Sunday's game against the Vikings. The team did not say how the injury occurred but head coach John Fox told reporters that Carter's finger was swollen but that it wouldn't required surgery. He said that the team will continue to evaluate the receiver and that he would have an update for the media tomorrow (Wednesday). Team officials don't appear to be concerned about this, but there is a chance that this could keep him out of Week 3 action. Check back on Friday for an update. Chad Johnson, WR, CIN Bruised Shoulder, Mild Concussion and Chin Laceration Huddle Up: Bengals' WR Chad Johnson was battered and bruised in Sunday's game against the Browns, but he told reporters on Monday that he feels OK and that he expects to play in Week 3. Johnson first bruised his right shoulder on his touchdown catch in the first quarter. He continued to play and in his own words he was "knocked out" late in the fourth quarter after being leveled by Browns safety Brian Russell. Not only did Johnson suffer a concussion on the play but he also lacerated his chin. The chin laceration required stitches in the training room after the game. The Bengals will likely keep him out of contact drills this week and his status for Week 3 will be determined closer to game-time. Jevon Kearse, DL, PHI LCL, MCL and PCL Tears in his Knee Huddle Up: The Eagles have lost DL Jevon Kearse for the season after an MRI performed on Monday revealed multiple tears to ligaments in his left knee. According to reports Kearse tore the Lateral Collateral Ligament (LCL), the Medial Collateral Ligament (MCL) and the Posterior Collateral ligament when his knee collided with a teammate while tackling QB Eli Manning in overtime. Kearse immediately grabbed his left knee, and after being helped off the field and examined on the sideline he was carted to the locker room for further evaluation. An MRI on Monday revealed the extent of the damage, and while the team's medical staff hasn't decided if and when he will require surgery, he will not be able to play again this season. Itula Mili, TE, SEA Huddle Up: Seahawks' TE Itula Mili left Sunday's game with a knee injury and according to head coach Mike Holmgren he could be out for Week 3. Holmgren told reporters that the team's medical staff thought that Mili's injury was severe but that an MRI performed on Monday revealed that the injury was not as bad as they had feared. The results of the MRI have not been released, but it appears that his status for Week 3 is in doubt. We should know more about his injury later today. Terrell Owens, WR, DAL Surgery to Repair Fractured Metacarpal Huddle Up: Cowboys' WR Terrell Owens will miss the next 2 - 4 weeks after having a plate surgically inserted into his hand to help stabilize the fractured fourth (ring finger) carpal in his right hand. According to reports Owens was hurt while trying to block in the first quarter against the Redskins. He tried to play through the pain and made a couple of catches after the injury but his finger just got worse and he was taken to the locker room in the fourth quarter for X-rays. The X-ray revealed a bad fracture, one that required physicians to insert three screws and a metal plate into his hand to help stabilize the fracture site and speed up his recovery. Head coach Bill Parcells told reporters that if Owens recovers quickly he could be back in time for their Week 4 game against the Titans. That might be pushing it a bit, but with a big Week 5 game against the Eagles I think it is safe to assume that T.O. will do everything in his power to be ready to play against his former team. David Pollack, LB, CIN Fractured Cervical Vertebra Huddle Up: According to reports Bengals' LB David Pollack will miss the remainder of season after breaking his neck during Sunday's game against the Browns. Pollack was hurt while trying to tackle RB Reuben Droughns and after being examined by the team's medical staff on the field he was placed in a halo neck brace and was carted off the field. He was taken to a local hospital where tests revealed a fractured cervical vertebra. The good news is that his spinal chord did not suffer any damage and he was able to move his arms and legs in the hospital. It's still a bit early to be sure but it looks like Pollack avoided any serious long-term problems and the team's medical staff believes that he could recover in time to play football next year. Clinton Portis, RB, WAS Shoulder Subluxation and Bruised Rotator Cuff Huddle Up: Redskins' RB Clinton Portis, who was limited in Week 1 because of a subluxed left shoulder, was inactive for Week 2 because of a completely different injury. Portis told reporters that he "jammed" his right rotator cuff back in Week 1, and while he wanted to play head coach Joe Gibbs consulted with the medical staff and they decided it wasn't a good idea to play Portis while he had two bad shoulders. Gibbs told reporters that the latest shoulder injury was just a bruise, but clearly it was enough to keep him inactive. Portis expects to practice this week and play in the team's next game, but based on the first couple of weeks nothing is a lock so check back on Friday for an injury update. Jeremy Shockey, TE, NYG Sprained Ankle Huddle Up: Giants' TE Jeremy Shockey, who has been dealing with a sprained right ankle for several weeks, aggravated the injury in the fourth quarter of Sunday's game against the Eagles and he was unable to play in the overtime session. Shockey's ankle was reportedly very sore and swollen after the game and he will probably be held out of practice on Wednesday and limited in practice on Thursday and Friday. Head coach Tom Coughlin told reporters that Shockey's ankle was feeling the exact same way after their Week 1 game and that it improved over the course of the week. But even if he does improve this week he won't be 100% in time for the Giants' Week 3 game. There is already speculation that Shockey might be held out of a couple weeks so that his ankle is given a chance to heal. That might not happen now, but if he continues to have problems with his ankle it is only a matter of time before he is held out of a couple of games. L.J. Smith, TE, PHI Sprained AC Joint Huddle Up: According to reports Eagles' TE L.J. Smith sprained the Acromioclavicular joint in his shoulder during Sunday's loss to the Giants, but the injury isn't considered serious and should be ready to play in time for the team's Week 3 game. Smith was hurt in the first half against the Giants but he was able to play through the injury and he went on to have a big game. He was reportedly sore on Monday and he will probably be held out of practice for a couple of days but team officials aren't concerned about this and they expect him to make a full recovery soon. Rod Smith, WR, DEN Mild Concussion Huddle Up: Broncos' veteran WR Rod Smith was knocked from Sunday's game against the Chiefs with a mild concussion and his status for Week 4 remains a question mark. According to reports Smith absorbed hard hits in the first and fourth quarter and was diagnosed with a mild concussion after the game. He told reporters on Monday that he was feeling "fine," but this is his third concussion in less than a year so don't be surprised if the team's medical staff is extremely cautious with this injury. Smith will likely be held out of practice this week and there is a chance that he will not be allowed to play in Week 3. We will keep you posted. Brandon Stokley, WR, IND High Ankle Sprain Huddle Up: Colts' WR Brandon Stokley, who did not play in Week 1 because of a high ankle sprain, made his 2006 regular season debut on Sunday against the Texans and scored on 10-yard touchdown reception. However Stokley aggravated his ankle injury on the touchdown catch and was unable to finish the game. Stokley was seen limping in the locker room after the game and according to reports he will be limited in practice this week. His status for the Colts' next game is in question and he will probably end up being a game-time decision. Brian Westbrook, RB, PHI Knee Inflammation Huddle Up: Eagles' RB Brian Westbrook was active on Sunday and had a productive game against the Giants despite leaving practice last Thursday with a swollen knee. Westbrook was held out of practice on Friday and Saturday, but he looked mobile during pregame warm-ups and was cleared to play. He went on to have a productive game, but complained of discomfort and swelling in his knee after the game. While it appears good that he was able to play through the injury, this is something to be concerned about. Something is causing his knee to swell and unless he is given time to heal this could become a season-long problem. We'll let you know how he is doing as the week progresses. Adam Vinatieri, PK, IND Strained Groin Huddle Up: Colts' kicker Adam Vinatieri suffered a strained groin in Sunday's game against the Texans and his status for Week 3 is currently unknown. Vinatieri was hurt late in the fourth quarter and was unable to kick the team's final extra point of the game. An MRI was performed on Monday and the results will be made public sometime today. It's been a rough start to the 2006 season for Vinatieri. He sprained his ankle in Week 1 and now has a strained groin to contend with. Let's just hope that this latest injury doesn't keep him out of the Colts' lineup this upcoming weekend. Home | Articles | News | Draft Guide | Regular Season | Statistics | NFL Teams | Message Boards | Contact Us | Help Why Join The Huddle | Our History & Team | FAQ | JOIN THE HUDDLE | Feedback | Links | Site Map The Huddle is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America, Fantasy Sports Trade Association and Fantasy Sports Writers Association.

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Yasiel Puig's wild ride hits October Dodgers rookie Yasiel Puig is known for celebrating his prodigious on-field accomplishments, which were many in 2013: a .319 batting average, 19 home runs and 42 RBI in 104 games. / Matt Kartozian, USA TODAY Sports by Jorge L. Ortiz, USA TODAY Sportsby Jorge L. Ortiz, USA TODAY Sports Filed Under As the Los Angeles Dodgers enter the playoffs without two of their regular outfielders, the rookie who sparked their remarkable turnaround with his energetic and sometimes-reckless play makes it clear he has no intention of taming his style in the postseason. "All of us Cuban players are aggressive," right fielder Yasiel Puig told USA TODAY Sports, "and I like aggressiveness on the field." Get ready for a bumpy ride on the Wild Horse. The absence of outfielders Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier, both sidelined by ankle injuries, puts more of the onus on Puig to help the Dodgers reach their first World Series since 1988. It's a spot the attention-loving Cuban defector welcomes, but it comes with high risk. Puig's brilliant rookie season was marked by repeated instances of excessive exuberance, whether airmailing throws over the cutoff man, making ill-advised attempts at taking an extra base or scaring the daylights out of teammates in madcap dives for pop-ups. Such youthful mistakes might be costly but tolerable in a 162-game season. In the postseason, they can mean the difference between advancing and forever pondering what if. "It's a double-edged sword," San Francisco Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford said. "He'll help you, probably a decent amount of the time, but you never know. He could hurt you in a big situation." The Dodgers will take their chances, beginning with their National League Division Series against the Atlanta Braves, which opens Thursday at Turner Field. Puig foresees this journey ending in a fashion similar to their NL West title run, which culminated in his first champagne shower, an experience he's determined to repeat. "It was beautiful and fun to share that with my teammates," he said. "There will be another one in the World Series." Even with the loss of Kemp and Ethier, who might be available to pinch-hit, the Dodgers go in as strong candidates to win the pennant after taking the NL West by 11 games and going 62-28 in their last 90 games. Puig's all-out style, abundant confidence and enthusiasm - along with his unsurpassed combination of skills - proved the perfect tonic for an L.A. team beset by injuries, falling well short of the expectations raised by its $216million opening-day payroll and languishing in last place at 23-32 when he arrived June 3. Puig, 22, evoked memories of Joe DiMaggio by banging out 44 hits in his debut month, the second-highest total ever after the Yankee Clipper's 48 in May1936. His style of play? That, perhaps, is unprecedented. While much is made of Cuban players assimilating to what's perceived to be a more controlled game in the major leagues, Puig, countryman Yoenis Cespedes says, is in his own league even on his native island. "They're not all that way," said Cespedes, the Oakland Athletics' second-year outfielder. "He's that way. "You know Puig, you know me, Alexei Ramirez, Kendrys (Morales). Who else do you see play with that kind of craziness? Nobody. Just him. Nobody else plays that crazily. Baseball there is played aggressively. But not like that." That was what the Dodgers needed back in the early summer. Once shortstop Hanley Ramirez returned from the disabled list in early June, joining a lineup with Puig and run producer Adrian Gonzalez, the Dodgers finally became the juggernaut they were predicted to be. At one point after Puig joined them, the Dodgers went 42-8. Their record with him in the lineup was 66-38. His 104-game rookie campaign produced a .319 average, 19 homers and a .925 on-base plus slugging. Still, his contributions came with plenty of rough edges, enough to irritate opponents and - sometimes - teammates. Manager Don Mattingly, whose job was on the line until the Dodgers' turnaround, fined Puig for arriving late for an August game in Miami, then yanked him during a game a week later for lack of focus. Trying skipper's patience Mattingly said managing Puig has been a constant learning experience, with the outfielder sometimes making progress in the nuances of the game and other times regressing. The biggest lesson for Mattingly? Patience. "He's quite a player," Mattingly said. "Has a huge motor and a ton of energy, a ton of excitement with the way he plays. But we have to be patient, keep teaching and take the good with the bad." Opponents have been less forgiving. Puig's antics, including frequent bat flips and sliding into home after a walk-off homer, drew the ire of Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Miguel Montero and led to a verbal exchange with Giants closer Sergio Romo. "I think he rubs people the wrong way in his ... I'm not going to call it arrogance, but an exuberance of confidence," San Diego Padres closer Huston Street said. "But there are a lot of players like that who annoy other teams, and then you watch them walk in their dugout and everybody's high-fiving them, giving them hugs. He seems well received on his side of things." Teammates stand by himTeammates do indeed stand up for Puig, even if at times they have to pull him aside. Gonzalez and third baseman Juan Uribe typically handle those chores.Gonzalez said the news media tend to focus on Puig's foibles, showing a highlight of him missing a cutoff man and not bothering to mention he often hits him. Puig's go-for-broke style stems from his confidence in his abilities, Gonzalez said, adding it would be foolish to curtail that just because the team is in the playoffs."We've seen a lot of veterans make mistakes in the playoffs. We're not going to worry about that and take away the way he plays," Gonzalez said. "We've won 80% (actually 65) of the games since he arrived, so why would we change anything?"Of greater concern might be his finish. Puig batted .163 over his final 50 plate appearances, though he hit three homers in that span, and has ample rest before the playoff opener.Still, the public eye might focus more on how he does things, rather than what he does, in the postseason. The external reaction figures to differ from that of the Dodgers.Outfielder Skip Schumaker, who figures to replace Kemp in center, said he learned how passionate and demonstrative many Cuban players are when he traveled to the island with the U.S. team for an Olympic qualifying tournament in 2006.Puig clearly fits in that mold."You see this kind of wild craziness on the field every now and then, but he really wants to win, and that gets lost in all of this," Schumaker said. "You don't want to take away the energy and aggressiveness he brings and what he learned in Cuba."Ortiz reported from San Francisco Copyright 2014 USATODAY.comRead the original story: Yasiel Puig's wild ride hits October Puig on his style of play: 'All of us Cuban players are aggressive.' A link to this page will be included in your message.

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Frank Shorter resigns USADA post by gh » Mon Apr 28, 2003 1:21 pm Press Release from USADA: HALE REPLACES SHORTER AS USADA CHAIRMAN; OLYMPIAN ASHFORD NAMED TO USADA BOARD COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Apr. 28, 2003) – Frank Shorter, who has served as the Chairman of the Board of Directors for the United States Anti-Doping Agency since its inception in 2000, announced his resignation Monday. He resigned due to pressing time commitments required for his numerous business ventures. Dr. Ralph Hale (Washington, D.C.), who has served as the Vice Chairman on USADA’s Board of Directors, was named the USADA Chairman of the Board. The executive vice president of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, His extensive international anti-doping work sport includes serving on the USOC/USSR Anti-Doping Commission (1989-92). In addition, four-time Olympic track athlete Evelyn Ashford (Walnut, Calif.) will assume the vacant board position and Dr. Richard Cohen (Atlanta) becomes the Vice Chairman of the USADA Board of Directors. “It is a bittersweet time for me, and I remain as passionate as ever regarding anti-doping efforts throughout the world. I was honored to be asked to contribute to the initial direction of USADA and am proud of what has been accomplished to date. Now, due to both business commitments, and a desire to focus more time and effort on writing and education, I have decided I cannot dedicate the time and focus I feel is appropriate to serve as USADA’s Chairman of the Board,” said Shorter. “This has been one of the most rewarding quests in which I have been involved and am very thankful to have been able to voice my opinions and help current and future athletes toward their goal of drug-free sport.” Shorter (Boulder, Colo.) won the gold medal in the marathon at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, followed by a silver medal-performance at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal. “Frank helped us with the birth of the baby (USADA), and has been a staunch advocate of the anti-doping efforts in the United States for many years. The USADA Board of Directors and staff, plus the athletes across the country owe a great debt of gratitude to Frank. He has admirably represented the United States during his career as an Olympic gold medallist and in his fight against doping prior to and with USADA,” said Dr. Hale. “We hope Frank will continue the fight against doping in sport, and we cannot thank him enough for the countless hours he dedicated toward this cause,” said Terry Madden, USADA's Chief Executive Officer. "He has played a major role in regaining respect for American athletes, both nationally and internationally, in regards to being clean athletes.” Shorter has been an outspoken advocate of international anti-doping initiatives. "USADA has been very active in reestablishing a level playing field in Olympic sport," Shorter said, “I know that USADA is looking forward to fulfilling its mission of preserving the well being of sport, the integrity of competition and ensuring the health of athletes." One of the greatest female sprinters in track and field history, Ashford won the 100 meters and anchored the winning 4 x 100m relay at the 1984 Olympics. She also anchored the gold medal-winning 4x100m relays at the 1988 and 1992 Olympic Games, and earned a silver medal in the 100 meters at the 1988 Olympics. She was the top-ranked sprinter in the world on four occasions and number one-ranked American seven times. Ashford also competed at the 1976 Olympic Games. She was a two-time world record holder in the 100 and was a member of 15 U.S. national teams and won 19 national titles, including six indoors. “I am excited about the opportunity USADA has provided me to increase the athlete’s input in the fight against doping in sport. USADA’s mission of being dedicated to the well being of sport, the integrity of competition and ensuring the athlete’s health are essential toward the continued success of our anti-doping efforts in this country,” said Ashford, who earned all-America accolades at UCLA. A noted orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Cohen served as chairman of the Doping Control Commission for the 1996 Olympic Games, and worked as an advisor on doping control to the Nagano Olympic Organizing Committee during the 1998 Olympic Winter Games. USADA is the independent anti-doping agency for Olympic sports in the United States, and is responsible for managing the testing and adjudication process for U.S. Olympic, Pan Am and Paralympic athletes. USADA is equally dedicated to preserving the integrity of sport through research initiatives and educational programs. Re: Frank Shorter resigns USADA post by Guest » Mon Apr 28, 2003 1:53 pm The power of this board! Just last week "not afraid to run" concluded a post with this all-timer of a zinger: <<ps--how the mighty have fallen! Imagine being the director of USADA; you're at a party and some gorgeous woman says, "Hi, who are you?" and your response, is "Oh, I'm Frank Shorter; I collect piss for a living."<< And now Frank resigns. A coincidence? I think not. by luv2run » Mon Apr 28, 2003 1:56 pm Well, Frank did not actually collect the urine himself. I am sure he had a better line than that. by Guest » Mon Apr 28, 2003 1:58 pm Please see me immediately about getting a humour transplant. by hammer forever » Mon Apr 28, 2003 7:03 pm the list of Frank's accomplishments in the sport of track and field keeps getting shorter and shorter..... hammer forever Posts: 232Joined: Sat Oct 08, 2005 4:31 amLocation: poughkeepsie, new york by Guest » Tue Apr 29, 2003 1:58 pm >the list of Frank's accomplishments in the sport >of track and field keeps getting shorter and >shorter..... Huh? What, are they taking away one of his Olympic medals because he resigned?

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Bills reach deal to hire ex-Lions coach Schwartz as DCThe Canadian Press1/24/2014 10:47:41 PMBUFFALO, N.Y. -- Buffalo Bills coach Doug Marrone wasted little time filling a big hole on his staff by reaching a deal with recently fired Detroit Lions coach Jim Schwartz as defensive co-ordinator. Marrone also turned to Schwartz's former staff to address another need by agreeing to hire Todd Downing to coach the young crop of quarterbacks, led by last year's rookie first-round pick, EJ Manuel. The additions were announced Friday night, a day after defensive co-ordinator Mike Pettine left the team after one year to take over as the Cleveland Browns' head coach. "We are excited to add a talented and accomplished co-ordinator in Jim Schwartz to our staff," Marrone said in a statement released by the team. "Schwartz has led aggressive and productive defensive units throughout his time in the NFL, and we feel our defence will continue to improve under his leadership." Schwartz was fired Dec. 30, a day after the Lions missed the playoffs with a 7-9 record. In four seasons in Detroit, the 47-year-old Schwartz was 29-51. That included a 10-6 finish in 2011 when the Lions reached the playoffs for the first time in 12 years. Schwartz becomes the Bills' fourth defensive co-ordinator in four years and has big shoes to fill in taking over a unit t

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About the BookRead an ExcerptPraiseInside the BookAbout Mike LupicaBooks by Mike Lupica view larger size Mike Lupica - Author Paperback ISBN 9780142409428 | 256 pages | 04 Oct 2007 | Puffin | 5.51 x 8.26in | 10 - AND UP years Additional Formats: Hardcover: Find Books by Mike Lupica Learn more about Mike Lupica View a Summary of Miracle on 49th Street View a Summary of Miracle on 49th Street Summary of Miracle on 49th Street Reviews for Miracle on 49th Street An Excerpt from Miracle on 49th Street Josh Cameron is MVP of the championship Boston Celtics and a media darling with a spotless reputation. He has it all . . . including a daughter he never knew. When twelve-year-old Molly Parker arrives in his life, claiming to be his daughter, she catches him off guard. Molly says her mom, Jen, revealed his identity before losing her battle with cancer. Josh isn�t so sure about this girl�she must be trying to scam him for his money. Still, there�s something about Molly that reminds him so much of Jen. But as Molly gets to know the real Josh, the one the camera never sees, she starts to understand why her mother never wanted her to know her dad. Josh has room in his heart for only two things: basketball and himself. Does Molly really want this man for a father? Together, these two strangers learn that sometimes, for things to end up the way you want them to, you have to fire up a prayer at the buzzer and hope it goes in. Chapter 1 Molly Parker wasn’t here for some stupid autograph. She wasn’t even here for the open practice the Celtics had run today, their last practice before they would begin the regular season tomorrow night against the 76ers.Though she had to admit that it was pretty cool to sit with the other kids and their parents inside the Celtics’ practice gym at the Sports Authority Training Center at HealthPoint, which didn’t so much sound like the name of a basketball court but the answer to some kind of essay question. The Celtics had scheduled their annual Kids Day practice at four o’clock so that the parents—moms mostly, Molly noticed that right off—could pick up their kids at school or at the bus and get them here on time. Molly, who’d gotten out here to Waltham early, had watched a lot of them pull up to the entrance to the big public parking lot on the side, feeling as if she were watching some kind of parade for SUVs. Yuppie limos, her mom liked to call them. Of course, then her mom would wonder if anybody in America even used the word yuppie anymore, or if there was some kind of new description for all the moms driving Suburbans and Land Cruisers and Explorers. “Pretty soon there’ll be double-decker versions of these monsters,” Jennifer Parker would say to Molly. “Like our red London buses.” When they had finally come back for good from London, the only place Molly had ever thought of as home, her mom had acted as if everything was new to her, as if the country she’d grown up in had now become foreign, just because she’d been away for over twelve years. One day when they were driving on the Mass Pike, Jennifer Parker—Jen to her friends—had found herself in the middle lane, with big SUVs on both sides of their rented Taurus. “Okay,” her mom said, “that’s it. I know we’ve only been back a few weeks, but they’re going to need to build a bigger country.” “Mom,” Molly said that day, “you’re going to have to let go on the whole car thing.” Her mom grinned then, because she was the coolest and always got the joke. “Did I ever by any chance mention the Volkswagen bug I used to drive around in college?” And Molly had said, “Oh, no, Mom. Never. Not one single time. No kidding—you used to have a Volkswagen bug in college? It wasn’t fire-engine red by any chance, was it?” Then they’d both laughed. Because they both always got the joke, even if it was one as old as the one about her old college car. In the players’ parking lot now, behind the Sports Authority building, leaning against the wheel of his SUV, Molly closed her eyes, picturing her and her mother in the front seat of the rented car that day, waiting to see how that particular snapshot, from the album she carried around her head, was going to affect her. Nothing today. Progress, Molly thought. Or maybe progress had not one stinking thing to do with it, maybe she was just too wired—a Mom word—to focus on anything except what was going to happen next. Practice had been over for twenty minutes or so. The players had scattered to different points on the court to sign autographs. All the players except the one the kids in the house really wanted: Josh Cameron. Not just the biggest star on the Celtics, but the biggest star in the NBA, and maybe any sport right now. One of the young guys who worked for the Celtics had gotten on the microphone and said that because they knew it would be a mob scene if Josh tried to sign something for every boy and girl in the gym, he—Josh—had a surprise for them all. In the lobby waiting for them on the way out, the guy from the Celtics said, everyone in attendance today would be handed a special Josh Cameron goody bag. Inside was an autographed youth basketball, Celtics cap, and a T-shirt from Josh’s summer basketball camp in Maine. Then Josh Cameron himself, looking a little bigger to Molly than he did on television, maybe because he wasn’t standing next to some seven-foot monster type, took the microphone and personally thanked everybody for coming, said he hoped they’d had a great time, and promised them a great Celtics season. “Always remember,” he said, “we can’t do it without your support. And I mean you guys.” “You’re my hero, Josh!” a girl yelled from somewhere in the stands. He smiled and wagged a finger in her direction, like she’d somehow shouted out the wrong answer. “No,” he said. “You guys are my heroes.” He told them to enjoy their goody bags, told them to study real hard when they weren’t rooting their hardest for the Celtics, then left the practice gym. That was Molly’s cue to beat it out of there, sneaking through a side door she’d scoped out as the other kids were making their way down to the court. She didn’t even bother to go to the lobby and pick up the bag with all the cute stuff inside. Instead she went straight for where she’d seen Josh Cameron’s black Lincoln Navigator parked. Molly didn’t know anything about cars, not really. But she knew what Josh was driving because he’d won it for being MVP of the NBA Finals five months ago. Molly knew about the black Lincoln Navigator the way she knew everything there was to know about him by now. Sometimes her buddy Sam would quiz her, out of the blue, no matter what they were doing. “What kind of watch does he wear?” “Too easy,” she’d say. “Omega. They use him now instead of the guy who used to play James Bond.” “Deodorant?” “Red Zone from Old Spice. C’mon, these aren’t even challenging.” “Okay, how about this? What’s the name of his new Labrador puppy, the one he just got last week?” “He got a new puppy last week?” Sam made a sound like a buzzer going off on one of the game shows he made Molly watch sometimes on the Game Show Network. “Nah,” Sam said. “I made it up. But I had you going for a minute. You thought I knew something about him that you didn’t.” “But you didn’t. Know something I didn’t, I mean.” “But I did. Have you going. Which is enough to make my day, frankly.” “You’re crazy,” Molly said. “What does that say about you?” Sam said. “You could have picked anybody to be your friend and picked me.” “Good point,” she said. If Molly didn’t know everything important there was to know about Josh Cameron, she was sure she knew more than anybody else. Her mom had called it the joy of Google. “I’m not big on technology,” her mom would say, and then Molly would slap her forehead and say, “You have got to be kidding, Mom! I never heard that one before, either.” “But,” her mom would say, ignoring her, “I do feel that life got a lot better when Google became a verb.” By now Molly Parker had Googled Josh Cameron so many times that she knew his first two Google pages, starting with his own Web site, by heart. Basically, he was the most famous and best Boston Celtics basketball player since Larry Bird. And the best and flashiest point guard they’d had since Bob Cousy. But most people, Molly had found out in her research, seemed to think Josh Cameron was the basketball equivalent of Tom Brady, the Patriots quarterback who won all the Super Bowls and looked like he should be playing Hilary Duff’s boyfriend in the movies, even if he was waaaaay too old for her. Basically, Josh Cameron, six feet two, out of the University of Connecticut, winner of four NBA titles in his first nine years in the league, was the biggest and most popular star in sports right now. American sports, anyway. Molly didn’t even try to explain to Sam or any of the other kids she went to school with about the whole David Beckham thing. He was thirty-one now, about the same age as her mom. It wasn’t Cryptkeeper old, but he was getting up there, even if you couldn’t tell it by the way he was playing. The Celtics had just won again, and he had won another MVP award. “He’s one of those guys,” Jen Parker told her daughter. “He’ll get old about the same time Peter Pan does.” Now, after the T rides she had taken to get to the buses and then the walk from the last bus station, which seemed like a lot more than the mile the bus driver had said, she was finally going to meet him. She had decided it was time. Lupica delivers a winning novel, creating a realistic character in Molly by authentically capturing both her fragility and pluck. (Booklist)

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Submit Scotland to Host 2010 ITU Duathlon World Championships July 6, 2009 by ITU The British Triathlon Federation is pleased to announce that the 2010 Edinburgh ITU Duathlon World Championships will take place in the historic city September 3-5, 2010. The duathlon event consists of a 10km run, 40km cycle and 5km run and is expected to attract hundreds of elite and age group competitors from around the world to the Scottish capital where they will compete around Holyrood Park, Arthur’s Seat and the Scottish Parliament. Scotland boasts a strong tradition within duathlon, most notably through reigning ETU Duathlon European Champion Catriona Morrison from Broxburn. Morrison has five major titles to her name in the last four years including two ETU Duathlon European Championships (2007 and 2009), two ITU Long Distance Duathlon World Championships (2007 and 2008) and she was ITU Duathlon World Champion in 2006. Dr Sarah Springman OBE, president British Triathlon Federation, Vice-President ITU, commented: “Hosting a World Championships, in duathlon, and in Scotland shows British Triathlon's commitment to the diversity that makes up the ITU portfolio of disciplines as well as to our own Home Nations. We seek to put on a world class event for world class athletes with the valuable help of our partners in the City of Edinburgh Council, Event Scotland, triathlonscotland and our in-house events team. We are delighted to welcome the world's elite and age group duathletes and challenge them to take on the exciting course around Arthur's Seat, while exhibiting their transition skills in front of two of Edinburgh's most iconic buildings, ancient and modern, the Queen's historic Palace at Holyrood House and the Scottish Parliament.” Paul Bush OBE, Chief Operating Officer at EventScotland, the national events agency, said: “Edinburgh has a reputation around the world as an outstanding destination for world class athletics events. From the best ever World Cross Country Championships last year to the annual Great Edinburgh Run, the city lends itself exceptionally well to hosting elite and mass participation sports events. The ITU Duathlon World Championships in 2010 will further strengthen Edinburgh’s reputation in this area and will add yet another fantastic event to Scotland’s ‘world championship’ portfolio.” President of triathlonscotland, Geoff Earl added: ““triathlonscotland is thrilled to host this World Class event in Edinburgh, allowing the opportunity to showcase the beauty of our capital, the strength of our performers and provide an important platform for the development of the sport and its volunteer workforce in such an important period in British sport.” Marisol Casado, ITU President commented: “We are delighted to take the 21st edition of the ITU Duathlon World Championships to Edinburgh in 2010. Great Britain has a wonderful history in Duathlon, boasting great champions like Michelle Dillon, Paul Amey, Tim Don and of course Scotland's own Catriona Morrison. After successfully hosting the 2007 Duathlon European Championships, Edinburgh proved it was a worthy candidate to become the first British city to host the ITU Duathlon World Championships." Councillor Steve Cardownie, Festivals & Events Champion for the City of Edinburgh, said: "Having hosted what were acclaimed in 2003 as the best-ever European Cross Country Championships, followed by a successful Duathlon European Championships in 2007 and the fantastic World Cross Country Championships in 2008, we are better placed than anywhere else to deliver this type of major sporting event. "Welcoming the ITU World Duathlon Championships to the city centre in September 2010 will be a welcome boost to the economy and will put a display of top notch sport on show. I look forward to welcoming competitors, officials and spectators from all over the world." Comments

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Upcoming Series vs Padres - Bloggers Night, Lasorda/Alston Bobblehead, Viva Los Dodgers What's going on at Dodger Stadium for the three game series against the San Diego Padres? Friday, July 13 - 7:10 p.m. It’s Friday Night Fireworks at Dodger Stadium July 13. At the conclusion of the game, fans are invited to go on the field to watch a Friday Night Fireworks show set to a soundtrack that includes music from artists who have performed at Dodger Stadium. A special message from legendary artist Sir Elton John, who performed at Dodger Stadium in 1975, will be part of Friday’s show. Prior to Friday’s game, James Loney will play host to a group from the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) as part of the Loney’s Lounge community program. Each participant will receive a program T-shirt, meal voucher courtesy of Coca-Cola and will get to meet Loney on the field during batting practice. Stitch N' Pitch, bringing together two traditions, baseball and the needle arts, will be on hand. Stitch N' Pitch fans will be knitting, crocheting, embroidering, cross-stitching and needlepointing while also enjoying the game. Vocal band and South African natives Overtone will perform the national anthem and “God Bless America.” They are featured in the cast of E! Network’s “Mrs. Eastwood and Company” having been discovered by Clint and Dina Eastwood in 2009. Two-time Olympic gold medalist and professional beach volleyball player Misty May Treanor will throw the ceremonial first pitch. Misty and Dodger catcher Matt Treanor have been married 8 years. Dodgers honor a Veteran of the Game at every home game by treating them to Field Level tickets, a batting practice experience and recognizing them on the field during pregame ceremonies. The Veteran of the Game is U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Sergeant Steven Escujuri of West Covina. The Dodgers’ Public Relations department will hold its fifth annual “Blogger Night” and more than 20 of the regular Dodgers bloggers will be hosted in a suite to watch the game. Refreshments will be provided and several special Dodger guests are slated to visit, including Dodger President and CEO Stan Kasten and General Manager Ned Colletti. *Hopefully I can make it! Saturday, July 14 - 6:10 p.m. Saturday is Tommy Lasorda & Walter Alston Bobblehead Night presented by Bank of America. The sixth bobblehead in the Dodger Stadium Greats Bobblehead series brings together 3,639 wins, six World Series championships and two Hall of Famers with managers Tommy Lasorda and Walter Alston. It will mark the third time that Lasorda has been depicted on a Dodger Stadium bobblehead and Alston’s first. Fans with the first 50,000 tickets will receive a Lasorda & Alston bobblehead. Walter Alston’s grandson, Rob Ogle, will throw the ceremonial first pitch.Former Dodger pitcher Tommy John, whose 288 career victories rank as the seventh highest total among left-handers in major league history, will throw the honorary first pitch alongside Special Advisor to the Chairman, Dr. Frank Jobe, who pioneered Tommy John surgery.Dodger outfielder Andre Ethier will meet with a group from Arizona State University during batting practice. Ethier played on ASU’s baseball team for two seasons in 2002 & 2003.The first annual Veritas World Junior Golf Tournament will hold its opening ceremonies at Dodger Stadium as part of pregame ceremonies. More than 1500 friends and families of more than 200 junior golfers participating in this international junior golf championship will be in attendance. Boys and girls ages 6-18 representing the U.S., Canada, Colombia, Mexico, Philippines, England, Portugal, China, Mongolia, Dominican Republic, Guam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Ireland, Denmark, and Spain will compete in this first annual golf event.The Veteran of the Game is U.S. Navy Lieutenant Oscar Flores of Los Angeles. Flores has served more than nine deployments overseas and is most proud of aiding the Gulf Coast in recovery after Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and assisting in relief efforts for Japan after the 2011 tsunami.The Dodgers’ Digital Series kicks off with a night for food enthusiasts that will receive a behind-the-scenes look into Levy Restaurants’ offerings at Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers’ Digital series is a social media experience that aims to engage fans online, in-stadium and at home. Fans can apply for the Dodgers’ Digital Series by visiting http://bitly.com/dodgerds. Sunday, July 15 - 1:10 p.m. Fans with the first 30,000 tickets will receive a MLB Network Drawstring Bag. Viva Los Dodgers Day, presented by State Farm, Chevrolet and Time Warner Cable, is a season-long initiative in its third year and celebrates Latino culture in Los Angeles at a family-friendly pregame festival held in lot 6 two hours prior to each Sunday's game. This Sunday, Viva Los Dodgers Day begins at 11 a.m.The Boogaloo Assassins, a group whose styling is influenced by the Latin soul sounds of Spanish Harlem, and Mariachi Los Solecitos will perform. This Sunday’s event also includes a classic car show courtesy of Sanctiond automotive car care and lifestyle products. GoGo squeeZ, the first squeezable, re-sealable, all-natural applesauce snack in the U.S., will bring “Pass the Play” a mobile playground. Dodger pitcher Aaron Harang will host military families as part of Aaron’s Aces which occurs every Sunday home game. Harang’s guests receive game tickets, complimentary parking and meal vouchers courtesy of Coca-Cola. The group also gets a meet and greet on the field with Harang along with an autographed Aaron’s Aces t-shirt. It is Jewish Community Day. Dodger yarmulkes are sent to fans upon purchase of this event ticket and the day features kosher food at select concession locations. Matisyahu will perform two songs, “Sunshine” and “One Day,” as part of pregame ceremonies and will also throw the ceremonial first pitch. Matisyahu’s new album “Spark Seeker” will be released on July 17. This is the Dodgers’ 13th annual Jewish Community Day. Representatives from SoldierCare, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting and mentoring young wounded veterans, will throw out the first pitch. Master Sergeant Sean Sargeant of San Diego, Corporal Jacob Farquar of Newcastle, IN, Corporal Isiah Huesman, Corporal Michael Spivey of Abilene, TX, Sergeant James Bane of Celina, TN and Lance Corporal Ethan Mead of Edinburgh, IN will be representing Marines Wounded Warrior Battalion, Camp Pendleton in addition to Army representatives Sgt. Rick Yarosh of Windsor, NY and Sgt. Chris DeVinny of Grand Junction, CO. State Farm, a proud partner of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Major League Baseball, has teamed up with the Dodgers to recognize organizations that provide local support to communities throughout the Greater Los Angeles areas. On Sunday, Maryvale will be recognized in pregame ceremonies. Based in Rosemead, CA. Maryvale provides a circle of care for children and their families in four distinct ways: Family Resource & Early Education, Mental Health Services, Residential Based Services and Transitional Housing and After Care. The Veteran of the Game is U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer Julio Dominguez of San Fernando. Dominguez just returned home from a deployment in Afghanistan. Following Sunday’s game, first baseman James Loney will host a video game party in the 1st Base Prime Ticket Club for youth from Boys & Girls Club of Venice RBI. Prior to the event, Loney’s group will be watching the game from the Field level. The Dodgers Dream Foundation will provide the televisions, video game consoles, games and T-shirts for the youth attending and refreshments for all participants. The Loney's Lounge Video Game Party is a community initiative started by the first baseman where he invites several of his teammates to join the group of kids from Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) program in Los Angeles. The event is in its fifth season and was created by Loney, who is an RBI alumnus and an active gamer. The Dodgers’ Digital Series continues with a day for social media active moms that will receive a behind-the-scenes look into family-friendly offerings at Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers’ Digital series is a social media experience that aims to engage fans online, in-stadium and at home. Fans can apply for the Dodgers’ Digital Series by visiting http://bitly.com/dodgerds. upcoming homestand highlights

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Derrick Rose dazzles as Bulls hand Pacers first loss Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose (1) drives past Indiana Pacers power forward David West (21) during the second quarter at the United Center. / Dennis Wierzbicki, USA TODAY Sports by Sean Highkin, USA TODAY Sportsby Sean Highkin, USA TODAY Sports Filed Under CHICAGO �?? For the first time this season, Derrick Rose started to look like himself on Saturday. And it couldn't have come at a better time, as the Chicago Bulls did what no other team has done this year, handing the Indiana Pacers their first loss of the season in a 110-94 blowout. Back in the lineup after missing Friday's win over the Toronto Raptors with a sore right hamstring, Rose scored a season-high 20 points on 7-of-15 shooting from the field. Most encouragingly, he shot 6-for-10 from three-point range, finding success both spotting up and creating off the dribble. "(The hamstring) feels good," Rose said after the game. "A little tight, but it's not stopping me." Before the game, Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said Rose had passed a variety of tests during shootaround that convinced him he was ready to play. "I thought his first half was terrific," Thibodeau said of Rose after the game. "He had great rhythm and he had our team in great rhythm. His defense was very good. In the second half his defense was pretty good. I thought he got tired. That's to be expected when you miss as much time as he missed." For the second consecutive game, Chicago turned in an outstanding defensive effort, holding the Pacers to 40% shooting over the course of the game and scoring 110 points against the team with the league's most efficient defense going into the game. "When you make baskets, it looks a lot better," Thibodeau said. "As long as we are making the right plays �?� I thought our guys were looking to make plays for each other. That is important, especially against a good defensive team." Since returning from the torn anterior cruciate ligament that sidelined him for the entire 2012-13 season, Rose has not been able to get to the foul line as he was accustomed to. With Roy Hibbert manning the paint for Indiana, that didn't change on Saturday: Rose didn't attempt a free throw during the game, but was able to be effective behind the three-point line. "I was knocking down shots," Rose said. "I didn't really have to penetrate. I was just taking the shots they were giving me." As a team, the Bulls shot 11-for-17 from beyond the arc, easily their strongest shooting effort of the season. Luol Deng led all scorers with 23 points. Before the game, both Thibodeau and Pacers coach Frank Vogel downplayed the rivalry between the Bulls and Pacers, but the energy was palpable in the United Center as the crowd broke into chants of "Overrated!" during the closing minutes of the game. "I don't want our guys to get wrapped up in what happened before," Thibodeau said after the game. "The only thing we're thinking about right now is how we can get better in Charlotte." "You have to give credit to the Bulls," Vogel said. "They just outplayed us." The loss was Indiana's first of the season, dropping their record to 9-1, but the Pacers didn't seem worried. "At the end of the streak, that means nothing," Vogel said. "We are now 9-1, we got off to a good start. We just lost our first road game." "It's not about a streak," Pacers forward Paul George added. "We have to approach every game the same way. It's our first loss of the year. It will just keep us working harder." Saturday's win improved Chicago's record to 5-3 on the season and provided a glimpse of the title-contending potential the Bulls possessed on paper going into the season. If Rose keeps shooting like this, these Bulls could be a force in the Eastern Conference playoff race. Follow Sean Highkin on Twitter @highkin. Copyright 2014 USATODAY.comRead the original story: Derrick Rose dazzles as Bulls hand Pacers first loss Derrick Rose scores season-high 20 points to help Bulls topple Pacers. A link to this page will be included in your message.

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NY-NJ area ready for 'mass transit' Super Bowl NEWARK, N.J. (AP) -- For all the consternation over whether Mother Nature may or may not visit in northern New Jersey for next weekend's Super Bowl, another unpredictable force could determine whether the event turns into a transportation debacle: the football fan.The $64,000 question, beyond whether Feb. 2 will bring another storm the likes of the one that dumped nearly a foot of snow Tuesday, will be whether the estimated few hundred thousand visitors to the area heed organizers' advice and leave their cars at home or at their hotels.If fans do decide to take mass transit, they will find plenty of options waiting. If they don't, they will find out what New York metro area residents already know, that the slightest disruption to the traffic system, be it construction, an accident or the influx of more vehicles, can tip an already delicate balance into chaos.And that's on an average day."There's a certain degree of angst that I have right now, quite frankly," said Jim Kirkos, head of the Meadowlands Chamber, a business organization covering the area surrounding MetLife Stadium. "But people at the host committee have been studying this for a long time and they have a really solid transportation plan. They're going to have a lot of assets and resources working on this, so I have a lot of confidence this will find a way to work itself out."The efforts to make this the first "mass transit" Super Bowl fall into two categories: the days leading up to the game and the game itself.Geography dictates the former. More than 20 miles separates Times Square, site of the NFL's Super Bowl Boulevard attraction, and Florham Park, N.J., where the Broncos will practice. In between is Jersey City, site of the team hotels; East Rutherford, home to MetLife Stadium and the Seahawks' practice facility, and Newark, where media day will be held next Tuesday.New Jersey Transit, the nation's third-largest commuter rail system, will expand service and add cars onto some trains starting on Wednesday of Super Bowl week, and will have additional bus service into New York from next Wednesday through Saturday. The agency is offering a $50 "Super Pass" good for travel on its rail, light rail and bus lines from Jan. 27 to Feb. 3. NJ Transit spokesman John Durso Jr. said about 1,300 of the passes had been sold so far.The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the bridges and tunnels between New York and New Jersey, will add trains to its PATH rail service between Newark, Jersey City, Hoboken and Manhattan beginning next Monday.Two years of planning have gone into figuring out how to move 80,000-plus people in and around MetLife Stadium on Super Bowl Sunday in any weather. Two factors in organizers' favor: weekend traffic is less onerous, and parking restrictions will keep down the number of cars that can get onto the stadium grounds.Fewer than 15,000 of the normal 28,000 parking spaces are available and must be reserved by ticketholders for $150 each. (As of Wednesday some were being sold on eBay for upwards of $300.) Buses and limos won't be allowed to drop off passengers and leave, and will also have to pay for parking spaces.That leaves trains and buses as the mode of transportation organizers hope a large number of fans will choose.The Super Bowl host committee is running buses from six locations in New York and three in New Jersey -- one in Secaucus, one at Newark Liberty Airport's Marriott hotel and one in Hanover, close to the Broncos' practice facility in Florham Park. Tickets are $51 roundtrip -- no discount for one-way travel -- and are on sale through this Friday. They've been selling well, according to host committee spokeswoman Alice McGillion, though she wouldn't specify how many had been sold. The buses hold about 50 people each and will be allocated to the different locations based on demand, McGillion said.NJ Transit lengthened its lower platform at the Secaucus train station to accommodate longer trains for the Super Bowl, and will offer trains about every 10 minutes or so on game day, according to Durso. Riders should expect to have their game tickets checked and go through security screening, Durso said."It's going to be 'load and go,' where once we bring the trains to capacity we're going to move them out to the Meadowlands," he said.For motorists, the state Department of Transportation will have an army of machinery and resources at its disposal including plows and salt-spreaders in case of snow, and trucks patrolling roads near MetLife Stadium to clear away accidents or help stranded motorists. Drivers will be directed by numerous electronic signs that can be changed depending on traffic conditions by DOT personnel at a command center central New Jersey. 1 2 - Next page >> Comment

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Cross Country: Aiming for NCAAs By Daniel Whitehead for WVUsports.com MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Hoping to qualify for nationals for the fourth time in five years, the No. 13 West Virginia cross country team competes at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional on Saturday, Nov. 12, in Princess Anne, Md.Hosted by the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, the 6k women’s race will take place at 1:15 p.m. when the Mountaineers will face No. 2 Villanova, No. 7 Georgetown, No. 22 Penn State, Princeton and the majority of the BIG EAST mixed in with other regional programs.“We are up against one of the best regional fields in the country and are looking to earn a spot at nationals,” says WVU coach Sean Cleary. “With Villanova and Georgetown having been ranked No. 1 in the country at different points of the year and Penn State and Princeton gaining momentum, this will be a great race. Finishing in the top two guarantees us a spot, while fourth and fifth place will only put us in the pool for at-large consideration.”The starting lineup for the Mountaineers will be Kate Harrison, Kaitlyn Gillespie, Sarah-Anne Brault, Ahna Lewis,Kaylyn Christopher, Stephanie Aldea and Jordan Hamric. Earlier in the year, the Mountaineers became familiar with the course with a second-place mark at the UMES Lid-Lifter Invitational on Sept. 3.“Having raced on the course allows us to have a mental picture of what we will expect on Saturday,” Cleary says. “This is a very flat course. I expect to see a tactical race from the gun with all the top teams watching each other to see who makes a move.” Last year, the Mountaineers came in fifth place at the regional with 152 points, led by NCAA qualifiers Gillespie and Brault, who finished in 11th and 16th place, respectively, to earn all-region honors. Villanova, Georgetown, Penn State and Princeton finished ahead of WVU at the 2010 race.“Preparations have gone well for Saturday,” Cleary says. “We have the opportunity to run our best race of the season. There is a great deal of experience on this team; I trust them and they trust themselves.” Results from the meet will be posted on MSNsportsNET.com and Runnerspace.comFor further information, visit the fan and media information guide at this link.The women’s 6k course map can be viewed here. » Follow WVU Women's Cross Country on Twitter Sean Cleary, WVU Cross Country Latest Videos

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Mississippi St. swept by UCLA in CWS finals OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — As disappointed as he was to see his team get swept in the College World Series finals, Mississippi State coach John Cohen said he can't help but think his program is on the verge of winning a national championship. The Bulldogs lost 8-0 to UCLA in a game they never were in after falling behind early. The Bruins (49-17) won their first national championship in baseball. Mississippi State (51-20), playing in its first College World Series finals, went further than any other Bulldogs team had gone in nine appearances in Omaha. "What they've done is lay a foundation for some future teams, because we're going to come back here and we're going to win this thing," Cohen said. "That's what we're here to do, that's why I came to Mississippi State, and we're going to keep knocking that door down." UCLA's Eric Filia drove in a career-high five runs and Nick Vander Tuig limited Mississippi State to five hits in eight innings. Vander Tuig held off the Bulldogs when they threatened in the fourth, fifth and eighth innings and recorded his fourth win in the NCAA tournament. Vander Tuig (14-4) struck out six and walked one. David Berg pitched the ninth. Filia produced runs with a sacrifice fly, squeeze bunt and two base hits as the Bruins collected 12 hits and scored their most runs in 18 games. The Bulldogs were 0 for 14 with runners in scoring position in the finals, 0 for 8 on Tuesday. "To beat us like they did today, and to do what they did to our pitching staff, which I think is one of the best in the nation," Bulldogs right fielder Hunter Renfroe said. "We didn't do what we were supposed to do. We didn't put up run support like we should have." Bulldogs starter Luis Pollorena (6-4) lasted one inning. Closer Jonathan Holder, the fourth Mississippi State pitcher, came on with one out in the fourth inning and went the rest of the way. UCLA allowed four runs in five games to set a CWS record for fewest in the metal-bat era that started in 1974. The Bruins' .227 batting average in the CWS also was the lowest since teams went away from wood bats. The Bruins' 19 runs in five games were the fewest by a champion since the CWS went to eight teams in 1950. Mississippi State was playing for its first national title in a team sport and was the sixth straight Southeastern Conference team to make it to the finals. The Bruins won the title in their third CWS appearance in four years and fifth all-time. They had made it to the finals in 2010 and were swept by South Carolina. Last year they went 1-2 in Omaha. Cohen said he could see his program coming back to Omaha soon. The Bulldogs won 25 games in Cohen's first year, in 2009, and two years later pushed Florida to three games in super regionals. Last year they won the SEC tournament championship but lost in regionals. "Five years ago we inherited a club that won 23 ballgames," Cohen said. "They climbed all the way to the top, and we didn't finish the deal and that's disappointing." UCLA made magic with an offense that started Tuesday 264th out of 296 teams in batting (.247) and 215th in scoring (4.7 runs per game), but among the national leaders in sacrifices, walks and hit batsmen. The Bruins won three straight at home in regionals and went on the road to upset No. 5 national seed Cal State Fullerton in a two-game super regional. Once they got to Omaha, the Bruins made themselves at home in spacious TD Ameritrade Park. UCLA produced just enough offense to support its superb pitching and defense in bracket play, and again in Game 1 of the finals. The pitching and defense showed up again in Game 2, and this time so did the offense. UCLA was up three runs early — a lead that has been insurmountable for every team in this year's CWS. The Bruins, as usual, were creative and opportunistic. They used a hit batsman, a bunt that produced two Mississippi State errors, and Filia's sacrifice fly to lead 1-0 in the first. It was 3-0 in the third after Brian Carroll scored on a safety squeeze bunt by Filia and Pat Valaika's RBI single. The Bulldogs called on their closer, Jonathan Holder, with one out in the fourth after Cody Regis singled in another run. Holder hit Carroll to load the bases, and another sacrifice fly made it 5-0. "As far as Mississippi State goes, they'll be back," Bulldogs shortstop Adam Frazier said. "Coach Cohen is doing the right things, the coaching staff has it going in the right direction. I trust coach Cohen will get it to what it is supposed to be, and I've got a feeling this team will be back in the future." Mississippi River full of large catfish Here is the latest Texas sports news from The Associated Press Spain pulls level with Poland in Fed Cup Belgium's Gilbert wins Amstel Gold Youngest winner on Japan women's tour at age 15 More>>

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Giants big chance won't be against a backup QB EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — After winning their fourth straight game, Tom Coughlin gave the New York Giants a break heading into their showdown with Dallas this weekend. All they had to do Monday was come in and lift. After that, the afternoon was free. They could get away from football for a few extra hours. They had earned it coming back from a 0-6 start. Something interesting happened: The captains asked them to stick around to have their usual players-only meetings. It's a time the guys can sit without the coaching staff and look at the video of Sunday's 27-13 win over the Green Bay Packers. It's a frank discussion and the players didn't want to give it up now that they are back in the playoff hunt. "I'm pleased with that, but I'm not surprised," Coughlin said Monday of the players' decision to meet. The Giants (4-6) can't afford another loss, especially one to Dallas (5-5). Because the Cowboys won the first meeting, a sweep of the season series would make it almost impossible for New York to win the NFC East. The Giants need a split. "Everybody definitely realizes how important this game is," halfback Andre Brown said. "With every division game, it's very important because we're fighting to make the playoffs. Everyone was in there, we all watched film as a unit. Offense watched it with the offense and defense watched it with their players, and special teams came and watched. Even though we had the day off, everyone still sees how important this game is to us and we have to go out there and make sure we're flying around, executing all our assignments and playing smart and fast football." While beating Green Bay was huge, the Giants' winning streak does have its critics. New York has basically beaten teams playing with either backup quarterbacks or ones that are hurt. It began with Josh Freeman in his first start with Minnesota. A banged-up Michael Vick lasted a quarter in the win at Philadelphia before Matt Barkley took over. Terrelle Pryor had a sore knee in the win over Oakland and Scott Tolzien made his first NFL start on Sunday in filling in for the injured Aaron Rodgers. This week, the Giants get Tony Romo and the Cowboys coming off a bye week. No backup. Giants middle linebacker Jon Beason, who has helped turn around the defense since being acquired in a trade with Carolina, downplayed the criticism. "People can say we haven't faced the best quarterbacks, but we don't get much props for shutting down the top running backs, either," Beason said. "To me, it all depends on how you want to spin it. Guys are going to say you haven't played anybody, but we know how hard it is to win in this league. A W is a W and injuries are a big part of this game, and the way the championship/playoff teams look at it is, it's the next guy up. You know he's as good as that guy who's going to go in there and step in his place, for a quarterback or any position. Guys have to step up and be ready to play. "That win yesterday was huge, but it's short-lived, because now it's all about Dallas," Beason said. One person not surprised about the Giants' ability to bounce back is Cowboys coach Jason Garrett. He knows they lost games early because they made too many mistakes. Dallas' 36-31 win over New York was fueled by six turnovers. "They've been a good football team for a long time, they've got a lot of good players," Garrett said Monday. "They're doing what winning teams do, and I don't think that's anything of a surprise or a revelation at all. When you play winning football and you have talented players on your team and you're well coached, typically you're going to win more than you don't. "They've done a good job fighting themselves out of this 0-6 situation, but we've played against them a lot in the past and we know what kind of people they have up there, what kind of talent they have. " AP Sports Writer Schuyler Dixon contributed to this report. Mississippi River full of large catfish British Soccer Standings Spain pulls level with Poland in Fed Cup Belgium's Gilbert wins Amstel Gold Youngest winner on Japan women's tour at age 15 More>>

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Sun shines to strike Games gold (From Yeovil Express) Get involved! Send your photos, video, news & views by texting YEOVIL NEWS to 80360 or email us Yeovil Express » Sun shines to strike Games gold 9:03pm Saturday 28th July 2012 in National Sport China's Sun Yang has won gold in the 400m freestyle Sun Yang was crowned Olympic swimming champion in the 400 metres freestyle as he continued to leave an indelible mark on the global stage at the Aquatics Centre.The 20-year-old was second over eight lengths at the World Championships in Shanghai last year before producing a sublime 1,500m freestyle in which he lowered Grant Hackett's long-standing world record.While talk of the Chinese swimmer has focused on how far into uncharted territory he can take the longer event, Sun came to London heading the 400m world rankings.He qualified fastest from a dramatic morning session which had seen defending champion Park Tae-Hwan disqualified and then reinstated.South Korean Park was second on Saturday night, with Peter Vanderkaay of the United States third.Sun's time of three minutes and 40.14 seconds was an Olympic record and the 20-year-old was under world record pace until the final metres when he slipped outside.It surely cannot be so long before he, or another swimmer, breaks it but it demonstrates the advantage of performance-enhancing suits at the back end of a race. Paul Biedermann broke the world record in the turbo suit chaos of 2009 but he failed to make it through to the final. Sun and Park were in a shoot-out with 100m to go but the former took control on the penultimate length, his languid stroke lengthening. Carry touched in seventh in 3:48.62, his qualification for the final "a dream come true" for the Scot who at 30 is the oldest on the team.Meanhwile, Australia won the gold medal in the women's swimming 4x100 metres fre

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September 7, 2012Know Your Enemy: Austin Peay HokieHaven.com Related Links:J.C. Coleman VIDEO: Expanded RoleCorey Fuller On Breaking OutVIDEO: Jack Tyler Talks LB LogjamTalk about it in Tiger PenthouseSign-up for HokieHaven.com Wireless Text Alerts sent right to your cell phone!Each game, we'll get the inside look at Virginia Tech's opponent by talking with the opposing team's beat writer. This week, we spoke with The Leaf-Chronicle staff writer Luke Thompson to get the skinny on Austin Peay. 1) What's the biggest reason for Saturday's ugly 49-10 loss at Western Kentucky? Thompson: It's hard to know on that one. Probably the defense and the secondary especially. They gave up 276 yards passing in the first half. That was a career-high for the WKU quarterback. They had guys falling down in the secondary, no pass rush to speak of. Austin Peay just couldn't do anything to stop them. 2) With only 11 yards passing, is there any concern with senior quarterback Jake Ryan? Thompson: He didn't have any time to throw at all. The offensive line could not give him any sort of pocket. Even when he did, he actually had a couple of passes to Devin Stark, who's supposed to be his No. 1 receiver, dropped.He had one interception and it was a bad decision because he didn't see the safety coming over. But I don't think it's a huge concern with Ryan. 3) Especially with 37 rushing attempts against WKU, is AP's offense run-first? Thompson: This week, the offensive line is going to have to mature in a hurry. They lost three starters there and that showed last week. If Ryan doesn't have any time to throw, he's not gonna do much. I think the key might be Wesley Kitts. He had that 68-yard touchdown run last week. The big question for him is just how many carries he can take. He's always had injury problems and never been able to handle a full work load. They need him to step up and do that.I think they'll always be a run-first team under coach Rick Christophel. They led the league in time of possession last year. Right now, they're hoping quantity is better than quality for the running backs. Terrence Oliver, the guy who took 12 carries, he was a wide receiver and those are the first 12 of his career. That was a surprise. They moved him to running back the last week of camp. The Governors don't have Reco Williams, so the depth is hurting this weekend. 4) What does Austin Peay have to do to hang with Virginia Tech and be competitive? Thompson: I talked to a couple of the linebackers this week and I think they both talked about getting to the ball. They're gonna have to make gang tackles because I don't know if any guys on this defense can bring down Logan Thomas by themselves.The linebackers have to be flying to the ball and have better coverage in the secondary. I think it starts on defense. Coach Christophel said Thomas is bigger than most of their defensive line. When I saw that he runs a 4.5 40, I was like, 'Wow.' 5) Coming off that big loss at WKU, how are the players/coaches talking about and preparing for Virginia Tech? Thompson: Honestly, I thought they were surprisingly upbeat. After the game, Christophel said he saw some good things out there. I think they can correct a lot of the mistakes they made. I don't think anyone is expecting to win at Virginia Tech but they're hoping to hang int he game and make some plays. They're definitely amped up to play in Lane Stadium and in front of that crowd. I was talking to one of the Ausin Peay linebackers and he told me that his freshman year, they lost 70-3 at Wisconsin, but that was one of his fondest memories. It's just the whole experience of playing.Note: Not including Rivals' premium sites, do not copy/paste and or repost this column outside of Rivals.com, particularly on message boards, chat rooms and e-mails, as it is a direct violation of copyright laws. Thank you.>FEATURED PRODUCT

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October 8, 2011Black is back, as Deacs upset Noles DeaconsIllustrated.com Talk about it in The Dawg PoundWinston-Salem, N.C. - Wake Forest head coach Jim Grobe could not have asked for a better scenario than for his defense to force five turnovers and for his offense to not have any, but that is exactly how it went down, as the Demon Deacons (4-1, 3-0 ACC) defeated No. 23 Florida State (2-3, 0-2 ACC) 35-30."Without those [five turnovers] we're not there at the end, so a lot of pats on the back for our defense for forcing turnovers," Grobe said.Grobe is right, the Deacs needed every one of those five turnovers. Tanner Price connected with Terence Davis for an eight-yard touchdown pass and Jimmy Newman made the PAT with 14:50 left in the game, giving Wake a 32-17 advantage. Price finished 21-35-0 for 233 yards and three touchdowns.That score marked the fifth time this season Wake has had a 15-point lead or better in the second half.After squandering the first one in its season-opening 36-29 overtime loss at Syracuse Wake Forest nearly gave a 21-point lead away against N.C. State, a 15-point advantage at Boston College and at home today too. Needless to say the Deacs could just as easily be 1-4 and 0-3 in the ACC, but good teams find a way to wind be it good, bad or ugly."We're a football team that's good enough to beat to you, but we're not good enough to get away from you," Grobe said. "I think that's the situation that we're going to continue to be in."It is not a bad situation for Wake to be in as long as it gets the victory.For Florida State it all comes back to discipline, or lack thereof. The Seminoles committed 13 penalties for 109 yards, which is not much worse than the Demon Deacons 10 penalties for 87 yards, but that is where turnovers made the difference.In just less than a half's worth of playing time FSU quarterback Clint Trickett accounted for three of the five giveaways. His first mistake almost never happened, because Wake Forest outside linebacker Joey Ehrmann was out of position on the left side of the field. Ehrmann sprinted to the right side in time read and intercepted Trickett, returning it 50 yards to the Seminoles 30.Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher had seen enough a Trickett fumble and interception later, as E.J. Manuel reassumed his duties as the starting quarterback."It's three 'Is': Immediacy, Intensity, Intelligence," Fisher said. "You have to play intelligent. We have to teach them that way. We're not playing with intelligence in the right situations to be able to convert the things we need to convert to win the football games. That's my opinion on it."The tide instantly turned in FSU's favor when Manuel stepped in under center with 1:48 before halftime. The Virginia native led the Seminoles straight down the field in less than a minute, throwing a 46-yard scoring bomb to true freshman Rashad Greene. A Hopkins extra point cut it to a 16-14 score at the intermission.The tendency was to think that is all the Seminoles needed to spark a demolition of the Deacs in the second half, but from the outset of it Wake stood firm. Nikita Whitlock took charge, sacking Manuel for a 15-yard loss. Ehrmann followed that with a safety when he tackled FSU running back Jermaine Thomas in the endzone for a three-yard loss, giving Wake Forest an 18-14 lead at the 14:14 mark of the third quarter."[Ehrmann] loves to play, and it was great to see him make some big plays today," Grobe said. "He was finally on fire today making those plays."Offensively the Demon Deacons were on fire, but got a spark from an unlikely source, their ground game. After being in the negative as a team at halftime (13 carries for -1 yard) things changed in the second half when Josh Harris exploded for 111 yards on seven carries before injuring his hamstring. He finished with 13 carries for 136 yards, marking the first time a Wake Forest player broke the 100-yard barrier in rushing."We had the two big runs in the second half, there wasn't anything better than that today," Grobe said. "We had a lot bright spots and that was certainly one of them. They were trying to play coverages against us to take the throw away, and we just kept banging our heads and getting nothing on the ground in the first half. Those runs from Josh in the second half were really nice."What made them nice was the Demon Deacons were finally able to use the run to open up their passing attack. Price completed two of his three touchdown passes in the second half, with the last one coming on that eight yard strike to Davis.FEATURED PRODUCT

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