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The last days of sweat … Manager Clint Hurdle announced the position players for his Opening Day roster, but until the team takes the field Monday against the D-backs no one can be sure. This makes for nervous moments for some players. – Utility man Jeff Baker is considered a player who could hit for power with regular playing time. Manager Clint Hurdle will try to find that for him, but there’s always a shot that another team with a greater opportunity for him at third base may want to make a trade. – It looks as if right-hander Juan Morillo will make the squad. Morillo is out of options but has pitched well enough in camp to earn a job. However, the Denver Post reported Wednesday that the Rockies are considering trading for the Rays’ Jason Hammel, a starter type, or the Cubs’ Chad Gaudin. Right-hander Matt Belisle, who looks to be the odd man out with the Rockies, also is in a fluid situation, since deals could open a spot for him here or something could pop elsewhere.

http://harding.mlblogs.com/2009/04/01/the-last-days-of-sweat/?like=1&_wpnonce=d8a6799cf0

Created 07/14/2012 - 10 months ago Ailing Bollywood superstar Rajesh Khanna was admitted to a Mumbai on Saturday again after his health condition worsened. Earlier, the superstar was admitted to Mumbai's Lilavati Hospital following kidney ailments on June 24. News - Rajesh Khanna admitted to Mumbai hospital again: Rajesh Khanna has been suffering from kid... http://t.co/g2oAWzwp #breakingnews Rajesh Khanna hospitalised again. Admitted to Lilavati aftr complaining of weakness,being treated fr low Blood pressure http://t.co/qXQRgghh

http://hashonomy.com/link/rajesh-khanna-admitted-to-mumbai-hospital-again-india-news-india-today-341491/

High School Sports Spotlight January 27, 2013 11:02PM Bri Zabierek, of Lockport Updated: March 1, 2013 6:36AM Sr., Bowling, Lockport Zabierek, second individually, was a key Jan. 19, when the Porters won the SouthWest Suburban Blue title. “I had my high six-game series (a 1,416) and we broke school records for single game, three-game series and six-game series as a team,” she said. “It was such a great day.” Entering high school, Zabierek chose bowling over basketball. “I decided that I didn’t like basketball at all anymore,” she said. “I was over it.” Jr., Bowling, Plainfield N. For Berndl, the season’s highlight came Dec. 8. “We shot our school record high game of (1,179) at ThunderBowl (in the Lincoln-Way East Invitational),” he said. Berndl has been bowling regularly since the summer before his freshman year. “My mom took me to a league and I just learned really fast,” he said. “A lady offered to give me free lessons and she taught me how to approach, hook, all that stuff.” The Wildcats didn’t qualify for state Saturday but still have a chance at a high finish in the Illinois Cheerleading Coaches Association state meet Feb. 9 in Springfield. Enright started cheerleading at an early age and is following the footsteps of her mother, Lorie, who was a cheerleader at Reavis High School before there were state competitions. “She stretches me all the time,” Enright said. “She’s a team mom. She’s my hero and supports me and the team.” Sr., Swimming, Joliet Wooten, a Joliet West student, said he enlisted in the Marines and is going to boot camp in August. He started swimming freshman year. “My mom pushed me because she swam at Lockport,’’ he said. “Swimming changed my life, got me in great shape for boot camp.” Wooten medaled in the 50 and 100 free and two relays last season in the conference and sectional meets. His goal is to “make all-conference so I can get my picture on the wall at school.’’

http://heraldnews.suntimes.com/sports/17782824-419/high-school-sports-spotlight.html

: Post Game Talk: Islanders @ Rangers 2/14/13 - "The Lincoln Tunnel" View Single Post 02-14-2013, 09:24 PM Join Date: Mar 2012 Originally Posted by Girardi scored on a one timer tonight, and this team went to the ECF last season, which is pretty far. Great! Girardi and Gilroy attempted it. Now, explain Nash, Stepan, Gaborik, Richards, etc.? And are we really going to compare this season's version with last season? View Public Profile Find More Posts by ImIdaho

http://hfboards.hockeysfuture.com/showpost.php?p=59746769&postcount=115

I was playing evening shinny against tutors with a buncha kids varying in skill from Midget house to Jr A... with the exception of one guy... a younger man, in his 20's of which you could tell was not a strong skater and had a edge to him... everyone gave him room on the puck to do what he wanted, yet he' would just freak out if the opposing team scored (I mean its shinny and shots on tutors... it doesn't mean anything) he broke a totalOne, then got mad that he broke his total one later on, some guy lifts his stick and takes the puck... and he swings at his head thing is here... its not that this is "hockey", its that there are crazies like this guy (which I think must have terets as he got dressed quickly, and yelled fck you f ag0tz when he left the change room) who are out there, and the problem with hockey is that people like them then have the equipment, stick an skate that they will use to express their agression... its the same kinda guys that are in the papers for violent crimes, that really shoud avoid this game Hockey is a game of emotion, but its the rules and speed allow certain liberty's to be taken, requiring a a higher level of self-governess... as opposed to basketball football or soccer however, anyone who's played the game (or heck any sport) to any level in minor/jr/sr level, all know that rec non-contact league type games & shinny... are just that and how to maintain focus on the game In fact I'd say great players in top tier non-contact divisions in top tier leagues, with "acceptable" level of contact, know to remain disciplined... and to focus on the game its those wannabe low-mid tier players, rocking those pro-star numbers, who seemingly immitate the anti's that they see in the Show... not apparently knowing the difference between doing what it takes to win in the NHL, vs winning in low-level rec I'm a fair player, but I give things back... I play both in a mid and high tier league in rec these days, and I much prefer the high-tier games... yes I can do end-to-end rushes and score more points/dangle in my lower league games, but... man some people are idiots, including some one my team. the other day... this weak skating asshat, comes forechecking in, and has a tendency to hit our d-men to slow down, even if the puck isn't anywhere near. but its not like he's even trying to stop, he puts his elbows out and after a while I know its intentional, and his way to "get space" down low, while not drawing attention as he never is the one carrying the puck in or chasing it. he's throwing elbows, has no control of his stick, and it appears to, purposely hold his handle to be able to butt-end at will... I always protect my space down low, and we give it to each other a bit... I'm good cause I'm used to this type of stick and body play... but I'm getting under his skin he's one of those guys who often lets go of the lower hand on his stick... so I wack the stick out of his hand a couple times (so easy to do cause its like he wasn't paying attention) and I tell him to keep a strong stick anyways... we get to the corner, the puck gets lost at his feet, so I pin him to the boards and loose it up for my winger to pick it up... while I keep him pinned and watch for the puck to loose, he starts using his skates pronger style on my foot talk about uncalled for... of course the ref's don't see it, but I'm in agony cause he ended up brusing the top of my foot... I beak him, but I can't do anytihng as now my foot felt like it was sprained I play a clean game, will up the anti-- if its required, but still remain within the rules of the game... some people seriously go buck-**** crazy and do the most insane things Definitely not torrette's... maybe he's a schizo and the voices in his head tell him to do these things haha. Insane though. I can't believe some guys have such little control over their emotions that they'll actually consider hurting someone in a game that means absolutely nothing. Pitiful. If I were you, I would either talk to this kid off the ice or "see" him off the ice and show him what's up. Luckily there are a lot of leagues to choose from around here, so its easy to get away from guys like this. Everyone knows who they are, what team they play for. Hope the guy heals fast and the offender goes to jail for awhile. Also, if most of the comments about this individual being let back in the league after incidents like this before, the league manager should be fired. I was actually thinking about this and I remembered a time a couple of seasons ago where some guy in the D league (our lowest league here) attempted to cross-check me in the neck. Luckily I sort of backed off as I saw it coming, so the impact wasn't that strong... but that could've really sucked for me if I hadn't. I find that it's usually the absolutely TERRIBLE skaters who resort to this kind of goonery. They realize that they're terrible at hockey so their frustration level rises and instead of just letting it go and trying harder, they blow off their steam through violence. They're unstable people. Of course, this isn't to say that these guys can't be good skaters as well, just in my experience it's usually the bad skaters that are hacking/slashing uncontrollably.

http://hfboards.hockeysfuture.com/showthread.php?s=360995dc6121aaf528b66b4e26a7036e&p=53474613

Five members of the Blue Eagles' high-powered attack represented on the first unit. View full sizeExpress-Times Photo | STEPHEN FLOODPius X High School's AJ Long is joined by Boise Ross on The Express-Times All-Area first... Full Story » 1 - 7 of 7 There are no current videos for this player, but check out:

http://highschoolsports.lehighvalleylive.com/player/shane-simpson/news/

High school news and notes Updated: April 26, 2012 7:56PM Greg Tucker, a 6-3 guard from Lincoln Park who most recently played at North Dakota State College of Science, has signed a letter-of-intent to play at Chicago State. Tucker averaged 12.8 points, 3.3 assists and 1.6 steals last season. Setting record straight Mount Carmel baseball coach Brian Hurry cleared up what some had questioned: A 22-0 record by the Caravan before Wednesday, despite an apparent loss to Florida’s Gainesville P.K. Yonge on April 5. “I explained to their coach that the only way we could play them was if it was a JV game,” Hurry said. “He agreed. I told the umpires before the game that it was a JV game. I didn’t play my regular lineup. We didn’t exchange lineup cards and there was free substitution.” Hurry was hesitant to schedule P.K. Yonge at all, knowing the Caravan had a game later that day against Gordon Tech, which the Caravan won 9-0. But Hurry figured he could squeeze a junior-varsity game in and reward his reserves with some playing time. Down time for Vitale Wheaton Warrenville South senior Dan Vitale, who will play football at Northwestern, had his track season cut short when he suffered a pulled hamstring at a meet earlier this month. “I’m shooting for June now,” he said of returning to full strength. “That’s when summer camp starts.” Riverside-Brookfield is seeking teams for its summer boys basketball league, which will run Tuesdays and Thursdays from June 5-28. Teams will play two games a night (16 total) and the cost is $725. For more information, email R-B coach Tom McCloskey at firstname.lastname@example.org.

http://highschoolsports.suntimes.com/home/12158266-401/high-school-news-and-notes.html

SAN DIEGO -- The San Diego Padres avoided arbitration with third baseman Chase Headley on Wednesday, agreeing to a one-year, $8.575 million deal with the 2012 Silver Slugger and Gold Glove winner. Headley, who finished fifth in the National League MVP voting in 2012, was seeking $10.3 million. The Padres offered him $7.075 million when players and clubs exchanged arbitration figures last week. Headley led the NL with 115 RBIs while earning a salary of $3.475 million last season. He also hit a career-best 31 home runs and was the NL Player of the Month in August and September. "The process of arbitration is never that easy, and in this case, it's a good raise," said Padres general manager Josh Byrnes. "We're happy it's done. Chase earned his salary." There had been some initial dialog about trying to work out an extension for Headley, who remains under team control until 2015. For now, though, that's been tabled. "We couldn't frame it up where it made sense for both sides," Byrnes said. Pitcher Clayton Richard is now the lone Padres player without a contract for 2013. Richard, who matched his career best in victories with 14 last season, is seeking $5.55 million. The team offered $4.905 million.

http://houston.astros.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20130130&content_id=41271528&c_id=sd

Mumbai: The calls for retirement might have grown louder after Sachin Tendulkar was bowled three times on the trot in the recent Test series against New Zealand, but former India skipper Sourav Ganguly is convinced the senior batsman would respond in a befitting manner. "It's not the first time he has been bowled. It has happened when he was at his peak. He had then found a way and he is going to do it again. I am sure people's talk (about his retirement) must have hurt him and he will respond to it," Ganguly said here on Friday, after delivering the fourth Dilip Sardesai memorial lecture at the Bombay Gymkhana. Ganguly was sure that Tendulkar would call it a day when he's on a high like all great players do. "Having played with him for so long, you got to believe he's not over. When he goes he will go on a high like it should be for every player and more so for the great man," said the Bengal stalwart while answering a query before a packed gathering, which included former Test players Ajit Wadekar, Dilip Vengsarkar, Sanjay Manjrekar and Bapu Nadkarni. Tendulkar was bowled in the three innings he played in the two-Test series against the visiting Kiwis in Hyderabad and Bangalore, triggering a debate whether the champion batsman should retire. Ganguly noted Tendulkar's advancing age and said the batsman should now concentrate on Test cricket more while utilising the limited overs cricket to get into the groove for the longer version whenever possible. "He has in the past used One-day cricket to stay in focus for Tests. But it's upto him as he knows his game better than others. He's getting on in years, he's 39-40. He can't play all forms of cricket. I feel he should concentrate more on Test cricket," Ganguly said.

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/cricketnext/tendulkar-will-retire-on-a-high-ganguly/366391-78.html

Bollywood stars at SFL launch We spotted Shilpa and Raj along with Manyata and Sanjay Dutt at the launch of Super Fight League. Who else were there? - Manisha Koirala: I am cancer free n … 1 hour 47 minutes ago - 'I Don't Luv U' heart not in its theme … Fri 17 May, 2013 12:00 PM IST - Taylor Swift gives raunchiest performance … Tue 14 May, 2013 12:10 PM IST - Sonam flaunts voluminous D&G gown at … 20 hours ago - Parineeti wants to flirt with Ranbir … Wed 15 May, 2013 2:29 PM IST When it comes to being in the limelight, Aaradhya Bachchan is no stranger, especially given who her parents are. We spotted the tiny tot all gussied up heading to Cannes with her mom Aishwarya and grandmother Vrinda Rai. More » Aaradhya heads to Cannes From a size zero to barely the next size, Priyanka Chopra's slim figure paints a stark picture. The actress who is busy training for her role as Mary Kom, is one of the few naturally svelte ladies of Bollywood. More » Size Zero vs Curvaceous in Bollywood Here's what happens when you sport something too short or too daring, you risk showing off more than you planned to! More » Celebrity wardrobe malfunction moments As 100 years of Indian cinema is celebrated at the Cannes Film Festival, we bring you some candid moments from the French Riviera. More » Candid moments from Cannes They're normally all about facing the camera, but these days, Bollywood's lovely ladies seem to have a lot more to show off on the red carpet. Here's a look at the film industry's backless brigade! More » From a different view point In India, Bollywood is a way of life, and cricket a religion. So, when both come together, there is no one who is not interested. If you think we're talking about the IPL, then think again. The connection we are referring to goes deeper and is of the ‘direct dil se' type. A look at the most dashing cricketers who have courted Bollywood stars. More » Clean bowled by Bollywood divas! After waiting with bated breath, here's a look at some of the big names of Bollywood who hit the red carpet in the French Riviera. Unfortunately, fashionable was out and faux pas were in. More » Canned in Cannes: The red carpet report Actress Manisha Koirala announced on her Facebook page, that she is officially cancer free. More » Manisha Koirala is smiling again Sanjay Dutt isn't the only Bollywood star to have had a brush with the law. Here's a look at some of the other famous faces who have ended up on the wrong side of the law. More » In the news for the wrong reasons There's no need to introduce Sunny Leone. Everyone knows the adult film star after her appearance in Bollywood. Her stint in India has been anything but uneventful. After Ms. Leone decided to stick a nail in her coffin with her last brand endorsement, her reaffirmation of her chosen career path, as a porn star has us wondering how long she will be here. More » Sunny Leone's XXX moves She's had a troubled and dark past, involving drugs, bad relationships and the death of her mother. Angelina's latest news has the world in shock. More » Angelina Jolie loses both breasts Shilpa Shetty and Raj Kundra's young son showed off his new look! More » Viaan's new tonsured look! It is not all work for these celebs, there is always time for family. Here's a look at some pictures of celebrities and their families, that you may not have seen before. More » Rare yet cute family photos They never get a day off and weekends are anything but sacred. Here's what your favourite celebrities were spotted doing. More » Spotted: Celebrities out and about Though she was criticised for her weight gain post motherhood, Aishwarya managed to look gorgeous on the red carpet this year at Cannes, thanks to her sartorial choice. A glimpse at her many looks. (Images: Getty) More » Aishwarya Rai: The Cannes Kaleidoscope She's a reality star whose made her name by being loud and angry on the sets of Bigg Boss and her fashion sense is decibels higher and louder. Scary blue eye alert! More » Repeat offender: Dolly Bindra Aamir Khan spends the day with his entire family relaxing and playing some football. Let's just say this is one Bollywood celebrity who knows how to really cool his heels. What's not to love? More » Aamir's family day of fun Covering it up is almost always not an option when it comes to being on the cover of a magazine. Find out who the sexiest cover girls around, are... More » Who is the hottest cover girl? Hrithik Roshan wasn't always blessed with a fit, sculpted body. In fact, the star worked hard at it. Here's a look at how Hrithik and other celebrities battled their way out of the bulge. More » Celebrity weight loss: Before and after Pink socks, fishnet stockings, spiked belts and many more shocking accessories made their debut this week on the red carpet. With the annual Met Gala in the air, the theme was punk beyond redemption. Here's a look at how punk became the global fashion faux pas for the week. More » The Ugly side: Dunking into punk When red carpet ruin comes a-calling, that's when these celebrities step out in their most horrific avatars. This week, we bring you fashion faux pas that you never saw coming. More » The Ugly side: Style stunted stars! As long as the paparazzi have their way, these celebrities will do their best to shy away from the cameras, especially when they're not dressed to the nines! Here's a look at Bollywood's great escape! More » Celebrities who love hiding their faces Sanjay Dutt, along with his sisters Priya and Namrata, recently inaugurated and handed over a mobile mammography unit to a leading oncologist Dr. Advani's Helping Hand Foundation on behalf of the Nargis Dutt Memorial Charitable Trust in Mumbai. More » Sanjay Dutt's humanitarian side There's always fuel for the fire when it comes to celebrities and their antics. We bring you a round up of the rumours topping the gossip charts these days... More » Rumour monger After Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor tied the knot on 16th October 2012, there were several speculations wherein people were wondering whether Kareena Kapoor would be converting to Islam and change her last name or not. More » Kareena Kapoor to retain her maiden surname Celebrities don't always have their game faces on for the camera. Here's a look at what happens when they let their guard down. More » Candid celebrity moments It's the biggest secret that everyone near the King of Pop tried hard to squash: that Michael Jackson was not the real father of his three children. A shocking new story emerges. (Agencies) More » MJ's kids are not biologically his own There's nothing like flaunting your personal choice in automobiles and these Bollywood stars love their cars! Star power equals some good old sexy and serious horsepower! More » Celebs and their cars Pakistani-American actress Nargis Fakhri rubbished rumours of a romantic link-up with Shahid Kapoor and said she was single. And upon being linked to YRF scion Uday Chopra, the denials began again. But with the pair's Twitter conversations in the full light of day, it's obvious, something's afoot! More » Uday and Nargis' Twitter romance Each week we bring you celebrities and their massive style snafus. This time is no different than before, if not worse with some classic cases of repeat offenders. More » The Ugly side: Fashion hall of shame Will they or won't they? They've been married off several times already, but John, who says he met his current girlfriend at a party and not at the gym, as was previously reported, is all set to marry her this year. Either ways its clear that John is definitely serious, given that we spotted him chauffeuring girlfriend Priya Runchal's parents around. More » John Abraham plays the good son-in-law The mercury is soaring and the ladies are shedding their layers in a fashionable way. Find out how these babes are giving fashion the short shrift. More » When short is hot They are the stalwarts of makeup in Bollywood and when they hosted an event honouring makeup achievements in Indian cinema, the stars came in droves. More » Bharat and Doris Godambe's makeup awards In B-Town, acting is something that runs in the blood. Almost all star kids are bitten by the 'acting bug' - Ranbir, Sonakshi, Sonam...but there are lesser known ones too. Take a look More » Less famous star kids They don't always have their pancakes handy to doll up and look good. And some days, just being a plain Jane is the way it goes. Here's a look at Bollywood's leading ladies when their makeup artists take the day off. More » Celebs : With and Without makeup Bipasha Basu was spotted leaving a cinema with rumoured flame Harman Baweja close by. The couple didn't want to be photographed anywhere near each other, but if the rumour mills are to be believed, there's a whole lotta love going around these two! More » Bipasha and Harman's secret romance Between shoots, appearances and vacations, they live life in the fast lane and airports are like their second home. We give you Bollywood's best known, caught in a jet-setting moment... More » Celebrity jet-setters It's been a few months since this happy couple finally took the marital plunge and their resounding happiness seems to be showing in Mr. Kapur's waist line. But then again, what's not to love about a 'lil meat on the bones, eh? More » Sidharth Roy Kapur's marital prosperity Sherlyn considers herself the liberated Indian woman, who is not shy to flaunt her body, thoughts and sexuality. She is back in limelight again and this time its with her shocking announcement that married life is on the cards for her, sometime soon! More » What next for Sherlyn Chopra? They've been in and out of each other's lives professionally, but since they parted ways, the pair can't seem to see eye to eye personally. Priyanka and Shahid who were spotted shooting together looked anything but comfy being around each other. More » Priyanka and Shahid cold shoulder each other The Iron Man star is a die hard fitness freak and it shows too! Always spotted comfortably flaunting her almost pencil thin body, Gwyneth also seems to also be getting comfy with co-star Robert Downey Jr. Iron Man 3 arrives! More » Gwyneth Paltrow's dangerous liason Anushka Sharma is easily the hottest young thing on the block and Bollywood loves keeping an eye on her, as do we! If rumours are to be believed, then Anushka's latest run-in with romance is with Ranbir Kapoor. Find out more here... More » Anushka Sharma's interesting world This week we bring you the big, bad and the ugly from the world of celebrity appearances. Given how most of them have an army of assistants at their disposal, some of these stars could use some help firing their stylists for letting them show up looking like left overs from a recycle bin. More » The Ugly side: Mayhem on the red carpet She's been married a little over two months, but nothing has changed for Vidya Balan. Well, not much. Except for a change in address, a line of vermilion in the parting of her hair and a new label, Mrs. SRK (Siddharth Roy Kapur), she remains Vidya Balan. "I thought I'd be miserable without my parents, but thank God, they are just five minutes away from where I live," she says. Vidya is now Mrs Sidharth Roy Kapur Vidya shows off her 'mehendi More » We haven't had our first fight after marriage A happy married life, success of their movies...or just being another publicity stunt here's a look at many celebs at various places of worship More » What do they pray for? Designer wear and couture gowns are all the rage when it comes to red carpet appearances, but do they always get it right? With cutout clothes being all the rage, some of these stars look like they've been torn to shreds by a pair of scissors and some just purely fashionable. Who are they? More » Cutout queens of the red carpet She may not have any real claim to fame, but there's no denying that when Kim Kardashian is in the news, it's hard to ignore. The reality star and entrepreneur is expecting her first baby with rapper Kanye West. We go on bump watch... More » Kim Kardashian bump watch Rihanna is rumoured to be expecting a child with boyfriend Chris Brown. More » Is Rihanna pregnant? Noticed for her first film Gangs of Wasseypur, Huma Quereshi cuts an unmissable figure. But somehow the young lady misses out each time in the style department and the fashion police are left having a field day. More » Repeat offender: Huma Quereshi Ayushmann Khuranna is the latest celebrity to be targeted by Internet pranksters in an internet death hoax. More » Ayushmann is the latest celeb to fall prey to death hoax He's just been given some extra time with his family and the burly Bollywood star made sure he spent the afternoon getting some quality time with his wife Manyata and young twins Shahraan and Iqra. More » Spotted: Sanjay Dutt and family Each week we bring you the worst dressed celebrities from around the world. Here's a look at who made this week's designer debacle list... More » The ugly side: Fashionably disastrous SRK tweeted that he could not really help his son with his math lessons, this got us thinking…just how educated are our favourite Bollywood celebs? Here’s a look at how educated they are. More » How educated are our Bollywood celebrities? Katrina Kaif sporting a bindi on her forehead made the rumour mills go over board. Katrina has since then denied being married. She is not the only one. A list of celebs who were rumored to have tied the knot. More » These celebs are not married - as yet! It's official. Sushmita Sen is getting married soon. While the actor doesn't tell us the name of the mystery man, she confirms the wedding next year. (Text Hindustantimes.com/Agencies) More » I'm getting married: Sushmita Sen Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan says his longstanding "disagreements" with Salman Khan will not come to an end courtesy a film, a filmmaker or an actress. And neither would it be on a public platform. But now that the pair might be living close to each other, we wonder how that's going to pan out... More » Differences with Salman won't be resolved publicly: SRK What we wouldn't give to know what these celebrities are talking about. Since we really have no clue, we've made up our own lines for your reading amusement. It's all in good fun, folks! More » What are they talking about? Halle Berry hits the red carpet flaunting her second baby bump at the ripe age of 46 with her new partner Oliver Martinez. Here's a look at other moms who are heading down mommydom... More » Celebrities who are spending 2013 pregnant! If you thought these celebrities are perfect, you are wrong! Megan Fox would die at the thought of using public toilets and David Beckam throws every third item out of his fridge because he wants things to be in pairs! Read more about interesting celebrity disorders. More » Celebrities with Obsessive Complulsive Disorder Here's where the mass exodus of Bollywood led to this weekend...Vancouver! The location for the Times of India Film Awards, the stars poured out in droves to ensure their diaspora audience got a glimpse of their favourite faces! More » The TOIFA red carpet in Vancouver Though not many know that he has dogs, SRK stated that when it comes to trust, he trusts his dogs the most. For these celebs, pets are like members of their family. The names of Salman Khan's pet give you a hint- 'Myson' and 'Myjaan'! No matter how busy they are, these stars love their pets dearly! More » Celebrity pet peeves Virginity is an extremely private affair, but some celebrities are candid about the matter. Athlete Lori 'Lolo' Jones once claimed that keeping her vow of not having sex before marriage made it harder than ever when it came to training. Here's a look at other famous celebs who vowed to stay virgins till they get married. More » Celebs who swore to stay virgins Imagine bumping into another person wearing the same dress as you at an event? You may live with it, but now imagine the same scene with two celebrities. Awkward! More » Fashion face-off Here's a look at the day in the life of a celebrity. When Sanjay Kapoor threw a mere dinner party, the stars turned up in droves. Find out who attended the shindig. More » Sanjay Kapoor's star studded party The Times of India Film Awards being held in Toronto had Bollywood on a mass exodus. Here's who we spotted with their bags packed and tickets in hand. Stay tuned for a weekend of exciting moments! More » Bollywood stars leave for TOIFA Like wine, most of our B-Town stars get better with age, though not all of them. Ash and Shilpa keep getting gorgeous; but it's the other way around with actors like SRK and Salman. If you think we're wrong, take a peek for yourself... More » Bollywood Stars: Then & Now Imagine living under the shadow of a famous sibling? From Aishwarya Rai's brother Aditya to Katrina's sister Isabella Kaif, here's a look at less famous celeb siblings. More » Lesser known celebrity siblings "Knowing someone for such a long period of time makes you believe that we are an integral part of each other’s day-to-day, and year-to-year being. One doesn’t know it any other way. It’s now like a given but still never taken for granted." Read excerpts of a candid chat between SRK and Gauri here. Oh, you need to buy your copy of HELLO! (India) for the full interview. (Text, images: HELLO! (India) More » SRK, Gauri and some secrets Sources claim that even while talks of her comeback are continuing, Aishwarya has started working out to shed the added kilos. But Ash's recent pictures tell a different story. More » Is Aishwarya pregnant again? While some may have been bestowed with natural beauty, not all are so blessed and have gone under the knife to 'earn' the good looks. But most of the time, cosmetic surgeries go horribly wrong! Take a look. More » Cosmetic surgery disasters For a world that is always colourful, Holi means that the stars get to come out, let their hair down and play away. More » Bollywood celebrates Holi After six kids, and seven years of being together, and dozens of rumours of their impending nuptials, have Brangelina finally done the deed? More » Have Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie tied the knot? While you'd expect a Fashion Week to bring out the best dressed, the sad truth is quite the opposite and borderline bizarre. We give you this week's ugly side of fashion. More » The ugly side: Fashion Week's disasters If you thought these celebs are perfect when it comes to looks, you are mistaken. From Hrithik Roshan's extra finger to Paris Hilton's size 11 feet, a look at celebs with deformities. Photos More » Imperfectly Perfect Our love affair with Aishwarya has stood the test of time. Here is a pictorial tribute to one of the prettiest women in the world. More » Aishwarya: Through the years They're not just pretty faces on the red carpet. These lovely ladies are celebrities in their own right and mothers too. JLo, Karisma, Sushmita and many more are among those who make our famous yummy mummy list. More » Yummy celebrity mothers Last year Poonam was all for getting drenched during Holi. This year she is singing a new tune. More » Poonam Pandey and her Holi campaign They're not just famous faces, some of the biggest names in Bollywood believe in doing good, straight from the heart. One of the biggest avenues of celebrity philanthropy is supporting PETA. Whether its posing in the buff or just plain showing face, here's what these famous faces like to do for their furry friends. More » Hot celebs pose for PETA It was a star studded event as some of the biggest faces hit the red carpet for the night. Here's a look at who attended. More » Femina Miss India red carpet A look at who wore what to the L'Oreal Femina Women Awards 2013. More » Who wore what Bollywood stars are known for their liking towards tattoos. Stars like Saif Ali Khan, Hrithik Roshan, Sanjay Dutt, Ajay Devgn, Deepika Padukone, Prateik, Amy Jackson and the likes, sport body art. There is a story behind every celebrity tattoo; let's explore... More » Celebrity tattoo stories We know that most of the celebrities live life king size. And when it comes to gifting a loved one – they go all out to make those gifts extra special More » Extravagant and outrageous celeb gifts Here's our weekly round up of all the things from the world of fashion faux pas. From animal print overkill to pink bedsheets, to fishnet tanks and blue beards, there's no limit to the things some celebrities will go to! More » The Ugly side: Trolling with the droll She may be the queen of television but when it comes to fashion, Ekta Kapoor is the uncrowned queen of disaster. From her sloppy rubber platforms to multiple talismans and of course some unforgivable clothes, we give you the TV czarina's trail of fashion trashin' More » Repeat offender: Ekta Kapoor After filmmaker Aditya Chopra gifted his lady love a a luxury Audi A8 W12 worth Rs 1.25 crore, we hear she may have got something more. Will they make it official soon? Read: When Shatrughan Sinha called her Rani Chopra More » Has Aditya given Rani an important gift? Some days being a celebrity means you can wear what you want, some days you're even allowed to forget your pants at home, wear bedsheets, show off underwear and then some. Here's our weekly look at the ugly side of celebrity fashion. More » The Ugly side: The bottomless pit of fashion faux pas Bollywood celebrities party with Hollywood great Steven Spielberg Spotted : Steven Spielberg Photos: In Spielberg's classroom Photos: Spielberg comes to Bollywood More » Bollywood parties with Spielberg Steven Spielberg, who is in India to celebrate the success of his Oscar-winning film "Lincoln", interacted with various Bollywood celebrities. Spotted Spotted: Steven Spielberg Spielberg holds a class for B'wood directors More » Bollywood welcomes Steven Spielberg The man behind E.T, Jurassic Park, Jaws and many other box office blockbusters is in India. Find out why Steven Spielberg is here... More » Spotted: Steven Spielberg! With everyone saying they're tired of the same old look on Katrina Kaif, here's one that's a game changer. Kat ditches her regular good girl look for something more risque. More » Katrina's sexy cover Cricket and celebrities - there is no doubt that these are two passions that most of us in this country share. The Celebrity Cricket League brings both these passions together. A look at the celebs from the sidelines rooting for their teams. More » Glitz, glamour and a bit of cricket It was a starry night at the Teacher's Achievement Awards as several Bollywood faces were spotted. Find out who attended... More » Teacher's Achievement Awards The Roshans are a close knit family and we weren’t surprised when our photographer caught the whole family together celebrating Mahashivrati at their Panvel farmhouse. More » Hrithik celebrates Mahashivratri with family New parents Shilpa Shetty and Raj Kundra are living proof that a little downtime as a couple is the secret to a happy marriage. We spotted the normally busy duo, taking some time out to watch a movie. More » Shilpa and Raj's date night Yes, we mean it; here are some intricate ties that make Bollywood a huge big family. A look More » Bollywood is a huge big family Young and old, curvy or lean, there has never been a debate that a sari brings out the best in an Indian woman More » Sexying up the sari Celebrities who don sheer apparel leaving no room for imagination. (Images: Getty) More » When sheer is sexy She's doing her best to be in the limelight and we've got to admit Sonal Chauhan is getting it right. The Jannat star shows us how she got her body bikini ready, by hitting the gym. More » Sonal Chauhan's fab bikini bod Ghajini girl Asin Thottumkal is reportedly thinking of tying the knot with a US citizen. (ANI) More » Is Asin getting married?

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Ratings agency Standard & Poor's affirmed India's sovereign rating at "BBB-minus" with a "negative" outlook, reiterating there was a one-in-three chance of a ratings downgrade over the next 12 months, a statement said on Friday. Full Article China president takes charge of sweeping economic reform plans - sources. Full Article Confused while buying stocks? Get buy, sell or hold recommendations from VantageTrade. Full Coverage Andrew Flintoff survives knock down to win debut fight REUTERS - Former England cricketer Andrew Flintoff beat American Richard Dawson on points after surviving a knockdown in his first professional fight at the MEN Arena in Manchester on Friday. The 34-year-old got a rousing reception from the 5,000 fans and won the first of four two-minute rounds before being caught by a left hook early in the second that sent him to the canvas. However, Flintoff got up to receive a standing eight count and battled back with a more composed performance against a flagging opponent for a 39-38 win on the referee's scorecard. "You talk about the Ashes and things but as a personal achievement, this is the best," Flintoff, part of England's Ashes-winning teams in 2005 and 2009, told BoxNation. Despite his successful start the former all-rounder was cautious about his future in the sport, saying "we'll see how we go. It's not natural to me, I've had to work so hard. "The feeling of being in there and winning at the end, I can't believe it but I'm not pretending to be something I'm not," he added. Flintoff, coached by former world champion Barry McGuigan, had weighed in at 216lbs (97.98kg), 25lbs (11.34kg) lighter than Dawson, 23, who had won his previous two professional fights. Flintoff, who played 79 tests before retiring from cricket in September 2010 through injury, became a national treasure by leading England to their famous Ashes victory in 2005 - their first test series win over Australia in almost two decades. (Writing by Ken Ferris; Editing by Greg Stutchbury) - Tweet this - Share this - Digg this

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Monday, January 14, 2013 Alex Norton to fly with the Falcons Air Force added another offensive lineman to its 2013 class with the pickup of Alex Norton (Rockingham, N.C./Richmond), multiple sources report. Charlotte, Furman, Navy and Wofford also extended scholarship offers to the 6-foot-3, 279-pound senior. Programs such as Duke, North Carolina State and Wake Forest expressed interest. This spring, Norton posted an electronically-timed 5.67 40-yard dash, 4.75 20-yard shuttle, 23.1-inch vertical and 65.52 SPARQ at a Nike Combine. According to ESPN, Air Force has 26 commitments for this recruiting cycle.

http://insider.espn.go.com/blog/ncfrecruiting/on-the-trail/print?id=29396

IPL desk in Mumbai 07 May 2012 - 12:58am IST Media Advisory - May 07 Training and media schedule for IPl teams Pune Warriors India The Pune Warriors India team will practice from 1300 hrs to 1600 hrs at the Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium . The press conference will be held after the practice session. The Rajasthan Royals will practice from 1600 hrs to1830 hrs at the Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium. The Press conference will be held at 1800 hrs, with Siddharth Trivedi addressing members of the press.

http://iplt20.com/news/2012/announcements/1830/media-advisory-may-07

12:02 am - In this age, show business is as big a part of coaching as, well, coaching. When you’re losing, sometimes it’s not a bad idea to go to outlandish lengths to show the fans you care. In New York, we’ve had some legendary actors: Billy Martin, Bill Parcells, Al Arbour. When Al compared Kevin Hatcher to Paul Bunyon, you think he really meant it? The MSG Plus cameras almost never fail to show Scott Gordon after an opposing goal. Tonight for the 3-2 game-winning goal by Edmonton, the camera went from Andrew Cogliano to Joey MacDonald to Gordon in under five seconds. When the calls are going horribly against your team – as they did tonight from Ontario to Alberta - Scott might want to consider drawing the cameras to him. There is no downside to freaking out on the officials. The refs will understand. The fans will see the heart beating. That may be unfair, but it’s the truth. It’s the difference between Shrugging Eric Mangini and all the men Jets fans now want to coach their team. (12:12 am, P.S.: Gordon did well in the post-game, showing some fire in his press briefing. Next up, he might need an Instant You Tube Classic wig-out within a game). I called Islanders European scouting director Vellu-Pekka Kautonen tonight with a few questions about 2008 fourth round pick David Ullstrom of Team Sweden and snuck in one about another guy. Point Blank: Do you get the sense from David Ullstrom that playing in North America, playing in the NHL, is very much in his plans? Kautonen: I’ll tell you what happened last night. I went with the rest of our scouts in Ottawa for the WJC out to dinner at The Keg (a sort of Friday’s in Canada). We get there, and it turns out David’s father, mother and sister are at the table next to us. His father told me that David is so excited about the opportunity to come to North America and be part of the Islanders organization. David has been blown away by the incredible excitement at the WJC and he’s following all the hockey since he got here two weeks ago. His father said that David can’t stop talking about how much he wants to make it to the NHL. His dad told us he was going to do everything in his power to make sure his son is doing everything to get to this level. It was a real nice moment. PB: Do you think Ullstrom’s style would be a good fit for the Islanders and at the NHL level? Is he what you would call an NHL-style player? Kautonen: Absolutely. He already has the size (6-3, 205) and his skating gets better with each year. He has the willingness to pay the price and is not shy in traffic. He has very good potential at this level. PB: There’s been a sense since you drafted him in the fourth round last summer that Ullstrom may have been the Islanders’ biggest steal. Kautonen: You’re always happy with your picks in the days after, but it was nice when 4 or 5 of my European colleagues came up to me at the NHL Draft and said David was right in their sights with their team’s next pick. Ullstrom’s a good player. Since we selected him, he has played in the Swedish Elite League and seen some time in the second league. (Former Islanders dynasty member and current scout) Anders Kallur sees him a lot and is very happy with him, and I know (Islanders scout) Eric Cairns was pleased with his progress when he traveled to Sweden last month to see Ullstrom and some of our other European draft picks. PB: Any idea of a timeline for Ullstrom coming to play in North America? Kautonen: Probably too early right now to be sure. I don’t think we can rule out him coming here next season, but I’ll also say that if he could play a regular shift on the third line of HV-71 of the Elite League next season, that would a very good option for his development. We’ll have a better idea of a good plan for David after this season. PB: Okay, I fibbed about talking Ullstrom-only. I’m doing a bad job if I don’t ask the Islanders Director of European Scouting about Victor Hedman. Kautonen: He’s real good. It’s been an interesting time for Hedman at this tournament. Because of the hype around Victor, people are disappointed when he’s not as flashy as they expect of him. That’s not the type of player he is. He may not ”wow” you every shift. He may not even “wow” you every game. It’s not fair for anyone to compare him to John Tavares. Hedman’s going to be fine. He is an outstanding prospect. PB: I’m curious. When NHL scouts go to the World Junior Championships, do they spend time with their draft picks or do you leave them alone to focus on the tournament? In most cases, you don’t meet with them. You want them to be able to concentrate on the hockey, and you want to show respect to their teams. After David’s first game in Ottawa, Eric Cairns gave him a quick call on behalf of all of us to tell him we were proud of the strides he has made. David has always been very good with the puck, but now he has come a long way in his play without the puck. David appreciated the call and since then we have kept our proper distance. This was an important time for him and for Team Sweden. PB: How did Ullstrom do in the final tonight? Kautonen: It was Canada’s night tonight, but David played very, very hard. He had an excellent tournament and gave everything he had tonight. We’re proud of the way he played. PB: Will you go visit with Ullstrom after the game? Kautonen: Part of you wants to, but it’s always complete mayhem down there after the championship game. David knows we’re proud of him. We will definitely make contact with him soon. Since we’ve had to change our focus to The Big Picture about ten games ago, here’s your mid-season report. Tonight’s loss in Edmonton takes the Islanders to 12-25-4 at the 41-game mark. That’s 12 wins in 41 games. That’s 13 games under .500 just 41 games into a season in a league where only 7 of 30 teams are any games under .500. In the interest of balanced journalism, the Islanders entered tonight’s game with an astounding 253 man-games lost to injury. After 41 games, the Islanders have won only 8 of them in 60 minutes of regulation play. Believe me, I wish it were different. I really was looking forward to writing about hockey games. But 12-25-4 is the answer to the question why our coverage will continue to focus on trade deadline and prospective UFA decisions, the Tavheduch Watch and the development of young players in the NHL, AHL, Europe and junior hockey. It is why one of tonight’s lead stories was about a fourth round draft pick from Sweden playing in the final of the World Junior Championships. Good point by Jiggs McDonald: when the rosters for the Young Stars Game on All-Star Weekend are announced on Friday, Kyle Okposo should be part of it. Here’s hoping the Islanders have campaigned to the league on behalf of Okposo. The Islanders assuming the NHL has got it covered would be a mistake.

http://islanderspointblank.com/news/edmonton-3-islanders-2let-em-hear-you-coachkautonen-on-ullstrom/?like=1&source=post_flair&_wpnonce=ea0388e61b

Infante’s play similar to Castillo’s in 2003 playoffs MIAMI — You don’t see the groundout combination happening often, but what took place in the ninth inning on Wednesday night at Marlins Park also occurred for the Marlins in the 2003 playoffs. A quick refresher. Against the Cardinals on Wednesday night, Heath Bell issued a leadoff single to Matt Carpenter, bringing up pinch-hitter Yadier Molina. Bell induced a routine tapper to the mound. In hopes of starting a double play, or at least getting the lead runner, he threw to second. But shortstop Jose Reyes wasn’t yet at the bag, and the throw appeared headed for center field. Before that could happen, second baseman Omar Infante, who was backing up the play, collected the throw several feet behind the bag. Carpenter was easily safe at second, but Infante threw to first and got Molina for the out. For those keeping score at home, it goes as a 1-4-3 groundout. Marlins fans with a good memory may recall a similar play during the 2003 playoffs. In Game 3 of the NL Division Series with the Giants at Sun Life Stadium, Luis Castillo showed why he was a Gold Glove winner that year. In the sixth inning, Mark Redman was on the mound for the Marlins. The inning started off with back-to-back singles by Barry Bonds and Edgardo Alfonzo. Andres Galarraga stepped up, and bounced a ball to the mound. Redman fielded it cleanly and threw to second, but the throw went by shortstop Alex Gonzalez. However, Castillo was trailing the play. Castillo collected the throw that wasn’t intended for him, and he went with his only option, throwing to first, where he nabbed Galarraga. In both cases, it helped that the batter was a slow runner. The Giants did score two runs in the sixth that inning, but Castillo’s great play saved more damage, and the Marlins won, 4-3, in 11 innings. Like Castillo nine years earlier, Infante was at the right spot at the right time, making a heads up play. – Joe Frisaro

http://joefrisaro.mlblogs.com/2012/06/29/infantes-play-similar-to-castillos-in-2003-playoffs/

SAN DIEGO -- There wasn't much that Padres outfielder Cameron Maybin liked about his performance during the team's recently-completed nine-game road trip. "To be honest, this last road trip was the worst I've felt [offensively] all year," said Maybin, who was 4-for-29 on the trip. But Monday represented more than just the start of a new week for Maybin, who spent time watching himself hit in the team's video room and talking with hitting coach Phil Plantier about his swing. On Tuesday, Maybin had more than just a hint of optimism in his voice, and it was backed up by a two-hit output in San Diego's 7-3 loss to the Rangers. "Yesterday was the best that I've felt," Maybin said. "I was taking good, aggressive swings. I've gotten back to my old mechanics. Looking forward, this is the most excited I've been. I'm ready now to get back to doing what I can do. I like where I'm at." Maybin, who signed a five-year contract extension worth $25 million in March, admitted to pressing and trying to do too much. "I think it's been a case where I was trying to build off last year and I changed some things," he said. "I messed around with my leg kick and maybe tried to refine some things that weren't really me." While Maybin has struggled, he is swinging at fewer pitches outside the strike zone than last season. His strikeout percentage from 2011 (22 percent) has decreased (19.4 percent). His walk rate is also up (9.5 percent) from last year (7.7 percent). "There have been some positive things to look at," he said. Now Maybin is hoping there's more, as he attempts to get back to his 2011 form that saw him hit .264 with nine home runs, 40 RBIs and 40 steals. Padres sign second-round pick Baltz SAN DIEGO -- The Padres announced Tuesday that they signed outfielder Jeremy Baltz, a second-round Draft pick from St. John's University. The Padres have now signed 11 of the 14 players they selected in the first 10 round of the First-Year Player Draft, which was held earlier this month. Baltz, the No. 68 overall selection, signed for $625,000. The assigned value for that pick was $757,900. On Friday, the Padres signed their top pick, left-handed pitcher Max Fried, for $3 million. That was the assigned value for the No. 7 overall pick. On Monday, the team agreed to a deal with right-handed pitcher Zach Eflin. Eflin, who was in San Diego for a physical on Monday, agreed to a deal for $1.2 million. The remaining unsigned players from the first 10 rounds are Stony Brook outfielder Travis Jankowski (No. 44 overall), right-handed pitcher Walter Weickel (No. 55) and right-handed pitcher Andrew Lockett (fourth-round). Both Weickel and Lockett were high school seniors. All told, the Padres have now signed 33 of their 44 overall Draft picks. Padres prospects take part in All-Star Games SAN DIEGO -- Several Padres prospects took part in two Minor League All-Star Games on Tuesday -- and many of them fared well. In the Carolina League/California League All-Star Game, Class A Advanced Lake Elsinore infielder Cory Spangenberg went 0-for-1 with a walk. Center fielder Rico Noel was 0-for-1 with a strikeout. Starting pitcher Donn Roach tossed a scoreless inning with a strikeout. Outfielder Rymer Liriano was 0-for-1. Kevin Quackenbush recorded two outs in relief as the Carolina League posted a 9-1 victory. In the Midwest League All-Star Game, Class A Fort Wayne catcher Austin Hedges went 2-for-3 with three RBIs. Starting pitcher Adys Portillo walked one in one scoreless inning. Pitcher Frank Garces got two outs, including one strikeout in relief in a game won by the East Division over the West, 18-2. Infielder Logan Forsythe, who hasn't started a game since Wednesday, was available to pinch-run Tuesday, though manager Bud Black was unsure when he will return to the lineup, as he's recovering from a sore left abdomen. Forsythe participated in full on-field drills before Tuesday's game against Texas. He took batting practice and ground balls. "He's getting better," Black said. "You could see him in a game ... if warranted. He can run. He wants to play, but he's been honest about how his side feels."

http://kansascity.royals.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120619&content_id=33583600&notebook_id=33583602&vkey=notebook_sd&c_id=sd

TORONTO -- Rangers manager Ron Washington gave shortstop Elvis Andrus a day off for Saturday's tilt against the Blue Jays. Andrus had played in 47 of the team's past 48 games, and Washington felt it was time to give him a little breather. He originally intended to sit him during Texas' last series in New York, but Andrus objected. "When I mentioned it to him in New York, he was ready to box," Washington joked. Andrus took the news better this time and was informed after the Rangers' 3-2 loss to Toronto on Friday that he was getting a day off. He will be back in Texas' lineup Sunday. Last season, Washington said the grueling 162-game schedule took a noticeable toll on Andrus, particularly on the defensive end. But this year, he doesn't have those same concerns and considers it proof that Andrus has grown into a more mature player. "He's learned how to deal with a little bit of fatigue and play through it," Washington said. "He's only human, so he will make some errors. But you don't see him making them because he's tired or he's trying to do something that shouldn't be done. He just makes them because he is human." Taking Andrus' place at shortstop was utility man Michael Young, who batted second, which is Andrus' normal spot in the order. It was just the second start that Young has made at short this season. The 34-year-old has mainly been used as the team's designated hitter and has also seen time at first, second and third base. The 35-year-old Young has struggled at the plate this year, entering Saturday's contest batting .270 with a .644 OPS, his lowest marks since the 2002 season. But Washington thinks a breakout for the seven-time All-Star is right around the corner. "I still believe he's about to pick us up any time," Washington said. "There's a spurt in him." Dempster to start Monday against Orioles TORONTO -- Ryan Dempster, who didn't make his scheduled start Saturday against the Blue Jays due to personal reasons, will make his next start Monday against the Orioles. According to multiple media accounts, Dempster missed Saturday's game because he didn't have a passport. The Rangers, who have not confirmed those reports, announced on Friday that Dempster had been placed on the restricted list due to personal reasons. As a result, the Rangers have made some tweaks to their rotation for the upcoming week. Right-hander Scott Feldman was supposed to start Monday, but he will be pushed back a day, as will lefty Derek Holland and Yu Darvish. The only starter who will pitch on normal rest for the week ahead is All-Star Matt Harrison, who gets the ball for Sunday's series finale in Toronto. Manager Ron Washington said pitching coach Mike Maddux came up with a number of different scenarios, but ultimately felt it was best to give a few of his starters an extra day of rest. One option included skipping Dempster entirely. "We decided to stay in line and just give everybody a day," Washington said. Taking Dempster's spot Saturday was veteran Roy Oswalt, who Washington said would be limited to roughly 75 pitches. "He will let us know how far he can go," Washington said. "I'm hoping he can at least get through five [innings]. Get through five, we can manage the last four. If it's less than five, it will be rough." Washington said everybody was available in the bullpen, which was likely to see plenty of action Saturday. Martinez gets second start behind the plate TORONTO -- Luis Martinez started behind the plate for just the second time this season for the Rangers' contest against the Blue Jays on Saturday. The 27-year-old, who was called up after Mike Napoli was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left quad, is giving incumbent starting catcher Geovany Soto a day off. Washington believes catching is one area where the Rangers could receive better production, as Napoli has had a down year after a career 2011 season and Soto has struggled, especially since coming to the American League. In 11 games since joining the Rangers, Soto was batting just .175 with a .233 on-base percentage and a .275 slugging percentage. As a whole, Texas catchers are hovering around the league average mark, which is .243/.310/.400. Washington said it's a difficult position to pinch-hit for, so he will have to live with the production he is getting for now. The problem with pinch-hitting for a catcher, according to Washington, is that if his replacement gets injured, it can be detrimental to the team because he would have to turn to someone inexperienced. Getting Napoli back, who is hitting .223 with 17 homers and 40 RBIs, will be key. That may not happen until September, as the club plans to take it slow with him, but Washington is encouraged by Napoli's progress. "He's been doing a lot of squats out there with medicine balls trying to strengthen [the quad]," Washington said. "He looks different in batting practice, so his body must be feeling better. Not that he ever made that an excuse. He's working." Chris Toman is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

http://kansascity.royals.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120818&content_id=36901846&notebook_id=36916810&vkey=notebook_tex&c_id=tex

Padres Press Release Padres announce schedule for 2013 FanFest pres. by State Farm Player autographs, Garage Sale, clubhouse tours, clinics & more are part of free event February 9 The San Diego Padres today released details surrounding 2013 FanFest presented by State Farm, including a complete schedule of clinics, forums and autograph signings. The free annual event returns to Petco Park this Saturday, Feb. 9, 2013. Gates open to the general public at 10:00 a.m. Padres Platinum, Gold and Blue Members receive exclusive early access from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. with printable passes they were sent via email. Fans who are not Members can pre-register at no cost at www.padres.com/fanfest for a special pass allowing them to enter at 9:30 a.m. FanFest presented by State Farm will run until 4:00 p.m. Free parking will be provided in four locations: the three surface lots along Imperial Ave. (southeast side of Petco Park) and the Padres Parkade (10th Ave at J St). More than two dozen Padres players participate at FanFest, joined by alumni, broadcasters and members of the front office. Fans will have the opportunity to get autographs, tour the clubhouse, run the bases and catch fly balls in the outfield. Also featured will be a kids' pitching clinic with Padres All-Star closer Huston Street and a kids' batting clinic with Cameron Maybin. An expanded Military Zone in Park at the Park will feature an interactive dive display with an underwater breathing system and an interactive jump display provided by Navy Special Warfare, among other activities provided by the United States Army and United States Marine Corps. Padres owners Ron Fowler and Peter Seidler, Padres executives Tom Garfinkel and Josh Byrnes, manager Bud Black, players and broadcasters will take part in scheduled fan forums. The Padres' flagship radio station, The Mighty 1090, will broadcast live from Petco Park for the duration of the event, with live player interviews scheduled throughout the day. In addition, the Padres Foundation will host its annual Garage Sale. This year, the Garage Sale will be featured at a new location: inside the Park Blvd. gate. Fans will have the opportunity to purchase rare, one-of-a-kind Padres items, including game-used jerseys and batting helmets, with proceeds going to the Padres Foundation. Fans are encouraged to arrive early at FanFest to get their first choice of autograph session vouchers and Garage Sale merchandise. The list of players scheduled to sign autographs comprises John Baker, Anthony Bass, Brad Boxberger, Brad Brach, Andrew Cashner, Chris Denorfia, Logan Forsythe, Jedd Gyorko, Chase Headley, Nick Hundley, Casey Kelly, Mark Kotsay, Tommy Layne, Cory Luebke, Cameron Maybin, Miles Mikolas, Adys Portillo, Carlos Quentin, Clayton Richard, Tyson Ross, Tim Stauffer, Huston Street, Joe Thatcher, Dale Thayer, Will Venable, Nick Vincent and Joe Wieland. A full schedule of the day and a map are attached. Please note: the schedule is subject to change. The most up-to-date information can be found online at padres.com/fanfest. FanFest presented by State Farm also will be the first opportunity for fans to guarantee their seats for some of the biggest match-ups of the 2013 season, including the New York Yankees' first-ever visit to Petco Park. The Padres Budweiser 6 Pack includes the choice of one Yankees game (either Friday Aug. 2 or Sunday Aug. 4), and five additional games, with Opening Day and select other games excluded. The Budweiser 6 Pack is available in three seating locations, with prices starting at $99. The package will be available online, at the Petco Park box office and by phone at 619.795.5555 beginning at 7:30 a.m. on February 9. Additionally, tickets will be on sale at two locations inside the ballpark during the event. Visit www.padres.com for the complete 2013 schedule, including game times (subject to change).

http://kansascity.royals.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20130206&content_id=41436640&vkey=pr_sd&c_id=sd

HERMOSILLO, Mexico -- Much like the fans in attendance at Thursday night's 18-inning Caribbean Series final didn't want the championship game to end, the contingent of D-backs executives on site in Hermosillo were sad to see yet another trip to their sister city come to a conclusion. Yet, with Team Mexico capturing the title and tens of thousands heading home happy, so, too were the D-backs, who accomplished quite a bit during the goodwill trip that leads into a busy weekend at Chase Field with the Subway D-backs Fan Fest and inaugural Race Against Cancer. "Hermosillo was the center of the baseball world, and for us, this is like a second home, so we wanted to make sure we found time to take part in the festivities," said D-backs president & CEO Derrick Hall. "From helping the kids in the community to strengthening our business relationships and getting a chance to remind fans about the upcoming World Baseball Classic, this was an extremely productive visit." Special assistant to Hall and D-backs legend Luis Gonzalez arrived early in the week and conducted a clinic with some of the top young players in the city on Monday, as the D-backs partnered with the Arizona Mexico Commission to put on the event. Each child took home a D-backs hat and T-shirt while Gonzalez took home some great memories. "These kids were very talented, and for us to not only teach them a few things but share our passion for the D-backs was really important," said Gonzalez, who once played for Tijuana's entry in the Caribbean Series in 1990. "Whether it was at the clinic, at the new ballpark or even at our hotel, there's a certain amount of pride that we get when we see people wearing a D-backs hat around Mexico." Gonzalez threw out the ceremonial first pitch before Tuesday's game while Hall was given that honor prior to Wednesday night's game. However, after taking the mound, he handed the ball over to a young D-backs fan who just happened to be the son of D-backs Spanish-language broadcaster Oscar Soria, a local legend in Hermosillo. Prior to the game on Wednesday, the D-backs hosted a news conference at Estadio Sonora, the new ballpark that was inaugurated for the Caribbean Series after the D-backs helped consult on the planning and construction. In front of a packed house of nearly 75 members of the media, the team was able to share its passion for Hermosillo while reminding fans about the upcoming opportunity to see Team Mexico face the D-backs in a World Baseball Classic exhibition on March 5, followed by official Classic games on March 7-9 at Chase Field and Salt River Fields. "You could really tell how much the media was interested in the World Baseball Classic, and we know that carries over to the fans in Mexico as well," said Hall. "We expect there to be a great turnout for the games, and if the atmosphere is anything like what we saw at the Caribbean Series this week, we will all be able to say it was a tremendous success." The D-backs' contingent -- which also included executive vice president Tom Harris, senior vice president Josh Rawitch, Spanish-language broadcaster Richard Saenz, Arizona's scout in Mexico, Derrick Bryant, and Roland Hemond, D-backs special assistant to the president/CEO -- was invited to a luncheon Thursday afternoon at the state Capitol by Enrique Mazon, owner of the Hermosillo Naranjeros. It was there that the team of executives met with Mayor Alejandro Lopez Caballero and were thanked publicly by Governor Guillermo Padres for their role in helping spread the love of baseball throughout Sonora. The luncheon was not without surprises, as Hemond was asked to speak to the distinguished guests. Without any idea he would be addressing a crowd, Hemond deftly spoke about the franchise's long-standing relationships in Sonora before returning to his seat to rousing applause. At the championship game, with a sellout crowd of more than 15,000 and at least 10,000 more fans outside the ballpark watching on giant television screens, the D-backs suite became a who's who of franchise history. Gonzalez was joined by fellow 2001 World Series champion Erubiel Durazo and former D-backs pitcher Elmer Dessens, while former D-backs Rodrigo Lopez, Karim Garcia, Oscar Villarreal and Edgar Gonzalez all played a role in the championship for Mexico, their second in the last three seasons. "This is a busy time of year, with everything going on this weekend from our Race Against Cancer and annual Fan Fest, to Spring Training starting next week," said Hall, who also toured a youth field the D-backs helped fund several years ago and began conversations about carrying D-backs games on a local radio station in Sonora. "But it is so important for us to take part in goodwill trips like this, and we truly look forward to our next visit to Hermosillo." This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

http://kansascity.royals.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20130208&content_id=41504814&vkey=news_ari&c_id=ari

Trey Lyles recently eliminated North Carolina from consideration releasing his top six teams via his Instagram account. The 2014 power forward listed Florida, Kentucky, Louisville, Butler, UCLA, and Duke. Lyles is the #5 rated overall player in the 2014 class. A lot of Tar Heel fans were disappointed when the news broke that Lyles had dropped UNC from his list mere days after discussing a potential visit to Chapel Hill. Not I, I’m glad the Heels aren’t faced with potentially messing up their scholarship numbers in the 2014 season and having an unbalanced roster. Taking into account the potential layout of the roster in 2014 the Tar Heels will be rich at point guard and interior positions with a big need on the perimeter. Freshman Joel James and Brice Johnson have great potential but I can’t see anybody telling you with a straight face that they won’t be around for their junior seasons combine that with incoming freshman Isiah Hicks and Kennedy Meeks not to mention Desmond Hubert and Jackson Simmons and the Heels really don’t need a big man in 2014. Let’s take a look at the potential roster: PG: Marcus Paige/Nate Britt/Joel Berry SG/SF: J.P. Tokoto/P.J. Hairston* PF: Brice Johnson/Isiah Hicks C: Kennedy Meeks/Joel James/Desmond Hubert That’s ten scholarship players, I’m assuming Hairston goes pro after the 2013 season when he finally gets big minutes with Dexter Strickland out of his way. Even if that scenario plays out the Heels still only have three available scholarships. Given the impending need on the perimeter the remaining scholarships need to be go to prospects who can fill those holes. An unbalanced roster heavy with big men would essentially provide the exact same problems with the rotation we are seeing this season on the perimeter with a lack of production at two key positions. Trey Lyles is a fantastic player but unless several players end up leaving early that I wouldn’t expect to see leave at this point the Heels need to focus on the perimeter.

http://keepingitheel.com/2013/02/14/unc-basketball-recruiting-why-its-a-good-thing-trey-lyles-eliminated-carolina/

NBA Finals – Mavericks Take Game 4 [PHOTOS] The Dallas Mavericks tied the series at 2-2 with their game 4 win over the Heat in the NBA Finals. Not only have I included a gallery of photos from that game, but I have also included a bonus gallery of the Mavs hot dancers! Come on in! Dirk was sick and running a 101 temp but still managed to have one heck of a 4th quarter as the Mavs had a 21-9 run to end the game. Maybe it was the fact that Emmitt Smith was there? Who knows. One thing for sure, is that this series has been pretty intense! One game is left in Dallas before the series shifts back to Miami for games 6 and 7(if necessary). As I mentioned above, I have two galleries for you on this blog. First, a recap of the game in pictures. I think there is one thing that has been lost in these NBA Finals and that is the importance of the Dallas Maverick Dancers. Giggity!

http://keyj.com/nba-finals-mavericks-take-game-4-photos/

Boys district game Saturday has time change The Boys District B6 Basketball Tournament tips-off Saturday night at Cougar Palace with Gering playing Alliance. The game was originally scheduled for 6:00 p.m. but the time has been changed to 7:00 p.m. The winner of the Gering-Alliance game will battle top seeded Scottsbluff Monday night. We will have coverage of the Gering and Scottsbluff games on KNEB-AM and kneb.com. © 2013 Rural Radio Network. All rights reserved. Republishing, rebroadcasting, rewriting, redistributing prohibited. Copyright Information

http://kneb.com/sports/index.php?more=xm5zupsr

Central College debuts in a tie for fourth in the NCAA Division III North Region men’s soccer rankings. After shutting out Monmouth 3-0 and Saint John’s 1-0 last week, the Dutch vaulted into the rankings for the first time this season at 5-1. Iowa Conference rival Dubuque is 3rd, with Coe 6th and Loras 7th. Central puts its five-game win streak on the line Wednesday at Grinnell at 5 p.m. The Dutch return home for their conference opener Saturday with Buena Vista at 2 p.m.

http://kniakrls.com/2010/09/central-mens-soccer-vault-into-regional-rankings/

‘UFC Undisputed 3′ Wants To Fight For Your Love When you’re pinned to the canvas with knuckles in your ribs, a knee in your kidney and hundreds of pounds of sweaty man-flesh urging you to tap out before you lose consciousness, it’s definitely time to re-evaluate what you’re doing. Such was the metaphorical situation in which the fledgling UFC series found itself a couple years back, unable to capitalize on the sports’ skyrocketing popularity with robotic, cookie-cutter efforts. Instead of just plugging along and waiting to become obsolete in the manner of Tony Hawk or ‘Guitar Hero’ games, publisher THQ waited nearly two years to unleash the follow-up, and the patience paid off. Like a Jon Jones roundhouse kick to the jaw, ‘UFC Undisputed 3‘ is a wake-up call to MMA simulations. A genuine step forward for the genre, it’s rowdier, sloppier and less mechanical than its predecessors. A comparison of the ‘UFC Undisputed’ to the mullet is in order. If the previous games were the business in the front, the threequel is the party in the back. The game has a looser feel in general, more a heated back alley rumble than ‘Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots.’ Your old strike, block, strike and shoot in to take the opponent to the ground will no longer work so well. Now fighters more convincingly half-block and deflect hits rather than stop them as though their forearms are riot gear. You know how UFC matches can end in an instant when someone whips their foot into the side of someone’s skull? Now that happens here, too. If you’re going up against someone who is quick with a long leg reach, you’re reduced to a cowering fool, desperate to slip in a lucky cross before it’s too late. Every enhanced attack has a counterpoint. If someone wants to take you down, you can brush them off with a quick knee to the jaw. If someone’s got you pinned and going for a knockout punch, you can shimmy to the side and try for a counter. Despite the refined strategy, there’s still room for button-mashers. Multiple control schemes allow for more technical precision, while an amateur option treats your frenzied improvisation with more forgiveness. Slugging through each round made our forearms and hands genuinely sore, meaning some training is in order until we get into fighting shape. It may be Valentine’s Day and all, but hopefully our wives and girlfriends will understand that we’ve got some work to do to be able to defend their honor in online bouts. UFC Undisputed 3 ($60) was developed by Yuke’s, published by THQ and is available on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Rated T. The publisher provided a copy of the game for review.

http://krod.com/ufc-undisputed-3-wants-to-fight-for-your-love/

Jeremy Shockey isn’t exactly the most well-liked guy in the league. He pretty much ran his way out of the Giants and became a controversial figure in the playoffs because he was out with a broken leg and there were questions whether or not he’d be there to support his team during their games. The Saints traded what seemed like was too much to acquire him in the off-season and have been rewarded with, well, nothing. Kevin Boss is completely outplaying him, and what’s worse, Shockey’s supposedly already hated on his own team. It’s gotten so bad that Shockey was even benched in the 4th quarter against the Falcons on Sunday for missing an assignment earlier in the game: Facing third-and-10 from the Saints’ 37-yard line and still within two touchdowns, Shockey failed to pick up a rushing Falcons defender, forcing Brees to unload a quick dump-off pass to him in the left flat to avoid a sack. Not only did Shockey miss the block, he missed the ball, dropping it with a half-hearted effort that spurred Brees to sprint toward him and emotionally voice his frustration. The animated discussion continued on the Saints’ sideline. Shockey took the blame for missing the assignment and really took some verbal abuse from Brees after the play. It was kinda cool to see a badass like Shockey get undressed by a cool customer like Brees — it shows who has the respect and who runs the team. It’s unfortunate that Shockey has been so useless for them when he was supposed to be another offensive weapon. Now he’s just another talented player that isn’t performing. Too bad there aren’t any pictures or videos available because that was awesome.Google+ Tagged with: Drew Brees • Jeremy Shockey

http://larrybrownsports.com/football/jeremy-shockey-fights-drew-brees-dog-house/3682

UFC 116 Live Coverage from Las Vegas UFC 116 takes place tonight from Las Vegas, headlined by the UFC heavyweight title matchup between Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin. Stay tuned for live results throughout the evening from Octagonside at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Jon Madsen vs. Karlos Vemola Both fighters are undefeated prospects. Vemola is a physically imposing powerhouse while Madsen is a wrestling standout. Round 1. Madsen lands the first telling blow of the fight, a really stiff hook that stuns Vemola slightly. Vemola goes for a takedown but eats some punches and knees in the process. They clinch against the cage, and there isn't much action. Referee Mario Yamasaki eventually separates them halfway through the round. Vemola charges across the ring for another takedown but is again thwarted by Madsen and they clinch against the cage. Yamasaki separates them again. Vemola swings wildly and again clinches. This time Madsen not only blocks but takes Vemola down himself. Madsen ends up in Vemola's half guard. Madsen throws a few light punches and elbows as the round comes to a close. 10-9 Madsen. Round 2. Madsen takes Vemola down at the start of the round. He is mostly inactive from top position, throwing a few elbows against the cage. Vemola tries to stand up and eats some punches in the process. Madsen keeps him down and throws some punches and elbows. They are stood up, and Madsen throws a few hard hooks. Vemola goes for a takedown but again has no success. Vemola lands a nice straight punch that was probably his best blow of the fight. They again clinch next to the cage. The crowd has been surprisingly kind to what has been a very dull fight. Vemola doesn't look like a UFC-caliber fighter. 10-9 Madsen. Round 3. They clinch again. Madsen goes for a takedown but doesn't get it. Vemola lands a few nice kicks, first to the leg and then to the body. Madsen takes Vemola down. Madsen postures up in Vemola's guard and throws a few punches. Vemola looks for a kimura submission from the bottom but doesn't come close to extending it. The crowd finally begins to boo the fight as Madsen moves into side control. Madsen is in north/south when they are stood up, which is an odd standup choice but this isn't exactly a riveting fight. On the feet Vemola goes for a guillotine choke but Madsen escapes and gets top position. He's pretty much immediately stood up by Yamasaki and the fighters throw a little to close the round. 10-9 Madsen, very easy to score 30-27 decision. Winner: Jon Madsen, unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27). Daniel Roberts vs. Forrest Petz Roberts needs a win here following a UFC debut loss to John Howard. Petz is returning to the UFC. He last fought for the company in 2007, and has a 2-3 UFC record. Round 1. Roberts immediately shoots in for a takedown. He gets Petz down but Petz works his way back up against the cage. They feel each other out in the standup, with neither man throwing much. Roberts goes for a takedown. He again gets Petz down but Petz again stands back up. Roberts makes his third concerted takedown effort and this time successfully keeps Petz down. He takes the back of Petz and looks to hook in a rear naked choke with a minute left in the round. Petz is able to hold on for the remainder of the round. 10-9 Roberts. Round 2. Petz lands a few nice leg kicks. Roberts moves in for a takedown and eats a good uppercut in the process. Roberts again looks for a takedown and this time secures it. Petz uses the cage to try to stand back up but is pulled back down into position for a Roberts rear naked choke. Petz again does a good job defending the choke and escapes the position. He opens up with hard punches on Roberts, who looks tired. Petz lands a really good overhand right and is swinging for the knockout. Roberts again takes him down and works into side control. Petz gets up and takes down Roberts. Roberts looks for a guillotine at the end of the round. Tough round to score. I give it to Petz narrowly because he did more damage. 19-19 through two. Round 3. Petz begins the round again with some leg kicks. He lands a nice straight right. Petz is throwing a lot more than Roberts but isn't landing anything huge. Roberts throws a body kick and is caught with a hard counter left punch. Roberts shoots for a takedown and gets Petz down with two minutes left. He opens up with some punches and elbows. Petz then moves to stand up and Roberts has to concentrate on preventing that. Roberts mounts Petz with 30 seconds left. Petz tries to reverse but can't do it. First round was clearly Roberts, the other two are close. 10-9 Roberts, 29-28 Roberts. Winner: Daniel Roberts, split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28). Gerald Harris vs. Dave Branch Branch is a former Bellator fighter who is making his UFC debut. Harris has won two straight UFC fights and sports a 16-2 career MMA record. Round 1. Harris is keeping his posture very low. Branch throws a head kick that doesn't connect all the way. Harris moves in with punches and is caught with a counter knee. Harris throws a wild overhand punch that misses but then follows with a short punch that connects. He moves Branch back with a jab and throws a wild hook with bad intentions but it misses. Harris moves forward with more heavy punches and looks to take Branch down with a minute left in the round. Harris slams Branch down hard at the close of the round. 10-9 Harris. Round 2. Harris throws a right hook and takes Branch down. Harris drops down a few hard punches inside Branch's guard. Branch stands back up. They clinch for a bit and Harris takes Branch back down. Branch gets up and eats a couple hard punches in the process. Harris lands a very nice jab and the round concludes. Harris looks good. 10-9 Harris. Round 3. Branch moves aggressively forward with a head kick and Harris throws a counter punch at the same time. Harris takes Branch down but in the process Branch moves to set up a triangle choke. Harris lifts him up and slams him down, escaping danger. Branch gets back up. They clinch against the cage and the crowd begins to loudly boo. Referee Herb Dean separates them and Harris again looks for a takedown. Branch jumps up into standing guard but Harris pushes Branch's face forward with his forearm and then slams him down with power and knocks Branch out from the slam. Harris noticed Branch was out upon impact and pulled back on his punches. Spectacular finish. Winner: Gerald Harris, knockout, round 3. Kendall Grove vs. Goran Reljic They are running low on time and for the past couple fights both fighters have come out together. I don't recall seeing that at any previous UFC PPV events. There have been no post-fight interviews either. Grove is the winner of the Ultimate Fighter season 3. He was originally going to be on the Spike TV portion of this event but following some negative comments about Spike TV he was moved down to the untelevised portion. Reljic looked fantastic in his UFC debut against Wilson Gouveia but lost his last fight to C.B. Dollaway. Round 1. Reljic is more agressive in the standup, mixing in punches and kicks. Grove is able to defend well early and throws a high kick of his own. Reljic has a very diverse offense, mixing punches and kicks at all ranges. Reljic takes the fight to the ground with two minutes left in the round. Reljic stands up, looking to throws some punches down into Grove's guard, but Grove throws a powerful upkick that drops Reljic down. Grove gets back up and throws some knees. He lands a really hard one to the head towards the end of the round. Reljic was dominating the round early but Grove came back strong and landed the best blows of the round late. 10-9 Grove. Round 2. Grove moves in with some light jabs and is answered with a hard punch counter. Grove immediately goes for a takedown and gets it. Reljic reverses position with an omoplata and ends up on top. He is on his feet throwing down and the crowd reacts big to Grove's attempts at upkicks. Reljic moves down into Grove's guard and Grove throws elbows from the bottom. Reljic becomes more active on top with punches. Grove is still being more aggressive from the bottom with strikes but isn't moving his hips up to attempt any submissions. They are stood up with a minute left. Neither man is able to land any telling blows. 10-9 Reljic, 19-19. Grove spends the period between the rounds standing and bouncing on his feet. Round 3. Grove comes out more actively, backing Reljic up with jabs and some power punches by the cage. Reljic shoots for a takedown but it is blocked. Grove looks to have a lot more energy at this stage of the fight. He mixes in high and low kicks. Grove catches Reljic with a straight right and appears to be taking over the fight. Reljic shoots for a takedown. Grove looks for a guillotine, releases, and throws a nice knee to the head. Grove follows with more knees as Reljic looks to get the fight to the ground. Reljic finally does with a minute left in the round. Reljic looks to move into side control and finally gets his leg through Grove's guard with 45 seconds left. Reljic has north/south but Grove gets up as the round comes to a close. 10-9 Grove, 29-28 Grove but this is a close fight. Winner: Kendall Grove, split decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28). This is going to be a weird Spike TV broadcast because they don't have any shorter fights to air. Seth Petruzelli vs. Ricardo Romero Petruzelli is famous for knocking out Kimbo Slice and (as Joe Rogan joked at the weigh-ins last night) almost single-handedly killing EliteXC. Romero is a well regarded prospect whose only loss was via DQ. They need to kill this idea of playing generic music and having both men enter at the same time. Fighter entrances build drama for the fight. Round 1. Petruzelli opens up at the start with hard punch combinations. Romero goes for a takedown but it is easily blocked. Petruzelli is really tagging Romero with punches and Romero flees out of trouble. Petruzelli closes a punch combination with a high kick that drops Romero to the canvas. Romero gets back up and is okay. Romero lands his best punch of the fight but Petruzelli answers with a series of punches and a spinning back kick. Romero takes Petruzelli down halfway through the fight. Romero looks to grab a choke but Petruzelli gets out and starts throwing down punches from top position. He is really hammering Romero and Romero desperately gets up and takes top position. Romero mounts Petruzelli. He looks for an Americana. He then moves for a rear naked choke attempt. Petruzelli avoids and ends up back in mount. Romero looks for an armbar but Petruzelli gets up and ends up back on the feets. Petruzelli drops Romero and begins throwing down bizarre double ax handles. Romero then moves for a rear naked choke again at the close. That was one unbelievable, phenomenal round of action. 10-9 Petruzelli. Round 2. Petruzelli again gets the best of the standup, having success with early kicks. He backs Romero against the cage and opens up with punches. Romero desperately shoots in and Petruzelli looks to get an armbar in the process. He has the arm extended but can't lock in both legs to secure the submission. Romero is bleeding from the head as Petruzelli throws elbows from the bottom. Romero moves into side control, drops a hard elbow and looks again for the armlock. He cranks it and Petruzelli submits. Petruzelli waited too long and it looks like something snapped in his arm. Petruzelli is in a lot of pain. Tremendous fight by both men. Winner: Ricardo Romero, submission, round 2. Chris Tuchscherer vs. Brendan Schaub Tuchscherer is a training partner of Brock Lesnar while Schaub is a training partner of Shane Carwin in a little preview of the main event of the evening. Tuchscherer is a thick wrestler while Schaub is a much more athletic former pro football player and striker. Round 1. Tuchscherer moves in for a takedown and is caught with some hard punches in the process. He backs up. Schaub drops Tuchscherer with a power right and goes to town with punches before referee Herb Dean steps in and stops the fight. Winner: Brendan Schaub, TKO, round 1. George Sotiropoulos vs. Kurt Pellegrino Sotiropoulos is an Australian jiu jitsu standout who is riding a wave of momentum following a very impressive win over Joe Stevenson. Pellegrino is a criminally underrated lightweight star whose star power isn't equal to his skill. Round 1. Sotiropoulos connects on some early punches and pursues Pellegrino. Sotiropoulos drops Pellegrino with a left and continues to punch him on the ground. Pellegrino spins out of trouble and gets back to his feet. Sotiropoulos lands a couple nice hooks and a knee. Pellegrino takes Sotiropoulos down but then lets him back up. Sotiropoulos hits a nice knee. Pellegrino takes him down with 50 seconds left. Sotiropoulos uses the rubber guard to tie up Pellegrino. Pellegrino throws a few punches as the round ends. 10-9 Sotiropoulos. Round 2. Pellegrino throws a superman punch and Sotiropoulos uses the opportunity to take an offbalance Pellegrino down. Sotiropoulos works to pass guard and nearly gains full mount. He drops down some elbows from half guard onto Pellegrino. Sotiropoulos looked like he might be setting up for a knee bar but Pellegrino avoids danger. Against the cage, Pellegrino stands up. Sotiropoulos tries to take him back down but Pellegrino defends.They trade, with each man getting in some blows. Pellegrino's body language has radically shifted from the start of the fight. 10-9 Sotiropoulos. Round 3. The round starts as pure boxing. Sotiropoulos lands a few nice punches and moves in to push the action but is taken down for his trouble. Pellegrino grounds and pounds Sotiropoulos while avoiding Sotiropoulos' attempts at submissions. Sotiropoulos ties Pellegrino up and begins throwing punches of his own from the bottom. Sotiropoulos gets back up and connects with some straight punches on Pellegrino. Pellegrino drops Sotiropoulos with a knee and a hook, but fortunately for Sotiropoulos the round comes to an end. 10-9 Pellegrino, 29-28 Sotiropoulos. Winner: George Sotiropoulos, unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27). Stephan Bonnar vs. Krzystof Soszynski This is a rematch of a controversial fight they had in Australia. It was an exciting fight that was stopped due to a bad cut on Bonnar. The fight was ruled a TKO victory for Soszynski, but replays showed the cut was caused by an accidental head butt. Round 1. They immediately move in and begin exchanging punches. They trade leg kicks. Bonnar catches a leg kick and uses it to take Soszynski down. Bonnar tries some ground and pound but Soszynski uses an armbar attempt to reverse position. As Bonnar stands up Soszynski starts unloading with huge power punches against the cage. Bonnar is able to avoid the biggest shots but is cut. Bonnar hits Soszynski with a hard knee to the body. Soszynski follows in Bonnar with punches and Bonnar covers up. Bonnar lands a couple elbows against the cage and opens up with punches of his own. Bonnar goes for a takedown but can't get it and Soszynski lands a nice punch as Bonnar is backing up. Soszynski again moves in with heavy punches and they just throw huge blows back and forth. Bonnar uses a head kick and push kick as the round comes to an end. Bonnar has separate cuts under both eyes. Excellent round. 10-9 Soszynski. Round 2. Bonnar starts with a nice pair of jabs. Soszynski keeps moving in with big looping punches. One lands right on Bonnar's chin and is one of the best blows of the fight. They start recklessly swinging yet again next to the cage. It looks like Soszynski is in trouble and then it looks like Bonnar is in trouble. We then get the same sequence again with Bonnar mixing in a head kick and a knee to the head. This is an incredible fight. Bonnar gets a takedown. Soszynski stands back up. Bonnar drops Soszynski with a knee to the head and throws repeated punches to the head. Sosyznski is just covering up and the referee finally stops the fight after dozens of uncontested punches. Bonnar poses comically. That was a heck of a win for Bonnar. Winner: Stephan Bonnar, TKO, round 2. After the fight Bonnar talks about how much he loves laying it all out on the line for the fans and gets a huge positive reaction from the audience. Chris Lytle vs. Matt Brown Lytle and Brown are known for action-packed standup wars and this fight was put together basically to be an exciting brawl. Of course, they have their work cut out for them to win fight of the night over Romero/Petruzelli and Bonnar/Soszynski. Round 1. Lytle throws a big overhand right that doesn't connect. Brown throws a few hooks. They clinch against the cage. Lytle throws mostly body punches with Brown using a few knees. As they separate Brown lands a nice head kick and follows that with a heavy knee to the body. Brown takes Lytle down but Lytle quick gets up. Brown looks for an anaconda choke but eventually lets it go. Back on the feet Lytle throws more big haymakers but doesn't have much success landing them. Brown drops Lytle with a straight counter as the round comes to an end. 10-9 Brown. Round 2. Lytle again opens up wide wild overhand punches. He grabs a guillotine and works into mount position. Lytle releases the guillotine and switches into side control. He uses his legs to triangle Brown's head and one arm and then looks to hyperextend the other. Brown submits. Winner: Chris Lytle, round 2, submission. Chris Leben vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama Akiyama is one of the biggest attractions in Japanese and Korean MMA, and won his UFC debut last year against Alan Belcher. He was supposed to fight Wanderlei Silva on this card but Silva had to pull out of the fight due to an injury. Leben takes the fight on short notice, having fought just two weeks ago on the Ultimate Fighter Finale. He is a wrestler and brawler well known for his antics on the first season of the Ultimate Fighter reality show. Leben seems in a very good mood dancing to the ring, and this is a great low risk high reward fight for him. Akiyama comes out to "Time to Say Goodbye" by Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman, the best entrance in MMA. Round 1. Leben throws a kick and Akiyama sweeps it to score a takedown. He throws a few punches and Leben quickly gets back up. "Leben" chants and then "Aki" chants. Leben moves in with punches and gets caught with a hook. Leben throws a few hard leg kicks and mixes in a body kick. Leben gets caught with an accidental low blow. Starting back Akiyama lands a nice straight right punch. Akiyama uses a spinning back elbow and takes Leben down. Leben looks for an armbar but Akiyama isn't in trouble and throws some punches from top. Leben looks for the armbar again. This time he has it deeper but Akiyama gets out. Akiyama then looks for a kimura of his own. Akiyama is in Leben's half guard and looks to pass. Leben just gets back up. In the process Akiyama looks for a guillotine but doesn't have Leben in trouble. They trade punches and Akiyama takes Leben down with a judo trip at the end of the round. Close round, I've got it slightly for Akiyama, 10-9. Round 2. Akiyama lands a nice body punch and head kick. Leben looks to be moving much more slowly. Akiyama lands a hard spinning back fist on Leben. Akiyama moves in recklessly and gets caught with a hard Leben counter. This leads to an incredible sequence with each man landing really hard punches right on the chin. Very little defense, just trading power punches. It looked at various points like each man was in trouble of being dropped. Akiyama in particular was just tagging Leben but Leben has a great chin and fought through it firing back. Akiyama scores the takedown. Leben stands up and receives some punches while doing so. Akiyama looks for a takedown again. Leben tries for a guillotine but it isn't deep. Leben moves in and is caught with a straight right to the chin. Leben lands a series of his own, just catching Akiyama repeatedly on the chin. Each guy has to be wondering what exactly it takes to stop the other guy. Really tough round to score. 10-9 Akiyama. This has been a great, great PPV card. Round 3. Both men look spent. Leben throws a high kick. Akiyama throws a punch on an off balance Leben and pushes him to the ground. Akiyama goes for the old can opener while Leben throws punches from the bottom. Leben again looks for an armbar. Akiyama gets out and moves into top position. They trade punches with Leben throwing from the bottom and Akiyama from the top. The crowd chants for Leben. They're just brawling with each other despite Leben fighting from his back. Akiyama is getting the better of it as one would expect from top. Leben locks in a triangle choke and is throwing punches with 30 seconds left. Akiyama taps and that's it. The crowd erupts. Amazing fight. Winner: Chris Leben, round 3, submission. UFC heavyweight title: Brock Lesnar vs. Shane Carwin Lesnar is the champion but was out of action for a long period of time with diverticulitis and Carwin won the interim heavyweight title with a win over Frank Mir. Both men weighed in at the heavyweight maximum of 265 pounds. Lesnar is getting mostly cheers coming out, in contrast to all his other Las Vegas UFC fights. Round 1. Lesnar shoots for a takedown. Carwin defends and throws a nice knee to the head. He opens up with big punches and Lesnar is in huge trouble. He's just covering up and Carwin is raining down punches. Lesnar is doing nothing from his back. Carwin is pummeling Lesnar. Carwin is dropping huge elbows and punches. Lesnar has no answers whatsoever. Lesnar is bleeding. Carwin backs up and Lesnar just stays on his back. Lesnar finally gets up with a minute left in the fight. Lesnar looks to take Carwin down. Carwin defends. Lesnar throws a nice knee to the head. 10-7 Carwin. Round 2. Lesnar is smiling as the round starts. Lesnar takes Carwin down. He throws some punches from inside Carwin's half guard. Lesnar has an arm triangle choke. He squeezes and gets the tap. What a performance by Lesnar. The crowd goes crazy with cheers. This has been one of the best UFC cards, if not the best, of all time. Winner: Brock Lesnar, submission, round 2. "I stand before you a humble champion and I'm still the toughest SOB around," Lesnar declares after the fight.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/sports_blog/2010/07/ufc-116-live-coverage-from-las-vegas.html

Layout | Football World Cup Tracker v7 Here is the penultimate update to my Football World Cup tracker. Once again I got a finalist wrong after Spain completely dominated Germany to advance. It is great that this world cup will be won by a team never to have won it previously. This should now settle the debate as to which country is the best never to have won, with whichever team losing on Sunday sadly taking that crown. I personally am backing Spain to add the World Cup to their European title. A few changes to the tracker sees the goal scorers added to each game, and inspired by Bruno Maag, the type set in different weights of Univers instead of Helvetica. Click on the image to see it full sized.

http://laymanslayout.wordpress.com/2010/07/08/layout-football-world-cup-tracker-v7/

As we head into the final weekend of the NASCAR Sprint Cup season, Denny Hamlin, Jimmie Johnson, and Kevin Harvick have separated themselves from the rest of the pack to make it a three-horse race for the Cup. This has to be exactly what NASCAR officials had in mind when they created the Chase back in 2004 – the championship battle going down to the last race of the season. All three drivers have a legitimate shot to win the championship. Just to give you an idea of how close this championship battle is, if Kevin Harvick wins the race and Denny Hamlin finishes eighth, but does not lead a lap, Harvick will win the Cup, as long as Jimmie Johnson finishes fifth or worse and doesn’t lead a lap. But, if Johnson does lead a lap, he’ll win with a fifth-place finish in that scenario. If Johnson wins and Hamlin finishes second and doesn’t lead a lap, Johnson will win the Cup regardless of where Harvick finishes. If Hamlin leads a lap, though, he will be tied with Johnson, which means that Hamlin would win the championship because he has eight wins this season to Johnson’s seven (including Homestead). Or, Hamlin will win the Cup if he finishes at least four positions behind Johnson (if both are in the top 5; three positions if both are between sixth and 10th, or five positions if both are 11th or worse – assuming Harvick finishes fourth or worse and doesn’t lead a lap.) See how convoluted this is? That’s how close it is… everything matters: leading a lap, staying in touch with your competition, no mistakes, winning the race! So, with things this close, who is in the best position to win it? Logic would tell you Denny Hamlin because he’s got the lead. But, one stumble, one bad pit stop, and he could lose the Cup. So, it’s anyone’s ballgame. Over the last five years, Harvick has the best average finish (7th) of the three contenders at Homestead-Miami Speedway. But, Hamlin (11th) and Johnson (15th) aren’t far off. He also has the highest driver rating of the three at the track at 101.1 compared to Hamlin’s 94.7 and Johnson’s 92.9. Harvick has four top 10s in the last five years while Hamlin and Johnson both have three. But, Hamlin is the only one who has won at Homestead in the last five years. And, Harvick has not won a race on an intermediate, 1.5-mile oval this season. Both Hamlin and Johnson have two wins each on this type of track. But, when you factor in the finishes from all of the 1.5-milers this season, they are virtually even. Harvick has an average finish of 12th while Hamlin and Johnson both have an average finish of 11th. But Harvick leads all three with eight top 10s at mile-and-a-halfers, compared to Johnson’s seven and Hamlin’s five. If you take the finishes from all of the 1.5-mile tracks this season and the finishes at Homestead over the last five years and average them, Hamlin leads the way with a 9th-place average finish while Harvick has an 11th-place average and Johnson has a 13th-place average. That translates into Hamlin having the best statistical chance to win the Cup. But really, the bottom line is that any one of them could win or lose the Cup. It all will depend on how the chips fall on Sunday.

http://lead-lap.com/2010/11/16/which-cup-contender-has-the-best-shot-to-win-it/

|Stats at a Glance||LIP||TTU| |FG Percentage||.333 (14-42)||.390 (23-59)| |3P FG Percentage||.412 (7-17)||.304 (7-23)| |FT Percentage||1.000 (6-6)||.615 (8-13)| PHILLIPS - 1 ROBINSON - 1 Saturday, November 17, 2012 NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Lipscomb women’s basketball team continues its run of three teams in four games against BCS conference schools with a 2 p.m. tip-off at Texas Tech on Sunday in Lubbock, Texas. The Lady Bisons enter Sunday’s matinee looking for their first win of the year after falling short to No. 16 Vanderbilt last Monday. Lipscomb cut a 20-point deficit to just six points, two different times, but could not capitalize on the comeback opportunity, falling 62-45. Senior Hannah Phillips led the Bisons with 21 points, on her way to picking up the first A-Sun Player of the Week for the 2012-13 season. Phillips averaged 18 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 38 minutes per game, all team highs, enroute to her first career award. Texas Tech enters Sunday’s matinee 1-1, having beat Arizona State 61-49 and falling to New Mexico 65-61. The Lady Raiders return nine letter-winners and four starters from a season ago. Monique Smalls leads the team with 14 points per game, coming off a career-high 22 points at New Mexico. Christine Hyde leads the team with 6.5 rebounds per game, including three boards a game on the offensive end. Hyde also ranks second on the team with 10 points per game. The Lady Raiders average 61 a night, knocking down 43 percent of their shots but shoot just 18 percent from 3-point distance. Lipscomb continues on the road, with a 6 p.m. game at Murray State on Monday, Nov. 26 in Murray, Ky. |Copyright ©2013 Lipscomb University Athletics. All Rights Reserved.||www.LipscombSports.com|

http://lipscombsports.com/wbasketball/news-print/2012-13/7670/lady-bison-basketball-begins-3-game-road-trip/

Rays come up short against Reds Center fielder Upton goes 3-for-4, drives in one run REDS 5, DEVIL RAYS 4 at Sarasota, Fla. Friday, March 30 Reds at the plate: Juan Castro hit a two-run double to highlight a five-run first inning. Scott Hatteberg doubled and walked with an RBI in the first. Ken Griffey Jr. singled to drive in a run. Cincinnati pulled all its starters except Chad Moeller after four innings. Devil Rays at the plate: Akinori Iwamura singled twice and drove in a run. Iwamura is hitting .200 for the spring. Jonny Gomes singled home a run and walked. B.J. Upton had three hits and an RBI. Brendan Harris, who was with Cincinnati briefly last season, was 0-for-5 and struck out twice. Delmon Young, the brother of former Red Dmitri Young, was hitless in three at bats. Reds on the mound: Matt Belisle and Kirk Saarloos continued their rivalry for the fifth-starter spot. Belisle started Friday and allowed three runs, two earned, on five hits in 2 2/3 innings. Saarloos followed with 2 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing one hit and striking out two. Rheal Cormier allowed a run on two hits. Mike Stanton escaped a one-out jam in the eighth inning. Rule 5 Draft choice Jared Burton pitched a perfect ninth for a save. Devil Rays on the mound: Jae Seo allowed five first-inning runs on six hits. He finished with three scoreless innings with one hit. Al Reyes and Shawn Camp each pitched a scoreless inning, while Gary Glover allowed two hits in two scoreless frames. Grapefruit League records: Reds 18-10; Devil Rays 9-19. Up next: The Reds play in Dayton, Ohio, on Saturday against the Florida Marlins at 2:00 p.m. ET. They will also send a Minor League team against Toronto in Dunedin, Fla., to fulfill its Grapefruit League schedule at 1:05 p.m. The Devil Rays host the New York Mets in an exhibition game at Tropicana Field at 1:05 p.m. Gary Schatz is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

http://losangeles.angels.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070330&content_id=1870620&vkey=spt2007gamer&fext=.jsp&c_id=tb

Day 6 – Video and Pictures My Spring Training trip officially ended yesterday as the Seattle Mariners took on the Milwaukee Brewers in Maryvale. Whoever said that Arizona never gets rain and is always scorching hot was wrong. It was a damp, cold morning in which the area temperature was –get this — just six degrees warmer than Milwaukee. Still, it was an enjoyable afternoon. I got up close to Ryan Braun, Prince Fielder and company out by the batting cages, then ran into former LumberKings closer Ruben Flores (’09) on the practice fields. “Flo” had the opportunity to suit up for the Crew as the emergency man in the bullpen and was hoping to face the team that drafted him. Unfortunately for him (and me, as it would have made for great video), it didn’t happen. My dream matchup was Flores against fellow former King Denny Almonte (’09), who was brought along as part of Seattle’s split squad that day. Sadly, Denny also did not get into the game. I did get some video on Dustin Ackley, who got the start at second base and went 1-for-5 with a triple. The video I have wasn’t of the triple, but rather a frozen rope that would have dropped for a single if not for the ageless wonder Jim Edmonds, who made a shoestring catch to rob him. Video of my last day in the Cactus League can be found here: “Scenes from Maryvale“. The Maryvale back fields. It looks dreary, but that’s really only because of the weather. The fields are each named after a famous Brewer. I was somewhere between Paul Molitor Field, Rollie Fingers Field and Robin Yount Field. Field this way, clubhouse that way. Jim Edmonds stops to sign a few. A Brewer this Spring, a Red or a Pirate next year? Ruben Flores suited up in Brewer blue. Flores in the Brewer bullpen. Denny Almonte on equipment bag detail. Almonte up close. Mariners’ GM Jack Zduriencik talking with Brewers broadcaster Bill Schroeder. I used to be Bill’s research/stats guy. Dustin Ackley faces Brewers’ lefty Manny Parra. Maryvale, my last Cactus League stop this year. I’ll be back. And there you have it, five Cactus League games in six days (one rainout, unfortunately), five former LumberKings sighted and pictures/video of four different Spring Training facilities. Every baseball fan needs to experience Spring Training at least once in their lives, and I highly recommend the Cactus League because of the close proximity and overall quality of the parks. If you have just one day to spend in AZ, I’d recommend going to Camelback Ranch. It’s the biggest of the Cactus League parks and has probably the best Southwestern feel and most unique back fields. You also can’t go wrong with the laid-back atmosphere in Peoria, where the palm trees lining the berm make you feel like you’ve gone to a tropical locale. Now, with under 30 days left until the start of the season, it’s back to Clinton. See you there.

http://lumberkings.mlblogs.com/2010/03/09/day-6-video-and-pictures/?like=1&source=post_flair&_wpnonce=e60e0e8ee0

NEW DELHI: Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was on Saturday rendered a doubtful starter for Sunday's third and final One-dayer against Pakistan due to a sore back, forcing the team management to call up Dinesh Karthik as the back up. Dhoni said at the customary pre-match press conference that he developed soreness on his back during the morning practice session at the Feroze Shah Kotla ground here. He was actually asked about the absence of middle-order batsman Yuvraj Singh at the training session and the skipper said, "If at all somebody is doubtful, it's me. I have a sore back and we have called Dinesh Karthik as back up. "Since it was an optional practice session, Yuvraj did not come," he said. Asked, who will lead the side if he does not recover in time, Dhoni said, "Let's hope that I play. We'll see tomorrow." The beleaguered Indian batting line-up could come under more pressure if Dhoni sits out on Sunday. He has been India's top scorer in the series with a 113 not out in the first match in Chennai and an unbeaten 54 in the second in Kolkata. Asked if it would be a setback for Indian batting, which has been struggling to put up decent scores against Pakistan in the first two matches, Dhoni replied in the negative. "Nobody is irreplaceable. I am sure if Dinesh plays tomorrow, he will bat as good as I batted in the last two games," he said. "It's important to back players. Yes, we are going through a tough period but we field the best eleven. If we go by criticism or by media, probably we would need 30-40 teams. Had I put myself under such pressure, I would have broken down by now," Dhoni said. A section of media had claimed that Indian team members, especially the skipper and the coach, do not speak to each other much after a match but Dhoni said it's not like that. "It's not that we are not talking. We have meetings but having 15 types of different meetings does not help." Dhoni has been India's batting mainstay in the series against Pakistan with an unbeaten 113 in Chennai and unbeaten half-century in Kolkata. Asked if it would weaken the Indian batting further if he sits out on Sunday due to sore back, Dhoni said, "Our batting is good but we have not performed. No individual is irreplaceable. "The new boys are as good, it's just that they have not got enough chances. If Dinesh gets a chance, he will play as good as I played in the last two games. It's important that our top order clicks." Dhoni hoped that the Feroze Shah Kotla wicket will behave the same in both the innings. "It's difficult wicket. It's difficult to predict. But hopefully it will remain similar after the first half," he said. When a Pakistani journalist asked about his viewpoint on the visiting side, Dhoni said, "They have a balanced side. They play with five bowlers. Hafeez and Malik also bowl. They have more options and they are consistent. We have not batted well to test them." The Indian captain said that there was not much difference in ODIs due to new rules but India were struggling due to the lack of a fifth bowler.

http://m.timesofindia.com/sports/cricket/series-tournament/pakistan-in-india-2012/top-stories/MS-Dhoni-doubtful-for-3rd-ODI-due-to-sore-back-Dinesh-Karthik-called-up/articleshow/17900645.cms

UEFA Champions League holders Chelsea FC failed in their quest to lift the FIFA Club World Cup after falling to a 1-0 defeat at the hands of SC Corinthians Paulista. José Paolo Guerrero headed the winner after 69 minutes, and the Blues, who lost Gary Cahill to a red card late on, were unable to find an equaliser despite late pressure which included Juan Mata connecting with a post. After defeating Mexico's CF Monterrey to reach the final, Chelsea went close to going ahead against the Copa Libertadores champions when Cahill had an early effort blocked on the line. Emerson hit the post for the Brazilian side before Cássio Ramos in the Corinthians goal denied Frank Lampard and Victor Moses. The winner came as Danilo's shot looped into the air off defender Cahill and Guerrero reacted smartly to head the ball past three defenders on the line, ensuring the trophy failed to return to Europe for the first time since 2006. "We had enough chances to at least draw the match," said Lampard. "Corinthians are a very good, very organised team as Brazilian teams at club level can be." © 1998-2013 UEFA. All rights reserved.

http://m.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/news/1907505/

Notebook: Miller, Williamson in transition stages Photos: 2013 Jones Cup Check out photos from the first round of the 2013 Jones Cup in Sea Island, Ga. SEA ISLAND, Ga. – One is headed overseas. Another is PGA Tour-bound. Mike Miller and Peter Williamson both have creative ways to fill their schedule until the Walker Cup. Both players are in a transition stage in their career. They don’t want to begin their professional careers until after September’s Walker Cup. They’re not mid-amateurs (age 25 or older), but aren’t playing college golf, either. Miller, 20, played one semester at Penn State. Williamson, 22, graduated from Dartmouth last June. Miller, who shot a first-round 76 Friday at the Jones Cup, leaves next week for the Portuguese and Spanish amateur championships. Williamson will make his next start at the PGA Tour’s Arnold Palmer Invitational. He opened with 84 at Ocean Forest Golf Club. Miller first travelled overseas last year, finishing fourth at both the Lytham Trophy and Irish Amateur. He played the events after meeting the Golfing Union of Ireland’s Pat Finn at the Carey Cup, a Walker Cup-style match between New York’s Metropolitan Golf Association and GUI. Miller, No. 25 in the R&A World Amateur Golf Ranking, will play the Azalea Invitational before heading to Ireland for this year’s Carey Cup, which is scheduled for April 27-29 at the European Club in Brittas Bay, Ireland. He’ll remain overseas for a return to the Lytham Trophy and Irish Amateur, then play the usual summer events in the States. The Brewster, N.Y., native figures to face some potential Walker Cup foes at those events. That experience should help in the matches, as would a home-state advantage. The Walker Cup is being held at National Golf Links of America in Miller’s home state. “They’ll be hooting and hollering,” Miller said of the potential home crowd if he’s picked for the U.S. team. “It would be loud and definitely be good for our side.” Williamson earned his PGA Tour start by winning last year’s Southern Amateur. He also won the North & South Amateur in 2012, a big reason why he’s No. 8 in the R&A’s amateur rankings. He moved to Jupiter, Fla., in September and has been preparing for his PGA Tour debut by playing at Medalist Golf Club with the many pros who live there, including Rickie Fowler, Bud Cauley and Hank Kuehne. When asked if he’s played with Tiger Woods, Williamson replied: “I haven’t yet. Hopefully soon.” Williamson, a New Hampshire native, is getting accustomed to playing golf year-round. He’s been working on shallowing out his swing so that he takes smaller divots. The extra practice time had resulted in soreness in his wrists. He said he struggled with distance control Friday at Ocean Forest. “I’m just trying to figure it out,” he said. • • • COAST-TO-COAST: Jonathan Garrick isn’t headed to Hawaii with his UCLA teammates. Ocean Forest isn’t a bad backup, especially when in contention at the Jones Cup. Garrick, a UCLA freshman, is T-6 after shooting 72, four shots back of co-leaders Cory Whitsett and Rowin Caron. “It’s unfortunate not to be there, but this is a top-10 amateur tournament and this course is the toughest I’ve ever played in competition,” said Garrick, a freshman who won the Cal Poly Invitational earlier this season. “We’re here, so (missing Hawaii) isn’t all that bad.” UCLA’s lineup for the Amer Ari Invitational wasn’t finalized until Sunday. Garrick and Anton Arboleda decided to travel to Georgia after failing to make the lineup via a match-play qualifier. Arboleda shot 79 Friday. Their 11th hour, cross-country trip was made more difficult by delays. The teammates left Los Angeles Wednesday morning, then were delayed five hours in Atlanta. They arrived at Sea Island about 2 a.m. Thursday after flying to Jacksonville, Fla., and driving approximately 80 miles. Garrick played about 14 practice holes later that day. It was 3:45 a.m. in his home state when he awoke Friday to play the Jones Cup’s first round. There’s good news. UCLA head coach Derek Freeman told him a victory here would exempt him into the Bruins’ next event. • • • FAIR-WEATHER FAN: BYU’s Zac Blair has travelled to a warmer climate to keep his game sharp this winter. It’s approximately 50 degrees in St. George, Utah, and the lack of snow makes it possible for Blair to play golf. He said he visits St. George almost every weekend. Taking part in last month’s Walker Cup practice session in Florida and the Patriot All-American (T-18) in Arizona has helped Blair stay in form, as well. He shot 72 Friday at the Jones Cup. This is his first time playing the event. “I’ve played a bit more than I usually have. I’m a bit sharper than I usually have been,” Blair said. • • • SHORT SHOTS: Defending champion Justin Thomas shot 78 after being even-par through 10 holes. He played Nos. 14-16 in 5 over after making triple-bogey at the par-3 15th. Thomas was part of the featured pairing of Williamson and U.S. Amateur champion Steven Fox. They were a combined 27 over par. Fox shot 81 and Williamson fired 84. ... Dru Love, the son of Davis Love III, shot 78. Seth Waugh’s son, Clancy, shot 82. ... Two mid-ams – John Engler and Nick Gilliam – are T-6 after shooting 72.

http://mailto:jwilliams@golfweek.com/news/2013/feb/01/notebook-miller-williamson-transition-stages/

Final 2006 Wakeboard World Cup Stop - Singapore September 22, 2006 Located just off the Pan-Island Expressway and within easy reach of the city’s immediate population of 3.5 million, the 2006 Wakeboard Finals of the IWSF World Cup series will be held September 30th thru October 1st on Singapore’s magnificent downtown Bedok Reservoir. The enormous success of the past two Wakeboard World Cup Stops at this site has proved this to be one of the best stops on the tour. As in past years, over 17,000 spectators are again expected to crowd the landscaped banks in perfect 86F/30C temperatures in expectation for a perfect ending to the World Cup series. The prestige of the season’s 2006 World Cup Wakeboard title plus the stop cash prize of US$60,000 will ensure that the World’s top ranked IWSF Riders will compete. MasterCraft athletes Rusty Malinoski, Andrew Adkison and Maeghan Major are just a few that are expected to compete for podium positions and titles. In addition, four ski jumpers have been invited to put on a demonstration including the current world record holder and 2006 U.S. Open of Waterskiing jump title champion – Freddy Krueger. MasterCraft will again supply the boats and technical crew for this phenomenal event. Events ScheduleSaturday, 30th September 2006 11:00 AM HSBC Junior Riders Challenge - Girls Qualification 11:45 AM HSBC Junior Riders Challenge - Boys Qualification 12:30 PM Pro Waterski Jump Demonstration featuring Freddy Krueger 1:00 PM Pro Women Qualification 2:15 PM Pro Men Qualification 5:00 PM Pro Waterski Jump Contest – Seeding Sunday, 1st October 2006 9:30 AM - HSBC Junior Riders Challenge - Girls Finals 10:00 AM - HSBC Junior Riders Challenge - Boys Finals 10:30 AM - Pro Men's Semi-Final 12:00 PM - Pro Women's Semi-Final 12:45 PM - Pro Waterski Jump Contest - Qualification Round 1:00 PM - Pro Men's Head-to-Head Quarter-Finals 2:00 PM - Pro Men's Head-to-Head Semi-Finals 2:30 PM - Pro Women's Final 3:00 PM Pro Men's 3rd & 4th Head-to-Head Placing 3:15 PM Pro Men's Head-to-Head Final 3:30 PM Pro Waterski Jump Contest - 3rd & 4th Placing 3:45 PM Pro Waterski Jump Contest - Finals 4:00 PM Zero Gravity Wakeboard Challenge 5:00 PM Prize Giving Ceremony To Learn More, click on the link below: 2006 Wakeboard World Cup - Singapore

http://mastercraft.com/company/news/33/

Slumping outfielder Martinez sent to Triple-A Infielder Downs demoted to make room for newly acquired Greene HOUSTON -- Something hasn't been quite right with left fielder J.D. Martinez's swing after he got off to a hot start the first three weeks of the season, prompting the Astros to send him to Triple-A Oklahoma City to try to get things ironed out. The Astros optioned Martinez, who leads the team with 54 RBIs, and infielder Matt Downs to the Minor Leagues following Thursday's loss to the Nationals. Both had options remaining and will likely be back up at some point in September when rosters expand. Earlier in the day, the Astros acquired infielder Tyler Greene from the Cardinals in exchange for a player to be named or cash and will have him in uniform for Friday's series opener against the Brewers. The club will make another roster move to add a player before the game. "I'm not going to look at it in a negative way," Martinez said. "I'm not going to go down there and try to be bitter. I'm going to use it as a growing experience." Martinez admitted he's lost some confidence. "I felt like I started off good and went through kind of a struggle and hit a plateau and never got hot again," he said. "The confidence was always there. It was never boosted back up again." Martinez is barely a year removed from making his Major League debut, which came last August after Hunter Pence was traded to the Phillies. He was called up from Double-A Corpus Christi, so he will be making his first appearance on a Triple-A roster when he joins the RedHawks. He went 0-for-4 with a strikeout on Thursday, dropping his batting average to .235 with 11 homers. Martinez, who leads the team with 87 strikeouts, had been hitting just .218 since April 22, including a 6-for-54 stretch April 22-May 13. "He's in a situation where he's going through a little funk and because he has that option left, it's better if he got out of that funk the next couple of weeks in the Triple-A level instead of trying to work out of it here," manager Brad Mills said. "That's exactly what I told him, 'You're going to fight through this funk.'" Martinez was disappointed in the move, but was focusing on positives. "It's obviously tough," he said. "You never look forward to that, you never expect it. You have to take it positive and go down there and try to get my swing [right], the same swing that got me here, and I'm just going to keep moving forward and keep working hard to come back." Martinez simply hadn't been squaring up balls like he did last season, when he burst onto the scene and hit .274 with six homers and 35 RBIs in 53 games in his Major League debut. He had 28 RBIs last August, which were the most for any Astros rookie in any month. "You talk to hitters, and how hitters get hot is hit the ball on the barrel, and when you hit the ball on the barrel, you get that feel again," Martinez said. "I think that's the biggest thing I feel that I lost a bit. It's never easy up here in the first place with the guys pitching and having the stuff they have and you're battling. It's a little bit tougher to find that barrel, but it's the big leagues and that's why guys get paid a lot of money to play up here. It's not that easy." Downs, meanwhile, was hitting .209 with seven homers and 13 RBIs in 154 at-bats, many of which had come off the bench. He was hitting .311 (14-for-45) in his last 21 games, but hadn't been able to gain the consistency he had last year, when he was arguably the best pinch-hitter in baseball. When he wasn't starting, Downs found himself in the unenviable position of pinch-hitting late in games, often against the other team's closer. "Here's a guy that's prepared so well for his role and done such a good job in facing some of the best pitchers he faces every night," Mills said. "In the last three innings is usually when he gets his at-bats, and that's tough. That's not an easy assignment. Last year, he was exceptional at it and this year he hasn't been quite as exceptional. But he's been professional about it how he prepares."

http://milwaukee.brewers.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120810&content_id=36442024&vkey=news_hou&c_id=hou

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- When Fredi Gonzalez was named as his successor two years ago, former Braves manager Bobby Cox said that Atlanta fans would soon forget about him like Dodgers fans forgot about Walter Alston during Tommy Lasorda's managerial reign in Los Angeles. Two years later, the Braves still have fond memories of all of the contributions Cox made. At the same time, they seem quite satisfied with the way Gonzalez has handled the unenviable task of serving as Cox's successor. The Braves announced on Wednesday at the Winter Meetings that they have exercised Gonzalez's contract option for the 2014 season. This provides the 48-year-old manager a vote of confidence and a chance to prepare for this upcoming season with a little more certainty about his future. "I think he did a terrific job of leading us to the playoffs in 2012," general manager Frank Wren said. "We feel his leadership is very helpful for our ballclub going forward to stay competitive." Gonzalez's tenure as the Braves' manager began in disappointing fashion as Atlanta blew the 9 1/2-game Wild Card lead it carried into September of the 2011 season. But Gonzalez showed his leadership skills and silenced some of his critics this year as the Braves distanced themselves from this disastrous finish and completed a 94-win season, the club's highest win total since 2004. The team's journey into the postseason proved short as it lost a one-game Wild Card playoff against the Cardinals. "There were a lot of questions asked about the collapse, and they used every adjective to describe the last month of 2011," Gonzalez said. "I'm so proud of [the players]. Pretty much the same team came back in 2012. "I think it was a club that learned collectively from top to bottom, from me to the last guy on that roster, that it couldn't happen again. And we did it. We did not let it happen. We went out and built on it and had a pretty good season." As Gonzalez looks toward the 2014 season, he is tasked with the responsibility of guiding Atlanta through the early stages of the post-Chipper Jones era. With Jones retired and both David Ross and Eric Hinske playing elsewhere, the Braves will gain some new leaders next year. Tim Hudson has capably filled this role over the past few years and Dan Uggla is certainly capable of assuming more of a leadership role as he prepares for his third season in Atlanta. And there is also certainly a chance that some of the leadership will be assumed by Martin Prado, who has spent the past few years establishing himself as one of the most respected members of Atlanta's clubhouse. "Sometimes I think we mistake leadership for the guy on top of the table, yelling, screaming and throwing chairs and that kind of stuff," Gonzalez said. "For me, sometimes a leader is a guy that goes out there and plays the game the right way and can tell somebody, 'Hey, this is not the way we do it here.'" While the Braves are still exploring the possibility of acquiring a leadoff hitter, Gonzalez admits that he has spent the past week debating how to position his lineup with the recently signed outfielder B.J. Upton, who has the potential to provide both speed and power. Instead of targeting Upton, Uggla, Jason Heyward, Freddie Freeman and Brian McCann for specific spots in his lineup, Gonzalez said he is looking forward to putting together a lineup that includes this kind of power potential. "You can sit here and get locked in and say, 'He's the fourth hitter or fifth hitter,' and it's going to be dumb on my part, because next thing you know, McCann is crushing balls or Danny is hitting balls," Gonzalez said. "Guess what? [If so] they're going to be hitting up at the top of the order. But [Upton is] a middle-lineup guy, and we have some candidates there. Not everybody can hit two, three, four or five." As Gonzalez looks at a potentially deep lineup and what appears to be a solid pitching staff, he is optimistic that the Braves can build upon this past season's success and return to the postseason. "Our goal is, like every year, to get to the postseason, and we did that this year," Gonzalez said. "That's our goal next year, to get to the postseason. Hopefully you catch on fire, you catch a couple breaks and you get a little deeper." Mark Bowman is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

http://milwaukee.brewers.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20121205&content_id=40541112&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb

TORONTO -- Shaun Marcum strolled through the Blue Jays' clubhouse last month, bat in hand, heading to the cage for one of the hitting sessions held for the club's pitchers during the Interleague Play slate. Marcum had his own bats, but he decided instead to raid the stash belonging to Toronto outfielder Jose Bautista. Asked why he was not using the lumber ordered for him, Marcum shrugged and smiled. "It seems like Bautista's got some homers in his," Marcum replied. Home runs are a big part of why Bautista found his way onto the American League All-Star team, which was revealed on Sunday. His breakout showing in the first half for Toronto currently has him atop Major League Baseball's home run leaderboard, leaving just one question for Bautista to answer. Would he be willing to slug it out in the State Farm Home Run Derby? "I've got mixed feelings about it so far," Bautista said on Sunday. Bautista has heard the stories. There was Bobby Abreu in 2005. And then Alex Rios in 2007. Beyond just those two, there are plenty of other examples of players who took to the stage and put on a powerful show -- only to see their power sapped in the second half of the season. Sometimes longer. Of course, there are also many cases where players took part in the Derby without any post-hacking symptoms. That is why Bautista is not ruling anything out right now. "It's something you've got to consider if they do contact me about it," Bautista said. "I've heard a couple of guys have gotten messed up after they've been in it. I've been in a couple in the Minor Leagues since I've played and I've never had problems. "Plus, there'd be a lot of pressure on you on the big stage." In 2005, Abreu took the Home Run Derby crown by launching 41 long balls in a jaw-dropping display at spacious Comerica Park in Detroit. Then, Abreu hit just six homers over the final 73 games of the season and managed to clear the fence merely 15 times the following season. In 2007, former Blue Jays outfielder Alex Rios finished second in the contest, but belted a Derby-high 19 home runs at AT&T Park in San Francisco. Rios then hit just seven homers over the last 75 games of the year for Toronto and followed that up with only 17 shots for the Jays in '08. To a lesser extent, Rangers slugger Josh Hamilton went through a similar experience after his memorable performance at the 2008 Derby. Hamilton turned the old Yankee Stadium into his personal playground, smacking 35 home runs, including 28 in the first round. Hamilton then saw his power numbers decline in the second half. It is impossible to know how much of a role, if any, the Derby played in any of those cases. Players are often superstitious, though, and they are certainly creatures of habit. Bautista -- a first-time All-Star -- has found his success this season through timing and consistency with his swing. Given how he treats batting practice prior to each game, he knows he would have to alter his swing mechanics in a home run-hitting contest. That is causing him some hesitation. "I'm not really a home run hitter during BP," Bautista explained. "I hit more line drives than anything. I'd have to make an adjustment with my swing to get the ball up in the air more." Through 82 games for the Blue Jays, Bautista had launched a Major League-leading 21 home runs, surpassing his previous career best of 16 in 2006 with the Pirates. Dating back to Sept. 7 of last season, Bautista has belted 31 homers in 382 at-bats, or one per 12.3 at-bats on average. Before Sept. 7, 2009? Bautista had just 49 homers in his previous 1,656 at-bats. "It seems like whenever he hits the ball, it goes out of the park," said catcher John Buck, who joins center fielder Vernon Wells and Bautista as the Blue Jays' All-Star representatives this season. "He's having a great year." Bautista might not want to mess with what is working. There is also the matter of the venue. This year's Midsummer Classic is being held at Angel Stadium in Anaheim -- not the most hitter-friendly park in the big leagues. "If it was in Philadelphia, I'd definitely do it," Bautista said with a laugh. If Bautista is asked to take part in the Derby, though, he might still consider giving it a shot. "I've thought about it," Bautista said. "We'll see." Jordan Bastian is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

http://minnesota.twins.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100705&content_id=11954022&vkey=allstar2010&fext=.jsp

Putting an end to their seven-game losing streak and Ricky Romero's 13-game slide, the Blue Jays grabbed an early lead on Edwin Encarnacion's 41st homer and pulled away on J.P. Arencibia's grand slam in Game 2 of a twin bill. The loss dropped the O's 1 1/2 games back in the AL East. First Prize (Wild Card and Division Series): 2012 subscription to Postseason.TV (5 winners per game) First Prize (Championship Series and World Series): MLB.TV Offseason subscription (5 winners per game) Share with friends: Get your first card now and share to earn two more cards. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. Open to legal residents of the 50 US and DC who are of legal age of majority in their jurisdiction (and at least 18 years of age). Ends upon completion of the final out of the 2012 MLB World Series Championship. Limit three (3) Bingo Cards per person and per email address per postseason game. 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Strasburg to debut vs. Pirates on June 8 Highly touted No. 1 Draft pick 'is ready to go,' Nats GM says WASHINGTON -- The Nationals have decided that right-hander Stephen Strasburg will make his Major League debut on June 8 against the Pirates -- provided that a rainout or injury doesn't stand in the way. "We believe he is ready to go," general manager Mike Rizzo said on Monday. "We like that Stephen could bounce back from tough outings." Strasburg, 21, will become the fourth first-round Draft pick -- third baseman Ryan Zimmerman and pitchers Ross Detwiler and Drew Storen are the others -- in Nationals history to reach the big leagues. Strasburg is scheduled to make his final Minor League start on Thursday for Triple-A Syracuse in Buffalo. Strasburg will throw six innings or 95 pitches, Rizzo said. "It's exciting, obviously. He has worked hard to get where he is at," Zimmerman said. "But I think it's exciting for us. Every fifth day, he gives us a really good chance to win. I think that's the goal here. We continue to develop guys that we draft like Storen and Stras. "Ultimately, we'll have a good group of core guys that we drafted to go along with guys like me, Adam Dunn, Hammer [Josh Willingham] and those kind of guys. Ultimately, we'll have a very competitive team." Strasburg, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2009 First-Year Player Draft, has been dominant in the Minors thus far, going a combined 6-2 with a 1.43 ERA and 60 strikeouts in 50 1/3 innings for Double-A Harrisburg and Triple-A Syracuse. "Along with [pitching coordinator] Spin Williams and pitching coach Steve McCatty, we had a plan in place since Spring Training [for Strasburg]," Rizzo said. Catcher Wil Nieves caught most of Strasburg's games in Spring Training and came away impressed with what he saw from the right-hander. "He is an unbelievable pitcher," Nieves said. "He is getting his experience in the Minor Leagues. He is doing a great job down there from what I've heard. He is going to help us. He is mature. I know he is going to be strong mentally. It's exciting to add somebody like him to the rotation." Strasburg's arrival means that the Nationals will have to take someone out of their rotation. Provided that they are healthy, right-hander Livan Hernandez and left-hander John Lannan will remain in the rotation. There are reports that right-hander Luis Atilano could be the leading candidate to be sent down to Syracuse, but those reports appear to be premature. Atilano is having a far better season than right-hander Craig Stammen, who is scheduled to pitch Tuesday against the Astros. Atilano is 5-1 with a 4.70 ERA, while Stammen has picked up one victory and has a 5.60 ERA. Right-hander J.D. Martin, who was recalled from Syracuse on Saturday because of a shoulder injury to left-hander Scott Olsen, could be the odd man out. However, Martin is off to a good start, even though he lost the game to the Padres that same day. He lasted six innings and allowed one earned run. Even more impressive is that Martin didn't walk a batter. The Nationals have a week to make the decision on Atilano, Stammen or Martin before Strasburg is in the big leagues. Bill Ladson is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100531&content_id=10656960&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb

VIERA, Fla. -- In need of a catcher, the Astros are looking at Jesus Flores as a possible replacement for Jason Castro -- who is out for the season because of a knee injury -- according to a baseball source. However, Houston is concerned about Flores' right shoulder, which has kept him off the diamond for almost two years. Flores is healthy now, but has yet to be challenged in terms of trying to throw out runners this spring. For the first time since moving to Washington, the Nats have catching depth and could trade Flores. th Ivan Rodriguez will start the season as Washington's Opening Day catcher, while Wilson Ramos is considered the team's backstop of the future. Derek Norris most likely will start the season in the Minors. According to many in the Nats' organization, Norris already has a big league bat, but is making strides behind the plate. Catcher Norris draws praise from Riggleman VIERA, Fla. -- Nationals manager Jim Riggleman raved about catcher Derek Norris on Monday morning, calling him one of the most impressive players in camp and comparing him to former Nats outfielder Josh Willingham in terms of knowing the strike zone. After all, Norris has an on-base percentage of .414 during his four years in professional baseball. Not only is Norris an above-average hitter, he has made strides behind the plate, according to Riggleman. "He really looks good at the plate. His catching is coming along," Riggleman said. "We really think he is going to be a big league catcher. You like to give respect to the guys who have done it. He kind of gives you that Willingham feeling up there as a hitter. He is kind of built like Willingham, knows the strike zone like Willingham and we think he is going to have similar power like Willingham." 2010 Spring Training - Major League Baseball News & Features - J. Upton's slam changes tenor of game, recent stretch - Sale shuts downs Angels for second time this week - Goldschmidt supports Cahill with homers 11 and 12 - Kipnis conquers M's with three-run, walk-off homer - Error allows Pirates to score winning run in ninth Sights & Sounds Spring Training Info The Nats are loaded with quality catchers, including Ivan Rodriguez, Wilson Ramos, Jesus Flores and Jhonatan Solano. Is there any talk of Norris switching positions? "Right now, he is a catcher, period," Riggleman said about Norris. "He really got his game together in the [Arizona Fall League]. He was more aggressive in the Fall League and here in Spring Training. "We feel like he is going to catch, period. The strides he has made with our instructors throughout the system and [assistant general manager] Bob Boone, we are really seeing that he can catch. That's where it's at." Last season, Norris played for Class A Hagerstown and Potomac, and he hit a combined .235 with 12 home runs and 49 RBIs. He missed time because of a wrist injury and a concussion suffered after being hit by a pitch. Kasten at camp for first time since resigning VIERA, Fla. -- Stan Kasten visited the Nationals on Monday morning. It was his first appearance in camp since resigning as the team's president. Although he still has a stake in the team, he doesn't work for the franchise and declined to say what he plans to do in the future. "I've been doing a lot of miscellaneous stuff I don't like to talk about," Kasten said. "I can't talk about anything today, but I have been very busy. I've been moving around quite a bit. I'm working on a whole lot of things, but I'm glad I have the time to get down here this week." Kasten said he pays attention to the Nationals and the moves they made this offseason. He believes they can improve as long as they have healthy starting pitching. "They had a very active, aggressive offseason, and I'm certainly in favor of aggressiveness," Kasten said. "Let's keep our fingers crossed. If they don't have the injuries that they had last year in the rotation, they are going to improve. Other than that, they look like they have a lot more quality, too. It's very exciting, I think." Harper quiets heckler with two-run double VIERA, Fla. -- Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper had his best spring game on Monday afternoon, going 2-for-2 with two RBIs in a 14-9 victory against the Astros, and raising his Spring Training average to .308 in the process. Harper's most impressive hit came during his second at-bat in the eighth inning. The team had already scored six runs in the inning. With Harper at the plate, one fan in the stands yelled, "Overrated, overrated." On the next pitch from reliever Jorge De Leon, Harper doubled near the right-field line, scoring Matt Stairs and Alex Cora. Harper acknowledged that he heard the heckling from the fan. "You can hear everything out there," Harper said. "You can't really get into that. I've been hearing it since I was in high school, college. It doesn't get old because I love it. I love hearing it. I love people saying that stuff about me. I like all the bad stuff." All though he is hitting over .300, Harper believes it's hard facing opposing pitchers he has never seen. He also said he's not in a hitting groove. He needs at least 30 or 40 at-bats to feel comfortable in the batter's box. "It's always going to be hard," Harper said about facing opposing pitchers. "I think it was Ted Williams who said, 'I hate hitting in All-Star Games and against rookies.' He had never seen them before. So going up there and seeing guys you have never seen before, especially relievers and closers, they are going to come at you with sliders, knuckleballs, split fingers, everything they have in their kitchen sink. "I'm still going out there every day and getting things going. It's hard not starting every game. I'm sitting inside the dugout and it feels like I want to fall asleep, but I'm just trying to get things going. There are many things that I need in Spring Training that could really help you out." Despite results, Storen pleased with outing VIERA, Fla. -- The numbers say Nationals reliever Drew Storen didn't have a good outing Monday, allowing two runs (one earned) in one inning. It didn't help that the team played below average defense behind him. But manager Jim Riggleman said Storen was told to throw more fastballs than usual. The club wants him to have more fastball command. "[For Storen], the results are not going to look as good as he actually threw," Riggleman said. "We are trying to get him to have better command of his fastball a little more, so we are insisting that he throws more fastballs, which is going to get him hit a little bit if he is not using all of his weapons." Storen said he was happy with the team's decision to throw more fastballs. "It was kind of the big thing we were talking about -- fastball command," Storen said. "I really concentrated on it today. I was happy with the way I threw the ball. It's just that things didn't go my way. I didn't like the results, but the way I pitched was a lot better -- a big step ahead than the last time. The last time was not where I wanted to be." Storen is competing with Sean Burnett, Tyler Clippard and Henry Rodriguez for the closer role. Thus far, Storen has allowed six earned runs in three innings. Gorzelanny to make first start Thursday VIERA, Fla. -- Nationals left-hander Tom Gorzelanny will pitch in his first Major League Spring Training game Thursday against the Mets at Space Coast Stadium. Gorzelanny fell behind a lot of the pitchers because he had a bad case of the flu. The veteran left-hander, who is competing for the fifth spot in the rotation, most likely will pitch three innings. Bill Ladson is a reporter for MLB.com and writes an MLBlog, All Nats All the time. He also could be found on Twitter @WashingNats. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20110307&content_id=16850510&notebook_id=16850864

Houston Astros Roster In 2013: State Of The Union: Like us on Facebook hereFollow @mlbreports Monday, February.11, 2013 By Nicholas Rossoletti (MLB Reports Trade Correspondent): Follow @NRoss56 In 2005, the Houston Astros completed a run to the World Series. It was the culmination of the Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell teams in Houston. That team had players on it named Clemens, Pettitte, Oswalt,Bagwell and Biggio. This Houston team is a far way from that National League Champion. Houston has failed at epic levels the last two seasons. The state of the current union of this team is summed up in one word: bad. With that said, there is a ray of hope in these dark days. When I first learned of this assignment, I planned on doing a portion of a piece on the Astros most expensive and possibly most prominent offensive piece, Jed Lowrie. Houston, in an effort to aggressively proceed with rebuilding its roster, traded Lowrie for several pieces. The trade itself has been covered by this site and our Astros’ corespondent already so I’m going to focus on piece of it. Chris Carter, the First Baseman/Outfielder, acquired by the Astros. Carter has shown consistent power at the Minor League levels as he consistently posted well above league average ISO numbers. His brief stint in the Majors with the A’s prior to the 2012 season did not see those numbers translate. Finally in 2012, we got a look at what we hope is the real Chris Carter. Carter posted 16 Home Runs in less than 300 Plate Appearances while posting a spectacular ISO. Carter is not the type of player who will hit for average as his Strike-Out rates are consistently well above league average, but he does so an excellent propensity for taking walks. Carter is an Adam Dunn - type player. Big power, good On Base Percentage, but a high Strike Out rate with a low Batting Average. Overall, I think he will make a fine number four hitter, but the pieces around him need to fit. The other issue is where does Carter play. He is traditionally a First Baseman, but Houston is currently playing 26-Year Old Brett Wallace at first in an effort to determine his value. More important than Wallace though is one of Houston’s top prospects, First Baseman Jonathan Singleton. Bagwell and Biggio Mix of Highlights: Who will be the next tandem of Astros greats?: Singleton and Carter could compliment each other quite well in the future. Singleton is not a traditional power hitting First Baseman. He generates his offensive value mostly through his On Base Percentage. His ISO has increased to .213 with Houston’s Double-A Ball Club, which is very encouraging as he hits his prime. The biggest problem for Singleton right now is that he is set to lose Plate Appearances at Double-A due to an upcoming suspension. These were key At – Bats that Singleton will need to make up, but once he does, I think we could be seeing a solid middle of the Astros line-up for several years with Carter and Singleton. Besides Carter (and eventually Singleton, who should see action by the end of the season), the only consistent offensive force on the Astros is Jose Altuve. Altuve is a table setting presence for the Astros. He makes his living on an above the median BABIP and high contact rates, which translate into consistent Batting Average production from Altuve. Altuve provides nice production from second base, but Houston fans should be realistic about Altuve’s upside. In order for him to maximize his potential offensively, he needs to increase his walk rate significantly. Altuve’s ability to make contact makes him a good offensive piece with the potential to repeat his 2012 trip to the All-Star game in the future, but he walks at a below average rate. This isn’t as harmful to Altuve as to other players because of the good contact rates, but it is the issue that stands in his way to being one of the elite table setting players in the league. Altuve will never be a source of power, but an increase in On Base Percentage in front of Houston’s budding power hitters discussed above would greatly impact Houston’s ability to compete in the future. The remainder of the Astros lineup is flushed with talent that needs to prove it belongs consistently in the Major Leagues. We could spend paragraphs discussing the strange amalgamation of talent that Houston has compiled, but truthfully, most of this years line-up are playing on a year to year basis as the Astros develop higher end talent or eventually begin spending on higher-ceiling Free Agents to assume these positions. In the rotation, Houston has collected some young arms and will give many of them a shot at competing this spring. The veteran workhorse of this squad is Bud Norris, who is a solid strike out pitcher and can provide valuable innings. It seems as though Houston will look to trade Norris either before the season or at the trade deadline as the expense of maintaining his contract increases. I won’t spend a lot of time on Norris as I don’t realistically believe he is a piece for this organization long-term so I am generally not including him in my review of the staff. The new “ace” of this staff (at least for the moment) is Lucas Harrell. I’m using ace very liberally because Harrell’s statistics generally indicate that he is more of an innings eater than a true number one Starting Pitcher. It is hard to find young, cheap arms that can give a team 200 innings pitched of even league average baseball, but it speaks to Houston’s current state of affairs that Harrell is the closest it can come to a current ace. Harrell gets by on good command and keeping the ball in the park. He keeps his Strikeouts at about a league average level, but the strike out has never been Harrell’s forte, which is what holds him back from being an elite level pitcher on a consistent basis in the Major Leagues. Following Harrell are Jordan Lyles, who is similar to Harrell except Lyles has a harder time keeping the ball in the ball park and even less success at having professional hitters strike out on his stuff. Jarred Cosart should be in the mix. He is a terrific talent, but his strike out numbers have decreased as he has moved up through the Minors. His strike out numbers finally bounced back and increased last year at Triple-A, but his BB/9 is still high at 4.23. We need to see that decrease significantly and his strike-outs to continue to rise for Cosart to live up to his potential. At the very least, he should provide another young arm for Houston to develop on the Major League level. The Astros will fill out the rotation with Phillip Humber, whose claim to fame remains last season’s perfect game, and a group of rotational pieces. They hope that Alex White will live up to his previous expectations, but nothing in his current Major League sample size suggests that this is likely. The bullpen for the Astros will be a mix of low cost veterans like Jose Veras and Wesley Wright along with products from the Houston system. As with any team looking to shed costs in a re-building effort, Houston is doing the proper thing by keeping a low cost bullpen and trying to develop pieces to grow as the team begins its path towards future success. Before wrapping, I think its important for Houston as a fan base to understand that 2013 will lead to more of the same losing experiences, but the extended future is so bright. Just three or so years ago, Houston’s farm system was considered a low man on totem pole. Now, thanks to smart trades, solid drafting and a couple of prospects bouncing back, Houston is set up as a deep system with talent at the top. Not the least of that is first overall pick from the 2012 draft, Carlos Correa. Correa is the Astros Shortstop of the future and the first of several top prospects. The Astros have a bright future. It just isn’t going to start in 2013. *** The views and opinions expressed in this report are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of mlbreports.com and their partners*** A big thank-you goes out to Our ‘Trade Correspondent’ Nicholas Rossoletti for preparing today’s featured article. Nicholas is a young professional living in downtown Miami. He is a lifelong baseball fan and an avid Yankee supporter. Having grown up during the last two decades, he counts Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera as his favorite ball players of all time. He believes in sabermetrics and that new stats have already changed the way the baseball industry sees players. He was for Trout over Cabrera, he thinks RBIs tell you a lot more about a team than a player and that defense and pitching, ultimately, win championships. Rational thought and introspective analysis over the narrative is how we come to understand the game we love. The narrative is just a way to keep those who don’t really love the game watching. Feel free to follow Nicholas on twitter and talk the game of baseball Follow @NRoss56 ”There are three things in my life which I really love: God, my family, and baseball. The only problem – once baseball season starts, I change the order around a bit.” ~Al Gallagher, 1971 Please e-mail me at: email@example.com with any questions and feedback. You can follow us on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook. To subscribe to our website and have the Daily Reports sent directly to your inbox, click here and follow the link at the top of our homepage.Follow @mlbreports Like us on Facebook here Posted on February 11, 2013, in The Rest: Everything Baseball and tagged @nross56, adam dunn, alex white, andy petttitte, billy beane, brett wallace, bud norris, carlos correa, chris carter, craig biggio, houston astros, jarred cosart, jed lowrie, jeff bagwell, jonathan singleton, jordan lyles, jose altuve, jose veras, lucas harrell, nicholas rossoletti, roger clemens, roy oswalt, wesley wright. Bookmark the permalink. 1 Comment.

http://mlbreports.com/2013/02/11/houstate/?like=1&source=post_flair&_wpnonce=ba53fcffb3

Monday, August 18, 2008 The eighth season of "The Ultimate Fighter" is nearly upon us, and it brings with it all the usual pre-show hype and promises of excitement. However, not everyone is happy with this upcoming edition of the hit reality TV series. Last season, the TUF house's foosball table was dumped into the pool during an episode of drunken mayhem; MMA Journalist caught up with that foosball table to get its thoughts on the new season. MMA Journalist: How you doing? Foosball Table: I'm doing good. MMA Journalist: You've been a permanent fixture in the TUF house for a while now and you've seen things from a very different perspective than those watching at home. What are your thoughts on this season? Foosball Table: I think it sucked. Not because of anything to do with the fights or the drama or whatever, but because I'm sick of being in constant fear for my life. MMA Journalist: Fear for your life? Foosball Table: Yeah. You have no idea what it's like to be a piece of furniture in that house cooped up with those guys - very physical guys who at any moment could snap and turn around and smash you. That's no way to live, man. MMA Journalist: But I thought Dana White said that whoever trashes the house this season would have to pay for the damages? Didn't that make things safer for you? Foosball Table: Um, not so much. I mean, regardless of who's footing the bill, the producers are still stocking the place with liquor and it's still always my ass on the line once the booze starts flowing. Did you know Forrest Griffin threw up in me during the filming of season five? The dude wasn't even staying at the house! Did you know Nate Diaz tried to smoke me? And I'm not even going to tell you what Patrick Cote did to my goalie! MMA Journalist: Wow. Sounds rough. Foosball Table: 'Rough' is an understatement. MMA Journalist: Well, thanks for your time. Foosball Table: No problem.

http://mmajournalist.blogspot.com/2008_08_18_archive.html

Army makes too many miscues against No. 24 Rutgers PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) Army had its biggest win since 1972 within its grasp and handed it away. Despite limiting No. 24 Rutgers to 252 total yards, the Black Knights made three crucial mistakes in the final nine minutes and dropped a 28-7 decision Saturday. It was a tie game in the fourth quarter before Army (2-8) made two miscues on punts and lost a fumble that helped put the Scarlet Knights in control. ''Obviously, the kicking game was a disaster,'' Army coach Rich Ellerson said. ''The fourth quarter turned into a bit of a clown act. It's the finishing edge that has to be in place. We did the hard things that put us in good position, but we weren't able to do the routine. The easier things, we were unable to do.'' Duron Harmon's 73-yard fumble return for a touchdown with 40 seconds left for the Scarlet Knights (8-1) capped their ninth straight triumph over Army (2-8). ''This is the best our defense played all year,'' Army strong safety Josh Jackson said. ''People want to say we played our best game against Air Force (41-21 last week), but this is the best we played all year. From the start to the finish, we did our thing. There were so many chances we had that we didn't capitalize on.'' Jackson was referring to the offense, which ran 85 plays and gained 337 yards. Three fumbles, two blocked field goals and a bad snap, all helped Rutgers nullify the stellar defense displayed by Army. Quarterback Trent Steelman's 1-yard keeper in the first quarter staked Army to a 7-0 lead, but the miscues offensively never let the Black Knights build on its lead. Steelman, who rushed for 102 yards on 26 carries, to put him at 1,013 running yards for the season, fumbled to snuff out one drive. His pass 13-yard pass hit Chevaughn Lawrence in the hands, but he couldn't hold onto the ball in the waning seconds of the first half. Steelman is the 16th Army player to run for 1,000 yards in a season and is poised to break the Black Knights' record for a quarterback of 1,078 yards set by Tory Crawford in 1986. ''Honestly, I thought (Lawrence) came down with it,'' Steelman said after Army missed a chance to knock off a ranked team for the first time since 1972. ''I guess when he hit the ground it came out. Bottom line is that we didn't cash in on our opportunities.'' On the next play after the incompletion to Lawrence, Dan Grochowski's low kick for a 30-yard field goal was blocked by Lorenzo Waters of Rutgers with 24 seconds left before the break. Army never could get going in the second half as the Scarlet Knights learned how to defend the triple option. Rutgers coach Kyle Flood said he expected Army to give Rutgers all it could handle, downplaying the idea that Rutgers escaped with a win. ''I think if you say that, you're not giving them the credit they deserve,'' Flood said. ''If you put the film on and watch them game in and game out, Coach Ellerson has a really good football team. And as he has said, their record doesn't reflect that. They're difficult to play against, and we worked really hard for that win today Brandon Coleman caught his second touchdown of the game on a 31-yard pass from Gary Nova with 8:49 to play for the game-winning score as the Scarlet Knights bounced back from their first loss and a two-week layoff that featured Hurricane Sandy and a Nor'easter that dumped a foot of snow in New Jersey. Rutgers also got a 2-yard touchdown run from Savon Huggins with 6:28 left. Coleman caught a 16-yard touchdown pass in the first half on a halfback option by Jawan Jamison, while weakside linebacker Khaseem Greene had 22 tackles and a forced fumble, his sixth of the season. Rutgers kept the Black Knights off the board after Steelman's TD with its No. 4 ranked run defense limiting the nation's No. 1 ground game (375.44 yards) to 282 yards, including 86 in the second half. The game was tied 7-7 with less than 11 minutes to play when Army self-destructed. Punter Chris Boldt made the first mistake, shanking his kick 9 yards to the Army 45.. Nova capped the four-play drive finding Coleman in the right corner of the end zone. Marcus Cooper blocked a 43-yard field goal attempt by Grochowski.

http://msn.foxsports.com/collegefootball/story/Army-makes-too-many-miscues-against-No-24-Rutgers-17889123

9/5 Silva eager for Tuesday's start Cubs pitcher Carlos Silva is looking forward to Tuesday’s start, his first since Aug. 1. “I feel very good, I feel great,” Silva said Sunday. “My arm, my velocity, I feel really good.” He’s had no trouble with his heart since his last start, when he was pulled after four batters because of an abnormal heart rate. He underwent a cardiac ablation on Aug. 9 and has felt strong. “[The doctor] said I should feel a lot better than before and I should feel like a new guy,” Silva said. “That’s what I want to do is finish strong. What happened before is already gone, the bad things, the good things. Right now, the only thing I’m looking for is to finish strong and have a positive mind for next year. It’s like when you get hurt, you want to pitch one more game before the season ends because you want to be positive and feel healthy.” – Carrie Muskat

http://muskat.mlblogs.com/2010/09/05/95-silva-eager-for-tuesdays-start/?like=1&source=post_flair&_wpnonce=a21ac6eb7c

Date: Fri February 15, 2013 Show: Brock and Danny ESPN's Herm Edwards joins "Brock and Salk" and discusses where he thinks the Seahawks' Russell Wilson ranks among NFL quarterbacks. Edwards also shares his thoughts on veteran defensive back Charles Woodson, who was released Friday by the Packers. Subscribe directly to the podcast: More Brock and Danny podcasts

http://mynorthwest.com/category/pod_player_sports/?a=9952407&p=1007&n=Brock%20and%20Salk

Reports: Celtics and Nets talk Paul Pierce for Kris Humphries trade? By Ben Golliver All three of Boston’s premier players have now found themselves in rumors in advance of Thursday’s trade deadline. Will any of them actually move? Yahoo! Sports reports that Celtics forward Paul Pierce has been the subject of trade talks with the Nets. The Boston Celtics and Brooklyn Nets have discussed a trade for Celtics star Paul Pierce, league sources told Yahoo! Sports. The Nets’ offer centered on forward Kris Humphries, guard MarShon Brooks and a first-round draft pick, but the Celtics want a more substantial package to consider moving Pierce, league sources said. … Boston has shown interest in guard Mirza Teletovic and securing another possible first-round pick, but the Nets have shown no inclination to pay that steep of a price for Pierce. The New York Post reports that there’s “not much” to the talks between Boston and Brooklyn. Pierce joins guard Rajon Rondo and forward Kevin Garnett to find himself in rumors this week. Celtics president Danny Ainge reportedly told Rondo’s agent that his client would not be traded while Garnett said this weekend that he would not waive his no-trade clause, thus ensuring he remains in Boston. A trade scenario between the Celtics and Nets would seem to be problematic for a number of reasons. The two teams are division rivals and are jockeying for playoff position; the Nets are currently in the East’s No. 4 spot while the Celtics are No. 7. Moving Pierce without receiving a player of a similar caliber amounts to punting on this season, and Boston doesn’t have much motivation to do that if Garnett remains in the fold. The temptation will be to take their chances with a veteran core and hope for favorable match-ups to make a postseason run. If a star-type player doesn’t return for Pierce, the Celtics would at the very least need to acquire some worthwhile assets. Humphries, significantly overpaid given his contributions this year, and Brooks, who isn’t a home run prospect, isn’t exactly the type of return you would expect for a player of Pierce’s caliber and experience. The Humphries/Brooks package has also circulated as a possible combination in a deal for Hawks forward Josh Smith and Humphries has appeared in a trade rumor involving Bobcats guard Ben Gordon, although the New York Times reported Wednesday night that Brooklyn was no longer interested in that deal with Charlotte. The key point: It’s possible that Pierce’s late mention in the hours before the deadline is a by-product of other Brooklyn dealings. It’s worth noting that the veteran forward took the court for the Celtics on Wednesday night against the Lakers. Pierce, 35, is averaging 18.3 points, 6.4 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.3 steals per game. He’s on the books for $16.8 million this season and $15.3 million next season. Humphries, 28, is averaging six points and 6.2 rebounds in a reduced role this season. He’s on the books for $12 million this season and $12 million next season. Brooks, 24, is averaging five points in 11 minutes. He’s in the second year of a rookie contract that can run through 2014-15. Teletovic, 27, is in his first NBA season after spending the early stages of his professional career abroad. He’s averaging 3.1 points and 1.4 rebounds in 7.8 minutes. He’s currently in the first year of a three-year deal that will pay him $9.7 million. He’s most famous for shooting three consecutive airballs in just forty seconds.

http://nba.si.com/2013/02/20/paul-pierce-trade-rumors-celtics-nets-boston-brooklyn-kris-humphries/?sct=hp_t2blog_a6

Nov 20, 2012, 7:23 PM EDT When I was younger, my mother tried to get me involved in fencing, but I guess it never stuck. But it’s an underrated sport that’s more complicated than two people poking each other with swords. The Notre Dame fencers understand that. Last night, the Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) held an open-forum to educate all student-athletes about the sport of fencing and also to let a few student athletes duel. Senior fencer Marta Stepien, who helped organize the event said of its conception, “We kind of wanted to do something exciting for the last SAAC forum before Thanksgiving. We knew a lot of students would be going home, so we wanted to do something creative, and we just started mulling over the idea of showing everyone our fencing facility because this is probably the best fencing facility in the entire nation right now. So we wanted to do something cool with that, and we figured what better way than to do a little demonstration and then what better way to get students involved and to actually understand the sport than to actually try it? So we did a little raffle and then came up with this idea!” After Notre Dame fencers explained the sport and did a demonstration, the non-fencing athlete bouts began. Each athlete was coached by a fencer. The bouts were between Cari Roccaro (women’s soccer) and Jaclyn Winkel (women’s track and field), Mike Golic Jr. (football) and Frank Dyer (men’s swimming and diving), Blas Moros (men’s tennis) and Jeni Houser (volleyball), and Grant Van De Casteele (men’s soccer) and Quinn Gleason (women’s tennis). The victors (the first athlete to 5 hits) were Winkel, Golic Jr., Moros, and Van De Casteele. The event seemed to be a huge success in that it was fun, exciting, and helped the student-athletes relax and take their minds off their busy schedules if even for a little while. It also made me realize that I should have listened to my mother all those years ago, because maybe then I could have been a Notre Dame fencer. - Softball. Virginia Tech Outlasts Irish 4-3 In Game One Of Lexington Regional - W. Volleyball. Volleyball Set For 11-Day European Trip - Baseball. Irish Drop Series Opener At Cincinnati, 9-5 - Track. 24 Irish Track And Field Standouts Selected To NCAA East Preliminary Round - M. Tennis. Andrews, Armstrong Named To Capital One Academic At-Large All-District V First Team - W. Golf. Andrews, Armstrong Named To Capital One Academic At-Large All-District V First Team - Softball. Koerner, Winter Selected To NFCA All-Region First Team - M. Lacrosse. #2 Irish And #7 Duke Set For Quarterfinal Showdown In Indy - W. Basketball. Notre Dame To Visit Penn State In 2013 Big Ten/ACC Women's Basketball Challenge - Baseball. Irish Baseball Close Regular Season At Cincinnati Fighting Irish on YouTube Celebrating Ara Parseghian's 90th Birthday Length: 6:59 | May 17, 2013 Michael Moore, BIG EAST Scholarship - Notre Dame Men's Tennis Length: 1:30 | May 17, 2013 Preparing for the Big East Championship - Rowing Length: 2:24 | May 17, 2013 Coach Kelly Sirius/XM Town Hall - Assistant Coaches Length: 1:24 | May 17, 2013 - RT @NDBaseball: #NotreDame evens series with 9-1 victory over @GoBEARCATS #domeball 3 hours ago - RT @NDlacrosse: New In The Crease blog bit.ly/12ibRso Day 1 of our trip to the @NCAA quarterfinals #InvadeIndy #GoIrish 4 hours ago - RT @NDsoftball: While the opponent is yet to be determined, Irish will play tomorrow at 3:30 pm in an elimination game. 6 hours ago - RT @NDFootball: Legendary ND football coach Ara Parseghian is turning 90 years old. Highlights from his birthday party http://t.co/Dzw8EDIM… 6 hours ago - RT @NDsoftball: Final. Va. Tech 4, Notre Dame 3 #ndsb 6 hours ago

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Phillies third baseman Michael Young. (PHOTO: Kim Klement/USA TODAY Sports) CLEARWATER, Fla. -- Say what you will about Michael Young. Seriously: He's not reading, so go to town. The former Ranger and current Phillies' third baseman and said on Wednesday that he doesn't read his own press and doesn't pay attention to the oft-heated rhetoric that develops when assessing his oddly divisive career. "I don't really read the papers," he said. "I'm a sports fan, but I don't really pick apart the Internet or have any favorite sites that I go to strictly searching for baseball." Young has a .301 career batting average and 2,230 hits. On average, he's played 156 games a season in his 12 full seasons in the Majors. He's got 177 career home runs and has played most of his games at shortstop and second base, premium defensive positions. And his reputation says he's one of baseball's very best clubhouse guys. Some say he will someday be a Hall of Famer. Others argue that all the things Young does best â?? collecting hits and maintaining a high batting average, primarly, plus the whole clubhouse-leadership aspect â?? are generally overrated. And though Young's career batting average is impressive, his .347 career on-base percentage ranks him 62nd among active players, below guys like Carlos Pena, Austin Kearns and Jamey Carroll, and his offensive numbers are inflated by playing half his games in the hitter-friendly Ballpark at Arlington. Plus, while Young's versatility is certainly valuable, defensive metrics like UZR suggest he has been below average at every position he's played. And yet Young can defend himself. "I would love to learn more about sabermetrics, because I'll be the first to admit that I haven't learned everything there is to learn," Young said. "One thing I've asked -- because I wanted to know â?? is, 'how do you calculate defensive metrics?' And everyone says, well this is their philosophy, but it's an imperfect system." "I haven't chopped up my own numbers to see where I stand," he said. "My defensive numbers might say A, B and C about this. But a lot of guys who have really excelled defensively are playing their natural positions. This is my 13th year in the big leagues, I've played my natural position for three of those years, always because the team asked me to move." That's also true: Young came up through the Rangers' system primarily playing second base, and played there for his first three big-league seasons. By UZR, second base has been Young's best position; the stat shows he was right around average when he was playing there regularly in 2002 and 2003. In 2004, he moved to shortstop after the Rangers acquired Alfonso Soriano. In 2009, he moved to third base when the team promoted Elvis Andrus. "So that goes into WAR, correct?" Correct. "So I think sometimes everyone talks about, this player's good because his WAR is this. I think WAR should be used like a guy's RBI total, like his run total. It should be used to help calculate what a player's value is. I don't think it just should be just one stat that tells you what to think about a guy. It doesn't make sense to me." Young added, "I've heard that one website has WAR calculated as this, another has WAR calculated as this. For me, it's just another way to try and value a guy. But it can't be the end-all when you try to calculate a player's worth. "Last year, for example, everyone wanted (Angels outfielder Mike)Trout to be MVP because his WAR number was through the roof. And they said Miguel Cabrera wasn't a premier defender at third. Well, without Miguel Cabrera at third, they don't have Prince Fielder. There's a lot of value in that. I think you have to look beyond the numbers in everything. In my opinion, I think stats are always overblown. Doesn't matter what the stat is. It could be something as classic as a guy's batting average, or whatever algorithm they come up with to calculate someone's worth on the sabermetric front." Your move, the Internet. Michael Young can't hear you, but that doesn't mean you have to stop shouting about him. Copyright 2013 USATODAY.com Read the original story: Divisive Phillie Michael Young: 'Stats are overblown'

http://news.cincinnati.com/usatoday/article/1987311

Gangrape in bus: Vehicle owner denied bail NEW DELHI: The owner of the bus in which the 23-year-old paramedic was gangraped and brutally assaulted along with her male friend on December 16, was on Tuesday denied bail in a case of alleged forgery committed by him to get his vehicles registered here. Metropolitan Magistrate Chhavi Kapoor dismissed the bail plea of Dinesh Yadav, arrested by the police for allegedly submitting false documents for registration of his vehicles. The court denied the bail saying the forged documents furnished by the accused are to be sent to Forensic Science Laboratory for obtaining expert opinion and the probe is still at an initial stage. A special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court in New Delhi granted bail to suspected Hizbul terrorist Liaqat Shah, who was arrested by the Delhi Police for allegedly conspiring to carry out terror attacks in the national capital. Date 16-05-13, Duration 1:12, Views 68

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ST. PETERSBURG -- Mark Teixeira watched Elliot Johnson's two-out grounder roll past his glove and into the right-field corner of Tropicana Field, remaining bent over as he watched it go down the line and shaking his head when he finally turned back around. Even after watching the replay, Teixeira had no idea why he didn't make the play. Nor did he understand how he couldn't at least knock the ball down. It should have been the final out of the seventh inning. Instead, Teixeira's first error of the season -- his first in 663 chances this year -- allowed Johnson to wheel all the way to third base after driving in what turned out to be the deciding run of the Yankees' 4-3 loss to the Rays before a crowd of 21,742 on Monday night. "After it goes by, you go, 'What just happened?'" Teixeira said. "I didn't even get leather on it. I just missed it. I don't know what happened. The ball obviously didn't do what I expected it to do." The trouble started in the seventh, when Boone Logan walked pinch-hitter Sean Rodriguez, who then took second on a wild pitch. Logan induced a Jose Lobaton flyout for the second out of the inning and gave way to David Robertson. Even with a runner on second, Robertson seemed like a lock to get out of the inning unscathed. The Yankees setup man stranded almost 90 percent of baserunners in 2011. But the Rays countered with pinch-hitter Brooks Conrad, who doubled off the right-field wall to tie the game at 3. That created an opportunity for Johnson, who lashed a ground ball well within the reach of Teixeira. But it slipped by the four-time Gold Glove Award winner, allowing Conrad to trot home and give the Rays the lead. "I feel like I flat-out blew the game today; I feel like that one's not on Tex," said Robertson, who has blown a save and taken the loss in two of his last three appearances. "He's made amazing plays behind us all year long. ... It's going to happen. I still should've been able to get Conrad out. That one falls on me today. "I'm very frustrated. I used to be really good in those situations. I'm not saying that I can't be again, but lately, the last couple outings, I haven't been doing well with them. It's time for me to turn it around and be able to get those big outs. Right there, the team needed a big out, and I wasn't able to get it." It was just as unusual to see the Rays on the receiving end of a defensive gaffe, as they entered the night second in the Majors with 66 errors while the Yankees' 36 had them tied for the second fewest. That was particularly true for Johnson, who's second on the Rays with eight errors. "Obviously, the man's won some Gold Gloves," Johnson said. "Him not making it shows that it was a pretty challenging play. You expect him to make it, and I thought it was going to hit the base and kick, but it worked out better that way." The loss was even more disappointing for the Yankees given the solid start they received from Freddy Garcia, who now has a 1.99 ERA in 11 outings (10 of them in relief) since May 1. Filling out New York's banged-up rotation, the veteran right-hander allowed only two runs, both on solo homers, and struck out four in 5 1/3 innings. B.J. Upton cut New York's lead to 2-1 in the fourth, and Carlos Pena tied the game at 2 by hammering a slider into the right-field stands two innings later. That was the last batter Garcia faced. He entered the game on a 75-pitch limit, and Pena's homer came on the righty's 74th offering. Yankees manager Joe Girardi considered relieving Garcia after the righty had thrown 69 pitches through five innings, but the manager liked the way Garcia was pitching and sent him back out on a batter-by-batter basis. The Yankees took Garcia off the hook in the seventh, when Chris Stewart drew a leadoff walk and took second on a wild pitch. Stewart moved to third on Derek Jeter's flyout and scored on Curtis Granderson's sac fly. "We had the lead a couple times, and we weren't able to hold it," Girardi said. "That makes it a little bit more difficult. Freddy did a tremendous job, and unfortunately, we weren't able to get more than three runs tonight." New York jumped out to a 2-0 lead against Rays lefty Matt Moore, who struck out 11 Yankees when he first faced them last September, but the rookie calmed down and worked seven strong innings. Moore struck out only three and walked just as many, but he limited the damage after the first with the help of some timely double-play defense. Unfortunately for the Yankees, their one defensive miscue came at just about the worst possible time from maybe the most unlikely player, and they dropped their eighth straight game at Tropicana Field. "We should still be playing; that's the tough thing," Teixeira said. "We battled all night, and we should still be playing right now if I make that play."

http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2012_07_02_nyamlb_tbamlb_1&mode=recap_away&c_id=nyy

NEW YORK -- Ty Hensley got his chance to suit up with the Yankees on Sunday morning, hiking up his pinstriped pants over high socks and joining the big league club to shag fly balls during batting practice. The club's first-round selection in the 2012 First-Year Player Draft, Hensley signed a professional contract with a $1.2 million bonus this week. The 18-year-old right-hander is flying to Tampa, Fla., on Sunday evening to join the Yankees' Gulf Coast League team. "I've gotten a lot of good advice and tips," said Hensley, who was most looking forward to meeting Derek Jeter. "I'm looking forward to bringing them down to Tampa." After the Yankees selected him 30th overall from Santa Fe High School in Edmond, Okla., where he was named the 2012 Gatorade Oklahoma "Baseball Player of the Year," Hensley said that his goal is to pitch in the big leagues by age 21. He stood by that on Sunday. "It's definitely still my goal," Hensley said. "That's what I plan on doing. I've got a good group of people behind me, and I think it's definitely within reach." Hensley received less than the $1.6 million recommended slot bonus after a routine MRI revealed an abnormality in his pitching shoulder. "All I can tell you is that I'm healthy and I plan on staying healthy," Hensley said. "I've never been sore. I've never even been sore after I've thrown. I'm going to be healthy for a long time, and I prepare myself. I do my body right." Hensley acknowledged that the diagnosis impacted negotiations, but said his shoulder has never given him any issues. He had committed to the University of Mississippi, but decided to instead accept the Yankees' reduced offer. "At the end of the day, it just came down to what I really wanted to do more -- go to school or play pro ball," Hensley said. "And pro ball has always been my dream." A-Rod's numbers boosted when he's Yanks' DH NEW YORK -- With the microscope on Alex Rodriguez's sluggish start to 2012 becoming increasingly amplified, the Yankees' third baseman has quietly put together impressive numbers when he gets a breather from playing the field. In 22 games as a designated hitter this season, Rodriguez is hitting .353 with three home runs and 10 RBIs, but entered Sunday hitting just .240 in the 59 games he had started at third base. While he started at third base in the Yankees' series finale with the Angels, Rodriguez could find his name penciled in at DH for another game over the homestand. "It's not a sample size I'm unaware of," manager Joe Girardi said. "It could be a rare coincidence, or there could be something to it. I'm not sure yet. It is a smaller sample size, but I'm well aware of it." Girardi said he's not ready to make long-term decisions based on Rodriguez's production as a DH, but believes it's a situation he needs to continuously monitor. While Eric Chavez has offered some flexibility at third base, Girardi still wants to be careful with him due to his prior history with injuries. "We have to protect him as well, because I think he's really important to this club," Girardi said of Chavez. When or if the Yankees get Brett Gardner back to play outfield, they likely will use Raul Ibanez as their primary DH. The 40-year-old outfielder was initially signed over the offseason to serve in that role, but Gardner's injury has forced Ibanez to regularly play the field. Girardi hasn't had a talk with Rodriguez about whether he'd like to DH more, but the numbers have given the Yankees' manager something to think about. Rodriguez's on-base percentage shoots up from .336 to .417 when he starts at DH, and his slugging percentage increases from .404 to .529. "I actually kind of peeked up at the scoreboard the other day and saw the numbers look pretty good," said Rodriguez. "But I don't see anything to that. I love playing third base and my legs feel good." "These are things that we have to look at, and things that we have to piece together," Girardi said. Chamberlain progressing toward return to Yanks NEW YORK -- Joba Chamberlain threw two scoreless innings of relief and struck out two batters in his second rehab game with the Yankees' Gulf-Coast League team on Saturday. The 26-year-old right-hander underwent Tommy John surgery last June and then had an open dislocation of his right ankle when he fell off a trampoline in March. He hasn't pitched in the Major Leagues since June 5, 2011. "He's got another two-inning outing coming," general manager Brian Cashman said Sunday. "He's coming off an extended period of time. We were talking about his rehab schedule yesterday and manipulating it as we go along." Cashman said Chamberlain could be back with the team sooner than the full 30 days it usually requires relievers to get ready in Spring Training, but the team needs to see him throw back-to-back successful outings before a Major League callup is discussed. Manager Joe Girardi hadn't given previous thought to Chamerblain's role once he returns, but said on Sunday he would consider using him in late-inning work. He would have no reservations using him in a situation because of prior injuries. "When he's here, the gloves are off," Cashman said. "He looks good." Gardner played a three-inning simulated game on Sunday, but Girardi wasn't sure how many at-bats that would give his outfielder. Gardner has suffered setbacks twice during rehab games, both times after doctors assured Cashman his left fielder's right elbow strain was recovered. "It's what he actually does when the game starts with the bat," Cashman said. "If he can get past that, then we should be fine." Andy Pettitte was slated to undergo an X-ray on his fractured fibula before Sunday's game. Bryan Hoch is a reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @bryanhoch and read his MLBlog, Bombers Beat. Ethan Asofsky is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

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Cliff Lee added the baseball writers' Cy Young Award to the growing list of honors for one of the most outstanding season-long pitching performances in recent years. The left-hander was 22-3 with a 2.54 ERA for the Indians. 11/14/2008 11:03 AM ET Lee's turnaround ends with Cy Young Indians pitcher admits that 2007 demotion made for better story It came after an injury hampered 2007 season in which he faltered and was sent to the Minor Leagues. "It wasn't any fun [last year]," Lee told MLB.com, "but looking back, it definitely makes for a better story." Lee's fellow players had already selected him as both the AL Outstanding Pitcher and the AL Comeback Player in the 2008 Players Choice Awards. "[This year] was the most incredible season I've ever seen from a pitcher at that level," manager Eric Wedge said. Torres decides to retire: Salomon Torres is pretty sure his second retirement will take. "I am very confident I am doing the right thing," Torres told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Torres told the Brewers of his decision earlier this week, days ahead of the club's deadline to pick up his option. Torres became the closer in May for Milwaukee and saved 28 games in 32 chances. He finished with a 7-5 record and 3.49 ERA and led the Brewers in appearances with 71 while throwing 89 innings. "It was a great season," he said. "I thank everybody in the city -- the fans, my teammates, the reporters -- for all their support. It was a privilege to play there, but you don't want to have me there half-hearted." Webb joins elite crew with Cy Young finish: Brandon Webb came in second place for the second straight year in Cy Young Award voting after winning the honor in 2006. Tim Lincecum was named the winner this season. "I would like to congratulate Tim on a tremendous year," Webb told The Arizona Republic in a statement through is agent, Jonathan Maurer. "While I am disappointed I did not win, I am excited, with the help of my teammates, that I was able to win 22 games and be considered for this great honor again." Webb is one of only four pitchers to finish no worse than second in the Cy Young Award voting for three straight years, joining Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, Greg Maddux and Jim Palmer. Marte signs three-year deal with Yankees: One week after declining to pick up Damaso Marte's option, the New York Yankees and the reliever agreed to a three-year contract with a club option in 2012. "We wanted to see if we could negotiate a deal that [we] were more comfortable with on a multi-year basis," general manager Brian Cashman told Newsday. "[W]e feel that he's one of the better left-handed relievers in the game, and quality left-handed relief is hard to find." Upton has surgery, should be ready for Spring Training: B.J. Upton, who had an outstanding postseason for the Tampa Bay Rays, underwent surgery on his left shoulder to repair a torn labrum. Executive vice president Andrew Friedman believes Upton won't be sidelined long. "Obviously, with the fact it was Tuesday, we don't have too much of an update other than to say we expect him to be ready during Spring Training and be in position to be in our Opening Day lineup," Friedman told the Tampa Tribune. Upton hit .273 with nine home runs and 67 RBIs during the regular season while stealing 44 bases. In 17 postseason games, he hit seven home runs and drove in 16 runners. Aviles wins top honor for Royals: Mike Aviles was honored Tuesday by Kansas City Chapter of the Baseball Writers' Association of America when the group named him the Les Milgram Player of the Year. On the year, Aviles batted .325 with 10 home runs and 51 RBIs while playing in just 102 games before being promoted from Triple-A Omaha. "It really means a lot to me," Aviles told the Kansas City Star. "More than people actually would think it would mean to anyone. Deep down, I always knew I could compete at the big league level, and I just wanted to have an opportunity to prove it." Moss continues rehab on knee: Brandon Moss, who underwent a diagnostic scope on his left knee one week after the conclusion of the season, is thus far having a successful rehabilitation, and the team expects that he'll be ready to go by the spring. "Brandon is continuing to work out and go through his rehabilitation program and everything is going well," Pittsburgh general Neal Huntington told MLB.com. "We just did a site visit to where he is rehabilitating and came away with positive feedback about the facility and were very encouraged. Everything seems to be going fine." McCann claims second Silver Slugger: Brian McCann was awarded the Silver Slugger, given to the best hitter at each position in each. It was the second time in his career that McCann won the award. "You don't play the game for awards," McCann told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "but it still makes it nice to know you ended the season on a positive note and everybody noticed the numbers that you put up." "If you had told me that [three years ago], I wouldn't have believed you," McCann said of his success in the Majors. "I put a lot of hard work into getting my swing where I wanted it. Now I'm working on my defense, trying to make myself a better all-around baseball player." Manny gets high praise from Angels owner: Angels owner Arte Moreno spoke highly of free agent Manny Ramirez during a radio interview, according to the Los Angeles Times. "He single-handedly took L.A. to the promised land," Moreno said. "He did a heck of a job -- he hit great, he was a fan favorite, he did a great job with their young players. At the end of the day, you want people who can hit, and he may be one of the top right-handed hitters ever." Lincecum aims to reach new level: Tim Lincecum is trying to figure out how he can top his 2008 performance. "I don't buy into this stuff about me being super-dominant," Lincecum told the San Francisco Chronicle. "I just want to become better every day, every outing. There wasn't any time during the season when I felt, 'This is it and this [award] is going to happen.'" Greinke claims achievement award: Zack Greinke, after winning 13 games and posting a 3.47 ERA in 32 starts during the 2008 season, was recognized on Tuesday by the Kansas City Chapter of the Baseball Writers' Association of America with a special achievement award. Greinke says he still believes there is room for improvement. "There are still several things that I felt I could have done a lot better this year. There were a couple of rough patches," Greinke told the Kansas City Star. "It was a good season overall, but I feel I can do better than that. And I feel I will do better each year just in learning from mistakes." Holliday not worried about new digs: The A's completed the rumored blockbuster trade, acquiring Matt Holliday from the Rockies in exchange for Greg Smith, Huston Street and Carlos Gonzalez. Holliday goes from a great park for home runs in Coors Field to a poor one at McAfee Coliseum. However, the slugger is not worried about his new home park. "I can't do much about where the ball goes," Holliday told the San Francisco Chronicle. "I can focus on my swing and hitting it on the barrel of the bat. I've got a pretty good base, hitting-wise, and I think it will work about anywhere I play." Sheets could be back with Brewers: Brewers general manager Doug Melvin said there is still a slight chance Ben Sheets could return in 2009, depending on how negotiations go with free agent pitcher CC Sabathia. Melvin has spoken with Sheets' agent, Casey Close, and said there is a chance for the two sides to have negotiations down the road. "We can't do anything until we get a feel from CC's people," Melvin told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "We do have a need for a starting pitcher. Ben is familiar with Milwaukee and we're familiar with him." Talks begin between Randy Johnson, Diamondbacks: The Arizona Diamondbacks have met with representatives of Randy Johnson, but that was only an initial meeting not a serious negotiation. The Diamondbacks would like to have Johnson back in 2009, and Johnson seems to prefer to stay in Arizona. "We continue to have a fair amount of dialogue," Diamondbacks general manager Josh Byrnes told The Arizona Republic. Soria claims award as top Royals pitcher: Joakim Soria was recognized for his outstanding season on Tuesday as he was named the Bruce Rice Pitcher of the Year by the Kansas City Chapter of the Baseball Writers' Association of America. Soria, who picked up 42 saves in 45 chances in 2008, had a 1.60 ERA on the year. "First I was an All-Star and now Royals' pitcher of the year," Soria told the Kansas City Star. "It's been a great year." -- Red Line Editorial

http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/pa/news/article.jsp?ymd=20081114&content_id=3679740&vkey=mlbpa_news&fext=.jsp

By Betsy Blaney The Associated Press LUBBOCK, Texas — Dana Holgorsen won’t be nostalgic today when he brings his No. 5 Mountaineers to Texas Tech, where he and Mike Leach drove opponents batty with their dizzying pass-heavy offense. “All those feelings and emotions have gone away a long time ago,” the Mountaineers second-year coach said of his eight years in Lubbock. “I’m not going to think twice about it.” Holgorsen’s thoughts will be on how to keep his Mountaineers unbeaten as they try to stay in the hunt for the Big 12 title in their first year in the conference. Much of that will depend on the performance of quarterback Geno Smith, who comes into the game with 24 touchdowns, 1,996 yards and no interceptions. He’s completed 81 percent of his 204 pass attempts this season. West Virginia (5-0, 2-0 Big 12) got out of Austin last week with a 48-45 victory over Texas, with Smith throwing for 268 yards and four touchdowns. The Red Raiders (4-1, 1-1) are hoping to rebound after falling 41-20 to Oklahoma in a game that saw quarterback Seth Doege throw three interceptions. Smith and one of his favorite receivers, Tavon Austin, make West Virginia’s offense look a little like backyard football, said D.J. Johnson, a safety on Texas Tech’s top-ranked pass defense. “They really understand each other as far as receiver-quarterback,” the senior said. “So what we’re really going to have to do is make them eliminate his key receivers and make him take more time to really figure out what he’s going to have to do. So take away those first reads, those initial reads, and give our D-line and linebackers time to get there and make plays.” Smith holds the Red Raiders’ defense in high regard and knows the crowd will be as boisterous or more than last weekend’s in Austin. “They really make things complex with the way they react to the ball,” the 6-foot-3 senior said of Texas Tech’s defense. “They do a great job of reading the quarterback’s eyes and reacting to the ball.” For local news and more, subscribe to The Norman Transcript Smart Edition, or our print edition.

http://normantranscript.com/sports/x674145608/W-Virginia-to-test-Tech-s-defense/print

Matt Cooke met with NHL officials in Toronto yesterday — we'd like to imagine it went down exactly as Down Goes Brown's "top secret transcript" said it did — and the league doled out what seems like a pretty reasonable punishment for his elbow to the head of Ryan McDonagh: a suspension for the remaining ten games of the regular season and for the first round of the playoffs. Cooke, to his credit (we guess), didn't even try to defend himself in Toronto this time. Cooke, who has been suspended five times overall and four in three seasons with the Penguins, has defended himself in previous disciplinary hearings with NHL Hockey Operations. He didn't take that tact Toronto yesterday. "In the past, I've been very defensive and have argued my point," he said. "The (Players Association) talks, they argue their point; and your agent gets on and defends you a lot. "I realize and understand more so now than ever that I need to change. That was what I wanted my message to be." Obviously, decide for yourself whether you think Cooke really intends to change, or whether that's just what one says in situations like this, particularly when one's owner just days earlier sent a proposal to the league under which teams would be fined when their players are suspended (and under which those fines would be doubled if the player is a repeat offender). But the bigger question, raised by Puck Daddy and others already, is whether this lengthy suspension is an indication the league is getting serious about punishing such dirty hits, even if it means punishing, in Greg Wyshynski's words, "a less convenient defendant" than Cooke. We can't know the answer to that yet, though it's safe to say that no matter what, this punishment was especially heavy because Matt Cooke is, well, Matt Cooke. (After all, few players have Cooke's body of work in the field of dirty hits.) In any case, Cooke will go away for a while now. Meanwhile, McDonagh, who returned to the game on Sunday after the elbow (and reportedly heard from Cooke via text at some point afterward), says the pain in his jaw is subsiding. He's been cleared to play when the Panthers visit the Garden tonight.

http://nymag.com/daily/sports/2011/03/matt_cooke_didnt_even_bother_t.html

By Barry Janoff June 6, 2012: Major League Soccer.2012 is not your grandfather's game. And probably not even your father's game. MLS is still about goals, penalty kicks, offsides, yellow cards, defensive schemes and blood, sweat and tears. But it is also about iPhones, iPads, Roku, YouTube Kick TV, Twitter, Facebook, ExtraTime Radio podcasts, Wi-Fi, fat pipes, adidas' miCoach Speed_Cell data tracker and MLS Live, which offers HD streaming, multi-platform access of up to 230 out-of-market games per season. The league's digital growth has been fueled by — and in turn has fueled — growth in attendance and marketing deals and stability in franchise cities. More than two-thirds of the league's 19 clubs have jersey-sponsor deals. And since 2007, MLS has opened nine soccer-specific stadiums, most with naming-rights partners, including BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston, which had its ribbon cutting last month. From 2003-2009, the MLS Web site was under the auspices of MLB Advanced Media, the interactive media and Internet division of Major League Baseball. But the league took its Web site in-house and ramped up expansion and production of its digital and social media properties. Chris Schlosser was hired by MLS in 2008 as director of digital strategy, bringing with him a resume that included four years at Microsoft. In 2011 he was named general manager of MLS Digital. NYSportsJournalism spoke with Schlosser about navigating through and exploring new aspects of the digital side of the pro soccer landscape. NYSportsJournalism.com: What did you see as your biggest challenges when you joined MLS, and have they been met? Chris Schlosser: I joined in August 2008. I was, basically, Digital Employee No. 1 at Major League Soccer. At that time, all of our digital business was managed by MLB Advanced Media. They have done amazing things and have done a great job. But we saw the writing on the wall. We have a young, tech-savvy fan base, and with the growing importance of digital, we felt that it was really key that MLS controlled its own destiny in this area. So [in 2009, after six years with MLBAM] we took over control of our digital operation. Since then, we have invested significant money in building MLS Digital into our own business unit. We just hired our 35th employee. So we are growing fast. We now have a phenomenal suite of digital products on the marketplace. NYSJ: Has your focus changed since you joined MLS? CS: The interesting thing is that when I started here, our focus was on taking over the Web site content duties from MLBAM and building our Web site. But as we expanded our strategy we began to focus on two strategies. One was to create content. We now have the largest soccer content team in North America, with offices in New York and San Francisco and writers across North America and around the world. The second strategy was that we began to look at how would we distribute that content to our fans on whatever device they were using. NYSJ: Can you tell whether or not core fans are supporting your digital strategies? CS: The ecosystem has changed significantly over the last four years. And we believe that will continue as we go forward. The growth in metrics we have seen has been incredible. This year alone, visits to our Web are up 40%, mobile is up 200%, and fans are accessing more and more of our content across our system. So we are looking to continue to build our content and stay ahead of the changes in technology so were are providing information and data to our fans in the ways they want to consume it. "Visits to our Web are up 40%, mobile is up 200%, and fans are accessing more and more of our content across our system." NYSJ: Are you finding that you are attracting casual and non-soccer fans? CS: Social is a key element in the growth of our league and the individual clubs. We see it as a major strategy to grow our fan base. One of the interesting stats that I look at is the percentage of people who are visiting our property for the first time. At any given time, a third of the people visiting our site have never been there before. That, to me, is an incredible stat. It shows how we are constantly reaching out to new people who are discovering the sport and discovering our content, whether that's through search [engines] or social or from an article they read on one of our distribution partners. But to constantly have that key user base is, to me, phenomenal. NYSJ: How important is it to have a core base of young players who have grown up using technology and social media? CS: Having tech-savvy players is incredible. Our players are all over Twitter. They use our products. They like our products. We get comments from them all the time. You'll see players posting comments on our site and have a dialogue going back and forth with each other. A recent ESPN poll showed that among 12-24-year olds, MLS and soccer is their second-favorite sport behind the NFL. I think that shows a pretty incredible shift in the American sports landscape. That's an amazing thing for the league. But for us in digital, having all of those young fans loving the sport just takes all of the things we are doing to the next level. NYSJ: Some leagues don't want their players to use Twitter during games or at other times they feel might compromise certain situations? How does MLS feel about that? CS: [Laughs.] I chuckle a little about that because we are so far from telling our players not to tweet. We want them to be part of it, and we want our fans to follow our players on Twitter. It helps connect the fans with the players. And the banter that goes on among the players is phenomenal. And we encourage our players to use our applications. I get requests from players every week asking for access to our live streaming system so they can watch games on their iPad or iPhone. They love it. They use it to follow the league, just as our fans do. We are working on All-Star Game planning and we will have Twitter as part of our voting so that fans can tweet for their favorite player. NYSJ: What role do you see Kick TV on YouTube playing in the growth of MLS' fan base? CS: Kick TV is the new TV channel from MLS and SUM in conjunction with YouTube as part of the Google Originals concept. It is able to cover the global sport of football in a broader way than we do at our Web site. It gives us a voice in the sport that is beyond MLS focus, and that has helped not only bring football fans worldwide into our realm but has also helped our fans to expand their soccer experiences beyond MLS. We are starting to see some very interesting opportunities. NYSJ: In the 2012 AT&T MLS All-Star Game on July 25, adidas will embed its miCoach data tracker in uniforms worn by players, which will provide coaches with real-time data about player position and performance. Do you find you are able to experiment with technology? CS: The best thing about digital in general is that it is so easy to make changes. You look at the data, the technology, the capabilities that you have and put out great products. But then you have to look at how consumers and fans are using them. Look at the feedback you are getting on Twitter and through social media. And then you continue to tweak and evolve your products and strategies as you move forward. That's the beauty whether it's from the consumer side or the product development side. You have to take advantage of that. I've said before that Twitter is the world's best customer-service tool. You constantly hear from and connect with your fans and consumers in a big way. "We believe that there is an opportunity here over the next 18-24 months to completely change the digital match experience." NYSJ: Considering how rapidly technology changes, how difficult is it to stay ahead of the curve and have platforms available for fans when they want them? CS: That challenge is a constant focus of mine. When you ask, 'What comes next?,' we believe — and what we are spending a lot of time working on is — that there is an opportunity here over the next 18-24 months to completely change the digital match experience. If you look across the landscape today, there are a lot of amazing ways to consume sports. But we feel there are some things that we can bring to the table across various devices that will revolutionize the way people interact with our game. NYSJ: MLS has opened nine soccer-specific stadiums since 2007. How important has it been to have them outfitted with the latest technology? CS: It has been amazing for us and for sports in general. LiveStrong Sporting Park in Kansas City [KS, which opened in 2011], is, I believe, the most technologically advanced building in America. The folks in Kansas City are working hard to think about how to maximize the use of such technologies as Wi-Fi, mobile and fat pipes in partnership with Cisco and Google. They constantly think about how to revolutionize the way sports is consumed in-stadium and using technology to do that. Whether it's instant polling in a game, ordering food via an app, checking on memberships. They do an incredible amount of work and we work closely with them to bring these experiences to life. NYSJ: How important has it been for MLS Digital to look not just at soccer domestically but in a global picture? CS: That is an interesting aspect of our strategy. One of the businesses we put in place when I started here and that we have continued to grow is MLS Digital Properties. Today, we are commercializing 60 of the largest soccer sites in the world: the English Premier League official Web site, Goal.com, AOL, The Sporting News, and we are just about to finalize a deal with another large sports portal to [maintain] their soccer section. So today we are selling across the system, whether you are an Hispanic fan, a global football fan or a fan of MLS. We are commercializing those efforts today and, as I said, in the next 18-24 months you'll see us on the property side using our technology and content expertise and applying to areas that are broader than MLS. NYSJ: What type of feedback have you gotten from MLS marketing partners and peers in other sports regarding what MLS Digital is doing and where it is going? CS: The feedback has been that we are doing exactly what we should be doing with technology and that we should continue to move forward. If you look across the globe today, our mobile apps are the best in football. There is not another experience like it on with highlights, data, with social all built in, taking advantage of whether it's an IOS platform, Android, or on the Windows Phone application that we are releasing. NYSJ: Head coaches and managers are usually old-school guys who might not want to adapt, or who might find it too challenging given the rapid growth of and changes in technology. What are you seeing and hearing from MLS coaches? CS: I would say the biggest change I have seen from coaches on the field is the use of advanced data. Historically, or stereotypically, you hear a lot that 'soccer is not a data sport.' But we have a partnership with [research firm] Opta, with whom we analyze hundreds and hundreds of data points from every game. So you are starting to see our coaches take advantage of that. The presence of adidas will take that to a higher level not only by utilizing game data but also all sorts of physical data — speed, distance, power — to which coaches had never had access. So when you combine that, you'll see on the coaching side a further investment in technology as a way to make the players better and the game better. NYSJ: What does MLS Commissioner Don Garber say about all of this? CS: He loves it. He loves the technology. He's a great follower of Twitter — all hours of the day and night he'll send me something that he has read on Twitter. He has an iPhone and tablet, and he uses them. He consumes every bit of information and uses it to help improve and promote MLS and soccer. "One of [our] key tenets is keeping the game first. We don't want to change the sport. But we believe that technology can make that experience even better." NYSJ: How big a challenge is it to keep integrating technology into the game but not lose sight of the basic elements that make the game special? CS: One of the key tenets of everything we do is keeping the game first. At the end the day it is all about an authentic game experience. You are not going to see glowing pucks. That is not what we are focused on. We are focused on soccer as a beautiful game. We don't want to change the sport. But we believe that technology can make that experience even better, whether you are in the stadium, at the pub with friends or at home. And not just for fans. Whether you are a player or a coach, we believe technology can make the sport better. NYSJ: What are you looking at now as your next challenges? CS: MLS is at a very interesting point in time where we have this incredible technology. We have this phenomenal fan base. We have these incredible young players. So it makes sense that MLS sees this as a great area for us to advance our technology, to innovate. We want to innovate, not just in the U.S., but on a global platform in the sport of soccer. So everyone from ownership and management on down is focused on creating truly amazing digital experiences. That is my team's mandate now and our mandate moving forward. Photos: MLS Digital (5); Livestrong Sporting Park courtesy Sporting Kansas City

http://nysportsjournalism.squarespace.com/qa-mls-kicking-digital-grass/tag/mls

Veteran Damion Easley is one of the busier part-time players in baseball this season. 08/21/2008 2:09 PM ET Damion Easley is ready for anything Mets veteran is a big part of the club's playoff chase By Hal Bock / MLBPLAYERS.com When Mets manager Jerry Manuel wanted to give David Wright a day off during the dog days of August, he plugged Easley in at third base. The next day, it was Jose Reyes' turn to get some rest, and there was Easley, playing shortstop. When the regulars returned to duty, Easley went back to second base, where he has become just about an everyday starter since Luis Castillo went on the disabled list with a hip flexor injury on July 3. Castillo had been in and out of the lineup before that, with Easley filling in regularly. At age 38, Easley had a more leisurely summer in mind as a backup infielder and maybe a once-a-week starter when he signed last winter. "You would probably be right about that," he said. "I thought I'd be a guy off the bench, spell guys who need a break or filling in for somebody on the disabled list." He has been much more than that and a vital part of the Mets' bid for the National League East lead. He has become a prime-time regular in the twilight of his career. Easley is in his 15th Major League season. He's played with California, Detroit, Tampa Bay, Florida and Arizona. He reached his statistical peak with an All-Star season in 1998 when he hit 27 home runs and drove in 100 runs for the Tigers. But he hasn't been an everyday player since 2002, which is why this season has meant a significant change in his daily preparation. "It's easier if you're in the lineup every day," he said. "I was an everyday player. I draw on those experiences on the fly. I listen to my body and get my work in every day." For the Mets, part of the attraction of Easley was his flexibility. Easley is a handy guy to have around, and GM Omar Minaya knew that when he originally signed him in 2007. Easley became the fifth Mets player in history whose first two hits for the team were home runs. He batted .280 in 193 at-bats last season and hit 10 home runs, one of them inside the park. The 10 homers were the most he's had in a season since 2001, and five of them either tied the game or gave the Mets the lead. He was building an impressive season before it came to a premature end when he suffered a severely sprained ankle in August. At that point, he had made his usual position tour, filling in at six spots. It was nothing new for him. "I have played almost every position at one time or another," Easley said. "I never played center field, or pitcher or catcher. Nor do I have any interest in them." Over his career, he's also batted in every spot in the lineup, which is versatility that is valuable in today's specialized game. Easley worked hard in rehabilitating the ankle, and the Mets welcomed him back this season. It's a good thing. He batted .459 with a 10-game hitting streak during the first week in July when the Mets turned their season around. The 10-game hitting streak was his longest since 2001 with Detroit when he hit in 12 straight. He has delivered a fistful of clutch hits for the Mets. With six weeks left in the season he had more at-bats than in any season since 2002 and was ready for the sprint to the finish line -- just as long as they don't ask him to pitch, catch or play center field. Hal Bock is a freelance writer based in New York.

http://oakland.athletics.mlb.com/pa/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080821&content_id=3344415&vkey=mlbpa_news&fext=.jsp

Derek Drouin jumps to bronzeAugust 7, 2012 LONDON – Derek Drouin of Coruna, Ont. earned Canada’s latest medal at the London 2012 Olympic Games, taking bronze in the men’s high jump event with a jump of 2.29 metres. “I thought a medal was a realistic possibility. I had to sit there and wait for Jamie Nieto of the USA to miss his jump to confirm the bronze medal, that was really hard,” said Drouin. “It was great to celebrate on the track with the Canadian flag signed by my community in Sarnia. Their support has been amazing. I can’t wait to get my medal tomorrow night.” Drouin finished in a three-way tie for third with Mutaz Essa Barshim (Quatar) and Robert Grabarz (Great Britain) behind Olympic champion Ivan Ukhov (Russia – 2.38 metres) and silver medallist Erik Kynard (United States – 2.33 metres). Drouin’s medal is the first for Canada in the high jump since Greg Joy took silver in Montreal in 1976. “What a night for Derek Drouin and the Canadian Olympic athletics team tonight!,” said 2012 Chef de Mission Mark Tewksbury. “Derek rose to the occasion on the biggest stage and did something that hasn’t been done in close to forty years – an Olympic medal in high jump. I couldn’t be happier and more proud.” “The Olympic Games are made for moments like this,” said Assistant Chef de Mission Sylvie Bernier. “Derek Drouin surprised a lot of people tonight and now all Canadians will be able to cheer for him as he steps onto the Olympic podium.” “Derek Drouin’s performance was a thing of beauty,” said Canadian Olympic Committee President Marcel Aubut. “With the whole world watching, his grace and determination were on full display as he focused on the task at hand. Now he is Canada’s newest Olympic medallist and we are all very proud.” Canadian Olympic Committee Media Office: Mathieu Gentes, Media Attaché, Athletics Tel.: +44 7714000807 Jane Almeida, Media Relations Officer, 2012 Canadian Olympic Team Tel: +44 7714000818 Dimitri Soudas, Press Chief, 2012 Canadian Olympic Team

http://olympic.ca/press-releases/derek-drouin-jumps-to-bronze

Jenkins threw a 5-under 292 over five rounds for a $950 prize. Catrina Allen of Phoenix became the new national champion with a 14-under 283, taking home a $3,160 prize. Paige Pearce of Plano, Texas, took second, also with a 14-under 283, for a $2,100 prize; and Sarah Hokom of Caldwell, Idaho, took third with a 10-under 287 for a $1,500 prize. Results included in this report are from the PDGA website. Check out some photos from the event here.

http://outandaboutscs.wordpress.com/2012/10/02/capitolas-valarie-jenkins-takes-fifth-in-us-womens-disc-golf-championship/

"The only reason he has the chance of winning is because he has an incredible car," French Canadian Villeneuve, who has been signed up by F1's new French broadcaster Canal+ for 2013, said. "His only problem is that he does not learn from his mistakes," the former Williams and Sauber driver is quoted by France's RMC Sport. "I found all of last year's nonsense amazing," continued Villeneuve. "He didn't change from the first to the last race. "It's a shame because he is a very fast driver." Of the other F1 drivers, outspoken Villeneuve admitted that his favourite is Fernando Alonso. "The best car is certainly Adrian Newey's Red Bull. But apart from Alonso, there is no driver capable of driving at the limit of the car the whole race. "When Vettel does, he makes mistakes," said the 41-year-old. "The only standout is Alonso. "After him, maybe Lewis Hamilton. He is no longer at McLaren, with his family, and so he is not protected any more, but he is a fighter so it will be very interesting," added Villeneuve.

http://paddocktalk.com/news/html/story-215756.html

Even after putting up five runs in Tuesday's loss, the Marlins are still averaging just two runs per game over their last 13 contests, during which they are 2-11. As a result of that skid, Ozzie Guillen's club has dropped below .500 for the first time since May 5, and has fallen from a first-place tie in the National League East on June 3 to fourth entering Wednesday's action. "Offensively, we're not doing [anything] very positive right now," Guillen said Tuesday before his team put up more than four runs for the first time during the dismal 13-game stretch. "Everything we do is just ... I don't remember us hitting the ball hard. When that happens, when your offense is shut down the way we are right now, it's going to be hard to win some games. "Even [with] how bad we are playing, we are still in good position. Hopefully those guys start swinging the bat like we know they can do, and that can help the pitching staff." As for the Red Sox, they spent Tuesday denying the notion that troubles within the clubhouse could be contributing to the team's 34-33 record. Manager Bobby Valentine, and a few Sox players, vehemently refuted an ESPN blog by national baseball writer Buster Olney that claimed the Boston clubhouse was "toxic." "Completely fabricated," said Red Sox right-hander Josh Beckett. "I don't know where people get that from. I think people want that to be the case and I just don't think it is. I think this is probably one of the tightest-knit groups I've ever been a part of, with dinners on the road, a couple family trips here this last time. "We do a lot of stuff together. There's a good continuity here. I think there are certain people, they want it to be that way, and so they report it that way. It's just not like that at all." Toxic clubhouse or not, the Red Sox have won five of their last six and will look to clinch their third straight series victory Wednesday when they send Felix Doubront to the hill. Doubront's last start also came against the Marlins, as the lefty led the way to a 10-2 victory last Wednesday. Doubront held the Marlins hitless over the first 5 2/3 innings and ultimately allowed two runs on three hits over seven innings, while tying a season high with nine strikeouts. "With the stuff's he's got, he's up there with CC [Sabathia] and Jonny [Lester] and all those guys, as far as left-handed pitchers go," Red Sox catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia said. "I think he just needs to stay healthy. That's the biggest thing for him. He's done a great job of keeping his body in shape. You've seen what he's doing." Marlins: Nolasco looking to continue road success The Marlins will call on Ricky Nolasco on Wednesday night, as the right-hander will look to build on his success away from Marlins Park. Nolasco is 4-1 with a 3.35 ERA in six road starts, compared to just 2-4 in his seven home outings with an ERA at 5.40. Opponents are hitting .290 against Nolasco at Marlins Park, but just .252 when the hurler takes the mound at another stadium. Red Sox: Ross returns, Podsednik to DL Outfielder Cody Ross homered in his return to the Red Sox lineup Wednesday, his first game action since May 19. Ross had been sidelined with a fractured navicular bone in his left foot. "It feels great," Ross said before going 1-for-3 with the solo shot. "I'm really excited. Obviously it's been, I think, a month to the day or maybe a couple of days, but I'm just looking forward to getting back out there and helping the guys win and getting back on track." The day wasn't such a good one for Scott Podsednik, who landed on the disabled list with a mild left groin strain. Podsednik is hitting .387 with one homer, seven RBIs and six stolen bases in 19 games. The Red Sox have taken two of three from the Marlins in each of the last eight meetings. The Marlins won the inaugural series in 1997, but have lost each of the eight series since.

http://philadelphia.phillies.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2012_06_20_miamlb_bosmlb_1&mode=preview&vkey=preview_web_away&c_id=mia

Phanatic celebrates DVD release Phils mascot stars in 'The Phillie Phanatic Goes Hollywood' When you saw the Phillie Phanatic at a hot Philadelphia night spot with his mother, you knew something big had to be going on.Mom Phoebe accompanied the Phanatic and a host of other "celebrities" as baseball's best known mascot celebrated the release of his new DVD, "The Phillie Phanatic Goes Hollywood." A crowd of masked "celebrities," including Marilyn Monroe and Sammy Davis Jr., and some onlookers attended the event at McFadden's restaurant outside Citizens Bank Park before Friday night's game against the Marlins. "Philadelphia has a new star," said Joe Amodei, president of producer Hart Sharp Video. And with that, the Phanatic's newest venture went on the market. Children 14 and under received a copy of the DVD upon arriving at Friday's game, while everyone else must wait until the 37-minute feature hits video stores. The DVD also includes a half-hour of bonus features, starring the Phanatic and broadcaster Larry Andersen. The furry green mascot's first on-screen feature in eight years chronicles his trip to sunny Hollywood and his experiences at the center of the movie industry. Zachary Levine is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

http://philadelphia.phillies.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20060728&content_id=1580318&vkey=news_phi&c_id=phi&fext=.jsp

Reds asst. GM Miller chats with fans Addresses questions from faithful on a variety of topics Bob Miller: Hello everyone. Thanks for stopping by. Let's get to the Q & A. ChangeUp: I think it's great to see Eric Davis working within the Reds organization again. What kind of general role has he played which has helped you and Mr. Jocketty? Did he have an impact on any of the Draft selections? Miller: Eric has been a great help. He has worked with the Minor Leaguers with base running and outfield work. He's also helped with the mental part of the game -- how to take good at-bats, etc. flgator69: Is Winter Ball or an extended Spring Training available for some of our hitters' improvement? Miller: Instructional League starts next week and Winter Ball and the Arizona Fall League in October. Most of our better young players will be in one or more of those leagues getting more at-bats or innings under their belts. ChangeUp: I believe we have the best infield defense in all of baseball. What are the chances we will see the same starting infielders next season? Miller: Pretty good. I fully expect all four of them to be on our team next year. redstockings54: My question is with the number of good outfielders we currently have, are there any plans to trade any of them. And if so, what is the plan? Miller: All of these guys are young and most of them still have options to the Minors left, so we like our depth. If something comes along that will better our team or fill another need, we will always consider it. ChangeUp: Jonny Gomes seems to really enjoy being a Red and is really showing he can come through in clutch situations. Would you say there is a good chance he will be a Red next season? Miller: I hope so. He's had a good year. Hopefully we can come to an agreement that makes both sides happy. josh_frost: You're on a desert island: Skyline Chili or Graeter's? Miller: Graeter's, without a doubt. It's hot on the island. flgator69: Who, if anybody, on the Reds is "safe" from trades this offseason? Miller: It's hard to say anyone is "safe." I can't use names, but if a team in Missouri wanted to trade you their big first baseman, you'd have to think about it, wouldn't you? josh_frost: How is the team preparing differently this year with Spring Training in Goodyear, Ari., instead of Florida? Miller: A) We'll actually be able to use all of the fields because they will be Major League quality. B) Our players will eat better and more nutritiously since we have a commercial kitchen on site. C) Our Minor Leaguers won't have to wait hours and hours to use the weight room since it is now big enough for everyone D) etc. etc. The Goodyear facility is state-of-the-art from top to bottom. Just our rehab capabilities now have increased tenfold. batsfan09: Enerio Del Rosario has had a great season as a relief pitcher in the Minor Leagues. Do you think he could be a part of next year's bullpen? Could he possibly be a starter next year with Louisville, as he has been in previous years? Miller: I think Del Rosario and Logan Ondrusek will both be knocking on the door to pitch in the Majors next year. Both of them had outstanding seasons. bigal59: Several MLB players play winter ball and play in the WBC. The question has come up that some players get hurt while playing in the WBC. Do the clubs have control if a player plays in the WBC? punksroo: Which Minor League prospects are we likely to see this Spring? Miller: Travis Wood, Del Rosario, Ondrusek, Yonder Alonso, Todd Frazier, Zack Cozart, Chris Valaika, Chris Heisey, etc. ChangeUp: Do you have any early postseason predictions? Who will go to the World Series? Miller: Once you get into the postseason with those short series, it's tough to predict. The Yankees and the Phillies are the favorites for me right now. flsis: You seem pretty excited about Spring Training in Arizona next year, but aren't you going to miss seeing your sweet sister in Florida during the spring? Miller: I'll miss my whole family, who live down in the Tampa Bay area -- especially my favorite niece. lbentz11: What is a main, constant, day-to-day duty that you have to do as assistant GM? Miller: It varies from month to month, but during the season the everyday concern is the Major League roster management. There are so many rules that have to be followed it's almost a full time job just for that. redstockings54: Any word on the player to be named later from the David Weathers trade? Miller: No. It probably won't be finalized until mid-October. jroll1979: Any chance the team will wear the all-red hat on the road next year? Black-billed hat looks tacky. Miller: No idea. Most people like a little black though. I like the sleeveless pin stripe tops with the undershirts, but they don't wear them anymore. redstockings54: What do you perceive as a weakness that must be addressed? Miller: We need to score more runs. jroll1979: Any chance the Reds go after Orlando Hudson? Miller: He's going to make big money and we already have Brandon Phillips. bigal59: Is it true that the Reds are going to lose 20 million dollars this year? Miller: Don't know. But if so, maybe the government will send us some stimulus money. lbentz11: I know it's a bit premature, without writing off Matt Maloney, what are your thoughts on getting at least one left-handed starter for next season? Miller: I think both Wood and Maloney will be good Major League pitchers. Give them some time. Miller: One final question... lbentz11: How did you break into professional baseball? Can a person with a Bachelor's degree in youth ministry get hired on with a team (i.e. Cincinnati)? Miller: I started working in the Minor Leagues back in 1983. I hadn't even finished college yet at that point. Any background can do well in baseball. It takes all kinds, but you have to love the game and be willing to work ridiculous hours and put your time in. And then a little luck getting in the right spot always helps. Miller: I just want to thank everyone for stopping by over the last five months for these chats. I enjoy it. Obviously there are some things I can't talk about nor can I talk about other teams' players. I also won't badmouth anyone, which many of the questions I don't answer seem to want me to do. I'm glad you have interest in baseball and the Reds, and let me assure you that we are doing everything we can to bring a winning team to Cincinnati. Go Reds and see you all next year! This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

http://philadelphia.phillies.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090917&content_id=7016810&vkey=news_cin&fext=.jsp&c_id=cin

Peralta leads Brewers' talented pipeline Milwaukee's top four prospects all right-handed pitchers The future success of every Major League team lies largely in its Minor League pipeline. With that in mind, MLB.com is looking at each team's farm system, from the Top 20 Prospects to under-the-radar types. It's been a few years since Milwaukee's farm system has received high marks from national scouting services, perhaps because the Brewers usually don't seem to have the one or two standout prospects. Indeed, only one Brewers prospect -- right-hander Wily Peralta, at No. 64 -- cracked MLB.com's Top 100 Prospect list. But that doesn't mean the Brewers aren't excited about the potential in their Minor League system. "Of course, like everyone, we'd always like to add some more talent to it," Brewers director of player development Reid Nichols said. "But I'm happy with what we have." What Milwaukee has atop its prospect board is a lot of pitching. The top four prospects in the Brewers' system, as ranked by MLB.com, are all right-handers: Peralta, Tyler Thornburg, Taylor Jungmann and Johnny Hellweg. Lefty Jed Bradley, the club's 2011 first-round pick, is also highly thought of despite some command issues last season. He ranks sixth. Peralta, who projects as a No. 2 or very good No. 3 starter, showed flashes in the Majors late last season, going 2-1 with a 2.25 ERA in five September starts, including holding the Mets to two hits in eight scoreless innings. Thornburg also gained big league experience last season as a starter and reliever, but his four-pitch repertoire -- fastball, curve, changeup and cutter -- makes him ideal for the rotation. Jungmann and Hellweg, who was acquired in the Zack Greinke deal, also have upside. Jungmann topped 150 innings in his first full season and while Hellweg only threw 20 frames after the trade because of workload concerns, his fastball can reach 97 mph and his breaking ball possesses late bite. Although those arms might not be as highly touted as others by scouting services, it doesn't mean they won't develop into quality Major Leaguers. Peralta already showed his ability last September, and the Brewers also received great contributions from Marco Estrada and Mike Fiers, the latter of whom was homegrown. "It's everybody's best guess [evaluating prospects], and we really don't promote, or rather oversell, our players," Nichols said. "But we've done good with what we've had, and I think we've developed some pretty good talent." Nichols and the Brewers are confident that will continue. Top 20 prospects The most highly touted infielder is first baseman Hunter Morris, who ranked as MLB.com's No. 3 first-base prospect. Morris, 24, flourished in his second full season of pro ball, leading the Brewers organization in hits (158), homers (28), RBIs (113) and slugging percentage (.563), while also finishing second in batting average (.303) en route to earning Southern League MVP honors for Double-A Huntsville. Another young infielder to watch is Scooter Gennett, MLB.com's 10th-ranked second-base prospect. The 5-foot-10, 165-pound Gennett isn't a power threat, but is a career .300 Minor League hitter who posted a .293/.330/.385 line for Huntsville last season. Drafted as a shortstop, he's still learning to play second, but has great baseball instincts. Although Gennett lacks power, the Brewers have three who can provide it in outfielders Victor Roache (No. 8) and Mitch Haniger (No. 11), and catcher Clint Coulter (No. 10). Others also possess it on the mound, highlighted by right-hander Damien Magnifico (No. 20), whose fastball consistently reaches triple digits. brewers' top prospects Under the radar Outfielder Caleb Gindl (No. 17) and shortstop Orlando Arcia (No. 18) couldn't crack MLB.com's top prospect list, but the Brewers are very high on both. Gindl, 24, was the club's fifth-round pick in 2007 and already has two full seasons at Triple-A Nashville. He has a career .293/.368/.458 line in six Minor League seasons and has reached double-digit home runs four times. He's also a solid defender who can play all three outfield positions. A broken ankle forced Arcia to miss the entire 2012 season, but, at only 18, he still has plenty of time to develop. Nichols described Arcia as a "baseball rat," who "plays way above his age." He posted a .294/.386/.459 line with six homers and 13 stolen bases in 64 games as a 16-year-old in the Dominican Summer League in 2011. Hitter of the Year Morris won this award last season and is a good bet to repeat, as he should spend the entire season in the Minors. Gennett and Gindl, now in his third season at Triple-A Nashville, are others who could challenge the first baseman. Pitcher of the Year Assuming Peralta spends most of the season with Milwaukee, Jungmann seems primed to build upon last season's performance at Class A Advanced Brevard County, where he was 11-6 with a 3.53 ERA in 153 innings.

http://philadelphia.phillies.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20130206&content_id=41431926&vkey=news_mil&c_id=mil

DUNEDIN, Fla. -- Jose Bautista recorded his third home run of the spring, as the Blue Jays roughed up Doug Fister in a 4-2 victory over the Tigers on Saturday afternoon at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium. Bautista came to bat in the first with a runner on and immediately put Toronto in front with a deep shot over the wall in left field. He is now tied with Andy LaRoche for the team lead in homers, while also posting five RBIs and five walks in nine games. Toronto's slugger then struck again in the fourth with a double to right field which sparked another rally. Fister struggled with his command in that frame and proceeded to walk the bases loaded before being lifted from the game. Tigers right-hander Trevor Bell came out of the bullpen and allowed an RBI single to Maicer Izturis and a sacrifice fly to Henry Blanco, which extended the Blue Jays' lead to 4-2. Fister was charged with all four runs on three hits and two walks, while striking out five. Blue Jays left-hander Ricky Romero battled control problems on the mound during his third start of the spring. He threw just 27 of his 47 pitches for strikes, while walking three and surrendering two runs (one earned) over two frames. Detroit's Andy Dirks opened the scoring off Romero in the first inning with a solo shot to right-center field. It was his first home run of the spring and second RBI in eight Grapefruit League games. Romero's biggest woes occurred in the second. He allowed a one-out double to Alex Avila, which would have led to an RBI, but Bautista and Adam Lind combined on a nice relay throw to get Brayan Pena at the plate. Romero then proceeded to walk a pair of batters, but the lone run in the inning was unearned -- thanks to an error by shortstop Ryan Goins. Up next: Rick Porcello will try to continue his bid to hold onto his rotation spot on Sunday, when he makes his fourth start of the spring against the Nationals in a 1:05 p.m. ET game at Joker Marchant Stadium. He'll be trying to build on his four scoreless innings and six strikeouts against the Astros last Tuesday. Brayan Villarreal, Joaquin Benoit, Duane Below and Kenny Faulk are also scheduled to pitch. Dan Haren will get the start for Washington. Listen to the call on MLB.com Gameday Audio online and 97.1 FM in Detroit.

http://philadelphia.phillies.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20130309&content_id=42502096&vkey=news_det&c_id=det

Playoff Elimination: Check; Howard Injury to End Season: Check. The end of this Phillies season seems to be a long, painful check list of unfortunate events. And there are still 4 games to go, so the list may not yet be complete. Let us see where we are so far: - The Phillies have been eliminated from the playoffs. - Ryan Howard dropped a warm-up bat on his toe and broke it, ending his season. That makes 2 straight seasons that will end with a Howard limping off the field. Maybe the Phillies need to invest in a lot of bubble wrap? - Rookie pitcher Tyler Cloyd has been shut-down early with a “tired arm.” - In what seems like an attempt to get the media to talk about anything other than the worst Phillies season in a long time, the Chase Utley 3rd base experiment has been deemed “over.” He will not play 3rd base. - Speaking of 3rd base, the Phillies have absolutely no idea who will play there in 2013. - Last night, Roy Halladay pitched fewer than 6 innings for the 6th time this season and gave up more than 3 runs in a game for the 9th time, unofficially announcing to the world that getting old sucks. - For the 6th time in his career, Jimmy Rollins will end the season with at least 100 runs scored. However, he will also finish having batted well under .250 for 4 out of the 6 months of the season. He also came in 4th in all of baseball in fly ball outs and 2nd in the National League. I think those were enough depressing thoughts for the day. On a happier note, despite Halladay allowing 4 runs in 5 innings last night, the Phillies did pull out a 9-5 win over the last place Marlins. 5 players had a multi-hit game, including Utley who picked up 3 RBI. The win puts the Phillies dead-even at 79-79 for the season with 4 games to go. The goal in these last several games should be to finish above the .500 mark. They will go after the Fish one more time today at 1:10pm. “LIKE” us on Facebook for more updates & photos! Head shot by Jenn Zambri Photography

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2008 World Series: Game 1: The Phillies takes a 1-0 lead behind the strong pitching of Cole Hamels and two shut out innings from the bullpen as they defeated the Rays, 3-2. Seven strong innings from Cole Hamels and two shut out innings from Ryan Madson and Brad Lidge would be the difference as the Phillies would hang on to defeat the Rays, 3-2, to take the first game of the World Series. The Phils would jump into the lead in the top of the first, when, with a runner on first and one man out, Chase Utley would hit a two-run home run into the right field seats, scoring Jayson Werth, who has earlier walked, to give the Phillies a 2-0 lead. The Phillies would threaten to increase their lead in the second, when, with the bases loaded via a single (Shane Victorino) and two walks (Pedro Feliz and Carlos Ruiz) and with one man out, Victorino would try to score on a shallow fly ball to left center field by Jimmy Rollins that was caught by Rays’ centerfielder B.J. Upton for the inning’s second out. Victornio, who would later admit that he ran home on a miscommunication with third base coach Steve Smith, who was telling him not to go home, would be tagged out at home plate by Rays’ catcher Dioner Navarro for the inning’s final out. In the top of the third, the Phillies would threaten to score again after Werth would reach third base via a lead-off double and a Utley ground out, 4-3, for the inning’s first out. But Rays’ starter Scott Kazmir would get out of the inning by getting first Ryan Howard and then Pat Burrell to strike out swinging. The Rays would then mount a threat of their own in their half of the third as they would load up the bases with only one out via two singles (Ben Zobrist and Akinori Iwamura) and a walk (Jason Bartlett). But Cole Hamels would end the threat by getting Upton to ground into a 5-4-3 double play on a sharp grounder hit to Feliz. The Phillies would finally add another run in the fourth as, with runners on second and third and one man out, Victorino, who has earlier singled, would move to second on Feliz’s single, and who would both move up a base on Chris Coste’s ground out to first, would cross the plate on Ruiz’s ground out, 6-3, giving the Phillies a 3-0 lead. The Rays would finally get on the scoreboard as, with two outs, Carl Crawford would hit a solo home run on a Hamels’ curveball, cutting the Phils’ lead down to 3-1. The Rays would then cut the Phils’ lead down further in the fifth, as, with a runner on second and two men out, Iwamura would hit a RBI double, scoring Bartlett, who has earlier walked and then stole second, to make it a 3-2 Phillies’ lead. Hamels would then end the inning by getting Upton to foul out to Howard, who would make a spectular catch just inside the stands behind the first base foul line. The Rays would try to threaten again in the sixth as Howard would boot Carlos Pena’s ground ball for a fielding error. But, when Pena tried to steal second, he would be picked off by Hamels, who would throw over to Howard, who would then throw to Rollins, would would just barely tag out Pena for the inning’s first out, although the Rays’ bench would claim that Hamels had actually balked, a claim that first base umpire Kerwin Danley would ignore. Hamels would then proceed to strike out Evan Longoria and then get Crawford to ground out, 4-3, to end the inning. The Phillies would make another threat to score an extra run in the seventh, as, with runners on third (Utley (single, stolen base and wild pitch (J.P. Howell)) and first (Burrell (walk), who was then replaced by pinch runner Eric Bruntlett) and two outs, Rays’ reliever Grant Balfour, the second Rays’ reliever for the inning, would end the inning by striking out Victornio. Hamels’ seventh would be an easy eleven-pitch 1-2-3 inning. After the Phillies would go down 1-2-3 in the top of the eighth, Ryan Madson would come out in relief of Hamels and proceed to pitch a 1-2-3 inning of his own. In the Phillies’ ninth, the Phils would make one final attempt to get an insurance run as they would get runners on second (Werth (ground-rule double) and first (Utley (intentional walk)) and one out. But, the Rays would get out of the inning as first Howard would strike out looking and then Bruntlett would pop out to the second baseman. The Phillies would then hand the ball over to Brad Lidge to close it. Lidge would proceed to strike out Pena and Longoria on seven pitches before ending the game by getting Crawford to foul out to Feliz for the final out, recording the save. Cole Hamels would get the win as he would pitch seven strong innings, giving up two earned runs on five hits and two walks, while striking out five. His record in the series is now 1-0 with a 2.57 ERA and a 4-0 record in the post-season. Ryan Madson would pitch a 1-2-3 inning, striking out one. Brad Lidge would also pitch a 1-2-3 inning, striking out two, as he would record his fifth save in the post-season and his forty-sixth save in forty-six tries. Scott Kazmir would receive the lost as he pitches six innings, giving up three earned runs on six hits and four walks, while striking out four. His series record is 0-1 with an ERA of 4.50. J.P. Howell, Grant Balfour, Trever Miller and Dan Wheeler would combine for three scoreless innings, giving up two hits (Howell and Balfour one hit apiece) and two walks (Howell and Balfour would each give up a walk), while striking out five (Howell and Balfour two each and Miller one). The Phillies would win last night’s game thanks to the bullpen shutting down the Rays’ offense in the last two innings, while Cole Hamels, Ryan Madson and Brad Lidge would combine to get the last eleven Ray batters out, after Hamels had picked off Carlos Pena trying to steal second in the sixth inning. Speaking of the pick off, Rays’ manager Joe Maddon and the Rays’ bench all thought that Hamels had balked before he threw to first base after Pena had started to run towards second base. The first base umpire, Kerwin Danley, would ignore their argument, but before the start of the Phillies’ seventh, home plate umpire Tim Welke told Maddon that he would look into the matter. Quite frankly, I don’t know what the point of all this is. If it was a balk, Danley should’ve called it right then and there. I just hope this wasn’t an attempt by Maddon to influence things later in the series as it could backfire on his team since the umpires could decide to look closely at the pitchers of both teams when their pitchers throw towards first when there is someone on base who is a basestealing threat. I guess time will tell. Meanwhile, the Phillies offense would once again in the post-season be unable to hit an early knockout blow against their opponent as they would leave eleven men on base, thanks mainly to Ryan Howard being unable to stop chasing junk out of the strike zone. Hey big guy, lay off the junk pitches will you? As long as you keep swinging at them, they’re going to keep throwing them to you. Please follow Charlie Manuel’s advice, just relax at the plate and let the ball come to you. Even if it means hitting into an out, it’ll at least be a lot better than being made to look like a fool with your constant swing and misses at off-speed junk. The 2008 World Series continues tonight with the series’ second game, being played tonight at Tropicana Field. The game will begin at 8:29 pm Easten time. The Phillies will send to the mound Brett Myers (0-0, -.–), who is coming off his victory over the Dodgers on October 10, where he went five innings, giving up five earned runs on six hits and four walks, while striking out six, in the Phillies’ 8-5 win, thanks in part to his going 3 for 3 at the plate, knocking in three runs and scoring two. His post-season record is 2-0 with a 5.25 ERA, as he pitched twelve innings, giving up seven earned runs on eight hits and seven walks, while striking out ten. During the regular season, his record was 10-13 with a 4.55 ERA, as he pitched in thirty games, giving up 103 runs, 96 of which were earned, on 197 hits and 65 walks, while striking out 163 batters in 190 innings of work. But, he was a better pitcher in the second half, after his return from a minor league reassignment, as he would go 7-4 with two no-decisions. Myers will be pitching his first start on the road during the post-season, and hoping to stake the Phillies to a 2-0 lead in the series, while hoping to avoid a repeat of his last road start back on September 19 against the Marlins where he got bombed for ten earned runs. The Rays will be countering with James Shields (0-0, -.–), who is coming off his second straight bad start in the ALCS against the Red Sox on October 18, as he would last just five and two-third innings, giving up four runs, three of which were earned, on nine hits and three walks, while striking out three, in the Rays’ 4-2 lost. In the post-season, his record is 1-2 in three starts, as he would pitch ninteen and a third innings, giving up nine runs, eight of which were earned, on twenty-one hits and six walks, while striking out thirteen. His regular season record was 14-8 with a 3.56 ERA, as he would pitch in 33 games, going 215 innings, giving up 94 runs, 85 of which were earned, on 208 hits and 40 walks, while striking out 160. Shields will be going out to even the series at a game a piece, while trying to avoid getting hurt for the third straight game in the post-season. The Phillies will once again be trying to be patient with another Rays’ starter who have had even worst recent luck in the post-season than has last night’s starter Kazmir before striking the major blow, while hoping that Myers will be able to do well on the road for at least this game, before heading back home to the friendly confines of Citizens Bank Park and its very loud, screaming fans.

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Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 5/3/12 NXT Sports seeks a head coach for the NXT Lacrosse Club 2016 team. NXT Lacrosse is a two-year old club program based in Newtown Square, PA. NXT Lacrosse is focused on player development and skill building through an organized and highly professional approach to practices, and through passionate and knowledgeable instruction. NXT Lacrosse trains year-round at Episcopal Academy, one of the best high school facilities in the nation. Tryouts for the NXT 2016 team will take place in September, 2012 at Episcopal Academy. Last year over 150 players tried out for the NXT 2015 team, and that team has established itself as one of the best in the region. The NXT 2016 team will consist of 26-28 ninth graders in the class of 2016 willing to commit to the program year-round. - Direct all on-field activities for the team; - Commit to offering developmental feedback to players and families, up to and including personal developmental meetings with all players; - Work closely with the NXT coaching directors to formulate practice plans and distribute practice plans to players in advance; - Applicant must be willing to commit to NXT’s year-round practice and tournament schedule. 2012-2013 schedule consists of weekly practice September to November, and 3-4 fall tournaments; weekend indoor practice December through February and one indoor box tournament; and summer practice May through July with a full summer tournament schedule; - Highly competitive salary - All travel costs to and from events covered - All club apparel provided - Opportunity to work other NXTsports events if desired, such as the Philly Showcase - A current or former lacrosse player highly knowledgeable about the sport - Coaching experience required, head coaching experience preferred - Genuine interest in working with and developing young lacrosse players - Excellent interpersonal, organizational and written and oral communication skills; able to communicate equally well with kids and parents; - Able to commit to year-long program - Have a strong work ethic and desire to succeed - Teaching experience a plus To apply or for more information send an introductory email and a resume to: Philadelphia Regional Director, NXT Lacrosse

http://phillylacrosse.com/2012/05/03/club-lacrosse-vacancy-nxt-sports-seeks-head-coach-for-2016-boys-team/

March 25 – Happy Birthday Woodie Held One of the Yankees most impacted by the infamous Copa Cabana Nightclub incident wasn’t even there celebrating that night. I’m referring to Woodie Held, a rather free spirited middle infield prospect for New York in the fifties who along with alleged troublemaker Billy Martin, pitcher Ralph Terry and an outfielder named Bob Martyn were traded to Kansas City for reliever Ryne Duren and outfielders Jim Pisoni and Harry “Suitcase” Simpson. Both Martin and Terry would get a chance to return to New York and capture glory in pinstripes. Bob Martyn would never enjoy much success in the big leagues. But Held would go on to play fourteen years in the big leagues and belt 179 home runs. Back when I was a kid, I collected baseball cards, which in addition to the annual Street & Smith’s Baseball Preview issue were my primary information conduit for the performances and stats of non-Yankee players. I remember checking the backs of cards of every player to find out what teams they played for. It was most likely on the back of the 1961 Woodie Held card pictured with this post that I found out he used to be a Yankee. Once you were a Yankee, I continued to root for your success except when your team happened to be playing the Yankees. That is how and why I became a fan of Woodie Held. I loved his name and I loved the fact that he played in the middle of the infield but could still hit for power. I remember the year I got this card, Maris and Mantle were chasing Ruth but Skowren, Berra, Howard and Blanchard all had more than 20 home runs that season while Clete Boyer (11), Bobby Richardson (3) and Tony Kubek (8) didn’t reach that milestone. I remember looking at Held’s card and seeing he had hit 21 home runs as a shortstop for the Indians in 1960 and 27 the season before. He would hit 23 during the ’61 season. I remember hoping some day he’d return to New York and hit all those home runs as a Yankee shortstop. Of course back then, I didn’t realize that would have been pretty difficult for Held to do since he was a right-handed pull hitter and probably, just like Clete Boyer ended up doing, many of Woodie’s blasts would have been turned into outs by Yankee Stadium’s cavernous left field. In any event, Held never did come back to the Yankees. He hung on in the big leagues until 1969, quitting when he was 37 years old. He then enjoyed one of the most erratic retirements of any big league player in history. He opened a pizza parlor, ran a lumber yard, he raced snowmobiles, became an iron worker, he worked as a bartender and an electrician. Woodson George Held died in June of 2009 in his adopted home of DuBois Wyoming at the age of 77. He shares his March 25th birthday with this former Yankee outfielder and coach.

http://pinstripebirthdays.mlblogs.com/2012/03/25/march-25-happy-birthday-woodie-held/?like=1&source=post_flair&_wpnonce=0772592eec

Stanton solely focused on 'winning philosophy' Marlins slugger frustrated after five teammates traded to Toronto Giancarlo Stanton was home in Westwood, Calif., on Tuesday when he heard the news that five of his teammates were being traded to the Toronto Blue Jays. His first thought hadn't changed by Thursday night. "I do not like this at all," Stanton said. "This is the 'winning philosophy?' Then to say it's not about money? What is the motivation? There comes a breaking point. I know how I feel. I can't imagine how the city and the fans feel." Stanton, who turned 23 two weeks before the deal, reflected on last winter when the Marlins signed Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle, Heath Bell and John Buck. "They talked about that, a winning philosophy, and how they were building a winner to play in the new ballpark," Stanton said. "They talked about me and Jose. They talked about how they'd have Jose and [Emilio Bonifacio] and Hanley [Ramirez] in front of me and how they would go get a bat to protect me. "Jose, Bonifacio, Hanley ... all three are gone now. I had people warn me that something like this could happen, but it runs against the competitive nature every athlete has, that nature that everything is about winning. This kind of thing is what gets talked about all the time around this team. Former Marlins come back and they warn us. It gets talked about during the stretch, in the clubhouse, after games, on the road. Again, I do not like this at all." Marlins president David Samson said during a radio interview this week that the Marlins' last-place finish in 2012 prompted this trade. "We sat down after the season and talked about the team and said, 'We cannot keep finishing in last place. It doesn't make sense.' We lost 93 games, and we entrusted all of our scouts and development people and upper-level baseball people and said, 'What can we do to possibly start this to turn around? What needs to happen? How can it work?'" At one point Tuesday night, Stanton sent out an uncharacteristic tweet. He is one of the game's brightest stars, who by the age of 22 had hit 37 homers in a season despite missing 40 games because of knee and oblique injuries. Stanton led the National League in slugging at .608. His average home run traveled farther than any other player in either league. Stanton always plays the game hard, without flair, without the need for attention. He is unfailingly modest, which made the tweet so unusual: "Alright, I'm [ticked] off!!! Plain & Simple" In 2013, in his fourth Major League season, Stanton will be playing for his fifth manager and working with his fourth hitting coach. He has a close friend remaining in Ricky Nolasco, who soon could be gone, as well. Stanton chose baseball rather than being the next great football tight end because of his love of the game, that joy of going to Dodger Stadium with his father. "The one thing I didn't understand was the Minor Leagues, how that part of the business works," Stanton said of his younger days. "I'd see Todd Hollandsworth out there one game, and the next game he wouldn't be there, and I didn't understand. I didn't get the Minor League thing. I didn't understand that part of the business." Now Giancarlo Stanton is experiencing the business side of the game. "I can deal with losing as long as one is trying to win," Stanton said. "If you're losing and you're not trying to win, that is not fair. I play to have fun, I play to win, I play for my teammates. "Then to say it's not about money, what is the motivation? Where is that winning philosophy? How many times do you have to be told something and have it change before you realize what's going on? It's like the boy who cried wolf. "There's nothing I can do. I'm not going to change the way I work out in the offseason and prepare. I'm not going to change the way I approach the game. I'm not going to change the way I play every day." Samson and Marlins manager Mike Redmond chose not to comment on Stanton's reaction to the proposed trade, which still is pending approval by the Commissioner's Office. Last winter, the Marlins were unable to sign Albert Pujols, among others, because they would not give no-trade clauses. The deals they signed with Reyes and Buehrle were back-loaded, which allowed them to later move the bulk of the investments to other teams. "Maybe that's the business everywhere," Stanton said. "But I would like to think it's not that way. Baseball is about winning. It is about people. When it's not about winning and not about human beings, I don't want to be a part of that." In other words, the "breaking point" Stanton sees approaching probably will become a part of the Marlins' business plan at the end of the 2013 season. The strapping outfielder will be eligible for arbitration next fall, and if he stays healthy and gets enough pitches to hit to continue the upward graph of what eventually could be a Hall of Fame career, he is probably going to be in line for enough money to push the Marlins to entertain multi-player offers for the 23-year-old star, especially given that Stanton is not likely to sign a long-term deal to stay in Miami. For the time being, the Marlins are not planning to trade Stanton. They also have not been in contact with Stanton's representatives about a long-term deal. The last two offseasons, Stanton has gone to Europe to explore, learn and allow his mind to expand past the competitive juices that drive him. He has traveled to Japan; he eventually wants to see the Pyramids and the Middle East. But this weekend, his escape will be the USC-UCLA game: His high school teammate, Wes Horton, is a defensive end for USC, where Stanton would have played football had the Marlins not drafted him and offered him the opportunity to play the other sport he loves. Anyone in South Florida who cares about the Marlins now has no choice but to believe that Stanton is going to be no different than Kevin Brown, Gary Sheffield, Mike Piazza, Moises Alou, Al Leiter, Josh Beckett, Ramirez, Reyes, Buehrle, et al. The shame of it is that Stanton logically should be the face of Miami baseball. Stanton is thoughtful, civil, decent and plays the game the right way, not to mention at a skill level about which most players only dream. Now, one first wonders if baseball will ever be to Miami kids what the Dodgers were to a young Giancarlo, then one wonders where his historic identity will be planted. Most of all, Stanton is human, not oil on canvas, and that he does not like. Not at all. Peter Gammons is a columnist for MLB.com and an analyst for MLB Network. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

http://pittsburgh.pirates.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20121116&content_id=40327450&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb

DETROIT -- The scope of the American League Most Valuable Player Award had barely set in for Miguel Cabrera when he already started looking ahead. He was talking about the honor last month on a conference call with reporters when the question of the future came up. "I always like to have something in my mind to make me work hard, make me work better," Cabrera said. "I'm still dreaming. I think every time I look [ahead] as a player, it's like, 'I want to do this.'" A couple of weeks later, as he was signing autographs at a suburban mall, Cabrera all but put the burial rites on his magical season. "That's in the past," Cabrera told the Detroit Free Press. "We have to move forward and try to be ready for next season." It's a great philosophy to have. But when you've won the Triple Crown and the AL MVP Award after a season for the ages, what's the next dream? OK, it's obvious in the big picture. Cabrera has made no secret of his desire to win another World Series title to go with the one he won as a 20-year-old rookie with the Marlins a decade ago. But it's a long way to get there, with a bunch of individual performances along the way. So now, in the quiet of the offseason, before the buzz builds for Spring Training -- figure on it building next month when Cabrera joins his teammates in town for TigerFest and the Winter Caravan -- the conundrum of what Cabrera can do for an encore deserves to be asked. It came up with Tigers officials at the Winter Meetings. "I said last year it's very possible that [ace Justin] Verlander could pitch just as good or better [in 2012 as in '11] and not win as many games, or could pitch not quite as good and win more games," manager Jim Leyland pointed out at the Winter Meetings earlier this month. "You never know how that's going to play out." That said, Leyland has a pretty good idea. "I guess I'd be safe in saying it's probably unlikely he'll win the Triple Crown next year," Leyland said of Cabrera. "It hadn't been done since 1967, so I doubt it. If there's any guy that could possibly do it, it would be him, but I say the same thing about Cabrera every year. He's going to have a great season." As rare as the Triple Crown has become, to repeat it is unprecedented, though past Triple Crown winners have gone on to have very strong follow-up seasons. Carl Yastrzemski followed his Triple Crown with a batting title in 1968, but his .301 average represented a 25-point drop. Likewise, his home run and RBI totals fell dramatically in the Year of the Pitcher. Yaz's Triple Crown thwarted Frank Robinson's attempt at a repeat, as did injuries. Mickey Mantle actually hit for a higher average the year after his Triple Crown in 1956, but he walked so much more often that he didn't get to 100 RBIs or 35 home runs. Ted Williams might have had a chance at repeating in 1948 if not for games lost; his .369 average was 26 points higher than what he posted the previous year. Except for Mantle, who won his Triple Crown at age 24, all of the aforementioned winners were around the same age as Cabrera, who will turn 30 in the coming year. Only Williams, though, had more titles in the Triple Crown categories before actually winning a Triple Crown. Cabrera had already led the league in average, home runs and RBIs before winning the Triple Crown; he just hadn't done it all in the same season. "I think when you're talking about not handling the expectations," team president/general manager Dave Dombrowski said, "it's more those guys that have one of those years that everything falls into place and you kind of look back and you say, 'Wow, look at the year he had. I'm a little surprised.' In reality, maybe their won-loss record or their batting average isn't quite as good as what their overall abilities are. But when you start talking about Cabrera and Verlander, you're talking about two of the more talented guys in baseball. So they'll handle it. They're hard workers [with] great attitudes. I think they handle that as they've matured enough where they're not a young kid trying to do too much, so that whole combination leads them to be guys that can handle that scenario pretty well." Batting average shouldn't be a problem. It's not just the back-to-back batting crowns; it's that Cabrera's .330 average this past season wasn't that far off his career average. He hit 14 points better in 2011. He's strong enough with a quick enough bat to get hits by fighting off pitches, a quality that shouldn't fade any time soon. Not since the great Tony Gwynn 15 years ago has a player won three consecutive batting crowns. The last AL player to do it goes back a quarter-century to Wade Boggs. The last right-handed hitter to win three straight in either league was Rogers Hornsby, who won six straight from 1920-25. So, yes, Cabrera could come nowhere near the Triple Crown and still pull off a feat more rare than he did this past season. The key could be to avoid the hitless stretches he had in 2012, one of them an 0-for-22 slump in April, another an 0-for-15 skid in June. Cabrera's track record of health suggests games missed shouldn't be a problem. His size could become an issue down the road, but Dombrowski said the third baseman is already working out in south Florida with teammates Alex Avila and Jhonny Peralta, doing the same program that helped him make the move to the hot corner this past season. As long as Cabrera's in the lineup, his supporting cast should give him a fair chance at RBIs. If Prince Fielder wasn't enough of a deterrent for pitchers to work around him, a healthy Victor Martinez behind Fielder might reinforce it. That leaves home runs, the one category where Cabrera's 2012 total was a little out of whack. His 44 homers were six above his previous career high, mainly because he nearly doubled his previous best for home runs in the final month of a season. If he keeps his strength up -- again, a workout issue -- he has a chance. But Cabrera also has the World Baseball Classic coming up this spring. But perhaps the biggest motivation for him will be another chance to win. "This guy wants to win a world championship and be a centerpiece of that," Dombrowski said, "and he'll do whatever he can to win. So I think if anybody will handle that well, it will be Miguel Cabrera. He's been around a while. He's not a young, young kid. He's in the prime of his career. He's been a good player for a long time. He doesn't have to just carry our club on the back of his shoulders. We've got some other good players around him. So when you look at the whole combination of things, I think he'll handle it very well."

http://pittsburgh.pirates.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20121220&content_id=40769476&vkey=news_det&c_id=det

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- The team's starting center fielder pulled a hamstring and it's the backup's job to help keep the team afloat by playing until he returns. The only problem was the backup was hurt, too. That was Tony Gwynn's dilemma in 2012. Have surgery, don't play and let the team down. Or try to play hurt, and eventually let the team down anyway. Gwynn, 30, played with an injury that was never discussed by him or the club. He believes he suffered a sports hernia lifting weights after the 2011 season, but he never had an MRI to diagnose it. "I didn't want to know," he said Friday. "I wasn't having surgery no matter what I had." He was hurting last Spring Training, hurting when Matt Kemp went down with that hamstring injury in early May and the relapse in late May. Needing to fill in for Kemp on almost an everyday basis for several months, Gwynn's already injured body finally broke down. "I was still swinging the bat good enough to be a Major Leaguer, but I'm not Matt Kemp or Carl Crawford," he said. "I need to be 100 percent to be effective, especially my legs." The son of the Hall of Famer, Gwynn's reputation is that of a defensive specialist with the speed and skill to steal bases and, as he's shown more than one season, enough bat to be a serviceable fourth outfielder. "We know what Tony can do," said manager Don Mattingly. "We know he can play all three outfield spots great. Offensively, we'll have to see how Tony swings the bat. With Tony, sometimes you have to put guys in position where it's not the best thing for them. Matt gets hurt and all of a sudden he's an everyday, everyday guy. That's a lot different than four days a week." Gwynn hit .253 during the first six weeks of Kemp's hamstring injury, then went 2-for-22 the next two weeks. By the time he was taken off the Major League roster in early August, Gwynn was hitting .232 with only 13 steals and had been caught six times. "That's not me," he said. "My middle body wasn't strong enough and it broke down. What really put it in perspective for me were physical therapy tests that I had done throughout my career, I couldn't pass any of them." After being designated for assignment, then outrighted to Triple-A Albuquerque (because nobody would pick up a contract that still had $1.15 million guaranteed for 2013), Gwynn knows his job this spring is to rehab his career and change the perception that last year was the result of diminished skills, rather than an injury that has healed. "Obviously, management views me as an insurance policy, with the moves they made," Gwynn said, knowing that the trade for Skip Schumaker adds a center fielder and a right-handed hitter to the roster, with Jerry Hairston a likely fifth outfielder ahead of Gwynn and young Alex Castellanos also on the 40-man roster. "It is what it is. I just have to play well. Last year I'd get on base and have no confidence in my body to get to second. I'd get thrown out on bunts or ground balls that I know I should beat and you just know something is wrong." Gwynn said the Dodgers were aware of his ailment, but he's not surprised if the moves they made are an indication he's fallen on the depth chart. "It's the business of the game," he said. It's a do-for-me, do-for-you world. The moment you can't do your job, it's a cutthroat world. That's the way the game's been as long as it's been played." Gwynn is in that awkward place where he's not on the big league roster but he feels part of the team. He was given a locker in the middle of the veterans, even though he's technically a non-roster player fighting for a big league job. If the other five outfielders are healthy, Gwynn could wind up back in Albuquerque. What's different, he said, is that he's now healthy, thanks to the Dodgers training staff ("one of the best I've ever dealt with") and San Diego-area therapist Dr. Kahl Goldfarb, who put Gwynn on a program of cupping therapy. That's an ancient Chinese form of alternative medicine where vacuum is created by the placement of pump-assisted cups over soft tissue. "It acts like the opposite of massage," said Gwynn. "I started to see results and by January the pain subsided. It had been so bad I couldn't walk up steps. But I didn't want to get hernia surgery because there's no guarantee it works." Gwynn said he's now 100 percent. He can run and steal and is determined, "from a personal standpoint, to showcase I can play. Whatever happens, happens. If it's L.A., Albuquerque or another big league team, so be it." Gwynn laughs when asked if he requested the Dodgers trade him. "That would have been hard with the numbers I put up, to have the audacity to ask for a trade," he said. "That would have made Ned's [Colletti] job tough, my body breaking down and hitting .234. I didn't get on base or steal bags, didn't do the things they needed. I don't feel I have a right to ask." Ken Gurnick is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

http://pittsburgh.pirates.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20130222&content_id=41897792&vkey=news_la&c_id=la

Williams: The ultimate independent Unwavering enthusiasm, steely commitment and prodigious experience help make Frank Williams believe his team are here to stay There he sits: Sir Frank Williams, in his office, bright and early, ready to attack another day with gusto, eyes sparkling with mischief. You could be forgiven for forgetting this was 2009 – the middle of a catastrophic economic crisis that even a member of the government says could last 15 years – and that Frank sits at the head of a Formula One team totally dependent on that outside world for their continued existence (they're sponsored by RBS, for goodness sake!). They're a team with a glorious world title-winning past, but have been mired in the midfield for the last few seasons, with no apparent trajectory. Yet there Frank sits, in his wheelchair, still loving every minute and looking forward to the next challenge – perhaps the biggest one the sport's ever faced. Forty years after entering F1 on a wing, a prayer, a following wind and a ray of sunshine, he's raring to go. To continue reading this feature... from just $1.50 per week - Get unlimited access to AUTOSPORT with news and views from the paddock - Enjoy AUTOSPORT+: subscriber-only analysis, comment and top-quality pictures - Explore every F1 stat in the world’s best motorsport database Read this feature right now for just

http://plus.autosport.com/premium/feature/2013/williams-the-ultimate-independent/

It seems Falcons wide receiver Roddy White has found something else to like about New Orleans. White said earlier this week that he only liked the food in the city the Falcons will be visiting on Sunday, but that might not be entirely accurate. He also liked seeing the Saints play a lot of man coverage against the Eagles last week and hopes that the Saints have a similar defensive game plan in place as they try to hand Atlanta their first loss of the season. “We just got to go out there and hope that we get that same coverage that they was giving Philly,” White said, via NFL.com. “I was watching the Philadelphia film and I’m like, ‘Wow!’ These guys sit out here and play man-to-man coverage all day, oh man we’re going to have a field day.” The Saints defense had its best day of the season against the Eagles, allowing just 13 points in a 28-13 win that lifted the team to a 3-5 record on the year. They did allow 447 yards, though, which isn’t too far off their NFL-worst season average of 471.2 yards per game. That’s almost 100 yards more than the Falcons gain on average, which should bode well for the Atlanta offense on Sunday if they continue to avoid turnovers the way they have all season.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/11/11/roddy-white-hopes-to-see-man-coverage-today/

World Championships Team Time Trial 2012 Tomorrow the World Championships start, and yes, since you ask, I *AM* very excited! So, a quick post, with some information on the course, the teams, predictions, and best of all, how to follow it, live on web tv!. First up, the details. It’s 34.2km, with 2 big climbs – Lange Raarberg, 1,300m at 4.5%, and then the legendary, fantastic Cauberg, 1,200m at 5.8% with a maximum gradient at 12%! If only I was on the Cauberg tomorrow! Check out the route details. Here’s the startlist, with names and start times. There are 12 teams racing, starting with Sengers Ladies Team, who go at 11:00 CEST (that’s 10am BST; 5am USA Eastern; 2am USA Pacific; 19:00 Australia NSW) then the teams go off at 4-minute intervals, until the last team, Specialized-lululemon, start at 11:44 CEST, 44 minutes later. And, my predictions. It’s got to be Specialized-lululemon for me – they’re unbeaten in TTTs since the (unbeatable) Cervélo Test Team morphed into Garmin-Cervélo for 2011, and halved their team. The Specialized team includes former World ITT Champion, Amber Neben (USA), and there’s only one rider on the squad, Ina-Yoko Teutenberg (Ger) who hasn’t been a National ITT Champion! Charlotte Becker (Ger) Ellen van Dijk (Ned), Evelyn Stevens (USA) and Trixi Worrack (Ger) have all won theirs, at least once – although Teute’s been 3rd in the German Champs five times! Specialized-lululemon are using the Worlds as an opportunity to raise more money for Right To Play – if you can, please support them! But, if there’s one rider who knows how to beat Specialized, it’s Judith Arndt, who was on T-Mobile and then Highroad, their former incarnations. The current World ITT Champion leads Orica-AIS‘ squad, who are the biggest challengers for the win. They’ve come second behind Specialized in every TTT this year: + 40″ in the EnergieWacht Tour (26.5km), + 29″ in the Open de Sùede Vårgårda TTT World Cup (42.5km) and + 19″ in the Brainwash Tour (34km) (links take you to the results of each race on CQ Ranking). The Orica Team is Arndt (Ger), Shara Gillow (Aus), Loes Gunnewijk (Ned), Melissa Hoskins (Aus), Alex Rhodes (Aus) and Linda Villumsen (NZl) – formidable! Expect to see Arndt and Villumsen contesting the ITT win on Tuesday, and Gillow aiming for top 5. The team that’s come third in each TTT is Rabobank. All-round superstar, Marianne Vos (Ned) is skipping the ITT to focus on her goal of winning an Olympic-Worlds double – but with a week between TTT and Road Race, she can go all out! She’s racing alongside Tatiana Antoshina (Rus), Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Fra), Thalita de Jong, Iris Slappendel and Annemiek van Vleuten (all Ned). Here’s a video of Rabobank practising: The final team to watch out for is the last-ever outing of AA Drink-Leontien.nl. They’re super-strong, and Emma Pooley‘s a former World ITT Champion too. Pooley (GBr) rides with Chantal Blaak (Ned), Lucinda Brand (Ned), Jessie Daams (Bel), Sharon Laws (GBr) (go Sharon!) and Kirsten Wild (Ned), and they’ll be fighting hard to get on the podium (not least in the hope of attracting a sponsor to continue the team) My prediction? Specialized win, then Orica, then Rabo. Yes, yes, I know, Jens, that’s a brave call! But it should be exciting to watch! How to follow the race The only place we’ve seen that seem to be showing this live is Dutch Channel L1TV, whose schedule says they’re showing the women’s TTT live from 10:30 CEST – and they stream live and un-georestricted here. Thankyou L1TV! Thanks Monty-at-Podium Café for finding this! As Monty says, they’re also showing the junior and u23 races, so bookmark that schedule and link. I recommend everyone follows Bridie O’Donnell on twitter, as she could be live-commentweeting the race on twitter, and she always combines excellent insight with snark and wit. There should be a livethread on Podium Café too, and I’ll be tweeting as @_pigeons_ as always. And, because every time I think of Team Time Trialling, I remember that Cervélo Test Team’s unstoppable TTT, and because it’s a good excuse to, here’s the Beyond The Peloton video from the 2010 Vårgårda TTT World Cup, in the rain. Damn, I miss that team… If that’s the first time you’ve seen this, check out the BTP video of Vårgårda part 2 – the Road Race World Cup – and I guess you could watch the CTT men’s team videos too! Start here and work backwards.

http://prowomenscycling.com/2012/09/15/world-championships-team-time-trial-2012/

Odorizzi with a possible invite Brian over at Pocket Doppler had this bit of news to drop. The agent for Milwaukee Brewers 2008 supplemental first-round draft choice, right-handed pitcher Jake Odorizzi, said he expects his client to receive an invite to spring training in 2011. “We do expect one, and we expect one because a couple reasons,” said Odorizzi’s agent, Jason Wood. “One, because Jake has given a lot to the organization already in terms of willingness to learn. He’s participated in everything they’ve asked him to do, he’s done. Everyplace they’ve asked him to fly, every program they’ve wanted him to participate, he’s done that. And he knows that’s in his best interest.” Now for the, hold on a second moment… Just because Odorizzi may get an invite to spring training, doesn’t mean he has a chance of playing for the Brewers this season, even a slim one. It would be more of an opportunity to just let him get a taste of the major league. “He did get called up for a few spring training games last year but didn’t get to participate,” said Wood. “So my guess is, to help acclimate him to a big league clubhouse and to help get him familiar with that environment, I think he will get an invite. That is still pretty cool.

http://rattlerradio.mlblogs.com/2010/11/23/odorizzi-with-a-possible-invite/?like=1&source=post_flair&_wpnonce=1a35c759c1

Was it too good to check? Reporters from the South Bend Tribune to CBS to Sports Illustrated all repeated the story about the heartbreaking death of a young woman and her alleged romantic links to a Notre Dame football hero. One problem: It appears not to be true. As the sports website Deadspin.com reported Wednesday, the woman — identified in TV, print and Web stories for months as Lennay Kekua — never existed. Her reported death and relationship with University of Notre Dame star linebacker Manti Te'o seem to have been an elaborate hoax. Although it's still not clear who created and perpetrated the apparent deception, the media took Te'o's word for it without inquiring further. In a statement released by Notre Dame after the Deadspin report broke Wednesday, Te'o said that he believed that his "girlfriend" existed, at least online. He said he, like the news media, was duped into believing that Kekua died of leukemia in September. "This is incredibly embarrassing to talk about, but over an extended period of time, I developed an emotional relationship with a woman I met online," he said. "We maintained what I thought to be an authentic relationship by communicating frequently online and on the phone, and I grew to care deeply about her. To realize that I was the victim of what was apparently someone's sick joke and constant lies was, and is, painful and humiliating." Reporters perpetuated and built upon the questionable story of the doomed relationship, taking for granted that previously reported facts were true, said Tom Rosenstiel, executive director of the American Press Institute, an Arlington, Va.-based organization that studies the news business. He likened the Te'o story to widespread media reports of rampant looting and killings in New Orleans in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, including tales of dead bodies stacked in police freezers. Those stories — which were given especially prominent play in foreign news outlets — seemed to confirm a narrative of a violent underclass unleashed on a city in which authority had broken down. Virtually all of the most lurid stories turned out to be false. Reporters, he said, tend to "push forward" on a story, assuming that what has already been reported is established fact. But errors can result from such assumptions. "It comes from journalists not checking things for themselves," Rosenstiel said. "The lesson here is 'look inside the freezer.' Journalists shouldn't be taking [a source's] word if there is some way to verify it for themselves." ESPN reporter Gene Wojciechowski said in an interview with the network Wednesday that certain elements of the Te'o-Kekua story troubled him when he interviewed the player in early October. He said that he could not find any record of an obituary for Kekua and that Te'o had told him her family did not want to be contacted when Wojciechowski asked for photographs of her. "In retrospect, you can see where some of those things weren't adding up to make sense," he said. "It's easy to say now, but at the time it never enters your mind that somebody was involved in that kind of hoax. We wanted to believe it so much." Dozens of news outlets reported, often in great detail, about Kekua and Te'o, particularly the coincidental tragedy of her death occurring on the same day that Te'o's grandmother died of cancer. But Deadspin reported that it could not confirm details of her existence, such as her death notice or her alleged graduation from Stanford University. Te'o's role is unclear. At one point in October, he told ESPN that Kekua was "the most beautiful girl I've ever met," though "met" could have referred to an online-only relationship. Among other news outlets, Sports Illustrated described how Te'o would speak on the phone with Kekua as she lay in her hospital bed and how she would perk up at the sound of his voice. The conversations went on for so long, the magazine reported, that Te'o would often wake up in the morning with Kekua asleep on the other end of the line. The author of the Sports Illustrated piece, Pete Thamel, could not be reached for comment Wednesday. But he said in a tweet: "The big question here is whether Te'o was involved or not. Notre Dame is staking a loud claim that he got duped and had no involvement." On the eve of Notre Dame's national championship football game with Alabama this month, CBS picked up the story and reported that Te'o had endured "unimaginable anguish" during the football season over the deaths of his grandmother and girlfriend. The network declined Wednesday to discuss its reporting, saying in a statement: "Like many other news outlets, we are now aware of the circumstances." The network said it would address the story later. Unwittingly or not, Te'o fed the media narrative of tragedy and heartbreak, too. He repeatedly referred to Kekua's death in interviews before the championship game, saying at one point, "I appreciate all the love and support that everybody's given my family and my girlfriend's family."

http://record-eagle.com/community-news-network/x503824758/Media-buys-into-tale-of-athletes-tragic-love

Tuesday, March 17, 2009 Landis dreaming of Tour ride Floyd Landis is considering returning to the Tour de France four years after his 2006 stripped-victory and two-year ban from cycling. "If I went back to the Tour de France the objective would be to win it again," Landis told Reuters. "I would like to win the race and go home and spend time with everybody that supported me and enjoy it rather than spending the next couple of years defending how I won it." Landis said he will take the coming weeks to think about the next phase of his cycling career and whether he would race the 2010 Tour de France. "If I want the Tour de France, I would focus on spending a year on training on it. It doesn't feel out of reach for me," he said. This year he will be watching another American's return to France. Lance Armstrong will race the Tour de France for the first time in four years as part of his comeback. "Anybody that knows him knows that if he's racing he's going to try and win something big, and he stated his goal is to win the Tour de France. "I was as surprised as anybody that he wanted to put himself back out there. He's trying to get back to the top I think." The two raced together at US Postal for three years, from 2002 to 2004.

http://recovoxnews.blogspot.com/2009/03/landis-dreaming-of-tour-ride.html

Bob Bowlsby had been to Lubbock only once before, under circumstances he can’t recall. His second visit might be more memorable. The new Big 12 Conference commissioner spent the day Wednesday at Texas Tech, getting acquainted with new constituents and bringing an upbeat message — that the league is poised to regain its standing among the best in college sports. During a late-afternoon reception on campus, Bowlsby told Tech supporters the Big 12 has gone from shaky to stable — strong even — in less than a year for several reasons. Chief among them: ■ The Big 12 is close to completing a new television contract that reports have said could be worth $20 million a year to each school through 2025. ■ A partnership with the Southeastern Conference to form the Champions Bowl will give the two leagues an event and an alliance on par with what the Pac-12 and Big Ten have with the Rose Bowl. ■ Equal revenue sharing. ■ Competitive balance among the teams. All of which motivated the former Stanford athletic director to leave the one-school, one-campus leadership jobs he’s had for more than 35 years. “Parts of it have been different,” said Bowlsby, who took the Big 12 commissioner job in early May. “But it’s a new challenge that really has been invigorating. I just turned 60, and this kind of has my blood pumping and the capillaries open, and it feels like the right thing to do.” The Big 12 has been working the last few months to finalize a new TV deal projected to be worth $2.6 billion for 13 years. The Big 12 reached a verbal agreement with ESPN for first-tier rights in May, according to media reports, and has a signed deal with Fox for second-tier rights. Bowlsby said an announcement could come in the next few days, finally ending discussions that he said have “gone on way too long.” “But with 10 athletic directors and 10 presidents and 10 general counsels — all with editorial veto power over certain elements of the contract — it’s a miracle we’ve gotten as close to being finished as we have,” he said. After a four-team playoff is set, the Champions Bowl will pit the best remaining teams from the Big 12 and the SEC in a Jan. 1 prime-time slot right after the Rose Bowl. The new bowl commences at the end of the 2014 season for a 12-year term. Arlington and New Orleans are the favorites to host the game. Bowlsby said Champions Bowl revenue projections are already are being ratcheted up. “We went into that partnership thinking it might be worth as much as $35 million a year from television, and year one it’s going to be almost twice that much,” he said, “and all of that money’s going to flow right back to our schools.” Watching as an outsider the last few years as Stanford AD, Bowlsby saw the Big 12 lose Colorado, Nebraska, Missouri and Texas A&M to three other leagues. So he said it would be an understatement to say he was skeptical when first approached about the commissioner’s job. “I went into the process mostly because a couple of people I respect invited me to participate and because they thought it might be a good fit,” he said. “I came away from a four-hour session enormously enthusiastic about what the Big 12 could be.” Bowlsby took over as Northern Iowa athletic director in 1984 at age 32. He became athletic director at Iowa in 1991 and athletic director at Stanford in 2006. The time frame from when he was first contacted by the Big 12 to the announcement of his hiring was 11 days, Bowlsby said. This year, the league is heavily promoting the fact it has three football teams that won conference championships last year with new members West Virginia and TCU having been the best in the Big East and the Mountain West, respectively. Beyond that, Bowlsby said the Big 12’s competitive balance is a strength. “The distance between the top of our league and the bottom of our league in virtually every sport is the smallest variance I’ve ever been around,” he said. “It’s smaller than the Big Ten. It’s smaller than the Pac-12. It’s much smaller than the SEC. That’s a great thing. “Great competition with great universities is a tremendous thing for our television. It’s a tremendous thing for our gate. It’s a tremendous thing for the development of our student-athletes.” Bowlsby has been making stops at each of the Big 12 schools. He said he has a brother who worked in Lubbock for three years and two nephews who were born here. “I’ve really been smitten by the place,” he said. “It’s a gorgeous campus. The athletics portion of it is absolutely spectacular, every bit competitive with the best in the conference and the best around the nation. Everybody that’s had a hand in it’s to be congratulated.” To comment on this story:

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Hermida hit an RBI infield single in the 10th inning and the Marlins beat the Washington Nationals 3-2 Friday night for their fifth straight victory. • The Marlins are off to their best start in franchise history at 9-1. • Since 1969, 17 other teams started a season 9-1 or 10-0; nine of those teams went on to make the playoffs. • Jeremy Hermida hit an RBI infield single in the 10th inning to give Florida its fifth straight victory. • Cristian Guzman, who was put on the 15-day disabled list with a left hamstring strain after the game, had three hits and an RBI for the Nationals. -- ESPN Stats & Information John Baker and Cody Ross homered for Florida (9-1). The Marlins' previous best start to a season came in 1997 and 2004, when they opened each year 8-1."It's great. It's always important to get off to a good start, but the thing is, it's such a long season you've got to keep it going," Dan Uggla said. "This start's not going to be worth [anything] if we don't keep it going."Jorge Cantu got the winning rally started with a two-out single off Saul Rivera (0-2) and moved to third on Uggla's bloop hit to right. Hermida hit a grounder deep in the hole at shortstop, and Alberto Gonzalez's only play was a late throw to first.Ross set the stage for Hermida's winning hit, driving a 2-2 pitch from Joel Hanrahan down the left-field line to tie it at 2 in the ninth."To come back in the ninth, with two outs left and you hit a home run to tie the game, it naturally gives you a spark," Hermida said. "It kind of jump-starts the team, and gives us a little momentum. Even though it's a tie game, we felt we had the momentum right there."Leo Nunez (1-0) pitched a scoreless ninth. Matt Lindstrom worked the 10th for his second save, getting three outs after allowing a leadoff double to Elijah Dukes.Gonzalez, filling in at shortstop with Cristian Guzman sidelined by a sore left hamstring that sent him to the 15-day disabled list after the game, had three hits and an RBI for the Nationals.Washington has dropped eight of nine to open the season. The Nationals left 12 men on base and the game drew 19,026 for the smallest crowd in the two-year history of Nationals Park."We haven't been executing very well -- runner on third, less than two out and runner on second, no outs," Washington manager Manny Acta said. "You have to add on when you have the opportunity."John Lannan breezed through the first three innings but Baker connected with one out in the fourth to give the Marlins a 1-0 lead. Baker hit Lannan's first pitch into the second deck above the Nationals bullpen.Washington scored two runs in the bottom half. Jesus Flores reached on a one-out infield single and scored on Gonzalez's double to left-center. Gonzalez advanced on Lannan's groundout, finishing a 10-pitch at-bat against Ricky Nolasco, and scored on Anderson Hernandez's single to left.Nolasco gave up two runs and seven hits in four innings and wasn't happy about being yanked by manager Fredi Gonzalez after throwing 87 pitches."I thought I made my pitches when I needed to, made a couple mistakes, but what are you going to do?" Nolasco said. "Skipper's the skipper."Fredi Gonzalez thought Nolasco had gone as far as he could with sub-par stuff."He was begging to go back out there," Gonzalez said. "The positive thing for me -- a lesser pitcher, it's not two runs he gives up, it's five or six he gives up. His stuff wasn't quite there today like we're used to, but he still kept us in the game."Lannan struck out eight in 6 1-3 innings. He yielded a run and three hits. Acta was ejected by plate umpire Tim Timmons between the third and fourth innings for arguing balls and strikes. It was the second career ejection for Acta. ... Washington's Adam Dunn played right field for the first time this season and walked in the first. He has reached base in each of the Nationals' first nine games. ... The jerseys worn in the first three innings by Dunn and 3B Ryan Zimmerman had the team's name misspelled as "Natinals." They later donned tops with the team name spelled correctly. ... Florida 3B Emilio Bonifacio, in a 1-for-11 slump that dropped his average to .386, was out of the lineup for the first time this season. Bonifacio, who had led off each of the Marlins' first nine games, entered the game as a pinch runner in the seventh. ... Washington will replace Guzman by selecting the contract of INF Alex Cintron from Triple-A Syracuse before Saturday's game.

http://scores.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=290417120

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FILTER BY DATE 2 results for "5 on 5" Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune: The Timberwolves on Sunday finally, officially extended that supersized $45.5 million offer sheet to restricted free agent Nicolas Batum. Portland now has three days to answer simply with the formality of matching it....Blog | July 16, 2012 The New Orleans Hornets can do little wrong these days. On a night featuring multiple instances of last-second heroics, the Hornets had one of the most dramatic victories, edging the Oklahoma City Thunder, 91-89 on a David West hoop with 0.5 secon...Blog | January 25, 2011

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FILTER BY DATE 2 results for "justice" Catch up on the latest high school sports news as Phil Murphy of ESPNHS recaps an OT thriller in SoCal, the Football Players of the Week, an amazing state semifinal game-winner and the national volleyball champion.November 17, 2011 Justice Hayes of Grand Blanc (Grand Blanc, Mich.) takes a moment to talk with ESPN RISE at the Nike Football Training Camp in Columbus, Ohio. (Video by: Trey Barclay and Brian Inman)May 11, 2010

http://search.espn.go.com/justice/videos/espnhs/6-102

FILTER BY DATE 3 results for "oakley" 3-time Olympic champions Kerri Walsh talks about how she redefines the lines as a mom and pro athlete.December 13, 2012 Julie Foudy sits down with beach volleyball duo, Jen Kessy and April Ross.August 01, 2012 Julie Foudy gets a snack and some cool eyewear during her tour of the Oakley Safehouse in London.July 27, 2012

http://search.espn.go.com/oakley/videos/olympics/6-141

Drafting success key to Senators' future prospects Pipeline of young talent has organization well positioned to keep moving forward |Mark Stone, who made his Senators debut in Game 5 of the first-round playoff series against the New York Rangers, is one of 11 players in the last three drafts to already see NHL duty in Ottawa (Getty Images). For many a National Hockey League team, it is the absolute bedrock for long-term success. And so it is with the Ottawa Senators, who continue to mine top-end talent every year at the NHL Entry Draft — justifying the importance the organization has placed on amateur scouting in recent years. While this year's harvest won't be known until the 2012 entry draft is held June 22-23 at the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh, the table will be set in a major way later this week when the Senators' scouting staff gathers at Scotiabank Place to sift through the mountains of information they've all gathered in the last several months. "It's probably our most important meeting of the season," Pierre Dorion, the Senators' director of player personnel, told the Team 1200 in a radio interview. For the scouts, it will be a time of great debate, and an opportunity to "sell" some of the prospects they've watched most closely in their respective scouting areas. And it is an open forum, with general manager Bryan Murray and assistant GM Tim Murray willing to listen to any and all opinions. Dorion, for one, believes it's an environment that has helped breed draft success. "Both Bryan and Tim have had success in the past in drafting," he said. "They've always emphasized 'we're going to build from within.' What they did in Anaheim and what they did in Florida (before coming to Ottawa) was pretty special. "Valuing the importance of amateur scouting ... makes our guys feel important. We're well treated by both Bryan and Tim and our guys know that when they go out and scout, their opinions will matter at the end of the day." Two years ago, for example, Regina-based scout Bob Lowes pushed hard for a certain forward who'd flown under a lot of teams' radar, but had plenty of raw talent. Few would argue today that forward Mark Stone, a two-time 100-plus point scorer with the Western Hockey League's Brandon Wheat Kings and Team Canada's top goal man at the 2012 world juniors, is one of the Senators' stars of the future. "From the third or fourth round on, (Lowes) kept pushing for Mark Stone," Dorion said of that 2010 draft in Los Angeles. "I kept saying 'don't worry Bob, we'll take him at the right time.' Fortunately, we were lucky enough to draft him in the sixth round (178th overall)." The current regime has gone through four entry drafts to date and of that group, 11 players have already seen time in the NHL. Three of them — Norris Trophy finalist Erik Karlsson (2008), forward Zack Smith (2008) and blueliner Jared Cowen (2009) — were regulars on the 2011-12 team's roster. And others, such as Stone and Swedish forwards Jakob Silfverberg (2009) and Mika Zibanejad (2011), could join the mix as early as next season. It should also be noted that centre Kyle Turris, one of the Senators' top performers during the first-round series against the New York Rangers, was obtained in a deal for David Rundblad — the Swedish defenceman Ottawa obtained at the 2010 draft for its first-round pick. And Turris himself was the No. 3 overall selection in the 2007 draft by the Phoenix Coyotes. "I have to give a lot of credit to our pro scouts and to Tim and Bryan," Dorion said of the trade which solved the Senators' need for a second-line centre. "It wasn't an easy deal to make. Rundblad is going to be a good player in the NHL one day, but I think Kyle Turris is going to help us win a lot of hockey games." The Senators currently hold the No. 15 pick in the first round of the 2012 draft and Dorion is confident they'll add another good young talent to the pipeline. Then again, it's exactly the same slot that Ottawa chose Karlsson four years ago. "I like it a lot," Dorion said of the Senators' drafting position in Pittsburgh. "We have about that number of guys that we like. Picking at 15, I feel very confident that we're going to get ... I wouldn't say an impact player, but a very good NHL player." The Senators' draft strategy remains the same as always. "We'll take the best player that can help us down the road," said Dorion. "That's what we're looking at, the best player available." Senators, Kleinendorst part ways The Binghamton Senators are in the market for a new head coach after Kurt Kleinendorst, who guided the team to its first Calder Cup crown a year ago, informed the Ottawa organization he's decided to move on. His contract expires at the end of June. "Kurt is an excellent coach and did a great job for us in his two years behind the bench with Binghamton," said Bryan Murray. "In terms of his future, Kurt has made the decision to look at other options outside of the Senators organization. We can appreciate his decision and wish him the best of luck in the future." Kleinendorst, a 51-year-old Minnesota native, said he "thought long and hard" about the move. "It's just a personal decision on my part," he told the Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin. "I have nothing but good things to say about Bryan Murray and the organization, and the same is true for Binghamton. The people here are wonderful. The players that I've experienced for two years here have been wonderful. "This has been a great experience for me. I'm a better coach today than I was when I got here. I'm more prepared for my next job because of what I experienced here. Now I'm going to move on and going to move forward." (Watch Kurt Kleinendorst's final press conference in Binghamton). World hockey championship update Senators forward Kaspars Daugavins and Latvia made it two straight wins at the 2012 IIHF world hockey championship, blanking Italy 5-0 today at the Ericsson Globe Arena in Stockholm. It's the only match today involving an Ottawa player. On Wednesday, Sweden — which includes captain Daniel Alfredsson, Karlsson and Silfverberg in its lineup — aims for a 4-0-0 start when it faces off against Germany in Stockholm (2:15 p.m. ET). Fans can watch a free live stream of all games at the 2012 worlds on the IIHF's YouTube channel (www.YouTube.com/icehockey).

http://senators.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=631040

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And then they headed here, to Yankee Stadium, for a two-day whipping. The Yankees clobbered the visitors 11-1 yesterday in front of 55,141 fans, one day after laying a 14-4 beating on them. The two wins in the three-game series extended New York's first-place lead over the Red Sox to 4 1/2 games. Gary Sheffield in the first, Derek Jeter in the third and Jorge Posada in sixth, all homered for the Yanks against righty Pedro Martinez. We're guessing the most satisfying for the Yanks was the Posada homer. A year ago, Posada barked from the dugout at Martinez, who hit Karim Garcia with a pitch in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series at Fenway Park. Martinez pointed to his head and later explained that he meant: "I'm going to remember that." Most baseball people took it to mean: "I'm going to stick one in your ear." In 2003, Martinez taunted Posada for having big ears. "I thought it was a foul ball," Posada said of yesterday's blast, which nestled inside the left-field foul pole. "Pedro keeps getting tougher and tougher. He changes speeds. If you want to beat him, you have to get him early. You try to stay close until the fifth or sixth and then score off the bullpen." The Yanks were up 5-0 after the Posada homer and then Martinez unravelled. A four-pitch walk to John Olerud, a double to Ruben Sierra and a two-run single to Miguel Cairo. Goodbye, and get some warm water. Martinez allowed eight runs and eight hits in five-plus innings, the most he has allowed since July 21 against the Baltimore Orioles. With the Yanks cruising 7-0, Jeter greeted reliever Mike Timlin with a perfect bunt down the third-base line, which is as about as in-your-face as the Yanks ever get. Despite yelling at Jeter, Timlin claimed he wasn't angry at the bunt. "Heck no, he was just trying to get on base," Timlin said. "I had to rag him because he made me look bad. You can't bunt like that. You gotta swing. But I don't hold grudges. That's all it was, no more, no less. It was all good-natured." Jeter, who had a good day both in the field and at the plate, said he didn't think Timlin was serious. "Timlin was joking,'' Jeter said. "He wasn't barking. It was the sixth and no lead is safe. They have guys who can swing the bats." From the devastation of Friday's heart-breaking loss, the Yanks rebounded with two lopsided victories. "Standing here now after we lost the first game, this is a pretty big deal," said yesterday's Yankees starter, Mike Mussina, who worked seven innings and allowed one run. "If we get to the playoffs, believe me, we aren't going to be the ones who are scared,'' he said of a potential post-season matchup with the Sox. "I'm not saying anybody will be, but we will not be scared. The teams hook up again next weekend in Boston. The impact of the Yanks taking two of three? "Oh gosh, we're going to go home, bury our heads in sand and never come out again," Timlin said with a laugh. "We're not knocked out of the race, off a cliff, nothing. We lost two games."

http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Baseball/MLB/2004/09/20/636682.html

April 28, 2012 Kreider dons 'The Broadway Hat' By Mike Zeisberger, QMI Agency NEW YORK - Chris Kreider fidgeted with the black lid he was donning, the chapeau handed out to the New York Rangers player of the game after each Broadway Blueshirt victory. “It’s a little small,” he admitted. Unlike his impact, which has been huge. The headpiece he was wearing is known inside the New York Rangers dressing room as The Broadway Hat, which was purchased by Brad Richards during the team’s early season trip to Europe to honour the guy who makes the biggest splash in the course of a win. At this rate, Kreider might be keeping the thing permanently. For a kid like this to score his second game-winning goal in the span of just three playoff outings is the kind of Cinderella story you might only find under the bright lights and beckoning stages of Broadway, which is just a short breakaway from Madison Square Garden. As Frank Sinatra once said of New York: “If you can make it there, you can make it anywhere ...” Ol’ Blue Eyes was right on the mark. Chris Kreider is prime evidence of that. Having helped Boston College to an NCAA hockey title earlier this month, Kreider ripped a slapshot past Washington Capitals goalie Braden Holtby on Saturday afternoon to snap a 1-1 tie at 7:00 of the third period. Less than two minutes later, here was this raw rookie again, setting up Richards for the insurance tally in a 3-1 Rangers win that gave New York a 1-0 lead in this best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinal. When the Rangers inked him just days after he had helped BC to a national title, they knew they were getting a first-round pick with speed and size. But to be such a difference maker this quickly in the pressure cooker of the NHL playoffs, well, this is the type of script you might only find at one of the stage shows that take place at the many nearby theatres just off Times Square. In the process, he has become a fan favourite here, not an easy feat when you consider this was just his sixth career NHL game. Try imagining the goosebumps that must have been sprouting all over his 20-year-old body when the capacity throng at the World’s self-proclaimed Most Famous Arena started chanting his name in unison after he had given the Rangers the lead for good. “It’s kind of crazy,” Kreider said when asked about what it was like to hear the love being thrown his way by the fans. “It’s hard to believe (the NCAA title) was only three weeks ago.” His life has changed oh, so much since then. In Game 6 of the Rangers first-round series against the Ottawa Senators, he scored the winner against Sens goalie Craig Anderson. Now, just two games later, he did it again, this time against a shaky Holtby. “He has no fear. That’s what I like about him,” coach John Tortorella said. “The biggest thing is his mindset. He’s not here to test the waters. He’s here to make a difference.” He’s done exactly that. “I don’t think it’s been an overwhelming situation, maybe aside from the media, just because the way the guys have been, how the front office has been and, obviously, how my friends at home and BC have been. It’s just hockey. It’s the same game I’ve played, just at a higher level,” Kreider said. Given the eye-glazing product these two teams produced on this sun-splashed New York afternoon, considering this boring example of non-entertainment “a higher level” might not be an applicable description. The two teams combined for just 32 shots, with 18 of those produced by Washington. Through the first 31 minutes of regulation, in fact, the Rangers had fired just five at Holtby. No matter. New York scored three times on its first 12 shots, including questionable goals by Richards and Artem Anisimov that found their way through Holtby’s five hole. “Obviously I wasn’t real happy with (my game),” Holtby said. “It’s a tough game to stay into, mental-wise (because of the inactivity) and I didn’t do a good enough job of it.” Chris Kreider certainly did. And he was wearing The Broadway Hat afterward to prove it.

http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Hockey/NHL/Playoffs/2012/04/28/pf-19692176.html

Key freshmen among Vols arrested Safety Janzen Jackson and receiver Nu'Keese Richardson, two of coach Lane Kiffin's most prized signees from his first recruiting class, were among three Tennessee football players arrested early Thursday morning in Knoxville on charges of attempted armed robbery. The third player arrested is also a freshman, defensive back Mike Edwards. It was not immediately clear if the players have attorneys. The Herd with Colin Cowherd ESPN's Joe Schad gives us the latest on the three Tennessee players charged in an armed robbery. Schad thinks Charlie Weis needs to win the rest of the games to keep his job. According to a Knoxville City Police report, the arrests stemmed from an attempted robbery outside a convenience store near campus. A powered pellet gun was recovered in the players' car after they were stopped by police near the Gibbs Hall dormitory on campus, where the Vols' freshman football players live. At least one of the players arrested was wearing some type of Tennessee gear during the attempted robbery, according to police. A fourth suspect, a woman alleged to have been driving a car with the three players as passengers, was also arrested. "At this time we are currently evaluating the circumstances surrounding an incident involving Mike Edwards, Janzen Jackson and Nu'Keese Richardson," Tennessee athletic director Mike Hamilton said in a prepared statement. "Any decisions or comments regarding their status will not be made until the evaluations are complete." Don Bosch, an attorney representing Jackson, said his client has been released from jail and maintains his innocence. "As of this afternoon his bond has been reduced from $15,000 to being released on his recognizance," Bosch told WBIR-TV in Knoxville. "Mr. Jackson vehemently asserts his innocence. And we hope that this will become apparent in the next 24 to 48 hours." Richardson was being held Thursday afternoon on a $19,500 bond. Edwards was released on a $19,500 bond. Kiffin discussed the players' arrest after Thursday afternoon's practice. "We've got to get the information in, so we're not going to make any judgments until we have all that information," Kiffin said. "Then we'll go from there once we get it." Kiffin declined to comment specifically about the players' status for Saturday's game at Ole Miss. As recently as Wednesday, during the SEC coaches teleconference, Kiffin had praised his team for not having any off-the-field problems during his tenure and had repeated several times this year that the Vols had been free of any such incidents. Jackson had started in all but two games this season for the Vols and had emerged as one of the better freshman players in the SEC. He was suspended for last week's Memphis game for what Kiffin said was a violation of team rules. According to two sources, that suspension came on the heels of a failed drug test. There was some speculation a week ago that Richardson might be considering a transfer when he wasn't at a practice, but Kiffin said there were no issues and that everything was fine. Richardson scored a touchdown in the Vols' 56-28 win over Memphis last week. Richardson, of Pahokee, Fla., was at the center of Kiffin's dustup with Florida coach Urban Meyer last February. Richardson had been committed to Florida for some time, but switched to Tennessee on signing day. The next day, at a Tennessee recruiting breakfast, Kiffin made his comments alleging Meyer cheated to get Richardson and still wasn't able to sign him. Kiffin was reprimanded by the SEC for those comments. According to the police report, the victims of the robbery were in their car outside a Pilot convenience store, parked next to a Toyota Prius, when a black male approached wearing a hooded sweatshirt, brandishing what appeared to be a handgun, opened the driver's side door and said "Give me everything you have." A second black male also wearing a hooded sweatshirt then came around to the passenger side of the victims' car, opened it and said, "Give us everything you've got." But when the victims opened their wallets and showed they had no money, a third black male approached the other two and said "we've got to go," and all three got into the Prius and drove away, according to the police report. Police said when they pulled over the Prius, they found a black air-powered pellet gun and a pair of hooded sweatshirts. Police also said they found a marijuana grinder, which the driver, Marie Montmarquet, said belonged to her, and a baggie containing what appeared to be marijuana in Montmarquet's jacket. According to police, the victims later identified Edwards and Richardson as the men who had approached them. Chris Low covers SEC football for ESPN.com. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report. More information and video is available from VolunteerTV.com MORE COLLEGE FOOTBALL HEADLINES - Sources: Oklahoma St. limits QB Lunt's options - For Irish, may be BCS or bust for bowl spot - Saban: 'Devil' words 'terribly disappointing' - Running back Richardson will leave Virginia

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=4647094

Soccer betting odds After Schalke slipped to a 2-1 loss to Stuttgart last week, Freiburg know that a fourth straight Bundesliga win at the Mage Solar Stadion will see them pip the Miners to a Champions League spot. Real Sociedad's next stop in their challenge for Spain's final Champions League place is at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán. Can the Basque country side stay ahead of Valencia with victory over Sevilla? A win for Spurs against Sunderland will ensure fourth place and secure the riches of Champions League football next season - but only if chief rivals Arsenal drop points against Newcastle. Can Freiburg claim a third straight victory over Schalke?... Sevilla clash with Sociedad in the race for fourth spot... Can Tottenham secure a fourth-place finish?... - Goal Rush Coupon - Premier League Matches - Championship Playoff Final - French Matches - Spanish Matches - Scottish Matches - Italian Matches - 2014 World Cup - Winner

http://sports.ladbrokes.com/ca-ca/soccer-c110000006

Tennis Betting odds French Open champion Rafael Nadal has been out of action since Wimbledon. However, he is a master on the clay in Paris. Can the Spaniard regain his best form and defend the only Grand Slam title he won in 2012? Andy Murray came agonisingly close to ending Great Britain's 77-year wait for a Wimbledon champion last year but it was Roger Federer which stood in his way. Can the Scot go one step further in SW19 this year? Will Rafael Nadal reign supreme on the clay again?... Can Murray end Britain's wait for a SW19 champion?... - Popular Markets - Outright Markets - Set Markets - Total Games - Total games - Odd/Even - 1st Set - Total Games - 1st player to serve a game to love - Player 1 - 1st Service Game to Deuce - First service game - Player 1 - Player 1 - Score in 1st Service Game - Player 2 - 1st Service Game to Deuce - First service game - Player 2 - Player 2 - Score in 1st Service Game - Who will break serve first? - 2nd Set - Total Games - Handicap Markets - Other Markets

http://sports.ladbrokes.com/en-ie/Tennis-c110000009

Zajac, who missed all but 15 regular-season games in 2011-12 before returning and playing a role in the Devils' run to the Stanley Cup Final, will earn $46 million over the next 8 years, according to Nick Kypreos. “During his time in New Jersey, Travis Zajac has become a solid, all-situation player and one of the core leaders of our hockey club,” said Lou Lamoriello in the Devils' statement, and obviously, Zajac's prominence in said core saw a major bump when Zach Parise, the leader of it, jumped ship in the summer. Zajac's deal is almost like an object lesson for the new CBA. It's a long-term deal, but unlike the long-term deals we've grown accustomed to, it's within reason, both in terms of term and annual salary. If you've slept through the last six months, you might be rubbing your eyes and wondering what the Hell is going on. As you'll recall, the terms of the new CBA limit contracts to 7 years, unless the player is re-signing with his current team, in which case, they can entice him to stay with the offer an eighth year. (I can imagine agents the league over petitioning clubs to "make it eight".) Obviously, New Jersey offered the full eight. The other big change is in terms of variance from year to year. The difference between two consecutive years of a deal cannot be more than 35 percent, and the variance of any year in the contract must be within 50 percent of the highest year. Hence, Zajac's annual payouts are fairly close together: he'll make $3.5M in the first year, $5M in the second year, $6.5M for the third year through the sixth, and $5.75M in the last two years. That final number is also the cap hit. Pierre Lebrun notes that the deal comes with a full no-trade clause, and wonders if that low first-year might have something to do with escrow. Or maybe it's because the Devils expect to be a little less broke in two years? Obviously, there's no longer anything for us to freak out over or judge, which is a little disappointing. (Unless you think Zajac is overpaid and won't be as good without Parise, which might be true, but what else are you going to do, run the risk of leaving Ilya Kovalchuk without a centre?) But Zajac's contract is evidence that one of the former CBA's great loopholes is officially closed. And the new one has yet to be found.

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/travis-zajac-signs-jersey-demonstrates-contract-rules-under-202025482--nhl.html

Up to 1 man to curb violence after another night marred by dirty play NHLPA boss Donald Fehr must place priority on player safety in summer CBA talks Eight players have been suspended for dangerous actions during the playoffs Raffi Torres put Marian Hossa in a hospital and is likely done for the playoffs It's been difficult to nail down all the key issues that will dominate when the Collective Bargaining Agreement is renegotiated this summer. The revenue split, of course. It's always money. Olympic participation in Sochi and beyond. Holding on to salary in player swaps. There'll be plenty to talk about. But if NHL Players' Association boss Donald Fehr has any real interest in his post beyond proving he can outduel Gary Bettman at high noon, he needs to place a very high priority on the issue that the league has all but abdicated. Eight of Fehr's bosses already have been suspended for dangerous actions that injured or threatened the safety of eight other bosses in just the first week of the playoffs. Last year, the total for the entire postseason was seven -- and even given the heightened competitive drive at this time of year, doesn't that number seem high? But if the cumulative carnage of the last seven days hadn't convinced Fehr of his obligation, the claiming of yet another victim by serial headhunter Raffi Torres on Tuesday night should do the trick. This time he targeted Chicago's supremely skilled Marian Hossa. The assault left Hossa motionless on the ice and ultimately required a stretcher and immediate relocation to a nearby hospital. It was the sort of play that, sadly, has come to define the career of Torres, a player once so highly regarded that he was drafted fifth overall in 2000. The latest blow he inflicted was as nasty as any of those. You can argue it was only borderline late -- and no doubt, his supporters in Phoenix will engage in all sorts of moral relativism as they do just that. What you can't argue is that he traveled a great distance and launched himself off the ice before contact with an opponent who was completely vulnerable. This wasn't a hockey play, and it wasn't a good hit. Good hits hurt. Good hits whittle away at an opponent's will to compete. Good hits don't come with the risk of ending a career. But that's what might have happened here. And thanks to another missed call (and hasn't this been a miserable week for the NHL's beleaguered officials?), Torres never missed a shift while Hossa -- a dangerous player in the best sense of the word -- was viciously cut from a game Chicago ultimately lost in overtime, 3-2. It's clear that suspensions and fines have done little to curb Torres' aberrant behavior. Absent the skill that made him a 43-goal scorer in juniors he's now little more than a predator, trading on malevolence and the potential for chaos to maintain his job. But it's an act that already had worn thin with the Islanders, Oilers, Blue Jackets, Sabres and Canucks. It's hard to imagine he'll remain with the Coyotes after his contract expires next summer unless he manages to follow the path wisely chosen by reformed thugs like Matt Cooke or Colby Armstrong. He'll certainly have time to consider his options. One never knows what whim will guide NHL disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan (who again was the butt on online japery last night after suspending Pittsburgh's Arron Asham for four games while giving Washington's Nicklas Backstrom one for very similar infractions), but it seems likely Torres will be the ninth player suspended this spring. And given his history, it's unlikely that Phoenix should count on his "services" for the rest of these playoffs, and possibly well beyond. Of course Torres is just a symptom of the bigger problem, and that's where Fehr comes in. When the league's own website features news of *four* suspensions simultaneously, it's clear that its confusingly inconsistent attempts to legislate respect are failing. It's going to take a different approach. The PA needs to negotiate for a more active role in the disciplinary process. Not just a seat at the table, but perhaps two on a three-man committee that metes out the sort of justice that leaves no room for interpretation: clean up your act, or shop your limited skills elsewhere. Maybe it's something bolder, like reducing rosters by one in exchange for other concessions. But before he even sits down with the league, the players have to be on the same page. They have to truly understand what's at stake. And Fehr is the only one who can get them in a room make that happen. Tuesday was a night filled with real hockey stories. Another 40-plus-save performance in Detroit from Pekka Rinne as the Predators pushed the Red Wings to the brink of elimination. A remarkable comeback by the Florida Panthers, who fell behind 3-0 barely six minutes into the game, switched goalies, and then stole Game 3 from the Devils in front of a stunned Prudential Center crowd. A remarkable game from future star Oliver Ekman-Larsson and an unimaginably soft goal allowed by Corey Crawford in overtime that tilted the series in Phoenix's favor. And how many people will be talking those points this morning? By taking a stand, by representing the true best interests of his constituency, Fehr can change the direction of the game. Maybe just in time. Crosby hat trick leads Penguins over Senators in Game 2 Grizzlies and Spurs: Battle of the 'Big 3's'

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/allan_muir/04/18/blackhawks.coyotes.marian.hossa/index.html

Oakland (3-6) at Ohio University (6-2) The Sports Network DATE & TIME: Saturday, December 8, 2 p.m. (et) FACTS & STATS: Site: Convocation Center (13,168) -- Athens, Ohio. Television: None. Home Record: Oakland 2-0, Ohio 6-0. Away Record: Oakland 1-6, Ohio 0-2. Neutral Record: Oakland 0-0, Ohio 0-0. Conference Record: Oakland 0-0, Ohio 0-0. Series Record: Ohio University leads, 3-1. GAME NOTES: The Ohio University Bobcats look to bounce back as they return home to host the Oakland Golden Grizzlies for a non-conference tilt at the Convocation Center. Although the Golden Grizzlies are coming off an 88-77 win over NAIA foe Rochester, they still have only three wins in their first nine outings. The victory snapped a three-game losing slide that consisted of road setbacks to Michigan State (70-52), Tennessee (77-50), and Western Michigan (76-72). Oakland's schedule has not been favorable so far, as seven of its games have been away from home. Its only win over a Division I opponent came on Nov. 20 when it took down Texas Southern by two points in a thriller in Houston. Coach Greg Kampe's squad has some positives to reflect on, such as its Summit League leading total of 76 steals. However, Oakland was held under 40 percent shooting and averaged just 58 ppg in its most recent losing slide. Ohio suffered its second loss in a row on Wednesday as it was trounced 84-58 by Memphis at FedExForum. The Bobcats will be happy to return to the Convocation Center, where they have won 15 games in a row dating back to last season. Coach Jim Christian's squad still has a decent 6-2 record due to its season opening six-game winning streak that included impressive routs of Portland (81-52), UNC-Wilmington (85-47), and Richmond (73-48). Although it scored a season-low 58 points last time out, Ohio is averaging 73.8 ppg, which is 11.8 points more than its opposition. This will be the fifth meeting in history on the hardwood between these schools. Ohio holds a 3-1 advantage in the all-time series, but Oakland picked up a 78-66 decision on Nov. 15, 2010, which was its last visit to the Convocation Center. Oakland, which averaged over 80 ppg each of the past three seasons, finally looked to be in rhythm on the offensive end versus Rochester as it connected on 53.8 percent of its field goal attempts and added 25 points at the foul line. The Golden Grizzlies led by 28 points in the second half before RC cut the deficit to 11 points near the end of the contest. Junior guard Travis Bader led the way with 32 points on 9-of-12 shooting including six makes from beyond the arc in the contest. Bader is averaging a team-high 19 ppg. The team's second leading scorer, Corey Petros, added 23 points in the game to raise his season average to 15.3 points per contest. The sophomore center is also grabbing a team-high 7.2 boards per game. Junior guard Duke Mondy only netted six points his last time out, but he is still producing 14 ppg. The Bobcats began their matchup with Memphis on a good note and held a 20-16 lead with 7:21 left in the first half, but the Tigers closed out the opening period on a 20-8 run to take full control. Ohio converted only 37.5 percent of its field goals including just 6-of-25 from distance. It also committed 17 turnovers in the loss. Senior D.J. Cooper scored a team-high 19 points, but the star point guard had four assists to five turnovers. Junior forward Jon Smith scored 12 points in the contest while Ivo Baltic, Walter Offutt, and Nick Kellogg all struggled. Cooper is leading the team with 15.3 ppg while Offutt (11.9 ppg) and Baltic (10.8) ranked second and third on the team's scoring leaderboard, respectively. While Ohio may have shown it is not quite ready to challenge the elite programs in the nation, it should be able to fend off the Golden Grizzlies. Cooper is one of the top floor generals in the country and he rarely gets caught in slumps. The Bobcats' role players should be able to find more success against Oakland's suspect defense. Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Ohio University 79, Oakland 62 12/08 10:33:12 ET

http://sportsnetwork.com/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=startribune&page=cbask/news/news.aspx?id=4548604

The Iraqi Football Association will ask FIFA to lift the ban on home international matches at stadiums across the country. Officials will travel to Zurich this month to meet with FIFA executives. "The delegation will seek approval to lift the ban on holding official matches in our stadiums," federation member Abdul-Khaliq Massoud said Monday. "We hope that the FIFA officials will reply positively to our request." Massoud said they will present FIFA with evidence that Iraq is safe and capable of hosting international matches. Read more: http://espn.go.com/sports/soccer/sto...n-home-matches

http://sportstwo.com/threads/211345-Iraq-to-seek-lift-of-FIFA-s-ban?p=2773137

MMI graduate Tyler Breznitsky scored 11 of his 13 points in the first quarter, but Wilkes University fell 71-62 to King's College to complete its season and Breznitsky's collegiate career. Wilkes finished 11-13 overall and 4-10 in Freedom Conference play. Former Crestwood standout Adam Fazzini dropped in eight points and grabbed a team-high six rebounds in Stonehill College's 74-59 loss to Saint Michael's College in Northeast-10 Conference action. Hazleton Area standouts Brianna Dudeck and Alyssa Flanagan combined to score 12 points and lead Bloomsburg University to a 64-54 victory over West Chester University in a PSAC Eastern Division contest. Dudeck came off the bench to score 10 points and also had four steals, three rebounds, one assist and one block. Flanagan netted two points and added three steals, three assists and two rebounds.

http://standardspeaker.com/sports/college-corner-1.1445956

|National Football League| |Apr. 4 12:42 PM PT1:42 PM MT2:42 PM CT3:42 PM ET19:42 GMT3:42 AM 北京时间12:42 PM MST2:42 PM EST2:42 PM CT23:42 UAE15:42 ET18:42 - Hanson is retiring after 21 seasons. The 42-year-old Hanson announced his decision Thursday. He said he gave serious consideration to returning, but problems with his heel prompted him to call it a career. Analysis: Hanson became the first player to play 300 games with one franchise, finishing with 327. He also set an NFL record last year when he played his 21st season with the same team. Hanson made a record 52 field goals from at least 50 yards. He's third on the career scoring list at 2,150 points and third in field goals with 495.

http://stats.washingtonpost.com/fb/playerstats.asp?id=2034&team=8&page=news

|National Football League| |Jan. 20 7:14 PM PT8:14 PM MT9:14 PM CT10:14 PM ET3:14 GMT11:14 AM 北京时间8:14 PM MST10:14 PM EST9:14 PM CT7:14 UAE (+1)22:14 1:14 - Reece will replace Baltimore's Vonta Leach on the AFC's Pro Bowl roster after the Ravens earned a trip to the Super Bowl on Sunday. Analysis: Reece had been selected as a first alternate for the NFL's all-star game, which will be played at Honolulu's Aloha Stadium next Sunday. Reece played in all 16 games with 14 starts - 10 at fullback and four at running back. He had a career-high 59 rushing attempts for 271 yards, averaging 4.6 yards per carry. |Nov. 19 2:33 PM PT3:33 PM MT4:33 PM CT5:33 PM ET22:33 GMT6:33 AM 北京时间3:33 PM MST5:33 PM EST4:33 PM CT2:33 UAE (+1)17:33 20:33 - Reece had a career day while filling in for the injured Darren McFadden and Mike Goodson at halfback but the Raiders lost 38-17 to New Orleans on Sunday. Analysis: Reece rushed for 103 yards, 55 more than in any other game, and had four catches for 90 yards. It's unknown if he'll get to try to repeat those efforts Sunday in Cincinnati or if McFadden or Goodson will return from their sprained ankles. |Nov. 12 1:53 PM PT2:53 PM MT3:53 PM CT4:53 PM ET21:53 GMT5:53 AM 北京时间2:53 PM MST4:53 PM EST3:53 PM CT1:53 UAE (+1)16:53 19:53 - Reece ran 13 times for 48 yards while also grabbing seven receptions for 56 yards on Sunday against the Ravens. Analysis: Reece, a viable running back or flex fill-in for desperate fantasy netted 104 yards on 20 total touches in his first start for the injured Darren McFadden. |Nov. 5 1:15 PM PT2:15 PM MT3:15 PM CT4:15 PM ET21:15 GMT5:15 AM 北京时间2:15 PM MST4:15 PM EST3:15 PM CT1:15 UAE (+1)16:15 19:15 - Reece had eight receptions for 95 yards and a TD in Sunday's 42-32 loss to the Bucs. Analysis: Reece is sixth on the team with 34 targets and fourth with 26 receptions.

http://stats.washingtonpost.com/fb/playerstats.asp?id=9158&team=13&page=news

Clippers topple Trail Blazers 96-83 By JOE RESNICK Griffin had 23 points and nine assists, helping the Clippers beat the Portland Trail Blazers 96-83 on Sunday night and get even for a one-point loss to the Trail Blazers a day earlier. "It's everybody's job on this team to step up, and that's what I've tried to do," Griffin said. "Chris is a huge part of our team and he directs the game from the point guard spot. He has the ball in his hands during 85 percent of our offense. So when he goes out, our whole dynamic changes. But other guys have stepped up. Eric Bledsoe's done a great job." Bledsoe had 10 points, five assists and five rebounds in his seventh start, while Chris Paul missed his fourth straight game and seventh in the past nine because of a bruised right kneecap. Bledsoe played 36 minutes without committing a turnover. "I just played more aggressive and didn't worry about it," Bledsoe said. "My last couple of games I was playing kind of passive, but tonight I did a good job of just staying aggressive. My teammates just told me to just stay in attack mode, and everybody else on the team played great. At the end of the day, turnovers are going to happen. You can't play every game without having a turnover." Griffin powered the Clippers to a 55-50 halftime lead with 15 points, including a fast break dunk off a long pass from DeAndre Jordan just before intermission. "Our lead assist guy is not around, so we have to run some more things through Blake at the elbow and let him make plays for us," coach Vinny Del Negro said. "He draws so much attention, but he's unselfish and he's making the good basketball plays and making other players better. That's what All-Stars do in this league." Griffin didn't get his first rebound in this game until after his sixth assist. "Blake sharing the basketball made the game easier for everybody," Del Negro said. "He was kind of like a `point forward' for us tonight. We had 33 assists and shot the ball well, which we haven't been doing. We were unselfish in a lot of areas." The Clippers have the third-best record in the NBA at 33-13 and are 2 1/2 games behind San Antonio in the Western Conference. Lamar Odom had eight points, 13 rebounds and six assists. "We needed any kind of a win right now," Del Negro said. "We're trying to accumulate as many as we can, and then we'll count them up at the end of the year and see where we're at. "We obviously executed a little bit better and got solid production from several guys. I liked our intensity in the second half, and we did a better job guarding the 3-pointers. But more so, our activity defensively was the difference in the game." LaMarcus Aldridge led the Trail Blazers with 21 points and 11 rebounds. It was Portland's seventh loss in nine games. "It's hard to beat the same team two times in a row, especially on back-to-back said," rookie Damian Lillard said. "They're a really good team. Last night I think we did a lot better job controlling their transition and not giving up as many easy plays." Portland never led in the second half on Sunday, falling behind 74-59 after a driving layup by Bledsoe with 3:15 left in the third quarter. Griffin didn't play after going to the bench with 10 seconds left in the third quarter and the Clippers leading 78-62. But they built the margin to as many as 19 points on a layup by reserve forward Ronny Turiaf with 6:23 remaining. "We didn't take care of the ball and we had turnovers in the second half," Aldridge said. "I thought they had some easy breakouts that opened the game up. Griffin did a good job of finding guys and making good reads. But we didn't play as well as we did last night, and some of the guys were a little tired." NOTES: The Blazers finished with 28 assists on their 29 field goals. ... Los Angeles outscored Portland 56-24 in the paint. ... The Clippers head out on a seven-game road trip. ... The Clippers shot 51.2 percent, and are 14-1 when shooting at least 50 percent. ... Los Angeles was leading 46-40 when Butler's fadeaway 3-pointer from in front of the Clippers' bench was disallowed because of an offensive foul called against him with 4:31 remaining in the second quarter. Butler picked up his third foul just 14 seconds later, but remained in the game until he was removed by Del Negro with 3:16 left in the half. Updated January 28, 2013

http://stats.washingtonpost.com/nba/recap.asp?g=2013012712&home=12&vis=22&final=true