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San Francisco 49ers cornerback Shawntae Spencer will miss the rest of the season with a torn ligament in his left knee.
Spencer, a fifth-year pro, will be placed on injured reserve soon after undergoing surgery Wednesday to repair the ligament. He injured his knee late in the 49ers’ road victory at Seattle on Sept. 14, and missed last week’s victory over Detroit.
Tarell Brown and Donald Strickland will compete to replace Spencer with the 49ers, who kept 12 defensive backs on their 53-man roster to start the season. Brown, a second-year pro, got his first career interception last weekend while filling in for Strickland, who also sat out with a knee injury. | http://49ersnews.com/2008/09/spencer-done/ | 153 |
White House Has a Plan to Tackle 3 Separate Scandals
Pat Robertson: 'Males Have a Tendency to Wander'
Jodi Arias Victim's Siblings Emotionally Address Jury
Lone Survivor of 1987 Plane Crash Breaks Silence
President Obama Makes His Case Amid Minefield of Scandals
Lions, Tigers and Bears Living Together
Alexander's Siblings Emotional Plea to Arias Jury
White House Takes Action on 3 Controversies
Pat Robertson: Divorce Wife With Alzheimer's
Nightline Online: Jesus for Porn Stars
Boehner on IRS Scandal: 'Who's Going to Jail'?
Jodi Arias Deemed Eligible for Death Penalty
Man Allegedly Destroyed Neighbor's Home with Bulldozer
Internet Celebrity Arrested in Lawyer's Homicide
Boston Explosions Cause Lockdowns, Heightened Security in America | http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/egypt-clamps-down-12800878 | 179 |
6:29 p.m. ET: ABC’s David Wright tweeted:
3:41 p.m. ET: Spencer West, a 31-year-old who was born with a genetic disorder called sacral agenesis and eventually had his legs removed, climbed to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro on his hands.
2:28 p.m. ET: Twitter returns!
The social website went down around 11:50 a.m. ET, bringing users’ streams to a screeching halt and causing several reporters to suffer from twitching fingers.
12:49 p.m. ET: SANDUSKY TRIAL, ABC’s Jim Avila reports: Jerry Sandusky, his lawyer told a jury today, was “slammed” by accusers who are out for money and investigators who pressured witnesses into making false claims, despite years of helping children without anyone complaining of inappropriate behavior.
The jury of seven women and five men will begin deliberating Sandusky’s guilt or innocence this afternoon after the prosecution completes its closing argument. If convicted of 48 counts of sex abuse against 10 boys, the former Penn State football coach, who is 68, could be sentenced to life in prison.
11:56 a.m. ET: Unintentionally, pro-athletes have become the guinea pigs, some would say, in testing cutting-edge and experimental therapies for chronic pain.
ABC’s Ron Claiborne reports on a controversial new blood injection treatment virtually unknown in the United States and not approved by the FDA. It’s called Regenokine therapy, and Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady and other star athletes have used it to help with chronic pain.
11:05 a.m. ET: It’s official, but it’s a non-event. Tropical Storm Chris was upgraded to a Category 1 Hurricane Thursday, becoming first hurricane of the season, the National Hurricane Center announced. However, the storm is far out in the middle of the Atlantic and poses no threat to land, the center said.
9:41 a.m. ET: Blast from the past:
American actress Lisa Hartman and American actor Alec Baldwin pose in a publicity portrait for the TV soap opera series ‘Knots Landing,’ in 1985. Baldwin appeared in 40 episodes during two seasons on the show.
Baldwin has been back in the news recently because of another outburst, this time with an NY Post photographer. | http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/extras/2012/06/21/nightline-daily-line-june-21-sandusky-trail-prosecutions-closing-arguments-today/ | 520 |
There’s no doubt of my affections for the Rich Eisen Podcast (REP). I listen to it every week and over the years it’s easily become my favorite NFL related iPod listens. It’s the perfect combination of everything NFL and pop culture so if that’s right up your alley then this is the podcast for you.
So it was a very pleasant surprise when I saw that this week’s episode had NFL Network’s Rich Eisen’s sit down with St. Louis Rams head coach and NFL Competition Committee member Jeff Fisher for the REP’s Combine Special.
They chat about Coach Fisher’s first year in St. Louis, the NFL scouting combine, and a few other important Rams topics.
Rich Eisen: How do you rank your first year in St. Louis?
It wasn’t a rebuilding year… It was not good enough from our standpoint. We lost games that we had a chance to win early on and throughout the season.
We learned a lot. That’s the thing I think is so good about what happened. Our young team learned a lot and we have to learn not to let those things happen again.
It’s a real fun team to coach and to win a game on the road was a weird experience because they hadn’t done it in a while.
Our division is an outstanding division. Arizona came to St. Louis undefeated (in week five). We forget about that at the beginning. It was quite a challenge for us and we were proud of the way they played.
(I love that Coach Fisher isn’t satisfied. Despite taking a 2-14 team to 7-8-1 in one season he did not mention specific records in the interview. I think most coaches would hung their hat on that sort of improvement. But not Coach Fisher. He just saw that the team is improving and growing towards getting better.)
Rich Eisen: “(James) Laurinaitis and Chris Long came to the set after the game. They said that it had been a very long time since they had played a game with a camera hovering over the middle of the field and the whole country watching. In the end, they were enjoying staying on the set so much Deion asked them to leave. But you could see how much joy they were taking in these moments.”
It’s hard you know. No team in a five year span in the history of the NFL lost more games than our organization prior to last year. Winning games is what it’s all about. We won a few and then we had one team in particular that took us ten quarters to beat.
It’s funny because you go through that tie experience. But then you play them three weeks later and you’re going to guarantee there’s no way that’s going to happen again. … And we were two minutes away from that happening again.
(I was at that game and stayed after to see Laurinaitis and Long hang out on the set. They were having a great time and most of all I think they were happy for Rams fans.)
Rich Eisen: “That was unbelievable. People maybe for the next decade having trouble dealing with Colin Kaepernick will have your team to blame. Because it was your team that knocked Alex Smith out of the game and ushering in the whole Kaepernick-ness of it all.”
Sorry about that. I would think the 49er fans are also Rams fans at heart.
(They can specifically thank Rams LB Jo-Lonn Dunbar and maybe DT Michael Brockers. We believe that it was a combination of Dunbar and Brocker’s hits on Alex Smith in week 10 that ultimately started the Colin Kaepernick era in San Francisco. And no sir. There’s no way any 49ers fans would ever admit to being Rams fans at heart.)
Rich Eisen: “Where do you stand on the whole subject on (Cam Newton, RG3, Colin Kaepernick type) quarterbacks and where offenses are going?”
Well, we’ve got Carolina this year so we’re going to see that offense five times. So we’ve got work to do as everybody else does. And it doesn’t mean to say that another one is not going to pop up someplace. That’s the challenge of the NFC West is the mobility at the quarterback position. The pistol, the read-option whatever you call it.
The NFC East has their own new challenge in Philadelphia with the high tempo. The game changes and you’re forced to adjust on both sides of the ball. Defensively we have to adjust.
Rich Eisen: “What do you think Bradford needs to do to take a step into that elite class?”
How about have his second year in the same offensive system? Because this will be the first time he’ll be able to experience that. Last year our offense was his third offense in three years.
We need to surround him with better people. He can make all the throws. He’s an outstanding deep ball thrower. He has more mobility than people think. He can run for first downs and do that kind of stuff.
We can do a better job of keeping him upright. We did that as we moved through the season and minimized the hits. We need to get some better people. We are working at that.
(Is Brian Schottenheimer’s offense the best fit for Bradford? I don’t know for sure but giving Bradford another year in the same system is a good way to figure it out. More importantly it sounds like the Rams are serious about getting Bradford the weapons he needs to have that break out season. “Better people” is a very broad term but I’m hoping it means solidifying the offensive line. That should be their number one priority.)
Rich Eisen: “What about Steven Jackson? Is he one of those people?”
Hope so. We are in the middle of that. Steven is out of the country and we are talking to his agent. We’d love for him to have a chance to finish his career with us.
(I read this as “We’d love to have Jack back but not at the $7 million dollar 2013 price tag.” Coach Fisher keeps talking about his young team and I’m not convinced that Jack is going to be a part of that youth movement. The Rams have Isaiah Pead, Daryl Richardson and Terrance Ganaway waiting in the wings.)
Rich Eisen: “Moving forward what are you hoping to get out of this combine? You saw some kids last year that you drafted that made some immediate impact.”
Jenks (Janoris Jenkins), Tru (Trumaine Johnson), Chris Givens and Daryl Richardson…
What you get out of this is you’ve got to aggressively attack the interview process. Get as much information as you can, ask as many questions as you can, and then hopefully we’re going to get enough guys participate where you’d be able to look and see some athletic ability.
We have a pretty good sense of the strengths of this draft. We have a good sense of what we need. We’re either going to do with these guys out here or we are going to try and do it through free agency.
(Strengths of this draft include safeties, linebackers, and on both sides on the line. Which is great news for the Rams since they need some starters as well as depth in those positions. Mike Mayock of NFL Network believes there isn’t really that Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III, Luke Kuechly-type star player in the first round of the draft. He said the number 20-25 picks in the draft are just as good as the number 5-10 picks. The Rams could be getting some great players with the 16th and 22nd picks in the first round.)
(Another quick note: Last year’s draft was orchestrated by General Manager Les Snead and Coach Fisher but they were using information put together by the previous regime’s scouting staff. For this April’s draft Snead will have intelligence gathered by his own people. This can only make things better, right?)
Update from @Shields3L – Most of the scouting staff is still the same from last yr. Only 3 guys gone. (Thanks for the info, Tim.)
Rich Eisen and Coach Fisher continue their conversation changing their focus to what was being discussed by the competition committee which Coach Fisher is a part of. Especially fun was listening to Rich Eisen campaign to get rid of his pet peeve, the Tuck Rule.
You can listen to the interview in its entirety here or on iTunes. Coach Fisher’s segment starts around the 45 minute mark. | http://aeryssports.com/the-pigskin-arch/2013/02/28/st-louis-rams-head-coach-jeff-fisher-on-the-rich-eisen-podcast/ | 1,850 |
This is one of the few weekends every year that I get up in the middle of the night to watch sports, but have done so annually when Australian Open organizers moved their men’s and women’s finals to the night session.
On Saturday morning (TSN, 1:30 a.m.), the world number one Victoria Azarenka of Belarus takes on 2011 French Open champion and world number six Li Na of China. Azarenka, who is also the defending champion, defeated American sensation Sloane Stephens 6-1, 6-4 in a controversial semi-final while Na beat Maria Sharapova 6-2, 6-2. A couple of notes here. First, it has been amazing the number of times I have heard from ESPN the last two weeks projecting a Serena Williams/Maria Sharapova semi-final. Second, the crowd will probably be supporting Na after Azarenka took a questionably lengthy timeout in her win over Stephens on Thursday.
In the men’s final, world number one Novak Djokovic of Serbia will take on world number three Andy Murray of Great Britain (Sunday, 1:30 a.m.). Djokovic is no question the fresher of the two. He steamrolled past David Ferrer of Spain 6-2, 6-2, 6-1 on Thursday, while Murray needed four and a half hours to beat Roger Federer in five grueling sets on a fewer day of rest. Djokovic beat Murray in the 2011 Australian Open title 6-4, 6-2, 6-3 and is looking for his third straight Australian Open Championship. | http://anysportanytime.ca/tag/shannon-kleibrink/ | 335 |
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Brandon Triche is Syracuse's top free-throw shooter, and in his mind if the first one he takes in a game feels good he's going to have a good game at the line.
On Saturday, with West Virginia and the third-ranked Orange clawing for a victory and the score tied 61-all with 88 seconds left, Triche swished a pair of free throws — his only attempts of the game — and Syracuse held on for a 63-61 victory.
"It just happened to be me tonight," said Triche, who led the Orange with 18 points. "We showed heart, mental toughness."
After Triche's free throws — he's 38-of-44 on the season — the Mountaineers missed four consecutive shots, including an airball 3 by Darryl "Truck" Bryant and an attempt on the follow by Deniz Kilicli, who caught the ball under the basket. Playing with four fouls, Syracuse center Baye Keita helped deny Kilicli's shot and appeared to get away with goaltending that wasn't called; the ball already had hit the backboard and then also was on its way down.
No whistle came from referees Karl Hess, Gene Steratore and Brian O'Connell — much to the dismay of coach Bob Huggins and all Mountaineers.
"We did pretty good as a team," said the 6-11 Keita, who matched his season high by playing 25 minutes in the absence of starting center Fab Melo and registered three blocks and four points. "I'm just supposed to try to block those shots. Luckily, I got it and the ref missed it (the goaltending call). I don't know if that's a goaltending or a block."
It was goaltending in the mind of Huggins.
"Do I think it was? No. I know it was. I saw the replay," Huggins said. "It's hard. You've got 30 seconds and you're trying to get them refocused and they're all thinking about other things."
After the no-call on the block/goaltend, Kris Joseph snared the crucial rebound for Syracuse but lost the ball out of bounds with 6.2 seconds left, prompting a tirade from coach Jim Boeheim and giving West Virginia one last shot.
Unable to drive the lane as planned, Jabarie Hinds passed to Kevin Jones in the left corner as C.J. Fair stormed at him, and his desperation 3 at the buzzer fell short.
"We beat ourselves," Gary Browne said. "We've dug ourselves in a hole where we aren't supposed to be. We feel hurt right now. This loss hurt us a lot."
Syracuse won its second straight after losing at Notre Dame and did so despite being hammered 41-20 on the boards, 24-9 in the second half, and missing 16-of-20 3-point attempts. Still, there was a battle for every loose ball under the baskets and the Mountaineers only finished with a 13-8 edge on second-chance points, not much to show for a 19-5 edge on the offensive glass.
"This was one of those games where if you don't make shots, it's going to come down to who makes a play at the end," Boeheim said.
Syracuse (22-1, 9-1 Big East) has won 13 of the past 14 games against West Virginia (15-7, 5-4). The win was the 878th for Boeheim, moving him within one of tying former North Carolina coach Dean Smith for third in Division I history.
Joseph finished with 13 points and seven rebounds, Scoop Jardine had nine points and five assists and Dion Waiters had eight points for the Orange, who played their third game without Melo.
The 7-foot center, who leads the Big East in blocks, watched the game from the bench in street clothes, shouting encouragement at his teammates. After starting the first 20 games of the season and becoming a force in the paint, the big Brazilian has not played since logging 29 minutes in a home win over Pitt nearly two weeks ago. Melo is ineligible because of academic issues but has been practicing with the team, and Boeheim is hopeful he'll be able to return to the lineup.
Jones led West Virginia with 20 points and eight rebounds. Bryant had 12 points, all in the second half, and Browne scored 11.
The Mountaineers were coming off a 78-62 loss at St. John's on Wednesday night, a game in which the Red Storm started five freshmen, but they led most of the first half in this one and never trailed by more than three points in the final 17 minutes.
Syracuse led by four to start the second half and made it 33-27 on Triche's steal and layup with 18:57 to go. After that, it was anybody's game. The score was tied seven times, the last when Jones hit a 3 from the left corner to knot it at 61 with 1:41 left.
"They do a great job of playing defense," Joseph said. "We found ways around that at the end. We did what we needed to."
The Orange were hampered by fouls to their big men. Keita picked up his fourth midway through the half and 6-9 freshman Rakeem Christmas fouled out with 4:58 to go.
Syracuse trailed most of the first half as the Mountaineers patiently attacked the 2-3 zone. Jones started the game by hitting consecutive mid-range jumpers from the heart of the Syracuse defense.
The Mountaineers led by six three times, the last at 22-16 after a 3-pointer by Jones from the left wing with 7:34 left, but they converted only one other basket in the closing minutes — a runner by Hinds — as Syracuse increased the defensive intensity with a press.
The Orange forced shot-clock violations on consecutive possessions in the final 3 minutes and Joseph's baseline drive and layup gave Syracuse a 25-24 lead with 68 seconds left, just the Orange's second lead of the half.
Waiters fed Jardine for a wide-open 3 from the right corner with 3.2 seconds left to give Syracuse a 28-24 halftime lead. It was just the second make in 11 tries from behind the arc for the Orange, who have struggled from long range in conference play, shooting 25 percent in the last six games. | http://aol.sportingnews.com/ncaa-basketball/story/2012-01-28/syracuse-beats-west-virginia-on-missed-goaltending-call?modid=recommended_2_4 | 1,360 |
It happens during coaching changes, one of the aspects of the business.
The outgoing coach assembles a recruiting class but the incoming coach has other players in mind. Butch Jones left Cincinnati for Tennessee and when Tommy Tuberville replaced Jones, he wanted to bring recruits with him, especially at quarterback.
That left Massillon (Ohio) native Kyle Kempt high and dry. Most quarterbacks are done with recruiting well before National Signing Day and Kempt was no exception — he picked the Bearcats nearly a year ago. This late in the recruiting cycle, there are few scholarships left for quarterbacks at BCS schools. So if the school you're committed to has a coaching change, it can leave a recruit like Kempt with few options.
This weekend, Kempt might have found an even better home than Cincinnati. Oregon State was nationally ranked in the 2012 season and in the Pac-12, a better conference than the Big East. Kempt got his last-second offer and committed on the spot.
Wanna thank God through all this, I'm keeping the orange and black and committing to Oregon State! Go Beavs!— Kyle Kempt (@KyleKempt) Jan. 27, 2013
Before picking Cincinnati, Kempt had offers from Indiana, Ole Miss, Tennessee, West Virginia, Toledo and Bowling Green — but many of those options dried up months ago after he picked the Bearcats.
Kempt broke down his strengths to Sporting News in an interview given last year.
"There are a couple common things colleges are impressed with when they break down my film," Kempt told Sporting News. "They like that I have a strong arm, make good decisions with the football, I'm accurate with my throws and I have a good pocket presence … Being a student of the game, studying film constantly, that's a strength. I’m going to hurt defenses through the air with accuracy and smart decision making." | http://aol.sportingnews.com/ncaa-football/story/2013-01-27/national-signing-day-2013-oregon-state-kyle-kempt-qb-texas-tech-rankings?modid=recommended_4_5 | 393 |
The New Orleans Saints are interested in former Kansas City Chiefs coach Romeo Crennel as a candidate for their defensive coordinator opening, according to various media reports.
Payton fired Steve Spagnuolo as defensive coordinator Thursday and announced he would change his defense from a 4-3 to a 3-4 scheme. That move would provide a good fit for Crennel, who has run successful 3-4 schemes in past coordinator jobs with the New England Patriots and Chiefs.
Crennel, 65, was defensive coordinator of the Patriots for all three of their Super Bowl victories during his four years with the team.
ESPN reported that the Saints also have interest in former New York Jets and Cleveland Browns coach Eric Mangini for the coordinator job. ProFootballTalk.com reported that Crennel is the preferred choice. | http://aol.sportingnews.com/nfl/story/2013-01-26/saints-defensive-coordinator-search-romeo-crennel-payton-mangini | 165 |
DENVER— The Denver Broncos have parted ways with versatile but vexing linebacker D.J. Williams.
The Broncos released the nine-year veteran Monday on the eve of free agency, freeing up his $6 million salary in 2013 for other needs.
"We appreciate the contributions made by D.J. Williams during his time with the Broncos," John Elway, vice president of football operations, said in a statement. "He was a solid player with this team for a number of years, showing a lot of versatility at linebacker. Our organization wishes D.J. all the best going forward."
The Broncos also have asked Pro Bowl defensive end Elvis Dumervil to take a pay cut. If not, he'll be traded or released before Saturday when his $12 million salary for 2013 becomes guaranteed. Dumervil is also due $10 million in 2014 and $8 million in 2015.
Williams missed nine games while serving a pair of NFL-mandated suspensions last season and was deemed expendable after Wesley Woodyard had a breakout season at weakside linebacker in Jack Del Rio's defense.
The Broncos also released third quarterback Caleb Hanie, a former Colorado State star who didn't take a single snap in his one season in Denver following four years as the backup in Chicago.
The Broncos were busy on many fronts Monday, finalizing a three-year deal to keep backup safety David Bruton, their top special teams player, and working to keep defensive tackle Kevin Vickerson in navy and orange before the start of free agency Tuesday.
Williams' departure is notable because he and cornerback Champ Bailey were the longest-tenured Broncos, their careers in Denver dating back to Mike Shanahan's time as coach.
Williams was a first-round draft pick (17th overall) out of the University of Miami in 2004 and played four different linebacker positions during his nine seasons in Denver, where he led the team in tackles five times.
"It's the nature of the business," Bruton said about Williams' release. "Guys change, things change. D.J. is still a young player. He was a great teammate. He'll definitely make it somewhere and he'll continue to make plays because whenever he stepped on the field here, he made plays. Best of luck to him. He's been a great player and a good teammate. Just, his time was up here."
Williams is one of only five NFL players during the last nine seasons to post at least 800 tackles and 20 sacks, and he displayed his versatility by starting at the weakside, middle, strongside and inside positions for a revolving door of defensive coordinators and schemes in Denver.
He turns 31 this summer and is sure to draw interest on the open market but he is coming off a season in which he collected just 14 tackles in seven games and only made one start because of his two suspensions that cost him about $4 million in salary and relegated him to playing on special teams and in sub packages upon his return in November.
Williams was suspended six games for violating the league's policy on performance-enhancing drugs and three games for an alcohol-related arrest in 2010 that led to a conviction last August.
He was originally charged with driving under the influence, but a jury convicted him of the lesser charge of driving while impaired. He was also convicted of driving without headlights, the offense that prompted police to stop him near downtown Denver in the early morning hours on Nov. 12, 2010, before taking him to a detox facility.
The Broncos stripped Williams of his captaincy shortly after his arrest — the second time he'd been detained for suspicion of drunken driving. In 2005, he pleaded guilty to impaired driving.
A judge last fall sentenced him to 30 days of house arrest and two years' probation.
Williams also made news last summer by tweeting a picture of his new digital playbook and saying his coaches were asking him to switch positions yet again.
If Dumervil follows Williams out the door, the Broncos will have some big shoes to fill on a defense that was one of the NFL's stingiest last season.
"It's always important to keep a defense together," Bruton said. "This is the first time having the same defensive coordinator in my career here. So I feel like that's a great step in the right direction. But teams change, players change. We just don't want to change that mentality no matter who we bring in.
"As far as me worrying, I don't have to worry as much anymore. You still worry who they bring in, because the NFL is a revolving door. Guys come in, guys come out. It's just the nature of the business." | http://aol.sportingnews.com/nfl/story/2013-03-11/dj-williams-released-by-denver-broncos | 953 |
A staff member carries the golf bag of Barack Obama at a landing zone in Chicago before the President left for Los Cabos, Mexico to attend G20 summit. (AFP PHOTO/Jewel Samad )
Barack Obama played like a U.S. Open champion Sunday -- at least on one shot.
Beverly Country Club's head professional, John Varner, said the president hit a shot into the 12th hole from 135 yards out that settled six feet below the cup. He provided highlights for others between the front and back nines.
“He was cordial with everyone,” Varner said. “We got some nice pictures and he was very accommodating.”
Obama played with two members at Beverly, the South Side club where Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus won Western Opens. A dozen Secret Service personnel followed the group in carts, but members were asked to give him space.
Any idea what he shot?
“I want to say a 72,” Varner joked. “No idea. They kept that to themselves.” | http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-06-17/sports/chi-obamas-shot-on-12th-hole-at-beverly-cc-impressive-20120617_1_barack-obama-shot-hole | 224 |
Louisville's Chane Behanan dunks between Michigan State's… (REUTERS/Darryl Webb )
PHOENIX -- Gorgui Dieng's seven blocks and three steals highlighted a suffocating Cardinals defense, and the NCAA Tournament's first No. 1 seed fell as Louisville knocked out Michigan State, 57-44, in the Sweet 16 action in the West Region on Thursday.
"We knew we were going to come to a war," Dieng said. "We needed to be tougher than them to win this game."
Chane Behanan netted a game-high 15 points while grabbing nine rebounds and Russ Smith donated 11 points for the Cardinals (29-9), who moved on to face either Florida or Marquette with a spot in the Final Four on the line.
Draymond Green finished his collegiate career with a 13-point, 16-rebound effort, but it was not enough for the Spartans (29-8). Brandon Wood added 14 points in defeat.
Louisville held the top-seeded Spartans to 28.6 percent field goal shooting, including 23.8 percent from three-point range.
"They played their solid defense. And we thought we was pretty well prepared for it. It's not our coach's fault," said Green. "I think they gave us a great game plan. At the end of the day, players play, and we didn't, we just didn't execute well."
Both teams shot poorly in the first half, but Louisville made up for its 1- of-15 two-point field goal mark with seven three-pointers, and took a 23-18 edge into intermission.
After MSU's Keith Appling opened the second with a trey, Louisville ripped off a 12-4 run. Behnan knocked down two jumpers and Peyton Siva made a dunk during the spurt.
Adreian Payne and Green dunked on consecutive possessions as the Spartans got back to within four, 35-31 with a 6-0 run.
But the Cardinals responded by scoring 11 of the next 13 points for their largest lead of the game to that point at 46-33.
Wood's triple with 3:01 to play cut Michigan State's deficit to single digits. Louisville rolled off an 8-0 run a bit later, though, to secure the victory and its first Elite Eight berth since back-to-back runs in the 2008 and 2009 campaigns.
Game notes: Louisville shot 52 percent (13-of-25) from the field in the second half after posting a 26.7 percent (8-of-30) mark in the first...Dieng played all 40 minutes...Michigan State committed 15 turnovers, including six by Green...Chris Smith finished with nine points for the Cardinals, and Siva had nine assists. | http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2012-03-22/sports/chi-louisville-knocks-out-no-1-michigan-state-5744-20120322_1_gorgui-dieng-peyton-siva-louisville | 579 |
SOUTH BEND -- Is there such a thing as too much Darius? The durable sophomore running back on Saturday became the first Notre Dame football player since Phil Carter in 1980 to rush for 100 yards or more in each of the first three games of a season. Darius Walker had a career-high 116 yards on 26 carries in his most recent outing, a 44-41 overtime loss to Michigan State Saturday. He also had five catches for 24 yards and a TD in that game. "I think Darius could run the ball in a game 40 times if you wanted him to, but you have to worry about the whole season," said ND head coach Charlie Weis, whose 16th-ranked Irish (2-1) visit Washington (1-2) Saturday. "I wouldn't be very smart if I gave him the ball too many times in any game, because I want the kid to last the whole season. "I've seen too many good running backs get worn out early in the year and have no gas in their tank at the end of the year. You have to play each week to win that game and try to maximize what you think his efficiency would be at that time. Twenty-five to 30 touches are good numbers for him." But it's not just about the rushing numbers anymore. Walker has 13 receptions, tied for second on the team and three more than he had all of last season. And his blocking prowess has taken a similar leap. | http://articles.southbendtribune.com/2005-09-21/news/27007356_1_darius-walker-ball-numbers | 295 |
Rookie Steve David has been exciting powerboat fans since June 5, when he drove Pocket Savers Plus to fourth place in the Budweiser Unlimited Hydroplane Regatta at Miami Marine Stadium.
Three months and six races later, David is no less impressive, though he has no victories.
From Miami to Madison, Ind., and from Syracuse to Seattle, he has shown he intends to be among the sport`s superstars someday. He says he is pacing himself, and his ultimate goal is to vie for Driver of the Year.
David`s first-year goals are less lofty. He wants to qualify, compete in the finals and finish in the money in every race. He has been successful five of seven times.
Stardom, as he obtained during 10 years of racing smaller limited hydroplanes, can wait.
The two times David failed to reach the finals were not his fault. He was clipped from behind in one race, and Pocket Savers Plus blew a piston in another.
``Steve has an upbeat personality. He also has the talent it takes to do well,`` said Don Jones, American Power Boat Association hydroplane vice president and commissioner of the Seattle-based Unlimited Racing Commission.
Jones said if the vote were today, David would be a cinch to win Rookie of the Year. And David, 34, a real estate agent from Pompano Beach, would love nothing more.
Rookie of the Year status won`t be official until David competes in the final two unlimited races at San Diego and Las Vegas. But he already has a comfortable lead over the sport`s other two rookies: Larry Lauterbach of Portsmouth, Va., and Wheeler Baker of Chester, Md.
Through the Budweiser Cup in Seattle, David was in sixth out of 19 places in the American Hydroplane Series URC standings with 3,330 points. David leads Lauterbach by 684 points. Baker has yet to score a point.
In the last two races, David will have to race aboard a different boat than the one he has used all season. The original Pocket Savers Plus sustained damage to 70 percent of its hull when the warehouse it was stored in at Owensboro, Ky., caught fire three weeks ago.
``The funny thing about it is that we`re leasing another boat to finish out the season and it`s faster than the one we`ve been using, so we should do even better,`` David said.
The newer boat, leased by the Fred Leland racing team from Seattle, has two Rolls Royce engines.
David`s top finishes were fourth overall in Miami and fourth at the APBA Gold Cup in Evansville, Ind., June 26.
In Miami, David reached the finals by default when favorites and top qualifiers Jim Kropfeld in Miss Budweiser and Scott Pierce in Mr. Pringles withdrew because of an accident.
Pierce has since resumed racing. Kropfeld sustained neck and back injuries serious enough to keep him sidelined until next summer.
David paid his dues to get to the unlimited circuit. He started racing 1- and 7-liter limited hydroplanes at 24.
``I don`t consider limited racing the minor leagues,`` David said. ``Limiteds are just a different class of boat. You need a lot of the same skills. In a lot of places they get just as much respect as the unlimiteds.``
David`s record in limited races enticed owners Jim McCormick and Bob Fendler to choose him as driver for Pocket Savers Plus.
David still races limited boats. On July 10, he won the 1-Liter Stock Hydroplane World Championships. Last August he placed second in the APBA 7- Liter National Championships in Miami.
``Of course moving up to the unlimited circuit is something every driver dreams about, but I still get a kick out of driving the smaller boats,`` David said. ``There`s only a few unlimited drivers out there, so I`m happy to be among them.``
Pocket Savers Plus is seventh of 18 unlimiteds. Miss Budweiser (6,721), which Tom D`Eath drove to victory during the last three series races, is top boat, followed by Mr. Pringles (6,169).
David will race this weekend in San Diego at the Miller High Life Thunderboat Regatta. The final race is the Las Vegas Silver Cup Sept. 22-24.
``We`re doing better than we expected,`` David said. ``It`s been a fun summer.``
-- The Marine Fisheries Commission will hold two workshops in South Florida this week to receive public testimony on a proposal to set the maximum number of tarpon tags to be issued for 1989 at 10,000, with 5,000 reserved for licensed professional guides. The initial workshop will be from 7-9 p.m. Thursday at Sarasota City Hall, 1565 First St. The second will be from 7-9 p.m. Friday in the Islamorada Quarter Deck Room, Holiday Isle Resort on Mile Marker 84. Meetings are open. | http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1988-09-14/sports/8802220962_1_hydroplane-larry-lauterbach-miami-marine-stadium | 1,058 |
That’s one reason the rules committee is reasserting guidelines on what constitutes a charge and asking for referees to be re-educated on how the play should be called. It will be one of the most important points covered this fall at the NCAA’s four regional refereeing seminars; all college basketball referees must attend one session to be eligible to work the NCAA Tournament.
And this shit blows my mind...
In other news, The Sporting News website has gone to shit. All of those mid story links and headlines are fucking ridiculous.
Edited by RedEyedGhost, 24 May 2012 - 12:19 AM. | http://asoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/topic/63583-ncaa-basketball-offseason/page__st__220__p__3331878 | 128 |
McLouth makes impact with homer, leaping grab
Running into wall, O's left fielder starts key double play to end Yanks' threat
NEW YORK -- Hot for more than a month, Nate McLouth saw red for an entire inning Thursday night.
Leading off the fifth, the Orioles left fielder drilled a fastball out to right at Yankee Stadium. Then, in the bottom of the inning, he made a leaping catch at the wall as he crashed into an electronic red sign he said was blindingly bright. That saved a run and started an inning-ending double play.
"I mean, it almost blinded me," McLouth said of the State Farm sign.
Before the O's took Game 4 of the American League Division Series, 2-1, over the Yankees in 13 innings, McLouth's homer was Baltimore's only run for 12 innings.
The O's leadoff man has been their best hitter this series, and he homered on a 1-2 pitch from Yanks starter Phil Hughes that got too much of the plate. That put Baltimore up, 1-0, and came after McLouth had walked and doubled in his first two plate appearances.
"It was obviously a mistake," said McLouth, who's hitting .333 (6-for-18) with two runs scored and three RBIs in the series. "I think [Hughes] was trying to come in and didn't get it there. But you know, to get us on the board there, to get a lead there, it was the fifth inning, it was nice. I put a pretty good swing on it."
McLouth has hits in all four games of the series, coming off his hottest month of the season, September, when he posted a .298/.372/.491 line. At an opportune time like this, he said he's feeling as good as he has all year.
"I really do," McLouth said. "It's funny, when you feel good, and you get good pitches, you don't miss 'em. When you're struggling, you'll foul those pitches back. I just, yeah, I've been able to slow things down at the plate, and I think that's kind of what any hitter will tell you when they're feeling pretty good. They're able to stay under control."
The catch in the bottom of the inning was remarkable in itself. The 7-6-3 double play he started with a relay to J.J. Hardy made it that much sweeter.
The Yankees had a runner on first base with one out, and Jayson Nix, starting at shortstop in place of Derek Jeter, hit a deep drive to left. McLouth raced back to the left-field wall, leapt and came up with it as his left side hit against the sign. His jump was well-timed, so he didn't hit the wall with overwhelming force.
"That's that deep part out there," McLouth said. "I went back, I knew it was going to be close to the wall. And I took my eye off the ball for a second and it was kind of weird, because when I took my off the ball, I looked right into -- there's like a bright red State Farm [sign] out there -- and I mean it almost blinded me. Because I wanted to check where the wall was, but I just happened to look right at that bright sign, and it kind of threw me off for a second. But I was able to pick up the ball again when I looked back."
Essentially, McLouth preserved the shutdown inning, and all the momentum he himself had created with the home run.
From his vantage point, catcher Matt Wieters wasn't sure McLouth had a chance at the ball, but he wasn't surprised by the play. To Wieters, the O's have two center fielders: one playing that position, Adam Jones, and the other playing left, McLouth.
"I didn't know he had it, but I knew if he had a chance, Nate was going to come down with the ball," Wieters said. "He ran a long way for that ball, and was able to get it and make a good throw to J.J. to get a double play. That was a huge out in the game, and something that gave us a little bit of relief, to get back in the dugout with the lead." | http://atlanta.braves.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20121011&content_id=39730740&vkey=news_bal&c_id=bal | 919 |
Drew Weisholtz is an award-winning writer who has had his work published on several websites, including GuySpeed, StarCrush.com and theFW.com. Previously, he has written and served as a producer for ABC News Radio and also spent time as a stand-up comedian. He can be found rooting for his beloved Yankees and Giants and begrudgingly holds out hope his Rutgers Scarlet Knights will one day return to the NCAA Tournament. When that's not consuming him, he passes time quoting "Saved By the Bell" and making fun of his in-laws. You can follow him on Twitter. | http://b1027.com/author/drewweisholtz/page/6/ | 128 |
HOWLAND, Maine — Foxcroft Academy crowned eight individual champions to pull away to victory Saturday at the Eastern Maine Class C wrestling championships held at Penobscot Valley High School.
The defending state champion Ponies totaled 249.5 points to best runner-up Dexter (195). Fort Kent was third with 85.5 points, with Mattanawcook Academy of Lincoln (69) and Piscataquis of Guilford (60) rounding out the top five.
Foxcroft qualified wrestlers in all 14 weight classes for next Saturday’s state championship meet to be held at Fryeburg Academy, while Dexter advanced 13 qualifiers.
Foxcroft — which edged Dexter by a single point to win last week’s Penobscot Valley Conference meet — led Dexter by 23 points entering the championship finals, with the Ponies still having 11 wrestlers alive while the Tigers had 10.
“It felt like a dual meet out there with all the Foxcroft wrestlers on one side and all the Dexter wrestlers on the other side,” said Foxcroft coach Luis Ayala, who teaches at Dexter. “Dexter and Foxcroft have always had a great rivalry, and you could really feel it out there. Every match was hard fought, and the crowd was going wild.”
Dexter immediately narrowed the gap with championship-match victories by Dylan Hanscom at 106 pounds, Tyler Salsbury at 113 and Aaron Webber at 126 — with two of those victories coming against opponents from Foxcroft.
Six other head-to-head matchups remained, and Foxcroft won all of them.
Trevor Weymouth (132), Forrest Law (138), Wesley Stinson (145), Corey Bjornson (182), Corbyn Bruce (195) and Alex Sedore (285) all won their individual regional titles by defeating Dexter rivals in the finals.
Todd Francis (152) and Zac Smith (170) also won championships for the Ponies.
Foxcroft got second-place efforts from Brooks Law (113), Isaac Whittemore (126) and Damien Small (220), thirds from Eli Olson (106) and Mark Smith (120) and a fourth from Dylan Bruce at 160.
Dexter crowned four champions in Hanscom, Salsbury, Webber and Jon Gudroe (160).
Runners-up for the Tigers were Seth Blais (132), Andrew Adams (138), Andrew Levensalor (145), Anthony McLaughlin (182), Josh Haskell (195) and Kyle Lockhart (285), while Vincent Malinauskas (152) and Carl Snow (170) each placed third and Devan Gudroe (120) finished fourth.
Other Eastern Maine champions were Sam Thomas of Piscataquis of Guilford and Zac Ragot of Washington Academy of East Machias. Thomas avenged a loss to WA’s Chris Weiss in their PVC final with a 6-5 victory in the 120-pound final, while Ragot won the 220-pound crown.
Fort Kent was led by second-place finishes from Joshua Pelletier (152) and Brandon Hartt (170).
Dirigo captures ‘C’ West
At Bucksport, Dirigo of Dixfield qualified 13 of its 14 wrestlers for the state meet, including four first-place finishers, to win the Western C regional for the first time in four years.
Dirigo scored 194.5 points to best host Bucksport, which amassed 157.5 points in its debut season as a Western Maine program. Another new Western C team, Winslow, finished third with 122 points, while Madison (100) and Mount View of Thorndike (82) rounded out the top five.
Caleb Hall (132), Brett Whittemore (138), Jesse Hutchinson (145) and Gavin Sanders (182) all won individual titles for Dirigo, which also had four second-place finishers, two thirds and three fourths on the day.
Bucksport, coming off a third-place finish at last weekend’s PVC championships, had the most individual champions with six.
Freshman Matthew Stewart was the 106-pound champion, while Jacob Stewart (152), Jordan Fogg (160), Nic Bishop (170), Chris Powell (195) and Damon Klinedinst (285) also won their weight classes for coach Larry Clement’s Golden Bucks.
Five of the six Bucksport champions were top-seeded in their weight classes, while Bishop was a third seed in his return from a recent knee injury that had sidelined him for last week’s PVC meet.
Senior Alex Brown, seeded second at 120 pounds, finished second in that weight class to give Bucksport a seventh qualifier for the state meet.
Mt. Blue prevails in EM ‘A’
At Westbrook, Mt. Blue won its second straight Eastern A championship, avenging a loss to Cony of Augusta in last week’s KVAC Class A meet to defeat the second-place Rams 168.5 to 138.
Skowhegan was third with 135.5 points, with Westbrook (96), Windham (92) and Brewer (87) rounding out the top six teams.
Brewer’s effort featured a victory in the 285-pound class by Marcus Eaton. Eaton, second in his weight class at last year’s state championship meet, won his second straight Eastern A title by pinning Cony’s Steven Morse at 1:39 of the final.
The Witches also got second-place finishes from Mark Smith (120 pounds), Anthony Sprigg (132) and Victor Irwin (195) and a fourth from Robbie Kiah at 145. | http://bangordailynews.com/2012/02/12/sports/wrestling/foxcroft-uses-depth-to-win-eastern-c-dirigo-prevails-in-western-c/?ref=relatedBox | 1,179 |
In the AFL the Peoria Javelinas lost to the Surprise Rafters 9-6: Box Score - Recap - Game Story
Phil Hughes started for the Javelinas and continued his inconsistent winter. After having a great outing his last time out he followed it with a very unimpressive 2.1 innings today. He allowed 2 runs on 4 hits, walked 4 and struck out 3. He threw 72 pitches, 40 for strikes.
Kevin Whelan pitched 1.2 innings in relief. He didn't allow a run, he walked 2 and struck out 2. He threw 32 pitches, 15 for strikes.
Humberto Sanchez pitched one third of an inning and gave up 2 runs on 2 hits and 2 walks. He threw 23 pitches, 11 for strikes.
Kevin Russo went 1-for-5 with a double and a run scored.
Austin Jackson went 3-for-4, with a double and three runs scored. He was also hit by a pitch.
In HWB the Waikiki BeachBoys lost to the Honolulu Sharks 4-1: Box Score - Recap
Austin Romine went 1-for-4 with a double and a run scored.
Damon Sublett went 0-for-3 with a walk.
Other Yankees are playing in the Venezuelan, Mexican, Puerto Rican, and Dominican winter leagues. Here's a run down of the players in each league:
Venezuelan League: Francisco Cervelli is playing for Cardenales de Lara. Reegie Corona is on Navegantes del Magallanes.
Puerto Rican League: Ian Kennedy and Jonathan Albaladejo are on Indios de Mayaguez. Jose Molina is on Leones de Ponce.
Dominican League: Matt Carson and Wilkins Arias are playing for Aguilas Cibaenas. And Jhonny Nunez and Amaury Sanit are playing for Tigres del Licey.
Mexican League: Justin Christian is playing for Caneros de los Mochis. And Walter Ibarra is on Naranjeros de Hermosillo.
You can check out all of their Winter Ball stats here.
Last week the Yankees cut these players from their minor league rosters:
RHP: Oneli Perez (AAA), Scott Strickland (AAA), Jose Valdez (AA), Victor Zambrano (AAA)
LHP: Eric Milton (AAA), Edgar Soto (Hi A)
C: Ben Blumenthal (Lo A), Jason Brown (AAA), Chris Stewart (AAA)
1B: Ben Broussard (AAA), Josh Kreuzer (Hi A)
2B: Bernie Castro (AAA), Nick Green (AAA)
3B: Carlos Mendoza (AA)
SS: Chris Basak (AAA)
OF: Matt Carson (AAA), Edwar Gonzalez (AA), , C.J. Henry (Hi A)
The first full week of baseball's off-season is in the books and to say the Hot Stove is in full swing would be an understatement. Players that have filed for free agency have until Thursday at midnight eastern to resign with their current organization, so at 12:01am on Friday, an already busy rumor mill should kick into overdrive.
Jim Hendry spent his week on the West Coast in discussion with the Padres over Jake Peavy as well as gauging what dollar figure it will take to resign both Ryan Dempster and Kerry Wood....but was that all?
Here is the rest on Jake Peavy along with other rumors, plus....a possible, realistic number for the Cubs' payroll in 2009, Wood doubled his 2008 base salary, Nate McLouth, Jeremy Hermida and Scott Olsen and is Derrek Lee staying put?
Manager of the Year
Rookie of the Year
<GreekHouse>The Wolves kinda sucked last night, losing in a blowout to the Kings. However, I'm not quite as down about it as a lot of the other Wolves fans. Yeah, the Wolves defense wasn't great and there were quite a few easy baskets, but there were also tons of difficult jumpers that kept [...]
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If I keep hearing rumors like this, I am going to have no choice but to come out of retirement. There are three main reasons that I'm against signing Casey Blake as a free agent.1) Blake is barely better than a platoon of Harris and Buscher would be, and might be worse.2) The Twins [...]
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From Steve Lombardi who received the print edition of the Nov 17th-30th issue of Baseball America today:
1. Austin Jackson OF
2. Jesus Montero, C
3. Andrew Brackman, RHP
4. Austin Romine, C
5. Dellin Betances, RHP
6. Zach McAllister, RHP
7. Alfredo Aceves, RHP
8. Phil Coke, LHP
9. Mark Melancon, RHP
10. Bradley Suttle, 3B
You could make arguments that some people should have cracked the list, but all in all I don't have a problem with the list as it is. Do you?
Today Paul O'Neill, David Cone, Scott Brosius, Jeff Nelson, Jennifer Steinbrenner Swindal, and nearly 60 local high school kids helped move home plate, the pitchers mound, along with some dirt, from the old Yankee Stadium to the new stadium. Here's more from MLB.com:
Paul O'Neill strode down a flight of concourse stairs at the new Yankee Stadium on Saturday, set his feet on the warning track -- a rough, dirt expanse, still studded with rocks and a few small puddles -- and took an exhaustive look around.
"Look at this joint, huh?" he said.
Out before him lay a baseball field, albeit an incomplete one, properly proportioned to match the dimensions of the old Yankee Stadium. Sod, with seams still showing, filled much of the area, and a large blue sign shouted the words "YANKEE STADIUM" from above center field. Waves of dark blue seats down the left-field line dumped into a still-unfinished section behind home plate, where metal supports hinted at where more seats are still to come.
And on the mound, roughly 60 area children helped cram some dirt from the old Yankee Stadium into the new one.
"You know that the Yankees are going to do everything in a first-class manner, and this is a pretty impressive place," said former third baseman Scott Brosius. "It's kind of cool to see it now, and it will be really cool to see it when it's all completed and ready to go."
That, of course, coming from a man who had already soaked in some of the best of what the old Yankee Stadium had to offer. So imagine how the children of local youth groups in the Bronx felt when the Yankees invited them to a symbolic ceremony on Saturday to transfer home plate, the pitching rubber and buckets of dirt from the old Yankee Stadium to the new one.
Brosius, O'Neill, David Cone and Jeff Nelson joined members of Youth Force 2020 and the ACE Mentor Program in the ceremony, using shovels to dig up dirt and then set it back down across the street -- all in the midst of a driving rain.
"It means a lot," Cone said. "It's a great symbolic gesture to be able to take the actual home plate and pitcher's rubber from the old Yankee Stadium and bring it over here. It was a great gesture, and to actually get kids in the Bronx involved with it, I thought was a really good thing to do."
Cone, like Brosius, spent a fair amount of time gazing up at the new stadium, which at once looks quite similar to and strikingly different from the old one. Set to open when the new baseball season begins in April, the structure has been rising up in the shadow of its predecessor for more than two years.
"There's a little twinge of jealousy, that's for sure, when you see this facility and how beautiful it's going to be," Cone said. "But then again, I was at the right place at the right time."
"This new Yankee Stadium has got a lot to live up to," Cone said, lounging in a concrete lean-to that will soon become the home dugout. "There are so many great memories, so many championships across the street, that anything you can bring over here -- any sort of memories you can bring with you -- it's a good thing to do to get this place off to the right start."And here are some pictures of the ceremony from MLB.com:
Torre said he had been invited by the Yankees to a Saturday event at which Bronx high schoolers and a few members of the '98 team will transfer dirt from the home plate area at the old Yankee Stadium to the new Yankee Stadium. He's not going to make it due to a scheduling conflict with a brunch for his foundation, but it seemed like an olive branch of sorts.Nice of the Yanks to at least invite Torre to help with the ceremony, and like O'Brien says, it does seem like an olive branch. It's a shame he couldn't make it.
The third position presented in this year's Probabilistic Model of Range study belongs to centerfielders. First, the overall team numbers: Team Centerfielders PMR, 2008, Visit Smooth Distance Model, 2008 data only Team In Play Actual Outs Predicted Outs DER Predicted...
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From Ed Price:
Derek Jeter Friday revealed he had spoken to Sabathia -- the Yankees' top target in free agency -- in recent weeks about playing in pinstripes.
Many believe Sabathia prefers to stay in the National League, where he helped pitch the Milwaukee Brewers into the playoffs after being traded from the Cleveland Indians. But the fact that Sabathia picked Jeter's brain should give the Yankees hope of landing the ace lefty.
"He's asked questions, yeah, about it," said Jeter, who got to know Sabathia as an opponent and All-Star Game teammate. "I'll leave it at that.
"I'm not trying to sell anyone on New York. I don't think you have to sell people on playing in this organization. People have questions, but it's not like I have a sales pitch."Tim Dierkes of MLBTradeRumors.com told SNY.tv today that Sabathia will likely been signed quickly, and could be the first big name to be signed. Sabathia apparently doesn't want this process to be dragged out. | http://baseball.blogdig.net/archives/date/08/November/2008 | 2,236 |
Miami Marlins Wiretap
Plans for a new ballpark for the Marlins are still on but have been pushed back another year.
According to Marlins president David Samson, the team's new home will open in 2012, rather than 2011 as hoped.
The delay is a result of a lawsuit brought on by South Florida auto dealer Norman Braman, who unsuccessfully challenged the public funding portion of the project.
The Cubs have acquired Marlins reliever Kevin Gregg, sources told ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney on Thursday.
The Marlins received right-hander Jose Ceda in return, according to sources.
The Marlins on Monday agreed to trade lefthander Scott Olsen and left fielder Josh Willingham to the Nationals, according to a report by ESPN.
Florida will gain the services of second baseman Emilio Bonifacio, pitcher P.J. Dean, and shortstop Jake Smolinski in the deal.
Left-handed pitcher Dan Meyer was claimed off waivers Monday by the Marlins after going 0-4 with an ERA of 7.48 in 11 games this year with the A's, according to an Associated Press report.
Relief pitcher Justin Miller has reached agreement on a Minor League contract with the Giants.
Miller spent the last two years in the bullpen of the Marlins.
According to an industry source, Miller will be a non-roster Spring Training invitee with the Giants.
Marlins Nov 2008 Archive | http://baseball.realgm.com/src_wiretap_teams/miami/2008/11/ | 288 |
When games slow and defenses tighten, grabbing offensive rebounds and making putbacks would seem to be a logical way to score, anyway. The data--albeit, extremely limited data--supports that theory.
Based on Synergy's information about scoring immediately after offensive rebounds, there was no statistically significant correlation between percentage of misses converted into putbacks and Offensive Rating last regular season.
There was, however, a positive, statistically significant correlation between percentage of misses converted into putbacks and Offensive Rating* in the playoffs.
*Because the quality of the defenses a team faces in the playoffs varies so much, I adjusted Offensive Rating. I determined a team's expected Offensive Rating by averaging its regular-season Offensive Rating with its opponents' regular-season Defensive Rating (weighted by number of games against each opponent). I subtracted the expected Offensive Rating from a team's actual playoff Offensive Rating.
That said, here's a huge caveat--those putback numbers are still from the regular season, because Synergy doesn't provide full data for the playoffs.
Do teams that put back a large portion of their misses in the regular season continue to do so in the playoffs, and vice versa? I don't know.
It's important to note the importance of using putback data rather than relying on offensive-rebounding numbers to draw a similar conclusion. When a team grabs an offensive rebound and doesn't immediately shoot again, it faces a similar defensive challenge as it did for its first shot.
Like I wrote above, logically, putbacks would increase in value when scoring in other ways becomes more difficult. As an expanded focus in advanced stats makes more numbers available in the mainstream, we'll learn whether the results match the logic. For now, consider this nothing more than a working theory.
If accurate, let's look at what the theory indicates about this year's playoffs.
Teams in the upper two quadrants have above-average Offensive Ratings, and teams in the lower two quadrants have below-average Offensive Ratings. Teams in the right two quadrants convert an above average number of their misses into putbacks (indicating increased offensive success in the playoffs), and teams in the left two quadrants convert a below average number of their misses into putbacks (indicating decreased offensive success in the playoffs).
I included teams that most likely will not make the playoffs, so you can see which teams' offenses might fit best in the playoffs if they improve overall in coming seasons (and keep the same style). | http://basketballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=1563 | 508 |
Washington U. Baseball Picks Up 20th Win of the Season, 25-13, Over St. Norbert
St. Louis, Mo., April 1, 2012 – The Washington University in St. Louis baseball team recorded 24 hits, including 10 for extra bases, as the Bears earned their 20th win of the season with a 25-13 victory over St. Norbert College on Sunday afternoon at Kelly Field.
The teams combined for 41 hits and 15 errors in the game that lasted more than three hours. Washington U. took a 10-1 lead after three innings with seven unearned runs on 10 hits and five errors by St. Norbert. The Green Knights plated three runs in the top of the fourth to cut the deficit to 10-4, but Washington U. answered with five runs on three hits and three errors in the bottom of the inning to extend the lead back to 15-4.
After St. Norbert made it 15-6 in the top of the fifth, Washington U. plated five runs on six hits in the bottom of the inning to score 20 runs (20-6) for the second time this season. The Green Knights scored the next seven runs of the game to get to within 20-13, but Washington U. added two runs in the seventh and three in the eighth to finish with the 25-13 win.
Twelve different players recorded hits in the game for the Bears, led by sophomore Kyle Billig (4-for-5, five runs, two RBIs) and senior Brandon Rogalski (3-for-5, two runs, four RBIs). Both Billig and Rogalski hit two doubles in the game. Freshman Chris Lowery also had three hits (3-for-7, two runs). Junior David Madson hit a pair of RBI triples in the game to finish 2-for-4 with three runs and two RBIs. Junior Max Gordon picked up his fourth win of the season (4-1) pitching five innings and allowing six runs, just two earned.
Washington U. (20-6) continues its 12-game homestand on Wednesday, April 4, against Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. at Kelly Field.
Bear Notebook: The win was the eighth in a row for Washington U. … Rogalski has now recorded 17 multiple-hit games this season … Lowery extended his team-leading hitting streak to 10 games … Rogalski’s two runs scored in the game moved him into a tie for 10th on the Washington U. all-time career list (114) … He also moved into fourth for RBIs (128) and a tie for fourth in doubles (41). | http://bearsports.wustl.edu/Sports/Content/Pages/base4-1-12.aspx | 568 |
The Chicago Stadium Chair -- A Great Conversation Piece
Sunday, 04.06.2008 / 12:06 AM / Features
By Evan Weiner - NHL.com Correspondent
|Former Blackhawk Darcy Rota has a Chicago Stadium seat in his home and it's a conversation starter for guests.|
Both Mets and Yankees officials would do well if they were to steal a 1994 idea from Chicago Blackhawks ownership before Chicago Stadium was closed down to make way for a new arena.
Owner Bill Wirtz, gave away seats from “The Madhouse on Madison” to one-time Blackhawks players.
Darcy Rota, who was a member of the Blackhawks from 1973 to 1979, has a seat in his home, and the seat is a conversation starter for guests.
Chicago Stadium hosted Blackhawks games from 1929 to 1994, as well the NBA's Chicago Bulls from 1967 through 1994, five United States political conventions and even an NFL playoff game in 1932 -- played on an 80-yard field. There was also a massive pipe organ built into the structure.
"I am sure they sent most of the players who played for the Blackhawks the chair,” Rota said. “For me, it's been something that is a great talk piece when people come to the house. It's got my name and my number when I played for the Blackhawks and the Blackhawks logo. But it is an old rickety chair and people get quite a kick out of it. The young kids and my young kids don't know about the Chicago Stadium."
Chicago Stadium had a colorful history and was unique. Players had to walk up and down a flight of steps to get to the ice surface, which was smaller than the standard 200-feet by 85-feet setup in the NHL. Therefore, there was less room between the blue lines. Plus, the place was maybe the loudest building in the NHL.
|Real or imagined? The stories are great
The long and storied career of Gordie Howe also is a career full of stories that may or may not be true, as Evan Weiner explains in Off the Wall. ...more
But climbing up and down the steps was the biggest obstacle players had, and it was not an easy hike.
"You wanted to make sure you didn't slip because you were walking down steps with skates on,” he said. “You had to be careful about that. The odd guy would tumble and fall down the stairs. Basically, you had to watch your steps as you went down."
If one guy fell, it could have had a domino affect and a whole team of players could have fallen down at the same time. But during Rota's tenure, that never happened.
The console of the Chicago Stadium 3,663-pipe Barton Organ, which was played for years by Al Melgard, now resides in the Las Vegas home of Phil Maloof whose brothers own the NBA's Sacramento Kings. That organ was as much a part of Blackhawks history as Bobby Hull, Stan Mikita.
It was a legendary musical instrument.
"That organ was fantastic and it was a very, very special place to play,” Roda said. “(The rink) was about 185 feet long or so. It was a tough place for visiting players to play. People I know found it an intimidating place to play. If you weren't ready to play a game in Chicago Stadium you were in the wrong business because of the type of atmosphere in there. I always enjoyed the ice area, it was never a problem.
“Now it's a parking lot and it's unfortunate that the Stadium is no longer there."
Chicago Stadium perfectly fit into its era and was vastly different from the other NHL rinks in Boston, Detroit, Montreal, New York and Toronto during the days of the Original Six between 1942 and 1967.
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“You couldn't hide in the some of these Original Six places because the ice surfaces were small. A lot of history, a lot of tradition. Growing up as a young boy in Canada, of course following the Original Six teams and having an opportunity to play in the National Hockey League, it was pretty exciting. A lot of old rinks with lots of character are gone (now), replaced with fancy buildings for revenue opportunities now.”
The new arenas are, in some cases, too nice.
The chairs are too plush and don't have the character -- or probably the stories that a chair from Chicago Stadium could tell. It is well known that Blackhawks games routinely broke city fire laws because there were more people in the building than the 17,317-seat capacity. There was the fog horn after goals, Melgard and the organ, and if the chair could talk, the stories would probably be intriguing.
Author: Evan Weiner | NHL.com Correspondent | http://blackhawks.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=476999 | 1,008 |
Dwight Howard and the Biggest Posers in the NBA
Before I start off this article, let me first say that I respect each and every one of these players. I admire the work they put in to get to the level they're currently at and they deserve all the credit for achieving their biggest goals and dreams.
So, that makes it a lot easier to say that we're going to find and discuss the NBA's top five biggest posers.
What exactly is a poser? It's a player that's either attempting to be something they're not or a player that creates more problems than solutions. Whether it's on or off the court, these five usually are attempting to put on the facade that they're a completely different person.
Some are physical specimens that play small and others are small players that attempt to pass themselves off as big.
Either way, they all share the same characteristic of attempting to be something they're not or completely going against the gameplan. Instead of making the necessary adjustments and sacrifices needed, after demanding a trade to that team, you may just earn yourself a spot on the league's biggest posers.
We take a look at these five players and the reasons why they have ended up on this unfortunate list.
Sam Greenwood/Getty Images
It's become incredibly agitating seeing Dwight Howard and his latest opinion every other day.
It's annoying mostly because he didn't have to be in this situation in the first place. Howard was a free agent heading into the summer, but decided to take on an opt-in clause that would allow another year for the Orlando Magic to either make a compelling trade or find the players that could help Dwight to another Finals appearance.
Instead, Howard started accusing the Magic organization of blackmailing him, although it's reasonable to believe Dwight didn't know what blackmail meant at the time. This came about when Dwight was under the belief the Magic front office tricked him into staying another year.
The Magic want to get rid of Dwight by this point, which is why they're listening to these awful offers from Brooklyn and the Los Angeles Lakers.
They're tired of the headache their franchise center is causing and their angry that they just let go of their general manager and head coach because of Dwight, who was believed to have been behind a coup to oust Stan Van Gundy as the Magic coach.
Now we continue to wait. The teams that Howard wants to go to don't have the trade chips to acquire him and every other team is backing off due to Dwight only wanting to re-sign in either L.A. or BK.
So much for Dwight caring about his fans. He's completely turned the fanbase against him after the embarrassing sequence of events that have taken place over the past few months.
Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images
It's beginning to be tough to believe that Carmelo Anthony is capable of leading this New York Knicks team towards a championship run.
In a little over a season since he joined the Knicks, Anthony has yet to make a single adjustment. He took on the facilitator role early on and finished the season averaging only 3.6 assists per game to go along with a mere 22.6 points per game on 43 percent shooting. 'Melo's shooting and scoring were at the lowest since early on in his career.
Anthony is an excellent player in an isolation setting, but he can't seem to involve his teammates. In fact, he's made Amar'e Stoudemire look worse every time they're on the floor together.
There were too many instances last season where Anthony would be taking nearly three times as many shots as Stoudemire, a player who was once arguably known as the best scorer at his position.
That's what Carmelo can do. He doesn't involve his teammates enough. Those one-on-one situations can only work for so long, before you have to begin involving your teammates in order to actually win games.
The only way the Knicks make a breakthrough and advance themselves is if Anthony makes the sacrifice and adjustment of playing off the ball and attempting to pass more.
This Knicks team is too stacked not to work. They have two excellent scorers and the league's top defender; there are absolutely no excuses for this team to get ousted in the first round.
Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images
I'll let Udonis Haslem handle this one:
‘I think sometimes people just use the TVs and the cameras and the crowd, you know, to put on a show. I don’t think he’s all that he shows out there on the court. I think anybody can be a tough guy with a thousand people watching on TV and referees who call fouls and stop the game and different things like that. I don’t seeing him being any tough guy that he puts on the show to be, at all … If we were playing at the park, I don’t think he’d be doing all that."
The Miami Heat have had some bouts with Kendrick Perkins since his Boston Celtics days. With Dwyane Wade driving to the rim as much as he did to will his team to victory, the Celtics would utilize Perkins as the bruising center who would hack at Wade to send a message.
Obviously, his longtime teammates, such as Haslem, would have something to say about it.
Perkins also had something to say to LeBron James. Following Blake Griffin's tremendous poster on Kendrick, LeBron James sent out a tweet praising Griffin's dunk and downplaying the dunk he had over John Lucas that same day.
Of course, Perkins had something to say to James, despite the rest of the NBA world also having something to say.
Why single out LeBron? He's not even saying anything about Kendrick Perkins in the first place. Blake could have performed the same dunk over any defender and James would have said the same thing. It's just Kendrick attempting to stir up some more animosity.
And the perma-scowl etched on Perkins face? It can only work for so long.
Harry How/Getty Images
Blake Griffin is a 6'10", 250-pound man-beast that is capable of jumping over buildings and running through brick walls.
Things like this should never happen.
If you're that big and constantly creating contact in the lane, your jaw running into someone's shoulder shouldn't cause you to writhe in agony for an entire possession. There's a fine line between selling the foul and making yourself look foolish, and Griffin had no trouble crossing it and establishing an entire new area of the art of flopping.
Understood that a lot of star players flop, but Griffin should never be flopping over minor hits or even attempting to flop in the first place. That's not a reputation you want to build early in your career, especially when it seems that so many opponents are gunning for you.
Blake's become a target of many overly-physical fouls as a result of teams attempting to send a message.
The message is mostly used to keep Blake out of the lane, but it's also a message to experience contact worth complaining over.
At the age of 23 and after only two years, there's no room to flop and then constantly argue for fouls. I'd say when a jump shot and some solid defense comes around, then Blake could have some reasons to run to the officials in hopes that they'll reverse their decision and make a different call, preferably in his favor.
Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
This one may be surprising to some, but if you saw what I saw in the Miami Heat's series against the Indiana Pacers, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about.
Danny Granger could not stop attempting to start an altercation with either Dwyane Wade or LeBron James. Numerous times throughout the series, Granger was caught annoying the two and attempting to create a situation out of nothing.
Maybe once to send a message, but throughout the series?
He pulled on James' jersey to create an altercation, went over the top of LeBron to start a fight, and even going after Dwyane Wade, a player who is four inches shorter than him. That's three separate altercations in a series that lasted six games, all facilitated by Granger
Who is Granger attempting to fool? He's usually been mild-mannered, so why did he suddenly become this big talker in a series against the Heat?
If he was trying to send a message, it obviously didn't happen because James and Wade shook off each instance. Granger was just attempting to annoy the two into playing badly, instead of utilizing his own average defensive abilities to contain either of the two.
Either way, it was embarrassing; because Granger is certainly not the player who should be facilitating altercations. | http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1266366-dwight-howard-and-the-biggest-posers-in-the-nba | 1,808 |
Peyton Manning: Broncos QB Should Be Considered Top 5 Fantasy Quarterback
Peyton Manning is back and believe it or not, enters the 2012 underrated for possibly the first time in his career.
Considering he’s learning a new offense in a new city with new teammates and coaches, fantasy owners don’t know what to expect from the 36-year-old future Hall of Famer.
Oh yeah, then there is the series of neck surgeries that kept him out for the entire 2011 season.
All things considered, the newest member of the Denver Broncos is going to be a fantasy risk…but it’s a risk worth taking.
In his debut last Thursday against the Chicago Bears, Manning was 4-of-7 for 44 yards and an interception. The interception was off a fluky deflection that hit Brandon Stokley in the shoulders in the pouring rain.
We all know you would be crazy to judge Manning on one drive in a meaningless preseason game, but it was encouraging to see him barking orders at the line of scrimmage and still possessing some serious zip on the ball. His neck didn’t appear to bother him one bit.
Looking at the Broncos roster, the two candidates to help Manning’s life easier right away will be Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker. At 6’3’’ and 230 pounds, Thomas is the perfect red-zone target for Manning and also his best deep threat. He is a budding star that can fully blossom under the tutelage of Manning.
Remember, this is a guy that’s been stuck with Kyle Orton and Tim Tebow in his two seasons in the league. Collecting 1,000 yards and 10 TDs is certainly in the realm of possibilities.
Then there is Decker, my pick to end up as Manning’s go-to receiver.
The pair connected on a beautiful 19-yard gain Thursday when the Broncos were facing 3rd-and-17. Decker, who excels out of the slot, has the crisp route-running ability and sticky hands that have made plenty of Colt receivers millions of dollars in the past. Decker is a cerebral player who can handle the load Manning gives him.
Expect their chemistry to be spectacular as the season rolls on.
With a strong running game and above-average O-line, Manning has all of the tools to put up big numbers on a team with plenty of potential.
The incredible stat of Manning that gets swept under the rug is his 227-game streak of consecutive starts. This guy was the symbol of consistency before suffering the neck injury. In a league where one hit can end a career regardless of who the player is, his durability over the last 13 seasons of action can’t be overlooked.
Is Peyton Manning a Top-5 Fantasy QB in 2012?
Don’t let his neck injury be the only reason you skip Peyton.
Manning isn’t going to put up the same type of numbers that Drew Brees, Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers will in 2012, but he will be a better pick than the injury-plagued Matthew Stafford, the consistent but not amazing Matt Ryan, the turnover prone Tony Romo, and Ben Roethlisberger, who is already dealing with a slew of injuries.
Manning has always been fantasy gold, and there is no reason to believe 2012 will be any different.
Peyton is back and ready to play a major part in winning you a fantasy football championship. Take advantage of the suckers who overlook him.
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Why is this article poorly edited? | http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1296278-peyton-manning-broncos-qb-should-be-considered-top-5-fantasy-quarterback | 765 |
MLB Trade Rumors: Alfonso Soriano and the Top 10 Moveable Players on the Market
After the months of speculation leading up to July's trade deadline finally came to a head, it seemed like we could all finally breathe a bit and watch the second half of the MLB season play itself out.
That notion was quickly put to rest when the waiver wire acted up in August.
We saw players like Joe Blanton and Cliff Lee make news, and while a deal for Lee was never reached, that doesn't mean that others wouldn't be made.
The blockbuster deal sending seemingly half of the Boston Red Sox to the Los Angeles Dodgers certainly turned the heads of the entire baseball world, and while it may be impossible to expect another trade like that, it doesn't mean that the action has ceased.
10. Travis Hafner
Leon Halip/Getty Images
During Travis Hafner's best days, he was one of the most dangerous hitters in the AL Central and was consistently in AL MVP consideration.
He's run into issues staying on the field since then and is currently on the 15-day disabled list, but if healthy, he can still definitely be a home run threat in the Indians lineup.
Either way, you would think a trade may be more likely to occur as the team has fallen back from contention in the division. For quite some time, it's looked like this would be Hafner's last season in Cleveland.
9. Andres Torres
Recently placed on waivers by the New York Mets, outfielder Andres Torres isn't having an outstanding 2012 season by any means, but that doesn't mean he wouldn't be a useful target for a contending team down the stretch.
The center fielder is batting just .233 this season, but a 16-homer campaign in 2010 in which he stole nearly 30 bases shows just what he's capable of when he's at his best.
He'll be under team control for another season, and at just under $3 million this season, Torres wouldn't break the bank.
8. Carlos Marmol
Joe Robbins/Getty Images
Control is a premium for relief pitchers hoping to make a positive impact for their team, so it's no surprise that Carlos Marmol has been a disappointment on the mound in 2012.
Walking nearly nine batters per nine innings, he has a WHIP approaching 2.00 and an ERA of 4.02.
With the Cubs looking to rebuild in any way they can, it wouldn't be surprising to see Marmol, who recently cleared waivers, head out of Wrigley sooner rather than later.
7. Scott Hairston
Jason Szenes/Getty Images
Thirty-two-year-old Scott Hairston has had a relatively successful 2012 season thus far, with a batting average approaching .275 and the highest home run total (14) he's posted since 2008.
The New York Mets have a lot of decisions to make this offseason, and deciding on whether or not to retain Hairston may not be one of them.
The utility player was placed on waivers along with teammate Andres Torres, and as teams continue to define needs as they head into stretch runs, Hairston could pique the interest of suitors.
6. Justin Morneau
Jared Wickerham/Getty Images
After struggling through concussion problems and other injuries over the past couple of seasons, Justin Morneau appears to finally be hitting his stride.
He's gone deep 17 times in 102 games so far in 2012. With his numbers up in virtually every category from last season, Morneau would be a great add for any team looking to bring in a home run threat.
With this weekend's news, it's hard to believe the Dodgers would still be interested, but in eight games this month, Morneau is batting .333 with four home runs, 14 RBI and an OPS of nearly 1.000. He'll certainly fit in somewhere.
5. Jeff Francoeur
J. Meric/Getty Images
The San Francisco Giants found themselves in a serious predicament recently when they lost slugger Melky Cabrera for the rest of the season after he was handed a 50-game suspension for testosterone usage.
Whether or not they look to outside sources for help in the outfield remains to be seen, but as Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com points out, they could look towards Kansas City Royals outfielder Jeff Francoeur as a short-term solution.
4. Jacoby Ellsbury
Jared Wickerham/Getty Images
The Boston Red Sox lineup card has seen some serious changes in the past handful of days, with a number of top stars making their way to the west coast.
It would be hard to believe they'll continue to look to unload talent, but as Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe noted, Jacoby Ellsbury is the most recent player in Fenway to hit the waiver wire.
No suitor has been revealed, but a team like the Los Angeles Angels could benefit from a player of Ellsbury's caliber, especially as they fight for attention in the city with the suddenly-revamped Dodgers.
3. Edinson Volquez
Denis Poroy/Getty Images
In his first season in San Diego, Edinson Volquez has posted an 8-9 record with an ERA hovering just over 4.00.
He'll be under team control for another season, but the starting pitcher has been placed on waivers, and with his name popping up in July with a connection to the Atlanta Braves, it wouldn't be surprising if he garnered some additional interest now.
2. Justin Upton
Christian Petersen/Getty Images
As is the case anytime the waiver wire lights up, players that almost certainly won't move are pushed out there, even if it means they'll still finish the season in the same uniform.
With the mega trade that we just saw send some superstars from Boston to Los Angeles, it's clear that anything is possible.
The Arizona Diamondbacks did place star Justin Upton on waivers, and while it's not clear whether or not any serious suitors could emerge, it's definitely something worth watching.
1. Alfonso Soriano
Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
Earlier, we mentioned the San Francisco Giants' potential need for additional help in the outfield. While Jeff Francoeur may be a more thrifty option to bolster the lineup, adding a player like Alfonso Soriano would help the team match the wheeling and dealing of the division-rival Dodgers.
Soriano is owed $18 million per season through 2014, and while he's been considered somewhat of a black hole from a salary perspective, he's been relatively consistent, going deep at least 20 times every season since 2001. This season, he has his highest batting average since 2008. | http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1311758-mlb-trade-rumors-alfonso-soriano-and-the-top-10-moveable-players-on-the-market | 1,392 |
Ranking the Pac-12's Toughest Schedules
A month into the college football season, the rankings have gone through some changes.
Three overrated pretenders (Michigan, Wisconsin and Arkansas) have fallen, one (Oregon State) has risen and three (Arizona, USC and UCLA) have risen and fallen only to rise again.
Now, there are still a few questions about the Pac-12 that, when answered, will allow us to determine which Pac-12 team has the strongest (or scariest, depending on how your team is doing right now) schedule.
First, where does Southern Cal belong? My gut says the Trojans still take the South, but the Bruins and Sun Devils may make some noise before all is done. Speaking of the Sun Devils, where does one put Arizona State in a Pac-12 power ranking? Many have ASU fifth or sixth, but the Sun Devils could easily be third or fourth.
Many questions remain unanswered as the calendar flips to October. But, as of now, which teams look like they will truly run the gauntlet in Pac-12 play this year?
These five teams have the toughest road to the title.
5. Washington Huskies
Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images
This last slot was difficult to place. I considered USC and Colorado. Both have schedules of similar difficulty. USC's is loaded with good teams at the end of the season. Colorado's is toughest in October and November. But several of its toughest opponents play the Buffaloes in Boulder.
I wanted to put the Huskies lower (or higher, I suppose). They have three Top-10 teams (LSU, Stanford and Oregon) on their schedule in their first five games, and their October schedule is no cupcake buffet. But they close with an easy November that, with the early-season win over Stanford, should give them at least seven wins.
Washington lost to LSU in Baton Rouge and has road games at Oregon and Arizona State. But USC and Oregon State have to visit Seattle in October and hope they don't end up like Stanford.
4. California Golden Bears
Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
At times, such as against Ohio State in Columbus, Cal looked like a 7-5 team, but the Bears choked against earlier and easier competition, and now they are reeling, looking for a Pac-12 win somewhere, anywhere. Their schedule, however, isn't forgiving. It has seven ranked teams, possibly eight, with Arizona State on the cusp.
Only three of those games are away, which is bad. Why bad? Isn't a home game against a great opponent usually a good thing? Well, if you are the Bears and are expected to get crushed, wouldn't you rather get crushed on the road and save the games you might be able to win for home, in your brand-new stadium?
Instead, the Bears' best hope of snagging that Pac-12 victory is in Pullman against Washington State on Oct. 13.
What's even worse about the Bears schedule is that there are no breaks. Though they need time off, they go at it every week. The longest span between games is November 2nd to November 10th. They face the Washington Huskies and then the Oregon Ducks.
3. Stanford Cardinal
Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
Though they've taken a lot of heat for their lack of offense in last week's loss at Washington, I have to hand it to the Cardinal: they don't choose to take the easy road.
After the first two games (easy victories over San Jose State from the WAC and Duke from the ACC), Stanford's ride is rough, with seven ranked or previously ranked opponents, split into chunks of four and three at a time.
Four of those ranked games are away (Washington, Notre Dame, Oregon and UCLA) and the other three are at the Farm. They've already dropped one away from home, so the Cardinal have to hope their sputtering offense doesn't become a trend when on the road.
And you know what's really annoying (for a Stanford fan, anyway) about that loss to Washington (well, other than the loss)? It feels like they wasted their off week. Now they just have to ride it out.
2. Oregon State Beavers
Christian Petersen/Getty Images
Not many were expecting Oregon State to make a turnaround quite as sharply as it has. Now every game on a Pac-12 schedule with the Beavers is suddenly scary.
And it's not like Oregon State is rising on the backs of lesser foes. The Beavers' first big game (and really, their first game) was against the overrated No. 13 Wisconsin Badgers. But at the time, we didn't know this, at least not quite. Wisconsin had trouble the week before against Northern Iowa, as it looked like David was slapping Goliath all around the field).
Next, the Beavers toppled UCLA in the Rose Bowl. Then they headed into the desert against an angry Arizona team looking to bounce back from a humiliating defeat to Oregon. The Wildcats almost won, until Oregon State QB Sean Mannion stole it from them on a stunning last drive.
With so many high-profile victories, one almost forgets that they were all hard-fought, two of them on the road. But that's the way the Beavers roll, as evidenced by their roller-coaster ride of a schedule.
Of their seven ranked matchups, five are away (and the Civil War with Oregon doesn't really give them home-field advantage).
How long the Beavers can sustain their drive is anyone's guess. But the Pac-12 is on alert: Look out for Oregon State.
1. Arizona Wildcats
Christian Petersen/Getty Images
Washington and Oregon State have gotten attention for their rough September and October schedules, probably the roughest in all of college football, some pundits claim.
That has to mean that no one has looked at Arizona's schedule because... well, words can't capture it. Take a look: Toledo, Oklahoma State, South Carolina State, No. 2 Oregon, No. 14 Oregon State, No. 18 Stanford, Open Date, No. 23 Washington, No. 13 USC, No. 25 UCLA, Colorado, Utah, Arizona State.
That's right. In a seven-week stretch, from September 22nd to November 3rd, Arizona has six ranked teams on its schedule, three of which have been in the Top 10 (with the Beavers on the cusp), with half of those games on the road.
I, for one, am impressed with how well Rich Rodriguez, Matt Scott and company have endured against such a difficult slate. One can easily imagine that if the big games were a bit more spread out, the Wildcats might have a chance to pull off upsets similar to what they did against Oklahoma State.
As it is, even the open date hardly seems like enough of a buffer to regroup and heal, The 'Cats are already battered and thinned two games into this rigorous stretch.
Can they keep it together to the end and earn a bowl berth, or will the gauntlet destroy them?
I expect we'll know the answer by the end of this month. | http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1358169-ranking-the-pac-12s-toughest-schedules | 1,497 |
Ronaldinho: Can He Make the Brazil National Team for the 2014 World Cup?
He is a player who will forever live in the hearts of football fans worldwide. Indeed, Ronaldinho's five-year spell at Barcelona last decade ranks among the greatest periods of individual brilliance ever seen in the game. He was simply untouchable.
The iconic No. 10, though, has seen his career fade since his departure from Camp Nou. He failed to ignite in a two-year stint at Milan, and his return to Brazil with Flamengo was an unmitigated disaster, largely due to off-pitch incidents.
After a disappointing showing against Ghana, though, former coach Mano Menezes decided that the experiment had failed—Ronaldinho was no longer able to keep pace at the highest level.
Just over a year later, though, the calls for his return to the Seleção can be heard again.
Following an acrimonious end to his time at Flamengo, Ronaldinho was offered redemption in the form of a short-term contract at Atlético Mineiro.
The results have been impressive.
The ponytailed playmaker came into the club under unusual circumstances. For the first time in his illustrious career, there had not been a clamour to secure his signature. Ronaldinho was tainted by accusations of poor professionalism, as well as a general feeling that his best days were just a distant memory.
Atlético, though, gave him his chance and have been rewarded greatly for their gamble. The Porto Alegre-born star has inspired a club that was close to relegation last campaign. Alongside the likes of rising star Bernard and former Manchester City striker Jô, Ronaldinho has led a revival.
Reward came this past week as, having helped the club to second place in the league, Ronaldinho was named the Brazilian championship Player of the Year.
The difficulty for new Brazil manager Luiz Felipe Scolari will not be deciding whether Ronaldinho is worthy of a place to take on England in February. On current form, he could undoubtedly offer a useful contribution.
The issue will be whether there is enough reason to believe that the two-time FIFA World Player of the Year will still be performing at these levels in eighteen months' time, when football's biggest festival visits Brazil for the first time since the country's famous Maracanazo defeat of 1950.
Ronaldinho has undoubtedly been in fine form for club side Atlético, but his lifestyle still draws criticism. It was the main reason behind his exit from Barcelona in 2008 and remains an issue that he has never fully resolved.
I want to see him behave like a player that wants to be a world champion. He needs to change a few things.—Mano Menezes, former Brazil coach told Arena SporTV in March 2012
He has enjoyed a fine season, without question, but there are legitimate concerns that he cannot maintain this form in the long run.
He enjoyed a similar purple patch at Flamengo, but performance levels dropped off after a few months. That said, the club's inability to pay their player on time undoubtedly contributed to his decline in both form and professionalism.
Questions should also be asked regarding his ability to transfer this recent form onto the international stage. As everybody knows, the domestic game in Brazil is an entirely different beast. In this regard, there are several factors to consider.
If Brazil are to compete with the likes of Spain and Germany at the World Cup, it will not be through the sort of tactics seen in the Brasileirão. The attacking midfielders cannot simply ignore their defensive work and linger on the halfway line, waiting for the ball to be launched forward by the defence. That would be disastrous.
Thus, Brazil are going to need players who will close down, track back and, when in possession, offer a dynamic presence. In Brazil, Ronaldinho is afforded space to play the game at his pace.
As he found on his last attempt at international football, though, the pace of the game could be too much for him.
With those arguments against his recall, what are the arguments in favour?
Will Ronaldinho make the 2014 World Cup?
Well, firstly, his previous working relationship with Scolari can only help. Ronaldinho helped Brazil to their fifth World Cup triumph in 2002 under the veteran manager and will hope that this relationship can earn him another shot.
Scolari will not accept underperformance, but could be willing to give his former charge a chance to prove himself ahead of the Confederations Cup.
Ronaldinho may not be the same player he once was, but does he need to be? With the energy of young starlets Neymar and Oscar around him, there is an argument that the former Barcelona man could be accommodated. That is something Felipão must consider.
What Ronaldinho has shown this season is that he still has the skill and guile to unlock defences, even if it is now normally with a pass rather than his dribbling abilities. The Atlético star also offers more of a threat from set pieces than any current member of the squad.
We are all aware that we have a dual responsibility in this tournament. The first is to present a type of football that honours our tradition.—Dilma Rousseff, Brazilian president at a press conference in December 2012.
Scolari is truly in a fortunate position regarding creative options: Oscar, Neymar and Lucas Moura are all brilliant players and should still improve over the next 18 months. However, the trio will be aged just 22, 22 and 21 respectively when the tournament comes around.
This is where Ronaldinho, Robinho or Kaká could have some use. Ronaldinho has enjoyed a fine campaign, Robinho is still adored in his homeland and Kaká has performed well since recall to the squad earlier this year.
It would be a mistake to rely on the trio given their indifferent form in recent years, but their experience could prove invaluable as part of a very young squad. They will not all be involved, but it is likely that Scolari will look to involve one or two of the three—even if just as an option off the substitutes' bench.
With Brazil hosting the tournament, the team simply have to perform, and must do so with a style and panache worthy of their traditions.
Scolari now has three months to consider whether a fit, focused Ronaldinho can be the showman that the Brazilian public so desperately crave.
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Why is this article poorly edited? | http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1434947-ronaldinho-can-he-make-the-brazil-national-team-for-the-2014-world-cup | 1,373 |
NFL Week 15 Picks: Road Warriors That Will Narrowly Defeat Home Teams
We are to the point of the NFL season where teams that need victories decide to play the best football of the season. Those same teams find a way to get into the postseason and are generally the ones who make a run once they get there.
With that said, here are three road teams who will find a way to get the job done in Week 15.
Pittsburgh Steelers defeat Dallas Cowboys
Pittsburgh and Dallas are two teams playing for a postseason berth. The Cowboys are coming off a great road victory over the scorching hot Cincinnati Bengals.
The Steelers, however, are coming off one of the more disappointing performances of the season. They lost to the San Diego Chargers at Heinz Field.
No, Charlie Batch wasn't in the game throwing three interceptions while looking terrible. Ben Roethlisberger was back under center and received little help from the offensive line, his running backs, Todd Haley and his receivers.
Now the two will lock horns in Dallas this week with a lot on the line.
Mike Tomlin and his Steelers have a way of getting up for big games. Dallas is a team that every team can get up for, and Tomlin will have his guys ready similar to what they were against the Baltimore Ravens last week.
Just when Dallas has your attention, they find a way to blow it down the stretch. They will do it again.
Prediction: Steelers 20, Cowboys 17.
New York Giants defeat Atlanta Falcons
All teams go through a funk at one point of a 16-game season. Atlanta is currently going to go through that funk.
With the Giants coming into town, and with their ability to get up for games, New York and Eli Manning will find a way to get the job done in Atlanta.
Atlanta's defense is average this season. Prior to Sunday's game against Carolina, the Falcons ranked 15th in passing yards allowed and 20th in rushing yards allowed.
If Manning can receive time to throw the football he will carve up the Falcons' defense.
Also, Matt Ryan hasn't been overly impressive since playing the Saints on Nov. 11. Since that game, Ryan has accounted for four touchdowns and seven interceptions.
Against a stingy defensive front four, New York will find a way to rattle Ryan just like they did last year in the postseason.
Prediction: Giants 27, Falcons 23.
San Francisco 49ers defeat New England Patriots
Remember when the Arizona Cardinals went to New England and defensively defeated the Patriots earlier this season? They forced a turnover, held New England to 5-of-15 on third downs and won at the line of scrimmage.
San Francisco will play that same exact role in Week 15.
The 49ers are another team that gets up for games when they feel disrespected. Throughout this week, San Francisco will hear its share of doubts from the analysts.
With its stout defense, San Francisco will have the right remedy for Brady and the Patriots.
Expect one of San Francisco's best games of the season.
Prediction: 49ers 20, Patriots 17.
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Michigan vs. Ohio State: Twitter Reaction, Postgame Recap and Analysis
The Ohio State Buckeyes got off to a fast start and held on for the thrilling 56-53 win at home. The loss was the first of the season for the No. 2-ranked Michigan Wolverines.
There are now no unbeaten teams in Division I NCAA basketball.
The Wolverines fought back from a 20-point deficit to tie the game on two occasions late, but they didn't have the final push to pull out the tough road victory.
This was a great game to watch and served as a preview of things to come in the Big Ten Tournament and March Madness in general.
Here is a balanced account of what took place at the Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio.
Michigan assistant coach Bacari Alexander gave this pregame speech to his team before the loss to the Buckeyes on Sunday.
The Wolverines came into the game as the nation's last undefeated team, and everyone wanted to know if this was the day the "0" would go. That includes ESPN's Jay Williams:
This game had several qualities. The sweet alley-oop plays were just one aspect:
The Wolverines battled back from a 20-point deficit to tie the game, and that resiliency made this a regular-season gem:
And #Michigan has tied the game! WOW. We got a game!— ESPN College BBall (@ESPNCBB) January 13, 2013
ESPN's college hoops Twitter feed delivers the news:
BBall (@ESPNCBB) January 13, 2013
How the Buckeyes Won This Game
16-0 Run Early in the First Half
Perhaps the Wolverines were overconfident heading into this game. It is possible the speech from Alexander didn't help matters.
In any case, they didn't look as though they were ready to match the Buckeyes' intensity.
With strong and aggressive defense, the Buckeyes built a huge lead on a strength of a 16-0 run. After Trey Burke started the game with a three-pointer, the Wolverines found themselves down 16-3 shortly thereafter.
Part of the product of the Buckeyes defense was a plethora of turnovers from Michigan. The Buckeyes harassed the Wolverines into 13 miscues, with nine coming in the first half.
Coming into the game, Michigan was averaging just nine giveaways per game.
Wolverines Should Have Played Zone From the Beginning
The Buckeyes have only one dependable scorer in the half court, and that is Deshaun Thomas. Michigan starting the game in man-to-man coverage allowed Thomas to get off early, as they didn't have a defender who could contain him.
He finished with 20 points, and the other Buckeyes who excelled offensively got most of their buckets in transition.
No other Buckeye had double figures in the game.
Aaron Craft and Sam Thompson each had nine points, but seven of Craft's points came in the first half.
The Wolverines' eventual switch to a zone midway through the first half keyed the comeback, but the Buckeyes had already gained momentum.
Heroes and Goats
Heroes: Deshaun Thomas and Sam Thompson
Thomas continues to prove he is a prime-time scorer and leader. He made several big shots en route to another impressive scoring performance.
Thompson's energy on defense led to crowd-igniting slams and constant pressure on the ball.
Goat: Trey Burke
Burke's NBA draft stock took a hit in this game.
He didn't display a ton of poise, struggling to get his team into the offense. He also didn't shoot well, as Craft's tenacious defense seem to bother him all game. This led to a few questionable shots.
Burke finished with 15 points and four assists, but he only shot 4-of-13 from the field, and he committed four turnovers.
He was not as good as his team needed him to be.
Michigan showed a lot of heart in coming back, and it nearly won this game. However, the Wolverines showed that their inexperience can be their undoing.
They were not prepared for the intensity this rivalry game brought, and the atmosphere consumed them early. They must grow up quickly if they plan on going deep into the NCAA tournament.
The Buckeyes scored a huge win at home, but their lack of offensive options will hurt them against top teams. That will be a bigger factor when they aren't playing at home.
That said, their tough defense will keep them in most any game.
Follow Brian Mazique and Franchiseplay on YouTube and Twitter for reactions, analysis and news from the world of sports and sports video games.
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Demetrious Johnson vs. John Dodson: What Went Wrong for Dodson?
On Saturday night in the United Center in Chicago, the UFC flyweight championship was on the line as Demetrious Johnson defended against Ultimate Fighter winner John Dodson. The battle was fast-paced, as expected, although few would have guessed that Demetrious Johnson would be dropped three times in the opening frames of his first title defense.
However, in Round 3, everything turned around for "The Magician," and 15 minutes later, he saw Johnson have his arm raised as Bruce Buffer announced "Mighty Mouse" as the bout's winner.
So what went wrong for John Dodson?
Lack of Killer Instinct
In Round 2, Dodson scored a four-punch combination that dropped Johnson hard. All signs pointed to a new champion; however, the challenger apparently couldn't smell the blood in the water.
Instead of pressing the action and unleashing a flurry of strikes on his downed opponent, Dodson allowed Johnson to return to his feet and gave him a moment to recover.
Later in the frame, he landed another big shot that sent Mighty Mouse down, and this time he charged forward. However, this opening wasn't as good as the previous one, and Johnson was quickly back to his feet.
If the "what if's" in your life are going to haunt you in your senior years, there is no question that Dodson will always wonder what would have been if he had put his foot on the gas at a time that demanded it.
Conditioning Not Enough for Five Rounds
How many pitchers do you see take the mound and throw fastballs over and over again for nine full innings?
The reason that John Dodson faded after Round 3 lies in the fact that he throws a lot of haymakers. The flyweight has never had cardio issues in previous bouts, but then again, this is the first time that heavy-handed speedster went into championship rounds.
When Dodson couldn't keep his foot on the gas any longer, Johnson kept the pressure at a maximum and used superior technique to do a lot of damage up against the cage.
Demetrious Johnson Has Too Much Heart
Some may look at Johnson vs. Dodson as a flyweight version of Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard. The challenger has heavy hands and used them well in the early rounds. The champion recognizes the terrible situation that surrounds him and refuses to relinquish his belt.
Anyone who witnessed Johnson's fight with Joseph Benavidez saw exactly what his determination can accomplish. Benavidez secured a deep guillotine choke that should have ended the fight; however, the pure will of Johnson gave him the strength to frantically wiggle free and save himself.
That same determination saw Johnson test his own limits and drown Dodson in deep waters for the final rounds.
In any event, this was a great performance for John Dodson. He represented The Ultimate Fighter well and gave reason for viewers to believe that the show can still deliver championship fighters.
Unfortunately for The Magician, it was Johnson who proved himself the better man. With some quality performances in 2013 and a little bit of luck, he could find himself in title contention once again in early 2014.
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Washington Nationals: Are They Better Than the Atlanta Braves?
Patrick McDermott/Getty Images
The Washington Nationals were perceived as locks to win the National League East after another strong offseason. However, after the Atlanta Braves acquired Justin Upton from the Arizona Diamondbacks, there is now a debate as to which team is better.
Yet, despite the Braves' big splash, the Nationals are still the superior team.
Let’s start by looking at each team’s lineups. The Braves' top of the lineup will likely consist of Andrelton Simmons, Jason Heyward and Justin Upton. This group has a lot of potential and talent, but there will be questions about consistency.
The Nationals on the other hand, have Denard Span, Jayson Werth and Ryan Zimmerman leading things off. These guys have a lot of experience, but Werth and Zimmerman have been declining over the past two years. Span gives the Nationals a true leadoff hitter they’ve sorely needed.
Freddie Freeman will be the cleanup hitter for the Braves, followed by B.J. Upton and Dan Uggla. The problem here is that Upton and Uggla are low-contact, high-strikeout hitters. However, with all of the opportunities they will get with men on base, expect the duo to have bounce-back seasons.
The Nationals have Adam LaRoche, Bryce Harper and Ian Desmond at the four, five and six spots. Washington chose LaRoche over Michael Morse, and for good reason. In each of his last two full seasons, LaRoche has had 100 RBI and over 60 extra-base hits.
Harper has the highest upside out of any National, and will look to follow a solid rookie year with an electric sophomore campaign. Desmond had his best season last year, but the Nationals have to be a little concerned about his injury problems.
Who Will Win the NL East This Season?
The seventh spot in each team’s lineup is rather strong. Brian McCann is widely regarded as one of the best offensive catchers in baseball, even if he had a disappointing season in 2012. Danny Espinosa strikes out a lot and has a low average, but he steals bases and has excellent power for a middle infielder.
Finally, the Braves have a below-average hitter in Juan Francisco batting before the pitcher, and the Nationals have a promising catcher in Wilson Ramos.
Both lineups are amongst the best in the league. But while Atlanta is more of a streaky hitting team, the evolution of Harper will make the Nationals' lineup a threat to every pitcher they face.
Additionally, both teams have elite bullpens. Craig Kimbrel is one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball and is more than a formidable option for the Braves in the ninth inning. Jonny Venters and Eric O’Flaherty took a step back last year, but with the addition of fireballer Jordan Walden, the Braves' top relievers will be able to have more rest throughout the season.
The Nationals already had a late-inning combination of Drew Storen and Tyler Clippard before they signed Rafael Soriano. Now they boast three great right-handed relievers.
The problem with the Nationals' bullpen is that they don’t have an effective left-handed reliever, unless you want to count Zach Duke. The Braves, on the other hand, have a good mix of relievers that can handle any situation presented.
However, the biggest advantage that either of these teams have on one another is the Nationals' starting pitching. Stephen Strasburg and Gio Gonzalez are already one of the top duos in the MLB; adding Dan Haren and Jordan Zimmermann to the mix gives Washington arguably the best starting rotation in the majors.
The Braves have Tim Hudson as their ace. Hudson has injury concerns, but he’s been a reliable pitcher over the past couple of seasons. Kris Medlen was a force for the Braves down the stretch last year; if the Braves have any chance of winning the NL East, they’ll need Medlen to maintain a similar performance.
The rest of the Braves' rotation includes Mike Minor, Paul Maholm and Julio Teheran. Those three certainly make the Braves' starting rotation weaker than the Nationals, even if Ross Detwiler is their fifth starter.
The Nationals simply have more talent and depth. Even though the Braves have a better bullpen, I think that Davey Johnson will manage his pen better than Fredi Gonzalez. This division race will be close, but the Nationals will pull away in the last few weeks of September.
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Murph Settles, Avoids Hearing
Daniel Murphy has settled to avoid an arbitration hearing. He will earn slightly less than the $2.975 million midpoint of his asking price and the team's offer, a baseball source told ESPNNewYork.com.
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Seattle Seahawks: Did Russell Wilson and Bobby Wagner Deserve ROY Awards?
Over the weekend, Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III and Carolina Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly won the NFL's Offensive and Defensive Rookie of the Year awards, while Seattle Seahawks Bobby Wagner and Russell Wilson finished in second and third place respectively in the voting done by the Associated Press.
As the Seattle Times' Danny O'Neil reported:
Seattle’s draft class was panned in April. In January, though, Seattle had two of the top six rookies according to Associated Press ballots.
Linebacker Bobby Wagner was runner-up in Defensive Rookie of the Year to Luke Kuechly of Carolina, the No. 9 overall pick. Kuechly received 28 first-place votes, Wagner 11. Green Bay cornerback Casey Hayward finished third with six first-place votes.
Quarterback Russell Wilson was third in votes for Offensive Rookie of the Year. Robert Griffin III of Washington won the award, receiving 29 of 50 votes. Andrew Luck of Indianapolis received 11 votes, Wilson received 10.
The balloting by 50 designated voters concluded before the start of the postseason. Voters selected one winner. There were no second and third-place votes in balloting.
While I'm not shocked that RG3 won the offensive award, I was a little surprised Kuechly beat out Wagner. In both votes what really has me scratching my head is the margin by which RG3 and Kuechly won.
On the offensive side of the coin the competition was fierce between not only the No. 1 and No. 2 selections in the April draft, but the man chosen 70-plus spots following them.
If you're a fan of the underdog, you will be hard-pressed to find a better story than Russell Wilson this season or most others. The undersized third-round draft choice took the city of Seattle and the NFL by storm in a story that now reads like a cheesy Hollywood script.
The fact of the matter is that it was really a fairly lengthy process that began last spring and took shape over the better part of the season. Wilson painstakingly won over his coaches, teammates, fans and eventually the entire league by taking on all comers and proving the critics wrong every step of the way.
Yet choosing among RG3, Andrew Luck, and Russell Wilson isn't as easy as you might imagine.
Who deserved the Offensive ROY Award?
As much as I love Wilson, I can understand the appeal of RG3 and how voters were amazed by him from the very beginning to the very end.
Who could forget RG3's Week 1 performance when he went to New Orleans and won with a dazzling display of dominance by attacking through the air and on the ground. Fast-forward to the regular-season finale at home against the Cowboys with the division title up for grabs when Griffin once again got the job done with the help of fellow rookie Alfred Morris at running back.
By the way, where were the ROY votes for Morris? A sixth-round pick from Florida Atlantic rushes for 1,613 yards with 13 touchdowns while helping his team to the playoffs and his teammate wins in a landslide while he doesn't get a single vote from the 50 writers?
It all leads me to believe that Griffin's knack for drama is what has the media and fans spellbound. It also leads me to believe it's part of why he stayed in the wild-card game against the Seahawks well past the point he should have.
Patrick McDermott/Getty Images
Wilson, on the other hand, perhaps because he has been reminded throughout his life about his limitations, seems to have a solid grasp of what he should and shouldn't do on the field of play.
That maturity came through against the Redskins as he rallied the 'Hawks back on the road and leads me to wonder how many voters would have changed their vote if they had the chance now?
On the defensive side, Wagner was a second-round pick joining an already solid defense, but asked to help shore up what was arguably the team's weakest point at linebacker.
Following the departure of veteran David Hawthorne via free agency, Wagner was drafted with the hopes of taking over the middle linebacker spot after the top middle linebacker in the draft was selected just a few spots ahead of the Seahawks' first-round pick.
Whether the 'Hawks would have drafted Luke Kuechly is something we will probably never know, but with the Carolina Panthers grabbing him at No. 9, the brain trust of head coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider adjusted accordingly and eventually found their man in the middle in Round 2.
A position that going in to the season looked like a potential liability soon became a strength, with Wagner always at the center of the action while leading the team in tackles playing alongside second-year man K.J. Wright and veteran Leroy Hill.
With that said, did Wagner deserve to win given his contributions to the Seahawks this season?
Who Deserved the Defensive ROY Award?
In Carolina this season Kuechly posted 165 tackles and took over the middle linebacker spot after veteran Jon Beason went down for the season with an injury early in the season.
At the same time I don't see how Kuechly got 28 first-place votes versus only 11 for Wagner.
At times like these I can imagine some fans crying about an East Coast bias within the media, but I'm not sure how much I buy that here given the fact that the Seahawks had four first-team All-Pro selections this year.
Perhaps in both cases Wilson and Wagner's success was seen as a byproduct of an already solid roster built by Pete Carroll and John Schneider?
Once again, we will probably never know, but by now Wilson and Wagner are likely accustomed to the critics looking past them. Either way I like to think both slights will be stowed away and some day used as motivation for Wilson and Wagner, who seem the kind of players who may forgive but will never forget.
Winning rookie of the year may be nice, but I hope that both men have their sights set on something far more grandiose over the course of time, while helping lift the Seahawks to a level that no one will be able to deny them with a popular vote...a Super Bowl championship.
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Clutch Hitting and Strong Pitching Are Keys To First-Place Padres' Success
After last night’s rally and dramatic bottom of the ninth victory, the Padres (17-10) assured themselves of having another successful homestand. Winners of six of their last eight games and 11-4 at home, the Padres continue to roll.
On the offensive side, the Padres are showing an ability to hit with runners in scoring position—they are second in the National League with a .293 team average. After collecting their third walk-off win of the season, they are also proving that they have the ability to come through when the game is on the line.
Showing that he is a go-to-guy in the clutch, with two outs, Chase Headley, lined a 1-0 count single to the right-center gap, scoring Lance Zawadski from second base. This was Headley’s second walk-off hit of the season; the other walk-off hit for the Padres was a home run by David Eckstein.
Aside from the timely hitting, strong pitching has also been a major reason for their early season success—with a 2.81 team ERA that ranks second in the NL.
Last night’s starting pitcher, Wade LeBlanc, called up to replace the injured Chris Young in the rotation, allowed two earned runs over six innings, received a no-decision.
In three other starts this season LeBlanc (2-0, 1.16) has only one earned run and has shown a lot of promise. LeBlanc was the pitcher of record in two of the Padres’ Major League leading six shutouts.
Opening day starter and free-agent acquisition, Jon Garland (3-2, 2.06) has been a steady contributor.
Veteran Kevin Correia (4-2, 3.97) leads the team in wins and strikeouts with 30.
Second-year starter Clayton Richard (1-2, 3.00) is beginning to hit his stride.
The only sore spot in the rotation has been 22-year-old Mat Latos (1-3, 5.47), who has given up a team-high seven home runs. All-star Heath Bell (2-0, 1.64) anchors a strong bullpen with seven saves in eight chances.
It is still too early to tell if the first-place Padres have what it takes to take the division. But the middle of May just might give a clue as whether or not the Padres are true contenders.
If they manage to come out with a winning record against the second-place Giants and are able to take advantage of the struggling Dodgers, who were early season favorites to win the division, then the Padres will most likely still be atop the division.
And that may just be time to start taking the overachieving Padres seriously.
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Daryl Johnston: Understanding Roles of Our FBs in the Chargers Offense
I got into a little debate with a Raider fan a long time ago. The debate was based on a article I wrote awhile back appropriately named "Pick Your Poison: A Look at the 2010 Chargers Offensive Arsenal". In that article, I named Jacob Hester and Mike Tolbert as part of the Chargers offensive weapons. This Raider fan, from what I gather, didn't know much about the Chargers offense, so I decided to write this article on why these guys are weapons.
If there is ever a indication of what Tolbert and Hester's worth to the Chargers offense, we'll have to take a step back in time to the first player that made that position what it is today. That player is Daryl Johnston.
If it wasn't for Daryl Johnston, there would be no FB vote in the Pro Bowl today. What he did was nothing short of extraordinary as he was one of the most dynamic players in the game.
Dynamic, not versatile.
People get those two words confused all the time. He wasn't lined up all over the place but what he did was pass-block, run-block, run with the ball, and catch the ball out of the backfield. That's dynamic.
Why can I look at Daryl Johnston as a indication of what Tolbert and Hester can hopefully be? Because the one person that orchestrated the Cowboys offense in which Daryl Johnston flourished in is none other than the current Head Coach for the San Diego Chargers.
Johnston was a ordinary FB during his first two years in the NFL. Turner came in and turned him into a viable weapon in the passing game or running game whether he's the runner, pass-catching receiver, or blocker.
During Turner's time as the offensive coordinator, he installed his version of the Vertical Offense. Johnston had 54 yards rushing , averaging 3.2 yards per carry, and 28 receptions for 244 yards in his first season. During his second season, he improved in the new offense with 61 yards rushing, averaging 3.6 yards per carry, and 32 receptions for 249 yards. In his third season, he went on to have 74 rushing yards, averaging 3.1 yards per carry, and 50 receptions for 372 yards.
He wasn't the main weapon on the Cowboys offense, but he was the person that made everyone better. He gave the QB extra time. He helped a young Emmitt Smith gained massive amounts of yardage in the running game. He helped the Cowboys move the ball in the passing game.
These are the same attributes that can be found in both Tolbert and Hester for the San Diego Chargers. If you look at what they did in a combined effort in the FB position, you can see how Turner is using them to help the Chargers offense move the ball in much of the same way Turner helped the Cowboys move the ball.
Both Tolbert and Hester been in the league for two seasons, all with the Chargers. Both Tolbert and Hester combined at the FB position had 132 yards rushing, averaging 4.1 yards per carry, and 25 receptions for 262 yards in their first season. In their second season together, Tolbert and Hester combined for 222 yards rushing, averaging 4.8 yards per carry, and 26 receptions for 216 yards.
Now, you can see that the Chargers FB's play a important role on the team in being very dynamic. It gives the Chargers a lot more options during a game. Defenses might look at the RB, TE, and WR of the Chargers only to neglect their FB as a viable threat to keep the drive alive. This is what the FB's can do for the Chargers.
It's still early in both Mike Tolbert and Jacob Hester's career, but after seeing what Daryl Johnston did in Turner's offense, I think it's safe to say that both Tolbert and Hester are just as much weapons to their team as Johnston was to his.
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January 13, 2010
Ken has yet to fill out a bio.
Ken...I think I was telling Scotto to leave Brittney alone...But I don't have the conversation before me...so, I you will give me the exact quote< will have a better grasp of what was siad and/or meant...Okay..Thanks..
Go Blue Ken!
Too bad the end didnt turn out the way we hoped, but it was a great run and an amazing feat for the program
Hey Ken, Been a long time since I was on Bleacher Report. Now that Football season is starting I'll be on here more often and looking forward to your comments as usual. Anyway, good luck this Friday to your MSU team. I think they will crush Boise State!!!
Go Green when they aren't playing my team and Go Blue!!!!
Hi Ken, thanks for posting on my bulletin board. Sorry that I just saw this tonight. I'm not always following everything on BR these days.
In any case, I've always enjoyed our trips to Michigan State. I have found the fans to be quite welcoming and friendly to Penn Staters, and the stadium atmosphere to be outstanding, albeit a bit tough to get up to that nosebleed section - 7 ramps! - where they put the away game fans these days. I also think that MSU's campus is one of the prettiest in the Big Ten.
In any case I guess since now we are in different divisions we won't play one another quite as often. So when we do, it will be more special. I never hide my garb anywhere in the Big Ten, and have never really had a problem. But I understand why you go out of your way at Ohio State to hide the fact that you're from Michigan.
Thanks for the message Ken. I think running those types of plays would be great. I think it's good too because it's not likely that there would be injuries to the QB. I think throwing in a play like that each quarter would be great as well. It would keep the defense honest and make passing and running plays easier for us. I think Having Denard throwing to Gardner, and Gardner throwing back to Denard on a screen would almost get a TD every time since Denard is so fast and elusive.
Michigan looks great on paper. They have a ton of great players. I think they will do great under Coach Hoke and Mattison, however the schedule they play this year is brutal. If they can pull out wins on their road games, (@Nebraska, Alabama in Texas, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Minnesota, and Purdue) then I think they will have a shot at another BCS bowl game and perhaps a chance at going to the Big Ten Championship game. I sure hope you're right about this being Michigan's year.
I recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don't know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.
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I def dont think ur a bad guy, lol...i spent some time looking for that quote but ill def give ur friend a shout and get the scoop...lol....roll tide!!
I thought you might want to check out "The Top 25 Title Odds" story. I think you'll get a kick out of my picks to make the finals.
Ken... I fully and totally understand you not wanting me to have your email address. If you want to keep in touch through B/R that is fine with me. But, if you ever want to get in touch with me on a more personal level, you can always email me at firstname.lastname@example.org. It is a strange time in the world right now so I won't be upset in any way, shape, or form if you would rather keep in touch through B/R. Hell...it surely is easy enough and my email alerts me any time I get any kind of message from B/R. I may be wrong, but I consider you smart,and even though you are a fan of "little brother", I consider you a friend as well. I wish all of the people at B/R were like you and the handful of friends I have at B/R. I have a couple Michigan pals, a Wisconsin buddy, you, and about a dozen Buckeye friends although they aren't very bright for the most part and DO NOT have my email address. Hahahaha. Anyway...you are now my brother whether you like it or not (I call all men, "brother"... it is a Christian thing). And on a couple personal notes... I'm 38 years old. I was born in Dayton, Ohio, just like friggin Brady Hoke, and I have lived in the Orlando, Florida area for around 30 years. My birthday is on February, 25th so I turn 39 then, In keeping with "Things about Chris"... I am married with 2 daughters (12 and 9), but I have been separated for 7 years. I live with my girlfriend, Wendy, and her 2 children. Wendy's boy has Down's syndrome and is 28. Wendy's daughter is a senior in high school and is 18. We honestly have 26 cats (no joke). We took in a couple pregnant strays and then 8 months later we went from 12 cats to 38 cats. Since we would never let someone kill our pets, we take between 1 and 4 cats to the "no kill" animal shelter every 2 to 4 weeks. We also have 2 rabbits as we are animal lovers but the cats were an accident of sorts that our laziness made things bad. Wendy and I are both plumbers that specialize in total home re-piping. But since we are in a depression of sorts, Wendy has taken a job doing housekeeping at a nearby hotel and I am doing very little part-time plumbing just to barely get by. We used to make $1200 to $2500 each weekly for a four day week, but now we are living week to week. Times have been very tough to say the least.
So, now you know about my family and me. I'm just a sports freak and not too much of a weirdo. You told me about your job so I went a bit overboard and told you nearly everything about me and us. Oh... one last thing... we are Christians but we aren't Bible banging freaks. You never have to worry about me getting upset about any words you speak. I'm just a normal dude that believes in Christ but I don't attend church or practice any funky rituals. I'm a weirdo, but I'm normal at the same time. Email me through B/R or through my regular email anytime you wish. Your emails and your sports views will always be taken in pleasure. Take care, brother, I hope to hear from you before the last game of the Big Ten basketball season. See ya. | http://bleacherreport.com/users/117415-ken-hammerick | 1,490 |
June 3, 2010
January 25, 2010
November 2, 2009
September 27, 2009
A resident of Brooklyn, NY, Jake Rake is a graduate of the University of Maryland. His interests include baseball, rock 'n roll, and not feeling feelings. Jake is a contributor to The Onion, Mental Floss, Gelf, SNY's The Nooner and The Business Corporation, posts daily on JakeRake.com and hangs out like crazy.
Cheer my buddy. We sell Levitra online. Visit us at
Your last two "articles" are exactly why I left Bleacher Report...completely laughable.
Sorry about slaming your Pete Rose article, but it was about the weakest argument made against a man who would have been in the HOF 17 years ago...had he not done himself in.
Respectfully, your ignorance in this department doesn't speak well for UMass, either.
your pete rose article is absolutely ridiculous, how can you seriously publish that and make an argument that he doesn't have HOF numbers?
At least respond to comments if you make an outlandish, laughable argument
I assure you this is the first link that I've posted on someone else's bulletin board... just wanted to let you know you're not the only ichiro-basher around, and I live in Seattle.
I thought I'd get my 2 cents in. Your comments will be appreciated. http://bleacherreport.com/articles/226165-omar-minaya-chance-for-redemption
I just came up with the list of the best current Major Leaguers wearing the numbers One thru Ten. I hope you can take a look and voice your opinion on my list. Thanks in advance,
- Matthew Falkenbury
I wrote a piece in May highlighting the position players that I thought should make the all star team. I started a 2-part follow up piece today focusing on starting pitchers. I started with AL. If you get the chance, I'd appreciate it if you took a look at it. Thanks
Rays, Rocks preview
check this out
I think you may like it | http://bleacherreport.com/users/74414-jake-rake | 443 |
St. Cloud Soldier Comes Home
According to the Pioneer Press, 400 people and 217 motorcyles belonging to the patriot Guard Riders welcomed home Tony Larson as he arrived the St. Cloud Regional Aiprort from. He was injured 19 months ago by a roadside bomb in Iraq.
The Star Tribune reports that doctors had tried to save Larson's leg, but after it became infected, the bottom portion of it had to be amputated. Larson spent an extended stay recovering at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. | http://blog.lib.umn.edu/cice0003/3101news/2007/04/st_cloud_soldier_comes_home.html | 102 |
The Oklahoma City Thunder take on the Sacramento Kings at 7 tonight at Chesapeake Energy Arena, 100 W Reno. The game will air on Fox Sports Oklahoma.
If you catch the game on TV, you might just see “Thunder in Motion,” the cool new commercial spot talented local filmmaker Kyle Roberts produced for The Oklahoman and NewsOK. He composed the ad by animating still photos taken by our excellent photographers.
Also, you might get to see the cool NBA Christmas Day Big Color Jerseys ad featuring OKC’s own Russell Westbrook along with fellow league stars Dwight Howard, Carmelo Anthony, Joe Johnson and Dwayne Wade. | http://blog.newsok.com/bamsblog/2012/12/14/video-russell-westbrook-and-thunder-featured-in-amazing-thunder-in-motion-nba-christmas-ads/ | 133 |
It isn’t the bitterest of Georgia’s football rivalries. Just the oldest and most competitive.
Georgia and Auburn first played in Atlanta’s Piedmont Park in 1892. They have played 113 times since then. Auburn has won 53. Georgia has won 52. They have tied eight.
So, if Georgia were to win this year’s meeting at Auburn on Saturday, the Deep South’s oldest college-football rivalry would pull completely even at 53-53-8.
After all these games, all these years, only 56 points separate the teams. Georgia has scored 1,778 and Auburn 1,722. The average score in their meetings is 15.7-15.2.
“I think that as we go on during the week the younger guys will get a better picture of what this rivalry is and has been over the years and what it’s meant,” Auburn coach Gene Chizik said Sunday. “It’s just a great rivalry. It’s what college football is all about.”
At 113 games, the Georgia-Auburn series is older than Georgia-Georgia Tech (102 games) and Auburn-Alabama (74 games).
Georgia has won the past four meetings, the Bulldogs’ longest winning streak in the series since the 1940s. As Chizik mentioned Sunday, no current Auburn player has experienced a win over Georgia.
Over the years, it has been a curious series in that the road team has won more often than the home team. Georgia has an all-time record of 14-9-2 in games played at Auburn, while the Tigers have an 18-11 record in Athens. The series was mostly played at neutral sites from 1892 through 1958.
Another quirk in the Georgia-Auburn series in recent years is that the lower-ranked team has found disproportionate success. Neither team was ranked entering last year’s game, but the lower-ranked or unranked team has won seven of the past 13 meetings when one or both teams were ranked. As you know, Auburn will go into Saturday’s game ranked No. 2 in the nation and Georgia unranked. In the last meeting of a ranked Auburn vs. an unranked Georgia, the Bulldogs upset the No. 5 Tigers 37-15 in 2006 at Auburn. | http://blogs.ajc.com/uga-sports-blog/2010/11/08/georgia-auburn-its-what-college-football-is-all-about-chizik-says/?cp=2 | 491 |
- Backhand Talk - http://blogs.app.com/tennis -
Nadal withdraws from U.S. Open
Posted By Carol J. Kelly On August 15, 2012 @ 7:49 pm In Uncategorized | 49 Comments
First Rafa Nadal skipped the Olympics because of a knee injury. Then he announced he was withdrawing from Cincinnati. And, in a statement today, Nadal said he won’t be able to compete in the last slam of the year — the U.S. Open.
How serious is his knee injury? Is it possible he won’t show up until 2013, asks Jon Wertheim . Who would benefit most from his absence? Murray, Federer or Djokovic?
For local, national and international updates, follow me on Twitter @cjkel:
Article printed from Backhand Talk: http://blogs.app.com/tennis
URL to article: http://blogs.app.com/tennis/2012/08/15/nadal-withdraws-from-u-s-open/
URLs in this post:
Jon Wertheim: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/tennis/news/20120815/rafael-nadal-mailbag/
Copyright © 2010 Back(hand) Talk. All rights reserved. | http://blogs.app.com/tennis/2012/08/15/nadal-withdraws-from-u-s-open/print/ | 283 |
By Tim Graham
When the Buffalo Bills rebooted their operations in January, a point of emphasis was the creation of an analytics department. While no details have been divulged on how the Bills will implement analytics, a common usage around the league is in determining contract values.
ProFootballFocus.com, one of the most popular analytics sites, has applied its metrics to the Bills' 2012 roster to determine who underperformed and outperformed their salary-cap figures last year.
You can check out PFF for its explanation of each player, but here are the lists:
- 1. Jairus Byrd, safety
- 2. C.J. Spiller, running back
- 3. Andy Levitre, left guard
- 4. Kyle Williams, defensive tackle
- 5. Alex Carrington, defensive tackle
- 6. George Wilson, safety
- 7. Nick Barnett, linebacker
- 8. Scott Chandler, tight end
- 9. Bryan Scott, linebacker
- 10. Cordy Glenn, left tackle
- 1. Mario Williams, defensive end
- 2. Chris Kelsay, defensive end
- 3. Ryan Fitzpatrick, quarterback
- 4. Brad Smith, wide receiver
- 5. Terrence McGee, cornerback
- 6. Spencer Johnson, defensive tackle
- 7. Mark Anderson, defensive end
- 8. Tyler Thigpen, quarterback
- 9. Erik Pears, right tackle
- 10. Shawne Merriman, defensive end
The Bills already have released two of the PFF's 10 most undervalued players (Barnett and Wilson). Byrd, Levitre and Scott could become unrestricted free agents in a couple weeks.
From the overvalued list, the Bills have dumped McGee. Kelsay announced his retirement Wednesday night. From the free agents on the list, we safely can assume Thigpen won't be back, Merriman's probably a goner and Johnson isn't worth re-signing.
tagged2013 free agency | Alex Carrington | Andy Levitre | Brad Smith | C.J. Spiller | Chris Kelsay | Cordy Glenn | Erik Pears | George Wilson | Jairus Byrd | Kyle Williams | Mario Williams | Mark Anderson | Nick Barnett | Ryan Fitzpatrick | Scott Chandler | Shawne Merriman | Spencer Johnson | Terrence McGee | Tyler Thigpen | http://blogs.buffalonews.com/press-coverage/2013/02/pff-analytics-show-overvalued-undervalued-bills-for-2012.html | 490 |
Jupiter Christian football to play 2011 home games at John I. Leonard Highby Matt Porter
The latest home for Jupiter Christian football is in the middle of Palm Beach County.
The small Jupiter private school, which lacks an on-campus football field, will play its three home games at John I. Leonard High in Greenacres. Jupiter Christian Athletic Director Scott Loud said his school reached a one-year agreement with John I. Leonard after failing to come to agreements with several schools closer to home.
The first game will be against district rival Glades Day at 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 24. The two schools have faced each other in the playoffs in each of the last two seasons and met at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter for last year’s Class 1B regional final.
Loud said his school considered a rematch at Roger Dean Stadium, but uncertainty in forecasting ticket sales forced it to look elsewhere.
The other two home games will be Friday, Oct. 14 against Pompano Beach-Highlands Christian and Friday, Nov. 4 against Coral Springs Christian. Both will start at 7 p.m.
John I. Leonard’s location may help overall attendance for the three games. John I. Leonard is approximately a 40-minute drive from Jupiter Christian, Pompano Beach-Highlands Christian, Coral Springs Christian and a little more than 50 minutes from Glades Day.
Since forming a program in 2002, Jupiter Christian also has played home games at Dwyer in Palm Beach Gardens, Benjamin’s upper school in Palm Beach Gardens and lower school in North Palm Beach, King’s Academy in West Palm Beach and most recently, South Fork High in Stuart. | http://blogs.palmbeachpost.com/highschoolbuzz/2011/08/01/jupiter-christian-football-to-play-2011-home-games-at-john-i-leonard-high/ | 347 |
Air Canada Threatens to Withdraw NHL Sponsorship Over Headshots
According to a report from Bruce Garrioch of QMI Agency, Air Canada issued a threat to withdraw its sponsorship of the NHL if the league doesn’t take “immediate” and “serious” action against headshots. In a letter to Gary Bettman, Denis Vandal, Air Canada’s director of marketing/communications, voiced the company’s concerns over the rising number of violent incidents in the NHL and Zdeno Chara’s hit on Max Pacioretty specifically.
“From a corporate social responsibility standpoint, it is becoming increasingly difficult to associate our brand with sports events which could lead to serious and irresponsible accidents; action must be taken by the NHL before we are encountered with a fatality.
“Unless the NHL takes immediate action with serious suspension to the players in question to curtail these life-threatening injuries, Air Canada will withdraw its sponsorship of hockey.”
Air Canada owns the naming rights to the Toronto Maple Leafs home arena as well as providing sponsorship to all six Canadian teams, according to Garrioch’s report. It’s hard to disagree with the message that Air Canada is trying to put across here, but their execution leaves something to be desired. Some influential members of the hockey media sphere were quick to brush this off as little more than a PR stunt via Twitter, and some took an even more cynical approach and deemed the Montreal based corporation’s tactic as hometown heroism.
Like they say, if you really want to something to change then you best do something about it. Air Canada’s threat has the right message, but it’s awfully difficult to envision the NHL taking it seriously.
Chara Hit to be Investigated by Police
Via a story at CBCSports, Radio-Canada has reported that “Quebec’s director of criminal and penal prosecutions, Louis Dionne, has asked police to begin gathering evidence to help prosecutors determine if charges should be laid against Zdeno Chara”. The result of the hit was a terrible misfortune, but this is getting ridiculous.
Max Pacioretty spoke to TSN’s Bob McKenzie regarding the NHL’s lack of discipline on Zdeno Chara. Via Habs Inside/Out:
“I am upset and disgusted that the league didn’t think enough of (the hit) to suspend him,” Pacioretty told TSN. “I’m not mad for myself, I’m mad because if other players see a hit like that and think it’s okay, they won’t be suspended, then other players will get hurt like I got hurt.
“It’s been an emotional day. I saw the video for the first time this morning. You see the hit, I’ve got a fractured vertebrae, I’m in hospital and I thought the league would do something, a little something,” said Pacioretty. “I’m not talking a big number, I don’t know, one game, two games, three games…whatever, but something to show that it’s not right.
“I heard (Chara) said he didn’t mean to do it. I felt he did mean to do it. I would feel better if he said he made a mistake and that he was sorry for doing that, I could forgive that, but I guess he’s talking about how I jumped up or something.”
This is Not a Zdeno Chara/Max Pacioretty Story
Martin St. Louis scored a beauty of a shootout winner, but was it legal?
Pens Extend Bylsma
If you’ve developed a non-sexual man crush on Dan Bylsma since viewing 24/7: Penguins/Capitals, you’re not alone. The Pittsburgh Penguins locked up their coach with a three-year extension on Wednesday. Disco Dan will be at the helm through the 2013-14 season, assuming all goes well in the ‘Burgh.
Ellis’ Stick Save Leads to Ducks Goal
I’ve got a fever, and the only prescription… is more knuckle puck! | http://blogs.thescore.com/nhl/2011/03/10/the-dump-and-chase-03102011/ | 905 |
Cashman bows out on big-money outfielders
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said on Tuesday that a big-money outfielder does not fit into his budget plan for 2010, a statement which would effectively take New York out of the running for a player like Jason Bay or Matt Holliday.
“I will continue to look at any remaining piece, but it won’t be a big piece,” Cashman said, on a conference call to discuss the Javier Vazquez trade. “Any speculation about some high-end player who has big ability and dollars attached on a large scale would be inappropriate.”
If the season started today, the Yankees’ outfield would be comprised of Brett Gardner and Jamie Hoffmann in left field, Curtis Granderson in center field and Nick Swisher in right field. | http://bombersbeat.mlblogs.com/2009/12/22/cashman-bows-out-on-big-money-outfielders/?like=1&source=post_flair&_wpnonce=183385b0b7 | 170 |
Media Monday: Spring Training Begins
Throughout the season we will have features that we run each day of the week, one of them will be Media Monday. We hope to bring you all the best pictures, audio, and video (where allowed by MLB) from the past week. Obviously everyone is very excited about Spring training getting underway, please enjoy the content below.
On Deck – Daily reports and opinion pieces from Spring Training. Games start on March 4th, we will have game recaps, previews, and lots of media. Stay tuned to the blog, thanks for reading.
- George Cotugno | http://bornonthird.mlblogs.com/2012/02/20/media-monday-spring-training-begins/ | 123 |
Bears Tie Clarkson, 3-3, Finish in Fifth Place in the ECAC
March 1, 2003
PROVIDENCE, RI - Sophomore Gerry Burke (Milton, MA) scored the game-tying goal with 8:06 remaining in the game, while junior Yann Danis (Saint-Jerome, QUE) stopped 46 shots as Brown (12-11-5, 10-8-4) and Clarkson (12-18-3, 9-10-3) skated to a 3-3 tie, the second tie in a row for both teams, in an ECAC men,s ice hockey contest Saturday evening at Meehan Auditorium.
The Golden Knights took a 2-0 lead into the second period after scoring two goals in a span of 1:30, with a power-play goal at 12:31 and an even strength goal at 14:01. With the Bears still trailing 2-0 late in the first period, junior Brent Robinson (Pointe Claire, QUE) and sophomore Chris Swon (Mendham, NJ) combined for a two-on-one rush, but Clarkson,s Mike Walsh saved Swon,s scoring attempt, keeping Brown off the board.
The Bears got on the board just 4:34 into the second period with a power-play goal of their own, cutting into Clarkson,s lead. Senior Paul Esdale (Edmonton, ALB) sent the puck to junior Scott Ford (Fort St. John, BC) at the right point. Ford ripped a slap-shot to the left pst and sophomore Les Haggett (Norwood, NY) tipped the puck in for his 12th goal of the season.
The Bears started the third period with 2:48 remaining on a Keith Kirley (Leverett, MA) five minute penalty and came 17 seconds shy of successfully killing the penalty when Clarkson took a 3-1 lead with a goal just 2:31 into the final period.
Brown continued to fight and played its second overtime game in a row, scoring the game,s final two goals to earn the point. Swon started the comeback with a power-play goal at 7:07 of the period. Haggett won the face-off back to Ford on the left point. Ford fired a slap-shot that went to the right of the net and Swon lefted the puck into the partially open net for his second goal of the season.
With momentum picking up for both teams, Burke scored his second goal of the season to knot the game at 3-3 with 8:06 left to play. Juniors Pascal Denis (Magog, QUE) and Shane Mudryk (Leduc, ALB) took two quick shots on Walsh but the rebound kicked out to Burke on the left point. His slap-shot made its way through three Clarkson defenders along with Walsh and into the back of the net as the Bears salvaged one point.
The two teams played a scoreless overtime with Danis stopping four of his 46 shots in overtime and Walsh making one save for the Golden Knights, finishing the game with 26.
With the tie, Brown finishes the season in fifth place with 24 points. The Bears will host 12th place Princeton in a best-of-three series next weekend in Meehan Auditorium. All games begin at 7:00 p.m., Friday, Saturday, and if needed, Sunday.
CLARKSON 2 0 1 0 - 3
BROWN 0 1 2 0 -- 3
First period - C (PPG), Matt Syroczynski (Tristan Lush, Chris Bahen), 12:31;
C, Randy Jones (Mac Faulkner), 14:01.
Penalties - BR, 2-4; C, 1-2.
Third period - C (PPG), Chris Blight (Tristan Lush, Dave Reid), 2:31;
B (PPG), Chris Swon (Scott Ford, Les Haggett), 7:07;
B, Gerry Burke (Pascal Denis, Shane Mudryk), 11:54.
Penalties - BR, 0-0; C, 1-2.
Overtime - No Scoring. No Penalties.
BR, Yann Danis, 12-13-16-5 - 46 (65:00);
C, Mike Walsh, 9-5-11-1 - 26 (65:00).
Records - BR, 12-11-5, 10-8-4;
C, 12-18-3, 9-10-3.
Attendance - 1,104 (Meehan Auditorium). | http://brownbears.com/sports/m-hockey/recaps/030103aaa.html | 971 |
Red Sox remembrances of 9/11
It is a day none of us will ever forget. Here is what the Red Sox remember.
The Red Sox were in New York getting ready to face Roger Clemens the night of 9/10, but that game was rained out, enabling the team to fly to Tampa a little earlier than planned for their series that was scheduled to begin in St. Petersburg — ironically where the Sox are right now — on 9/11/01.
Knuckleballer Tim Wakefield:
“[My girlfriend and now wife Stacy] was actually in New York with me. She got out because we got rained out. She got the last flight out and beat me [to Tampa] so when we got in at 4 in the morning, she was already sleeping. She was up when all this was taking place and woke me up and said, ‘hey, you need to wake up.’ I started watching it and like 10 minutes later, we saw the second plane hit and we were like, ‘oh god, something bad is happening right now.”’
“To watch stuff on television now, the documentaries about how everything unfolded and how whoever was in charge of grounding all the airplanes made the hardest, right decision anyone could have made. Knowing it would costs the airlines millions and millions of dollars if they stopped all flights immediately, they’d have to ground the planes and all the passengers would have to switch flights. That’s when they found out about United 93. The game was meaningless [compared to what was going on] but we needed to get back playing.”
Wakefield on Ground Zero: “In 2002, I drove by. I took a cab and jus drove by. I didn’t want to get out. in ’05, we went and opened the stock market, me, trot and somebody else, we rang the bell at the American Stock Exchange. We went to somebody’s office that overlooked Ground Zero. He was part of that whole thing. He kept telling us how the building was shaking and all that stuff. The chaos.”
Jason Varitek was out for the remainder of 2001 with a fractured right elbow.
“Actually I didn’t arrive in Tampa. I was on the DL, I was in rehab. I actually arrived that morning to rehab when it all happened. It’s like, once you realize what happened, everybody dropped what they were doing and took off and left.”
“There’s a heightened awareness to everything that goes on around you for one. Appreciation for the people that tried to save lives and to do those things and you reach out to those people who have lost family, friends, etc., in the most tragic thing that’s ever happened here.”
Jacoby Ellsbury, now an All-Star and an MVP candidate, turned 18 years old on Sept. 11, 2001. He was a junior at Madras (Oregon) High School.
“I just remember going to school and waking up that morning and hearing something happened. At school, we turned on all the TV’s and saw everything unfold. At the beginning, I don’t think anyone really knew what was going on. But yeah, I just remember watching things unfold from Madras (ore.) High. I was on my way to school when I kind of heard everything. It’s hard to believe it’s been 10 years.”
The 2001 season was basically the only year of Terry Francona’s youth or adult life that he wasn’t wearing a baseball uniform. Francona was a scout for the Indians in 2001, and was on assignment in Pittsburgh when the terrorist attacks happened. His best friend Brad Mills was also scouting for the Cubs at that time, and was in Pittsburgh, at the same hotel as Francona when everything happened.
“I was in Pittsburgh scouting and coincidentally Millsy was scouting for the Cubs. He was advancing. He was upstairs in the concierge room because he never pays for coffee. So he called me and he was like, ‘hey, you need to come up here, man. I went upstairs and I sat there with him. Kind of watched it and then rented a car and drove back to Philly because obviously there weren’t going to be games. I remember driving by Shanksville (Pennsylvania) on the turnpike. The exit was closed. I remember being glad I was with Millsy. Times like that, it’s nice to have maybe your best friend in the whole world with you.”
Francona is glad that soldiers can take some enjoyment out of being around baseball: “I hope it does. If you like baseball, I don’t know that it matters what you do. obviously I hope what we do, people get enjoyment out of it. I think it’s cool that they bring soldiers and people like that around and they honor them at the ballparks. I think everybody enjoys that. I think it’s a really neat thing. If they get some enjoyment out of what we’re doing, that’s terrific.”
Of course, perhaps nobody affiliated with the Red Sox had a more compelling 9/11 story than Trot Nixon, whose wife Kathryn gave birth to the couple’s first son on 9/11/01. Today, Chase Nixon turned 10 years old. Here is an in-depth story I did with Trot and Kathryn back in 2002. | http://browniepoints.mlblogs.com/2011/09/11/red-sox-remembrances-of-911/?like=1&source=post_flair&_wpnonce=20ee2ea151 | 1,172 |
The National Society of Hispanic MBAs (NSHMBA) has selected the University of Notre Dame as lead academic sponsor for the 2010 Conference & Career Expo. The conference will take place in Chicago on October 21 - 23, 2010 and expects to draw over 8,000 Hispanic MBA professionals, students and academics, and more than 300 companies who embrace diversity and seek the best talent.
Although the competition was close, the Mendoza College of Business at the University of Notre Dame was chosen based on its long-standing commitment to the Hispanic community and tradition of supporting diversity.
'It is inspiring when two great organizations can come together to support a common goal,' said Lourdes M. Hassler, NSHMBA CEO. 'The Mendoza College and NSHMBA have similar goals to develop diverse business leaders that will make a positive difference in their professional and civic lives, while inspiring others to pursue their dreams of higher education.'
'We have matching missions,' said Carolyn Woo, Martin J. Gillen Dean of the Mendoza College of Business. 'Both the Mendoza College and NSHMBA seek to develop business leaders who have a concern for the greater good of society as well as their organizations. The conference is an exciting opportunity for us to support their vision.'
As lead academic sponsor, the Mendoza College will host NSHMBA's corporate Advisory Board meeting, provide conference speakers and organize clinics in job-seeking skills during the conference. NSHMBA planners have already seen an increased demand in corporate participation in anticipation of this strong partnering.
For more information on corporate and academic sponsorship, please contact the National Society of Hispanic MBAs at 1-877-467-4622.
About theNotre Dame MBA:
The Mendoza College of Business at the University of Notre Dame offers one-year and two-year MBA programs. Both programs feature immersions in Asia, Latin America and Europe. Through 'live case' classroom experiences, students analyze, investigate and offer solutions for real-life problems presented by executives from some of the largest global organizations, including Coca-Cola, GE, Hewlett-Packard and OfficeMax.
The program ranked No. 5 on the Aspen Institute's Beyond Grey Pinstripes, a biennial ranking and survey of top U.S. business schools' incorporation of social and environmental stewardship into their curricula and research. BusinessWeek's 'The Best B-Schools MBA Programs (2006)' rated the Notre Dame MBA as No. 26 among the top 30 programs and No. 6 in fastest return on investment.
The National Society of Hispanic MBAs (NSHMBA) was created in 1988 as a 501(C)(3) non-profit organization. Widely known as the 'Premier Hispanic Organization,' NSHMBA serves 32 chapters and 8,000 members in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. It exists to foster Hispanic leadership through graduate management education and professional development. NSHMBA works to prepare Hispanics for leadership positions throughout the U.S., so that they can provide the cultural awareness and sensitivity vital in the management of the nation's diverse workforce. | http://business.nd.edu/management/departmental_news_and_events_article.aspx?id=1143 | 647 |
There are good reasons why Commissioner Gary Bettman is hesitant to tell the the NHLPA, IOC and IIHF head Rene Fasel "yes". Between shutting down the regular season for three weeks to not being able to broadcast highlights thanks to the IOC's strict licensing rules to praying no one gets injured, there's a lot to be concerned with from the league's side. Oh, not making any money off things is a sticking point as well.
Factor in unattractive time zones for Sochi and Pyeongchang, South Korea, the host in 2018, for television and enter the World Cup of Hockey.
The tournament hasn't been played since the summer of 2004, but every time the idea of its revival is brought up it's welcomed with opened arms because it's something that the NHL and the NHLPA can control and most importantly, generate revenue with. While in every discussion since 2004 -- our final glimpse of hockey before the last lockout began -- has slotted in a World Cup in its typical late-August/early-September slot on the calendar, there's a chance that it could be moved to fill in dates in future Februarys in non-Olympic years.
A reborn World Cup, however, would be profoundly different, with the tournament played at prime time for television as well as prime time for hockey — February of every fourth year, alternating with the Olympic Winter Games so hockey fans would have a major international tournament every second year.
"We've had those discussions informally," confirmed Hockey Canada president Bob Nicholson, who personally supports the initiative. "It's all about growing all facets of the game."
The IIHF is reviewing its championship structure and working on a 10-to-12-year plan that is roughly modelled on FIFA (soccer's world governing body) and aimed at increasing international interest in hockey.
There's been a lot of support for a return of a hockey World Cup. The tournament was rumored to made a comeback in 2011, but never materialized. In 2010, Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke penned an editorial saying it's a no-brainer' for everyone involved. Even as late as this past June Bettman expressed interest. NHLPA Executive Director Donald Fehr has brought it up in the past.
Right now it's not a question about whether or not a World Cup of Hockey will return, it's when.
Follow Sean Leahy on Twitter at @Sean_Leahy | http://ca.sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/just-matter-time-return-world-cup-hockey-145227327--nhl.html | 497 |
April 18/06 10:19 am - MTB Canada Cup #3 Information
Posted by Editoress on 04/18/06
Sport Swap Canada Cup at Hardwood Hills
Courtesy Glenn Meeuwisse, Hardwood Hills Cross Country Ski and Mountain Bike Center
Registration and full event details are now posted for the 2006 Sport Swap Canada Cup. Hardwood Hills is proud to host its 11th annual Canada Cup, and welcomes Sport Swap as the Title Sponsor. The 2006 event will be the focus of many racers as it will be used for many levels for points and qualification. The Canada Cup is key in selection for the MTB National Team; it is an UCI E2 international point‚s event, a Silver National Ranking event, and Platinum Ontario Cup point‚s race.
Full event details and on-line registration are available at www.hardwoodhills.ca | http://canadiancyclist.com/dailynews.php?id=10418 | 186 |
Last week a couple of us Canadian Online Gamer staffers were invited to EA Canada to attend the annual EA Sports open house. It was two days of sports games, and one of those games was FIFA 13. We had an opportunity to preview the game for the first time back in April and you can check out that in-depth write-up HERE.
Since our first preview EA Sports has continued to work on FIFA 13 in preparation for its launch later this year. We were treated to a recap of what was discussed back in April and how the FIFA development team continues to move forward. Of course one of the biggest things that was reinforced was that they wanted to continue to make the game “predictably unpredictable”. In other words, they want the user to experience that anything can happen and no single result is guaranteed when playing a match in FIFA 13.
One of the new things discussed was the FIFA 13’s social network. They will be offering a virtual rewards program including the EA Sports Football Club Catalogue. Here you can unlock boots, balls, kits, and even unlock other play modes. This rewards program, which is engrained into the game’s social network, continues to highlight EA Sports mantra of “Always Connected”. Of interest to you FIFA 12 online gamers is that your level and XP from FIFA 12 will be carried over to FIFA 13 and you can continue to earn more as you play FIFA 13. This is a nice little touch as it allows you diehard FIFA 12 online players to keep what you have already earned, and you won’t have to start from scratch.
One of the big FIFA 13 unveils that we were treated to during the open house was a brand new Career Mode. Santiago Jaramillo, who is a Game Modes Producer on the title, told us that one of the biggest requests that gamers have is to allow them to play for a club and country of their own choice. In FIFA 13’s career mode a focus on Internationals is now a key gameplay item as their wish has been granted.
As you play through your career mode you can now play all international friendlies, and you can play in the Euro Championship, World Championship, or any championship that is available to your club. It is something that has been requested for quite a long time, and now you have the opportunity to do this. It was also mentioned that the international matches that will be made available to you is dependent on the prestige and success level of your club of choice.
As you “Play as a Player” you will find that there is a fair amount of depth in your management of your team. Something that was highlighted here is that club loans now play a big role. Should you start your career on a high profile team, and your skill level is not that high, you will be “loaned out”, with the hope that you become a better player, and then returned to your club at a later time. Should you turn down a loan offer you risk not being proposed a new loan offer from another team for an extended period of time (virtually speaking of course). It is truly a management based experience and something a lot of FIFA fans should appreciate.
Another feature that has been improved during the Career Mode is transfers. This aspect has been worked on to make it a more lifelike experience. The development team has re-written the transfer logic and made things more true to what would happen in real life experiences. You’ll find true market value, counter offers, as well as player & cash transactions. It was quite amazing to see how the game is going to make things seem more true to what actually happens in the various soccer leagues, and you’ll have to put your “thinking cap” on more then a few times in order to make some smart decisions in this area.
Aaron McHardy, who is a Gameplay Producer, came on stage to introduce all of us to something new, and something I think is very much needed in a game like FIFA 13: Skill Games. These skill games are tutorials that allow any level of user to learn, or master, the FIFA fundamentals. Given they are games, they are fun. There are 8 disciplines for you to learn, and there are 4 types of games within each discipline. At this juncture in the game’s development there are a total of 32 different games for you to play, and they all allow you how to play the game at various levels of skill. The four different skill levels (bronze, silver, gold and skill challenge) gradually teach you the intricacies of each discipline, such as passing, shooting, crossing, dribbling, corner kicks, etc. They become progressively harder for each level. These games also have leaderboards and XP as well, so you can compete against friends or worldwide leaders, and you’ll earn in-game XP.
We had a chance to play a few of these Skill Games and I have to say that they are something that is not only welcomed, but also in a way needed. They really do start out with the basics of each discipline and as you progress through the skill levels you will learn how to do more complex things. I had fun learning the basics and slowly being introduced to the more complex moves which adds modifiers (other button presses) the mix. This is a great thing for rookies to the series as well as for those fans of the franchise who have yet to master all the disciplines in the game as they are not just tutorials, but skill games that are a quite fun.
Overall we continue to be impressed with the strides being made as the development of FIFA 13 continues, as each time we play the game, I have to say that I get a bit more excited for what looks to be another solid entry into this long running franchise. Keep your eyes here on COG as we continue to get more opportunities to play FIFA 13 leading up to the release this September. Until then feel free to check out the screenshots below showing a bit of everything, including the new modes mentioned in this article. | http://canadianonlinegamers.com/preview/fifa-13-hands-on-preview-career-mode-and-skill-games/ | 1,248 |
The Columbus Blue Jackets are finding some comfort at home.
Matt Calvert scored on an outstanding individual effort with 57 seconds remaining in overtime to give Columbus a 2-1 win over the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday night at Nationwide Arena.
Calvert took the puck in his own zone, performed a 360-spin in the neutral zone to avoid Henrik Sedin, then battled through Alex Edler on a chip-in before skating between the circles and lifting a wrist shot over Cory Schneider's glove for the game-winner.
"It was kind of a broken play off the start," Calvert said. "I got the puck by the D-man and then I saw some open ice in the middle, so I went there and saw an opening high glove side. I raised the puck and luckily it went in."
Columbus has won three in a row at home after winning once while playing seven of eight on the road. The Blue Jackets are 4-0-1 in their past five home games.
This was the ninth straight one-goal game for the Blue Jackets and the fifth straight that went past regulation.
"We had some tough losses early on, some games where we felt like we were so close to getting the result we wanted," Calvert said. "As hard as it is to persevere through that stretch, you always have to believe that games like this are on the other side.
"When you taste a close win after so many close losses, it's so much sweeter."
Vancouver has lost five of its past six games (1-3-2).
"You would like to think it's just one of those times in a season where things aren't going right for you, but I think there's still things we need to sharpen up on, clearly," Canucks forward Chris Higgins said. "One goal's not going to get the win on too many nights."
Columbus scored first off a very effective cycle by Nick Foligno, Ryan Johansen and R.J Umberger. Foligno went hard behind the net and his wraparound attempt came off the far, left post, where Umberger was waiting to slide it in 11:33 into the game.
"Our team is just being resilient," Johansen said. "We just keep grinding away and it's really showed in the last four games or so where we picked up points. We just have to keep rolling now."
Vancouver tied it 1:05 into the third period. Canucks defenseman Jason Garrison made an aggressive pinch and wheeled the puck behind the net, winding up on Dan Hamhuis' stick at the point. Hamhuis' low shot deflected off a skate to Sedin at the left post, and he lifted a shot into the center of the net over Sergei Bobrovsky, who stopped the other 34 shots he faced.
"[Bobrovsky] played a really solid game, and their team worked extremely hard in front of him," Canucks coach Alain Vigneault said. "We were down by a goal after the second period. This is not an easy league to come back in, and we were able to tie it."
The Blue Jackets killed the one power play they faced, and have denied 18 in a row.
"Our penalty kill has been doing a great job when they have to step up," Johansen said. "That's definitely been a big part of our success."
Columbus forward Derek Dorsett went hard into the net early in the first period and suffered a fractured clavicle, according to the team. He's expected to miss the rest of the season.
Material from team media and wire services was used in this report | http://canucks.nhl.com/club/recap.htm?id=2012020345 | 762 |
Through the Plexi-Glass: Can You Pump Tires in a Goalie Graveyard?
As I was coming home from the game and gazed at my twitter feed, I saw of a lot of “Trade Luongo!” and a lot of panicking over a just under .500 record for the first few games of the regular season. Mostly, it was all about how Luongo lost the game for the Canucks and it was entirely his fault. So I’ve taken it upon myself to do some proverbial ‘pumping of tires’. Why you all ask? Simple, I have a good memory of how dreadful goaltending was in this city before the likes of Roberto Luongo.
As I stated in my tweet: @Aviewfromabroad “Problem isn’t #Luongo . Problem is the wanna-be fans that bought into the “2nd coming” hype that was built about him. #Takeaccountability” I never bought into the whole “LuonGod” hype.
He is a good goalie, but at the same time, he was still just a human who will have his bad days like you or I. Unfortunately for Luongo, he is now in a market that actually gives a hoot of how he performs on the ice instead of about 4500 fans in Miami. I also understand the whole “with the position comes the scrutiny” baggage but when the baggage is more like the cargo space of a 747, how is one supposed to ‘carry’ all that without some self-doubt? It’s close to impossible, regardless of talent level. I’m not trying to psycho-babble you all the death, I’m just saying that perhaps instead of jumping on Lu’s case constantly, take a step back and let him breathe.
For me, I want to give Luongo some time to prove himself. It is a new season after all. Although for some, this just a continuation of all the bad games Luongo has played as a Canuck. I want him to build up some confidence that has seemingly been lost and play like a machine more often than not. So far in this very young season, he’s not been great. To help him out as a fan, I thought it would be a good idea for me to “pump his tires” because despite all the hype and the bashing, I would rather have Roberto Luongo (as is) than Dan Cloutier, Corey Hirsch, Alfie Michaud, Troy Gamble, Petr Skudra, Bob Essensa, Kevin Weekes, Felix Potvin etc. etc. etc. Why, do some of you ask? I’ve seen awful, and it has been far worse than Roberto Luongo.
For those of you that don’t recognize some of those names, it’s because they didn’t last very long in this market. Let’s take Petr Skudra for example. He was one of Dan Cloutier’s backups. Did you know an angry fan actually used his name as an auction item on eBay? The description was to the effect of a Canucks’ back up goaltender, with a big five hole and no glove. The starting bid was $1 CAD. I’m not sure if anyone ever even made a bid, but it was at the time, quite amusing. Oddly enough, I am waiting for some know-it-all ‘fan’ to put Luongo up for auction on eBay with the description of “Vezina nominated, gold medal winning goalie that can’t please a fan base no matter what he does”. I’d at least start the bidding at $5…out of ‘respect’ of course.
It’s good to know that I am not the only one out there that feels Luongo is getting too much heat. However, I believe he can and should be better, but I’m not going to go off demanding Mike Gillis and his management and coaching staff try to trade him immediately. The thing is, I have this belief (and statistical history to back it up) that Luongo will pull it together sooner than later. Here are some from the twitterverse that feel the same way after the 4-0 loss to the New York Rangers on Tuesday Night:
- @lyteforce: If Luongo were to reverse global warming, people would blame him for it being too cold. #Canucks #lousfault
- @patersonjeff: Can dump on #Canucks goaltending, but how about forwards who have 1 even strength goal in last 10 periods. That don’t cut it
- @j_carpenter_What difference does it make? if Luongo lets in 1 goal or 4..If the #Canucks dont score any they’re not gonna win..They will pull it together
- @bobcam27-Luongo sure was terrible on the power play tonight. I don’t remember him getting a single shot on goal. #Canucks
We’re all good at playing ‘arm-chair’ GM from time to time, and I certainly will be the first to admit I do it as well, but how many times do so many of us have to put out virtual trades with the involvement of Roberto Luongo in them? How about we trade those guys that aren’t scoring? How about we trade the whole blue line? I guess because it’s easier to blame the goaltender, and particularly, Roberto Luongo. I’m asking you for a 20 game grace period to stop. Please. For the next few games that Luongo plays, instead of going “Trade Luongo!”, perhaps a little encouragement might help. The power of positivity is a pretty cool thing, even though I’m not a big time New Age follower, there is truth in it.
I don’t mind ‘pumping Roberto’s tires’ more often than not, a pumped tire usually gets you further ahead. Not to mention, it sucks to run on a flat. Besides, if you leave it deflated too long, it might just damage the rim and you’ll have to replace the whole wheel.
That’s how I see things…through the plexi-glass. | http://canuckscorner.com/2011/10/19/through-the-plexi-glass-can-you-pump-tires-in-a-goalie-graveyard/ | 1,344 |
Cubs looking to upgrade offense
GM Hendry seeking lefty slugger to balance out lineup
CHICAGO -- Cubs general manager Jim Hendry heads to the Winter Meetings with a much shorter wish list than a year ago, but that doesn't mean he'll have more time to visit the Grand Ole Opry Resort in Nashville, Tenn.
In 2006, the Cubs were one of the most active teams in the offseason, spending $300 million in signing free agents Alfonso Soriano, Ted Lilly, Jason Marquis, Mark DeRosa and Daryle Ward. The overhaul was necessary after a 96-loss '06 season. The meetings also showed how hard Hendry works. He completed the Lilly deal while undergoing an EKG at an Orlando, Fla., hospital, and then underwent an angioplasty that night.
Hendry, who changed his eating habits and upped his exercise routine since then, is hoping the team makes headlines, not him.
The Cubs won the National League Central title in the first season under manager Lou Piniella, and head to Nashville for the Winter Meetings, which begin Monday, with far fewer holes to fill.
At the top of the list is finding a left-handed power hitter to complement the very right-handed lineup, which includes Soriano, Aramis Ramirez and Derrek Lee. There's an opening in right field following the trade of Jacque Jones to the Detroit Tigers for infielder Omar Infante.
"Our initial moves, as we cleared our deck a little after the season, clearly show we'll go after a quality left-handed-hitting outfielder, either in the free-agent world or through a trade," Hendry said. "We'd also like to add some left-handed hitting on the bench or in a versatile role.
"We don't have a lot of moves, but we feel the moves we need to make are just as important as the moves we made last year," he added. "We have some inventory on the 40-man roster and we'll be prepared to make a significant trade if it comes our way with the inventory. We'll grind it out every offseason like we usually do and go to camp with a better club than last season."
The Cubs took care of one of the offseason priorities on Monday, when they signed Kerry Wood to a one-year, $4.2 million contract. Wood will compete with Bob Howry and Carlos Marmol for the closer's role, vacated by Ryan Dempster's move to the rotation. Wood compiled a 3.33 ERA in 20 relief appearances in 2007 and received several multiyear offers from other teams.
"Chicago's home, and that's where I want to be, and that's where I call home," Wood said about his decision to stay. "It was a pretty easy decision. Chicago's been great to me, and I think it's the place I want to stay and win."
The Cubs do have depth on the pitching staff with Carlos Zambrano, Lilly, Rich Hill, Marquis, Dempster, Sean Marshall, Kevin Hart and Sean Gallagher in the mix for the rotation. Hendry said he wasn't actively looking for another starter.
"To say how it will look for sure on the 14th of February when they hit the field [for the start of Spring Training], it might not be the same and it might be that group," Hendry said.
The Cubs finally head into a season with depth in the 'pen and some candidates for the long-relief role.
Hendry did meet with free-agent infielder Kaz Matsui before Thanksgiving, but Matsui has reportedly opted to sign with Houston. The Astros are in need of a regular second baseman with the retirement of Craig Biggio, while Matsui would've shared second with Mark DeRosa in Chicago.
"We've had dialogue with free agents and we've had dialogue with clubs about trading," Hendry said. "Besides having interest in Matsui, we've talked to other clubs about potentially trading for some left-handed help that play other positions besides right field. We have some ideas. But to my knowledge, nothing is imminent, and we'll try to get something done before Nashville."
Another player on the Cubs' radar is Japanese outfielder Kosuke Fukudome, who has declared free agency in Japan and may move to the Major Leagues. However, he is being courted by several Japanese teams.
Because of the pending sale of the Tribune Co., the Cubs may not have ownership in place until mid-2008. That isn't holding Hendry back.
"Like last offseason, Jim and Lou and Randy [Bush, assistant general manager] have put together a good plan," said Tribune Co. executive Crane Kenney, who has been the liaison between the ballclub and the Tribune for five-plus seasons. "We're going to get better quick, just like we did last year.
"We look forward to taking the next step from this previous season for our fans," Kenney said.
Ward will be back with the Cubs after the team exercised a mutual option, and Scott Eyre chose to stay, exercising his player option for 2008. The Cubs did decline club options on outfielder Cliff Floyd and pitcher Steve Trachsel.
Among the players who are arbitration-eligible are Neal Cotts, Mark Prior and Michael Wuertz. Prior is coming off arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder. The Cubs would like to keep him, but what complicates matters is that the right-hander will be a free agent after the 2008 season.
If the Cubs sign him to a one-year deal for 2008, and he isn't able to pitch until August, and then he choses free agency and leaves for another team, that means the Cubs would've paid him for two months. He received $3.575 million in 2007 and didn't make one start. The Cubs have invested a lot of money in Prior, and in a perfect world, a two-year deal with incentives through 2009 would make more sense. The deadline to tender arbitration-eligible players contracts is Dec. 12.
Carrie Muskat is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs. | http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20071127&content_id=2312355&vkey=news_chc&c_id=chc&fext=.jsp | 1,291 |
BOSTON -- The original "dirt dog" was back at Fenway Park on Monday, as the Red Sox honored Trot Nixon prior to their game against the Tigers as part of the organization's "Memorable Moments Month."
While the former right fielder had more than one unforgettable moment with the Sox, the club recognized his walk-off homer in Game 3 of the 2003 American League Division Series against Oakland to stave off elimination in a series Boston came back to win.
Nixon threw out the ceremonial first pitch as the crowd gave him a standing ovation. Nixon played 12 Major League seasons, including his first 10 in Boston.
"There's a lot of emotions, a lot of great things that I was able to be a part of in this ballpark," he said. "The biggest one was I was spoiled by a tremendous fan base, and each time I come back up here it seems like I get more spoiled by them. A lot of memories."
Of course, nothing can top the memories from the 2004 World Series, when Nixon hit .357 in a four-game sweep of the Cardinals.
"I think the biggest thing in winning that world championship in 2004, I had plenty of time to be around fans in this area that felt like the organization was cursed, [saying], 'We're never going to win a championship,'" Nixon said. "And to be able to come out of those ashes and win something was awesome."
Former Red Sox great Johnny Pesky joined Nixon on the field in a pregame ceremony.
"It was great to see Pesky," Nixon said. "When you think of Fenway you think of Pesky's Pole and Ted Williams and all these guys. It meant a lot to me that he was able to be there."
Proudly wearing a Red Sox jersey, Nixon admits the transition from ballplayer to retirement wasn't easy.
"It took a little bit of time," said Nixon, who also works with prospects for the Indians. "It was difficult walking away from the game. I love competing, but more or less everything I've been able to learn in my career I'm trying to pass it on to some of these younger kids."
So what's next for one of Boston's most beloved players?
He's working on bringing a Minor League team to his hometown of Wilmington, N.C.
Austin Laymance is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs. | http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120528&content_id=32382772&vkey=news_bos&c_id=bos | 514 |
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Brazil lost all three games it played during Pool A competition in the World Baseball Classic, including the game against Cuba started by Andre Rienzo. But the White Sox Minor League prospect enjoyed the time in Japan playing for his country.
"It was great to be there," said Rienzo, who returned to White Sox camp Friday. "I was hoping to stay more time, but it was a great experience, great teammates. I played with my friends and I'm glad to be part of it."
Rienzo no-hit Cuba for four innings before giving up two runs in the fifth. He allowed two runs on one hit and four walks over 4 2/3 innings, striking out two, and taking the loss. Pitching coach Don Cooper has talked about getting Rienzo back on the mound as soon as possible.
"Cuba and Japan are great teams," Rienzo said. "I just wanted to help Brazil to win."
Simulated game gets Peavy's adrenaline flowing
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- With inclement weather blanketing the Phoenix area on Friday, the primary White Sox worry was getting Jake Peavy his scheduled work.
Relievers could be bumped back a day, but the White Sox wanted their right-hander to throw his four innings and 60 pitches as he was scheduled to do. They chose a simulated game on the back fields at Camelback Ranch, which turned out to be a good move since the Cactus League contest against the Padres was rained out after three innings.
Peavy got up and down as if he were starting new innings, facing Adam Dunn, Dayan Viciedo, Tyler Flowers and Carlos Sanchez, who were trying to get their work in as well. He was satisfied with what he got out of the morning workout.
"Today was actually a little bit better than getting out in the game because you were able to be under a controlled environment," Peavy said. "So I was able to use a little more pitches than I probably would have.
"But I still was going about the same speed as I would have in the game. I was going pretty hard. I'm just glad we were able to get it in, get on a field, simulate a game."
A little humorous by-play took place between good friends Dunn and Peavy during the simulated game, with Dunn even faking a bunt on the first pitch of his last at-bat. Dunn, who has two homers, six RBIs and 10 strikeouts lifetime against Peavy, thought he connected on one during one of his at-bats. The strong wind knocked it down in short center.
"No, that was not a homer today. Without the wind, that ball would have landed at deep short," said Peavy with a laugh. "Obviously, you guys know how we are as friends. I wanted him out there simply because that competitive drive is in us both.
"We love each other, but at the same time, I wanted to get him out and he wanted to get a hit and hit a homer off me. So that competitiveness is what you need in those situations like that. That was a good way to create that."
Peavy's next start comes March 13 but it will be on the Minor League side, as Peavy won't be throwing 75 pitches against American League Central rival Cleveland in the scheduled Cactus League contest. Through two trips to the mound, Peavy feels as if he's making progress.
"I feel good, I feel healthy. I think my stuff is coming," Peavy said. "It's still not anywhere close to where it should be or is going to be, but it's coming.
"That was my second time on a mound. My fastball command was good. I was able to move the ball around a little bit. Yeah, I think I'm right on track to where I want to be. I hope my stuff keeps getting better."
Crain feeling better, but not yet 100 percent
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Jesse Crain doesn't know how many pitches he threw during Thursday's bullpen session, but it covered the time frame of a normal side session.
The strained right adductor, which has limited Crain to one Cactus League appearance, has improved. It's just not good enough yet to get him back into game action.
"I just wasn't letting myself get to that point yet because I'm still not 100 percent. I'll slowly get there," Crain said. "Hopefully, I'll have my next bullpen session Sunday or Monday and it will be where I don't even think about it. When I can do it without thinking about it, that's when I know I'm ready.
"I'm not worried. I've been able to keep my arm in shape, too. I've been able to long toss. It hasn't affected that. It's just getting off the mound. I have plenty of time."
Crain's hope is to get into a Cactus League game sometime next week.
Reed getting comfortable with slider, changeup
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- A torrential downpour canceled Friday's Padres-White Sox contest after three innings and prevented Addison Reed from working the fourth.
If Reed did get to make his fourth Cactus League appearance, it's a safe bet the closer would have been focused on fastball command and offspeed pitches. Those are the pitching basics Reed will work on until the last days of his baseball career.
Reed also realizes that in order to make him as effective as possible in the ninth inning during 2013, he has to have full trust in his slider and changeup. Although his fastball averaged 94.6 mph last year according to FanGraphs.com, he can't rely on that pitch to blow away the opposition like his friend and teammate Nate Jones.
"I mean, Nate throws 108 mph on every pitch," said a smiling Reed of Jones, who averaged 97.6 mph on his fastball. "But yeah, it's good to have that second pitch, no matter how hard you throw. The more pitches I have, the better off I'm going to be and more comfortable I am and being able to throw them for strikes, it will be beneficial for me.
"I'm throwing my slider a bunch and feeling more and more comfortable every time I throw it. Same with the changeup. I threw it a handful of times the first few outings. Just going out there is the only thing to get me more comfortable with it."
After converting 29 of 33 save opportunities and setting a single-season rookie franchise record with those 29 saves, Reed feels more at ease as the closer in 2013.
"I'm looking forward to it," Reed said. "I think that first year under my belt is huge. Now I'm comfortable and I kind of know what to expect. I know what it takes to stay healthy for a full season."
Third to first
• Reliever Leyson Septimo will be out of action until Monday because of arm soreness. Pitching coach Don Cooper said the plan is for the southpaw to play catch at that point.
• Reliever Jeff Gray made the Cactus League start in place of Peavy on Friday. Gray fanned two in two innings, but the game was postponed after three frames.
• Dewayne Wise is 5-for-9 with a double, home run and three RBIs over his last three games. | http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20130308&content_id=42466558¬ebook_id=42466690&vkey=notebook_t776&c_id=t776 | 1,550 |
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in Dataset Viewer.
🏀nlySports Dataset
Overview
OnlySports Dataset is a comprehensive collection of English sports documents, comprising a diverse range of content including news articles, blogs, match reports, interviews, and tutorials. This dataset is part of the larger OnlySports collection, which includes:
- OnlySportsLM: A 196M parameter sports-domain language model
- OnlySports Dataset: The dataset described in this README
- OnlySports Benchmark: A novel evaluation method for assessing sports knowledge generation
Dataset Specifications
- Size: 1.2 TB disks space
- Token Count: Approximately 600 billion RWKV/GPT2 tokens
- Time Span: 2013 to present
- Source: Extracted from FineWeb dataset, a cleaned and deduplicated subset of CommonCrawl
Data Pipeline
The creation of the OnlySports Dataset involved a two-step process:
URL Filtering:
Applied the following list of sports-related keywords to URLs in FineWeb: football, soccer, basketball, baseball, tennis, athlete, running, marathon, copa, new, nike, adidas, cricket, rugby, golf, volleyball, sports, sport, Sport, wrestling, wwe, hockey, volleyball, cycling, swim, athletic, league, team, champion, playoff, olympic, premierleague, laliga, bundesliga, seriea, ligue1, epl, racing, nascar, motogp, cup, worldcup, fitness, workout, gym, nfl, nba, NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL, FIFA, UEFA, NCAA, MMA, UFC, ufc, mlb, nhl, fifa, uefa, ncaa, boxing, espn, bleacherreport, mma, sicom, formula1, f1, goal.
This step reduced the dataset size by approximately 85%
Custom Sports Text Classifier:
- Developed a specialized classifier to accurately identify and extract sports-related documents
- Based on the Snowflake-arctic-embed-xs model with an added binary classification layer
- Achieved 99% accuracy in distinguishing between sports and non-sports documents
Significance
The OnlySports Dataset represents a major advancement in sports-related text data:
- Largest sport domain dataset to date
- Significantly surpasses previous collections in both scale and comprehensiveness
- Offers researchers and developers an unprecedented resource for training language models and conducting sports-related NLP tasks
Usage and Applications
The OnlySports Dataset can be used for various purposes, including:
- Training domain-specific language models for sports
- Conducting research on sports-related natural language processing tasks
- Developing applications for sports content analysis and generation
OnlySportsLM
As part of the OnlySports collection, the OnlySportsLM was trained on this dataset. Key features of the model include:
- 196M parameters
- Based on the RWKV-v6 architecture
- 20-layer, 640-dimension structure
- Trained on approximately half of the OnlySports Dataset (315B tokens)
For more information on the model and its performance, please refer to Hugginface page
Citation
If you use the OnlySports Dataset in your research, please cite our paper.
Contact
For more information or inquiries about the OnlySports Dataset, please visit our GitHub repository.
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