NBA: ‘Los Suns’ Statement Changes Focus

more about “Los Suns “, posted with vodpod

On an off day in Portland, Robert Sarver went to work with his basketball team. He put on a Suns’ T-shirt and black silk shorts. And as players mingled with the media on the main floor of the Rose Garden, Sarver began sprinting up the steps of the arena, one section at a time.

Some reporters were stunned. Was he that desperate for a workout? Or was he that desperate for attention?

Like it or not, the Suns owner has caused a huge stir this time around. His team will wear orange “Los Suns” jerseys Wednesday night in Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Spurs, a maneuver designed to celebrate the NBA’s diversity and illustrate his displeasure with Arizona’s new immigration law.

“It’s two-fold,” Suns General Manager Steve Kerr said. “One, it is Cinco de Mayo. And, two, it is a political statement. We felt the law, however well intended, was not right.”

Sarver is a banker by trade, and his stance is as much about money as it is about civil rights. As a businessman, he does not want to see economic boycotts, cancelled conventions and big events removed from our region. That lowers the tide for everyone in Arizona, at a time when his basketball team is struggling to sell tickets for playoff games.

It’s also brilliant public relations. The move comes during peak visibility of the NBA season. The Suns and Spurs have all the ingredients – a history, a rivalry and a stunning contrast of styles – to guarantee great television ratings. This decision will help soften the national image of Arizona, countering all the body shots we’ve received from pundits, politicians and late-night comics.

It also will mute the scene expected outside US Airways Center before Game 2.

“We hear there will be some protesters outside the building,” Kerr said. “From what I gather, there will be a march from a local church to the arena. So there was going to be some hoopla anyway.”

Kerr said the idea occurred to Sarver during a recent road trip to Portland. The Suns quickly received an endorsement from the league, which doesn’t like anything interfering with potential customers and revenue streams.

Before the 2008 Beijing Olympics, LeBron James and other NBA players said they were going to speak out against the atrocities in Darfur, and bring attention to China’s history in human rights. The league effectively stifled that banter, reminding the players that they all had huge economic stakes in China, a market the NBA and Nike both consider an untapped gold mine.

Yet even with the NBA’s blessing, say this for Sarver: He had the good sense to ask his team for permission, and not jam it down its throat.

“They were all for it,” Kerr said. “We said, ‘Look, if this is going to be a distraction, you guys tell us and we won’t do it.’ For them, it means they answer some questions (Tuesday) and they wear orange jerseys (Wednesday night).”

To the contrary, the Suns seemed stoked to make such a bold statement. Amar’e Stoudemire said it was great to “let the Latin community know we’re behind them 100 percent.”

Then again, though most professional athletes prefer the politics of richness, the Suns are a bit different this way. Especially their point guard, who tends to care deeply about things such as global warming, human rights and gun control.

“I think it’s fantastic,” Steve Nash said. “I think the law is very misguided, and unfortunately, to the detriment of our society and our civil liberties. And I think it’s really important for us to stand up for things we believe in . . .

“It doesn’t feel good to have people around the world and around the country look at our state as less than equal, less than fair. So as a proud (resident) of this state, I want us to be held in the highest esteem. I think we have a lot of great attributes and a lot of great people, and I think we need to be very cautious in how we respect our civil liberties, and the tone we’re setting, and the precedent we’re setting going forward.”

The statement doesn’t come without risk. In his statement, Sarver called the immigration law “flawed,” and that won’t endear him to people who support the measure. And if the Suns stink up the place in Game 2, losing home-court advantage in the process, the entire organization will be criticized for distracting the great focus the team displayed in Game 1.

“Look, it’s a major issue here in Arizona,” Kerr said. “It’s much bigger than a basketball game. It doesn’t mean we’re crafting a new immigration bill. We’re not claiming to be politicians and we don’t have the answer. But there were Latino people who feel offended. A lot of people feel offended. I felt offended. I don’t think we should live in a country where you have to show papers wherever you are.”

Say this for the Suns owner: It’s a bold move. And much trickier than any of those steps he scaled in Portland.

NFL: Jackson has ‘wanted change’ but not now

Tavaris Jackson admits there have been times he thought a change might be best for him, but the Vikings one-time (and perhaps future) starting quarterback told Sirius NFL Radio on Tuesday that he never requested a trade after Brett Favre joined the Vikings last August.

“Being a competitor and knowing the business side of it you have to think about different situations like that or what they’re thinking,” Jackson said while appearing on a show with Adam Schein and former Vikings quarterback Rich Gannon. “If they’re thinking, ‘OK, we’ve had enough … we’ve got our guy,’ or whatever.

“You have to think everything through and think of different scenarios and just try to be ready for anything because you never really know what [coaches and front office people] are thinking. Honestly, it crossed my mind and I’ve wanted change, but change is not always good. The grass is not always greener on the other side. The Vikings are all I know right now and I’m just trying to do my best around here.”

Jackson and Sage Rosenfels find themselves in an extremely difficult situation this offseason. Many assume that Favre will return in 2010, despite last week’s report that he needs ankle surgery. However, if he doesn’t Jackson and Rosenfels likely will battle for the starting job and Vikings coach Brad Childress indicated at the NFL Owners meetings in March that Jackson would have the upper-hand entering that competition.

That means Jackson must prepare as if he’s going to be the starter, knowing full well he probably won’t be in that role on Sept. 9 when the Vikings open the regular season at New Orleans. Jackson’s approach this offseason has been to worry about himself and let everyone else concern themselves with the other things.

“One thing I learned from Brett is just be yourself regardless of the situation and the circumstances,” he said. “Just go out and be yourself today, every day and they [can] take it or leave it. That’s what I’m going to do and that’s how I’m approaching it. Just trying to get better every day like I always did, working hard. That’s all I can do and that’s how I’m going to take it.”

Jackson was candid in admitting that possibly being the starter isn’t the same as knowing you are the team’s choice: “It’s different when you know you’re the guy or when you kind of think you’ll be a backup. You can say you’re going to work as hard, but it’s a lot different when you know you’re going to be the guy and you’ve got those guys depending on you.”

Jackson, who is 10-10 as a starter since being selected in the second round of the 2006 draft by the Vikings, has traded messages with Favre this offseason but he hasn’t asked the veteran about his plans.

Asked if he feels the way the Favre situation is being handled by the Vikings is a “little bit wrong,” Jackson said: “That’s not for me to say. I’m not a head coach or GM or owner or anything. I look at it as everything happens for a reason and that’s the approach I always took and I will continue to take that approach. Whatever happens is going to happen and I can’t control it. Sage can’t control it. We just have to go out and do our part and pretty much just fight. Just do our thing. That’s all we can do.”

MLB: Is Greinke the Unluckiest Pitcher Ever?‎

After winning the Cy Young Award last year, Kansas City Royals ace Zack Greinke appears primed to make history of a different sort this season: unluckiest pitcher ever.

Mr. Greinke’s ERA of 2.27 is 79% better than the league average when adjusted for ballpark effects. Yet his record stands at 0-3. In baseball history, only 17 pitchers have won 15 games or fewer with an ERA at least 50% lower than average (minimum 32 starts and 200 innings pitched). None has won fewer than 12 games, and only two had losing records—Ben Sheets (12-14, 2004 Brewers) and Dave Roberts (14-17, 1971 Padres).

At the opposite end of the spectrum, fellow Cy Young winner Steve Carlton won 27 games for a 1972 Phillies team that finished 59-97. Mr. Carlton’s ERA that year was 80% better than average—almost identical to Mr. Greinke’s current pace. A big difference was Mr. Carlton’s completing 73% of his starts while Mr. Greinke has already seen his league-worst bullpen blow three would-be wins.

While Kansas City presently doesn’t rank last in a single key offensive category, the team has scored just 12 runs for Mr. Greinke in six starts. Perhaps former Yankee Mickey Rivers had it right when he famously said, “Pitching is 80% of the game. The other half is hitting and fielding.”

Uh, a Little Help Here Guys?

Here’s how Zack Greinke stacks up against the five unluckiest pitchers in baseball history based on their number of wins and how their ERA compared with the league average.*

PLAYER/TEAM/YEAR	ERA	COMPARED WITH LEAGUE *	RECORD
Zack Greinke, Royals , 2010	2.27	79% better than average	0-3 (so far)
Ben Sheets, Brewers, 2004	2.70	60% better than average	12-14
Tom Candiotti, Blue Jays/Indians, 1991	2.65	57% better than average	13-13
Lefty Grove, Athletics, 1926	2.51	67% better than average	13-13
Kevin Brown, Dodgers, 2000	2.58	67% better than average	13-6
Roger Clemens, Astros, 2005	1.87	124% better than average	13-8

*min. 32 starts, 200 innings pitched; league ERA is adjusted for park effects Source: Baseball-Reference

NBA: Can Hill Stop Nash?

George Hill is going to have to pick up his defense against Steve Nash.

Or course, first he’ll have to pick up his pride, his ego and probably a considerable number of lost uniform parts that left him so very exposed out on the floor against Nash.

If the Spurs were visitors to Planet Orange for the opening game of the Western Conference semifinals, then Hill made a side trip to the village of Black-and-Blue considering the way Nash whipped and beat him in Game 1.

“I don’t know if I struggled,” Hill said.

Everyone else does.

You could tell from the shock and awe that Hill was wearing along with a bit of windburn on his face.

It was not just the 33 points and 10 assists that Nash hung up in the Suns’ 111-102 series-opening victory. It was the way that so many of them came with so easily, like a man floating down a stream while sipping an umbrella drink from a straw.

“You’ve got to make Nash work,” said Tony Parker, which is one reason that Parker and not Hill opened the second half as a part of the starting unit.

It’s early and the history of this blood feud between Phoenix and San Antonio tells us that there are at least a handful of flammable and bizarre occurrences lurking around the corner. But the first one told you that the Spurs will not be able to ultimately prevail against the Suns if Hill is not able to compete better against Nash.

Hill has been a revelation with his overall improvement and his poise from his rookie year. He’s one of the main reasons the Spurs were able to survive this season with Parker spending so much time on the shelf due to injuries. But he has got to do better than nine points on 2-for-9 shooting in 33 minutes.

“I couldn’t make a shot today,” Hill said. “That’s why it’s a seven-game series. We’ll watch film and get ready for the next one.

“Why did I struggle? I don’t know if it was a part of just struggling. I didn’t make shots. I had some open looks and that’s how it goes. I don’t think I really struggled. It just didn’t go my way.”

Things began similarly disappointing for Hill in the Spurs in the previous round in Dallas as he was victimized by Jason Kidd for 13 points and 11 assists. In the opening minutes of the second half, Hill went on a drive to the hoop and Kidd simply reached in and swiped the ball away. Mere seconds later, Hill was removed from the game and never returned. But Spurs and Hill did return in the series, which is how they wound up here in the desert seeking to advance their cause.

“He’s a great player and I felt like I let him be the aggressor instead of me being the aggressor on defense,” Hill said. “That’s something I’m going to get better at and do a better job on Wednesday. I feel like tonight he did a great job of picking us apart and being aggressive.

“He’s the head of the snake. He was phenomenal and we have to tip our hat to him.”

The Spurs will likely make more of a team-wide effort to get the ball out of Nash’s hands on offense.

“You never can do anything by yourself,” Hill said. “It’s always gonna be a team thing.”

But it will also be up to Hill to make Nash defend more by being more assertive with his own offense.

“I have to attach him a little bit more so he just don’t conserve his energy on the defensive end,” he said. We got to make him work on both ends.”

That was the message that the second-year point guard had delivered to him by the veteran Parker.

“I told George at halftime that you have to try to get Steve tired,” Parker said. “You have to attack him, go at him and that will tire him out. You can’t be letting him come down the court with all of his energy and going full speed. Steve Nash at full speed is tough and over the course of a game he’s going to get good results. George will play better. I have confidence in him.”

A question is whether Spurs coach Gregg Popovich might make a switch and put Parker back into the starting lineup.

“I’m not worried about that. I’m not thinking about that,” Hill said. “Whatever Pop decides will be the right thing and that will be fine with me.

“We’ll come back in here for Game 2 and things will be different, a lot of things ready to be better.”

Hill will be standing at the head of that line.

NCAAF: Alabama vs. Miami in a 2012 opener at the Georgia Dome?

Alabama played in the 2008 and 2009 Chick-Fil-A Kickoff Games at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. Now there’s talk of the Crimson Tide returning in 2012.

Gary Stokan, president of the Chick-Fil-A Bowl, told the Miami Herald that he would like to match Miami against Alabama in the 2012 kickoff game. If not Alabama, he said, Auburn, Georgia or South Carolina would be opponents to consider.

Alabama defeated Clemson in the 2008 opener at the Georgia Dome and came back last season to defeat Virginia Tech in the Chick-Fil-A Kickoff Game.

Last week, it was reported that Alabama and Georgia Tech will postponed a home-and-home series. The two schools were scheduled to play in 2013 and 2014. Makeup dates have not been announced.

Miami athletics director Kirby Hocutt told the Herald that he wants to schedule a 2012 game at a neutral site. A game in Chicago against a Big East or Big Ten team also is being considered.

The 2012 Chick-Fil-A game would pay each participant $2.25 million, the Herald said.

“It’s something we would be interested in,” Hocutt told the Herald.

Tennessee and North Carolina State already are scheduled to play in one kickoff game at the Georgia Dome in the opening weekend of the 2012 season, according to the Herald. The proposed Miami game against Alabama or another Southeastern Conference team would be a second kickoff game that weekend.

Alabama defeated Miami 34-13 in the 1993 Sugar Bowl to win the 1992 national championship.

MLB: America’s Pastimes: Baseball, Apple Pie and Political Flame Wars

Remember back during the Congressional hearings for baseball, when elected official spent their time, and therefore hard-earned taxpayer money, talking aboutbaseball, of all things? Baseball and politics…whodathunkit?

Now, we can’t seem to get away from it. The New York Daily Newshad a story – albeit under their News section and not Sports – focusing on a group called the Working Families Party, which has drafted a letter to Yankees owner George Steinbrenner and Mets owner Fred Wilpon asking the two New York teams to boycott the 2011 MLB All-Star game in Arizona if the state doesn’t repeal its new immigration law.

“Will Yankees pitcher Mariano Rivera have to show ID to take the mound next year?” asked Working Families Party director Dan Cantor in a letter to the labor-backed party’s 130,000 supporters.Arizona’s new law will require cops to ask for immigration documents from anyone suspected of entering the country illegally. Critics say it could lead to racial profiling, and opponents across the country have urged MLB to move the 2011 All-Star Game out of Phoenix.

“If New York’s baseball teams say they won’t go, they could become leaders in a national push to move the All-Star Game out of Arizona,” Cantor wrote.

Hugging Harold Reynolds profiled the article this morning and made the point most of us are probably thinking: “please, leave your politics out of my baseball.” But at this point, that’s nearly impossible. The comment from HHR even came a paragraph after pointing out that moving the All-Star game could cost the region “approximately $60 million” in revenue, much of which, the post asserts, would be going to the same undocumented workers the law was put in place to eradicate.

“Please leave your politics out of my baseball.” Maybe that should end with a question mark. In reading the NYDN story on the push for a boycott, the right side bar had a link to an opinion piece by S.E. Cupp with the headline, “Starting in left field, Keith Olbermann: He’s embraced by MLB and the NFL while Limbaugh was shunned.”

If you click through to Cupp’s byline you’ll see an error message as this is, presumably, the first article the bespectacled pundit has written for the paper. At the end of the slam piece, Cupp’s personal web address appears, and when clicking through, you are linked to a book she wrote called Losing Our Religion: The Liberal Media’s Attack on Christianity. So, is Cupp upset with Olbermann because he’s “liberal media” or is she upset because he’s a Yankees fan?

Look, I’m no fan of Olbermann’s heavy-handed style of broadcasting – no matter how much I agree or disagree with his politics – but holy cow talk about taking yourself too seriously. This is too fantastic not to quote:

Nothing says “America” like our national pastime. For a few yawning hours, chronological time becomes primordial time, and within those walls of sacred stadiums, space becomes holy. And the Boys of Summer do what they’ve been doing for nearly two centuries. They play ball.But over the years, nefarious characters have threatened to sully baseball’s good name. Chick Gandil persuaded the Chicago White Sox to throw a few games back in 1919. Peter Edward Rose had a bit of a gambling problem. And, of course, there’s everyone’s favorite recovering opportunist – Jose Canseco, the Danny Bonaduce of baseball – and the long line of performance-enhancing abusers from Mark McGwire to you-know-who.

Now there’s another menace lurking in the shadows of the dugout, someone so ugly, so vindictive, so polarizing that with every word he utters he is bastardizing whatever sanctity remains of the game.

His name is Keith Olbermann.

And that’s just the start. The NYDN unleashed this woman on Olbermann with the angle that Olbermann is such a hate monger at his day job at MSNBC that MLB, and the NFL if you consider his work on NBC for Football Night in America, should be ashamed to associate with him. And, to the point of the article, how dare they let Olbermann have a sports voice when Rush Limbaugh “can’t even buy his way into the NFL.”

Olbermann, thus far on his Twitter feed, has taken the high road. Here’s another gem from Cupp:

So let’s get this straight. Limbaugh is too conservative for football, evangelical minister the Rev. Franklin Graham is too Christian for the National Day of Prayer, and Islam is too touchy for “South Park.”Meantime, Olbermann’s misogyny, race-baiting and fear-mongering makes him a perfect voice for America’s national pastime?

Take me out to the ballgame…take me out with the crowd. Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jacks…but you better make sure the person selling them to me doesn’t look like he’s from Mexico or I’m calling the cops.

So we’ll root, root, root for the home team…if they don’t win it’s a shame…but not as much of a shame as a former sportscaster having a blog on MLBlogs that anyone who wants to can create and write about baseball…

For it’s one, two, three strikes you’re out at the old…ball…game!

NCAAF: Mitch Mustain shines, Matt Barkley hurt during final spring scrimmage

Starting quarterback Barkley injures throwing hand when it strikes a defensive lineman’s helmet. Mustain, his backup, throws for five touchdowns, mostly against the second-team defense. Coach Lane Kiffin is unhappy with the offense in general.

There is no quarterback controversy at USC.

Sophomore Matt Barkley was the starter last season, maintained his status this spring and, barring injury, will no doubt be under center for the Trojans when they open the season Sept. 2 at Hawaii.

But on an afternoon when Barkley suffered a hand injury, senior Mitch Mustain stirred the fan base Saturday by passing for nearly 300 yards and five touchdowns in the Trojans’ final spring scrimmage at the Coliseum.

Mustain has sat behind Mark Sanchez and Barkley since transferring from Arkansas in 2007. He also, at times, was behind Aaron Corp, who transferred to Richmond after last season.

Not one to get overly excited about anything — most of his touchdown passes, after all, came against the second-unit defense — Mustain acknowledged after the scrimmage that he was encouraged by his prospects.

Why?

“One less guy in front of me,” he said, “and [I'm] playing pretty well.”

Mustain, freshman tailback Dillon Baxter, senior fullbackStanley Havili and senior receiver Travon Pattersonwere the other standout playmakers during a 98-play scrimmage.

Asked to assess his team heading into the off-season, first-year Coach Lane Kiffin, as usual, did not mince words.

“Our defense has a chance to be really good,” Kiffin said. “I think our offense has a long, long, long ways to go, especially in the run game.”

USC’s first-team offense irked Kiffin, who doubles as offensive coordinator, by going scoreless in the first half.

“We told the players at halftime, they were going to take their scholarship checks and give them back to the fans that came out today because it was an embarrassing performance,” Kiffin said.

Barkley responded by connecting with Patterson for a 41-yard touchdown early in the third quarter. But defensive tackle Jurrell Casey hit Barkley on the play, the quarterback’s right hand slamming into the defender’s helmet.

“Like throwing your hand full force into a wall,” said Barkley, who completed seven of 16 passes for 87 yards.

Barkley, who had surgery on his right wrist after last season, lay sprawled on the ground for several moments after the play and was examined by doctors on the sideline. He spent the rest of the afternoon with an icepack on the back of his right hand. A school spokesman said Barkley would be reexamined on Monday. Kiffin removed Casey from the scrimmage for knocking down the quarterback.

Baxter rushed for 129 yards in 13 carries and provided the highlight play when he took a handoff, spun twice behind the line of scrimmage and broke free for a 58-yard gain.

Asked whether he had seen that move before, Kiffin said, “Yeah, PlayStation 2. R-2 button.”

Said Baxter: “The second spin came out of nowhere. . . . I was able to make plays after that.”

Havili scored on touchdown pass plays of 28, 33 and 50 yards, all from Mustain, who finished 19 for 29 for 299 yards. Mustain also caught a pass from Baxter.

Kiffin praised Mustain for his work during the spring, but Barkley, who did not have a pass intercepted in four scrimmages, is the starter heading into training camp.

“We think we have two quarterbacks that can really help us win,” Kiffin said.

Kiffin is not as enamored of other parts of the offense. He said the Trojans have “zero depth” at receiver and wants more from the offensive line and running backs.

USC players now begin three months of off-season workouts. Training camp begins in August.

Quick hits

Linebacker Michael Morgan had seven tackles, linebacker Malcolm Smith six. . . . Cornerback Shareece Wright had five tackles and three pass deflections. . . . Patterson had five catches for 101 yards and two touchdowns. . . . Tailback Allen Bradford rushed for 48 yards in seven carries,Curtis McNeal 44 in eight and Marc Tyler 31 in seven. . . . Freshman receiver Kyle Pratercaught an eight-yard touchdown pass from quarterback James Boyd.

NCAAB: UK Basketball’s Poor Classroom Marks Mean … Wait, What Do They Mean Again?

The news popped up over the weekend that Kentucky men’s basketball put up a brick in the classroom during fall semester. The score? An overall GPA of 2.025.

The GPA of 2.025 is the lowest for the program since 2002. It was the worst of nine schools who released information to the Lexington Herald-Leader. It didn’t measure up to other college hoops blue bloods like Duke (3.01), Louisville (3.0) and Kansas (2.95).

This, of course, will bring the John Calipari bashers back out. On the surface, it’d be easy to speculate that such a large contingent of one-and-done players were responsible, but they can only be partially blamed. The Herald-Leader notes that two players had GPAs below 1.8 (1.667 and 1.765) and that players must have a 1.8 or better starting in their second year. (UK released only the individual averages, not the names of players who made the grades.) But it goes beyond those two unnamed players, according to UK senior associate athletic director Sandy Bell:

“It’s not the freshmen,” she said. “It’s not the seniors. It’s not any one group. It’s kind of across the board and for a lot of different reasons.”

On the positive side, GPAs were as high as 3.59. If you saw John Calipari interviewed about John Wall throughout the season, you probably heard him talking about the freshman point guard’s outstanding grades. But somewhere between Wall’s great year in the classroom and a few duds in the freshman class, you’re left with an overall GPA that’s pretty awful. So what does it mean?

Calipari reportedly graduated 19 of 22 players who played four seasons at Memphis. That’s a strong clip, particularly when you consider that many who left early probably did so to head to the NBA, earning more than 99 percent of college grads in their first job. This makes the GPA story a bit of a non-issue. Am I supposed to sit here and huff and puff that someone isn’t interested in a free education? Why bother? A lot of the players joining Calipari at Kentucky (and previously at Memphis) have a pro basketball career on the mind. They’re advancing toward what they believe is their future. I’m not saying I think it’s a good thing to be without fallback options, but unless those GPAs indicate players have somehow run afoul of the rules, why should we, as sports fans, even care whether they’re scoring a 2.0 or a 4.0? As DeMarcus Cousins said prior to the NCAA Tournament game against Cornell, “It’s not a spelling bee.“

NCAAB: NCAA Greenlights 68 Teams; What Will It Look Like?

If you missed the news Thursday afternoon, the NCAA board of directors approved NCAA Tournament expansion to 68 teams, a decision which brings me great joy. The one topic left to be figured out is how the NCAA will deploy those three additional opening round games. (I’ve always been one to call it the play-in game, but with four games now, at least they can pull off the illusion of saying it’s an opening round.)

It isn’t impossible that the NCAA will have another idea up its sleeve, but the two prevailing schools of thought go something like this: put the eight lowest-seeded teams in the play-in games or put the eight lowest-seeded at-large teams in games. That second scenario would generally feature teams around the Nos. 9-13 seed line.

As a mid-major alum, I can’t help but hate any scenario that puts the squeeze on the little guy in the NCAA Tournament. On the other hand, no No. 16 or 17 seed will put together a better resume than any No. 9/10/11/12/13, so I can’t see how its right to arbitrarily award them an easier road because they won a few games in March. My thoughts tend to line up with John Gasaway on this topic for many of the same reasons. We both agree that the likelihood of someone in that final at-large group winning a game is greater than a No. 16 or 17 seed. (Well, even if we didn’t agree, the numbers prove it because a No. 16 seed has never won an NCAA Tournament game, let alone made any meaningful run in the tournament.) I hate to say it, but I find my beliefs lining up with Jay Bilas, who often talks about getting the best teams into the field. Yes, a No. 12 vs. No. 13 is more compelling than a No. 16 vs. No. 17, but only marginally so. Is that bit of negligible Tuesday entertainment worth the imbalance created for the No. 4/5 seed that would get to play one of these teams?

More to the point, using the final eight at-larges could be incredibly problematic from a bracket perspective that might make it untenable to begin with. Look at the pool of teams who were the final at-larges this season and the range of seeds they encompassed: No. 12 UTEP, No. 12 Utah State, No. 11 Minnesota, No. 10 Missouri, No. 10 Georgia Tech, No. 10 Florida, No. 9 Florida State, No. 9 Louisville and No. 9 Wake Forest. If you put that range of teams, spanning four seed lines, into four games, where do you eventually seed them? Do you take a No. 9 like FSU, Louisville or Wake and downgrade them all the way to a No. 12 spot if you feed them into that line? While you could make the argument that a No. 5 seed gets an advantage by playing a “tired” team, that scenario would also present an argument that would really steam a lot of No. 5s for having to play a more difficult team that they would’ve otherwise.

Even if the NCAA goes with the more obvious and logical choice to feed the No. 16 vs. No. 17, there will be a scheduling matter to tackle. How committed is the NCAA to keeping its opening round games in Dayton? With the opening round winner traditionally playing a Friday game, the NCAA would face a scenario with none of its No. 1 seeds playing on Thursday. Would this also throw a wrench into how the NCAA gives favorable how venues for top seeds, forcing delays on venues about what days they’ll be hosting games? The simple answer would be to move the opening round games out of Dayton and to the cities where the teams would face No. 1 seeds, possibly playing at a smaller venue. Another venue could create a production nightmare for CBS/Turner, but would it be better than having a larger venue that is empty?

We won’t know the answer until this summer when the NCAA puts its head together to make a decision, but I imagine that unless there is a third option we aren’t thinking about, the only possible conclusion is featuring the No. 16/17 seeds in opening round games.

What is the Value of Value in Sports?

The news of Ryan Howard’s new contract could have been a blip on the radar of sports news, and for many people outside of baseball or outside of Philadelphia it was likely nothing more than that. But to someone like me, who likens himself as someone with a finger on the pulse of the Philadelphia sports world and, try-as-I-might, someone who keeps abreast of the goings on in baseball, this situation has been the most dominant and polarizing storyline I can ever remember on the Internet. That’s not an exaggeration either, Ryan Howard became the poster player for Stats vs. Eyes, taking a seat in baseball purgatory until 2016, with a club option for 2017.

And no, I’m not going to turn this into another long post about the contract extension that Howard received from the Phillies. It’s honestly not about that. It’s about the concept of value in sports. We linked to a post by Bill Baer at Crashburn Alley who adeptly assessed Howard’s performance on the field to project his level of play at the end of this contract extension and determined that, based on win above replacement, he’ll actually be costing the Phillies a significant amount of money, given the combination of his (projected) production and salary.

I thought about this for a long time. And while you can’t argue with Baer’s logic – the older a player gets, the less productive he is likely to become – he didn’t factor in the other value Howard provides for the team. He’s the mayor of Philadelphia at this point. He’s the city’s official sports ambassador, wearing a Phillies uniform. He’s not an Eagle or a Sixer or a Flyer. He’s a Phillie, and there’s value to that in the city. Howard will fill seats and sell jersey and, perhaps most importantly, keep people tuned in on the television and radio. The Phillies negotiated a deal they felt was fair, based on the value that Howard provides both on and off the field.

Value differs in different sports, too. Look at the NFL, where draft picks are treated like gold, but current players – especially those who command large salaries – are traded for virtually nothing. Santonio Holmes, transgressions included, was traded for a fifth round pick because that’s all he was worth to the rest of the league. The guy was a Super Bowl MVP and is in the prime of his career, but his off-the-field issues made him far less valuable to the Steelers organization. Dumping him, for whatever they could get, was worth more than letting him go for nothing, and clearly more valuable than keeping him.

Ben Roethlisberger, on the other hand, was reportedly being shopped for a top ten pick, despite the fact that his off-the-field value has to be lower at this point than anyone else in the league. Drew Brees, he is not. But Ben provides more value on the field than Holmes did, so the Steelers decided to put a higher premium on his services and keep him if their price wasn’t met.

When the Redskins traded away a second round pick for Donovan McNabb – that trade also comes with a mid-round pick next year based on McNabb’s success – they lost all leverage for a trade of their incumbent quarterback Jason Campbell. Campbell’s value was at it’s lowest, and the best they could do was a trade for a fourth-round pick in 2012. Speaking of fourth-round picks, the Cowboys traded their second round pick, 59th overall, to the rival Eagles for the 55th overall pick. The price? A fourth rounder. So, within the same division, theoretically, Jason Campbell is as valuable as moving up four spots in the draft…two years from now? The Cowboys drafted linebacker Sean Lee with the 55th pick, while the Eagles traded the 59th pick for a third and two fifths. Of course, they subsequently traded the third for more picks later in the draft. Clearly, they didn’t see the value in drafting anyone with those picks.

Obviously those are just a few of the many illustrations of value in football where potential – in the form of picks – is almost always more valuable than production. But nothing is as bad as the NBA, which trades in a currency we like to call the Expiring Contract. Jack Kogod shared the best example with me:

On February 19, 2008 Van Horn signed a three-year deal (only the first year guaranteed) with the Mavericks in order to help complete a blockbuster trade that sent Jason Kidd from the New Jersey Nets to the Mavericks and Devin Harris to the Nets. As expected, Van Horn didn’t play at all for the Nets and was waived on October 23rd, 2008.

The guy was traded and he wasn’t even playing anymore, which is just about as bad as a player who is added into a trade and immediately bought out so he can sit out 30 days and re-sign with the team that traded him. Zydrunas Ilgauskas…come on down!

Yes, in the NBA world, cap space to potentially sign players is more valuable than actually having players who will play for you. It’s a wonderful system, really.

And then, of course, there’s soccer, which has the most straight forward system of them all. Give us cash for our talent and you can have them.. The richest transfer in the history of the sport came when Real Madrid shipped more than 93 million euros to Manchester United for the rights to Cristiano Ronaldo. That’s before they paid him his annual salary, by the way. But clearly, Real Madrid felt that spending that much money on the rights to player would pay off in the form of championships…and financial gains. To have one of the best and most popular athletes in the world wear your jersey is a powerful pitch to potential jersey sponsors. Simply put, record transfers or not, they wouldn’t have made the deal if they thought they’d be losing money.

And that’s where I think things fall with the Phillies and Howard. They clearly feel he provides more than just the value on the field. So while his WARP3 may decline in the next five or six years, the team has to feel he provides a different kind of value that, perhaps, you can’t actually measure with advanced stats. David Montgomery, President and CEO of the Phillies, told 610WIP this week that, “The key for a player of Ryan’s stature is the length of the contract. This is a statement to our fans and everyone who follows us that you know who the first basemen is going to be for the next five, or hopefully six years.”

So to the team, stability is pretty valuable. There are many other examples in many other sports. Heck, it works in any kind of business. I got paid to write this post (I know, right, I’m stealing money with this gig, so don’t tell anyone) and the powers that be decided that I provide a certain value to their overall product. Much like the deal for Howard, my bosses determined what is a fair amount to pay me based on what the market dictates, what others before me have earned and balanced that with what they feel is an appropriate value for the amount of traffic my work garners. Much like Howard, it’s my job to deliver on their trust and produce to the level they expect. And no, I’m not making anywhere near $125 million bucks.

Please don’t think I’m saying that I’m the Ryan Howard of sports bloggers, although I do try to knock it out of the park every time I write (thank you, I’ll be here all week, don’t forget to tip your editors). And no, I don’t know my Value Over a Replacement Blogger (VORB). And yes, some of us are working on a way to actually calculate such things. It’ll revolutionize the way bloggers are hired, even if we acknowledge that there’s not always a scientific way to determine someone’s value.

Notre Dame’s Unspeakable, Terrible Music Video

For whatever unconscionable reason, and to whatever invidious end, Notre Dame has seen fit to loose the dogs of white rap upon the world to extol the wonders of Fighting Irish athletics. We are left wondering what we ever did to deserve such an abomination. I suppose one does not so endlessly mock Jimmy Clausen without repercussion.

Spencer Hall gives such a thorough and uproarious point-by-point breakdown of the video at Everyday Should Be Saturday, that we should all be shamed to even consider trying. It’s such an overflowing font of ridiculousness that the Insane Clown Posse will have to act fast to ensure that “Miracles” does not lose steam with the Internet snark factory. One message to the haters (some NSFW-ness at the link) is not enough!

NFL: Favre: I need surgery to play in ’10

Brett Favre is still stinging from that painful loss to the New Orleans Saints in the NFC title game three months ago — so much so that it’s a factor in his decision to come back to the Vikings next season.

Favre issued a statement on his website Friday saying that his left ankle is still hurting and will require surgery if he wants to return for Minnesota. But he said the injury “is not debilitating” and he’s come through far worse in a 19-year career built on playing through pain.

“I don’t believe major surgery on the ankle would be required for me to return in 2010,” Favre wrote. “I’ve consulted with Dr. (James) Andrews on the phone, and a relatively minor procedure could be done to improve the dexterity of the ankle, and to relieve the pain. I’ve put up with pain worse than this in my career, and I didn’t want anyone to assume that the possibility of surgery was the sole factor that would determine whether I return or not.”

Currently holding all the NFL’s major career passing records, Favre will turn 41 in October. He has turned the waiting game into an art form late in his career, and it appears this summer will be no different.

The Vikings have made it clear they won’t pressure Favre into a decision on whether he will return for a 20th NFL season.

“The ankle pain is a factor, but one of many factors that I’ll need to consider in making my decision,” said Favre, who is believed to be at his home in Mississippi. “Other factors include the input of my family, and the wonderful experience that I had last year with the Vikings.”

Vikings coach Brad Childress said he was neither surprised nor concerned by the revelation that Favre needs another surgery. He reiterated that he would be fine with Favre missing the first two weeks of training camp like he did last year.

“We were aware of it and in fact spoke about it at the end of the season and it’s just a matter of whether he was going to or not going to address,” Childress said. “We all are familiar with his aversion to surgery. That’s no surprise. So it’s just something if you want to live with it and whether you want to live with it the whole lifetime or want to fix it now, fix it again later.”

Earlier in the day, Favre told ESPN in an e-mail that the ankle is still swollen and painful and that surgery was unavoidable if he wanted to keep playing.

“This decision would be easy if not for my teammates and the fans and the entire Vikings staff,” Favre said in the e-mail posted on ESPN.com. “One year truly felt like 10 — much like Green Bay for many years. That’s what I was missing in my heart I suppose, a sense of belonging.”

Favre then issued his statement, seeming to downplay the severity of his injury by saying he feels good enough to work on his property in Mississippi.

“Sure — certain exercises cause some ankle pain, but it’s nothing that I haven’t experienced (or played with) before,” he wrote. “In fact, many people don’t realize that I injured my ankle before the NFC Championship game. I’ve had surgery on this ankle twice before, and I’ve played with the pain before. The hits I took throughout the 2009 season, including the Saints game, just added to the ankle pain and likely caused some bone spurs.”

If this all sounds a little familiar, that’s because it’s the fourth installment of a drama miniseries that has run every summer since 2006.

His waffling ultimately led to an ugly parting with the Packers that got him traded from Green Bay to the New York Jets in 2008. After a so-so season in New York, he announced his retirement in early 2009 for the second time, then reconsidered and signed with the Vikings.

He enjoyed one of the best seasons of his storied career, throwing for 33 touchdowns and only seven interceptions and guiding the Vikings to a 12-4 record. Favre twice beat the Packers, who should give two-time division champion Minnesota stiff competition for the title next season whether he returns or not.

“Somebody tell Brett to have that surgery so I can make up for last year!!!” Packers linebacker Nick Barnett posted on Twitter.

Now Favre and the Vikings are back in the same place as last year.

The quandary then was whether he wanted to have surgery to repair a partially torn biceps tendon in his right shoulder. Andrews performed that surgery and Favre made it through the entire 2009 season without any problems with his arm or shoulder.

Favre is under contract for $13 million this season, but that’s only if he plays. Several signs point to the Vikings believing he will return, including not pursuing a trade for Donovan McNabb and declining to select a quarterback of the future in the draft.

“I still don’t know (what he’s going to do),” Childress insisted on Friday. “That’s my story and I’m sticking to it from way back when.”

MLB: Wagner, 38, plans to retire at season’s end

Billy Wagner will retire at the end of this season, the 38-year-old closer told Braves manager Bobby Cox on Friday.

Wagner, who is sixth all-time in saves with 387, wanted to reach 400 career saves and has it plainly in his sights. But with or without that mark, and whether he comes close to John Franco’s saves record for a lefthander at 424 , he’ll call it quits at the end of the 2010 season. He said he will not play out his $6.5 million option for next season, which automatically vests if he finishes 50 games.

He wants to spend more time with his family.

“I still like the competition, that’s why I do it,” said Wagner, who turns 39 on July 25. “I like going out and winning, that still drives me. But being home with them last year, I enjoyed it. There’s so much more to offer them at this age, and I need to be home.”

Wagner and his wife Sarah have three sons and a daughter: Will 11, Jeremy 9, Olivia 6, Cason 3. They live on a farm in Crozet, Virginia near Charlottesville. He got a chance to spend more time at home with them last season while he was rehabilitating from September 2008 elbow reconstruction surgery.

Wagner made his comeback with the Mets last year and was then was traded to the Red Sox for a playoff run. He thought about retiring at the end of last season but reconsidered. He was planning to pitch one more year, even as he signed a one year, $7 million contract with the Braves with an option for 2011.

“I told my kids I’d play one more year and that’s it, and the Braves just threw in the option,” Wagner said.

Wagner has only two saves in three opportunities this season. The Braves’ nine-game losing streak heading into the weekend series with the Astros has limited his opportunities. He’s optimistic the Braves team will turn things around, but becoming only the fifth reliever with 400 saves and trying to catch Franco provide him only targets, not determining factors anymore.

“I wanted a chance at 400, and that’s great,” Wagner said. “I didn’t want to have to chase everything. If it happens this year, great, if not, then so be it. Just try to make this one of those years to really enjoy and have a good time and maybe win a championship along the way. Plus Bobby, he’s always meant a lot to me, growing up. To play my final year and him being his final year – it was the right timing.”

Wagner said Cox told him he thought he had the stuff to continue playing a few more years. Wagner can still hit 97, 98 mph with his fastball.

“He’s had a great career,” Cox said. “Hopefully he can get a whole bunch of saves the rest of the way. I said ‘We’ll go out together, Billy.’”

Wagner earned his second save of the season Friday by preserving the Braves’ 4-2 win over the Astros. He faced just three batters in the ninth despite giving up a walk, by inducing a double play to end the game.

NBA: Oh my (Chris) Bosh: Unleashing a twitter frenzy

When you have 96,000-plus followers on Twitter . . . throwing out a provocative line or two is like tossing a lighted match on a pile of kindling.

On Friday afternoon, a prominent NBA player had a question for his group of followers.

“Been wanting to ask. Where should I go next season and why?

Why bother waiting until July 1? Silly, arbitrary date anyway. The author of the tweet happened to be the Raptors’ Chris Bosh, who will be one of the marquee free agents this summer.

Incredibly, Twitter did not collapse under the weight of frenzied responses to Bosh, seemingly dominated by tweeps from Houston and Chicago. And yes, a few Lakers fans.

Less than an hour later, Bosh spoke again:

“Ok … Let me rephrase the question. Should I stay or should I go?”

Never knew Bosh was a Clash fan.

The summer of 2010 has started. So what if it is a few weeks early?

NCAAF: New NCAA rule – two coaches per limousine, please

How many assistant football coaches does it take to meet with a high school guidance counselor?

That’s what the NCAA is trying to figure out. Thursday, the NCAA Legislative Council passed a rule that was first proposed in January to limit the number of assistant coaches a school can send to any one high school on any given day during the spring evaluation period.

Locally, this rule may go down as the “Tiger Prowl” rule, because it was Auburn’s coaching staff that took a not-uncommon practice of overwhelming the campus of five-star football prospects in numbers too big to ignore but throwing in the attention-getting twist of having those coaches arrive in a limousine.

Just this week, seven Georgia assistants showed up at Carver High in Columbus, Ga., on Monday, followed by six Auburn assistants on Tuesday, and four Florida State assistants on Wednesday.

They were not allowed any actual contact with recruits but were there, officially, to “evaluate” — look at transcripts, talk to coaches and teachers, and observe if prospects are participating in authorized high school activities.

As of Friday, in the future those visits will have to be limited to a maximum of two assistant coaches per school per day.

Oddly enough, the rule passed Thursday doesn’t make it illegal for coaches to show up in a bus or limousine. The “rationale” given by the NCAA for the rule did mention buses and limousines, but technically Auburn can continue to evaluate from the back seat of a stretch Hummer as long as only two assistants are doing the evaluating per school per day.

The bigger question is, why would a coaching staff even think to show up at the front door of a high school in a limo?

To get attention, of course; to send a subtle message to top recruits that this school and this staff does everything with style.

Style. Not substance.

Ironically, back when the old University of Miami program was under investigation by the NCAA for various rules violations in the 1980s, one of the accusations had to do with players traveling in limousines. Legend has it that crafty Miami defense attorneys representing “The U” actually got the NCAA to agree that limousine travel was just another form of public transportation.

But imagine what people would say if a Yellow Cab pulled up in front of Leeds High and six assistant coaches from Alabama got out. Or if a bus pulled up to the bus stop in front of Minor High and four assistants from Auburn all got off.

Those assistant coaches wouldn’t be bringing any less substance to the purpose of their visit. But they would certainly be arriving with a lot less style.

I’m told the rule was not actually aimed at Auburn. The legislation was sponsored by the Big East Conference in response to evaluation escapades in the great Northeast that a number of schools objected to.

But once again we’re reminded that the reason the NCAA rule book is — according to coaches — too thick and too hard to follow is because of the coaches’ own propensity to spend so much time trying to find loopholes in those rules.

Six coaches to meet with a high school guidance counselor? That sounds like too many men with too much time on their hands, if you ask me.

If coaches aren’t careful, they might just convince the NCAA that there isn’t really a need for a spring evaluation at all.

Soccer: We’re beaten! Rafa Benitez says his Liverpool players are too tired to take on Chelsea

Rafa Benitez has left Manchester United’s title hopes hanging by a thread by admitting that his shattered Liverpool players were in no fit state to face Chelsea at Anfield on Sunday.

Sir Alex Ferguson knows United’s chances of remaining champions hinge on the leaders dropping points, and he would be hoping that might happen on Merseyside.

It looks a distant prospect, though, after Benitez admitted that his team were out on their feet after a demoralising two-hour Europa League semi-final defeat by Atletico Madrid on Thursday night.

The Liverpool manager revealed that two of his substitutions were forced on him by fatigue, and those who stayed on looked just as drained at the final whistle, Dirk Kuyt flat on his back in tears in the centre circle and Steven Gerrard staring in disbelief at the celebrating Atletico players.

Benitez said: ‘It will be more difficult than ever now to lift the players. We will have to check on everyone before deciding on the line-up. That is how it has left us.

‘We had to change Yossi Benayoun and Javier Mascherano because they were very tired. We had to use Kuyt, even though he was injured against Burnley, and David Ngog was on the bench, even though he wasn’t 100 per cent.

‘I am proud of the effort the players put in, but now they are paying the price. It has taken a lot out of them. I thought that if we won, then adrenaline might carry us through against Chelsea.

‘Instead, the players are not only very weary but very down. Our job is to try to get them ready for another big game, but it will not be easy.’

Ferguson urged Liverpool not to betray the proud history of their club by surrendering to Carlos Ancelotti’s Chelsea.

The United manager, whose team are at Sunderland later on Sunday, said: ‘I think Liverpool will do their best on Sunday.

‘Great clubs don’t throw their histories away. They don’t throw their traditions away for one game.

‘Liverpool have been in 10 European finals, won 18 titles, so that’s a fantastic history. You don’t throw that away — and the fans know that too.

‘Do you think the fans want to go away home saying, “They capitulated, they didn’t try”? Of course not.’

Liverpool have been in this position before, beating Blackburn at home 15 years ago to give United the chance to win the League at West Ham the same day.

United failed then, but Ferguson said: ‘The similarities are there. We depended and hoped on Liverpool producing and we got that.

‘Their manager Roy Evans talked to me and said, “You have to earn the right to win the title” and that stands today.’

United full back Patrice Evra called on the Liverpool players to respect the Premier League enough not to roll over, saying: ‘It would be a fake league.

‘I just hope they are honest with themselves. If one player doesn’t play to let Chelsea win, that will stay with him for the rest of his career.

‘You have to respect the game and respect the competitition. I just hope the Liverpool players will be professional.’

Benitez claimed Sunday’s staggered kick-offs had given United an unfair advantage, saying: ‘In Spain, the last two fixtures for all the teams start at exactly the same time.

‘By the time United kick off, they will know what has happened to Chelsea and what they have to do. I don’t think that is fair. ’

Boxing: Mayweather-Mosley is the true superfight

Let’s get this out of the way first:  ”Who R U Pickin” is a ridiculous name for Saturday night’s 147-pound showdown between former pound-for-pound king and hall-of-fame trash talker Floyd Mayweather and ageless, relentless welterweight legend Shane Mosley.

I mean, I get it. It’s a bout between two champions with impeccable credentials, one matchup that’s bound to elicit discussion, speculation and predictions from boxing fans everywhere, but it doesn’t capture what’s really at stake here.

If the folks at Golden Boy were that hard up for titles they should have just called me and I would have provided several options…for a small freelance fee (hey, the write game is a business just like the fight game).

Why not call it “Legends Collide” or “At Last” or ” Legacy”?

What’s wrong with “Pound for Pound,” or ” Who’s the Man?” or “Finally”?

Nothing.

But for one reason or another a spectacular matchup is saddled with a pedestrian title.

So who am I picking?

More on that later, but first let’s understand that Mayweather-Mosely is 2010′s superfight.

I know there still exist plenty of conspiracy theorist who still believe the whole Clottey-Pacquiao-Mayweather-Mosley series is really a glorified publicity tour designed to build interest in a Pacquaio-Mayweather/Mosley megafight later this year.

Problem with that theory is that these pesky facts keep undermining it.

It’s a fact, for example, that Manny Pacquiao isn’t interested in the USADA drug testing Mayweather and Mosley underwent on the way to this bout. So if Mayweather defeats Mosley, the disagreement over drug testing that derailed Mayweather and Pacquiao in December would once again stand in their way.

It’s also a fact that Mayweather has a rematch clause in his contract with Mosley. So if Mosley wins — and he has a chance, even at 38 — he and Mayweather will dance once more, a project that will tie both of them down until early 2011, leaving Pacquiao without a partner.

And finally it’s a fact that this bout is a stand-alone superfight, one that deserves headlines and will generate huge pay-per-view numbers even without the prospect of the winner facing Pacquiao. This is a fight hardcore boxing fans have visualized since before Pacquiao even won his first belt. And while it may only have come together because Mayweather-Pacquiao fell apart, this bout is much more than a consolation prize.

It’s a fight between Mayweather, an undefeated welterweight who claims he’s better than Ali and Sugar Ray Robinson and Mosley, the resurgent veteran who when speaking to “Fighting Words” in January made a logical case for why the road to the pound-for-pound crown goes through him.

In short, it’s the highest revenue, highest stakes and highest skill level fight we’re likely to see in a while, so we need to savour it.

So who am I picking?

It’s tough

Mosley’s 38, but as Chi Ali pointed out years ago — age ain’t nothin’ but a number.

Sugar Shane looked young and hungry in dismantling Antonio Margarito 15 months ago, and I’ve always thought that he, more than any other fighter, possessed the skill set to cause Mayweather big problems: long arms and a strong jab, an uncanny blend of speed and strength, and concussive punching power.

The problem for Mosley is that Mayweather is not Margarito.

We all know that styles make fights and that while Mosley looked spectacular against Margarito, a straight-forward slugger who showed little interest in defending himself, he has struggled against skilled boxers.

While we’re discussing facts, the fact is that Mosley has been outboxed not only by Winky Wright, which is understandable, but by Miguel Cotto, which was damn near unforeseeable.

So when I look at this fight I have to wonder how Mosley will deal with the smartest fighter of a generation, a guy with just as much speed as Mosley but with better footwork and defense, the skills to fight inside (ask Ricky Hatton) and the smarts to solve any fighter set in front of him.

A lot of observers point out that Mayweather has never faced an opponent with Mosley’s skills, strength and experience, and that’s true.

But neither has Mosley faced a fighter as savvy, as smart, and as surprisingly strong as Mayweather is.

We’ve seen how well Mayweather adjusts to bigger, stronger opponents — witness the boxing lesson he administered to Oscar De La Hoya at junior welterweight in 2007.

But we’ve also seen how poorly Mosley adjusts to top flight fighters who commit to matching wits with him. Cotto is a fine and surprisingly versatile fighter but as a ring technician he’s no Floyd Mayweather, and if he could befuddle Mosley with a jab and a little movement you really have to question how Mosley will deal with Mayweather’s impressive array of skills.

So who am I picking?

I like Mosley’s chances. He’s one of the few fighters alive who can match Mayweather’s speed, but he also has a good enough jab to keep Mayweather distracted and the power to flatten anyone in the division. If anyone can beat Mayweather, it’s Mosley.

I just don’t think he’ll do it.

Mayweather is just that skilled and that smart. He’ll move without running, stick Mosley with his own jab and slow him down with body shots. He’ll fight on the inside just enough to keep Mosley honest, but over the course of 12 the defense, ring generalship and savvy will prove to be a little more than Mosley can handle.

So who I am picking is Mayweather by fairly close decision.

NCAAB: Recruiting: Portland’s Jones, Ross make it a big day for Washington

The final holdout amongst top 25 seniors finally made a decision Friday afternoon when Terrence Jones picked the University of Washington during a press conference held at Jefferson High School (Portland, Ore.).

As a senior, Jones poured in over 32 points per game and grabbed 13 rebounds for the Democrats to earn second team All-American honors from MaxPreps. He is ranked No. 6 among all senior prospects.

The highly-coveted Rose City star appeared to be making the decision on the fly.

“I guess now I will be picking one. No one knows because I haven’t made a decision yet,” Jones said before reaching for a black and purple Washington hat.

The 6-foot-9, 210-pound hybrid forward compiled one of the more impressive prep resumes in Oregon history, winning three state titles with the Democrats and earning 5A Player of the Year honors as a junior and senior.

Jones picked the Huskies over Kansas, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Oregon and UCLA. He managed to keep the media and fans in the dark about his decision to the final minute, helping build an audience of over 25,000 viewers to watch the announcement live on The Oregonian’s news site, oregonlive.com.

Jones was joined by teammates Terrence Ross, who also announced his intentions to attend Washington after days of speculation, Antoine Hosley (still deciding between California State-Bakersfield and Gardner-Webb) and Stephen Madison (signed with Idaho).

Ross played at Jefferson as a sophomore – teaming with Jones to win a state title – before transferring to Montrose Christian in Maryland. He returned to Jefferson mid-season as a senior but was denied an opportunity to rejoin the basketball team due to transfer rules. He is regarded as the No. 65 senior prospect by MaxPreps.

Madison, a versatile 6-6 wing/forward-type, posted over 18 points per game as a senior after joining the Demos from Prairie (Brush Prairie, Wash.).

Hosley and Jones were the mainstays for the only team in state history to capture three-straight state titles at the large-school (6A, 5A) level in Oregon.

MLB: Fallout from immigration law tars Arizona Diamondbacks

The Arizona Diamondbacks are like one of those fans in the lower deck at Chase Field who gets struck by a foul ball during a game. They didn’t see it coming.

Today at Chicago’s Wrigley Field and in just about every city the team visits, there is expected to be a protest outside the stadium against Arizona’s new immigration-enforcement law, Senate Bill 1070.

One of the people organizing and encouraging such protests is Tony Herrera, the Arizona representative for a national movement (it has a Facebook page) called “Boycott Arizona 2010.”

“This team is an ambassador for Arizona,” Herrera told me. “And the owner, Mr. (Ken) Kendrick, is a big supporter of Republican politics. This new law was a Republican bill. Until the law is changed, there should be protests.”

The Diamondbacks appear to have been caught off guard by such comments, even though it is well known that Managing General Partner Ken Kendrick and his family are major contributors to the Republican Party.

The team’s vice president for communications, Shaun Rachau, told me that the organization doesn’t believe that targeting the team is fair. He forwarded me the following statement:

“Although D-backs’ Managing General Partner Ken Kendrick has donated to Republican political candidates in the past, the organization has communicated to Boycott Arizona 2010 leader Tony Herrera that Kendrick personally opposes (Senate) Bill 1070. The team also explained that Kendrick is one of nearly 75 owners of the D-backs and none of his, nor do the other owners’, personal contributions reflect organizational preferences. The D-backs have never supported (Senate) Bill 1070, nor has the team ever taken a political stance or position on any legislation.”

To which you might ask, why not?

As one Internet blogger noted, “If the owners of the Diamondbacks want to underwrite an ugly edge of bigotry, we should raise our collective sporting fists against them. A boycott is also an expression of solidarity with Diamondback players such as Juan Gutierrez, Gerardo Parra, and Rodrigo Lopez. They shouldn’t be put in a position where they’re cheered on the playing field and then asked for their papers when the uniform comes off.”

Latino players make up a significant part of just about every major-league roster. Likewise, there are many, many Latino baseball fans.

Exactly how WOULD the team, the fans and the players react if a baseball star happened to be singled out and asked to produce his “papers” while in Arizona?

“There’s a protest we’re expecting outside of Wrigley,” the D-Backs’ Rachau said. “We’re unique in that we’re an Arizona company that travels around the country and plays baseball games. So any time we come to a large market the people in that city can put their focus on us. I understand that they’re not pointing at the team but saying that you represent Arizona.”

For Herrera, it’s a little more than that.

“The fact that Kendrick has supported the Republican agenda is significant to us,” he said. “We’re getting a lot of response from across the country. We’re asking for a meeting (with the team) on May 7 with people who are flying in from across the country. We want to talk to the team, but, you know, they do represent Arizona.”

We all feel bad for the fan who gets beaned by a foul ball. Like that fan, the Diamondbacks didn’t think they were in the game.

But they were spectators in the stadium, like every other business in Arizona. At Chase Field, there are dozens of signs warning fans to look out for “flying objects” from the field.

If the team had been paying attention, it would have seen this ball coming.

The outrage over Arizona’s new immigration law has led to demonstrations and boycotts throughout the country, and today those opposed to the law will gather at Wrigley Field.

As of Thursday morning, 790 people said they planned to attend a protest outside of Wrigley Field as the Chicago Cubs take on the Arizona Diamondbacks Thursday afternoon, according to a Facebook event page for the protest.

“We are going to give the Arizona Diamondbacks a message to send back home,” the event’s organizers wrote on the page.

The demonstrators plan on bringing posters and marching, as well as handing out fliers to baseball fans that detail their opposition to the new law, according to the page. The group also asks anyone attending the game to wave posters condemning the law.

NCAAB; Report: NCAA Found Violations at UConn

The Wall Street Journal released a lengthy story Wednesday that indicates the following:

**A source told the paper that NCAA investigators have found violations at the school

**An NCAA report will be issued “in the near future”

**Head coach Jim Calhoun has yet to sign his contract extension

A year ago, Yahoo! Sports chronicled NCAA violations which occurred during UConn’s pursuit of recruit Nate Miles.

The Tampa Tribune later reported that Josh Nochimson, a former UConn student manager who became a sports agent, paid several thousand dollars for Miles to have surgery in December 2007.

“Could I have made a mistake? Sure.” Calhoun told Yahoo! Sports during the 2009 NCAA tournament. “The [rules] manual is 508 pages. Someone could’ve made a mistake.”

The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that the NCAA has told UConn that an investigation into the men’s basketball program uncovered rules violations and a report will soon be released.

The paper also said coach Jim Calhoun’s contract extension has not been signed and quoted a lawyer who suggested UConn would be wise to wait until the NCAA report before announcing the new deal. If the school announced the signing, the lawyer said, it might appear that UConn has decided how it thinks the case is going to turn out.

Calhoun told the Journal that the sides are “signatures away” from completing a four-year contract after an issue involving his role at the school upon retirement was recently resolved.

A UConn source also said Calhoun’s new contract will be signed soon and that the sides are still discussing some fine points, including Calhoun’s retirement package. The sides are also discussing Calhoun’s role in choosing his successor, although the source told The Courant that issue won’t be a sticking point.

Calhoun, who will turn 68 in May, is in the final year of a $9.1 million, six-year contract that expires June 30. Throughout this past season, Calhoun said the extension was close to completion and he did not plan to retire.

Last month, Calhoun issued a statement reiterating his intention to coach. A few days later, Calhoun told Courant columnist Jeff Jacobs that recruits were being misled about his future so he repeated that he was returning.

The Journal quotes the mother of Baltimore guard Josh Selby as saying there was concern about Calhoun’s future. Selby, a top-rated point guard, chose Kansas.

“In Josh’s mind, that was a concern — just how long [Calhoun is] going to be there,” Maishon Witherspoon said.

But Calhoun said in the story that Selby never asked about the coach’s future during his recruitment. A school source said Selby’s mother seemed to have more interest in UConn than Selby showed during the recruiting process.

• Last Stand For UConn’s Jim Calhoun? [Wall Street Journal]

Calhoun has said other recruits inquired about his future, although players have told The Courant that the coach’s status had no bearing on their decision-making. Forward Roscoe Smith of Oak Hill Academy in Virginia told The Courant that he discussed Calhoun’s future with the coach before signing with UConn.

“When I talked to Coach Calhoun, he [already] had given me his word he wasn’t retiring,” Smith said. “Not just me, but any top national recruit will always worry about the coach because you’re putting your career and future in the hands of the coach. I had my doubts, but I just stayed positive with the whole situation and I trusted Coach Calhoun.”

NCAAB; Recruiting: CJ Leslie to NC State

Power forward Raleigh, North Carolina Word Of God Christian Academy AAU: Carolina Cobras South Ht:6'7" Wt:205 lbs Class:2010 (High School)

“I’m going to N.C. State,” Leslie, the No. 4 power forward in the Class of 2010, told NewsObserver.com. “It is a great school and we can be good there. And obviously, Coach [Sidney] Lowe is a great coach.”

Leslie visited UConn this past weekend and also considered Kentucky, where close friend Brandon Knight has committed.

“It was really up for grabs,” he told NewsObserver.com. “It was really close with the other two schools.”

Lisa Leslie, C.J.’s mother, previously aid her son has great respect for Lowe.

“He’s looking at N.C. State because he’s known Sidney Lowe for four or five years,” Lisa said previously. “He has a good relationship with him. I would say they are pretty high on the list.”

NCAAF: What’s Your Deal? For Stanford, a Wry, USC-Poking Ticket Promotion

Last fall, Stanford whipped USC, 55-21, a result shocking enough before you remember that Stanford maybe ran up the score a bit, and maybe made Pete Carroll a little mad. His “What’s your deal?” exchange with Jim Harbaugh made the rounds after that game, and amused those in the college football flock who found Carroll having to ask other coaches about running up the score rather beautifully ironic.

This spring, Stanford’s turning the exchange into a promotion.

It’s genius, really: Stanford’s selling tickets to a group of games that includes the Cardinal’s home date against USC by marketing that phrase. That’s all. It’s a pun on deal and a nyah-nyah-we-won-last-year gesture, an atypical bit of gloating from a program that hasn’t been able to do a ton in recent years. But with Harbaugh at the helm, Stanford has been good enough to do a little bragging, and has an outside chance at a Pac-10 title this year, should Andrew Luck become the superb quarterback many suspect he can be.

The only reason to be at all miffed by this is because deference to Carroll apparently would have derailed the plan.

I’m told that Harbaugh thought about the “What’s your deal?” idea for several days and, along with a few department staffers, decided that it wasn’t in poor taste because Carroll has moved on to the Seahawks.Were Carroll still at USC, there’s no way Stanford would be doing this.

Stanford being scared about irritating an opposing coach is a tip-off that the Cardinal are new at this. For what it’s worth, our resident Stanford fan, The Baseline’s Eric Freeman, thinks it would have been funnier if Carroll were still in Los Angeles, and I agree.

But getting the wry joke in at USC’s expense is still fun. And lest we forget, USC’s now coached by Lane Kiffin; I’m sure if Stanford wins again, there will be a biting joke to be made in the aftermath of this year’s matchup.

NCAAF: NCAA’s New President A Playoff Sort Of Guy; Will It Matter?

So the NCAA’s new president isn’t Michael Adams, which is displeasing to Georgia fans but should get a thumbs up from everyone else. The new guy is Washington president Mark Emmert, and he’s going to get right on something or another right away:

“We want to continue the reforms that Myles and his colleagues got started,” Emmert said. “I do not have specific academic reform I’ll be championing in the next 30 days. … I don’t foresee revolutionary change in academic … it’s an evolution (from) where we are now.”

(Questionable ellipses in original. Academic what? Don’t know.) All right, then. Nothing on the docket.

With nothing about to explode, the inevitable first question: what about a college football playoff? Before he was selected, Emmert gave a quote that’s been cited allover the Internet today:

“I happen to be one,” insists University of Washington president Mark Emmert, “that thinks it’s inevitable we’ll have a playoff.”

Excitement! Cynical gremlin on your shoulder reminding you that opinions can change rapidly in these situations!

Point Gremlin. Emmert yesterday:

“We’ll join in those conversations [about a playoff],” he said. “I do not expect the NCAA to lead in that charge.”

Same as it ever was. Just like the barely (and possibly temporarily) averted move to 96 teams in the basketball tournament, the NCAA follows the lead of the people with the sponsorship dollars. When the possibility of delirious amounts of money overwhelms the entrenched interests currently offering up millions, then we’ll see a playoff broached and, eventually, implemented. It just takes one network making a preposterous offer.

There is one thing in the Emmert file that should encourage, though. In that same article cited above he dismisses “illusory arguments” like missed class time against a playoff. No more “think of the children” from the NCAA when the hockey schedule stretches from October to April and dozens of sports with zero pro potential have schedules far more demanding than the moneymaker. Heck, I-AA schools play up to 16 games.

Anyone who could cite class time as a reason not to have a college football playoff is an empty suit more concerned with maintaining the status quo than anything else. Emmert’s not that. Once that red herring is disposed of, a discussion of the relative merits of a playoff can be had. So at least there’s that.

NCAAB: Recruiting: Kadeem Jack to Prep School

Power forward New York, New York Rice AAU: New York Gauchos Ht:6'8" Wt:210 lbs Class:2010 (High School)

Kadeem Jack was set to announce his college choice Wednesday on SNY.tv, but instead appears headed to prep school, possibly South Kent (Conn).

“Kadeem said that he is not making any commitments to college. He is considering prep school,” Rice High School coach Maurice Hicks wrote in a text.

The 6-foot-9 Jack is considering UConn, Arizona, Arkansas, St. John’s and Miami. Instead, it appears he will spend a year prepping in order to mature physically and basketball-wise.

“I’ve reached out to the family and obviously I would love to have Kadeem at South Kent if that’s something he feels he would like to do,” South Kent coach Kelvin Jefferson said by phone.

South Kent has become a second home to many New York-area players, including Kevin Parrom (Arizona), Omari Lawrence (St. John’s), Louisville commit Russell Smith and Pittsburgh commit J.J. Moore.

Jack put up 21 points and 8 rebounds for the City Team in a 137-133 loss to the Suburban Team in the Jordan Brand Regional Game April 17 at MSG.

Jefferson said Paterson Catholic junior forward Derrick Randall was also headed to South Kent. The 6-8 junior is too old to play high school ball in New Jersey next season and Paterson Catholic recently announced it is closing in June.

Your Bob Costas Awards, Er, Sports Emmy Recap: HBO, PTI Headline Night

HBO raked in the honors and Pardon the Interruption took down a TNT giant at the 31st Annual Just Name The Darn Thing After Bob Costas And Be Done With It Awards in New York City Monday night.

Note: I believe they use the more widely-recognized name of Sports Emmys, but with Costas winning his, what, 31st in a row for Outstanding Studio Host, they should just name the award after him so someone else has a chance to win. Despite stiff competition this year in that category – James Brown, Bryant Gumbel, Chris Fowler and Ernie Johnson all showed up in tuxes but left in bridesmaids dresses yet again – Costas took home another trophy to add to his collection. And honestly, in an Olympic year, was there any doubt?

HBO took home nine awards, which was the most for any one network by more than double. The ESPN family of networks raked in seven awards while NBC and NBCOlympics.com combined for five. CBS and CBS/Showtime also combined for five and in its first year as a network, MLB Network raked in four. Now, to be fair, three of those were technical awards – well deserved, by the way – for MLB Tonight and the fourth was the award given to Costas. Of course, it’s uncertain if Costas really won the award more for his work at NBC or his very solid work at MLB Network, including the Mark McGwire interview and his hosting duties with Studio 42. That said, it’s Costas. He could be sitting on a street corner with a cardboard box for a desk and an empty roll of paper towels for a camera and he’s probably still win the Emmy for Outstanding Studio Host.

Have I mentioned Bob Costas won an Emmy yet?

Of the nine awards for HBO, five were for different boxing shows, with four of those coming in different categories for the 24/7 series, including the Dick Schaap Writing Award for 24/7 Pacquiao-Hatton.

The big winner of the night, however, had to be Pardon the Interruptionwhich won a long-overdue Emmy in the category of Outstanding Studio Show – Daily, finally beating out Inside the NBA on TNT. In fact, if you saw how disinterested Charles Barkley looked at halftime of the Suns-Blazers game Monday night, it may have just been disappointment over losing to the PTIguys. Of course, he may have realized that he was sharing a desk with Matt Winer and Chris Webber who were filling in for Ernie Johnson and Kenny Smith as they presented at the Emmys, making him even more depressed for getting left behind. Then again, he did lose in the Outstanding Studio Analyst category to Kirk Herbstreit, so it wasn’t a great night for Chuck.

Here are a few of the other highlights. For a full list of the award winners, visit the official Emmy site.

• John Madden was given the Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by Dick Ebersol and Jerry Jones. It’s a wonder how both those men managed to share the spotlight, to honor someone else, no less.

• College Gameday won for Oustanding Studio Show – Weekly, over FOX NFL Sunday, Inside the NBA on TNT, Inside the NFL and Studio 42 with Bob Costas..

• In what had to be a major disappointment for ESPN, The Outstanding Sports Documentary award went to HBO’s Assault in the Ring while the Outstanding Edited Sports Series/Anthology Award went to Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Cincinnati Bengals, ostensibly leaving ESPN’s fantastic 30 for 30 series out in the cold.

• While Jeremy Schaap didn’t win the writing award named after his late father, he did pick up, along with those at E:60, the award for Outstanding Sports Journalism for his feature Wanted: Fugitive.

• Herbstreit beat out a solid cast of nominees, including Barkley, Tony Dungy, Al Leiter and Howie Long. Cris Collinsworth took home the Outstanding Sports Event Analyst statue over the likes of Jon Gruden, Jim Kaat, Tim McCarver, Phil Simms and Jeff Van Gundy.

• If you went with the odds that someone with the name “Michael” would take home the award for best Sports Personality, Play-by-Play – a 66% chance of that happening in this category – you went home a loser. Jim Nantz won the award over Mike Breen, Joe Buck, Mike Emrick, Al Michaels and Mike Tirico.

• I didn’t forget Bob Costas, did I?

Milwaukee Bucks’ Bango Continues to Laugh in the Face of Danger, Injury

After last year’s embarrassing incident during the NBA All-Star Game, where the Bucks’ mascot tore an ACL when he caught his leg falling through the rim, one might excuse Bango for dialing down some of the more dangerous antics used to please the crowd. Of course, we don’t even know if it’s the same guy in the costume, so perhaps those concerns don’t even enter into the equation.

Either way, same guy or not, the feats of mascot daredevilry have continued. During Game 4 of the Bucks-Hawks series Monday night, Bango pulled a reverse flip from the top step of a 16-foot-ladder into a dunk. And while there’s quite a bit of padding for him to land on, he also could have planted himself on the basket again, which would be most painful, even to someone inside a mascot costume. Thanks for the show Bango, but you take care out there. If you hurt yourself, who will go around Milwaukee randomly assaulting people in Al Horford jerseys?

NCAAB; Recruiting: Carson’s College Plan Coming Together

Point guard Mesa, Arizona Mesa AAU: Compton Magic Ht:5'10" Wt:170 lbs GPA:2.9 Class:2011 (High School)

LONG BEACH, Calif. - Jahii Carson de-committed from Oregon State earlier this month in part because he wanted to see which other schools would get involved and in only a few weeks things have taken off for the Mesa, Ariz., point guard.

It’s going just as Carson planned.

California, UNLV, Arizona, Oklahoma and Butler are some of the new programs involved with Carson, who finished with 16 points and at least eight assists in Compton Magic’s win against Organized Chaos Saturday at the Pangos Sweet 16.

Corona (Calif.) Centennial guard Mike Caffey had 18 points and Gabe York, a 2012 standout from Orange (Calif.) Lutheran, added 12 points. Memphis, Marquette, Arizona State and Washington have reached out to Carson as well.

“After de-committing, I was hoping Pac-10 and Big East schools would start to come, up-tempo schools, and what I thought was going to happen is happening,” said Carson, who plans to visit Arizona in early May.

“I started getting contact from schools that I wanted and the schools I was looking at but I still like Oregon State so I’m still trying to keep all the schools in the loop. I just want to keep my options open going into the spring and summer. I want to keep all my options open. I don’t want to give any school an edge over any other school.”

Despite backing away from his Oregon State pledge, Carson said the Beavers are still being considered especially since he has such a strong relationship with assistant coach David Grace.

“They’re still really in it,” Carson said. “They come see me whenever they can. Coach Grace still calls (Compton Magic coach) Etop (Udo-Ema) and I talk to him pretty much every day. I love him. He’s kind of like an uncle. He wants me for more than just basketball. He wants to help me become a young man.”

NCAAB: A Contrast in Coaching Searches: Oregon vs. Creighton

Oregon can’t claim the most protracted college hoops coaching search this offseason — that honor goes to UNC-Wilmington, which took nearly three months to hire Buzz Peterson. No, the Oregon search was just over one month, but the way it unfolded, it felt like the job had been open for years. Oregon has reportedly landed its next coach – Creighton’s Dana Altman – after being rejected by numerous other big names.

Altman is a fine college coach and had a great run with the Bluejays, going 327-176 in 16 seasons. He might not be “splash” that the Swoosh hoped for, but they could’ve done worse. So while Altman hasn’t even been introducedyet at Oregon, there are already reports that the Bluejays are on to their next coach: Iowa State’s Greg McDermott. Details via KCCI:

According to Action 3 News in Omaha, Greg McDermott has accepted the head coaching job at Creighton. The deal is reportedly worth $10 million over 9 years.

The transition from Northern Iowa, where McDermott went 90-63 with three NCAA Tournament appearances, to Iowa State has been less than smooth. McDermott hasn’t posted more than 15 wins in any season and the Cyclones have been near the bottom of the Big 12 the whole time. Perhaps even worse is the fact that he wasn’t able to make it work with Wesley Johnson, who went on to star at Syracuse, and Craig Brackins, who is also considered an NBA talent. Still, McDermott has ties to the region and a track record of success in the Valley. It’s a hire that makes sense if it indeed goes through.

The point being this: Creighton appears to have done everything Oregon failed to do. It identified a logical, attainable candidate and then went out and hired him. The Ducks spent their 41-day hunt like a hungry person who’d wandered into a grocery store with a lot of money and no list of what they wanted or needed. If Creighton goes on to seal the deal — and it could happen as soon as Tuesday, according to this report — they did an admirable job in creating a smooth coaching transition.

WTF: Mike Bacsik

Hidden Racist?

For those that don’t know who Mike Bacsik is, he’s a former Major League Baseball pitcher and the son of Michael James Bacsik, who was also a pitcher in the majors. He’s most famous though for giving up Barry Bonds 756th career home run, which broke the all-time record formerly held by Hank Aaron.

Bacsik currently is the producer on The Ticket 1310 in Dallas for Norm Hitzges and performs other fill-in duties however he allowed his hidden racism spill out onto Twitter after the Dallas Mavericks loss to the San Antonio Spurs in game 4, with his above tweet. Shortly thereafter he deleted his comment, hoping it would forever cease to exist and followed it up with a back handed apology.

Mike Bacsik’s tweet is probably a very accurate representation of how he really feels about certain races when he out of public’s eye, if not where does these feelings come from then?

Draft 2010 of the NFL; NFL Draft in Prime Time: Ratings up 30 Percent

The call has come and smile can not hide. Sam Bradford is officially the first pick in the 2010 NFL Draft.

Bradford gets the opportunity to earn a title immediately after his release Rams Marc Bulger few weeks ago.

Edition 75 of the Draft has started and the cameras are focused on Sam Bradford, who won the Heisman in 2009, an Oklahoma quarterback who is projected by many to go with the first selection.

Bradford became the first quarterback taken by St. Louis in a first round pick.

The shift is from Detroit.

Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska defensive tackle is the choice number two in the 2010 NFL Draft.

Suh won the award as the best defense in college, as well as the athlete of the year trophy in the United States.

With this choice, Detroit now has an excellent defensive lineman to line up with Kyle Vanden Bosch, his recent signing in free agency.

In addition, Suh and Vanden Bosch will automatically improve considerably one of the weakest points of a team in constant reconstruction.

Time is now for Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Bucs also were inclined to reinforce the defensive, taking in taking Gerald McCoy, a defensive tackle who has a lot of versatility, both defending the run, as penetrating the backfield to create chaos.

McCoy is visibly moved and tears did not wait, then that is destined to win the title inmedaita nearly so.

Roger Goodell, NFL commissioner, takes a huge hug from McCoy.

Time the Washington Redskins.

The call came and Trent Williams, who has raised the horn, left tackle from Oklahoma, who will be responsible for taking care of the Donovan McNabb’s blind side.

Rounding out the great day for the Sooners, Oklahoma has given its third listing in the first four selections.

Williams is a tremendous player with the versatility to play any line position that perfectly matches the zone blocking scheme that Mike Shanahan is expected to prevail in Washington.

Time is for Kansas City.

The first of the surprises, it was expected that the Heads Select to Russell Okung, offensive tackle, is Eric Berry, Tennessee Quie deep smiles in the room prospects.

Berry, excellent to make plays on the ball, maintaining the recent tradition of Kansas City defensive players taken in the first round.

Berry is an athletic player who automatically becomes the leader of a young defensive secondary. Berry is compared in their game with Ed Reed.

Seattle Time and his new coach, Pete Carroll.

Faced with the possible withdrawal of Walter Jones, Russell Okung, Oklahoma State left tackle is the selection of the Seattle Seahawks.

Okung will anchor an offensive line full of veterans and has struggled with injuries in recent seasons.

Cleveland, with the sixth pick, and without many needs that have been filled in free agency took Joe Haden, Florida cornerback.

Haden, who was not projected to be taken among the top 15 selections, surprised, after having a mediocre Combine.

With this selection, Mike Holmgren, president of Cleveland, show that is willing to risk his first draft in front of the Browns.

Raiders is to make your selection.

Oakland has made a wise decision to take Rolando McClain, an inside linebacker from Alabama.

After having a linebacking corps in decline and lack of speed, McClain heralds a new era with McClain.

Buffalo soon make his choice and took CJ Spiller, the best runner of his generation. Spiller reaches a crowded backfield with the presence of Fred Jackson and Marshawn Lynch.

The Jacksonville Jaguars defense held the trend shown by the draft so far, taking defensive tackle Tyson Alualu, California.

Jacksonville, known for his physical play has taken a huge player in the middle of the line that could bring them back into the limelight, after battling to contain the race the last two seasons.

San Francisco changed positions with Denver, and also sent his third-round pick.

The 49ers are on the clock and have decided to anchor their offensive line with Anthony Davis, the second time in three years that San Francisco making a tackle in the first round, joining Joe Staley.

Davis is scheduled to play on the right side of the line and could be instrumental in the running game in San Francisco.

Another change.

San Diego climbed 16 positions to change over Miami in the first round.

San Diego Chargers had an urgency to fill out LaDainian Tomlinson’s and have done with Ryan Mathews, Fresno State running back.

Obviously, San Diego had the need to secure a corridor and showed the change to anticipate so much for the second runner in the draft.

The Denver Broncos have re-engage in a change, to exchange positions with the Philadelphia Eagles.

With just as stellar lineman Trent Cole, the Eagles had the need to get a player who can pressure the quarterback and they got their man in Brandon Graham, Michigan defensive end.

Graham was a coveted player, leading Philadelphia to buy poara change.

The Seattle Seahawks are with their second pick of the first round.

The coach Pete Carroll has taken the 14th overall selection to Earl Thomas, Texas defensive secondary.

Thomas is a versatile player that will surely be used as a cornerback in the NFL because of his size.

It is an athletic player, aggressive and with great ability to follow the ball, a defensive anchor in Seattle.

New York Giants are about to announce his selection.

Jason Pierre-Paul, defensive end from the University of South Florida is the newest member of the New York Giants.

Compared with Jevon Kearse, Paul comes to a talented defensive line copada with Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyora. A guy can get coverage and pressuring the quarterback, is a defensive end will bring a lot in Tom Coughlin’s defense.

It’s Time for the Tennessee Titans.

The Titans are looking to supply the output of Kyle Vanden Bosch with Derrick Morgan, a player who slipped on the board, after having been projected to go in the first 10 of this draft.

Morgan specializes in going after the quarterback and will be of much help in a defense that struggled in that area in 2009.

San Francisco took the best guard available in the current draft Mike Iupati taking.

With the selection of Iupati, the focus of coach Mike Singletary is to harness the depth of the current generation on the offensive line, being the second choice in that position in the draft.

Time for Pittsburgh.

The Pittsburgh Steelers took a player who had observed consistently in central Florida, Maurkice Pouncey.

Pouncey, barely 20, is a physical player who fits perfectly into the style of play of the Steelers and is expected to address some of the problems he had Pittsburgh in that department.

Atlanta did not take long in deciding on Sean Weatherspoon, a linebacker from Missouri.

The Falcons battled their linebacking corps, perhaps the weakest position of all and the selection of Weatherspoon, automatically improved considerably.

The Houston Texans are now seeking their piece of his first trip to the playoffs.

Houston has taken Kareem Jackson, cornerback national champions, Alabama.

Jackson is a player with excellent technique, physical and knows how to tackle. It is a cornerback who covers well, but doubtful about the situation of tackle. Its strengths are deep and not playing near the line.

Good day for the Oklahoma Sooners, after Cincinnati took the best tight end available in Jermaine Gresham.

Gresham joins automatically an attack has become more explosive and vertical arrival. It represents a huge target for Carson Palmer.

Time for Denver, which changed positions with the New England Patriots.

The Broncos used their first-round pick to cover the departure of Brandon Marshall. But Marshall is not unlike another controversial host, which ruled to Dez Bryant.

Denver, instead of Bryant took Demaryius Thomas, Georgia Tech, a skilled receiver, agile and can enter the equation for the starting immediately.

Thomas is one of the most explosive players in the draft, however, a history of injuries caused to fly off the radar for a long time.

Green Bay is in charge.

The Packers got a bargain Brian Bulaga, a huge offensive tackle who will improve what was the worst offensive line catches in the NFL passer.

Bulaga start on the right side and protecting the passer as good as opening holes for running game suffered at times last season.

The Patriots are on duty. NO. Change from Dallas.

The Cowboys took Dez Bryant, the controversial and vocal Oklahoma State receiver, who now join the arsenal of Wade Phillips.

Bryant, a physical type, with large hands, but with many problems off the field, will be an important weapon in the Dallas passing game that already has Roy Williams, Miles Austin and Jason Witten.

Baltimore changed with the Denver Broncos, who continue to surprise in the draft.

And so far have been the biggest surprise, to take Tim Tebow, Florida’s famous pin.

Denver gave teams second, third and fourth rounds, to gain access to Tebow, who had an eye.

Tebow, controversial not because of his actions off the field, but by the mechanics of launching and coming collegiate program, the second pin is selected, against all odds.

Arizona has reinforced its defensive instead of giving depth to the quarterback position.

Dan Williams, a huge defensive tackle, perhaps the best nose tackle of his generation, will dumbbell Darnell Dockett to anchor a defensive line that needs improvement.

Much was expected from the selection of Arizona to take a quarterback with the departure of Kurt Warner and the question that Matt Leinart has been over his career.

Time for the Patriots, who maintained the defensive tendency to take one of the most volatile corners of his generation in the product of Rutgers, Devin McCourty.

McCourty is fast, agile and also one of the best players on special teams, could have an impact on that area of the game also.

It’s Time for Miami Dolphins, who originally had the position 12.

The Dolphins, with serious problems in their front seven, particularly after the departure of Jason Taylor, have reinforced this area.

Jared Odrick is the solution, or at least in the eyes of Bill Parcells, who has been selected in the first round.

Odrick, who could play defensive end in a 3-4 scheme, is able to dominate when covered man to man, but struggle in double coverage.

Tony Sparano has plenty of raw material and it is hoped will serve juice to a talented player, but still unpolished.

Time for the Jets, to the delight of the Radio City Music Hall.

Mark Sanchez’s team waited until the last minute waiting for some exchange offer that never came.

The hosts added to Rex Ryan Kyle Willson, a Boise State defensive secondary.

Willson is a true weapon on special teams as well as being very versatile with their coverage, is expected to be of much help in a defense full of talent and that was the best in the NFL last year.

Time for Minnesota, which changed its selection with Detroit to be chosen for the second time today.

Detroit Lions made some noise with the selection of Yahweh Best, a corridor waiting solve, or at least give depth to a position that has suffered much since Barry Sanders left long ago.

Best is an explosive runner, capable of making the big play, a pure sprinter certainly adds a new dimension to the Lions’ anemic attack.

The champions of the AFC, Indianapolis Colts, Jerry Hughes made the penultimate pick of the first round.

Hughes is an explosive type which is capable of pressuring the passer from the outside.

Hughes, as possessed of talent as anyone, he flew under the radar due to their short stature, which in the scheme of the Colts is not a problem, as exemplified by Dwight Freeney.

Drew Brees, pin champions New Orleans Saints announced the final selection of the first round.

Brees end of the first day of selections with the election of Patrick Robinson, a Florida State defensive secondary.

Robinson is a natural athlete, but is inconsistent, so it is a gamble for NFL champions, who were to strengthen its defensive secondary, especially draft for the second consecutive corners in the first round.

NFL Draft in Prime Time: Ratings up 30 Percent

The overnight ratings for the first NFL draft in prime time were up 30 percent from last year.

The overnight rating for the first-round of the draft held Thursday night at Radio City Music Hall was a combined 6.42. Coverage of last year’s draft started at 4 p.m. on a Saturday.

ESPN had a 5.47 rating, while the NFL Network posted 0.95. The overnight rating was 55 percent higher than the 2008 NFL draft.

The ratings, which measured 56 markets, represent the percentage of all households with televisions tuned into a program.

Louisville Announces Itself As Capital of Excess Thanks to the KFC Yum! Center

The city of Louisville is roughly 195 days from opening a new, previously unnamed, downtown arena that will seat 22,000 for Cardinals basketball. That name part has been taken care of as it will be known as the KFC Yum! Center. As if the name wasn’t silly enough, take a look at the artist’s rendering of how the arena will look.

Click this link for larger image

Yes, you are seeing that correctly. There will be multiple logos for Kentucky Fried Chicken, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut on this thing that looks vaguely like a PlayStation 3. Yum! Brands forked over $13.5 million for the 10 year rights deal. Why is it my mind keeps drifting to this website?

Perhaps Louisville hoops will be able to use this as a tool in recruiting. After all, that KFC Double Down sandwich has quite a bit of buzz on the web. Had they really wanted to capitalize on the hype surrounding the new KFC sandwich, they would’ve gone with this original artist’s rendering, exclusively obtained by TSB.

NCAAF; NCAAB: This Big Ten Expansion Thing Might Actually Happen, And Soon

It’s like a fire bell in the night: The Big Ten might really become the Big 14 or Big 16, and it might happen before you think.

High-ranking Big Ten representatives will meet Sunday in Washington to discuss expansion. The timing and location of the session make sense considering the Association of American Universities has its semi-annual meetings there through Tuesday and all 11 Big Ten schools are AAU members.…

If the conference can emerge from the meetings with a mandate to expand, Commissioner Jim Delany could take a substantial step next week at the annual Bowl Championship Series meetings outside Phoenix.

As laid out in the Big Ten’s Dec. 15 statement, Delany would “notify” the commissioners of the affected conferences before “engaging in formal expansion discussions with other institutions.”

…

That would allow the Big Ten more than a month to negotiate with schools before conference presidents and chancellors meet in Chicago during the first weekend in June.

That timetable also makes sense from a financial standpoint. The fiscal years of universities end on the last day of June, “so if you go past July 1, you have to wait an extra year,” one source said.

In five short months, we’ve gone from humorous scenarios and inexplicabletargets to talks that seem to be accelerating because the Big Ten wants to do something now.

Matt Hinton reads the tea leaves to mean that expansion is more or less a foregone conclusion, and that era of the superconferences is about to dawn. I’m not sure what other conclusions there are to draw, except that many rough beasts may be about to be born.

NFL: NFL needs more time to determine Roethlisberger punishment

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell joined the show to talk about the state of the NFL on draft week and where he stands on Ben Roethlisberger.

Goodell was asked if reports that he would announce his suspension today or tomorrow were true. “There may be plenty of reports. I make the decision when I”m prepared to do so,” Goodell said.

Goodell was asked if there has been a violation of the NFL’s personal conduct policy.

“Yes, there has been a violation of that,” Goodell said. “The issue here is respect to a pattern of behavior … bad judgments.”

Goodell said he needed time to review all the facts. “Obviously there is a depute about the facts that occurred that night,” Goodell said.

Here are some of Goodell’s other takes:

– Goodell still wants to add two regular-season games. “We’re thinking of flipping two preseason games and making them regular-season games,” Goodell said. “It’s in response to our fans and better for the game. We would still be staying within our 20 games.”

– Goodell said he still wants a franchise in Los Angeles, but the NFL has to settle the CBA first.

– Goodell said Tim Tebow hasn’t let him know yet if he’ll be coming to the draft. Goodell said that Jimmy Clausen called him and he’s not coming so he can spend time with his family.

NFL: Sam Bradford said he hasn’t heard from St. Louis Rams

Quarterback Sam Bradford joined the show to talk about Thursday’s draft.

Bradford said he hasn’t started negotiating with the Rams. And he wanted to clear up any notion that he doesn’t want to go to the St. Louis Rams. He said the team hasn’t called him or his agent. And reports he didn’t want to negotiate with them aren’t true.

“People out there think right now that I’ve said no or my agent has said not,” Bradford said. “That’s not the case at all.”

Bradford said that he just wants to play in the NFL and didn’t specify any teams.

Bradford, who grew up a Steelers fan, also said that his agent and family did talk to him about the Ben Roethlisberger case. And he realizes he always has to be aware people around him have camera phones.

NCAAB: What Would A CBS/Turner NCAA Tournament Presentation Look Like? Please Let It Be This

SportsBusiness Journal has a piece today breaking the news that ESPN will not increase its bid for the NCAA Tournament, which paves the way for a joint bid by CBS and Turner. Yes, it would likely be a 96-team tournament.

CBS and Turner have a 14-year deal on the table that is worth more than the $710 million annual fee that CBS would have to pay over the last three years of the existing deal, source said. No deal has been formalized, though, and the NCAA still hopes to reengage ESPN in some way.

Here is the interesting part of a CBS/Turner joint venture:

The most likely scenario would have CBS and Turner telecasting each game nationally across at least four networks: CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV. Under this scenario, Turner and CBS would carry the Final Four in alternate years.

A few things: 1. We’d get an Olympic-style telecast setup where games would be spread out over a family of networks. 2. The national title game would actually be on Turner at some point. While the second point will be shocking to some, I’d like to focus on the first and what it means to your current viewing experience.

As it stands, your options are CBS, the DirecTV NCAA Mega March Madness package and March Madness On Demand on your computer. While the On Demand service on your computer would probably still exist, its reach would be somewhat hindered by all games being broadcast across those networks. You’d still pull all of the 9-to-5ers stuck at work, but what about Saturday and Sunday. No more worrying about watching on a small computer screen if you’re without DirecTV. Just flip over to one of the other networks. (If you’re balking at truTV, and I’m guessing a few of you are, SBJ‘s John Ourand points out the network is in 92 million homes and has a widely available HD channel.)

This would almost certainly mean the death of the Mega March Madness package, an idea that DirecTV must be none-to-thrilled about facing. As it stands, there’s no mention of DTV in the SBJ story. The only remaining feature not replicated over cable or broadcast would be the mix channel with four screens at once. Could that make its way to cable as well or would that be the lone value-added product on the DirecTV side of things? Presumably, the NCAA would make up that lost DirecTV revenue in whatever sort of increase they get from CBS/Turner. Still, DirecTV has really made a name for itself by differentiating itself from the competition by being the sports fan’s haven. This would be a blow to that sales pitch.

While I’d be incredibly disappointed that the field would expand to 96 teams, it gives me at least some consolation that networks would be footing the bill for Mega March Madness across the country rather than the consumers themselves. (No, I guess that doesn’t really lessen the sting of a 96-team tourney as much as I’d hoped it would.) You know what would make up for all of that? Create the greatest two man booth ever — Gus Johnson and Conan O’Brien — pictured at the top of the post.

NCAAB; Recruiting: Selby to Kansas? That’s the sign

Point guard Baltimore, Maryland Lake Clifton AAU: Baltimore Elite Ht:6'2" Wt:183 lbs Class:2010 (High School)

Fortunately, Selby is one of a host of players planning to announce his decision Saturday at the Jordan Brand Classic. Which way is he leaning? It was difficult to believe Selby would want to attend Kentucky now that he’d be stuck alongside Knight, but then again, Calipari not only got Eric Bledsoe and John Wall to work, he landed both of them in the NBA draft. Anything was possible. But, thanks to a column on John Calipari’s recruitment by SI’s always-excellent Luke Winn, we now have a pretty good idea of where Selby isn’t going: Kentucky.

When I asked Selby for his reaction on Knight, he said, “I didn’t know that it happened. I don’t have a reaction, because it doesn’t have any effect on where I’m going.”

What he meant by it not having any effect on him is that he feels he’s good enough to earn time in any backcourt, whether it be alongside Knight or the Jayhawks’ Tyshawn Taylor. But one could sense that Selby, who’s going to announce his college choice at halftime of Saturday’s Jordan game, wasn’t too interested in Kentucky. He mentioned that while he’d spoken with Kansas coach Bill Self a few days earlier, he hadn’t spoken with Calipari in a couple of months.

I asked if I should take that as a sign. Selby said, “Yeah, that’s a sign.”

Winn’s column has a lot more to do with Calipari than Selby; the theory here is that we’re focusing a bit too much of Kentucky’s spring recruiting haul and ignoring the host of very good players — Duke recruit Kyrie Irving, for one — that will have a much larger effect on the 2010 game than will either Knight or Kentucky’s other bigtime recruit, Enes Kanter. This is true.

Here’s another question worth asking: Is John Calipari perhaps relying too much on landing really good, really high-profile, really temporary recruits? Winn quotes Cal lamenting what would have happened if he could have kept this year’s team for three years. Bummer, right? There’s not much you can do except recruit the best players and hope they stay for more than eight months. But part of building a program is in finding those Robert Dozier anchor types — guys that are really good and can start for your elite team but that aren’t going to leave for the NBA after one year. Calipari has build those teams before. He hasn’t had enough time at Kentucky, but no doubt he’s working on it.

Anyway, rambling thoughts aside, Josh Selby appears headed to Kansas. At the very least, he won’t be forming Bledsoe-Wall 2.0 in Kentucky’s backcourt anytime soon. And so the dominoes continue to fall.

Selby said his mother, Maeshon Witherspoon, already has a strong opinion on the matter.

“I think my mom knows where she wants me to go, so she knows. But I just want to sit down by myself and think about it,” he said.

Point guard Brandon Knight of Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Pine Crest announced Wednesday that he will attend Kentucky, but Selby said that decision would not necessarily impact his.

“I didn’t wait for him to commit,” Selby said. “I was going to commit here. I wasn’t waiting for Brandon to commit, Cory [Joseph] to commit because it don’t have [any] effect on which school I want to go to.”

more about “Josh Selby“, posted with vodpod

NCAAB; Recruiting: DORON LAMB HEADED TO KENTUCKY

Shooting guard Mouth of Wilson, Virginia Oak Hill Academy AAU: New York Gauchos Ht:6'4" Wt:175 lbs Class:2010 (High School)

If you missed it on National Signing Day, John Calipari is rebuilding another monster at Kentucky. Right after five of his underclassmen went pro, he immediately landed Brandon Knight, the top senior PG in the country, and Michael Gilchrist, maybe the top player period in the 2011 junior class. In addition to them, Calipari has two blue chip commits in swingman Stacey Poole and Turkish big man Enes Kanter. It’s time to add one more. While All-American senior shooting guard Doron Lamb is formally announcing his decision tomorrow at the Jordan Brand Classic, we already know what it’s going to be. Doron Lamb is headed to Kentucky.

Choosing Kentucky over finalists Kansas, UConn, Arizona and West Virginia, we have confirmation from multiple sources that Lamb’s decision came down to the Wildcats and the Jayhawks, with him ultimately choosing to play next season in Lexington.

“I have a top five of Arizona, UConn, Kansas, Kentucky and West Virginia,” Lamb said.

But Doron said St. John’s came in “too late” to be considered.

After the former Bishop Loughlin (Brooklyn, N.Y.) standout spent the last two seasons at Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.), the New York native is making the right decision to head to Kentucky. Calipari, along with assistants Rod Strickland and Orlando Antigua, are new York guys, and Strickland is also an Oak Hill alumnus. The three of them paid a visit to Lamb at school last week and also met with his parents in New York.

At 6-4, 185 pounds, Lamb will fit in perfectly alongside Knight in the backcourt – akin to Eric Bledsoe playing alongside John Wall. And depending on where the chips fall, he could also be playing with explosive guard Josh Selby, who will also be announcing his decision tomorrow at the Jordan Brand Classic.

“I don’t even know, man. I think it’s too late,” he said. “They tried to reach out to me at Oak Hill. They talked to my parents, but I don’t know what happened with them. I think it’s too late.”

A Queens, N.Y. native, Lamb won MVP honors last August at the Boost Mobile Elite 24 game at the Gauchos Gym and hopes to have a similar performance on Saturday.

“Every time I play in New York City in an All-Star Game I always have a good game so I hope I have a good game this Saturday coming up,” he said. “I just want to play in front of my family and friends for the last time in a high school game.”

more about “Doron Lamb“, posted with vodpod

NCAAF: NCAA bans wedge blocks, eye black with messages

On Thursday, the NCAA’s Playing Rules Oversight Panel approved the three rules changes.

One year after the NFL banned wedge blocking on kickoffs because of safety concerns, the NCAA followed the lead. The new rule says that when the team receiving a kickoff has more than two players standing within two yards of one another, shoulder to shoulder, it will be assessed a 15-yard penalty — even if there is no contact between the teams.

The reason: NCAA studies have shown that 20 percent of all injuries occurring on kickoffs result in concussions.

“Everybody is looking to make sure we have a safe environment for the players,” said Grant Teaff, executive director of the American Football Coaches Association. “On kickoffs, you have a lot of steam on both sides and you usually have what is called a ‘wedge buster.’ This will eliminate some of that.”

The hope is it will reduce concussions, an issue that has received greater attention over the past year.

The NCAA deemed it so important that it made a rare rules change in an off-year of the normal 2-year process.

But it’s the taunting rule that will create the biggest buzz.

Currently, players who are penalized for taunting on their way to the end zone draw a 15-yard penalty on the extra point attempt, 2-point conversion attempt or the ensuing kickoff.

Beginning in 2011, live-ball penalties will be assessed from the spot of the foul and eliminate the score. Examples include players finishing touchdown runs by high-stepping into the end zone or pointing the ball toward an opponent.

Celebration penalties following a score will continue to be assessed on conversion attempts or the ensuing kickoff.

“I think one of the reasons it’s been looked at is that when a penalty occurs on the field, it’s normally taken from the spot,” Teaff said. “This was the only occurrence that it wasn’t taken from the spot, so they wanted to change that.”

Taunting has caused an annual debate among college football players, coaches and fans, and last season’s big controversy stemmed from Georgia receiver A.J. Green receiving a 15-year personal foul penalty after he caught a go-ahead touchdown pass late in a game against LSU.

The yardage from the penalty was assessed on the kickoff and helped LSU get into position to drive for the winning score. Southeastern Conference officials said later that there was no video evidence to support the flag on Green.

A third change bans the use of eye black containing symbols or messages, a trend that grew in popularity because of the use by Heisman Trophy winners Reggie Bush and Tim Tebow.

The rules committee also approved a change for new soccer fields. Those fields can be 70 to 75 yards wide and 115 to 120 yards long. All fields in current use have been approved and will not be required to change.

INDIANAPOLIS — Eye black with messages and wedge blocks will be banned from college football this fall, and taunting in the field of play will start costing teams points in 2011.

NCAAB: The 96-Team Bracket Will Kill The Tournament’s Opening Days

I wish the headline was a bit of personal hyperbole, but I don’t know how else I can really react to seeing this atrocity to the right. (Click here to see Joe Lunardi’s first pass at a full 96-team bracket.)

I don’t want to overreact and say the NCAA Tournament as a whole will be ruined by such a bracket, but I can say this: the first days will be destroyed. Check out some of these outstanding matchups in one region alone. Alabama-Iowa State, ODU-Morgan State, Gonzaga-Ohio, Arizona State-Saint Louis, New Mexico-Pacific, Murray State-Virginia, Virginia Tech-Coastal Carolina, Michigan-Texas Tech. These are the kind of middling games most fans skip if there’s good scripted TV on in the middle of February, not the kind of games you skip two days of work for.

In this scenario, the first round has been reduced to NIT scraps and low-major conference winners. I remember our own Dan Shanoff lamenting that the only thing stopping people from caring about NIT games was the fact that they weren’t called NCAA games. After looking at these games, I could not disagree more. My Give-A-Damn meter isn’t even making the faintest blip for any game in the first round that doesn’t involve my alma mater. After an entire season of trying to watch the best teams rise to the top, I don’t want to sit through another two days of games featuring teams that never quite got it together.

Don’t get me wrong; there are good game starting in the second round, you know, that traditional round of 64. It will be sad when they likely announce 96-team tournament expansion on April 29 and I’m forced to not really care about the first two days of the NCAA Tournament.

Dallas Suburbs to Become Collection of Massive Stadiums

The suburban fringe of Dallas is already home to the most expensive stadium in the NFL, so why not add another outsize structure to serve on the high school level of the game? A proposal discussed for years to build a nearly $60 million stadium in the fast-growing suburb of Allen, who’s high school team is a powerhouse in the high-school-football-crazed state of Texas and ranks among the best in the nation, passed not long ago, with construction ready to begin soon.

Their current stadium holds 7,000, hardly enough to accommodate the teeming crowds. Last year, the team played at game at the new Cowboys Stadium before an attendance of 50,000. It was clear that the team could use an update of the venue they had been using since the ’70s, one built long before the surrounding area experienced a rapid population growth.

Next month in the booming north Dallas suburb, ground will be broken on a state-of-the-art, 18,000-seat facility that will feature two decks, a video scoreboard, four concession stands and 12 restrooms. It is scheduled to open in the fall of 2012.

To assuage those who will decry the misplaced priorities that awards that much money to the construction of a football stadium, planners point out that the stadium was part of a much larger bond package that will also lead to the creation of a new performing arts auditorium, new elementary schools, more school buses and various other educational improvement. Not to mention that the high school is one of the largest in the state and the only one in that particular district. So perhaps some of that excess was actually needed.

NCAAM: Is Reebok Hitching Its Future on John Wall?

Yahoo! has a story today that likely No. 1 pick John Wall could be joining LeBron James’ marketing firm. Now the my angle: deep in the story, there’s a mention about a potential shoe deal that is likely to send a few shockwaves. First, the details:

In the short term, they’ll be negotiating a sneaker deal that promises to invigorate a stagnant market for young players. Reebok is banking that Wall can be its product’s face with the demise of Allen Iverson, and multiple sources say the company’s prepared an offer that could be worth $3 million-$4 million annually. Here’s the test for LRMR: Does it have the chops to get Wall more than the traditional shoe deal?“Wall isn’t going to be LeBron, but he’s the most-hyped player to come since him,” a rival sneaker industry official said. “And, sometimes, hype is just as important as talent.”

Shock No. 1: They’re still giving out shoe deals worth this much? The last few years made it seem like shoe deals had really dried up. Shelling out that much for John Wall would be a big change of course. Judging from Darren Rovell’s tweet, it would be risky.

Shock No. 2: LeBron is going to let Wall be a part of Reebok? Wall has been a Nike guy for a bit now. He wore Hyperdunks at Word of God in high school. He switched between Hyperdunks, Hyperizes and LeBron VIIs at Kentucky this season. Now, ultimately there’s probably some division of labor. LeBron, the person, would probably love to have Wall rocking his kicks in the NBA, but LeBron, the business man who runs a marketing firm, has a responsibility to get Wall the best deal possible.

I can’t imagine Nike would pay marquee dollars to Wall. It’s not like they’re at a loss for big hoops endorsers. But Reebok? They could use Wall. Still, it’d be strange to see a Wall sneaker deal brokered by LeBron’s marketing firm with anyone other than Nike. Oh, and let’s not forget that Reebok reportedly offered LeBron more money than any other company coming out of high school, but he spurned them.

All I’m saying is this: If Reebok does spend big bucks on Wall, the first order of business should be getting him in some sort of viral video where he jumps over the EasyTone girl and dunks. I’ll wait for my check, Reebok.

NCAAM: Recruiting: McCallum, B. Knight, Zeigler to announce Wed. (4/14)

Ray McCallum, Trey Zeigler, & Brandon Knight to Announce their Commitment on ESPNU Signing Day Special

Trey Zeigler

Shooting guard Mount Pleasant, Michigan Mount Pleasant Ht:6'4" Wt:185 lbs Class:2010 (High School)

Mt. Pleasant High School senior basketball star Trey Zeigler announced via Twitter on Tuesday that he will announce his college basketball plans on Wednesday live on ESPNU.

The time of his announcement is expected to be around 4:45 p.m. and will coincide with the network’s coverage of National Signing Day for college basketball.

Along with his television announcement, Zeigler will hold a press conference on Thursday at 9 a.m. from Mt. Pleasant High School to sign his Letter of Intent and make things official.

Zeigler has left five schools as possible destinations. Those schools are Central Michigan, Michigan State, Michigan, UCLA, and Arizona State.

Rivals.com ranks Zeigler as the 26th best prospect in the country for this year’s recruiting class and he is ranked the fourth best shooting guar in the country for this class.

Mt. Pleasant guard Trey Zeigler, one of the nation’s top uncommitted basketball players, will play his college basketball at Central Michigan, the Mt. Pleasant Morning Sun and thewolverine.com reported today, citing unnamed sources.

Ray McCallum

Point guard Detroit, Michigan Country Day AAU: Team Detroit Ht:6'1" Wt:175 lbs Class:2010 (High School

Detroit Country Day School point guard Ray McCallum Jr., recruited by Arizona, Detoit Mercy, UCLA and Florida, will announce his decision Wednesday at 1 p.m., Tucson time, on ESPNU.

Most believe he will choose between Arizona and Detroit. Ray McCallum Sr. is the coach at Detroit and there is a high possibility that he’ll sign on to play with his father.

Brandon Knight

One of the best-kept secrets in high school basketball will be revealed Wednesday.

Pine Crest senior Brandon Knight will finally sign a college letter-of-intent live on ESPNU’s Signing Day Special Wednesday at 4 p.m. at the Pine Crest Auditorium.

It’s expected Knight will sign with either Connecticut, Florida, Kansas, Kentucky or Syracuse.

Point guard Ft Lauderdale, Florida Pine Crest AAU: Team STAT & Southeast Elite Ht:6'3" Wt:185 lbs Class:2010 (High School)

He finished his career as Broward County’s leading scorer with 3,515 career points — second in Florida history behind Cape Coral Mariner’s Teddy Dupay’s 3,744.

Knight, who averaged a career-best 31.9 points, 8.6 rebounds and 3.9 assists this past season, is a finalist for Gatorade’s Male High School Athlete of the Year award, which will be presented in July prior to the ESPY Awards.

NCAAM: Recruiting: St. John’s Reaches out to Doron Lamb

ZAGSBLOG first reported during the Final Fourthat St. John’s coach Steve Lavin would reach out to Oak Hill Academy guard Doron Lamb and now it has come to pass.

Calvin Lamb, Doron’s father, said Lavin called him shortly before 3 p.m. Tuesday to express interest in Lamb, the 6-foot-4 shooting guard ranked among the top five nationally in the Class of 2010.

“I just got off the phone with Coach Lavin like five minutes ago,” Calvin said

He just talked about the style of play that Doron could come in and start and be a floor general and be a good fit with the nine seniors that they have. He could be the one player that could get them over the hump to the NCAA tournament.”

Calvin said no meeting with Lavin had been set and that he had to huddle with Doron before making any future plans.

“I gotta talk to my son,” he said.

Lamb, a Queens, N.Y. native, originally said he would announce his college choice Saturday at the Jordan Brand Classic in New York and would choose from among Kentucky, Kansas, Arizona, UConn and West Virginia.

“This morning Ron and his father asked for their official release from St. John’s,” St. Peter’s Prep coach Mike Kelly said. “That was subsequent to a meeting [Monday] night with the coaching staff at St Peter’s Prep and his family. We were concerned that St. John’s coaching staff had no familiarity with Ron and it was in our best interest to move on.”

NBA: Review – No Crossover: The Trial of Allen Iverson

Since the day the 30 for 30 series was announced, this was the film I’d been waiting for. How could it not be great? Steve James — most famous for Hoop Dreams — returns to his Virginia roots to look at the trial of Allen Iverson. (The trailer for the film is embedded below).

I suspect many basketball fans in their 20s — like me — only knew the fuzzy edges of the Iverson story. Something happened in a bowling alley, he went away for a while, but wound up playing at Georgetown, went on to be the No. 1 pick and it was all kind of history. To know those fuzzy edges is only to grasp a very small part of the story.

The Iverson story is really one about an entire community divided along racial lines. In many ways, it has less to do with Iverson than the people surrounding him on all sides. That’s why, to some degree, it’s appropriate that Allen Iverson didn’t even agree to be interviewed for the film. This thing clocks in at roughly 90 minutes as is, so how would a long sit-down interview with Iverson influence the length, the cuts and the content as a whole? (James went on Bill Simmons’ 30 for 30 podcast and, among other things, discussed that topic. He also spent a great deal of time on the back end of the podcast talking about Hoop Dreams. It’s a good listen and you can check it out on iTunes through this link.)

Listening to the interviews about the incident, the arrest and everything else in the film, sometimes you’re left to wonder whether the people in the film are even talking about the same events. While much of the white community — most often associated with Hampton High — wanted a strict letter-of-the-law ruling — the Bethel crowd — mostly black — wanted to be assured Iverson would get a fair trial. Whether that happened doesn’t even really appear up for debate. Why, as a 17-year-old, was Iverson charged as an adult in this incident? There was certainly a perception about Iverson, that he could get away with things like missing school or running with a certain crowd, but he didn’t have a criminal record. So why was he not only charged as an adult, but also denied bail? Sure, eventually the conviction was overturned, by if you go through that kind of thing as a 17-year-old, you’ve been changed. Conspiracy theories abound about why this happened, but I don’t want to spell those all out in this space, because they range from absurd to believable, so I’d rather not color your judgment with my own.

Eric Freeman is spending some time today on The Baseline talking about Hampton and the community, so I don’t want to steal too much of his thunder on that front. But this really isn’t a film about basketball or Iverson’s athletic exploits, so don’t go in expecting that. That isn’t to say there isn’t some great vintage Iverson footage. In addition to some of the football footage you’ve seen on YouTube, you also get some footage of Iverson on the basketball court at Bethel. The best footage in the film of a young Iverson isn’t in football or basketball, but rather him receiving his degree in a small, private ceremony among family and friends. I’m not sure that’s an Iverson a lot of people know or have ever seen.

The other component to the film is Steve James’ relationship with the Hampton community, where he played high school ball. (He notes he came up just a weebit short of Iverson’s high school accolades.) Even James, someone with a line into the community, had a hard time getting people to speak with him. You could understand Iverson’s reluctance to be involved, particularly given what he’s reportedly been going through off the court, but blacks on Iverson’s side and his white accusers almost unanimously turned down opportunities to throw in their two cents. Even though it’s been 17 years, perhaps there was a concern that putting all of it back out there on the table again would ignite racial fires that took years to douse when they first started.

No Crossover: The Trial of Allen Iverson airs tonight at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN. Also, head over to The Baseline and read Eric Freeman’s thoughts on the film

NCAAF: Recruiting: Cats Get Start on 2011 Class Transfer joins football team along with mid-year juco signees…

The Arizona football recruiting class of 2011 got off to an early start when noted Big 12 receiver Dan Buckner transferred for the spring term and is enrolling in classes this week.

Buckner, 6-foot-4, 215 pounds, caught 49 passes in his first two years at the University of Texas.

An Allen. Texas, High School product who earned a starting nod in the 2008 U.S. Army All-American Bowl, he played as a true freshman for the Longhorns in 2008 and started seven contests in 2009. He has 26 games’ playing experience, with 526 receiving yards and six touchdown receptions.

Buckner will have to sit out the 2010 season and will have two years of eligibility beginning in 2011.

Meantime, UA’s initial 2010 newcomers, mid-year junior college transfers Derek Earl and Paul Vassallo, both linebackers, are settling into the off-season conditioning program and readying for their first spring when both are expected to push for starting roles. UA lost all three starting linebackers to graduation - Xavier Kelley, Vuna Tuihalamaka and Sterling Lewis.

Earls and Vassallo signed letters of intent in the December signing period. UA will sign its full 2010 class Feb. 3.

“Derek and Paul should be key for us in 2010 as we transition under new defensive coordinators Tim Kish and Greg Brown. They appear to be physically ready for Pac-10 play and we’ll get a quick look in spring ball,” said Coach Mike Stoops.

“Dan’s a proven player who will help us, and we’re glad to bring him into the program,” Stoops said. “His championship experience is something we can count on.“

Derek Earls – Linebacker – 6-3, 230, Junior – Waconia, Minn. (North Dakota State College)

Outside linebacker Wahpeton, North Dakota North Dakota State College of Science Ht:6'4

Enrolled at Arizona in January… First-team NJCAA honors as sophomore… First-team All-Midwestern Conference both years… SuperPrep Juco 100… Two-time MFC-West first-team all-region… 108 tackles, among Region 13 leaders, including 14 for losses, a sack and a forced fumble in 2009… 96 tackles as a junior, with 10 TFL and two sacks… Earned JCFootball.com preseason All-American defense second team entering his final juco year… Minneapolis Star-Tribune All-Metro RB/LB as a Waconia High School senior… Minnesota High School All-Star Football Game June 2008… 2007 AP All-State second-team honors as running back… Recruited by UA coach Tim Kish…

Paul Vassallo – Linebacker – 6-3, 240, Junior – Reno, Nev. (Sierra Community College)

Enrolled at Arizona in January… SuperPrep Juco 100… JCFootball preseason juco All-America… Missed seven 2009 games after a concussion, playing in four games and netting 16 tackles…

Outside linebacker Roseville, California Sierra C.C. Ht:6'3" Wt:230 lbs 40:4.65 secs Bench Max:320 Class:2010 (Junior College - Dec Grad)

Began at Nevada redshirting as a true freshman in 2007 but transferred to Sierra College in Rocklin, Calif. .. Recorded 87 tackles and 14 1/2 sacks and forcing five fumbles in his first season in 2008, All-Valley Conference first-team honors and all-California juco honors… Had three-sack game to earn J.C.Gridwire northern California player of the week honor in Sept. 2008… Prepped at Bishop Manogue High School in Reno… Team captain senior year… Second-team all-state as linebacker… Caught 11 passes for 157 yards and two TD in 2006 as a tight end, with 72 tackles, four sacks and two interceptions… Son of Pamela and the late Ben Vassallo… Born in Reno… Recruited by coach Jeff Hammerschmidt...

Dan Bucker – Receiver – 6-4, 215, Junior – Allen, Texas (Allen/Texas)

Transfer from the University of Texas who enrolled in January 2010 and will have to sit out a season… Will compete in spring 2010 ball for the Cats… University of Texas letterman 2008-09… Appeared in 26 games at UT, catching 50 passes for 526 yards and six touchdowns in his career… Seven starts in 2009, with 45 grabs for 442 yards and four scores… Played in 12 games as true freshman in 2008, catching five passes for 84 yards and two scores… Enrolled at UT in January ’08… Member of UT’s Athletics Director’s Honor Roll in spring 2009… Career high three times: 6-86 receiving and a career-long 36-yard TD at Wyoming, matched high with 6-75 and a TD vs. Texas Tech, and 6-71 vs UTEP with career-best two TDs… Allen, Texas, High School, 2008… First-team 5A all-state selection by The Associated Press and the Texas Sports Writers Association as a senior … First-team All-District 9-5A and all-area … Started in the 2008 U.S. Army All-America Bowl and tallied three catches for 28 yards, including a nine-yard TD … First-team member of Dave Campbell’s Super Team … Three-year letterman and starter at wide receiver who helped his team to a 23-3 record over his last two seasons … Posted 2,511 yards on 146 receptions (17.2 ypc) and 33 TDs during his career … Helped lead the Allen Eagles to a 10-1 record and a second-straight district title by pulling in 53 receptions for 1,012 yards (19.1 ypc) and 17 TDs as a senior… .First-team all-district 9-5A and all-area honors as a junior … had 72 catches for 1,154 yards (16.0 ypc) and 13 TDs, while helping his team to the district championship and a 13-2 season … Second-team all-district as a sophomore … recorded 21 receptions for 345 yards (16.4 ypc) and three TDs … also participated in basketball as a freshman and sophomore…

MLB: Angels send Matthews, cash to Mets

NEW YORK – Gary Matthews Jr. was traded from the Los Angeles Angels to the New York Mets on Friday for right-hander Brian Stokes.

Matthews hit .313 with 19 homers and 79 RBIs for Texas in 2006, when he made the AL All-Star team, then signed the big deal with the Angels that turned out to be the worst contract in the team’s history.

He slumped to a .252 average with 18 homers and 72 RBIs during his first season in Anaheim, then lost his center field job when the Angels signed Torii Hunter.

Matthews, who also endured some knee problems in Anaheim, had just 46 RBIs in 2008 and 50 last year, when he started 80 games. Now 35, he is the son of Gary Matthews, the 1973 NL Rookie of the Year.

Matthews expressed a desire to be traded last spring, and reiterated that request this offseason. Sources said that trading Matthews was a major priority for general manager Tony Reagins this winter.

SI.com reported in February 2007 that Matthews was sent human growth hormone by Applied Pharmacy in August 2004, an accusation Matthews denied. Major League Baseball concluded there was insufficient evidence to discipline him.

The 30-year-old Stokes was 2-4 with a 3.97 ERA last season, setting career highs for games (69) and innings (70 1-3). He spent the last two seasons with the Mets after making his big league debut for Tampa Bay.

With Matthews’ departure, the Angels still have Hunter, Bobby Abreu and Juan Rivera in the outfield, with Reggie Willits in reserve.

Hideki Matsui, who signed a one-year deal to be the Angels’ principal designated hitter, has said he would like to play some outfield this season after knee problems limited him to the DH role with the Yankees.

@import url(http://www.google.com/cse/api/branding.css);

Custom Search

NCAAM: Kentucky’s Calipari says he wants Wall to go pro if he’s No. 1

Kentucky coachJohn Caliparijoined the show to talk about his 18-0 start and more.

Calipari said several interesting things, including a very frank comment on freshman star John Wall. Calipari said he hopes Wall isn’t around for more than one year.

“If he came to me and said he was the No. 1 pick in the draft, and he wanted to come back, we’d probably be wrestling on the floor,” Calipari said.

Calipari said that he doesn’t advise most of his players to go early to the NBA, but Wall is an exception because he could go so high.

Coach Calipari came on when the Wildcats were 8-0 and said they should be 4-4. Dan asked what their record should be now.

“We’re 10-8,” Calipari said.

Calipari pointed to several games Kentucky could have lost. “We’re lucky we’re alive right now,” Calipari said.

Calipari said he told his team to practice like they’re 0-2, not undefeated. Calipari said that if you get confident, and don’t go for loose balls the same way.

Dan and Calipari talked about how intense coaching at Kentucky is. “This isn’t a 20-year run,” Calipari said.

Calipari said he doesn’t think he’ll have any trouble walking away from the job.

“If I’m still coaching after 10 years something happened. Something drastic,” Calipari said. “They’re not going to have on my tombstone how many wins I had.”

Calipari also had interesting comments on what it meant to leave Memphis in light of someone like Lane Kiffin leaving after one year at Tennessee. Calipari said he basically left his blood on the floor in Memphis. He gave everything he had.

Calipari said that college coaching is always going to be like that, unless they start putting in clauses that coaches can’t talk to other schools when they’re under contract.

Calipari also said that schools fire coaches — and sometimes they don’t pay them. Calipari said that Kentucky didn’t want to pay “the guy who left before him” (Billy Gillespie).

Calipari also talked about Hoops for Haiti and how he’s raising money to help relief efforts. He talked about auctioning off a dinner with him, his wife and Ashley Judd. He admitted people bid a lot for Judd, not him.

NFL: Report: Cowboys to Retain Wade Phillips

Despite an embarrassing 34-3 playoff loss in Minnesota Sunday, the Cowboys will reportedly bring Wade Phillips back for his fourth season as the team’s head coach.

ESPN’s Ed Werder, citing a high-ranking Dallas team source, reported Monday that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones plans to retain Phillips, whose contract includes a team-option year for the 2010 season.

Phillips’ fate has been up in the air all year, as Jones has opted not to offer him an extension. The Dallas owner has, however, voiced his support for Phillips on multiple occasions during the season — one in which Dallas finished 11-5, won the NFC East (for the second time in Phillips’ three years) and beat Philadelphia in a wild-card round playoff game.

“I really don’t know how you can sit here and make a change with the winningest-percentage coach that we’ve had in the history of the Cowboys,” Jones told reporters after Dallas’ Week 17 division-clinching win over Philadelphia.

Phillips is 33-15 in three years as Dallas’ head coach and 1-2 in the playoffs. For his NFL head coaching career, Phillips holds an 81-54 record — he has coached Denver, Buffalo and Dallas, in addition to brief in-season stints with New Orleans and Atlanta.

Dallas’ opening-round win over Philadelphia was Phillips’ first career postseason win. Following Sunday’s loss at Minnesota, he’s 1-5 all-time in the playoffs.

“It’s like the elevator falling from the top. It’s tough when it’s over,” Phillips said following Dallas’ season-ending defeat. “If you don’t win it all, you have not reached your goal.“

For now, it appears that Phillips will get at least one more shot to get Dallas over the top.

MLB: New York Mets, Scott Boras still bickering about Carlos Beltran’s surgery

No one seems willing to put aside the flap between the Mets and Carlos Beltran following the center fielder’s arthroscopic surgery last week. Perhaps the air is notso clear after all between the two sides, and bruised feelings linger.

Two days ago, GM Omar Minaya said the Mets have a “good relationship” with Beltran and weren’t unhappy with him, but with “the process” that led to the operation and not getting a chance to get an additional opinion on the diagnosis made by Beltran’s personal physician. Yesterday, Beltran’s agent, Scott Boras, said he wanted to “define the process.”

“This is an internal issue (for the Mets),” Boras said. “Carlos Beltran was not at fault. He followed the orders of the Met doctor, who told (Beltran’s doctor) to go ahead with the surgery (Wednesday morning).”

Boras said that Beltran’s physician, Dr. Richard Steadman, called Mets physician Dr. David Altchek on Tuesday afternoon and, “after hearing Steadman’s diagnosis, Altchek gave the OK.

“If Altchek and the Mets didn’t want the surgery and the Mets didn’t want the surgery, Altchek had the authority and control to direct Steadman not to do it.”

Boras noted that Beltran had called Minaya on Tuesday night to tell him about the surgery, and Minaya did not put the brakes on the operation.

“Omar spoke to Carlos after Dr. Altcheck made his decision and if the Mets chose to stop what Dr. Altcheck initiated, they had every opportunity to tell Carlos during that conversation or anytime that evening,” Boras said. “Altchek’s decision to proceed was the correct one as Steadman found 20-30 cartilage fragments in the knee and now Carlos has a chance to return early in the season.

“Without doing that, he may have been lost to the Mets for a substantial part of the season. Altchek did his job well. And Carlos is a dutiful employee.“

Minaya didn’t disagree with that assertion – “We have talked about this enough. As we’ve said, we have no issues with Carlos or the doctors. Our focus is getting Carlos back on the field,” he said in an e-mail – but the club’s actions tell a different story.

The Mets sent a letter to Boras outlining their unhappiness with what they maintain was a break in protocol, in order to reserve any legal rights they may have regarding Beltran’s contract. The Mets also have contacted Major League Baseball to discuss options, but the Players Association said last week the Mets have “no basis to assert Carlos Beltran violated his contract.”

It seems unlikely anything would happen with Beltran on the mend. He is supposed to resume baseball activity in 12 weeks. “His rehab is going well and he’s feeling very good about his prognosis to return to play,” Boras said.

MLB: Frank McCourt says divorce won’t affect Dodgers

The Dodgers have stayed on the sidelines of the free-agent market this winter and their season-ticket sales are down, but owner Frank McCourt said Friday that the fans he has spoken to stand firmly behind the team.

“I talk to fans too,” McCourt said in his first interview with The Times since it became public that he and his wife and former club president, Jamie McCourt, planned to divorce. “They’re very excited about the team. They’re very supportive of what we’re doing.”

McCourt declared the Dodgers are “headed in the right direction,” pointing to how they have reached the postseason in four of the last six seasons and settled on an organizational philosophy of building around a group of homegrown players.

“We’re going to do what it takes to put a winning team on the field,” he said. “We’re going to do that a smart way. We might not do it the way other people have done it. We’re going to do it our way.”

McCourt said that his team’s lack of activity in the free-agent market should not be interpreted as a sign that his team is facing financial difficulties as a result of his personal situation.

“My divorce has no bearing on the club whatsoever,” he said.

McCourt said the Dodgers will return a majority of the team that reached the National League Championship Series last season, and added, “We’re not through the off-season yet.“

McCourt was not specific on how much financial latitude General Manager Ned Colletti would have to sign players before the start of spring training next month. Jamey Carroll, who signed a two-year, $3.85-million deal last month, is the only free agent the Dodgers have signed to a major league contract this winter.

Alluding to recent high-priced free-agent signings such as Andruw Jones and Jason Schmidt who didn’t work out, McCourt cautioned that spending large amounts of money on players does not necessarily translate into victories.

“I’ve learned the hard way it’s not that easy,” he said.

So if the Dodgers cut their spending on free agents, does that mean they will allocate their resources elsewhere?

“I’m not going to get into a conversation with you on how we spend our resources,” McCourt said.

Kemp, Billingsley avoid arbitration

The Dodgers avoided salary arbitration with center fielder Matt Kemp and pitcher Chad Billingsley by agreeing to new deals.

Kemp was signed to a two-year, $10.95-million contract that buys him out of his first two years of arbitration. Kemp will earn $4 million this year.

Billingsley signed a one-year, $3.85-million contract.

In addition to Kemp, the Dodgers are looking to sign arbitration-eligible players such as Andre Ethier, Jonathan Broxton and James Loney to multiyear deals.

Loney’s agent, Joe Urbon, said his client is focused on signing a one-year deal.

Ethier, Broxton, Loney, Russell Martin, George Sherrill and Hong-Chih Kuo filed for arbitration Friday. They will trade salary figures with the Dodgers on Tuesday unless they agree to deals before then.

LA to Scout Sheets

The Dodgers are among the teams that will scout pitcher Ben Sheetswhen he works out for interested teams Tuesday, according to a club official who asked that their name not be used because they were not authorized to speak on this topic. Sheets, who missed the entire 2009 season because of elbow surgery, is believed to be asking for a contract worth $10 million a season. Sheets spent eight years with the Milwaukee Brewers before his latest injury.

NBA: For Amar’e, Suns Tenure Could Go Either Way

The agent for Amar’e Stoudemire, Happy Walters, will meet with Suns management soon to begin discussing a potential extension for the high-octane forward, reports Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. The assumption from both outside and apparently inside is that the Suns and Stoudemire don’t have the same dollar figure in mind, and that could lead to the Suns thinking trade before the league’s February trade deadline.

Coro suggests Amar’e is looking for Pau Gasol, near max contract money. (Gasol recently signed an extension worth $57 million for three years during the Laker’s 30s.) The Suns have been so hot-and-cold on Amar’e that it’s almost assured that pricetag is too high. The gamble at that point is in betting that a free agent market focused on the ultra-stars this summer will leave Amar’e in a pickle, and will leave Phoenix open to bidding closer to their price come July. The flip side of that bet is that the team could lose its No. 2 player and No. 2 asset for nothing.

And while Coro comes off as pessimistic as to whether the trade offers which will come in February will be enough to entice Phoenix, I have no doubt they can only improve. By all accounts, Stoudemire’s defense is still problematic. But his rebounding has improved dramatically over last season’s rough campaign (he’s back to his career standard) and his scoring is still ultra-efficient. He’s a real catch, with less of the mitigating issues which sunk his value last season.

Pending Chris Bosh movement, Amar’e could also be the best chance for a non-2010 bonanza team to slip in and make a massive upgrade. Phoenix will obviously want talent in order to give up such a solid asset, but expiring contracts could also help the Suns become a minor player in this summer’s free agency. The Suns are on pace to have a payroll of $45 million if you don’t count Stoudemire’s certain-to-be-declined player option. The salary cap for 2010-11 is expected to fall somewhere around $55 million.

The question will be (should it come to this) just how much talent Phoenix wants to get back. I suppose that goes without saying, but after last year’s odd flirtation with trading Amar’e, it deserves to be mentioned.

NBA: Marbury to China

NEW YORK – Stephon Marburywill play professional basketball again.

In China.

The two-time NBA-All Star has agreed to play in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) with China’s Shanxi Club, according to a Reuters report.

Marbury, 32, hasn’t played since leaving the Boston Celtics after last year. The Shanxi team website (www.sxcba.com) said Marbury would arrive sometime next week.

“The aim of signing Marbury is to pay back our fans and try to win more games in the rest of the season,” Shanxi boss Wang Xingjiang said on the team’s website.

Wang also said that Marbury wanted to promote his “Starbury” shoes in China, the world’s most populated nation.

Former NBA player Bonzi Wells played for Shanxi last season, scoring 50 points in a game. But Wells did not return to the team after a holiday break in January.

“It was a big cultural shock to me for the first few weeks,” Wells said, according to Agence France Presse.

“Since I have been here it has been all business and I haven’t had any fun yet, so I am looking for some fun.”

Shanxi is currently 15th in the 17-team league and the arrival of Marbury is expected to boost ticket sales and the team’s prospects of making the postseason.

Marbury’s Twitter feed makes no specific mention of the China deal, but he did say, “I have some things that are brewing.”

MLB: Yankees unlikely to re-sign Damon

The Yankees have signed lefty reliever Royce Ring and outfielders Reid Gorecki and David Winfree to minor-league contracts. Meanwhile, their chances to re-sign Johnny Damon remained remote

The Yankees are telling agents they only have $2 million, at most, to spend on a left fielder. They figure Damon, even in a diminishing market, never would drop his demands that low.

The Yanks being the Yanks, of course, could always just create extra money in the budget as they did last year when GM Brian Cashman successfully lobbied Hal Steinbrenner to add Andy Pettitte’s $5.5 million base plus makeable incentives to the payroll.

Yankees management, however, clearly felt the the team needed Pettitte far more for the 2009 season than it needs Damon for 2010.

In addition, the Yanks were feeling a level of desperation last off-season having failed to qualify for the playoffs in 2008 and with a new stadium about to open in 2009.

After having won the World Series, ownership is not quite as compelled to blow up the budget again.

Hal Steinbrenner, after all, has shown a much greater willingness to hold to some financial guidelines than his father, George, did. For example, The Post has learned, the Yanks had a completed trade last July with Milwaukee for Mike Cameron, pending ownership’s blessing to take on the money. But Hal Steinbrenner refused to add the approximately $5.5 million in salary and luxury tax it would have cost for the rest of the season, so the deal was scrapped.

So unless ownership reverses course on the budget, the Yankees will continue to look at a supplementary player for left field rather than Damon. Specifically, the Yanks would like to find someone to start rather than Brett Gardner or serve as a righty-swinging complement to Gardner.

The player who most entices the Yankees is Xavier Nady, who, like Damon, is represented by Scott Boras. However, Nady is of interest to several teams and, therefore, might be too pricey for the Yankees.

Their next target is Reed Johnson because, of the remaining candidates, he is the one who projects best to being a help defensively while also having a history of hitting lefties well.

The other three free-agent possibilities, at the moment, are Rocco Baldelli, Jerry Hairston Jr. and Marcus Thames.

NBA: Bargain Players Making Big Impact

Keeping Shannon Brown has turned out to be a big boost for a Lakers bench that has, generally, struggled. What’s more is that Brown didn’t put much of a dent in the Lakers’payroll — he signed for just $2 million, plus an option for next year. But several of the league’s top teams were able to pick up key contributors this summer for less than $2 million.

1. Channing Frye, Suns. Frye came to Phoenix on a two-year contract worth just $3.8 million, but he has become one of the best longe-range shooters in the league, averaging 12.4 points with a 3-point shooting percentage of 43.3.

2. Jason Williams, Magic. Orlando brought Williams out of retirement to be the backup point guard, for just $1.3 million. Williams played well when starter Jameer Nelson went down and is averaging 6.9 points and 4.6 assists.

3. Shannon Brown, Lakers. His defense and consistency have made him a Phil Jackson favorite.

4. Marquis Daniels, Celtics. Daniels will return from thumb surgery in the coming weeks, but he showed enough in his 19 games to make clear that he will be a key producer off the bench for the Celtics in the second half. Not bad for $1.9 million.

5. Juwan Howard, Blazers. Howard signed a one-year deal for $1.3 million, and did not expect to play a whole lot this year. He certainly did not expect to be a starter. But with Greg Oden and Joel Przybilla out, Howard has had to use his veteran know-how to hold down the middle.

NBA: Gilbert Arenas Wants to Cop a Plea

Washington Wizards player Gilbert Arenas and the U.S. Attorney are negotiating a plea bargain … law enforcement sources tell TMZ.

Our sources say Arenas’ lawyer and prosecutors are discussing a plea in which Arenas would cop to misdemeanor gun charges. We’re told a deal hasn’t been struck yet, but it could come as early as today.

Sources say the filing of charges would coincide with the plea, so it would all go down quickly. We do not know what they are discussing with respect to a sentence … the prosecutor would recommend a sentence but ultimately it’s the judge’s decision.

Arenas is under investigation for felony gun charges for the locker room incident last month.

As for what a plea would do to Arenas’ status as a member of the Washington Wizards, we’re told G.M. Ernie Grunfeld and Arenas were text messaging each other shortly after the incident. In one of the text messages, Grunfeld wrote that Arenas had violated his NBA contract which prohibits players from possessing a firearm in a team or league facility. As a result Grunfeld texted the team had a right to void his contract … worth $111 million.

Report; Arenas Owned Several ‘Hundred’ Guns

File with the “should we be surprised?” pile: WTOPreports today that disgraced Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas has “owned several hundred guns,” but moved most of those firearms out of his Virginia home before he brought guns into the Verizon Center over a month ago. All of Arenas’s firearms were reportedly legally procured, but we’re not just talking about some run of the mill weaponry here:

The guns turned over to police include a so-called ‘Dirty Harry Revolver’ and a gold-plated Desert Eagle — which is so big and has such a powerful recoil — no law enforcement agency uses them.

Yowza. Revelations like this surely can’t help Arenas while an investigation into his locker room confrontation with Javaris Crittenton is still ongoing. Sure enough, TMZ is quoting anonymous sources who say that Arenas is attempting to plead down to misdemeanor gun charges, a deal that could happen as early as today. Such charges might still carry jail time, but would certainly spare Arenas the multiple-year sentence which had been suggested after the story first broke.

NCAAM: Pac-10 may be down, but it offers fascinating conference title race

Bashing the Pac-10 has been a sport within a sport this season, but I’m here to tell you something that may surprise you: This is going to be the most fascinating race inside any of the big six conferences.

The first reason I say this is that this thing could not be more wide open. It appears that no fewer than six of the league’s 10 teams have a legitimate chance to win this thing — and I’m not even including UCLA, which may have a little life in them yet.

Then there are the intriguing storylines to tickle our fancy. Can USC still contend for a title even though it is not eligible for the postseason? Will Arizona, which is off to a 2-2 start in the league, keep its nation’s-best 25-year NCAA tournament streak alive? Inquiring minds want to know.

I realize calling a league race “wide open” is the same as calling it “mediocre,” but you have to admit, the early results have been pretty wacky. Based on the first week of action, the only thing you can predict is unpredictability. Struggling UCLA clipped California in Berkeley by one point on Michael Roll‘s late jumper. Stanford got waxed on the road at Cal by 26 points and then swept the L.A. schools at home. Oregon, led by always-on-the-hot-seat coach Ernie Kent, sat atop the standings after the first week with a 2-0 record, but then the Ducks lost on Sunday night at home to Oregon State. That’s the same Oregon State team that last week lost to Seattle by 51 points.

You can’t make this stuff up.

But the main reason this league is going to be must-see TV is because everybody knows that NCAA tournament bids are going to be hard to come by. Personally, I think three bids (including the automatic) is the minimum, but it’s not out of the realm of possibility that the Pac-10 only puts two teams into the tournament. That will put a much greater urgency on finishing in the top tier that you won’t find in any of the other power conferences. And there’s nothing more fun than watching teams play that are desperate.

So keep bashing the Pac-10 all you want. Skip their late-night games and get your sleep. I, for one, plan to drink lots of coffee and set my DVR to catch as much of the action as I can. Who would have guessed that a bunch of games between mediocre west coast teams could be so much fun to watch?

Your Ad Here

NFL: Del Rio staying with Jaguars in ’10

After a profitable meeting with owner Wayne Weaver this morning in Jacksonville, Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio will stay in his current job for at least the 2010 season.

Del Rio, 58-57 in seven seasons at the helm, was thought to be on shaky ground with Weaver for a few reasons. He’s only won one playoff game in his tenure and the Jags had a miserable end-of-the-year stretch by finishing with a four-game losing streak. Complicating matters, it was no secret the job at USC held some allure for Del Rio, a Trojans’ alum, in the wake of Pete Carroll leaving for the Seahawks over the weekend.

But Weaver opted for something few owners in the league choose these days — stability. The Jaguars played 16 rookies this season, including both starters at tackle on offense, and 33 players appeared in their first games for Jacksonville in the 2009 season.

Going forward, Del Rio will have to figure out who his quarterback is short- and long-term; David Garrard had a shaky season, suffering a career-high 42 sacks for the second consecutive season. Florida quarterback Tim Tebow would be a tempting pick for the marketability of the franchise. General manager Gene Smith is thought to not be a great fan of Tebow as an every-down quarterback, and Jacksonville has the 10th pick overall in the April draft. But that’s probably too high to pick Tebow. If he’s there in the second round … who knows? Jacksonville also needs to find someone to pressure the passer. Its two high picks last year, Derrick Harvey and Quentin Groves,  have been huge disappointments.

The offshoot of this story is that Southern Cal will have to move on in its search for a new coach, having seen candidates Mike Riley, Chris Petersen,  Jeff Fisher,  Steve Sarkisianand now Del Rio stay in their jobs rather than seek one of the premier jobs in college football.

Your Ad Here

NCAAM: Gaddy chats with ‘my favorite coach’

Minutes after enduring the harshest fan treatment of his basketball career, Abdul Gaddy walked out of the Washington Huskies locker room to talk to the coach for whom he always wanted to play.

Lute Olson chatted with the freshman guard for a few minutes, wishing him well after the 87-70 shellacking by the Wildcats.

“My favorite coach I ever watched in college basketball,” he said after walking away from the UA legend. “I was hoping to play for him, but I didn’t get the opportunity. It was great seeing him.”

It was Gaddy’s first positive interaction with an Arizona fan all day — although he did finish with a career-high 13 points.

The Tacoma, Wash., high schooler committed to play for the UA in August 2007, and stayed committed during the season, despite Olson’s taking a leave of absence and being replaced by Kevin O’Neill. He decommitted in May 2008 after Olson returned and changed assistants, but committed again in September 2008.

Five days after Olson’s retirement in October 2008, however, Gaddy announced he wouldn’t play for the Wildcats after all.

UA fans remembered Sunday.

When Gaddy was introduced before the game, he was greeted by a cacophony of boos.

“I think it put a chip on my shoulder,” he said. “I need to come out and play with my heart, really play hard.”

Every time he touched the ball the rest of the game, even late in the second half when the Wildcats were coasting to victory, Gaddy was booed. That never happened in high school, he said.

“I think the crowd respects me, and they’re trying to help the team out by trying to get in my head,” he said.

They didn’t. He finished with 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting, adding one rebound, one assist and three turnovers. UA coach Sean Miller said Gaddy “is going to be a terrific guard in our league,” and squirmed a bit when asked about the fan reaction.

“Our fans love the game, love the Wildcats and certainly appreciate what a good young player he is,” Miller said.

Washington coach Lorenzo Romar said the 6-foot-3-inch guard is improving after averaging 3.7 points per game this year.

“I thought that would have come a couple games ago,” he said. “That could have come at any point, and that’s why he’s a starter. We know what he’s capable of.”

Gaddy said it was surreal playing at McKale Center, where he once thought he would spend his college career.

“My teammates always say, ‘You coulda been playing here,’ ” he said. “It’s a fun environment, a great environment.

That‘s part of the reason why I wanted to come here. I think about it a lot.”

Your Ad Here

MLB: McGwire admits steroids, but not to hit HRs

NEW YORK – Mark McGwire finally came clean, admitting he used steroids when he broke baseball’s home run record in 1998, but he also said he didn’t need performance-enhancing drugs to hit the long ball.

McGwire said in a statement sent to The Associated Press on Monday that he used steroids on and off for nearly a decade. Later Monday, however, he disputed that the drugs gave him more power to hit homers.

“I was given a gift to hit home runs,” he told Bob Costas on MLB Network.

He told Costas that studying pitchers and making his swing shorter led to his increase in home runs and that he could have hit them without PEDs.

“I truly believe so,” McGwire said. “I believe I was given this gift. The only reason I took steroids was for health purposes.”

During a 20-minute telephone interview with AP shortly after McGwire released his statement, his voice repeatedly cracked.

“It’s very emotional, it’s telling family members, friends and coaches, you know, it’s former teammates to try to get ahold of, you know, that I’m coming clean and being honest,” he said. “It’s the first time they’ve ever heard me, you know, talk about this. I hid it from everybody.”

McGwire said he called commissioner Bud Selig and Cardinals manager Tony La Russa earlier in the day to personally apologize.

In an interview with ESPN’s “Baseball Tonight,” La Russa said he didn’t know McGwire had used steroids until the slugger admitted using performance-enhancing drugs in the phone call to the manager earlier Monday.

“I’m really encouraged that he would step forward,” La Russa told ESPN. “As we go along his explanations will be well received.”

Selig, in a statement released by Major League Baseball on Monday, said he was pleased with McGwire’s admission.

“I am pleased that Mark McGwire has confronted his use of performance-enhancing substances as a player. Being truthful is always the correct course of action, which is why I had commissioned Senator George Mitchell to conduct his investigation. This statement of contrition, I believe, will make Mark’s re-entry into the game much smoother and easier,” Selig said.

McGwire said he also used human growth hormone, and he didn’t know if his use of performance-enhancing drugs contributed to some of the injuries that led to his retirement, at age 38, in 2001.

“That’s a good question,” he said.

He repeatedly expressed regret for his decision to use steroids, which he said was “foolish” and caused by his desire to overcome injuries, get back on the field and prove he was worth his multimillion salary.

“You don’t know that you’ll ever have to talk about the skeleton in your closet on a national level,” he said. “I did this for health purposes. There’s no way I did this for any type of strength use.”

McGwire hit a then-record 70 homers in 1998 during a compelling race with Sammy Sosa, who finished with 66.

On Monday, McGwire called Pat Maris, the widow of Roger Maris, who had held the home run record with 61 in 1961, and admitted taking steroids.

“I felt that I needed to do that,” McGwire told Costas. “They’ve been great supporters of mine. She was disappointed and she has every right to be.”

Told by Costas that certain Maris family members have said that they now consider Roger Maris’ 61 the authentic home run record, McGwire responded: “They have every right to.”

But McGwire consistently asserted that he would have hit home runs without PEDs.

“There’s not a pill or an injection that’s going to give me, going to give any player the hand-eye coordination to hit a baseball,” McGwire told Costas.

More than anything else, the home run spree revitalized baseball following the crippling strike that wiped out the 1994 World Series. Now that McGwire has come clean, increased glare might fall on Sosa, who has denied using performing-enhancing drugs.

McGwire did not name specific drugs that he took.

The names I don’t remember, but I did injectables,” McGwire told Costas. “I preferred the orals. The steroids I took were on a very low dosage.”

McGwire said that he didn’t want to bulk up.

“I took very low dosages because I wanted my body to feel normal,” he said.

McGwire admitted that a shadow hangs over his time in baseball, however.

“I wish I had never played during the steroid era,” he said to the AP.

McGwire’s decision to admit using steroids was prompted by his decision to become hitting coach of the St. Louis Cardinals, his final big league team. La Russa, McGwire’s manager in Oakland and St. Louis, has been among McGwire’s biggest supporters and thinks returning to the field can restore the former slugger’s reputation.

“He found out this morning,” McGwire told Costas of La Russa. “He’s like talking to my dad. I’ve let a lot of people down.”

La Russa told ESPN that his feelings haven’t changed about McGwire’s joining the team as hitting coach.

“I never knew when, but I always knew this day would come,” McGwire said. “It’s time for me to talk about the past and to confirm what people have suspected.”

McGwire knew that his hiring would create a firestorm.

“I was the one who went to the Cardinals and said, ‘We have to do something about this. I have to come clean,’” he told Costas.

McGwire, who is eighth on the all-time home run list with 583 homers, once again was not elected into the Hall of Fame. In voting on Jan. 6, he received 128 votes (23.7 percent) in the balloting, 10 more than last year and matching the total from his first two times on the ballot.

Asked by Costas if he would vote for himself, McGwire said: “If I had a Hall of Fame vote? I’d leave it up to you guys. I’ll leave it up to the writers.”

Indians Hall of Famer pitcher Bob Feller, 91, doesn’t think McGwire’s admission will help him much with voters.

“It’ll help him some, but not very much,” Feller told Willie Weinbaum of the ESPN Enterprise Unit. “I wouldn’t vote for him and I don’t think he’ll get into the Hall of Fame in my lifetime.”

McGwire became the second major baseball star in less than a year to admit using illegal steroids, following the New York Yankees‘ Alex Rodriguez last February.

Others have been tainted but have denied knowingly using illegal drugs, including Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and David Ortiz.

“I don’t think any of the steroid boys will be in the Hall of Fame for 25-30 years,” Feller said. “I think Clemens has been lying through his teeth. In my opinion, Bonds did take steroids.”

Bonds has been indicted on charges he made false statements to a federal grand jury and obstructed justice. Clemens is under investigation by a federal grand jury trying to determine whether he lied to a congressional committee.

“I’m sure people will wonder if I could have hit all those home runs had I never taken steroids,” McGwire said. “I had good years when I didn’t take any, and I had bad years when I didn’t take any. I had good years when I took steroids, and I had bad years when I took steroids. But no matter what, I shouldn’t have done it and for that I’m truly sorry.”

Big Mac’s reputation has been in tatters since March 17, 2005, when he refused to answer questions at a congressional hearing. Instead, he repeatedly said “I’m not here to talk about the past” when asked whether he took illegal steroids when he hit a then-record 70 home runs in 1998 or at any other time.

“After all this time, I want to come clean,” he said. “I was not in a position to do that five years ago in my congressional testimony, but now I feel an obligation to discuss this and to answer questions about it. I’ll do that, and then I just want to help my team.”

McGwire said he wanted to tell the truth then but evaded questions at that hearing on the advice of his lawyers.

“I wanted to talk about this,” McGwire said to Costas. “I wanted to get this off my chest. We didn’t get immunity. So here I am in this situation with two scenarios: possible prosecution or possible grand jury testimony.”

McGwire said that those two scenarios would drag his family and former teammates into what he considered his mistake. He decided to not talk about the past.

“That was the worst 48 hours of my life,” McGwire said.

He knew that Don Hooton, whose son had died from steroids use, was in the audience.

“Every time I’d say, ‘I’m not going to talk about the past,’ I’d hear moanings back there. It was absolutely ripping my heart out,” McGwire said, his voice cracking. “All I was worried about was protecting my family and myself. And I was willing to take the hit.“

In the interview with ESPN, La Russa said of McGwire’s testimony: “The one thing he did not do is lie. And I don’t think he ever would.”

Tom Davis was the chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on March 17, 2005, when McGwire repeatedly testified that he would not “talk about the past.”

Davis told the AP on Monday that McGwire made clear the day before that hearing he had used steroids and wanted to say so but was worried he would face legal trouble by admitting it then. Davis says he was turned down when he asked then-Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez to grant McGwire immunity.

Says Davis: “He was candid and honest in our interrogation of him. He said: ‘Some day, I’ll tell the story.’“

La Russa immediately praised McGwire’s decision to go public.

“His willingness to admit mistakes, express his regret, and explain the circumstances that led him to use steroids add to my respect for him,” the manager said.

McGwire disappeared from the public eye following his retirement as a player following the 2001 season. When the Cardinals hired the 47-year-old as coach on Oct. 26, they said he would address questions before spring training, and Monday’s statement broke his silence.

“I remember trying steroids very briefly in the 1989/1990 offseason and then after I was injured in 1993, I used steroids again,” McGwire said in his statement. “I used them on occasion throughout the ’90s, including during the 1998 season.“

McGwire said he took steroids to get back on the field, sounding much like the Yankees‘Andy Pettitte two years ago when he admitted using HGH.

“During the mid-’90s, I went on the DL seven times and missed 228 games over five years,” McGwire said. “I experienced a lot of injuries, including a ribcage strain, a torn left heel muscle, a stress fracture of the left heel, and a torn right heel muscle. It was definitely a miserable bunch of years, and I told myself that steroids could help me recover faster. I thought they would help me heal and prevent injuries, too.“

He said he first used steroids between the 1989 and 1990 seasons, after helping the Athletics to a World Series sweep when he and Jose Canseco formed the Bash Brothers.

“When you work out at gyms, people talk about things like that. It was readily available,” he said. “I tried it for a couple of weeks. I really didn’t think much of it.”

Canseco has written in his book that he injected steroids in the A’s clubhouse with McGwire.

“There’s absolutely no truth to that whatsoever,” he told
Costas.

He said he returned to steroids after the 1993 season, when he missed all but 27 games with a mysterious heel injury, after being told steroids might speed his recovery.

“I truly believe I was given the gifts from the Man Upstairs of being a home run hitter, ever since … birth,” McGwire said. “My first hit as a Little Leaguer was a home run. I mean, they still talk about the home runs I hit in high school, in Legion ball. I led the nation in home runs in college, and then all the way up to my rookie year, 49 home runs.

“But, starting ’93 to ’94, I thought it might help me, you know, where I’d get my body feeling normal, where I wasn’t a walking MASH unit,” he said.

And there was the pressure of living up to his previous performance and his multimillion-dollar salary, McGwire said, adding that he was “getting paid a lot of money to try to stay up to that level.”

Feller isn’t buying that McGwire’s performance wasn’t helped by steroids.

“I think that’s a lot of horse muffins,” he said. “If it didn’t help him any, what the hell was he taking them for? Of course it helped him.”

Since the congressional hearing, baseball owners and players toughened their drug program twice, increasing the penalty for a first steroids offense from 10 days to 50 games in November 2005 and strengthening the power of the independent administrator in April 2008, following the publication of the Mitchell report.

“Baseball is really different now — it’s been cleaned up,” McGwire said. “The commissioner and the players’ association implemented testing and they cracked down, and I’m glad they did.”

Victor Conte, who has been at the center of the steroid scandal as founder and president of the Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative (BALCO), praised McGwire.

“I respect Mark McGwire for finally coming forward and telling the truth regarding his use of PEDs,” Conte said in an e-mail to ESPN.com. “I believe he received bad advice when he refused to admit his drug use five years ago before Congress. We live in a society that will forgive us for our mistakes, if we are honest and accept responsibility.

“The athletes that have admitted to their use of PEDs have been able to move on with their careers and lives. Those who continue to lie about their drug use will remain under dark cloud. I urge the athletes that have used drugs in the past to come clean, so that we can move on.”

That‘s part of the reason why I wanted to come here. I think about it a lot.”

Your Ad Here

NCAAF: NCAA Finishes Probe of USC Football Program

After almost four years of investigation, the NCAA’s probe into the University of Southern California athletic program has reached a conclusion. Sources familiar with the investigation have told Yahoo! Sports that the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions will meet Feb. 19-21 to address what investigators uncovered at USC. According to typical NCAA procedures, if sanctions are necessary, they will be determined and then made public via a news conference within six to eight weeks of the February hearing.

NCAA spokeswoman Stacey Osburn declined comment. The NCAA’s website indicates the next meeting of the Committee on Infractions will occur Feb. 19-21 in Tempe, Ariz.

Neither USC nor Pac-10 officials could be immediately reached for comment.

The meeting will be the apex in the NCAA’s probe into USC’s athletic program, as it represents the first determination on whether sanctions should be leveled against the school. The determination on a hearing date also indicates USC has received a letter of allegations from the NCAA and that the school has responded in some way. According to NCAA procedures, schools informed of infractions have at least 90 days to respond. After the response period has expired, a case summary is completed and a date is set for the Committee on Infractions to meet and determine whether there is a basis for sanctioning.

The NCAA’s investigation of USC has been ongoing since April 2006, when a series of Yahoo! Sports reports detailed allegations of extra benefits given to running back Reggie Bush and his family by a failed sports marketing company. Since then, the probe has come to encompass former Trojans basketball star O.J. Mayo and the men’s basketball program, after a report by ESPN’s “Outside the Lines” detailed benefits that allegedly had been funneled to Mayo. Former Trojans basketball coach Tim Floyd abruptly resigned after a Yahoo! Sports report detailed an alleged $1,000 cash payment from Floyd to a man who had helped steer Mayo to USC. The investigation is believed to also include Trojans running back Joe McKnight, whose use of a 2006 Land Rover and ties to a marketing entrepreneur in Santa Monica also have come under scrutiny after a recent report in the Los Angeles Times.

Recent developments at USC, including its decision to self-sanction its basketball program, appear to have occurred after the Trojans received the NCAA’s letter of allegations. News of the hearing also indicates that former Trojans football coach Pete Carroll has been aware for weeks of the specific violations the NCAA may be alleging against his program. Carroll resigned as USC football coach on Sunday and has been named coach of the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks.

The NCAA probe has stretched beyond individual athletes, widening its focus to USC’s control of its sports programs, as well as various aspects of compliance and oversight, according to sources. It is expected to make conclusions on USC’s institutional control and whether the school had the proper checks and balances in place to oversee its athletes.

USC already sanctioned itself for NCAA violations during the 2007-08 season related to Mayo allegedly having accepted benefits from known sports agency runner Rodney Guillory. The penalties levied by USC included a ban on postseason play, a reduction of scholarships, recruiting restrictions and the vacation of all victories from the 2007-08 season. Both Mayo, through his agent, and Floyd have denied wrongdoing.

That‘s part of the reason why I wanted to come here. I think about it a lot.”

Your Ad Here

NFL: Report: Raiders To Fire Tom Cable Today

Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis is expected to fire coach Tom Cable today, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

A meeting between Davis and Cable was scheduled for today, and the newspaper reports Cable will be let go, but it’s uncertain for exactly what reason (the Randy Hanson scandal or the failure to win games and groom No. 1 overall pick JaMarcus Russell into a starting quarterback).

Just last week, Cable held a team meeting, met briefly with Davis and began roster evaluations with his assistants in a typical start to an offseason.

“All I know is I have a contract right now,” Cable told the Associated Press on Jan. 5. “Whether or not that’s honored is not up to me. I’m a ball coach. I’m a damned good football coach so things will work out. They always do.”

Cable has a 9-19 overall record since replacing Lane Kiffin early in 2008.
That‘s part of the reason why I wanted to come here. I think about it a lot.”

Your Ad Here

NCAAM: Doron Lamb Talks Arizona Visit; April Decision Looming

Shooting guard Mouth of Wilson, Virginia Oak Hill Academy AAU: New York Gauchos Ht:6'4" Wt:175 lbs Class:2010 (High School)

Oak Hill Academy guard Doron Lamb enjoyed his weekend visit to Arizona but says he likely won’t decide on a school until April.

“It was nice when I went out there,” the 6-foot-4 Lamb said Monday by phone. “It was hot. The team was good. I like the campus and everything and all that. I’m thinking about going there.”

Lamb saw the Wildcats fall to Washington State, 78-76, Friday night.

“They lost to Washington State on a buzzer-beater,” he said.

Lamb said Arizona coach Sean Miller told him he could come in and play 30-35 minutes a game in the backcourt and that Arizona had produced a large number of NBA players.

“He said I’d be playing the point,” Lamb said. “I could play 30-35 minutes and the ball would be in my hands.”

Arizona point guard Nic Wise is set to graduate this year, while Lamont “Momo” Jones, Lamb’s former Oak Hill teammate, is currently a freshman off guard.

Lamb also has a relationship with Arizona assistant Book Richardson but said that wouldn’t be a deciding factor for him.

“I’ve known him for a long time. He coached me in AAU,” Lamb said. “But that don’t mean anything (about a decision).”

Lamb is also considering Kentucky, Kansas, UConn and Oklahoma.

He said he was looking for “a good coaching staff, a winning program and somewhere that I feel like home and I feel comfortable.”

Asked when he might decide, Lamb said, “Probably April.”

Josh Selby, a combo guard out of Lake Baltimore (Md.) Clifton, came in on his Arizona visit after Lamb departed.

“He came in after I left. We’re cool,” he said.

Bruce Pascoe of the Arizona Daily Star reported that Selby was on court at the McKale Center shooting threes an hour after Sunday’s win over Washington.

“I know the student section wasn’t here but it still seemed like a real good crowd,”Maeshon Witherspoon, Selby’s mom, told Pascoe: “We know they’re [the Wildcats] kind of young.”

Asked if the two could play together, Lamb said, “I have no idea.”

That‘s part of the reason why I wanted to come here. I think about it a lot.”

Your Ad Here

NFL: Sources: Seahawks Reach Deal With Pete Carroll

c

Pete Carroll has reached an agreement in principle with the Seahawks on a deal to be their next head coach, multiple NFL sources confirmed early Saturday morning.

Carroll was fully expected to be introduced by the Seahawks as early as Monday, assuming they comply with the Rooney Rule this weekend.

The hangup could be locating a candidate to interview that would put the Seahawks in compliance with the rule, which requires teams to interview a minority candidate for head-coaching and senior-football-operations hires.

On Friday, Jim Mora became the first Seahawks coach to be let go after one season.

Vikings defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier could agree to interview, but he is unwilling to do so if Carroll has been promised full control of the Seahawks — and multiple sources say he has.

Seahawks CEO Tod Leiweke told Frazier that Carroll definitely does not have Seattle’s job.

Believing Leiweke, Frazier will interview for the Seahawks head coach job Saturday morning.

Seattle also contacted the agent for Chargers defensive coordinator Ron Rivera, but as of Saturday morning nothing had been set up.

But the bottom line is, Carroll’s agreement with Seattle is “100 percent done,” one NFL source close to the situation said.

In a text message to ESPN’s Chris Mortensen on Friday, Carroll said, “You know I haven’t responded to a NFL question in two years.”

But a league source told Mortensen that Carroll was trying to persuade USC offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates to join him in Seattle — as opposed to Bates pursuing the same position with the Chicago Bears.

Carroll is no stranger to the NFL, having served as the head coach for the Patriots from 1997-99 and for the Jets in 1994.

He was the Jets’ defensive coordinator from 1990-93 after stints as the defensive backs coach for the Vikings (1985-89) and Bills (1984).

The ripple effect from Carroll’s pending move has reached beyond the NFL and college ranks.

When the news broke Friday that Carroll could be headed to Seattle, USC’s incoming freshman class at the U.S. Army All American Bowl in San Antonio began franctically calling USC’s assistant coaches.

For the rest of the day, not a single USC assistant returned a single phone call, according to sources at the game.

By now, calls might have been returned.

But witnesses to the scene said that players such as All-American wide receiver Kyle Prater and running back Dillon Baxter could not figure out what was unfolding with Carroll.

Baxter, for one, had verbally committed to USC as a high-school freshman and never looked at another school. But now that Carroll is expected to leave USC, other schools already have begun contacting the players scheduled to enroll there in the fall with hopes they will change their mind.

Meanwhile, the Seahawks’ search for a new general manager is also under way.

Giants director of college scouting Marc Ross will interview for the vacant position Wednesday, according to John Wooten, the chairman of the committee that oversees Rooney Rule compliance.

The panel, called the Fritz Pollard Alliance, agreed to allow the interview only after being given assurances Carroll would not have full control of Seattle’s organization, but rather only control over the 53-man roster.

That‘s part of the reason why I wanted to come here. I think about it a lot.”

Your Ad Here

NCAAM; Recruiting: Gilchrist Awaiting MRI Results

Small forward Elizabeth, New Jersey St. Patrick AAU: Team Jordan Ht:6'6" Wt:190 lbs Class:2011 (High School)

Elizabeth (N.J.) St. Patrick junior wing Michael Gilchrist underwent an MRI on his right knee Thursday and is expecting the results Friday, according to a report on The Star-Ledger’s website.

The 6-7 Gilchrist injured the knee Tuesday night during the Celtics’ 62-46 victory over Union.

“My heart dropped for him because he’s a kid,” Celtics coach Kevin Boyle told The Ledger Thursday after the team’s 66-44 win over Linden at Kean College. “You worry. As a team, obviously you don’t want to see anybody injured. You feel awful for the kid because he’s a junior. You only have so many games in high school and he’s so excited about the season.”

“A player like Mike Gilchrist, he can never be replaced,” said Duke-bound point guard Kyrie Irving, who poured in 31 points in the win. “Especially on our team, he’s definitely missed right now.”

Boyle said they would wait to hear from the doctors to learn when Gilchrist might return.

The No. 1 junior in the nation, Gilchrist was averaging 16.2 points before the injury.

Kentucky and Villanova are thought to be the leaders for his services, but other schools are involved as well.

more about “Michael Gilchrist awaits MRI“, posted with vodpod

NCAAF: Aaron Corp leaving USC for University of Richmond

The quarterback, who won the Trojans’ starting job last spring but was displaced by Matt Barkley after being injured in training camp, will begin classes Monday and participate in spring practice.

USC quarterback Aaron Corp, who won the starting job last spring but was displaced by Matt Barkley after being injured in training camp, announced Thursday that he was transferring to the University of Richmond.

Corp will begin classes at Richmond on Monday and participate in spring practice. He has two seasons of eligibility remaining and can play in the coming season because Richmond is in the Football Championship Subdivision, formerly known as Division I-AA.

“Richmond allowed me the opportunity to compete and play right away and I was very comfortable meeting with Coach [Latrell] Scott and his staff,” Corp said in a statement. “The university has a tremendous football program and is nationally recognized for its academics, especially in my major of international studies.”

Corp’s transfer was not unexpected after a season in which Coach Pete Carroll and quarterbacks coach Jeremy Bates refused to consider replacing Barkley, even when the freshman struggled throughout most of the second half of a 9-4 season.

Carroll said he was happy for Corp.

“He’ll get a chance to play right now,” Carroll said. “I think it’s a big statement about Matt Barkley. Aaron’s a great kid and I hope nothing but the very best for him.”

Corp appeared on his way to becoming Mark Sanchez’s successor before he suffered a leg injury in August.

He started one game in place of Barkley — who suffered a shoulder injury against Ohio State — completing 13 of 22 passes for 110 yards with an interception in the Trojans’ 16-13 loss at Washington on Sept. 19. Corp said afterward that coaches had not told him he would start against the Huskies. In the ensuing weeks, Corp fell to No. 3 on the depth chart behind Barkley and Mitch Mustain.

Corp’s father said his son had a positive experience at USC.

“He liked being there, liked playing there and loved being a Trojan,” Chris Corp said. “But that was conflicting with his passion to play ball and what he determined were in his long-term best interests.”

Corp’s departure leaves the Trojans with three quarterbacks for spring football:

* Barkley, who passed for 15 touchdowns with 14 interceptions in 12 games.

* Mustain, who started eight games as a freshman at Arkansas in 2006 but has been utilized at USC only after outcomes have been decided.

* Walk-on John Manoogian.

Richmond finished 11-2 last season.

“This is an exciting time at the University of Richmond and we are thrilled to welcome Aaron to the Spider football family,” Scott said. “He is a standout football player, an even better young man and we’re expecting him to compete for playing time in the spring.”

NBA: NBA suspends Arenas indefinitely

NEW YORK — The NBA suspended Gilbert Arenas indefinitely on Wednesday. The Wizards star admitted to bringing four unloaded guns into the Verizon Center locker room and is under investigation by local and federal authorities.

In written statement, commissioner David Stern said

“The possession of firearms by an NBA player in an NBA arena is a matter of the utmost concern to us. I initially thought it prudent to refrain from taking immediate action because of the pendency of a criminal investigation involving the office of the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia and the Metropolitan Police Department, and the consideration of this matter by a grand jury sitting in the District of Columbia. For the same reason, I directed the Wizards to refrain from taking any action. Wizards personnel continue to be interviewed by law enforcement authorities, some are scheduled for appearance before the grand jury and the investigation is proceeding with the intensity that one would expect for such a serious incident.

“Although it is clear that the actions of Mr. Arenas will ultimately result in a substantial suspension, and perhaps worse, his ongoing conduct has led me to conclude that he is not currently fit to take the court in an NBA game. Accordingly, I am suspending Mr. Arenas indefinitely, without pay, effective immediately pending the completion of the investigation by the NBA.”

NFL: Good people of Buffalo and Jacksonville… Los Angeles wants your teams.

Read Article: (sports.yahoo.com)

Moving an NFL team to Los Angeles has been a rumor for a while, and Majestic Realty Co. has been working on a plan to make it happen. Their latest idea is to start trying to steal teams from other cities that they believe don’t deserve an NFL team, essentially. Buffalo and Jacksonville are at the top of the list.

Majestic Realty Co. managing partner John Semcken said the company is still considering at least seven franchises for a new stadium some 25 miles east of Los Angeles.

They also include the San Francisco 49ers, San Diego Chargers, Minnesota Vikings, St. Louis Rams and Oakland Raiders.

But he said the Jaguars and the Bills are at the top of the list because they play in small markets that tamp down their earning potential and because they have little hope of building larger venues in their home regions.

There you go, Bills and Jaguars fans. LA doesn’t believe you deserve a team. The same LA that had multiple teams over the years and couldn’t keep them. Pot, meet kettle. You’re both black.

NCAAF: Apparently the BCS did something wrong, since Fiesta Bowl ratings were down a whole 35%. Maybe people wanted to see Boise State and TCU against the big boys.

Read Article: (www.usatoday.com)

From the article:

Consider Fox’s Boise State-Texas Christian matchup in Monday’s Fiesta Bowl. Coming from supposedly less-than-all-powerful conferences, their perfect records weren’t enough to get them into Thursday’s title game — with the unspoken assumption being they aren’t brand names that the masses really want to watch.

Maybe so. Boise State’s 17-10 win drew a respectable 8.6 overnight rating, which translates to 8.6% of TV households in 56 urban markets. But consider last year’s Fiesta Bowl, which pitted mediagenic Texas and Ohio State: Its overnight was 35% higher.

There are caveats. Last year’s game was on Sunday, TV’s most-watched night, and the Boise TV market isn’t included in overnights.

I think the real issue is that this game meant absolutely nothing. People wanted to see these two teams against the big boys from BCS conferences, and the BCS screwed over the fans. Sure, there might be other factors, but I think that was the biggest one.

NCAAM: Doron Lamb Talks Recruiting

more about “untitled“, posted with vodpod

Shooting guard Mouth of Wilson, Virginia Oak Hill Academy AAU: New York Gauchos Ht:6'4" Wt:175 lbs Class:2010 (High School)

Courtesy of Tim Brown and the folks at OregonLive.com, here’s an interview with Oak Hill guardDoron Lamb, who visits Arizona Jan. 7-9 and will watch the Wildcats host Washington State Friday.

“I’m talking to Kentucky, Kansas, UConn, Arizona and West Virginia right now,” he said. “I made four officials to Kansas, Kentucky, UConn and Oklahoma. I’m going on my last visit next week to Arizona.”

Watch highlights and listen in as we talk with Oak Hill Academy (VA) guard Doron Lamb about the development of his game, playing for Oak Hill and his college recruitment. Video by Tim Brown, OregonLive.com

Doron Lamb At Les Schwab Invitational

NCAAF: Sizing Up the Army Rosters

MORE: Top 2011 recruits Army Bowl bound | All-star coverage | Army All-American Bowl coverage

SAN ANTONIO - The 10th annual U.S. Army All American Bowl, to be held in San Antonio, Texas, on Jan. 9, will once again be a glimpse into the future of college football.

Safety West Palm Beach, Florida Dwyer Ht:6'0" Wt:205 lbs Class:2010 (High School)

The top prospects in the country will compete in a battle of East vs. West. But before practices start on Monday, Rivals.com Recruiting Analyst Mike Farrell takes a look at which team has the advantage – at least on paper.

There is no better matchup to start with than the ultra-talented East defensive backs going against a star-studded group of West wide receivers.

How about California five-star receiver Robert Woods running a post route for the West against five-star safeties Matt Elam from Florida and Keenan Allen from North Carolina of the East? How about East five-star cornerback Latwan Anderson from Ohio matched up in single coverage against fellow five-star Dillon Baxter – who hails from California and will play receiver for the West?

Or maybe jumbo wide receivers Ross Apo and Nate Askew from Texas and Marcus Lucas from Missouri from the West going against East cornerbacks like Cullen Christian from Pennsylvania, Christian Bryant from Ohio and Jaylen Watkins from Florida? No matter how you slice it, this could be the key to the game. Receivers usually have the advantage in games like this with limited practice, so the slight edge has to go to the West here.

The other big key could be how the offensive lines handle each team’s group of pass-rushing terrors. The East boasts three five-stars along its defensive front with ends J.R. Ferguson from Virginia and Chris Martin from Colorado and tackle Sharrif Floyd from Pennsylvania. But the talent doesn’t stop there, especially up the middle. Floyd will work with standout tackles like Garrison Smith and Jeffrey Whitaker from Georgia and Kelcy Quarles and Brandon Willis from South Carolina. The West offensive linemen, led by the nation’s No. 1 prospect in Seantrel Henderson from Minnesota, will have their hands full. The push up the middle could limit any West running game – which could lead to a lot of third-and-long situations. Advantage East.

The West’s defensive line strength is from the outside,

Weakside defensive end Moreno Valley, California Rancho Verde View Map Ht:6'4" Wt:230 lbs 40:4.52 secs Bench Max:355 Squat Max:495 Vertical:37 inches SAT:1380 Class:2010 (High School)

which is more worrisome in an all-star game. Ends Owamagbe Odighizuwa from Oregon, Ronald Powell from California and Jackson Jeffcoat from Texas are all five-stars and an offensive tackle’s worst nightmare off the edge. Throw in fellow end Reggie Wilson from Texas and you have a murderer’s row of pass rushers. Five-star offensive tackle Robert Crisp from North Carolina and fellow tackles Shon Coleman from Mississippi and Matt James from Ohio will need to be at their best. Handling talented pass rushers is extra difficult for an offensive line that hasn’t played together.

Obviously there are also talented running backs in the game, mainly Texas tailback Lache Seastrunk for the West and South Carolina running back Marcus Lattimore and Connecticut tailback Silas Redd from the East. But they will likely have to do their best work near the goal line or in the passing game, because it is always tough sledding in these games for backs between the 20s.

At linebacker, the West has plenty of talent including hard-hitter Tony Jefferson and versatile Cecil Whiteside from California and athletic Justin McCay from Kansas. The East has good size with big linebackers like Blake Lueders from Indiana, Jacques Smith from Tennessee and Khairi Fortt from Connecticut. However, all will be at a bit of a disadvantage having to play a base defense with no blitzing. Overall, the running backs against the linebackers on each side is a wash.

The East wide receivers going against the West defensive backs can’t be ignored, either. The nation’s No. 2 prospect, Kyle Prater from Illinois, is joined on the East by wideouts Markeith Ambles from Georgia and Ivan McCartney from Florida. The West defensive backs are led by safeties Marquis Flowers from Arizona, Ahmad Dixon from Texas and Eric Reid from Louisiana. The East has a huge edge here because the West doesn’t have many natural cornerbacks, which means a few safeties are going to have to line up on the outside. However, will the East quarterbacks be able to take advantage? As always, the quarterback matchup is the true key to the game.

The quarterback position is where the West has the biggest edge on paper. Quarterbacks Jake Heaps from Washington, Connor Wood from Texas and Austin Hinder from Colorado are better pure passers than the East duo of Paul Jones from Pennsylvania and Barry Brunetti from Tennessee. The West QBs also have a more dangerous group of receivers to work with when it comes to speed and game-breaking ability. Each West quarterback can move around if needed as well, adding yet another dimension to their game. The East quarterbacks will need to use their athleticism to create plays and get outside the pocket – which could ultimately play into the strengths of the West ends. If the East signal-callers can’t do much work in the pocket, they could be in huge trouble.

While the game is a week away and plenty can happen between now and then, the West quarterbacks hooking up with the West wide receivers looks like the key to this game – if the offensive line can keep the West QBs clean. The East has its strengths, but if the offensive line can’t give their QBs time against those West ends, it could be a nightmare on offense.

NFL: Sources: Bills, Cowher talk coaching job

Even before Buddy Nix was named the Buffalo Bills‘ general manager, league sources say there was a “stealth meeting” with Bill Cowher last week.

It is believed that owner Ralph Wilson Jr. joined team president Russ Brandon to gauge Cowher’s potential interest to return to coaching.

The Bills, who also met with Mike Shanahan after Dick Jauron was fired, believe talks with Cowher were very productive, the sources added, but gave no indication whether Cowher will take their head-coaching position if it is offered.

Cowher, currently a CBS Sports studio analyst, could not be reached but network executive Robin Brendle offered a “no comment” on the story.

A Bills spokesman did not respond to voice and text messages regarding the Cowher meeting.

Nix will interview interim coach Perry Fewell on Monday, as well as meet with other Buffalo assistant coaches.

NBA: McGrady, Rockets agree to part ways

BOSTON – The Houston Rockets and Tracy McGrady have agreed to part ways while the Rockets attempt to trade the seven-time All-Star forward, an NBA source confirmed to SI.com. McGrady was sent home before the Rockets game against New Jersey last week after complaining about playing time. McGrady missed the first 23 games of the season while recovering from microfracture knee surgery.

McGrady averaged 3.2 points in 7.7 minutes in six games with Houston this season but is expected to be a sought after commodity because of his $23 million expiring contract, the highest salary in the NBA this season.

It is likely that McGrady will return to Chicago to work out with trainer Tim Grover, who helped McGrady rehab his knee in the offseason.

NCAAF: TTU suspends Leach indefinitely

LUBBOCK, Texas – Texas Tech suspended Mike Leach on Monday while the school investigated complaints from receiver Adam James and his family about how the coach treated the player after a concussion.

James is the son of former NFL player and current television analyst Craig James.

The school said in a release that defensive coordinator Ruffin McNeill will be the interim coach and lead the team in the Alamo Bowl on Jan. 2 against Michigan State.

Texas Tech officials declined to identify the player, but James’ family released a statement toThe Associated Pressidentifying Adam as the player involved.

“Mr. and Mrs. James took the step with great regret and after consideration and prayer to convey to the Texas Tech Administration that their son had been subjected to actions and treatment not consistent with common sense rules for safety and health,” the statement said.

“Over the past year, there has been a greatly enhanced recognition of the dangers of concussions and the potential for long term physical damage to players. At virtually every level of football coaching, cases where children and young men have sustained concussions have generated serious discussion of the importance of correct treatment and diagnosis.”

A person familiar with James’ case said James suffered a concussion during a Dec. 16 practice. The person, who spoke on condition of anonymity, was not authorized to speak publicly about the investigation.

Leach does not acknowledge player injuries to the media nor does he allow his players to do so.

Leach did not immediately return a call or a text message seeking comment. A message left on McNeill’s cell phone was not immediately returned.

McNeill will remain in charge of the team until the investigation is complete.

Craig James was scheduled to announce the Alamo Bowl from San Antonio, Texas. ESPN spokesman Josh Krulewitz said James no longer will work the game.

There’s been internal strife this season with the Red Raiders (8-4), and Leach has resorted to some tongue-lashing.

He chastised players after a loss to Texas A&M in October for listening to “their fat little girlfriends,” and thinking the Aggies were a pushover. And after the Red Raiders loss at then-No. 12 Houston in September, Leach suspended indefinitely starting offensive lineman Brandon Carter for violating team rules.

The loss to the Cougars was the second straight for the Red Raiders, who had fallen 34-24 at No. 2 Texas in an early Big 12 matchup. This season is the first since 2002 — Leach’s third season — that the Red Raiders dropped two of their first four games.

That same week Leach banned his players from having Twitter pages after linebacker Marlon Williams asked on his account why he was still in a meeting room when “the head coach can’t even be on time.”

Leach, who was the Big 12 Coach of the Year last season, and the university were at odds for months at the end of last year over negotiations for an extension to his contract following one of the program’s best season. The Red Raiders went 11-2 and beat then-No. 1 Texas and climbed to No. 2 in the nation.

At the end of the regular season, with contract talks stalled, Leach traveled to Washington to meet with university officials there who were looking for a new coach. Texas Tech athletic director Gerald Myers was not aware he’d gone.

In February, Leach and Tech agreed to a five-year, $12.7 million deal that could keep him at the school through 2013.

The contract includes a $250,000 bonus if Leach and Tech win the national championship, a $75,000 bonus if Tech participates in a BCS Bowl and a $50,000 bonus if Leach is picked as national coach of the year

If Tech terminates the contract, the school must pay Leach $400,000 for each year remaining on the agreement. There is no buyout amount.

NCAAF: ‘Cats Narrowing Focus for Holiday Bowl

Photo Gallery: UA visits the San Diego Zoo

Dec. 27, 2009

Sunday featured a crisp two-hour practice and a trip to the San Diego Zoo as game day quickly approaches.

SAN DIEGO - The Arizona football team’s eventful stay in San Diego for the Pacific Life Holiday Bowl continued on Sunday, with the fourth practice in as many days in this beautiful city and a trip to the world famous San Diego Zoo.

The Wildcats turned in a crisp two-hour workout at the University of San Diego, one that Arizona coaches felt was the team’s best of the bowl season. With kickoff quickly approaching, the Wildcats treated today’s workout like a typical “Wednesday of game week” practice, with emphasis on fast-paced action on both sides of the ball to emulate game-speed repetitions.

“This was one of the best practices we’ve had,” head coach Mike Stoops told his players after practice. “We have to stay humble and remember what got us to this point. We’ve worked way too hard to not see this thing through. We have to keep our intensity and continue to prepare for a very physical football game.”

Video: Coach Mike Stoops after practice

At this point, three weeks removed the regular season finale at USC, the game plan for the Holiday Bowl is completely in place. Coaches will now begin the task of keeping players focused on the business aspect of the trip, which is, quite simply, preparing to win a football game.

This is not just any normal football game, however. This is the team’s second consecutive bowl appearance and a trip the second-most prestigious bowl game affiliated with the Pac-10 Conference. A win puts the Wildcats at 9-4 on season and firmly amongst the nation’s Top 20 teams in the rankings.

But, the Wildcats do not seem to be putting any added pressure on themselves. Players have soaked in the sights and sounds of San Diego without compromising their focus at practices and in team meetings. The coming days will be telling as bowl week events continue and kickoff nears.

Earlier today, Arizona players, coaches and support staff visited the San Diego Zoo. A two-hour visit to the park allowed players to relax their minds and take in one of the most popular attractions in the city.

A handful of players were given an up-close look at some of the zoo’s most unique animals including a few different cats. The Wildcats were tamed a bit by their real-life peers, particularly safety Robert Golden who made sure to keep a safe distance from the frisky felines. He was joined by Apai Tuihalamaka, Corey Hall,Marcus Benjamin, Brooks Reed, and Chula Vista native Taimi Tutogi.

Next up on the schedule of events will be the Navy and Marine Corps Luncheon on the USS Makin Island. Arizona and Holiday Bowl foe Nebraska will join members of the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps aboard an active Naval vessel at 32nd Street, Naval Base San Diego for lunch, the presentation of the U.S. Grant Sharp Trophy and a tour of the ship.

Later in the day, the Wildcats return to practice to put the finishing touches on game preparations. Coaches were sure to let players know that the final tune-ups will be critical for Wednesday’s game.

“We have to stay focused on why we are here,” Stoops told the team. “We have to use our skill and diversity to win this game. We have to play well in all three phases of the game. When we have done that, we have been a very, very good team this season. The only way we do that is to practice, prepare and play as a team.”

Kickoff is scheduled for 5 p.m. on Wednesday at Qualcomm Stadium. The game can be seen live on ESPN.

NCAAF: Gators coach Meyer stepping down

Gainesville (AP) — Urban Meyer shocked college football Saturday by resigning as Florida’s coach after five seasons and two national titles because of health concerns that came to light when he suffered chest pains following the SEC championship game.

The 45-year-old Meyer will coach his final game at the Sugar Bowl against Cincinnati on New Year’s Day.

He leaves No. 5 Florida with a 56-10 record that includes a 32-8 mark in league play and a school-record 22-game winning streak that was snapped by Alabama in the Southeastern Conference title game Dec. 5.

“I have given my heart and soul to coaching college football and mentoring young men for the last 24-plus years and I have dedicated most of my waking moments the last five years to the Gator football program,” Meyer said in a statement. “I have ignored my health for years, but recent developments have forced me to re-evaluate my priorities of faith and family.”

He has scheduled a news conference in New Orleans on Sunday afternoon.

Meyer consulted with his family, doctors, school president Bernie Machen and athletic director Jeremy Foley before deciding it was in his best interest to focus on his health and family.

“Coach Meyer and I have talked this through and I realize how hard this was for him to reach this decision,” Foley said. “But the bottom line is that Coach Meyer needed to make a choice that is in the best interest of his well being and his family. I certainly appreciate what he has meant to the University of Florida, our football program and the Gator Nation. I have never seen anyone more committed to his players, his family and his program. Above all, I appreciate our friendship.”

Although reports quickly surfaced that Meyer was suffering from, among other things, a stroke and a defective heart muscle, a person close to Meyer said they were false. The person spoke on condition of anonymity out of respect for Meyer’s privacy.

“He just had a wake-up call,” the person said. “He got scared and realized he can’t do it anymore. His tank is empty.”

Last month, Sports Illustrated chronicled Meyer’s coaching career and reported that he suffered from persistent headaches caused by an arachnoid cyst that becomes inflamed by stress, rage and excitement.

Meyer told the magazine that since the diagnosis in the early 2000s he has tried to stay composed during games.

News of Meyer’s retirement stunned his peers.

“He is a first-class coach, and the success he’s had is unmatched in our profession, especially over the last five years at Florida,” Alabama’s Nick Saban said. “We hope he is able to regain his health and have the opportunity to coach again in the future. Urban Meyer is a great person as well as a great coach, and the game of college football is better with him as a part of it.”

“It’s a surprise to everybody,” said Florida State’s Bobby Bowden, who retired Dec. 1 after 34 years. “I hope he’s OK physically because he’s done as great a job at the University of Florida as has been done there, or anywhere else. I admire the way he handles himself and I really like his family. The college coaching profession will really miss him.”

A tireless recruiter and creative motivator, Meyer came to Florida from Utah in fall 2004 amid speculation he would end up at Notre Dame.

Meyer brought most of his staff with him — some of whom worked with him at Bowling Green (2001-02) and Utah (2003-04). Together, they restored the program to national prominence two years later with the school’s second national championship.

The Gators upset Ohio State 41-14 in Glendale, Ariz.; they won another one last January by beating Oklahoma 24-14 in Miami.

With just about his entire team returning this fall, Meyer spent all season coaching under intense pressure and sky-high expectations. He said he welcomed it all as the defending national champions tried to become just the second team in the last 14 years to repeat.

But the season was far from smooth. Florida dealt with distraction after distraction, prompting Meyer to call it “the year of stuff.”

It included preseason talk about perfection; flulike symptoms that ravaged the team; Tim Tebow’s concussion; linebacker Brandon Spikes’ eye-gouging incident; Meyer’s hefty fine for criticizing officials; defensive end Carlos Dunlap’s drunk-driving arrest; a few controversial calls; some close games; and what seemed to be a season-long offensive slump.

Indeed, the Gators went through just about everything in 2009. Still, the loss to Alabama was the most crushing blow – until this.

The Crimson Tide derailed Florida’s perfect season and left Meyer in a Gainesville hospital. Team officials initially said he was treated and released for dehydration. But players and coaches later said Meyer had chest pains. Meyer refused to talk about his hospital stay, but acknowledged that he needed to take better care of himself.

“He puts a lot on himself and he cares a lot and he takes a lot of the burden on himself,” Tebow said last week. “That’s something we talk about a lot. You’ve got to take care of yourself. Although we’re both very passionate, you can’t always let it all feel like everything is on your chest.

“And I think he’s doing a better job of doing that. But when you have guys kind of not doing the right thing and you get beat in a game like that, it can weigh on you a little bit. I think he felt a little bit of that. But I think he’s doing a little bit better now, though.”

Meyer has a wife and three children – the oldest recently started college at Georgia Tech — and has said repeatedly he would never stay in coaching long enough to match the tenures of Bowden or Penn State’s Joe Paterno.

Nonetheless, his tenure will be remembered.

“He leaves a lasting legacy on the field, in the classroom and in the Gainesville community,” Machen said. “I am saddened that Urban is stepping down, but I have deep respect for his decision.”

Source: Meyer Had Heart Attack During Season

NCAAF: TCU’s Patterson AP Coach of Year

NEW YORK (AP) -- TCU’s Gary Patterson was voted The Associated Press College Football Coach of the Year for leading the Horned Frogs to a perfect regular season and their first BCS appearance.

No. 3 TCU plays No. 6 Boise State (13-0) in the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 4.

In a close vote released Wednesday, Patterson received 21 votes from the AP college football poll panel to edge Brian Kelly. The former Cincinnati coach, now with Notre Dame, received 19 votes and Alabama’s Nick Saban got 14 votes.

Chip Kelly of Oregon received three votes and Boise State’s Chris Petersen and Texas’ Mack Brown each got one vote.

Patterson is 85-27 in nine seasons at TCU. This season, the Horned Frogs went 12-0 for their first undefeated regular season since 1938.

Boxing: Pacquiao-Mayweather fight in jeopardy over type of drug testing to be done

LAS VEGAS — The proposed megafight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. was thrown into jeopardy Tuesday with a demand by Mayweather’s camp that both fighters be subjected to Olympic-type drug testing in the weeks leading up to the bout.

Mayweather’s manager said the fight would not go on if Pacquiao didn’t agree to blood testing under standards followed by the United States Anti-Doping Agency.

“There is no fight without Olympic-style random drug testing,” Leonard Ellerbe said.

The Rumble: Pacquiao camp wants Mayweather to pay millions for being overweight

Mayweather’s camp claims it was told Pacquiao would not agree to have his blood tested within 30 days of the fight because of personal superstitions. Pacquiao’s promoter, Bob Arum, declined comment about his fighter, who is in his native Philippines.

The fight, which promises to be the richest ever, had widely been expected to be formalized this week, with an official announcement Jan. 6. It was expected to be held at the MGM Grand hotel, with the biggest live gate ever.

But neither fighter has signed formal contracts and there have been disputes between representatives of the two fighters ever since Mayweather’s promoter pulled out at the last minute of a trip to Texas, where Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was to make a proposal to host the bout.

But Mayweather’s promoter, Richard Schaefer, said all other issues have been agreed upon.

“The good news is we have agreed on all the other points,” Schaefer said. “Depending on what Manny Pacquiao decides to do we either have a fight or we don’t have a fight.“

Schaefer said he is still hopeful of the fight happening, based on the fact Pacquiao himself has not publicly said he would not accept blood testing.

“I am still hopeful because I really believe this decision didn’t come from Manny Pacquiao, it came from somebody else,” Schaefer said. “It’s up to Manny Pacquiao to prove me right or wrong.”

Pacquiao has never failed a post-fight urine test in Nevada, including his last fight when he stopped Miguel Cotto. Mayweather also has passed urine tests in the state after his fights.

Fighters, though, are not routinely tested before bouts for performance-enhancing drugs, and there are no blood tests done for those drugs.

Mayweather’s father, Floyd Sr., said after the Cotto fight that he suspected Pacquiao was using performance-enhancing drugs to move up and win titles in so many weight classes. Ellerbe did not make that claim, but said that for a fight of such magnitude fans deserve to be confident neither fighter is cheating.

“If it’s good enough for LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Michael Phelps and Lance Armstrong why isn’t it good enough for Manny Pacquiao?” Ellerbe asked. “The fans and sports deserve a level playing field.”

Travis Tygart, executive director of the USADA, said he had talked to representatives of both fighters about providing testing. Tygart said he welcomed the request as he would for any sport that does not have stringent Olympic-type testing.

“I think every sport that wants to have clean athletes it’s a sign of a step forward to have out of competition testing,” Tygart said. “It’s an essential thing to do if you want to protect the integrity of the sport. Clean athletes want a level playing field.”

Tygart noted Olympic athletes are tested often and without notice. He said less than a teaspoon of blood is removed out of an average of 380 teaspoons in the normal human and that it regenerates within an hour of being withdrawn.

Blood tests, he said, can find things urine tests can’t, like the use of human growth hormone, synthetic hemoglobin or blood transfusions, all of which “certainly would aid in an endurance-type event.”

Ellerbe said he couldn’t imagine why Pacquiao wouldn’t agree, especially considering both fighters would likely make more than $25 million for the bout.

“Only Manny Pacquiao can answer that question,” Ellerbe said. “The ball is in his court.”

NCAAF: Nebraska DT Suh named AP Player of the Year

NEW YORK (AP) –Nebraska defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh bulled past the guys who play the glamour positions and proved you don’t have to score touchdowns or toss passes to be the player of the year.

Spurred by a dominant performance against Texas in the Big 12 title game, Suh became the first defensive player voted The Associated Press College Football Player of the Year on Tuesday.

Suh had already won two defensive player of the year awards — the Nagurski and Bednarik — and two for best lineman — the Lombardi and Outland. He also finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting.

“Just being recognized as player of the year is a huge accomplishment,” Suh said in a recent phone interview from Lincoln, Neb.

He received 26 of a possible 59 votes from AP college football poll voters to edge Stanford running back Toby Gerhart, who received 20 votes.

Heisman winner Mark Ingram finished tied for third with Texas quarterback Colt McCoy, each getting six votes. Florida quarterback Tim Tebow received one vote.

Since the AP started handing out a player of the year award in 1998, all the winners have been quarterbacks or running backs.

“It’s a great choice,” Nebraska coach Bo Pelini said. ” I give (the voters) a lot of credit. I’m not taking anything away from Ingram or McCoy or any of the other guys. I just think at his position, you would be hard-pressed to say there’s a better player than Suh. He’s had a tremendous year.”

It’s the fourth time the AP award went to a player other than the Heisman winner and first since Iowa quarterback Brad Banks beat out USC’s Carson Palmer in 2003.

Suh finished behind Ingram, Gerhart and McCoy in the Heisman voting, though he did receive more points than any fourth-place finisher in the 75-year history of the award.

Suh, a 6-foot-4, 300-pound senior, was already having an All-America-caliber season before the Cornhuskers played Texas on Dec. 5 at Dallas Cowboys Stadium.

He nearly led Nebraska to a stunning upset, with 12 tackles and 4 1/2 sacks. The Longhorns kicked a last-second field goal to escape with a 13-12 victory, but Suh was so utterly unblockable he earned a trip to New York as one of five finalists for the Heisman.

He finished the season with 12 sacks and was the pillar of the ninth-ranked defense in the country.

“I think I had a good year,” he said. “I definitely got better in a couple of areas. I won’t say I’m satisfied by any means, because we still have a big game left to play against Arizona in the Holiday Bowl.”

He’ll tell you he’s still learning to play the game.

“I haven’t played a perfect game yet so let’s try and see if I can do that against Arizona,” he said.

Suh got a relatively late start to football. Soccer and basketball were his thing growing up in Portland, Ore., the son of a Jamaican mother and father from Cameroon. His name means “House of Spears” in the language of the Ngema tribe.

But Suh literally outgrew soccer. His mother, Bernadette, was apprehensive about allowing her son to play football, but eventually gave her permission.

Ball carriers have been dealing with the repercussions of that decision ever since.

Suh went through some tough times in his first two seasons at Nebraska, being part of one of the worst defenses in school history in 2007. Then Pelini became the Huskers coach and Nebraska’s defense began to turn around with Suh leading the charge.

Physically, Suh is everything an NFL team could want in a defensive linemen. Big, strong, quick and agile, he’s projected to be one of the first players taken in April’s draft.

Suh credits the coaching of Pelini and defensive coordinator Carl Pelini, Bo’s brother, for his development.

“Mentally, being able to pick up on different reads and formations and what things can be run out of certain formations and tendencies of teams,” Suh said.

Carl Pelini’s first chance to coach Suh came with the player unable to play. It was spring practice of 2008 and Suh was recovering from surgery. Without ever putting on pads, Suh impressed his coach.

“I was coaching the other guys, and he was just watching,” Pelini said. “He was shoulder to shoulder with me. He hadn’t practiced a snap but he was a better football player coming out of that spring.

“He’s a very cerebral guy. He wants to know why, and it’s made him a great football player.”

Academics always came before sports in Suh’s home. That can happen when your mom is a teacher.

“They know coming from Third World countries that education is the key,” he said.

The 22-year-old graduated last weekend with a degree in construction management engineering. He said he plans to take some postgraduate courses while he prepares for the NFL combine.

“The main focus is, now that I’m done with school, just worry about football and go from there,” he said.

Suh seems set to go far.

MLB: Vazquez sent to Yanks for Cabrera

NEW YORK (AP) – Pitcher Javy Vazquez was traded back to the Yankees by the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday for outfielder Melky Cabrera, a move that pushed New York’s payroll for next season over $200 million.

New York also got left-hander Boone Logan as part of the deal, and the Braves obtained a pair of pitching prospects, left-hander Mike Dunn and right-hander Arodys Vizcaino, along with about $500,000.

“I didn’t want to leave my first time out,” Vazquez said. “I’m glad to be back.“

The trade leaves New York with an opening in left field, allowing the Yankees to perhaps pursue Mark DeRosa. New York does not appear interested in re-signing Johnny Damon or going after free agents Matt Holliday and Jason Bay.

Atlanta had six starting pitchers and felt free to deal Vazquez, who was 14-10 for the Yankees in 2004. He started 10-5 with a 3.56 ERA that year and made his only All-Star team but faded to a 4-5 record and 6.92 ERA after the break, when he was bothered by an aching shoulder.

“The second half of ’04, which was poor, cannot erase the long success he’s had as a major league pitcher,” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said.

His first stint in New York ended miserably, when he relieved Kevin Brown trailing 2-0 in Game 7 of the AL championship series against Boston and allowed a first-pitch grand slam to Damon, then gave up a two-run homer to Damon in the fourth.

“Hopefully, I can erase those memories,” Vazquez said.

Vazquez was dealt to theArizona Diamondbacksafter the season in the trade that brought Randy Johnson to New York. He spent one year with Arizona, then went to the Chicago White Sox for three seasons.

Now 33, the right-hander was 15-10 with a 2.87 ERA and 238 strikeouts this year for the Braves, and finished fourth in NL Cy Young Award voting. Vazquez, whose career record is 142-139 in 12 seasons, will make $11.5 million next year and can become a free agent after the season.

He joins a pitching rotation that includes CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Andy Pettitte. New York’s top four starters will combine for $64 million in payroll — more than four teams paid their entire rosters last season.

With the trade and including the still-unfinalized signing of free-agent designated hitter Nick Johnson, the Yankees payroll for next season stands at $200.9 million for 16 signed players. That includes two not expected to make the opening-day roster: pitcherAndrew Brackman and infielder Juan Miranda.

Vazquez’s arrival allows the Yankees to keep either Joba Chamberlain or Phil Hughes in the bullpen.

Cabrera had been the Yankees’ starting center fielder for most of the last three seasons. After losing the job to Brett Gardner during spring training this year, he quickly regained it and hit .274 with 13 homers and 68 RBIs, helping the Yankees win the World Series for the first time since 2000. But he has a .239 postseason average with just six RBIs in 67 at-bats.

Cabrera made $1,425,000 last season and is eligible for free agency after the 2012 season.

“He has the ability to play all three outfield positions,” Braves general manager Frank Wren said. “That versatility really helps our ballclub.”

Logan, acquired by the Braves from the in the Vazquez trade last December, was 1-1 with a 5.19 ERA in 20 relief appearances. He held left-handers to a .231 average and figures to fill the hole created by the departure of, who was sent to Detroit in a deal that brought New York center fielder Curtis Granderson.

Atlanta had a surplus of starting pitching after giving Tim Hudson a $28 million, three-year contract in November. The trade left the Braves with a rotation that includes Hudson, Jair Jurrjens, Tommy Hanson ,Derek Lowe and Kenshin Kawakami.

“We knew that we would have an extra pitcher that would allow us to improve our club in other areas.” Wren said.

The 24-year-old Dunn had a combined 99 strikeouts in 73 1-3 innings at Triple-A Scranton-Wilkes Barre and Double-A Trenton, going 4-3 with a 3.31 ERA in 38 relief appearances. He made his major league debut on Sept. 4 and had a 6.75 ERA in four appearances.

Vizcaino, who is 19, was 2-4 with a 2.13 ERA at Class A Staten Island, striking out 52 in 42 1-3 innings.

NFL: Sources: Childress ripped Favre in locker room

Interviews with six members of the Vikings organization revealed that Brad Childress ripped his offense during halftime Sunday and that he privately unleashed an expletive-laden outburst toward Brett Favre long after the game in the visitors’ locker room.

ESPN reported Monday that Childress considered replacing Favre on Nov. 1 against the Green Bay Packers, and two people with the team told the Pioneer Press that the coach considered replacing the quarterback Nov. 15 against the Detroit Lions.

Both incidents were overlooked, but Sunday’s was uncovered.

Childress lashed out at his offense at halftime, after the unit had mustered just 66 net yards and struggled to run or pass the ball

He cursed, and he called it “laughable” that they consider themselves a Super Bowl team

One player described the tirade as “entertaining.” Another likened it

NBC cameras showed the exchange, with Childress placing his right hand on Favre’s left biceps. But Favre pulled his arm away after Childress said something to him.

“We didn’t have time – I didn’t have time to sit there and say why or what. My response was, ‘We’ve got to win this ballgame, and I want to stay in and do whatever I can.’”

“Now, unfortunately, I didn’t do that, but that was my intention.”

Since taking over the Vikings in 2006, Childress has empowered his defensive coordinators but reigned over the offense. His inflexibility frustrated veteran quarterback Brad Johnson, and Gus Frerotte lamented to the Pioneer Press in August that he “basically had to run whatever they called.” Frerotte also wondered if Childress and Favre could co-exist.

“Where I approached him? No,” Childress said.

“It will be interesting to see if coach lets him do that or (he) still wants to take control and lead everything,” Frerotte said of Childress.

Favre, who is easygoing off the field, draws plenty of laughs at his press conferences, and he has referred to Childress as “Chilli” in several instances. But Favre hasn’t abided by one of Childress’ credos: not to air in-house information publicly.

“I think he probably gave you a stream of consciousness from the best of his recollection, wouldn’t you say? Yeah,” Childress said. “The great thing about telling the truth is you can tell it over and over again.“

St. Paul Pioneer Press

MLB: Bay, Holliday still on Red Sox’ radar?

It remains unlikely, but still within the realm of possibility, that either Matt Holliday or Jason Bay could wind up falling into the Red Sox‘  laps. With the Yankees still having at least one corner outfield vacancy and able to create another if they wanted, neither team was ready last night to declare it was done shopping, especially with Bay and Holliday unsigned.

Boston Herald

NCAAF: Bowl-bound USC leaves McKnight home

Joe McKnight’s chances of playing for USC in the Emerald Bowl appeared to dim Monday when the junior tailback did not accompany the Trojans to the Bay Area for the start of practices and activities leading into Saturday’s game against Boston College. Coach Pete Carroll said that the Trojans were preparing as if their 1,000-yard rusher would be available for the game at AT&T Park.

“We’ll just go one day at a time and see where it stands,” Carroll said.

Upon arrival in San Francisco, however, Carroll said in statement posted on the school’s website that McKnight remained at home to complete “compliance-related” business.

“He has some paperwork he needs to do and it’s best for him to stay in L.A. so he can be available to finish it,” Carroll said.

Todd Dickey, USC’s senior vice president for administration, has said that school officials planned to speak this week with the vehicle’s owner, Scott Schenter. Schenter, 47, owns and has worked for several companies with marketing interests, but he has said that he “has nothing to do with agents, marketing players or representing athletes.“

In the wake of McKnight’s situation and the announcement regarding the ineligible players, Carroll said after practice that USC was attempting to be vigilant in its oversight

“YouIn the wake of McKnight’s situation and the announcement regarding the ineligible players, Carroll said after practice that “USC was attempting to be vigilant in its oversighthear me say one word about trying to back off the fact that we have to work to keep control of what’s going on as much as we can, and we learn as we go,” Carroll said. “Relationships can extend beyond and beyond and beyond. We have to keep digging and working and making sure that we know stuff.”

Of McKnight’s situation, he said, “If it comes out where this is just a normal relationship and everything is OK, we’ll have taken a lot of time and lot of effort and all that to chase down a very normal situation, possibly.“

If McKnight were ruled ineligible, junior Allen Bradford probably would start in his place. Bradford said he would welcome the opportunity, but he felt for McKnight.

“He’s got to handle the situation that got brought up,” Bradford said. “I haven’t talked to him about it, but I wish him the best.“

Sophomore Rhett Ellison will start in McCoy’s spot at tight end. Redshirt freshman Matt Kalil is on track to start in place of Smith at right tackle.

Los Angeles Times

NBA: D-Wade would love to play with LeBron

“We know each other away from basketball, and I have an unbelievable respect for the person I’ve gotten to know during our seven years in the league.” Dwyane Wade served that morsel regarding his relationship with LeBron James during our scheduled sit-down last Wednesday in the Heat‘s practice gym inside American Airlines Arena . . . and that’s just an appetizer. “So,” I interrupted, “contrary to Magic Johnson’s impetuous opinion and popular belief, you and LeBron could play together?” “Contrary is the operative word,” Wade accentuated, all gleam. “We can play together.”

This was my first time interviewing Wade one-on-one, I’m embarrassed to admit. Considering the less than favorable conditions — no accrued trust, restricted (20-to-25) minutes rationed by the Heat’s publicity department, crushing my usual pre-conversation concept of foreplay — I didn’t expect he would give up much more than the predictable pabulum.

Shows how little I know Wade. Friendly and forthright, he’s the opposite of your typical programmed pin-up player who answers questions that weren’t asked with cliches.

Appreciatively, Wade doesn’t mind amplifying on sensitive subjects. There’s no shutdown after a sentence or two, no creation of awkward silence that pressures you to move on to something else. Instead, he expands with no prodding and furnishes you with more than you are entitled to know.

Not once did Wade say “off the record.”

Before we refocus on the pending possibility of LeBron and Wade patrolling the perimeter together (as they did in a gold medal-winning cause in the Beijing Olympics), let’s revisit Heat management’s premeditated determination this season to tread talent in the middle of the pool rather than contend for a championship by surpassing the luxury-tax buoy — or add any salary to next season’s $30M cap — like the Lakers, Celtics, Spurs, Magic, Mavericks, Nuggets, Hornets, Suns, Jazz, Wizards and, ahem, Cavaliers.

For owner Mickey Arison and team president Pat Riley consciously to squander Wade’s superlatives for 82 games — perhaps his last season in South Beach — and not think he would take exception to it must mean they are pretty confident they have got him on tap for 2010-11 and beyond and believe they’ve got a legit chance to recruit LeBrontosaurus.

“I do want to stay,” Wade said, repeating a mantra he’s chanted almost every day since training camp. “However, I’m open-minded. I want to win! I want that! When we got Shaq I said, ‘All right, we’re trying to win it all now.’ When he left, our direction changed.“

“I understand the business side. I would’ve wanted us to make moves for someone who’ll help us now and be here for the future, too“

“I understand the business side. I would’ve wanted us to make moves for someone who’ll help us now and be here for the future, too“

“I just want to make sure we’ll be in position to compete for a title. I just want to make sure they bring in the beef.“

“Is it frustrating at times? Yes, it is! I’m not in competition with Kobe, but then again I am. I want to be in that elite group that wins multiple titles.“

“Before we agreed to terms, LeBron and I had a couple conversations,” Wade said. “I can’t recall exactly what we said, but the gist of it was we wanted to give ourselves the flexibility and the option to play together.”  

“A lot of times in this league, players usually wind up going where they can get the most money. We’re both blessed within that area. We’ve made a lot of money. So we wanted to base our decision on two things, the organization and the ability to win a title. And that’s what we’ll do. When the season is over, we plan to sit down and talk about it.”

“I’m not saying it will happen. But I’m intrigued by the idea.”

“”I probably couldn’t have handled playing with someone like  LeBron earlier in my career, but I’m older now. You’re talking about two big egos and meshing them. That’d take a lot of sacrifice on  LeBron’s part and it’d take a lot of sacrifice on my part to succeed. But we would succeed because we know winning takes care of everything.“

“I’d like to play here, but I don’t mind where it is as long the organization is a good fit and it’s committed to competing for championships. The unknown has me intrigued.“

New York Post

Saint Reid?

I am not saying that Andy Reid is going to glide down your chimney on Thursday night, but you can’t deny a similiarly in looks between the Eagles’ coach and Saint Nick. The Sporting Muse has more holiday look-alikes.

NFL: Owner: Holmgren agrees to become Browns president

BEREA, Ohio (AP) – The Cleveland Browns say Mike Holmgren has agreed to become their president.

Browns owner Randy Lerner said the two sides reached a deal on Monday. Lerner says details still need to be worked out and a formal announcement will be made by next week.

On Saturday, the 61-year-old Holmgren had turned down a front-office position to return to the Seattle Seahawks, sparking speculation that he was headed to Cleveland.

Holmgren said he was intrigued by the Cleveland opportunity because of the absence of “layers” between him and Lerner.

The Browns improved to 3-11 on Sunday under first-year coach Eric Mangini with a 41-34 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs.

NCAAF: McKnight uncertain for Emerald Bowl

USC has already installed its game plan for Saturday’s game against Boston College in the Emerald Bowl. Joe McKnight’s   status is uncertain. USC is investigating the junior’s use of a sport utility vehicle that is registered to a Santa Monica businessman. It may constitute a violation of NCAA rules that prohibit student-athletes from accepting benefits from marketing representatives or agents, or “extra benefits” from anyone based on athletic ability. McKnight has said he never drove the 2006 Land Rover, which a Department of Motor Vehicles official said carried a purchase price of about $27,000. But McKnight has been observed driving the vehicle.

“We monitor more than 600 athletes very carefully and we have a very strong compliance program,” he said. “We believe we have a very good system in place. We think our controls and monitoring are very good.”

USC’s athletic program, like all major programs, “has a great deal of visibility,” said Tom Yeager, a former chairman of the NCAA infractions committee. “They know they’re higher-profile athletes and they’re under more scrutiny to begin with.”

Yeager, commissioner of the Colonial Athletic Assn., allowed that “Los Angeles is a heck of a lot different than a small college burg where you run into everyone you know. There’s a certain reasonableness that comes into play.”

“Coaches know where they came from and what their means are,” Yeager said. “If all of a sudden a player who they know doesn’t have a lot of financial means is driving a car that seems to be very above what the normal student should be driving, and you’re walking by it every day, it’s kind of common sense that people should be seeking out details.”

Los Angeles Times

NCAAM: Recruiting: Jio Fontan to USC

Point guard Jersey City, New Jersey St. Anthony AAU: The Playaz Club Ht:5'11" Wt:160 lbs Class:2008 (High School)

Jio Fontan is headed from the Atlantic 10 to the Pac-10.

The former Fordham guard committed to USC Monday morning after a weekend visit to the school.

“Yeah, I committed early this morning,” the 6-foot-1 Fontan said Monday afternoon. “I just came back last night.”

He must sit out a year as per NCAA transfer regulations before he can suit up for the Trojans in December 2010.

Fontan visited Miami and USC and was to visit Tennessee and Alabama, but he saw enough at Southern Cal to make the call.

The Trojans on Saturday upset No. 9 Tennessee, 77-55, behind 12 points and 10 assists from Charlotte transfer Mike Gerrity, making his Southern Cal debut.

“What I liked most was I liked the campus a lot,” he said. ”I got a chance to speak to the coaches. Coach [Kevin O'Neill] said I got a chance to come in and play and major minutes right away because they’re losing the point guard [Gerrity] and the backup point guard.”

Fontan, who led Bob Hurley’s St. Anthony team to an undefeated 32-0 season in 2007-08, led Fordham in scoring (15.3 ppg) and assists (132) as a freshman, but parted ways with the school earlier this month.  Fordham then fired head coach Dereck Whittenburg and replaced him on an interim basis with Jared Grasso.

Fontan said he plans to be on campus at USC for the start of classes in January.

“I’m really happy,” he said. ”I think I made a great decision. I love California. I love the campus.  Coach ’KO’ is mad cool. I’m in the Pac 10.:”

“He told me to enjoy this Christmas break and then it’s time to get to business.”

NFL: Favre at odds with Vikings coach

Brett Favre confirmed what Brad Childress would not. They got into a “heated discussion,” according to Favre, when the coach tried to pull the quarterback in the third quarter. Favre had been under a lot of pressure, as the Vikings offensive line struggled.

“Brad wanted to go in a different (direction), and I wanted to stay in the game.” This will only fuel the perception that Childress can’t control Favre. And, despite his contract extension, Childress has to be careful about his credibility with the rest of his players, who are going to be around a lot longer than Favre.

“We were up,” Favre said, referring to his team’s 7-6 lead in the third quarter. ” ‘I’m staying in the game.”

St. Paul Pioneer Press

MLB: NYPOST: Yankees ask Cubs about Zambrano, Cubs Refute’s Report

With his everyday lineup for 2010 set, Brian Cashman has turned attention to the rotation, and will almost certainly add a starter by New Year’s, according to a major league source. Cashman is believed to have inquired about Carlos Zambrano, but with the Cubs‘ asking price high for the 28-year-old right-hander — who is coming off an injury-plagued 2009 — it’s more probable the Yankees will go the free-agent route.

New York Post

___________________________________________________________

Cubs source refutes report about talking to Yanks about Zambrano

A New York Post article regarding the Chicago Cubs talking to the New York Yankees about sending Carlos Zambrano to New York for a center fielder is premature.

First and foremost, Zambrano has a full no-trade clause in his contract that runs through 2012. Zambrano’s agent, Barry Praver, said he has not been contacted about a trade. And a Cubs source told ESPNChicago.com there is nothing to the speculation at this point.

“I’ve had zero discussions with the Cubs about a possible trade,” Praver said. “I’ve talked to them on numerous occasions, and the topic has never come up.”

NBA: Wallace calls out Bobcats teammates

It’s peer-pressure time for the Charlotte Bobcats. Gerald Wallace and Stephen Jackson took a cue from their coach following Saturday’s 110-102 loss to the Utah Jazz. Larry Brown had just said there are too many Bobcats with lacking effort. So Wallace and Jackson filled in the blanks. “The 4 and the 5 (Boris Diaw and Tyson Chandler) got eight rebounds,” Wallace detailed. “Individually, we’re not taking pride in defensive assignments. We’re not taking pride in helping teammates. So is there a solution to this? “Can you fix somebody’s heart?” Wallace replied. “That’s a personal thing.”

“Too many times we’re saying, ‘This is bad. Just move on to the next game.’”

The Bobcats trailed by 19 before Brown benched every starter except Wallace (30 points and 13 rebounds). A desperate-measures lineup that included center Gana Diop and rookie Gerald Henderson cut the deficit to six before the home team ran out of time.

“The energy of the last group was a lot different from the energy of the (starters),” Brown said. “I think that’s been an issue a lot.”

Wallace and Brown weren’t alone in that impression. While Jackson (18 points, four steals and four rebounds) wasn’t quite so direct in whom he meant, he backed up Wallace.

“I know I’m going to play as hard as I can and I know Gerald puts his body on the line every night,” Jackson said. “We’re all so blessed to have these jobs. We owe it to ourselves and our teammates to play hard.”

So is there a solution to this?

“Can you fix somebody’s heart?” Wallace replied. “That’s a personal thing.”

Diaw had a strange night, scoring eight points in the first quarter and none in the last three. Chandler finished with two points and five rebounds.

Brown said he had an ugly feeling, entering this game, that his team’s resolve would be severely tested. The Jazz had trailed by 32 Friday night in a loss at Atlanta.

“I knew what we’d face,” Brown said. “They got blown out last night and Jerry (Sloan) cleared his bench.”

That’s essentially what Brown did Saturday. Maybe he was sending a message, setting up tonight’s game in New York.

Charlotte Observer

NFL: Holmgren to reveal Browns decision

The Browns are closer to securing a deal with Mike Holmgren after he declined an offer for a senior leadership position with the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday. It’s quite possible the allure of resuming his career as a coach — an option not available in Seattle — may sway Holmgren to the Browns. Holmgren is expected to notify the Browns of his decision by Monday.

The Seahawks put out a news release late Saturday saying team officials, including CEO Tod Leiweke, had met with Holmgren but he declined the offer. Leiweke said the Browns’ pursuit of Holmgren and the former coach’s desire to resolve his situation quickly spurred the meeting.

“We hold Mike in high regard and wish the Holmgren family the very best with their new horizons,” Leiweke said.

The release quoted Holmgren as saying: “I sincerely thank Paul Allen and Tod for all their support over the years. I thank them for reaching out to me and we conclude these discussions as friends.”

Speaking on his radio show in Seattle on Friday, Holmgren for the first time brought up the possibility of coaching the Browns. Holmgren was 161-111 in 17 years as a coach in the NFL with the Seahawks and Green Bay, winning a Super Bowl with the Packers.

Holmgren, who interviewed with the Browns on Monday and Tuesday, has called the chance to work for the Browns “about as good a job situation as you could ask for in this business.”

Cleveland Plain Dealer

MLB: Sources: A’s, free agent Crisp near deal

The Oakland Athletics and free agent outfielder Coco Crisp were on the verge of a contract agreement Sunday morning, sources told ESPN The Magazine’s Buster Olney.

The pending deal was for one year at $4.5 million-$5 million, the sources said.

An eight-year veteran, Crisp has played with the Indians, Red Sox and Royals.

The career .277 hitter underwent season-ending rotator-cuff surgery to both shoulders in 2009 after appearing in only 49 games.

The Royals acquired Crisp in Nov. 2008 in a trade with the Red Sox for right-hander Ramon Ramirez.

Kansas City declined a contract option with Crisp for 2010, making him a free agent.

NFL: Will Cowboys steal Shanahan from ‘Skins?

Vinny Cerrato was, in fact, talking to Mike Shanahan before his firing – a firing that caught Cerrato off guard. But as a high-ranking NFL official told me, it’s still Mike Shanahan in Washington, with his son Kyle and former defensive coordinator Bob Slowik in a yet-to-be-determined role. The only team that can derail this Shanahan train to D.C. is the Dallas Cowboys.

National Football Post

MLB: Lowe could end up an Angel

If the Braves can’t work out a deal with the Angels for Javier Vazquez, reportedly for outfielder Juan Rivera, Derek Lowe could enter the picture instead. Lowe has three years and $45 million remaining on his contract. He acknowledged he didn’t pitch well last season, but he still won 15 games.

Boston Globe

NCAAF: SUV owner denies wrongdoing in USC probe

The Santa Monica businessman who owns a sport utility vehicle that USC tailback Joe McKnight has been observed driving says he is a University of Washington fan who has “nothing to do with agents, marketing players or representing athletes.” USC is investigating McKnight’s use of the vehicle, which may constitute a violation of NCAA rules that prohibit student-athletes from accepting benefits from marketing representatives or agents, or “extra benefits” from anyone based on their athletic ability.

In an e-mail, Schenter said he was in Johannesburg, South Africa, “finalizing a major business deal,” and complained The Times had not given him adequate opportunity to respond to questions. He said, “The Internet is very expensive to use and I had meetings scheduled all week with no time to check the Internet.”

(The full text of Schenter’s e-mailed comments can be found at http://tinyurl.com/ykeb7vu)

Schenter said he has worked more than 21 years for the Los Angeles County Assessor’s office appraising high-value homes. He said he also was “an entrepreneur that has his hands in numerous businesses and investment opportunities,” and that “I would rather be known for my expertise in my marketing and finance ventures (there are more).”

“The payments are a little over $500/month (not a big amount),” he wrote. A DMV official said last week that the registration had been suspended because of lack of proof of insurance.

“I only purchased www.4joemcknight.com (didn’t renew) because I thought it was clever along with the many other ones I own/owned,” Schenter said. “Michelle Beltran knew nothing of this website.” Schenter said his other domains include uscromeo.com, uclalove.com, 24kobe.com and airkobe.com.”

Los Angeles Times

NBA: Robinson’s agent demands Knicks trade

Nate Robinson‘s agent revealed Saturday that he has asked the Knicks to trade his client, who has been buried on Mike D’Antoni’s bench for eight straight games. “I can’t allow Nate to rot on Mike’s bench and not do anything about it. I can’t allow this to happen to his career,” Aaron Goodwin told the Daily News in a telephone interview. “It’s clear that Mike D’Antoni doesn’t want to play him.”

Robinson’s diminished role has been a brewing controversy since D’Antoni first benched the point guard against the Magic on Dec.2, a game the Knicks lost, 118-104, in Orlando. But it may not be the only personnel problem on the coach’s hands.

“When he says that he’d play Satan to help him win, I don’t know what type of message he’s trying to convey,” Goodwin said. “But clearly this is personal.”

The 5-8 Robinson, a two-time slam dunk champion, is a fan favorite at the Garden. But some of his antics have been a source of frustration for Knicks coaches past and present. Even Chris Duhon complained after the second game of the season that players were fooling around – and even dancing – during pregame warmups. Duhon didn’t mention Robinson by name, but D’Antoni has cited Robinson for his poor preparation and silly behavior.

“I’m going to continue to try and be ready if my name is ever called, and just go from there. I’m happy we won, I’ll just leave it at that,” Curry said Saturday afternoon at the Knicks’ practice facility in Greenburgh. “Nobody is ever happy not playing at all. …I stopped trying to understand things and I just kind of roll with the punches.”

New York Daily News

50 most influential people in Sports Business

Much like the industry itself, our ranking of the 50 most influential people in sports business evolves constantly. It’s the nature of such lists, what keeps them interesting, and what makes them still challenging six years into the process of determining who most influences the North American sports business.

Think of it as broadening the list. And we’ve done it on two fronts this year.

First, we’ve expanded the reach of the executives who make the top 50 by putting more of an international stamp on it, highlighted mostly by this year’s No. 1, Jacques Rogge of the International Olympic Committee, but also with FIFA’s Sepp Blatter cracking the list for the first time. The idea hasn’t changed, and the rankings are still North American focused. We’re simply recognizing the importance of both the Olympics and World Cup to the overall American sports landscape, no matter how internationally focused those events and their leaders are.

The world is getting smaller and smaller, and the decisions of these international executives are having a larger and larger influence on the American sports business. That, no doubt, will only increase as our rankings continue to evolve.

Secondly, and more noticeably, we’re recognizing the idea that oftentimes influence among major properties and brands is shared among more than one executive, and thus for the first time we’ve made exceptions for executive pairings with a handful of spots.

In the first five years of our 50 Most Influential list, we were adamant that the list be limited to 50 individuals, often to the detriment of one person or another among some extremely influential and powerful pairings in our industry. Charlie Denson kept making the cut from Nike, which unfortunately — if not unfairly — left little room for Mark Parker. The same could be said for the power-agent duo of Tom Condon and Ben Dogra. Condon kept making the list based on his years as one of the top agents in the NFL, despite Dogra being an equal partner in their CAA Football offices.

After years of debate — literally, considering this wasn’t a new discussion — we decided to broaden our thinking on how influence is spread across the industry. That led to 10 exceptions — so yes, that means our top 50 executives list this year actually features 60 names. That doesn’t mean next year the list will grow to 100 names.

With both of this year’s changes, it simply means we’re more accurately recognizing where the influence falls.

View The List

NCAAF: USC investigating McKnight’s SUV use

Joe McKnight, star tailback of USC‘s football team, has been driving a sport utility vehicle owned by a Santa Monica businessman, an arrangement the school is investigating and which may be in violation of NCAA rules. For several weeks, McKnight has been seen driving a well-kept 2006 Land Rover that, according to California Department of Motor Vehicles records, is registered to Scott Schenter.

If it’s found that McKnight is in violation of NCAA rules, it could affect his athletic eligibility. USC’s football team will next play against Boston College in the Emerald Bowl on Dec. 26 in San Francisco.

Tom Yeager, a former chairman of the NCAA infractions committee who is commissioner of the Colonial Athletic Assn., said universities are expected to be diligent regardless of whether they are repeat offenders or are dealing with infractions for the first time. He added, however, “The stakes go up just like someone making a return appearance in court. A judge is not going to be as sympathetic.”

Approached Wednesday after practice, McKnight acknowledged riding in the Land Rover but said he has never driven it. McKnight said his girlfriend, Johana Michelle Beltran, works as a secretary for Schenter, although the player said he did not know him.

McKnight and Beltran are the parents of a 10-month-old son, Jaiden. McKnight said the Land Rover was “my baby mama’s boss’. “

“I never talk to her about it,” he added. “I just see it whenever my girlfriend’s around with my kid. I ask no questions. I just do what I got to do.”

NCAA bylaw 12.3.1.2 says that a student-athlete shall be ineligible if he, or relatives or friends, accepts transportation or other benefits from agents or marketing representatives. NCAA bylaw 12.1.2.1.6 prohibits preferential treatment, benefits or services because of the individual’s athletic reputation or skill or payback potential as a professional athlete.

“I play football and I have a child,” said McKnight, who grew up in a low-income area outside New Orleans. “I’m not the type to get into everybody’s business. I worry about my own.”

“I won’t break any rules because I know if I do I can’t get on the football field. I’m trying to keep my life secure and stay on the football field.”

“Compliance has this in a full review and so we’ll have to wait and see what happens with that,” Carroll said. “I really can’t tell you anything. I don’t know anything more than that.”

Los Angeles Times

NCAAF: Florida State, Fisher Agree On Five-Year Pact, Worth $1.8M Per Season

Tallahassee, FL, U.S.- The Florida State Seminoles officially hired offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher as its newest head coach starting next season, according to various media outfits Saturday.

Fisher signed a five-year, $1.8 million per season deal with the Seminoles, excluding bonuses that could go as high as $675,000.

However, if he leaves the school within the first three years, his buyout will be $675,000 and $450,000 if he decides to leave in the last two years of his contract.

Fisher started his career in Samford as offensive coordinator and moved up to major football programs, such as Auburn, Cincinnati, LSU, and Florida State.

Florida State is scheduled to play  West Virginia in the New Year’s Day Gator Bowl, which will be Seminoles’ retiring coach Bobby Bowden’s last game.

On January 5, Fisher will begin his job as the ninth coach in Florida State’s college football history.

UA defensive coordinator Mark Stoops will take the same position at Florida State after the Wildcats’ Dec. 30 game against Nebraska in the Holiday Bowl.

NCAAF: Why Locker Didn’t Go Pro

Despite a proclamation by ESPN’s Todd McShay that  Jake Locker would/should/could be the first overall pick, a league source tells us that Locker didn’t receive a first-round grade from the Advisory Committee. The source concedes that Locker might have still be drafted in round one given the value of the position, but the source insists that McShay was flat wrong in his assessment of Locker.

The source concedes that Locker might have still be drafted in round one given the value of the position, but the source insists that McShay was flat wrong in his assessment of Locker.

“That’s the problem,” the source opined.  “McShay is clueless.  Up until three weeks before the 2008 draft, he said that [Kentucky's] Andre Woodson would be a first-round pick.  He went in the sixth and is out of the league.”

“The problem I have with people like McShay saying stupid things is parents and others who ‘advise’ these kids think McShay knows what he is talking about,” the source said. “And they believe him before they believe the Advisory Committee.  Then, when the kids go a lot lower than projected they are pissed and/or depressed. . . .  This stuff happens every year and we have to deal with the broken hearts because people who don’t know what they are talking about put visions of grandeur into young players’ heads.”

profootballtalk