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2,800 | Create account?
Report: Brent was driving over 100 mph
Cowboys NT Josh Brent was charged with intoxication manslaughter in the death of teammate Jerry Brown Jr. (LM Otero/Associated Press)
View photos from the scene of Josh Brent's fatal wreck in Texas .
Dallas Cowboys nose tackle Josh Brent was driving at least 110 miles per hour at the time of the crash that killed teammate Jerry Brown Jr., according to police documents obtained by NBC affiliate KXAS/NBC 5.
The documents show Brent was speeding at a minimum of 110 mph and could have sped up to 134 mph during certain points while driving home from a nightclub on Dec. 7 of last year.
Brent was charged with intoxication manslaughter. His blood alcohol content was more than twice the legal limit at the time of the crash, according to police.
Three surveillance cameras caught Brent's car driving down State Highway 114, according to the documents. Minutes later, a call was made to 911 automatically from the car's phone system.
An investigation determined that Brent's car flipped over after he hit a curb and lost control.
Brent, 25, has been placed on a reserve/non-football illness list by the Cowboys. According to the report by NBC, his case could go to trial as early as this summer, his attorney said.
Follow Keith Whitmire on Twitter: @Keith_Whitmire
| true | sport | ['Sport'] |
2,801 | Sobotka scored from close range at 2:16 of overtime to give the Blues a 5-4 victory over the Minnesota Wild on Sunday night.
St. Louis is 5-1, its best start since winning seven of its first eight in 1997-98. Coming off a 4-3 victory in Dallas on Saturday night, the Blues also improved to 3-0 at home.
Andy McDonald circled around the net and fed Sobotka for the winner
''I just saw it landed right on my stick and it was kind of a weird shot, but it landed up in the net and I was happy,'' he said.
Minnesota's Dany Heatley forced the overtime, tying it at 4 when he batted the puck out of the air with 4:08 left in regulation for his fourth goal of the season. The Wild have lost three straight.
Chris Stewart, Barret Jackman, Wade Redden and Patrik Berglund also scored for St. Louis, and Brian Elliott, getting his first home start, made 12 saves.
Blues coach Ken Hitchcock wasn't certain how his team would respond after playing six games in nine days.
''I've been around a long time, but the third period was impressive,'' Hitchcock said. ''Back to back, it was a very physical game last night, and to come with that type of effort was a real confidence booster. We didn't get down on ourselves. We really took our game to another level.''
After taking a 1-0 lead in the first, the Blues gave up three consecutive goals before rallying.
''We kept battling. We kept battling and (Sobotka) capped with a great overtime goal,'' Jackman said.
Zach Parise had two goals and an assist for Minnesota after also scoring twice in the Wild's 5-3 loss in Detroit on Friday night. Mikko Koivu added a goal, and Niklas Backstrom stopped 32 shots.
''It doesn't matter, we lost the game,'' Parise said. ''We have to win games here.''
Stewart and Jackman scored 2:18 apart midway through the third to give the Blues a 4-3 lead. Stewart tied it with his fourth goal, a deflection off Alex Pietrangelo's shot, and Jackman put the Blues in front.
Parise scored on Minnesota's first two shots in the second period, both on power plays, to give the Wild a 2-1 lead. Koivu added a goal on a 4 on 4 to make it 3-1 in the second, but Berglund countered 1:01 later to pull the Blues within one.
Redden scored for the second consecutive night for the Blues after going nearly three years without an NHL goal. He slapped a shot from near the left boards about midway through the first period to open the scoring.
St. Louis entered the game as the best power-play team in the NHL, converting seven of 16 opportunities, but failed on five chances against the Wild, with just three shots.
Minnesota took three penalties in the first nine minutes of the third period. Despite not giving up a goal while a man short, the extra work tired the Wild.
''It was a recipe on how to lose a game,'' Wild coach Mike Yeo said. ''The bottom line is we can sit here and talk about our potential, the fact that we have a nice team on paper. (But) the winners do things that it takes to win hockey games.''
NOTES: The Blues wore jerseys with No. 6 and ''Musial'' on the back during pregame warmups in honor of St. Louis Cardinals great Stan Musial. He died Jan. 19. Musial's funeral and burial were held Saturday. The jerseys will be auctioned with proceeds going to charitable arms of the Cardinals and Blues. ... After playing its first six games in nine days, St. Louis gets three days off before playing Thursday night at Columbus. | true | sport | ['Sport'] |
2,802 | This week's "The Second Half" podcast takes a look at the first round of NFL Wild Card matchups.Let's Preview The NFL Playoffs! | true | sport | ['Sport'] |
2,803 | Sparty FTW!Michigan St. Edges Iowa 16-13 For Big Ten Title | true | sport | ['Sport'] |
2,804 | Every player endures rough times in a season. Baseball is a long sport so usually, the mentality is to coast through those bad times and eventually your game comes back. But for Mark Teixeira he just picked up where he left off last night.Teixeira Comes Up Big Against Colon | true | sport | ['Sport'] |
2,805 | "One day for the inflation, 364 days for everything else."Keith Olbermann Says NFL Should Suspend Tom Brady | true | sport | ['Sport'] |
2,806 | ''It's a bruise which doctors have been having a look at,'' Barcelona coach Tito Vilanova said. ''We now have to wait for the results of tests, but the feeling is that it isn't more serious than a knock.''
Messi, who went on as a reserve in the 58th minute, collided with Benfica goalkeeper Artur in the 85th and was in obvious pain clutching his knee when he fell to the turf after weakly attempting a chipped shot.
As Messi dribbled into the box, Artur made contact with the forward to silence the Camp Nou, which is not used to seeing the star injured.
''He's receiving medical tests, let's hope it's nothing serious and that he can soon be with us back to 100 percent,'' captain Carles Puyol said.
Messi has scored 84 times in 2012 to be only one short of tying Gerd Mueller's 40-year-old record for most goals in a calendar year.
Vilanova said Messi always prefers to play and isn't focused on Mueller's record.
''Had we been worried just about the record we would have played Messi right from the beginning,'' Vilanova said. ''But we had talked about it and decided to bring him on with half an hour to play.''
Benfica looked the sharper side in the first half, while Barcelona dominated in the second. Barcelona had already qualified for the knockout phase in top spot from Group G.
Ola John's pass from midfield allowed Rodrigo Moreno to beat the offside trap and race forward accompanied by two Benfica forwards, all three clear of Barcelona's defense, but the Brazil-born Spanish striker shot wide in the 11th minute.
A minute later, Lima had a shot deflected by Barcelona goalkeeper Jose Manuel Pinto.
Manuel ''Nolito'' Duran crossed to an unmarked Lima in the penalty area for the Benfica striker to head just wide in the 20th.
Barcelona winger Cristian Tello missed in the 23rd before Lima's 32nd-minute shot was deflected by Pinto onto the goal-frame.
John beat Barcelona's defense again in the 35th but Pinto dived to turn the ball wide.
''It was a game in which it was clear that we wanted to win even though we started with many young players,'' Barcelona midfielder Thiago Alcantara said.
As the halftime whistle blew, fans in the stadium chanted Messi's name.
Barcelona looked refreshed in the second half, attacking more and stringing together more passes, until Messi came on for Brazilian midfielder Rafinha to an ovation from the fans. | true | sport | ['Sport'] |
2,807 | What is so difficult about throwing out the ceremonial first pitch? We can cut some slack for the celebrities out there givingJermichael Finley First Pitch: Packers Tight End Bounces Throw Before Brewers Game (VIDEO) | true | sport | ['Sport'] |
2,808 | Brittney Griner scored 30 points, and the United States won its seventh straight gold medal in women’s basketball, beating Japan 90-75.U.S. Women's Basketball Defeats Japan To Win 7th Straight Gold Medal | true | sport | ['Sport'] |
2,809 | Lin is off to Brooklyn, to be exact.Former International Phenomenon 'Linsanity' Returns To New York City | true | sport | ['Sport'] |
2,810 | “We just asked ourselves how Craig’s statements would play in our human resources department,” an unnamed Fox spokesman toldCraig James Fired By FOX Sports Southwest Over Anti-Gay Comments: REPORT | true | sport | ['Sport'] |
2,811 | “Sometimes I flip and what not," the greatest gymnast of all time wrote on Twitter with a video of her latest feat.Simone Biles Casually Nails Another Astonishing Move In Training | true | sport | ['Sport'] |
2,812 | Trust us, Jaime Moreno is a national treasure.Listen To The Panthers' Spanish Radio Announcer Erupt After Cam's Touchdown | true | sport | ['Sport'] |
2,813 | Against a backdrop of the violent redrawing of the map of the Middle East as minorities assert their rights, rebels challenge the existing order, and militant Islamists seek to carve up the post-colonial order, Iranian soccer pitches are signalling that the Islamic republic is not totally immune to the region's upheaval.Ethnic Tensions Spill Onto Iranian Soccer Pitches | true | sport | ['Sport'] |
2,814 | Skiing star Tina Maze has revealed she received a death threat just hours before becoming the first person to break 2000 World Cup points in a season in Germany.
The 29-year-old, who won the overall World Cup, received the threat in an email Saturday before being put under police protection for the rest of the weekend.
Slovenia's Maze, who finished fourth in Sunday's super-G after winning Saturday's downhill race, was given extra security after event organizers were sent the threat.
Amazing Maze breaks Maier points record
"It's bizarre, I can only laugh about it," Maze told reporters after her fourth place in Sunday's race left her with 2074 points for the season.
Maze on historic win, music career Tomba: The greatest slalom skier ever? See skier's downhill (careful at 1:21!)
"I don't really want to talk about it; it was just a normal day at the office.
"I have a clean conscience; I haven't done anything bad, some people are just jealous.
"I haven't seen anything myself, the threat came through the organizers, but I have never felt as safe as I did today.
"If whoever is responsible wanted to distract me or put me off, they didn't succeed.
"But it's not easy when you have the feeling that something can happen."
Innerhofer equals record
On Saturday, Maze became only the third woman to win a World Cup race in all give disciplines in a single season, matching Austria's Petra Kronberger (1990-91) and Croatia's Janica Kostelic (2005-6).
She also became the first person to have eclipsed Hermann Maier's previous mark of 2000 set in the 1999-2000 season.
And despite the threat on her life, Maze has confirmed she will remain in Garmisch for the next three days before moving on to Ofterschwang in south-west Germany for the next World Cup event.
"We regret that this has happened very much. It is very, very serious," Peter Fischer, head of the organizing committee in Garmisch-Partenkirchen told reporters.
Schladming ski resort gets tech facelift How a ski is made Franz Klammer reflects on career
"We received an anonymous email and contacted the police immediately, who took over handling the matter.
"We don't know if this was an individual acting alone or a group of people.
"We had to take this very seriously and the main thing was keeping Tina safe, so we achieved that goal.
"It's good that she is strong minded and still felt good being here.
"She has said she will stay here for three days before going onto Ofterschwang for the next race."
Ski legend Tomba's great regret
Meanwhile, Austria's Anna Fenninger claimed her second World Cup win of the season Sunday by claiming victory in the Super-G.
The 23-year-old, who won the world super combined title on the Khandahar course at the venue in 2011, clocked a time of 1 minute 20.43 seconds while Germany's Maria Hoefl-Riesch finished 0.20 seconds back.
It was Fenninger's second win of the season having won the giant slalom in Semmering, Austria, in December.
"I deserved it, I was ready for this win and I believed in myself," Fenninger told reporters.
"I made a few mistakes on the top part and really risked everything on the bottom section, but everything came together. It feels good."
Elsewhere, Aksel Lund Svindal of Norway won the men's World Cup super-G title with victory at Kvitfjell.
Svindal claimed his 21st career victory in a time of 1 minute 29.79 seconds, finishing ahead of Austria's Georg Streitberger and Italy's Werner Heel.
Svindal is now just 29 points behind overall World Cup leader Marcel Hirscher of Austria. | true | sport | ['Sport'] |
2,815 | "If we knew that we were killing people, I would have never put on the jersey.”'Concussion' Is Making Families Of NFL Players Question Football | true | sport | ['Sport'] |
2,816 | By Greg Mengelt, CollegeHoops.Net (4) Louisville vs. (5) New Mexico: West Region Records Louisville 27-9, 10-8 Big East (ConferenceLouisville, New Mexico Face Off In NCAA Tournament Third Round | true | sport | ['Sport'] |
2,817 | Florida State Called Out Over Lack Of Sportsmanship | true | sport | ['Sport'] |
2,818 | Warning: You'll be singing this all week.'Drunk Frat Boy' Is Ryan Lochte's New Auto-Tuned Olympic Anthem | true | sport | ['Sport'] |
2,819 | This ought to be a ruinous time in Scottish soccer. With Rangers in the fourth tier and the national team in tatters, dark clouds should be packing together and starving the northern end of the British Isles of light, relegating its soccer scene to oblivion.
When Rangers’ bankruptcy sent it to the Third Division, that was supposed to pretty much be it for serious professional football in Scotland. Overnight, broadcast rights for the Scottish Premier League were worthless, now that there was no more Old Firm played against Celtic four times a year. And when the money goes, the soccer follows out the door.
As for the Scottish national team, manager Craig Levein was recently fired after the Scots took just two points from their first four World Cup Qualifiers, essentially eliminating them 20 months before the World Cup kicks off. It will be the fourth consecutive tournament they miss. They haven’t been to a Euro since 1996. Things are so bad that Scotland, ranked 70th in the world, was glad not to lose to bottom-feeders Luxembourg, ranked 144th in the world, in a friendly on Wednesday. They only won by a score of 2-1 – against a team that usually celebrates when it loses by just a goal or three.
But things are not as bad as all that.
Solely because of Celtic’s European Cinderalla run.
A club like Celtic, a giant domestically but inconsequential on the European stage, isn’t supposed to be able to compete in the UEFA Champions League. Ahead of the season, most people would have told you they aren’t even worthy of being in the tournament, period.
Celtic, like all Scottish clubs these days, is made up of scraps and spare parts. Free agent signings and loans and bargain pickups. Its payroll is laughable when laid next to the tournament’s other entrants. Its spine of Fraser Forster, Efe Ambrose, Kris Commons, Victor Wanyama and Georgios Samaras cost less than 6 million pounds, according to the Guardian. The rest of the squad it got virtually for free.
Grouped with world-beaters Barcelona, Spartak Moscow of the newly filthy-rich Russian league and Benfica, one of the best developers of talent in the world, Celtic stood no chance whatsoever, so the consensus rang out.
But Celtic held Benfica to a 0-0 draw in its opening game. Nobody paid it much mind until Celtic overturned a 1-2 deficit with 20 minutes remaining into a 3-2 victory, courtesy of Samaras’s 90th-minute winner at Spartak. Suddenly, Celtic had four points from two. It was contending, sitting in second place in the group – one of the spots that grant a place in the Round of 16.
TEARS OF JOY
Watch as Rod Stewart celebrates Celtic's historic win over Barca.
Away to Barca, Celtic even had the temerity to go ahead on a Samaras goal in the 18th minute. It took an Andres Iniesta strike on the brink of half-time and a 94th-minute Jordi Alba goal to save Barca’s expensive bacon. Surely Celtic would collapse in its second game against Barca. It couldn’t withstand the sort of pressure Barca applied forever.
And then it did. Hosting Barcelona, the Bhoys put on a defending clinic. They deftly covered one another and didn’t succumb to endless fouling. Overall Celtic had just 16 per cent of possession and completed only 166 passes, as many as Barca’s Xavi connected on by himself. Barca as a team completed 955 passes.
But on Celtic’s sparse attacks, Wanyama thumped in a header off a corner in the 21st minute. And Tony Watt, just 18 years old, fresh off the bench, making his Champions League debut and newly acquired from Airdrie United for just 50,000 pounds, ripped a shot past Victor Valdes on a breakaway. Lionel Messi scored for Barca in the 91st minute. But the Catalans had no further retort.
For all their dominance, Barca couldn’t answer the Scottish willpower. Celtic defended courageously, seeing out a clock that seemed to tick only every ten seconds or so. A packed Parkhead heaved as 60,000 chanted and cheered and sang The Fields of Athenry, the Irish folk song adopted by the iconic Catholic club. They couldn’t wait for the game to be over, but didn’t want it to end, this precious moment of significance.
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
Scores | Stats | Standings
More Champions League | Video
Uber-fan Rod Stewart cried when the last whistle finally sounded.
Celtic sits on seven points now, three more than Benfica, four more than Spartak. It has got two games remaining, against the aforementioned pair. If it holds on, it will be counted among the 16 best clubs in Europe.
In the year of its supposed doom, Celtic has shone a light into the long, sinister tunnel facing Scottish soccer, like so many leagues that have had to fold in the game’s financial arms race. Their football might be relevant yet. | true | sport | ['Sport'] |
2,820 | Lincecum hopes this is an overall change — mind, body and attire. "I wanted something different. Usually I'd take like sixTim Lincecum Haircut: Giants Pitcher Shows Off Short Hair Before Spring Training (PHOTO) | true | sport | ['Sport'] |
2,821 | Champs Fall to Kings | true | sport | ['Sport'] |
2,822 | Eurosport - Tue, Feb 12, 2013 13:33 GMT
Related Content
Bet on Cycling
Hamilton described one transfusion which caused an adverse reaction from his body, making his urine turn black.
Speaking through an interpreter by video link from the Spanish embassy in Washington, Hamilton spoke for almost three hours about his time as a patient of Spanish doctor Eufemiano Fuentes between 2002-04 when the rider paid him as much as 110,000 euros (آ£90,000) for his services.
The 41-year-old, who came clean about his doping past in an award-winning book 'The Secret Race', said he met Fuentes, who denies involvement in doping, at a clinic or in apartments in Madrid and Monaco and in "many, many hotel rooms" and the pair spoke and sent text messages using "secret phones".
With Fuentes watching him on a large-screen television, the American told the court in Madrid his first blood transfusion under the doctor's direction was in March 2002 and he said he had met him "probably 15 times", each time having blood extracted or reinjected.
Their relationship ended in September 2004 when traces of someone else's blood was found in one of Hamilton's samples and the rider was suspended for two years, he added.
Last August the American was stripped of the time-trial gold medal he won at the 2004 Athens Games by the International Olympic Committee.
"Yeah he (Fuentes) gave me a calendar with a schedule of races, a schedule of when to take what performance-enhancing drug and if I remember right he gave me EPO (erythropoietin)," Hamilton told the court.
"He offered me EPO, testosterone, growth hormone, insulin, I think that's it," added the American who was wearing a light grey suit, white shirt and striped tie. "My biggest fear was something like this (trial) would happen."
Fuentes and four other defendants, including his sister Yolanda, are appearing in court almost seven years after anabolic steroids, transfusion equipment and numbered blood bags were seized by police as part of the Puerto investigation.
The proceedings have attracted international scrutiny because anti-doping authorities, who are represented in court, are hopeful it will finally lead to evidence of wrongdoing by athletes in sports other than cycling coming to light.
Fuentes said shortly after the trial began he had clients in sports including soccer, tennis, athletics and boxing.
A World Anti-Doping Agency request for access to the blood bags has been repeatedly denied by the Spanish courts and the organisation awaits the Puerto judge's ruling on their latest petition made last month.
As Spain's current anti-doping legislation was not in force in 2006 when the police raids took place, Fuentes and his fellow accused are being tried for violating public health regulations and the prosecutor has asked for prison terms of two years.
Hamilton, who said he used EPO and banned growth hormone treatments before becoming involved with Fuentes, was questioned about whether he had been warned of the possible risks from blood doping and if he had any adverse reaction to the transfusions or drugs.
He said he had always checked to make sure his code number "4142" was on the bags of blood to be reinjected.
"I had a transfusion in July of 2004 (during the Tour de France) that gave me a bad fever and I felt sick," said Hamilton. "The reason why I knew was that 30 or 40 minutes later when I went to the bathroom my urine was black.
"The insulin I tried one time but did not like the way it made me feel, sweating, increased heart rate, just a strange sense.
"You'd always feel a little bit different. I would say that no two times were exactly the same. But yeah your body reacted to the blood extractions and reinfusions."
The judge asked Hamilton if he had anything to add at the end of his testimony.
"Yeah I'm sorry for breaking the rules," he said.
Fuentes responded to Hamilton's testimony, saying: "He knows what he has done, he has said he has done many things with many people"
The lawyer for one of the defendants then announced he no longer wished to call Spanish rider Alberto Contador to the stand.
Contador, who was stripped of his 2010 Tour de France title after testing positive for a banned substance, was due to appear in court on Friday.
The trial is set to end on March 22.
| true | sport | ['Sport'] |
2,823 | Who knows if he's still bitter over losing?Donald Trump Celebrates NFL Champions 30 Years After Suing League | true | sport | ['Sport'] |
2,824 | The two-time U.S. Olympic champion skier so far has failed to win a medal at the Beijing Games.Mikaela Shiffrin Sets Fastest Time In Downhill Training Session | true | sport | ['Sport'] |
2,825 | She says ESPN forced her to relive the trauma with a sit-down interview.Erin Andrews Breaks Down Talking About People Who Thought Nude Video Was A Publicity Stunt | true | sport | ['Sport'] |
2,826 | There is, of course, much to admire about the football media in this country.
There's the creative chutzpah of the transfer rumour business, a heady cavalcade of rare truth, occasional half-truth, and frequent, badly-concealed nonsense. There's the cojones it takes to attach the word EXCLUSIVE to stories so worn that Jeffrey Archer would blush. There's the inspirational patriotism that fuels England's triumphalist march to international tournaments, and the inspirational patriotism that fuels the righteous crusade against whichever hapless foreigner was at fault in the quarter-final.
Then, of course, there's the televisual analysis. Whether it's the no-nonsense narrative style of Alan Shearer - "See the ball. See the man kick the ball. See the ball go in the goal" - the light-hearted quippery of Mark "Lawro" Lawrenson, or the obscene trouser topography of Jamie Redknapp, England's pundits are second-to-none in their professionalism, their insight, and their devotion to their jobs. The latest addition to this proud lineage is Gary Neville, who finally earned his spurs this weekend after turning his educated and analytical eye toward David de Gea, Manchester United, and Tottenham Hotspur's late equaliser.
There can be no doubt that David de Gea, in general terms, is a failure. Since joining United, he has overtly and blatantly failed to be either Peter Schmeichel or Edwin van der Sar. He has failed to demonstrate the nous of a 35-year-old veteran, completely lacked the physical presence of a significantly larger man, and shown no trace of having been raised in a footballing culture that holds crosses in almost as high regard as the mistrust of foreigners. All this has been exacerbated by his habit of rotating and injuring the defenders in front of him, and his refusal to instantly turn into a significantly better player. It's no wonder that this season has been marked by risible errors, including the hilarious fumble against Sunderland, when he ushered Adam Johnson's speculative and feeble shot into the net at the near post. (That was him, wasn't it?)
Entertainingly for us all, this litany of failure has come while playing for Manchester United, which means he's on the television a lot. This, in turn, makes him a prime target for one of the proudest and most glorious traditions of English football analysis: the ancient and noble art of looking at people's faces and talking about what they look like.
The great strength of such phizognology is its flexibility. Where fussier schools of thought might require conclusions based on firm ground, or some kind of logical derivation, coupon-scrivening revels in its idiosyncrasy. The grand diversity of human expression and action means that it is impossible to be wrong. Whatever you see, you can work with. "If we pause it here, just after the goal's gone in, you can see Nemanja Vidic...
"... smiling, as he mocks the very idea of David de Gea being good enough for Manchester United."
"... crying, as he laments the once-proud institution that was Manchester United's goalkeeping shirt, currently draped around the slumped shoulders of Ferguson's folly."
"... making no movement at all, as he professionally keeps the contemptuous sneer from his features."
"... dropping to all-fours, mooing like a cow, and trying to eat the green grass of the pitch, which just goes to show the effect David de Gea's shaky presence is having on his team-mates' mental well-being. Oh look, Rio Ferdinand's trying to milk him. Silly Rio."
You have to admire the craft. As a story, 'Footballer looks angry after conceding late equaliser' ranks somewhere between Papal defecation locations and the religious leanings of Winnie-the-Pooh. But that didn't stop Neville! It was refreshing to see the former Manchester United man abandon the 'rigour' and 'insight' for which he's been developing a rather unsavoury reputation. He's learning. He's blossoming. He's starting to fully embrace how things are done.
Rational and even-handed analysis of Manchester United's retreating backline and the culpability of not only De Gea but Vidic and Antonio Valencia might have been nice. It would also have been dull. But a breakdown in trust? An expensive flop? A dressing-room divided? And all brought to you by the faultless, perfect, truth-enhancing power of television? Marvellous. Just zoom in on his face there... | true | sport | ['Sport'] |
2,827 | Sunday isn't all about Peyton Manning and Cam Newton.3 Awesome Super Bowl Storylines That Have Nothing To Do With The QBs | true | sport | ['Sport'] |
2,828 | The hot-tempered Hardy got into it with coaches, players and media on Sunday night.Greg Hardy Explodes On Cowboys Sideline But Goes Quiet Postgame | true | sport | ['Sport'] |
2,829 | While most soccer fans -- as well as the sport's bookmakers -- were expecting this final to feature a pair of teams fromChelsea vs Bayern Munich In Champions League Final: LIVE SCORE, UPDATES, COMMENTARY | true | sport | ['Sport'] |
2,830 | WATCH: Amazing Paper Airplane Toss Hits Soccer Player | true | sport | ['Sport'] |
2,831 | The Giants leadoff batter Blanco was issued a free pass to start the first. A wild pitch advanced him to second and he stole third. Royals pitcher Jason Vargas walked Buster Posey putting two on in the corners.Giants Offense Cruise Past Royals, Even Series | true | sport | ['Sport'] |
2,832 | REPORTS: Patriots May Have Used Deflated Balls During Win Over Colts | true | sport | ['Sport'] |
2,833 | "Attention, all Cleveland Browns fans!"Watch This Fake Promo For 2016 Cleveland Browns Season Tickets | true | sport | ['Sport'] |
2,834 | The former athlete stays close to her roots by following her biggest passion.Samantha Ponder Is Living Her Dream In Sports | true | sport | ['Sport'] |
2,835 | No one should compete in Brazil if they don't feel comfortable going, Olympics officials say.U.S. Olympic Committee Tells Athletes To Consider Not Attending Rio Games Over Zika Virus | true | sport | ['Sport'] |
2,836 | HOUSTON – Already on the same team since they drafted him with the No. 16 pick in the draft, the Rockets and Royce White might finally be on the same page.
White and the club released a joint statement Saturday that says they have “an agreement that addresses the major issues,†that White is no longer suspended and will be immediately reinstated to the roster.
The rookie forward has agreed to report to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the NBA Development League on Feb. 11, after first working on conditioning in Houston. The Vipers have a home game against the Maine Red Claws on Feb. 12.
Rockets general manager Daryl Morey and White did not comment on the agreement. The settlement was approved by the NBA office and the players’ union.
After months of acrimony, which included White taking to Twitter to accuse the Rockets of “inconsistent support†for his generalized anxiety disorder, the settlement at long last gets a player the Rockets had rated as among the top five talents in the 2012 draft.
Despite his individual skills, White’s stock had dropped in the draft due to his mental condition as few clubs were willing to even consider the special circumstances that would be needed to deal with the player’s issues, which include anxiety over airline travel.
White surprised the Rockets by not reporting to training camp and then, after what appeared to be a truce, left them again in early November, accusing them of not agreeing to a special set of “protocols.â€
White had resumed individual workouts with a member of the Rockets staff while the team was on the road during Christmas week, but was suspended on Jan. 6, a week after refusing an assignment to the Vipers. Morey then said they were suspending White “for refusing to provide services as required by his Uniform Player Contract.â€
Now, three months into the season, the battles might finally be just about basketball. | true | sport | ['Sport'] |
2,837 | Michigan State University didn't suspend the the former USA Gymnastics doctor, and at least a dozen women say he sexually assaulted them while the probe was underway.Larry Nassar Was Allowed To See Patients During Sexual Assault Investigation | true | sport | ['Sport'] |
2,838 | Senior NFL Writer Jay Glazer is one of NFL's top insiders. In addition to providing breaking news, columns and video, he appears weekly on FOX NFL Sunday. Visit Jay's exclusive page for hot scoops and watch MMAthetics and The After Party.
Scott Pioli is out as general manager of the Kansas City Chiefs after four years.
The NFL club had already dismissed coach Romeo Crennel earlier this week following a 2-14 season, and Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt said then additional changes could be made.
''I truly apologize for not getting the job done,'' Pioli said. ''The bottom line is that I did not accomplish all of what I set out to do. To the Hunt family - to the great fans of the Kansas City Chiefs - to the players, all employees and alumni, I truly apologize for not getting the job done''
Pioli was hired from the New England Patriots in January 2009 and quickly fired coach Herm Edwards.
Pioli turned to Arizona Cardinals offensive coordinator Todd Haley as head coach and made his first major player move that offseason by acquiring quarterback Matt Cassel from the Patriots following his strong performance in place of the injured Tom Brady.
In 2010, the Chiefs won their first AFC West title since 2003. But a poor start the following season cost Haley his job late in 2011, with Crennel promoted from defensive coordinator.
''After several productive conversations, we made the difficult decision to part ways with Scott Pioli and allow him to pursue other opportunities,'' Hunt said in a statement Friday.
''This was a difficult decision for Scott as well,'' Hunt said. ''He has a great deal of appreciation for the history of this franchise, for our players, coaches and employees, and especially our great fans.''
Since the firing, the Chiefs have come to an agreement with former Eagles head coach Andy Reid.
Kansas City will have the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft, and with five players voted to the Pro Bowl, there are certainly pieces in place for the Chiefs to make rapid improvement.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. | true | sport | ['Sport'] |
2,839 | DeMarcus Cousins sat out with a sprained left ankle and bruised left hip. Without him in the lineup the Kings were unable to contain the San Antonio Spurs who ended their four-game skid behind a revived Tony Parker.Spurs End Four-Game Skid Against Kings | true | sport | ['Sport'] |
2,840 | Who's psyched?Los Angeles Dodgers Rally Against Houston Astros, Force Game 7 Of World Series | true | sport | ['Sport'] |
2,841 | Bet on Golf
How many days will they last? Will their golf be good enough to win in Wednesday's opening round? Can they still advance after a slightly off-day? Will the putts drop at the right time?
"When I was packing my bags the other night, I'm thinking, 'How many shirts did I bring? How many pairs of pants?' This is always a fun event," world number one Rory McIlroy told reporters on a sunny, breezy day at Dove Mountain on Tuesday.
"It's one of those weeks where you've just got to try and get through every round, and you face different opposition every day. I'm looking forward to it. I love the golf course here.
"It's a great course for match play. You can be really aggressive and make a lot of birdies," added Northern Ireland's McIlroy, who has been drawn to play Irishman Shane Lowry in Wednesday's opening round.
Matchplay is much more unpredictable than strokeplay and because of the extraordinary depth in the global game, anyone in this week's elite 64-man field is capable of winning the title.
"There are no weak players in this tournament and no easy matches," said Britain's former world number one Lee Westwood, who did not reach the third round in his first 11 appearances at the event before getting to the semi-finals last year.
"Very rarely do you get given one (a win) in this, and that's the idea for tomorrow, just to try and turn up and play well. Hopefully it's good enough.
"And hopefully the guy doesn't blitz it and hole everything and chip in and frustrate you like that. You do need a bit more luck in this event than in other ones."
CAREFREE GOLF
Asked if he changed his strategy going into last year's Match Play where he eventually lost 3&1 to McIlroy in the last four, Westwood replied: "Other than not really putting too much pressure on myself to try and get going in the tournament, no.
"Just try to play carefree golf sort of and see what happened."
Tiger Woods is a three-times winner of the event but he has also suffered early disappointment, losing on the opening day in 2002 and 2011 and going out in the second round in 2005, 2009 and last year.
"Anybody can beat anybody at this level," said the former world number one. "That's what makes it so interesting for us as players. It is a sprint, it is a boat race. You have to get off to quick starts.
"Generally if you get down early, two or three down, you rarely come back. It's hard to make up ground when you're only playing 18 holes," added Woods, who plays fellow American Charles Howell III in the first round.
Hunter Mahan will be defending the title he won last year with a 2&1 victory over McIlroy in the final but he also knows the pain of losing in the opening round, having been eliminated by South African Charl Schwartzel at the first hurdle in 2010.
"It's a weird feeling," American Mahan said of the long, uphill journey by van from the course back to the clubhouse after being ousted. "You just want to get out of there.
"The van can't move fast enough. People can't get out of the way fast enough. Everything bothers you. And if someone asks you, 'How was your day?' you want to punch them in the face."
McIlroy, Woods, 2011 champion Luke Donald of Britain and South African Louis Oosthuizen are the top seeds in the four groups of 16 for this week's event.
World number three Donald will launch his campaign against Germany's Marcel Siem while fifth-ranked South African Oosthuizen takes on Briton Richie Ramsay in the first round.
For the fifth consecutive year, the elite event that brings together the world's best players will be held on the 7,791-yard layout at Dove Mountain.
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2,842 | Some players in the NFL use marijuana to manage pain.The NFL Should Provide An Exemption For Medical Marijuana | true | sport | ['Sport'] |
2,843 | A Washington football fan appeared to wear redface at an NFL game on Thursday night.Why Wearing Redface To A Sporting Event Or Anywhere Else Is Wrong | true | sport | ['Sport'] |
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2,850 | Just the best.Pittsburgh Pirates Player Gives Two Delightful Young Fans His Batting Gloves | true | sport | ['Sport'] |
2,851 | A.J. Perez previously worked at USA Today, AOL and CBSSports.com covering beats ranging from performance-enhancing drugs to the NHL. AJ has also been a finalist for an Associated Press Sports Editors award for investigative reporting. Follow him on Twitter @ajperezfox.
Quinton “Rampage†Jackson gave more of a show as he exited United Center than he did in his UFC on FOX 6 co-main event that Glover Teixeira dominated for a unanimous decision victory at United Center on Saturday night.
"He just walked out and screamed, 'You're gonna miss me!'" UFC president Dana White relayed. “I said, â€کI miss you already, buddy.’â€
Maybe Rampage the name. Rampage the movie star. Rampage from five years ago.
The Rampage in the Octagon was nothing to feel misty about. He was winded by the second round and maybe his lone victory on the night was not getting knocked out by Teixeira, who extended his winning streak to 18 consecutive fights.
Jackson, 34, spent the final few seconds of the final fight of his UFC contract on his back as Teixeira fired away from the mount. While losing of late wasn't new for Jackson, there was a rare scene in a Fuel TV post-fight interview: a contrite and introspective Jackson.
Need the punch-by-punch details from UFC on FOX? We've got 'em right here.
“I’ve been fighting 13 years and the game has changed,†said Jackson, who didn’t appear at the post-fight news conference. “I don’t know if I can compete with the top people anymore. This is the first time I’ve lost three fights in a row. I have a lot of thinking to do. I am not going to give up. I feel like I can come back if I put my mind to it.â€
Jackson, a former light heavyweight champ, certainly hasn’t adapted, preferring to trade punches rather than go back to his wrestling roots to become a more complete fighter like champ Jon Jones. Teixeira, the target of Jackson’s taunts in recent days, actually gave Jackson the fight he wanted as he stood and traded all three rounds.
“I tried to knock him out,†Teixeira said. “I said, â€کI’m going to stand with you and I’m going to try to knock you out.’ I knew knocking Rampage out is a tough thing to do. I did my best. I just stood and said, â€کLet’s see what’s going to happen.’â€
Teixeira got a few good shots in on Jackson, who showed — at the very least — he can take a punch.
Jon Jones. Chael Sonnen. What more could you want? New episodes Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on FX.
“If Glover was fighting anybody else, he would have knocked him out in the first round,†White said.
Maybe that’s what we’re left with when we’re looking to praise Jackson. It certainly hasn’t been his attitude, not that Jackson’s brashness is anything new. (Especially for White, the focus of many of Jackson’s barbs.) Jackson certainly didn’t ingratiate himself to the media this week as he was combative at a news conference, at least when he wasn’t playing video games.
He’s even gone after his own fans at times, although — judging by the applause here during the few fleeting moments he tagged Teixeira — he remains a popular figure in the sport.
And the cast member of the “A-Team†movie looks to parlay the popularity at another MMA promotion. He said Saturday that maybe the twilight of his career would follow that of Gary “Big Daddy†Goodridge, a showman who was a huge draw even late into his kickboxing and MMA career.
Take a look at the most brutal shots from UFC on FOX in Chicago.
“He’s one of the guys who can put on a great show,†Jackson said. “He taught me it’s all about the show.â€
Goodridge is also a sad tale of somebody who hung on too long. He was diagnosed last year with the degenerative brain disease pugilistic dementia.
For legends like Jackson, moving onto another league or, in this case, possibly another sport (boxing) is easier than choosing what’s prudent.
Like retirement. | true | sport | ['Sport'] |
2,852 | INDEPENDENCE, Ohio -- Kyrie Irving could miss the rest of the season with a sprained shoulder, Cavaliers coach Byron Scott said Monday.
The Cavs officially projected Irving to miss 3-4 weeks.
Irving suffered the injury after running into Toronto center Jonas Valanciunas in the third quarter of Sunday’s loss.
A variety of injuries have caused the reigning Rookie of the Year and All-Star point guard to miss a combined 29 of his first 129 games.
Since summer, Irving has suffered a broken hand, broken finger and broken jaw. Scott also spoke last week of potentially shutting down Irving because of knee soreness (although Cavs officials denied that would be the case).
Scott couldn't say for sure how the latest injury will impact Irving's chances of playing again this season. But the coach did admit it could be season-ending.
"We just have to wait and see what happens," Scott said. "If it's two weeks, obviously, that's til the end of March. Then you've got to focus in on these guys here right now. But in those two weeks, we'll have to reevaluate and see what's going on.
"You only have two weeks left in the season. I don't want to speculate and say, 'Hey, if he can get back he'll get back. If he can't, he can't.' We're just going to have to wait until it's completely healed and go from there.''
Irving underwent X-rays on Sunday at the Air Canada Centre. An MRI at the Cleveland Clinic on Monday revealed a left AC sprain. The injury is similar to that experienced by NFL quarterbacks who are driven to the ground and land on their shoulder, according to a Cavs official.
Irving missed all but 11 games in college at Duke with a toe injury. He leads the Cavs in scoring (23.0 pgg), assists (5.7 apg) and steals (1.6 spg).
Scott said he's not concerned that Irving is prone to injuries.
"Like I said a week or two ago, he still is very young," Scott said. "His body hasn't fully developed. I'm just not that concerned about it, to be honest with you.
"All the injuries that he has gotten have been legitimate injuries. It's not something that keeps recurring over and over again. From just what I saw (Sunday), with the little hip check, it was just an unfortunate foul that hit him right on the spot. So I'm not really concerned about it." | true | sport | ['Sport'] |
2,853 | The two-time reigning league MVP has seen his scoring and assists plummet during the finals.Here's How The Cavs Have Bottled Up Steph Curry | true | sport | ['Sport'] |
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2,855 | BRENDAN RODGERS could be Kop boss for another 10 years but he will never suffer such a heartbreaking victory.
A brilliant, incredible, against-all-odds win — but only the bitter, bitter taste of defeat to wash it down.
Although Liverpool struck three times to leave the Russian champions on the ropes, ultimately it counted for nothing.
Because Zenit St Petersburg, for all they spent longer on the canvas than Ivan Drago when he got Rocky Balboa’s back up, are through to face Basel by the most slender of margins.
ON THE SLIDE ... Liverpool's hopes dip as Hulk slots Zenit in front
Rodgers said: “We got three goals, totally dominated the game and controlled the game and should have had a penalty.
“So we’re bitterly disappointed. But I thought overall we were fantastic.
“Obviously, at two down from the first leg and then conceding again early on, you might have thought the tie was over.
It was always going to be an uphill task to overturn that 2-0 deficit from a week ago.
And heartbroken fans cannot say they did not get value for money after an evening which began with a clanger.
How agonising, too, that the blunder which was to eventually cost so dear came from the one man in red you have been able to set your watch by in terms of reliability.
Steven Gerrard thundered into a loose-ball challenge on Sergei Semak on 19 minutes and the ball flew back and past Jamie Carragher on halfway.
SUAR FIRE DELIVERY ... Luis Suarez drills Liverpool's penalty leveller
The Kop centre-back took the safety-first option in playing it all the way back to keeper Pepe Reina, but failed to make proper contact and sent Hulk clear to score.
Luis Suarez levelled with a 28th-minute free-kick through the Russian wall.
The Reds grabbed a second a couple of minutes before the break when Welshman Joe Allen saw his first effort saved and then reacted brilliantly to stick out a leg and turn in the rebound.
Liverpool were denied a penalty for hands by Tomas Hubocan who stooped to reach a Suarez flick.
ALLEN GLEET ... home midfielder Joe Allen pounces to make it 2-1
But on 58 minutes the Russians were penalised for Neto’s challenge on Suarez nearly 30 yards out.
The Uruguayan curled a magnificent effort around the wall and into the corner.
Reputations and careers are rarely made on the back of defeats.
Somehow, for Rodgers, you think it could be a different story.
LIVERPOOL: Reina 7, Johnson 7, Carragher 6, Agger 8, Jose Enrique 7, Lucas 7, Allen 9, Downing 8, Gerrard 8, Henderson 7, Suarez 9. Subs: Shelvey (Allen 59) Booked 7, Assaidi (Henderson 59) 6, Sterling (Downing 84) 6. Not used: Gulacsi, Coates, Wisdom, Suso. | true | sport | ['Sport'] |
2,856 | Dozens of women have accused former USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar of sexual assault, many while at the Texas training center.Texas Gov. Greg Abbott Orders Investigation Into Karolyi Ranch Allegations | true | sport | ['Sport'] |
2,857 | FIFA Under Fire For Allegedly Giving Bonuses To Top Execs | true | sport | ['Sport'] |
2,858 | Performing the national anthem at a sporting event "necessarily politicizes that event," sportswriter Charles Pierce argues.Sports Illustrated Cover Makes Powerful Show Of Unity | true | sport | ['Sport'] |
2,859 | His career may not have gone down the path many thought it would, but Kerry Wood's final game of his career turned out toKerry Wood Retires: Justin Wood, Cubs Pitcher's Son, Hugs Father After Final Strikeout (VIDEO) | true | sport | ['Sport'] |
2,860 | Wilson was in a coma after he crashed during a race on Sunday.IndyCar Driver Justin Wilson Dies From Head Injury | true | sport | ['Sport'] |
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2,862 | Don’t ridicule Kansas City Chiefs fans. One day soon, you could be in their position, a punch line for uninformed, unsympathetic national media, reduced to begging ownership to act responsibly and fairly, the target of scorn from the very athletes you support, forced to finance your own public-relations campaign.
This is where professional sports are headed. The disconnect between local fans and the franchises they love is being powered and accelerated by multi-billion-dollar TV contracts and the billions of ancillary dollars generated by video games and whatnot.
The guy in the cheap seats never mattered. We’re getting to the point, especially in the NFL, where no one in the stadium matters. It’s virtually impossible for an NFL franchise to fail and/or lose money. Before anyone has purchased a season ticket, NFL teams are swimming in enough cash to feed most third-world countries.
That’s why Chiefs right tackle Eric Winston got away with slandering a loyal fan base. That’s why the national media delighted in Winston’s ridiculous exaggeration. And that’s why we opened Sunday morning with a news story that Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli had received a two-year contract extension despite a Matt Millen Lite, four-year run in Kansas City.
You remember Matt Millen, right? Many of you laughed at Detroit Lions fans and their Millen Man March to remove their in-over-their-head team president. Millen, despite his ineptitude, was a Supreme Court justice in Detroit. He led the Lions for eight years primarily because there’s nothing an NFL executive can do to financially damage a franchise.
Looking for more dirt on the Chiefs? Get the inside slant, stats, scores, schedules and more scoops right here.
Cincinnati owner Mike Brown has been trying to destroy the Bengals for two decades. He can’t do it.
At some point, Bengals fans will reach the level of frustration that motivated Lions fans to take to the streets and Chiefs fans to voice displeasure at Arrowhead Stadium.
Fans don’t have a voice in the mainstream media. That should be clear in the aftermath of the Eric Winston-Matt Cassel-Chiefs fans controversy. The mainstream media are in bed with ownership and athletes, the people media believe they need. Athletes and media believe fans are stupid and unworthy of genuine respect. We think it’s a waste of time to look at things from the perspective of the average sports fan.
Let’s apply the bogus logic Winston applied to fans to athletes. Winston claimed that if only a few hundred Chiefs fans cheered when Cassel got hurt that it was still too many and it was still sickening and disgusting. Basically, he’s saying if one percent of the fan base does something inappropriate, it’s worthy of passionate public rebuke and the vilification of an entire fan base.
So if one percent of professional football players run afoul of the law, should we vilify all NFL players? Or would that be an unfair generalization? What’s more dangerous, a few cheers when a hometown player gets his clock cleaned or an NFL player driving while drunk? One act leads to potential hurt feelings, the other leads to possible death.
MUSH ON!
Sean Connery is fired up about the Iditarod. And he is pretty hyped about these things, too.
The media and the ex-jocks pretending to be media on TV were having such a fun time beating up on fans that no one applied any critical thinking to Winston’s opportunistic stupidity.
Not only do fans not have a voice, they’re despised and abused.
Winston’s whiny, inaccurate rant about the alleged behavior of a handful of Chiefs fans became a national talking point. Well, the story is what has made this fan base this angry. It’s the lack of accountability for ownership and management throughout the NFL (and professional sports). As more and more television money pours into professional sports leagues the less power true sports fans have. We’re not changing the channel. Sports is the only TV product that is DVR-proof.
An NFL franchise is the perfect investment. It makes the owner and his front-office cronies the most powerful and important people in any city. They’re untouchable.
No player in NFL history had an eight-year run of incompetence that could rival Millen’s. Why would a $3-million-a-year executive face less performance pressure than a $500,000 special-teams player? How could the Chiefs even consider giving Scott Pioli a contract extension?
WHO SETS THE CURVE?
Check out the FOXiest fans from stadiums across the country and tweet us your photo.
I’m aware the original report about Pioli’s extension was refuted later in the day Sunday. But I don’t believe Jason La Canfora of CBS reported sketchy information. I believe Tampa Bay’s 38-10 thumping of Kansas City made the Chiefs walk back the leaked information.
Clark Hunt isn’t stupid. Kansas City’s fan base is frustrated and motivated. A group of fans started a Twitter feed @saveourchiefs dedicated to getting Scott Pioli fired. In two weeks, the feed has amassed 73,000 followers. Last week the group flew a banner over Arrowhead Stadium demanding that Pioli be fired and Cassel be benched. They’re planning more activity for KC’s next home game on Oct. 28. (I donated $600 to their cause. I’m a Chiefs fan.)
Extending Pioli at this time would further motivate an already-active fan base. The fan base has taken to social media to educate local and national media about what has been going on with Chiefs football the last two decades and the lengthy list of errors Pioli has made in four years. They’re tired of reading the propaganda pumped out by Pioli’s partners in the mainstream media.
Don't laugh at their desperation. Don't harshly judge their missteps. You could be next. | true | sport | ['Sport'] |
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2,865 | Heads up!Drake Tries To Play Soccer, But Ends Up Breaking Things | true | sport | ['Sport'] |
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2,867 | After winning his fourth Australian Open and sixth Grand Slam singles title, Novak Djokovic discusses Roland Garros, the only major he has not won. Djokovic, who defeated Andy Murray in the final, hopped on a 3 AM flight to Europe afterward, as he is scheduled to play in Serbia’s Davis Cup tie against Belgium on indoor clay beginning Friday.
“In life, you know, you don't get many of the opportunities to win Grand Slams,†he said. “As a tennis player, that's a pinnacle of the ambitions and of the success. So I try to enjoy it for few days with the people I love the most, family, friends, and team. And then after I turn to the rest of the season. It's Davis Cup already coming up. And then after that, there is still four or five months till the French Open. Of course, I want to go all the way in French Open. I went to the finals last year and had a great match against Rafa, but he's always the favorite on that surface and he's the ultimate player to beat on clay. But I think if I continue on playing well, stay healthy, I can have a chance.†| true | sport | ['Sport'] |
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2,871 | Introducing Jacob, a man who just wants to find a gym.Google Airs Eye-Opening Ad On Trans Athletes Before Caitlyn Jenner's ESPYs Speech | true | sport | ['Sport'] |
2,872 | Jeremy Evans tried to add some high culture to his high-flying repertoire. After he vaulted over former Utah Jazz centerJeremy Evans Painting Dunk: 2013 Slam Dunk Contest Features Unlikely Prop (VIDEO) | true | sport | ['Sport'] |
2,873 | ï»؟Can you believe there were actually people who thought I was dumb enough to fight you? My nickname is Big Diesel, not Big Dummy.
Sincerely,
10. It’s obvious Jim Harbaugh has a guilty conscience about benching Alex Smith. That’s the only explanation for Harbaugh’s bizarre statement about Smith still being San Francisco’s starting quarterback.
Football on Thanksgiving is an American tradition and we have the best images those games and all of Week 12.
Harbaugh put every egg into the Colin Kaepernick basket. If this doesn’t work, if the 49ers fizzle in the playoffs because of an offensive letdown, Harbaugh’s credibility with players in his locker room and across the league will take a hit.
Players hate coaches who lie, which means players hate coaches. Being the head coach often forces a person to lie. As it relates to Alex Smith, Harbaugh has been playing games with the truth since the offseason, since he “evaluated†Peyton Manning. Now Harbaugh is “evaluating†Colin Kaepernick.
Harbaugh needs to stick to his guns and just admit Kaepernick is his quarterback. Harbaugh can’t turn back from the decision. The “damage†is done. The only thing that will fix Harbaugh’s credibility problem is a trip to the Super Bowl. Winners don’t lie. They say and do what’s necessary to win.
9. Now that I’m stuck with this Cowboys-Super Bowl prop bet, the Redskins are my new NFC Super Bowl sleeper.
Pierre Garcon could be the stretch-run difference-maker the Redskins need. With Garcon healthy and joining Santana Moss and Josh Morgan, the Shanahans now have the weapons necessary to maximize Robert Griffin III.
The Redskins get their crack at the Giants on Monday night this week. A victory and Washington is .500 and everyone’s sexy pick to a make playoff run. The value in buying a Redskins-Super Bowl prop bet lasts about five more days.
8. Thank God “MNF†gets a significant game this week. I actually felt sorry for Mike Tirico and Jon Gruden this week calling the Philly-Carolina exhibition.
Tirico and Gruden probably thought it was Thursday and they were at the NFL Network. The game was that bad. I know, before the season Michael Vick vs. Cam Newton probably sounded like a great matchup. I wonder if there’s a way to provide some flexibility to the Monday night schedule. I hate ending the football weekend with a stinker.
7. Why did the Ravens need a fourth-and-29 conversion to beat the San Diego Chargers?
I’m happy for Ray Rice and the Ravens. The highlight of his catch and run will be shown over and over again for years to come. But this is my problem with the Ravens. The Chargers stink. They have a lame-duck head coach. The game shouldn’t have been close.
John Harbaugh made his bones as a special-teams coach. Every time I watch the Ravens, they remind me of a team coached by a special-teams coach. Special teams are about energy and effort, not necessarily X's and O's. The Ravens are schematically challenged.
Brian Kelly would be the perfect coach for the Ravens.
6. Ndamukong Suh should be happy there’s a debate over whether he’s a “dirty†player. If not for discussion of his controversial tactics, people would focus on the fact that he’s an average defensive lineman.
Watching Suh on the same field with Houston’s electrifying JJ Watt hammered home the point of Suh’s ineffectiveness. Watt is a master at using every tool in his toolbox. He uses his hands, his quickness, his strength, his leaping ability, his instincts, whatever. Most plays, Suh simply relies on his girth and strength. He’s very inconsistent with how he uses his hands.
Of course, Suh’s biggest play on Thanksgiving was his “accidental†kick to the groin of Houston quarterback Matt Schaub. I agree with the league that the replay of Suh’s kick was inconclusive in terms of justifying a suspension.
But all the talk surrounding the kick overshadowed Suh’s zero-tackle day. He was credited with five QB hits/pressures. Two or three of those pressures came on screen plays when Suh slipped by offensive linemen who intentionally let him slip by. Meanwhile, JJ Watt recorded five tackles, three sacks, four tackles for loss, two passes defensed and five QB pressures.
5. Of Jim Schwartz’s many Thanksgiving crimes — including abandoning his running game and needlessly challenging a scoring play — the worst was his decision to settle for a 47-yard field-goal attempt on third down in the fourth quarter.
This is like hitting a popular meat market at 10 p.m. and heading home at 10:30 p.m. with the drunk girl/guy you did your first shot with. It’s just way too high risk. It says way too much about both of you. You’re a loser and he/she has some serious issues.
My point is: Jim Schwartz is a loser.
4. Jason Campbell, Charlie Batch and Byron Leftwich might make NFL teams rethink the value in having a veteran backup quarterback.
A veteran backup QB is, generally speaking, someone else’s failure. He’s someone another team decided it couldn’t win with. The QB is so important to an NFL team’s success that I now believe every team should draft a QB in the first three rounds every year.
A veteran who can digest an entire playbook is an asset to the offensive coordinator. Making life easy on the offensive coordinator is not the key to winning games in the NFL. Having someone who can make plays from under center is the key to winning games.
Mike Shanahan looks smart for drafting RG3 and Kirk Cousins.
3. Christian Ponder had as much to do with the Bears’ resurgent performance as Jay Cutler.
The Bears crushed the Vikings by 18 points, and the big postgame talking point was how much better the Bears are with Cutler at QB. Yes, Cutler is light years better than Jason Campbell. But Cutler threw for 188 yards, one TD and one INT last week.
Ponder averaged 3.7 yards per pass attempt. He had a QB rating of 58.2.
The Bears have yet to secure a signature victory. Green Bay, Houston and San Francisco combined to outscore Chicago 68-23. Don’t be surprised if the road-weak Seahawks upset the Bears at Soldier Field.
2. A simple question: Why doesn’t the NFL adopt the college rule of a play being over once the ballcarrier hits the ground — whether he’s touched or not?
If you have a question or comment for Jason, submit it below and he may just respond.
Subject: Comment/Question: Name: Email Address: Hometown:
Many of the most dangerous hits in football occur when defenders launch themselves in a desperate attempt to make contact as a ballcarrier is on the ground or is headed toward the ground. Adopting the college rule seems like an easy way to enhance NFL safety.
College football should adopt some of the clock rules used in the NFL. For instance, the clock shouldn’t stop after a first down. A college game lasts about 30 minutes (15 to 30 plays) longer than an NFL game. Why are amateur football players playing more snaps than the pros?
1. Here’s my weekly plea that AP MVP voters keep an open mind and consider the dominant performances being turned in by JJ Watt and Von Miller.
Watt is back atop my ballot. The Texans are 10-1. Watt is the best 3-4 defensive end since Bruce Smith. I don’t remember Smith playing inside as much as Watt. Watt is Smith and Howie Long rolled into one package.
Matt Ryan is my second choice. I downgraded Matty Ice after his five-INT performance a couple of weeks ago. But, again, the Falcons are 10-1 and their record in one-possession games is ridiculous. The one-point victory over the Buccaneers just adds to Ryan's legend.
Tom Brady has thrown just three interceptions. We take Brady’s greatness for granted. He’s not getting much MVP buzz, but he deserves it. He’s on pace for 35 TDs and four INTs. That’s just incredible.
Peyton Manning looked used and tired against the Chiefs. Von Miller looked used and tired against the Chiefs. My point is the Broncos just went through the motions this week and squeaked past the worst team in football. | true | sport | ['Sport'] |
2,874 | Bubba Watson and Louis Oosthuizen will need at least an extra hole to determine who will win the 2012 Masters and wear theBubba Watson, Louis Oosthuizen Face Off In Masters Playoff For Green Jacket | true | sport | ['Sport'] |
2,875 | Clint Dempsey Talks World Cup, Jurgen Klinsmann And The Pressures Facing Team USA | true | sport | ['Sport'] |
2,876 | Now that the 2018 Winter Olympics have started, it's time you learned.Here's Maybe The Definitive Way To Pronounce 'Pyeongchang' | true | sport | ['Sport'] |
2,877 | There is always risk involved when you’re a team maybe good enough to win the NBA title and you make a deal at the trade deadline in February, just a few short months before the playoffs begin. The Rasheed Wallace trade the Pistons made in 2004 probably wasn’t a very risky move – but it took an incredible amount of work and persuading on Joe Dumars’ behalf to get it done. But the 1989 trade that sent Adrian Dantley to Dallas for Mark Aguirre – that was a risky move.
If the Pistons would have hung on in the face of that late call in Game 7 of the 1988 NBA Finals and Isiah’s ankle and all of that to beat the Lakers, Adrian Dantley would have been the MVP of the Finals. We’re talking about an NBA Hall of Famer, and yet Mark Aguirre was a great scorer and one of the game’s elite small forwards, just as Adrian was.
I really believe that trade was as much about Dennis Rodman as it was about Adrian Dantley and Mark Aguirre.
Adrian Dantley had the ultimate crunch-time mental toughness on his side. He wanted to be in the game at the end and felt like if he was fouled, he could go to the free-throw line and win it. That’s what he worked all his life to do.
And Chuck Daly, when he realized what he had in Dennis Rodman – who I think is a future Hall of Famer and, in fact, is on the ballot this year – wanted him to be a finisher because of his great defense. So he had a problem on his hands. No question, AD didn’t want to come out of games and you can’t blame him. He was a winner and a guy who could win the game for you down the stretch. Then you had Dennis Rodman, who could defend all five positions.
If your main goal was to shut down the other guy’s small forward – and that was an era where there great small forwards, especially players like Larry Bird and Dominique Wilkins and Larry Nance and Scottie Pippen in the East, and of course in the West the Pistons had to have somebody who could guard James Worthy if they were going to win it all – and make somebody else beat you, you put Dennis Rodman in the game.
It seemed like a situation where Mark Aguirre might be better suited to that role of sitting out down the stretch. I think that was why the trade was made as much as anything else. If you look at Jack McCloskey’s record, he wasn’t afraid to trade small forwards. He traded Greg Kelser for Vinnie Johnson, then traded Kelly Tripucka for AD and AD for Mark Aguirre. And I think you could have probably won the championship with any one of them.
Gregory eventually injured his knee, but at the beginning he had tremendous ability and potential. We all know Kelly Tripucka was a guy who once averaged 25 a game in this league. And AD – what can you say about AD, except that he was a pro’s pro and a great, great scorer. And Mark Aguirre did win a championship in combination with Dennis Rodman. So it all worked out for the Pistons, though I’m sure there is certainly disappointment and always will be for Kelly Tripucka and Adrian Dantley.
Then there’s the Rasheed deal. Rasheed had his naysayers – among people who really didn’t know anything about him except that the media perhaps didn’t like him. But I had a connection in Portland with Harry Hutt, who had been an executive with the Pistons, and I had heard nothing but good things about Rasheed from his teammates and Harry.
When I heard that Joe D had pulled off that trade for Rasheed, I felt like if you get a player with that kind of ability who is a great teammate, you might have just punched your ticket to a championship. Yes, the Pistons won a title without a superstar, but they had guys with superstar ability and Rasheed was certainly right there at the top of that list.
Good for Joe for making that deal. When you’ve won a title or two yourself, as Joe did, I think you have a feel for what it might take to finish off a world championship team. Certainly, Rasheed was a perfect piece to fit in that puzzle. I think he was the kind of guy Detroit fans grew to love. He was really one of us and that made it an even better idea.
I don’t think the numbers tell the story when it comes to Rasheed Wallace – they never have. He had some great years statistically in Portland, but his numbers could have been better. Some say, then why weren’t they? What I say is what really mattered to Rasheed – back to his days at Simon Gratz High in Philly – was winning basketball games.
That’s what mattered to him at North Carolina and certainly what mattered to him as a pro. I thought he could have been, in the twilight of his career, the guy who put the Boston Celtics over the top. And I believe if Kendrick Perkins hadn’t gone down in Game 6, the Celtics would have won and Rasheed would have two championships. That’s what really mattered to Rasheed.
His teammates felt better when he was on the floor. They felt better even when he was just sitting on the bench. Just to have Rasheed Wallace there made a difference. There’s a certain swagger, a certain basketball IQ, a certain winning spirit that comes with Rasheed being on your team. Anybody who won a title with the Pistons in 2004 would tell you the exact same thing.
There’s a school of thought that says if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. The Pistons weren’t broken teams in either 1989 or 2004 but they had general managers who went for it to try to make their teams just a little bit better. If you feel you’re within reach of a championship, go ahead and do it. It worked out beautifully for the Pistons with Rasheed Wallace in 2004. It worked in 1989, too, and I understand the thinking behind it, but I also feel the Pistons could have won it all with Adrian Dantley – but they did win it all with Mark Aguirre and that’s the bottom line. | true | sport | ['Sport'] |
2,878 | Marit Bjoergen defended her sprint title and Nikita Kriukov won his maiden crown as the first gold medals of the Nordic World Ski Championships were handed out in Italy.
Bjoergen executed the perfect race in the women's cross country skiing sprint classic final, making her move at the halfway stage to win her third world sprint gold medal and sixth individual one in total.
Kriukov, the Olympic sprint champion, meanwhile made a telling move with metres to go of the men's final to deny Petter Northug and a Norwegian double.
Bjoergen won four golds and a silver at the last Nordic World Ski Championships on home soil in Oslo in 2011 but is refusing to get ahead of herself after just one event in Val di Fiemme.
"It is too early to say. I am really happy and it seems that my shape is good," said Bjoergen, who finished second in the last World Cup sprint race before the World Championships.
"It is a good start and it means a lot for me. I am looking forward to the rest of the event and we will see.
"I am very satisfied with that. I thought the sprint would be hard for me after my last race in Davos where I didn't feel good.
"I wondered how my shape was but my skiing was perfect and the guys in the waxing cabins did a good job and I am very happy."
Meanwhile Kriukov admitted his performance in Val di Fiemme was up there with his one in Vancouver three years ago where he claimed Olympic sprint gold.
"This is the second time that I win but it was harder than the first one. The first one was the Olympics and this is a great start," said Kriukov.
"I am very happy. It was amazing racing and the Italian people are very friendly and I like it. Last time in Canada I liked it and I like Canada and Italy.
"Tactically I wanted to push the last uphill and have a strong finish. I knew Emil [Joensson] and Petter would be very fast and I wanted a good last uphill and finish."
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Kriukov wins world sprint gold
Olympic sprint champion Nikita Kriukov adds a World Championship as he outlasts Petter Northug at Val di Fiemme.
Bjoergen found herself at the back of the pack in the final following the start with Maiken Caspersen Falla and Katja Visnar battling for contention at the front early on.
Drama then ensued ahead of the climb with Justyna Kowalczyk getting her ski pole clipped on Stina Nilsson's and falling to the ground.
With Kowalczyk now out of the race, Falla still led at the halfway stage however Bjoergen was now right behind her along with Ida Ingemarsdotter of Sweden.
Bjoergen then made her move and was perfect on the final left-hand corner, extending away from Ingemarsdotter to take the win.
She clocked 3:16.6minutes for the win with Ingemarsdotter 2.3seconds away in second while Falla had to settle for bronze 3.7 behind in total.
Meanwhile in the men's final Emil Joensson and Kriukov raced to the front early on with the Olympic champion dropping back to third after the halfway stage.
Joensson and Northug took control however a burst of speed on the last uphill promoted Kriukov to first and had the quicker sprint at the finish.
He crossed home first 3:30.4 with Northug unable to catch him and finishing just 0.3 behind while Canadian Alex Harvey come from nowhere to take bronze a further 0.5 adrift. | true | sport | ['Sport'] |
2,879 | The punishment stems from false claims of a robbery during the Olympics.Ryan Lochte Gets 10-Month Suspension For Rio Scandal | true | sport | ['Sport'] |
2,880 | “If I can get up and walk away from it, yeah, I’ll probably keep playing,” one player said.Creating A Culture Of Concussion Safety Requires Teamwork All Season Long, Not Just One Day | true | sport | ['Sport'] |
2,881 | USA Fan Gets Tim Howard's Face Shaved Into His Head Because #1N1T | true | sport | ['Sport'] |
2,882 | Following a 40-yard return on the opening kickoff, Mariota looked for receiver Bralon Addison by the left sideline with aMarcus Mariota Interception Streak Ends In Oregon-Arizona Game On First Play From Scrimmge (VIDEO) | true | sport | ['Sport'] |
2,883 | Coach K dismisses 'rent-a-player' criticism.Duke's Coach K Calls Rent-A-Player Criticism 'Harsh' | true | sport | ['Sport'] |
2,884 | The 11th-grader has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.High School Football Player Stabs Father After Argument Over Practice | true | sport | ['Sport'] |
2,885 | Syracuse helped add some luster back to the Big East as they defeated Cal 66-60. The game was never really in doubt with Cal not getting closer than six points in the second half and the Orange generally maintaining an 8-10 point lead much of he way.March Madness: Round of 32 -- Day 1 | true | sport | ['Sport'] |
2,886 | Even though her young, yet fifth-ranked Fighting Irish were beaten by the Lady Bears - just as they were in the national title game last season - McGraw thinks her squad offered more of a challenge this time.
The game was tied with seven minutes to go when the Lady Bears (7-1) used a 10-0 run to pull away en route to a 73-61 victory Wednesday night over Notre Dame, which has only two starters back from last year's team.
"We were much better than we were last year, with a much younger team - and they have the same team. So I was pleased. I think we've gotten better," she said. "I think when we watch the tape, we're going to see so many growing mistakes."
Brittney Griner had 24 points and 14 rebounds, three other Baylor players scored in double figures and the Lady Bears dominated inside. They outscored the Irish 36-26 in the paint and outrebounded them 44-35.
The bright spot for the Irish was freshman Jewell Loyd scoring a season-high 24 points. Loyd said she felt comfortable playing in her first big game.
"I just came to the game thinking it was just another home game, and I got into a rhythm early," she said.
McGraw knew the Irish were in trouble when Griner, who was 10 of 16 from the floor, started hitting a couple of shots from 15 feet.
"That's what we wanted her to take," she said.
Griner said she let the game come to her.
"Last year, I guess I started getting even more patient. I couldn't get my hands on the ball, keep moving. Whatever I can do, I will do. I took it a play at a time, post up strong when I had to. Did whatever I could to help my team out."
The Irish were simply no match for the Bears, especially with All-America senior Skylar Diggins struggling on 4-of-19 shooting and scoring eight points.
McGraw said the loss could give the Irish confidence.
"I think we maybe learned that we're better than we think we are," she said.
Odyssey Sims returned after missing four games with a hamstring injury and added 16 points for Baylor. Coach Kim Mulkey said she thought Sims' play proved she's the best point guard in the country.
"She's played Skylar four times and won every ball game. She's won a national championship," Mulkey said. "Odyssey didn't have one of her best games, either, but she never stopped being tough on the floor, and she never stopped guarding people."
McGraw said Sims makes Baylor tougher to play.
"When she's not in the game, you don't really have to guard them very much from the perimeter. So just having her on the court stretches the defense to her side a little bit more," she said.
Brooklyn Pope added 14 points for Baylor, and Jordan Madden had 12.
Diggins was frustrated by her bad shooting.
"I don't think I hesitated on my shot. It just wasn't going in," she said.
Kayla McBride had 18 points for Notre Dame and Natalie Achonwa 11. No one else scored for the Irish. Mulkey said she was impressed by Loyd.
"She's a tremendous jump shooter. Not many can take it off the dribble and shoot a jump shot. She's a special talent," she said.
Rapper Lil Wayne showed up at halftime, with Diggins walking over to shake his hand at his front-row seat after a timeout. In the front row at the other end were members of the top-ranked Fighting Irish football team, who cheered loudly throughout.
Despite the celebrities and a sellout crowd of 9,149, the Irish couldn't knock off the defending national champions as the men did six days earlier against Kentucky on the same floor.
Diggins said she was happy to see Lil Wayne at the game.
"I think it's great for our sport. Anything that can draw attention to women's basketball is great," she said.
POST GAME NOTES: Notre Dame suffers its first loss of the season, while dropping to 2-1 against Top 25 opponents this year ... the Fighting Irish are 100-19 (.840) since the start of the 2009-10 season (10-10 against the Associated Press Top 10; 21-12 against all ranked opponents), with 11 of those 19 losses decided by single digits (and Wednesday's game was in single digits until the closing minutes when Baylor opened its largest lead of the night at the foul line) ... Notre Dame is 50-5 (.909) at home since Purcell Pavilion was renovated prior to the 2009-10 season, including wins in 26 of their last 28 home games (only other loss in that span was a last-second 65-63 decision to West Virginia on Feb. 12, 2012) ... the Fighting Irish are 105-9 (.921) in non-conference home games since the 1994-95 season ... freshman guard Jewell Loyd narrowly missed etching her spot in the school record books with her 4-for-5 performance from three-point range, with the lone miss coming on a desperation shot with 14 seconds remaining -- the last Notre Dame player to go 4-for-4 from long distance was Natalie Novosel (March 5, 2012, vs. West Virginia in the BIG EAST Championship semifinals at Hartford, Conn.), while the last to do so at Purcell Pavilion was Brittany Mallory (Nov. 17, 2011, vs. Hartford in the Preseason WNIT semifinals) ... Loyd's season-high 24 points were the most by a Notre Dame freshman since Dec. 30, 2011, when current sophomore forward Markisha Wright also scored 24 points in a 128-42 win at Mercer ... Loyd's 24 points were the most by a Fighting Irish rookie against a ranked opponent since Jan. 26, 2002, when Jacqueline Batteast scored 26 points in Notre Dame's 64-57 win over No. 16/17 Virginia Tech at Purcell Pavilion ... Loyd's 24 points also were the most scored by a Notre Dame freshman against an opponent ranked in the top 10 of the Associated Press poll since Feb. 19, 2000, when Alicia Ratay netted 26 points (including a school-record 7-for-7 three-pointers) in a 78-74 overtime win at No. 8/11 Rutgers ... Wednesday's 12-point margin of defeat was the largest against Notre Dame at Purcell Pavilion since March 1, 2010, when Connecticut posted a 76-51 victory ... Baylor's .492 field goal percentage, .933 free throw percentage and 24 assists were Fighting Irish opponent season highs, while BU's .125 three-point percentage was an opponent season low ... the Bears' .933 free throw percentage also was third-best by a visiting team in Purcell Pavilion history, and best since Jan. 8, 2011, when Connecticut made 26-of-27 foul shots (.963) in a 79-76 victory ... conversely, Notre Dame had an uncharacteristic season-low .636 free throw percentage after entering the game ranked fifth in the nation at the foul line (.805) ... the Fighting Irish protected the ball well with just 13 turnovers (two shy of their season low set on Nov. 20 against Mercer) ... Notre Dame forced at least 20 opponent turnovers for the fifth time in six games this season (all but Nov. 23 at No. 19/22 UCLA, when the Bruins had 18 giveaways in a 76-64 Fighting Irish win) ... junior guard Kayla McBride has scored between 16-18 points in four of six games this season ... senior All-America guard Skylar Diggins went over the 1,800-point mark for her career on Wednesday night (now at 1,804 - good for fifth in school history), while also tying her season high with seven assists (551 for her career, three behind Coquese Washington for fifth place in school history) and registering at least four steals for the third time in her last four games (now at 288 thefts for her career, 19 behind Washington for second in school history) ... for the first time in six games this season, Notre Dame repeated a starting lineup from earlier in the season, as the Fighting Irish reprised the starting five that opened the Nov. 23 win at UCLA ... Notre Dame broke out its fourth different uniform combination of the season, sporting white jerseys and shorts with lime green accents (in support of the promotional "Lime Out" in the arena, highlighting the unofficial color of Notre Dame women's basketball and the favorite shade of head coach Muffet McGraw) ... Notre Dame registered its second sellout in three home games this season, as well as its 27th sellout all-time and 21st in the past four years. | true | sport | ['Sport'] |
2,887 | 'Gooch' has been a notable absentee as the Kingdom's Division One campaign got off to an inauspicious start with defeats to Mayo and Dublin, and manager Eamonn Fitzmaurice has confirmed that the talismanic attacker will also be omitted for the treacherous trips to Kildare and Donegal.
Cooper has picked up a few knocks during Dr Crokes' All-Ireland club bid, which ended with defeat to Ballymun Kickhams last weekend.
Revealing that the player is nursing an ankle injury and "another couple of bits and pieces", Finuge clubman Fitzmaurice says he's "giving him a chance to recuperate". | true | sport | ['Sport'] |
2,888 | “It was a cover-up of an unprecedented scale."1,000 Russian Athletes Benefited From Doping Conspiracy: Report | true | sport | ['Sport'] |
2,889 | A.J. Perez previously worked at USA Today, AOL and CBSSports.com covering beats ranging from performance-enhancing drugs to the NHL. AJ has also been a finalist for an Associated Press Sports Editors award for investigative reporting. Follow him on Twitter @ajperezfox.
The San Jose Sharks captain took a dozen stitches after a teammate on his Swiss league team clipped him with a stick in practice. The wounds below his left eye may not be very noticeable when the NHL begins its lockout-shortened 48-game season next weekend.
Thornton told FOXSports.com that the scar left by the league’s most recent work stoppage — which officially came to an end on Saturday — will fade almost as quickly.
“We went through it before,†said Thornton at the team’s training facility. “That’s why I went overseas. I thought there might not be a season. It would have really been too bad if we lost this season.
“We know everybody is upset with what went down. Our fans in San Jose are passionate. I expect them to be just as good they have been in the years I’ve been here.â€
Training camps open on Sunday, a day after the NHL players followed the owners in ratifying the new collective bargaining agreement. (A memorandum of understanding was signed Saturday night to officially end the lockout.) Players will undergo physicals and then quickly attempt to get NHL-ready in a week’s time.
The season opens for most teams on Saturday with the rest following the next day.
The prevailing feeling is that teams like the Sharks — a squad with little turnover from a season ago — have an edge due to the shortened camp and condensed schedule, which is short on off days and will see no games played between the two conferences until the Stanley Cup Final.
“There’s a lot of continuity when it comes to systems and players,†Sharks general manager Doug Wilson said. “A year ago, we had about nine or 10 new players. I’m not sure that would have been conducive to a good start.â€
San Jose has made only two significant personnel moves: signing free agents defenseman Brad Stuart and center Adam Burish.
“That question will be answered fairly quickly,†Sharks coach Todd McLellan said on the question if teams with stable rosters will have the edge. “I like the fact that we have some familiarity within the organization among our core players.â€
The biggest change for the Sharks — an organization that that has been longer on expectations than results the last few seasons — was in the coaching staff. The Sharks brought in Hall of Fame defenseman and former New Jersey Devils coach Larry Robinson and former NHL defenseman and Washington Capitals assistant coach Jim Johnson.
“They are tapping into each other and challenging each other,†Wilson said. “It’s arguably the best staff we’ve ever had.â€
As the lockout dragged on, there were times it looked like McLellan and his staff wouldn’t get a chance at improving a team that was bounced in the first round last season. The Los Angeles Kings, a division rival that finished behind the Sharks in the standings, went on to win their first Stanley Cup.
“It came down to the wire,†Sharks forward Ryane Clowe said of the threat of another dark season. “I was a little nervous.â€
Ten Sharks players skated in Europe, although to varying degrees. Thornton played the most games (30) and others played only a handful. Defenseman Dan Boyle organized a regular skate in San Jose for players who didn’t head overseas.
McLellan has been able to see and interact some with the players as they returned over the last several days, although he won’t be allowed to coach them until Sunday. So far, he said the players looked like they kept themselves hockey-ready.
“The players knew from Day 1 that they were the only ones responsible for their health when they got back here,†McLellan said. “The last time we saw them, everybody was healthy, everybody was fit. I expect when we get everybody in camp, we’ll be good.â€
Durability and fitness will be factors for all 30 teams. The Sharks, for example, play seven sets of back-to-back games.
Maybe brutal at times, there is an upside.
“I think you are going to see some intense hockey,†Clowe said. “You are going to have coaches stressing everybody out by emphasizing how important a good start is. I know guys are going to take a while to get their legs back. But after a few games, I think the pace will be high.†| true | sport | ['Sport'] |
2,890 | BARCELONA star Dani Alves has claimed Arsenal's Jack Wilshere can be as good as superstars Xavi and Andres Iniesta.
The Brazilian recently played against Wilshere in a friendly clash with England.
And Alves was so impressed with the midfielder's performance, he has urged Barca chiefs to bid for the 21-year-old this summer.
"He is a great player who we have met playing against Arsenal and without doubt he can reach the height of the players we have here at Barcelona like Xavi and Iniesta," he said.
Arsenal have lost stars Cesc Fabregas and Alex Song to the Spanish league leaders over the past two summers.
And boss Arsene Wenger will be bracing himself for new attempts from Barca to nick his latest midfield linchpin.
"[Wilshere] has a lot of quality and a great personality. If I was given the chance to choose, he is a player that I would sign for Barcelona," added Alves. | true | sport | ['Sport'] |
2,891 | The country star got the cold shoulder for his downbeat rendition.Viewers Rip Brett Young For National Anthem At NHL All-Star Game | true | sport | ['Sport'] |
2,892 | Everyone Got Faked Out On This Punt Return | true | sport | ['Sport'] |
2,893 | Colin Kaepernick and Frank Gore led San Francisco to a record comeback in the NFC championship game Sunday, overcoming an early 17-0 deficit to beat the Atlanta Falcons 28-24 and send the 49ers to their first Super Bowl since 1995.
Gore scored a pair of touchdowns, including the winner with 8:23 remaining for San Francisco's first lead of the day, and the 49ers defense made it stand up. A fourth-down stop at the 10-yard line denied Atlanta another stirring comeback after blowing a big lead.
''Everybody does a little,'' 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh said, ''and it adds up to be a lot.''
San Francisco (13-4-1) moves on to face Baltimore at New Orleans in two weeks, looking to join Pittsburgh as the only franchises with six Super Bowl titles. It'll be a brother-vs.-brother matchup, too, since John Harbaugh coaches the Ravens.
Joe Montana led the 49ers to four Super Bowl wins and Steve Young took them to No. 5. It's up to Kaepernick and Co. to get No. 6.
''He just competes like a maniac all the time,'' said Harbaugh, whose much-debated decision to bench Alex Smith at midseason now looks like the best move of the year.
Harbaugh was hoppin' mad when a disputed call went against the 49ers on Atlanta's potential winning drive. He leaped in the air, screamed at the officials and had to be restrained by his staff from charging the field.
No complaints when it was over.
''We rose up there at the end,'' Harbaugh said.
His second-year quarterback, who runs like a track star, didn't get a chance to show off his touchdown celebration - flexing his right arm and kissing his bicep, a move that quickly became a social media sensation known as Kaepernicking.
But he shredded the Falcons through the air by completing 16 of 21 for 233 yards, including a 4-yard touchdown to Vernon Davis, and had them so worried about his running ability out of the spread option that Gore and LaMichael James had plenty of room.
Gore scored a pair of touchdowns, including the game winner with 8:23 remaining for San Francisco's first lead of the day. Davis scored the first TD for the 49ers on a 15-yard run.
''I take my hat off to Atlanta. They played hard. They've got a great team,'' Gore said. ''But we fought, man. We fought and we deserved it.''
The 49ers pulled off the biggest comeback victory in an NFC championship game, according to STATS. The previous NFC record was 13 points - Atlanta's victory over Minnesota in the 1999 title game, which sent the Falcons to what remains the only Super Bowl in franchise history.
The AFC championship game record is 18 points, when Indianapolis rallied past New England in 2007.
Harbaugh is hardly cool and collected like the 49ers' first Super Bowl-winning coach, Bill Walsh, but has pulled off a similar turnaround in San Francisco. The 49ers had eight straight years without a winning record before their new coach arrived from Stanford in 2011.
This could be a season of destiny for the Harbaugh-led 49ers. See who's in the playoffs, and when they play.
He immediately led San Francisco to the cusp of the Super Bowl, losing to the eventual champion New York Giants in overtime in last year's NFC title game, a bitter defeat at home set up by a fumbled return.
This time, the 49ers were the ones winning on the road to set up another celebration in the city by the bay, which is rapidly becoming the new Titletown USA. They'll try to follow the lead of the baseball Giants, who won the World Series in October.
''We've come full circle,'' said Denise DeBartolo York, part of the family that has owned the 49ers since their championship days, ''and the dynasty will prevail.''
Kaepernick guided San Francisco on a pair of second-half scoring drives that wiped out Atlanta's 24-14 lead at the break. Gore scored on a 5-yard run early in the third quarter, then sprinted in from 9 yards out for the winning score with 8:23 remaining after each team made crucial mistakes to ruin potential scoring drives.
On both of Gore's TDs, the Falcons had to worry about Kaepernick running it in himself. They barely even touched the running back on either play, and James scored pretty much the same way.
''I kind of figured that coming in and they showed that on film, so I assumed Frank and LaMichael were going to have a big day,'' Kaepernick said. ''Frank ran hard today, and I can't say enough about him.''
The top-seeded Falcons (14-4), in what appeared to be the final game for Hall of Famer-to-be Tony Gonzalez, tried to pull off another season-extending drive. But, unlike the week before against Seattle, they needed a touchdown this time.
They came up 10 yards short.
On fourth down, Matt Ryan attempted a pass over the middle to Roddy White that would have been enough to keep the drive going. But linebacker NaVorro Bowman stuck a hand in to knock it away with 1:13 remaining.
The 49ers ran off all but the final 6 seconds, not nearly enough time for Ryan to pull off his greatest comeback yet.
In the divisional playoffs, the Falcons blew a 20-point lead in the fourth quarter, the Seahawks scoring the go-ahead touchdown with 31 seconds remaining. But Ryan completed two long passes, setting up Matt Bryant's 49-yard field goal for 30-28 victory.
The Falcons came up short of their second Super Bowl, leaving the 1995 Braves as the city's only major sports champions. This one figures to hurt for a while.
''We didn't make the plays when we had the opportunity,'' Falcons coach Mike Smith said. ''There were five or six plays, like in most hard-fought games, that make a difference. There were ebbs and flows and changes in momentum, and they made more plays than we did.''
Kaepernick, who ran for 181 yards against the Packers the week before to set an NFL playoff record for a quarterback, didn't have much chance to use his legs against the Falcons. He broke off a 23-yard gain, but was thrown for a 2-yard loss the only other time he carried the ball.
But Kaepernick showed he's more than a runner. His favorite receiver was Davis, who hauled in five passes for 106 yards.
Gore carried 21 times for 90 yards, while James added 34 yards on five carries.
Ryan finished 30 of 42 for 396 yards, by far the best performance of his playoff career. But his postseason record dropped to 1-4, done in by two big miscues - an interception and a fumble - in the second half.
Julio Jones was Ryan's leading target most of the day, finishing with 11 catches for 182 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He hauled in a 46-yarder less than 4 minutes into the game, then made a dazzling grab in the left corner of the end zone for a 20-yard score. He got his left foot down, then planted his right foot about an inch inside the line - while cornerback Tarell Brown was all over him.
Ryan threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Gonzalez with 25 seconds remaining in the first half after the 49ers had cut the deficit to 17-14. It seemed the home team had reclaimed the momentum heading to the locker room, but, amazingly, that would be its final score of the day. The 49ers quickly seized control on the opening possession of the second half, driving 82 yards in just seven plays for Gore's first TD.
After a nearly perfect first half, in which Ryan was 18 of 24 for 271 yards and those three TDs, the quarterback known as Matty Ice made a couple of crucial blunders.
First, he tossed a pass that was picked off by Chris Culliver, halting a drive in 49ers territory. Ryan ripped off his chinstrap in disgust.
Then, with the Falcons in scoring range for at least a field goal, Ryan failed to grab a shotgun snap, appearing to take his eyes off the ball before he caught it. The ball squirted away and Aldon Smith recovered for the 49ers at their own 37.
''Against a good team, you can't have those kind of mistakes,'' Ryan said.
San Francisco also squandered some chances. Struggling kicker David Akers clanked a 38-yard field goal try off the upright, and Michael Crabtree fumbled just short of the goal line, the ball stripped away by Dunta Robinson and recovered by Stephen Nicholas. But, after that big defensive stop with 13 1-2 minutes remaining, the Falcons went three-and-out.
Atlanta took the ensuing kickoff and used up nearly all the clock while going 70 yards. The Falcons might have reclaimed the lead if Harry Douglas had been able to stay on his feet while hauling in a 22-yard pass.
The defender slipped, and so did Douglas, but he held on to the ball. Harbaugh thought it touched the turf and challenged the call, then launched into his tirade when the officials let it stand. It all worked out, though.
As for the 36-year-old Gonzalez, who said all year he was all but certain this would be his final season, it sure sounded like the end.
''I've had such a great life,'' he said. ''I wish it would've culminated with the Super Bowl, but it didn't.'' | true | sport | ['Sport'] |
2,894 | Follow GOAL.COM on Twitter. By Enis Koylu, Goal.com Lionel Messi scored his 300th and 301st Barcelona goals during his side'sMessi Goals 300, 301 For Barcelona Too Much For Granada (VIDEO) | true | sport | ['Sport'] |
2,895 | This must have put sunshine in everyone's pocket.Steph Curry And Justin Timberlake Dance 'The Carlton' And Life Is Complete | true | sport | ['Sport'] |
2,896 | The Olympic gymnast said she hopes the serial predator's prison sentence sets an "example to all the other abusers out there that their time is up."Aly Raisman Thinks 175 Years For Larry Nassar Is ‘Not Enough’ | true | sport | ['Sport'] |
2,897 | That thought had to be coursing through Staples Center on Tuesday night, when the curtain came up on the NBA season and the new-look Lakers, whose star-studded lineup looked . . . a lot like the one that didn’t win any of its eight preseason games.
This newly reloaded juggernaut, with the additions of Steve Nash and Dwight Howard, might be the center of attention in the NBA for an altogether different reason after being soundly beaten by the Dirk Nowitzki-less Dallas Mavericks, 99-91, an outcome that will no doubt set Lakers fans on a campaign to a) scrap the Princeton offense, b) fire coach Mike Brown, c) hire Shaquille O’Neal to teach Dwight Howard how to shoot free throws or d) all of the above.
If that wasn’t quite the introduction Howard was hoping for, he learned afterward that he’s not in Orlando anymore when one of the first questions he was asked was whether he was embarrassed.
“Embarrassed?†Howard asked, either incredulous or not sure he had heard the question correctly.
The older hands around Lakerland knew better than to sweat the loss, figuring that once everyone learns the offense and actually tries on defense, everything will work itself out.
“It’s like when I go on a date – it’s going to take time,†said Metta World Peace, who presumably scores at a more efficient clip on the singles scene than he did with his 1-for-8 shooting against Dallas.
But he was not alone. Nash made just 3 of 9 shots, and acknowledged that he was tentative directing the offense – unsure when to get into the Princeton, which is predicated on movement off the ball, or run the pick-and-roll sets that helped make him a two-time MVP. Howard made 3 of 14 free throws, the frustration showing in his carping at the officials, a flagrant foul and his exit in the final minutes after being called for an offensive foul.
Even the good news – that Kobe Bryant, sidelined 10 days with a sprained foot, had 22 points on 11 of 14 shooting – was tempered by the possibility that he will not play in Portland on Wednesday.
Dallas owner Mark Cuban, whose summer plans to land Howard and/or Deron Williams fizzled, was giddy after a team that got major contributions from Eddy Curry, Rodrigue Beaubois and Brandan Wright built a 16-point lead in the fourth quarter.
And while he joked beforehand that “I hope they suck,†Cuban did not gloat too much, though his assessment of the Lakers did come with a smile on his face.
“It will be interesting to see how they get it together,†Cuban said in the hallway outside the Mavericks locker room. “The Lakers are going to be a good team. I don’t think there’s anything to worry about. It’s going to take time, but what’s going to be interesting is to see how it plays out, how long it takes them to find their identity and see who they are. They’ve got amazing talent, they’re going to be a great team, but it doesn’t necessarily happen overnight.â€
The Lakers and Mavericks might serve as a referendum this season on how best to win by the rules of the new collective bargaining agreement, which were brought into relief Saturday when Oklahoma City dealt James Harden to Houston because it did not want to pay a steep luxury tax to keep him.
The Lakers, who hope to sign Howard to a max contract extension next summer, are going all in by signing the 38-year-old Nash to a three-year deal, and teaming them with Bryant, Pau Gasol and World Peace.
The Mavericks, after whiffing on Howard and Williams, pieced together a roster full of solid talent on one-year contracts, such as O.J. Mayo, Elton Brand and Chris Kaman (who was out injured) in the hopes of getting one more run out of Nowitzki, who will miss the first six to eight weeks of the season after undergoing knee surgery.
Cuban, who has enjoyed tweaking the Lakers, said beforehand of their conglomeration of stars: “I don’t have a problem with it because until guys start playing until they’re 50, it always comes to an end at some point. Houston went for it when they got Barkley and it didn’t happen. Guys have shelf lives, they don’t play forever and so at some point, you have to reformulate your team. In the meantime, if someone has a 'super team,' that’s fine. We did all right when we got to the Finals against a super team (beating Miami two years ago) and when we were the super team in the Finals, we lost (to the Heat in 2006).â€
The Lakers hardly carried themselves with the air of a super team Tuesday. Their offense looked sharp at the start, but stagnated as the game progressed, leaving one to wonder if the Princeton offense were named for the giant Sycamores on campus. When the Lakers came out of a timeout with 8:50 left, all five starters stood near the scorer’s table with Nash directing an animated conversation with Bryant and Gasol. Howard and World Peace listened.
Only Gasol, with his supreme skill set, looked truly at ease in the offense, leading the Lakers across the board with 23 points, 13 rebounds and six assists.
“We’re running, by NBA standards, a fairly untraditional set so it’s going to take us a lot of time,†Nash said. “It is complex and it takes cohesion from each guy that we just don’t have yet. We have to figure out ways to win in the meantime.â€
That would require playing some defense. As Brown noted, the Lakers’ initial effort was adequate, but the second effort was non-existent. If Howard was supposed to solve the pick-and-roll troubles of Andrew Bynum, the Mavericks instead used Gasol’s man to set the picks. Brown called the defense a disappointment, but others called it worse.
“Those are things that are unacceptable,†Antawn Jamison, the newly acquired forward, said of the Lakers’ poor communication. “I don’t know if we just felt that because Dirk wasn’t playing or what, that’s unacceptable with this group of guys. We know we have a lot of talent at both ends of the floor. You’ve seen it with Miami – just because you have a lot of talent doesn’t mean you’re guaranteed. You have to put in the work and have a certain type of chemistry. You have to have a certain chip on your shoulder.â€
That would be hard to imagine with the Lakers and their great expectations. But the start of the regular season showed there is work to be done if all this talent is to come together, if the Lakers are to put the title back in entitlement. | true | sport | ['Sport'] |
2,898 | Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears are one of the more common injuries to the knee, and the incidence of such tears is even greater in high-demand athletes. Unfortunately, football stars Darrelle Revis of the New York Jets and Brian Cushing of the Texans can attest to this firsthand.Football Season Means ACL Tears | true | sport | ['Sport'] |
2,899 | Last August, the 30-year-old Chinese star hired Rodriguez, who coached Justine Henin to seven Grand Slam titles, after the conflicts with her previous coach - her husband Jiang Shan - became too much to bear.
''The funny thing is, I think two years ago in China, someone said I was divorced,'' Li said Tuesday after beating Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska 7-5, 6-3 to advance to the semifinals of the Australian Open against Maria Sharapova. ''Because they were thinking, we're always shouting, maybe we're divorced.''
''It's just being coach and husband is - how you say - tough to find a balance!'' she added.
Now Li and Jiang have found marital peace again - fewer disagreements on or off the court - and she is winning again.
Li hired Rodriguez after disappointing, early-round losses at Wimbledon and the London Olympics. He joined her midweek at a tournament in Cincinnati - they had never even met before - and she captured the title, her first since her breakthrough Grand Slam win at Roland Garros in 2011.
She then won a second title at the inaugural Shenzhen Open earlier this month and is now in the semifinals of the Australian Open for the third time in four years.
Rodriguez has had a steadying influence on Li, who had previously struggled to control her emotions on court and has appeared more composed since starting to work with him.
At one point during the second set against Radwanska, Li lost her service toss in the sun and batted the ball five rows deep into the crowd. Rather than let the miss-hit unnerve her, however, she calmly made her second serve and put away a deft backhand volley to win the point.
''I was working a lot on this (aspect) in winter training,'' Li said. ''Carlos always say, `Calm down, calm down.'''
In interviews, she seems happier as well. Two years ago, on her way to becoming the first Chinese player to reach a Grand Slam final at the Australian Open, Li was pure entertainment in her press conferences, joking about her husband's snoring and admitting she forget her own wedding anniversary.
After her win at the French Open, however, things changed. She began to put more pressure on herself at the Grand Slams - and didn't make a quarterfinal at six consecutive majors. At last year's Australian Open, she left in tears after wasting four match points in the fourth round against Kim Clijsters.
On Tuesday, Li said she was still thinking about those match points a year later during her third-round match against Romanian Sorana Cirstea.
''When I was playing Cirstea in Rod Laver, I was thinking about the match last year. It's something you couldn't forget. Always in your mind,'' she said.
This year, though, she says she is more relaxed - and she's back to her humorous self.
When asked during her post-match interview what happened with that very wayward serve, she quipped: ''I want to have good communication with the fans.''
Then she said to her coach, ''Carlos, make sure we practice on serve.''
Later, Li related the difficulties she had when she started training with Rodriguez at the Spaniard's tennis academy in Beijing. After three days of six-hour workouts, she called her husband in distress.
''After three days, I was dying. Because my husband didn't come with me to Beijing, I called him and said, `Carlos is crazy,''' she said.
Jiang didn't believe her so he came to Beijing to see for himself.
''I was doing some exercises with Carlos. (Jiang) was sitting in the gym,'' Li said. ''After I was halfway done, he was like `Are you finished?' I said, `No, only halfway.'
''He said, `I'm tired!' I said, `Don't say that, I'm doing exercises, you're only sitting. Don't say you're tired.'''
Li admits now the hard work was worth it. Her fitness was tested against the fourth-seeded Radwanska, a crafty player who relies on spins and slices to construct points and wears her opponents down with her consistency.
Radwanska tried to dictate play by moving Li around the court, but the Chinese sixth seed countered with deep, heavy groundstrokes and superb volleying, winning 20 of 24 points at net.
''Some of the games she didn't let me do anything,'' Radwanska said after the match. ''I think she's a very consistent player. She's always playing on the same level. It's not like up and down like the other girls.''
Li will next play No. 2-ranked Sharapova, who said she can also see a difference in Li's game since she's been working with Rodriguez.
''She's a Grand Slam champion. It wasn't like she needed someone to come in and fix her game,'' she said. ''But sometimes when you just have a different surrounding and a new voice, they might be saying the same things but it just gets to you a little bit differently and your motivation changes.''
Li knows she will have to be sharp against Sharapova - the Russian won the three matches they played last year and owns an 8-4 head-to-head record against Li. But she believes she's a stronger player this year.
''I'm getting a little bit older, getting more experience,'' Li said. ''Right now, I really enjoy every match.'' | true | sport | ['Sport'] |