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The list ? rather, a laundry list to befit NASCAR’s use of Tide to save the end of the race ? of reasons why NASCAR’s foray into unknown territory Monday night ? when, for the first time, it held a race in prime time ? is almost as long as the red flag caused by the exploding jet dryer.

It could include things like the lack of promotion about the rescheduled time for the Daytona 500, a TV network pre-empting popular shows, competition from other prime time slots and general unawareness that the race ? NASCAR’s most-watched by the general public ? was going green on a non-NASCAR night after a Sunday full of dashed hopes and disappointment.

[Related: 2003 champion Matt Kenseth claims second Daytona 500 victory, holds off Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

But instead, the Sunday rain showers that created a first in Daytona 500 history by delaying the race until Monday also presented NASCAR with its first great opportunity to try what many have long hypothesized: racing on a weeknight.

And did it ever. The numbers exploded like ?and no doubt assisted by ? the raging Turn 3 inferno Juan Pablo Montoya’s car inadvertently caused by destroying a jet engine used for track cleaning and drying purposes.

In the United States, 36.5 million people saw some portion of the 54th Daytona 500 during it’s six-hour broadcast window, making it the most-watched NASCAR broadcast ever for Fox and the second-most watched Daytona 500 in history. Only the 2006 race on NBC was seen by a half-million more people. The Great American Race averaged a whopping 13.7 million viewers during its entirety.

The total audience represented a 22 percent jump from the 2011 race that went off without a hitch and saw young Trevor Bayne take the checkered flag. And, most importantly, Fox led the prime time pack in the Adults 18-49 category and likely influenced a 10 percent drop in last week’s Monday winner “The Voice.”

[Dan Wetzel: Danica Patrick's Daytona 500 dream turns into nightmare]

The weeknight race even worked at the speedway. NASCAR estimated a healthy 140,000 people came back after sitting through the deluge of rain Sunday and early Monday despite the logistics of air travel, hotel rooms, rental cars and work schedules being a bona fide mess. Sure, that’s not a capacity crowd and it’s probably an inflated number, but it’s still larger than any Super Bowl crowd ever.

These numbers are important for NASCAR because they show that the marquee events can still remain marquee events even away from the traditional Saturday night or Sunday slots. And those numbers are a direct result of less than 12 hours of promotion, as NASCAR announced at 10:15 a.m. ET Monday that it would race at 7 p.m. Monday night. That fact alone says volumes about NASCAR’s embrace of social media that all but sent the news of a Monday night NASCAR race virally across the Internet.

But logistically, NASCAR moving to a format that showcases even one or two races per season on a weeknight is a tough flower to blossom.

The largest obstacle, late in NASCAR’s season when interest would ideally grow the largest, is the behemoth that is the NFL. Any attempts for NASCAR to rival that with a Monday night race ? and even a Thursday night race ? would be feeble, at best. This sport needs substantial and sustained growth before that conversation would ever be realistic.

[Related: Juan Pablo Montoya sets Daytona track ablaze after hitting jet dryer]

That leaves us with early and mid-season races at tracks that can handle four important things: race at night, draw a near-capacity crowd, provide consistently exciting action and influence a new audience of NASCAR fans to take note. Simply racing on a weeknight to race on a weeknight is not a smart business idea; growing the level of interest and total audience is.

To me, that leaves a few possible ideas for race locations that would include Daytona, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Texas, Richmond, Atlanta, Bristol and Darlington. My most ideal candidate would be Martinsville Speedway in Virginia, despite the current lack of lights at that facility. Change that obstacle and racing at the venue on a weeknight makes a ton of sense.

There’d be sure-fire close racing, certain raised tempers and most likely a dramatic finish. Plus, it’s a close venue for teams and has a relatively small seating capacity ? making a one-day show for the Sprint Cup Series easier to fill for appearance purposes.

Save for repeating the Daytona 500 on a Monday night ? if a rain-delayed edition can be wildly popular, then a scheduled one has the chance to be even more epic ? racing on Thursday nights may be best. It would afford opportunities for fans to stay in the event of a rain postponement, and may work well as a way to lead off a weekend where the Camping World Truck Series and Nationwide Series could take center stage at the venue.

[Related: Dale Earnhardt Jr. has another second-place finish at Daytona, winless streak continues]

Thursdays, however, are notoriously popular television nights for most networks, and following a Monday night scheme already laid down by the NFL might be just as smart. Capitalize on a weekend of support series action and feature an improved qualifying system for Sprint Cup teams to generate interest, and then light the candle for a 300- to 400-mile race Monday night that tucks nicely in a three-hour window.

Two days ago, the idea of weeknight racing seemed more far-fetched than the idea of one car beating two in a tandem to win the Daytona 500. Now that we’ve crossed that bridge ? and more importantly ? seen how well NASCAR’s biggest event can do with shoestring promotion, it’s time for NASCAR to explore the options.

The sport has a chance to grow on a special weeknight format. There’s no better time to try it.

Did you like seeing the Daytona 500 in Monday night prime time? Let me know below. But before, here’s my musings of the best, worst and just OK from the weekend that literally scorched into our memories.

HOT: 200 gallons of jet fuel exploded and later burned in the form of 20-foot flames at the top of a steep bank of pavement Monday night in Daytona Beach. Not a soul was seriously injured, millions focused their attention to the incident in a lighthearted fashion good for the sport and the race was able to carry on. That those facts can be put together is a true testament to some incredible work by the safety officials on scene for the Juan Pablo Montoya vs. track jet dryer incident.

[Dan Wetzel: The 2012 edition of the Great American Race was anything but ordinary]

That said, it’s apparent NASCAR is going to need a stronger contingency plan for jet fuel fires. I have no doubt they will, and today remain grateful for the collected effort and intelligent snap decisions of those charged with resolving the situation. That was cool to see.

HOT: Realize that Monday’s race could very well be this generation’s “And there’s a fight!” moment, just as the 1979 Daytona 500 engaged viewers who had never given NASCAR more than a passing thought. It wasn’t perfect, but no race is. Monday was damn memorable, and I know I won’t be forgetting it. I’m glad to have ridden the roller coaster that this last week was in Daytona.

NOT: Dale Earnhardt Jr. insisted after the race that “NASCAR can’t catch a break,” and listed the rain delays, the 2010 pothole and the The Great American Jet Fuel Burning incident as sorrowful incidents.

I’ll cede him the rain and maybe the pothole, but Monday night’s fire ? after it was resolved with minimal injury and continued great racing ? was the best thing to happen to NASCAR during its smartly done Monday night experiment. Millions tuned to the race to see what the hubbub was about, and a chunk of those hung around until the end. Millions more saw it across television networks and web content, while still others made it their first point of conversation at work Tuesday.

Turn 3 exploded at the Daytona 500 on live television. Everyone lived. They saved the day with Tide, a standard garden spreader, leaf blowers and later another jet dryer.

What’s more engaging to red-blooded Americans than that? Let it ride, June Bug.

HOT: Joining the track safety workers in the “deserving a steak dinner” category is the entire Roush Fenway engine department. In the era of identical NASCAR race cars, they captured the entire Daytona 500 front row, won a Gatorade Duel qualifying race and held serve for most of the Daytona 500 before easily strutting to victory lane.

That’s all about strong, reliable motors. Kudos.

NOT: Two people were hurt by parts flying off Joey Coulter’s fence-ripping crash in the Friday night Camping World Truck Series race at Daytona, primarily because they were located so close to a pack of heavy machines streaking by at 185 miles per hour.

I get that liability in those scenarios tends to fall on the race fan who agreed to sit there knowing the risks, but NASCAR should insist fans sit much farther away from the track surface. The image liability of having fans dying from a nasty crash is not worth it.

HOT: Speaking of fans, how impressive was the attendance Monday night? I’d be willing to bet fewer people will purchase tickets to July’s Sprint Cup race at Daytona than returned for a rained-delayed show. The loyalty was just awesome.

NEUTRAL: I personally thought the hybrid racing NASCAR created by limiting tandem drafting in the Sprint Cup Series was a much better show than last year’s event. That said, passing seemed to be a premium objective that was hard to accomplish.

[Jeff Passan: Passan: Brad Keselowski triples his Twitter followers during long Daytona delay]

As the Daytona track surface ages, handling going away from drivers during a run will help alleviate that issue. Until then, NASCAR might need to make another round of slight adjustments to increase passing opportunities.

NOT: It’s a good thing Dale Earnhardt Jr. ran second in the Daytona 500, because otherwise many would have forgotten Hendrick Motorsports even showed up. The team didn’t earn a front row spot, didn’t win the Budweiser Shootout, didn’t win a qualifying race and failed to finish three of its four Sprint Cup teams. Daytona Speedeeks can be seriously crazy.

HOT: Brad Keselowski tweeting during the red flag and immediately after he crashed was amazing cool, and NASCAR did the right thing in not leveling obscure penalties on the sport’s best user of social media. As long as he and other drivers are smart about their in-car social media transactions, NASCAR could make some big strides on other sports on athlete connectivity.

NOT: The #DaytonaHostageCrisis Twitter hashtag used by drivers and media alike was shortsighted. Fans who paid hefty sums of money weren’t able to enjoy this once-a-year event thanks to circumstances out of their control. It doesn’t reflect well when the people who are paid to be there act like waiting for the race to start is a horrible thing, even in jest.

Grin, and bear it. Or just go home.

HOT/LAST: This is was first time to work directly alongside my Yahoo! colleagues, including the talented list of Nick Bromberg, Jay Busbee, Jay Hart, Jeff Passan and Dan Wetzel. Every minute was a joy, and I learned a lot about how they have been so successful in this fun world, mainly by being able to identify the most interesting part of any story for fans and not getting lost in the minutiae. Those guys work really hard to produce great and engaging content, and I was honored to work alongside them during my fourth trip to NASCAR’s iconic race.

That said, this post figures to be my final for this great section of the blogosphere we call From the Marbles. It’s a fact of life in this industry, and I’m still holding out hope that something new can be worked out that allows me to rejoin this great team. In the meantime, thanks for all of the fun live chats, comment sections and Twitter back-and-forths. I’ve enjoyed writing for you, and I hope you’ve been able to handle me hanging around. Enjoy the excitement of a new racing season!

Follow Geoffrey Miller on Twitter (@GeoffreyMiller).

Other popular content on Yahoo! Sports:
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Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/hot-not-monday-night-nascar-works-36-million-232927232.html

Derrick Rose Dirk Nowitzki Dorell Wright Dwight Howard Dwyane Wade

With a few injuries and a trade, Brendan Smith is taking the NHL by storm quicker than Detroit fans had originally expected.

Smith had impressed fans and staff alike earlier this season when he filled in for Ian White, who was suffering from a broken jaw after blocking a shot.

After playing in just three games in November, Smith had two points, but he was inevitably sent back down the the Red Wings’ AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins.

When Detroit traded for Kyle Quincey two weeks later, Smith’s outlook on seeing ice time in Detroit this season got even worse.

And then in the course of one day, everything changed for Smith. On the day of the trade deadline, extra defender Mike Commodore was traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning, while Nicklas Lidstrom and Kyle Quincey were listed as day-to-day.

Just before that, Jonathan Ericsson had broken his wrist in a game against the Colorado Avalanche, opening yet another spot.

Smith was immediately called up and has played in three more games with the Red Wings. Just when it seemed like his services would no longer be needed, Jakub Kindl came down with an injury in Sunday’s game against Chicago, opening the door for Smith’s opportunity.

The talented young prospect has already proved plenty in the few games that he’s been back with the Red Wings. He’s been solid defensively for Detroit and scored his first NHL goal in Detroit’s home game against the Minnesota Wild on Friday.

And then, of course, there’s the video above. Smith didn’t take much of a liking to Chicago prospect Andrew Shaw hacking at Joey MacDonald, and after two quick punches from Shaw, Smith quickly went on the attack.

The fight means a lot for Smith as he’s up in Detroit. While he’s not billed as an enforcer or a fighter, he’s proved that he’s willing to stand up for his teammates. When you connect that with his solid defensive play and impressive offensive numbers this season, he’s certainly making himself indispensable for Detroit.

Ericsson is still projected to be out of action for another month, but when he gets back, he and Kindl could find themselves fighting with Smith for a roster spot.

Certainly Smith is going to be a good NHL player; he’s projected to be a top-line defender and a frequent All-Star game participant. The question is just whether or not he’s ready to play at the NHL level over players such as Kindl and Ericsson.

He’s certainly making his case. 

Jordan Matthews is a Featured Columnist for the Detroit Red Wings and the NHL. For more coverage, you can read his articles here:

Brendan Smith and Detroit’s Top Five Most Well-Kept Secrets

Down to Biznasty: Paul Bissonnette’s Top 20 Tweets; February Edition

You can also follow Jordan on Twitter @JordanMatthew11

Read more Detroit Red Wings news on BleacherReport.com

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1092377-fight-video-brendan-smith-drops-the-mitts-with-andrew-shaw

Cole Hamels Dallas Braden David Price Felix Hernandez Francisco Liriano

On Monday, the Boston Bruins announced that Tuukka Rask will be out for 4-6 weeks with a lower abdomen strain/groin strain. That leaves 37-year-old Tim Thomas to shoulder the load in the run up to the Stanley Cup Playoffs, with the Ottawa Senators a scant three points away from the Bruins’ Northeast Division lead (although the B’s have three games in-hand).

The solution? Why, hire a 36-year-old goalie as an insurance policy!

Marty Turco, last seen in the NHL with the Chicago Blackhawks last season, has been signed by the Bruins on a one-year contract. From the Bruins:

Turco will be placed on waivers and if he clears waivers, he will join the Bruins on Wednesday, March 7. Please also note that if he does clear waivers, he will not be eligible to play in the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs should the Bruins qualify, as he is joining the club after the Trade Deadline.

The 36-year-old Turco is a 10-year NHL veteran who has played in 538 regular season games with the Dallas Stars and Chicago Blackhawks. The 36-year-old Turco is a 10-year NHL veteran who has played in 538 regular season games with the Dallas Stars and Chicago Blackhawks. During the 2010-11 NHL season as a member of the Blackhawks, Turco went 11-11-3 with a 3.02 GAA and .897 Save Percentage. Turco most recently played for EC Red Bull Salzburg in the Austrian First Division this year, where he made four regular season appearances and recorded a 2.64 Goals Against Average and .934 Save Percentage. He also played in six postseason games for Red Bull Salzburg and registered a 3.16 GAA And .911 Save Percentage.

Turco signed with EC Salzburg and their spiffy Red Bull sweaters for the European Trophy Finals and then signed on for the rest of the season.

Can he effectively spot-start down the stretch to give Thomas a rest, with Rask on the shelf? It’s a good place for Turco to land, given the defensive prowess in front of him ? the Bruins are sixth in the NHL in team GAA.

But as long as Thomas is healthy, one expects Turco to spend the majority of his time on the Bruins bench. Which means fans sitting near the glass better be ready to ante up.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/tuukka-rask-4-6-weeks-boston-bruins-turn-022413514.html

Paul Konerko Rajai Davis Robinson Cano Shin-Soo Choo Torii Hunter

You couldn’t help but notice the irony. Rory McIlroy wins the Honda Classic Sunday to become the new No. 1 golfer in the world while Tiger Woods was shooting his lowest last round ever.

One impressively making it to the top of the heap. The other signaling he’s still more than a face in the crowd but seeing his old crown placed on a younger head despite his best efforts.

Tiger’s furious finish wasn’t enough to steal Rory’s thunder, but it did wonders for the tournament’s attendance and TV ratings.

That’s what Tiger Woods’ presence has meant to golf since he turned pro in 1996. He’s still the biggest star in the game and will probably earn more money than any other golfer for years to come even if he never wins another tournament.

Just look at the logo on his hat. Who can top that?

But following Tiger now is different from what it was before his personal life blew up for all the world to see. The so carefully managed public image was revealed to be a mirage.

Tiger inside the ropes was a golfing assassin with a killer smile. Tiger inside the house was apparently, a louse at least to his wife. 

So, now he’s trying to come back. He seems recovered from physical injury but the damage to his reputation is still a bleeding wound.

Tiger may be able to change his swing but it doesn’t appear that he’s capable of changing himself. Many of us aren’t.

Woods still lets the press get to him and sulks in a way Jack Nicklaus or Arnold Palmer never did when things weren’t going their way on the golf course.

The great golfers have had big egos but most have been more gracious than Tiger Woods. We’ve learned he’s human and not all that likable. Ask his ex-caddy. Ask the other pros. 

Are we still rooting for him or are we now just like an audience at a Shakespeare play enthralled in the plot, waiting to see what happens next?

I for one think that there are so many new young players with great potential that Tiger’s time left on center stage is not going to be all that long.

If he wins again, we’ll admire that achievement respectfully but not adoringly. Those days aren’t numbered, they’re over.

If Palmer put golf on television and made it a legitimate American spectator sport, Tiger Woods took it to the next level and made himself and many of his competitors rich.

He is owed a lot for that—but does professional golf still need him to be able to thrive going forward?

No, those days are over, too.

Read more Golf news on BleacherReport.com

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1092350-does-golf-need-tiger-woods-anymore

David Garrard Jon Kitna Kyle Orton Jay Cutler Eli Manning

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. ? After three years, one winning season and a singular postseason appearance under Rich Rodriguez, it would seem that Michigan head coach Brady Hoke is on the right path. The Wolverines were 11-2 last year, their best record since 2006, and they finished the year with a Sugar Bowl win over Virginia Tech.

But for Hoke, his first year was just the foundation for what he hopes will be the rebuilding of the once proud tradition in the wake of the spread offense debacle under Rodriguez.

“We got a lot of work to do, team No. 133 is now coming together, every team is different, every season is different,” Hoke told Yahoo! Sports. “A lot of preparation lays ahead of us.

“We’ll continue to move in the direction that we want to be. Our goal and expectation this year is to win the Big Ten championship and we didn’t do that last year? we failed in that regard. We need to get guys who want that goal, guys that will meet that expectation.”

It wasn’t an easy job for Hoke to come into a program that had undergone NCAA sanctions under Rodriguez and struggled mightily to win games. His ability to turn Michigan around was recognized this weekend by the Maxwell Football Club as he was named the 2011 College Coach of the Year, helping to restore the program’s luster.

He also made strides on the recruiting trail.

The past three years, Ann Arbor had not been the destination for top players as it had been in the past, but after a successful 2011, Hoke pulled in the seventh-best recruiting class in the nation according to Rivals.com. Hoke said it was the type of class that can bring the Wolverines conference titles and into BCS bowl games.

“When you look at the group of linemen offensively and the defensive linemen that we’ve brought in ? that is where the game starts,” Hoke said.

“We filled some needs at wide receiver, a little bit at running back and at linebacker too. I’m happy with this class.”

The season included a win over Ohio State in what is arguably the deepest college football rivalry north of the Mason-Dixon Line.  Now, with Urban Meyer as head coach of the Buckeyes, Hoke has serious competition in the Big Ten as the coach with the most swagger. Meyer made a big splash on Signing Day as he hauled in a bevy of national recruits, including the highly touted Noah Spence out of Pennsylvania.

However, Hoke is embracing the big-name coach on the Buckeyes sidelines as the next chapter of this storied rivalry unfolds. He even went as far as calling the school down south by its proper name.

“It’s never about a coach in this rivalry, it is about two great universities,” Hoke said.

“We have a lot of respect for that school, for Ohio State, and I like to think they feel the same way about us.”

- – -
“Like” Dr. Saturday on Facebook for football conversations and stuff you won’t see on the blog. And follow Dr. Saturday at its new home on Twitter: @YahooDrSaturday

Follow Kristian R. Dyer on Twitter: @KristianRDyer

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/ncaaf-dr-saturday/brady-hoke-readies-repeat-success-two-020650007.html

Hakeem Nicks Miles Austin Marques Colston Brandon Marshall Jason Witten

As if having his team’s NCAA tournament hopes jeopardized by Monday’s crushing loss to VCU weren’t bad enough for Drexel’s Daryl McCoy, the junior forward also had to endure a memorable wardrobe malfunction.

TV cameras caught McCoy with his pants down with about seven minutes left in the first half of VCU’s 59-56 win in the CAA title game. When VCU freshman Treveon Graham lost his balance after being fouled on the way to the rim, he steadied himself on McCoy and somehow tugged his shorts down to his ankles in the process.

“Mr. McCoy has a wardrobe malfunction,” ESPN play-by-play announcer Carter Blackburn joked. “Cover your eyes, kids.”

[NCAA tournament tracker: VCU, the 2011 darling, is back dancing]

It’s tempting to say that Drexel was also exposed Monday night, but that could not be further from the truth. The Dragons, winners of 19 straight prior to Monday, took VCU to the wire in a venue that might as well have been the Rams’ home court, battling back from a 14-point deficit only to fall when Frantz Massenat’s attempt at a game-tying three just before the buzzer missed the mark.

Drexel’s fate is now in the hands of the selection committee, never a spot you want to be in.

Will the Dragons’ gaudy 27-6 record and outright CAA title outweigh its meager strength of schedule and lack of quality wins outside its league? It won’t be until Selection Sunday that we know for sure.

Rivals.com: Coach of the year

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Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/ncaab-the-dagger-college-basketball-blog/drexel-forward-gets-pantsed-national-tv-143014357.html

Nick Swisher Orlando Hudson Paul Konerko Rajai Davis Robinson Cano

Brendan Smith has been all the buzz around the Red Wings prospect pool. Whispers of his skill started immediately as he was picked up by the Detroit Red Wings with their first pick, 27th overall, in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.

Those whispers became vocal conversations when Smith was called up to the Red Wings AHL affiliate team, the Grand Rapids Griffins, for the 2010-11 season.

He had spent the previous three years playing for the University of Wisconsin, where he was a Hobey Baker Award finalist, an award granted to the top men’s ice hockey player in the NCAA.

While there will never be another Nicklas Lidstrom, Smith was and is being looked at as the cornerstone piece in preparation of filling the gap Lidstrom will leave in his retirement whenever (or if ever) that may be.

Smith is 23 years of age, stands 6’1’ weighs 199 pounds and was born in Ontario. Canada. He amassed 32 points in 63 games with the Griffins and made his NHL debut on Nov. 17, 2011.

He has since had four more appearances wearing the winged wheel where he has put up three points in limited ice time.

One of those points came by way of his first goal on March 2, 2012 where he helped the Wings in gathering a 6-0 win in front of his parents, who were present at the game.

A game where Smith got his start by way of both Lidstrom and Jonathan Ericsson being injured and, Mike Commodore being recently traded away.

All eyes should be on Smith not only to take a glimpse into the future of the Red Wing blue line. Not only to see what role he could play in the ever-present (but hopefully never realized) threat of a Lidstrom retirement.  Not only to watch an up-and-coming star.

But to understand who he is. How he plays. And what his future will bring.

Right now, his future is looking bright. The organization seems to value and like him a lot. As does Coach Mike Babcock, his Red Wing teammates including recent linemate Jakub Kindl, and the Red Wings fans.  

The Red Wings may be known for the talent found past the fifth round of the draft; however, this first-round pick shows great promise.

Read more Detroit Red Wings news on BleacherReport.com

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1090044-detroit-red-wings-all-eyes-on-brendan-smith

Hakeem Nicks Miles Austin Marques Colston Brandon Marshall Jason Witten

The Winnipeg Jets were given some national television love in the U.S. on Monday, putting some of the most raucous fans in hockey and the players they support in a significant spotlight.

Squarely in that spotlight: The Jets’ GST Line of Tanner Glass, Jim Slater and Chris Thorburn, which is one of the best energy lines in the NHL. Not only because of their grittiness, but because of their surprising skill ? like this ridiculous dangle by Thorburn against Buffalo Sabres goalie Ryan Miller. Holy smokes, who knew he had those hands?

After three wins, an OT loss and two shutouts on this road trip ? earning him player of the week honors ? it was a frustrating Monday night for Miller. His team lost a chance to match the Jets in points for the No. 8 seed, losing at Winnipeg 3-1.

(UPDATE: Ryan Miller says no dangle. “He drove the net hard and kinda bailed on the play, put it in my pads. He got a nice bounce back to him. So it looked like a sick toe-drag ? he dumped it off my pad when he thought he was going to cut off and ? poof ? it’s straight back on his tape. I’ll give him credit for driving the net and making a pretty goal, but I don’t want him to get too cocky, that greasy kid. I don’t want him talking about how he toe-dragged everyone.” Via Illegal Curve.)

But he was also summarily mocked by the Jets fans, who gave him Bronx cheers when he stopped routine pucks, chanted “Millll-er!” and really upped the taunting ante with this singsong in the third period:

That’s right: Winnipeg Jets fans were chanting “Silver Medal!” at the U.S. Olympic goalie who came up one win short in 2010. Damn, yo.

The Jets now have 72 points, three ahead of the Washington Capitals. Would the Rangers or Bruins want to play three playoff games in Winnipeg this April?

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/watch-chris-thorburn-dangle-ryan-miller-goal-jets-034756644.html

Ahmad Bradshaw Ray Rice Peyton Hillis Darren McFadden Cedric Benson

At this time one month ago, Tennessee was 2-5 in the SEC, under .500 for the season and well on its way to a losing record.

Four weeks later, the Vols are somehow on the cusp of NCAA tournament contention in a supposed rebuilding year.

Tennessee has elevated itself from anonymity into the at-large picture by reeling off eight wins in its final nine games culminating in Saturday’s 68-61 victory over rival Vanderbilt. The Vols almost certainly wouldn’t be in the field if the season ended today, but they’ve given themselves an opportunity to make a realistic case if they can continue their torrid play in the SEC tournament and reach the title game.

At 18-13 overall and 10-6 in the SEC, Tennessee boasts a sweep of Florida, a victory over Vanderbilt and a non-league win against UConn. The Vols’ RPI is still in the mid 70s as a result of non-league losses against the likes of Oakland, Austin Peay and Charleston, but they can point to a 9-5 record since freshman forward Jarnell Stokes joined the team in mid-January.

What will give Tennessee a great chance of improving its profile next week in New Orleans is a potentially favorable SEC tournament draw.

Assuming Kentucky beats Florida in today’s SEC regular season finale, Tennessee would be the No. 2 seed in the tournament. That would mean the Vols would get a very winnable quarterfinal against either Ole Miss or Auburn and avoid the top-seeded Wildcats until a potential title game.

How has Tennessee overcome the departure of coach Bruce Pearl and last year’s stars Tobias Harris and Scottie Hopson? By adopting new coach Cuonzo Martin’s defense-first philosophy.

Once a run-and-gun up-tempo program under Pearl, the Vols have allowed the third-fewest points per possession in SEC play (.95) and have allowed teams to shoot just 39.3 percent against them. High-powered Vanderbilt shot just 39 percent from the field on Saturday with its star trio of John Jenkins, Jeff Taylor and Festus Ezeli combining to miss 25 of 37 shots.

After the Vanderbilt game, reporters asked Martin during his news conference whether the Vols belong in the field of 68.

“Are we an NCAA tournament team? Yes,” Martin said confidently. “Is there work to be done? I don’t know. I’m not on the committee. We’ve got to continue to win ball games. But if you’re talking about is this an NCAA tournament team? There’s no doubt in my mind.”

Martin’s either lobbying or being a tad over-optimistic there, but that shouldn’t discount what his team has accomplished. That Tennessee is even on the fringes of the at-large discussion is one of the college basketball season’s pleasant surprises.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/ncaab-the-dagger-college-basketball-blog/stunning-surge-tennessee-contention-ncaa-bid-140012457.html

Michael Bush Jahvid Best Danny Woodhead Justin Forsett Brandon Lloyd

Monetarily, the UFC is among the fastest-growing sports in the world. 

With the best fighters in mixed martial arts currently manning the promotion’s eight divisions, along with the TV shows, month-to-month PPV events and broadcast deals with FOX and FX, the UFC has the world at its fingertips. 

But while the company seeks profits at every corner, does its unmatchable desire to do so deflate the entertainment value as a whole?

It depends.  And that’s exactly what’s up for debate.

There’s no disputing that the UFC has more than made up for lost time in mainstream America over the past couple of years.  They’ve transformed a crippled company into one of the most popular franchises worldwide, due in part to president Dana White‘s promotional sensibility. 

However, the UFC has arguably grown itself thin.  With dozens of new fighters, new events, higher expectations, injury-riddled champions and increased viewing prices for even the oldest of fans, the company has become somewhat one-dimensional. 

For the UFC, the main issue is to create a reputable brand revolving around recognition and creativity, and using that popularity to earn profits.

That’s all well and good—it’s a business at heart.  But even though the company has been the forefront for MMA within American sports over the past decade, the action inside the cage and the efforts to preserve the sport’s greatest asset (the fights themselves) may be deemed unsatisfactory in the eyes of its detrimental fanbase.

Sure, some fights have been monumental over the past few years in securing the prestige of worthwhile entertainment for each and every viewer, but as previously mentioned, the more events, fighters, promotions and media facets that the company produces, the thinner it becomes. 

However, there’s a flip side to this notion, being that in order to promote the sport and keep it growing in comparison to major entities already in place, you have to write a new page in the book at every turn. 

But when you dismantle the entertainment machine that’s responsible for the popularity of the sport itself, aren’t you sabotaging the essence of competition?

This may seem generic, whining about the entertainment value of seeing two fighters try to knock each other out, but it’s important to understand where your money is going. 

Fans don’t pay to see lackluster fights.  Fans don’t spend their hard-earned cash to see a pay-per-view event end after 25 minutes of championship jabbing.  Fans aren’t spending their valuable time following the UFC to see their favorite fighters compete only twice a calender year, mostly due in part to the company’s efforts to expand divisions, create new ones and offer content directed toward “potentially new” fans.

Don’t get me wrong—the more MMA fights in mainstream sports, the better.  But at some point, mixing the fights fans want to see with the ones that the UFC is putting forth to fill event slots, PPV under cards, PPV main cards and broadcast freebees, takes away from the overall entertainment value.  A good portion of these bouts prove unworthy, whether they cost $44.99 or not.

The point to this whole thing is that somehow, the UFC—the company that has branded itself as being the fastest-growing sport in the world—may in fact be growing, but within the completely wrong capacity.

And even though the company has done everything imaginable to create the best fights in the world, sometimes it is better off to slow things down, diagnose what you have and what works best and let the entertainment speak for itself.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1094074-is-the-ufcs-entertainment-value-declining

Tony Parker Zach Randolph Tom Brady Philip Rivers Aaron Rodgers

It’s a Wednesday edition of Marek vs. Wyshynski beginning at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT, and we’re talking about the following and more:

Special Guest Stars: Boston Bruins forward and Nose Face Killah Brad Marchand joins us, as well as Dave Schneider of The Zambonis.

? In which Marek and Wysh discuss when hockey players get physical with officials.

? The Mario statue.

? The Capitals and Sharks struggle.

? Playoff Bubble Watch.

? Puck Headlines and Talking Points

Question of the Day: After Voracek was Kronwall’d, who is your favorite body checker of all time?

Email your answers to puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or tweet them with the hashtag #MvsW to either @jeffmarek or @wyshynski.

Click here for the Sportsnet live stream or click the play button above! Click here to download podcasts from the show each day Subscribe to the podcast via iTunes or Feedburner.

Other popular content on the Yahoo! network:
? Hockey Hugs: Ryan Getz love; Chris Neil gets a puppy
? The St. Louis Blues are making Ken Hitchcock look like a prophet
? Y! Tech: How to childproof your Kindle Fire

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/marek-vs-wyshynski-radio-brad-marchand-zambonis-dave-183102454.html

Clay Buchholz Clayton Kershaw Cliff Lee Cole Hamels Dallas Braden

No. 1 Star: Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay Lightning

Stamkos scored an unassisted goal in the second period to cut the Carolina Hurricanes’ lead to 3-2 and then scored the game-winning goal in overtime to give the Bolts the 4-3 victory. He now has 47 goals on the season, and the Lightning are two points out of the No. 8 seed in the East.

No. 2 Star: Mikhail Grabovski, Toronto Maple Leafs

Welcome to the Leafs, Randy Carlyle: Grabovski assisted on Matt Frattin’s second-period goal to tie the game and then scored twice in the third period, as the Leafs defeated the Montreal Canadiens, 3-1, in their new coach’s debut.

No. 3 Star: Pekka Rinne, Nashville Predators

As Florida Panthers coach Kevin Dineen said: “I don’t say this in a sarcastic or negative way at all, but goaltending was the difference tonight.” Rinne made 39 saves in the Nashville Predators’ 3-1 victory over the Panthers, tying Tomas Vokoun for the franchise record for victories in a season with 36. Andrei Kostitsyn had a goal and an assist.

Honorable mention: Evgeni Nabokov made 32 saves while Matt Moulson and John Tavares had a goal and an assist each in the New York Islanders’ 3-2 victory at the Boston Bruins. . ? The Pittsburgh Penguins got first-period goals by Arron Asham and Deryk Engelland, as well as No. 38 from Evgeni Malkin, to rout the Colorado Avalanche, 5-1. ? Ville Leino scored two goals to set the tone and the Buffalo Sabres hung on for a 5-3 victory at the Vancouver Canucks. Ryan Miller made 32 saves. David Booth scored twice for the Canucks. Zack Kassian had a goal; Cody Hodgson didn’t register a point. ? T. J. Oshie had a goal and an assist while the defense did the rest, as the St. Louis Blues skated out of San Jose with a 3-1 win over the Sharks, who managed only 18 shots against Jaroslav Halak. ? Jeff Carter scored two goals and Mike Richards had three assists in the Los Angeles Kings’ 4-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks. ? Steve Mason made 30 saves, while Rick Nash had two goals and an assist for the Columbus Blue Jackets, who defeated the Phoenix Coyotes, 5-2. Check out this helper from Nash while on his stomach. C’mon, isn’t that worth a ridiculous overpayment, Sather?

Fight of the Night: Mike Brown and Brad Staubitz threw down:

Did you know? A fan fell from the middle tier of seats into the lower bowl before the game. A Canadiens spokesman said that while he?and the fan he landed on? were taken to a hospital, neither of the fans’ injuries appeared to be life-threatening. (AP)

Dishonorable mention: Tuukka Rask left the Bruins’ loss 9:01 into the second period with a leg injury, one that’s serious enough to keep him off their 2-game road trip. ? Erik Johnson was a minus-4 for the Avs. ? Antoine Vermette was a minus-3 against his old team. ? Brandon Sutter took a controversial roughing call on Mathieu Garon that led to Stamkos’s game-winner. … From Lisa Dillman of the LA Times, Bruce Boudreau said of the officiating in the Kings/Ducks game: “It was some of the worst calls I’ve frickin seen in a long time. A game of this importance we can’t have officiating making calls like that. I mean, there’s three penalties that weren’t penalties, I know that we took.” ? Finally, Roberto Luongo was pulled after giving up three goals in 5:10 against the Sabres. Including two to Ville Leino.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/saturday-three-stars-stamkos-ot-hero-carlyle-wins-063226238.html

Stephen Curry Stephen Jackson Tony Parker Zach Randolph Tom Brady

The Winnipeg Jets were given some national television love in the U.S. on Monday, putting some of the most raucous fans in hockey and the players they support in a significant spotlight.

Squarely in that spotlight: The Jets’ GST Line of Tanner Glass, Jim Slater and Chris Thorburn, which is one of the best energy lines in the NHL. Not only because of their grittiness, but because of their surprising skill ? like this ridiculous dangle by Thorburn against Buffalo Sabres goalie Ryan Miller. Holy smokes, who knew he had those hands?

After three wins, an OT loss and two shutouts on this road trip ? earning him player of the week honors ? it was a frustrating Monday night for Miller. His team lost a chance to match the Jets in points for the No. 8 seed, losing at Winnipeg 3-1.

(UPDATE: Ryan Miller says no dangle. “He drove the net hard and kinda bailed on the play, put it in my pads. He got a nice bounce back to him. So it looked like a sick toe-drag ? he dumped it off my pad when he thought he was going to cut off and ? poof ? it’s straight back on his tape. I’ll give him credit for driving the net and making a pretty goal, but I don’t want him to get too cocky, that greasy kid. I don’t want him talking about how he toe-dragged everyone.” Via Illegal Curve.)

But he was also summarily mocked by the Jets fans, who gave him Bronx cheers when he stopped routine pucks, chanted “Millll-er!” and really upped the taunting ante with this singsong in the third period:

That’s right: Winnipeg Jets fans were chanting “Silver Medal!” at the U.S. Olympic goalie who came up one win short in 2010. Damn, yo.

The Jets now have 72 points, three ahead of the Washington Capitals. Would the Rangers or Bruins want to play three playoff games in Winnipeg this April?

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/watch-chris-thorburn-dangle-ryan-miller-goal-jets-034756644.html

Brandon Lloyd Roddy White Reggie Wayne Greg Jennings Mike Wallace

Which bubble teams are actually going to make the cut, and which ones are screwed?

Please join us beginning at NOON ET/9 a.m. PT today for our weekly chat that includes a revolving door of panelists like Lyle (Spector) Richardson of Spector’s Hockey; David “Dave” Pagnotta of The Fourth Period Magazine; as well as your friendly neighborhood knuckleheads from Yahoo! Sports, Puck Daddy and Buzzing The Net.

You bring the funny; we bring the abrupt changes in tone and Hamburger Women. That’s how it works:

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/puck-daddy-hockey-live-chat-164608236.html

Johnny Knox Mario Manningham Vernon Davis Braylon Edwards Jabar Gaffney

There are journeymen, and then there’s Frank Banham.

Since 1992, the now-36-year-old winger has played for 18 teams in Sweden, Russia, Austria and North America ? including stints with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim and the Phoenix Coyotes ? before finding a home with Croatia’s KHL Medve??ak Zagreb.

(By the way, this club is expected to join the KHL soon, but it’s not affiliated quite yet.)

In Austria’s Erste Bank Eishockey Liga playoffs this week, Banham showed a little bit of that North American truculence in laying out Stefan Geier of EC KAC with a hit that should look familiar to any NHL fan: It’s pretty much Matt Cooke on Marc Savard 2.0, as Banham skated by and casually targeted the head after Geier took a shot on goal.

Thinks get really interesting about 1:05 into this clip. Banham (and his Liev Schreiber from “Goon” mustache) leaves the penalty box after receiving a major and a misconduct for checking to the head, skating to the dressing room. But he stops after someone on EC KAC chirps him, and then we’ve got ourselves one of the most venomous and chaotic line brawls of the year ? goalies included!

There’s simply no reason why every line brawl shouldn’t be scored by the Beastie Boys. Although we’d much prefer “Sabotage” for the kinetic thrill, or “Hey Ladies” for the surrealism.

According to the penalty rundown on the YouTube page, there were 239 penalty minutes stemming from this incident.

Goalies Robert Kristan and Andy Chiodo ? he of the eight-game stint with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2003-04 ? were only given double-minors for roughing because the referees have a sense of humor about blocker-punches, apparently. We also liked the part where Kristan attempts to use one of Chiodo’s straps as a dog leash near the end of their tussle.

Fun times, save for the initial hit and another deplorable moment: When Joel Prpic of Zagreb, a vowel-deficient former Boston Bruins prospect, pulled Andrei Zyuzin, who played for the San Jose Sharks and Minnesota Wild, out of the pile and then pummelled him as he covered his head on the ice. Nasty scene right there.

Here are a couple of hastily translated articles on the fight from EishHockeynews.com and Sportnet.

s/t Bob’s Blitz; photo via Sportnet.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/massive-hockey-brawl-sparked-cooke-savard-esque-hit-145805427.html

Matt Hasselbeck Brett Favre Derek Anderson Arian Foster Jamaal Charles

Source: http://detroit.sbnation.com/michigan-wolverines/2012/1/30/2758120/can-michigan-basketball-get-through-this-rough-stretch-for-another

Dallas Braden David Price Felix Hernandez Francisco Liriano Gio Gonzalez

The Detroit Red Wings traded away Mike Commodore on NHL trade deadline day on Monday, and brought up rookie defenseman Brendan Smith.

Now Brendan Smith, if you recall back at the start of last season, was suspended five games for a head shot on Ben Smith.

But this time, Smith looks to be back in the lineup full-time—well at least until Jonathan Ericsson comes back from his broken wrist.

But will Ericsson crack the lineup again this season with Brendan Smith playing?

If the game against Columbus was any indication, I would have to say no.

Here are five reasons why.

Begin Slideshow

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1085960-detroit-red-wings-5-reasons-brendan-smith-could-replace-ericsson-next-year

Luke Scott Marco Scutaro Michael Cuddyer Michael Young Miguel Cabrera

Danny Ainge has seemingly waved the white flag on the Big Three. Dealing Ray Allen should be the first move he makes to transition into a new era. Sam Amick of Sports Illustrated reports:

Yet for all the talk of Boston point guard Rajon Rondo possibly being traded, some league executives have shooting guard and free-agent-to-be Ray Allen pegged as the most likely to be moved.

The Celtics would be crazy to move Rondo. Allen still has some run in his 36-year-old legs, but not enough to help the Celtics who have to transition from being a veteran team to being a young team.

Allen is averaging 15 points per game and shooting 48 percent from three-point range. There isn’t a contender in the NBA that couldn’t find a spot for that production.

The Celtics would like a young player and a draft pick, but as the deadline approaches, they may have to give a little to make the move. Either they take a young player that hasn’t quite established himself yet, or they take a late first round pick from a contender.

At this point, only contending teams will have interest in Allen, so the C’s aren’t going to get a lottery pick out of this. At 36, in the last year of his contract, Allen isn’t worth a pick that high,

The reality of the Celtics situation is that Allen and Kevin Garnett are both free agents at the end of the season. Teams will realize they may be renting these players for 20 games. Plus, both players are over 35 years of age.

No team is going to want to commit a ton of their future in players or picks to land them in that situation. The Celtics have to effectively take what they can get, as its obvious, neither is a part of the team’s future plans.

If the Celtics are smart, the Allen trade will be a part of a furious week of deals that move all of the Big Three. Garnett should be next on the list, and Paul Pierce should follow. Pierce still has years remaining on his contract, so it may be tougher, but he is still a solid scorer, that some teams may covet.

Pierce was an All-Star, and he’s averaging 18.4 points, 5.4 rebounds and five assists per game this year. Not to mention his ability to make tough shots. Teams like Philadelphia desperately need players like Pierce to finish games.

Garnett has the size, defensive prowess and leadership qualities a contender could use down the stretch. With solid low post defenders so rare and valued, Garnett is still one of the premier players in that category. It would seem he could be an asset to contenders as well. He’s scoring 15 points, grabbing eight boards and blocking a shot per game.

So, it’s not like the Celtics are dumping old, ineffective players. There is definitely value there.

Once the dealing is done, the Celtics should have a nice crop of young players, and a few draft picks, with a ton of cap room for this offseason.

All of these assets help the Celtics effectively build around Rondo. This is their best course of action now,

The Celtics need to get rid of their old success, to allow new success to grow. That begins with moving Allen.

Read more NBA news on BleacherReport.com

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1094429-nba-trade-rumors-celtics-must-make-ray-allen-deal-1st-step-in-dismantling-big-3

Paul Konerko Rajai Davis Robinson Cano Shin-Soo Choo Torii Hunter

On Sunday, crew chief Darian Grubb climbed the summit of the highest mountain of his profession, using daring, gutsy strategy to guide driver Tony Stewart to a win and a Sprint Cup championship.

As of Monday, it appears he’s out of a job.

One of the most fascinating subplots of the immediate postrace celebration was the fact that Grubb has done what no other crew chief has managed in the last half-decade, and yet he’s still apparently going to be looking for work.

[Related: Tony Stewart beats Carl Edwards to win Sprint Cup title]

Certainly, Grubb’s performance in the early part of the year could have justified a firing. Stewart limped into the Chase, appearing to have little to compete with the workhorse programs of Carl Edwards, Kevin Harvick, Jeff Gordon and Kyle Busch.

Still, Stewart won the first two races of the Chase, and suddenly the ship started turning in the right direction. But then Stewart slid back in the pack, and the Stewart-Haas braintrust made the decision: Grubb was gone as of the end of the season. The team notified him of his impending unemployment as of the Charlotte race in October.

But to hear Grubb tell it, that decision was made in haste, without giving him time to see the season through. In an awkward postrace interview, Grubb said he was “pleading” to be given the rest of the season. He added that he finds this entire decision “baffling.” He’s not certain whether a Cup win will help his chances, and he’s not certain if, even if he were offered his job back, he’d take it.

[Related: Legend of Tony Stewart cemented in full]

Stewart studiously avoided answering any question relating to Grubb’s future. He initially blew off the question with a joke: “In the immediate future, I’m going to get him drunk.” But then he lapsed into the usual bureaucratic ownerspeak, saying that there were many options to consider in any offseason. But he also avoided giving Grubb anything resembling a vote of confidence.

Perhaps Stewart and Grubb will meet and Grubb will re-up with the man whom he crewed to a championship. And perhaps Stewart will decide to look in a different direction with the expectation that his next championship won’t be so close. Either way, Grubb won’t be out of work for long. There aren’t many crew chiefs working these days with a Cup to their credit.

Other popular stories on Yahoo! Sports:
? Stewart, Edwards duel may go down as best race in NASCAR history
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? Beckham’s future uncertain after winning MLS Cup

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/post/Tony-Stewart-crew-chief-Darian-Grubb-Win-on-Sun?urn=nascar-wp5344

Mike Williams Johnny Knox Mario Manningham Vernon Davis Braylon Edwards

Tiger Woods is back, or at least that would seem to be the case after golf’s crestfallen champion defeated Aaron Baddeley at Royal Melbourne to clinch the 2011 Presidents Cup for the US team.

Woods was brilliant against the Aussie favorite on Sunday, going four-up on the 15th hole to put the Americans up 18-14 and out of reach of a game International squad. The win for Woods culminates a long climb back over just this weekend, from mediocre play on Thursday and Friday to hitting greens and missing puts on Saturday to tasting victory, in some form or fashion, for the first time since 2009.

Tiger had been playing solid golf coming into the competition, with a third-place finish in the Australian Open under his belt that could easily have been a full-blown win if not for a pair of bogies on the back nine on Sunday.

Does this mean that Tiger has regained his form, that he’s ready to resume his winning ways on the PGA Tour? Not necessarily, though the boost of confidence that comes from playing well with victory hanging in the balance should serve as a step in the right direction.

How big a step that is remains to be seen, at least until the 2012 season gets under way. We’ve seen Tiger play well in fits and starts in the years since his thrilling triumph at the 2008 US Open and the fallout from his marital infidelities that followed in late November of 2009. He notched three top-four finishes in Majors between 2010 and 2011—two at the Masters, one at the US Open—though after being in position to win going into the weekend.

Sure, it’s telling, if not downright encouraging, that Woods played his best golf of the event on the last day when it mattered most, which he used to do with regularity.

But before we go around proclaiming that Tiger Woods is Tiger Woods once again, let’s take a step back and remember that, in the end, the Presidents Cup wasn’t all about him, that the Americans probably would’ve won even if he hadn’t come through and, as such, the pressure wasn’t really on like it used to be. Tiger looked great off the tee but miserable on the greens, missing putts with alarming regularity.

He certainly wasn’t alone in that regard, as the greens were tough for just about everyone in the field, but if Tiger is truly the elite golfer that he once was, if he is, in fact, going to dominate the competition like he once did, he need not be phased by the concerns of his mere-mortal competitors.

A high standard, to be sure, but one that Tiger set for himself by putting the world of professional golf in his back pocket for more than a decade.

It’s unlikely that he’s already that Tiger again, or that he ever will be, but the powers that be in the PGA must be pleased to see their once-crumbling cash cow back on the right track. Love him or hate him, you’ve got to admit that golf is more exciting, at least for the casual fan that the game is trying to reach, when Tiger Woods is actually relevant.

Something he proved to be over the weekend at the Presidents Cup.

Read more Golf news on BleacherReport.com

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/948525-presidents-cup-2011-tiger-woods-tops-aaron-baddeley-to-clinch-cup-for-us-team

Matt Forte BenJarvus Green-Ellis LeGarrette Blount Fred Jackson LaDainian Tomlinson

Alex Ariza, strength and condition coach of WBO welterweight champ Manny Pacquiao, agrees with UFC President Dana White‘s assertion that boxing promoter Bob Arum is a “greedy pig.”

In a recent interview with Fight Hype, Ariza absolutely tore Arum apart. For starters, Ariza said Arum will be solely responsible for “Pac-Man” never having a super fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. 

“I think that’s the fight that everybody wants to see,” Ariza said, in regards to Pacquiao vs. Mayweather.

“Here’s the thing, Dana White is 100 percent absolutely correct. Bob Arum is a greedy pig. Now I see. That’s exactly why Dana White has been so successful and Bob Arum sees him as such a threat, because he puts the fights together that the people want to see. It’s about putting the best fights on,” Ariza added.

Ariza went on to praise White for his business savvy and matchmaking skills, while he slammed Arum for allowing personal bias to get in the way.

“Even though he had the biggest fight with Nick Diaz and they went back and forth at each other, Dana did the right thing by the sport and he still put him and B.J. Penn together and made them fight,” Ariza said. 

“Arum hates Floyd Mayweather, can’t stand him, doesn’t want to see him make a dollar, can’t stand Golden Boy, doesn’t want to do business with them, but instead of doing what’s best for the sport, what’s best for the fans, and what’s best for the fighters because they’ll get the payday of a lifetime, no, it’s all about him.”

As angry as Ariza seemed up to this point, he really began to lose his cool after further thinking about boxing’s fantasy showdown that may never be. 

“‘I don’t like him, so f**k him!’ I mean, right or wrong?,” Ariza said, talking about Arum’s attitude towards Mayweather.

“Unless you can tell me and convince me otherwise, because I’m thoroughly convinced and believe that Floyd really does want to have this fight. I think he really wants to have this fight. As far as he knows, he’s right. He’s right. Bob is the one interfering and f**king s**t up,” Ariza noted.

All this hate for Arum is a little puzzling, considering that Ariza was calling for a fourth bout between Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez just two days after the controversial Pac-Man victory.

So fight fans: did Ariza hit the nail on the head? Or is he oversimplifying the matter at hand?

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/956405-ufc-news-manny-pacquiaos-coach-sides-with-dana-white-against-bob-arum

Felix Hernandez Francisco Liriano Gio Gonzalez Hiroki Kuroda Jaime Garcia

Kyle Busch has been parked for Sunday’s Sprint Cup Series race and Saturday’s Nationwide Series race at Texas Motor Speedway after intentionally crashing Ron Hornaday in Friday night’s Camping World Truck Series race.

“[Busch being parked for Friday night's race is] done under section 9.12 of the rulebook, that gives NASCAR the authority to react during a race weekend. And following the event and after a good deal of conversation and discussion, NASCAR has decided to maintain that parked position on the driver of the 18 truck for the balance of the weekend,” NASCAR president Mike Helton said Saturday morning.

“So basically what that means is that Kyle Busch will not be participating today or tomorrow in the NASCAR event here in Texas.”

Joe Gibbs, Busch’s team owner in the Cup and Nationwide Series, was at home in North Carolina and not at the track Friday night. He flew to Texas Saturday morning and met with NASCAR officials and Busch. Gibbs said he ”trusts” NASCAR’s decision. He would not divulge what he told Busch in their 1-on-1 meeting, but did say they “needed to get out here and meet with everybody we needed to meet with.” In other words, Busch, who was not kicked out of the track, needs to make the rounds to apologize.

Busch’s suspension is the first for a driver after the “Boys have at it” declaration from NASCAR ? a statement that’s been pointed to numerous times over the past two years when it comes to driver discipline.

“The responsibility that over the past two or three seasons we’ve given back to the drivers came, I think, with a very clear understanding that there could be a line that got crossed,” Helton said. “And as annoying as the comments that I’ve made personally in the past of ‘we’ll know it when we see it’ might have been, we saw it last night.”

Michael McDowell will drive Busch’s No. 18 car on Sunday.

Busch is currently in seventh place in the Chase for the Sprint Cup standings, 57 points behind points leader Carl Edwards with three races to go. Busch met with series officials before the start of Saturday morning’s first practice session at Texas Motor Speedway.

The actions NASCAR took Saturday are not unprecedented. Both Kevin Harvick and Robby Gordon have been suspended for Cup races for actions on the track in other series. Perhaps somewhat ironically, Harvick’s suspension came in 2002 after crashing Coy Gibbs ? son of Joe Gibbs, Busch’s Sprint Cup Series owner ? in a Truck race at Martinsville. Harvick owns Hornaday’s truck. Earlier this season, Harvick and Busch had a meeting on pit road after the Sprint Cup race in Darlington in May. Busch was also in a confrontation with Richard Childress, Harvick’s owner in the Sprint Cup Series, after Busch raced RCR driver Joey Coulter hard for position in the Truck race at Kansas in June.

Got all that?

Gordon was suspended for the cartoonish finish to the Montreal Nationwide race in 2007 and disobeying NASCAR orders to serve a penalty. That was the last time NASCAR parked a driver for a Cup race.

Other popular stories on Yahoo! Sports:
? Danica Patrick to run 10 Sprint Cup races in 2012 | Danica Patrick photos
? Video: NFL: Can Bears slow down Michael Vick?
? Tiger Woods’ ex-caddie drops racist comment about former boss

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/post/Kyle-Busch-suspended-for-Cup-race-for-actions-in?urn=nascar-wp5125

Shaun Marcum Ted Lilly Tim Hudson Tim Lincecum Tommy Hanson

Through Saturday, the United States leads the International team 13-9 at the 2011 Presidents Cup, which is a lead big enough that the US will maintain it through Sunday for the win.

On Sunday, all golfers involved will participate in Sunday Singles, which pits each individual in head-to-head action with a member from the opposition. Despite Tiger Woods’ 1-3 performance thus far, the Americans look to have a stronger team that will power through to the title.

At 10:30 a.m. in Melbourne, the golfers will begin teeing off with 12-minute delays between each individual battle. The team of Phil Mickelson and Jim Furyk is undefeated thus far, and Mickelson has already collected a win against his opponent on Sunday—Adam Scott.

The unique nature of match-play gives the advantage to the golfers who thrive under the pressure. Despite his struggles in stroke-play, Woods went 5-0 in a 19.5-14.5 win for the U.S. in 2009.

The most emotional, in-the-moment golfers are favored to win at the Presidents Cup—that is, if they get ahead early. The U.S. has won this tournament the last three times. The Americans also have only one loss in the competition’s history.

For Woods, he’s still not playing the golf people have come to expect him to, but it’s on the horizon. In golf especially, all it takes is one win to pump the confidence back into a player. With the personal issues behind him and some support behind him, Woods will win his match on Sunday against Aaron Baddeley.

Michael Warner of the Herald Sun quoted commentator Jack Newton, who attests to the progression of Woods throughout the weekend.

“I don’t think he (Tiger) is far away. And with all of his other issues, I think his head is starting to come good.”

The U.S. only needs to win five of 12 matches on Sunday to secure the victory.

Even if Woods can’t close the deal, the Americans will secure five victories throughout the course of the day for the triumph.

Read more Golf news on BleacherReport.com

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/947571-presidents-cup-2011-us-to-triumph-despite-tiger-woods-lackluster-performance

Chad Henne Mark Sanchez Matt Hasselbeck Brett Favre Derek Anderson

Defenseman Dmitry Orlov is making his NHL debut for the Washington Capitals tonight against the Phoenix Coyotes, and News From The Nosebleeds decided to commemorate the occasion ? by doctoring up an Alex Ovechkin T-shirt.

OK, so they needed the ‘O’ and the ’8′. Still, the sight of this thing at a time when Alex Ovechkin is getting criticized for his lack of production and being portrayed as a coach killer turned a few heads during warm-ups.

Most likely a Tribute Jersey to Orlov. Perhaps a Protest Jersey. Either way, not a Foul.

Now, what are all of those Alex Semin shirsy owners going to do if this healthy scratch portends the Semin’s climax in Washington?

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/Jersey-Fouls-Extra-Things-are-different-for-Ale?urn=nhl-wp17967

Justin Verlander Mat Latos Matt Cain Max Scherzer Roy Halladay

I consider myself to be one of Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant’s biggest fans and supporters, but that doesn’t mean I can’t acknowledge his faults.

Bryant’s reputation as one of the most polarizing figures in sports has led to furious and spirited debates between Bryant’s detractors and his fans, and sometimes it’s hard to separate legitimate criticism of his game from simple hatred.

For instance, a person’s opinion on Bryant’s incident in Colorado has no bearing on Bryant’s merits as a player, but the point that he sometimes makes questionable decisions on the court does.

Unfortunately, both of those points of view can usually be found in the same argument, and instead of debating honest criticism of Kobe’s game, we tend to get lost on tangents that have nothing to do with basketball.

During some of these debates I have heard several criticisms pertaining to Kobe’s game that seem valid, and I have compiled a list of the top three that have been the most repeated in my opinion.

I’m sure most Lakers fans have heard these particular criticisms as well, and even if they don’t completely agree, they have to admit there is at least a nugget of truth to be found in each slide. Please enjoy.

Begin Slideshow

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/955881-kobe-bryant-3-kobe-criticisms-lakers-fans-cant-deny

LeBron James Luis Scola Luol Deng Manu Ginobili Michael Beasley

Back by popular demand, here are your Puck Previews: Spotlighting the key games in NHL action, news and views as well as general frivolity. Make sure to stop back here for the nightly Three Stars when the games are finished.

? Benoit Pouliot finished in sixth place during last night’s Handstand Competition between the Bruins and Canadians with this feeble attempt. [AP]

Preview: Los Angeles Kings at St. Louis Blues, 7:30 p.m. ET. Under Ken Hitchcock, the Blues have yet to lose in regulation going 4-0-2 since Davis Payne was fired and climbing to within three points of first place in the Central Division. Jaroslav Halak is scheduled to battle Jonathan Bernier as the Kings look to bounce back after getting their three-game win streak snapped on Saturday against the Detroit Red Wings.

Preview: Toronto Maple Leafs at Tampa Bay Lightning, 7:30 p.m. ET. David Steckel versus Victor Hedman! How many times will they be asked about Sidney Crosby today? In good news for the Leafs, goaltender James Reimer met with the media today for the first time in a month and said he is progressing well and hopes to be back soon. Both teams are looking to turn things around as the Leafs have won once in their last five games, while the Lightning has taken two points once in four.

Preview: Edmonton Oilers at Nashville Predators, 8 p.m. ET. Wrapping up a five game homestand where they’ve taken six out of a possible eight points, the Predators look to go out winners before they head off for a five game road trip. The Oilers have lost five of six and their last four on the road.

Check out previews and updated scores for all of today’s games on the Y! Sports NHL scores and scheds page. For tonight’s starting goalies, check out Left Wing Lock.

Evening Reading

? Jochen Hecht expects to return from a concussion tomorrow night against the Boston Bruins. Expect a roomier press box at First Niagara Center tomorrow than what was in Pittsburgh on Monday night. [Sabres Edge]

? After four games and one assist this season, the Detroit Red Wings have sent Fabian Brunnstrom down to Grand Rapids of the AHL. [MLive]

? The New York Islanders announced today that forward Micheal Haley has been recalled from loan from the Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the American Hockey League. [Islanders]

? Finally, here’s four minutes of farmers being asked who they think will win the Stanley Cup this year (Spoiler: Lots of Leafs and Oilers fans in the video):

Puck Buddy Comment of the Day: Bitter Wings Fan on the Tim Tebow/Sidney Crosby comparisons:

“The main difference that voids the Tebow / Crosby analogy is that Crosby is universally considered and accepted as the best in the game at his position. Nobody would dare make that type of claim about Tebow.”

My fantasy football team would agree with you.

Bold Prediction: Pekke Rinne with the 4-0 shutout of the Oilers.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/Puck-Previews-Blues-host-Kings-James-Reimer-on?urn=nhl-wp18028

LeGarrette Blount Fred Jackson LaDainian Tomlinson Thomas Jones Frank Gore

Making the morning rounds.

? Out of the shadows, into Corvallis. As expected, Nick “Yes That Montana” Montana will make his first career start for Washington Saturday when the Huskies visit Oregon State, replacing gimpy starter Keith Price. Montana, youngest spawn of Joe, played the entire fourth quarter last week after Price was knocked out of a 40-17 loss at USC, connecting on his first touchdown pass with 13 seconds to play in the blowout.

“It just felt right. I loved how Nick had looked the last couple of days [in practice],” said coach Steve Sarkisian. “For our team it’s the right thing to do. For Keith it was the right thing to do. Nicky’s earned it, he’s done a nice job.” [Seattle Times]

? This is what happens when you put the cart before the horse. Southern Miss blew a 14-0 lead, its longest winning streak in 60 years and a realistic shot at a BCS bowl Thursday at lowly UAB, dropping a 34-31 decision that will haunt the Golden Eagles even more than their only other loss, a six-turnover debacle at Marshall back in September. UAB ? that would be 24-point underdog UAB ? converted 12 of 17 third downs, held the ball for nearly 37 minutes and kept USM off the board entirely on four different trips into Blazer territory.

At least the horse is still alive: The choke in Birmingham doesn’t end Southern Miss’ chances at a Conference USA title (the Eagles can clinch the East Division next week against even lowlier Memphis) or its first 10-win season since 1988. But it does end any chance of moving into the top 16 of the BCS standings with a win over unbeaten Houston in the C-USA title game, likely triggering an automatic big-money bid as the highest-ranked non-”Big Six” conference champion. [Clarion-Ledger, Rivals]

? On the Sandusky beat… An attorney for “Victim Four” said Thursday that his client is “more adamant” about testifying against former Penn State assistant Jerry Sandusky after watching Sandusky tell a national television audience earlier this week that he has never sexually abused underage males. The alleged victim ? one of eight Sandusky has been charged with abusing over a span of more than a decade ? says Sandusky began testing boundaries the day they met, when Victim Four was 12 or 13, and came to play two roles during the boy’s teenage years: Surrogate father and molester. Now 27, Victim Four says he was “a fixture” in the Sandusky household, worked out with Sandusky, accompanied Sandusky to charity events and on road trips, and shared hotel rooms and showers with Sandusky, who plied him with cash and gifts as the abuse continued.

“My client now has become even more adamant that he intends to testify and not waver from his grand jury presentment testimony,” attorney Ben Andreozzi told the Harrisburg Patriot-News. “At this point, his anger is directed at Mr. Sandusky. That does not mean that he excuses the actions of the others. It’s fair to say that he knew the Sandusky family quite well.” [Harrisburg Patriot-News]

? We may or may not be hearing something at an undefined point in the future. Among proposals for overhauling the BCS discussed earlier this week is one that would effectively dismantle the BCS structure outside of a championship game matching the No. 1 and No. 2 teams. At meetings in San Francisco earlier this week, there was reportedly strong sentiment toward eliminating “automatic qualifier” status for certain conferences ? one of the prime drivers in conference realignment ? as well as the two-teams-per-conference limit. The most radical proposal would sever ties with the traditional bowls (the Fiesta, Orange, Rose and Sugar) and limit the BCS strictly to organizing the title match.

“There’s a lot of stuff being thrown at the wall,” an official who attended the meetings told ESPN’s Gene Wojciechowski. “I think the people in the room really want to get it right. They’re tired of getting beat up.” Per another official: “I’d be amazed if that’s where we ended up.” And another: “I think it really has a chance. It really does.” [ESPN, Sports Illustrated]

? Free as a Bull. South Florida offensive lineman Tony Kibler was released from jail Thursday on $27,250 bond, 17 days after he was arrested on two felony counts for burglary and improper exhibition of a weapon on school grounds. At the time, police said Kibler was involved in a dispute stemming from a “dissolved relationship” with a female student who lived across the hall in his dorm. The girl complained to police that Kibler had attempted to use a knife to break into her room and “exhibit[ed] the knife in an angry manner.” He remains suspended from the team. [Tampa Tribune]

? Wink wink nudge nudge. On the same day USC released a Maroon 5-backed video touting receiver Robert Woods for the Biletnikoff Award, coach Lane Kiffin said Woods’ status against Oregon is going to be a game-time decision after he watches his go-to playmaker in warmups. “I’m going to have to see speed, that he can go, that he can get in and out of breaks and be able to play at a high level for us,” Kiffin said.

For his part, Woods said his ailing ankle is “50-50″ and his shoulder is “aggravated,” but he still fully expects to play in Eugene. “[Kiffin]‘s the one calling the personnel,” Woods said, “but I’m definitely in his ear trying to get on the field.” [Los Angeles Times, Orange County Register]

Quickly? Penn State hires a law firm. ? Geno Smith is formally reprimanded for criticizing Big East officials. ? Profiling Brad Wing, the nation’s best punter. ? And LaMichael James explains in graphic detail why he’ll never do the ‘O’ sign again.

- – -
Matt Hinton is on Facebook and Twitter: Follow him @DrSaturday.

Source: http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday/post/Headlinin-8217-Washington-rolls-the-dice-on-M?urn=ncaaf-wp10123

Matt Hasselbeck Brett Favre Derek Anderson Arian Foster Jamaal Charles

Could Mark Emmert be changing his tune on bringing NCAA sanctions to Penn State?

For the past couple weeks, the NCAA president has been noncommittal about interjecting his organization into the ongoing child sex scandal that has descended on Penn State. But today Emmert sent a letter to acting university president Rodney Erickson alerting him that the NCAA plans to look into “Penn State’s exercise of institutional control over its intercollegiate athletics programs” in the wake of grand jury findings that multiple university officials ? including now-former head coach Joe Paterno ? allowed longtime defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky to remain connected to the program and have unsupervised access to football facilities for years after they were informed of allegations that Sandusky had sexually abused children in those facilities.

In an interview with National Public Radio’s Kai Ryssdal, Emmert suggested that charges of lack of institutional control could be levied against the university:

Ryssdal: As the body that is charged, in theory, with guaranteeing the safety of student athletes in American colleges and universities, how are you going to do that? What is your role in something like Penn State?

Emmert: Well we have rules and bylaws that — while they were never written to address anything quite like this of course — they speak directly to the control that institutions have to maintain over their athletic departments and their programs. And they speak very directly to ethical behavior of people in those programs and we’ll apply those bylaws, and if the allegations hold up, then we’ll act accordingly.

Ryssdal: Let me make sure I understand you: There is room here for NCAA sanctions against Penn State?

Emmert: We have a very strong interest in making sure that our programs are reflective of the best values of athletics and of universities.

Since Penn State became embroiled in a littany of sexual abuse charges against Sandusky two weeks ago, Emmert has maintained that the NCAA would monitor the situation and wait for the legal process to sort itself out. Emmert has been very vocal about his personal feelings regarding the Penn State scandal, which might be driving an attempt to get the NCAA involved.

“My reactions are similar to almost everyone who’s looking at this right now and it’s pretty much one of stunned, disbelief, anger and frustration ? all of those emotions come pouring out,” Emmert said in an interview with ESPN on Nov. 10. “You can’t read the 23-page testimony without having your stomach turn and asking yourself, ‘How in the world does this happen?’ “

Of course, any potential NCAA violations are taking a major backseat to the legal ramifications that are still looming. There are several rules in the NCAA rulebook that deal with honesty and sportsmanship, ethical conduct and exemplary conduct, which all could be applied to this case and put the Penn State football program in some pretty hot water for a very long time. It’s clear ? and Emmert has even said it himself ? that this is the worst scandal to ever rock the NCAA and perhaps one of the worst in sports history period.

- – -
Graham Watson is on Facebook and Twitter: Follow her @Yahoo_Graham.

Source: http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday/post/NCAA-may-target-Penn-State-for-lack-of-institut?urn=ncaaf-wp10130

Ricky Williams Michael Bush Jahvid Best Danny Woodhead Justin Forsett

Whenever the players and owners come to their senses and the NBA lockout ends, the Los Angeles Lakers will be forced to confront their issues with free agent guard Shannon Brown.

Brown decided to opt out of his contract at the end of last season, and the Lakers must decide if they want to attempt to persuade Brown to stay in Los Angeles or let him seek his fortune elsewhere.

Fortunately, there is a possibility that Brown’s replacement may already be on the Lakers roster.

The Lakers used their second pick of the 2011 NBA Draft on guard Andrew Goudelock from College of Charleston in South Carolina, and Goudelock has some of the same qualities as Brown and a few that he doesn’t.

When you strip away Brown’s athleticism and rim-rattling dunks, what you have left is a player who averaged 8.7 points per game, 1.9 rebounds and 1.2 assists, while shooting 42 percent from the field.

I guess those are decent numbers, but certainly not the type that makes a player invaluable, and Brown’s intangible assets are not likely to create to much of a stir either.

Brown’s career with the Lakers has been an exercise in controlled futility, since he has rarely lived up to his potential as a player and as a Laker.

It was once thought that Brown could be a defensive stopper for the team, but he is wildly inconsistent on that end of the floor, and has yet to show the desire to be anything more than a marginal defensive player.

Some people also envisioned Brown as a dual backcourt threat, but in truth he doesn’t handle the ball well enough to merit extended time at point guard, and his offensive game is not advanced enough to be a suitable substitute for Kobe Bryant.

What Brown does really well is dunk, and while Goudelock’s game may not have that type of flash, it might have a little more substance.

During his senior season in Charleston, Goudelock averaged 23.7 points per game, while shooting 45 percent from the field and 40 percent from three-point range.

At 6’3″, Goudelock is only one inch shorter than Brown and he appeared to be much more comfortable manning the point guard position in college than Brown has in the pros.

From what I have seen, Goudelock is a more effective passer than Brown, and he also understands how to dictate an offense by controlling flow and rhythm, which are two concepts that are alien to Brown.

Goudelock is a perimeter scorer by nature, and he doesn’t have Brown’s natural athleticism, but he can possibly develop into the consistent long-distance threat the Lakers have been searching for recently.

Brown has excited Lakers fans with his athletic dunks and flashes of star talent, but nothing Brown has done is enough to warrant the absurd amount of money another team will likely offer him to leave the Lakers.

And if the offer does come, then maybe the Lakers should just bid Brown farewell, rather than attempting to match or exceed a potential contract.

Brown’s 8.7 points per game is not enough production to incite a serious bidding war in my opinion, and while Goudelock may not be able to replicate Brown’s numbers, it’s not like it is an impossible feat.

Read more NBA news on BleacherReport.com

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/956022-andrew-goudelock-can-he-replace-shannon-brown-in-the-la-lakers-lineup

Dwight Howard Dwyane Wade Joe Johnson Josh Smith Kevin Durant

The season’s over, but does that mean we’re done with chat? Hell no! We’ll be yapping all offseason long, and who knows, we might even throw in an evening chat now and then to catch those of you who have to, you know, work during the weekday. For those of you still stuck at work, or in an airport somewhere, or trying to dodge your family … we’re here. Join us at our regular time, won’t you?

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/post/Join-us-for-a-pre-turkey-NASCAR-chat-Wednesday-?urn=nascar-wp5379

Roy Oswalt Shaun Marcum Ted Lilly Tim Hudson Tim Lincecum

Source: http://boston.sbnation.com/2011/11/22/2581100/college-basketball-roundup-week-2-battle-for-bragging-rights-becoming

Cliff Lee Cole Hamels Dallas Braden David Price Felix Hernandez

Time for this season’s final round of Power Rankings. Each week throughout the season, we’ll size up who’s rising and who’s falling, based on current standings, behind-the-scenes changes, expected staying power, recent history and general gut feelings. And here’s how it all wrapped up…

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/post/Power-Rankings-And-now-we-ve-reached-the-final-?urn=nascar-wp5407

Wandy Rodriguez Al Jefferson Amare Stoudemire Andrea Bargnani Blake Griffin

Before offering his thoughts on the best possible outcome of conference realignment for his basketball program, longtime Temple coach Fran Dunphy paused to choose his words carefully.

“I want to be cautious how I answer the questions,” he said.

It’s understandable for Dunphy to want to tread gingerly because Temple is in a sensitive position. The ever-improving Atlantic 10 has been a good home for its basketball program and the MAC has at least provided stability for the rebirth of Temple’s football program, but the Owls feel they’d be wasting an opportunity if they don’t explore joining the Big East or another BCS league.

“We have a terrific basketball conference that we’re in and I also think our football program is well-positioned,” Dunphy said. “I don’t want to minimize that, but if there are some other opportunities, we’re open to looking into them.

“We think we’re absolutely positioned for a number of different conferences and if anyone wants to move their footprint into the Philadelphia area, I think we’re a great option.”

The combination of Temple’s formidable basketball program and strong alumni base in the Philadelphia market have always been assets, but it’s the resurgence of the Owls’ football program that has made it a candidate for Big East expansion. After years of football futility, Temple won a combined 17 games the past two years and still stands at 5-4 this season despite a two-game losing streak.

One of the stumbling blocks reportedly preventing Temple from landing an invitation from the Big East has been opposition from Villanova. At Big East Media Day two weeks ago, Jay Wright denied that the Wildcats are trying to keep Temple basketball out of the league to maintain a stranglehold on Philadelphia recruiting but acknowledged that he believes Vilanova football should get in ahead of the Owls.

“Whatever they do with Temple is great. Just put Villanova in for football, that’s all,” Wright said. “We’re 30-year members. If they want to put Temple in, great. We have great respect for Temple. We know all the positives that would come if they came in. Just put Villanova in for football, period.”

Basketball coaches don’t have much input on realignment because the process has been so football-driven, but Dunphy said his administration has at least kept him in the loop when other conferences have reached out to Temple. Rather than openly lobby for a spot in the Big East or push to stay in the more stable Atlantic 10, he prefers to highlight the fact that Temple should be an attractive option for any conference.

“We think we’re in terrific position,” Dunphy said. “We have all the infrastructure we need. We have very much a thriving football program. We play in a great facility. We have a great facility for basketball. We have so much graduates that live in the Philadelphia area. We have 39,000 students. We’re in the fourth or fifth largest market. So we think we have a fantastic product. We think we’re extremely well positioned if someone thinks we’re worthy of joining one of the super conferences.”

Source: http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/blog/the_dagger/post/Dunphy-Temple-is-8216-great-option-8217-for?urn=ncaab-wp5971

Jon Kitna Kyle Orton Jay Cutler Eli Manning Jason Campbell

For the better part of two years, the general feeling at USC has been one of decline, or at least bracing for decline. Pete Carroll bolted for the NFL, the new coach had no track record to speak of, the NCAA dropped its most heavy-handed sanctions in years. After six years spent almost entirely in the top 10, the Trojans have spent most of the last two clinging to the fringes of the top 25, or out of the polls altogether.

They lost four games in 2009, Carroll’s final season, and five in 2010, Lane Kiffin’s first. The lost to Oregon State and blew and eight-game winning streak over Notre Dame and dropped back-to-back games against both Stanford and Washington. They dropped five of six against ranked opponents. In September, they barely scraped past Minnesota and Utah and got waxed by Arizona State. This season, the second year of a bowl ban and an enforced absence from the BCS standings, looked like just another one to bear under the banner of “rebuilding.”

The notion that it might possibly be anything else doesn’t seem to have occurred to anyone before last week’s 38-35 upset at Oregon, up to and including the pollsters who ranked the Trojans 18th going into the game, or the oddsmakers who installed them as two-touchdown underdogs. It doesn’t seem to have occurred to anyone in the athletic department, either, according to athletic director Pat Haden, who admitted today he regretted only just getting around to a Heisman campaign for quarterback Matt Barkley, after the golden-armed junior rocketed up the charts by dropping four touchdowns on the Ducks in the night of his life:

“There’s buzz now, but he’s been playing great for a good month,” Haden told ESPNLosAngeles.com. “He’s been playing sensationally and he’s clearly done his part, so I wish I would have initiated it earlier, thought about pushing it earlier.

“But it is what it is, and he’s getting some good traction and he’s certainly worthy of consideration. It’s up to him to play great Saturday night [against UCLA].”

Haden said there wasn’t much of a thought to create some buzz after Barkley led USC to an upset win on the road at Notre Dame last month, as some fans clamored for. But after the win over Oregon last weekend, Haden met with USC coach Lane Kiffin and the school’s head sports information director to discuss starting up a campaign.

That’s just how fast USC morphed back from fading also-ran to, well, to USC, perennial Pac-12 powerhouse. In the polls that still bother to rank them in the probation years, the Trojans are suddenly back in the top 10. Suddenly everyone wants a piece of Matt Barkley. Kiffin is the runaway favorite to win Pac-12 Coach of the Year.

If they beat UCLA for the fifth consecutive year Saturday, as expected, they’ll be the unofficial Pac-12 South champs, and may still finish as the highest-ranked team in the conference. As they’ve promised to prove to the Bruins this week, the Trojans are suddenly looking like something very close to who they used to be.

Which brings us to The Big Question: Is Saturday night Barkley’s swan song in the Coliseum before his inevitable ascension to the first round of the NFL Draft? Or will he be back in Cardinal and Gold next year to fulfill the last stage of his progression from blue-chip freshman to senior superstar? Are USC fans coming out to send off another homegrown favorite to the next level, without so much as an all-conference nod to show for his up-and-down career? Or will they be savoring a preview of the team that stands to return the Trojans to the national elite?

Because outside of Barkley, next year’s lineup is looking kind of loaded. Just start with the surrounding cast on offense. Junior tailback Curtis McNeal is on the verge of a 1,000-yard season despite spending the first half of it relegated to third string. Sophomore Robert Woods and true freshman Marquis Lee are the most lethal 1-2 receiving punch in the nation already, with more than 2,000 yards and 24 touchdowns between them on 159 catches. Freshman tight ends Randall Telfer and Xavier Grimble have eight touchdowns on 35 grabs. There hasn’t even been room for freshman receivers Kyle Prater and George Farmer, arguably the two most hyped talents on the roster after arriving at the top of their respective recruiting classes in back-to-back seasons.

Altogether, the 2012 Trojans are scheduled to bring back 22 of the 24 players listed as possible starters against UCLA, including all five starters on the starting offensive line, a future top-10 pick at left tackle, the No. 1 pass rusher in the Pac-12, three freshman linebackers and the entire secondary. Eleven of that number are currently freshmen and sophomores. If that list includes Matt Barkley, they’re instant frontrunners for the Rose Bowl and very likely the top of the preseason polls.

Late-breaking campaign notwithstanding, Barkley is almost certainly not going to win the Heisman Trophy next month. He won’t get to play in a bowl game, either. But those are only two of the opportunities he’d be passing up for an NFL paycheck: After two-and-a-half years of debates about his “potential” and whether he’s overrated or underrated or fit to carry the torch of his prolific predecessors at the position, Barkley has put himself in position to be everything he came to USC to be as a senior ? the biggest name in college football, surrounded by the most talent, on a team with the highest ceiling both on the field and (with the postseason ban lifted after this year) in the polls. Every goal he ever set for himself, and every expectation ever thrust on him by anyone else, is within his grasp.

But of course, “everything” in this case also includes an NFL paycheck, which may very well be enough to lure him to the next level as-is. He’d leave with a degree in the spring, and no one will say he’s not ready to make the leap compared to any other quarterback who tries. If Saturday is his last game at USC, Barkley will go out as a good kid who ultimately made good under circumstances he never bargained for when he showed up for his first spring practice in 2009. Fans will respect him and wish him luck and wonder what might have been.

If it’s not, though, it could be a prelude to a season that bring the Trojans full-circle to the frontrunner status they enjoyed for so long under Carroll, with all the hardware ? and yes, all the hype ? that comes with it. After last week’s breakthrough in Eugene, it could be the final brick that makes USC USC again. If Barkley is really considering passing that up after one final game against a 6-5 rival that can’t advance his team to a bowl game or any other type of reward, man, he’d better make it count.

- – -
Matt Hinton is on Twitter: Follow him @DrSaturday.

Source: http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday/post/Suddenly-surging-USC-braces-for-the-last-tempta?urn=ncaaf-wp10454

Paul Konerko Rajai Davis Robinson Cano Shin-Soo Choo Torii Hunter

SAN DIEGO ? When Roy Williams first showed his team the custom-made combat boots the coaching staff planned to don at the Carrier Classic, forward John Henson envisioned his coach wearing them underneath his usual well-tailored suit.

Instead Henson was pleasantly surprised to see the coaches opt for a more casual look with blue polo shirts and Jumpman-brand military-style khaki cargo pants tucked into the top of the boots.

“I laughed. It looked good,” Henson said. “Coach Williams looked like a little sergeant out there and (strength and conditioning coordinator (Jonas Sahratian) looked like one of the troops. That’s something that’s really funny to me.”

The idea for the combat boots came from a collaboration between Nike, assistant coach Jerod Haase and video coordinator Eric Hoots. Once Williams saw them, he requested Nike create some matching pants for the staff to wear.

It was also Williams’ idea to wear the pants tucked into the top of the boots because that’s the style military servicemen have adopted. Williams viewed it as a show of respect and admiration for the sacrifices made by the troops.

“We were saying we’d like to be like you,” Williams said. “We’re providing entertainment. They’re providing a way of life that we enjoy in America. We’re providing something that can make you smile and feel good. They’re making us feel safe when we go to bed at night. I’d love to be in a position to be that important, and yet I don’t think we tell them enough how important they are.”

Source: http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/blog/the_dagger/post/North-Carolina-staff-dons-combat-boots-as-tribut?urn=ncaab-wp6047

Sam Bradford Chad Henne Mark Sanchez Matt Hasselbeck Brett Favre

If Gonzaga guard Kevin Pangos lacked a nickname prior to Monday night’s 89-81 win over rival Washington State, teammate Robert Sacre may have anointed the sweet-shooting freshman with one after the game.

“He’s like a vending machine,” Sacre told the Spokane Spokesman Review. “You know what you’re getting when you put a coin in.”

On Monday night, “the vending machine” was spitting out three-pointers ? a school record-tying nine of them to be precise.

In his second-ever college game and his first career start, Pangos showcased the skill set that has led Canada to call him its future national team point guard, lighting up Washington State for 33 points including 9 of 13 shooting from behind three-point arc. The 33 points helped the Zags build a 21-point second-half lead and were the most ever scored by a Gonzaga freshman, more than even Adam Morrison, Blake Stepp or Dan Dickau.

What’s so significant about Pangos’ breakout game is point guard is the position Gonzaga appeared to be the weakest at again this season. Top defender Demetri Goodson left the program to play football at Baylor, overachieving former walk-on David Stockton can be vulnerable against longer, quicker high-major guards and Pangos is a true freshman who many feared might not be ready to inherit the position.

It’s too soon to say whether this performance from Pangos is an aberration or a sign of things to come, but at the very least it should be a confidence builder. In addition to his scoring barrage, Pangos dished out six assists, committed just two turnovers and played credible defense against Washington State point guard Reggie Moore, holding him to just five points midway through the second half before a late burst to get to 14.

Gonzaga doesn’t need Pangos to score 33 every night, but it would give the Zags a huge boost if he ran the offense smoothly, knocked down open jump shots and kept improving his perimeter defense. Add a quality point guard to a team that already includes front court standouts Robert Sacre, Elias Harris and Sam Dower and talented wings Marquise Carter and Gary Bell, and suddenly the Zags look like a threat to make a deep March run.

Source: http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/blog/the_dagger/post/Gonzaga-freshman-Kevin-Pangos-introduces-himself?urn=ncaab-wp6152

Fred Jackson LaDainian Tomlinson Thomas Jones Frank Gore Brandon Jacobs

No. 1 Star: Tyler Bozak, Toronto Maple Leafs

The Leafs are really enjoying beating certain teams from the Southeast Division of late. After routing the Washington Capitals 7-1 on Saturday night, they did the same to the Tampa Bay Lightning by the same score on Tuesday. Bozak scored his third and fourth goals of the year and assisted on Joffrey Lupul’s 11th to give him nine points in his last six games.

No. 2 Star: Jordan Eberle, Edmonton Oilers

As the Oilers put the hurt on the Nashville Predators during a 6-2 rout, Eberle stood out with a three-point night scoring twice. His second goal of the night could’ve used a little defense from the Predators:

No. 3 Star: Mike Richards, Los Angeles Kings

After Vladimir Sobotka tied the game in the third period, Willie Mitchell fired home the winner 1:43 later as the Kings edged the St. Louis Blues 3-2. Richards assisted on Anze Kopitar’s 10th goal in the second later and later potted his ninth of the year giving him seven over his last seven games. Aside from his two points, Richards also won 15 of his 16 draws.

Honorable mention: Shawn Horcoff chipped in two goals and has five points in three games … Ales Hemsky, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Taylor Hall, and Ryan Smyth each recorded two points … Devan Dubnyk made 30 saves … Hemsky played in his 500th game … Tim Connolly scored goal and assisted on two others to give him six points in three games … Leafs rookie blueliner Jake Gardiner, who entered the game a minus-5, finished as a plus-4 and recorded two assists … Jonas Gustavsson made 27 saves for his second straight win … Joe Colborne scored his first NHL goal off a sweet no-look, behind the back pass from Matt Frattin:

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/Tuesday-8217-s-Three-Stars-Leafs-Oilers-rout-?urn=nhl-wp18080

Matt Schaub Peyton Manning Matt Ryan Drew Brees David Garrard

The factors behind the Washington Capitals‘ recent swoon (3-6-1) and overall problems don’t all trace back to Alex Ovechkin. Or do they?

He’s the captain and the catalyst, and Tarik El-Bashir of the Washington Post noted that in the Capitals’ seasonal nadir ? a 7-1 loss to the Maple Leafs ? “Ovechkin’s disinterest, it seemed, trickled down to everyone else on the roster.”

If you believe there’s a serious rift between Coach Bruce Boudreau and his star player, El-Bashir spells out what the sources of that rift could be:

? Boudreau moved Ovechkin to the wall on the power play, and Ovechkin wants to play the point. Keep in mind an ineffective power play in key situations has torpedoed the Capitals in recent postseasons.

? “Boudreau and his coaching staff have implored Ovechkin to change his strategy on the attack for more than a year. Go wide instead of cutting to the middle, they’ve told him. Use teammates instead of squeezing off low-percentage shots. Their words, though, have fallen on deaf ears.”

? Via El-Brashir: “Boudreau and his staff have begged Ovechkin to be more responsible in the defensive end, yet he still routinely floats in Washington’s zone and leaves it prematurely.” This has led to a minus-6 thus far, worst on the team. It’s never a good sign when your own fans feign amazement that you’re back-checking; yet this happens far too often for Ovechkin.

? Then there’s the reduced ice time (18:46 per game for a player who can average over 20 minutes) and that infamous benching during an extra-skater situation against the Ducks recently.

All of this is laudable for Boudreau, who is attempting to do what Ovechkin refuses to do, which is make him a more complete and effective NHL player. To modulate his game as defenses have caught up to his limited bag of tricks. To change something that hasn’t been working ? like his power-play performance, which plummeted from 36 points in 72 games to 24 in 79 last season ? and attempt to make it work again.

Again, the systemic problems facing this team go deeper than Ovechkin. That fact that upwards of 11 players spoke up in a recent players-only meeting shows how wide-spread the concern is.

But if Boudreau’s instructions and advice ? nay, the very concept of “coaching” ? is lost on Ovechkin, what’s there to say beyond that he’s symbolic of the rest of this roster’s inability to do what’s necessary to get it done, on their coaches’ and organization’s advice?

No Ovechkin or Alex Semin at the Capitals’ morning skate, by the way.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/The-Capitals-rift-Boudreau-wants-Ovechkin-to-ch?urn=nhl-wp17910

Paul Pierce Ray Allen Russell Westbrook Stephen Curry Stephen Jackson

On Monday night, Pittsburgh Penguins Sidney Crosby will play in his first NHL game since Jan. 5, having completed over 10 months of rehabilitation from post-concussion symptoms.

He enters the game against the New York Islanders under a crush of speculation: Will he look like the same player? Will his impact be immediate, or does he need a few games to find a rhythm? Will he battle in the corners; and if so, who’s the opponent that gives Sidney Crosby a solid check for the first time since January?

Face it: The sports world is waiting to see Crosby take a hit in his first game back. The first time someone connects with Sid, it’s going on every highlight package from local news in Pittsburgh to SportsCenter. It’s a part of the gig and it’s a part of the game ? but it’s going to take some stones to be the first guy to do it.

Who will be the first New York Islanders player to Hit The Kid? You tell us.

We’re giving away a DVD copy of “HBO 24/7 Penguins/Capitals: Road To The NHL Winter Classic” (courtesy of HBO Home Entertainment) to the reader who correctly predicts to the first Islanders player to body-check Sidney Crosby on Monday night. (And yes, we understand the perverse irony in giving away video of the Steckel hit to the winner of this contest.)

Here’s how it works: You pick one Islanders player from their roster (official team roster here) that you think will hit Sid first on Monday night; type his name into an email and send it to puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com with the subject Hit The Kid. (One entry per reader, please.) Once the first hit on Crosby has been identified by official scoring, CBC and/or VERSUS, we’ll throw all the reader names that picked that player into a hat, select one and you win the DVD. It’s as simple as that!

Question: Instead of a player, can you pick “he never gets hit by an Islander?” Answer: Yes, especially since Dan Bylsma talked about limiting his ice time and how elusive Sidney is to hit. Consider that ‘betting the field.’

Deadline for entries: 5 p.m. EST/2 p.m. PST on Monday. Winner will be announced on “Marek Vs. Wyshynski” on Tuesday and on the Puck Daddy Facebook page. Again: Email them to puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com with the subject Hit The Kid. Best of luck to you; more importantly, best of health to Sid. Hopefully the first hit’s a clean one, as are the subsequent hits. Good to have you back, sir.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/Reader-Contest-Which-NY-Islander-dares-hit-Sidn?urn=nhl-wp17896

LaDainian Tomlinson Thomas Jones Frank Gore Brandon Jacobs Felix Jones

It’s a Monday edition of Marek vs. Wyshynski and we’re talking about the following and more:

Special Guest Star(s): Rob Rossi of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and (potentially) Pat Brisson, agent for Sidney Crosby, on Hockey Baby Jesus’s return to the NHL.

? In which Marek and Wysh discuss the Carolina Hurricanes, Anaheim Ducks and Washington Capitals struggles.

? Sidney Sidney Sidney. Also, Sidney.

[Y! Sports Fan Shop: Buy Sidney Crosby jerseys and other gear]

? An interesting phone call from the NHL.

? Puck Headlines and Talking Points

Question of the Day: What will we remember most from Sidney Crosby’s night tonight?

Email your answers to puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or tweet them with the hashtag #MvsW to either @jeffmarek or @wyshynski.

“Marek vs. Wyshynski” is a daily hockey radio program featuring Jeff Marek, on-air personality and columnist for Sportsnet, and Greg Wyshynski, your humble editor from Yahoo! Sports’ Puck Daddy blog. We’ll be speaking to the most interesting people in hockey, from Hall of Famers to beat writers to bloggers. We’ll be debating the hottest topics in the NHL and beyond.

It’s all about interaction, too: Email your thoughts to puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or tweet them with the hashtag #MvsW to either @jeffmarek or @wyshynski.

Click here for the Sportsnet live stream or click the play button above!

Click here to download podcasts from the show each day Subscribe to the podcast via iTunes or Feedburner.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/Marek-vs-Wyshynski-Radio-Sidney-Crosby-overkil?urn=nhl-wp17924

Terrell Owens Jeremy Maclin Mike Williams Johnny Knox Mario Manningham

Penn State has made the wrong kind of national headlines since former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky was accused of more than 40 counts of sexual misconduct with eight young boys. So, understandably, former Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin felt compelled to weigh in. It went about as well as you’d expect. (In the video above, her comments concerning Sandusky begin around the 14:26 mark.)

During an appearance on Tuesday night’s “On The Record With Greta Van Susteren,”Palin had a foot-in-mouth comment after being asked her thoughts about presidential candidate Rick Santorum saying Penn State should not be allowed to play in a bowl game.

Here’s what she said:

“It’s not the player’s fault that they have a perverted, former assistant coach. I would like to see the players not suffer more than they have suffered. As for the perp, and perps, though, that allowed the sinfulness to go on as they had allowed in the past, you know, I say about this assistant coach, Sandusky–hang him from the highest tree, I’ll bring the rope. I think it’s pathetic, it’s horrible, it’s atrocious what took place. If it is true that these children were victimized, then he himself and anybody who allowed what he did to go on, they should be the one to suffer, not today’s young players who have been innocent in all of this.”

Not sure the last time a person was hanged in this country, especially for a non-capital offense. Also, while Sandusky may have already been found guilty in the court of public opinion, he hasn’t seen the inside of a courtroom on an actual charge.

But why let any of that get in the way of violent rhetoric?

Palin actually repeated her sentiments after Van Susteren asked her to clarify whether she wanted to actually go through the legal process to determine whether Sandusky was guilty, or whether she was ? for lack of a better term ? going rogue.

“Hang him from the highest tree and I’ll bring the rope if he’s guilty of what’s been alleged,” Palin said “If he abused these young children and ruined their lives, unless they get a lot of help, Greta, in order to deal with the victimization that they are now suffering from, he needs to be punished to the fullest extent of the law if he is truly guilty.”

Everyone has their own feelings about Sandusky and Penn State’s reaction to multiple allegations against him over more than a decade, but few of us have the soapbox Palin does. Unfortunately, she has a devoted following and this isn’t the first time her misguided and violent rhetoric has drawn negative feedback.

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Curtsy (female version of the hat tip) to the Huffington Post
Graham Watson is on Facebook and Twitter: Follow her @Yahoo_Graham

Source: http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday/post/Sarah-Palin-on-Sandusky-Hang-him-from-the-high?urn=ncaaf-wp10021

Dwyane Wade Joe Johnson Josh Smith Kevin Durant Kevin Love

No. 1 Star: Jhonas Enroth, Buffalo Sabres

Backup goalie? Enroth moved to 7-1-0 on the season with his second career shutout, blanking the Carolina Hurricanes, 1-0. Enroth bounced back from a clunker against the New Jersey Devils, making 34 saves. Jason Pominville scored the games only goal on the power play in the first period.

No. 2 Star: Jean-Sebastien Giguere, Colorado Avalanche

Giggy’s first shutout since Feb. 2010 propelled the Avs to a 3-0 victory over the slumping Dallas Stars. The Colorado goalie made 24 saves, facing just four shots in the first period while the Avs peppered Kari Lehtonen with 16 shots in the first and 44 for the game.

No. 3 Star: Curtis Glencross, Calgary Flames

The Flames forward scored the last two goals in Calgary’s 5-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks, and added a primary assist on Rene Bourque’s tie-breaking second-period goal 40 seconds into the second period. Paul Bryon scored 17 seconds later to make it 3-1.

Honorable mention: Chuck Kobasew, Paul Stastny and Matt Duchene (his eighth) had the Colorado goals. ? Thomas Vanek’s assist was his 24th point of the season, giving him sole possession of second in the NHL, one point behind Phil Kessel. ? Marian Hossa scored his ninth for the Blackhawks, and Viktor Stalberg had the other Chicago goal. ? Mikka Kiprusoff made 30 saves for the Flames.

Did you know? The 1-0 loss to Buffalo was only the third time this season the Hurricanes held their opponents under two goals. (AP)

Dishonorable mention: Dallas was 38 percent on faceoffs. ? Carolina has now lost seven of its last eight games. ? Finally, Lee Stempniak opened the scoring for the Flames by smoking Duncan Keith. Said Keith to ESPN Chicago: “I’d like to have that first one back … I know myself, I’m looking to have a good game tomorrow.”

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/Friday-s-Three-Stars-Enroth-Giguere-zero-in-fo?urn=nhl-wp17793

Marshawn Lynch Tim Hightower Mike Tolbert Ronnie Brown Chris Ivory

Hello, this is a feature that will run through the entire season and aims to recap the weekend’s events and boils those events down to one admittedly superficial fact or stupid opinion about each team. Feel free to complain about it.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have been remarkable this year, Sunday’s 3-2 loss to Carolina about 17 hours after the team wrapped a game vs. Washington not withstanding.

Currently, they’re tied with Buffalo for first in the Northeast, which approximately no one saw coming heading into the season, and that’s remarkable enough in itself. Very few people, if any, likely had the Phil Kessel leading the league in goals and points around the quarter-pole, and certainly his play this season has been nothing short of revelatory. He scored twice more in the loss to Carolina, running his total to 16 in 21 games.

His longest streak without a point this season stands at one game, and it’s happened a whopping four times. His longest goalless drought was four games (which for some preposterous reason led many to wonder if he was in a “slump”).

Maybe that’s just Kessel getting hot as hell right out of the gate (his shooting percentage of 21.9 is nearly double his career total), and maybe it’s that he’s becoming the player Toronto traded for a few years back, but it’s been really quite something to watch him pile up goal after goal.

Kessel’s success is the result of something even the most ardent of Leafs supporters would not have dared dream of: Joffrey Lupul’s incredible emergence as a very legitimate offensive threat.

He’s third in the league in scoring with 25 points in 21 games, and 10 of those are goals. He’s nearly halfway to his career high in points, and more than a third of the way to his personal goals record. Wasn’t this guy supposed to be a salary dump? Didn’t he miss an entire year to back problems not too long ago? He picked up four points in Saturday’s 7-1 romp over the Capitals.

Even Tim Connolly of all people has been surprisingly good for the Leafs as he comes off his latest injury. There was a lot of snickering about the two-year deal he signed, but in nine games this season, he has eight points and Sunday’s game in Carolina was perhaps his best yet for the Leafs (compare to Ville Leino’s five points in 20 games for an extra-fun laugh to share with your friends!). Dion Phaneuf, too, is on pace to have his best season since 2007-08.

And all has come despite the team facing a rash of injuries.

(Coming Up: Ovechkin’s apathy is poisoning the Capitals; Mark Recchi is mean to the Canucks; Stars “whine like little babies throughout the game”; Jack Capuano puts the team on blast; Nashville’s city funding; the Blackhawks may want to stay out of Alberta; brilliant shortie from Mike Richards; merry Sid-mas; Tyler Myers out with a bruised ego; the Ducks have meetings about being terrible; in praise of the Nuge; Duncan Keith’s negative nightmare; and a very creative Kyle Turris trade.)

Obviously the loss of James Reimer, the only half-decent goaltender the Leafs have had in years, has been detrimental to the club ? they’ve won just two of their last eight ? but their having won or been close in even that many with a Jonas Gustavsson/Ben Scrivens platoon speaks to the strength of the team overall.

Mikhail Grabovski, who scored 29 goals and as many assists last year, got off to a slow start but has been out the last three games, and could miss about two weeks with a leg injury. Clarke MacArthur, who netted 62 points last season, is also going to be out awhile.

If this were any team besides the Maple Leafs, people would be raving about their ability to continue to be competitive with that many important players out. Their having just hung seven on the Capitals, who at the time were leading their division, was chalked up to Washington being bad. The truth likely lies somewhere between that and the Leafs simply being a well-composed hockey team that can turn off-games into waking nightmares for opposing goaltenders.

Given what we’ve seen recently (namely, the team going 6-7-2 without Reimer), it’s probably not unreasonable to assume the true measure of this team was likely far closer to the iteration seen during the first few weeks of the season when they went 7-2-1.

When they get everyone back healthy, or find a better option in net on the open market, this Maple Leafs team could very well become a force to be reckoned with in the Eastern Conference.

What We Learned

Anaheim Ducks: The Ducks held a series of meetings to discuss why they’re so bad. Headed into Sunday’s game against Detroit, they’d won just one of their last nine. Now it’s one of 10.

Boston Bruins: Things you see very rarely: Zdeno Chara picking a corner on a goal instead of just hammering it.

Buffalo Sabres: Tyler Myers is out for an indeterminate amount of time after the Sabres’ loss to Phoenix on Saturday. Buffalo’s being coy about the exact nature of the problem, but on the play during which Paul Bissonnette lost Myers in coverage and scored a goal, the defenseman had to have suffered a debilitating injury to his ego.

Calgary Flames: What’s wrong with Jarome Iginla? A lot of things, actually. For example, he’s 34 years old.

Carolina Hurricanes: In case you needed to be reminded, there are a lot of guys who used to be on the Leafs on the Hurricanes. And what’s this? The Hurricanes are terrible? The devil you say!

Chicago Blackhawks: Chicago went up to Alberta and played two not-great hockey teams. And yet the team that was best in the league at the time of their departure got outscored 14-4.

Colorado Avalanche: The Avs don’t have an identity, which “may explain why Sacco sometimes looks like a frustrated lead detective on ‘CSI.’” That’s why, when it comes to the standings, they’re anything but a? mile high.

Columbus Blue Jackets: For those of you who may have forgotten, this is what Jeff Carter scoring a goal looks like:

Dallas Stars: Glen Gulutzan isn’t happy with the number of penalties his team takes, or the amount of complaining they do about those penalties. “We whine like little babies throughout the game,” he said. “I don’t know if there’s been a history of that here or not, but every team that I’ve coached, we’ve always been at the other end of the scale.” Oof.

Detroit Red Wings Presented by Amway: Clearly taking a page from Shawn Michaels, Pavel Datsyuk has found his smile again.

Edmonton Oilers: The Oilers scored nine goals against Chicago on Saturday night, the first time they broke eight in 15 years. During the 1980s heyday of the team, they did it 52 times in nine years.

Florida Panthers: Stephen Weiss’s game-winner with 3:30 to go in the game helped the Panthers beat the Penguins, earning their first home win in nearly a month. And somehow they’re at the top of their division.

Los Angeles Kings: What a wonderful shortie from Mike Richards. Jiri Hudler didn’t know if he was coming or going there.

Minnesota Wild: Umm how did the Minnesota Wild become the best team in the league? Apparently Mikko Koivu is making it happen. I believe it.

Montreal Canadiens: Jacques Martin has come a long way. When he started in the NHL, the first press conference to introduce him in St. Louis drew a total of 10 reporters. I bet he misses those days.

Nashville Predators: The city of Nashville gives the Preds ownership group $7.8 million a year to manage Bridgestone Arena. Starting next year, they’re gonna ask the city to cut out the middle man and make it payable to Shea Weber.

New Jersey Devils: The Devs went up 3-0 in the second period and the Bolts scored two a minute and a half apart to cut the lead to just one goal. Then Pete DeBoer called a timeout and the Devils got it together to scrounge out a win. Players said the decision had a direct impact on the outcome of the game. Good coaching there.

New York Islanders: Another coach who put his team on blast this weekend is Jack Capuano but to be fair to the boys in the room, anyone who thought the Islanders wouldn’t be pretty bad this year given their goaltending situation wasn’t paying much attention.

New York Rangers: The Rangers lost so I am pretty sure this means Brad Richards and Olivia Munn broke up.

Ottawa Senators: The Sens went on a road trip to Western Canada and nearly swept it, which would have been the first time they ever did so. Instead they lost in overtime to the Canucks last night and settled for seven points from their last four games. So disappointing.

Philadelphia Flyers: This might be the all-time low-light of Chris Pronger’s career, eh?

Phoenix Coyotes: Tonight’s Coyotes/Caps game looks pretty winnable for Phoenix, which hopes to wrap its lengthy five-game road trip with eight of a possible 10 points. Putting Bissonnette on the top line might help make it happen.

Pittsburgh Penguins: Merry Sidmas, everyone.

San Jose Sharks: Through Saturday night’s game, the Sharks’ PK was dead last in the NHL. At just 73.2 percent. That almost doesn’t seem like it should be possible, right?

St. Louis Blues: For some reason, the Blues keep succeeding under Ken Hitchcock. Despite losing in a shootout to Minnesota on Saturday, they’re 4-0-2 under their new coach. (And hey, only five of those were at home!)

Tampa Bay Lightning: When Marty St. Louis drops to one knee for a shot, he also drops out of sight from the human eye.

Toronto Maple Leafs: The Leafs announced that Mike Komisarek will be out eight weeks at least after suffering a broken arm in Nashville on Thursday. Everyone on the team is injured except Phil Kessel, and yet it almost doesn’t matter most of the time.

Vancouver Canucks: Mark Recchi sure is mean to the Canucks. What a big meanie. Alain Vigneault has a good mind to go to the principal with this one.

Washington Capitals: “Ovechkin’s disinterest, it seemed, trickled down to everyone else on the roster.” Umm, wow. Trade Ovechkin, I guess?

Winnipeg Jets: If you didn’t roll your eyes at the headline in this article, you are from Manitoba. They’re 8-9-3 with losses to Ottawa and Columbus. They’re not a team waiting to break through. Get a grip.

Gold Star Award

How about the Nuge hangin’ five assists on Chicago? Kid has 19 points in as many games. Unbelievable.

Minus of the Weekend

Duncan Keith was a minus-8 in two Chicago losses this weekend. Yikes.

Play of the Weekend

Man do the Bruins get up-ice in a hurry on this play.

Perfect HFBoards Trade Proposal of the Week

User “sdbullet” wants to ease Don Maloney’s mind.

Nashville gets: Kyle Turris
Phoenix gets: Cory Schneider
Vancouver gets: Patric Hornqvist

This makes so much sense.

Signoff

What is this? Why don’t I own this?

Ryan Lambert publishes hockey awesomeness rather infrequently over at The Two-Line Pass. Check it out, why don’t you? Or you can e-mail him here and follow him on Twitter if you so desire.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/What-We-Learned-Why-aren-t-the-Maple-Leafs-a-bi?urn=nhl-wp17903

Joe Johnson Josh Smith Kevin Durant Kevin Love Kevin Martin

Time again for another Yahoo! NASCAR live chat! This is the last of the regular season, but NOT the last of the year. No, friends, we’ll do this every single week through the offseason, even if there’s nothing to talk about. Never stopped us before, has it? So come enjoy the final in-season chat to get ready for Homestead! Festivities begin at 1 p.m. Eastern on Wednesday. See you here!

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/post/Join-us-for-the-latest-Yahoo-NASCAR-live-chat-?urn=nascar-wp5266

Maurice Jones-Drew Adrian Peterson Rashard Mendenhall Steven Jackson Ahmad Bradshaw

Jerry Kill’s health has been a weekly topic this season, since Minnesota‘s first-year head coach suffered a seizure on the sideline at the end of the Gophers’ loss to New Mexico State on Sept. 10. Kill has suffered numerous seizures since, but said Tuesday that if his health ever became a hindrance, he’d quit his position as the Gophers’ head coach.

“My situation is something that is going to be with me the rest of my life, so it is what it is, and so I deal with it,” Kill said during his regular Tuesday press conference. “But it’s not going to affect my job, and it hasn’t, and if it ever does, then I won’t be the head coach at the University of Minnesota. I’m not going to cheat the University of Minnesota and I’m not going to cheat our fans, I’m not going to cheat anybody. I’ve never done that in my whole life. I’d walk away from it.”

Kill suffered another mild seizure Saturday on the plane home from the Gophers 28-13 loss at Northwestern. He said he was fine and actually returned to work on Sunday. He wasn’t hospitalized and said he’ll coach the season finale against Illinois this weekend.

Since his seizure on Sept. 10, Kill and his family have been working with doctors to make sure he’s getting the proper medication to minimize the seizures, which Kill has suffered for years. He has yet to miss a game because of his illness and likely, when the season ends, he’ll have more time to devote to controlling his seizures. So then, at the very least, he can spend his press conference talking more football and less health-related issues.

“I know my health situation is something that can be controlled, and every once in a while something might happen, but I’m not going to let that define who I am or anything like that,” Kill said. ”I’ll just keep plunging along. I’m in pretty good health; you come out to practice I can still get after people’s tail end pretty good, and I’m pretty scrappy, so I think I’ll be fine. I think I’ll be fine. I don’t think the good Lord is ready for me, believe me. I’m too ornery.”

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Graham Watson is on Facebook and Twitter: Follow her @Yahoo_Graham.

Source: http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday/post/Jerry-Kill-will-quit-if-seizures-become-too-much?urn=ncaaf-wp10399

DeSean Jackson Hakeem Nicks Miles Austin Marques Colston Brandon Marshall

Making the morning rounds.

? Return to a state of da Knile. Arkansas tailback Knile Davis, a preseason All-SEC pick ruled out for the season with a knee injury in August, practiced in pads Tuesday for the first time and could conceivably return for the Razorbacks’ stretch run against Mississippi State and (more importantly) No. 1 LSU. “He’s close to being ready to play,” said running backs coach Tim Horton. “Whether he will or not remains to be seen and he probably won’t. It’s really nice to have him out there doing what he can right now.”

Statistically, at least, the running game hasn’t missed Davis much: So far, the offense is averaging virtually the same yards per game on the same yards per carry that it did in 2010, when Davis emerged as the most productive back in the SEC with well over 100 total yards in eight straight games to close the season ? including in a win over LSU that sent Arkansas on to its first BCS bowl. His return for the Nov. 26 finale in Baton Rouge, though, would put arguably the Razorbacks’ most dangerous arrow back in the quiver as they shoot for an unlikely conference title. [Arkansas Democrat-Gazette]

? Let’s see just how bad we can make this. Its season having already stalled out and died on the side of the road, at least Ole Miss still has the heart for a little token discipline: Starting quarterback Randall Mackey and leading rusher Jeff Scott were both suspended for at least one game Tuesday for ? altogether now ? an undisclosed violation of team rules. Neither will play Saturday against LSU (a 29½-point favorite in Oxford, for the record), and may also miss the finale at Mississippi State.

“I hate it,”said lame-duck coach Houston Nutt, already resigned himself to playing out the final two games of his tenure. “Got to learn how to handle change and it’s tough for a lot of them. Especially when the season doesn’t go just right, it’s easy to let go.” [Clarion-Ledger]

? The Rap Sheet. Iowa State receiver Albert Gary turned himself in Tuesday on charges of first-degree robbery, a class “B” felony punishable by up to 25 years in jail. A warrant was issued for Gary’s arrest on Tuesday morning, nearly five months after a man reported to ISU police that he and two others had been patted down by six men brandishing a gun, though nothing was actually taken. Police later recovered four pellet guns near the scene, and eventually issued a warrant for Gary’s arrest on Tuesday morning.

Gary, a 22-year-old junior college transfer, was suspended for the first three games of the season but returned to catch seven balls over the Cyclones’ last seven and has not been ruled for Friday night’s game against Oklahoma State. [Cedar Rapids Gazette]

? I’m just here to help. Florida‘s resident utility man, Trey Burton, may find a permanent home next season ? most likely as an every-down tailback ? after two seasons of bouncing around at every skill position on the offense. Through ten games, Burton is only touching the ball a little less than five times per game as a rusher and receiver, for 25 yards.

“We’ve used him in multiple positions,” said offensive coordinator Charlie Weis after Tuesday’s practice. “We’ve used him at halfback, fullback, we used him at quarterback, we used him at wide receiver. This off-season we’re going to settle him at one position, give him a chance to be. … For example when [Chris] Rainey and [Jeff] Demps are gone, rather than playing [Burton] at fullback, play him at halfback, give him a chance to be the guy. We’ll just have to wait and see how things go.” [Gainesville Sun]

? Now it’s on. Their first Pac-12 win finally in the books, Colorado coach Jon Embree and starting quarterback Tyler Hansen have both publicly guaranteed the end of the Buffaloes’ 23-game road losing streak Saturday at UCLA, and neither was willing to back off his prediction on Tuesday. “I just believe part of reaching success and attaining some things, you have to say it,” said Embree, whose son, Tyler, is a wide receiver at UCLA. “If you want to win a championship, you have to say, ‘I expect us to win a championship.’ And then you got to go do it. ? You don’t just sit there and try to sneak up and then get in after the fact.”

Championships may still be a ways off: For now, CU is just trying to win outside of Folsom Field for the first time since 2007. [Boulder Daily Camera]

Quickly? Joe Paterno is leaving with a six-figure pension. ? A Penn State commitment confirms his decision. ? The Mountain West’s leading rusher is questionable with a sprained ankle for San Diego State‘s game with Boise State. ? Miami linebacker Jordan Futch is alright after being hospitalized with symptoms of heat exhaustion during Tuesday’s practice. ? Washington‘s quarterback situation is still up in the air. ? Oklahoma players still have a visceral reaction to losing to Texas Tech. ? Ohio State urges fans to respect Penn State this weekend. ? And Matt Barkley respects Oregon‘s defense, but still thinks it’s “vulnerable in some aspects.”

- – -
Matt Hinton is on Facebook and Twitter: Follow him @DrSaturday.

Source: http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday/post/Headlinin-Knile-Davis-close-to-being-ready-f?urn=ncaaf-wp9985

Michael Beasley Monta Ellis Nick Young Pau Gasol Paul Millsap

I hate the NBA lockout as much as any one thing that has ever happened to sports. It forces me to ponder things like this, while I’d rather be assessing a trade or analyzing the depth of the teams in Eastern Conference.

As it is, here I am, on Twitter and in the archives recalling and processing some of the most mind-boggling actions of NBA players in recent memory.

These 12 players need to enroll or return to the University of Common Sense.

Begin Slideshow

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/953459-12-nba-players-that-should-seriously-consider-going-back-to-college

Terrell Owens Jeremy Maclin Mike Williams Johnny Knox Mario Manningham

Source: http://detroit.sbnation.com/detroit-lions/2011/11/13/2545932/nfl-picks-week-10-predictions

Drew Brees David Garrard Jon Kitna Kyle Orton Jay Cutler

With the UFC full of men who love to run their mouths, it was hard to narrow this list down to just five.

Bleacher Report contributor Andrew Brining breaks down some of the loudest and sassiest fighters to ever step foot in the octagon. See which fighters have the skills to back their mouths up and which ones are just plain talkers. 

With everyone from Rashad Evans to Chael Sonnen flapping their gums now a days, see who takes home the title for biggest trash-talker.

If you like what you see click here for more from Bleacher Report Productions.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/953196-mma-5-cockiest-fighters

Stephen Curry Stephen Jackson Tony Parker Zach Randolph Tom Brady

It’s pretty difficult for an entire league to eliminate itself from at-large contention before Thanksgiving, but the Colonial Athletic Association is sure trying hard.

Preseason favorite Drexel’s stunning 61-56 loss to lightly regarded Norfolk State on Friday at the Paradise Jam is the latest blow for a league that produced three NCAA tournament teams last year including Final Four-bound VCU.

Before that, Old Dominion got dismantled at home by Northern Iowa, VCU lost feebly by 15 to Seton Hall in the first round of the Charleston Classic and George Mason was upset by Florida International in the Preseason NIT Round of 16. The losses by the Patriots and Rams cost them chances to win marquee games in the winner’s bracket later in the tournaments.

The league’s also-rans aren’t exactly picking up the slack for the above teams projected to finish in the top four. The combined record of the CAA’s dozen teams is 9-16 so far and the only one that hasn’t lost a game is James Madison, which won its lone game at home against Canisius.

Power conference teams can typically afford early woes and recover because the league slate offers them plenty of chances for marquee victories, but it’s especially damaging when a mid-major league collectively struggles in November and December.

CAA teams only have a few more chances to secure the headline-grabbing non-conference victories they desperately need to raise their RPI and avoid one-bid status. That means avoiding too many more bad losses and securing at least a victory or two when VCU visits Alabama, George Mason meets Virginia or Old Dominion plays Missouri. 

The struggles from the CAA aren’t entirely unexpected considering the losses top teams sustained from last season. Four starters are gone from VCU’s Final Four team, as are the big men that helped Old Dominion dominate the offensive glass the past few years and the backcourt that propelled George Mason to the conference title a year ago.

One silver lining for the CAA is that Drexel will get guard Chris Fouch back from injury next month and George Mason starting point guard Andre Cornelius will return from suspension in mid-December as well. In the meantime, they need their teammates to pick up the slack, or their hopes of an NCAA tournament berth will rest solely on the outcome of the CAA tournament.

Source: http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/blog/the_dagger/post/Early-season-struggles-could-be-costly-for-the-C?urn=ncaab-wp6305

Chris Bosh Danny Granger David West DeMar DeRozan Deron Williams

Source: http://dallas.sbnation.com/dallas-cowboys/2011/10/29/2523142/nfl-week-8-picks

Jon Lester Jonathan Sanchez Josh Johnson Justin Verlander Mat Latos

Welcome to the latest Happy Hour mailbag! You know how these work: You write us with your best rant/ joke/one-liner at happyhournascar@yahoogroups.com (note new address) or on Twitter at @jaybusbee, we respond to your messages, everyone goes away with a smile on their face.

We’re down to the final race of the season, but we’re not closing up shop here next week. Plans are to do all the usual business: Power Rankings, Happy Hour, live chat, et cetera; we’ll just have to work a little harder to create some topics, won’t we? Maybe we’ll do Power Rankings of the best tracks or tailgate food, things like that. We’re always open to suggestions.

For now, though, your letters, and no doubt whatsoever about the subject du jour:

I don’t like what Kyle Busch did, but other drivers have been wrecking guys for no reason and nothing ever happens to them. How about Harvick wrecking Logano twice, for no reason. And then Biffle wrecks and taunts Logano for no reason. No punishments. Vickers can be dirty, as well as others. Most seriously though, is that no one mentions that David Reutimann wrecked Kyle last year during the chase, under yellow, and took Kyle out of the championship. There were no penalties assessed to Reutimann that I recall.

? Stan

Yep, the whole Vickers-vs.-Kyle Busch conundrum filled our mailbags this week. You can check out our response to the whole issue of a double standard in the video above, but it basically shakes out like this, in my mind: NASCAR had a great opportunity to prove that intentional wrecking won’t be tolerated, and it failed to do so. And that’s going to make it that much tougher to park a “problem” driver in the future; we’ve already seen that different drivers often warrant very different penalties. So, what of Mr. Vickers?

____________________

Brian Vickers is an idiot and keeps on his one-man wrecking crew and NASCAR plays “Three Blind Mice”? I agree with Kyle Petty, Vickers will be able to watch the races on TV next year because he doesn’t have a ride, and there is no fool going to hire him!

? Becky Flynn
Fort Worth, TX

Well, he’s a decent enough driver so he’ll always have the possibility of a ride somewhere, but he keeps taking himself out of chances with top-flight teams. Retaliation is one thing, but own it and run with it and then when it’s done, it’s done. That garage boxing ring is looking better and better.

Also, did somebody say “Three Blind Mice”? A nice shiny article all your own to anyone who can mix this with some NASCAR highlights:

____________________

In the wake of M&M’s pulling its sponsorship of Kyle Busch for the rest of 2011, this old Dale Earnhardt quote popped into my head: “Need to tie some kerosene rags around those ankles so the ants don’t eat your candy ass.” Obviously M&M / Mars is not a good marketing match for a true racer. This is racing, not tennis. They should go back to sponsoring David Giililand if they are so “uncompromising in values” that they would sacrifice victory.

? George Zhen

Ah, but M&M’s got the dual bump of lots of publicity and a chance to trumpet values in public. Plus, with Kyle out of the Cup hunt, there wasn’t much chance that he’d get a whole lot of play regardless of which sponsor was on his car. That’s win-win in sponsorspeak right there. And hey, speaking of wins …

____________________

Seems the biggest issue with the Chase scoring is drivers getting 3 bonus points per regular season win as part of their playoff total but not having that extend into the Chase, whereas if it was in place then Smoke would be 9 ahead of Cousin Carl, which sounds about right. NASCAR needs to address that for next season, wouldn’t you think?

? JJ

JJ? You wouldn’t be a certain soon-to-be-former champion, would you? Regardless, I agree completely. If there’s going to be a premium placed on wins in the season, do it in the Chase too. Another three points would be adequate. I have no problem with either driver winning the Cup, since I think that consistency counts every bit as much as a hot streak, but Smoke has gone off the charts here with wins, and I do think that kind of astonishing performance does warrant more points love.

But the math does make it a simple equation for Homestead: win and the Cup is yours. Unless, of course, they tie …

____________________

From what I can see it is possible for Edwards and Stewart to end up tied at the end of the final race next week. What will NASCAR do if that happens?

-Daniel Pursifull
Oklahoma City, OK

Cage fight with pool cues and garbage can lids. Or, barring that, they’d go with a tiebreaker, which is most wins. Stewart wins that battle 4-1. So, in effect, Edwards’ lead is two points, not three.

____________________

Answer a question for me please? I thought that one of the requirements to hold a NASCAR license was to have a valid drivers license in your state of residence. How is it that Kyle was allowed to race after his North Carolina license was suspended?

? John
Mooresville, NC

Nope, not so. All you have to do is be licensed by NASCAR; there’s no corresponding state driver’s license requirement. Though how awesome would it have been to have a trooper pull up behind him and pull him over at Charlotte Motor Speedway? You would’ve heard the cheers all the way to Vegas.

____________________

Where are all the “I bet Hendrick regrets replacing Kyle Busch with Dale Earnhardt Jr.” whiners now? Hahahaha.

? Brad Scott
Michigan

Oh, Brad. Not a good idea to go with a pro-Junior, anti-Kyle taunt until your guy gets that little 0-for-120something mark off his record. (Still, you gotta wonder…what would Rick Hendrick have done in such a situation? Had Kyle cleaning the toilets at Rick Hendrick Chevy dealerships across the South, I’m guessing.)

And finally, we bring you this, the last word on Kyle Busch:

____________________

He’s still a [censored] [censored]!!! [Censored] Toyota driving [censored]!!! Toyota has no business in NASCAR!!!!!

-Ken M. Sannes

[Censored] yeah! NASCAR: where we never let a grudge die!

And on that note, we’re out. Thanks to all our writers this week. You want in? Fire up the computer and hit us with whatever’s on your mind, NASCAR-wise, at happyhournascar@yahoogroups.com, find us on Facebook right here, or hit us up on Twitter at @jaybusbee. Make sure to tell us where you’re from. We’ll make you famous!

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/post/Happy-Hour-Is-there-a-double-standard-for-Vicke?urn=nascar-wp5284

Stephen Curry Stephen Jackson Tony Parker Zach Randolph Tom Brady

No. 1 Star: Jhonas Enroth, Buffalo Sabres

Backup goalie? Enroth moved to 7-1-0 on the season with his second career shutout, blanking the Carolina Hurricanes, 1-0. Enroth bounced back from a clunker against the New Jersey Devils, making 34 saves. Jason Pominville scored the games only goal on the power play in the first period.

No. 2 Star: Jean-Sebastien Giguere, Colorado Avalanche

Giggy’s first shutout since Feb. 2010 propelled the Avs to a 3-0 victory over the slumping Dallas Stars. The Colorado goalie made 24 saves, facing just four shots in the first period while the Avs peppered Kari Lehtonen with 16 shots in the first and 44 for the game.

No. 3 Star: Curtis Glencross, Calgary Flames

The Flames forward scored the last two goals in Calgary’s 5-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks, and added a primary assist on Rene Bourque’s tie-breaking second-period goal 40 seconds into the second period. Paul Bryon scored 17 seconds later to make it 3-1.

Honorable mention: Chuck Kobasew, Paul Stastny and Matt Duchene (his eighth) had the Colorado goals. ? Thomas Vanek’s assist was his 24th point of the season, giving him sole possession of second in the NHL, one point behind Phil Kessel. ? Marian Hossa scored his ninth for the Blackhawks, and Viktor Stalberg had the other Chicago goal. ? Mikka Kiprusoff made 30 saves for the Flames.

Did you know? The 1-0 loss to Buffalo was only the third time this season the Hurricanes held their opponents under two goals. (AP)

Dishonorable mention: Dallas was 38 percent on faceoffs. ? Carolina has now lost seven of its last eight games. ? Finally, Lee Stempniak opened the scoring for the Flames by smoking Duncan Keith. Said Keith to ESPN Chicago: “I’d like to have that first one back … I know myself, I’m looking to have a good game tomorrow.”

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/Friday-8217-s-Three-Stars-Enroth-Giguere-zero?urn=nhl-wp17793

Michael Young Miguel Cabrera Nick Markakis Nick Swisher Orlando Hudson

NASCAR fans skew conservative. You know that, I know that, politicians know that. An overwhelmingly white fan base, rooted in Southern conservative values (we still have a pre-race prayer, for heaven’s sake) … it’s no surprise that NASCAR generally tilts right.

Which would be just fine, if that tilt didn’t slide into toxicity. But on Sunday afternoon at Homestead-Miami Speedway, it did.

Moments before one of the greatest races in sports history, certain NASCAR race attendees ? I’m not dignifying these cowards with the term “fans” ? showed why this sport will always have trouble getting respect from the mainstream of America: they booed the First Lady of the United States.

Inexcusable. Unforgivable. Don’t give me the “free speech” argument. Don’t give me the “Obama sucks” argument. Don’t try anything you can possibly do to rationalize this away. Why? For a very simple reason, one that supersedes both politics and sport:

You don’t boo women.

You don’t. Especially not in NASCAR, which reveres Mother’s Day so much it won’t even schedule races on that day. It’s stunning that we’ve slid this far as a culture that something as simple and profound as respect for wives and mothers is now this cheap.

This is not about politics. This is not about “free speech.” This is about being enough of a man (if you’re a man) and enough of an American, whoever you are, to recognize that we should hold ourselves to some higher standards in our public life. (And this also isn’t about stay-in-the-kitchen sexism. If we can agree to hold open a door for a woman, can’t we agree it’s acceptable not to boo her?)

If it was President Obama up there? Sure, boo your head off. Same thing if it was former President George W. Bush. The president takes the job, he should deal with the fallout and the negative opinion. But to boo the man’s wife? Especially when she’s engaged in that most conservative of pursuits, supporting military veterans and their families?

Come on. You just harmed the image of NASCAR worse than anything that Obama ever could have done.

Look, I get the reasoning, twisted though it may be. Michelle Obama is married to the president, and many in NASCAR nation have profound philosophical differences with the president, to put it politely. Whether NASCAR fans who break from Obama have legitimate political arguments with the way the president runs our country, or whether they’re just ticked that things ain’t as good as they were back when (and nobody ever says that in NASCAR, do they?), they can and should be allowed to express their grievances with him in public. But to do it by attacking his wife?

So, so far beyond stupid. (Let’s not even get into the racial aspect of this, which opens up a whole different line of discussion. It’s there, but let’s stay focused on gender.)

So, for those of you who think that you made some kind of difference by booing the First Lady, you’re exactly right … but not in the way you think. You boo a man, he might think twice about what he’s doing. You boo a man’s wife, he won’t ever think twice about you again. Nice work.

-Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter at @jaybusbee, and now on Google+.-

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/post/No-excuse-for-booing-Michelle-Obama-at-NASCAR-ra?urn=nascar-wp5356

Maurice Jones-Drew Adrian Peterson Rashard Mendenhall Steven Jackson Ahmad Bradshaw

Welterweight contenders Martin Kampmann (18-5) and Thiago Alves (19-8) are set to meet each other at an event later in 2012, according to MMAWeekly.com.

Both recently rebounded from defeats to get big victories over solid opposition. Kampmann ended his two-fight losing streak when he neutralized Rick Story in their bout from UFC 139 and won a unanimous decision. Alves was coming off a loss to Story when he submitted Papy Abedi in the very first round at UFC 138.

Both have had experience fighting the very best in the division, but it hasn’t always been a positive experience. Kampmann had back-to-back controversial losses against Jake Shields and Diego Sanchez. Had he won those fights, he could be sitting on a five-fight win streak at the moment.

Alves has only won two bouts since 2009. His other losses include those versus UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre and Jon Fitch.

The winner of this bout could be one or two fights away from being in a No. 1 contender’s bout.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/955135-martin-kampmann-set-to-face-thiago-alves-at-ufc-event-in-march-2012

Mike Tolbert Ronnie Brown Chris Ivory Brandon Jackson Ryan Mathews

The fat lady hasn’t sung, but she is already warming up after Day 3 of the 2011 Presidents Cup in Melbourne, Australia.

The Americans entered the third day with a 7-5 lead over the International team. It took them very little time to build off of that lead.

Heading into the day, Tiger Woods was the only Americans who had really been struggling on the course. He had failed to make a point over the course of the first two days.

Woods, with Dustin Johnson, finally got that point early on Saturday.

The wet conditions really didn’t affect any of the Americans early Saturday. Despite the conditions, the Americans rolled in the foursomes session on Saturday taking a commanding 11-6 lead.

It was a lead so commanding in fact, that Phil Mickelson got the nod to sit out the second half of the day despite being undefeated so far in the event.

It ended a streak of 32 consecutive matches played by Mickelson at the Presidents Cup.

After only the first session on Saturday, it appeared that the International team was already losing grasp at a possible win. They needed to rebound strong in the second session.

They did rebound, but really failed to make up any real ground. They won the second session 3-2 over the American team, but that only brings the overall score to 13-9.

That means they will need to win today 8-4 just to tie the score up.

It’s really not looking good for the International team heading into Day 4.

Today will consist of 12 singles matches for each team. The International team has a bit of ground to make up, but anything is still possible.

Read more Golf news on BleacherReport.com

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/947411-presidents-cup-2011-international-team-will-need-miracle-to-rebound-after-day-3

Shaun Marcum Ted Lilly Tim Hudson Tim Lincecum Tommy Hanson

Tiger Woods is a putting stroke away from being the world’s best golfer again.

Woods is just 1-3 in his President’s Cup matches, but his record doesn’t reflect how well he is striking the ball.

On Saturday, Woods and partner Dustin Johnson lost to YE Yang and KT Tim 1-up. However, they would have won this match going away had Woods been able to make a putt.

In this match, Tiger struck the ball as good as he has since pre-scandal Tiger days. On a cold day with driving rains, Woods hit 17 of 18 greens in regulation.

Woods was not surprised with the way he hit the ball. Here is the former world’s No. 1 after his match, as quoted on ESPN.com:

That’s the way I’ve been playing at home, man, People don’t understand it. That’s what I’ve been doing. I finally did it out here.

It is clear that the hard work of reshaping and honing his swing is done. Check out Tiger’s grooved swing from a President’s Cup practice round.

The rebuilding of his swing has been a lengthy process. He has had to battle through rust, injury and broken confidence.

New he just needs to find his putting stroke. In his loss to Yang and Tim, Tiger missed four putts inside 10 feet. He also missed seven putts inside 15 feet.

It won’t be long before Tiger reclaims his putting stroke. He is not missing these putts by a big margin. He is just slightly off.

Putting is all about confidence and feel. Tiger knows how to putt. He just needs to get a few to fall, and that confidence and touch will return. Now that his swing is back, his confidence will grow, and he will soon find that confidence filtering to a reclaimed putting stroke.

When that happens victories will follow.

Leaderboard

The US leads 13-9 heading into Sunday.

Read more Golf news on BleacherReport.com

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/947782-presidents-cup-2011-leaderboard-tiger-woods-is-close-to-returning-to-dominance

Victor Martinez Vladimir Guerrero Adam Wainwright Anibal Sanchez Brett Myers

It’s pretty difficult for an entire league to eliminate itself from at-large contention before Thanksgiving, but the Colonial Athletic Association is sure trying hard.

Preseason favorite Drexel’s stunning 61-56 loss to lightly regarded Norfolk State on Friday at the Paradise Jam is the latest blow for a league that produced three NCAA tournament teams last year including Final Four-bound VCU.

Before that, Old Dominion got dismantled at home by Northern Iowa, VCU lost feebly by 15 to Seton Hall in the first round of the Charleston Classic and George Mason was upset by Florida International in the Preseason NIT Round of 16. The losses by the Patriots and Rams cost them chances to win marquee games in the winner’s bracket later in the tournaments.

The league’s also-rans aren’t exactly picking up the slack for the above teams projected to finish in the top four. The combined record of the CAA’s dozen teams is 9-16 so far and the only one that hasn’t lost a game is James Madison, which won its lone game at home against Canisius.

Power conference teams can typically afford early woes and recover because the league slate offers them plenty of chances for marquee victories, but it’s especially damaging when a mid-major league collectively struggles in November and December.

CAA teams only have a few more chances to secure the headline-grabbing non-conference victories they desperately need to raise their RPI and avoid one-bid status. That means avoiding too many more bad losses and securing at least a victory or two when VCU visits Alabama, George Mason meets Virginia or Old Dominion plays Missouri. 

The struggles from the CAA aren’t entirely unexpected considering the losses top teams sustained from last season. Four starters are gone from VCU’s Final Four team, as are the big men that helped Old Dominion dominate the offensive glass the past few years and the backcourt that propelled George Mason to the conference title a year ago.

One silver lining for the CAA is that Drexel will get guard Chris Fouch back from injury next month and George Mason starting point guard Andre Cornelius will return from suspension in mid-December as well. In the meantime, they need their teammates to pick up the slack, or their hopes of an NCAA tournament berth will rest solely on the outcome of the CAA tournament.

Source: http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/blog/the_dagger/post/Early-season-struggles-could-be-costly-for-the-C?urn=ncaab-wp6305

Aaron Rodgers Michael Vick Ben Roethlisberger Josh Freeman Joe Flacco

Instead of commemorating his historic 89-point scoring barrage by heading to dinner with his family or making a triumphant entrance at a campus party, Grinnell College’s Griffin Lentsch admits his celebration was more muted.

“I came back home, I laid down on my bed, and I was like, ‘There’s no way I’m getting out of bed tonight,’” Lentsch said Monday. “I was too exhausted.”

Lentsch earned that extra rest after Saturday’s 145-97 victory at Principia College with a performance unlikely to be matched by any player at any level of college basketball this season.

Whereas Division III Grinnell typically has 12 to 15 players log roughly 10 to 15 minutes a game to keep them fresh enough to thrive in the team’s zany, frenetic, up-tempo system, Lentsch played a grueling 36 minutes on Saturday. He sank 27 of 55 shots, buried 15 3-pointers and made 20 of 22 free throws, eclipsing his previous career high of 36 points by halftime.

Lentsch’s 89 points were enough to shatter the Division III scoring record of 77 points set by ex-Grinnell star Jeff Clement in 1998. The 6-foot-4 guard also tallied the third-most points scored at any level of college basketball, trailing only the 113 scored by Clarence “Bevo” Francis of Rio Grande in 1954 and the 100 posted that same year by Frank Selvy of Furman.

“It’s a rare thing when you get in that kind of zone, but when it happens, it’s so much fun,” Lentsch said. “Your mind is in a zone and you don’t even realize what’s happening until after. I just tried to keep my mind off how many points I had and to focus on getting open and hitting my shots when I was open.”

The idea to play Lentsch 30-plus minutes on Saturday was an early season experiment proposed by the Grinnell coaches to gauge what the Minnesota native was capable of. Lentsch averaged a team-high 18.3 points a game last season as a sophomore, but the coaches limited him to 16.2 minutes per game because they feared he’d expend too much energy running the team’s three-point happy transition offense and pressing defense.

It initially appeared Grinnell’s experiment wouldn’t amount to much because Lentsch’s outside shooting was a bit off to start on Saturday, but he regained his rhythm midway through the first half.

Although Principia switched between a two-three zone, a box-and-1 and a swarming man-to-man, none of the defenses successfully cooled Lentsch’s torrid shooting. With his teammates setting screens for him and setting him up with catch-and-shoot opportunities, he scored with frightening speed, sinking the record-setting bucket from the elbow over a triple-team late in the second half.

It would be easy to assume Grinnell would continue to play Lentsch extended minutes in hopes of him duplicating performances like this, but the humble junior says that almost certainly won’t happen. Saturday night’s game took so much out of him that his calves were cramping afterward and he still could barely get out of bed Sunday morning.

“I don’t think I can do this every night and I don’t think that would be best for our team,” Lentsch said. “I think what’s best for our team is to keep getting everyone involved and to wear down the other team. That way toward the end of the season when the games start to really matter, we have fresh legs and we’re able to go all out.”

Other popular stories on Yahoo! Sports:
? Forde-Yard Dash: A heapin’ helping of healthy holiday hatred
? David Beckham plans to relocate to U.S. after career
? Plummer wishes Tebow would cool it with the religion talk

Source: http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/blog/the_dagger/post/Grinnell-College-star-shatters-Division-III-reco?urn=ncaab-wp6348

Anibal Sanchez Brett Myers C.J. Wilson CC Sabathia Chad Billingsley

Spencer Lazara of MMA Interview.TV is reporting that is is more than likely that MMA’s favorite bad guy Chael Sonnen will take on “The Filipino Wrecking Machine” at UFC on Fox 2.

As one would expect, the bout would be a title eliminator for the next shot at reigning middleweight kingpin Anderson Silva.

The event scheduled for January 28 at the United Center in Chicago promises another rock-solid main event if matchmaker Joe Silva and UFC President Dana White make this one official.  

Assuming “The Spider” is actually out of action for several more months, this fight makes a ton of sense and is one of the only ones that makes sense for both Sonnen and Munoz.  

Let’s take a look how this thing could play out on the FOX network early next year.   

Begin Slideshow

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/953371-chael-sonnen-vs-mark-munoz-head-to-toe-breakdown

LaDainian Tomlinson Thomas Jones Frank Gore Brandon Jacobs Felix Jones

Spencer Lazara of MMA Interview.TV is reporting that is is more than likely that MMA’s favorite bad guy Chael Sonnen will take on “The Filipino Wrecking Machine” at UFC on Fox 2.

As one would expect, the bout would be a title eliminator for the next shot at reigning middleweight kingpin Anderson Silva.

The event scheduled for January 28 at the United Center in Chicago promises another rock-solid main event if matchmaker Joe Silva and UFC President Dana White make this one official.  

Assuming “The Spider” is actually out of action for several more months, this fight makes a ton of sense and is one of the only ones that makes sense for both Sonnen and Munoz.  

Let’s take a look how this thing could play out on the FOX network early next year.   

Begin Slideshow

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/953371-chael-sonnen-vs-mark-munoz-head-to-toe-breakdown

Aaron Rodgers Michael Vick Ben Roethlisberger Josh Freeman Joe Flacco

We are just a few weeks away from UFC 140, where Jon Jones will take on Lyoto Machida to defend his UFC light heavyweight championship for a second time. 

This match up is a very interesting one. While Jones is explosive and flashy, Machida is reserved and elusive. Machida’s style is a difficult style to figure out, and for this camp he has brought in former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion “King” Mo Lawal.

Mo is an outstanding wrestler, has much-improved striking and is a great person to add to Machida’s camp for this fight. 

Machida has added 20 pounds of muscle, and physically looks totally different. A photo was released once Lawal had arrived in Brazil, and Machida looks bigger. You can view the photo by clicking here.

In Machida’s last fight, he scored a fantastic knockout over MMA legend Randy Couture at UFC 129, and afterwards had a little disagreement with the UFC, and while originally expected to face Phil Davis, will now face the champion due to Rashad Evans being injured. 

It is not fair to count a fighter out before their fight has even taken place, and this is a fight that appears is being overlooked, even though it is truly a tough stylistic match up for Jones. 

This is a huge opportunity for Machida. This is a fight where he cannot afford any errors. If he is going to win this fight, he must keep his distance, and choose his moves wisely.

Jones hasn’t been tested in very deep water’s yet, and he was possibly gassed in the Shogun fight. If Machida can fight his fight, then he has a better chance of winning than many spectators are giving him. 

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Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/953634-machida-brings-in-lawal-for-ufc-140-training-camp-is-also-bulking-up

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