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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
? NFL’s Week 11 Winners and losers
? 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.

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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.

- – -
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.”

- – -
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.”

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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. 

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

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

Anthony Armstrong Percy Harvin Chris Cooley Wes Welker Anquan Boldin

No. 1 Star: Patrick Marleau, San Jose Sharks

Marleau scored in each period of San Jose’s 4-1 win over the Colorado Avalanche for his fourth career hat trick as the Sharks won for the fifth time in six games. Thomas Greiss stopped 36 shots and Joe Thornton and Marc-Edouard Vlasic each recorded three assists. Vlasic now has seven points in his last three games.

No. 2 Star: Brad Stuart, Detroit Red Wings

One of Stuart’s two goals helped the Red Wings open up a 3-0 lead against the Anaheim Ducks and his second of the night came via an empty netter to seal a 4-2 victory. Johan Franzen, Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg each had two points and Jimmy Howard made 32 stops, including a diving save on Bobby Ryan. Stuart’s empty netter came off a well-placed bank shot off the boards:

No. 3 Star: Cory Schneider, Vancouver Canucks

Filling in for an injured Roberto Luongo for a second consecutive game, Schneider stopped 28 shots, including 11 in the third period and two in overtime as the Canucks edged the Ottawa Senators 2-1. Chris Higgins deflected home the winning goal 2:18 into the extra period for his seventh of the season.

Honorable mention: Jeff Skinner set up the opening goal and put home the eventual game winner as the Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2. Eric Staal recorded two assists, including the primary helper on Skinner’s goal, and finished 16-for-21 in the dot and a plus-2. Phil Kessel scored his league-leading 15th and 16th goals in the loss. Cam Ward earned his second win in eight starts and made 23 saves, including this one on Tim Connolly:

Avalanche defenseman Shane O’Brien played in his 400th NHL game … Some real pretty moves by Matt Duchene here:

Did you know? The Red Wings and Calgary Flames are the only teams this season that haven’t been involved in a shootout. (AP)

Dishonorable mention: Colorado has lost four of their last five and eight of 10 … The Ducks have won just twice in their last 15 games … Ryan had two goals disallowed in the second period against Detroit … At 6:15 of the first period, the lights at Honda Center went out for the second straight game. The cause of the outage was blamed on weather in the Southern California area … Ottawa’s power play failed on all five opportunities.

Photo credit: Getty Images

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/Sunday-8217-s-Three-Stars-Hat-trick-Marleau-S?urn=nhl-wp17884

Chris Bosh Danny Granger David West DeMar DeRozan Deron Williams

Lost in the discussion of points won and points lost at the Presidents Cup has been an extremely encouraging performance from Tiger Woods. So encouraging in fact that it’s time to start thinking about his potential 2012 dominance.

His tee-to-green game has been virtually unmatched by the other 23 players. He’s shown his trademark club twirl off the tee more times over the past four days than any time in recent memory, and his short game continues to improve.

If not for some missed putts, more people would be talking about his comeback after a third-place finish last week. Even his missed putts have been close though, with several of them slipping out or just skirting by the hole. There was some improvement in his singles match against Aaron Baddeley.

In other words, he’s close. Very close.

One way to see that is his body language. Since the infamous car crash incident, which is nearing its second anniversary, Woods has been robotic on the course. His only focus has been on changing his swing, and the only emotion he would show was a rare fist pump.

Since Thursday, Woods has been smiling and truly enjoying his time with the American team. He’s having fun on the course again, which means the major changes are complete, and now, it’s just about fine tuning his game.

And don’t think he hasn’t been taking a mental note of every person whose said something like, “he’ll never dominate like he once did.”

That’s just more fuel to Tiger’s internal fire. Woods still believes he’s the best in the world. He’s said so in every interview since his personal life and golf game went into chaos. While most observers laughed it off, he’s continued to work toward proving everybody wrong.

Woods sits four majors behind Jack Nicklaus for the most in history, and that remains his main goal. The biggest obstacle won’t be his game, but rather his health. He needs to be 100 percent or pretty close to have his full arsenal of shots; any setbacks will be costly.

However, there isn’t another golfer on Earth working harder than Woods to keep his body in optimal shape.

Don’t worry about wins or losses, putting average or any other statistics right now. Golf is the one sport where the eye test is actually useful, and it’s clear that Woods deserves a passing grade for his two-tournament trip to Australia.

Whether you are ready to believe it or not, vintage Tiger will make his return in 2012.

Read more Golf news on BleacherReport.com

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/948381-presidents-cup-2011-tournament-proves-tiger-woods-will-dominate-in-2012

Tommy Hanson Trevor Cahill Ubaldo Jimenez Wandy Rodriguez Al Jefferson

Unlike the past few years when Oregon State‘s only headline-grabbing non-league results have been embarrassing losses, the Beavers earned some rare positive November publicity on Saturday night.

A 100-95 overtime victory over youthful yet talented Texas in the Legends Classic semifinals was maybe the biggest win of coach Craig Robinson’s tumultuous four-year tenure. It shows the progress the Beavers (4-0) have made since last year’s dreadful 20-loss season and suggests they’re ready to shed the label of underachievers and perhaps even contend for the program’s first NCAA tournament bid in more than two decades.

In the first three years after Robinson took over an Oregon State program coming off a winless Pac-10 season, the success he had attracting coveted recruits like guards Roberto Nelson and Jared Cunningham seldom translated into on-court success. Not only did the Beavers amass a 20-34 conference record during that span, they made a habit of suffering a flurry of humiliating non-league losses each winter.

It was excusable in Robinson’s first season when Howard, Yale and Montana State each toppled Oregon State. It was more perplexing in year two when the Beavers lost to lightly regarded Texas A&M Corpus Christi by 24 and to Seattle by 51. By last year, it was downright baffling to see a supposedly improved Oregon State team start 3-4 as a result of losses to the likes of Seattle, Texas Southern and Utah Valley.

That track record made it difficult to have faith in Robinson when he came to the podium at Pac-12 media day last month and declared, “For the first time, I think I’ve got a team that can compete in every single game we play this season.” Yes, the Beavers boasted the explosive Cunningham and an experienced supporting cast, but lack of talent hadn’t been the issue the previous season when the team lost 13 Pac-10 games.

The Texas victory is the first sign Robinson’s optimism may have been warranted.

Cunningham continues to blossom into a star, following up a 35-point performance against Hofstra by lighting up the Longhorns for a career-high 37, including 20 of 23 at the free throw line. With Oregon State trailing by two late in regulation, he forced overtime by driving to the rim, drawing a foul and sinking the game-tying free throws.

The supporting cast behind Cunningham is playing with increased resolve. Center Joe Burton has made strides toward developing into a capable low-post threat. Versatile forward Devon Collier is averaging 16 points and nearly two blocks and two steals a game. And the entire team is buying into the switch from Robinson’s signature 1-3-1 zone to man-to-man, which sometimes exposes the big men defensively but better suits the Beavers’ length and athleticism on the perimeter.

The significance of the Texas victory for Oregon State is magnified by the lack of marquee opponents on their non-conference schedule after this tournament.

Had the Beavers lost, they would not have faced another likely NCAA tournament team until Dec. 29 when they open the Pac-12 season against Washington. Instead Oregon State draws 18th-ranked Vanderbilt in Monday’s title game, a matchup that will provide Robinson’s team a chance to notch another signature victory and earn more early-season publicity for all the right reasons.

Source: http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/blog/the_dagger/post/By-toppling-Texas-Oregon-State-serves-notice-it?urn=ncaab-wp6317

Chad Billingsley Chris Carpenter Clay Buchholz Clayton Kershaw Cliff Lee

South Florida debuted its Under Armour Wounded Warrior Project uniforms for this weekend’s game against Miami and they kind of look like South Florida’s regular uniforms.

The jerseys are traditional green with gold numbers while the sleeves have a stars and stripes pattern. The helmet is probably the flashiest part of the uniform with the stars and stripes design and the USF logo on the side. The shoes have the same pattern.

The subdued look of the uniform isn’t actually all that surprising considering Under Armour first Wounded Warrior debut this year was an epic flop. South Carolina warmed up in its snazzy new uniforms, but officials made them remove them because the stars and stripes pattern in the numbers made them unreadable.

Texas Tech’s uniform went over a little better because the numbers were a little more visible. But apparently, using the same pattern in South Florida’s numbers might have cause the same issue that South Carolina had, so they played it a little straighter.

Each year, Under Armour selects a handful of schools to participate in the Wounded Warrior Project, a non-profit organization that provides programs and services for injured service members and their families.

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

Source: http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday/post/USF-s-Wounded-Warrior-uniforms-look-a-lot-like?urn=ncaaf-wp10000

Fred Jackson LaDainian Tomlinson Thomas Jones Frank Gore Brandon Jacobs

I never quite got around to reviewing the new book “Three and Out,” already the definitive account of Rich Rodriguez‘s arrival, failure and exit over three turbulent seasons at Michigan and an essential addition to the genre. But John Bacon’s book does go to great lengths to confirm three of the prevailing themes of the debacle:

a) Rodriguez was met with almost instant condescension or hostility from significant numbers of boosters, former players, outgoing coaches, opposing coaches, local media ? especially local media ? and probably more than a few people within the athletic department.
b) The roster he inherited from Lloyd Carr was even more barren than it looked on paper before the 2008 season, gutted by transfers (tacitly encouraged by Carr), early departures for the NFL and a prolific graduating class that left a depth chart strewn with tumbleweeds.
c) Rodriguez had an uncanny knack for both talking himself into corners and failing (sometimes on orders from his bosses) to talk himself out of them.

All of which, along with the familiar onslaught of injuries, defensive disasters and late-season collapses, made his stint Michigan arguably the most ill-fated, mismatched coaching marriage of the last decade. The man never had a chance.

But it didn’t mean he didn’t deserve another one, and after a year on the shelf, it’s no surprise that Arizona has decided to give it to him. It’s also no surprise that his return to the sideline feels like more of a coup for the Wildcats than a lifeline thrown to a tired retread. Retreads elicit shrugs. Win or lose, Rich Rodriguez’s teams are always interesting.

Other than Michigan, of course, there’s been a lot more winning. Rodriguez won first at Glenville State, a true Nowhere U. that he put on the map as the birthplace of the offense that’s taken over every level of amateur football like kudzu. He won at Tulane, a perpetually foundering program that rode his offense to what must be the most improbable undefeated season in recent sports history in 1998, under head coach Tommy Bowden. He won at his alma mater, West Virginia, delivering three consecutive top-10 finishes and a pair of BCS bowls ? and turning down Alabama, which settled for Nick Saban instead ? in his last three years there, easily the best three-year run in school history. Everywhere Rodriguez had been before he landed in Ann Arbor, his offense had taken off, and he’d been a winner.

Even at Michigan, he managed to get half of that equation. With a a legitimate talent at the controls ? Denard Robinson, Rodriguez’s third different starting quarterback in as many years after trotting out freshmen for the majority of both 2008 and 2009 ? the Wolverines led the Big Ten in total offense last year and scored at least 28 points in three of their six losses. Watching the 2011 Wolverines turn the corner with virtually the same players putting up virtually identical numbers (though Robinson’s not throwing the ball quite as well as a junior as he did in 2010, actually), it’s impossible not to wonder if Rodriguez’s lament that he didn’t get to see the job through with a new defensive coordinator is more than just sour grapes. How would you feel if your longtime nemesis abruptly collapsed a few minutes after you walked out the door?

If Michigan was a slightly neglected Town Car in need of at little overdue maintenance, Arizona is a Dodge Omni on blocks. In the front yard. At 3-8, the Wildcats are in the same state of bottom-dwelling disarray after seven-and-a-half year under Mike Stoops that Stoops found them in when he took over in 2003. Since reaching No. 13 in the polls last Halloween, ‘Zona has dropped 13 of its last 16 overall, nine of its last eleven in Pac-10/12 play, fired Stoops and committed to starting over from scratch. (Warning Wildcat fans: Obligatory notice of Rose Bowl drought straight ahead.) In more than 100 years of football, Arizona has finished in the final polls seven times, won ten games in a season twice and ? here it comes ? is still the only veteran Pac-12 program that has never played in the Rose Bowl.

It’s hard to think of another coach Arizona could have plausibly attained who gives them a better opportunity to end that streak: Relatively young coaches (Rodriguez is 48) with a wildly influential offensive system and multiple BCS bowls to their name do not come along very often. Like Stoops, Rodriguez has a long way to go and no guarantee of getting there. But as long as nobody cares too much how he sounds at a lectern, this time he should have all the time he needs to find out.

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

Source: http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday/post/Rich-Rodriguez-lands-on-his-feet-again-in-a-dec?urn=ncaaf-wp10358

Matt Cassel Matt Schaub Peyton Manning Matt Ryan Drew Brees

In a perfect world, the Doc would be given carte blanche to publicly torch the Bowl Championship Series in effigy and institute the elaborate, double-elimination battle royal of his dreams. But we live in the world we live in, so each Sunday the Doc looks at what the new BCS numbers mean for the rest of the season. Rooting interest: Chaos. Always chaos.

The process of filling a power void is never a clean or orderly one, so it’s no surprise the status quo has descended into anarchy after one of the bloodiest weekends in years at the top of the standings. But this mess of a pecking order is a new low.

The team best-positioned for a golden ticket to the BCS Championship Game? It’s not undefeated, undisputed No. 1 LSU: It’s No. 2 Alabama, which is virtually guaranteed a title shot with a win Saturday at Auburn, less than a month after losing to LSU amid a flurry of missed field goals on its own field. In fact, the best thing that could possibly happen to the Crimson Tide is an LSU win over No. 3 Arkansas on Friday, thereby eliminating the only realistic competition for Alabama’s position at No. 2 if the Tide take care of business on the Plains. And what will LSU get for its trouble? Another chance to lose everything in the SEC Championship Game, while ‘Bama sits at home, its tickets to New Orleans already booked.

To recap: The team that lost the head-to-head, do-or-die blockbuster of the year is now in better position to play for a national championship if it avoids playing for the championship of its own conference. With two weekends remaining in the regular season, this is the status quo.

But “every game counts,” right?

? So the rematch thing is? happening? It’s not a mathematical certainty, but yeah, the rematch thing is happening. The only scenarios that can possibly stop it from happening are a) An upset by Auburn over Alabama this weekend, and/or b) An upset by Georgia over the SEC West champ in the conference championship game, whoever the SEC West champ happens to be. But both of those scenarios are unlikely, to say the least, and neither is a foolproof rematch-stopper even if it comes to pass. The odds at the moment overwhelmingly favor an SEC West-on-SEC West championship game.

In that context, the more pressing question is: Who represents the West in the SEC Championship Game if Arkansas beats LSU, creating a three-way tie at the stop of the standings? And the answer is: That depends. Conference tiebreaker rules lay out eight steps for breaking a three-way tie, but an Alabama/Arkansas/LSU split in this case almost certainly come down to the bottom of the list:

8. The tied team with the highest ranking in the Bowl Championship Series Standings following the last weekend of regular-season games shall be the divisional representative in the SEC Championship Game, unless the second of the tied teams is ranked within five-or-fewer places of the highest ranked tied team. In this case, the head-to-head results of the top two ranked tied teams shall determine the representative in the SEC Championship Game.

The question, then, is how far LSU falls in response to a loss, and how high Arkansas rises. If we assume an Arkansas win will drop the Tigers out of No. 1 ? given the nearsighted nature of the human polls, this is a good assumption ? there are four possible orders of finish next Sunday night. The SEC Championship rep in each is in bold:

- – -
1. Alabama
2. Arkansas
3. LSU

- – -
1. Arkansas
2. Alabama
3. LSU

- – -
1. Arkansas
2. LSU
3. Alabama

- – -
1. Alabama
2. LSU
3. Arkansas

You can see why Alabama is rooting LSU on. If it’s already a sure thing, who needs the extra work?

? On the other hand… As unpalatable as the thought of a divisional rematch for a national crown may be, the alternative is a truly dystopian vision of a championship game featuring either a) A team that just lost to Iowa State or b) A team that counts Georgia Tech as its best win to date.

Team a) (Oklahoma State) has clearly demonstrated that it is not national championship material, and Team b) (Virginia Tech) hasn’t had an opportunity against anyone good enough to demonstrate that it is. Now that Clemson‘s ruined its poll cred by taking the day off at N.C. State, the Hokies aren’t going to get that opportunity in the ACC Championship Game, either.

From a purely competitive standpoint, the most attractive one-loss team behind the SEC trio may actually be Stanford, which has the benefit of both a respectable win (over surging USC) and a not-too-embarrassing loss (at the hands of Oregon). Stanford also has a chance to make a fairly big move this weekend against Notre Dame. Even if some voters start to come around on the Cardinal, though, that’s probably all wishful thinking: The computers don’t like them, Oregon still controls its destiny in the Pac-12 North, and if any league is going to get a team to New Orleans that didn’t take the conference championship, it’s obviously going to be the SEC.

? For chaos’ sake. Are you kidding? The current reality is the most chaotic in the 14-year history of the format. The pendulum can only swing so far before it starts swinging back toward order and predictability. I’m not sure how much further it can go in the current direction.

But if there’s a single outcome that could crush all prevailing assumptions underfoot in an instant, it’s a Georgia win in the SEC Championship Game. If that win happens to be over a previously undefeated LSU ? thereby sending Alabama to the BCS title game ? after Alabama was eliminated from the SEC race by its loss to LSU ? then that should make for one fun December.

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

Source: http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday/post/BCS-Realpolitik-Welcome-to-the-apocalypse?urn=ncaaf-wp10302

Chauncey Billups Chris Bosh Danny Granger David West DeMar DeRozan

Whereas most of the fans aboard the USS Carl Vinson settled for a picture or an autograph when they approached Magic Johnson, one naval officer had a more significant request for the former Michigan State star.

He asked Johnson to help him propose to his girlfriend during the game.

A Naval Medical Center employee in the stands posted the above YouTube video showing both Johnson and the naval officer down on one knee as the girlfriend smiles with delight. Johnson then congratulates the woman with a hug and volunteers to pose for a picture with the happy couple to commemorate the night.

Selfless gestures like this one from Johnson were part of what made the inaugural Carrier Classic a successful and memorable event. Although North Carolina’s convincing victory over Michigan State wasn’t as compelling as expected, what more than made up for it was the combination of the unusual setting for basketball and the respect players, coaches and celebrities showed toward the military.

North Carolina and Michigan State players handed their game-worn camouflage jerseys to service members after the final buzzer. Actress Pamela Anderson, model Brooklyn Decker and NBA stars such as Vince Carter and Tyler Hansbrough spent time chatting with the men and women in uniform around them. And honorary coaches Johnson and James Worthy were also very generous with their time … even when they received some unusual requests.

(Thanks, Huffington Post)

Source: http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/blog/the_dagger/post/Magic-Johnson-s-latest-assist-A-naval-officer-s?urn=ncaab-wp6267

Kerry Collins Alex Smith Ryan Fitzpatrick Shaun Hill Donovan McNabb

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

Shonn Greene Ryan Torain Marshawn Lynch Tim Hightower Mike Tolbert

Source: http://boston.sbnation.com/new-england-patriots/2011/11/23/2583413/patriots-notebook-brady-talks-eagles-d-stresses-continued-improvement

Jay Cutler Eli Manning Jason Campbell Carson Palmer Kerry Collins

Even though the first three didn’t stay very “secret” for very long, NASCAR has apparently tried a fourth secret fine.

According to an Associated Press report, Brad Keselowski was fined $25,000 last week for making comments about NASCAR’s move to electronic fuel injection at a fan forum at the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

From the AP:

The fine is believed to be $25,000.

“We’re not doing this because it’s better for the teams,” Keselowski said last week during an appearance at the NASCAR Hall of Fame . “I don’t think we’re really going to save any gas. It’s a media circus, trying to make you guys happy so you write good stories. It gives them something to promote. We’re always looking for something to promote, but the honest answer is it does nothing for the sport except cost the team owners money.

“Cars on the street are injected with real electronics, not a throttle body (like in NASCAR). So we’ve managed to go from 50-year-old technology to 35-year-old technology. I don’t see what the big deal is.”

While Keselowski’s point may be perfectly valid, the point is not that NASCAR disagreed. It’s that they disagreed and disciplined in the way that they’ve disciplined three known times in the past 18 months: via a secret fine.

So, for the third instance, one simple question looms: Why?

Ryan Newman and Denny Hamlin were fined in 2010 (Hamlin for comments on Twitter about cautions and Newman for comments about Talladega) and Newman was fined earlier this season for allegedly punching Juan Pablo Montoya in the NASCAR hauler when the two met to settle their differences from the spring Richmond race. Just like Keselowski’s, reports of the fines surfaces shortly after they were issued and the impending reactions were overwhelmingly negative.

Those negative reactions aren’t about the outcome. We are used to and, for the most part, accept that fines are part of professional sports. Leagues aren’t democracies. But NASCAR could take a lesson from other sports and institute a similar process and make all fines public knowledge at the time of issue. We don’t find out in week 10 that an NFL player was fined in week 5 for an illegal hit. And we can pretty well document all the times that Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has been fined for his comments about the NBA.

Does the need for supposed secrecy come from the fact that the actions and comments being fined aren’t necessarily against any rules? When a car fails technical inspection, NASCAR typically issues a statement detailing the penalties on the Tuesday after the race. Those penalties almost always include a fine. And that fine is totaled in the statement.

In the report that came out revealing the secret fines of Hamlin and Newman, a NASCAR spokesman said that any action taken by the sanctioning body is “focused on actions or comments that materially damage the sport.” Can’t the case be made that a rule violation materially damages the sport as much or more than comments about the racing at Talladega or about electronic fuel injection? Is the sole difference that there are no stated rules against speech while there are against the size of a restrictor plate or angle of a car’s spoiler? We don’t know.

If NASCAR had learned anything from the three previous instances that secret fines don’t say secret very long, it would have announced Keselowski’s penalty as soon as possible. Instead, the report of the fine was made public on the day that the Tony Stewart and Carl Edwards had their championship press conference. What a contrast.

Just like with Hamlin and Newman, NASCAR didn’t directly acknowledge Keselowski and any fine, with NASCAR spokesman Kerry Tharp saying that the sanctioning body “handled it accordingly” in its conversation with Keselowski. That’s a practice that causes more consternation that soothing. Plus, Keselowski is one of the best young drivers in the sport and already one of its most outspoken on many issues. Remember all the grief that Jimmie Johnson has (wrongly) taken over the years for being too “vanilla?” Think of how quickly “secret” financial penalties for perceived over-the-line statements could potentially vanillaize drivers.

Like it or not, many still have trust issues with NASCAR as a sanctioning body (see: Kyle Busch v. Brian Vickers). Without clear guidelines for what constitutes what and if a fine was really issued or not, those trust issues and the question of “why?” will linger, no matter how great Sunday’s race and championship battle at Homestead is.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/post/Why-again-is-NASCAR-compelled-to-make-some-fin?urn=nascar-wp5311

Tommy Hanson Trevor Cahill Ubaldo Jimenez Wandy Rodriguez Al Jefferson

Vanderbilt is already working on bulletin board material for next year’s game against Tennessee. After a controversial 27-21 overtime win by Tennessee, the Volunteers had an epic celebration in their locker room that someone filmed and later posted on YouTube for all to see ? including Vandy coach James Franklin and his Commodores, who were still stewing over some botched calls by officials.

The postgame celebration included Tennessee players jumping up and down, coach Derek Dooley being hoisted into the air and punching the Tennessee “T” on the ceiling, a thank you to the seniors, and a now infamous quote by Dooley:

“The last thing that I’m going to remind you before we sing, is that the one thing Tennessee always does is kick the (expletive) out of Vandy.”

The team goes on to sing, “Don’t give a damn for the whole school of Vanderbilt, the whole school of Vanderbilt, the whole school of Vanderbilt. Don’t give a damn about the whole school of Vanderbilt, we’re from Tennessee.”

Catchy, right?

During his Monday press conference, Franklin said Tennessee’s postgame celebration left a “wound open” and that the celebration video would be played as much as necessary leading up to next year’s contest.

“We’ll talk about it next year ? a lot,” Franklin said. “We’ll talk about it as much as you guys want to talk about it next year. We’ll watch it as many times as we’ve got to watch it next year. That’s a wound that I’m going to leave open that’s not going to heal. We’ll leave it open for a year and we’ll discuss it next year.

“I look at it as respect. Some people act like they won the Super Bowl and they beat a team that the two previous years had won four games total. Obviously, we are closing the gap and threatening some people and making some people uncomfortable. We’ll see. We’ll leave it at that. We’ll move on. But we’ll have a lot of discussion about this next year when the time is right.”

Looks like this is slowly turning into a real rivalry. However, if you’re a Tennessee fan, a celebration like this has to sting a little bit, too: A championship-caliber reaction to an overtime win a perennial punching bag ? its first SEC win of the season in seven tries ? is another indication of many this season of just how far the Vols have fallen. A win Saturday at bottom-dwelling Kentucky will give Tennessee 27 straight over the Wildcats and secure a bowl game despite a 2-6 conference record, which just might be good enough to break out the champagne.

- – -
Curtsy (female version of the hat tip) to Outkick the Coverage and Larry Brown Sports
Graham Watson is on Facebook and Twitter: Follow her @Yahoo_Graham

Source: http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday/post/Video-Tennessee-celebration-lights-Vanderbilt-?urn=ncaaf-wp10321

Ronnie Brown Chris Ivory Brandon Jackson Ryan Mathews Michael Vick

Carl Edwards and Tony Stewart are giving each other the psych-out. But what might they be saying to each other? You know, don’t you? Have your say right here.

After the jump, the Joe Gibbs guys are having fun at Joey Logano‘s expense.

Andy:
“Don’t tell anyone I said this, Kyle, but watching a car drive in circles is boring.”

Dick Smothers:
Kyle: “What’s the #20 doing out there?”
Denny: “Logano is racing his shadow again.”

FuriousD:
Moobs and Hamster watch as their “You have to finish the race if you are 20 laps down” joke stopped being funny 10 laps ago.

Timbt:
Kyle: What’s up with Joey?
Denny: He heard about Reutimann and Ragan, so he thinks if he never parks, he won’t be next.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/post/Create-a-caption-I-m-in-your-head-No-I-m-i?urn=nascar-wp5294

Carson Palmer Kerry Collins Alex Smith Ryan Fitzpatrick Shaun Hill

This week’s top 10 is all about the Presidents Cup, which came into its own two years ago in San Francisco when crowds embraced it like it was a Ryder Cup. 

Unfortunately, whether bad microphones or no microphones, it did not seem like the Aussie crowds were as enthusiastic in the first couple of days.  No doubt they were, because there were crazy things going on, including four guys dressed in suits the color of magic marker highlighters, complete with matching hats. 

However, it just did not come across in the telecast. There were some shots where you could see fans going nuts and there was no sound. Then there was the rainy day.  Have you ever tried to clap while holding a golf umbrella? 

Nevertheless, from Tiger’s comeback to Fred as a captain, here are this week’s top 10. 

Begin Slideshow

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/949696-tiger-furyk-and-fun-in-this-weeks-top-ten

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

How about that Sam Hornish Jr.?

Hornish — who we’ve given the nickname Dances With Walls over the years at the Marbles thanks to his frequent spins in the Sprint Cup Series — danced all the way to victory lane in Saturday’s Nationwide race at the newly paved Phoenix International Raceway, holding off teammate Brad Keselowski.

The win, Hornish’s first in NASCAR, also came at the site of his first win in the IndyCar Series when he won the 2001 season opener at PIR.

Hornish and owner Roger Penske hope to run full-time in the Nationwide Series next season. Before running a part-time Nationwide schedule this season, Hornish ran three full seasons in the Cup Series, getting two top fives.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/post/Dances-with-wins-Sam-Hornish-grabs-first-NASCAR?urn=nascar-wp5220

Josh Hamilton Juan Pierre Luke Scott Marco Scutaro Michael Cuddyer

The latest NASCAR live chat is Thursday at 1 p.m. ET; be here or we’ll suspend you for this weekend’s races.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/post/Join-us-for-the-latest-Yahoo-NASCAR-Live-Chat?urn=nascar-wp5211

Monta Ellis Nick Young Pau Gasol Paul Millsap Paul Pierce

Here are your Puck Headlines: a glorious collection of news and views collected from the greatest blogosphere in sports and the few, the proud, the mainstream hockey media.

? “It was at that point when FutureJoe Thornton knew his time traveling had paid off, having the chance to relive his goal against the Red Wings in 2011 as a fan?”

? David Perron of the St. Louis Blues has been cleared for contact. This is the best news of the day, far as we’re concerned. [STLToday]

? Pittsburgh Penguins Sidney Crosby has been ruled out of Saturday night’s game against the Florida Panthers. The Pens return home for three games after that. Happy Thanksgiving, hockey. [Trib-Review]

? Said Dan Bylsma: “In terms of Sidney Crosby, just to clarify and minimize the speculation, we will continue to give updates the day before a game on whether he will be playing or not,” Blysma said on the Penguins Web site. “He will not be playing in Saturday night’s game. It’s an effort to keep the speculation about a date [to a minimum]. There is no timetable and no date at this point in time and we will continue to update you the day before the game and let you know about that.” [Sun Sentinel]

? The New York Islanders lose a goaltender to injury. No, the other one. No, the other other one. [AP]

? Huzzah! The Dallas Stars‘ ownership worries are over, as Tom Gaglardi has been given the green light in bankruptcy court to purchase the team. Now that the finances are in place, it’s time to work on that Brad Richards extensi?wait, what? [ESPN, Defending Big D]

? Is Curtis Sanford the new starter in Columbus? [@aportzline]

? James Reimer was back on the ice for the Toronto Maple Leafs. That’s the good news. OK, it’s pretty much the only good news: Mike Komisarek and forward Matthew Lombardi will both miss at least three weeks due to undisclosed upper body injuries. [Sun Media]

? Looking at the Detroit Red Wings‘ struggles, and what team they want to be: “So does that mean the players have tuned [coach Mike] Babcock out? That sure seems to be the prevailing thought, and that’s going to be tougher to get back. Now is the time where you either show that you’re the coach we think you are, the guy who can lead this team back to the promised land, or we find that you’re simply a guy who inherited a great team and you’ve lost the room.” [Winging It]

? Why can’t the Wings figure out the Sharks? [Y! CN]

? Barry Trotz of the Nashville Predators didn’t laugh about Craig Smith’s empty net miss last night. Not at all. “He’ll learn from that.” [Preds On The Glass]

? Bourne breaks down how not to score into an empty net. [Backhand Shelf]

? In which Mark Recchi calls the Vancouver Canucks the most arrogant team he’s ever played against: “”I couldn’t believe their antics, their falling and diving. It was very frustrating, but at the same time as the series wore on we knew we were getting to them and we knew our physical play and our skating, I think it caught them off-guard a little bit.” [Nucks Misconduct]

? In which Marc-Andre Bergeron is compared to a booty call. [Dirty Dangle]

? The Philadelphia Flyers penalty kill is on fire. No word if their sex is as well. [The Checking Line]

? Hey, remember the last time the Flyers played the Winnipeg Jets? It got nutty. [Broad Street Bull]

? If you haven’t seen Joffrey Lupul get goosed by a kicking Predators fan, it’s pretty hilarious.

? In which ESPN’s Jesse Rogers asks Ray Emery about when he needs to use the bathroom during a game: “On the bench I do it a lot actually because I drink so much water and you’re not sweating so you have to go.” [ESPN Chicago, via Second City Hockey]

? Rookie Ben Smith skates with Bryan Bickell and Dave Bolland tonight for the Chicago Blackhawks in Calgary. [Red Eye]

? Great post by Lowetide on the Edmonton Oilers coming back down to earth and possible moves to break their funk: “Does anyone really believe a Sam Gagner for Cody Franson trade is a reasonable one? I’m sure Franson has some nice things, but giving up on Gagner is crazy. The one thing the Oilers have is time to develop a secondary offensive line, and Gagner is certainly capable (when healthy) of delivering offense.” [Lowetide]

? Funny stuff from The Onion: “NHL’s Critics Find No Evidence That Penalty Box Reforms Players.” [The Onion]

? Which players did Central Scouting omit from the list of prospects? [Buzzing The Net]

? The USS Hal Gill is out of dry dock. [Canadiens]

? Wishing a speedy recovery for Rocco Grimaldi. [CHN]

? Linus Omark’s spin-o-rama abilities have been significantly reduced for the next six weeks. [Copper and Blue]

? Steve Simmons looks at the decline of Alex Ovechkin: “There are more really fine young players in the NHL than ever before, but what there aren’t are enough breakout stars ? faces of the game and the league. This is still a world in which stars sell and with Crosby out so long, with Ovechkin not responding, there is no one else. He can still be that face, that star. But the face shouldn’t be known because he sells chocolate bars. The face should be known because he’s dominating the game.” [Sun]

? Alex Ovechkin is shooting less and scoring less: “But after scoring at least 46 goals in each of his first five seasons, Ovi’s goal total (32), shots on goal (367) and shooting percentage (8.7) all hit career lows in 2010-11. While his shooting percentage has rebounded somewhat this season — at 11.9 percent, he’s exactly at his career average — and his goal-scoring pace is about the same, his shot volume is headed for a serious decline.” [NHL.com]

? Finally, the Toronto media gets a chance to ask Alex Ovechkin what’s wrong with Alex Ovechkin. “Everything is OK with Alex Ovechkin. It’s great to be Alex Ovechkin. [Alex Ovetjkin]

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/Puck-Headlines-Crosby-ruled-out-Perron-cleared?urn=nhl-wp17770

Reggie Wayne Greg Jennings Mike Wallace Andre Johnson Dwayne Bowe

SAN DIEGO ? Immediately after Michigan State‘s Branden Dawson limped to the bench after tweaking a knee when he slipped on the sticker covering the jump ball circle, North Carolina forward John Henson walked over to investigate that spot on the floor.

He summed it up like this when he returned to the Tar Heels bench: “It’s a wet spot, pretty much.”

Fortunately Dawson returned to the game soon afterward and no other players were hurt slipping at center court, but the incident revived talk that decals on the court advertising a sponsor put players’ health at risk. Although both Michigan State’s Tom Izzo and North Carolina’s Roy Williams are aware that the money the stickers generate helps fund events like Friday night’s Carrier Classic, they argue the slipperiness makes them too great a hazard.

“I’ve hated those things. I think they’re stupid to put them out there with all the technology we he have,” Williams said. “If we want to give somebody some publicity, put it on there on TV only and don’t put the kids in danger of slipping and sliding.”

The center-court decal at the Carrier Classic was especially treacherous because the damp ocean air made the entire court slick. It was one of several factors players had to adjust to as a result of playing outside, along with gusty winds that altered jump shots and a shooting backdrop unlike any other.

“These are circumstances that are obviously different from what we’re used to,” North Carolina point guard Kendall Marshall said. “Your hands are cold on the court. There’s a breeze. It’s something you’re not used to. We were telling them to wipe up the court, and they said, ‘There’s nothing we can do. You’re playing outside.’

“We found a way to get through it. Both teams had to deal with the circumstances, and you can’t really blame them on anybody.”

Source: http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/blog/the_dagger/post/Roy-Williams-again-calls-for-ban-on-treacherous-?urn=ncaab-wp6082

Eli Manning Jason Campbell Carson Palmer Kerry Collins Alex Smith

How about that Sam Hornish Jr.?

Hornish — who we’ve given the nickname Dances With Walls over the years at the Marbles thanks to his frequent spins in the Sprint Cup Series — danced all the way to victory lane in Saturday’s Nationwide race at the newly paved Phoenix International Raceway, holding off teammate Brad Keselowski.

The win, Hornish’s first in NASCAR, also came at the site of his first win in the IndyCar Series when he won the 2001 season opener at PIR.

Hornish and owner Roger Penske hope to run full-time in the Nationwide Series next season. Before running a part-time Nationwide schedule this season, Hornish ran three full seasons in the Cup Series, getting two top fives.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/post/Dances-with-wins-Sam-Hornish-grabs-first-NASCAR?urn=nascar-wp5220

Shonn Greene Ryan Torain Marshawn Lynch Tim Hightower Mike Tolbert