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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.

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

Source: http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday/post/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.

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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.

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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.

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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

Before the Philadelphia Flyers played in Winnipeg for the first time since 1996, goalie Ilya Bryzgalov had some amends to make.

Earlier this year, he infamously slammed the city as “cold” with “no parks” and “no entertainment for families.” So he “sincerely apologized” to the people of Winnipeg on Friday … but some Winnipeg Jets fans weren’t so quick to accept it.

One of those fans was Donavan Collier, 8, the son of Winnipeg Goldeyes general manager Andrew Collier. He showed up at MTS Centre for the Jets’ game against the Flyers on Saturday afternoon with a sign that read simply: “BOO BRYZGALOV.”

Fans were given the opportunity to let Bryzgalov hear it, as the Flyers decided to give Sergei Bobrovsky, a more Winnipeg-apathetic goalie, the start instead. But Collier still had a chance to make this feeling known to Bryzgalov ? who responded in a hilarious and humble way.

From Gary Lawless of the Winnipeg Free Press:

“I made the sign because he said we have no parks and we have terrible winters. I think it was very nice of him to give me his stick,” Collier said.

Bryzgalov spied the sign and on his way off the ice stopped to hand the youngster his goal stick.

Here’s video of the stick-gifting from Bryz:

OK, so Ilya Bryzgalov gave a goalie stick to an 8-year-old; pretty sure this calls for a truce under the terms of the Geneva Conventions.

Even if the Flyers were trying to protect Bryzgalov from the psychological warfare from Jets fans, they might have made the wrong call between the pipes: The Jets scored three goals in the first 10:15 of the game, rolling to a 6-4 victory.

It’s a big win for Winnipeg. We’re sure they’re partying in the parks up there ? if they had any.

s/t PHT.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/Bryzgalov-gives-goalie-stick-to-8-year-old-Jets-?urn=nhl-wp17823

Shin-Soo Choo Torii Hunter Vernon Wells Victor Martinez Vladimir Guerrero

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

Mike Tolbert Ronnie Brown Chris Ivory Brandon Jackson Ryan Mathews

Source: http://chicago.sbnation.com/2011/11/22/2580065/the-ballad-of-ricky-bobby-and-z-w-college-football-sec-lameness-and

Mark Sanchez Matt Hasselbeck Brett Favre Derek Anderson Arian Foster

Source: http://detroit.sbnation.com/michigan-wolverines/2011/11/5/2540493/denard-robinsons-play-continues-to-be-frustrating-in-michigans-loss

Greg Jennings Mike Wallace Andre Johnson Dwayne Bowe Larry Fitzgerald

At 5-5, it hasn’t exactly been a banner year for Missouri on the field. Wednesday night, it just got a lot worse:

COLUMBIA (AP) ? Missouri football coach Gary Pinkel was arrested by Boone County Sheriff’s Department officers Wednesday night on suspicion of driving while intoxicated.

Pinkel was pulled over at 10:15 p.m. on Keene Street just north of Broadway, according to the incident report. He was stopped for lane and signal violations, Chief Deputy Major Tom Reddin said.
[?]
“I’m not going to comment any further on any statements made by Mr. Pinkel,” Reddin said. “The reports are still being completed. They’ll be forwarded to the prosecuting attorney’s office for consideration as to the filing of formal charges.”

Pinkel, 59, was alone in the car ? thank goodness for that ? but there was no indication from Reddin where he was coming from or where he was going. According to the incident report, he was pulled over near the medical facility where tailback Henry Josey is being treated for multiple ligament tears that prematurely ended his season in Saturday’s 17-5 win over Texas. He was booked and released this morning on $500 bond. Missouri is in “fact-finding mode,” according to a university spokeswoman, and plans to issue a statement later today.

(Update, 12:21 p.m. ET. In a statement, Pinkel said he was pulled over after dinner with friends and took responsibility for “my lack of judgment in this instance.” A press conference is scheduled for 4 p.m. CT, where the university is expected to announce Pinkel will be suspended for at least one game.)

This is Pinkel’s first encounter with the law, though it’s not the first for a Missouri coach after a night out: A longtime Pinkel assistant, co-offensive line coach Bruce Walker, was arrested for drunk driving last year outside the Tigers’ football facility, where campus police reportedly found him sitting behind the wheel of a parked car with its motor running after a bus trip to a nearby lake with the rest of the coaching staff and their wives. (Walker remains on the staff.) In October 1987, then-head coach Woody Widenhofer was arrested (and later convicted) of drunk driving following a homecoming win over Kansas State; he survived the rest of that season and one more.

In November 2011, Pinkel may not be so fortunate ? he is, after all, charged with providing maturity and guidance 18-to-22-year-olds, who regularly come in for discipline themselves after scrapes with the police. That was the rationale when Georgia athletic director Damon Evans got the boot after being cited for drunk driving last year. (Though it didn’t help in that case that Evans had a 28-year-old woman in the passenger seat, and her underwear in his seat.) The last major college coach charged with drunk driving, Ohio‘s Frank Solich, managed to keep his job in 2005 despite an eventual conviction and the failure of an appeal on the grounds that he had been drugged with the “date rape” drug, GHB. The Bobcats won their first MAC East title that fall, and just wrapped up their third on Solich’s watch on Wednesday night.

Details of Pinkel’s arrest have yet to emerge, sordid or otherwise, but the Tigers are nowhere near a championship in the Big 12 or in the SEC, where they’ll begin play next year. They are on track for their seventh consecutive bowl game, easily the best streak in school history. If it comes down to his job, though, it’s not going to compel anyone to leap to Pinkel’s defense without tapping every last drop of goodwill he’s accumulated over the last eleven years.

(Update, 5:25 p.m. ET. As expected, the university has suspended Pinkel for Saturday’s game against Texas Tech and frozen his salary for the coming year, likely costing him in the neighborhood of $300,000 in bonuses and incentives.)

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

Source: http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday/post/DWI-brings-Gary-Pinkel-to-the-crossroads-at-Mizz?urn=ncaaf-wp10053

Marco Scutaro Michael Cuddyer Michael Young Miguel Cabrera Nick Markakis

Mikko Koivu celebrates after slaying Barrett Jackman.

No. 1 Star: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Edmonton Oilers

Nugent-Hopkins added more fuel to the CBC’s burning fire for him, putting up 5 assists in the Hockey Night in Canada late game, a 9-2 (!!!) thumping of the Chicago Blackhawks. He would have had 6 assists too, tying Gary Suter’s official rookie record, but the scorekeeper took one away. Presumably, the scorekeeper was fired.

No. 2 Star: Mikko Koivu, Minnesota Wild

Koivu scored three times in the Wild’s 3-2 shootout victory over the St. Louis Blues — once shorthanded, once on the powerplay to tie the game late, and once in the shootout. Suffice it to say, he wanted it more than anyone, and I’m just talking about the puck on his shorthanded goal:

With the win, the Wild are now 1st overall in the NHL. Do I have crow to eat? No. They still have to play 60 more games. But if you need me, I’ll be at AllRecipes.com.

No. 3 Star: Taylor Hall, Edmonton Oilers

Not to be outdone by Nugent-Hopkins (although he sort of was), Hall picked up his second-career hat trick, scoring once in all 3 periods of the Oilers’ rout.

Honourable mention: Bryan Little scored twice early, and Dustin Byfuglien had a goal and an assist as the Jets won their third straight, 6-4, over the Philadelphia Flyers. Scott Hartnell had two goals an an assist and Matt Read scored twice in the 3rd… Jonas Gustavsson made 40 saves for his team-leading fifth win (seriously), and his teammates did the rest as the Toronto Maple Leafs embarrassed the Washington Capitals in a 7-1 shellacking… Paul Bissonnette was the unlikely game-winning goal scorer and Mike Smith made a whopping 43 saves as the Coyotes knocked off the Sabres, 4-2… Pavel Datsyuk scored twice as the Detroit Red Wings topped the Los Angeles Kings, 4-1. It would have been a shutout, too, if Mike Richards didn’t skate so damn hard:

Chris Kelly notched 2 goals and an assist, Gregory Campbell went 12-for-14 in the faceoff circle and Tim Thomas picked up the shutout in the Boston Bruins‘ 6-0 rout of the New York Islanders… Ryan Carter and David Clarkson each put up a goal and an assist as the New Jersey Devils topped the Tampa Bay Lightning, 4-2… Stephen Weiss had two assists and the game-winner late in the third to lift the Florida Panthers over the Pittsburgh Penguins, 3-2… Joffrey Lupul had a goal versus the Capitals and three assists, one of which came on this pretty Phil Kessel goal:

David Backes, Alex Steen, and T.J. Oshie combined for both St. Louis goals in the loss to the Wild… Brian Gionta scored twice and Carey Price made 17 saves for his second consecutive shutout in the Montreal Canadiens‘ 4-0 win over the NY Rangers… Jeff Carter scored his first goal in Columbus and James Wisniewski did the same in overtime as the Columbus Blue Jackets edged the Nashville Predators, 4-3. The BJs are riding a two-game point streak, their longest of the season… Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton had two assists apiece as the Sharks beat up on the Dallas Stars, 4-1…

Did you know? Leafs’ GM Brian Burke has joined Twitter (@LeafsBB20). Not sure why he needed his own account when it seemed fairly obvious he was sharing one with Damian Cox, but there you go. Should be fun. Of course, once he realizes that he can’t shoehorn words like “pugnacity”, “truculence” and “obstreperousness” into a tweet like he can a press conference, I’m sure he’ll let Rick Dudley and Dave Nonis manage this as well.

Dishonourable mention: The Flyers won only 24 of 71 faceoffs in Winnipeg… Alex Ovechkin took 8 shots, scored on none of them, and finished a minus-3 in 19:29 of action versus Toronto… the Chicago Blackhawks got scored on nine times…

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/Saturday-s-Three-Stars-Hawks-get-Nuge-d-Koivu-?urn=nhl-wp17827

Roddy White Reggie Wayne Greg Jennings Mike Wallace Andre Johnson

The Minnesota Timberwolves have something in Ricky Rubio that most teams can only dream of—a true point guard.

Excluding a handful of players (Chris Paul, Steve Nash, Jason Kidd), there are only so many point guards these days that would rather dish it to a teammate than get credit for the basket themselves.

Sure, there are more talented players than Rubio, without a doubt, but it’s the nature of a natural point guard that makes Ricky an elite player.

Opinions on Rubio have varied, and people continue to have different perspectives on the kid. At this point, Rubio’s reputation is like Kobe’s—you either love him or you hate him. You either think Rubio’s going to be the next All-Star MVP and Skills Challenge Winner, or you think he’ll have the same fate as his teammates Darko Milicic and Sebastian Telfair.

Whenever discussing Rubio, there will always be a group of people criticizing him on his lack of athleticism, his lackluster jump shot and how he isn’t very mentally prepared as a player going into the NBA. 

On the other hand, there are fans like me who support Rubio and believe he can truly be something special one day. I guess Chris Paul is with me on that, as he explains to ESPN the Magazine:

“It’s crazy what he’s already done. I am 23 and I think in the things I’ve done, but he is only 17, it’s crazy! He has already been in the Olympics. I’ve played 3 years in college and 3 years in the NBA before going to the Olympics. He will come to the NBA to steal my job.”

But this, of course, was a statement made in 2008, and we know opinions on someone can change very quickly (as Kim Kardashian recently showed us). Chris Paul probably has a different view on Rubio now, seeing how he has failed to perform over and over, and how after he decided to head back to Spain. Ricky averaged a mere 6.5 PPG and 3.6 APG this past year in the Euroleague, which drew much doubt from fans.

But what if I told you that Deron Williams, a two-time All-Star, played in the same league as Rubio and had a stat line of seven points, seven assists,and six turnovers, on 3-13 shooting? If Deron Williams, probably the second, if not first, best point guard in the NBA gets these numbers in the same league as Rubio…Rubio’s situation is not as bad as it seems. 

As for his athleticism, Rubio just may never be at the same level as some of his fellow teammates or opponents in the NBA.

To me, this is such a minor detail it doesn’t even matter. Why does Rubio need “blow by quickness” if he can spot an opening to feed a teammate that nobody else on the court can see?

I’ve been watching Steve Nash ever since the day I got interested in basketball, and I have yet to see him blow by a defender. Why? Because that’s an offensive trait Nash doesn’t need, and neither does Rubio.

In the long run, Rubio’s shortcomings don’t matter because he has other attributes to override it. 

Does he have enough experience? Let’s see: Rubio’s been playing in the Euroleague since he was 13 years old, meaning he hit professional threes before we hit puberty.This kid has grown around the game, learned, and applied it to his game.

Unlike some players, who break down under the pressure, Rubio will excel, as he has been playing professionally for quite a while. There is no doubt that Rubio has enough experience to do well in the NBA. 

Defense all comes down to effort and desire, which are traits that can literally be learned overnight. If Rubio puts in the work on the defensive end of the court, a lot of skeptics’ heads will be turning. 

Maybe Chris Paul’s right. Maybe Rubio will actually come into the NBA by storm, and “steal” Chris Paul’s job. Or Steve Nash’s. Nobody knows the limit for Rubio’s potential, but all I’m saying is: if you’re a Timberwolves fan, start getting excited.

Read more NBA news on BleacherReport.com

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/951665-five-letters-three-syllables-and-one-hope-for-the-minnesota-timerwolvesrubio

Ricky Williams Michael Bush Jahvid Best Danny Woodhead Justin Forsett

Tiger Woods‘ record in the 2011 Presidents Cup in Melbourne, Australia is just 1-3. Despite that, the United States has a commanding 13-9 lead heading into the final day, proving Tiger’s presence simply isn’t what it used to be.

Woods and his partner Dustin Johnson finally picked up their first point of the tournament in foursomes by defeating Adam Scott and K.J. Choi in the morning session. Things unraveled for Woods in the afternoon, though, as he and Johnson were defeated by Y.E. Yang and Kyung-tae Kim.

Tiger has never been the best in team events, but his mere presence used to be an advantage for the United States. Now that he is viewed as little more than just another golfer, however, having him on the team doesn’t really give the U.S. any sort of advantage.

Woods’ inclusion on the team by captain Fred Couples was criticized by some as there were several seemingly deserving candidates left off the squad. I was initially in support of Couples’ decision, but if Woods continues to play at this level, then it may be better to let some less-experienced golfers compete in these high-pressure situations.

There have been times over the past couple years where Woods has teased golf fans with a momentary uptick in play. That was the case recently in the Australian Open. Woods blew a lead, although he was able to recover and finish third.

That performance made people take notice and seemed like it could springboard him back to somewhere near his former level. Woods simply hasn’t built off of that outing in the Presidents Cup, though, and you have to wonder if this is as good as he is going to get.

With that said, until Tiger proves that he can play at a high level consistently, I think he should be left out of team events. It may not be a popular decision among casual golf fans, and it may diminish the prestige of the event a bit, but it’s time to start making decisions based upon who is deserving.

If Woods earns his way onto Presidents Cup or Ryder Cup teams, then he deserves to be there, but he shouldn’t be made a captain’s pick in the future. It pains me to say this as a long-time fan of Woods, but he simply can’t contribute adequately to a winning cause anymore.

Things are more interesting when Woods is in the fold, but if the objective is winning, then he shouldn’t be an option in team events moving forward. The United States is winning in spite of him in the Presidents Cup and that will continue to be the case until he finds his game.

Read more Golf news on BleacherReport.com

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/947849-presidents-cup-2011-us-proves-it-doesnt-need-tiger-woods-with-big-day-3-lead

Steven Jackson Ahmad Bradshaw Ray Rice Peyton Hillis Darren McFadden

When the NBA lockout officially ends, we will have to brace ourselves as the real madness will be set to begin.

Prior to the lockout, and even during, trade rumors and speculation ran rampant throughout media outlets. When deals can actually be discussed, and there is an opportunity to finally put some merit to any whisperings we may have heard, it is going to get even crazier.

While new names are bound to pop up on the block, we cannot forget the array of athletes who were on the block prior to the work stoppage. These athletes are sure to be placed back on the block and talks rekindled post-lockout.

We have been waiting not-so-patiently for this dreadful lockout to end, and when it does, we can let the games begin.

Literally.

Begin Slideshow

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/931363-nba-trade-rumors-10-players-who-will-return-to-the-block-post-lockout

Amare Stoudemire Andrea Bargnani Blake Griffin Brook Lopez Carmelo Anthony

The MVP of Texas A&M’s 58-57 victory over St. John’s on Friday evening didn’t score any points, grab any rebounds or dish out any assists.

In fact, she won’t even appear in the box score.

Anna Cate Kennedy, 7-year-old daughter of Texas A&M coach Billy Kennedy, merits that honor for her one-of-a-kind brand of free throw defense during the 2K Sports Classic third-place game. Each time a St. John’s player went to the free-throw line late in the second half, Anna Cate would unleash a shrill, piercing shriek so loud it was audible for fans throughout cavernous Madison Square Garden and for TV viewers at home.

It’s impossible to know for sure whether Anna Cate’s screeching impacted the St. John’s free throw shooters, but it sure looked that way. The Johnnies missed six of eight foul shots in the final four minutes, most notably a pair of errant free throws by sophomore Nurideen Lindsey with St. John’s trailing by a point and two seconds remaining.

CBSSports.com’s Jeff Goodman chatted after the game with Anna Cate, who told him she’s been doing this for about a year even though her dad has asked her to tone down the screaming on the road.

“People say it works,” Anna Cate said.

Texas A&M needed Anna Cate to keep the score close because St. John’s had an incredible advantage in free throw opportunities, sinking 22 of 38 foul shots compared to just three attempts for the Aggies.

All the Johnnies needed was to make one more to force overtime. Anna Cate Kennedy helped make sure it didn’t happen.

Source: http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/blog/the_dagger/post/Texas-A-amp-M-8217-s-MVP-Billy-Kennedy-8217-s?urn=ncaab-wp6310

Cliff Lee Cole Hamels Dallas Braden David Price Felix Hernandez

The Pittsburgh Penguins beat the New York Islanders 5-0, but obviously that wasn’t the story of the night. Sidney Crosby returned from missing the previous 61 regular-season games with a concussion, and promptly needed just 5:24 to score his first goal and finished with two goals and two assists in 15:54 of ice time.

Here are seven facts from Monday night’s rout of the Islanders.

1. The Islanders might’ve been the best opponent for Crosby to comeback against. In 34 career games against the Isles, Crosby has 20 goals and 66 points, four more points than his 26 goals, 36 assists in 36 games against the Philadelphia Flyers. With his assist on Evgeni Malkin’s power-play goal in the second period, that makes 22 career power-play assists against the Islanders; once again most versus any other NHL team.

2. The game was Crosby’s 21st career four-point night, with six of them coming against the Islanders. Pens and Isles play three more times this season: Dec. 10 on Long Island and then a home-and-home in late-March.

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

3. Via TSN Research, Crosby moved up 243 spots in the NHL scoring race with four points. He’s now 25 points behind Phil Kessel for the NHL scoring lead. Earlier Monday, Bodog set the over/under for Crosby’s point total at 80.5. Which are you taking? Crosby was also an 8/1 favorite for the Hart Trophy, according to Bodog.

4. With his four-point night, Crosby has as many points or more than seven Islanders forwards who have played at least 15 games. He’s also five goals behind Alex Ovechkin. Start the Sid vs. Ovie hype machine!

5. The Islanders’ loss drops them to 5-10-3 on the season. The loss was their 12th in their last 14 games. A year ago, the team went 0-9-1 before firing then-head coach Scott Gordon with a record of 4-10-3. What does the future hold for Jack Capuano?

6. Brooks Orpik scored his second of the season. In 525 NHL games, Orpik has 11 goals. He hasn’t scored more than two in a season during his nine-year career. The rugged defenseman is on a bit of a scoring tear for him, having potted both goals in a four-game span. Orpik hasn’t scored twice that close together since the 2005-06 season when he tallied two in a six-game span.

7. Aside from the points, Crosby was also dominant in the faceoff dot by winning 14 of 21 draws, including five of eight in the defensive zone. Dating back to last season, Crosby has had a winning record in the circle in 15 of his last 16 games with the only loss coming against the Washington Capitals.

Here’s Crosby’s grand entrance:

Here’s a look at Sid the Kid’s four-point night:

Photo credit: Canadian Press

Other popular stories on Yahoo! Sports:
? Mariners outfielder Greg Halman killed in Netherlands
? Morning Rush: NFL Thanksgiving games are finally appealing
? Justin Verlander adds AL MVP to Cy Young

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/Seven-facts-about-Sidney-Crosby-8217-s-comeback?urn=nhl-wp17992

Nick Swisher Orlando Hudson Paul Konerko Rajai Davis Robinson Cano

The last few races of the season are a championship battle, yes, but for drivers out of the hunt for the Sprint Cup, they’re the equivalent of your final few days of school: you’ve got scores to settle before the big break. And Brian Vickers, who’s become something of a NASCAR whipping boy after his wreck-happy day at Martinsville and the punishment Matt Kenseth delivered there, looked for all the world like he decided to keep the party going on Sunday at Phoenix.

Late in the race, with Kenseth neither a Cup contender nor a factor in the race, Vickers plowed straight into Kenseth’s rear bumper, sending him straight to pit road for lengthy repairs. Perhaps this was Kenseth’s fault for slowing up, but at Martinsville, Vickers used up every bit of sympathy he might have gotten from impartial observers.

Vickers apparently claimed over the radio that Kenseth had slowed up on the straightaway, and Kenseth’s own comments backed that up: “I was out of brakes, and I was up on everybody,” he said. “I saw [Vickers] coming and I lifted [off the throttle] at least 10 car lengths before where I would normally lift. And he drove in there at 165 miles per hour and cleaned us out.”

Vickers did not make himself available for comment after the race, which is probably not the best thing to do if you’re trying to maintain any semblance of innocence.

Naturally, in the wake of this kind of apparently (because there’s at least the possibility that this was an accident) premeditated retaliation, thoughts turned instantly to Kyle Busch and the penalty levied on him for deliberately slamming into Ron Hornaday at Texas.

“If NASCAR is going to start parking people for being mad 25 seconds after you wreck and wrecking somebody then you would park somebody for [what Vickers did],” Kenseth said. “You have someone that has been telling everybody for four or five weeks that as soon as he got a chance at a fast race track, he was going to make it hurt and wipe us out, and they do nothing about it. It was so premeditated; it just surprises me that they didn’t do anything. I am disappointed, but I expected it.”

NASCAR competition director John Darby had another take: “Had we felt that it was more than a racing incident, we would have reacted,” he said, “racing incident” being code for “not enough evidence one way or the other.” Fans and Kenseth are, of course, free to disagree with that interpretation of the event.

Regardless, Kenseth noted that this current incarnation of “boys, have at it” isn’t quite working: “We aren’t racing street stocks at a quarter-mile track,” he said. “They need to figure out how to get the drivers to settle their differences in a different way … instead of using your car as a battering ram somewhere this fast.”

And while Kenseth’s fans may have screamed for blood, that wasn’t happening. “I don’t stoop to that level,” he said. “When we had our problem at Martinsville, it was heat of the moment and he hit me eight or nine times and [I hit him] once. Hindsight, I should have let him go and left him alone, because you realize who he is and what he is and all that … I would never sit down there and wait for somebody and take a cheap shot like that. You can hurt someone like that, and that isn’t sportsmanlike and that isn’t something I would do.”

Of note: Vickers remains unsigned for 2012. Odds are he won’t be taking a seat at Roush-Fenway alongside Kenseth anytime soon.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/post/Where-8217-s-the-line-Brian-Vickers-takes-out-?urn=nascar-wp5227

Larry Fitzgerald Calvin Johnson Santana Moss Steve Johnson DeSean Jackson

Mississippi State is embracing social media on a new scale for Saturday’s Egg Bowl showdown with rival Ole Miss.

Instead of painting the usual, plain old “Mississippi State” in the end zone, the university has replaced the school name with “#HailState” in white lettering with a maroon background. “Hail State” is the school fight song and a common cheer. The “#” signifies a hashtag used on Twitter to categorize a multitude of tweets on a subject under a single heading.

Chances are Mississippi State is going to use #HailState at the end of every tweet pertaining to this weekend’s game, and ask fans to do the same in an effort to pack as much information, observations, pictures and probably more than a little trash talk in one place. (No truth to the rumor that Ole Miss’ sideline will read “LMAO.”)

It’s all very 2011, and might be something that catches on as social media continues its rise to media dominance.

- – -
Curtsy (female version of the hat tip) to KegsnEggsBlog.com
Graham Watson is on Facebook and Twitter: Follow her @Yahoo_Graham

Source: http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday/post/Mississippi-State-hopes-to-score-literally-wi?urn=ncaaf-wp10366

Ahmad Bradshaw Ray Rice Peyton Hillis Darren McFadden Cedric Benson

Now in its seventh year, the College Football BlogPoll is a weekly effort of dozens of college football-centric Web sites representing a wide array of schools under the oversight of SB Nation. As always, this is an ever-evolving snapshot meant to judge teams exclusively on their existing resumés. It pays as little regard as possible to my guess as to what’s going to happen over the course of the season, or what would happen in a make-believe game “on a neutral field” or anywhere else. It’s subjective, but ideally, it’s not a guess: It’s a judgment on the evidence that actually exists. It is not a power poll.

The particularly virulent strain of anarchy that took hold of the BCS standings over the weekend has tended to blot out everything else in the name of speculation and uncertainty, and hey, it is that time of year. But there is still one certainty at the top: LSU, whose dominance was established so early, and has been reinforced so decisively, that it’s almost easy to take the Tigers for granted. While every other would-be frontrunner has been busy dodging bullets from every direction, LSU has put so much distance between itself and the rest of the poll that it can almost afford a mulligan over the final two weeks ? after road wins at Alabama and West Virginia and neutral-site throttling of Oregon in the season-opener, a win over Arkansas on Friday virtually guarantees the most impressive resumé in the nation regardless of what happens in the SEC Championship Game the following week.

The fact that No. 2 Alabama could actually secure a slot in the BCS Championship Game before the Tigers ? if they follow an LSU win on Friday with a win over Auburn on Saturday, the Crimson Tide will pass straight to the national title match without the nuisance of actually playing for their own conference title ? is a whole new level of byzantine injustice, even for the BCS. (Seriously: If the status quo holds, the system will be essentially rewarding Alabama for losing to LSU on Oct. 5.) Based on what we’ve seen so far, though, any skepticism about the Tigers’ final destination is purely academic.

? Ain’t got a place to fall. Yes, Oklahoma State lost to Iowa State on Friday night, and yes, I still have the Cowboys ranked ahead of Arkansas, which appears at No. 3 in all of the mainstream polls. That’s a (predictably) knee-jerk reaction by the pollsters: As bad as the collapse in Ames looks, Oklahoma State still has six wins over winning teams to Arkansas’ three, not including the 60-point blowout OSU laid on Texas Tech in Lubbock. Arkansas has also had its own road issues against mediocre teams, struggling to put away Ole Miss and Vanderbilt in consecutive weeks in October. And frankly, an overtime loss to a winning team on the road isn’t that much worse than getting shellacked by Alabama.

At any rate, that’s only a temporary tale of the tape: Any and all remaining questions about the Razorbacks will be answered definitively Friday in Baton Rouge, where they will either stake their claim on the SEC and BCS championships or go tumbling into the abyss of two-loss teams below, never to be heard from again until the Cotton Bowl.

? The Big Sleep. Regarding the abyss of teams below Arkansas: There is very, very little margin this week between No. 5 (Boise State) and No. 20 (Baylor). Clearly the Broncos and Bears belong at the top and the bottom of that grouping, respectively, but the rest are organized more or less categorically: After Boise, there are the other one-loss teams with relatively uninspiring schedules (Stanford and Virginia Tech), followed by the cream of the dog-eat-dog Big 12 (Oklahoma and Kansas State), followed by the best of the Pac-12 (USC and Oregon), followed by the Big Ten bloc (Michigan State, Penn State, Michigan and Wisconsin), followed by the Southern flank (Clemson, South Carolina and Georgia), which frankly is a lot longer on reputation at the moment than on impressive wins.

This is where the Big Ten and Big 12, especially, can effectively counter the SEC’s top-heavy chest-beating with their impressive parity throughout the league. Where the most notable part of both South Carolina and Georgia’s schedules is the absence of Alabama and LSU from either one ? Georgia conveniently missed Arkansas en route to the division title, too ? there have been far fewer omissions in the top halves of the Big Ten and Big 12, and those teams have the battle scars to prove it.

? No, I see you. Houston finally beat a team with a winning record by more than four points, and for that the Cougars move up a spot, from No. 20 to No. 19. They still need two more wins to convince me to stop calling them out as the most overrated team in the nation: This Friday against 8-3 Tulsa, which has taken seven straight on the heels of a brutal non-conference schedule, and then in the Conference USA Championship Game against (most likely) Southern Miss. As it stands, Houston has still yet to beat a team that’s guaranteed itself of a winning record.

? Proof. This week’s resumé grid for public consumption:

L: Losses
PPG: Average margin of victory (points per game)
YPP: Average margin per play (yards per play)
Sked: Strength of schedule (as calculated by Jeff Sagarin)

As always, everything will be completely different next week.
- – -
Matt Hinton is on Facebook and Twitter: Follow him @DrSaturday.

Source: http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday/post/Top-25-LSU-strikes-a-note-for-stability?urn=ncaaf-wp10405

Peyton Hillis Darren McFadden Cedric Benson LeSean McCoy Matt Forte

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

David Garrard Jon Kitna Kyle Orton Jay Cutler Eli Manning

Kris Humphries is looking for a parting gift from now ex-wife Kim Kardashian by suing her, according to BlackSportsOnline.com. Humphries fails to recognize that without Kardashian, nobody would have a clue who he was.

This is a pathetic attempt by Humphries to stay relevant and suck more cash and fame out of Kardashian while people still care about him.

He’s looking to score money in this lawsuit to compensate for the contract that he’s never going to see, as being a fringe role player for the Nets during the prime of his career doesn’t exactly speak well for his NBA future.

With the NBA lockout still in effect, he’s got to snag a little dough while the paychecks are not rolling in.

“(Humphries) is claiming his role on Kourtney & Kim Take New York is bigger than he was told, and that’s why he wants more money. But Kris is also suing because he’s really worried about how badly he’s going to be portrayed on the series.”

Seriously? His pain and suffering is worth a whopping $10 million? Humphries probably thought he was set for life when he said, “I do” and this is a last-ditch effort to still rake in some dough.

It appeared as though we were done talking about this relationship and Humphries was going to disappear off the face of the earth, but this lawsuit delays his inevitable decline into irrelevancy.

Read more NBA news on BleacherReport.com

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/952585-kris-humphries-suing-kim-kardashian-is-pathetic-ploy-to-suck-cash-from-kim-k

Steve Johnson DeSean Jackson Hakeem Nicks Miles Austin Marques Colston

Little did Chael Sonnen known that his life would be turned upside on August 7th, 2010, when he took on Anderson Silva at UFC 117.

After arguably the most dominating performance in mixed martial arts history, Sonnen found himself in one of the worst positions a fighter can possibly find himself in.

Silva had trapped Sonnen in a triangle armbar with just two minutes remaining in the fifth and final round. Just seconds later, Sonnen tapped, allowing Silva to remain the undisputed UFC middleweight champion.

However, following their historical bout, it was Sonnen who made it known to the world that he wanted a rematch with the world champion.

And, after an impressive submission victory over Brian Stann at UFC 136, that’s exactly what Sonnen got.

Or did he?

Silva was originally expected to return at some point in the early parts of 2012, but news recently broke that not only would Silva not be putting his title up for grabs in a few short months, but he also wouldn’t make a return to the Octagon until at least June of 2012.

With Silva’s shoulder injury worse than once thought to be, it will not only change his course of direction, but Sonnen’s as well.

If Sonnen were to wait for Silva, it would have been nine months since his last outing in the Octagon, which is very unlikely to happen.

Following one of the best events in UFC history at UFC 139, UFC president Dana White was asked if Sonnen could take part in UFC on FOX 2, which will air January 28th, 2012 in Chicago, Illinois.

White immediately responded with, “It’s possible.”

While nothing is certainly set in stone, there’s a possibility we could see Chael Sonnen squaring off in the main event at the United Center for UFC on FOX 2.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/951017-anderson-silva-out-until-june-2012-chael-sonnen-to-fight-at-ufc-on-fox-2

Andrea Bargnani Blake Griffin Brook Lopez Carmelo Anthony Chauncey Billups

The United States retained the Presidents Cup with a wire-to-wire 19-15 victory over the International Squad.  Team USA got ahead 4-2 after Thursday’s alternate shot matches.  They built on that lead Saturday, giving them a four-point advantage headed into Sunday.  The large deficit proved to be too much for the International Squad to overcome. 

The win came at Royal Melbourne, the site of the Team USA’s only loss in 1998.  They now have a record of 7-1-1 against the International Squad.

Here are my grades along with a quick overview of the International team’s effort.

Begin Slideshow

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/948674-presidents-cup-2011-grades-for-team-usa

LeBron James Luis Scola Luol Deng Manu Ginobili Michael Beasley

A length-of-the-court baseball pass. An acrobatic, lunging layup. A jubilant dog pile beneath the basket.

Yes, Butler’s final play of regulation Saturday against Evansville had all the makings of a memorable game winner except for one problem: Andrew Smith’s apparent tie-breaking basket didn’t count.

Referees nullified Smith’s shot because in their view the ball hadn’t left his hand when time expired, but they ruled the Evansville defender fouled the Butler center with 0.2 seconds remaining. Smith clanked both free throws, paving the way for Evansville to christen its new arena with a controversial 80-77 victory in overtime.

It’s difficult to say for sure whether the refs made the correct call because red lights behind the backboard didn’t light up to signal when time expired. But if the final horn indeed sounded between when Smith was fouled and when he released the shot, then the call was correct based on A.R. 34 of the NCAA’s 2011-12 Basketball Case Book.

The rule reads: “When it is determined that the foul occurred before the reading of zeros on the game clock but the try was not released before the reading of zeros, the foul shall be penalized and the goal shall not count. When it can be determined with the use of the monitor, the official shall be permitted to put the exact time on the game clock as to when the foul occurred. ”

Butler can’t complain too vociferously about the referees since it squandered a 12-point second-half lead, but the final play of regulation was one of several key borderline calls that went against the Bulldogs. Not only did Evansville have a 43-24 advantage in free throws attempted, video replays confirmed that Colt Ryan was out of bounds when he stripped the ball from Smith and scored on a layup late in overtime.

Butler coach Brad Stevens did not overtly criticize the referees after the game, though he did make a pair of thinly veiled references while speaking to reporters in his postgame news conference. He said “43 to 24 probably tells the whole story” and that Ryan is “hard to guard at the free throw line.”

Despite the loss, Stevens appeared to be encouraged with his team as a whole.

Smith scored 21 points on 6-for-8 shooting and tallied nine boards and four blocked shots, though he did go just 3 of 8 from the free throw line in the final 2:09 of regulation and the five-minute overtime. And Crishawn Hopkins made the most of his first career start, scoring a career-high 22 points.

Said Stevens: “What I learned today is that we’re going to have a very good basketball team.”

Source: http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/blog/the_dagger/post/Were-refs-correct-to-wipe-out-Butler-s-unlikely-?urn=ncaab-wp6099

Joe Mauer Johnny Damon Josh Hamilton Juan Pierre Luke Scott

Tiger Woods found his game at the 2011 Presidents Cup in Melbourne, Australia, nearly two years after losing it along with his credibility during a winter incident at his Florida home.

Since late 2009, it had been painfully obvious that Woods was shaken to his core by the developments in his personal life. The Tiger Woods sex scandal was front page news everywhere and Woods’ golf game went to the dumps.

But if Woods’ solid play was any indication the past four days down under, the 35-year-old is once again relevant and among the top golfers in the world. Here’s what fellow professional golfer Greg Norman had to say about Woods’ play:

He stepped up to the plate. He putted extremely well, any player hates to see another great player struggle, because we all know what it’s like to go through the ins and outs of the game. At the end of the day, you want to see the player who has dominated the game come back.

Woods strong final day at the Presidents Cup locked up an American victory, and that cannot be denied. Without his brilliant late-tournament stretch, the U.S. doesn’t win.

After an embarrassing Day 1 effort that had and will continue to have the nonbelievers somehow suggesting he’s done already, Woods stuck with it and knocked off Aaron Baddeley 4 and 3, proving he still relishes in big moments that shrink 95 percent of golfers.

His perseverance and clutch shots reminded everyone why and how he managed to captivate so many sports fans not so long ago.

A dismal 2011 campaign for Woods has been turned completely around—like the water in the toilet bowl in Australia.

After having been cut from seven out of nine events this season, the California native has returned to golf, come full circle and for that we are grateful.

Read more Golf news on BleacherReport.com

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/948691-presidents-cup-2011-tiger-woods-win-for-us-proves-hes-on-upswing

Chad Billingsley Chris Carpenter Clay Buchholz Clayton Kershaw Cliff Lee

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.

I’m going to a horse race this weekend. (Yes, I know, #thingswhitepeopledo.) And friends, I cannot wait. I’m going to drive everyone around me insane with NASCAR-related jokes. “Watch out for the #83 horse! He’ll knock those other nags on their haunches!” “The #48 horse just backed into the fence! What the hell?” “When are they going to start tandem racing?” Oh, it’ll be a riot. Give me some jokes to use in the comments, please.

But let’s begin by talking about Mr. Consistency …

Matt Kenseth said that “Carl is so incredibly lucky that it is going to be hard to beat him” in a post race interview. Is it really luck that Carl has had three ‘bad’ races that resulted in top 10 finishes? Or is it a driver and team who can fight back from anything that will win him this championship?

? Janine R

Well, luck is the residue of design. Thomas Edison said that, or maybe Snoopy. Yes, Edwards has had some good finishes, but nobody in the Chase has rebounded from adversity the way that he has this year. He’s been the most consistent, by a long shot, and if he wins the Chase without winning a Chase race, well … so be it. I’ve said for months that whoever wins this Chase, there’ll be screams of conspiracy. All things considered, “Edwards ran too consistently all season long! He doesn’t deserve the Cup!” isn’t the worst criticism you could level at a guy, or a system.

Of course, what if Edwards’ “luck” is the result of NASCAR helping you? That’s the subject of our next letter …

____________________

Why was the 99′s black flag reversed? He clearly broke the rule. All year long it’s: NASCAR tells you your spot, you get to it before the final turn, if you get out of line after that, black flag. Pretty cut and dry. Edwards broke the rule, but due to his points position he was allowed to break it. [Edited out the comparison to Kevin Harvick NOT getting a break last week.] The consistency sucks, IMO.

?Fatback

Well, here’s the thing. Edwards didn’t break the rule, because NASCAR screwed up and gave him the wrong spot. They were telling him to get into the right spot, and that’s exactly what he was doing. There was miscommunication between the track and the officials. It was the NASCAR version of an inadvertent whistle in basketball or football. (Baseball never admits mistakes.) And this isn’t a new thing; at the Talladega driver’s meeting, Brian Vickers questioned NASCAR’s issues in sorting out the field properly on restarts. And guess who chimed in with a sentiment that NASCAR needs to get it right before the restart? Kevin Harvick.

So, yes, as with so many other conspiracy theories, it only holds up if you look at it from a distance. But if it makes you feel better that the world is against you and your driver, go ahead.

Want another way to fix the Chase? Hey, why not?

____________________

My plan would be this; Win during the regular season and you are in. Chasers start the chase with no points and race just amongst themselves as a feature or “chase race” after the “non-chase” race. For a “wild card,” the winner of the preliminary or “non chase” would race in the “chase race” and if he wins, is eligible for next week’s “chase race.” There will be five points for a win at each track. Tie breaker after the final “chase race” would be a point for each chase lap led first followed by a point each for total chase position gained. This would force drivers to race hard and should produce exciting racing. Race at five tracks. Have a short track, Bristol or Martinsville, a 1.5 cookie cutter, Charlotte or Atlanta, a road course, Watkins Glen, a night race on dirt at Eldora and finish where it began, at Daytona. Now that’s a playoff!

?Bill Phypers
Brewster, N.Y.

Not bad, though insanely complicated, as these things often are. I’d like to propose my own idea: win and you’re in, plus one or two wild cards to the highest point-ranking drivers without a win. Yes, this year that would have given us almost 20 drivers this year, but so what? It places a premium on winning, though it’d also allow for cruising once you got that first win. I dunno. Screw it. Why not just have one big long marathon race? They run each race, and then when it’s done they drive to the next track in their cars. Zero rest. Whoever falls asleep last wins. You got a better idea?

____________________

The separation in point values being higher for finishing higher in the race is an important element to maintain if you want to encourage drivers to race for every position. But to truly accomplish such, I think that requires each position gained be more valuable than the last. In other words, the difference between 10th and 11th is greater than the difference between 11th and 12th, etc. Yeah, this may seem complicated and require fractions of points be awarded, but it just makes sense. A position gained in the top 10 is more relevant and indicative of performance than a position gained while middling in the 20s or 30s. Another advantage of this is that it makes overcoming point deficits much more achievable. Of course, it does penalize a bad race even more than the current system. As such, a win has to be compensated that much more. How to do such could be figured out someone far more mathematically inclined than myself.

Does it really seem fair that someone could win 4 races in the Chase but still be runner-up? Not to me.

?Devin

While I appreciate what you’re trying to get at here, and you make some good points, I would like to take this opportunity to propose a moratorium on all proposals to rework the Chase and/or points scenarios. No framework is ever going to satisfy everybody. Never. No, not even yours. So unless you’ve got some astonishingly wacky idea like racing atop badgers, let’s save it until next year.

The problem with every solution is that in attempting to be more “fair,” we end up with hypercomplicated scenarios that you need to solve with calculators. Carl Edwards is eight points ahead of Tony Stewart. Thus, Tony needs to finish more than eight spots ahead of Carl to take the lead (bonus points notwithstanding). That’s so simple, even a stick-and-ball fan can follow it.

____________________

I’m sure everyone has been reading about Tim Tebow’s very public drop to one knee/say a prayer/ play football routine. It got me to thinking. A lot of fans of the NFL probably don’t care much about prayer before their games, but at every single NASCAR race I attend each season there is always a prayer before the National Anthem. I started to wonder how those fans would feel about this if they ever attended a race. Tim Tebow says a quick prayer and it seems a lot of people hate him for that. How would they feel if they saw over 100,000 fans at Bristol all fall silent as Joe Gibbs gave the blessing? I have sat next to many fans who openly say they don’t believe in God, but they remove their hats and stand tall out of respect for anyone around them that does. Could it be that outsiders understand NASCAR really is a sport dominated by tradition mostly grounded in southern roots?

?Wes

It’s interesting how NASCAR sidesteps the questions of religion that come up in other sports, mainly because NASCAR has never even thought to use the prerace prayer as a political bargaining chip. There’s a lesson in there somewhere about not compromising your beliefs based on public opinion.

The reason people have such a problem with Tebow is the same reason people have a problem with Dale Earnhardt Jr., fine wine and certain hipster rock bands ? it’s not him, it’s his fans. Tebow seems like a perfectly nice fellow who has a long way to go to be an average quarterback. But when his fans proclaim that he’s the backfield messiah, and when they reflexively see any attack on him as an attack on religion (it’s not; even Jesus had a quicker release than Timmay), well, it gets a lot harder for Everyfan to stomach. As with everything else, when religion gets used as a battering ram, not as a means of comfort, those on the fence are that much more likely to push back ? not against religion itself, but against those who love to rub your face in how holy they are.

Wow, that got deep in a hurry. Let’s wrap with some Junior love, OK?

The paint that Junior ran at Martinsville is the best paint scheme ever on this COT. This is the one he should be running full time. Unfortunately, when he gets a good paint scheme, he does his best to try and knock it off the car. Run that one (it really does look good on that car) and drive like he did Sunday, and maybe, just maybe next year we’ll have something to cheer about.

I’m so sorry! I lost your name off this one! Email me back, hopeful Junior fan! But yes, Junior is getting some better-looking ink on his car. And he’s making sure a lot of his competitors go home with it on theirs, too.

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-Would-you-rather-be-lucky-good-82?urn=nascar-wp5051

Mario Manningham Vernon Davis Braylon Edwards Jabar Gaffney Anthony Armstrong

Tiger Woods has yet to notch a single point at the 2011 Presidents Cup, yet the Americans own a 7-5 lead over the International team at Royal Melbourne.

What does that tell you?

Allow me to answer that question for you—that Tiger, as everyone already knew, is irrelevant in the golf world today.

To be fair, neither team has played particularly well in Australia so far. The 24 participants, among them some of the best golfers in the world, managed just 42 birdies and one eagle in 408 chances on Friday, thanks in large part to whipping winds that wrought havoc on the entire field.

But that hardly masks the fact that the U.S. is still ahead, despite Woods finishing the day 0-2 and winning just one hole out of 30. Woods has never performed particularly well in international team competitions, most notably in the Ryder Cup.

It would seem, then, that the International squad will need more than just a steely stare or two from Stevie Williams, Tiger’s ex-caddie, to keep the Americans from coming out on top Down Under.

Of course, Tiger’s demise in the sport isn’t exactly breaking news. Woods has been in decline since 2008, when he defeated Rocco Mediate in an 18-hole playoff to win the U.S. Open while essentially hobbling around on one leg. The emergence of Woods’ marital infidelity and the ensuing fallout threw his comeback into doubt and his personal life into a nationally televised downward spiral.

Not surprisingly, Tiger hasn’t won a single event since.

And while he doesn’t figure to win much of anything at this year’s Presidents Cup, Woods’ failures won’t likely deter the Yanks from claiming their fourth piece of hardware in a row, adding yet another exhibit to the rather extensive case file to prove that Tiger, at least as a pure golfer, doesn’t matter anymore.

Read more Golf news on BleacherReport.com

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/947076-presidents-cup-2011-us-advantage-proves-that-tiger-woods-is-irrelevant

Clayton Kershaw Cliff Lee Cole Hamels Dallas Braden David Price

The NBA lockout dribbles on at an agonizing pace. It’s like a bad dream where Marko Jaric and Jason Kapono are taking the ball up the floor: Everything’s in slow motion and you’re just waiting for the inevitable half-court violation. 

Who knew that we’d continue to see pump fakes, last-second shots and sideline strategies even when the gyms were empty? The most recent desperation treys have clanged off the rim, and now the NBA lockout has placed the 2011-2012 season in jeopardy.

For his part David Stern says it’s the players’, or better yet, the agents’ fault. He contends that if they weren’t so greedy, then this silly lockout wouldn’t be necessary. Then everybody would be happy. The union says it’s the owners’ fault. 

Fans have a tough choice: side with the millionaire players or the multi-millionaire/billionaire owners. Many choose the owners: They lay out the capital to ‘sell’ the brand (aka, ‘the team’).  And the brand’s all-important, right? 

Wilt, Larry, Magic, Michael and Kobe are great, but we cheer for the team. The players are replaceable. And in these economic times, it’s difficult to sympathize with the average ballplayer, who made more than $5 million last season. But we don’t hear the other side, do we? 

David Stern’s contract reportedly rivals Kobe’s contract. NBA franchise values have jumped $162 million on average since 2000. And, if Stern has his way, the players’ take of the basketball related income (BRI) will be reduced from 57 percent to 40 percent. 

That 17 percent drop means $750 million in the owners’ pockets eventually. It also means that franchise price tags could jump as much as 30 percent because there’s virtually no risk involved in owning.

I don’t know about you but this raises questions for me. Is one season really that important? We know from previous lockouts and strikes that life continues. Sometimes there are even replacements—not players, but replacement sports, games and pastimes. Who can forget the NHL lockout opening the door for competitive darts and poker? 

Well, ask Steve Nash if this season matters. Or Tim Duncan. These guys are pretty long in tooth to lose a season. How about 15-year vet and union pres Derek Fisher, who, incidentally, is also a vet of the last ‘labour action’? But they all chose to be in this position. Undoubtedly they miss playing. We miss seeing them play, but we had no choice.

Is there a ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ side in the NBA lockout? Both sides are standing on principle. The future of the game is in the crosshairs (just ask any player: this is as much for the Kyries and the Kembas and the Jimmers as it is for themselves). 

And, of course, they’re risking a great deal of money as well. The owners make it by marketing the team (‘Come see your Celtics beat the hated Lakers!’); the players make it by representing and promoting the team (remember Antoine Walker as ‘employee No. 8’?). 

They make millions doing it, too. They’ll come back eventually, and when they do we’ll present them with the loving cup, wag our fingers at them and make them promise not to do it again. Until then we wait, hoping they’ll come to their senses.

Will fans benefit from the NBA lockout? Short answer: no. Long answer: possibly. They won’t kill the goose that lays the golden egg. There are profits at stake: It’s like having a license to print money. Careers are at stake: For some players hoops is all they’ll have, now or ever. It’s their ticket to a fabulous lifestyle. 

Glory is at stake: Most of you could name dozens, maybe even hundreds, of players off the top of your head. They live on because they performed memorably. Major League Baseball booted it in ’94 when they sacrificed the World Series. 

It’s taken years to win fans back and the residual effect is still noticeable. Olive branches, such as slashing ticket prices, are sometimes short-term concessions to fans whose noses are out of joint. 

It’s probably overly cynical, but eventually the cycle will begin again. MLB’s recent glad-handing-all-the-way-around, pat-each-other-on-the-back, quick-as-you-please agreement (before the deadline) is the exception. But there are long-term benefits for fans as well, such as greater competitiveness and a better all-round ‘product.’

So, who loses because of the NBA lockout? In the short term the players are missing their enormous pay cheques. But most will return. The owners are missing all the revenue that the brand (the team!) generates, as well. But they’ll take the locks off the gym doors someday. 

Fans are losing, too. We enjoy watching basketball, and it’s conspicuous by its absence. It’s the helplessness of the fan’s position that makes the waiting tough. I don’t know about you, but I’m dying to see my team on the floor again. Soon. Will this lockout mean a better NBA when play resumes? You’ll be the best judge of that.

Read more NBA news on BleacherReport.com

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/951521-nba-lockout-who-are-the-real-losers-in-the-impasse-between-owners-and-players

Jonathan Sanchez Josh Johnson Justin Verlander Mat Latos Matt Cain

Source: http://chicago.sbnation.com/chicago-cubs/2011/11/22/2579704/chicago-cubs-manager-dale-sveum

Adam Wainwright Anibal Sanchez Brett Myers C.J. Wilson CC Sabathia

Every NBA player would benefit from an end to the NBA lockout, but when the season starts, some would be better on a different NBA team.

If a swift end to the lockout miraculously appears and saves the NBA season, the topic of conversation can again return to player movement. But for some players, getting back into the NBA wouldn’t be enough—some need to get out of Dodge.

Who are some of the NBA’s bigger names who would benefit from a change of address? Let’s take a look.

Begin Slideshow

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/950851-nba-trade-talk-lamar-odom-and-5-players-who-would-be-better-on-another-team

Thomas Jones Frank Gore Brandon Jacobs Felix Jones Knowshon Moreno

Warning: As the title suggests, the following video contains a word you cannot say on television. Viewer discretion, etc.

ESPN has allowed Lee Corso pretty free rein over its GameDay set for nearly two decades, up to and including firing off guns in a crowded setting (on more than one occasion). But an on-air F-bomb? Shame, shame, shame.

Hamming it up as usual to close this morning’s show from Houston, Corso pulled a fairly standard fake-out: First, he brought out a megaphone emblazoned with the logo of visiting SMU, briefly extolled the virtues of the Mustangs, then quickly discarded it for a foam Cougar head belonging to Houston’s mascot, Shasta, to the delight of the home crowd. Typical stuff ? except that today’s delivery got unexpectedly salty:

“How can you pick against SMU? Look at that one there ? red, white and blue. [Picks up SMU megaphone] U-S-A! ? Ah, f___ it! [Tosses megaphone offscreen, dons Shasta head]“

Duly scandalized, colleagues Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit react like tittering children who just snuck into the back row of an R-rated movie. Fowler literally doubles over onto the desk, face-down, before pretending to scold Corso beneath the mascot head: “Shasta, shame on you! Wash that mouth out!” Herbstreit wears a seized grin that says “We’re going to be in so much trouble!” before launching into a nervous mock assault on the foam head. Only the guest picker, University of Houston alum and former Olympic gold medalist Carl Lewis, seems to appreciate the unscripted moment for chaos’ sake, probably because he’s used to live television going a little astray. Incredibly, the entire set did not burst into flames smelling of sulfur.

Of course, ESPN felt compelled to break into the first quarter of the Michigan-Nebraska game to air a brief apology from Corso in which he acknowledged the expletive (“I got a bit excited”) and promised it would never happen again. The professional scolds at the Federal Communications Commission and various nanny organizations will make certain of that, and the network may help their cause with a tape delay. Because as long as some people still have standards in this country, mature shrugs will never replace feigned gasps and adolescent giggling .

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

Source: http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday/post/Video-Lee-Corso-can-t-say-that-on-television?urn=ncaaf-wp10228

Brook Lopez Carmelo Anthony Chauncey Billups Chris Bosh Danny Granger

Some have Dan Henderson as the winner. Others say Rua should have gotten the nod. The majority of fans and pundits say the fight was a draw. They saw Henderson winning rounds 1-3 and Rua capturing the last two rounds, with round five a dominant 10-8 score for the former UFC light heavyweight champion.

Before we get into who is wrong or who is right, let me begin by saying that this fight couldn’t have happened at a better time in both men’s careers.

At 41 years young, it seems as though Henderson has developed a strong second wind on a career that is already headed to the Hall of Fame. He has won his past four fights against pretty tough competition and looked good doing so.

Shogun seems to have bounced back from a devastating loss to current UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones as well as some debilitating knee injuries that threatened to derail his once-mighty career. While his win over an uninspired Forrest Griffin at UFC 134 in Brazil was less than impressive, his performance against Henderson this past Saturday night clearly showed he still has the skill and more importantly the heart to remain competitive.

Getting back to the scoring of Saturday night’s main event: To be honest with you, it could have gone any of the three ways described above, and no one would be worse for wear. What both men did inside that Octagon is the stuff legends are made of and will never be forgotten by mixed martial arts fans as long as the sport is around. Henderson and Rua not only are supremely talented athletes, but are truly men motivated to put on performances like the one they put on at UFC 139.

If I was a trainer and had an up-and-coming fighter who was maybe lacking that something that wasn’t physical—whether it was his heart that was in question, or maybe the intestinal fortitude that is so very necessary to have in such a grueling sport—I would sit him down and make him watch Henderson-Rua over and over again.

This fight was more about heart and a will to win than it was about sheer physical talent. A fighter could have all the quickness, strength and athletic ability in the world, but without heart they have nothing.

Rua should walk away from this fight feeling as much a winner as Henderson. Maybe Henderson will enjoy the fruits of the victory by obtaining a title shot, but Rua should not and will not be slighted just because he has an “L” in the record books. Shogun fought back from adversity when all thought he was finished and almost managed to finish Henderson. There is no shame in the performance he displayed.

As far as a rematch is concerned, why tarnish what is considered one of the greatest fights of all time? There is no way they could possibly repeat the magic that we witnessed inside the Octagon in San Jose.

Take a look at the Urijah Faber-Jens Pulver bout from WEC 34 in June of 2008. Those two put on one hell of a fight, each man giving it their all for five rounds. They would meet again just six months later, and Faber won by choke in the first round. It was hard to watch after seeing the war the two had put on just a short time before.

That’s not to say that either Henderson or Rua would dominate the other should they meet again, but wouldn’t it be fairer to the fans and both fighters to remember the history that was made rather than trying to repeat something that was a once in a lifetime event?

Maybe somewhere down the line the two will meet again, Shogun is a former champion and Henderson seems to have earned a title shot. Who knows what could happen, but now is neither the time nor the place for these two warriors to do battle once again.

It’ll take a long time for their fight to really soak in, and it’ll be fun to reflect back on it whenever we feel the need. Why tarnish those memories when we should just sit back and enjoy them?

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/950308-ufc-139-rua-vs-henderson-no-rematch-is-needed-when-both-men-are-winners

Matt Cassel Matt Schaub Peyton Manning Matt Ryan Drew Brees

Source: http://boston.sbnation.com/boston-college-eagles/2011/11/18/2571455/bernie-fine-syracuse-scandal-jerry-sandusky-penn-state

Kyle Orton Jay Cutler Eli Manning Jason Campbell Carson Palmer

Time for our latest 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 it’s all down to this…

1. Carl Edwards and Tony Stewart. We’re giving both these cats the top ranking, because you know what? They both deserve it. Nobody’s running even close to as well as these guys right now, so why even try to differentiate? Each one brings different strengths to the table. And this should come down to the very last turn.  Last week’s ranking: 1 and 2.

3. Kasey Kahne. HurriKahne has made himself a lot of new fans in the last few weeks by the way he’s raced. Not because he’s necessarily been good, although that’s nice. But no, Kahne has had every opportunity to roll over and start planning for the good times to come at Hendrick in 2012, and he’s now taken his lame-duck team to victory lane. That’s impressive mental toughness right there, buddy-boy. Last week’s ranking: 9.

4. Kevin Harvick. Harvick’s one of those cats who’s either dominating the headlines or completely absent, and for most of the Chase, he’s been the latter. Sure, he’s stayed out of big trouble, but when you let the leaders keep finishing five spots ahead of you, well, you end up eliminated after Week 9. It’s true, math tells us so. At last, math is good for something! Well, unless you’re Kevin Harvick, and then math sucks.  Last week’s ranking: 4.

5. Matt Kenseth. The best part about this Chase, and indeed this season in general, is the way we’re seeing a total turnover at the top of the NASCAR pyramid. Sure, we’ll have a new champion; more on that in a moment. But we’ve seen the rise of a bona fide star in Matt Kenseth. Sure, he’s been around for awhile, but this was the year everybody started realizing that he might just be the go-to guy for all opinions NASCAR.  Last week’s ranking: 3.

6. Brad Keselowski. And here’s the other breakout star of the 2011 season. While it’s way too early to say if Keselowski can sustain this momentum, he’s certainly become a media darling and seems to have the foundation now in place for a long, strong career.  Last week’s ranking: 5.

7. Jimmie Johnson. Let’s all raise a glass to Jimmie Johnson now, shall we? It’s OK, doing it now doesn’t make you less of a NASCAR fan or whatever nonsense people use to avoid giving Vader his due. This was an exceptional run, and we won’t see its like again anytime soon. (Not for four more years, at a minimum.) The guy is incredible, and it’s all right to admit you’re impressed. (That said: Jimmie being done is a MUCH better story than Jimmie winning No. 6.)  Last week’s ranking: 7.

8. AJ Allmendinger. It starts to drop off pretty severely here, once we get into the Chasers who are underperforming and the non-Chasers who picked a bad time to have a good run. That said, The Dinger has now carded three top-10s in his last five races. That’s fairly impressive, and that’ll give him confidence that he can do more of the same in 2012. He’d better. You don’t want to see The King when he’s angry.  Last week’s ranking: NR.

9. Clint Bowyer. Bowyer is, of course, to some degree responsible for David Reutimann losing his ride. The garage is a small place. I wonder what happens if these guys happen to run into each other somewhere along the way. Or worse, if their wives/girlfriends run into each other. Or how about the drivers with kids? There’s a little playground in the drivers’ section of a lot of tracks. You think one kid’s going around saying, “My daddy took your daddy’s ca-ar”? I do. Kids are jerks.   Last week’s ranking: NR.

10. Kurt Busch. Oh, I’m going to avoid the easy segue from that last one and simply say that Kurt Busch just flat-out has to get his head together. The guy is an unbelievably good driver, and has the potential to be one of the best in the sport. But there’s no way you can say the horrible things KuBu does to his crew every week and not break them down like Bob Cratchit in “A Christmas Carol.” God bless us, every one … except for that foxing tire changer!  Last week’s ranking: 10.

11. Jeff Gordon. The sooner this Chase is over, the better for Jeff Gordon. He just hasn’t done anything worth writing home about. (Or IM’ing/Skyping/Twittering home; nobody writes home anymore. And your mom is sad about that.) Anyway, enough with 2011. If I was Jeff Gordon, I’d start, park and drink away the pain of this year at the Fontainebleaue on South Beach.  Last week’s ranking: 8.

12. Kyle Busch. Oh, Kyle. Kyle, Kyle, Kyle. What are we to do with you? You’ve veered from supervillain to pathetic figure faster than anybody, and that includes ex-presidents who leave office in disgrace but get recast as victims of circumstance. Like Gordon, it’s probably best if Kyle just wraps up the season as quickly as possible and heads off to the beach. But I’d recommend he keep his shirt on, for any number of reasons. Last week’s ranking: 11.

Dropping out of the rankings: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Greg Biffle.

Lucky Dog: Jeff Burton. Carl Edwards won’t be buying The Senator any beers anytime soon after being unable to keep Stewart from getting to third, but in and of itself, Burton’s fourth-place finish is pretty darn impressive.

DNF: Geoffrey Bodine, who spun three times in this race. Best part of that: his brother Todd protesting on Twitter that he (Todd) wasn’t the one causing all these problems, as if people thought he would be checking Twitter during the race.

Charging upward: David Reutimann, who got a 7th-place finish at a really tough track. Yep, he sucks. Cut him loose.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/post/Power-Rankings-At-the-top-it-s-a-pick-em?urn=nascar-wp5244

Michael Young Miguel Cabrera Nick Markakis Nick Swisher Orlando Hudson

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

Ray Rice Peyton Hillis Darren McFadden Cedric Benson LeSean McCoy

Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls should have been in action for fans to watch during Week 3 of the 2011-2012 regular season.  But, due to the ongoing NBAlockout, fans have been left watching Coach Mike Krzyzewski make history and hearing about NBA players who are considering playing overseas.

Instead of watching the Bulls play the Washington Wizards and the duel of Rose vs. John Wall, fans were left to watch the current Kentucky Wildcats beat the Kansas Jayhawks.

Instead of watching the Bulls play the Portland Trail Blazers, fans were left to watch Rudy Fernandez drop 14 points on Anadolu Efes as Real Madrid cruised to the win in the Euroleague.

Instead of watching the Bulls play the Phoenix Suns, fans were left to watch “the next Steve Nash” in Kevin Pangos at Gonzaga.

Instead of watching the Bulls play the Los Angeles Clippers for the second time this season, fans were left to watch Blake Griffin vs. Kevin Love in an intense game of Jenga.

Add to this the fact that Luol Deng was reported to be considering heading overseas during the extended lockout and this was a miserable week for Bulls fans.

So, without having any real games to report on, this is a hypothetical review of what could have been in Week 3, if billionaires and millionaires had been able to compromise and the season had started on time.

Begin Slideshow

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/948547-derrick-rose-and-the-chicago-bulls-hypothetical-week-3-review

Anthony Armstrong Percy Harvin Chris Cooley Wes Welker Anquan Boldin

Not even Tiger Woods, in all of his stumbling splendor, can keep the US team from capturing its fourth consecutive Presidents Cup.

And with the way Woods’ golf game has languished since 2009, that’s saying something.

The Americans dominated in foursome play at Royal Melbourne on a rain-soaked Saturday in Australia, earning points in four out of five matchups to extend their advantage from 7-5 to 11-6 after three days of play.

From Phil Mickelson and Jim Furyk’s furious comeback to top Aaron Baddeley and Jason Day to David Toms and Hunter Mahan making quick work of Retief Goosen and Charl Schwartzel, this turned out to be quite a moving day, indeed, for Fred Couples’ squad.

Heck, the Yanks were so dominant on Saturday, even Woods came away with a positive result. Granted, he still didn’t play particularly well, but, with Dustin Johnson by his side, Woods added a point to the American total with a win over K.J. Choi and Adam Scott.

He probably didn’t mind getting a bit of revenge against Stevie Williams, either.

The lone International triumph came from Ernie Els and Ryo Ishikawa, who battled Bill Haas and Matt Kuchar to the very end, only securing the result on the 18th hole.

The Internationals will need a Herculean effort on Sunday have any shot at wresting control of the Presidents Cup from the Americans for the first time since 1998, the last time the event was held at Royal Melbourne.

If captaincy is any reflection of how a team will perform, then you can expect the International squad, led by Greg Norman, to choke away whatever shot they would’ve had at capturing the Cup before the competition can even get heated.

As such, look for the Americans to hoist the hardware on Sunday before a rather pleasant return flight back to the States.

Read more Golf news on BleacherReport.com

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/947384-presidents-cup-2011-americans-set-to-seal-deal-vs-international-team-on-sunday

Nick Markakis Nick Swisher Orlando Hudson Paul Konerko Rajai Davis

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

Shaun Marcum Ted Lilly Tim Hudson Tim Lincecum Tommy Hanson

For this article, I decided to combine two of my lifelong passions: movies and basketball.

Jack Nicholson is one of the most talented, successful actors in cinema history, having won three Academy Awards. Given his status as the one of the most famous celebrity basketball fans, I am sure Jack is having withdrawals not getting to watch his beloved Los Angeles Lakers at the Staples Center.

What follows is five of his memorable movie quotes that are appropriate to the current NBA lockout.

Photo courtesy of: giggaheim.com

Begin Slideshow

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/949505-5-memorable-jack-nicholson-movie-quotes-appropriate-to-the-nba-lockout

Michael Cuddyer Michael Young Miguel Cabrera Nick Markakis Nick Swisher

Yale quarterback Patrick Witt has decided to forgo an opportunity to become a Rhodes Scholar to play against rival Harvard.

“I will be playing in the Yale-Harvard game this Saturday,” Witt said in an official press release. “My focus this week is solely on preparing for The Game alongside my teammates and coaches.”

Two weeks ago, Witt became a Rhodes Scholarship finalist, but the joy of the news was dampened when Witt learned the interview would be on the same day as The Game against rival Harvard. With interviews at Emory University in Atlanta, Witt would never have had enough time to do the 8 a.m. interview and fly back for The Game, which starts just four hours later.

Witt’s teammates told the Yale Daily News they knew of his decision earlier in the week.

“He told me a couple of days ago that he wasn’t going to continue to pursue the Rhodes Scholarship and was definitely going to play in the game on Saturday,” wide receiver Chris Smith told the paper. “I think he felt like that he had a responsibility as one of the best players on our team to be at the game.”

Witt, a history major with a 3.91 GPA, transferred from Nebraska two years ago for academic reasons and has since become one of the leaders of the Yale football team. It didn’t seem right that he not be there to give the seniors a chance for their first win against the Crimson. Yale has not defeated Harvard since 2006 and this year’s Harvard team is 8-1 and has already clinched the Ivy League title.

Football and the Rhodes Scholarship have collided a few times in the past few years. Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy was a finalist and Florida State safety Myron Rolle actually earned a Rhodes Scholarship. Rolle’s interview was on the same day the Seminoles played at Maryland, but the NCAA allowed him to take a chartered flight from his interview in Birmingham to College Park, Md., so he could still play in the game.

Witt was able to talk to a fellow Yale man who knew his situation. Coach Tom Williams missed his Rhodes finalist interview to attend San Francisco 49ers minicamp.

There is a bright side to this athlete-student tale. Witt, 22, can reapply for the Rhodes Scholarship; eligibility expires at age 24.

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

Other popular stories on Yahoo! Sports:
? Forde-Yard Dash: Damage done extends beyond Penn State
? College football power rankings: Cowboys’ Brandon Weeden shines
? Customized Tebow jerseys cause a stir

Source: http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday/post/Yale-QB-chooses-athlete-over-student-forgoe?urn=ncaaf-wp9867

Fred Jackson LaDainian Tomlinson Thomas Jones Frank Gore Brandon Jacobs

Last week Nebraska feared for its safety heading into the hornet’s nest that was Penn State. This week, Ohio State is making sure the Nittany Lions don’t have the same fears as they go on their first road trip since the allegations of child sex abuse by a former assistant coach rocked the school.

To that end, Ohio State student leaders have sent a letter to Ohio State students asking them to be respectful to Penn State on Saturday. Several players relayed the same message in a spot that is on YouTube and will play in the stadium.

Here is the text of the letter sent to students:

Dear Fellow Buckeyes,

The past 10 days have marked a period of turmoil at Penn State University, stemming from the alleged actions of a former assistant football coach. While the media has focused on the response of PSU students, coaches, and administrators, the true victims are the children who were abused. As we have watched events unfold, it has sometimes been easy to forget that some things are bigger than a single university and certainly bigger than football.

This weekend, we will host Penn State here at the Horseshoe. In 26 meetings between our two storied football programs, perhaps none has been as publicly scrutinized as this. It is important to remember that neither the athletes nor students of Penn State played a role in these alleged crimes, and that their university has been just as shocked and horrified by the news as we have ? they are a proud community and they love their school just as much as we love ours.

This Saturday, all eyes will be on the ‘Shoe. And as we welcome one of our conference rivals, we will remember the victims first, but also keep in mind that our visitors are not the people to whom we should direct our anger. The best fans in the land live right here at The Ohio State University, and we kindly ask that those of you who plan to attend this weekend’s game host our guests with the respect deserved by a fellow Big Ten school. It is important to treat visiting fans as we would hope that Ohio State fans would be treated on the road. We must remember that our actions as fans and students speak volumes about Ohio State as well.

Be loud. Be proud. Be respectful. And please enjoy the game!

Sincerely,

Nick Messenger, President of the Undergraduate Student Government
Tim Collins, President of Block “O”
Neal Majumdar, President of Sportsmanship Council
Jared Kamrass, Athletic Council Student Representative
Ashley Ferkol, Athletic Council Student Representative

Penn State has come under intense national scrutiny after former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky was charged with the sexual assault of eight boys, including one in the Penn State locker room showers. The scandal has resulted in the firing of coach Joe Paterno, and wide receivers coach Mike McQueary being placed on administrative leave. The entire scandal has enraptured the nation and caused high emotions across the country.

Hopefully, the messages by Ohio State’s student leaders and its football players will be heeded, and players, who had nothing to do with the scandal, can try to finish out their season in relative peace.

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

Source: http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday/post/Ohio-State-pleads-for-peace-as-Penn-State-comes-?urn=ncaaf-wp10006

Fred Jackson LaDainian Tomlinson Thomas Jones Frank Gore Brandon Jacobs

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.

Roberto Luongo and Andrew Brunette play a quick game of Jenga during a stoppage in play.

Preview: Carolina Hurricanes at Montreal Canadiens, 7 p.m. ET.

As far as I’m concerned, a streak starts at three, so the Habs look to start a home winning streak tonight versus a Carolina Hurricanes team that’s lost five of their last six. Keep an eye on the Canadiens’ blueline, which could be without Andrei Markov (knee), Chris Campoli (leg), Hal Gill (illness) and Jaroslav Spacek (foot).

Preview: Chicago Blackhawks at Vancouver Canucks, 10 p.m. ET.

The best rivalry in all of hockey continues as the Blackhawks look to exact some measure of revenge for a 6-2 home ice loss to the Canucks two weeks ago, as well as a Game 7 overtime loss to Vancouver the last time they were in town. Roberto Luongo will miss this one with either an upper- or lower-body injury, depending on who you talk to, and Dave Bolland returns to the lineup after missing three games with a sore right foot.

Preview: Anaheim Ducks at Los Angeles Kings, 10:30 p.m. ET

The Ducks have lost eight of their last nine, so it’s probably safe to say they’re hoping to win tonight. They’ll be in tough. Not only are the Kings also hoping to turn it around, but they appear to have started, breaking out offensively by dropping five on the Minnesota Wild Saturday. Looks like Jonas Hiller vs. Jonathan Quick in goal.

Evening Reading

? This Blackhawks fan feels he has failed as a sports parent. He may have. [Awkward Sandwich]

? Jaromir Jagr, on Claude Giroux: “I think he’s the top ? I don’t want to say he’s the best right now in the league, but he’s top three for sure. I never thought at the end of my career I was going to play with a guy like that. And that’s what’s made me happy.” [CSN Philly]

? Cody Hodgson sounds like a huge nerd. [PITB]

? After the death of Kyle Fundytus, Hockey Canada wants to teach proper shot-blocking technique at a younger age. [Calgary Herald]

Puck Buddy Comment of the Day: Cahramrod, on the plushie flash mob in today’s Puck Headlines:

Pink-bunny Chara wasn’t invited to the plushy flashmob???

Bold Prediction: A high-offense shootout at the Staples Centre, followed by the other, less awesome kind of shootout.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/Puck-Previews-Canucks-host-Hawks-Habs-host-Can?urn=nhl-wp17604

Michael Beasley Monta Ellis Nick Young Pau Gasol Paul Millsap

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

Danny Woodhead Justin Forsett Brandon Lloyd Roddy White Reggie Wayne

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

Roy Halladay Roy Oswalt Shaun Marcum Ted Lilly Tim Hudson

The NASCAR season is down to its final two races, and we’ve got one of the two competitors for the championship on the ‘cast. Tony Stewart, two-time champ, joined us today, and topics included:

? Whether he’s in the head of Carl Edwards, the one guy who’s still ahead of him in the standings, and what he saw in Edwards’ eyes when they talked after Stewart’s win in Texas on Sunday;

? How, in his younger days, he convinced the suits at former sponsor Home Depot to loosen up and let him show up to an appearance without shaving once in awhile;

? Whether he runs better when he’s got his back against the wall, angry at everyone around him;

? What television series he’d most like to star in after his appearance in “The Glades”;

? Why he thinks Danica Patrick, who will drive for his team next year, will be a success on the NASCAR circuit;

? His involvement with Coca-Cola’s Arctic Home charitable effort, which aims to protect the vanishing habitat of polar bears. Every Coke can, as well as the top of Stewart’s car, will be dyed white to draw attention to the cause, or you can go to ArcticHome.com to learn more.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/post/Yahoo-Sports-podcast-Tony-Stewart?urn=nascar-wp5196

Felix Jones Knowshon Moreno Jonathan Stewart Shonn Greene Ryan Torain

The most surprising aspect of Coastal Carolina upsetting LSU and Elon College taking down South Carolina on Tuesday night wasn’t just that a pair of programs from lightly regarded leagues defeated two SEC teams.

It was that neither the Chanticleers nor the Phoenix had to leave their own campus to do it.

Whereas power conference teams typically buy home games against mid-major and low-major opponents in return for financial guarantees worth anywhere from $40,000 to $100,000, LSU and South Carolina bucked the trend. Trent Johnson brought his LSU team to cramped, 1,039-seat Kimbel Arena and Darrin Horn signed off on South Carolina becoming the first-ever power-conference team to visit Elon’s Alumni Gym.

Whether you think venturing on the road was a wise decision or not will likely depend on if you’re a fan of one of college basketball’s haves or have-nots.

Fans of mid-major programs who have long struggled to induce high-major teams to grant them a home-and-home series or even a 2-for-1 will laud Johnson and Horn for not being afraid to play less well-known programs from their region away from home. Fans of power conference programs will note that the increased risk of an early-season loss far outweighs the benefit of getting players experience in a road setting.

Which side is right is probably a case-by-case situation dependent on the stature of the major-conference team involved and the risk-reward factor of the game.

North Carolina coach Roy Williams wasn’t taking much of a risk when he granted a home game to his alma mater, UNC Asheville, to christen its new arena on Sunday afternoon. Not only were the Tar Heels very unlikely to lose that game, Williams also knew neither his job nor his team’s season would be in jeopardy just in case the Bulldogs did the unthinkable and sprang an upset.

The stature of LSU and South Carolina dictate more caution.

Neither program is playing at a level right now where it can feel secure about winning any road game, especially one against a keyed-up upset-minded opponent buoyed by a raucous sellout crowd. Furthermore, both Johnson’s and Horn’s jobs may depend on proving their programs are headed in the right direction, so losses to little-known opponents will only intensify the pressure both are facing.

As former coaches at Nevada and Western Kentucky respectively, Johnson and Horn know how difficult it is for lower-level programs to land big-time games at home. It’s admirable that they’re more generous than most of their peers, but in this case that benevolence may come at a stiff price.

Source: http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/blog/the_dagger/post/Risky-road-games-backfire-for-LSU-and-South-Caro?urn=ncaab-wp6228

Tony Parker Zach Randolph Tom Brady Philip Rivers Aaron Rodgers

Never underestimate the power of the media. A day after every national media outlet ? including this one ? reported on Columbia University’s decision to ban the marching band from the Lions’ final home game for making fun of its 0-9 football team, the decision has been reversed. From the Columbia Spectator:

“We have reconsidered our decision regarding the Columbia Band’s performance at this Saturday’s last game,” athletic director M. Dianne Murphy said. “We are proud of our talented and dedicated student-athletes?but as we have discussed this issue over the past day, we come to the conclusion that the core free speech values of the University are best served by providing a forum both for speech that might sometimes offend?as well as for the kind of open discussion that ultimately leads to greater understanding and collegiality among all members of our community.”

How’s that for succumbing to the national pressure?

Two days ago, the Columbia University athletic department told the band it would not be allowed to perform at the Brown game after the band altered the words of the alma mater, “Roar, Lion, Roar” to explicitly make fun of its lowly football team. The band sang the new words, which included, “We always lose, lose, lose; by a lot, and sometimes by a little” as the team walked by them following a 62-41 loss to Cornell.

News of the school’s penalty?imposed in reaction to the alternative lyrics to the school fight song the band sang as the Lions (0-9, 0-6 Ivy) exited the field following their loss to Cornell?provoked polarized reactions. It sparked sharp criticism of the athletic department for its censorship, but also seemed to provide an opportunity for some to express long-brewing resentment of the raucous student group.

Parents complained about the band’s overbearing and sophomoric antics, while some CC alums threatened to withhold donations unless the decision was reversed. Meanwhile, the band maintained a conciliatory and apologetic public tone.

“I think they’re trying to be fair, in the context of the situation. If you’re not willing to be a part of the program, there are consequences,” outgoing band manager José Delgado said Thursday after being informed of the ban. “We did not act in the way we want to act, and those are the consequences.”

The game against Brown traditionally signifies the changing of the guard for the band’s leadership. Prior to this decision, that ceremony was going to be held during the evening basketball game.

If Columbia loses Saturday, it will mark its first winless season since the Lions lost 44 straight from 1983-88. In 1985, the band played the Mickey Mouse Club theme when the team came on the field.

“The band is grateful to have been told this evening that the athletic department will allow us to attend the football game this Saturday against Brown,” the Columbia University Marching Band said in a statement sent to the Columbia Spectator. “We look forward to honoring the senior class?both on the football team and in the band?and cheering the Columbia Lions on to victory.”

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

Source: http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday/post/Massive-media-coverage-gets-banned-Columbia-band?urn=ncaaf-wp10135

Hiroki Kuroda Jaime Garcia Jered Weaver Johan Santana Johnny Cueto

Source: http://boston.sbnation.com/boston-college-eagles/2011/11/18/2571372/college-football-preview-week-12-nebraska-michigan-boston-college-notre-dame

Juan Pierre Luke Scott Marco Scutaro Michael Cuddyer Michael Young

Making the morning rounds.

? Back to the drawing board. Having just watched its burgeoning identity as a power-running team evaporate in a 17-5 flop at Missouri, Texas is hitting the stretch run with no one left to keep running even if it wanted to: Injuries to senior Fozzy Whittaker (torn ligaments), freshman Malcolm Brown (turf toe) and freshman Joe Bergeron (hamstring) have left the Longhorns without their top three tailbacks for Saturday’s date with Kansas State, and possibly for their final Thanksgiving trip to Texas A&M next week. On the heels of back-to-back 400-yard games against Texas Tech and Kansas, UT was held to 76 yards on the ground at Mizzou ? its worst game of the season before sacks ? after Whittaker went down for the season on his fourth carry.

“We got us a real mess right now,” coach Mack Brown said Monday. “The thing you look at is, we’ve got an identity. And all of a sudden, that identity is gone in the first quarter. So we’ve got to go back and regroup. ? We can’t plan on Joe and Malcolm being ready on Saturday, and we can’t plan on them playing the whole game if they are ready.” [Austin American-Statesman]

? No pressure, kid. Washington quarterback Keith Price underwent an MRI on his left knee Monday, opening the door for Nick “Yes That Montana” Montana to earn his first career start Saturday against Oregon State. Montana, son of Joe, played the entire fourth quarter after Price was knocked out of Saturday’s 40-17 loss at USC, connecting on his first touchdown pass with 13 seconds to play in the blowout.

“We’ll prepare ourselves for Nick Montana to make his first start Saturday,” said coach Steve Sarkisian, “and if things change then things change. But I think you have to prepare for that so we don’t get caught off-guard.” [Seattle Times]

? The Rap Sheet. Michigan safety Marvin Robinson was charged with second-degree home invasion last week after allegedly stealing an Xbox video game system from another resident’s dorm room on Sept. 29. He was arraigned on Nov. 8 and released on a personal recognizance bond. “We are aware of the report,” said coach Brady Hoke, who has held Robinson out since the second game of the season with an undisclosed injury. “We will let the legal process run its course, and we will not have any further comment until that time.” [Detroit Free Press]

? You can’t do that on television. Georgia Tech linebacker Jeremiah Attaochu has been suspended by coach Paul Johnson for the first half of Saturday’s game against Duke after punching Virginia Tech quarterback Logan Thomas at the end of a critical third down sack last Thursday night. Instead of forcing the Hokies into a punt on fourth-and-long with the Yellow Jackets leading 26-21 late in the third quarter, Attaochu’s punch needlessly extended the drive, which ended with Thomas rumbling into the end zone for the first of 17 unanswered points by Virginia Tech to close the game.

“It’s out of character for him,” Johnson said on Monday. “Certainly, that’s not his M.O., and that’s why it’s not more [than a suspension for a single half]. But I think that certainly, we don’t condone that and I know he’s learned his lesson, but there still needs to be something. You have to pay a price when you mess up.” [Atlanta Journal Constitution]

? Gator down. Florida cornerback Marcus Roberson, a full-time starter as a true freshman, is out for the season with a strained neck he suffered against South Carolina. The injury isn’t considered career-threatening, but will force the Gators to turn to sophomore Cody Riggs or one of three other freshmen ? Joshua Show, De’Ante Saunders and Loucheiz Purifoy ? to fill the void. This item exists mainly because it will be my only chance this season to type “Loucheiz Purifoy.” [Gainesville Sun]

In other injury news? Mississippi State cornerback Nickoe Whitley is out for the season with a ruptured Achilles tendon. [Clarion-Ledger] ? And Tennessee quarterback Tyler Bray has been cleared to practice and may play Saturday against Vanderbilt. [Knoxville News Sentinel]

? An offer they couldn’t refuse? By far, the most bizarre story of the day comes from Boulder, Colo., where a local couple returned home early Sunday morning to discover a severed buffalo head in their front yard. Don’t worry: It didn’t belong to Colorado‘s live buffalo mascot, Ralphie, who (as helpfully noted by the Boulder Daily Camera) was “last seen publicly running across Folsom Field prior to the start of the CU Buffs’ game against Arizona on Saturday.” Two retired Ralphies are both accounted for on ranches, the locations of which the university does not disclose. An investigation is underway. [Boulder Daily Camera]

Quickly? Boise State is appealing NCAA sanctions as “excessive” and an “abuse of discretion.” ? DeVier Posey returns to Ohio State‘s lineup just in time for Senior Day. ? Ex-Missouri running back Derrick Washington is sentenced to five years in prison for sexual assault. ? On Vanderbilt as the most important game of Derek Dooley’s tenure at Tennessee. ? The Liberty Bowl can’t pass up an opportunity to match Mississippi State and Southern Miss. ? Tim Kish is looking for players who actually appear interested in playing against Arizona State. ? ? And less than 48 hours after his team was spanked by Louisiana Tech, Kentrell Lockett speculates on just how much “the NCAA would hate us” if Ole Miss snapped its 12-game SEC losing streak against No. 1 LSU.

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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-Ailing-Horns-start-over-again-wit?urn=ncaaf-wp9917

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