Lockout videos: 1962 All-Star game
Nothing to watch tonight? Why not pull up a dissection of the Xs and Os, as brought to you by Coach Nick from BBallBreakdown, behind the 1962 NBA All-Star game. Live, from the Missouri Sports Palace! Elgin Baylor sticks out to me, as it does for Coach Nick. A reverse lay-in, which was just unheard-of back then, to say nothing of the litany of athletic fakes and brilliant touch that made him such an imposing and sadly underrated NBA legend. And Oscar Robertson’s Dwyane Wade(notes)-esque inside-out dribble? Not bad. Not bad at all. Related: Dwyane Wade, Video, Lockout videos
Lockout videos: 1962 All-Star game
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ATP Gstaad – Monday Preview
Written by Diana on 25 July 2011. Denis Istomin vs. Martin Fischer Denis Istomin looks to break his losing streak against qualifier Martin Fischer in Gstaad. Looking at Istomin’s track record, it’s something of a surprise that he’s opted to spend this month competing on clay. He’s won just one out of seven matches on the surface this year and all his best results have come on hard courts. So you can only wonder what he’s thinking by choosing to play Hamburg and Gstaad. However it could prove to be a stroke of luck for Austrian qualifier Martin Fischer who is conceding a rankings difference of 123 places going into the match. Fischer came through qualifying with ease, not even coming close to dropping a set over the weekend. A solid player, Fischer has had some reasonable results in European challengers this year but nothing to suggest he may be ready to mount another charge towards the top 100. He made an early exit in French Open qualifying. However if Istomin competed entirely on clay it is doubtful his results would be any better. In Hamburg he crashed out in the first round, outplayed then by qualifier Julian Reister in straight sets. As far as first round draws go, Fischer could hardly have done any better. Andreas Haider-Maurer vs. Yann Marti Local player Yann Marti managed to qualify for the second year in Gstaad main draw and will play also on his second match in ATP level. He beat Espasandin and then surprised Przysiezny and Alcaide, wining a lot of points behind the serve even that he didn’t landed a high percentage of first serve in. He tends to go too much on serve, especially in key moments but overall a reliable serve, has good retrievings skills especially on second delivery where he is more aggressive and a regular player from the back of the court. The Austrian came after a quarter-final appearance in Bastad, he has the better serve but he tends to go too much on the net and Yann can punish him there. The Austrian is favorite to advance further but Yann plays with a lot of confidence, he already beat 2 tough opponents with similar game as the Austrian. Igor Andreev vs. Mischa Zverev Igor Andreev is in action against Mischa Zverev on day one in Gstaad.Andreev’s career has seen better days. Once renowned for his colossal forehand, Andreev won three titles back in 2005 and was seen as the future of Russian tennis, the successor to Safin and Kafelnikov. However he has been usurped and left behind by Mikhail Youzhny as his own career has faded. Currently ranked 77, Andreev has shown few signs he can get back in the top 50. Since Wimbledon he has played just a single event, losing to Argentine qualifier Diego Junqueira in Bastad. However in Zverev he’s up against a man also struggling for form The German, ranked 116, is currently on a four match losing streak and has won just two since the start of May. Zverev did win the last match between these two but that was indoors in Shanghai last autumn, one of the German’s more favoured surfaces.It’s a tough match to predict between 2 out of form players. Alex Sadecky vs. Peter Luczak Alex Sadecky looks to provide the Swiss crowds with a home winner on day one in Gstaad. This is a bit of a step up for Sadecky but the Swiss tennis ranks do not have much strength in depth so after Roger Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka there is not too much else inside the top 200. As a result, world number 404 Sadecky who spends most of his time on the futures circuit (the third tier of men’s tennis) gets an annual shot at the big time in Gstaad. It’s quite a contest compared to his last tournament outing, an event at the small British seaside town of Frinton where the first round losers cheque was no more than a couple of hundred dollars However the left-hander more than rose to the occasion in Gstaad last year, scoring a win over compatriot Yann Marti and then pushing top seed Mikhail Youzhny close in the second round. As first round draws go, Sadecky has done pretty well again and actually has a decent chance against Australian qualifier Luczak who’s past his peak. Luczak came through qualifying without dropping a set and generally competes a level above Sadecky on the tour. However with the Swiss crowd behind him you never know.
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BoSox don’t get clutch hits, lose in 14 (AP)
BOSTON (AP)—The Boston Red Sox botched a suicide squeeze in extra innings and gave Kansas City another chance to win. The Royals messed up their squeeze attempt, too, and still managed to score the game-winning run. Eric Hosmer(notes) doubled to lead off the 14th inning and scored when Mike Aviles(notes) bunted the ball over the head of charging first baseman Adrian Gonzalez(notes), giving Kansas City a 3-1 victory over Boston on Monday night. The play was supposed to be a safety squeeze but Hosmer and Jeff Francoeur(notes), who was on first, mistakenly ran on the pitch. “I wasn’t supposed to be running. Hosmer wasn’t supposed to break. We all kind of messed up, but it worked out,” Francoeur said. “It could have been a triple play.” Louis Coleman(notes) (1-2) went two innings and twice pitched out of jams for the win. Joakim Soria(notes) struck out three in the bottom of the 14th to earn his 18th save and send Boston to just its fourth loss in 21 games. The Red Sox threatened to score five times in the last six innings, but the Royals made their best chance count. Hosmer doubled off Randy Williams(notes) (0-1) to start the 14th, but he was held at third when Francoeur singled. Aviles came to the plate and squared to bunt as the runners took off and the corner infielders charged in. He popped it up but it landed safely behind Gonzalez and out of the reach of second baseman Dustin Pedroia(notes), who was moving over to cover first. Hosmer scored, and Francoeur came home on a sacrifice fly by Alcides Escobar(notes) to make it 3-1. “We caught a break,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “If Frenchie (Francoeur) doesn’t break—and he wasn’t supposed to—Gonzalez doesn’t break. We finally got to run the play we don’t have much time to practice—we bunt over the first baseman’s head with runners running.” The Red Sox kept it interesting when Josh Reddick(notes) doubled—his third hit of the game—with one out in the bottom of the 14th. But Soria struck out Jarrod Saltalamacchia(notes) and then Marco Scutaro(notes) to end it—thanks in part to a pregame rain delay of 2 hours, 21 minutes—at 1:59 a.m. Tuesday. Melky Cabrera(notes) had four hits and Hosmer had three for the Royals, who won for the fifth time in six games. It was their 10th extra-inning victory—most in the AL, according to STATS Inc. The Red Sox had their chances. Reddick singled to lead off the 12th and then, with one out, took two bases on an errant pickoff throw. But he was hung up between third and home after Scutaro never squared around to bunt on the suicide squeeze that had been called. “I just didn’t see the sign,” Scutaro said. “My fault. I didn’t see the sign.” Scutaro then lined a hit to left and was thrown out trying to stretch it into a double. In the 13th, Jacoby Ellsbury(notes) drew a leadoff walk and, one out later, Gonzalez hit a sinking liner that bounced under Francoeur’s glove as he came in for it; only his leg kept it from going off the wall. Ellsbury wound up at third, and Gonzalez at first. Again, Coleman pitched out of it. The fifth of six Kansas City pitchers, he went two innings and allowed three hits and a walk. “I would say right about now they’re probably kicking themselves because they missed a lot of chances,” Francoeur said. Jon Lester(notes) made his first start since July 5, when he left a no-hitter after four innings with a strained muscle in his back, and pitched 5 1-3 strong innings. He shut out the Royals until Cabrera led off the sixth with a single and scored to make it 1-1 when Billy Butler’s(notes) double rattled around in the left-field corner. Notes: Kevin Youkilis(notes) pulled up limping after trying to stretch out an infield single in the sixth inning, and left the game with tightness in his right hamstring. … Dustin Pedroia singled in the third inning to extend his hitting streak to 22 games. It’s the longest for a Red Sox 2B since Denny Doyle hit in 22 straight in 1975. Pedroia has reached base safely in 34 straight games. … Heading into the game, Lester had received an average of 7.32 runs per game in support, the most in the majors among qualifying pitchers. … Reddick made a diving catch of Escobar’s liner in the top of the 10th to preserve the tie. … Starter John Lackey(notes) went out to the bullpen before the 14th inning but did not warm up. … Josh Bard(notes) pitched a scoreless eighth inning. He has not allowed an earned run in 25 innings over 24 games. … Kyle Davies(notes) lasted six innings for the Royals, allowing one run on five hits and a walk while striking out six.
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NFL Playoff Wagering Consensus
NFL betting fans are gearing up for a massive weekend, as the NFC and AFC Championships get underway. With kickoff fast approaching, here’s a breakdown of how the public is supporting all the NFL odds with statistics from Sportsbook.com and Wagertracker.com. AFC Championship GameNew York Jets at Indianapolis Colts3:30 p.m. ET on CBSMoneyline: Colts -340, Jets +280Point spread: Colts -7.5 to -8Total: 39 Sportsbook.com’s bettors are having a tough time deciding in this one, at least on the moneyline. The underdog Jets are getting a slight edge at 51 percent. Over the last day or two the spread has crept up to -8 (from -7.5) in favour of the Colts; that’s led to 61 percent of Sportsbook.com’s bettors going with Indy. Wagertracker.com is still running with the 7.5 line and, obviously, getting much different results. There, bettors are backing the Jets more heavily at 45.9 percent (up from 39 at Sportsbook.com). The numbers are also a little at odds on the total. Wagertracker.com is reporting 65 percent of the action taking the over-obviously with Peyton Manning and the high-flying Colts in mind. It’s much tighter at Sportsbook.com, however, where only 51 percent of bettors are taking the over. NFC Championship GameMinnesota Vikings at New Orleans Saints6:40 p.m. ET on FOXMoneyline: Saints -180, Vikings +160Point spread: Saints -3.5Total: 53 Sportsbook.com bettors are piling onto the “underdog” Vikings on the moneyline. After seeing Minnesota crush the Cowboys, obviously many bettors believe the Vikes are really in the driver’s seat-73 percent of Sportsbook.com bettors are leaning that way. It’s a much different story against the spread, as the Saints are getting 57 percent of the action at Sportsbook.com. It’s an even tighter race according to Wagertracker, where bettors are divided 50/50. There’s some consensus between Sportsbook.com and Wagertracker.com when it comes to the total. Though 53 is an unusually high number, Minny and New Orleans score a lot of points. No wonder Sportsbook.com is reporting 74 percent of bettors taking the over while Wagertracker says 69.2 percent. Clearly, bettors are expecting the scoreboard to get lit up in the NFC Championship.
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Rangers agree to terms with C Boyle (AP)
NEW YORK (AP)—The New York Rangers have agreed to terms with restricted free agent forward Brian Boyle(notes). The deal was completed Friday with the 26-year-old Boyle, who posted career highs with 21 goals and 35 assists in 82 games last season with the Rangers. The 6-foot-7 center is one of four New York players to appear in every game. In 189 regular-season NHL games with Los Angeles and the Rangers, Boyle has 33 goals and 51 points. He led New York in shots on goal, was fourth on the team in goals, and 11th in the NHL with 240 hits.
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