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Probst gets spot on ANOC executive council (AP)

admin — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 19:54:10 +0000

Probst gets spot on ANOC executive council (AP)
U.S. Olympic Committee chairman Larry Probst has been chosen for the executive council of the Association of National Olympic Committees. Probst takes a spot once held by former USOC international vice president Bob Ctvrtlik. Probst was picked Wednesday at the meeting of national Olympic committees, and his addition is considered a good step in the USOC’s effort to increase its international…

NFLPA decertifies agent who paid players (AP)
The Pinnacle Sports agent who admitted he paid college football players has been decertified by the NFL Players Association. Josh Luchs told Sports Illustrated he paid more than 30 players from 1990-96. He said in the article he had left the business. The union announced Thursday that its Committee on Agent Regulations and Discipline held a conference call Tuesday night and voted unanimously to revoke…

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NBA superfan Jimmy Goldstein brings GQ into his basketball world

admin — Sat, 19 May 2012 03:18:12 +0000

NBA superfan Jimmy Goldstein brings GQ into his basketball world
Jimmy Goldstein (Andrew D. Bernstein/ Getty)On Thursday, we noted that Los Angeles Lakers coach Mike Brown called on fashionable NBA superfan Jimmy Goldstein to ask a question during his Game 3 postgame press conference. Goldstein declined, of course, because it’s not his job. It was notable, though, because a man who we don’t usually hear from was given a chance to speak. He didn’t, but the opportunity made many of us wonder what he might have asked. However, it turns out that we were about to learn a whole lot about Goldstein even without a press conference appearance. On GQ.com, Myles Brown spoke with Goldstein about his fandom, his connections around the league, and just how he ends up attending so many big games. Here are a few highlights: I fly coach. It’s bad enough that I spend a couple thousand dollars a night on playoff tickets by trying to get the best available, so I usually try to save on travel expenses as much as I can. Sometimes people come up to me and say, ‘Are you a rock star?’ or that kind of thing. More often people will come up to me and recognize me from the games and say ‘What game are you going to tonight?” [...] I bring dates to games, but not always. I’d say maybe fifty percent of the time this year, previous years. Probably not as high. I have several girls that I take regularly that all love the game and sometimes they request a certain nights. More often, I just ask them. They’re all models. [...] I have a terrific relationship with the entire Spurs organization. Peter Holt on down to everyone who works for the team to the players to the people in San Antonio. I’ve been going there for many years. In San Antonio, they set up a special seat for me whenever I go to the games there that doesn’t exist the rest of the season. [...] Every now and then Kobe surprises me by walking up to me shaking hands and giving me a nice smile. But for the most part, he ignores me. He doesn’t look at me and even went to the extent of telling Pau Gasol not to say hello to me. He’s never explained why. It’s a must-read article. There’s much more there, including stories about Metta World Peace inviting Goldstein into the Lakers’ private dining room before a game and his fame in the fashion world. The best part of all might be that this is just the first entry — there’s more to come over the next few weeks. What’s especially notable about Goldstein’s comments is that, if you take away the models and great seats and friendships with insanely rich people, he actually seems like a pretty standard basketball fan. He cares about the games and quality of play, and the extras are always secondary to what happens on the court. It might not seem that way at first glance, but he has more in common with diehard basketball fans than most of the people in the first few rows at these playoff games.

Pasarell leaves Indian Wells tennis tourney (Yahoo! Sports)

admin — Mon, 14 May 2012 03:18:25 +0000

Pasarell leaves Indian Wells tennis tourney (Yahoo! Sports)
INDIAN WELLS, Calif. (AP) Former pro player Charlie Pasarell is leaving his management post with the BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament after 31 years to develop a resort in Puerto Rico. Since 1981, Pasarell has served variously as tournament director, owner and managing partner of the largest combined ATP World Tour and WTA event at Indian Wells in the California desert. The day-to-day operations of the tournament and the Indian Wells Tennis Garden will be handled by tournament director and chief operating officer Steve Simon and Pasarell’s business partner Raymond Moore, who reports to event owner Larry Ellison. Pasarell, 68, plans to develop Royal Isabela golf course and resort with his brother in Puerto Rico. Pasarell was the top-ranked U.S. player in 1967, a year after he won the NCAA singles and doubles titles at UCLA. He played on four U.S. Davis Cup teams and had most of his pro success in doubles.

Charles, Jones not looking ahead to Olympics (The Associated Press)

admin — Sun, 13 May 2012 01:18:20 +0000

Charles, Jones not looking ahead to Olympics (The Associated Press)
UNCASVILLE, Conn. (AP) Asjha Jones is already having a big year. The Connecticut Sun forward earned Euroleague Final Eight MVP honors and last month became the final player selected for the U.S. Olympic team. The 31-year-old, who won two national championships at UConn, opened her 11th WNBA training camp Tuesday, and said there is not much more left on her basketball bucket list. ”There’s only two more things to accomplish for me, that is to win it all here and to win a gold medal in the Olympics,” she said. ”Other than those two things, I think my career has been pretty good.” Jones, who averaged over 13 points and six rebounds for the Sun last year, is expecting to make a run at both remaining goals this summer. But with the Sun coming off a 21-15 year and a first-round playoff loss to Atlanta, she and fellow Olympian Tina Charles say their focus now is on the WNBA season. ”As an athlete and as you mature, you know where to put your priorities,” said Charles, who averaged almost 18 points and 11 rebounds last season for the Sun. ”When July roles around, then my focus will be on the Olympics and what Coach (Geno) Auriemma expects out of me and my role on that team. ”And then when August gets back, my focus is back on the Connecticut Sun.” Jones and Charles will take a break for just a couple of days later this month to join their Olympic teammates in Washington. They will be back a week before the May 19 season opener in New York. Sun coach Mike Thibault, who was an assistant on the 2008 Olympic team, said he doesn’t expect the games to become much of a distraction. ”Once you’re into our season, I don’t think you think about the Olympic stuff until it gets a little bit closer,” he said. ”The biggest distraction for them is going to be logistics and getting family over there and all of that. But USA Basketball is really good about helping the players get those kind of logistics taken care of.” Connecticut is not the only team with multiple players leaving for London. Minnesota has three players on Team USA, while Chicago also has two. Seattle and Atlanta also have more than one player in the Olympics, and there are players from the U.S. and abroad missing time from nearly every team in the league. Thibault said he plans to treat the break like a college bowl game, giving his players the first 10 days to rest, the second 10 days to start getting back in condition, and the last 10 as another training camp. ”Probably the down side for us,” he said, ”is that you have two key players for us who won’t be here in your practices the last 10 to 12 days before we restart.” But guard Kara Lawson, who won a gold medal in 2008, said she’s not worried about Charles and Jones missing that time. ”As WNBA players, we’re used to weird seasons and this happening every four years,” she said. ”The main thing is that if you are injured it gives your team a chance to rest up and get healthy.” Jones, who has battled Achilles problems, said she worries about getting injured, but is more concerned about the toll the WNBA season will take on her body, rather than the extra weeks she will spend in London. ”When it comes to the Olympic team, how many minutes am I really going to play,” she asked. ”I mean no one’s going to play a substantial amount where they are worn out, beat down. I know Coach Auriemma knows better than to try to (wear out) people in practice. ”He knows better than that. Who has time for that?”

Orioles rally past Rays 4-3 (Yahoo! Sports)

admin — Sat, 12 May 2012 05:54:08 +0000

Orioles rally past Rays 4-3 (Yahoo! Sports)
BALTIMORE (AP) Nick Johnson’s first homer in two years gave Baltimore a seventh-inning lead, and the Orioles edged the Tampa Bay Rays 4-3 Friday night in a duel for first place in the AL East. Johnson’s two-run drive off Joel Peralta (0-2) put the Orioles in front 4-3, and the bullpen made the margin stand up. After spending last season in the minors, Johnson received an invite to spring training, made the team and was batting .143 before his game-changing home run. Adam Jones and Nick Markakis also connected for the Orioles, who lead the majors with 53 homers. Baltimore trailed 3-2 before Chris Davis hit a two-out single in the seventh off Tampa Bay starter Jeremy Hellickson. Peralta then served up a 3-2 pitch that Johnson deposited into the front row of the right-field bleachers for his first homer since May 5, 2010, with the New York Yankees. Darren O’Day (3-0) pitched the seventh, Pedro Strop worked a perfect eighth and Jim Johnson got three straight outs for his 10th save. The Rays and the surprising Orioles came into the game tied atop the division with 20-12 records. It was the first time since June 9, 1992, there was a two-way tie for first place in the AL East this late in the season didn’t involve either New York or Boston. Tampa Bay, which was hitless after the fifth inning, has lost five of six. Rays designated hitter Luke Scott, who played the previous four seasons with Baltimore, went 1 for 3 with a walk and scored a run. Dana Eveland walked six over six innings in his Orioles debut and gave up three runs and five hits. Obtained in a December trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Eveland toiled in the minors for Baltimore before being summoned for this game. The Rays loaded the bases with no outs in the second inning but got only one run, on a double-play grounder by Sean Rodriguez. Jones tied it in the bottom half with his 10th home run, a drive to deep into the left-field seats on a 3-2 pitch. Tampa Bay took a 3-1 lead in the fourth, but might have had more if not for a gritty play by Orioles catcher Matt Wieters. With the bases loaded and one out, Elliot Johnson hit a liner off the right-field wall that scored Matt Joyce and sent Rodriguez hustling from second to home. Markakis threw to second baseman Robert Andino, whose relay got to Wieters an instant before Rodriguez arrived. Rodriguez led with his left shoulder and barreled into Wieters, who made the tag and held onto the ball despite being thrust backward several feet. Eveland then issued an intentional walk to load the bases before hitting Carlos Pena with a pitch to force in a run. Markakis hit his sixth homer, the third in four games, to make it 3-2 in the sixth. NOTES: To make room for Eveland, the Orioles placed RHP Matt Lindstrom (finger) on the 15-day disabled list. … Tampa Bay OF Desmond Jennings missed a fourth straight start with a left knee sprain. … Baltimore Ravens safety Ed Reed threw out the ceremonial first pitch. He also took batting practice before the game. … Pena went 0 for 4 and is 3 for 35 with 13 strikeouts in his last nine games. … Hideki Matsui went 2 for 4 with a walk in extending spring training for the Rays and is 5 for 13 in three games.

Del Potro wins 2nd straight Estoril Open (Yahoo! Sports)

admin — Fri, 11 May 2012 17:18:10 +0000

Del Potro wins 2nd straight Estoril Open (Yahoo! Sports)
OEIRAS, Portugal (AP) Argentina’s Juan del Potro won his second consecutive Estoril Open title, using a strong serve to beat France’s Richard Gasquet 6-4, 6-2 Sunday. Del Potro, seeded first and ranked 12th, won his second title of the year and 11th of his career. ”I felt it was my best match of the week,” Del Potro said. ”I felt really confident on my forehand and I grew in confidence every game.” Gasquet, seeded second, also lost this clay-court final in 2007 when he faced Novak Djokovic. He dropped serve early in both sets. Del Potro didn’t give up a break chance in the match and had six aces in improving his record against Gasquet to 4-1. ”He’s very tall and has a good second serve and was hitting the ball very well,” Gasquet said. ”He was the better player today.”

Fouts, Harrison, LT to speak at Seau memorial (Yahoo! Sports)

admin — Thu, 10 May 2012 07:36:15 +0000

Fouts, Harrison, LT to speak at Seau memorial (Yahoo! Sports)
SAN DIEGO (AP) Former San Diego Chargers stars Dan Fouts, Rodney Harrison and LaDainian Tomlinson are scheduled to speak at a memorial service for Junior Seau on Friday evening at Qualcomm Stadium. Also scheduled to speak are former Chargers coach Bobby Ross and former NFL safety John Lynch. Seau committed suicide on May 2 at his home in suburban Oceanside. He played 20 seasons in the NFL, the first 13 with the Chargers. Harrison and Tomlinson were teammates of Seau’s with the Chargers while Ross coached Seau from 1992-96. The master of ceremonies will be Miles McPherson, a former Chargers safety who’s now the senior pastor at the Rock Church in San Diego. Seau’s funeral will be private.

Beyond the Shutdown 50 — Brock Osweiler, QB, Denver Broncos

admin — Fri, 04 May 2012 14:18:12 +0000

Beyond the Shutdown 50 — Brock Osweiler, QB, Denver Broncos
“No pressure, kid. Really! You’re just the first quarterback I’ve ever drafted…” (AP) Now that the 2012 NFL Draft is in the can, it’s time to take the Shutdown 50 scouting format forward and take a closer look at some of the surprising and fascinating selections from this year’s draft — the guys we missed in the original 50, but who could be impact players now or down the road. Our latest entry: Arizona State quarterback Brock Osweiler, selected by the Denver Broncos with the 25th pick in the second round (57th overall). Overview: Osweiler is a close friend of Jack Elway, son of Broncos big Kahuna John Elway. In fact, Elway and Osweiler were part of a messy five-way battle for the Arizona State quarterback job before the younger Elway gave up football. So it is not too misleading to say that Osweiler beat Elway for the starting job. And once you beat an Elway, you become an Elway. Osweiler now drives around Colorado in his adopted dad’s vintage Camaro in a throwback Stanford jersey, parking in restricted areas but getting away with it because he has “Elway Immunity” from prosecution. (Editor’s note: that last sentence is almost certainly not true.) John Elway didn’t draft Osweiler just to make his son feel better, of course. Osweiler is a developmental quarterback, and the Broncos are exactly the kind of team that needs a developmental quarterback. Osweiler has the arm to be an NFL starter, but his 6-foot-6 7/8 frame is more of a liability than an asset. There is such a thing as a quarterback who is too tall to start in the NFL, and Osweiler has to scrunch down to get under the limit. Strengths: Osweiler has an excellent arm and good accuracy. He can zip the ball into tight spots in the middle of the field and has enough oomph to throw NFL out-routes. He has good timing and accuracy on out routes and slants, anticipating and releasing the ball before his receivers come out of their breaks. Osweiler runs well for a lanky guy. Arizona State used a lot of spread-option principles, and Osweiler was not afraid to keep the ball and take a lick in the middle of the field. He is a long strider, but he occasionally showed a bit of cutting ability. Osweiler gets high marks for his mental makeup from those who know him well, among whom we can include the Elway family. Weaknesses: Osweiler is a long-levered quarterback, the kind that loses foot quickness and release quickness early in his career. Joe Flacco is a fine example: Flacco was fast enough to run option plays as a rookie, but he now has trouble sliding around the pocket, and when his anticipation is not precise he has a hard time getting his long arm cocked and loaded in time to throw into a tight spot. Osweiler has several different passing deliveries. One is an odd wind-up that he used often when throwing flare passes, a staple of the Sun Devils’ playbook. Osweiler coils his body and side-arms the ball, like some 1970s middle reliever. He also sometimes displays a long, looping motion when preparing to throw deep. Couple the long delivery with the already long arm, and you get a major red flag: The receiver who is open when he starts throwing may not still be open when he finishes. Conclusion: The danger with Osweiler is that he will already have lost some mobility and twitch quickness by the time he gets to play in (ideally) 2014 or so. The Broncos could end up investing a lot of development resources in a player who simply cannot get the ball to his receivers in time. That said, it is hard to imagine a better set of tutors than Peyton Manning and a paternal-minded John Elway. Osweiler will have a great opportunity to straighten out his mechanics and learn the finer points of his position. A step-slow catapult of a quarterback with a fine arm and Manning-Elway training is better than what most teams have at quarterback in any given year, and better than what the Broncos had last year. NFL Comparison: Byron Leftwich, Jacksonville Jaguars Beyond the Shutdown 50:Bruce Irvin, OLB/DE, Seattle Seahawks

Heineken Cup Final Odds

admin — Thu, 03 May 2012 17:54:15 +0000

Heineken Cup Final Odds
by Timothy Masters on May 2, 2012 I am sometimes surprised by the enduring appeal and excellence of the Heineken Cup, not because it is a bad idea, or poorly executed, but because one of the biggest markets at which it is aimed, France, bans advertising alcohol. You’d think this would put the main sponsors off, but the continued brilliance of the play and incredibly intensity has meant the beer men come back and call it the ‘H Cup’ across the channel. Last season saw an epic comeback and victory for Leinster, as they overcame the largest half-time deficit ever to overturned in a final to beat Northampton 33-22, and once again the Irish province find themselves in the final on the 19th May, this time taking on a more familiar foe. The Irish RFU will be delighted that Ulster will compete with the European Champions that day in the first ever all-Irish final. At this stage Leinster are 2/9 to win the pot, with Ulster listed at 11/4 by PaddyPower, which may be down to a combination of factors. Firstly, Ulster were much less impressive in their semi, managing to beat an Edinburgh side not overly fancied, while the Leinster boys came through against Clermont Auvergne in France, one of the hardest tasks to complete in the Heineken Cup. Add to that the recent RaboDirect Pro12 League game between the two sides where Ulster were beaten 16-8 on their home ground and it is clear why Leinster are fancied. Bet365 have Leinster by 13+ at 7/4 if you’re interested in specifics of score, but these occasions can often be tighter affairs than expected due to the intensity and prize at stake. In some ways you’d expect them to be buoyed by that, but the reality is that with a chance to make this three Cup wins in four years Leinster are well-aware of what it takes to win at this level, and will leave nothing to chance in trying to secure another victory on the biggest stage. PaddyPower offer 7/5 on the first try coming from the back 3, with 2/1 on a forward effort opening the scoring, but I’d be tempted to put that the other way around such is the importance of a good pack at this level. If you love Leinster, Ulster or just rugby, this is not a match you should miss, and if rugby is not quite your thing yet then I can’t personally think of a better way to get into the sport than what will be a titanic battle for one of the biggest prizes you can win. Game very much on. Related Articles:Injury worries build for both sides ahead of Heineken Cup final Heineken Cup draw made X Factor Final – Best Odds Champions League Odds, Final Four Wimbledon Final: Nadal – Federer Betting Odds

Kevin Garnett sneaks up on a reporter prior to a game he didn’t play in (VIDEO)

admin — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 12:54:20 +0000

Kevin Garnett sneaks up on a reporter prior to a game he didn’t play in (VIDEO)
It’s very much possible that in one split-second decision, Kevin Garnett gave us more enlightening entertainment in the clip posted above (via The Basketball Jones) than the injured and resting Boston Celtics and Miami Heat gave us in the entirety of Tuesday night’s Boston win. If you missed the game, the AP headline should be more than enough detail: “Pavlovic rallies Celtics.” That’s Sasha Pavlovic, somehow still in the NBA, leading the league’s most storied franchise to a win over a Miami Heat team that might be the favorites for the NBA title in this upcoming postseason. No Ray Allen, no LeBron James. No Rajon Rondo, no Dwyane Wade. No Chris Bosh, and no Kevin Garnett. Well, save for a bit of pregame creepy from KG, in what was probably the closest he’s ever come to a pregame interview in his NBA career.