News sport : Sixers finally win, avoid record for season-opening losses at Wolves

♠ Posted by channel-top-news in ,,,,,,,

Dec 3, 2014; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Michael Carter-Williams (1) passes during the first quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center. (Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports) The 2013-14 Philadelphia 76ers were never built to win many games, but the reality of the situation has been much worse than anyone anticipated. Heading into Wednesday night's game at the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Sixers had lost their first 17 contests of the season by an average margin of 14.4 points. They also boasted the league's least efficient offense and one of its worst defenses. A loss vs. Minnesota would put Philadelphia into a tie with the 2009-10 New Jersey Nets for the most consecutive losses to start a season, with Friday's game against the Oklahoma City Thunder looming as a likely record-breaker.


The franchise can now rest easy, because the Sixers topped the Wolves 85-77 in a close, largely unwatchable game at Target Center. At 1-17, Philadelphia is still the worst team in the NBA by 1 1/2 games (behind the Detroit Pistons), but they can at least imagine a brighter future.


Then again, this welcomed result does not indicate that the Sixers played especially well. Both teams struggled to score throughout the game, in keeping with their performances for much of the season so far. The Wolves, playing without the injured Ricky Rubio and Nikola Pekovic, trotted out an active roster not considerably better than that of the Sixers, albeit one with slightly more established NBA rotation players.


Both teams shot below 40 percent from the field (39 percent for Philly, 35.7 percent for Minnesota) and 25 percent from three-point range (5-of-24 for Philly, 3-of-17 for Minnesota). The score at the half was just 34-32 in favor of the Wolves, with the Sixers following up a 23-point first quarter with just nine points in the second.


The best proof of the general quality of the game might have come on its first attempt at an opening possession. After the Sixers won the tip-off, Henry Sims drew a foul and got set to head to the line. Except referees then realized that the teams had started going towards the wrong baskets, and the whole game had to be restarted again. Take a look:



Yes, the first 16 seconds of the game were simply stricken from the record. If only the Sixers could have done the same to their first 17 games.


However, if we're going to put this win into any mitigating context, then we must also admit that the Sixers made enough plays in crunch time to come away with the win. After Mo Williams gave the Wolves a 75-73 lead with 2:16 remaining, it looked as if Philadelphia was headed for another disappointment. But point guard Michael Carter-Williams ran the offense well and took advantage of the Wolves' sieve-like defense to close on a 12-2 run.


- - - - - - -


Eric Freeman is a writer for Ball Don't Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at efreeman_ysports@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!







from Yahoo Sports http://ift.tt/12x4KmE
Read More

Chelsea’s title march continues

♠ Posted by channel-top-news in ,,,,,,,,,,,

Goals by Eden Hazard, Didier Drogba and Loic Remy put Chelsea in command against Tottenham Hotspur.


|||

London - Chelsea's inexorable Premier League title march continued with a consummate 3-0 triumph over Tottenham Hotspur and champions Manchester City stayed second with a 4-1 canter at Sunderland on Wednesday.


Southampton's challenge suffered further deflation with a 1-0 defeat at Arsenal, but the pacesetters took full advantage with Chelsea making it 21 games unbeaten this season thanks to goals from Eden Hazard, Didier Drogba and Loic Remy.


The 36-year-old Drogba proved a splendid replacement for suspended top-scorer Diego Costa, grabbing his first chance within two minutes of Hazard's 19th-minute opener before his replacement Remy also netted to seal the points.


The performance of the seemingly ageless Drogba earned high praise from his team mate Hazard.


“He does everything, he's very important for the team and every game he comes in, he plays very well. It is a pleasure to play with him,” the Belgian told Sky Sports.


Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho, promising there would be no let-up in his side's title push, was also delighted.


“Tottenham started better than us and should have scored before us, but after our first goal our team became more stable and confident and we controlled the game,” he said.


“I'm really happy with the points, performance and spirit of the players.”


The only cloud on the horizon for Mourinho was that his towering midfield anchor, Nemanja Matic, will be unavailable for Saturday's match at Newcastle after picking up a suspension for his fifth booking.


Chelsea's victory, which continued their amazing record of being unbeaten by Spurs at Stamford Bridge for 24 years, maintained their six-point lead over City, who came from behind to crush Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.


The champions were once again grateful to the league's leading marksman Sergio Aguero who produced a sublime display, scoring twice with his 13th and 14th league goals of the season.


The Argentine struck two minutes after Connor Wickham had put Sunderland ahead on 19 minutes, equalising with the sweetest of strikes.


He then set up Stevan Jovetic six minutes before the break, Pablo Zabaleta added a third and Aguero, in the 71st minute, completed the rout.


Extraordinarily, it meant that Aguero, the man with the best goals per game strike rate in Premier League annals, has now scored 30 in his last 33 league matches for City.


City manager Manuel Pellegrini had bad news for Premier League defenders too by suggesting that we have not seen the best from the Argentine yet.


“Sergio is only 26 and he can improve every day,” he told the BBC.


“At the moment we are seeing very high performances from him. Not only is he scoring but he's playing well as well.”


Southampton, whose high-flying start to the season was arrested in a 3-0 defeat by City on Sunday, slumped to a second successive defeat with an 89th-minute Alexis Sanchez goal finally breaking their resistance at the Emirates.


The Chilean once again proved why he has been one of the buys of the season when he latched on to Aaron Ramsey's cut back and scored his ninth Premier League goal of the campaign.


Arsenal are now 10 points adrift of Chelsea but for most of the night, it had seemed that Fraser Forster's heroic efforts in the Southampton goal - he made three brilliant saves from Danny Welbeck and Olivier Giroud - would earn them a point.


“Alexis Sanchez can dig deep and has such desire and a will to win, he still finds that resource to get you something special,” Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said.


The victory lifted Arsenal into sixth place, 13 points behind Chelsea.


Hull City squeezed out of the relegation zone with a 1-1 draw at Everton, Sone Aluko scoring a 59th-minute equaliser after a superb 34th-minute Romelu Lukaku effort for the home side.


Reuters






from Soccer Soccer Extended RSS http://ift.tt/1ynaQ55
Read More

News sport : Browns players share opinion about Brian Hoyer decision

♠ Posted by channel-top-news in ,,,,,,,


Like anything else involving a large group, there was unlikely to be a unanimous opinion among Cleveland Browns players on the coaches' decision to stick with Brian Hoyer at quarterback.


Bleacher Report's Mike Freeman and ESPN.com's Jeremy Fowler each contacted Browns players after the decision was announced, and each reported the same thing: Most players thought sticking with Hoyer was the right decision, but not all of them did. One player told Fowler, referring to Manziel: "He came in, seven plays, scored a touchdown. I was all for it."


Manziel led a quick touchdown drive at Buffalo after coming in for the ineffective Hoyer in the fourth quarter.


[Join FanDuel.com's $2.25M Week 14 fantasy league: $25 to enter; top 20,675 teams paid]


Tackle Joe Thomas, the team's offensive leader, echoed coach Mike Pettine's message that the decision to go with Hoyer gives the team the best chance to win. Thomas said had Pettine gone with Manziel, "the message is you're already playing for next year," according to NFL Network's Aditi Kinkhabwala.


Why did Pettine go with Hoyer? He said it was "difficult" after the way Manziel played against the Bills. The Browns are 7-5, in the playoff race, and the Browns know what they're getting with Hoyer. He was the safe choice.



“You almost look at it like a risk-reward situation,” Pettine said, according to the Browns' Web site. “There’s a lot of unknown [with Manziel]. And we’ve known we’ve been very effectively offensively, at times. We are hopeful we can get back to those times when we were efficient moving the ball and eating up the clock.




“We’re going to get Brian playing better. He knows there’s some things he needs to work on. He’s shown the ability to bounce back from things that have happened negatively in the past. Just look internally at the Atlanta game … he made the mistakes he made and was able to bounce back. We’re confident he’ll be able to do that this week.”



What going with Hoyer does is set up a charged atmosphere for Sunday's home game against the Indianapolis Colts. Will Browns fans be patient if Hoyer starts slow, following his poor November? Unless Hoyer does well early, the thought that Manziel is available off the bench will be on everyone's mind: fans, coaches and players. And Hoyer too.


Hoyer said he was shocked to get benched last week, which is surprising considering his struggles and the presence of a first-round pick on the bench. Maybe last week's move and a couple days of controversy wakes him up.


No matter what decision Pettine made, he will get second-guessed if it doesn't work. The Browns have just one playoff berth since re-entering the NFL in 1999. They have a chance to get back with a strong finish, and for now, Hoyer is the man for the job. It wasn't unanimous from the players or fans, but it'll be the right move if it works.



“The Dawg Pound is happiest when we are winning,” Pettine said. “The decision was based purely on football.”




- - - - - - -


Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdowncorner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!






from Yahoo Sports http://ift.tt/1ymFATF
Read More

News sport : The 10-man rotation, starring the mess in Detroit

♠ Posted by channel-top-news in ,,,,,,,

A look around the league and the web that covers it. It's also important to note that the rotation order and starting nods aren't always listed in order of importance. That's for you, dear reader, to figure out.


C: Detroit News. Vincent Goodwill, as he usually does, adroitly nails down the frustrations Stan Van Gundy is working through as he attempts to turn an entire franchise around. The Josh Smith breakdown is rather frightening.

PF: MLive. David Mayo documents Van Gundy’s complaints about his “messed up” team.

SF: Detroit Bad Boys. Jason Brunskowski wonders what the Pistons should attempt to fix first, the offense or its defense? What a depressing thought.

SG: SB Nation. Ricky O’Donnell basks in the glow of the Dallas/Chicago contest from Tuesday night, perhaps the NBA’s best game of the year. For Mavericks fans, at least.

PG: Blog-a-Bull. From Chicago’s end, let’s look at where the Bulls (barely) went wrong.

6th: Sports Illustrated. Friendly reminder: Tony Parker is still leading the NBA in three-point shooting.

7th: ESPN. LeBron James half-jokes about saying “nah, not so much” to an All-Star Game in Cleveland.

8th: Sports Illustrated. Ben Golliver on the Oklahoma City Thunder, who will probably have to win two-thirds of their games from here on out to make the playoffs.

9th: Roundball Mining Company. Breaking down Denver’s work from Tuesday night, in the team’s close loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.

10th: The Classical. Robert O’Connell on the ascension of Jimmy Butler.






from Yahoo Sports http://ift.tt/1vN4F9f
Read More

News sport : Furniture Row announces new crew chief for Martin Truex Jr.

♠ Posted by channel-top-news in ,,,,,,,

Cole Pearn will be Martin Truex Jr.'s crew chief in 2015.


Furniture Row Racing announced Pearn's new position Wednesday. He's replacing Todd Berrier, who the team says has been offered a "key position" to remain at Furniture Row.


Pearn, 32, was previously Truex's lead engineer.


“In an effort to continue to move the team forward we feel the personnel changes and new additions will yield positive results on the race track,” Furniture Row general manager Joe Garone said in a statement. “Cole has played a vital role in our growth. The well-rounded skill sets that be brings to the table in his new position as crew chief will he instrumental in our commitment to once again become a Chase participant. As a former racer and an experienced engineer, Cole has a thorough understanding of what it takes to bring us to that level.”


Truex and team struggled in 2014, though they showed improved performance towards the end of the season.


Truex ended up 24th in the standings and had six top-15 finishes in the final 10 races of the season. In 2013, Furniture Row made the Chase with Kurt Busch, who went to Stewart-Haas Racing for 2014.


Before joining FRR, Truex was at Michael Waltrip Racing. He won at Sonoma in 2013 and Dover in 2007 for Dale Earnhardt Inc.


- - - - - - -


Nick Bromberg is the editor of From The Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!







from Yahoo Sports http://ift.tt/1vN4DOD
Read More

Tough Afcon draw for Bafana

♠ Posted by channel-top-news in ,,,,,,,,,,,

Bafana Bafana were drawn alongside Ghana, Senegal and Algeria in Group C of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations.


|||

JOHANNESBURG – Bafana Bafana's unbeaten streak under coach Shakes Mashaba will be on the line after they were drawn alongside Ghana, Senegal and Algeria in Group C of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations.


The draw took place in Malabo, the capital city of host nation Equatorial Guinea, on Wednesday evening.


Under Mashaba, the former champions have in total won four matches and drawn three.


The 16 teams set to contest for continental glory learned their fate and would now have less than two months to prepare for the group stage showdown.


A new champion will be crowned after current title holder Nigeria failed to make the qualification grade.


Burkina Faso, the beaten finalist in the 2013 edition in South Africa, would have a chance to redeem themselves after coming agonizingly close to the title.


The Burkinabe have been drawn in Group A against the host country, Congo and Gabon.


The tournament is set to take place from January 17 to February 8.


Bafana qualified via play-offs for the first time since the 2008 edition. Bafana had thereafter qualified only by virtue of being the host nation.


Group A: Equatorial Guinea, Congo, Gabon, Burkina Faso Group B:


Zambia, DR Congo, Cabo Verde, Tunisia Group C: South Africa, Ghana, Senegal, Algeria Group D: Ivory Coast, Guinea, Cameroon, Mali. – Sapa






from Soccer Soccer Extended RSS http://ift.tt/1yOz333
Read More

Chiefs overpower Wits

♠ Posted by channel-top-news in ,,,,,,,,,,,

Log leaders Kaizer Chiefs tightened their stranglehold on the Premiership with an emphatic victory over Wits at the Milpark Stadium.


|||

JOHANNESBURG – Log leaders Kaizer Chiefs tightened their stranglehold on the Premiership with an emphatic 3-0 victory over Wits at the Milpark Stadium.


With the second-placed Ajax Cape Town simultaneously drawing with Moroka Swallows, Amakhosi now head their closest rivals by a runaway 11 points going into the big week-end's Soweto derby against Orlando Pirates.


Spearheading the Amakhosi success as man of the match with two goals was Bernard Parker.


It was Parker who opened the score in the 20th minute with a sweetly-timed left-footed shot after Reneilwe Letsholonyane had opened the static Wits defence with a deft pass.


Chiefs made it 2-0 before half-time after Thulani Hlatshwayo conceded a free-kick with a crunching tackle on Tsepo Masilela in the 37th minute.


Siphiwe Tshabalala took the resultant free-kick and defender Erick Mathoho was on hand to head powerfully into the roof of the net with the Wits defence again looking all at sea.


But it was Parker's second goal midway through the second period that produced the game's most magical moment with the Chiefs striker initiating the movement himself. He then received the ball back from George Maluleka to fire the ball into the net while on the run.


Ironically, Parker missed a golden opportunity of completing a hat-trick in the 80th minute. This was his easiest opportunity of the game, with a wild shot and only Wits goalkeeper Moeneeb Josephs to beat it ended up high in the terraces.


But the game by that stage was well and truly won by Chiefs against the increasingly demoralised and bewildered Wits. The Students have now only beaten Amakhosi once in their last 11 league matches between the two clubs.


The match ended on a bizarre note when Chiefs' potential substitute, Siyabonga Nkosi, was refused admittance on the pitch by the fourth official because his long nails posed a potential danger to his opponents.


Chiefs' officials hurriedly completed a cosmetic operation by plastering Nkosi's 10 fingers with tape.


But the operation took too long for coach Stuart Baxter and Chiefs decided to bring Josta Dladla into the game instead. – Sapa






from Soccer Soccer Extended RSS http://ift.tt/1yOz0UT
Read More

News sport : Shutdown Corner Playoff Projection: Wildcard weirdness rules in AFC

♠ Posted by channel-top-news in ,,,,,,,


Shutdown Corner Playoff Projection Week 14 (Kevin Kaduk)

A quick look at the current playoff standings shows a pretty clear picture in the NFC.

The Seattle Seahawks and Detroit Lions would be the top two wildcards, both holding 8-4 marks. Lurking just behind them in the wildcard hunt are 8-4 Dallas Cowboys and the 7-5 San Francisco 49ers. The New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons are vying for the NFC South title, but at 5-7 apiece, the loser of that race almost certainly is curtains for a wildcard spot.


But the AFC picture is far less clear.


The 8-4 San Diego Chargers (currently the fifth seed), 7-5 Miami Dolphins (currently the six seed), 7-5 Kansas City Chiefs, 7-5 Buffalo Bills, 7-5 Baltimore Ravens, 7-5 Pittsburgh Steelers, 7-5 Cleveland Browns and 6-6 Houston Texans all are in the mix. Two of those teams will be the wildcards.


[Join FanDuel.com's $2.25M Week 14 fantasy league: $25 to enter; top 20,675 teams paid]


If you want to take a closer look at the AFC playoff picture, Shutdown Corner's Frank Schwab paints the picture in great detail — or as best he can with such a muddled picture.


Now here's a look at what the potential matchups might be if the season finishes how we think it will go:


Detroit Lions at Seattle Seahawks: A change in the NFC West standings here, with the downward trending Arizona Cardinals fading and — with one head-to-head matchup left — the Seahawks coming on in crunch time. It's what they did last season, and we think the Seahawks have enough juice to earn a home playoff game, which has meant so much to their success the past several seasons. If the Lions have to come into Seattle and ask Matthew Stafford to attack this secondary ... uh oh.


Arizona Cardinals at Atlanta Falcons: The Cardinals would hope to play a lot more inspired ball in this rematch scenario than they did when the two teams met in Week 13 in the Georgia Dome. Nothing seemed to work, but especially concerning was the way Drew Stanton played in the loss. The Cardinals backup is one or two poor performances away from losing his job, one would think, but here's thinking that a Bruce Arians-coached team isn't going to blow a 9-1 record and miss the playoffs and that it would perform better the second time around. What will the Falcons' record be? Oh, who knows — we just hope it leads to a tweak of the playoff system in the offseason.


Baltimore Ravens at Indianapolis Colts: Another rematch at the same site. Back in Week 5, the Colts controlled the action and possessed the ball for nearly 39 minutes and dominated the third-down battle (Ravens were 1-of-11; Colts were 7-of-15). Joe Flacco really couldn't get anything going down the field, but Torrey Smith has caught fire since then. Basically, we're hoping for a much prettier matchup this time around. There were seven turnovers, 33 incomplete passes, 11 penalties, eight punts and, frankly, not much excitement. These teams met in the 2012 playoffs, and it was kind of boring then, too. Sigh ...


San Diego Chargers at Cincinnati Bengals: Oh, you remember. The Chargers squeaked their way into the playoffs a year ago, passing four teams to do so, and they beat a Bengals team at Paul Brown Stadium with yet another Andy Dalton meltdown. (Others struggled in the game, too, but we can't overlook that performance.) The Chargers quietly have gotten themselves back into the picture the past few weeks and find themselves ahead of the Chiefs right now, although a showdown with the New England Patriots looms. Still, what a nightmare matchup — or a proving ground? — this would be for the Bengals, who now have a five-game playoff losing streak dating back to Jan. 6, 1991.


- - - - - - -


Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at edholm@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter!






from Yahoo Sports http://ift.tt/1vMTVYu
Read More

Sundowns ease past Supersport

♠ Posted by channel-top-news in ,,,,,,,,,,,

Mamelodi Sundowns cruised to their first win in five Premiership attempts as the Brazilians came from a goal down to edge 10-man Pretoria rivals SuperSport United.


|||

Pretoria – Mamelodi Sundowns cruised to their first win in five Premiership attempts as the Brazilians came from a goal down to edge 10-man Pretoria rivals SuperSport United 3-1 in Atteridgeville on Wednesday.


Former Downs attacker Dove Wome had put SuperSport ahead after 17 minutes, but Khama Billiat cancelled out the opener 15 minutes later with his first of the season, before Zwane added a second on the stroke of half-time.


Teko Modise then added the finishing touches, putting the result beyond doubt on 74 minutes with his third league goal to extend Sundowns' unbeaten record to eight, dating back to the end of August.


Four successive draws heading into Wednesday's derby clash looked to be ending badly for Pitso Mosimane when want-away striker Wome, currently on loan at SuperSport, broke the deadlock after outfoxing goalkeeper Kennedy Mweene and slotting home into an empty net early in the first half.


But Billiat kept his cool shortly after the half-hour mark, thundering home into the roof of the net for the equaliser.


A quarter-of-an-hour later and SuperSport were trailing thanks to Zwane's brilliance in the box. His header was well stopped by Ronwen Williams, but the rebound fell kindly for the youngster, who bundled home to grab the lead on the stroke of half-time.


Having last bagged a win on September 28, Sundowns looked eager to get to the final whistle with their lead in tact, while SuperSport struggled to replicate their performance in the final of the Telkom Knockout four days prior, when they were crowned champions after beating Platinum Stars in Soweto.


A tough December got underway in the best possible way at Lucas Moripe Stadium in what was the first of six fixtures awaiting Mosimane and his troops before the league takes a break in the third week of the month.


Leading at the break, things went from bad to worse for Gordon Igesund, who was brought crashing back down to earth after Saturday's result when Thuso Phala received a straight red for a trailing elbow on Billiat.


Sundowns capitalised shortly after as Modise all but wrapped up the points for Sundowns with his stunning shot outside the area, which took a wicked deflection and wrong-footed Williams, as Sundowns closed shop on a crucial win which keeps them in the hunt and in fifth spot on the log, trailing log-leading Kaizer Chiefs by 13 points.


For SuperSport, a second league defeat on the trot leaves Igesund's team dwindling in 11th place, already 18 points off the pace. – Sapa






from Soccer Soccer Extended RSS http://ift.tt/1wtlyaO
Read More

Vital win for Stars

♠ Posted by channel-top-news in ,,,,,,,,,,,

Premiership strugglers Free State Stars recorded a much needed victory over Bloemfontein Celtic in their derby clash.


|||

Johannesburg – Tiyani Mabunda scored in the dying stages of the second half to hand Premiership strugglers Free State Stars a much needed 1-0 victory over Bloemfontein Celtic in their derby clash in Phuthaditjhaba on Wednesday.


Both sides had numerous chances, particularly in the second half, but neither was able to capitalise for most of the game.


Second-half substitute Sydney Masana turned it on for the home side shortly after the break, but he fired his header over the crossbar.


Lyle Lakay had an opportunity for the visitors on the hour mark but his attempt was well saved by diving Stars keeper Bruce Mtshali.


Danny Venter was set up to break the deadlock just seconds later on the counter-attack, but he blasted his effort wide to the left.


Mabunda, however, hit the back of the net with five minutes left in the second period, ending a poor run of form for the home side.


Stars had been without a win in their previous five league matches, and their crucial victory lifted them clear of the relegation zone. – Sapa






from Soccer Soccer Extended RSS http://ift.tt/1yOvsSB
Read More

News sport : Report: Nebraska targeting Bret Bielema

♠ Posted by channel-top-news in ,,,,,,,

Could Nebraska already have its next football coach?


According to FootballScoop.com, a site that specializes in coaching searches, Nebraska is in “serious talks” with Arkansas coach Bret Bielema.


Per sources, Nebraska is targeting Arkansas Bret Bielema and is in serious talks with him. (Nebraska athletic director Shawn) Eichorst and Bielema has an extensive relationship from their time at Wisconsin and from what we hear this got serious quick. More to come…

According to the site, Eichorst hasn’t been taking calls from candidates and hasn’t been building a list of potential people to contact. He has been focused on Bielema and apparently the focus is mutual.


Bielema spent seven seasons at Wisconsin and led the Badgers to three consecutive Rose Bowls. He also posted five seasons with nine or more wins.


He left Wisconsin after the 2012 Big Ten Championship (where the Badgers, incidentally, beat Nebraska 70-31) for Arkansas. In two seasons with Arkansas, he’s posted 3-9 and 6-6 records.


While Bielema hasn’t shined on the SEC stage, there’s no denying how well he did in the Big Ten, Nebraska’s current conference. However, if this move happens, it won’t do much for Bielema from a PR standpoint. Wisconsin already held ill feelings toward him when it was revealed he had been talking to Arkansas during the Badgers season, one of the worst seasons in Bielema’s tenure. Leaving Arkansas after two seasons to go back to the Big Ten would definitely put him with the likes of Bobby Petrino, Todd Graham and Lane Kiffin in terms of fan ire.


For more Nebraska news, visit HuskerOnline.com.


- - - - - - -


Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter!


And don’t forget to keep up with all of Graham’s thoughts, witty comments and college football discussions on Facebook






from Yahoo Sports http://ift.tt/1AgVkXn
Read More

News sport : Ditka 'embarrassed' for Rams players involved in 'hands up' protest

♠ Posted by channel-top-news in ,,,,,,,



Mike Ditka has weighed in on the recent St. Louis Rams/Ferguson protest, and as usual, he left no room for misinterpretation of his words or intent.


"I’m embarrassed for the players more than anything," Ditka said in his weekly Chicago Sun-Times column. "They want to take a political stand on this? Well, there are a lot of other things that have happened in our society that people have not stood up and disagreed about."


Ditka pushed further with harsh words for the protesters in Ferguson itself. "The shame of it is, I’m not sure [protesters] care about Michael Brown or anything else," he said. "This was a reason to protest and to go out and loot. Is this the way to celebrate the memory of Michael Brown? Is this an excuse to be lawless? Somebody has to tell me that. I don’t understand it."


From there, Ditka held forth on the entire dispute between police and the public. "I wasn’t in Ferguson. I don’t know exactly what happened," he said. "But I know one thing: If we dismantle and limit the power of our policemen any more than we have already, then we’re going to have a lot of problems in this country. What do you do if someone pulls a gun on you or is robbing a store and you stop them? I don’t want to hear about this hands-up crap. That’s not what happened. I don’t know exactly what did happen, but I know that’s not what happened."


Ditka's comments are reminiscent of Charles Barkley, who held forth with similarly scathing commentary earlier this week. "There is no excuse for people to be out there burning down people's businesses, burning down police cars," Barkley said.


St. Louis police protested the Rams players' move, but the NFL and the team indicated that no punishment would be forthcoming.


____

Jay Busbee is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at jay.busbee@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter.



And keep up with Jay over on Facebook, too.







from Yahoo Sports http://ift.tt/1yQnhWY
Read More

News sport : Mark Cuban admits that the Mavs could have drafted Giannis Antetokounmpo

♠ Posted by channel-top-news in ,,,,,,,

We’ve defended the work of the Dallas Mavericks’ front office quite a bit in these pages since the team went through a mini-rebuilding in the wake of their 2011 NBA championship. Owner Mark Cuban and team president Donnie Nelson decided against keeping certain high-priced semi-stars around in order to gear up cap space in the attempts at landing a major free agent in both the 2012 and 2013 offseasons. Those pursuits failed, but the Mavs can’t be blamed for individual free agents making individual decisions.


The Mavs, and more specifically Mark Cuban, decided to fall on their own sword in advance of the team’s Wednesday evening meeting with the Milwaukee Bucks. The Bucks are a young team partially led by the wonderful talent that is Giannis Antetokounmpo, a player the Mavs had a chance to select in the 2013 draft – the team’s first appearance in the draft lottery since Mark Cuban became owner, not counting the season he took over midway through.


Cuban revealed that Nelson badly wanted to draft Antetokounmpo, but was ultimately talked into making a cost-cutting move in order to free up cap space. From Eddie Sefko at the Dallas Morning News:



“He’s making us look bad for sticking to our plan,” Cuban said Tuesday. “That was Donnie. That (taking Antetokounmpo) is what Donnie wanted to do and I said we should stick to the plan. The whole point was that I wanted to stick to the plan and Donnie was like, this guy’s going to be good. I’ll risk everything that he’s going to be good. I said, I believe you Donnie.




“But still, what if all of the sudden we find out that so-and-so (free agent) is dying to come to the Mavs and now you don’t have the cap room. That’s why we put together a plan and our consolation wasn’t too bad.”



Again, we’ve supported the Mavericks’ moves over the years, but this is a tough one to swallow.


Dallas moved down in the 2013 draft in order to free up more cap room in an attempt to sign Dwight Howard, or others. In trading Antetokounmpo’s larger rookie salary for Shane Larkin’s deal at the 18th spot, the team lopped about $200k off its books for the next year. The team also dealt Jared Cunningham to Atlanta in the move, knocking his guaranteed $1.2 million ATL’s way. Larkin, who struggled in an injury-plagued rookie year, was traded to the New York Knicks earlier in 2014.


So, losing out on Giannis Antetokounmpo in order to pad some salary cap room with just under $1.5 million, salary that did not go to any knockout superstar. That hurts.


Cuban’s admission that some sort of lusted-after free agent was giving the team signs that he wanted to come to Dallas (while still, in June, under contract with his old team) may come off as self-serving in retrospect, but I suppose it’s possible that Dwight Howard did send out those sorts of feelers. Perhaps.


The Mavericks owner also did point out that the Mavs have recovered nicely. Not Dwight Howard-level “nicely,” but good enough. The team signed Monta Ellis and Jose Calderon that summer, and during the last offseason they turned Calderon and Shane Larkin into Tyson Chandler. It’s true that Chandler was the boffo free agent that Dallas didn’t want to pay big money to into his 30s all the way back in 2011, but that’s how these things turn out sometimes, and Dallas is currently running with a historically-great offense and 14-5 record.


Still, this is a case of when minding every little penny goes terribly wrong. Dwight Howard did indeed leave money on the table to go from Los Angeles to a team in Texas, but it’s hard to imagine (had he truly wanted to join the Mavericks) that $1.5 would get in the way of him choosing Dallas over Houston.


It’s a tough gig, in retrospect. If you take this sort of chance, the big fish needs to come through, the guy you passed up on can’t pan out, and your consolation pick can’t struggle. The Mavs whiffed on all three of those pitches.


- - - - - - -


Kelly Dwyer is an editor for Ball Don't Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at KDonhoops@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!






from Yahoo Sports http://ift.tt/12vgvtX
Read More

News sport : Steve Gleason delivered an emotional speech before the Apple Cup

♠ Posted by channel-top-news in ,,,,,,,

During last weekend’s Apple Cup game between Washington and Washington State, the Cougars inducted Steve Gleason as the exclusive honoree in the 2014 class of the WSU Athletic Hall of Fame.


But before Gleason’s induction, he met with Washington State players to offer inspirational words.



Four years ago, Gleason was diagnosed with ALS, which has left him bound to a wheelchair and unable to speak. Gleason used a computer to convey his emotional message that many of the players called inspiring.


"I learned this winning formula sitting in the same chairs you are sitting in now," Gleason told the players. "Taking this formula to my ALS diagnosis has born extraordinary results.


"The experts might say my play clock is ticking but I have no intention of fading away.”


Gleason was a four-year letterwinner in both football and baseball at Washington State from 1995-99. Gleason was a two-time captain in football, named All Pac-12 three times and finished his career with 282 tackles, ninth-most in school history.


He is the 178th member of the WSU Athletic Hall of Fame.


For more Washington State news, visit WazzouWatch.com.


- - - - - - -


Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter!


And don’t forget to keep up with all of Graham’s thoughts, witty comments and college football discussions on Facebook






from Yahoo Sports http://ift.tt/12vgvtN
Read More

News sport : Steve Tisch donates $1.2 million towards preventing H.S. football injuries

♠ Posted by channel-top-news in ,,,,,,,

Oct 21, 2013; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning (10) talks with Giants co-owner Steve Tisch after defeating the Minnesota Vikings 23-7 at MetLife Stadium. (Andrew Mills/THE STAR-LEDGER via USA TODAY Sports) When a Staten Island, New York, high school football player collapsed on the field during practice on Sept. 1, there was no medical professional there to treat him. A group of firefighters soon arrived, attempting to revive him with CPR, but it was too late.


Similar tragedies have occurred across the country in recent years.


There is no way of knowing if immediate treatment could have saved the lives of any of the players, but it's a question that parents and coaches should never have to consider.


New York Giants co-owner Steve Tisch is trying to make sure they never have to. He recently donated $1.2 million to the New York City Department of Education to fund the hiring of certified athletic trainers and EMTs for the city's 53 public high school football programs.


“A lot of parents are concerned about their kids playing contact sports,” Tisch said at a press conference, standing alongside Victor Cruz. “But as a parent, my level of confidence and comfort is greatly increased if I know that there are trained coaches as well as trainers who can recognize concussion symptoms, know concussion protocols, and I hope that’s one of the real benefits of this program.”


Studies have shown that having a full-time athletic trainer on site leads to more concussion diagnosis compared to having a primary care physician present only for games or practices. It has to do with the relationship between the players and the trainers, according to studies posted by the advocacy group MomsTEAM. Knowing players on a personal basis also helps athletic trainers spot changes in behavior and mood.


The National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA) reports that the number of high schools with access to full- or part-time trainers has risen from 40 percent in 2005 to about 60 percent in 2013, as concussion awareness has grown. The numbers vary greatly by state and economic status, though. Earlier this year, the NFL also pledged $1 million towards hiring athletic trainers in under-served areas.


This is Tisch's second major safety-related donation of the year. In May, he donated $10 million to UCLA's concussion research program, now named the UCLA Steve Tisch BrainSPORT Program. The funding will allow them to focus on training neurologists in youth concussion diagnosis, developing new diagnostic tools, and studying the link between concussions and long-term brain damage.






from Yahoo Sports http://ift.tt/1vlm4kq
Read More