News sport : Jon Jones' younger brother wants to fight the UFC champ for charity

The search to find the next apt opponent for Jon Jones may be over – at least, that's the case if someone who knows the UFC light heavyweight champion better than most has his way.


Jones’ younger brother Chandler – as in, New England Patriots Super Bowl champion Chandler Jones – told TMZ that he would be up for giving his older brother a whooping, like he used to before Jon became arguably the most dangerous fighter in UFC history.From left: Jon, Chandler and Arthur Jones. (Credit: Tracy Lee)


“Me and my brother used to fight all the time when we were young, and I'm pretty sure I can take him down now. I am way bigger than he is,” said Chandler, who outweighs his brother by roughly 40 pounds and outreaches him by an inch. “I would just throw him to the ground.”


To prove it wouldn’t be a self-serving publicity stunt, the younger Jones suggested they could perhaps choose a charity to donate the money raised by the potential sibling superfight.


“It will be fun if we actually did a one-round match for charity; that would be fun. If I win, he would have to donate to the charity of my choice and vice versa. I don't know how my coach would feel about it. I don't think it would fly."


It sounds like the standout Pats defensive end is hinting that the fight wouldn’t be a lighthearted sparring session like most charity bouts end up being. Otherwise, why would his coach have an issue with him making a charitable appearance?


As a body language expert pointed out last month, Jones, who revealed in his much-maligned Fox Sports interview that his brothers were giving him some flak over the news he tested positive for cocaine, “Bones” was very uncomfortable talking about their disappointment in him over the incident. Since then Jones, who once told Sherdog that he was the kid who “snitched on” marijuana users growing up, admitted that he used cocaine “quite a few times” in college. Such a public admission likely doesn’t sit well with Chandler or their older brother, Indianapolis Colts defensive end Arthur Jones, as both players are lauded as much for their clean images as they are for their impressive gridiron skills.


Maybe this is Chandler’s way of teaching his brother a very public life lesson with some tough love, like Jon and Arthur used to impart on him in the front yard of their childhood home in Rochester, NY.


For his part, Chandler has spent time training with his brother at the Jackson-Winklejohn gym in Albuquerque. Maybe he knows something we don’t in terms of how to beat Jon.


What do Cagereaders think? Who wins between these two super athlete siblings?







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News sport : Charles Oakley calls James Dolan some rude words, says the Knick owner won't meet him

Charles Oakley was a New York Knick for nearly 10 years. Often cited as the heart and soul of the team, alongside his more tangible defense and rebounding contributions, Oakley worked through five different coaches in New York. He made an All-Star team despite rarely having a play called for him, and he often took on the team’s toughest front court big man defensively. The guy worked his tail off for the Knicks.


He also pulls no punches in calling out the team that dealt him for Marcus Camby in June in 1998, correctly pinning the team’s problems on the franchise’s problems on Knicks owner James Dolan. Dolan ignited a firestorm this week when a nasty, childlike and petulant email he wrote to a fan was lead by Deadspin, with all manner of Knick fandom bonding together to beg Dolan to sell his interest in the team – something that ain’t gonna happen.


Happy to toss some fuel into that firestorm, Oakley told TMZ that he thought Dolan was a “diva,” and absolutely went off on the guy during a promotional appearance on Wednesday. From the New York Daily News:



"As hard as I played for that motherf----r, and he don't want to talk with me?" Oakley barked.




[…]




"Everybody in New York liked me except this one guy. Why is this?" said Oakley. "Everywhere I talk to people - 'Why aren't you working with the Knicks?' I said I try to. They said, 'What, is it Dolan?' I talked to maybe a million people. He's a bad guy."




[…]




"I asked the commissioner to set up a meeting with (Dolan), take a step forward," said Oakley. "I want to know what I did to be hated so bad by an owner. The dad (Charles Dolan), I never heard him say nothing bad about me. I asked players I played with to go talk with (James Dolan). He said he don't want to deal with me."



Oakley told both the Daily News and TMZ that he uses online ticket brokers when he has to purchase Knick tickets, and though Dolan and the Knicks aren’t truly required to give away seats to a guy that hasn’t been with the team since 1998, a little something would be nice.


[Follow Dunks Don't Lie on Tumblr: The best slams from all of basketball]


Especially considering the franchise’s laughable “Once a Knick, always a Knick” mantra, or the fact that team president Phil Jackson was Oakley’s assistant coach during his last season with the Chicago Bulls.


That’s James Dolan for you, though. This is the man that drove Marv Albert out of Knick broadcasts because Albert had the journalistic temerity to suggest that the Knicks weren’t all that great (New York would go on to average 28 wins a season in the six campaigns that followed Albert’s departure). He’s the guy that berates and fires security guards for doing their job. He’s that guy.


Charles Oakley is proud, brusque, defiant, opinionated, sometimes wrong but often right. Charles Oakley, and not James Dolan, is the consummate New Yorker.


Get him some tickets.


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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!






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News sport : NFL announces 2015 Hall of Fame Game participants


The Hall of Fame Game is a milestone each year.


We go without football for six full months, but it returns to our lives on that night at Fawcett Stadium in Canton, Ohio every August. The first preseason game is never very memorable, considering almost anyone who will play any significant role in either team's regular season plays a handful of snaps at most. But it's football.


We have a date, time and teams to put on our calendars now. The Pittsburgh Steelers and Minnesota Vikings will meet on Aug. 9 at 8 p.m. Eastern time. So, less than six months. We'll make it, I promise.


The Steelers have Jerome Bettis going into the Pro Football Hall of Fame that weekend, and the Vikings have longtime center Mick Tingelhoff being inducted. On the field, maybe we'll see Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater for a few plays, or maybe even a few Steelers starters.


But it won't matter. Football will return that night. Start the countdown.


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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!






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News sport : Tiger Woods may play Honda, but won't play again until ready

Leave of absence. Break. It's semantics. The bottom line is Tiger Woods said Wednesday he won't play tournament golf until he's ready -- and that he could be ready in two weeks.


On his website, Woods explained he's fighting two battles that will keep him from playing tournament golf until both are won.


Woods said he is having daily physical therapy to treat the back injury that forced him to withdraw from the Farmers Insurance Open after 11 holes in Round 1. He also said his game isn't in tournament shape and won't play again until it is.


"Right now, I need a lot of work on my game, and to still spend time with the people that are important to me," Woods wrote. "My play, and scores, are not acceptable for tournament golf. Like I've said, I enter a tournament to compete at the highest level, and when I think I'm ready, I'll be back. Next week I will practice at Medalist and at home getting ready for the rest of the year. I am committed to getting back to the pinnacle of my game."


Woods didn't rule out his next originally scheduled start at the Honda Classic, but he sounded doubtful at best for the start of the PGA Tour's Florida Swing.


"I'd like to play The Honda Classic -- it's a tournament in my hometown and it's important to me -- but I won't be there unless my game is tournament-ready," Woods wrote. "That's not fair to anyone. I do, however, expect to be playing again very soon."


The soonest Woods could play next after Honda would be the Arnold Palmer Invitational, which will round out the Florida run. From the tone of Woods' writing, however, it seems he might wait much longer to return.




Ryan Ballengee is a Yahoo Sports contributor. Find him on Facebook and Twitter.







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News sport : Indiana TE Jordan Fuchs joining basketball team

Indiana's Jordan Fuchs is adding a second college sport to his resumé on Wednesday night.


Fuchs, a freshman tight end on the football team, is set to be on Indiana's basketball roster when Hoosiers play Maryland on Wednesday. He played both sports in high school and his high school basketball coach told the Indianapolis Star that Fuchs was the best forward he's ever coached.


"He was part of two city championship teams in one of the hardest leagues in America," Christ the King High School basketball coach Joe Arbitello told the Star. "He's probably the best forward I've ever coached.


"He's talented, man. I'm not gonna lie to you."


Last season Fuchs had three catches for 31 yards. He's listed at 6-6, 230.


If you're an NFL fan, you know that San Diego Chargers TE Antonio Gates and New Orleans Saints TE Jimmy Graham were college basketball players before their football careers took off. While Fuchs' college experience sports is experience differs from both of them, his original sport was basketball (Graham played a season of football after playing basketball at Miami while Gates didn't play football at Kent State).


Additionally, retired TE Tony Gonzalez double-dipped at Cal and so did Green Bay Packers DE Julius Peppers at North Carolina. More recently, South Carolina WR Bruce Ellington was also the Gamecocks' point guard.


According to the Star, Fuchs was initially recruited to play basketball in college. He started playing football as a way to increase his athleticism and then played a year at a prep school in the northeast before enrolling at Indiana.


"Jordan is someone we've been aware of for some time now and had he not gotten injured in the Purdue game and had to recover from that we would have brought over to evaluate earlier," Indiana basketball coach Tom Crean said. "We worked with him since last week and with Coach Wilson's blessing we are adding Jordan at this time. He has considerable basketball experience and brings size, athleticism, toughness and a tremendous competitive attitude."


For more Indiana news, visit PEEGS.com.


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







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News sport : Did Karl Malone just challenge Kobe Bryant to a fight?

Man, a lot of aging Basketball Hall of Famers sure seem to have some strong opinions about Kobe Bean Bryant.


Karl Malone was a Laker for exactly one season, participating in an injury-plagued final campaign with Los Angeles in 2003-04 that saw the Lakers fall in the NBA Finals to the Detroit Pistons. Malone retired following that season and seemed to be easing into a life spent moving construction equipment around before Bryant alleged that Malone hit on Kobe’s wife Vanessa (who is Latino) while attending a Laker game.


Remember this?



On Nov. 23, the night the Lakers played the Bucks at Staples Center, Vanessa was talking on the phone to Malone's wife, Kaye. Kaye gave Vanessa her husband's cellphone number, and Vanessa called Malone, who was sitting at courtside, and invited Malone's child to join her.




Malone, wearing cowboy boots and a hat, eventually took the child to Vanessa.



Malone hugged Vanessa, and then Vanessa asked -- as Manley recounts this part of the story -- "Hey, cowboy, what are you hunting?"



"She said it twice," Manley said, "and Karl answered the second time, 'I'm hunting for little Mexican girls.' "




After the game Vanessa told Bryant that Malone had come on to her, and said several inappropriate things. She also told Bryant that she had called Malone's wife and asked Kaye to get her husband away from her.




Bryant called Malone on his cellphone after the game, and Bryant laid into Malone. Bryant said Malone didn't have much to say in return and didn't deny anything.


That’s an understandable beef for Bryant to develop.



Strangely, while appearing on Huffington Post Live, Malone made an odd invitation toward Bryant in his typical Karl Malone-ese, just about asking Kobe to get in the ring with the Mailman. Watch:



Here’s a transcript:



"We had a little issue," Malone told host Marc Lamont Hill. "I don't hold grudges ... I love Westerns. I'm old-school Western. Back in the day, when you had a beef, you didn't go get guns and knives ... we just go back in the back with no cameras and knuckle up. Get it over with."




Hill pressed Malone if he offered Bryant that route to resolution.




"It's a standing offer," Malone said. "Look, I don't want no trouble. I don't have a problem. People say whatever they want to say and that's great. I'm 6-9, 272 [pounds] to be exact. I'm not hard to find. I don't want no trouble. But if something got to go down, I'm not playing fair."



I would suggest that fighting a man currently wearing an arm sling after undergoing surgery to repair a significant tear in his right shoulder would be the epitome of “not playing fair,” but that’s Karl for you.


This is all very … weird.


That 2003-04 Laker team could have been a great one. Shaquille O’Neal was out of shape that season, and Bryant was fighting rape charges on some off days in a Colorado courthouse, but the team still managed to start the season on an 18-3 tear. Just before Christmas, however, Karl Malone sprained his knee after running into Phoenix Suns big man Scott Williams, suffering the first significant injury of his 20-year career. From there, point man Gary Payton seemed to age in dog years, the Lakers fell back, and championship contenders in Minnesota (perhaps the most unheralded and overlooked also-ran of the modern era), Sacramento, San Antonio and Dallas all found their rhythm.


After injuries struck the Wolves and the Derek Fisher sucker-punch took the wind out of San Antonio’s sails, the Lakers still managed to make their way to the Finals. Malone hurt that same knee again during that series, and a white-hot Pistons squad downed the Lakers in five.


Malone retired, Payton was dealt to Boston, coach Phil Jackson stepped away, O’Neal was traded to Miami, and Bryant (after flirting with the Clippers and Bulls) re-signed with the Lakers.


It was an abrupt ending. Just as abrupt and brief a fight between Kobe with one arm and the self-satisfied Malone would presumably be.


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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!






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News sport : NCAA Football Rules Committee to explore technology use, other rule changes

(Photo by G Fiume/Maryland Terrapins/Getty Images) The NCAA Football Rules Committee will look into a number of new rule proposals heading into the 2015 season.


According to a release from the NCAA, many of the potential changes look at the utilization of various technologies and how the technology would impact the game. Those technologies could include the use of tablets and computers by coaches, allowing players to wear helmets with cameras and “permitting wireless communication” from a coach to a player.


Currently, teams, other than medical personnel, are not permitted to use tablets “in the team bench area or coaching booths.”


A subcommittee has been formed to look into these ideas and will gather data before making any decisions about implementing these various forms of technology.


“The committee wants to incorporate the modern forms of technology and innovation that will advance the quality of instruction for the game,” said Troy Calhoun, head coach at the U.S. Air Force Academy and chair of the committee. “We would like to encourage some controlled experimentation to further our broader discussion within our membership.”


While those potential changes are subject to further discussion, the Rules Committee supports the following rule proposals:




  • Allowing an eight-person officiating system to be utilized. A center judge was used experimentally in several conferences during the past two seasons. The benefits of having the extra official included getting the ball spotted more efficiently and detecting holding and hands-to-the-face penalties.



  • The ineligible downfield rule was adjusted from three yards to one yard past the line of scrimmage. To be legal, a lineman who is more than one yard past the line of scrimmage must be engaged with a defensive player when a pass is released.



  • A 15-yard unsportsmanlike foul will be called on players who push or pull opponents off piles – for example, following fumbles.



  • If a helmet comes off a defensive player in the final minute of a half, there will be a 10-second runoff of the game clock and the play clock will be set at 40 seconds. Previously, the play clock was set to 25 seconds.



  • Officials will return to giving teams an initial sideline warning when their personnel move out of the designated team bench area.



  • Officials are to treat illegal equipment issues – such as jerseys tucked under the shoulder pads and writing on eye black – by making the player leave the field for one play. The player may remain in the game if his team takes a timeout to correct the equipment.



  • Allow instant replay review to see if a kicking team player blocked the receiving team before the ball goes 10 yards on onside-kick plays.



  • Teams must be provided at least 22 minutes prior to kickoff for pregame warm-ups. Teams may mutually agree to shorten this time period.



  • The calling of team timeouts by the head coach will be instant-replay reviewable at any time.



  • If the play clock runs to 25 seconds before the ball is ready for play, officials will reset the clock to 40 seconds. Previously, the play clock would be reset when it reached 20 seconds.



  • Based on research findings of the National Football League, non-standard/overbuilt facemasks will be prohibited.



  • The committee also discussed length-of-game issues in the sport, meeting with television partners in an effort to find ways to reduce dead time in the game. In the 2014 season, the average game in Football Bowl Subdivision was three hours and 19 minutes.



The NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel will vote on these rule proposals via conference call on March 5.


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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!







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News sport : Browns owner says team didn't know about Johnny Manziel's personal life


Jimmy Haslam must not have access to the Internet.


That's really the only way to explain how the Cleveland Browns' owner could have not known about Johnny Manziel's off-field red flags when the team drafted him in the first round last year. Here's what Haslam said about Manziel during a press conference on Wednesday:



"I don't know how much of Johnny's personal life was known by everybody then," Haslam said, according ot the Akron Beacon-Journal.



Come on.


There's two ways to view that quote: Either Haslam is lying or the Browns are the worst organization in sports. For the sake of Cleveland fans, don't answer that.


Manziel's penchant for going out was a massive story when he was at Texas A&M and leading up to the draft as well. Here's a passage from ESPN.com's Wright Thompson's story on Manziel, from July 30, 2013. This was written by Thompson nine months before the Browns drafted Manziel, with references to Manziel's father Paul and Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin:



"Paul thinks Johnny drinks to deal with the stress. After his arrest, Johnny's parents and Sumlin mandated he visit an alcohol counselor; Johnny saw him six or seven weeks during the season."



Dr. Saturday wrote extensively about Manziel's life in the spotlight. Everyone did. The extent of Manziel's issues that caused him to check into a treatment facility might not have been clear, but if Haslam and the Browns' front office didn't know anything about Manziel's off-field life, they were the only ones in the football world who were unaware.


But that's practically inconsequential going forward. The Browns invested a first-round pick into Manziel just a year ago and want to make it work. And Haslam said he thinks it can work.



"It's way too early to give up on Johnny," Haslam said, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer . "We certainly haven't given up on him. Everybody's been too harsh."



Haslam said he didn't know when Manziel would return to the team, but he supported his decision to go to rehab.


It would be enormous for the Browns franchise if Manziel can become a franchise quarterback. And the Browns franchise could use some good news.


The Browns have a lot of issues but one of the most pressing ones is the NFL investigation into Browns general manager Ray Farmer sending texts to the sideline during games. The messages were relayed to the coaches on the sideline, and that's not allowed by the NFL. The punishment could be as harsh as the loss of a draft pick.



"He said he feels he made a mistake in sending those texts," Haslam said, via the Plain Dealer. "But it does not affect his standing with the club. I don't think Ray intended to gain an unfair advantage."



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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!






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News sport : Report: Rutgers to hire business consultant, program booster as recruiting coordinator

Rutgers football head coach Kyle Flood answers a question about the Scarlet Knights' recruiting class on national signing day, Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2015, in Piscataway, N.J. (AP Photo/Mel Evans) Well this is an interesting approach.


According to NJ.com’s Keith Sargeant, Rutgers head coach Kyle Flood “is on the verge” of hiring a business consultant with no football experience to be the Scarlet Knights’ recruiting coordinator.


The reported hire, Jeff Towers, is a “financial supporter of the football program” (AKA a booster) who described himself on LinkedIn as an “executive with 30 years of experience leading robust marketing, communications and fundraising programs in some of the largest nonprofit organizations in America.”


How does this qualify Towers to oversee recruiting for a Big Ten football program? I have no idea.


Here’s a bit more about Towers, per NJ.com:



Towers doesn't appear to have any football experience but, according to LinkedIn, he is said to have managed "his own consulting agency assisting nonprofit organizations in strategic planning, board development, marketing, communications and fundraising.'' The profile says he is principal of a New York nonprofit firm called Jeffrey Towers & Associates, which doesn't have a known website, and lists his previous employers as the American Red Cross, UNICEF and Public Interest Data, Inc.



In addition to Flood’s anticipated hire of Towers, University of Illinois director of player personnel Marcus Berry and volunteer assistant E.J. Barthel are also expected to join the football program, per Sargeant.


Before Berry’s lone season at Illinois, he spent four seasons at North Carolina in the same role.


Though he could not confirm the three hires, Flood did concede to NJ.com that “Towers, Berry and Barthel were among the candidates who interviewed for the positions.”


“Nothing will happen this week,” Flood said. “I have people I’m talking to, I have interviews I’m doing. We have a process that we’re going through.”


The position of recruiting coordinator opened recently as a result of the staff changes that followed offensive coordinator Ralph Friedgen’s decision to step down. The program’s former recruiting coordinator, Phil Galiano, was promoted to special teams coordinator and tight ends coach on Tuesday.


According to Rivals.com, Rutgers’ 2015 recruiting class finished 53rd in the nation and 11th out of 14 teams in the Big Ten.


For more Rutgers news, visit ScarletNation.com.


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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!







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News sport : Louisiana-Lafayette defensive coordinator leaves for New Orleans Saints

The exodus of college defensive coaches to the NFL is continuing.


Louisiana-Lafayette announced Wednesday that defensive coordinator James Willis would be leaving the team to be an assistant coach with the New Orleans Saints. Willis has been with the team the past two seasons.


"I'm excited for James and his opportunity," Hudspeth said. "Obviously, as a player in the National Football League, he has to be excited to have the opportunity to go back and coach at the highest level. We appreciate the work that James did here at UL and wish him and his family the best in the future."


Willis will be a defensive assistant and help coach linebackers for the Saints.


ULL was No. 72 in the nation in 2014 in total defense. The Ragin' Cajuns gave up 26 points per game, which was 57th in the country.


Willis is a former NFL linebacker and played collegiately at Auburn. Louisiana-Lafayette has finished the past two seasons at 9-4 and has won the New Orleans Bowl in each.


On Tuesday, Oklahoma defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery joined the Green Bay Packers. Previously, Florida assistant Terrell Williams left for the Miami Dolphins and UCLA defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich is joining the Atlanta Falcons.


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







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Villa sack Lambert

Aston Villa have sacked manager Paul Lambert after the free-falling midlands club dropped into the relegation zone, the Premier League club said.


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London - Aston Villa have sacked manager Paul Lambert after the free-falling midlands club dropped into the relegation zone, the Premier League club said on Wednesday.


The final straw for the beleaguered boss was a 2-0 defeat at Hull City on Tuesday which left them third-bottom of the table, putting their unbroken stay in the Premier League in peril.


Villa's seventh loss in 10 games, a run in which they have collected three points and scored only two goals, prompted fans to unfurl a banner calling for Lambert to be sacked.


“Aston Villa Football Club has parted company this evening with manager Paul Lambert,” the club said in a statement.


“First-team coach Scott Marshall and goalkeeping coach Andy Marshall will continue to prepare the squad for Sunday's FA Cup tie with Leicester City at Villa Park.


“The club would also like to place on record its thanks to Paul and take this opportunity to wish him every success in the future.


“The club will announce a new manager in due course.”


Since back-to back wins against Crystal Palace and Leicester City at the start of December, confidence has drained away at Villa Park and the goals have dried up.


Villa's tally of 12 goals is the lowest, by far, of any side in the top four divisions of English soccer. – Reuters






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News sport : The 10-man rotation, starring Kobe, Dirk and all good things coming to an end

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: The Classical. Andrew Tobolowsky on hating Kobe Bryant, loving Dirk Nowitzki how aging turns down the volume on our anger and the "time at the end of things when our enemies are at last as harmless as our friends."


PF: Daily Thunder. Royce Young considers how Steven Adams' broken right hand, which is expected to keep him out at least three weeks, might impact the Oklahoma City Thunder's lineup and rotations, Sam Presti's trade-deadline plans and the team's hopes of snagging a Western Conference playoff spot.


SF: SLAM. A fun read from Yaron Weitzman on what Marc Gasol has changed to become a fringe-MVP candidate for the bruising and deeper-than-ever Memphis Grizzlies, although Big Spain insists that things aren't really that different: "I’m really surprised that everyone is surprised at how well I’m playing."


SG: BBallBreakdown. A bit late on this, but I dug Jesse Blanchard's look at how Kawhi Leonard's increasing offensive role, while almost certainly a positive development for the San Antonio Spurs in the long run, has meant Gregg Popovich's club looks a bit more hamstrung and a bit less dynamic in defending its title than it did in winning it.


PG: The Triangle. Zach Lowe on a wave of young big men developing into intriguing pieces worth monitoring.


6th: SB Nation and Sports Illustrated. Paul Flannery comes to us from New Orleans, where he looks at Anthony Davis' rise to the MVP conversation through the eyes of his Pelicans teammates and coaches ("It’s like 'NBA 2K' and you just created the best player"). Rob Mahoney digs deep into the All-Star big man's development on both ends of the floor, looking at the hard and meticulous work the former No. 1 ovrall pick has done to become one of the game's most dominant and ascendant two-way players.


7th: The Brooklyn Game. Devin Kharpertian takes a fun look at the Brooklyn Nets' tendency toward firing floaters, with Jarrett Jack, Joe Johnson and Brook Lopez discussing how they developed the shot, why they use it and how they do so effectively against NBA defenders.


8th: ESPN.com. A really good read from Mike Wise on John Wall, who might not be quite on hometown hero Kevin Durant's level of megawatt stardom, but might just be exactly the right kind of leader to get the Washington Wizards where they want to go, and to get D.C. behind them, pushing them forward.


9th: The Triangle. Charles P. Pierce on catching consecutive games against Western monsters with the Atlanta Hawks, who "have played so well this season that they bring the future with them now everywhere they go".


10th: Rolling Stone. Good stuff from Michael Pina on Paul Millsap, who went from perennially underrated power forward in Utah to nightly matchup nightmare in Atlanta, and who now "has no major weaknesses, only good skills he's trying to make great."


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Dan Devine is an editor for Ball Don't Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at devine@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter!



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Pirates scrape past struggling Amazulu

Orlando Pirates broke AmaZulu hearts as they snatched a come-from-behind 2-1Premiership win at the Moses Mabhida Stadium.


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Durban – A 90th minute strike from Kermit Erasmus helped Orlando Pirates break AmaZulu hearts as they snatched a come-from-behind 2-1Premiership win at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban on Wednesday.


New Usuthu signing Mbulelo Mabizela had given basement club Usuthu the lead when he headed them ahead after 66 minutes.


But the home sides' joy was short-lived as Lehlohonolo Majoro levelled three minutes later, before the Buccaneers frontman teed up strike partner Erasmus to thump in the winner in the final minute of play.


The result helped the Buccaneers consolidate their fourth position on the table, while AmaZulu stayed rooted to the foot of the table, nine points behind second-bottom Platinum Stars.


Steve Barker handed debuts to goalkeeper Energy Murambadoro, defender Mabizela and striker Bongi Ntuli, but it was the same old story as the Durbanites struggled to assert themselves in front of the just over 10,000 fans in attendance.


The first-half as a midfield battle that saw little in terms of goalmouth action, apart from headed chances at either end. Both produced the same result too as Lennox Bacela first headed over an early corner from Oupa Manyisa.


At the other end, Marc van Heerden's delivery from a corner kick was also planted over, this time by Bongani Ndulula.


It was goalless at the break and after the restart there was a first real save for either goalkeeper when Bornwell Mwape's powerful shot from inside the area forced Brighton Mhlongo to make a sharp reaction save.


Usuthu then went in front just after the hour when his powerful header from a Van Heerden free-kick gave Mhlongo no chance.


But the lead was cancelled out in the 69th minute thanks to an exquisite Majoro lob over the stranded Murambadoro.


And with the game seemingly destined for a draw, Erasmus broke the hearts of the home fans to steal the three points. – Sapa






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Ajax frustrated by Polokwane

Ajax Cape Town were left frustrated after Polokwane City grabbed a late share of the spoils in a 1-1 draw at the Cape Town Stadium.


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Cape Town – Ajax Cape Town were left frustrated after Polokwane City grabbed a late share of the spoils in a 1-1 draw at the Cape Town Stadium on Wednesday evening.


The first half was action-packed, with the visiting team in particular playing a fast and exciting brand of football, only to be let down by their finishing.


After Polokwane City had a couple of early chances which failed to test home keeper Anssi Jaakkola. It was Ajax who took the lead after 16 minutes when an unmarked Tashrique Morris scored from five yards out after a pin-point cross from Milton Ncube.


The Limpopo side were soon putting the Cape side under pressure with their speed and combination play when going forward, but Puleng Tloane missed a good chance in the 28th minute when he did well to beat Abbubaker Mobara before sending his parting shot wide.


Jabulani Maluleke was also a constant threat down the left wing for the visiting side, but he too was wasteful in his finishing.


Ajax also had their chances to extend the lead, but Morris lost his composure when he shot straight at Polokwane City keeper Modiri Marumo on 33 minutes before being caught in two minds and missed another good opportunity just before the break.


Morris got the first chance after the break, but once again he failed to make it count as his unconvincing effort was blocked by Marumo on 52 minutes before Cecil Lolo also had a shot saved a minute later.


Following that, the game became a rather scrappy and hard-fought, with little in the way of goal-scoring chances.


The Cape side appeared to be set to just about hold on for the win, but the breakthrough came for the visiting side in the third minute of added time when Sipho Jembula tapped in from close range after Jaakkola was unable to hold onto Maluleke's free kick. – – Sapa






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Nkhatha scores on SuperSport debut

Kingston Nkhatha made the perfect start to his SuperSport United career, scoring on debut, but had to settle for a 2-2 draw against Free State Stars.


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Johannesburg – Kingston Nkhatha made the perfect start to his SuperSport United career, scoring on debut, but had to settle for a 2-2 draw against Free State Stars at Lucas Moripe Stadium, in Atteridgeville, on Wednesday evening.


Having completed his move from Kaizer Chiefs in January, Nkhatha wasted little time getting himself acclimatised to life at SuperSport, scoring just seven minutes into an otherwise dull clash against a plucky Free State side in Pretoria.


But second half goals from Mbuyiselo Thethani and Hendrik Somaeb demolished United's two-goal half-time cushion in what was a game of two very different halves.


Thuso Phala, who provided Nkhatha with the assist, scored three minutes after Nkhtaha, putting Ea Lla Koto on the back foot barely 10 minutes into the tie.


But a late comeback denied Gordon Igesund's troops what looked like three straightforward points when their 2-0 advantage looked a mountain to high to climb for the visitors from Bethlehem.


SuperSport started the day in 12th spot and were in line to move back into the top eight, but were held by a resilient Stars outfit who walk away the happier of the two.


The visitors made headway in the second half and pulled one back through young Thethani, before Somaeb added the second as a disappointed United had to settle for a point when three looked all but wrapped up with minutes left on the clock.


Igesund named Nkhatha in his starting line-up, with fellow new signing Jeremy Brockie starting from the bench, in an otherwise familiar formation, with Phala and Dove Wome combining brilliantly with Nkhatha at the head of the attack.


United's intentions were clear from the off, as Nkhatha brushed his markers aside, latched onto Phala's pinpoint delivery over the top and finishing with a cultured left-footed effort at the far post.


The Matsatsantsa faithful showed their gratitude with a rousing round of applause for the Zimbabwean international, who was known for his fractious relationship with Amakhosi supporters for his often erratic finishing.


Phala was keen to get in on the action and soon picked up a ball outside the box, danced his way around a host of defenders and expertly curled his shot around Glenn Verbauwhade, doubling SuperSport's lead in the space of three breathless minutes.


The rest of the half saw little in the way of chances, which carried into the second period where both units looked flat and unimaginative going forward.


Danny Venter was one of the few visitors to have a crack at goal, shooting from some way out but ultimately failing to test Ronwen Williams, who didn't have to move and covered easily with a simple stop.


Coming on early in the second half, Thethani breathed life back into the game when he unleashed a vicious shot that beat Williams on 79 minutes, making for a nervy end as Stars looked the more likely to make something happen in front of goal.


Ten minutes later, Stars denied SuperSport the win as Somaeb broke hearts with his strike in the dying minutes, earning Stars a valuable point as they continue in the race against relegation with the season now heading into the latter stages. – Sapa






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