Mosimane’s gamble pays off

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Pitso Mosimane should be walking tall with his chest stuck out following Sundowns’ near flawless performance against Moroka Swallows.


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With a rejuvenated Mamelodi Sundowns delivering a near flawless performance crowned by an emphatic triumph, Pitso Mosimane should be walking tall with his chest stuck out.


After all Sundowns were in sublime form when they defeated Moroka Swallows 4-1 in an enthralling Absa Premiership encounter at the Lucas Moripe Stadium on Tuesday night. Tactically Mosimane was spot on. The temperamental coach is resisting the temptation of being over confident.


“We look okay but we must not get excited. We must keep our feet on the ground. We started well. We entered where we wanted to enter – on the sides. We had so many opportunities. We could have converted more. I am only looking at the opportunities we created,” said Mosimane.


“It’s easy for me to take credit but I think we played proper football in terms of moving the ball well and fast and we got behind their defence quicker and bringing the ball in to the box to score. Maybe we had a very good period. We are peaking at the right time.”


A brace by Cuthbert Malajila, a header by Alje Schut and a wicked freekick by Teko Modise delivered all the points to Sundowns assisting the Brazilians to reduce the deficit between them and log leaders Kaizer Chiefs to 12 points. Mosimane fielded an attack minded side with a number of changes in the side. Rightback Siyanda Zwane impressed as he was effective both in defence and attack. Mosimane revealed that the deployment of Ramahlwe Mphahlele in central defence is in preparation for the imminent departure of Schut, who is hanging his boots at the end of the season.


“Alje Schut is retiring and he is leaving. I need to bring somebody to play centreback and that’s why I played Rama at centreback. I am happy with Zwane because the poor guy we moved him from Arrows to here (Sundowns) and he has been struggling. He is strong on defence. Going in and bringing crosses, proper crosses. It's good for him to play at this level. Let’s see what happens, maybe he could get a chance to play in the national team, fight with people like (Siyabonga) Nhlapo from Wits. Maybe he can get a place. I am happy Bra Shakes was here,” said Mosimane.


While Mosimane had a dream start to this year, his counterpart Fani Madida had a nightmarish start to his tenure as the head coach of Swallows. Madida, the erstwhile goalpoacher, was at pains to explain how his men got mesmerised and conceded four goals in the first 25 minutes of the match.


“There are negatives and also positives out of it. First 20 minutes we chocked and they came with wing play. They had good movement especially the wingers. Inside midfield, they confused our midfielders and opened our defence with crosses. We also didn’t track back. That discipline in terms of coming back, it takes an effort. If you get paid as a professional footballer you must cover your teammates well,” said Madida.


Swallows goalkeeper Greg Etafia was at fault on a number of occasions as Downs had a field day. The most glaring error was when Modise found the back of the net from about 30m. Madida did not want to fault the Nigerian goalkeeper.


“Goalkeepers make mistakes. It was one of those mistakes,” said Madida. With Swallows positioned 13th with 19 points, Madida will have to work hard to help the Dube Birds out of the danger zone. The Chiefs legend is aiming for a top eight finish.


“If Swallows finish within the top eight bracket that would be an achievement for me. Now I can start to think about other things. Generally in football you are given a contract but that contract doesn’t mean you will stay until the end. The better we perform the longer I will stay,” said Madida. - The Star






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Arsenal’s Ramsey injured, again!

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Arsenal have suffered another injury blow with midfielder Aaron Ramsey set to miss at least four weeks with a hamstring problem.


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Arsenal have suffered another injury blow with midfielder Aaron Ramsey set to miss at least four weeks with a hamstring problem.


But there was better news for Arsene Wenger as the knee injury sustained by Alexis Sanchez against Leicester on Tuesday has been deemed not serious, while Jack Wilshere is set to return to action against Middlesbrough in the FA Cup this weekend.


Ramsey broke down with his third hamstring injury of the season in the win over Leicester.


And following lengthy assessments yesterday, the Wales international will certainly miss the rest of this month, including the first leg of their Champions League last-16 clash against Monaco on February 25.


And he is facing a battle to be fit for the second leg in Monaco on March 17.


There was more positive news, however, following Sanchez’s scan results yesterday.


The Chilean looked in major discomfort following a hefty challenge from Leicester central defender Matthew Upson.


He was eventually subbed in the second half, and later tweeted: ‘Sometimes the love for the game and anxiety to be on a football pitch works against you.’


Sanchez’s post raised fears of a injury lay-off, but he should be available — if selected — for Sunday’s visit of Middlesbrough.


Likewise, Wilshere — who hasn’t played since ankle surgery in November — is also in line to play against the Championship side.– Daily Mail






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Gerrard injury blow for Liverpool

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Steven Gerrard is set to miss a crucial phase of Liverpool’s season after tweaking his hamstring during the victory over Tottenham Hotspur.


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Steven Gerrard is set to miss a crucial phase of Liverpool’s season after tweaking his hamstring during the victory over Tottenham Hotspur.


Liverpool’s captain came off in the second half of a 3-2 win that has bolstered his side’s hopes of qualifying for the Champions League but is now almost certain to miss the next Barclays Premier League fixture at Southampton on February 22.


Gerrard is also set to be ruled out of this weekend’s FA Cup tie against Crystal Palace and probably the Europa League last-32 assignment against Besiktas. Liverpool hope the 34-year-old will be available to face Manchester City on March 1.


It is another headache for manager Brendan Rodgers, who only 48 hours earlier discovered that Lucas Leiva will miss between four to six weeks with a damaged thigh.


Better news, though, is the sustained improvement in Daniel Sturridge’s fitness and the England striker took another step in the right direction against Tottenham. – Daily Mail






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Mourinho lauds Cech, ref

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Jose Mourinho had a double break with tradition as he strolled on to the pitch to hug goalkeeper Petr Cech.


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London - Jose Mourinho had a double break with tradition on Wednesday as he strolled on to the pitch to hug goalkeeper Petr Cech then praised a “fantastically disallowed” Chelsea goal shortly before Willian's 89th-minute shot secured a 1-0 home win over Everton.


Mourinho usually disappears down the tunnel before the last note of the final whistle has died away but, fired up by the last-gasp victory that kept Chelsea seven points ahead of Manchester City in the Premier League, he made a beeline for Cech.


Cech, recalled in place of Thibaut Courtois, made two excellent saves with his left leg to deny Romelu Lukaku, the second a brilliant reaction effort to stop his fellow Belgian's point-blank side-foot effort.


“He touched the ball twice. The one in the half was a very good save, the second half was a super save,” Mourinho told reporters.


“In every training session I felt his condition was magnificent so I felt he was the best option today.”


Everton boss Roberto Martinez agreed.


“Petr Cech's reflexes made the difference tonight,” he said.


The saves kept Chelsea in the game and they looked to have had to settle for a point when Nemanja Matic's shot in the 85th minute went in via a deflection from Branislav Ivanovic only to be disallowed for offside.


“It was a very good refereeing performance,” said Mourinho, who has spent most of the season berating officials and has the fines to show for it.


“We had a goal which was fantastically well disallowed by the assistant referee. A great decision.”


There was no denying Mourinho's relief at the victory, all the more important with City winning 4-1 at Stoke City to keep the pressure up.


“Big game, big game,” he said. “I've never won a championship anywhere without some games that are won like that.


“It was a different Everton tonight. Defensive, very well organised and compact, very dangerous on the counter attack.


“We tried everything and the spirit was amazing and everyone was inside their box for the last 10 or 15 minutes and in the end we got a very important goal.


The only sour note for Chelsea could be some retrospective punishment for Ivanovic for the hint of a head-butt on James McCarthy during a melee following the sending-off of Everton midfielder Gareth Barry moments before the goal.


“Don't make me laugh,” Mourinho said when asked about the incident, before threatening to walk out of the news conference unless the subject was dropped. – Reuters






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City back in the groove- Pellegrini

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Normal service has been resumed, according to Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini, after his side rediscovered their free-scoring touch to beat Stoke City 4-1.


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London - Normal service has been resumed, according to Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini, after his side rediscovered their free-scoring touch to beat Stoke City 4-1 and halt a worrying form slump on Wednesday.


City have endured a miserable start to the year but the swashbuckling style that had gone AWOL to leave them seven points behind league leaders Chelsea was back in evidence as Sergio Aguero scored twice in their first victory since Jan. 4.


After failing to win their last four league matches as well as suffering a shock home FA Cup defeat by Middlesbrough, this was a welcome tonic to soothe nervous fans and keep City on the coat-tails of Jose Mourinho's side.


“We returned to our normal performance, especially in the second half. We scored three goals in the second half and had more chances,” City manager Manuel Pellegrini told the BBC.


“It is important, not just the score, but also because it is not easy to score four goals at Stoke. They have been the difficult team for us to score against while I have been here. It is a tough place to come. The most important thing was to win and in the way we did today.”


The victory also represented a return to form for Aguero, who found the net for the first time since Dec. 3 when he put City ahead after 33 minutes.


Having missed a month with a knee injury, the Argentine suffered a rare dry spell, going five games without scoring since returning in January.


But he drilled the ball past Asmir Begovic following a tenacious run to open the scoring and converted a penalty after City had retaken the lead through James Milner following Peter Crouch's leveller for Stoke. Samir Nasri rounded off the scoring.


“It is important (that Aguero scored two goals) because the more he plays the more he will return to his performance level,” Pellegrini told Sky Sports.


“He is coming back into the team after one month out injured and every game he improves a little bit more and that is important for him.”


City will welcome back midfielder Yaya Toure for the run-in as well as January signing Wilfried Bony after the two players' involvement in the African Nations Cup ended in victory for their Ivory Coast team on Sunday.


With a crucial Champions League last-16 clash against Barcelona looming, the first leg at the Etihad Stadium on Feb. 24, their return cannot come soon enough for Pellegrini. – Reuters






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News sport : NHL Three Stars: Capitals, Canucks win in OT; Penguins deflate Red Wings

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No. 1 Star: Daniel Sedin, Vancouver Canucks


Sedin's early goal put the Canucks up 4-2 on a very un-Blackhawks looking Blackhawks team. Chicago managed to battle back and send the game in to OT. The Sedins teamed up for the only shot-on-goal in the overtime session, and they made it count:





No. 2 Star: Marian Hossa, Chicago Blackhawks


Hossa was almost the hero on 'Marian Hossa Scarf Giveaway Night' (natch) as he scored 2 goals. The first came on the power play to bring the Blackhawks within one of Vancouver. The second arrived with 55-seconds left in the game to tie it at 4-4. Here's the goal:





No. 3 Star: Jay Beagle, Washington Capitals


Jay Beagle's 3-point night included 2 goals and an assist against the San Jose Sharks. The assist came on Joel Ward's overtime winner:



Honorable Mention: Marc Andre-Fleury earned his 26th win of the season stopping 23 Red Wings shots in the Penguins 4-1 victory. Blake Comeau and Patric Hornqvist each scored a goal and an assist, and were a plus-2. Hornqvist's goal came after Kris Letang sent a shot off the boards behind the Detroit net and it bounced right to Hornqvist:





... Patrick Kane continues to make his case for MVP as he notched another 3-point night with his 27th goal of the season plus 2 assists. Eddie Lack got the nod for Vancouver making 37 saves in the win. Kris Vertseeg played in this first game since breaking his hand in the Winter Classic ... San Jose's John Scott was credited with 7 hits in 7:51 of ice time (home town scoring?). Brent Burns scored 2 goals, one on the power play and one full strength, in 22-seconds:





Did You Know? Sidney Crosby played in his 600th regular season NHL game on Wednesday night. Not including post season numbers, he's scored 291 goals, 594 assists for 825 points; 1.38 points/game. Not bad considering the amount of time he's missed with injury.


Dishonorable Mention: Vancouver held Chicago to 22 shots combined in the first two periods; in the third period, the 'Hawks threw 19 on net leading to a 2-goal comeback. Radim Vrbata allowed Andrew Shaw to get under his skin in the final 3:35 and took a bad roughing penalty leading to Hossa's power play goal ... Petr Mrazek gave up 4 goals on 15 shots in 2 periods of play; he was replaced in the third by Jimmy Howard, making his first appearance in a month since suffering a groin tear. Howard stopped all 4 shots he faced.


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Jen Neale is a staff writer for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow her on Twitter!










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News sport : Evan Turner hits game-winning runner as Celtics upset Hawks

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The first time the Atlanta Hawks and Boston Celtics squared off this season, the Hawks came back from a 23-point deficit to beat Boston at Philips Arena behind stellar second halves from Kyle Korver, Al Horford and Dennis Schröder. After falling behind by 18 points late in the second quarter at T.D. Garden on Wednesday, the Celtics served a dish of ice-cold revenge to the East-leading Hawks, with Evan Turner putting the cherry on top in the final second:



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After All-Star point guard Jeff Teague missed a short runner that would have extended Atlanta's lead to three with 14 seconds left, the Celtics brought the ball into the frontcourt, and with the Hawks defense pressuring Boston's ball-handlers, head coach Brad Stevens elected to call a timeout to settle things down and make sure his team got a good look at a winner. He put the ball in the hands of Turner, who came through in a similar situation a couple of weeks back against the Portland Trail Blazers, and trusted the former No. 2 overall draft pick to make a play.


Turner took an inbounds pass from Tayshaun Prince and isolated up top against Hawks perimeter-defending ace DeMarre Carroll. On the right side of the floor, Celtics guard Avery Bradley curled toward the ball off an elbow screen from big man Jared Sullinger, but Turner — despite having had some difficulties with his dribble on the previous possession (perhaps influencing Celtics play-by-play man Mike Gorman's later slip into calling him "Evan Turnover") — elected to take it himself, dribbling into the lane and lofting up a righty runner over Carroll's outstretched hand that splashed through with two-tenths of a second remaining, capping a 14-4 run over the final 4:12 of the fourth quarter. Atlanta's attempt at an inbounds tip-in came up empty, and the Celtics came away with an 89-88 upset of the best team in the East.


Turner played a big role in the win, scoring 12 points (on 4-for-11 shooting) to go with nine assists, seven rebounds, a steal and just two turnovers in 31 minutes of work, with six points and four dimes coming in a fourth quarter that saw Boston outscore Atlanta 28-16 to come away with the victory. After the game, Turner credited Stevens' play call in Boston's final timeout for giving him both options and room to operate.


"[Stevens] said I had the option of passing to Avery off the curl or whatnot, but I felt confident in the drive," Turner told Comcast SportsNet New England's Abby Chin. "I think before, I lost [the ball] twice trying to get a game-winning shot. I felt confident and I believed it was going to go in. It was great spacing, a lot of good spacing, and our team did a great job of staying in the game and battling back. It's just a great win."


It wasn't the prettiest win, per se:



... but it's still a W, powered by Turner, Sullinger (17 points and 15 rebounds in 28 1/2 minutes) and rookie Marcus Smart (seven of his 11 points in the final frame) — and it brings the Celtics, largely considered to be in the fire-sale business after trading away longtime star Rajon Rondo, within 1 1/2 games of the eighth and final playoff spot in the East.



While we'll hold off on printing up playoff tickets just yet, the victory does send Boston into the All-Star break on a high note, as winners of four of their last five. Beyond that, as Turner noted, it helped wash away the the long-lingering bad taste from the two teams' first meeting this season.


"It's really big," Turner said. "It's a big win, especially going into the All-Star break. We really needed it. At the same time, we owed them one, man. We were up by 20 back in Atlanta versus them, so we're glad to get this win and come back."


Horford led the way with 22 points on 11-for-15 shooting, 12 rebounds, three assists and a block in 36 minutes for the Hawks, who enter the break with the best record in the Eastern Conference, but also hit the pause button having lost two of their last three games and three of their last six. The rest of the Hawks' starters struggled mightily, with Horford's fellow All-Stars Teague, Paul Millsap and Kyle Korver combining for just 39 points on 12-for-43 shooting.


Thanks to second-unit contributions from Schröder (eight points, two rebounds, two assists), swingman Kent Bazemore (nine points, four rebounds, two assists and a block) and Mike Scott (nine points, three rebounds), the Hawks were still in position to salt away a victory with just a couple more fourth-quarter makes or stops. They couldn't, though, leaving the door open for Turner to create his own shot and send Atlanta into the break a bit more bummed out than they'd have liked.


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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!



Stay connected with Ball Don't Lie on Twitter @YahooBDL, "Like" BDL on Facebook and follow Dunks Don't Lie on Tumblr for year-round NBA talk, jokes and more.






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Willian strike keeps Chelsea in the clear

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Chelsea were frustrated before Brazilian Willian struck in the 89th minute to break Everton’s resistance.


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London - Willian's late strike snatched a 1-0 home win for Chelsea over a stubborn Everton side to maintain their seven-point lead over Manchester City who crushed Stoke City 4-1 in the Premier League on Wednesday.


Chelsea were frustrated before Brazilian Willian struck from 20m in the 89th minute to break the resistance of Everton whose midfielder Gareth Barry had been sent off just before the goal.


“It's beautiful to win in the last minute, and it's so sad (for Everton) to lose,” Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho told BT Sport.


“They have to be very disappointed, they gave us a very difficult match. We are very, very happy and we think we deserve it. We risked a lot to try to win.”


City kept pace with the leaders as striker Sergio Aguero scored twice, his first goals in over two months, to help the champions to their first league win in five matches at mid-table Stoke, who briefly made it 1-1 through Peter Crouch.


England midfielder James Milner and Frenchman Samir Nasri also struck for City.


An unlikely brace from substitute defender Chris Smalling and a late Robin van Persie penalty lifted Manchester United to an unconvincing 3-1 home win over struggling Burnley who had equalised through Danny Ings.


United leapfrogged Arsenal and Southampton into third in the table after the latter drew 0-0 at home to West Ham United, who had goalkeeper Adrian sent off.


West Bromwich Albion continued their resurgence under new manager Tony Pulis as Brown Ideye and Saido Berahino struck in a 2-0 home win over Swansea City to lift their team away from the relegation zone.


A second-half Frazier Campbell goal earned Crystal Palace a 1-1 draw against Newcastle United as manager Alan Pardew hosted his former club who had taken a first-half lead through a Papiss Cisse header.


Chelsea struggled without the presence of top goalscorer Diego Costa, who was serving the last game of a three-match suspension for stamping, in the face of a stout Everton defence.


Former Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku should have given Everton the lead against his old club but Petr Cech saved with his legs from close range.


The close shave gave the hosts greater impetus to attack and with time running out they looked to have taken the lead when defender Nemanja Matic struck but he was ruled offside.


A melee between both sides followed and Everton midfielder Barry was given his marching orders after receiving a second yellow card before Willian struck the winner a minute later.


Argentina striker Aguero moved within one goal of the league's top goalscorer Costa after striking his 15th and 16th goals of the campaign in City's rout.


“We returned to our normal performance, especially in the second half. We scored three goals in the second half and had more chances,” Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini told BBC Sport.


“The most important thing was to win and in the way we did today.”


Smalling, who had previously scored only three league goals in his career, headed in a corner to give United the lead after six minutes with his first touch of the match, just 22 seconds after coming on for the injured Phil Jones, and he scored again just before the interval.


But the 3-1 win flattered Louis van Gaal's side, who were second best against 19th-placed Burnley for much of the match.


“I didn't like this performance today,” the United manager said. “Of course, we have won and the result is fantastic. But after this match you cannot say that we are going up and I want to progress every match.”


Reuters






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News sport : Bill Belichick talks deflate-gate on David Letterman's show

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If you know anything about New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick, and you've ever watched "Late Show with David Letterman," you probably can guess how awkward the two of them discussing deflate-gate would be.


It was amazingly uncomfortable, which made the clip above really funny. Belichick even laughed!


The monotone, publicly dour Belichick didn't give Letterman much to work with as he tried making jokes about the Patriots' deflated footballs during the AFC championship game. Belichick was booked as a guest for Letterman's show on Wednesday night on CBS.


"it was some kind of horseplay, am I right?" Letterman asks about the deflated balls.


"No," Belichick said, is as dead of a deadpan as you can get.


You get the picture.


There's no odder combination than these two on late-night television. Which made it perfect.


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

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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

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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.


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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

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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

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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

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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?

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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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