News sport : Did Bill Belichick give us news about deflate-gate on Dave Letterman?

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We enjoyed the hilariously awkward interview with Dave Letterman and Bill Belichick on Wednesday's edition of "Late Night," which was, as expected, mostly an exercise in frivolity.

But was there actually some breaking news from it?


As Frank Schwab detailed previously, Letterman and Belichick volleyed around the deflate-gate silliness for a few minutes with the New England Patriots coach not giving the late-night talk show host must in the way of latitude.


But Belichick, in what sounded like an attempt at humor, offered one interesting detail to the still-ongoing investigation into what the Patriots did and didn't know about ball pressure.


"We're gonna bring you in," Belichick said to Letterman, "to testify when we get the investigation next month."


Wait, what? Next month?


It makes some sense that with the Patriots still basking in the afterglow of a Super Bowl title and Belichick and his players embarking in the talk-show circuit — and the NFL combine next week closing fast — that there might not be a lot of time for NFL investigator Ted Wells to get an audience with Belichick, Tom Brady, the "elderly" ball boy or Bill Nye, for that matter.


But goodness, what is the darned hangup here? Looks like we'll be waiting for a while to find out if the Patriots will be fined. After all, Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank all but admitted that his team pumped in fake crowd noise, Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam did the same with GM Ray Farmer illegally texting down to the sideline, and we don't have any resolutions in those cases yet, either.


The difference with deflate-gate? Belichick wasn't admitting to anything Wedesday night.


But for fun, let's roll through a Top 10 list — in the Letterman tradition — of our favorite moments from Belichick's appearance:


10. Belichick clumsily high-fiving band director Paul Shaffer on his way out.


9. After sitting down, Belichick heard mostly cheers from the audience, with a few scattered boos. "I hear the Jet fans," he said to Letterman with a smile.


8. Belichick, responding to the Patriots' AFC title game win over the Indiana-bred Letterman's Indianapolis Colts: "Well, it was only a 38-point win."


7. After Letterman segued away from that game, Belichick zinged him a bit. "We get off that Colts subject in a hurry, didn’t we?"


6. Letterman imitating Belichick's mumbling "We're onto Cincinnati" statement. Funny stuff.


5. Asked by Letterman about Jonas Gray, the regular-season Colts killer who disappeared down the stretch, and whether he missed a meeting (and pressing on the issue), Belichick didn't exactly deny it. "Well," he said, laughing, giving us all we needed to know on that issue.


4. Do fans and neighbors and armchair coaches offer up fancy plays to Belichick? Perhaps, but the coach made a funny paper-crumpling motion with his hands and said that it's harder to pass a bill through Congress than for an outsider to wedge their way into the Patriots' playbook.


3. Do Brady and Belichick hang out outside the facility? Belichick said Brady gave him a "good licking" while playing golf together at Pebble Beach.


2. Letterman making a few funny age jokes, saying Brady is his age (Letterman is 67; Brady is 37) and asking Belichick (who is 62) if he takes 90 seconds in the men's room, like the ball boy did on that fateful night.


1. Letterman referring to deflate-gate as "horseplay" and doing the whole "you know that I know that you know" routine about what actually happened. Belichick didn't bite, of course, but it was a fun bit of "Three's Company"-esque humor.


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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!






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News sport : Roquan Smith says Jeff Ulbrich told him he declined Falcons offer

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Does the recruiting saga involving four-star LB Roquan Smith have another layer?


In an interview with UGASports.com, Smith said that former UCLA defensive coordinator and new Atlanta Falcons linebackers coach Jeff Ulbrich told him he declined the Falcons job offer.


"Otherwise, it's a great school and all of this and that, but Coach Ulbrich did say that Coach Dan Quinn (of the Atlanta Falcons) had called him the night before, but he had declined the job offer," Smith told UGA Sports. "I felt like Coach (Jim) Mora should have hit me up and said there's potential that Coach Ulbrich may be leaving. Then, they tried to get me to go ahead and send the papers in, but I wasn't doing it. They tried to get me to send them in at 8 in the morning. Doing a lot of research, which I should have done earlier in the process and thank goodness I had more time, they don't even have my major. I was going to major in business, and the only way to get into business school out there is to be in graduate school."


Smith chose UCLA on National Signing Day but started having second thoughts. On the same day, it was reported that Ulbrich was leaving for the Falcons. Now, according to his high school coach, Smith won't be signing a letter of intent and instead commit to a school and become a signee on the first day of classes.


The linebacker told UGA Sports that he's chosen his school and will sign his scholarship papers "probably" on Friday.


He also said that he felt "kind of" misled about the business school aspect.




UGASports.com: And they didn't say you can't do that here?




Smith: "No, they didn't. I guess they were trying to speak as far as the graduate school for business."




UGASports.com: Do you feel misled?




Smith: "I kind of do. For them to be my first offer, yeah. I thought they were keeping it real with me, but you know people are going to lie."



Yes, they are. Especially when it comes to college recruiting. While it's easy to point fingers at UCLA in this scenario (and at Smith and his support system for not doing research earlier), this isn't an isolated incident of possible misdirection by any means. Yeah, recruiting can be shady. The more people know that, the better.

For more Georgia news, visit UGASports.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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Hazard signs new Chelsea contract

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Belgium forward Eden Hazard has signed a new five-and-a-half year contract with Chelsea, the Premier League leaders said.


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London - Belgium forward Eden Hazard has signed a new five-and-a-half year contract with Chelsea, the Premier League leaders said on Thursday.


“I am very happy to sign a new contract with Chelsea,” Hazard, who been in dazzling form this season with 13 goals in 36 matches, told Chelea's website (www.chelseafc.com).


“I always try to give pleasure to the supporters with my style of play and it is nice to know they appreciate my work.”


Hazard was voted Chelsea's Player of the Year last season despite some criticism from manager Jose Mourinho who described him as not a team player.


But Mourinho believes Hazard has evolved into one of the world's best attacking talents and there is more to come.


'He is already a top player and his evolution has been fantastic. He is still very young and he can become the best,” Mourinho said.


“I am very happy that Eden has signed a new contract. It shows he believes in the club's coaching staff and players to help him become the best player in the world.” – Reuters






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News sport : Gus Malzahn likes to play Galaga (Photo)

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Welcome back to our Dr. Saturday feature titled "Random offseason tweet of the day." With real games closer in the rear view mirror than they are in front of us, coaches and players will be tweeting about non-football-related things until the 2015 season begins. In this space, we'll try to find the funniest and goofiest tweets of the day. If you see something, don't hesitate to send it to us.


Is Auburn coach Gus Malzahn as successful in the arcade game Galaga as he is against opposing defenses?


Malzahn's wife Kristi posted the following picture of Malzahn to Twitter on Wednesday night. Notice the wall behind the game? Yes, the Malzahns have the game in their home.



If Malzahn is really a big fan of Galaga, we can only imagine the strategies he's devised in the game. And hopefully the aliens he's tasked with beating don't think he plays too fast either.


For more Auburn news, visit AuburnSports.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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Baxter slams pitch after draw

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Kaizer Chiefs coach Stuart Baxter described the Free State Stadium pitch as a cow patch following Amakhosi's goalless draw with Bloemfontein Celtic.


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Johannesburg – Kaizer Chiefs coach Stuart Baxter described the Free State Stadium pitch as a cow patch following Amakhosi's goalless draw with Bloemfontein Celtic on Wednesday night.


The forthright Baxter also castigated the PSL for not ensuring that Premier League games were played on suitable surfaces, befitting the stature of matches in the country's premier division.


“That is something I would expect from an organisation with the status of the PSL, who are progressive and affluent in many other directions,” Baxter said.


He blamed the state of the “bumpy, uneven playing surface” as a prime reason for log leaders Amakhosi's loss of two valuable points from an up-and-down performance which affected the finishing of both sides.


“We started the match in rampant style and dominated the opening 20 minutes when there was a lot of dew on the surface and control of the ball was not such a severe test of the players skills.


“But as the uneven pitch dried out and became harder, our performance became increasingly off-key and for a period after half-time I thought we were in real trouble as Celtic dominated the proceedings.


“Still our players showed their mettle and character by regrouping against a very dedicated team and regaining control in the closing stages when we might easily have pulled off a victory.”


Baxter, however, also reiterated an earlier warning that the League championship race was not over yet.


“It's not yet in the bag for us, despite the commanding lead we presently enjoy in the log table.”


Chiefs went into the Celtic game with a 12-point advantage over Mamelodi Sundowns, who crushed Moroka Swallows 4-1 in Atteridgeville on Tuesday, and now lead the defending champions by 13 points, but from one extra game.


Baxter's caution, no doubt, was heightened by the fact that at a similar stage of last season, Chiefs were seemingly running away with the league enjoying an eight-point lead over the second-placed Brazilians.


But Chiefs lost their impetus and Sundowns responded with a rousing finish to overtake Amakhosi in a photo-finish finale.


A resolute Celtic, who during a second-half onslaught were thwarted by Brilliant Khuzwayo in Chiefs' goal from opening the score, gave as good as they got against the unbeaten log leaders, in spite of occupying 11th place on the log.


“This was a particularly pleasing performance for myself and our supporters,” said Celtic coach Clinton Larsen, who is back with the Bloemfontein club for a second stint after being replaced by the now Chippa United-based Ernst Middendorp.


“The team had gone through a lean period prior to the mid-season break, but our fans never wavered in their support and were back in large numbers for the game against Chiefs.


“Their presence certainly helped and motivated the players and they were rewarded in turn with a performance that showed we can hold our own with any team in the PSL.” – Sapa






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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.


- - - - - - -


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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