News sport : Joey Logano wins Daytona 500

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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Joey Logano, the kid who's had greatness predicted for him since he was 15, won the 57th running of the Daytona 500.


A frenetic final few laps as most of the 43-car field barrelled around the 2.5-mile superspeedway three-wide, injecting some life into what had been a snoozer for most of the first three-quarters of the race.


Justin Allgaier wrecked with three laps to go, setting up a two-lap sprint to the finish. They restarted with Logano in the lead, followed by Denny Hamlin and Jimmie Johnson. Logano got a great restart, held off a charge from Kevin Harvick (2nd) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (3rd) before a wreck on the final lap brought out a caution, ending the race.


For the 24-year-old Logano, it marked his first Daytona 500 win.


Sunday’s race marked the end of one of the most chaotic Speedweeks in recent memory. Consider that in just the last few days, NASCAR, its fans, and drivers have dealt with:


• The indefinite suspension of Kurt Busch for an incident of alleged domestic violence, along with the subsequent rejection of two appeals. The second appeal rejection came just 15 hours before Daytona’s green flag.


• A vicious wreck in Saturday’s Xfinity Series race that left Kurt’s brother Kyle Busch with a broken right leg and broken left foot, an accident that set off a new round of debates over the need for SAFER barriers at all walls around the track.


• The pending retirement of NASCAR legend Jeff Gordon. Although Gordon hasn’t revealed the extent of his post-racing plans, he’s been adamant that this was his final Daytona 500.


• An epic anti-NASCAR rant from Clint Bowyer complaining about the qualifying format.


• A desperate pair of Budweiser Duels as drivers sought to punch their ticket for the world’s most lucrative race, an event that included Danica Patrick unloading on Denny Hamlin after very nearly missing the Daytona 500.


Still, the 57th running of the Great American Race began rolling under the best weather, and before one of the largest crowds, in recent race history. Gordon, on the pole, led the first lap, and from there he and his fellow Hendrick drivers Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. led the majority of the way.


Johnson held control of the race early on until a pit-road penalty forced him deep into the field. NASCAR’s new computerized pit road penalty system ruled that the 48’s crew had leaped over the wall too early, incensing crew chief Chad Knaus. It was one of a surprisingly large number of pit road penalties as a result of the computerized penalty system.


The earliest big-name drama came on lap 43, when Tony Stewart got loose coming out of Turn 4 and caught Matt Kenseth. Stewart, who is still seeking his first Daytona 500 win in a two-decade career, suffered damage to his hood and attempted to return to the race 64 laps down, but eventually surrendered and left Daytona early.


The rest of the race was a relatively calm affair until the closing laps, with only Brad Keselowski exiting the festivities early due to a blown engine. That still left more than a dozen of NASCAR's best all in position to win the season's biggest race.


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



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News sport : Tony Stewart's heartbreak at Daytona will continue for another year

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Feb 22, 2015; Daytona Beach, FL, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Tony Stewart (14) hits the wall during the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. (Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports) The 1998 Daytona 500 marked the end of one of NASCAR's most ignoble streaks, that of Dale Earnhardt's winless run at the Great American Race. The very next year kicked off another such streak for another championship driver, one that runs right to, and through, today.


Tony Stewart has won three Sprint Cup championships. His 18 wins all-time at Daytona International Speedway rank second only to Earnhardt's 34. But in all those years, Stewart has never won the big one, never won the Daytona 500, and after an early-race incident on Sunday, he wouldn't win this year.


On lap 43, Stewart's car got loose and he clipped forst the wall, then Ryan Blaney and Matt Kenseth. Stewart's car took the worst of it, hitting the wall hard enough to necessitate a new front hood. When Stewart finally returned to the track, he was 64 laps down.


Stewart, of course, has suffered through two brutal seasons. In 2013, he broke his leg during a sprint car race, and one year later, he was involved in a sprint car accident in which driver Kevin Ward Jr. died after being run over by Stewart's car. While the memory of Ward's death will remain with Stewart for the rest of his life, Stewart the driver had appeared to be regaining some of the old swagger that had helped him win 48 races.


Still, Stewart hasn't won a race since June 2013. And now, the one he wants most of all will have to wait until at least 2016.


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News sport : Dwayne Polee 'back home' on the court 61 days after collapsing during game

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San Diego State forward Dwayne Polee collapsed during a December game against UC Riverside at Viejas Arena because of what was later determined to be a heart condition.


The incident left the fifth-year seniors basketball future in doubt.


But after several months of monitoring and easing back into workouts, Polee returned to the court Saturday on the road at San Jose State. He scored three points with a steal and a turnover in 13 minutes and appears ready to play out the rest of his senior season.


“It was neat to get him home,” SDSU coach Steve Fisher told utsandiego.com. “He’s back home, on the basketball floor. That’s where he’s always been, where he’s always wanted to be. In the locker room (afterward) with the team, we talked about some of the things that we didn’t do and should have done, the nuts and bolts of the game. Then I said that the most important thing about this game is that all of us should be so excited to say, ‘Welcome back, Dwayne Polee.’


“I shook his hand, and they cheered like crazy.”


Polee first resumed light workouts in January and slowly built back up to a level where he was ready for practices and games at the college game's highest level. He received clearance to play earlier in the week, but San Diego State brought a team doctor on the trip to monitor Polee throughout.


The December incident wasn't the first for Polee, the 2013-14 Mountain West Conference Sixth Man of the Year. He endured a similar incident in practice last season and underwent a medical procedure in the offseason and was cleared to play then by doctors. Polee said he felt about 90 percent of the way back after Saturday's victory.


“I’m just grateful for this opportunity to have this second chance to complete the season," Polee told utsandiego.com. "I had a lot of positive people in my corner, my family, my girlfriend, my teammates, the coaches, the whole training staff and my Bible. I just stayed positive through the whole thing, and that’s what got me through.”


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[Kyle Ringo is the assistant editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at kyle.ringo@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!






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News sport : Join us for our 2015 Daytona 500 Live Chat

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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – It's baaaaack.


Join us for Yahoo Sports' live chat for the 2015 Daytona 500. We'll watch the race together, have some fun, talk about racing and talk about many things that don't have to do with racing. It's the best way to watch a race, especially the biggest race of the season. Come hang with us, won't you? We'll get things going at 1:15 p.m. ET as the race is scheduled to go gree shortly after 1:30 p.m.



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Kane strikes late to rescue Spurs

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Harry Kane scored in the sixth minute of stoppage time to rescue a 2-2 draw for the Spurs on Sunday.


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London – Tottenham Hotspur’s Harry Kane scored in the sixth minute of stoppage time to complete a dramatic comeback and rescue a 2-2 draw at home to West Ham United in the Premier League on Sunday.


The visitors had taken a deserved 2-0 lead with a goal in each half from Cheikhou Kouyate and Diafra Sakho, while two superb saves from Hugo Lloris prevented them from further increasing their advantage.


A scrappy 80th-minute effort from Danny Rose, however, heralded a late cavalry charge from the hosts and when Alex Song made faint contact with Kane in the area he tumbled to the ground, prompting referee Jonathan Moss to point to the spot.


Kane’s tame first effort was parried by West Ham keeper Adrian but he gobbled up the rebound from close range.


West Ham have now won just one of their last nine matches and are eighth on 39 points, while Tottenham are sixth on 44, three adrift of Manchester United in fourth. – Reuters






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Fringe players deliver for Baxter

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Chiefs’ fringe players made coach Stuart Baxter’s day in the 4-0 Nedbank Cup win over Edu Sports.


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Johannesburg – Kaizer Chiefs’ fringe players made coach Stuart Baxter’s day during a somewhat indifferent performance in the 4-0 Nedbank Cup last 32 round win over fourth-tier minnows Edu Sports at FNB Stadium on Saturday.


“I really can’t say it was a great performance against a team of Edu Sports’ stature and lack of experience,” said the Amakhosi coach.


“After an hour’s play we were only leading 1-0 and struggling to tie up the loose ends to avoid an embarrassing setback.


“Ultimately we got matters right and the Safa-based amateurs ran out of steam for what was a comfortable victory.


“But what really made the day for me was the form of the fringe players who were given the chance to show off their wares and challenge for regular places in the first-choice line-up.


Baxter said Siphelele Mthembu grabbed his opportunity by scoring a hat-trick and Siphiwe Tshabalala, who had been hampered by injuries, had also been impressive.


“But all the fringe players who were in the original line-up and those who came on as substitutes impressed and provided a warning to the regulars not to take their places for granted.


“In addition, with a hectic programme coming up of Premier League, Caf Champions League and Nedbank Cup matches, it was reassuring to know that we have an adequate squad to meet the challenge ahead, make changes when necessary and not over-strain players who might need a break at times.”


Johannes ‘Bricks’ Muda, a former defensive stalwart of both Chiefs and Mamelodi Sundowns who is now coaching Edu Stars, said his youthful charges from the amateur Castle League had achieved as much as could have been expected coming up against Chiefs for the first time.


“Had the players not understandably begun to tire midway through the second half, we might well have gone on to give Chiefs a real fright,” said Muda.


“In any case, it is our main objective to move forward step-by-step from Safa’s amateur Castle League and in time earn promotion to the PSL’s First Division and even the Premier League in time, and playing against Chiefs will provide valuable experience towards achieving our objectives.”


While Chiefs ultimately gobbled up the Edu Sports minnows, with former Platinum Stars striker Mthembu at the helm with a hattrick, fears that the Premier League leaders confrontation with a team, who are placed no higher than 10th in the amateur Castle League did not materialise.


All four goals recorded were scored with headers, thereby demonstrating the relative inexperience of the team based 25 km from Pretoria in Soshanguve. – Sapa






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Racism victim snubs Chelsea

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A man subjected to racism by Chelsea fans has snubbed an invite to attend a match at Stamford Bridge.


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London – The man subjected to racist chanting by Chelsea fans and pushed off a train in Paris has snubbed the Premier League club’s invitation to attend a match at Stamford Bridge.


Video footage showed a group of Chelsea fans preventing the man, named as Souleymane, entering a metro train and chanting “we’re racist, and that’s the way we like it” before the 1-1 Champions League draw against Paris St Germain on Tuesday.


Chelsea have suspended five supporters from attending matches after conducting their own investigations.


Their manager Jose Mourinho said he was “disgusted” and “ashamed” by the behaviour, adding that the club would be writing to Souleymane to apologise and invite him to attend the return game against the French champions on March 11.


However, Souleymane told French newspaper Le Parisien: “I appreciate Mr Mourinho’s invitation, but I can’t get my head around being in a stadium at the moment.”


Mourinho told Sky Sports on Sunday he was “not sure whether the gentleman will accept the offer.”


In an interview with the Guardian newspaper, Souleymane said: “What happened has left me really afraid. I just want justice to be done, no more than that.


“I was a little bit hurt physically but in terms of morale I was hurt a lot. It has really affected my life. I can’t go back into the Metro, it makes me really afraid.


“I don’t think you should be denied the right to take the Metro because you’re black. That’s what they wanted.”


Chelsea fans brandished banners and posters saying “No racism at the Bridge. That’s the way we like it” during Saturday’s 1-1 draw against relegation-threatened Burnley.


Chelsea players also wore anti-racism shirts during the pre-match warm-up. – Reuters






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Listless United run out of luck

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For Louis van Gaal the harsh reality of United’s Swansea defeat is that his side is a far cry from its vintage self.


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London – Manchester United manager Louis Van Gaal lamented his team’s “missed chances” in Saturday’s 2-1 Premier League defeat at Swansea but the reality is that his side could only ride their luck for so long.


The Dutchman praised his team’s second-half overwhelming possession dominance which did not produce a single clear-cut opportunity and Swansea soaked up the pressure before Jonjo Shelvey unleashed a deflected screamer which beat David De Gea.


“I think it was our best second-half performance, we created a lot of chances and dominated the game but didn’t score and you have to score out of the chances you create,” Van Gaal told the club’s official website (www.manutd.com).


If anything, it was the outstanding De Gea who was at the heart of United grinding out results which by some way flattered their performances for the best part of the season so far, pulling off a string of superb saves one match after another.


His contribution was especially emphatic in United’s 3-0 home win over bitter rivals Liverpool in December, when he kept out more than half a dozen sitters as the Merseyside club were undone by some clinical finishing at the other end.


But occasional flashes of brilliance cannot disguise the multiple frailties of a team which, albeit still very much in the hunt for a top-four finish and Champions League football next season, is a far cry from vintage United sides of the past.


Drafting in Radamel Falcao on loan from Monaco paid little dividends as the misfiring Colombian has scored only four league goals and does not look the same player that struck primal fear into defenders before last year’s serious knee injury which ruled him out of the 2014 World Cup.


Falcao has failed to hit the ground running in the Premier League’s unforgiving high-tempo game and his strike partner Robin van Persie is beginning to look like a spent force after playing a key role in United’s 20th league title in 2013 and left the Liberty Stadium on crutches.


Winger Angel Di Maria, bought from Real Madrid for a British transfer record of 59.7 million pounds ($93.8 million), made a bright start but has since suffered a series of niggling injuries and loss of form.


Van Gaal’s plethora of systems have also done no favours to the club’s top scorer Wayne Rooney, who has been moved across the midfield to accommodate Van Persie and Falcao and reduced to a hardly fathomable one Premier League shot on target in 2015.


Turgid displays have been papered over by De Gea’s heroics and huge slices of luck at times but with United still having to face fellow heavyweights in the home straight, the possibility of a second successive barren season remains hanging ominously over their heads. – Reuters






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News sport : Jared Cowen to have player safety hearing for Jussi Jokinen head shot

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Ottawa’s Jared Cowen completely nailed Florida’s Jussi Jokinen on Saturday night in the Senators’ 4-1 victory over the Panthers. And now … Cowen will have a hearing with the NHL’s Department of Player Safety on Monday according to its official Twitter account.


Check the video:



Cowen was given just two minutes for interference, and Jokinen remained in the game. Looking at the replay, Cowen delivers the check well after Jokinen gets rid of the puck. And he extends out his arm towards Jokinen’s head.


Yeah you can’t really do that.


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Josh Cooper is an editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!


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News sport : Pelicans' Ryan Anderson suffers right knee sprain vs. Heat

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New Orleans Pelicans forward Ryan Anderson left Saturday's game against the Miami Heat after suffering a sprained right knee early in the second quarter.


The 6-foot-10 Anderson was vying for offensive rebounding position after a missed shot by teammate Dante Cunningham when Heat guard Mario Chalmers came down hard on the floor-spacing big man's lower right leg:





Anderson instantly began favoring his right knee, falling to the floor and crawling to the baseline in evident pain. He was helped off the court by Pelicans personnel and brought back to the locker room for evaluation, which resulted in him being pulled from the remainder of the game:



Anderson had scored four points on 2-for-3 shooting with one rebound in seven minutes before sustaining the injury. The 26-year-old Cal product, an integral floor-spacer off the bench for Monty Williams' club, is averaging 14.8 points and 5.2 rebounds in 29 minutes per game this season for the Pelicans, who entered Saturday's play at 27-27, two games behind the Oklahoma City Thunder for the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference playoff chase.


Anderson's injury came shortly after his teammate, All-Star power forward Anthony Davis, left the game following a collision that reaggravated the right shoulder injury that kept him sidelined for the 2015 NBA All-Star Game. Davis, too, was ruled out for the balance of Saturday's game against Miami.


Video via Ben Golliver of Sports Illustrated.


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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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News sport : Pelicans' Anthony Davis leaves game vs. Heat with apparent shoulder injury

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New Orleans Pelicans All-Star forward Anthony Davis left Saturday night's matchup with the Miami Heat after appearing to re-aggravate the right shoulder injury that caused him to pull out of the 2015 NBA All-Star Game.


After scoring six points and snagging six rebounds in his return to the Pelicans' lineup, Davis collided with Heat center Hassan Whiteside while attempting a shot in the paint with just over three minutes remaining in the first quarter:





Davis instantly began favoring his right shoulder, staying out of action as play continued and immediately heading to the Pelicans locker room with team training personnel after a personal foul by new teammate Norris Cole stopped the play.



The extent of Davis' injury remains unclear; we'll update as new information becomes available.


Davis, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft out of Kentucky, ranks fourth in the NBA in scoring at 24.3 points per game, and eighth in rebounding at 10.3 rebounds per game, both career highs. He also leads the league in blocks per game (2.7) and in Player Efficiency Rating (31.2), and has led the Pelicans to a 27-27 record that puts them two games behind the Oklahoma City Thunder for the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference.


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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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News sport : Kyle Busch hits interior wall hard near end of Xfinity race

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Feb 21, 2015; Daytona Beach, FL, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Kyle Busch (18) during practice for the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. (Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports) DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Kyle Busch has been injured in a vicious late-race wreck at the Alert Today Florida 300.


On lap 113, Busch spun while pushing Erik Jones coming through the front-stretch tri-oval. Busch's car rocketed straight toward a section of wall that did not have SAFER barriers in place. Busch immediately attempted to exit the car, but as safety crews covered the car in fire extinguisher foam, Busch apparently got hung up getting his right leg out of the car.


Emergency crews attended to Busch, wrapping his right leg and ankle in a splint. He left the scene in an ambulance.


The wreck occurred just 90 minutes before Kyle's brother Kurt was scheduled to appeal his indefinite suspension from NASCAR.


____

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News sport : Georgia receiver Chris Conley is your 2015 combine workout warrior

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INDIANAPOLIS – Chris Conley had a nice career at Georgia. Not anything that would make you think he'd be one of the buzzy names in the NFL draft, but nice.


He had 36 catches for 657 yards as a senior. One 100-yard game, with 128 against Arkansas. He was SEC scholar-athlete of the year, but that was the extent of his senior year awards. He wasn't even honorable mention all-SEC.


But every year we have a player or two who blow away the combine, and this year it's Conley. He won the week.


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Conley basically did the Vernon Davis at the combine, wrecking the field in just about every test. He ran a 4.35-second 40-yard dash, only .02 off of what Miami speedster Phillip Dorsett ran. His 45-inch vertical was three inches better than any receiver, and probably about as good as most NBA dunk contest winners (this year's winner, Zach LaVine, has a reported 46-inch vertical). Conley's 11-7 broad jump beat the rest of the receivers by seven inches.


He set combine records for the vertical jump and the broad jump. And that, friends, is how you go from a good, solid SEC receiver to someone every NFL team will be reviewing his film on in coming weeks.


Conley's big pre-draft push started at the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl, when he felt comfortable against the competition.


"I learned that I can compete with pretty much anyone," Conley said, according to Rivals. "You have people come around from across the country, guys who were the best in their respective schools, at their respective conferences, and it's a time to see what peer competition is like. At that point I was able to have some confidence, build some confidence and show some people who aren't from the Southeast what I'm all about."


Before this week, Conley might have been best known for releasing a great Star Wars fan film.



So he's creative and an absolute freak of nature athletically too. Of course, teams are wary of over-drafting someone after putting too much into workout numbers instead of the game film. Call it the Mike Mamula effect. But Conley will be remembered for winning the 2015 combine. His will be the combine that future workout warriors will be compared to.


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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 : NASCAR denies Kurt Busch appeal

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Feb 21, 2015; Daytona Beach, FL, USA; A view the Stewart-Haas merchandise trailer with a picture of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Kurt Busch on it after practice for the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. (Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports) DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - NASCAR has denied Kurt Busch's initial appeal for reinstatement from the suspension handed down Friday afternoon.


Busch had appealed the indefinite suspension NASCAR had levied after further revelations of details about Busch's alleged domestic violence incident at Dover last September. Buch had spent several hours in front of NASCAR's three-person appeals board.


The hearing was held at NASCAR's headquarters, just across Speedway Boulevard from Daytona International Speedway, where cars were qualifying for Saturday's Xfinity race. A few supporters of Busch stood around outside the building holding signs. Busch climbed into a black SUV and left without speaking.


The three-person panel included Paul Brooks, Lynn St. James, and Kevin Whitaker. Busch has the right to appeal the decision to NASCAR's final appeals panel.


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News sport : Cubs unveil jersey patch honoring Ernie Banks

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(AP)

As the Chicago Cubs open training camp in Mesa, Ariz, there's a mixed feeling of optimism and emptiness.

For the first time in nearly a decade, the franchise enters a season with real hope. Hope that 2015 will mark the beginning of a new era marked by on field successes. An era that keeps optimism flowing, and allows Cubs fans to lock in on the present and future, and move beyond past disappointments that haunt them.


Unfortunately, for the first time since 1954, the Cubs also enter the season without their heart, their soul, and their biggest supporter. Ernie Banks, the Hall of Famer and icon who remained the face of the franchise throughout his 19-year career and for 41 years after, died on Jan. 24, leaving a hole in their hearts that can't possibly be filled.


[Baseball is back! Check out Yahoo For Spring Training for great spring training pics.]


It's truly a shame Banks won't be around to enjoy the roller coaster ride that is sure to unfold this season. He lived for being the optimism, and he longed for the moment when the Cubs finally turned the corner. But even though he won't be present, the team will make sure his presence is still felt. On Friday, they unveiled a special patch bearing Banks' No. 14 that will be on their right sleeves all season.



The patch is the first official honor for Banks. Here's a good look at it on the jersey.



The Cubs have also announced they'll wear No. 14 hats during both of their split-squad spring training games on March 5. Prior to the MLB regular season opener on April 5, the Cubs will hold a pregame ceremony in memory of Banks. Fans attending will aso receive a commemorative pin.


[Yahoo Sports Fantasy Baseball: Sign up and join a league today!]


We're sure other honors will follow throughout the season, but as chairman Tom Ricketts said in a statement on Friday, it will never truly be enough.


"There is no level of recognition that can properly acknowledge how much Ernie Banks meant to this franchise and fan base," Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts said in a statement. "Collectively, we must ensure Mr. Cub's legacy rightfully lives on at the Friendly Confines and with future generations of baseball fans."

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