News sport : Klay Thompson can make 3-pointers with the lights out

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Klay Thompson is enjoying his best season as a pro, entering Wednesday's action as the league's ninth-highest scorer (a career-high 22.3 points per game) and fourth-best 3-point marksman (43.9 percent from beyond the arc, also a career best) for the league-leading 44-10 Golden State Warriors en route to the first All-Star berth of his NBA career. Just how sweet a groove is the 25-year-old swingman in these days? Well, apparently, he doesn't even need to see the basket to connect from long distance.


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Thompson recently visited ESPN's "Sport Science" to showcase the form and mechanics behind the hiccup-quick release on his jump shot. When the crew threw him a little curveball by cutting out the lights, though, Klay just kept right on keeping on. As it turns out, with apologies to Kathleen Hanna, he's no less dangerous with the lights out:



Thompson draining eight out of 10 triples without the benefit of actually being able to see the basket, as the broadcast claims he did, points toward the cumulative effect of the years and years of practice — the endless catch-shoot-catch-shoot reps, the tireless work to shave a split-second here and eliminate a wasted motion there — that go into building something that seems so effortless. I'm not sure Klay's got a 20-point checklist for his jumper, but the results sure seem to indicate that he's gone through a similarly rigorous process of refinement and repetition.


They also, interestingly enough, add one more layer of connectivity and comparison between Thompson and Kevin Love, for whom Klay was rumored to be traded this summer before talks between the Warriors' braintrust and the Minnesota Timberwolves broke off, leading to Flip Saunders eventually sending Love to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for a package headlined by 2014 No. 1 overall pick Andrew Wiggins.


Back before Love was on his way out of the Twin Cities, though, the Wolves celebrated their All-Star power forward's marksmanship with a similarly styled promotional video:



So Love can hit 3s blindfolded, but Klay can hit them without any lights at all. Well, this seals it. Good job calling off the trade, Warriors. Smart non-move.


Hat-tip to SB Nation's Tom Ziller.


More NBA coverage:



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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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News sport : Urban Meyer, Ohio State fans back on dry land after being stuck at sea

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Urban Meyer and thousands of Ohio State fans finally arrived back on dry land Tuesday night.



Meyer and his family were aboard Royal Caribbean’s Brilliance of the Seas cruise ship for OSU’s Cruise for Cancer, which raises money for Ohio State’s James Cancer Hospital and the Urban and Shelley Meyer Fund for Cancer Research. It was scheduled to dock in Tampa, Fla., on Monday but foggy conditions out on the Gulf of Mexico caused a lengthy delay.


While an extra day and a half on a cruise doesn’t sound like the worst thing in the world, Meyer told the Columbus Dispatch that they were “ready to get home.”


Once everyone arrived back on dry land safely, Royal Caribbean had some fun with the situation.



To get an idea of how thick the fog was, former Buckeyes defensive back Dustin Fox shared a few photos on Instagram.




Despite the bit of uncertainty the fog brought, the Cruise for Cancer raised over $2 million. I’d bet Meyer would say it was worth it.

For more Ohio State news, visit BuckeyeGrove.com.


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







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News sport : Random Recap: The 1968 Atlanta 500

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Welcome to Random Recaps, our new weekly feature at From The Marbles. In this space, we'll recap a race from the past at the track the where Sprint Cup Series is racing next.


Here's how it works. Thanks to the box score data at Racing Reference, we know how many Sprint Cup Series races have been held at a track. At Atlanta Motor Speedway, site of Sunday's Cup race, there have been 107 cup races.


With that knowledge in hand, we head over to Random.org and set our minimum to 1 and our maximum to 107. Whatever number the generator gives us is the race we'll recap. The generator gave us 18, so we'll start with the 18th race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.


1968 Atlanta 500


Date: March 31, 1968


The 1968 Atlanta 500 was dominated and won by Cale Yarborough in the 60 Minute Cleaners 1968 Mercury for the Wood Brothers. Yarborough led 172 of the race's 334 laps and won nearly $21,000 for his efforts.


He beat LeeRoy Yarbrough to the line by nine seconds in the race that was marred by 11 cautions and took nearly four hours to complete. The Yarborough/Yarbrough brothers were the only two cars on the lead lap. Donnie Allison finished third, one lap down. Charlie Glotzbach and Darel Dieringer rounded out the top five two laps down.


(Editor's note: Do you really want to go back to the good old days of NASCAR?)


Yarborough led the last 29 laps of the race en route to the fifth victory of his career and his second of the 1968 season. He won the Daytona 500 in February. He also beat Yarbrough to the line in the 500.


Bobby Allison led 42 laps but finished 19th because of crash. He completed 291 laps.


44 cars raced at Atlanta and only 19 were running at the finish. Wendell Scott was 25th after completing 129 laps because of an oil pressure problem. Three drivers, Red Farmer, Bill Seifert and Henley Gray, did not finish the race with a listed reason of "quit."


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







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News sport : Pitt dismisses CB Titus Howard; 4 others depart program

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Kelvin Benjamin #1 of the Florida State Seminoles makes a catch in the first half against Titus Howard #18 of the Pittsburgh Panthers during the game on September 2, 2013 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) Titus Howard’s time at Pitt has come to an end.


The program announced earlier this week that Howard, a 6-foot-1, 175-pound cornerback, has been dismissed for a violation of team policy. Howard played in 11 games and made two starts as a true freshman in 2013 but hasn’t seen the field since.


Former head coach Paul Chryst suspended Howard, who had 21 tackles in 2013, for the entire 2014 season for disciplinary reasons. Howard was allowed to remain with the program and practice throughout the 2014 season. He was expected to compete for a starting role on new head coach Pat Narduzzi’s defense, but ultimately the program decided to part ways with Howard.


In addition to Howard, Pitt also announced the departures of four other players – Trey Anderson, Devin Cook, Luke MacLean and Connor Hayes.


Anderson, a backup quarterback, and Cook, a defensive lineman, will use the graduate transfer rule to play their final seasons of eligibility elsewhere. Anderson completed 25-of-53 passes for 263 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions in eight games during his Pitt career. He is on course to graduate this spring.


Cook appeared in 25 games during his Pitt career and registered 21 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. He graduated in December and transferred to Richmond.


MacLean, a defensive end, appeared in four games as a redshirt freshman. A three-star recruit in the 2013 class, MacLean totaled six tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and 0.5 sacks for the Panthers.


Hayes, a 6-foot-4, 270-pound guard, was a three-star recruit in the 2014 class. He was expected to provide depth on the Panthers’ offensive line after redshirting last season.


Pitt went 6-7 in 2014 and is scheduled to begin its first spring practice under Narduzzi on March 15.


For more Pittsburgh news, visit Panther-lair.com.


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







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News sport : BYU AD: School's intends to play in Power 5 conference in 'near future'

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BYU is still sending signals that it would like to be a member of a Power Five conference sooner rather than later.


Athletic director Tom Holmoe said Tuesday that he thinks there's a round of realignment in college football to come. And he hopes the Cougars are involved in it.


From The Deseret News:



"We’re an independent team playing an independent schedule,” Holmoe said. “That’s what we’ve got and that’s where we are. We’re not really looking back, we’re looking forward because there are possibilities, and I have to do my due diligence on that.”




Meanwhile, Holmoe also said he foresees another shift in conference alignment coming, and "it’s our intention that we would be playing in what they commonly call a 'Power 5' conference sometime in the near future."



The Cougars have a television deal with ESPN for home games. As Power Five conferences have added mandatory out of conference games against fellow Power Five opponents, BYU has fought to be considered like Notre Dame. The Irish are independent too, but they're treated like a P5 school. BYU is considered a Power Five opponent by the ACC but not the SEC.


In June, coach Bronco Mendenhall expressed his desire for BYU to join the Big 12. With 10 teams, the Big 12 seems the most likely candidate for the Cougars. However, members of the conference said shortly after Mendenhall's comments that it wasn't looking to expand.


While BYU would likely have to give up its ESPN deal if it joins a Power Five conference, the conference revenue would more than make up for the loss of the ESPN revenue.


Holmoe also said that the school was handling discipline internally for the brawl at the end of the Miami Beach Bowl. BYU and Memphis players fought at the end of the double overtime game and Memphis has previously announced suspensions for players involved in the fight.


"There is a lot going on behind the scenes and we'd like to keep it that way," Holmoe said.


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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 : DL Javonte Magee not on Baylor's spring football roster

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Javonte Magee is currently not a member of Baylor's football team.


The defensive lineman, who had nine tackles and a sack last year while playing in all 13 of Baylor's games, isn't on the Bears roster right now, according to coach Art Briles.


“He’s not here this spring,” Briles said via the San Antonio Express News. “There’s a possibility that he’ll come back this summer. But this spring, he’s not with us.”


Magee is back in San Antonio right now. Briles was coy when he was asked what Magee needed to accomplish to rejoin the team.


“That’s kind of between us and him and the university,” Briles said. “So we just hope that it works out for his benefit.”


According to teammate Jamal Palmer, Magee has a lot on his mind.


A former four-star recruit out of high school, Magee has left and returned to the football team previously. He was not part of Baylor's 2013 team after leaving in the summer and returned before the 2014 season.


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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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Chelsea furious about Matic ban

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Nemanja Matic had his ban reduced from three games to two by an appeal commission but Chelsea reacted angrily, saying they were ‘appalled, disappointed and frustrated’.


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Nemanja Matic had his ban reduced from three games to two by an appeal commission but Chelsea reacted angrily, saying they were ‘appalled, disappointed and frustrated’.


The reduction did not quell the fury at Stamford Bridge, where it has been viewed as a token gesture from a disciplinary process punishing the victim of a bad tackle and letting off the aggressor, Burnley’s Ashley Barnes.


Even so, the FA commission’s explanation for cutting the ban — citing the ‘level of force’ used by Matic — opens the governing body to a raft of future appeals in violent conduct cases.


The FA have not charged Barnes for a tackle on Matic which was branded ‘criminal’ by Jose Mourinho, who received a visit yesterday from Mike Riley and Howard Webb of the PGMOL, the elite referees’ group. Mourinho unleashed his festering discontent on Riley and Webb during a meeting which lasted more than an hour at the club’s training ground.


For Matic, there is no further course of appeal and he will miss the Capital One Cup final against Tottenham on Sunday and the Barclays Premier League game at West Ham.


Written reasons will follow from the commission but his club reacted to the verdict in a statement headlined: ‘Chelsea appalled with the FA’s decision on Matic.’ The board called for football’s authorities to protect players more from tackles like the one by Barnes, during a 1-1 draw on Saturday.


‘It is the club’s view that he has been unjustly punished with a two-match ban for his reaction to a career-threatening tackle,’ the statement read.


Matic was not able to appeal on grounds of wrongful dismissal because referee Martin Atkinson and his assistants said they had seen the flashpoint, even though Atkinson is thought to have told Mourinho afterwards that he had not.


The FA are reluctant to re- referee anything seen by officials, although this case raises the question of what represents ‘seen’ and ‘unseen’. They want to avoid a situation where referees are tempted to dodge big decisions knowing they will be cleared up by a video panel.


Chelsea appealed instead the severity of the punishment and offered examples of aggressive confrontations involving Jack Wilshere, Jan Vertonghen and Joe Hart, among others, which recently went unpunished.


The commission ruled on Matic’s push alone, not on the fact he was provoked. They did not have the authority to wipe out the ban, but could have cut it to one game.


Commission chairman Roger Burden said: ‘The violent response of Mr Matic cannot be condoned and does not vindicate his subsequent actions. The members of the commission did, however, accept the mitigation in respect of the level of force used by Mr Matic and the nature of the contact he made with Mr Barnes.


‘We determined that the standard punishment of a three-match suspension would be clearly excessive.’


That ruling will be noted with interest at Aston Villa, whose striker Christian Benteke was sent off in November for pushing Ryan Mason and banned for three games. Paul Lambert, Villa’s manager at the time, said: ‘Three games is excessive. We asked the FA to look at it. It was dismissed.’ – Daily Mail






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Tovey recovering after heart scare

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Former Bafana Bafana skipper Neil Tovey is recovering in an uMhlanga hospital after undergoing a heart operation.


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Former Bafana Bafana skipper Neil Tovey is recovering in an uMhlanga hospital after undergoing a heart operation.


Tovey is recovering as the country holds its breath for another former player, John “Shoes” Moshoeu, who is reported to be critical in a Joburg hospital.


Tovey and Moshoeu were part of the 1996 squad that won the Africa Cup of Nations tournament under Clive Barker.


The 52-year-old TV analyst suffered a heart attack while playing squash at his residential complex in Mount Edgecombe and, after being driven to the nearby hospital by his girlfriend, suffered another one before a stent was successfully inserted into a blocked artery.


He was put in intensive care after the operation as a routine procedure.


“I feel fine now. It looks like there was a build-up of cholesterol over time and that narrowed the artery and caused the heart attack. I will obviously have to watch my eating from now on,” Tovey said.


Moshoeu’s manager Glyn Binkin set the record straight and scotched rumours that Moshoeu was dead.


The 49-year-old is allegedly fighting for his life and is not dead, as some reports have stated.


Binkin tweeted: “Good to see Shoes Moshoeu smiling with family & friends at the hospital. Wishing him a speedy recovery. Onwards and upwards!!”


Moshoeu’s mom Reena said: “For the past few months, he’s been going from one private hospital to another, until his medical aid ran out.”


She didn’t seem to know what was ailing her son. - The Star






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City still struggling in Europe

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Manchester City had the perfect opportunity to prove they belong with Europe's elite but the Premier League champions blew it.


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Manchester - Manchester City had the perfect opportunity to prove they belong with Europe's elite but the Premier League champions blew it.


A 2-1 loss to Barcelona at the Etihad Stadium barely hinted at the disparity on the pitch.


While City will go to the Nou Camp next month for the second leg of this Champions League, last 16 tie still afloat, they will need to conjure something remarkable to reach the quarter-finals for the first time.


For all the pre-match talk of “no fear” and “fighting fire with fire” Manuel Pellegrini's side were overwhelmed by a rampant Barcelona before halftime, lacking self-belief.


Luis Suarez scored twice, Lionel Messi cut through City's lines like a knife through butter and Neymar teased on the left and Andres Iniesta was masterful, keeping Barca's passing carousel turning at a dizzying speed.


For all the impressive infrastructure the club has built with the money invested by their Abu Dhabi owners, the world-class training complex adjacent to the expanding Etihad Stadium, the squad has too many weak links.


In 14 Champions League home ties they have only kept one clean sheet. While rivals Manchester United's Old Trafford ground used to be a fortress, City often look cowed when facing the big guns on their home turf.


Looking at the starting line-ups it was hard to make a case for more than a couple of City players making the Barcelona first eleven. Tactically they looked naive.


So it was a surprise to hear Pellegrini say afterwards that his side had played exactly the way he wanted.


He spoke beforehand of fighting for possession of the ball but the ease with which Barca carved them up in the first half suggested his side had not been listening.


His attacking 4-4-2 system was horribly exposed as City's playmakers David Silva and Samir Nasri were spectators while Sergio Aguero toiled up front in vain.


Nasri managed only 31 touches of the ball while at the back captain Vincent Kompany had a torrid night.


“No, I was very happy. It was the way we must play against Barcelona,” Pellegrini told reporters of his team's approach.


“We played two different games; the first half and the second half. Before the first goal it was a very normal game.”


The English champions did improve after the break, aided by a sleepy start to the second half by Barca, but were still fortunate to still be in the tie come the final whistle.


Left back Gael Clichy will be suspended for the second leg after his red card, although City will be able to welcome back midfield general Yaya Toure for the second leg - a player who undoubtedly belongs at Europe's top table.


City may yet prove they do too, but the likelihood is that their fourth Champions League adventure will end prematurely and their plan to emulate United's European glory will have to go back to the drawing board. – Reuters






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Fifa won’t compensate clubs for WC

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Fifa Secretary General Jerome Valcke said that European football clubs would not receive financial compensation for the 2022 World Cup being moved to November-December.


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Fifa Secretary General Jerome Valcke said that European football clubs would not receive financial compensation for the 2022 World Cup being moved to November-December.


“There will be no compensation. There are seven years to reorganise,” he told a Doha press conference. “We are in agreement with the clubs.”


European associations, representing major clubs from England, Germany and France, have already expressed their unhappiness with the switch recommended by a Fifa task force meeting in Qatar on Tuesday, amid speculation that some would seek financial redress for the decision.


The task force made a provisional recommendation for the tournament to start on November 26 and end on December 23, 2022, ensuring an enforced break on the domestic European leagues.


But Valcke said European clubs should accept the potential switch, even though “it's not perfect”.


“It is happening once and we are doing nothing that destroys football,” he added.


A final decision will be made by the Fifa executive committee at a meeting in Zurich, Switzerland, on March 19-20.


English Premier League boss Richard Scudamore admitted after Tuesday's decision that he was “very disappointed” by the switch.– AFP






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Pellegrini upbeat despite defeat

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Despite seeing his team lose to Barcelona in the Champions League, Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini believes that his team can still win the tie.


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Despite defeat by Barcelona, Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini said his side would take confidence from their second-half reaction into the return leg of their Champions League last 16 tie.


A first-half brace from Luis Suarez helped Barcelona to a 2-1 win in Tuesday's first leg at the Etihad Stadium, but Sergio Aguero's 69th-minute goal and a stoppage-time penalty blunder by Lionel Messi gave City hope.


City lost Gael Clichy to a red card – echoing the dismissals of Martin Demichelis and Pablo Zabaleta during last season's 4-1 aggregate loss to Barcelona at the same stage of the competition – but Pellegrini expressed belief that they would turn the tie around at Camp Nou next month.


“In the way we have to play, I think we can do it,” he said. “We demonstrated in the second half that we are not a worse team than Barcelona.


“It's very important not to continue making the same mistakes. You can't have a player sent off in every game against Barcelona.”


Messi won Barcelona's late penalty after he was felled by Argentina team-mate Zabaleta, but his spot-kick was parried by City goalkeeper Joe Hart and he headed the rebound wide of the left-hand post.


Given the extent of their first-half domination, when an attacking City team spent much of the time chasing shadows, a 3-1 win would not have flattered the visitors.


Pellegrini admitted that his team “could not put three passes together” as Barcelona turned on the style – Messi nonchalantly nutmegging David Silva deep inside the visitors' half at one point – but the City manager said Hart's save could prove a turning point.


“It was a very important save,” said Pellegrini, who hopes to become the first manager to steer City to the Champions League quarter-finals.


“It was a very unnecessary penalty. We must control our emotion inside the box. Of course that gives us more chance to try to win in Barcelona; 3-1 is a very difficult score to try to reverse.”


Messi played a role in both of Barcelona's goals.


In the 16th minute, his right-wing cross bounced off Vincent Kompany, allowing Suarez to fire home, and it was his dribble and pass that allowed Jordi Alba to cross for the Uruguayan to slide in his second.


The Argentina superstar has now failed to convert five of the last 10 penalties he has taken for club and country, but Barcelona coach Luis Enrique said he would remain his first-choice penalty-taker.


“We know penalties can be missed in this game of ours and the next player to take one will be Lionel Messi,” he said.


While a third goal would have given Barcelona one foot in the last eight, Enrique said that he was still satisfied with the outcome of the match.


“It is a night to celebrate,” he said.


“Even if it had been 3-1, the tie would still be open. You can't relax and think the tie is done and dusted.”


Suarez was playing in England for the first time since leaving Liverpool last year and although he celebrated his goals with characteristic glee, he felt that the tie was far from over.


Asked if City still had a chance, the Uruguay striker told ITV: “I think so. If they lost the game 3-1, that is really difficult for them, but 2-1 is a good result for them.”


Pellegrini played down suggestions that City were under pressure to prove themselves as a Champions League force by beating Barcelona due to the massive investment in the club by Emirati owner Sheikh Mansour.


“It is important for this team to continue in the Champions League as far as possible,” he said.


“I don't think we have invested any more than Barcelona. They have also invested a lot of money.


“This tie isn't over until the game ends in Barcelona. We can analyse it then.” – AFP






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Bafana star Tovey in intensive care

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Former Bafana Bafana captain Neil Tovey is in intensive care after suffering three heart attacks, a report says.


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Cape Town - Former Bafana Bafana captain Neil Tovey is in intensive care after suffering three heart attacks on Tuesday morning, a report says.


According to Kickoff.com, Tovey had to be repeatedly resuscitated and is recovering in a Durban hospital.


Tovey is the second Bafana veteran reported to be fighting for his life after John 'Shoes' Moshoeu was said to be in a critical condition in a Gauteng hospital.


On Tuesday rumours circulated about whether “Shoes” was dead, but his manager Glyn Binkin set the record straight.


Binkin tweeted: “Good to see Shoes Moshoeu smiling with family & friends at the hospital. Wishing him a speedy recovery. Onwards and upwards!!”


In a following tweet, Binkin added: “Please let’s all respect Shoes and his family and their privacy at this time and let’s please be responsible in our comments.”


Last weekend, the Sunday Sun reported that the football star had been admitted to Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital three weeks ago.


IOL






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News sport : Yasiel Puig wants to be like LeBron James and Kobe Bryant

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(Getty Images)

Yasiel Puig is going outside of baseball when it comes to the athletes he wants to emulate.


In an interview with Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times from Dodgers camp, Puig pointed to two NBA superstars as his inspiration:



Puig said he would like to be to baseball what Kobe Bryant and LeBron James are to basketball.



"I want to be like them one day," he said in Spanish.



He went on to talk about the baseball players he considers worthy of replacing the now-retired Derek Jeter as the face of their sport: Clayton Kershaw, Miguel Cabrera, Albert Pujols, Felix Hernandez, Robinson Cano and Mike Trout.



"I want to be there," he said.



Both LeBron and Kobe have won multiple championships and been recognized as the MVP of their league. Those are certainly the kind of accolades the 24-year-old outfielder is chasing as he enters his third season with the Dodgers.


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


There's no disputing Puig's great talent, but he does face a few obstacles to reach that level of stardom, some out of his control.


Basketball stars tend to be more recognizable than baseball stars because their faces aren't shielded by a helmet or a ball cap during games.


LeBron and Kobe play 40 minutes per game and have the ball in their hands for the majority of the time. Puig is limited to three or four at-bats and might be lucky to make a couple plays in the field. Puig also has a language barrier that he has yet to conquer, which affects his marketability in the United States.


One thing we can all agree on though is that Puig is the undisputed king of the bat flip. Even though he's come under some criticism for his exuberant celebrations, don't expect that part of his game to go away.


"If I change that, I'm not me," Puig told Hernandez.


We await his first bat flip of 2015 with great anticipation.


More MLB coverage from Yahoo Sports:





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Israel Fehr is a writer for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him at israelfehr@yahoo.ca or follow him on Twitter.






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Sundowns closes gap on Chiefs

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Mamelodi Sundowns climbed back into second position on the Premiership table with a narrow win over AmaZulu.


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Durban – Cuthbert Malajila scored the only goal of the game as Mamelodi Sundowns climbed back into second position on the Premiership table with a narrow 1-0 win over AmaZulu at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban on Tuesday.


Malajila's goal came after 54 minutes when the Zimbabwean found himself unmarked in the box and slotted past the stranded Aubrey Mathibe in the home goal.


The result helped the Brazilians leapfrog Bidvest Wits into second position, 10 points behind leaders Kaizer Chiefs and with a game in hand.


Usuthu, meanwhile, stayed bottom, nine points behind second last Platinum Stars.


Steve Barkers strugglers showed some good fight though, and made a confident start to the contest with Roscoe Pietersen having a shot deflected wide, while debutante Thabiso Dlamini fired straight at Denis Onyango from just outside the box.


John Arwuah was the next to have a half-chance, but he snatched at it from the edge of the penalty area and it ballooned high and over.


That was in the 16th minute and from there on, Sundowns shifted gears.


Mzikayise Mashaba curled wide moments later, before some slick footwork by Teko Modise set up Khama Billiat, who's shot was curled towards the far post where Aubrey Mathibe did well to get down and save.


Kudakwashe Mahachi got close with a shot from just inside the box that went inches wide, before a big error from Thabiso Dlamini went unpunished as Billiat wastefully shot over.


The Brazilians came closest to scoring just after the half-hour when Mahachi crashed a low 25-yard effort against the base of the right upright and wide with Mathibe beaten.


And before the break, Modise lifted another chance over after another show of expert footwork as the sides went into the break level.


Usuthu started the second half like the first as a Marc van Heerden corner to the near post was struck over the bar by Goodman Dlamini, while Sadate Ouro-Akoriko headed over from a pin-point Van Heerden set-piece.


But Sundowns went ahead before the hour mark when Mahachi found Malajila in acres of space on the right and the Zimbabwean had all the time to pick his spot and fire low beyond Mathibe.


The lead was almost doubled within seconds as Billiat crossed from the left and Modise struck it powerfully onto the right upright from close-range.


AmaZulu battled hard to find any sort of opening, but in reality struggled.


They did have one with eight minutes to play when Kenyan substitute Paul Ooko tried his luck from the edge of the box, forcing Onyango to dive to his right and parry away.


In the final minute of stoppage time, Bongi Ntuli should have at least hit the target, but headed wide from a corner as Sundowns held on. – Sapa






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Matic handed reduced ban

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Chelsea expressed its “extreme disappointment” with the English Football Association for only reducing a three-match ban for midfielder Nemanja Matic to two games.


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London – Chelsea expressed its “extreme disappointment” with the English Football Association for only reducing a three-match ban for midfielder Nemanja Matic to two games following an appeal by the club on Tuesday.


Matic was sent off during Saturday's 1-1 draw with Burnley in the Premier League for pushing over opponent Ashley Barnes, after Barnes attempted to pass the ball, only for his foot to make contact with the side of Matic's left shin.


“It is the club's view that he has been unjustly punished with a two-match ban for his reaction to a career-threatening tackle,” Chelsea said in a statement. “Referees and the football authorities must do more to protect players at all levels of the game from dangerous challenges.”


Chelsea wanted the suspension to be completely revoked by The FA's independent regulatory commission which reviewed the case.


The ban was only reduced by one game due to Matic's reaction to the incident - having rushed over to Barnes and pushed him to the ground.


“The violent response of Mr. Matic to the nature of the tackle cannot be condoned,” the FA said. “The members of the commission did, however, accept the mitigation in respect of the level of force used by Mr. Matic and the nature of the contact he made with Mr. Barnes of Burnley FC.


“Having made those considerations we determined that the standard punishment of a three-match suspension would be clearly excessive.”


Matic will miss Sunday's League Cup final against Tottenham at Wembley Stadium and a league game against West Ham on March 4.– Sapa-AP






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