News sport : Fantasy Baseball Position Primer: Catcher

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In leagues with standard Yahoo settings, there are basically two acceptable ways to address the position of catcher on draft day:


1) Get Buster Posey in the early rounds, or...


2) Wait it out and find a value — and when it seems like you've finally waited long enough, wait another round or two.


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


Seriously, with the exception of Buster, this position is really a minefield of uninteresting numbers and grossly inflated prices. Last season, Posey was the only catcher to finish among the top-50 overall fantasy assets in the year-end ranks (No. 42). In fact, over the past 15 years he's one of just four backstops to have delivered that sort of value. Here's the full list of the catchers who've achieved top-50 status in recent seasons:


2014 – Posey

2013 – none

2012 – Posey

2011 – none

2010 – none

2009 – Joe Mauer

2008 – none

2007 – none

2006 – none

2005 – none

2004 – none

2003 – Javy Lopez

2002 – none

2001 – none

2000 – Mike Piazza


That's it, that's all. No more. Four guys in a decade and a half. Victor Martinez had a couple close calls back in his catcher-eligible days, but he never quite cracked the overall top-50 until he became a DH.


The scarcity devotees may urge you snag a luxury catcher in the early rounds, but, generally speaking, that's a sure way to take a loss. Due to the physical demands of the position, it's rare for any catcher to appear in more than 140 games — only three exceeded that total in 2014. Counting stats will be low. Steals almost never happen. Injuries are incredibly common. No catcher has seen the 30-homer plateau since Lopez in '03. No catcher scored 75 runs last season.


We can find low-level power among the backstops, and Evan Gattis gets a bump because he'll be out from behind the plate. But, again, this is not a spot where you'll want to spend big, unless you're eying Buster. (Or unless you're playing in a two-catcher A.L./N.L.-only league, which isn't the norm at Yahoo. There, you're trying to avoid getting Arencibia'd.)


Posey is the one player who might reasonably give us a 70-20-90-.320 season. Everyone else reeks of 60-14-65-.270. And if you don't believe me, just check last year's average stats...


---


Position averages for the top-15 fantasy catchers, last three years


2014 — 53.0 R, 15.7 HR, 68.5 RBIs, 1.6 SB, .270 AVG

2013 — 60.4 R, 17.2 HR, 71.9 RBIs, 2.1 SB, .279 AVG

2012 — 61.3 R, 19.8 HR, 73.6 RBIs, 2.9 SB, .278 AVG



TIER ONE


Buster Posey


TIER TWO


Carlos Santana

Devin Mesoraco

Jonathan Lucroy

Evan Gattis


TIER THREE


Yan Gomes

Salvador Perez

Yadier Molina

Brian McCann

Matt Wieters

Russell Martin

Wilin Rosario


TIER FOUR


Wilson Ramos

Miguel Montero

Yasmani Grandal

Mike Zunino

Jason Castro

Stephen Vogt

Travis d'Arnaud

Derek Norris

Chris Iannetta


TIER FIVE


Tyler Flowers

Jarrod Saltalamacchia

Carlos Ruiz

Alex Avila

John Jaso

Josmil Pinto

Michael McKenry

Christian Bethancourt

Rene Rivera

Christian Vazquez

Robinson Chirinos

Kurt Suzuki

Dioner Navarro

Hank Conger

Nick Hundley

Francisco Cervelli

A.J. Pierzynski

Welington Castillo

A.J. Ellis






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News sport : Idaho eligible for postseason play in 2015

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Idaho says the bowl ban imposed on the football team because of poor APR scores has been lifted.


The Vandals were inelgibile for postseason play in 2014 as a penalty for poor academic performance from 2009-2012. Both Idaho and UNLV were banned because of their low scores.


In a revealing quote on Idaho's website, coach Paul Petrino had this to say:


“It was a group effort,” Petrino said. “Everybody worked really hard.”


The Idaho football website was also quick to point out that the team has accumulated a 2.55 GPA in Petrino's "four semesters" as head coach. According to the school the APR for the team is expected to be in the 960s this season. In 2011 and 2012, the team's score was below 900.


The school will also receive the restoration of four hours a week in practice time if its APR scores are above 940.


Restoring Idaho's bowl eligibility may be like removing a roadblock a car can't access in the first place, however. The Vandals have won three games in the past three years. The team was 1-11 in 2012 and 2013 and 1-10 in 2014. If you're a casual fan, the only thing you remember about Idaho's season may be their involvement in the game at Florida on Aug. 30 that was canceled and never made up because of a thunderstorm.


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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 : The 10-man rotation, starring the setting Suns

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Jeff Hornacek looks upstairs for an answer. (Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports) A look around the league and the Web that covers it. It's also important to note that the rotation order and starting nods aren't always listed in order of importance. That's for you, dear reader, to figure out.


C: The Arizona Republic. Strong words from Paul Coro ("It is difficult for the Suns to even look at the standings any longer when they have to take such a long, hard look at themselves") and head coach Jeff Hornacek ("We have to find out who on this team is going to be tough") after the Phoenix Suns got blown out again on Monday, this time by the Miami Heat in a physical affair that Erik Spoelstra's club won going away.


PF: South Florida Sun Sentinel. Things were a bit lighter-hearted in the winning locker room, where Heat center Hassan Whiteside offered his side of the altercation with Suns sophomore Alex Len that led to both big men getting ejected in the third quarter: "It was the fourth or fifth time I dunked on him and I could tell he was frustrated."


SF: The Starters. Trey Kerby, America's greatest visual mathematician, presents his greatest achievement to date: The "NBA Coaches as Dads Matrix." Where does your favorite team's coach rate on the grumpy/chill and hip/out-of-touch axes?


SG: The New York Times. Andrew Keh on blood clots, which have unfortunately become a major topic of interest in the NBA after season-ending diagnoses for Mirza Teletovic and Chris Bosh and the untimely death of Jerome Kersey. (One positive postscript: Teletovic was at Barclays Center for the Brooklyn Nets' Monday night win over the Golden State Warriors, he's reportedly feeling fine, and he was even putting up shots with his teammates at practice on Tuesday.)


PG: The Washington Post. Geoff Edgers with a neat look at Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's evolution into a pretty prominent and wide-ranging cultural critic: "Kareem has something to say, has found a way to say it, and it’s not what you would expect him to say. He’s a new kind of public intellectual.”


6th: Salt City Hoops. Ben Dowsett digs into the NBA's recently released Synergy Sports-powered play-type data to take the temperature of the Utah Jazz, finding some encouraging signs to keep an eye on down the stretch, especially related to the play of emerging defensive centerpiece Rudy Gobert and the team's improving ability to stifle opponents in the pick-and-roll.


7th: GQ. A handful of your favorite hoops writers wax poetic about the ABCs of NBA style.


8th: The Hook. Noted mad scientist Tom Ziller presents a plan to end "one-and-done" forever, make the D-League a real viable minor league and add a round onto the NBA draft. Yes, please.


9th: The New York Times, New York Post, Posting and Toasting, The Triangle and Deadspin. Harvey Araton, Mike Vaccaro, Matt Miranda, Jason Concepcion and Albert Burneko say goodbye to the late Anthony Mason.


10th: The Nation. Dave Zirin considers Mason and two other sporting legends lost this week — trail-blazers Earl Lloyd and Minnie Minoso — as "people who reached outside their respective communities while never forgetting the soil that nurtured them."


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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 BDL's Tumblr for year-round NBA talk, jokes and more.






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News sport : Steve Francis got his chain snatched at a Houston rap show

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Well, this is depressing. Former Houston Rockets, Orlando Magic and New York Knicks guard Steve Francis got dragged to the floor, stepped on and choked by his own chain, which was later stolen, during an altercation at a hip-hop show in Houston over the weekend.


Naturally, TMZ has the video, which — again — is something of a bummer, and also contains some NSFW language:



Francis, 38, was one of many people on stage during a concert by Houston rap duo the Sauce Twinz. For one reason or another, beef began to broil, and before long, Francis found a hand around the gold chain around his neck, then found himself on the floor. Sources told TMZ that the as-yet-unidentified man who grabbed the chain ended up making off with it, and that police were not called to the scene in connection with the fight or the theft. (The Sauce Twinz apparently regret the incident.)


This is the latest in a string of sad and somewhat concerning updates on Francis over the past year, as the nine-year NBA veteran and former No. 2 overall pick in the 1999 draft — who last played pro ball in China in 2010, making just four appearances for the Beijing Ducks before being cut — has become considerably more likely to make headlines for things going awry or getting weird in nightclubs than for anything else.


Two months ago, mere weeks before his 38th birthday, the three-time All-Star was adamant that he could still play in the NBA. It seems like maybe mounting a big-league comeback shouldn't be at the top of his to-do list right now.


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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Ivory Coast’s Afcon hero retires

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Ivory Coast goalkeeper and African Cup of Nations star Boubacar Barry announced his retirement from international football.


|||

Abidjan, Ivory Coast - Ivory Coast goalkeeper and African Cup of Nations star Boubacar Barry announced Tuesday he is retiring from international football.


The 35-year-old issued a statement and posted a video on his Facebook site where he explains his decision.


His retirement came just three weeks after he scored the decisive penalty as Ivory Coast won the African Cup by beating Ghana 9-8 in a shootout. It was Ivory Coast's first title since 1992.


Barry said he was happy to “bring some delight to the Ivorian people” but it was “time to give way to a new generation.”


Barry made his debut in 2000 but lost his starting place to Sylvain Gbohouo for this year's African Cup. He only played in the final because Gbohouo was injured on the eve of the game.


Sapa-AP






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News sport : The Nuggets have fired Brian Shaw as head coach, which won't help much

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The Denver Nuggets have apparently decided that six weeks is too long to wait. Brian Shaw is out as the team’s head coach, according to Yahoo Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski, following a disastrous 2-19 stretch of play. That stretch became infamous on Friday night, when several Nuggets reportedly broke a team huddle by chanting “six weeks,” an apparent reference to the time left in the 2014-15 NBA season. Respected assistant Melvin Hunt will take over this mess on an interim basis.


As we discussed at length on Monday, the Nuggets have embarrassingly failed twice in their attempts to rejoin the Western Conference playoff bracket in the two seasons since former coach George Karl and general manager Masai Ujiri left the team in the spring and early summer of 2013. Karl and Ujiri no doubt noted that the 2012-13 Nuggets peaked at 57 wins, and a combination of stasis, bad luck, bum injuries and the exodus of Andre Iguodala doomed Shaw’s coaching career from the start.


The former championship guard and Los Angeles Lakers assistant did himself no favors by attempting an offensive approach that included multiple post-ups for a team lacking a low-post scorer for a goodly chunk of his initial season. Though Shaw led the Nuggets to an 18-20 start in this campaign, the team’s recent swoon and the widely-reported huddle break made the gulf between players and coach too large to ignore.


Shaw’s attempts to downplay the “six weeks” chant were also rather embarrassing. From the Denver Post’s Chris Dempsey, who covered Nuggets practice on Monday:



"I said, probably three or four days ago in practice, that we hadn't won a home game in six weeks," Shaw said. "Which dated back to Jan.14, against the Dallas Mavericks, was the last time we won a home game here, which was six weeks ago. So, the comment that the players made when they got together and said '1, 2, 3, six weeks!' was the players saying 'this is the end of the six weeks, we're going to get a win tonight on our home court and break the six-week losing spell on our home court.' Not six weeks that it's the end of the season.




"Now, coincidentally it does happen to be a little over six weeks from then, that it's the end of the season. But I think our players and the Denver Nuggets as a whole were misrepresented in how that was reported."




On Monday, while Shaw spoke with local media, Nuggets players peered over to media while they huddled up and gave the "1, 2, 3, six weeks!" to make sure the media heard them.



OK, guys.


The Nuggets will not be an easy rebuild. Ty Lawson, Kenneth Faried, and Danilo Gallinari will all make eight figures next season, and while the team should have cap space in the summer of 2015, they’re not alone in that regard. Lawson has hardly been a leader this season, clashing with Shaw while missing practices. Earlier this season he was also cited for DUI. Faried is a well-heeled complementary player at this point, and Gallinari has not been the same contributor since his ACL tear. The team will have several extra first-round draft picks to glom onto in the coming years, but outside of the ability to swap picks with New York in the 2016 draft, none figures to be a boffo pick.


Hunt is an NBA lifer who has moved his way up from the video room, but it is unclear as to whether or not the Nuggets would want to retain him following what will be a 23-game tryout which will begin on Tuesday night against Milwaukee. The Nuggets couldn’t even handle Shaw’s firing properly – the team canned him on the day of a game and a day after a practice that Hunt could have truly used in order to prepare himself for his big chance. The infamous “six weeks” huddle happened on Friday night and was reported Saturday morning, long before Shaw’s lethargic Nuggets fell to a Pelicans squad that was working without Anthony Davis, Ryan Anderson and Jrue Holiday on Sunday evening.


Former Suns and Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni could get another chance to take on the same Nuggets franchise he coached in 1999. D’Antoni won just 28 percent of his games during that lockout-addled season, as he’d not yet fully embraced the all-out fast break style he later brought to the Phoenix Suns.


Shaw had lost control of his team, he never ran plays suitable for the players he’d been given, and it was clearly time for him to go. With that in place, Denver still fields an uninspiring roster that will be hard to break up unless the team is ready to give away players for pennies on the dollar. Denver is a long way away from making an impact in the West, and though this coaching change was needed, no amount of upheaval in that realm will make the Nuggets relevant again anytime soon.


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Kelly Dwyer is an editor for Ball Don't Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at KDonhoops@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!






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News sport : Ray Rice's wrongful termination grievance netted him a nice payday

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(Getty Images) Ray Rice got a lot of money for not playing last season.


The Baltimore Ravens running back was cut amid public backlash after a video of him striking his fiancee in an elevator was released last September. It turns out the NFL and the Ravens made mistakes in handling Rice's punishment, however. The NFL's indefinite suspension of Rice was overturned last November when a former U.S. District Court judge ruled the league had improperly increased his punishment after the video surfaced. Rice also got a pretty nice check from the Ravens in a wrongful termination grievance.


The Baltimore Sun's Aaron Wilson reported that Rice was paid $1.588 million by the Ravens in the grievance. Rice was scheduled to make $3.529 million in salary last season, the Sun said, but like most NFL contracts that was not guaranteed. The Ravens and Rice settled before an arbitration hearing, the Sun said.


[Check out Shutdown Corner's full 2015 free agent rankings – click here for offensive players, and click here for defensive players and specialists]


It's not a bad financial win for Rice (the Sun said he made more than $26 million off of his contract signed in July of 2012), but it doesn't put him any closer to playing again in the NFL.


Rice has been free to sign with any team for a while now, but if there has been any interest it has been kept very quiet. He just turned 28 and has apologized many times for the incident, but is still unsigned.


Unless some team wants to take on the attention that will come with signing Rice, it's possible that the $1.588 million Rice received in his wrongful termination grievance will be his last NFL check.


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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 : WR Chris Conley penned a heartfelt letter to Georgia fans

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Chris Conley finished his Georgia career as one of the most well-liked players in the program and he decided to reciprocate the affection.


Conley penned a letter to Georgia fans and coaches in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution this week, expressing his gratitude for the support he received during his time as Bulldog.


The letter, which can be read in its entirety on the AJC website, talked about how Georgia was Conley’s first offer and how that gave him confidence he could be a football player at the collegiate level. It also thanked coach Mark Richt for turning him into not only a good football player, but also a good man.


My current transition into the real world has been surreal and abrupt in some instances. I am adjusting to not being in the locker room around the boys or going to the same workouts. I will forever be indebted to Georgia for the work ethic and attitude that was sharpened during my time in Athens. I will always be a part of the Dawg Nation and always hope to represent the “G” with pride. I may be in a different city or state in the coming months but a part of my heart will always remain in Athens, between the hedges.

Conley finished his Georgia career with 113 catches for 1,858 yards and 20 touchdowns, which tied him for fourth on Georgia’s all-time receiving list. He also became a budding filmmaker with his homage to George Lucas’ Star Wars.


Conley turned NFL heads during the combine by running the third-fastest 40-yard dash time at 4.35 seconds. He also had a 45-inch vertical jump, which was three inches better than any other receiver, and 11-foot-7 broad jump that was seven inches better than any other receiver. He set combine records for both the vertical jump and the broad jump.


But more than anything, Conley was just one of the good guys. He excelled as a student, was a model off the field and left the program as one of its stars.


In my brief time in Athens, I hope I have inspired someone to chase his dreams, to work a little harder or dream a little bigger. If my example has reached just one person and encouraged him to be better, I have accomplished so much more than I deserve.

For more Georgia news, visit UGASports.com.


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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter!


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News sport : Ohio State self-reported accidental text sent to recruit by assistant's son

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Ohio State Buckeyes defensive lineman Chris Carter (72) holds up his helmet prior to the game against the Oregon Ducks in the 2015 CFP National Championship at AT&T Stadium. (Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports) Among the 47 minor rules violations that Ohio State athletics self-reported to the NCAA in 2014 includes the time a football assistant coach’s four-year-old son accidentally sent a text to a recruit.


According to The Lantern, Buckeyes wide receivers coach Zach Smith’s young son “picked up his father’s cell phone when a recruit called on May 27, and accidentally sent an automatic text message in return.” As a result of that particular violation, Ohio State “sent a letter of education to the coaches” about the NCAA’s texting rules. The NCAA didn’t even bother to review the incident.


Of the three public records requests submitted by The Lantern, eight of the 47 total violations stemmed from the football program.


Among the football violations included “impermissible on-campus contact,” which was reported to the NCAA on Sept. 25. From The Lantern:



That incident involved coach Urban Meyer having “inadvertent contact with a junior college non-qualifier.” That junior college athlete was on campus without the knowledge of the OSU staff, according to the records request. OSU declared the athlete ineligible until he was reinstated by the NCAA. The records did not specify any actions by the NCAA.



Additionally, earlier in the year, the football program reported another violation for impermissible text messages and phone calls. It was reported to the NCAA on Jan. 7.



The violation was the result of six accidental one-minute phone calls and five text messages over a span of 10 months. The university prevented the football coaching staff from making phone calls for one week as a punishment.



The NCAA reviewed the incident and did not hand down any sanctions.


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 : Report: NASCAR asking for $1 billion over 10 years for Cup sponsorship

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NASCAR is reportedly asking the next title sponsor of the Sprint Cup Series to pay significantly more than Nextel did when it took over for Winston.


Sprint, which assumed the role of Cup Series title sponsor after the Sprint-Nextel merger, announced in December it was discontinuing its sponsorship of NASCAR's top level after the conclusion of its current contract in 2016. According to the Sports Business Journal, NASCAR is asking the next title sponsor of the Cup Series to commit approximately $1 billion over 10 years in naming rights and activation.


From SBJ:



The sanctioning body has hit the market for Sprint’s replacement with a price tag of $45 million to $50 million annually in rights fees and the same in activation over a decade, according to sources. Sprint confirmed in December that it would end its 13-year sponsorship of NASCAR’s top series after the 2016 season.

NASCAR declined to comment for this story.




The asking price represents a 33 percent increase from the original deal, which was signed in 2004 with Nextel for a reported $750 million over 10 years before Sprint and Nextel merged. Amid struggling TV ratings and attendance for NASCAR at the time, Sprint negotiated that down to approximately $50 million annually when it signed a three-year extension in 2011, according to sources.



Yes, you read that correctly. Not only is the asking price $25 million more than the reported annual figure in 2004, it's double what the SBJ reports Sprint is paying per year in its three-year contract extension.


Of course, we all know how negotiations work, especially in these types of scenarios. What NASCAR is asking for won't likely be the figure that's officially agreed to. It's like buying a house, unless there are extenuating circumstances, you're going to negotiate with the seller and not immediately meet the asking price. And it's fair to say that NASCAR is entering the sponsorship search in a buyer's market.


When Nextel took over, the final race of the 2003 season, per Jayski, drew 7,326,000 viewers on television. Remember, that was the final non-Chase season and Matt Kenseth clinched the title the week before at Rockingham. Last year, the race on ESPN drew 5,223,000 viewers, a slight increase from 2013.


And as with most sports financial figures, the reported increase that NASCAR is seeking is higher than the rate of inflation over the past 11 years. Per this inflation calculator, there's been a 23.7 percent increase in inflation since Nextel took over.


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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 : Dude Perfect, long-drive champion Jamie Sadlowski perform sick trick shots

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Trick-shot videos are hot right now in golf.


The Bryan Brothers light it up on a regular basis, while a host of others are trying to make a name for themselves by showing what they can do with a club, a ball and the occasional prop.


However, two-time Remax World Long-Drive champion Jamie Sadlowski has taken the art form to a new level. Sadlowski, a Callaway Golf staffer, teamed up with YouTube mega-sensations Dude Perfect for a trick-shot compilation that will blow your mind.


This five-minute video has a little bit of everything in it. Of course, there's the requisite GoPro cameras and lots of high-fiving and man-hugging. However, the tricks are dynamite.


Here's a set list:


Sadlowski hits a 100-yard punch shot to a small target attached to a basketball hoop, knocking a suspended ball into the basket


He hits a putter some 170 yards on a par 3, then makes the birdie putt in a great one-club challenge, then later makes a 132-foot putt with his driver


Several everyday items are demolished at point-blank range of Sadlowski's drives, including fruit, action figures and candy


The Dude Perfect guys ride jet skis to catch a golf ball Sadlowski blasts off the U.S.S. Midway


Finally, Sadlowski hits a kiddie pool set up 250 yards away from him


Does this have anything to do with pro golf? Not at all. But the skill set Sadlowski showed on these trick shots should tell you the kind of showmen some of the longest hitters in the world are.



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







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News sport : Power Rankings: We can't drop Logano after a top five

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1. Joey Logano (LW: 1): There's no way to drop Joey after finishing fourth. Yeah, three of his closest pursuers in Power Rankings all finished ahead of him, but after he got the pole and ran in the top five for most of the day, there's no point in dropping him from the top spot. Before the race, Logano also said he was going to donate all his winnings from it to the Folds of Honor, the program sponsoring the Atlanta race.



2 (Tie). Kevin Harvick (LW: 2): This is a cop out here. Similar to Logano, we can't bump a guy down from second in Power Rankings after his average finish through two races is ... second. So Harvick stays here, even if it's by virtue of a tie. He might have had something for Jimmie Johnson at the end of the race, but he didn't start close enough to the No. 48 to make it a race at the end.



2 (Tie). Jimmie Johnson (LW: 3): A symbolic bump! Johnson and Chad Knaus are back! But how can they be back if they never left? This was Johnson's 71st win in the Cup Series, which puts him five behind Dale Earnhardt. What if he won five or six more races this season and the final race was at Homestead, to not only tie or pass Earnhardt but to win his seventh Cup title? That'd be infuriating for the Johnson haters and a pretty cool moment.



4. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (LW: 5): Junior had a massive hole in the front end of his car thanks to a puncture from debris near the end of the race. The hole affected his car's downforce and it ruined every chance that Junior had of making a run at Johnson. He had a shot immediately off the restart, but had he passed Johnson, he probably wouldn't have been able to hold on to the lead for long anyway.



5. Martin Truex Jr. (LW: 8): MTJ to the top five. His opposite-from-2014 start continued at Atlanta where he was a top-10 car for most of the day and finished sixth. The absence of the Busch brothers for an extended period of time opens up two (presumed) Chase positions and don't be surprised if Truex ends up being a Chase driver. And also, don't be surprised if he is higher in the points standings than the three RCR cars. We're not leaping off the jump to conclusions mat here (we wondered if this was possible at the beginning of the season), just telling you to beware.



6. Casey Mears (LW: 7): Here's where it starts to get messy. If you watched the entire race at Atlanta, your only memory of Casey Mears may be the time he smashed the wall off turn four in front of the leaders. However, he did so pretty cleanly (well, as clean as one can hit the wall) and you'll notice that his car kept up with Johnson and Harvick fairly well in the immediate aftermath. Well, he finished 15th.



7. Kasey Kahne (LW: 9): Kahne was 15th at Atlanta. On Friday, he was asked, per the transcript "can you talk about the race in the fall?" Unfortunately, Kahne didn't go into descriptive detail of the day, or merely say "I won." While he did not finish in first place on Sunday, he was once again the third-highest-finishing Hendrick driver, ahead of Jeff Gordon. 5/24 shop bragging rights aren't moving across the hall.



8. Clint Bowyer (LW: 4): Can't fault Bowyer too much for getting caught up in the crash on lap 306. He had absolutely nowhere to go after Greg Biffle and Joe Nemechek made contact ahead of him and kablooie, the crash got bigger. It's probably also fair to wonder why Biffle and Nemechek were racing like they did; both were laps down. And for Biffle, it took him out of Power Rankings this week. He needs to be thinking of these things while he's in the car.



9. Denny Hamlin (LW: 6): Hamlin simply lost control of his car while racing near the front of the field and collected Ryan Newman, Jamie McMurray and Jeff Gordon. And while Gordon's impact against a non-SAFER wall is the focal point of the crash, let's not forget that McMurray and Hamlin hit non-SAFER walls too. Sorry if you don't like the beat of this drum, but it's going to continue to play until there are commitments from NASCAR and every track to do everything possible to outfit all (realistic) walls with SAFER barriers.



10. Matt Kenseth (LW: NR): Slick move by Kenseth and Jason Ratcliff to stay out on the final restart. Their reasoning was simple. They figured that by staying out they'd lose more spots than they'd gain by pitting and attacking on fresh tires. While we don't know how the latter option would have played out, they were likely right. Kenseth fell from the lead to fifth, and countered his forgettable Daytona 500.



11. AJ Allmendinger (LW: NR): Allmendinger finished seventh at Atlanta, a huge run if it's a sign for the rest of the season. JTG-Daugherty wasn't exactly exceptional on intermediate tracks in 2014 and to be anywhere close to a credible Chase threat, Allmendinger and team can't simply be a road-course-trick pony. While we're not as bullish on the No. 47 as we are with another team with an RCR alliance, Allmendinger could be a sleeper.



12. Brett Moffitt (LW: NR): This will likely be Moffitt's only turn in Power Rankings, so we'll give him his due now. In his one-race replacement duty for Brian Vickers, Moffitt took a car that was damaged in an early incident and drove it to an eighth-place finish. Hell, it was a performance so good that MWR co-owner Rob Kauffman issued a statement praising Moffitt and said the team would love to have him drive a third car if the opportunity ever arose.


Lucky Dog: Danica Patrick would make the Chase if it started this week, y'all. No word if NASCAR will institute a 34-race Chase to make this a reality, however.


The DNF: Per Lastcar, Landon Cassill is the first driver since 1949 to finish last in the first two races of the season.


Dropped out: Greg Biffle, David Gilliland, Sam Hornish Jr.


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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 : David Cobb sits out Minnesota's pro day with quad injury

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Minnesota running back David Cobb (37) runs the ball during NCAA college football practice for the Senior Bowl, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2015, at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Ala. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson) Two weeks after tweaking his left quad muscle at the NFL combine in Indianapolis, former Minnesota running back David Cobb was a spectator at the Gophers’ pro day on Monday.


Instead, Cobb, who set a school record with 1,626 rushing yards in 2014, will showcase his skills for scouts in an individual workout at the school in the first week of April.


“It’s starting to feel healthy again so I’ll take it slow,” Cobb told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. “I wont push it, don’t want to tweak anything, but I’ll definitely pick it up in the next week or so.”


The 5-foot-11, 229-pound Cobb ran 4.81 on his first attempt at the 40-yard dash at the combine, but pulled up toward the end of his run with the quad injury.


Before running the 40, Cobb put up 17 reps on the bench press and registered jumps of 38.5 inches and 121 inches on the vertical jump and broad jump, respectively.


Despite opting not to participate at pro day, Cobb cheered on his Gophers teammates as they went through various drills in front of the NFL scouts in attendance.


“I’m happy to be back with them, happy to have a little success and getting noticed,” Cobb said. “There’s some good athletes out here, and hopefully they get a chance.”


After rushing for only 65 yards on 11 carries in his first two seasons in the program, Cobb gained a combined 2,828 yards and 20 touchdowns in 2013 and 2014.


His 2,893 career yards ranks seventh in school history.


For more Minnesota news, GopherIllustrated.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 : Knee rehab for Clemson QB Deshaun Watson a month ahead of schedule

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Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson throws the ball during warm ups before the start of an NCAA college football game against South Carolina, Saturday, Nov. 29, 2014, in Clemson, S.C. (AP Photo/Richard Shiro) Deshaun Watson wasn’t on the field taking snaps for Clemson when it opened spring practice on Monday, but he was jogging, which is much more than many expected him to be doing at this time of year.


Watson had surgery in December to repair a torn ACL and is now a month ahead of schedule in his rehab. He has confidence he will be able to return when the Tigers open the 2015 season against Wofford on Sept. 5.


“I think I will be,” Watson told orangeandwhite.com. “It all depends on how my knee is holding up and what the coaches want me to do.”


In early December, after the Tigers failed to make a New Year’s Six bowl, coach Dabo Swinney announced Watson was going to have surgery and miss the Tigers’ Russell Athletic Bowl against Oklahoma. The hope was to get a jump on rehab and have Watson back for summer drills.


So far, so good.


Watson also tossed the ball around on Monday, but he probably won’t do more than that as he eases himself back into football condition. Watson said he’s also using this spring to become a better leader and to get better at the mental aspects of being quarterback.


Last season, Watson became one of the biggest surprises in the ACC when he supplanted starter Cole Stoudt and threw for 1,466 yards and 14 touchdowns while completing 67.9 percent of his passes. He also rushed for five scores. But Watson’s season was wrought with injuries.


He missed three games with a broken finger early in the season, tore his LCL against Georgia Tech on Nov. 15 and then partially tore his ACL during practice the following week. He missed the game against Georgia Southern, but returned to help the Tigers defeat South Carolina before he was shutdown for the year.


While Watson continues his rehab, junior Nick Schuessler, early enrollee freshmen Kelly Bryant and Tucker Israel are competing for the backup role. Watson said it’s hard standing on the sidelines watching, but he’s encouraging his fellow competitors.


“It’s my competitive nature to get out there and be out there with my friends and teammates, but I know the process,” Watson told orangeandwhite.com. “I just have to wait my turn until I get healthy.”


For more Clemson news, visit TigerIllustrated.com.


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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter!


And don’t forget to keep up with all of Graham’s thoughts, witty comments and college football discussions on Facebook






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News sport : BYU coach: Approximately 10 players to be disciplined for Miami Beach Bowl

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BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall said "10-ish" players will be disciplined for what happened between the Cougars and Memphis at the conclusion of the Miami Beach Bowl.


However, the team is still not announcing who those approximately 10 players are.


“We’ll try to maintain a competitive advantage as long as we can, and protect the kids as much as we can,” Mendenhall said via the Deseret News. “I think everyone knows I thrive on accountability and don’t back away from it, especially at BYU. So I’m comfortable with who we’re disciplining and how. I’d like to protect our players as much as we can.”


BYU and Memphis were involved in a large brawl after the Tigers' double-overtime win. Cameras captured many players involved in the fight and even a player swinging his helmet as a weapon.


Mendenhall also said that any suspensions would be announced as the 2015 season is close to beginning.


If BYU does discipline the number of players Mendenhall says it will, it'll be close to the number of players disciplined by Memphis. The Tigers announced earlier in the year that 12 unidentified players would be punished.


The Cougars open the season against Nebraska on Sep. 5.


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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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