News sport

News sport : ASU releases new rendering of Sun Devil Stadium renovations (Photo)

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Arizona State is moving ahead with renovations to Sun Devil Stadium and released an updated look at what the stadium will look like when the renovations are complete.

According to the university, the changes to Sun Devil Stadium include the "'Double Inferno' upgraded student section, enhanced seating and legroom, more restrooms and concession options, technological upgrades, improved air and traffic flow through the venue, a connection to the surrounding landscape, additional premium seating options, and a new video board and sound system, among other new amenities."

The first phase of the renovations is a new student section in the south end zone. It's expected to be complete in August before the 2015 season. The second phase of construction will begin after the 2015 season while the third phase will be done before the 2017 season.

Sun Devil Stadium originally opened in 1958.

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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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MSL facing player strike

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Major League Soccer is on the verge of a players' strike as talks on a new collective contract have failed to bring a deal.

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Washington - Major League Soccer is on the verge of a players' strike as talks on a new collective contract have failed to bring a deal with just two days until the start of the new season.

The players' union (MLSPU) and club and league representatives were locked in talks late on Tuesday at the offices of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service in the capital but no deal was reached.

Negotiations are expected to go down to the wire on Wednesday as the two sides seek to craft a new five-year collective bargaining agreement. The previous CBA ran out on January 31.

MLS's 20th season is scheduled to start on Friday when defending champions LA Galaxy host the Chicago Fire.

With Chicago due to fly out to that game on Wednesday, the pressure is on both sides to avoid disruption to the start of the campaign.

The main sticking point appears to be the players' demand for the introduction of free agency. Players have threatened to strike if their hopes are not met.

Neither MLS nor the union were willing to comment after Tuesday's talks but they are expected to return to the table on Wednesday.

ESPN reported that there had been some movement towards an agreement on Tuesday with the league offering free agency to players who are at least 28 years old and have eight years in MLS.

Neither the union nor the league would comment on that report.

Sunday's games see two new MLS teams make their debuts when New York City FC travel to Orlando City, who have sold 60,000 tickets for the clash at the Citrus Bowl.

“We're preparing as if we're kicking off at 5 p.m. Sunday,” Orlando's English coach Adrian Heath told the Orlando Sentinel.

D.C United were due to face Costa Rican team Alajuelense later on Wednesday in the CONCACAF Champions League quarter-finals and it was not clear if that game would be affected by any possible work stoppage. – Reuters

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News sport : Report: Former WVU QB Clint Trickett starting coaching career

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Former West Virginia QB Clint Trickett wanted to become a coach when his playing days were over and it appears he didn't have to wait long to be one.

According to Fox Sports, Trickett is set to be the quarterbacks coach at East Mississippi Community College.

Former #WVU & #FSU QB Clint Trickett will be the new QB coach at East Mississippi CC, source tells @FoxSports.

— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) March 3, 2015

Trickett was forced to retire from football in December after suffering five concussions in 14 months. In his career at Florida State and West Virginia, Trickett threw for 5.837 yards, 32 touchdowns and 21 interceptions.

His father, Rick, is the offensive line coach at Florida State.

EMCC has won three of the last four NJCAA football championships. Ole Miss QB Bo Wallace played there before he went to the Rebels and so did Chad Kelly, who is transferring to Ole Miss for the 2015 season. Kelly, who has had a couple tumultuous off-field incidents, spent a year at EMCC after he parted ways with Clemson.

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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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Tide turning against Ancelotti at Real

With Real Madrid faltering in crunch games the tide has started to turn surprisingly rapidly against coach Carlo Ancelotti.

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Barcelona - With Real Madrid's attack losing its potency and the team faltering in crunch games the tide has started to turn surprisingly rapidly against coach Carlo Ancelotti.

Such is the level of expectation at the Bernabeu that winning a coveted 10th European Cup last season and overseeing their Spanish record 22-match winning streak before Christmas, has done little to bolster the Italian's position.

They are two points clear at the top of La Liga and well placed to progress to the Champions League quarter-finals with a 2-0 win at Schalke 04 in their last 16 first leg but they are not playing with the same gusto as earlier in the campaign.

Fans and the Madrid media alike have been harsh in their criticism of the side and that puts extra significance on the Clasico against second-placed Barcelona later this month.

During Real's 22-match winning run they averaged more than three goals a game but now have 24 from the last 13 matches.

Cristiano Ronaldo has been unable to sustain the sensational form with which he began the season and has a modest seven goals in 2015, while Karim Benzema has five and Gareth Bale three. Their combined total is the same as Lionel Messi's at Barcelona.

Real's poor return from league matches with their direct rivals has also been highlighted and the board led by president Florentino Perez are said to feel that while Ancelotti is on good terms with the players he lacks authority when necessary.

He lost a lot of credit due to the manner of Real's 4-0 hammering by local rivals Atletico Madrid last month.

The team again failed to rise to the occasion last weekend when they drew 1-1 at home to a Villarreal side that had rested players ahead of their King's Cup semi-final with Barcelona.

A failure to rotate the squad sufficiently has also been blamed for players, and in particular Toni Kroos, looking weary.

Kroos, in his first season since moving from Bayern Munich, has been taken aback by the scale of expectation at the club.

“We were in Dubai recently and that's the kind of place where you think you're going a long way away,” he told FIFA.com.

“However, once we got there I had the feeling that the people were even crazier, so to speak, than they are in Madrid and Spain.

“That says it all. The club has won an unbelievable number of trophies and still has a top quality team with top-class players. I think that alone is what makes Real Madrid so interesting.”

Ancelotti has been hampered by injuries but is hopeful of having midfielder Luka Modric back in time for the clash with Barcelona on March 22 at the Nou Camp

If Real president Florentino Perez did wield the axe, with rumours he may be paving the way for youth team coach Zinedine Zidane to take over, there would be no shortage of suitors for Ancelotti, with Manchester City likely to head the queue.– Reuters

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Chiefs are vulnerable - De Sa

Ajax Cape Town coach Roger de Sa is confident his side take all three points when they face Kaizer Chiefs at the FNB Stadium.

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For a man whose team has struggled on the road this season, Roger de Sa has been making some fascinating noises this week.

As he looked ahead to the Absa Premiership clash with Kaizer Chiefs at the FNB Stadium, the Ajax Cape Town coach spoke of how he fancied his team’s chances of returning to the Mother City with maximum points. De Sa described the league leaders as being ‘distracted’ and not as ‘sharp’ as they were at the beginning of the season.

Yet while that might be the case, De Sa’s view that Amakhosi are ready for the taking could be a tad misplaced.

Yes Stuart Baxter’s team must be under immense pressure right now, what with their having to compete on three fronts – the local league, the Nedbank Cup as well as the CAF Champions League. And it is also true that theirs is not the strongest of squads in the league.

But are Ajax the team to inflict on Chiefs only their second defeat of the season?

The Urban Warriors record on the road this season seems to suggest not. De Sa’s team has won just one of their nine away matches so far, that victory being over Polokwane City.

Their trips to Gauteng have been a disaster, Ajax losing four of their five outings here with the other ending in a draw. And those defeats were not unfortunate losses but hammerings, with Wits and Pirates putting four past them and Tuks giving them three. They ran Sundowns close and only lost 2-1.

Against a Chiefs side that beat them 1-0 in the first round, Ajax will need to be at their best and De Sa is perhaps inspired by the 2-0 victory over Chippa last weekend.

Chiefs may have finally lost their first league match of the season (to SuperSport United a fortnight ago), but they were swift to get back to winning ways with victories in the Nedbank Cup and the Champions League. They will be eager to bag maximum points to ensure their lead over the chasing Sundowns remains a healthy one as the season heads into the final straight.

But De Sa and his Warriors will descend on the FNB brimming with confidence and firmly believing the leaders are there for the taking.

In the other matches tonight, Pirates travel to Free State Stars intent on extending their winning run to five successive matches. But they will meet a Stars side desperate to put some distance between themselves and the relegation zone they are slowly being drawn into.

In PE, Chippa United host a Polokwane City side led by their former coach Kosta Papic.

If City’s recent performances are anything to go by, Chippa could be on a hiding to nothing. All matches kick-off at 7.30pm. - The Star

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Di Maria needs time to settle - LVG

Louis van Gaal has warned Manchester United that it will take a year before they see the best from Angel Di Maria.

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Louis van Gaal has warned Manchester United that it will take a year before they see the best from Angel Di Maria and the club's other summer signings.

“I think it is the same for all the players I have bought, the first season is always difficult,” said the United manager before tonight's game at Newcastle United. “You can see that in every player we have bought - Shaw, Blind, Herrera, Falcao and Di Maria.

“For me, it is not a big surprise, it was a surprise he adapted as quickly as he did. In Holland, Spain and Germany I had the same experience with players.

“We have to give him time, not just Di Maria but the other players as well. Generally, it takes one year but you can't give a general answer, it is not scientifically proven.”

The sight of the Premier League's most expensive footballer being substituted at half-time against Sunderland on Saturday raised the spectre of another Argentine, Juan Sebastian Veron, who also became England's most expensive footballer when he arrived from Lazio in 2001.

Sir Alex Ferguson admitted he never found a suitable position for Veron at United and there are fears the same may be true of Di Maria. However, some behind the scenes at Old Trafford might wonder whether the £60m fee they paid Real Madrid for Di Maria should have ensured rather swifter results than the winger has thus far delivered.

The problem may be that Van Gaal's style of football, with its emphasis on slow, built-up possession, does not suit Di Maria. At the Bernabeu the culture was all about swift, incisive counter-attacks, tactics that brought the best from him. Since coming to Old Trafford, Di Maria has gone from the footballer who was unplayable in Düsseldorf when in early September Argentina took a modicum of revenge for their defeat by Germany in the World Cup final, to a man subdued by Burnley and Sunderland.

Saturday's 2-0 win over Sunderland may have been United's ninth victory in 10 matches at Old Trafford but it was marred by shows of dissent from the crowd. One move that began with a United corner and finished with Jonny Evans passing back to his own keeper was howled down.

Gary Neville pointed out that if United wanted to play with the kind of panache that was the symbol of the Ferguson years they should have hired someone other than Van Gaal. The former defender turned commentator nevertheless urged the Stretford End to back the Dutchman.

The suspicion is that United are over-regimented and over-coached, a team terrified of taking the risk that might surrender the possession their manager so prizes.

This Van Gaal denied. Asked if the side was afraid of making mistakes, he replied that while individuals might be nervous it was nonsense to say that of a team. “But I agree with the fans that we don't have to use the goalkeeper so much,” he said. “I have seen moments where we can play at a higher tempo without using the goalkeeper.

“Of course, they want us to attack. It is the English style of playing but I think they have also enjoyed Manchester United playing a possession game so maybe it should be a mix of both.

“You cannot say this is a nervous team because maybe six or seven players are playing arrogantly - and they need to play arrogantly to be good,” Van Gaal added.

“You can say individuals are nervous but I don't want to talk about individual players. And I always respect the personality of a player - I never try to change it.” – The Independent

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Spurs fear Kane burn out

Mauricio Pochettino and the FA are to discuss how best to use Harry Kane, with the Tottenham manager concerned that his striker could face burn out.

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Mauricio Pochettino and the FA are to discuss how best to use Harry Kane, with the Tottenham manager concerned that his striker could face burn out.

England manager Roy Hodgson is ready to call on the 24-goal striker to face Lithuania and Italy this month but Gareth Southgate also wants him for the European Under 21 Championship finals.

Leaving Kane, 21, out of the senior team is almost an impossibility, and FA technical director Dan Ashworth believes he should play for the Under 21s in the Czech Republic in June to gain tournament experience.

‘We need to speak with the FA,’ Pochettino said. ‘You always support the national team. It’s important to analyse the season and his fitness levels.

‘Maybe I’d prefer that Harry has a month’s holiday after the season to rest and recover his body and mind. We need to analyse better, to go deeper into the case with all the dates to take a decision.

‘For us he is a very important player and we think he will be an important player for England.’

Kane plays his 40th game of the campaign against Swansea tonight and Spurs are aware that he could play almost non-stop for 22 months if England qualify for Euro 2016. – Daily Mail

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I don’t need to win titles - Pellegrini

Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini came out fighting claiming he doesn’t need to win trophies to save his job.

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Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini came out fighting last night and claimed he doesn’t need to win trophies to save his job.

Barclays Premier League champions City face Leicester at home tonight having won only two of their last nine games in all competitions.

Back-to-back defeats against Barcelona and Liverpool have ramped up the pressure on Pellegrini, with pundits such as Sportsmail’s Jamie Carragher laying into his tactics and formations over the weekend. But Pellegrini said: ‘I am not under any pressure to win an amount of titles or win a title every year. I only feel pressure when I don’t see my team playing the right way. All the other things are not important.

‘When I signed my contract nobody told me about winning five titles in five years. That was what (chief executive) Ferran Soriano said to the media. But that doesn’t have to be one a year.

‘There are different ways of analysing things. Winning trophies is only one of them. Maybe last year nobody thought we were going to win the title but we did. To think about the future is the worst thing. I don’t do that. The most important thing is to continue playing with the same style. We won’t change.’

Carragher and Gary Neville both called City ‘embarrassing’ after Sunday’s 2-1 defeat at Liverpool, and Match of the Day pundit Robbie Savage dubbed Pellegrini ‘naive’ for the way he set up his midfield.

Pellegrini said: ‘Everybody has a right to an opinion. I know what’s best for this team. It’s not my duty to tell the media what they must think.’

City’s owners are desperate for success, especially in Europe, and have spent tens of millions of pounds trying to improve the squad following their first Premier League title success in 2012.

Asked about his relationship with the City board, Pellegrini added: ‘It’s not about relationships. I could have a bad relationship with the owners but it’s a project and it’s about how you manage this project.

‘Every project can have difficult moments. I think you have the wrong opinion about the owners of this club. They are not so desperate to win titles, they want to improve.

‘They do want to win titles but they want to do it the right way.

‘I want to win titles and I have done it in South America and here. But it’s not just about titles. I can win the title but if I am not happy with my team I can’t continue at a club. What’s important to me is how you win titles.

‘Maybe at the end of the season is when you analyse. Sometimes you don’t win the title but you continue working without any problems.

‘All this speculation is about the future but I am not worried about the future, I am worried about the present.’ – Daily Mail

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First Villa win better than lottery jackpot

Tim Sherwood said his first victory as Aston Villa manager was better than a lottery win after his side beat West Bromwich Albion.

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London - Tim Sherwood said his first victory as Aston Villa manager was better than a lottery win after his side escaped the relegation zone by beating West Bromwich Albion 2-1 in the Premier League on Tuesday.

A stoppage-time Christian Benteke penalty handed Villa their first win in 13 league games and Sherwood his first points after three games in charge at the struggling club.

Victory lifted Villa, who have never been relegated in the Premier League era, from second-bottom to 17th in the table and arrested a seven-game losing streak in the league.

Sherwood believes the last-gasp win could be a turning point in his team's season and said it was more important to him than winning a huge jackpot.

“My missus said to me this morning she was doing the EuroMillions lottery, 54 million pounds ($82.94 million)jackpot,” Sherwood told reporters. “I said I'd rather have three points.

“I think so (it's a turning point). We have conceded late against Stoke (in a 2-1 home loss) and it is a real body blow, but to score one late is an excellent feeling and I thought it was thoroughly deserved.

“We are improving every game and we are still alive and kicking. It's a massive football club and it is at the wrong end of the table.”

Villa have scored the fewest goals in the Premier League this season with 15 but showed a will to get forward and attack local rivals West Brom.

They recorded more shots on target (eight) than in any of their league games since May last year and the determination to be more dynamic going forward was a sign of Sherwood's influence.

“We kept at it and someone was looking down on us today. I'll try anything, we are at that stage,” the former Tottenham Hotspur manager said.

“We hadn't won in 12 Premier League games and had to buck that trend. I think we deserved the three points and onwards and upwards.

“When you are at the bottom you have to grind out results...

“I don't think we can do it the old fashioned way with blood and thunder, we have to play through teams.” — Reuters

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Vilakazi goal sinks Sundowns

Sibusiso Vilakazi's 77th minute strike secured Wits victory over Sundowns at the Bidvest Stadium.

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Johannesburg – Sibusiso Vilakazi's 77th minute strike secured Wits a 1-0 victory over Sundowns at the Bidvest Stadium.

The dazzling midfielder broke free of the defence and turned Ramahlwe Mphahlele on the edge of the box and grabbed the winning goal.

Sundowns had their chances during the match to take the lead but were unable to take control.

Meanwhile, Wits held firm and were able to pounce on a lapse in concentration by the defending champions.

After mounting pressure on their opponents, the Students breached the Sundowns defence that had been watertight the entire evening.

Sundowns midfield maestro Teko Modise looked to be the catalyst of a revival after the Brazilians trailed by a goal.

The home side defended their advantage well after they had given-up much of the possession to the opposition.

Modise, the former Bafana Bafana international was denied a goal in the 82nd minute after he was bulldozed off the ball by Buhle Mkhwanazi in a dangerous position.

The visitors threw bodies ahead in attack in pursuit of that elusive goal but their chances went abegging.

Sundowns captain Alje Schut was the recipient of an inch-perfect cross from Bongani Zungu which sailed over the crossbar.

Defender Mzikayise Mashaba of Sundowns found some space inside the box and unleashed a powerful volley that was parried away from danger by Wits goalkeeper Moeneeb Josephs.

Sundowns defensive midfielder Hlompho Kekana made a long-range strike from outside the box that tested Josephs and forced him into a spectacular save.

Wits played a tight game at the back with seven players behind the ball defending against the Sundowns onslaught.

It was on the counter-attack that Wits thrived as they caught the Pretoria-side off guard with their hard running game.

Sundowns midfielders were unable to impose themselves during the encounter with the Wits formation able to contain their counterparts. – Sapa

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News sport : Josh Smith shooshes crowd, fails as Hawks storm back to beat Rockets

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Houston Rockets forward Josh Smith has heard a lot of criticism over the past few years that he takes too many three-pointers. Those comments are accurate — Smith hasn't topped 31 percent from long range since 2010-11 — but it's easy to see how he may have grown tired of the naysayers after several years. He probably gets the gist at this point.

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We can understand, then, why Smith may have chosen to respond to the haters during the Rockets' visit to the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday night. After hitting his first triple of the game with 2:19 remaining in the third quarter, the former Hawk put his finger to his lips to quiet down the booing crowd:

But Smith didn't stop there. He did the same thing after his second three-pointer put the Rockets up 84-72 with 11:03 left in regulation. It probably won't surprise you to learn that the Philips Center crowd didn't stop shouting even with the team down big. They haven't remembered the good times in the two season since Smith last suited up for Atlanta, and an apparent runaway victory for Houston wasn't going to stop them from raining down boos:

Josh hits another 3 and DOES IT AGAIN http://ift.tt/1AYpnpj

— James Herbert (@outsidethenba) March 4, 2015

It turns out that the home crowd had the right idea, because the Hawks followed Smith's second taunt with a remarkable run to wrest back control of the game. Pablo Prigioni hit a three-pointer on the Rockets' next possession to open up a 15-point lead, but the Hawks ended the game on a 32-9 run to end up with a 104-96 win to extend their streak to five in a row.

While it would be too much to suggest that Smith's action inspired the Atlanta comeback, a 20-point swing indicates that he wasn't very successful in shutting them up. (He also helped out with three missed shots and two turnovers.) It was arguably the least effective shoosh since that guy from "Encino Man" tried to tell everyone that Linkavitch Chomofksy wasn't really an Estonian exchange student:

Jokes aside, the Hawks' comeback speaks to the qualities that have allowed them to reach the NBA's best record at 48-12. Six players scored during the game-closing run as the Hawks regularly found good shots on offense and forced the Rockets into bad decisions at the other end. As usual, Atlanta looked in control of themselves and supremely confident under pressure.

Meanwhile, Houston clearly missed MVP candidate James Harden, who sat out this one while serving his one-game suspension for kicking LeBron James in the groin on Sunday. Without Harden, the Rockets too often hoisted three-pointers after a single pass or hoped that Donatas Motiejunas could create a look on his own inside. Houston lacked a calming element in crunch time on Tuesday — it's arguable that their struggles won Harden a few MVP votes simply because they rarely look so flustered when he has the ball in his hands.

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Eric Freeman is a writer for Ball Don't Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at efreeman_ysports@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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News sport : Dez Wells hurdles Rutgers player and dunks on two more in Maryland win

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Rutgers senior guard Myles Mack is 5-foot-10. It's important to know that while watching the accompanying video here because Mack is the guy Maryland star Dez Wells hurdled Tuesday night during the 10-ranked Terrapins' 60-50 victory.

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The sight of Wells flying at him and then over him midway through the first half led Mack to get rid of the ball when it might have been to his advantage to drive to the basket. It's tough to blame the guy flinching just a bit.

It was just one of several jaw-dropping displays of athleticism from Wells during a performance in which he led his team to a victory with 20 points and 10 rebounds.It was Maryland's 25th victory of the season. You have to think NBA scouts and general managers will have a lot of interest in Wells this summer.

Dez Wells on tonight’s big baseline dunk: “I saw somebody going to take a charge and I said *shakes head* that’s his problem.” #Terps

— Daniel Martin (@DMartinCSN) February 25, 2015

Is it too early to nominate Wells for next year's slam dunk contest during All-Star weekend?

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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! Follow @KyleRingo

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News sport : Bills might not have their QB, but Rex Ryan gambling on supporting cast

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It's funny that both LeSean McCoy and Kiko Alonso were rumored to be on the trade block, but somehow the idea of them being traded for each other makes Tuesday's trade between the Buffalo Bills and Philadelphia Eagles quite fascinating.

From the Eagles' perspective, it makes a ton of sense. But from the Bills' angle, the trade requires a little hope and vision.

Oh, sure, there's the immediate return of McCoy and everything he brings. Yes, he fell short of his 2,000-yard rushing goal for 2014 (by almost 700 yards), but he rallied after a slow start, remains relatively young at 27 (turning 27 before training camp) and is the kind of pass-receiving back who can make a bad quarterback average.

And that's exactly what the Bills have right now.

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

With no first-round pick and no free-agent quarterbacks that will make anyone excited without beer goggles, the Bills are faced with — having been stood up by (LOL) Josh McCown — finding a temporary bridge QB to compete (still LOLing) with EJ Manuel.

So what's a team to do in that situation? Surround QB1 with whatever complementary talent it can and make chicken salad, you know? Wide receiver — check. Sammy Watkins and Robert Woods are a good 1-2 punch. The offensive line could be good, and you can bet that new offensive coordinator Greg Roman already has implored the team to import Mike Iupati. McCoy, Fred Jackson, Bryce Brown and Anthony Dixon will fit Rex Ryan's ground-and-pound directive (even if McCoy and Jackson might not be best buds).

It's not perfect, but it's not bad. And there's excitement in Buffalo to get a player such as McCoy, who has 26 plays of 20 yards or longer the past two seasons. Isn't McCoy what C.J. Spiller was supposed to be?

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The drawbacks are these:

• The Bills are giving up on Alonso, who could be one of the NFL's best linebackers if his torn ACL hasn't held him back. And he wasn't due to hit free agency for another three years.

• McCoy eats up more than $10 million next season, while Alonso was on the books for less than a million. That limits what the Bills can do in free agency.

• The Bills' top two backs, McCoy and Jackson, have a combined 2,740 carries and 622 receptions in the NFL, which is quite a bit of tread off those tires.

• And, yeah, still no QB.

With this defense and this run game, the Bills are a threat. But they're an also-ran until they find a capable trigger man. You can throw as many screens to McCoy and slants to Watkins as you want; until they find someone who can fire it to the sticks on 3rd and 8 in the fourth quarter against a six-man blitz, forget about it.

McCoy gives them another playmaker, and Roman and Ryan know how to employ a full-house backfield to maximum effectiveness. Now the clock is started on the team finding the right man to hand him the ball. That matters most.

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Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at edholm@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Eric_Edholm

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Benteke’s late penalty lifts Villa

Christian Benteke’s stoppage-time penalty gave Tim Sherwood his first win as Aston Villa manager.

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London - A last-gasp Christian Benteke penalty handed Tim Sherwood his first win as Aston Villa manager and lifted his side out of the Premier League relegation zone with a 2-1 home victory against West Bromwich Albion on Tuesday.

Sadio Mane struck late to rejuvenate Southampton's fading battle for Champions League qualification with a 1-0 home win against Crystal Palace to move them into fifth, while Sunderland came from behind to draw 1-1 at Hull City.

Aston Villa, who have never been relegated during the Premier League era, started the day second bottom and on a seven-game losing streak, their worst run for 52 years.

In his third game in charge, Sherwood avoided equalling Dick Taylor's 1964 record of losing his opening three league matches in dramatic circumstances.

Villa nearly took the lead when West Brom goalkeeper Ben Foster spilled a routine save but he managed to claw the ball to safety, with goalline technology proving it was a whisker away.

Gabriel Agbonlahor struck his first goal in 14 games to open the scoring after 22 minutes, latching onto Benteke's knock on to slot the ball through the legs of Foster, sparking wild celebrations from Sherwood.

Fabian Delph nearly extended their lead but he hit the post with a long-range, curling effort before the visitors equalised after 67 minutes when Saido Berahino headed in from close range. It was the striker's 12th league goal of the season.

Just as the match looked to be heading for a draw, hapless Foster fumbled the ball again and, in a desperate attempt to rectify his mistake, brought down Matthew Lowton to concede a penalty.

Belgium striker Benteke stepped up to coolly roll the ball in from the spot four minutes into added time.

“We kept at it and someone was looking down on us today. I'll try anything, we are at that stage,” Sherwood told the BBC.

“We hadn't won in 12 Premier League games and had to buck that trend. I think we deserved the three points and onwards and upwards.”

It was Villa's first win in 13 league games and lifted them into 17th place on 25 points, three above the relegation zone.

The two sides will meet again in the FA Cup quarter-final at Villa Park on Saturday.

Southampton, who had won once and scored just one in their last five games prior to kick off, ended a wait of over six hours for a goal at St Mary's when Mane struck in the 83rd minute.

In what had been a match low on quality, Mane produced a deft chip over Julian Speroni after the Palace keeper had parried a shot from substitute James Ward-Prowse.

Victory lifted Southampton to 49 points, one point outside the top four and a spot in European soccer's elite club competition next season.

“It was crucial game to win today, now we have 10 days until the Chelsea game (at Stamford Bridge) and it makes the situation a lot more comfortable and I hope they will get total confidence back and play like we did before,” Saints boss Ronald Koeman said.

Hull City's Dame N'Doye, a deadline day signing, scored his third goal in five games to give them the lead against Sunderland with an exquisite flick after 15 minutes.

The visitors then had manager Gus Poyet sent to the stands after a heated touchline exchange with his opposite number Steve Bruce.

Jack Rodwell headed in a equaliser with 13 minutes left to keep Sunderland in 16th place on 26 points, four above the relegation places and one point below Hull.

Reuters

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News sport : Five plays you need to see from the first day of spring training games

♠ Posted by channel-top-news in breàking news,cricket sc,crıcket lıve score,lïve cricket score,news sport,sportnews,sports,Yahoo Sports

Actual baseball is back, with major-league teams playing against major-league teams. Tuesday was the first day of games in the Cactus and Grapefruit leagues, and while the outcomes ultimately mean very little, it's still nice to see the homers and great defensive plays again.

So come with us, fair reader, as we show you the five plays you need to see from the first day of spring training games.

1. YOENIS CESPEDES GOES GRAND SALAMI

New Detroit Tigers outfielder Yoenis Cespedes showed that swing that's won the last two Home Run Derbys, connecting for a grand slam in the Tigers' 15-2 win over the Orioles. Ubaldo Jimenez was in midseason form, allowing six runs in 1.1 innings.