News sport : DeAndre Jordan picked his nose and wiped it on J.J. Redick during an interview

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This is not the sort of pick-and-roll that anyone wants to participate in, DeAndre Jordan:


[DraftKings: FREE entry to huge cash Fantasy Basketball Contest with first deposit]





The Los Angeles Clippers built a 22-point lead over the Charlotte Hornets on Tuesday night before watching Steve Clifford's club come roaring back in the third quarter and draw within a single point of all-square with just over seven minutes left in the fourth. Doc Rivers' crew held on, limiting Charlotte to 4-for-14 shooting down the stretch while making 10 of their 14 free throws to finish off a 99-92 win that improved the Clips to 43-25, bumping them up into fifth place in the Western Conference playoff chase ahead of the Dallas Mavericks and San Antonio Spurs, who dropped a head-scratcher to the awful New York Knicks on Tuesday.


After scoring a team-high 23 points on 10-for-17 shooting to help snap the Clippers' two-game losing skid, Redick was rewarded with the walk-off interview with Kristina Pink on FOX Sports West. And Jordan — who finished with 12 points, 14 rebounds, three assists, a block and a steal in 34 minutes — decided that was an appropriate time to add to his collection of wild and wacky and totally extreme videobombs by picking a winner and wiping it on his teammate's back under the guise of offering a bit of "good game" support and praise.


(Hey, Clippers? Please stop being gross. The incessant referee-carping is bad enough; we super don't need you literally getting your boogers all up in our TV screens. Thanks.)


Redick, of course, seemed to be none the wiser. If only Jordan had so soft a touch at the free-throw line.


[Follow Dunks Don't Lie on Tumblr: The best slams from all of basketball]


It was a pretty unappetizing end to what became, in the second half, a fairly unappetizing game, as a shorthanded Clippers side playing without key wings Jamal Crawford and Matt Barnes sputtered and coughed their way through the third quarter, nearly losing the plot entirely in the fourth before finding just enough resolve to get past the finish line.


"That was awful," Rivers said after the game, according to Joe Resnick of The Associated Press. "That stretch should have been avoided."


He was talking about the way the Clippers closed the third, but it's pretty applicable to the post-game interview, too.


Hat-tip to r/NBA.


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 : Hampton coach calls Jesus after win, Jesus hangs up on him

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Play Tourney Pick'em | Fill out your bracket | Print it | Celebrity Challenge


Hampton won Tuesday night's play-in game against Manhattan, a rousing 74-64 victory. Its reward? A matchup with mighty Kentucky. Good luck with that.


Hampton coach Edward Joyner Jr. knows the odds against his team are astronomically long, so he decided to appeal to a higher power. He pretended (we assume he was pretending) to get Jesus Himself on the phone. But when asked about how to handle the Wildcats, Jesus apparently hung up. Even Jesus is taking Kentucky.


[Yahoo Sports Tourney Pick'em: Fill out your bracket and get a free Big Gulp Drink]


Hampton tips off against Kentucky at 9:40 ET Thursday night. Between their coach's comedy and their bench's stage routine, this is a fun team. Shame they probably won't be around too long.



Need help picking your bracket? Check out Yahoo Sports' new Grandstanding podcast here:



____

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


Follow @jaybusbee


And keep up with Jay over on Facebook, too.






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News sport : Fantasy Baseball Position Primer: Relief Pitcher

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Closers are really a fantasy nuisance.


You're a fool if you draft them early — or if you draft too many of them — because we all know that several new sources of saves will emerge during the season. Happens every year. Something like one-third of closing jobs will flip at some point.


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


But of course if you don't draft any closers — or if you limit yourself to just one — then you'll spend the next six months of your life targeting saves on the wire. And for most of us, that's not much fun. Nor is it entirely practical if you're a normal human, instead of a fantasy professional.


In mixed leagues of standard size/shape, my recommendation is that you snag two or three of the late-round closers on draft day, so as to avoid the in-season stress of the saves chase. Try to do your shopping in the Cishek-Benoit bin, if possible. You should really be able to acquire saves easily enough without snagging one of the luxury closers. However, if you're playing in an A.L. or N.L.-only league, or a deep and competitive mixer, then the upper-tier bullpen arms have quite a bit more appeal. Depending on the quality of your league, you might reasonably decide it's worth paying a small premium for a closer who offers job security and stellar ratios.


Today, we're breaking with the standard Position Primer format, scrapping the tiers. Instead, we're simply giving you a user's guide to MLB bullpens. Below you'll find a team-by-team snapshot of every closing situation. Each team's presumptive finisher is listed, with the primary handcuffs and holds options in parentheses. Key injuries are noted as well.


If you desperately need reliever ranks, we've got you covered right here.


---


American League

Baltimore Orioles – Zach Britton (D. O'Day, T. Hunter)

Boston Red Sox – Koji Uehara (J. Tazawa, E. Mujica)

Chicago White Sox – David Robertson (J. Petricka, Z. Duke)

Cleveland Indians – Cody Allen (B. Shaw)

Detroit Tigers – Joe Nathan (J. Soria, B. Rondon)

Houston Astros – Luke Gregerson (C. Qualls, P. Neshek)

Kansas City Royals – Greg Holland (W. Davis, K. Herrera)

Los Angeles Angels – Huston Street (J. Smith)

Minnesota Twins – Glen Perkins (C. Fien, B. Duensing)

New York Yankees – Dellin Betances (A. Miller, D. Carpenter)

Oakland Athletics – Tyler Clippard (R. Cook); Sean Doolittle out until May (shoulder)

Seattle Mariners – Fernando Rodney (Y. Medina, D. Farquhar)

Tampa Bay Rays – Brad Boxberger (E. Frieri, K. Jepsen); Jake McGee out until April/May (elbow)

Texas Rangers – Neftali Feliz (S. Tolleson, T. Scheppers)

Toronto Blue Jays – Brett Cecil (A. Loup, S. Delabar, M. Estrada)


[Want to join a league and live draft right now? Go to the Yahoo Draft Lobby ]


National League

Arizona Diamondbacks – Addison Reed (B. Ziegler)

Atlanta Braves – Craig Kimbrel (J. Grilli, J. Russell)

Chicago Cubs – Hector Rondon (P. Strop, N. Ramirez)

Cincinnati Reds – Aroldis Chapman (J. Diaz, S. LeCure, A. Cingrani)

Colorado Rockies – LaTroy Hawkins (A. Ottavino, J. Axford, R. Brothers)

Los Angeles Dodgers – Joel Peralta (JP Howell); Kenley Jansen out until May (foot)

Miami Marlins – Steve Cishek (M. Dunn, AJ Ramos)

Milwaukee Brewers – Francisco Rodriguez (J. Broxton)

New York Mets – Jenrry Mejia (J. Familia, V. Black); Bobby Parnell out until May (elbow)

Philadelphia Phillies – Jonathan Papelbon (K. Giles, J. Diekman)

Pittsburgh Pirates – Mark Melancon (T. Watson, A. Bastardo)

St. Louis Cardinals – Trevor Rosenthal (J. Walden, S. Maness)

San Diego Padres – Joaquin Benoit (K. Quackenbush, N. Vincent, D. Thayer)

San Francisco Giants – Santiago Casilla (S. Romo, J. Machi, J. Affeldt)

Washington Nationals – Drew Storen (C. Janssen, A. Barrett)






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News sport : Obama picks Kentucky over Villanova in presidential bracket

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Play Tourney Pick'em | Fill out your bracket | Print it | Celebrity Challenge


President Obama has unveiled his bracket picks, and no surprise: he's riding with Kentucky.


This marks the seventh year Obama has announced his picks. This year, the president is taking a surprisingly conservative (ha ha get it) approach, picking three No. 1 seeds (Kentucky, Duke, Villanova) and one No. 2 (Arizona). Obama has picked only one national champion correctly, North Carolina in 2009. His best finish in ESPN's bracket came in 2011, when he finished in the 87.4 percentile.


[Yahoo Sports Tourney Pick'em: Fill out your bracket and get a free Big Gulp Drink]


Here's the full bracket for your perusal. The president hedged his bets on the many upsets that he picked in early rounds, with only No. 10 Davidson advancing to the Sweet 16. That knocks out 2-seed Gonzaga along the way.


[Celebrity Bracket Challenge: Test your skills with Jeremy Piven, Paul George and more]


As always, someone will say that Obama should be working instead of filling out a bracket. And as always, we'll say: so should you.


____

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



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News sport : Watch Hampton's bench do the celebration from 'Major League' (Video)

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Hampton was well on its way to an NCAA Tournament win over fellow No. 16 seed Manhattan when guard Brian Darden stepped to the line with 24 seconds to go. As Darden swished his free throw, his teammates on the bench let loose with a unique celebration straight out of the 1989 baseball classic “Major League.”



That’s solid execution, though they did not quite nail the clap at the end like in the movie.



The win over Manhattan allows the Pirates to move on but a matchup with top-seeded Kentucky is next on the agenda. Hampton coach Edward Joyner Jr. knows his team will need a little divine intervention to get past the Wildcats.





Good luck, fellas.


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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 : MEAC and SWAC champions to play in Celebration Bowl in Atlanta

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The champions of the MEAC and SWAC will meet at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta on December 19 in the Celebration Bowl.


The game, which will be televised on one of ESPN's networks, is a property of ESPN events. According to a release "The Celebration Bowl is committed to providing the champions of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and the Southwestern Athletic Conference, and their alumni, fans and sponsors a first-class bowl experience while continuing to celebrate the legacy, values and traditions of Historically Black Colleges and Universities."


The MEAC and SWAC are at the FCS level in college football. Bethune-Cookman was the MEAC's 2014 champion while Alcorn State beat Southern in the SWAC Championship Game.


“As part of the conference’s continued efforts in branding and increasing its exposure on a national platform, I am elated that champions from the MEAC and the SWAC will compete in a bowl game, during the most exciting time of the year for collegiate football," MEAC commissioner Dennis Thomas said in a statement. "Our continued partnership with ESPN will give our coaches, student-athletes and fans an opportunity to participate in an exciting bowl game, on a national stage, which will showcase their institutions and talented football programs. Adding a national television opportunity for our champion, during this time of year, only furthers our branding and marketability."


The Celebration Bowl the second ESPN-created MEAC-SWAC game. Teams from the conference have played in the MEAC-SWAC Challenge on ESPN for the past 10 years. The 2015 MEAC-SWAC Challenge features Arkansas Pine-Bluff and South Carolina State.


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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 : Random Recap: The 2001 NAPA Auto Parts 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.


This week's race is the 2001 NAPA Auto Parts 500. Need to know how Random Recap works? Click here.


Rusty Wallace held off Jeff Gordon by 0.27 seconds at Caifornia Speedway. for his 54th career victory.


Wallace led 95 of the race's 250 laps and led the final 47, including maintaining the lead on a lap 232 restart. The caution was brought out by a turn four crash by Mark Martin and Ward Burton.


Wallace had the lead before a cycle of green flag pit stops and regained the lead after everyone pitted. He held the lead through a caution for a spin by Jerry Nadeau and then the final caution.


Gordon's chances of catching Wallace took a huge hit when the green flag waved with 19 laps to go. Wallace got a great jump and was able to put a lapped car between he and Gordon. While Gordon was able to close in as the laps wound down, the gap Wallace built immediately after the caution was more than enough.


Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished third while Tony Stewart was fourth. Jeremy Mayfield, Wallace's teammate, finished fifth.


Perhaps a bit improbably, Nadeau finished eighth, climbing through the field in less than 40 green flag laps after his spin.


Despite a 24th-place finish, Dale Jarrett retains the points lead through 10 of 36 races. He has a 66-point lead over Gordon while Wallace is fourth in the standings, 119 points behind Jarrett and eight points behind Johnny Benson for third.


Epilogue: The win ended up being Wallace's next-to-last victory. His final one came at Martinsville in the spring of 2004. Gordon went on to win the 2001 championship, passing Jarrett in the standings while winning at Michigan in June.


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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 : Syracuse announces Jim Boeheim will retire in three years

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One of the lingering questions after the NCAA waylaid Syracuse with a series of penalties earlier this month was whether Jim Boeheim intended to stay on as coach for the duration of the scholarship restrictions


An announcement the school made Wednesday morning provided some clarity.


Boeheim, 70, will retire in three years after the 2017-18 season, Syracuse announced. Earlier in the day, the school fired athletic director Daryl Gross in the wake of lengthy NCAA investigation that uncovered academic misconduct, extra benefits violations and impermissible booster activity in the Syracuse men's basketball program.


If Boeheim sticks to the retirement timetable, that would mean he will serve his nine-game suspension at the start of next year's ACC slate but will only be around for part of the scholarship restrictions Syracuse will endure. The NCAA will reduce the number of scholarships Syracuse can use by three for four consecutive seasons beginning either for the 2015-16 season or the year after, leaving the Orange with a maximum of 10 scholarship players each of those seasons.


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Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at daggerblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!







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News sport : Baltimore Ravens RB Bernard Pierce arrested for DUI

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Jan 3, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Baltimore Ravens running back Bernard Pierce (30) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the 2014 AFC Wild Card playoff football game in the first half at Heinz Field. (Jason Bridge-USA TODAY Sports) Baltimore Ravens running back Bernard Pierce was arrested and charged with DUI early Wednesday morning.


According to the Baltimore Sun, the 23-year-old Pierce was pulled over for speeding “just before 2 a.m.” and was subjected to field sobriety tests after the officer suspected that he was under the influence. Baltimore County police told the Sun that Pierce failed the field sobriety tests and was subsequently arrested and taken to jail.


The Ravens said in a statement that they are “aware of the situation and learning more about it.”


“We take these matters seriously,” the team said.


Per Baltimore County police, Pierce is facing the following charges: driving while under the influence of alcohol, driving while impaired by alcohol, exceeding maximum speed: 55 mph in a posted 30 mph zone, and driving a vehicle in excess of reasonable and prudent speed on highway.


Pierce has been with the Ravens since the team selected him in the third round of the 2012 draft out of Temple. In those three seasons, Pierce has combined for 1,334 yards and five touchdowns on 3.8 yards per carry. Pierce also has 29 career catches for 164 yards.


Pierce had the chance to take hold of the team’s starting role last season after the release of Ray Rice, but was passed on the depth chart by Justin Forsett and was inactive three times in favor of rookie Lorenzo Taliaferro.


Pierce is the third Ravens player to be arrested this offseason. Defensive back Victor Hampton was charged with DWI on March 1 and released the next day. Additionally, defensive tackle Terrence Cody was cut by the team after being indicted by a grand jury for animal cruelty.


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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: Daryl Gross resigns as Syracuse athletic director

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Daryl Gross is out as Syracuse's athletic director.


According to Syracuse.com, Gross will resign from his position and remain with the university.


His resignation comes less than two weeks after Syracuse was penalized for NCAA violations dating back to 2001. While the men's basketball team was forced to vacate wins and coach Jim Boeheim was suspended for the first nine games of 2015-2016, the football team was placed on probation and also forced to vacate wins from 2004-2006.


Syracuse's violations included academic misconduct, impermissible benefits, violations of drug testing policies and also illegal conduct from its boosters.


Part of the NCAA's report said Gross was involved in the setup of a January 2012 meeting with university officials that discussed keeping basketball player Fab Melo eligible. The university then went to work to change a grade for Melo for a class from nearly a year prior to get him back on the basketball court.


Gross has been with Syracuse for over nine years. In his tenure, the school made the switch from the Big East (now the American Athletic Conference) to the ACC in 2013. According to the biography on Gross' staff page, the school champions the conference move as quadrupling its television revenues. Per Syracuse.com, federal documents show that Syracuse's athletic revenue was $87 million in 2014 while its expenses were $72 million.


Under coach Scott Shafer, Syracuse football went 7-6 and 4-4 in the ACC in its first year in the conference and won the Texas Bowl over Minnesota. In 2014, the Orange slid back to 1-7 in the conference and finished 3-9.


For more Syracuse news, visit CuseConfidential.com.


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







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News sport : Bielema uses Borland retirement to cite player safety and tempo

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Bret Bielema has had this conversation before.


The Arkansas coach has been an outspoken advocate for player safety in the name of fewer plays per game. While we can likely all agree about making football safer, the tempo debate is where it gets tricky. Especially with the way Bielema has awkwardly presented his arguments. Like in early 2014, when he used the death of Cal player Ted Agu to advocate for a 10-second rule to slow down college football.


The rule proposal was withdrawn.


However, the previous discussion and resulting criticism didn't prevent Bielema from breaking out and playing his slower-tempo-in-the-name of safety drum on Tuesday after the retirement of San Francisco 49ers linebacker Chris Borland. The 24-year-old retired earlier in the week, citing health dangers.


From the Sporting News:



“I’m going to tread lightly,” Bielema says, knowing full well the recent history of a man and his crusade, and how he has been mocked for it since.




Then he just can't help himself.




“We have an obligation to do what’s right,” he says, his voice getting stronger. “I can’t understand how some guys can’t see that.”



Bielema is well-qualified to speak about Borland. He coached him at Wisconsin. But given the way we opened the post, you know what's coming next.


“We have to protect student athletes to extremes we never thought of before,” Bielema said to the Sporting News. “I just read a study that said players in the no-huddle, hurry-up offense play the equivalent of five more games than those that don’t. That’s an incredible number. Our awareness as a whole has to increase.”


And also this:


“I can’t imagine the thought process he had to go through to get to where he was,” Bielema said. "it's not about what we want for the game, it's about what the game needs."


We're not discounting that Bielema's concern for player safety is legitimate. With a lot of misdirection in college football, it's easy to fall for things and sentiments that may not be genuine. With the way Bielema has stuck to his apparent beliefs, it's clear he truly wants to make the game safer. He's just not backing up his arguments very well.


Bielema's teams have always run some of the fewest plays-per-game in college football, though his 2014 Arkansas team made a big leap from the year before. As the Hogs improved and went 7-6, Arkansas ran more than eight plays more each game (73) in 2014 (70th in FBS) than it did in 2013 (123rd in FBS). Arguing against teams that play at a faster pace has always looked like a tactical one.


Plus, Bielema needs to cite and champion his study for others to see and also ditch the generalizations. What is a "no-huddle, hurry-up offense" and how is it defined? With the numerous offensive styles in college football, it's unfair to classify them by tempo. That's virtually impossible.


The fastest team in the country in 2014, Baylor, ran 90 plays per game. The slowest, New Mexico, ran 62. Yes, that means Baylor ran as many plays in 12 games New Mexico would have run in over 17. But comparing outliers to outliers is only good for a raucous cable news panel discussion. It's not going to help with trying to make a common-sense argument (99 of 128 FBS teams ran more than 70 plays per game in 2014).


There's also no proof that our increased attention to player safety in football has any correlation to teams playing at faster tempos. While Bielema's belief that more plays equals more injuries could be correct, it's also entirely possible that tempo has little or nothing to do at all with the way we are learning about player safety thanks to medical advancement.


And even if we did find out that an increase in plays in game settings resulted in an increased risk of injuries, wouldn't the easiest solution be to cut the number of games from a season rather than limiting the number of plays per game? Oh, right. That would never happen because of the corresponding dip in revenues from television contracts, sponsorships and ticket sales. Silly us for ignoring the business side of football for a moment.


We're on board with anything to make football safer. However, rule changes can't deal entirely in unknowns. Until there's legitimate evidence that limiting the number of plays in a game will help keep players healthier, Bielema's stance is going to continue to reside on a sparsely populated island.


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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 : Charles Clay reportedly signs huge offer sheet with Buffalo

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Dec 7, 2014; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Miami Dolphins tight end Charles Clay (42) runs against the Baltimore Ravens during the second half at Sun Life Stadium. Ravens won 28-13. (Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports) The ball is now in the Miami Dolphins’ court when it comes to tight end Charles Clay.


According to the Buffalo News, Clay, a restricted free agent, signed a five-year, $38 million offer sheet with the Buffalo Bills on Tuesday, giving the Dolphins five days to match the offer.


The offer is quite lucrative and reportedly includes $20 million in guaranteed money. In fact, the News is reporting that the deal’s structure – with a reported $24.5 million coming in the first two years – is “designed to make it difficult, if not impossible, for Miami to match.”


Additionally, based on those numbers, Clay’s deal ($7.6 million per year) would make him the fourth-highest paid tight end in the league behind Jimmy Graham, Julius Thomas and Rob Gronkowski. That’s quite the investment for a player who was 12th in receptions (58) and 14th in receiving yards (605) among tight ends last season. Clay also dealt with knee and hamstring injuries in 2014.


His best season came when he became a full-time starter in 2013 and put up 69 catches for 759 yards and six touchdowns.


Clay, who has also proven to be a solid blocker, combined for 34 catches for 445 yards and five scores in his first two seasons as a pro after the Dolphins picked him in the sixth round of the 2011 draft out of Tulsa.


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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: Eagles could sign Tim Tebow if they can trade Matt Barkley

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It's all happening.

It appeared that the Philadelphia Eagles were just doing a little tire kicking and hood lifting when they brought in Tim Tebow for a workout the other day and then let him leave town without signing him to a contract.


But NBC 4 sports anchor Dianna Marie Russini of Washington D.C. is reporting that there's actually a good chance of Tebow becoming an Eagle if the team can find a trade partner to ship out No. 3 QB Matt Barkley.



Right now, Sam Bradford is the Eagles' starter, Mark Sanchez is the backup and his old friend Tebow could be the very intriguing No. 3. Barkley has not flourished in a limited sample size in Eagles head coach Chip Kelly's offense, so it appears that they are trying to find a new home for the quarterback they spent a fourth-round pick on two years ago.



We admit, we're a bit skeptical about the 80 percent likelihood thing (what does it hinge on?), and also this: Why wouldn't they just sign Tebow now? NFL teams frequently carry four or five quarterbacks on an offseason roster prior to training camp. It's not like that would hurt their leverage in trading Barkley, a one-time top prospect who fell suddenly after a mediocre senior season.


We're certainly keeping an eye on this report and this possibility, of course, that Tebow could be back in the NFL again. If there's a coach who goes against the grain and perhaps could take advantage of Tebow's unique skill set, it's Kelly.


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






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City must up their game

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Yaya Touré said Manchester City's players owed the club's Abu Dhabi owners and supporters a historic performance against Barcelona.


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Yaya Touré said Manchester City's players owed the club's Abu Dhabi owners and supporters a historic performance against Barcelona, in the match on which Manuel Pellegrini's future may hinge.


Asked if he felt whether the players were responsible for suggestions manager Pellegrini would be sacked and whether they felt a duty to help “kill off” those rumours, Touré said: “We all know what we have to do. The owners have spent a lot of money to make this one of the top clubs in Europe. We have had some difficulties but we are working hard.


“It's not the first time we have been in this situation. We'll try to do it for the fans and the club and the people who continue to help us.”


The pressure on Pellegrini was remorseless last night, with his predecessor, Roberto Mancini, whose divisive nature led the club to sack him in 2013, claiming that the Chilean had been “lucky” to inherit the squad he had bequeathed him and flatly contradicting his claim that winning a trophy each season was not essential.


Mancini, now manager at Internazionale having been sacked by Galatasaray, told CNN: “Pellegrini was really lucky because he got this team that is a strong team and he had the chance to put inside other good players and he improved his team. But I think Manchester City can win a title every year. I think that City have a chance and they should, they must win a title, try to win a title every year.”


Pep Guardiola, who would be City's favoured replacement if Pellegrini leaves, is expected to be at the Nou Camp to see tonight's match, in what would be his first return to the stadium in the three years since he stood down.


In the circumstances, Pellegrini seemed remarkably relaxed as he and Touré gave their press conference, smiling when it was put to him by a Spanish journalist that the Barcelona players' confidence in their manager, Luis Enrique, was greater than the City players' in him.


“You don't know the kind of confidence my players have in me,” he said. “You know what football is. You could have asked the question the other way round if we were talking two months ago.


“All teams go through different moments and we will try to do our best with dedication and hard work.”


Touré also said that the pressure on City revealed the short memories in football.


“Last year being brilliant,” he said, “everyone was saying Manchester City are the top team in Europe. All of a sudden we have some problems and we're the worst team in the world. We can deal with that.”


Barcelona's Andres Iniesta said that the home team's aim tonight was a possession-based game “so [City] suffer; so they are chasing the ball. We have to control what is going on at every different moment.”


Enrique said that City's weekend Premier League defeat to Burnley could create an “anxiety” in them. “In a moment like this they could be very dangerous or it could be better for us if it causes some anxiety in them,” he said.


Pellegrini said that if he could avoid a man being sent off, as Pablo Zabaleta, Martin Demichelis and Gaël Clichy have all been in the past three matches against the Catalans, City could win. “I want to say there's no such strange atmosphere at Manchester City,” he said. “I respect all opinions but I don't think my [job] is in danger. I'm confident I'm going to finish my contract.” – The Independent






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Billiat is Sundowns’ standout player

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Hosea Ramphekwa says Khama Billiat is the conductor of Mamelodi Sundowns’s orchestra.


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There are few greater sights than Khama Billiat on song.


The conductor of Mamelodi Sundowns’s orchestra can make the hearts of those on his side sing, while giving their opponents the blues.


It’s no surprise that the Zimbabwean playmaker has been the heartbeat of Sundowns’s recent resurgence. With several assists, and four goals in three matches, Billiat seems to have found his rhythm, something Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane and the fans have been yearning to see.


With his darting runs and fancy footwork with the ball, before leaving defenders for dead en route to creating or scoring goals, Billiat inspires songs of hope among Downs players, who are desperate to catch up with log leaders Kaizer Chiefs, whome they trail by eight points.


Though he is in terrific form, Billiat refuses to blow his own trumpet. The player, whose individual brilliance has made a massive difference to his side’s fortunes this season, should be beating his chest with pride. However, that’s not the case with thiss lad from Harare.


“I will only be happy if we win the league,” said the 24-year-old.


Billiat’s employers, coaches, teammates and fans should be happy with his efforts, which saw him mesmerise Free State Stars, outshine Polokwane City and stun TP Mazembe, but the former Ajax Cape Town wing king is not resting on his laurels.


“I have never been satisfied with my performances. I always want to do better and improve. I want to score as many goals as I can, so I can help my team do well. There’s always room for improvement, so I need to keep on going.


“Credit must go to the team. We have been fighting. We always make sure that we win, even if we have to win by 1-0.


“We never give up,” said Billiat, who has scored nine goals in all competitions.


Sundowns, who are in second position with 43 points, were on track to catch up with log leaders Chiefs. However, Bidvest Wits put a spanner in the works by subjecting them to a 1-0 defeat. Billiat said the loss to Wits made them intensify their efforts in a bid to retain their Absa Premiership title.


“The Wits loss was a wake-up call for us. It had to happen. After that we came together. We worked for one another. We wanted to achieve one goal.


“We work hard and we are focusing on ourselves. We are not focusing on how things are around us. We need to collect points on our own.


“You can only win the league if you have collected maximum points. We need to do that on our own. No one is going to do us favours,” Billiat said.


“The good thing is that everyone is on top of his game – even the guys who are not playing. When they come in, it doesn’t affect the team that much. We have a good team.”


Sundowns fans will be hoping Billiat strikes the right chords when they host Chippa United in a league clash at Loftus Versfeld tonight.


Chippa have been struggling this year – they have not won in 11 games. Against this background, the Brazilains should have no problem walking away with maximum points. However, Billiat sounded a warning.


“The fact that they have not been winning is going to make them work extra hard. They wouldn’t want to lose. It’s going to be a difficult game.


“We are all ready. Tonight we are going to go out and stick to what we have been doing well.”


With Billiat’s frightening pace, dribbling wizardry, sublime passes, spectacular goals and superb celebrations, Sundowns’s song of hope has no end in sight. - The Star






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