News sport : Reports: Illinois State assistant among those dead in a plane crash

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A popular Illinois State assistant coach died tragically late Monday night.


Torrey Ward was one of seven people killed in a plane crash Monday night near Bloomington, Ill., according to multiple reports. The passengers aboard the private plane attended the national title game between Duke and Wisconsin in Indianapolis on Monday night but encountered heavy fog on their flight home.


A native of Birmingham, Ward played at UAB from 1997 to 2000, starting 74 games and helping the Blazers reach the NCAA tournament as a junior. He played professionally in China before stints as an assistant coach at Jacksonville State, Ole Miss and Illinois State.


Ward worked with Illinois State's big men the past few years, helping Jackie Carmichael earn all-conference honors in 2013 and developing Reggie Lynch into an all-conference center this past season. His haunting final tweet came from Monday's national title game.



Ward is survived by two young children, Torrey and Tamia.


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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 : Former NFL first-round pick charged with fraud from Ponzi scheme

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Will Allen had a nice NFL career. He was a first-round pick and then logged 11 NFL seasons with the New York Giants, Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots. He went on injured reserve before the 2012 season and faded away from our consciousness, as many NFL players do.


But apparently the Securities and Exchange Commission was keeping close tabs on Allen after his career, considering the SEC says Allen was part of a Ponzi scheme that raised $31 million from investors.


The SEC announced Tuesday that it was making fraud charges against the former NFL cornerback and others. The SEC claimed that Allen, a first-round pick by the Giants in 2001, and business partner Susan Daub claimed to use investors' money to make loans to professional athletes. The SEC says Allen and Daub told investors they could profit by funding the loans and getting interest of up to 18 percent from the athletes.


According to the SEC, Allen and Daub used money from some investors to pay other investors, which is the Ponzi scheme. The scheme started in July of 2012 (about a month before Allen went on injured reserve, which was pretty much the end of his NFL career) through February of 2015. The SEC claimed the duo "advanced approximately $18 million to athletes while raising more than $31 million from investors."


What about the leftover money? If the Ponzi scheme itself wasn't bad enough, according to the SEC, "Allen and Daub allegedly misled investors about the terms, circumstances, and even the existence of some of the loans and used some investor funds to pay personal expenses such as charges at casinos and nightclubs, or to fund other business ventures."


Nothing like taking investors' money for some bottle service at the club or some high-limit blackjack. Or at least that's what the SEC claims they did.


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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 : Patrick Peterson confirms he's diabetic but is reticent to discuss it

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In a wide-ranging interview, Arizona Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson told the Arizona republic's Kent Somers that he's a diabetic. But Peterson also was clear that he had little interest talking about the matter.


Here's how that portion of the Q&A with Peterson went:



Q: Coach [Bruce] Arians said in February that you had a blood sugar problem early in the season and that really affected you?




A: Yeah, it did. I'd rather not go into deep detail about that. It was a situation that it occurred during the season. The team docs found it and got it all under wraps.




Q: But it made a big difference?




A: No question it made a big difference and once they found out what the problem was, they put their hands around the throat, wrangled it and we moved forward from it.




Q: You said you didn't want to get into details but people hear that and wonder, "Is he diabetic?"




A: I am a diabetic. Let's just keep it that way.



Arians told Pro Football Talk at the Indianapolis Combine that Peterson was battling a blood-sugar issue and, as a result, struggled early last season. But once the team figured that out and managed it, Peterson was in good shape in a strong finish to the 2014 season.


Arians the condition then as being "borderline diabetic." On Tuesday, Peterson confirmed he was a diabetic.


What does that mean? Although there are not a ton of confirmed diabetics in the NFL, Jay Cutler is perhaps the most well-known one, and he has to manage his condition with blood-sugar checks mid-game and insulin shots at the ready. The New England Patriots cut defensive tackle Kyle Love two years ago when it was discovered he was a type-2 diabetic, which raised a little uproar around the league.


If Peterson is dilligent, he can manage his diabetes and should be able to perform at a high level. After all, there have been several world-class and famous athletes over the years who have had diabetes and been able to thrive without issue.


Whether or not Peterson becomes a spokesman for the disease is another matter, and he clearly isn't yet completely comfortable discussing the matter in great detail. But of primary importance now is him listening to his doctors and listening to his body, and Peterson should live a long, healthy life and continue to have a terrific NFL career.


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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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News sport : The Cubs bring out porta-potties to help Wrigley Field restroom woes

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A photo from inside a bathroom at Wrigley Field on Sunday. (Yahoo Sports) The Chicago Cubs don't have completed bleachers at Wrigley Field. They don't have Kris Bryant in their lineup. They haven't even scored a run yet in this very young MLB season.


But, here's the good news: They have porta-potties set up to help fans go to the bathroom.


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The Wrigley restroom woes have had jokesters unloading their best punchlines since Sunday night. The bathrooms were jam-packed and fans resorted to relieving themselves in empty beer cups. That's probably even a step below Baghdad, eh Jason Hammel?


As Wrigley prepares for Game No. 2 of the season — which will likely be Wednesday, because Tuesday's game has been postponed because of the rain — the Cubs have made a move that makes their stadium even more like a construction site. They've imported porta-potties, which we guess is better than beer cups.



We'll still have to wait for the Kris Bryant era at Wrigley. But, hey, at least we've got the porta-potty era to keep amused until then.


More MLB coverage from Yahoo Sports:



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News sport : Since Tiger Woods last won a Masters, golf and the world have changed

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AUGUSTA, Ga. – When he was a kid practicing his chips and putts, Tiger Woods listened to music on a portable CD player.


When he won his first tournament, he beat Davis Love III using a driver made of persimmon wood, a style you’re now more likely to find in an antique store than anywhere near a course.


When he won his first Masters, current world No. 4 golfer Jordan Spieth was, in Woods’ words, “still in diapers.”


Tough as it is to believe, the sun is setting on Woods’ generation. The new breed of golfer is bigger and stronger. The new style of golf course stretches longer. The new regard inside the ropes for Woods is merely respect, not awe, and certainly not fear.


On Tuesday afternoon, Woods, sporting an azalea-pink Nike shirt and an unworried grin, made his first public appearance since walking off the course at Torrey Pines two months ago. If Woods’ life were a “Rocky” movie, we’d be at the start of the third act. The montage has just ended, and now the old dog is back in the ring for One More Shot At The Title.


“I worked my ass off,” Woods said, and while his routine to return to playing shape didn’t exactly involve hauling logs across a Siberian snowscape, he was nonetheless playing , in his words, “sunup to sundown.”


“Every day the sun came up,” Woods said, “and by the end of the day, I should be a better player. The goal was to get better incrementally.”


Cue the ‘80s training montage music. “People would never understand how much I put into it to come back,” Woods said. “Whenever I had free time, I’d be playing. When the kids were asleep, I’d be doing it. When the kids were at school, I’d be doing it.”


There were setbacks. Woods acknowledged that there were “a few clubs that flew, that slipped out of my hand. Traveled a pretty good distance, too,” he grinned. “I’d have moments where it would come, where I’d be dialed in for 10 minutes and then lose it for an hour. Then I’d have an hour of having it and 10 minutes of losing it. I got to the point where it was just there.”


“It,” of course, being that elusive, ephemeral competitive ability – not spirit, ability – that’s seemed beyond Woods’ grasp these last 18 months. So here we are, back at Augusta, back at the site of so many of Woods’ finest moments. The bell is ringing, and if this isn't Woods' final shot at rehabbing his game, that day is now within sight.


He’s got one hell of a challenge ahead of him. Start with the fact that in 2015, he’s played exactly two rounds and 11 holes of competitive golf. He hasn’t won a tournament of any stripe since August 2013, and he’s going on seven years without a major and ten years without a fourth green jacket. He’s ranked 104th in the world, a free-fall plummet


Getting back to anything approaching tournament-winning form would be difficult in and of itself. But combine Woods’ fall from grace with other golfers’ ascent, and this isn’t like climbing a mountain. This is like scaling a skyscraper as Spieth, Rory McIlroy and others continue to build ever-higher floors above him.


Woods says he'll win, of course. What else is he going to say? From the moment he first drove up Magnolia Lane, he wasn't satisfied with just making the field. But this is a very different world than 1997, even if the azaleas and the clubhouse remain the same.


"The game has gotten bigger," Woods said. "Competing is stil the same. I’m trying to beat everyone out there. That hasn’t changed."


He talks like he believes he can. He'd have to understand if few others do.


____

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 : President Barack Obama talks trash to Paul Pierce at White House Easter Egg Roll

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Noted basketball obsessive Barack Obama, whose well-documented love of hoops has been a favorite topic here at BDL throughout his two terms as president of the United States, welcomed several members of the Washington Wizards to the White House on Monday to participate in the annual White House Easter Egg Roll. (Those Wiz are getting to be regulars over at ol' 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, it seems.) As part of the festivities, Obama joined a group of children and Wizards players John Wall, Paul Pierce, Bradley Beal, Kevin Seraphin and Garrett Temple in a brief shooting game at an outdoor court on the premises, which concluded with POTUS hitting a short jumper for the win.


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After his winner, the leader of the free world took advantage of the opportunity to flex a bit, playfully going at "The Truth" in a fashion that reminds us that, beneath the layers of strategy, diplomacy, international relations experience and political maneuvering, there lies a dude who absolutely lives for getting after it in a pickup game:



"That's three in a row!" Obama woofed as he walked toward Pierce. "What you gonna do now? What you got to say?"


The answer, of course, was nothing, because Paul Pierce is a smart and seasoned veteran, and he doesn't want those Secret Service problems.


But this is Washington. There's always another angle to play.



"Seemed to." Shrewd, clever, slick, Truth. Somebody's been watching "House of Cards."


All-Star point guard Wall, for his part, "came away impressed with the Chicago southpaw," according to Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post:


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“It was fun. [Obama's] got the weirdest jump shot release but today he showed off,” the all-star point guard said. “He showed off today. He hit two game-winners so he showed off a little bit today.”

The five players were separated to captain five teams of children. But Wall was the only player shooting — his teammates were only retrieving rebounds and helping the children on their squad shot. Obama then joined Wall’s team and they won two straight games before the other Wizards began shooting. But Obama and Wall won the last game to finish with three straight victories anyway and Obama added some boasted after his late-game heroics.

“He trash-talked Paul when he hit the game-winner,” Wall said. “He was like, ‘I’m clutch, I’m clutch.’”

The degree to which you agree with that sentiment likely depends on your political leanings, of course, but if nothing else, I'm all for a president who talked NBA-related smack from just after his inauguration to the waning days of his second term. It's tough to imagine the next commander-in-chief spitting yang this liberally ... at least, until Gary Payton decides to throw his hat in the ring. Glove/Kemp 2016. Who's with me?


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Dan Devine is an editor for Ball Don't Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at devine@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter!



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News sport : Pac-12 commish Larry Scott says NCAA 'enforcement system is not fair'

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Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott speaks during NCAA college basketball Pac-12 media day in San Francisco, Thursday, Oct. 23, 2014. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu) Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott is not pleased with the way the NCAA conducted its business when it sanctioned USC in June 2010.


As part of former USC assistant coach Todd McNair’s defamation lawsuit against the NCAA, hundreds of pages of NCAA documents were unsealed last month. The documents detailed the NCAA infractions committee’s approach toward sanctioning USC for extra benefits given to star athletes Reggie Bush and O.J. Mayo.


Among the nearly 500 pages of documents that the NCAA fought to seal included infractions committee director Shep Cooper calling McNair a “lying, morally bankrupt criminal.” Another NCAA official said that there was more evidence against USC than there was against a man convicted of being an accomplice in the Oklahoma City bombings. Another official said he wanted to make an example of USC.


A California appeals court ruled the documents should be unsealed in February.


Scott says the USC case is an example of a flawed enforcement system.


“As we’ve maintained from the beginning, the USC case is a good example of how the current enforcement system is not fair and consistent across the board,” Scott said to the Los Angeles Times.


“The punishments on USC were too harsh and after an initial review of the documents released recently, we share USC’s serious concern regarding the process undergone by the NCAA and its Committee on Infractions, as well as the substance of their actions in the case.”


McNair, who coached running backs at USC and was given a show-cause penalty for his role in the sanctions against the football program (which ended in 2014), filed his suit against the NCAA in June 2011. He hasn’t coached in college football since.


USC said in a statement that the unsealed documents confirmed “bias against McNair and USC by and on behalf of the NCAA and its Committee on Infractions.”


"We are extremely disappointed and dismayed at the way the NCAA investigated, judged and penalized our university throughout this process,” the statement said. “USC hopes that the transparency in this case will ultimately lead to review and changes so that all member institutions receive the fair and impartial treatment they deserve.”


The NCAA said the unsealed documents showed “how the Committee on Infractions underwent thorough deliberations consistent with the policies and procedures governing the infractions process.”


For more USC news, visit TrojanSports.com.


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News sport : Russell Westbrook gave the car he got for winning All-Star MVP to a single mom in need

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Russell Westbrook chats with Kerstin Gonzalez. (Photo via @okcthunder)

When he was named the Most Valuable Player of the 2015 NBA All-Star Game back in February, Russell Westbrook received a brand new Kia SUV as part of the car manufacturer's sponsorship deal with the league. That's a neat little ancillary benefit of winning the MVP, of course, but a free car doesn't really move the needle that much for a well-heeled, highly-paid guy like Westbrook — or, at least, not nearly as much as it would for someone who doesn't make $15.7 million a year.


So the Oklahoma City Thunder point guard decided to give it to somebody for whom it would move the needle.


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While in the midst of trying to carry an injury-plagued Oklahoma City squad to the playoffs with his scoring and playmaking, Westbrook, through his Why Not? Foundation, entreated the Thunder staff to help him dish a different type of assist by finding someone in the community for whom a new car could literally be a life-changing gift.


The Thunder contacted Sunbeam Family Services, a local agency dedicated to helping connect low-income central Oklahomans with needed programs and services, in search of a candidate, and found Kerstin Gonzalez, a 19-year-old single mother of two who's on track to graduate from high school this spring and hopes to pursue higher education while continuing to raise her two boys.


From Nick Gallo of Thunder.com:


Gonzalez and her two boys, four-year-old Matthew and two-year-old Adam, have had a rough go of things lately. The single mother was just 14 when she got pregnant, as she said, “just a child” when she all of the sudden was forced to be an adult. Gonzalez has been the recipient of Sunbeam Family Services assistance for some time now, and has utilize the extra time and what she saves on diapers and other childcare needs by putting herself in a position to graduate from high school this year, work a job and to apply for colleges, where she wants to study forensic science.

Her current car was not in great driving shape and on Monday morning, the engine wouldn’t start. She has been borrowing cars from family and friends to be able to get to work, to get to school and to pick up her sons. To all of the sudden have that burden of worrying about transportation at all times be lifted was a huge weight off her shoulders.

“It’s so touching and so amazing knowing that there are people out there willing to help the ones that are in need,” Gonzalez said.

Likewise heartening: that Westbrook's willing to help Gonzalez now only on Monday, but in the future, as well, by committing to taking care of the first year of insurance payments, registration and other fees associated with making sure the new SUV is ready for the rubber to meet the road.


Westbrook's demeanor has become a topic of much conversation this season. His disdain for or dispassionate response to interacting with many members of the media in locker-room settings leading to the perception that the 26-year-old dynamo might be something of a sullen, brusque and self-interested sort off the court, even as he dishes out dimes at a career-best (and league-leading) rate on it.


And yet, when Westbrook has lowered his guard and let the public see a bit more of how he interacts with the public and his teammates — as he did in visiting tornado victims after the devastation of 2013, or in allowing Sports Illustrated's Lee Jenkins behind the curtain in a fascinating recent profile — we see a different side of the four-time All-Star. Those glimpses might be rare, but they're instructive, helping us paint a more complete picture of a man whose work in his community and within his organization make goals like winning the league's Citizenship Award seem less laughable than laudatory.


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Put another way: Russell Westbrook could have gotten a nice public relations boost just by going to a local community service center, taking time out of his playoff push on an off day to talk with folks who are down on their luck. He didn't have to give one a car and make the insurance payments on it. There sure seems to be something extra there ... which probably shouldn't surprise us, since "extra" seems about as apt a descriptor as any of the rest of Russ' public works, from his furious effort on the hardwood to his extreme fashion sense before and after games.


In this case, though, Westbrook's determination to give something extra made a tangible positive impact on the life of a person he'd never met before, which is a pretty neat thing. From Michael Kinney of the Norman Transcript:


“There were definitely tears of joy and I could tell some tears of hard work and all the different things she’s been through in her life,” Westbrook said. “Today was a stepping stone in showing her that everything is going to be alright.” [...]

“It’s just all the hard work that she’s done to be able to keep her family together,” Westbrook said. “When you see somebody working hard towards a goal and finding ways every day to keep everything afloat for her two boys and her family, you can’t do anything but help them out.”

That last part probably isn't true for everybody, but it seems to be true for the Thunder point guard. Good on ya, Russ. Drive safe, Kerstin.


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Dan Devine is an editor for Ball Don't Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at devine@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter!



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News sport : Family of late Alabama AD Mal Moore file wrongful death lawsuit

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The daughter of former University of Alabama athletic director Mal Moore is suing two pharmaceutical companies claiming they manufactured the heart medicine that led to her father’s death.


Heather Moore Cook named Wyeth and Par Pharmaceuticals in the wrongful death suit. The lawsuit claims Moore died as a result of taking the drug amiodarone. Moore died on March 30, 2013. He was 73.


The lawsuit claims amiodarone was not meant to treat atrial fibrillation and was only FDA-approved as "a drug of last resort for patients suffering from documented recurrent life-threatening ventricular fibrillation and ventricular tachycardia."


From the lawsuit:


“Defendants' scheme ultimately deceived physicians, pharmacists, and consumers into believing that prescribing and taking amiodarone for the off-label atrial fibrillation uses that Defendants promoted was appropriate even though Defendants knew FDA approval had not been granted for those uses and, moreover, there was significant medical-scientific evidence suggesting amiodarone was very dangerous in those situations, and in fact, resulted in serious pulmonary illness and toxicity, and death, when so used.”

According to the lawsuit, Moore took amiodarone for 90 days in 2008 to treat an irregular heartbeat. Five years later, Moore was diagnosed with advanced pulmonary fibrosis, which the daughter claims was a direct result of the medication. Moore was hospitalized on March 13, he stepped down as athletic director on March 20 and died 10 days later.


The lawsuit claims Moore never received a Medication Guide that would have advised him of the uses and risks involved with taking the medication. It says Moore experienced many of the side effects, including shortness of breath, a cough which produced signs of blood and longer than normal healing of wounds.


The family, which is seeking compensatory damages in addition to other fees, filed the lawsuit on March 30, which was just before the statute of limitations was up.


-----


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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Two new African Fifa execs appointed

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The Confederation of African Football elected two new members for the Fifa Executive Committee at the organisation’s general assembly.


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Cairo - The Confederation of African Football (CAF) elected two new members for the Fifa Executive Committee at the organisation’s general assembly in Cairo, Egypt, on Tuesday.


Tarek Bouchamaoui of Tunisia and Constant Selemani of the Democratic Republic of Congo were the two Africans tasked with serving on the executive of Fifa (International Federation of Association Football), football’s world governing body.


Bouchamaoui came in with 54 votes while Selemani gathered 34 votes.


The pair will serve for two years before they will be up for re-election in 2017. Burundi’s Lydia Nsekera also sits on the FIFA Executive Committee.


Appointments on the CAF executive committee included, Bouchamaou serving the North Zone, Almamy Kabele Camara serving the West A Zone, Kwesi Nyantakyi serving the West B Zone, Selemani the Central Zone, Leodegar Tenga the Central-East Zone and Kalusha Bwalya the Southern Zone.


Prior to the election segment, FIFA President, Joseph Sepp Blatter and Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma highlighted the huge role by the Confederation Africaine de Football (CAF) in development on the continent.


The two personalities underscored the importance of the continent’s soccer governing body in growth of all sectors of the economy in their opening remarks at the XXXVI CAF Ordinary General Assembly.


They both highlighted the significant successes chalked by CAF and the huge role by the popular sport towards the promotion of peace and stability on the African continent.


Blatter, who expressed delight at the opportunity to officially open the gathering, the legislative and supreme body of the continent’s soccer governing body, said over 1.6 billion of the world’s population are involved in football, making it the greatest avenue for global unity.


“I’m a happy man and very happy to open this 37th Ordinary General Assembly, and with the highest authority of the African Union.


“My thanks also go to African governments for direct support towards football, funding of national teams, training of coaches and traveling cost of teams and everything linked to the organization of football.”


He saluted the huge role of Africa in global footballers with special mention to former and current footballers including Roger Milla, Abedi Pele, George Oppong Weah, Kalusha Bwalya and Michael Essien.


“Africa has set the benchmark for the FIFA World Cup. Brazil copied the African model but could not create same atmosphere as South Africa in 2010.”


Blatter also lauded the leadership of CAF President Issa Hayatou describing him “unbreakable and a pillar in African football”.


AU Chairperson Dr Dlamini-Zuma mentioned CAF as “one of the key partners” with the tendency of using football “in shaping the destiny of the African people”.


She also lauded CAF for hosting a successful Africa Cup of Nations despite fears of the Ebola virus, in Equatorial Guinea after Morocco withdrew from hosting barely two months to the final tournament.


“I salute CAF and Equatorial Guinea on the bold initiative. Football brings together. CAF played its part in fight against Ebola, HIV/AIDS and Malaria. AFCON 2015 turned the narrative about Africa and Ebola, and CAF showed great leadership for the continent.”


In addition, the AU Chairperson made a strong appeal for another FIFA World Cup on African soil, following the successes of South Africa in 2010.


“We (Africa) also hope to host another FIFA World Cup soon. We don’t have to wait 100 years to host another FIFA World Cup. We hope and live to see an African team winning the FIFA World Cup,” she concluded.


As part of the schedule, CAF General Secretary, Hicham El Amrani presented the Activity Report for the previous year whilst zonal representatives Mahmoud Hammami, Aka Malan, Jammeh Bojang, Nicholas Musonye and Nzongho Christian Gabin presented for UNAF, West B, West A, CECAFA and UNIFFAC respectively.


CAF 1st Vice President, Suketu Patel, also Chairman of the Finance Committee read out the Audited Accounts for the period 1 July 2013 to 30 June 2014 just as Report of the Audit Committee for the same duration.


ANA






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News sport : VOD: Hines Ward's speech to Colorado State

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Former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward played with new Colorado State coach Mike Bobo when the two were at Georgia. And Bobo used the connection with Ward to bring the now-NBC analyst to CSU to speak to his team.


Ward hit on a very similar thing that another NBC analyst, Tony Dungy, did when he spoke to the Texas Longhorns, saying "Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard."


When speaking to Texas, Dungy told the team that talent isn't everything when it comes to winning Super Bowls.


Bobo was Georgia's starting quarterback in 1997 with Ward as the team's leading receiver. The Bulldogs won the Outback Bowl over Wisconsin at the end of the season. Before replacing Jim McElwain as the Rams' coach after the 2014 season, Bobo was the offensive coordinator at Georgia.


(H/T Football Scoop)


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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 : Power Rankings: The first 6 races of 2015

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1. Daytona: Much like 2014, the racing in the Daytona 500 was a great start to the season. Unlike last year, the sun was out for the race, which created a different set of circumstances for drivers to face throughout the race. But we loved how the 500 turned into a strategy race before late cautions bunched up the field and created the restrictor plate chaos that we've become accustomed to seeing. And no, we're not discounting the race because it ended under caution. If you're a regular reader of the site, you know we don't judge races simply based on their highlight appeal.


2. Martinsville: Yeah, the race lasted about four hours, but there weren't any lulls in the action, the finish was great (and clean!) and drivers had the opportunity to drive through the field. Look at Martin Truex Jr., who started up front, fell back because of a power steering problem and ended up back in the top 10. Yeah, we may be biased because we watched this race from the stands (and it went faster because we were there), but the only other worthy contender for the second spot is next, and we'll explain why it's third.


3. Fontana: For us, the madness at the end of the race actually discounts it. It was a fun race heading for the all-too-rare fuel mileage finish when it was derailed by debris cautions. We've clamored about our hate for conspiracy theories before, and inconsistency doesn't equal conspiracy. However, we'll admit to feeling a bit empty (like a fuel tank after a fuel-mileage race) following Brad Keselowski's win. The win is in no way illegitimate. Rather, it's the easiest "what-if?" race of the first six.


4. Atlanta: Kevin Harvick had the fastest car for most of the race, but Jimmie Johnson was the fastest over the last 14 laps and got the win. Watching Harvick and Jeff Gordon come through the field at the beginning of the race was fun and made you want to be in the production truck or at the race and able to solely watch the two drivers.


5. Phoenix: While it was fun to wonder if Jamie McMurray clears Kevin Harvick off turn two following the final restart, is there any belief that McMurray would have been able to hold off Harvick for the rest of the race? OK, we see you believers, and you're wearing No. 1 hats. You don't count. We're also staunch advocates of an an accelerated aging process for the track's surface. Not that we're against Harvick's domination by any means, we just want to see multi-groove racing and tire wear.


6. Las Vegas: What was the defining moment from the race? Carl Edwards and Kasey Kahne? Kevin Harvick led 142 laps and Dale Earnhardt Jr. tried a strategy play to beat him with two tires. It didn't work, and as pit stops cycled through the final time, Harvick cruised to a 1.6 second victory.


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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 : Richie Incognito excited for his second chance with the Buffalo Bills

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There were times over the past year when Richie Incognito wondered if he would simply fade away from the NFL.


No team signed him last season after Incognito was the key figure in the Miami Dolphins' 2013 bullying scandal, in which offensive tackle Jonathan Martin left the team. Incognito said he though he was close to signing with a couple teams, but nobody gave him a contract and he sat out all year. It looked like nobody thought the 31-year-old guard would be worth the ensuing media attention.


The Buffalo Bills, with new coach Rex Ryan, weren't scared off. They signed Incognito.


"There were some dark days where I didn't think I was ever gonna play again," Incognito said, according to the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. "It really just kind of fueled me to work harder."


As the Bills' offseason program began, Incognito opened up about his second chance. He said he was in great shape. Sitting out a year in exile over the controversy was a wake-up call.


"Incredibly humbling," Incognito said, according to the Bills' transcripts. "Taking a step back, taking a year off. It was a learning process, it was frustrating. But, I think at the end of the day, humbling is the best way to describe it."


Incognito is back. So is Martin, who signed with the Carolina Panthers after the San Francisco 49ers cut him this offseason. Martin doesn't want to discuss what happened in Miami. For Ryan, what happened doesn't matter. He spoke of Incognito's sincerity when he spoke to him and his desire to play football. Now that Incognito is with the Bills, Ryan said all that matters is what he does going forward.


"What’s in the past is in the past," Ryan said.


All that will really matter is if Incognito, a former Pro Bowler, can help the Bills at a troublesome guard spot after sitting out a year. He'll always be known for what happened with the Dolphins, but the Bills likely don't have to worry about Incognito being a problem. After all he has been through since news broke of the problems in the Dolphins locker room, one would assume Incognito will be the model teammate.


"It was definitely difficult sitting out," Incognito said. "Knowing I could still play, knowing I had talent to contribute. Like I said, it was a learning process. At first, there was a lot of frustration, you know, “why am I not signing, why am I not on a team?” Then, it was a time for inner reflection, kind of a time for growth. Then, it was an acceptance. Accepting the fact that I’m not going to play this year and that I’m going to have to chalk it up and wait for another opportunity."


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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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SA’s best humbled in Africa

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Brazilians and Amakhosi out of Africa's premier club competition following defeats to TP Mazembe and Raja Casablanca


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So much for this being the year when South African football reclaims its status as one of the continental giants! Mamelodi Sundowns and Kaizer Chiefs’ exit from the CAF Champions League at the weekend has served to illustrate just how long we still have to go before we can return to those heady heights of the late 1990s.


The Brazilians and Amakhosi were dumped out of Africa’s premier club competition following defeats to TP Mazembe and Raja Casablanca on Sunday, losses that undermine our assertion that the Absa Premiership is one of Africa’s top leagues.


In a year when all our national teams qualified for their continental competitions and the national Under-17s actually made it to the World Cup, there was a huge excitement that our game is finally getting back on track following many years of failure.


And the hope was that this semblance of success will also be experienced at club level on the continent.


But with reigning champions Sundowns coming a cropper in Lubumbashi after having won their first leg at home and champions-elect Chiefs expectedly going down in Casablanca following defeat on home soil, it is back to square one.


Of course Orlando Pirates – who else given the Buccaneers’ torch-bearing feats of previous years? – are still in the race after progressing to the second round of the lesser CAF Confederation Cup.


All this though is simply not good enough for a country with so much in the way of resources, and a claim to having the best administered and most financially stable league on the continent.


And while they will likely point to the tough conditions they faced on their trips as well as the renowned blatantly biased officiating in favour of the home teams as defence for their failures, both Sundowns and Chiefs essentially lost their ties in the first leg. Their failure to emphatically win at home, Chiefs actually lost, was always going to make things mighty difficult for them in the second leg.


And this is one big lesson our teams just continue to refuse to heed despite our having returned to the continental game way back in 1992. What is very clear is that CAF are not going to do anything to improve the situation for teams visiting the north, western and to some extent the central parts of the continent.


So to circumvent those issues, our clubs need to learn to take advantage of the home matches and win well. Take Chiefs for example. When they hosted Raja – in Durban because they wrongly thought they’d get a bigger crowd and make more money – they played in a near empty stadium that hardly helped their cause.


On Sunday they walked onto a near capacity arena teeming with a hostile crowed that jeered their every move while acting as a 12th man for Raja.


And just as in the first leg, Chiefs’ failure to convert chances proved their undoing.


It is going to take a while before we get to the top echelon of the continental game.


And while it is always easy to point the finger of blame at the national coach when Bafana Bafana fail, those who criticise the man in charge of the country’s team must also look back to see what it is he has to work with. Until our clubs succeed on the continent, it will be unrealistic to expect our country to be dominant in Africa. - The Star






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