News sport : No love lost between Saturday playing partners Tiger Woods, Sergio Garcia

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Sergio Garcia and Tiger Woods: Things between these golfers escalated during the Players Championships. Their fight has continued on after the tournament ended and Woods has even publically stated that he will not make up with Garcia. AUGUSTA, Ga. - Just outside the Augusta National clubhouse, Tiger Woods was speaking to a small crowd of media when Sergio Garcia, his own interviews done, walked behind Woods and genially clapped his shoulder as he passed. Woods turned and nodded an equally pleasant "Hey."


That was it. Garcia didn't leap in off the top rope and smash a chair over Woods' head, alas. Such things are not done in golf. But if they were, these two would be the ones doing them.


Woods and Garcia, playing partners in Saturday's third round of the Masters, have an icy relationship stretching back nearly two decades. The two have exchanged a few unfortunate remarks and poison-tipped witticisms, but more often they've conducted their business in the passive-aggressive style of golf since time immemorial.


As with their brief interaction on Friday afternoon, it's usually Sergio making the first move, for good or ill, and Tiger making the last. Shortly after Saturday's pairings were announced, Garcia offered up the following waddaya-gonna-do tweet:



Woods has not commented publicly. Of course, his play in majors against Garcia, even at this late date, tends to speak for itself:



Their rivalry dates to 1999, when Woods, already a major-winning force of nature, first encountered Garcia, a phenom whose acclaim exceeded his achievements. Playing in the PGA Championship at Medinah, Garcia very nearly defeated Woods in a round punctuated by one of the great recovery shots/celebration hops in golf history:



Woods, even at 23 already full in The World Is Mine mode, didn't much care for Garcia's antics, including some attempts at intimidation on the green. (Woods, of course, has no problem with similar greens gamesmanship of his own.)


Woods and Garcia jabbed back and forth over the next few years, primarily in regard to Ryder Cup play, the one arena where Woods appeared somewhat mortal during the 2000s. When Woods beat a yellow-clad Garcia in the 2006 Open Championship, he reportedly texted a friend, "I just bludgeoned Tweety Bird."


The Woods-Garcia rivalry really boiled over in 2013, when Garcia accused Woods of interfering with his swing at the Players' Championship by inciting the crowd. Woods insisted he thought Garcia had already swung. Garcia fired back: "I'm not going to lie, he's not my favorite guy to play with. He's not the nicest guy on tour." A few weeks later, Garcia said he'd try to make amends with Woods by serving "fried chicken," the race-laden language forcing him to issue an apology.


That particular twist to the feud forced everyone right up to Jack Nicklaus to take a side, with most trying to brush it off. Since then, there have been no major dust-ups, just the standard cool detachment. During practice rounds earlier in the week, patrons reported that as Garcia putted on one green, Woods played through, and the two did not exchange a single word.


They'll have plenty of time in one another's company on Saturday. They probably won't break out the folding chairs this round either, but there will be plenty of green ones in the gallery just in case.


____


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News sport : Report: Johnny Manziel out of rehab, expected to join Browns soon

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Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel has been released from the rehab facility at which he had been receiving treatment, according to ESPN.com's Jeremy Fowler.

Manziel entered into the drug and alcohol treatment facility back on Jan. 28 and spent more than two months there. He's expected to rejoin his team on or prior to April 20, when the Browns start their offseason training program.


The Browns have a new quarterback in Josh McCown, as well as a new QB coach (Kevin O'Connell) and offensive coordinator (John DiFilippo) that Manziel will work with. O'Connell helped coached Manziel during his pre-draft prep a year ago.


Of course, before joining the Browns staff, O'Connell also helped coach 2015 draft prospect Marcus Mariota, and rumors have continued to swirl that the team might be interested in moving up to draft the Oregon quarterback.


Manziel remains on shaky ground in Cleveland after a rocky rookie season in which he played a mere six quarters of mostly ineffective football and was involved in a few incidents that stunted his growth as a player and helped lose trust with teammates. His recent stay in the treatment facility is further evidence that the Browns might not know what to expect from Manziel in Year 2, and his name has been floated in some trade rumors, although the Browns have not indicated they are through with Manziel.


That said, the reports have been mostly positive on Manziel's progress since seeking professional help, and Browns head coach Mike Pettine has said that they'll throw Manziel right back into the mix upon rejoining the team.


After that, the rest of it is up to Johnny.


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Rooney primed for derby

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Wayne Rooney will lead Manchester United from the front as they seek to end neighbours Manchester City’s fading title hopes.


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To mark the point at which Manchester United’s season really began to turn around, you have to go back further than the win against Tottenham last month. The truth is that a dark, cold night at Preston North End in mid-February is more significant.


United were poor that night in the FA Cup at Deepdale, coming from behind to win.


That, however, was the night Wayne Rooney was restored to a centre-forward position, the night Louis van Gaal finally began to realise the best place from which his best player and captain should lead was from the front.


United actually lost their next game at Swansea but have subsequently won their next five in the league, with Rooney scoring four times. Incredibly, given the pattern of this season, they head into tomorrow’s derby game with Manchester City as slight favourites.


Prior to that night in Lancashire, Rooney was on the verge of knocking on his manager’s door to ask for an explanation about his deployment in the centre of midfield. It seemed as though Van Gaal was about to experience his first very real problem at Old Trafford.


Whether he sniffed something in the air, we will never know. But Van Gaal performed a sharp volte face at just the right time and Rooney has gone on to become the most significant figure in United’s return to relevance.


At Old Trafford tomorrow, just as he has since Cristiano Ronaldo left for Real Madrid almost six years ago, Rooney represents the most serious threat to City’s prospects.


Prior to the win over Tottenham, Rooney stood before his team-mates in Manchester’s Lowry Hotel and delivered an impassioned call to arms. He is once more the central figure at his club, in more ways than one.


‘I think some people mix up scoring goals with form,’ said Van Gaal yesterday. ‘For us Wayne is very important as a player, as a captain and because he can score goals. But he can do that from midfield, too. The last goal he scored — against Aston Villa — came when he was playing in midfield.’


Van Gaal’s mid-season deployment of Rooney remains a sensitive subject. No coach likes to admit he may have been wrong. All that matters now, though, is the 29-year-old’s current trajectory, which is undoubtedly upwards.


His name is written right through recent derby history of course. He is the fixture’s record goalscorer and the scorer of one of its most spectacular goals, that remarkable overhead kick back in 2011 that some City supporters, rather oddly, still maintain came off his shin.


Previously there had been the transfer saga of autumn 2010.


Courted heavily by City as he prevaricated over a new United contract, Rooney most definitely had his head turned. To this day, rumours persist of meetings in an underground car park at the Etihad Stadium — that one has always seemed a little fanciful — and promises of a salary in excess of £300,000 per week.


What we do know is that there was a point when City and their manager Roberto Mancini thought the transfer was about to happen. So, too, did many United fans. ‘Join City and You’re Dead’ warned graffiti on a city-centre poster carrying his image at the time.


Had it done so then these fixtures would probably never have been the same again. As it is, derby day now finds Rooney even more fired up and motivated than ever.


City have won the last four and one only has to scroll through the tapes to watch the England centre forward’s body language, especially during last season’s 4-1 reverse at the Etihad, to see exactly how that has gone down.


Rooney may be a Liverpudlian but he understands the City rivalry better than most at his club. Tomorrow in Stretford, Rooney has the opportunity to ease United clear of Manuel Pellegrini’s team.


When asked yesterday if he has a leader of the United captain’s ilk in his squad the City manager was less than convincing.


‘Every squad has different kinds of personalities, different players,’ said Pellegrini. ‘All of them have different options to motivate in different ways.


‘I don’t think it’s good to analyse the personality of our captain. In a squad you must have not just one leader, not just the captain.’


City captain Vincent Kompany has been struggling with a hamstring injury but is expected to play tomorrow, albeit with discomfort.


He has admitted Rooney’s volley of 2011 stayed with him for some time and it’s little wonder.


It remains a stand-out memory of recent fixtures and Rooney now finds himself in the perfect position to contribute some more. – Daily Mail






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Swansea, Everton share the points

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Everton were denied a fourth successive Premier League victory as Jonjo Shelvey's 69th-minute penalty earned Swansea City a draw at a sunny Liberty Stadium.


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Everton were denied a fourth successive Premier League victory as Jonjo Shelvey's 69th-minute penalty earned Swansea City a 1-1 draw at a sunny Liberty Stadium.


Aaron Lennon gave Everton the lead four minutes before half-time, but Swansea, who lost striker Bafetimbi Gomis to injury, equalised when Shelvey scored from the spot after Seamus Coleman had been penalised for handball.


The result preserved Swansea's nine-point advantage over Everton and allowed the Welsh club to equal their best-ever Premier League points tally of 47m which they achieved in the 2011-12 campaign.


But Garry Monk's side are running out of time to close the gap on the Europa League places, while Everton's hopes of a top-half finish are beginning to fade.


Gomis had scored three goals in his previous two games and he was the first player to threaten, drawing a full-stretch save from Tim Howard with a shot on the turn from 25 yards.


But the France international appeared to injure his hamstring in the act of shooting and had to be replaced by Marvin Emnes.


Everton were also forced into an early change, with Steven Pienaar replacing Leon Osman.


The visitors began to assert themselves and after Lukasz Fabianski had saved a daisy-cutter from Coleman, Lennon put Roberto Martinez's men ahead by firing home from James McCarthy's left-wing cross.


Fabianski had to save at his near post from Arouna Kone moments later, but Swansea succeeded in forcing their opponents back in the second half and with just over 20 minutes remaining, they levelled.


Under pressure from Emnes as he attempted to shepherd the ball out for a goal-kick, Coleman fell to his knees inside his own box in the hope of winning a free kick, but referee Michael Oliver allowed play to continue.


The Irishman reacted by swiping the ball away from the Swansea substitute with his left hand, leaving Oliver no option but to award a penalty, and Shelvey sent Howard the wrong way from the spot.


The two teams could muster only long-range efforts thereafter, with Ross Barkley and Everton substitute Kevin Mirallas shooting straight at Fabianski and Howard tipping a Gylfi Sigurdsson free-kick over the crossbar.– AFP






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Hazard will scoop top award - Jose

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Jose Mourinho insists Eden Hazard is in a one-horse race to scoop the player of the season award.


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Jose Mourinho insists Eden Hazard is in a one-horse race to scoop the player of the season award.


The Chelsea forward has been outstanding this season and will be a leading contender to claim both the PFA and Football Writers’ awards next month.


The Belgian will face stiff competition, namely from Tottenham’s Harry Kane, but Mourinho claims anyone who tips a player other than Hazard is merely making mischief.


‘It shouldn’t even be a debate,’ said Mourinho. ‘If somebody throws other names on the table, it’s because he wants to sell papers, get more clicks or throw some sand into people’s eyes, because this player is by far the best player in the season.’


Hazard is likely to feature at Queens Park Rangers tomorrow as the Blues look to take another step towards the title but Diego Costa will miss four weeks after aggravating a hamstring injury against Burnley last weekend. It means the striker will miss clashes with Manchester United and Arsenal.


Mourinho is prepared to risk the availability of Cesc Fabregas and Nemanja Matic — both one booking away from a two-match ban — for the matches against Chelsea’s rivals, saying: ‘We try not to get a yellow card during the match, to play football. We know (the risks), but the game is a three-point game.


‘We need points. We need victories. We cannot choose matches.


‘I don’t think it makes any sense to think about some matches and not about others. We have to play with our maximum power to try and get the points.


‘For sure Diego will play again this season.’ – Daily Mail






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LVG dreams of derby win

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Louis Van Gaal has admitted he is dreaming of a victory over Manchester City he believes could propel his team to the top-three Premier League.


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Louis Van Gaal has admitted he is dreaming of a victory over Manchester City he believes could propel his team to the top-three Barclays Premier League finish that would prove his team’s doubters wrong.


Manchester United manager Van Gaal finds his team positioned as favourites ahead of tomorrow’s derby at Old Trafford and said: ‘I dream of it. Every player should dream of the victory.


‘Of course I want to win because it’s a big step up the table also. If we win then third place is available.


‘A few months ago, nobody would have thought about that, apart from me.


‘If we win then the position in the table is good as we would then almost certainly be qualified for the top four. And if we are third it’s better than the goal we set in pre-season.’


City are likely to take a chance on captain Vincent Kompany despite concerns over his injured hamstring and the defending champions will face a hugely motivated United side. Van Gaal has claimed that, in some ways, facing their neighbours will be a more straightforward game than last week’s 3-1 victory over Aston Villa.


‘I had more fear for Aston Villa than City,’ he said. ‘That’s because I don’t expect City just to play defensively.’


City manager Manuel Pellegrini insisted that he was unimpressed by United’s recent revival, saying: ‘They brought a lot of very good players so for me the strange thing was why they didn’t do it before, earlier in the season.


‘At the moment we need to improve but we are a not a disaster, we are not a mess. We are doing a lot of things well.’


City have won the last four derbies but Van Gaal pointed out that this was not his responsibility.


‘That’s not my history,’ he said. ‘I have lost one game 1-0. That’s my history.’ – Daily Mail






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Wenger slams ‘nightmare’ tours

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Arsene Wenger has branded post-season tours a ‘nightmare’ after revealing Arsenal declined an extended pre-season trip.


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Arsene Wenger has branded post-season tours a ‘nightmare’ after revealing Arsenal declined an extended pre-season trip.


Arsenal were exploring the idea of playing matches in either India or Malaysia after their initial trip to Singapore in July but have decided against it — a decision that Wenger is happy with. ‘I am pleased with that because pre-season is always difficult if you cannot prepare well,’ said the Arsenal boss.


‘Let’s not forget they voted to start early in August next season.


‘Some players play until June 21 in the Copa America, some in the European Under 21 Championship play until June 14.After a season where we have no winter break, I don’t see where you go from there to give players a proper rest. It’s impossible.


‘It is difficult because of the commercial aspect but you want to find a compromise.’


On the prospect of Arsenal emulating Tottenham and Chelsea by organising a post-season tour Wenger, who takes his side to Burnley today, added: ‘Post-season tours are a nightmare — I will never do it.


‘I always feel people come along to watch but the players are half on their holidays.


‘From a purely football point of view, there is not much meaning — let’s be honest.’ – Daily Mail






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Kompany doubtful for United clash

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Captain Vincent Kompany is a doubt for Manchester City as they prepare for the derby at Manchester United seeking to halt an alarming dip in form.


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London - Captain Vincent Kompany is a doubt for Manchester City as they prepare for the derby at Manchester United seeking to halt an alarming dip in form.


Kompany, who turned 29 on Friday, sustained a hamstring injury in the Premier League defeat to Crystal Palace on Monday.


“Vincent will be assessed for a problem he got last week,” manager Manuel Pellegrini told a news conference on Friday.


“We will see tomorrow if he will play or not. It is always better to play with Kompany, but if he can't play, we have a squad.”


City have lost three out of five Premier League games since the beginning of March, and have fallen to fourth in the table, nine points behind leaders Chelsea and one behind third-placed United.


It is the first time this season that City have been lower in the table than their neighbours.


Pellegrini - whose job is under threat, according to British media reports - would not say whether he believes his team can still overhaul Chelsea in the race for the title.


“All that is in my mind is just to think about winning the next game you play, and that is the derby against United,” the Chilean told reporters.


“Never is a draw a good result. I understand we are not having the away results we want. 2015 is not a good year for us for this, but the motivation is to win, always.”


He said he was not surprised that United have improved significantly under manager Louis van Gaal.


“Louis van Gaal's teams are offensive teams who try to win titles,” Pellegrini said. “United bought a lot of very good players in the summer: (Angel) Di Maria, (Ander) Herrera, (Radamel) Falcao, (Juan) Mata the season before and (Daley) Blind.


“They bought a lot of very good players - the strange thing was why they weren't doing it before, but it's no surprise (they have improved).


“I don't like to compare - always when you make these comparisons, there are a lot of things you don't analyse.”


Pellegrini confirmed that striker Wilfried Bony will miss the derby at Old Trafford with ankle and knee injuries. – Reuters






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RVP ‘not fit enough’ for derby

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Manchester United striker Robin van Persie has failed in his bid to be fit for the derby against Manchester City, manager Louis van Gaal said.


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London - Manchester United striker Robin van Persie has failed in his bid to be fit for Sunday's Premier League derby against Manchester City, manager Louis van Gaal said.


Van Persie scored the winner the last time United beat City - a 3-2 away victory in December 2012.


The Netherlands international has returned to training after suffering an ankle injury in United's defeat by Swansea City in February, but Van Gaal said the game against City at Old Trafford had come too soon for his compatriot.


“Van Persie is not fit enough to play,” the Dutchman told a news conference.


“I don't think (defender) Luke Shaw is fit enough to play. But I cannot say they are not fit. In my opinion, they are not fit to play.”


United's recent fine form - they have won their last five Premier League games - has lifted them to third in the table, eight points behind leaders Chelsea but one ahead of City.


Van Gaal has found success by using Wayne Rooney further forward, Juan Mata on the right, and Marouane Fellaini as a deep-lying target man, anchored by a midfield combination of Michael Carrick and Ander Herrera.


But Van Gaal, asked whether club record signing Angel Di Maria had done enough to force his way into the team against City, said he was not afraid to tinker with his line-up.


“'Never change a winning team' is an English expression, but I always have my eyes open,” he said.


“It's also an obligation to the substitutes that you have, to compare players. You have to see also the quality of your opponent and you make a decision with the staff I have.


“Not only Angel (is pushing for a starting place), but every player who is training in the first squad are pushing because they want to do their utmost.


“I played 11 v 11 today (in training) and the team in white was very good - the white team was not the basic line-up, so they are pushing always, and I like that. I said that to all of them, that I like the fighting spirit of every one of them.” – Reuters






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Injured Costa could miss four games

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Chelsea's leading scorer Diego Costa is likely to miss the next four games as his club attempt to regain the Premier League title, manager Jose Mourinho said.


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Chelsea's leading scorer Diego Costa is likely to miss the next four games as his club attempt to regain the Premier League title, manager Jose Mourinho said.


That means sitting out key matches against title rivals Arsenal and Manchester United as well as relegation strugglers Queens Park Rangers and Leicester.


The Brazilian-born Spain international, who has scored 19 league goals in his first season in English football, injured a hamstring soon after coming on as a halftime substitute in last weekend's home game against Stoke City.


Mourinho said it would be “normal” to miss the next four games, which would mean Costa returning against Crystal Palace at the start of May.


With a seven-point lead, Chelsea need 15 more from eight games to regain the title they last won under Carlo Ancelotti in 2010.


Mourinho told a news conference that he would not leave out midfielders Cesc Fabregas or Nemanja Matic from Sunday's west London derby away to QPR, although both are only one yellow card away from suspension.


“The game is a three-point game,” he said. “It doesn't make any sense to think about some matches and not about others. We have to play with our maximum power.


“Nobody is expecting an easy match. Last weekend we played against a team that is very stable in the middle of the table and they were fantastic in their approach, their commitment, trying to win the match or not lose it.”


Chelsea have been top of the table since the third game of the season, which their manager said shows “consistency, stability, dominance”.


He would not be drawn, however, on transfer speculation involving Japanese striker Yoshinori Muto of FC Tokyo, whom Chelsea are reported to have made a bid for. – Reuters






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News sport : NHL Three Stars: Isles lock series Caps; CBJ ensures Buffalo's last place finish

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No. 1 Star: Jaroslav Halak, New York Islanders


The Penguins needed this game to punch their ticket to the playoffs. Halak and the rest of the Islanders would have none of that. The netminder made 37 saves in the Isles 3-1 victory over Pittsburgh.


No. 2 Star: John Tavares, New York Islanders


The captain tied Sidney Crosby for tops in the league in scoring with his 37th goal of the season. (Should they remain tied, the trophy would go to Tavares because he has more goals.) Here's Tavares' game winner off a massive rebound from Marc-Andre Fleury:





No. 3 Star: Jack Johnson, Columbus Blue Jackets


Johnson registered 2 assists, was a plus-3 and was second on the team in TOI at 21:34 in the Jackets 4-2 win against Buffalo. His first assist came on CBJ's second goal after great passing by Johnson and his teammates:





Honorable Mention: Nick Foligno and Brandon Dubinsky connected for the first goal of the game just 14-seconds in:





Cam Atkinson netted the game winner for Columbus midway through the third. The score could have been much more lopsided if it weren't for the 36 saves put up by Anders Lindback ... Rob Scuderi scored his first goal in his current run with the Penguins. The last time he scored, he was on the Kings and it was January 19, 2013. With Casey Cizikas's shorty, the Islanders tied the Lightning for most SHGs in the league at 10. Here's the goal:





Did You Know: The Penguins have not won a game in the month of April (0-4-1).


Dishonorable Mention: With the loss, Buffalo secures the first spot in the draft lottery ... Travis Hamonic left the game with 3:46 remaining in the first due to an undisclosed injury. Jack Capuono said he'd be re-evaluated on Saturday. Evgeni Malkin was a team worst minus-3.


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Jen Neale is an editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow her on Twitter!










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News sport : Buffalo Sabres lose game, win last place in league

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Congratulations, Buffalo Sabres! You're the worst ... team in the league!


Normally this wouldn't be something to celebrate, but as we've been hearing alllllllll season, the upcoming draft is a special one with Jaconnor McEichel (Connor McDavid + Jack Eichel) on the line.


Last place doesn't guarantee the Sabres the top pick, but it gives them a better chance at getting it with 20-percent of magic beans (or whatever they use) in the draft bucket. (I like to assume it's a giant ball pit like those at Chuck E. Cheese and Bill Daly has to dive in, blindfolded, and pick a ball.)


The NHL instituted new draft odds this year. When they were first announced, Sabres GM Tim Murray was not the least bit pleased with their adoption. The odds were spread out to give the other teams in the lottery more of a fighting chance at the top pick. Here's a refresher, if you've forgotten:



Draft Odds

His mind can be eased a bit now that his team has locked up the first position; however, as the new format goes, the other bottom 8 teams have an increased shot at the pick. As of Friday night, those 8 teams, from worst to not completely terrible, are: Arizona, Edmonton, Toronto, Carolina, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Columbus, and Colorado. (Statistics nerd alert: The difference between spots 9 and 10 is 2.5-percent, which is significant, when the difference between 10 and 11 is 0.5-percent.)


Don't forget, they're no longer hampered by the rule that a team can only move up so many spots. Which makes things even more interesting considering that teams that aren't in a playoff spot: Los Angeles, San Jose, Boston (for now), and even the slim possibility of Pittsburgh joining the party. Granted, they have a small amount of magic beans in the bucket, but it's still a possibility one of them could end up with CoJack.


Just for giggles, I ran the NHL Draft Simulator and look who won...



http://ift.tt/1KP5hlm

At least the Sabres would get Eichel in this scenario.


I ran it a second time and Edmonton won. For the love of all things holy, that cannot happen in real life. Don't send another top draft pick into the Pit of Despair.


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News sport : Kurt Busch wins second pole of the season at Texas

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Friday was a good day to be a Hendrick-powered Chevy.


Kurt Busch won the pole for Saturday's Sprint Cup Series race at Texas as three Hendrick Motorsports cars, three Stewart-Haas Racing cars and both Chip Ganassi Racing cars made the final round of 12 during qualifying.


It's Busch's second pole of the year. He won the pole for his first race of the season at Phoenix International Raceway.


His teammate Kevin Harvick starts second while Brad Keselowski broke up the Hendrick brigade in third. Hendrick-powered cars driven by Kasey Kahne and Jimmie Johnson rounded out the top five.


Joey Logano, Ryan Newman, Paul Menard, Kyle Larson and Jamie McMurray round out the top 10. Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart rounded out the top 12.


We're going to go out on a sturdy limb and say one of the drivers in the top 10 will win the race. You have to go back to Denny Hamlin's win in the fall race in 2010 to find a driver who has won starting outside the top 10 at Texas.


The one SHR car to miss the final round was Danica Patrick. She starts 24th. Dale Earnhardt Jr., the only Hendrick Motorsports car not in the final round, starts 25th. Jeb Burton and Brendan Gaughan missed the race.


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News sport : Rory McIlroy fights back from the abyss, though career slam likely must wait

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Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, hits out of a bunker on the second hole during the second round of the Masters golf tournament Friday, April 10, 2015, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings) AUGUSTA, Ga. - Rory McIlroy and Camellia, the 10th hole at Augusta, have a strange relationship.


The hole starts up by the putting green, in the shadow of the Augusta National clubhouse, then drops off steeply. Cabins overlook the left side of the hole; on the right is a large expanse of round-destroying trees. It was at this hole in 2011 that McIlroy, who had up until that point been throttling the field (this is an important point we'll return to later) saw his lead evaporate after a disastrous tee shot.


And it was on this hole, four years later, that McIlroy found some measure of redemption, kicking off a five-under back nine that may not have saved his Masters, but certainly saved his sanity. McIlroy had played the opening nine at +3, and stood on the cusp of elimination.


That would have been an ugly way indeed to close out his first attempt at a career slam. He's almost certainly lost this chance at a "McIlslam" or a "Slamilroy" or whatever the heck we would call it if he held all four majors at once, but at least he'll play the weekend and won't face an early ride home. But he can take comfort in the fact that he played the back 9 at -5, an exceptional series of holes that gives him the tiniest measure of confidence heading into the weekend.


"If I can strigh together four more nines like that, I'll have a chance," he said shortly after the round.


The back-nine run is key for McIlroy, who has often fallen completely apart when his chances of victory fade away. It's all part of a growing process for McIlroy, who's still relatively young but is finding himself upstaged by someone even younger.


"I thought 10-under would be enough to win the entire tournament," McIlroy said. "I never thought someone would be there after the second day."


As for Jordan Spieth, whom McIlroy was trailing by 7 when he left the course and 13 when he returned? "I know better than most what can happen with a big lead," McIlroy said, before adding with a wry smile, "A few guys could catch him. It would take something exceptional for me to do that."


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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 : Jeff Gordon is an advocate for a consistent pit road speed limit

♠ Posted by channel-top-news in ,,,,,,,

Jeff Gordon has a novel idea for pit road: a consistent speed limit.


NASCAR pit roads have a posted speed limit, but the limit is enforced via timing lines. Pit road is divided into multiple timing segments and the time it would take you to travel the pit road speed in a designated segment is the speed limit.


So when a driver pits, he can drive faster than the posted speed limit in the segment his stall is located in. The time spent pitting will outweigh the time gained by speeding the rest of the segment.


It's how Brad Keselowski once gained a ton of spots on pit road at Bristol throughout a race (much to others' chagrin) and why you see drivers speeding up and slowing down during a cycle of pit stops.


Now that NASCAR has a new pit road officiating system that uses cameras and replays to more accurately officiate pit stops, Gordon, who sped on pit road two weeks ago at Martinsville while leading and had to fight back for a top 10, says it's time for a consistent speed limit.


“That was just us trying to take advantage of speed lines," Gordon said. "I think that’s the next step. We’ve got to get rid of these speed lines. It doesn’t make any sense. The speed limit is the speed limit. You should never be able to break the speed limit. You should carry the speed limit all the way down pit road. What we do is find pit stalls to try to get around that. So we’re ramping up and slowing down and that’s what got us in Martinsville. We were just too aggressive with it.”


For a series that once timed pit road speed by hand, electronic timing on pit road is quite the technological advancement. However, the pit road officiating system is clearly a much larger one, and proof that NASCAR is capable of developing a system that tracks cars' speed throughout the entirety of pit road, either through radar, GPS, a combination of both or a different technology altogether.


And our guess is that it'll happen sometime in the near future. Though not near enough for Gordon, who's set to end driving full-time in the Cup Series after the 2015 season.


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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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