Benni wants to be like Mourinho

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

Two years after his retirement, Benni McCarthy feels there is more he can offer in the world of football.


|||

Johannesburg - Two years after his retirement, Benni McCarthy feels there is more he can offer in the world of football.


He says he wants to become a professional football manager in a few years. More like José Mourinho to be more specific.


Too far-fetched you might think? The former Bafana Bafana international and Orlando Pirates predator begs to differ.


He says he’s been studying Mourinho like a book. After all, it was Mourinho who unleashed the Cape Town-born striker into winning the 2004 Uefa Champions League after he had two unsuccessful seasons at Celta Vigo in Spain, having signed from Ajax Amsterdam.


In the two years he had spent under Mourinho at FC Porto, McCarthy said there was one special principle the “Special One” always implemented on his players - man-management skills. McCarthy says he hopes to implement it on his players once he gets his Pro Licence in the next two years.


“Being in Europe provided me with an opportunity to learn from some of the best coaches in the world and that’s what I believe will set me apart from the rest (former players who turned coaches). Mourinho is one of those I’ve been learning from,” McCarthy says.


“I would love to bring his man-management skills to my style of management.


“Mourinho understands his players on a personal level. And that’s why he is able to get positive results out of them.


“When you are having an off-day as a player, Mourinho would know without you even having to approach him about your situation. Sometimes he would even bench you to give you time to deal with whatever you are going through. That’s the kind of coach he is. I hope to emulate him one day.”


McCarthy then pauses as he brings to mind some of the finer scenarios he had seen Mourinho handle in some awkward situations both on and off the field.


The name of former teammate Ricardo Carvalho comes to mind. Benni smiles as he begins to talk about his former teammate.


“Ricardo Carvalho is a perfect example,” he says.


“For me, he’s one of the best defenders in the world I have ever played with.


“He was exceptional in game situations but the exact opposite when we reported for training. I mean, the worst training partner you can ever find. He was just lazy (at training), and that’s how he was.


“But Mourinho understood his character. Had Carvalho worked under a different manager, his career would have been over a long time ago. Other players would be often shocked that he was always the first name on the team list and how he was able to be awarded Man of the Match honours each time we played.


“The answer is simple: Mourinho knew how to get the best out of him.


“And that’s what I want to do when I become a coach. I want to understand my players on a personal level. That’s what helps coaches get positive results out of their players. Tactics always comes in later in game situations. (As a coach) you need a team that will play for you, otherwise you are doomed.”


But McCarthy understands that it’s not only popularity among players that will see him reach the heights he had achieved as a player plying his trade in top-flight football, but that you also need football knowledge to go with it.


He says one needs to be tough to survive as a footballer, and it gets even tougher as a coach.


”You need guts and will-power,” he says, recalling how he resuscitated his football career in Europe, after having been benched for two consecutive seasons under his then coach Victor Fernández at Celta Vigo.


“That experience almost destroyed my career,” he confesses.


“But I knew I was not the one at fault.


“I knew I had to continue working hard in order to keep myself fit just in case he opted to play me. But it never happened. The truth is, you are not going to be everybody’s favourite and so I knew I had to continue working hard until I got my chance. That’s how I saw it. That’s what kept me going through that period. Things started working out for me when I finally joined Porto. And the rest, is history.”


Saturday Star






from Soccer Soccer Extended RSS http://ift.tt/1G5obUT
Read More

Pellegrini not happy with Yaya

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

Manuel Pellegrini has admitted he is disappointed in Yaya Toure but vowed to back the City midfielder, for now.


|||

London - Manuel Pellegrini has admitted he is disappointed in Yaya Toure but vowed to back the Manchester City midfielder - at least until the end of the season.


Sportsmail revealed City would listen to offers for the Ivorian as they look to overhaul an ageing squad at the end of a faltering campaign.


Toure is determined not to be forced out but the Chilean, speaking ahead of Sunday’s visit of West Ham, acknowledged the midfielder had underperformed and dismissed claims he should be given a rest.


‘I don’t think he’s happy with his performance this year - and nor am I,’ said Pellegrini. ‘He doesn’t need a break.’


Toure, who has two years left on a £220 000-a-week deal, has come in for criticism amid the collapse of City’s Premier League defence. But Pellegrini, who faces questions over his own future, said the 31-year-old would be backed. ‘He’s a very important player and he will have my support until the end of the season,’ he said. City, who have taken just 18 points from the last available 39, take on Sam Allardyce’s side knowing that defeat will leave fifth-placed Liverpool with the chance to close the gap to one point with victory at West Brom next weekend. City will also face the Hammers without captain Vincent Kompany, who could miss the rest of the campaign with a muscle injury.


With his manager in the firing line, City goalkeeper Joe Hart insisted the players should take responsibility. ‘People have been disappointed in their own performances,’ said the England No 1. ‘We’ve let the manager down a few times and we’ve baffled ourselves because we feel like we’ve got the quality to beat anyone and that’s not been the case.’


Hart added that Pellegrini retained the backing of the dressing room. ‘He’s been great,’ Hart said. ‘He’s hard, he kind of says it how it is and you can’t ask for much more than that from a manager.’


Pellegrini, however, said: ‘The players have responsibility but I choose the players.’


Daily Mail






from Soccer Soccer Extended RSS http://ift.tt/1HDhZTk
Read More

Ajax end AmaTuks bogey

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

Ajax Cape Town finally broke their University of Pretoria bogey with a hard-fought victory at the Cape Town Stadium.


|||

Cape Town - Ajax Cape Town finally broke their University of Pretoria bogey with a hard-fought 2-0 victory at the Cape Town Stadium .


The Cape side, over the last few seasons, haven’t had the best of times against the team nicknamed AmaTuks.


In fact, before , they hadn’t beaten the team from Pretoria in six previous meetings. But Ajax changed all that on Friday, even though it was a tough, tense contest and they had worked really hard and dug deep to register the win.


The game, as expected, got off to a tight, cagey opening, with AmaTuks not offering the Capetonians any space or time on the ball.


The Pretoria side have a reputation as a disciplined, organised unit and this was exactly what they brought to the Mother City. They always had bodies behind the ball, they kept things narrow, heaped pressure on Ajax, who initially struggled to find any rhythm.


With play restricted to dour midfield exchanges, scoring chances were few and, by the 15th minute, neither goalkeeper had yet been called on to make a save.


Gradually, though, the game started to open up, with Ajax using either the pace and trickery of Riyaad Norodien or the height of Nathan Paulse to get behind the resolute Tuks defence.


The first opportunity, though, fell to the team from Pretoria in the 17th minute when Denver Mukamba’s whistling free-kick was tipped over by Ajax goalkeeper Anssi Jaakkola.


Ajax then had a fantastic chance to take the lead when Paulse’s flick-on from Jaakkola’s clearance put Keagan Dolly in the clear.


With only Tuks goalkeeper Washington Arubi to beat, Dolly should have done far better, but only managed to side-foot the ball straight into the keeper’s grasp.


At the other end, too, Tuks were desperately unlucky not to open the score when Atusaye Nyando struck the upright with a powerful shot.


Goalless at halftime, both sides went in search of a goal early on in the second period, with Erwin Isaacs sliding an effort over the bar for Ajax, and Thabo Mnyamane heading wide for Tuks.


Attackers Tashreeq Morris and Bantu Mzwakali came off the bench as Ajax looked for fresh inspiration to try to break down an opposition side that weren’t prepared to give anything away.


The Cape side were also forced into a defensive change when centre-back Abbubaker Mobara was forced off injured. He was replaced by Cecil Lolo, who took over at right-back with Nazeer Allie moving to the centre of defence.


The change in attack had the desired effect when, after a slick inter-play that involved Isaacs, Norodien and a cross from Mosa Lebusa, it was Morris who headed the winning goal in the 80th minute - his sixth strike of the season.


But the best, in a game of few opportunities, was left for last, in injury time, as Granwald Scott produced a moment of magic. The central midfielder lined up a free-kick and whipped a wicked, curling shot beyond a despairing Arubi in the Tuks goal.


Weekend Argus






from Soccer Soccer Extended RSS http://ift.tt/1zsm2uR
Read More

Ramsey not giving up on double hopes

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

The chances of Arsenal winning an FA Cup and league double may be slim, but Aaron Ramsey is still hopeful.


|||

London - The prospect of Arsenal winning an FA Cup and Premier League double may be remote but, while it is still mathematically possible, midfielder Aaron Ramsey is not giving up hope.


Ramsey secured a place in the club's history books when he scored the winner in last season's 3-2 FA Cup final triumph over Hull City and told reporters on the eve of Saturday's semi-final against Reading that it had only whetted his appetite for more success.


That is more likely to come by retaining the FA Cup than winning a first league title since 2004 with Chelsea seven points clear of Arsenal at the top of the table, having played one fewer match.


But if Chelsea lose at home to Manchester United on Saturday and to Arsenal, who have won their last eight league matches, at the Emirates next weekend, the outcome might not look quite so clear-cut.


“The double? Yes, that is still a possibility,” said the 24-year-old Welsh international.


“We are just trying to win our remaining games. We are on a fantastic winning run and that's all we want to keep on doing.


“It's going to be difficult. Chelsea have still got a lot of points so they will have to slip up a few times for us to catch them so it will be difficult - but it's still possible.”


Arsenal have won the double three times, in 1971, 1998 and 2002. On the first two occasions they only clinched the title by a point.


“You cannot rule it out,” said Ramssey. “When you have that momentum it is still possible. Even though it will be difficult we have to win our remaining games and see where that leaves us.”


Even if they fail Ramsey believes Arsenal's long wait for the title will soon be over.


“I feel we're getting closer,” he said. “Even last season we started off really well and maybe just faded away at the end.


“We lost against the bigger teams but this season we have done a bit better against them.


“This season we didn't start too well, it was a bit interrupted, but the second half of the season we have been really good and consistent in our performances. I feel we are very close.”


The winners of the Arsenal v Reading game will play Liverpool or Aston Villa in the final at Wembley on May 30.


Reuters






from Soccer Soccer Extended RSS http://ift.tt/1IUK1v3
Read More

News sport : RCR appeals tire penalty to final appeals officer

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

Richard Childress Racing isn't satisfied with the decision it got from NASCAR's appeals panel Thursday.


The team has decided to appeal its tire penalty from California to NASCAR's final appeals officer. NASCAR's appeal panel upheld the violation for manipulating tires but reduced the penalty assessed to the team by 25 points to 50 (and crew chief Luke Lambert's fine by $50,000) on administrative grounds.


NASCAR teams are granted two attempts at a penalty appeal.



The deferral of the suspensions means that Lambert, tire tech James Bender and engineer Philip Surgen can work at Bristol. The three were suspended for six races for the penalty and the suspensions were upheld on Thursday.


Early season discussion in the garage mentioned the rumor of teams poking holes in tires to help regulate air pressure throughout the duration of a tire run. Lower air pressures mean more grip, and therefore more speed.


RCR's penalty was initially 75 points because the violation was found after the race. However, since tires are leased and can be taken during the race, the panel ruled the post-race penalty wasn't applicable and dropped the penalty to 50 points.


Newman is currently 20th in the standings with the 50-point penalty.


NASCAR's final appeals officer is Bryan Moss. Moss has already heard an appeal this year after Kurt Busch was suspended before the Daytona 500 because of domestic abuse allegations. After Busch's initial appeal was denied, he appealed a second time the day before the race and Moss denied his appeal. Busch was reinstated three races into the season after he wasn't criminally charged.


- - - - - - -


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!







from Yahoo Sports http://ift.tt/1b5EELe
Read More

News sport : Matt Kenseth wins pole at Bristol

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

Matt Kenseth's streak of fast cars at Bristol is continuing.


Kenseth won his second career pole at the half-mile track on Friday, beating out Brad Keselowski for the top spot.


While Kenseth's last pole came in 2005, he's been very good at Bristol in recent years, even if his finishes don't completely show it. Kenseth has led laps in the last seven Bristol races and had one of the best cars in last yea's spring race despite sustaining damage early in the race after he was run into from behind.


Carl Edwards, winner of last year's race after an accidental pressing of the caution lights button and a fortuitously-timed rain shower, qualified third. Kevin Harvick was fourth while Denny Hamlin was fifth. David Ragan, teammate to Kenseth, Edwards and Hamlin, qualified 11th.


Joey Logano, Kurt Busch and Kasey Kahne rounded out the top eight, which means the first four rows for Sunday's race are filled with drivers who have previously won at Bristol.


- - - - - - -


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!







from Yahoo Sports http://ift.tt/1OocZSy
Read More

News sport : Did Seahawks GM insinuate letting Russell Wilson leave is an option?

♠ Posted by channel-top-news in ,,,,,,,
(AP)

The thought was that once Russell Wilson could sign a huge contract extension with the Seattle Seahawks, he would.


Wilson has a 98.6 quarterback rating in three seasons. Seattle has won a Super Bowl with Wilson and only an incredible fourth quarter and New England Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler's great interception kept the Seahawks from winning a second.


Yet there's always been at least some question if Wilson is that good. The Seahawks have a great defense. Marshawn Lynch is the focus of the offense. And giving Wilson that massive contract would change the structure of the Seahawks, because he'd go from making one of the lowest salaries among starting quarterbacks to one of the highest. Seattle won in large part the past few years because its quarterback was cheap and they could use the excess money on other impact players. Wilson, a third-round pick in 2012, wasn't able to sign an extension until after his third season, per the collective-bargaining agreement.


But now the bill was due ... right?


An extension hasn't been signed yet and Seahawks general manager John Schneider had some odd comments to KIRO Radio in Seattle that made it sound like it's possible that Seattle won't give Wilson that deal. Here's what he said, via MyNorthwest.com and ESPN 710 Seattle:



"What I can tell you is that this is the ultimate team sport, we have a track record of rewarding our players that we recognize as core players," Schneider said. "We're going into our sixth draft now – I can't believe that; we've been here for a while now – but just that track record of being able to make those tough decisions. Every negotiation is unique in and of itself and this is no different. Ultimate team sport, he's our quarterback, we'd love him to be our quarterback. But the thing is, we need to keep as many of these guys together as we possibly can."



Tough decisions? Hmmm. To double down on the weirdness, Schneider mentioned having to make tough salary cap decisions in the past.



"I think you've seen over the last several years now a philosophy of competition at every position and trying to acquire as many players as you possibly can and to make it fit," Schneider said. "We've done this since Day 1. When we got here we had to make some very tough cap decisions with Cory Redding and Nate Burleson. They were two guys that we had a lot of respect for, but where we were on our cap at the time, we had to make decisions. And then we had a couple years without a cap and now we're back in a world with a salary cap and we need to be cognizant of that."



Let's be clear that Schneider's words are likely nothing more than your typical negotiating ploy (like, say, mentioning that you'd like to play baseball too). It's practically impossible to imagine the Seahawks not locking Wilson up to a contract extension that everyone figures he will get.


NFL teams don't let quarterbacks walk in their prime. The Chicago Bears, even though everyone who looked critically could tell Jay Cutler was an average starting NFL quarterback, still gave him one of the NFL's biggest contracts because that's just what NFL teams do. There's rarely any critical thinking when it comes to the quarterback position and its cost in regards to the cap. And even though the Seahawks are progressive, it would still be almost unprecedented if they didn't retain Wilson, who is entering the last year of his deal.


Wilson has been a highly productive and successful quarterback, and his arrival transformed the Seahawks into champions for the first time. He's just 26 years old. Realistically the Seahawks aren't going to let him go over salary-cap concerns. But it would be a heck of an interesting story if they did.


- - - - - - -


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!






from Yahoo Sports http://ift.tt/1PZkP8C
Read More

News sport : Kareem Abdul-Jabbar undergoes quadruple coronary bypass surgery, is expected to recover

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

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar underwent quadruple coronary bypass surgery on Thursday. The longtime Laker and all-time NBA leading scorer is expected to fully recover from the operation.


Abdul-Jabbar underwent the surgery after being admitted to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center earlier in the week. From a UCLA spokesman:



Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was admitted to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center this week with cardiovascular disease, and he underwent quadruple coronary bypass surgery on April 16. The operation was performed by Dr. Richard Shemin, UCLA’s chief of cardiac surgery.




Shemin said the surgery was successful and he expects Abdul-Jabbar to make a full recovery.




At this time, Abdul-Jabbar would like to thank his surgical team and the medical staff at UCLA, his alma mater, for the excellent care he has received. He is looking forward to getting back to his normal activities soon.




He asks that you keep him in your thoughts and, most importantly, cherish and live each day to its fullest.




For those wanting to send well wishes, he thanks you in advance and asks that you support those in your own community who may be suffering from various health issues.



Abdul-Jabbar led the UCLA Bruins to three NCAA titles. After moving on to the NBA, Abdul-Jabbar was the focal point of the Milwaukee Bucks’ 1971 NBA championship team. Following a trade to the Los Angeles Lakers in 1975, Kareem eventually teamed with Magic Johnson to win five more titles.


Playing until the age of 42, Abdul-Jabbar finished his storied career with 38,387 points, an NBA record that only Karl Malone (36,928) and Kobe Bryant (32,482 and counting) and Michael Jordan (32, 292) have come close to challenging. Abdul-Jabbar won six NBA MVPs, the all-time record as well, and he made the All-Star team in all but one (after missing an early chunk of the 1977-78 season after a fight with Milwaukee’s Kent Benson) of his 20 NBA seasons.


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


Kareem has followed literary, acting and coaching pursuits in the years since retiring from the NBA in 1989. Frustrated at a lack of NBA head coaching job offers, the former Clippers and Lakers assistant coach gave up on his post-playing dream of getting to lead an NBA team several years ago. He successfully battled leukemia in 2009.


The surgery took place on Kareem’s 68th birthday. As he recovers, UCLA announced that Abdul-Jabbar will not giving public updates to the press while on the mend. All of us at Ball Don’t Lie and Yahoo Sports send our best wishes to The Captain.


- - - - - - -


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






from Yahoo Sports http://ift.tt/1OocYxT
Read More

News sport : Big Ten pens paper discussing idea of freshman ineligibility

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

The Big Ten isn't backing down from its stance that freshmen should be ineligible.


The league released a 12-page paper on Friday titled "Education First, Athletics Second: The Time for a National Discussion is Upon Us" that elaborated on a possible recommendation of potential freshman ineligibility for football and men's basketball players.


The league made sure to explicitly say that the idea was not a proposal. Rather it portrayed it as an examination of the current state of the main revenue-producing college sports. It cited the O'Bannon lawsuit and the efforts at Northwestern to unionize, two movements that highlighted the revenue and attention that athletes bring in to universities. It also called the NCAA a "house of cards" if education was not prioritized among athletes and cited data that said football and men's basketball were last in academic progress and graduation rate.


You can view the entire paper here.



Despite the good intentions, it must be acknowledged that a shortcoming of adopting a year of readiness in football and men’s basketball is that to do so would treat student-athletes in those sports differently than student-athletes in other sports. Notwithstanding the fact that there already are eligibility rules that treat football and men’s basketball student-athletes differently than student-athletes in other sports (9-hour rule in football; transfer restrictions in both sports), such an eventuality would have to be acknowledged when considering any idea for addressing the imbalance present in football and men’s basketball. At the same time, any shortcoming associated with maintaining the status quo must also be acknowledged. If we are comfortable that the current system is providing an adequate educational experience to student-athletes in football and men’s basketball at a level commensurate with what is being asked of them athletically, we should not change course. On the other hand, if maintaining the status quo presents a greater risk, then we should be open to changing course, even if it requires treating football and men’s basketball differently than other sports..



The "year of readiness," per the Big Ten's paper, would also give players the option of heading to the professional ranks immediately out of high school. While it certainly presents a solution for those who lament players going to college for a season and declaring for the NBA draft, it's not a feasible option for the NFL without a radical shakeup of the league's format. Few, if any, NFL teams would risk a roster spot on an 18-year-old kid if high schoolers were eligible for the NFL draft.


A year of readiness is responsive to the issues that are not purely academic in nature. First and foremost, requiring a year of readiness would make clear to prospects that they have a choice. On one hand, they would be free to pursue their sport as a vocation, where development in the sport is their primary—if not sole—objective. To the extent such avenues are limited in the sports of football and men’s basketball, it is the responsibility of the professional leagues in those sports to provide such opportunities. It is not the
responsibility of intercollegiate athletics to serve as professional minor leagues in any sport.


On the other hand, prospects would be free to choose intercollegiate athletics with the understanding that participation in athletics is incidental to a long-term educational commitment, not the primary purpose for attending college. Specifically, the year of readiness would allow student-athletes to have a year ofassimilation to campus life before worrying about competition and the pressures and scrutiny that would follow. Provided the year of readiness were accompanied by corresponding limitations on required>athletically related activities (e.g., no travel to away contests), it would provide an opportunity for these individuals to be students before being asked to compete.

The purpose of the paper was for a "national discussion," something the league also mentioned in February when the idea was first brought up. The paper is fairly self-aware and addresses criticisms of the idea while openly admitting the move to make freshmen eligible in 1972 was motivated by financial gain.


The motivations behind the initial move are why going back to the old system of freshman ineligibility is quite the long shot. You shouldn't expect to see Kentucky's basketball recruiting style drastically change or players like LSU RB Leonard Fournette have to sit out for a season anytime soon.


While the educational wellbeing of football and men's basketball athletes may truly be at the center of this letter, it's not hard to wonder if the only reason the topic is being discussed is because the NCAA's revenue-producing model is being challenged and open to change. Poor academic performance among athletes in the two sports isn't a brand-new development, and if academics are indeed a priority, this is likely just one of many proposals we'll see in the coming months and years to change the NCAA's current structure.


- - - - - - -


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!







from Yahoo Sports http://ift.tt/1OocYhx
Read More

News sport : Maryland RB Reid, DB Dancel decide to transfer

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

October 6, 2012; College Park, MD, USA; Maryland Terrapins running back Albert Reid (5) runs past Wake Forest Demon Deacons linebacker Riley Haynes (45) and safety A.J. Marshall (17) at Byrd Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports Maryland granted releases for two seniors on Friday.


The school announced that both running back Albert Reid and safety Zach Dancel will transfer out of the program and pursue graduate transfers for the 2015 season. Both players are expected to be immediately eligible.


According to the Washington Post, Dancel is on track to graduate from Maryland in May while Reid will earn his degree later in the summer.


Reid has competed in a crowded Terps backfield throughout the spring but was not expected to see many carries when the season rolled around behind senior Brandon Ross, junior Wes Brown and sophomore Jacquille Veii.


Reid appeared in 25 total games in his first two seasons, but saw action in only four games as a junior after going down with a knee injury. Overall in three seasons, Reid rushed for 447 yards and three touchdowns on 122 carries. Additionally, Reid had 15 catches for 129 yards and a score.


Dancel was taking reps with the second-team defense during the spring, but made the decision to move on to another program for the second time in his career. Dancel began his career at New Mexico and made eight starts with 32 tackles and an interception as a true freshman.


After sitting out in 2012 due to the NCAA’s transfer rules, Dancel appeared in 22 games for the Terps over the past two seasons mainly on special teams and registered 26 tackles.


The Terps went 7-6 last season – their first in the Big Ten.


For more Maryland news, visit TerrapinSportsReport.com.


- - - - - - -


Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!







from Yahoo Sports http://ift.tt/1HBtAlY
Read More

News sport : Mark Cuban on his beloved Rockets, save James Harden: 'That’s not a very good team'

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

As it always is with Mark Cuban, there is a little bit of truth here, there’s a bit of bluster and there’s a righteous, knowing dig.


Just in time for the 2015 playoffs, with Cuban’s Dallas Mavericks set to take on the James Harden-led Houston Rockets, Cuban was asked to give his personal scouting report on Harden and his teammates by Grantland’s Kirk Goldsberry:



“[The biggest difference is] practice time. There’s no more predictable team than the Rockets. You know exactly what they’re gonna do,” he says. “But James Harden is so good. That’s what analytics have begot. Right? Predictability. If you know what the percentages are, in the playoffs, you have time to counter them. Whether you’re good enough to do it is another question. Because they are very talented, and James Harden, I think, is the MVP. Because that’s not a very good team over there.”



He gave Harden his MVP vote! In a tight race that Stephen Curry may have pulled ahead in, Harden could use all the help he could get! What better voice than Cuban’s, a man who inherited a perennial loser in 2000 before proceeding to act as the top-of-the-fish leader of a club that has made the playoffs in 14 out of 15 full seasons in the years since?


Also, Mark Cuban hates the Houston Rockets. And the feeling is mutual, pal.


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


Last fall Rockets general manager Daryl Morey went after Cuban after the Mavs owner spent months belittling the Rockets franchise following Dwight Howard’s free-agent decision (in choosing a younger Houston team over Dallas) and Houston’s attempts to sign Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki when he hit free agency.


The enmity between the two camps intensified over the 2014 offseason when Cuban (after a gutsy and studied but ultimately frustrating few years of offseason whiffs) possibly overpaid former Rockets swingman Chandler Parsons (to the tune of three years and $46 million) when the Rockets took their own gutsy and studied but ultimately frustrating calculated risk on allowing him to hit restricted free agency.


In late September, Morey offered this in talking to Yahoo Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski:



"We've been pretty good, and I think he's doing a smart thing to take on a rival," Morey told Yahoo Sports late Sunday. "He should want to beat up on San Antonio, too, but it's hard to paint the Spurs that way. So he's directed his bully pulpit onto us. Our owner stays above the fray, so I'm outgunned honestly.




"But let's be clear: If the money's equal between the Rockets and Mavericks, I think players are picking Houston. Every time. For Dwight [Howard], I just don't think it was a hard choice between us and Dallas. If you want to win, you're going to want to join our organization. We have a first-team All-NBA player in his prime [James Harden]. They have an enormously talented superstar [Dirk Nowitzki] but he obviously isn't 24 years old.




"The choice was pretty obvious between the two teams. Dwight is the smart guy in this."



For once.


The Rockets managed to top the Mavs by six wins in 2014-15 despite Howard playing exactly half the season, despite Patrick Beverley missing 26 games with a season-ending hand injury and despite being without contributors Josh Smith and Corey Brewer for the first chunk of the season. Donatas Motiejunas, who helped the Rockets circle the wagons in several different ways, will miss the postseason because of back woes. James Harden has done a masterful job with this team, and though most analysts’ personal MVP choices will likely give Stephen Curry the award, nobody can deny that Harden has had an MVP-level season that is well worth the hardware.


Cuban may be needling, and this interview came even prior to news about Motiejunas’s injury explanation, but he’s also not far off. Houston may currently be stocked full of unheralded contributors, but they’re not … they’re not great.


Most wouldn’t go as far as “not a very good team over there,” as Cuban did, but Howard has only been dominant (if that) in fits and spurts this season, Smith and Brewer are very specialized players who possibly could be coached out of a contest in a seven-game series up against a very good coach (the Mavericks, in Rick Carlisle, have one of the best), other contributors remain quite streaky. The Rockets finished only 12th in offense this season even with Harden turning a brilliant offensive turn. And Harden himself is coming off of a disappointing personal offensive turn in the 2014 postseason.


This is Cuban going aggressive/aggressive, though. Maybe toss in yet another “aggressive.”


He lauds Harden’s fantastic play, opines that the Rockets are easy to figure out because they’ll take the best percentage shot or make the most successful analytics-driven defensive decision, before calling out Harden’s supporting cast as “not very good.” Part of that cast, mind you, includes a man in Dwight Howard to whom Cuban attempted to throw a maximum contract less than two years ago.


Dallas may not have a great chance in this series. Nowitzki has rebounded of late, but we’re a day away from the postseason and nobody knows how Mavs guard Rajon Rondo is going to work with his teammates in a playoff setting, and Parsons himself (whom former teammate Howard called “the enemy” on Friday) is struggling with a sore right knee.


To hear Cuban tell it, his Carlisle-led crew can work as something bigger than the sum of its parts, eschewing predictability on its way toward a well-studied and well-practiced crew that can top any bit of robotic precision from Houston’s side.


Don’t listen to him. Dallas may win this series, but Cuban (who boasts one of the biggest analytics staffs in the NBA, if not the biggest, and has for years) himself knows these two teams are closer in style and substance than just about any other two teams in the NBA, much less two teams pairing up for the first round of the playoffs.


Why else would they hate each other so damn much?


More NBA coverage:



- - - - - - -


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






from Yahoo Sports http://ift.tt/1zqnuOa
Read More

News sport : Fan yells 'You suck' at Kris Bryant after his third strikeout

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

(USA Today Sports)

One person in attendance Friday at Wrigley Field for Kris Bryant's first MLB game — we hesitate to call this dude a Chicago Cubs fan — had already grown sour of Bryant by the fifth inning.


Bryant notched his third strikeout of the game, waving at a cutter from James Shields. The Cubs had runners at second and third base, so the disappointment was two-fold. Bryan, the young slugger entering the game with all the hype, just couldn't figure out Shields and that prompted heckling from at least one fan who yelled "You suck" at Bryant.


Judgment comes swift in The "Friendly" Confines.



Hear that? Loud enough that the TV audience could make it out clearly. That, of course, was probably the goal of the heckler — get some attention for himself on Kris Bryant day. Nothing we haven't seen before from a sports fan.


Despite the less-than-thrilling start to Bryant's career, people on the North Side were still quite happy to see Bryant in a Chicago uniform finally. He got plenty of cheers. One day isn't going to define Bryant's tenure with the Cubs, just like one fan yelling "You suck" doesn't reflect what all Cubs fans think of their top prospect.


BLS H/N: Fansided


More MLB coverage from Yahoo Sports:



- - - - - - -


Mike Oz is the editor of Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at mikeozstew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!






from Yahoo Sports http://ift.tt/1yAMCH3
Read More

News sport : Adviser: Patriots knew of Aaron Hernandez's troubled history

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

Aaron Hernandez during his rookie season with the New England Patriots. (Getty Images) When the New England Patriots drafted Aaron Hernandez in the fourth round of the 2010 NFL draft, they knew they were taking a gamble.


Hernandez's troubled past wasn't a complete mystery. He'd failed a drug test (or tests) at the University of Florida, and there were rumors about a thug life. So when the Patriots signed him to his rookie contract, the deal was structured so that "75 percent of the money in the contract set up so that he would only make it if he stayed out of trouble, didn’t miss meetings, was always there doing the right thing," according to a MMQB interview with Floyd Reese, a senior adviser with the team at the time Hernandez was drafted.


"And for the period of the original contract, he lived up to every bit of it. So it turned out well," Reese told MMQB. "Of course, after that, after he signed [his $40 million contract extension], things kind of went awry."


After he signed the $40 million contract extension?


Hernandez is actually accused of killing two people in a drive-by shooting that occurred a month before the Patriots signed him to that $40 million contract extension.


Kind of went awry?


Aside from the double-homicide charge he has yet to face, on Wednesday he was found guilty of first-degree murder in the shooting death of Odin Lloyd.


Reese acknowledges the Patriots were aware Hernandez "had some issues" at Florida, but doesn't go into specifics. It's likely they knew of an alleged incident in 2007 when Hernandez, then just a 17-year-old incoming freshman, punched a bar employee in the head, bursting his eardrum. A police report was filed following the altercation, meaning knowledge of the incident likely would have turned up in any cursory background check.


There was also a psychological profile done before the 2010 draft that, according to the Wall Street Journal, indicated Hernandez enjoyed "living on the edge of acceptable behavior."


It's not clear if the Patriots had seen that report prior to drafting him – they refused comment to the Wall Street Journal – but what is clear is that they deemed him worth the gamble despite knowledge of a troubled history.


"It was just from our standpoint, we were getting a first-round talent in the fourth round under a contract that was going to keep him in line or it wasn't going to cost us a penny," Reese told MMQB.


Reese went on to say that Hernandez being drafted by a team located within a short drive of where he grew up (in a rough-and-tumble neighborhood of Bristol, Conn., outside of Hartford) may have contributed to his downfall.


"There were a lot of times where he would leave Foxboro [Mass., home of the Patriots] and drive back to Hartford so he could be with his guys," Reese explained.


"… The truth is, the vast majority of guys that have maybe had a tough upbringing, when you throw them into a great locker room, great organization, great place to play, they come out of it. They see the other side of it. 'Why would I ever want to go back to that other place?' The problem is you run into an Aaron Hernandez, who can't get there. He's comfortable back in Hartford … with all that trouble."


As of now, Hernandez is back in the Foxboro area, housed at the Massachusetts Correctional Institution – Cedar Junction, just a mile or so from Gillette Stadium.






from Yahoo Sports http://ift.tt/1yAMCGZ
Read More

News sport : Matt Kenseth's son to run Xfinity race at Chicago for JGR

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

A second Kenseth will be in a car for Joe Gibbs Racing in 2015.


Ross Kenseth, the son of 2003 Sprint Cup Series champion Matt Kenseth, will drive the team's No. 20 car in the Xfinity Series race at Chicago on Saturday, June 20.


"Ross has been working really hard to try to get a good opportunity," Matt Kenseth said Friday. "Certainly, I don't think the opportunity could be any better than this. I feel like the 20 is one of the best [Xfinity] cars out there this year with [crew chief Mike Wheeler] running that thing. It will be a great shot for him and really appreciate Joe (Gibbs) and everybody at JGR giving him that chance and everybody at Dollar General to jump on there and sponsor his first ever NASCAR start.


"It's exciting for me and it's an off-weekend so I'll be able to be there and be part of that. Looking forward to seeing how he does. It's a great shot and he's worked really hard for it. He's won a lot of big short track races and he's never going to be more ready for the opportunity than he is now."


Ross, 22 in May, has been driving late models and has made two career ARCA starts, one each in 2013 and 2014. He finished third in his start last season.


The opportunity, Matt said, came when Darrell Wallace Jr. left for Roush Fenway Racing. While Wallace's schedule for 2015 with JGR had never been defined, the team had said he would drive some Xfinity Series races.


JGR has also used multiple drivers in the No. 54 Xfinity car while Kyle Busch has been out with the broken leg and foot he suffered at Daytona. Erik Jones and Denny Hamlin have filled in so far and Boris Said will be in the car for seven races.


- - - - - - -


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!







from Yahoo Sports http://ift.tt/1EayEy0
Read More

News sport : Experience a workout with South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier (Video)

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

South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier is in great shape for a man who turns 70 years old on Monday. Josh Kendall, the Gamecocks beat writer from The State, got an up close look at the Ol’ Ball Coach’s workout routine in the football team’s weight room.



The first thing you have to notice is that Spurrier wears a sweater vest (!!!) and a headband while he works out. The man means serious business. He also goes through an impressive variety of exercises.


Kendall gave us an idea of what the average Spurrier session looks like:



He does two sets of shoulder presses with barbells. Fifty with 15-pounders and 40 with 10-pounders. He does 200 shoulder shrugs with 30-pound barbells, two long sets of curls, 50 tricep extensions with a 25-pound barbell (I think it was 25 pounds; oxygen depletion may have affected my memory.) There are 100 toe raises with the 30-pound barbells; 22 minutes on the treadmill; 11 minutes on the stationary bike at a not-insignificant incline.



Spurrier says he thinks he’s in better shape now than he was when he won the Heisman Trophy as a quarterback at Florida in 1966.


“I work out more for sure,” Spurrier said.


Spurrier told Kendall that he works out six days a week during the season, but his routine isn’t as defined during the offseason due to travel.


Kendall said the “most impressive” aspect of Spurrier’s workout was his core work that includes 400 crunches on a medicine ball and a one-minute plank (which you see at the 1:12 mark in the video).


I’m tired just thinking about it.


Spurrier said his attention to working out his core has spared him from back surgery. Though some doctors still suggest it, Spurrier’s personal doctor told him, “Just keep doing what you’re doing.”


And then to cap the workout off, Spurrier asked Kendall to pose alongside him with his shirt off. Kendall was hesitant at first, but then came around.


“It’s never something I would normally do but I thought to myself, ‘How many times in your life do you get a chance to pose shirtless with Steve Spurrier?’ So what the heck,” Kendall said.



You made the right choice, Josh.


For more South Carolina news, visit GamecockCentral.com.


- - - - - - -


Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!







from Yahoo Sports http://ift.tt/1EayHd4
Read More