News sport : The Hawks pulled their Game 1 giveaway T-shirts because they didn't have Jeff Teague's name

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Most NBA teams offer some sort of giveaway for fans who attend playoff games. Whether T-shirts, "We Don't Bluff" Growl Towels or foam horns, these freebies represent an effort to show appreciation for those who bought tickets to support the team's postseason push by providing them with a cool event-specific piece of memorabilia. They also help present a unified, color-coordinated backdrop for the on-court action and create a unique visual element that makes the home gym look especially cool for nationally televised postseason contests.

The Atlanta Hawks did a pretty great job of this last spring, when they gave fans who turned out for Game 6 of their opening-round series against the Indiana Pacers a T-shirt bearing their just-revived "Pac-Man"-style secondary logo. When it came time to deck out Philips Arena for Game 1 of the 2015 first round against the Brooklyn Nets, though, the Hawks found themselves facing a large-scale wardrobe malfunction. From Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal Constitution:

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The Hawks’ planned t-shirt giveaway for Game 1 of their playoff series had to be scrapped when it was discovered that the name of one of their starting players was missing from the apparel.
On Friday, Philips Arena workers placed the red t-shirts over each seat. On Saturday, they were all gone. They were not replaced by Sunday’s series opener against the Nets.
The t-shirts were emblazoned with the name of each Hawks player — but one.

This, of course, begs the question: Who got left off? Our answer comes via the eagle-eyed Jake Martinsek:

Something's missing. (Image via Imgur, @IAmMartinsek)

Yep, that right. Take a trip through the "True Believer" shirt design and you'll find the names of 14 Hawks — Pero Antic, Kent Bazemore, Elton Brand, DeMarre Carroll, Austin Daye (whose first name looks like it might be misspelled up there in the top left corner of the design), Al Horford, John Jenkins, Kyle Korver, Shelvin Mack, Paul Millsap, Mike Muscala, Dennis Schröder, Mike Scott and Thabo Sefolosha — but you won't find the name of one Jeffrey Demarco Teague. Kind of a tough break for the All-Star point guard, who led the team in assists and finished second among Hawks in points, steals and free-throw attempts this season. (It could be, as Martinsek suggests, that the absence of Teague's name got lost in the negative space of the design; then again, it looks like the roster list just cuts off after Scott and returns to the top, so it could just be that it was a slip-up from Jump Street.)

We don't know yet whether the Hawks plan to revisit the "True Believer" idea — which, misstep aside, looks pretty cool — with Teague's name included as a giveaway for fans at an upcoming Hawks playoff game. We've reached out to team reps to find out, but haven't heard back yet. It seems like it'd be a shame to scuttle the whole thing entirely, but then, I'm not the one who'd have to buy 18,440 more shirts (give or take a few) to make things right.

Despite not having every single one of their fans rocking an identical red T-shirt — and despite seeing Millsap scuffle a bit as he works his way back from a right shoulder injury, and Horford injure his hand late in the contest before coming back in with his fingers taped and iced — the Hawks beat the Nets, 99-92, on Sunday to take a 1-0 lead in their best-of-seven Eastern Conference playoff series. With attention now turning to Wednesday's Game 2, it's clear that the Hawks plan to raise the stakes in terms of in-arena entertainment and star power:

In addition the performance by Ludacris, the Hawks will also be selling a special (and hopefully quality-checked) Luda-themed T-shirt and CD pack at the arena on Wednesday. Maybe they can give Teague one on the house — you know, just as a sign of good faith.

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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 : Wayne Gretzky says Connor McDavid is ‘best player in last 30 years’

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What does the last great franchise player for the Edmonton Oilers think of the future great franchise player for the Edmonton Oilers? 

No, not Jason Bonsignore – Wayne Gretzky!

“I hope he brings Edmonton a Stanley Cup and he breaks my records ... he’s got the talent and the makeup to do it. I hope he leaves a couple for me, though. I could use that,” Gretzky said of Connor McDavid, as told to Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal.

From the Journal:

“He’s as good as I’ve seen in the last 30 years, the best player to come into the league in the last 30 years, the best to come along since (Mario) Lemieux and (Sidney) Crosby. He can definitely change a franchise’s fortunes,” said Gretzky, who feels Edmonton will be like a nice warm blanket for the teenager from Toronto, just as it was for Gretzky, who was born in Brantford, Ont.

[Ed. Note: “The best player to come into the league in the last 30 years” would seem to indicate better than Crosby, no?]

”I think it’ll be a perfect fit for Connor in Edmonton. Not one bit is Edmonton a suffocating place to play. He’ll be treated like an Edmontonian. People will give him his privacy while they’re enamoured by his ability.”

Gretzky said for a player McDavid’s age, “he’s very mature for an 18-year-old who’s rated No. 1.”

Hey, that sounds familiar! Gretzky on Sidney Crosby, circa 2005: "He's probably more mature at 17 than maybe I was.”

Now … who officially gets to be “The Next One?”

 

 

 

 



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News sport : Islanders issue statement as Capitals fans claim homophobic, racist abuse

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Visiting fans get abused in home arenas on a nightly basis in the NHL. There are lines that shouldn’t be crossed that are frequently obliterated by idiots at the games, their behavior abetted by apathetic arena workers who don’t feel it’s their need to protect fans where the “other” colors. 

Thing is, in 2015, there’s finally a palpable pushback against the misogynistic, homophobic and racist taunts that make the arena a hostile environment., thanks to advent of social media. The latest example comes from the Nassau Coliseum.

Nate “Igor” Smith is a member of NYC Caps Fans, a group that went en masse to watch Game 3 of the Washington Capitals’ series at the New York Islanders. The abuse the group suffered was chronicled on his Tumblr, Driven By Boredom:

Unfortunately once the game started things went decidedly downhill. We were told to shut up and yelled all manor of things at us. The fans directly around us were pretty friendly but the people a few rows in front and a few rows behind were not. When the Islanders scored their first goal one of the guys behind me poured beer all over me. Homophobic [B.S.]was shouted at us all game and my friend Fatou had a number of racist comments directed at her.

Our group had bought seats in two different sections so during the second intermission we all met up at one of the out door smoking areas. We walked in together and were booed by everyone. It seemed good natured at first but then we were surrounded and things took a much darker turn. We were surrounded by several dozens of Islanders fans, some of whom blew smoke into the girls in our group’s faces. Several of them were actually pushing us but we clearly weren’t about to start a fight with that many people. I just held my Caps “Unleash The Fury” towel above my head (as seen in the above photos) and just took all the boos and chants of A-hole and fun stuff like “f--k you [homophobic slur]”.

At some point a drunk Islanders fan grabbed the rally towel out of my hands and as I tried to get it back Islanders fans swarmed me and it looked like it was going to turn into a brawl but security was quick to break it up. Of course the security guard blamed it on me for “instigating a fight” when all I was doing was silently holding a rally towel and smiling. When someone threw a bottle at our group I told the same security guard about it and he said “no one is throwing anything at you” despite the bottle landing at his feet.

Then, in the parking lot, a Capitals fan claimed his car was keyed and his back licensed plate was stolen after the game.

Yuck.

The Islanders released a statement through Daily News writer Stephen Lorenzo on Monday (s/t Islanders Point Blank):

“We are disappointed by the reported actions of a select group of fans that attended Game 3 on Sunday afternoon. The alleged racist or homophobic remarks directed at several Washington Capitals fans are by no means associated with or supported by New York Islanders organization. Islanders fans, who are made up of THE best of the world’s melting pot, are some of the most respectful, passionate and knowledgeable in the NHL. The inappropriate actions of a few individuals does not represent Islanders fans as a whole. We expect our fans to continue to be the loudest and most respectful fans in the NHL.”

So … not an apology, and nothing about arena staff.

At least when the Canadiens paid lip service to the Ottawa Senators fans that were abused at Bell Centre, the thought of investigating the issue with regard to arena staff’s failures to protect them was mentioned. The Islanders seem content with #NotAllFans and pushing it all aside.

Hey, maybe they know it’s Brooklyn’s problem now … 



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News sport : What humidor? Giants prospect hits for cycle, including massive homer

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Giants prospect Adam Duvall does not care about your attempts to limit his offensive production. Duvall played against the Los Angeles Angels Triple-A affiliates, Salt Lake City Bees, on Sunday.

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Due to the ridiculous offensive numbers posted in their park, the Bees installed a humidor during the offseason in order to limit production. Duvall appeared to take issue with that strategy. 

It's tough to get an accurate sense of where the ball landed based on the video, but the announcer says it hit a concession stand in left. That concession stand is over 474 feet away from home plate, so that gives you an idea of how well this ball was hit.

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The moonshot wasn't enough for Duvall. On top of the home run, he ripped two doubles, a triple and an infield single. That's right, Duvall hit for his first-ever cycle. 

Unbelievably, Duvall did make an out during the contest. He finished 5 for 6, with two runs scored and four RBI. 

Attempts to limit Adam Duvall's power will not be tolerated, and we know that now. Installing the humidor may have made him angry, and you don't want to see him when he's angry.

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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!



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News sport : Northern Illinois LB Rasheen Lemon arrested, suspended indefinitely

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EVANSTON, IL- SEPTEMBER 06: Kyle Prater #21 of the Northwestern Wildcats* is tackled by Rasheen Lemon #9 of the Northern Illinois Huskies on September 6, 2014 at Ryan Field in Evanston, Illinois. (Photo by David Banks/Getty Images)A leader on Northern Illinois’ defense ran into some legal trouble last week.

According to the DeKalb Daily Chronicle, redshirt senior linebacker Rasheen Lemon was arrested and charged with two counts of domestic battery and unlawful restraint on April 12. The unlawful restraint charge is a Class 4 felony that could result in probation or 1-3 years in prison.

Following his arrest last week, Northern Illinois suspended Lemon indefinitely.

According to police, the charges against Lemon, 22, stemmed from an argument with his girlfriend. From the Daily Chronicle:

According to court documents, Lemon, 22, and his girlfriend were arguing around 2 a.m. on April 12 when he pushed her to the ground and straddled her to hold her down. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound Lemon also stepped on her chest and caused a cut to the interior of her bottom lip, court records show.

Lemon was second on the Huskies with 90 tackles in 2014. He also registered 2.5 sacks, three tackles for loss and two forced fumbles. After redshirting the 2011 season, Lemon combined for 25 tackles, 1.5 sacks and 1.5 tackles for loss in 16 games played in 2012 and 2013.

Northern Illinois head coach Rod Carey declined to comment on the situation.

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



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News sport : Cal recruiting coordinator Pierre Ingram arrested in prostitution sting

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Call WR coach Pierre Ingram (bearinsider.com)Cal’s top recruiter, Pierre Ingram, was arrested April 16 as part of a prostitution sting, according to the San Jose Mercury News.

Ingram, who is the Golden Bears’ recruiting coordinator and wide receivers coach, allegedly solicited an undercover police officer online and was arrested when he tried to meet her at a Motel 6. Ingram was one of five men arrested during the sting operation.

Ingram was booked on suspicion of misdemeanor solicitation of a lewd act and has a court date next month.

Ingram was responsible for most of Cal’s recruiting success, including taking the lead on three of the program’s four four-star recruits in the 2015 class as well as helping secure the team’s top in-state talent.

The school has not yet commented on the situation.

For more Cal news, visit GoldenBearReport.com.

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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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News sport : 5-year-old Alabama fan yells 'Roll Tide' at perfect time (Video)

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Timing is everything; just ask this five-year-old Alabama fan.

According to a reader email sent to Barstool Sports, the young fan was attending his cousin’s wedding and yelled out a triumphant “Roll Tide!” at the perfect time – right as the groom kissed his bride.

The reader said that the whole family is full of huge Alabama fans.

It appears the young man has been taught well. 

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



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News sport : Scooter Gennett needs stitches after being attacked by PNC Park shower

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(USA Today)

This is how bad things are going for the worst-in-MLB Milwaukee Brewers right now: Their starting second baseman, Scooter Gennett, is likely to miss a couple of games after a shower injury.

Yes, a shower injury. After Sunday's road game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, which was Milwaukee's fifth straight loss, Gennett was attacked by a shower at PNC Park. He hand was sliced, he needed stitches and is likely to miss two games. He's not in the lineup Monday, but expects he'll be ready to play Wednesday.

We've heard of home-field advantages before, but none where opposing players are injured by stadium showers. Those Pirates showers are rascally, as Gennett reports that he was innocently grabbing some body wash when the shower cut him. For shame, PNC Park Shower, you should know better than to treat players like this. Gennett's words and a picture below (warning, if you don't like stitches, don't scroll down):

Can't believe it! Literally trying to grab some body wash in the shower (post game in Pittsburgh) and sliced my finger on the bottom of the metal thing that holds the shampoo and body wash! CraZ I know.

CraZ indeed! Even more CraZ, the Brewers are 2-10 on the season. That's the worst record in baseball. There are no bathroom items to blame for that ugly wound. The Brewers have scored the fewest runs in baseball while their pitchers have the third-worst ERA.

The Brewers have a lot of disappointment to wash off. They should just do it somewhere other than Pittsburgh.

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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!



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News sport : How can the Minnesota Wild contain Vladimir Tarasenko?

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David Backes might have said it best about Vladimir Tarasenko, after the brilliant 23-year-old St. Louis Blues winger tallied a hat trick in their Game 2 win.

“One inch of ice and he turns it into a great scoring chance,” He’s dynamic. He creates it all by himself,” said Backes. 

In other words, it’s what they’ve needed since perhaps 2009 as a playoff contender. A player who can jumpstart the offense on his own, make a play when they need one, score a goal at a critical juncture of a game or a series.

They’ve needed Vladimir Tarasenko, and now the Minnesota Wild need to stop him.

Last postseason, he had four goals in six games. This regular season, he led the Blues with 73 points and 37 goals, which was good for fifth in the NHL.  While his line with Jori Lehtera helped carry the Blues offensively all season, he’s also now found palpable chemistry with Alex Steen, who played with Tarasenko and Lehtera in Game 2 and is expected back with them for Monday night’s Game 3 at the Wild.

So what do the Wild do for Game 3 to try to slow him?

The last offensive juggernaut they faced was Nathan MacKinnon last season, who had 10 points in seven games against them last season. The Wild threw Erik Haula at him last season, but that probably doesn’t happen in Game 3. From the Star Tribune:

“He’s going to find ways to make plays, and he’s a challenge no matter who is on the ice,” Yeo said of Tarasenko.

“You can’t just put one guy and shadow him because he’s got other guys out there that would take you out of your system.”

Yeo said MacKinnon largely hurt the Wild 5-on-5 off the rush. “Last year, it was a very specific speed matchup that we were looking for,” Yeo said. While Tarasenko can score off the rush, Yeo said “he’s also willing to go to the hard areas, so it’s a different challenge.”

Via Chris Schroepfer of CBS Radio: 

The Wild aren’t expected to have one player shadow Tarasenko because St. Louis has too much depth at forward for Minnesota to do so. What Mike Yeo will have to do is make sure he has the right players out on the ice to match up with Tarasenko.

Whether it’s the line of Mikko Koivu, Jason Zucker and Chris Stewart matching up against Tarasenko’s line tonight or the defensive pairing of Ryan Suter and Jonas Brodin, one thing we have learned so far in this series is that Tarasenko is the scariest player on the ice and must be accounted for at all times.

The Wild obviously have their own game-changing offensive players, too, and will have a home crowd supporting them on Monday night.

And hey, Taresenko only scored 17 goals on the road…

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News sport : Kyle Wiltjer's return ensures Gonzaga's elite frontcourt stays intact

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One of this past season's elite frontcourts will return intact next year.

Kyle Wiltjer made that certain Monday when he joined fellow Gonzaga big men Przemek Karnowski and Domantas Sabonis in deciding to remain in school.

Whereas Sabonis revealed his decision soon after Gonzaga's Elite Eight loss to Duke and Karnowski made his plans known last week, Wiltjer's process dragged out the longest most likely because of his age. The skilled 6-foot-9 forward already has spent two years at Kentucky and two at Gonzaga and will turn 23 years old before the start of next season, young by real-life standards but not for a NBA prospect.

What surely kept Wiltjer from making the leap is the uncertainty over whether he would have been drafted. Concerns about whether he has the strength, quickness or athleticism to guard either NBA small forwards or power forwards have diminished his NBA stock despite his multifaceted offensive game.

Wiltjer made tremendous strides on offense while sitting out a year after transferring from Kentucky, working with the training staff at Gonzaga to remodel his body and reinvent his game.

No longer was he content to float to the perimeter and shoot a steady diet of catch-and-shoot threes. He became tougher to guard because he learned to exploit mismatches, backing down smaller defenders in the low post or forcing lumbering opposing big men to try to stay with him on the perimeter.

The result was a brilliant junior season in which Wiltjer averaged 16.8 points and 6.2 rebounds, shot 46.6 percent from behind the arc and earned second-team All-American honors. His versatile game meshed perfectly with Karnowski and Sabonis, the former a massive back-to-the-basket scorer and the latter an athletic forward comfortable at the rim and on the offensive glass.

The return of that trio is the biggest reason Gonzaga will probably begin the season in the top 15 in the polls despite the graduation of its entire starting backcourt.

Promising redshirt freshman Josh Perkins will likely inherit the starting point guard job from Kevin Pangos and Kyle Dranginis, Silas Melson and Eric McClellan should each receive increased playing time at wing. The Zags are also in hot pursuit of a handful of transfers including former Drexel guard Damion Lee, who scored 21 points per game last season for the Dragons and would be a potential starter at wing for the Zags next season.   

Regardless of who plays guard for Gonzaga, its strength will be its frontcourt.

Wiltjer, Karnowski and Sabonis nearly carried the Zags to their first Final Four this spring. They'll all be back to try to finish the job next year.

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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 : Man arrested in debate over greatness of Michael Jordan vs. LeBron James

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There are plenty of basketball topics worth debating, but few if any worth actually coming to blows over, unless of course you're legendary Boston Celtics coach Red Auerbach and St. Louis Hawks owner Ben Kerner questions your integrity, in which case you knock him out at midcourt in front of a sold-out crowd.

One of the widely accepted truths about basketball, however, is that Micheal Jordan is the greatest player to ever wear an NBA uniform. Bill Russell might have the most championship rings, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar might have the most points and LeBron James might still be penning his chapter in the sport's record books, but in terms of pure basketball brilliance — it's Michael Jordan, and then everybody else.

That didn't stop a Pennsylvania man from allegedly assaulting his roommate over a debate about whether LeBron is already better than Jordan, according to reports from The Daily Collegian and Centre Daily Times.

It was reportedly unclear if the man in question, 22-year-old Daniel Mondelice, was arguing for MJ or LeBron, but since he was arrested again later the same night for alleged trespassing and harassment, we'll go ahead and assume he was pulling for James, since nobody in their right mind would do such a thing.

Then again, he will face charges of aggravated assault, terroristic threats and simple assault for the initial altercation, and while we in no way endorse assault and terroristic threats, a roommate so vehemently arguing LeBron's case over Jordan might be enough to drive any man over the edge. I'm no lawyer, but an insanity plea in this case seems like the best-case scenario regardless of which way he was arguing.

For the record, the last time this debate came up with LeBron and Jordan themselves, the former told ESPN.com in 2013, "I want to be the greatest of all time. It's that simple, I'm far away from it, but I see the light." And the latter wouldn't even pick James over Kobe Bryant based on the Lakers superstar's five rings.

Jordan, of course, has won six titles, capturing Finals MVP honors each time to go along with his five regular-season NBA MVP awards, 10 First Team All-NBA selections and nine First Team All-Defensive bids. According to Basketball Reference, his career scoring average (30.1 points per game), MVP award shares (8.138), player efficiency rating (27.9), usage rate (33.3), win shares per 48 minutes (.250) and value over replacement player (104.4) are all No. 1 in NBA history. Not a bad case for the Bulls legend.

Meanwhile, LeBron — a two-time champion, two-time Finals MVP, four-time NBA MVP, eight-time First Team All-NBA and five time First Team all-Defensive honoree — may surpass Jordan in any and perhaps all such categories, but for the time being it's still not a debate. Now, let the verbal assault commence on Twitter.

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Ben Rohrbach is a contributor for Ball Don't Lie and Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at rohrbach_ben@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!



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News sport : President Obama honors Ohio State for national title victory

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President Barack Obama holds up a Ohio State football jersey that he was presented with from Ohio State football players Curtis Grant and Doran Grant, as head coach Urban Meyer watches at right. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)A few months after capturing a national title, the Ohio State Buckeyes made a trip to the White House in Washington D.C. Monday to be honored by President Barack Obama.

After leading those in attendance in an “OH-IO” cheer, President Obama lauded the Buckeyes for their achievements on and off the field.

“The Buckeyes hit their stride when it mattered most. At critical moments throughout the season, we learned about the character of this football team,” the President said.

Obama detailed the team’s incredible depth at quarterback from Braxton Miller to J.T. Barrett to Cardale “12-gauge” Jones, and even made sure to refer to Michigan as “the team up north” when mentioning Barrett’s injury against the Wolverines.

Obama also made sure to joke with running back Ezekiel Elliott about the NCAA”s new crop-top rule and mention standout defensive end Joey Bosa’s signature “shrug” celebration.

Once the President concluded his speech, OSU head coach Urban Meyer thanked Obama for being an early supporter for the creation of a College Football Playoff. Meyer also presented Obama with a game ball from the national title victory over Oregon and a red “Obama” No. 44 Buckeyes jersey.

Later on Monday, the Buckeyes will he honored by members of Congress at the Capitol building. 

For more Ohio State news, visit BuckeyeGrove.com.

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



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News sport : A high school pitcher threw 145 pitches in 12-inning game

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A high school baseball pitcher in Texas threw 145 pitches in a single outing last week. His coach says he asked the senior to sit out after the 11th inning, but Brandon White insisted on staying in. He said his arm felt fine.

If his team took the lead in the top of the 12th, he asked to be left in for the final three outs. Then he took the matter into his own hands. Leading off the 12th inning, White hit a solo home-run. That meant he stayed in to pitch the bottom of the 12th, closing out the 4-3 win.

It's easy to understand that he wanted to close out the game he'd started, especially against a district rival at a point when his team was undefeated in the district.

It's harder to understand why he was still in after 11 innings, long after he'd surpassed recommended pitch counts for players his age.

His Carrollton Creekview (Texas) High coach told the Dallas News that he prepares his players by slowly increasing their pitch counts throughout the season; that he kept checking with White to make sure that he was feeling okay; that everything seemed fine. 

“We do cap our pitchers,” Mansanales said. “We start them off at 30 pitches [per game] early in the season during tournaments. Then I like for them to be at 45-50 pitches. Once we get to the second game in district, it’s like, ‘We’re winning today. Whatever it takes, we’re winning.’

It's rare to see a professional pitcher go more than 100 pitches. A teenager? That's dangerous, according to Pitch Smart.

Pitch Smart is a joint effort between MLB and the American Sports Medical Institute. It recommends 17- and 18-year-old pitchers should be capped at 105 pitchers per outing, with at least four days of rest after any 76-plus-pitch outing. 

White said his arm felt like a "limp noodle" the next day, and he was kept out of practice for the rest of the week.  

Danielle Elliot is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact her at delliot@yahoo-inc.com or find her on Twitter and Facebook.



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News sport : Jeremy Johnson named Auburn's starting quarterback

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Auburn has named Jeremy Johnson its quarterback of the future.

Johnson, a junior who was the favorite all spring, solidified his starting role with a fantastic first-half performance during Auburn’s annual A-Day game last Saturday.

Johnson led Team Auburn, which was made up of all first-team players, on four scoring drives. He completed 14 of 22 passes for 252 yards and two touchdowns in front of an announced crowd of 62,143 at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Johnson’s first touchdown passes came on a 36-yard strike to D’haquille Williams in the right corner of the end zone early in the first quarter. In the second quarter, Johnson found Ricardo Lewis on a 49-yard pass and then Williams for the score.

However, not everything was perfect. Johnson did have a stretch where he threw five incompletions in a six-pass span before ultimately finding Lewis.

"I didn't perform to my best that I thought I should have performed but I did OK," Johnson said. "It was really about giving our receivers a chance and let them make plays down the field … (The incompletions are) the plays that we got to make if we want to be successful this season."

Johnson is already drawing comparisons to Auburn’s former Heisman winner Cam Newton. The two players are similar in physique and throw a similarly strong ball. Auburn can only hope those comparisons are accurate in the fall.

“He’s got a lot of experience,” Malzahn told the SEC Network during the game telecast. “Even though he’s been the backup, he has as much experience as anyone with practice and game snaps. I thought he did a good job today and we have high expectations for him.”

For more Auburn news, visit AuburnSports.com.

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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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News sport : Pelicans coach Monty Williams thinks Oracle Arena's so loud it might be illegal

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There were some tense moments late, thanks in large part to a 20-point fourth-quarter explosion by superstar Anthony Davis, but for the most part, the Golden State Warriors ably handled the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday in Game 1 of the two teams' opening-round playoff series. The No. 1-seeded Dubs exploded out of the gate, rolling up a 10-point lead just eight minutes into the game and leading by as many as 25 late in the third quarter. As you might expect, the Oracle Arena faithful were in full throat, "a gold shirt-wearing sellout crowd of 19,596 that rocked and roared most of the afternoon," according to Antonio Gonzalez of The Associated Press.

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That's nothing new for the crowd at Oracle, long celebrated for providing one of the loudest and most raucous home-court advantages in the NBA. But while Pelicans coach Monty Williams might not have been surprised by it, he sure doesn't seem to have appreciated the din, according to ESPN.com's Tom Haberstroh:

Speaking before the Pelicans' morning shootaround ahead of Monday's Game 2, Williams complimented the Warriors' home crowd but suggested that the volume has gotten excessive.
"I'm not so sure the decibel level is legal, and I'm serious," Williams said. "They've done studies on that. For the competition committee, there's got to be something to that. It does get a little out of hand. Their fans, I've talked about it for years, they have some of the best fans in the league."
Williams did not directly claim any foul play on the Warriors' part.

To be fair, Williams did seem to frame his concern as a compliment to the way the Warriors get their fans excited, according to the AP's Gonzalez:

"I've talked about it for years, they've got some of the best fans in the league here, and they show up early. The music before the game, they're playing old school music, and it's right above your locker room. And you're like, 'These people are crazy, man. This is pretty cool.' So I'm sure it has an effect, but after a few minutes it's just basketball."

It definitely seemed to have an effect in Game 1, as Pelicans All-Star Davis noted the roar of Oracle as a contributing factor in New Orleans' slow start during a 13-point first quarter: "My first playoff experience, it was pretty hectic. So much going on, it was so loud I couldn't hear my teammates, my coaches."

While Monty might not have insinuated the Dubs are doing anything shady, there have been other accusations of teams pumping in crowd noise to rattle the opposition.

TNT's Marv Albert claimed that the Boston Celtics had artificially pumped up the volume inside TD Garden during a nationally televised January 2013 loss to the New York Knicks. Washington Wizards play-by-play man Steve Buckhantz levied the same accusation at the Miami Heat back at the start of this season, claiming that the game operations staff at AmericanAirlines Arena had "gone to the canned crowd noise." Both the Celtics and Wizards denied doing so, but that doesn't mean fans won't continue to wonder and call B.S. on the noise in certain gyms ... especially when their favorite teams visit them during road trips.

There are rules against pumping in fake crowd noise in the NFL. The Atlanta Falcons just ran afoul of them, with a league investigation into allegations of piped-in cheering at the Georgia Dome costing them a 2016 fifth-round pick, earning the organization a $350,000 fine and team president Rich McKay a suspension from the NFL's competition committee.

There don't seem to be any similar restrictions in the NBA's rulebook, though. The only item I can find that refers to volume or noise in any way notes that players are barred from "talking to the free throw shooter or taking in a loud disruptive manner during any free throw attempt." This ain't that, so, y'know, the Warriors seem to be in the clear. I guess Williams could always try calling the local police and registering a noise complaint. Let us know if that works out for you, Monty.

Now, you're not going to believe this, but Williams' questioning of the legality of the decibel level inside Oracle met with some derision. Detractors of note included Draymond Green's mother, Mary Babers-Green:

... and, of course, Oracle itself:

Whether piped-in or organic and user-generated, the noise at Oracle sure doesn't seem likely to get any less insane come tipoff of Monday night's Game 2. And since it's not like the Board of Governors is going to call an emergency meeting this afternoon to institute a new rule demanding customers keep it down to a dull roar, it appears all Williams did here was confirm to Golden State's rabid fanbase that their screaming, hollering, applauding and chanting does get in Warriors' opponents' heads.

With the Warriors looking at an opportunity to open up a 2-0 lead, it's a safe bet that the Oracle denizens will crank it up to 11 and make the Pelicans prove they can play well enough out of the gate to shut 'em up on their own. If they can't ... well, here's hoping Monty and company have some Excedrin handy.

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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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