noticiasbowlingclub

Funny Football Shirts

2011-04-04T12:32:00.001-07:00

We all love football and want the latest football kits from the teams we support, but even the most ardent football fan would have to think twice about buying these shirts let alone wearing them!

Vote at the bottom of the page which jersey you think is most embarrassing:

Shirt 1

'Your a Wanka, Your a Wanka and you Wanka all day!'

Shirt 2

'Your a NOBO!'

Shirt 3

I'm saying nothing about this shirt, all my thoughts are perverse!

Shirt 4

You need a reliable Goalkeeper, not a clown! Arsenal fans take note!

Shirt 5
Playing against 11 men with 69 on your chest, a must for gay football teams!

Shirt 6

Hang Out with your Wang Out!

Shirt 7

Easily pleased?

Shirt 8

My favourite top, hmm Vodka! #hick#

Shirt 9

A team of 11 Virgins

Shirt 10

Describes England's reign under Fabio Crapello

Olympics-Local council may bid for 2012 swimming venue

2011-03-29T04:58:00.000-07:00

* Newham interested in aquatics, handball venues

* Organisers say good response from potential bidders (Adds OPLC response, details)

The London borough of Newham added its name on Monday to a list of potential bidders to take over the costly and controversial 2012 Olympic aquatics centre after the Games.

Newham mayor Robin Wales told Reuters that the council would be seeking partners after submitting a formal expression of interest to the Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC) for the facility and the multi-use handball arena.

However, he said his borough, one of the poorest in London, would want government money to pay maintenance costs and could not rule out the need for major structural changes, including to the wave-like roof.

Newham has already teamed up with Premier League soccer club West Ham United to take over the Olympic Stadium after the Games while retaining the athletics track. Most of the Olympic Park in east London falls inside the council's boundaries.

"We have put an expression of interest in...we are very concerned about the maintenance. This is going to be something which is going to cost money, not make money," said Wales of the aquatics centre.

"Where the stadium will over time not be a drain on public funds, and in fact will make us money, the aquatics is a very different beast.

"But we can see there might be a synergy with the stadium and we are just going to look at that."

The deadline for expressions of interest was last week and the OPLC said 35 organisations had taken part in the process.

"We are evaluating the submissions in order to create a shortlist in the coming weeks. We aim to appoint operators by January 2012," a spokesperson said.

STRIKING DESIGN

Designed by Iraqi-born architect Zaha Hadid, the aquatics centre is the most striking of the venues in east London but also one of the least attractive for potential operators.

Wales said the building, whose cost was originally estimated at 75 million pounds ($120.1 million) but now stands at 268 million, was flawed.

"It's got a wooden roof over a chlorinated pool. We are not in the business of protecting that," he said.

"Why do you build something that has got a built-in problem with maintenance? This is foolish," he said.

"If a council did that we'd get eviscerated. And quite rightly too.

"I don't know if you can take the roof off, I'm not a swimming pool designer," said the elected mayor, who is also on the board of organisers LOCOG. "Mind you, I always wanted a lido in Newham."

Wales said Newham's interest was in providing a recreational facility for locals after the Games and had offered at an early stage to pay five million pounds towards a leisure pool being incorporated in the design.

"The trouble is the roof slopes in such a way that you can't get slides in. You can't use it," he said.

"We have consistently stuck to our position which is that we want to use it in legacy, we were willing to put money in to use it in legacy so the community can also be part of it.

"That was not what was wanted at the time it was designed and therefore...there's an implication for that and people are going to have to face up to it."

Wales said the copper-clad handball venue was of interest only for potential synergies with the Olympic stadium.

"It's not in our borough and we are more twitchy about that," he said.

Curling: Sweden win World Championship

2011-03-29T04:53:00.000-07:00

Annette Norberg left it late but claimed her third world title at Canada's expense at the Women's World Curling Championships in Esbjerg.

The double Olympic champion did it the hard way, with the scores tied 5-5 in the ninth end and with Canadian skip Amber Holland having the last stone advantage in the tenth.

But despite this, Norberg stayed strong while Holland committed some mistakes, allowing Sweden to steal two at the death and claim the crown in Denmark.

Although this was Norberg's third World Championship win, it was her first with the team of Cecilia Östlund, Sara Carlsson and Lotta Lennartsson and she couldn't have been happier with the support she received.

"I'm just thrilled about these girls and how they've performed, and how strong they are as a team after just a few months together," she said. "So I'm really, really proud."

Meanwhile, Norway's Henriette Løvar was handed the 2011 Frances Brodie Award, voted by the players for the individual who best personifies curling's values and good sportsmanship.

Snooker: Lee knocks out Williams in China Open classic

2011-03-29T04:52:00.002-07:00

Stephen Lee produced a magnificent performance to beat an equally-inspired Mark Williams in the first round of the China Open in Beijing.

Rugby: Aviva Premiership - Taumoepeau to stay at Worcester

2011-03-29T04:52:00.001-07:00

Worcester Warriors have re-signed Tongan prop Tevita Taumoepeau for another season.

Taumoepeau, capped 29 times by his country, has been a cornerstone of the Warriors pack since arriving at the club in the summer of 2005 from French outfit Bourgoin.

Taumoepeau, 36, said: "I've really enjoyed my time at Sixways and Worcester Warriors has become my home over the last six years. I have great team-mates and wonderful fans who support me. This season I have been happy with how I have played and feel I am in some of the best shape of my career."

Warriors forwards coach Phil Davies said: "Tevita is one of the best tightheads I have worked with, particularly in terms of his scrummaging, and he brings real solidity to the pack."

Rugby: Magners League - Wales trio get new Cardiff deals

2011-03-29T04:51:00.000-07:00

The good news for the Blues comes after Sam Warburton and Tom James also signed new deals.

"I'm really pleased to have extended my stay at the Blues. It's a great club and I had no doubt that this is who I wanted to sign with and happy that we have come to an agreement," said Halfpenny, who made his Blues debut in 2008.

"I've not been tempted to play anywhere else as it's a very ambitious club and with the quality players we have here, with some good youngsters coming through, the future looks very bright."

Second-rower Davies has made 70 appearances for the region and also made his Wales debut in the 2009 Six Nations.

"It's great news to have signed, not only for me personally, but for the rest of the boys who have signed also," said Davies.

Czekaj, who is set to play his 100th match for the Blues against the Ospreys after switching from wing to full-back this season, added: "I've been six seasons with the Blues now and I'd be stupid to want to move with the progress that the team has made over the last few years."

Cricket: Ashes - Ashes failures overshadow Ponting era

2011-03-29T04:50:00.000-07:00

The tough, single-minded Tasmanian always put the team first and that, he said, had prompted him to stand down after nine years in charge of the Australia one-day team and seven as Test skipper on Tuesday.

The most Test (48) and one-day international (164) wins by any captain as well as successive World Cup triumphs in 2003 and 2007 is an impressive record by any standards, and there has never been any doubt about his quality as a batsman.

And yet, ever since he took over a world-beating side from Steve Waugh, there has always been a question mark hovering over his captaincy.

His honeymoon period as Test captain lasted little over a year until he blotted his copy book with the ultimate sin for an Australian captain, the loss of an Ashes series to England.

Ponting silenced the critics the following year, however, leading from the front with a Player of the Series performance to help Australia regain the urn 5-0, the first Ashes whitewash in 86 years.

The retirement of greats like Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Adam Gilchrist, Justin Langer and Matthew Hayden would have weakened any side, however, and so it was for Australia.

A rare home defeat to South Africa was followed by a second Ashes defeat in England in 2009 and the pressure was now weighing heavily on him again.

"There's no doubt over the last few years, things have become harder around the team, to captain the side when things haven't being going brilliantly," he said.

There were great hopes in Australia that when England pitched up late last year, they would again be put to the sword.

This was a different England side, however, and three humiliating defeats by an innings or more saw the Australians lose a home Ashes series for the first time in a quarter of a century.

As much as he denied it, the pressure had clearly effected Ponting.

Always accused of lacking imagination, the sight of him frantically moving his fielders around the Adelaide Oval as England's batsmen continued to hammer his bowlers smacked of desperation.

His form with the bat also slumped and as the team declined, his undoubted passion for victory started to look more like petulance as he engaged in spats with opponents, umpires and finally television sets and team mates.

Even while they were plummeting from first to fifth in the Test rankings, however, Australia maintained their place as the best one-day side in the world.

While Ponting said his biggest regret was never winning an Ashes series in England as captain, it was to the limited overs game that he was drawn when he was asked for his best moment.

"If I was to pick one, it would probably be the first World Cup that I captained," he recalled on Tuesday. "As a relatively new captain, we got through that tournament undefeated.

"I made a big hundred in the final and to this day, that's one of the proudest moments of my career."

His final innings as captain was a defiant, and sometimes inspired, century in Australia's quarter-final defeat to India at the World Cup last week.

Bucking the trend of his predecessors in the last three decades, the 36-year-old has decided to play on in both Test and one-day cricket.

Unburdened by the captaincy, Ponting will be hoping to rejuvenate his batting, much as happened with India's Sachin Tendulkar -- the only player in the history of cricket to have scored more runs than him.

Cricket: World Cup - Key battles: India v Pakistan

2011-03-29T04:49:00.000-07:00

Tendulkar (379 runs @ 54.14), the world's greatest batsman, is fiercely focused and determined in what is likely to be his final chance to play in a World Cup winning side. He has scored two hundreds and has a maximum two chances left at this tournament to record a 100th international century before a home crowd.

Gul (14 wickets, economy rate 3.86) does not have the high profile of other Pakistan pace bowlers, including his team mate Shoaib Akhtar, but he has become a consummately skilled operator. Strong and lively, Gul is dangerous with the new ball and a master of reverse swing with the old.

Pakistan's SHAHID AFRIDI V India's YUVRAJ SINGH

Afridi (21/3.48) has swept all before him with his cleverly assorted mixture of quick leg-spinners, googlies and top-spinners, including 4-34 against the quick-footed Sri Lankans.

India must find an effective counter and the prolific Yuvraj (341/113.66), may be the man. As a left-hander, Yuvraj starts with an natural advantage and his all-round abilities have gathered him four man-of-the-match awards.

India's ZAHEER KHAN V Pakistan's KAMRAN AKMAL

Zaheer (17/4.47) is the best and most versatile of the Indian bowlers. The left-armer swings the new ball dangerously, contains in the middle overs and finds reverse swing at the end.

Kamran, (188/37.60) whose failings with the gloves have been well-documented, has been given a licence to attack at the start of the innings, a role he has performed with some success.

India's HARBHAJAN SINGH V Pakistan's YOUNUS KHAN

Harbhajan (6/4.43) has played a containing rather than an attacking role but remains the best of the Indian spinners.

Younus (172/34.20) is a supreme technician against all types of bowling who supplies ballast to a fragile middle-order.

F1: Bell launches Visor Panel

2011-03-29T04:48:00.001-07:00

Bell Racing has launched a new visor panel in an attempt to avoid a repeat of the injuries suffered by Felipe Massa in his accident at the Hungaroring back in 2009.

The Brazilian suffered head injuries when he was struck by a bolt that had broken away from the Brawn GP car of Rubens Barrichello, with Massa lucky to be able to resume his racing career after being placed in a coma in the aftermath of the incident.

The FIA Institute looked into various ways of improving driver protection in the frontal area of the helmet with a series of tests being carried out before the results were approved by the World Motor Sport Council earlier this month.

On the back of that, Bell has launched the Visor Panel with immediate effect, with the new part being recommended for use by the FIA.

Bell's visor panels - complying with the FIA specifications - are made of a highly resistant aramid fibre, covered by an external skin of carbon fibre and processed with autoclave technology. The panel weight is approximately 66 grams and is attached to the helmet's visor with a specially developed adhesive.

The part was trialled in the Abu Dhabi test following the 2010 season by Robert Kubica, with Vitaly Petrov, Sebastien Buemi, Jarno Trulli, Sergio Perez and Jerome D'Ambrosio then testing the part successfully in Barcelona.

The visor panel is likely to become mandatory in the future.

F1: Alonso: Australia was no disaster

2011-03-29T04:47:00.001-07:00

Fernando Alonso says there was nothing "disastrous" about Ferrari's performance at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.

Although the Spaniard and his team arrived in Melbourne as one of the favourites to fight for victory, the reality was different, and the Italian squad did not have the pace to match Red Bull or McLaren.

Alonso finished in a distant fourth position, and he admitted it had not been the start of the season he wanted.

But the two-time champion made it clear there was nothing to worry about, and is sure he would have been closer to the podium if not for a poor start.

"It wasn't the start that we all wanted but nor is it anything to get worried about," said Alonso. "I already said it at the track: 12 points is not far below the world champion's average last year and two title contenders finished behind me.

"So overall the Australian Grand Prix can't be defined as disastrous. Certainly, in qualifying we were very far from Vettel's Red Bull and far from Hamilton's McLaren but in the race the situation improved - perhaps not compared to Sebastian but certainly against the others.

"The start was a pity: if I hadn't found myself down in ninth place at the beginning of the first lap I'd have been able to fight to the finish for the two lower steps of the podium."

The Spaniard insisted Ferrari's performance in Australian did not come as a big shock to him, as no one knew what the real pecking order was after testing.

"For me there weren't any big surprises, particularly because I didn't arrive in Melbourne with a clear idea of how the grid would line up," he said. "From the tests, especially this year, it was difficult to have a realistic picture of the situation.

"The only positive surprise was the behaviour of the Pirelli tyres which, at least at Albert Park, showed less degradation than what we saw at the test.

"We will see how things go in Malaysia at Sepang, on a track that is very different to the semi-street circuit of Albert Park."

Boxing: DOUGIE'S MONDAY MAILBAG

2011-03-29T04:45:00.000-07:00

Man, didn't Yuriorkis Gamboa-Jorge Solis look eerily similar to Floyd Mayweather-Diego Corrales? The styles. The height difference. The speed. Jumping in with the lead left hook. I loved the right to the body/left hook combination. But, Gamboa punches more like Tyson than Mayweather. If Gamboa would just cover his chin, though. Everyone is not as tall or slow (compared to Gamboa) or weight-drained as Solis. He's going to continue getting caught coming in. -- JW

We’ll see. I noticed that Gamboa held his hands up more than usual, especially when he was in close with Solis. He still drops them often, mostly to lure his opponents in, but I think he’s gradually cleaning up his technical flaws.

I didn’t think about it while the fight was happening but I guess there are some aesthetic similarities between Gamboa-Solis and Mayweather-Corrales. However, as impressive as Gamboa was, I was far more impressed with Mayweather’s performance over Corrales (even though the late “Chico” was so dried out that he looked like a zombie at the weighin). Corrales didn’t even attempt to jab as Solis did, but he had something the Mexican lacked -- power. Gamboa was a lot like Mayweather in the manner in which he couldn’t miss with his lead left hook, but he wasn’t in the ring with somebody who could turn a fight with a single punch.

Gamboa obviously possess that attribute, which is why it will be a lot of fun watching him take on the best of his deep division. I know we probably won’t see the big showdown with JuanMa Lopez in 2011, so I’d like to see Gamboa take on either Chris John or Daniel Ponce de Leon or Elio Rojas later this year.

AT LEAST ONE GUY TRAINED

Hey Dougie,
So this weekend was pretty disappointing up until the Gamboa fight. All the underdogs seemed to have trained well, but Erislandy Lara, Dmitry Pirog, and whatever that bronze super heavyweight medalist from the Pirog undercard's name was all disappointed. These guys were all clearly in set up fights and couldn't sustain their own work rate for even a full round at a time. It was disgusting. They were all much better than the guys they were fighting, and all deserved to win (or tie) probably, but their conditioning was really disappointing. I understand fighters aren't always matched super tough every time out, and that's fine, but if someone's given a gimmie they need to win it in style. It's not an excuse to train half as hard.

Gamboa was excellent. It's worth correcting some writers though, he was equally brilliant in splattering Mtagwa. I've been a fan of Gamboa for a while and am glad to see him getting some credit (I do believe he has been more deserving of the low top ten lb 4 lb spot held by Lopez than Lopez himself is).

Two things though: First, I'm not sure why people say "we can't compare Pacquiao and Gamboa." No one has compared them entirely, Solis only compared their punching power, and after fighting bravely through both men's best shots he's earned the right to compare whatever he'd like to about them. It's fair for him to say Gamboa hits harder. He's in a good position to have an opinion. He may be right. Pacquiao has certainly eased off of his focus on power that he had at 126 (he fought Solis at 130), and turned into an aggressive boxer puncher since he passed into 135. Or he may be wrong, but there's no reason not to compare the two. In the lead up to the Frietas-Corrales fight I remember The Ring interviewed old sparring partners and common opponents and they pretty much all said Corrales hits hard but Frietas' power is on another level. It turned out not to matter when Corrales flattened Frietas in a pretty one sided beating. So right or wrong, no one should be making too big a deal out of believing or not believing what Solis had to say. He's a classy guy for saying it, you rarely see fighters that respectful of an opponent anymore.

The second point I wanted to make is that Gamboa-Lopez would be a great fight, but until it's going to be made I don't want to hear about it. It's not like Mayweather-Pacquiao where it's the only evenly matched fight either man could get into. It's just one of many attractive fights at feather right now. I'd love to see Gamboa in against Chris John (I'd pick Gamboa based off how close a short slow Rocky Juarez came), or even Jorge Linares. What I'd really like, (and what I'd trade never seeing the Lopez fight for) is to see Gamboa at 135 in two years. There are a wealth of fighters available at 135 and I'd guess the money gets better there too, plus, after having seen every fight both guy has been in on major networks, I really don't think Lopez-Gamboa is that close a fight anymore. Lopez is a powerful sharp shooter but his feet aren't anything more than average and his defense is wildly porous. It's not a 10 to 1 type fight or anything, but I think it's a lot closer to Jones-Toney than Leonard-Hearns. Take care. -- Todd

Comparing Gamboa-Lopez to Jones-Toney is giving Gamby a little bit more credit than he deserves and it’s giving JuanMa way too much credit. The Puerto Rican southpaw is a solid technical puncher but he’s nowhere in Toney’s class in terms of ring generalship, defense, counter-punching ability and versatility. Having said that, it should be pointed out that Lopez has a lot more punching power at featherweight than Toney had at super middleweight. And because of this power, and his above-average accuracy, I don’t think anyone should make Gamby more than a 2-to-1 favorite over Lopez. However, knowing how most fans and boxing writers pee on themselves with excitement over fighters with the combination of power and ultra-quick hands/feet/reflexes, I have no doubt that whenever the fight takes place the Cuban dynamo will be installed as at least a 3-to-1 fave, and probably as high as 6-to-1. That’s going to be a mistake because Lopez can clip him, hurt him and stay patient while looking for the kill while Gamby tries to go all “cyclone” on him. Both featherweights have been rocked in past fights (Lopez more so than the Cuban) but the Puerto Rican has reacted with more professional poise to his adversity in my opinion. Gamboa gets caught up in proving that he’s not hurt whenever he’s been dropped, and at times, he’s gotten a little wild. Maybe he’s matured past that point, but maybe not. Solis didn’t have the power to let us know.

I hope it doesn’t seem like I’m not impressed with Gamby’s performance over Solis because I am. He exceeded my expectations and I’m very excited about his future. I can’t wait to see him fight again. And like you, I really don’t care to focus solely on the Lopez showdown because I think there are other worthy challenges out there for him. However, I do believe that Lopez is one of those worthy challenges.

Let’s hope Bob Arum doesn’t try to milk the matchup for too long. I don’t mind the fight not happening this year (although I’d prefer it in the fall) but if they don’t get it on by June of 2012 I’m going to stop talking about the damn matchup. I have no idea who you’re referring to when you say some people don’t want to hear any comparisons between Gamboa and Pacquiao but please tell them that Dougie says they need to get a grip and a life.

I was also disappointed in Lara’s performance against Molina. I didn’t see the Pirog-Maciel broadcast but I heard the Russian beltholder kind of stank it out. The “super heavyweight bronze medalist” I assume you are referring to is Vyacheslav Glazkov, who won the bronze in the 2008 Olympic Games for his native Ukraine. I saw where Glazkov (9-0, 6 KOs) was taken the eight-round distance by Denis Bakhtov on Pirog’s undercard.

Even though I haven’t seen the fights, I’m not surprised that Pirog and Glazkov struggled a bit. I’m not entirely surprised that Lara struggled, either. Why? Because I disagree that they were in with “gimmie” opponents. A “gimmie” is a bout where the favorite’s opponent can’t fight at all. That’s not the case with Molina, Maciel or Bakhtov. These guys are not rank journeymen. Maciel is prospect, which is basically what Pirog is. Yeah, the Russian is 30 and he had a lot of amateur bouts but come on, the dude just fought his 18^th pro bout. He ain’t Marvin Hagler, so I don’t see why we should be so shocked or disappointed if he didn’t murder a tough kid from Argentina who has some skill and athletic ability (and actually more fights than Pirog). Pirog’s claim to fame is cold cocking Daniel Jacobs, who was what? A PROSPECT. Nothing more or less.

Let’s put these fights in their proper perspectives. Yes, Glazkov won a bronze medal at the 2008 Olympics, but he still entered his bout with Bakhtov with only eight pro bouts under his belt. He was fighting a real veteran of 38 pro bouts (33-5) in his first bout that was scheduled for more than six rounds. That’s a tall order. Don’t get carried away with Olympic credentials. It’s obvious that the competition isn’t what it was 20 or 30 years ago, especially in the super heavyweight division. I mean Deontay Wilder won a bronze in Glazkov’s division, for Christ’s sake, and despite having Vitali Klitschko’s frame, the dude is barely a six-round fighter two years after turning pro. The American is 15-0 with 15 knockouts and still not ready to face anyone nearly as experienced and competent as Bakhtov. (Wilder was dropped and seriously hurt by a real “gimmie” opponent, Harold Sconiers, last October.) So cut Glazkov some slack.

You don’t have to cut Lara as much slack because he had the talent, skill and style to soundly beat Molina even without his vast amateur experience. I agree that he probably wasn’t in the best of shape but I also think he was hampered by his mentality going into the fight. I don’t think he respected Molina (which he should have) and I think he tried too hard (at least in the early rounds of the bout) to go for the KO. That was a mistake because Molina is not just a tough-guy opponent with a decent record. The Chicagoan can fight and he can box. He isn’t dynamic and he doesn’t look smooth doing it but he knows how to employ some of the finer points of the sport and he did so against Lara. Molina didn’t just outwork the Cuban. He knew when to move his hands, when to move his head and when to move his feet.

Molina is definitely not a “gimmie” opponent. Ask Julio Cesar Chavez, Mike Alvarado, or Alexis Camacho. Those guys were all hot prospects when they fought Molina, and he did the same thing to them as he did to Lara. I was ringside for his second bout with Junior and I thought it could have been another draw or a close win for Molina. I thought the Alvarado bout could have been a draw. He soundly defeated Camacho, a puncher with a 17-1 record. If Molina got the nod in the Chavez and Alvarado bouts, his record would have been 20-2-1 going into the Lara fight and I bet a lot of fans would have viewed the match up in a different light.

Anyway, thank goodness for Gamboa, who exceeded expectations and looked sensational doing so. When highly touted fighters do that (as Nonito Donaire did against Fernando Montiel and Brandon Rios did against Miguel Acosta) it pushes them a little closer toward “star” status and creates a buzz in a sport that sorely needs as much as it can get.

NICK CHARLES

Hi Doug. It was great to see Nick Charles again. I was so happy to see him. He didn't look like what he was before but it was totally understandable. When Bob Papa started talking bout him, I actually thought he'd say something I didn't want to hear. Instead, when the camera panned out, here he was, standing right next to Bob and holding the microphone. It was awesome. I have a cancer patient in my family so I got emotional a little bit. He definitely has a special place in my heart. I really hope he'll beat the disease and come back 100%.

On to my thoughts about the fights on Friday/Saturday:

1. Lara didn't impress me at all and I thought he lost. Other Cuban 154 Lber seemed to be decent. The cruiserweight guy didn't impress me at all.

2. That was first time I saw Mikey Garcia fight. He's solid, patient and calculated like everyone said. I don't think he's ready for JuanMa or Gamboa though. I'd like to see him fight someone more experience and solid like Orlando Salido or another young guy with solid skills like J.C. Burgos, Daud Yordan, etc.

3. Gamboa impressed me. I have never been impressed by him before but the way he finished Solis, he impressed me. I wanna see him fighting punchers like Bernabe Concepcion or Jhonny Gonzales next before facing JuanMa.

Keep up the good work. -- Naoki, Reno, Nev.

Thanks for writing in with your thoughts on Nick Charles, Naoki. Charles has a special place in all boxing fans’ hearts. It’s not just because of his valiant fight against a terrible and debilitating disease. It’s also because of his passion for the sport we all love and the professional but friendly manner in which he’s broadcast his vast knowledge and love for boxing over the years.

I had the honor of working two small pay-per-view broadcasts with Charles in 2008 (the Jorge Arce-Devid Lookmahnak ’Latin Fury’ from Mexico in May of that year and the Ivan Calderon-Hugo Cazares rematch from the very hot and humid Puerto Rico in August) and can tell you that the man is as warm and genuine in person and off-camera as he is on camera. The color commentator for both of those broadcasts I did with Charles was Genaro Hernandez, who is fighting his own battle with cancer. Both men are an inspiration. I always tell non-boxing fans who ask me what it is a like about the sport that “some of the best people I’ve met in life are boxing people.” Nick and Genaro are definitely among those people.

Anyway, onto your points, which I will reply to in order:

1. I thought Molina won the fight by winning six out of the 10 rounds, but I didn’t think the draw was a poor verdict. I was also disappointed with Lara and unimpressed with the cruiserweight, who appeared sloppy to me. Yudel Jhonson looks like a smooth operator in the ring. I’d like to see him in with a bigger, younger opponent than Gutierrez.

2. I agree that Garcia isn’t ready for Gamboa or Lopez (give him another year and he will be). Burgos would be a very dangerous fight for Mikey right now, but I’d love to see it. It would not disappoint. I’d like to see Garcia take on Bernabe Concepcion. That’s a fun fight.

3. I think Gamboa would ice Concepcion in one or two rounds. Gonzalez isn’t a viable opponent in my eyes unless he can pull the upset against Hozumi Hasegawa in Japan on April 8. I want to see Gamboa take on only the be best 126 pounders, Rojas, John, and of course, Lopez.

LIGHTENING GAMBOA

I was pumped to see Juan Manuel Lopez in the ring after the Gamboa fight. Hopefully that fight will actually happen. It needs to happen. If not, what's next for Gamboa? I think with his speed he'll be able to move up easily if nobody will fight him at his current weight. As a sidenote to how amazing boxers are as athletes: Zbikowski was gassed in a 4 round fight and he plays in the NFL! Thanks for all the good work Doug, keep it up. -- Matt from Mattawan

I remember a quote from Mark Gastineau, a five-time Pro Bowler who tried boxing in the early 1990s (and had around 15 or 16 bouts, some of which were reportedly set-ups), when he was asked to compare being in shape for pro football to pro boxing conditioning (and I‘m paraphrasing here): “I was on vacation the entire time I was in the NFL and I didn’t know it.”

Anyway, my guess is that Gamboa, who began his pro career at 130 pounds, could go up to junior lightweight anytime and kick ass. However, I think that would be a mistake. There are no notable fighters at 130 pounds right now, unless you count Jorge Linares, who is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, which puts him on Bob Arum’s ban list.

The better fighters are at 126 pounds right now, so that’s where Gamby should stay. Lopez isn’t the only talented featherweight in the game. I think there are others who can give the Cuban a fight.

NETWORK

Dougie,

A few quick points:

1. I grew up watching network fights in the 80's, with the CBS involvement in the upcoming PPV fight do you see major fights coming back to network TV. Is this format more beneficial to fighters pockets or marketability?

2. I know you're a comics fan like myself and Marvel has a large digital archive of their comics, like early issues of Spiderman and Thor. Do you see The Ring Mag doing such a thing?

3. Whose the guy the walks in the ring now with the kufi and tank top, most recently with Mayorga. He looks like MC Shan on roids.

-- Kino, New York, New York

Hey Kino. I’ll answer your questions in order:

1. I don’t see major boxing returning to network TV even if Pacquiao-Mosley is a huge pay-per-view success because of the fight’s exposure on CBS. What could happen is that the promotional build-up to more major PPV shows could be see on networks in the future. The network format is definitely more beneficial to a fighter’s marketability, which could translate into more money for those special few who possess the right mix of talent and charisma.

2. I am indeed a bigtime comic nerd. The good news for bigtime boxing nerds is that THE RING is working on making its vast archives available to those who subscribe to the digital edition of the magazine. I believe that the Imirus microsite (where you buy the digital edition) will begin listing individual back issues on April 1. I don’t know how far back these issues go, but I think the ultimate goal for the company is to eventually have most (if not all) editions of THE RING dating back to 1922 (when it was founded) in an accessible digital format.

Here’s the link to the sign up page for the digital edition if you’re interested:http://www.imirus.com/fulfillment_files/thering/subscribe.html?title=724

3. I have no idea who you are talking about, and I have no desire to look into who it might be, but I have to say that it never ceases to amaze me what and/or whom captures the attention of you hardcore heads before, during and after a fight. God bless ya!

UFC:Three Stars: Jung, Sadollah and a pair of bantamweights

2011-03-29T04:44:00.000-07:00

The UFC's first trip to Seattle was successful, with several young, untested fighters showing they belonged in the Octagon. Who rose above the rest?

No. 1 star -- Chan Sung Jung: In their first bout, Jung and Leonard Garcia swung wildly at each other for three rounds. They created an exciting bout that will long be remembered as one of the WEC's best, but still ended up in a loss for Jung. He changed his plan this time, fighting a more calculated bout that ended with him slapping on twister submission. It was the first twister performed in the UFC, and it earned Jung at $55,000 Submission of the Night bonus.

No. 2 star -- Amir Sadollah: Since winning the seventh season of "The Ultimate Fighter," Sadollah has had an up-and-down tenure in the UFC, plagued with injuries, sickness and odd losses. None of those troubles were obvious on Saturday night, as he gave DaMarques Johnson an old-fashioned beating. In the second round, Sadollah inundated Johnson with elbows, causing Johnson to tap and earning Sadollah his second straight win.

No. 3 star -- Michael McDonald and Edwin Figueroa: Smaller weights are known for putting on a show, and McDonald and Figueroa delivered. McDonald won their three-round decision with a mix of strikes and submission attempts, but Figueroa won respect by standing through every strike and making it out of every sub attempt. They both won $55,000 for a Fight of the Night bonus.

Honorable mention -- Johny Hendricks: Unfortunately, the main event ran over time, so we didn't get to see Hendricks' knockout of T.J. Waldburger. A report from on-site described it:

Hendricks connected on two powerful left hands. The back-to-back blows sent Waldburger to the mat, and the ref halted the action before Hendricks could deliver any further punishment.

Hendricks earned the Knockout of the Night bonus, good for $55,000.

Golf: Laird, Marino stand out at Arnie’s event

2011-03-29T04:43:00.001-07:00

Martin Laird: Laird was well on his way to being one of the week’s big losers – until he rallied on the back nine to post his second tour win. The two-putt on 18 was not easy, though he made it look that way.

Steve Marino: Granted, he squandered his chance to collect his first tour victory with the bogey at 15 and the double at 17. Yet he somehow found a way to hit one of the best shots of the week – the approach at the treacherous 18th – which gave him a chance to get in a playoff if Laird were to falter. Marino is too good for the winless drought to last much longer.

David Toms: Can you believe it’s been five years since Toms won a tournament? A lot of that is due to injuries. But if he’s healthy again, the former PGA champion is still young enough at 44 to win again. Nobody owns a purer putting stroke. Even when he misses, they look like they should have gone in.

Spencer Levin: Dear golf gods: Let Levin win and soon. If this year so far has been about the emergence of new, interesting characters on tour, nobody is more interesting – and perhaps volatile – than the passionate Levin. He also possesses a wonderful short game.

Sergio Garcia: First, the good news. Sergio’s ball striking looks as sharp as ever. There were many who claimed that, even during Tiger’s prime – we have seen his prime, haven’t we? – Sergio, from tee to green, was more consistent. Now the bad news. He still misses too many short putts, including an unthinkable gag from 18 inches on Saturday. If he could putt, he might have won the thing.

Sam Saunders: Did anyone have more pressure on him at Bay Hill than Saunders, the King’s grandson? Given the circumstances, he performed magnificently with a tie for 30th. The kid has game.

Golf: Lessons for Augusta: Don’t pick Tiger

2011-03-29T04:42:00.001-07:00

Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Invitational had all the trimmings to make it feel like a big-time party, full of anticipatory pre-Masters buzz, like a pre-Augusta kegger: great weather, Tiger, Simmerin’ Spencer Levin, U.S. Open-like bloodshed, Tiger, Steve Marino pain, a Euro winner not named Lee, Martin, Ian, Rory or Graeme, ‘last channel’ remote-control function giving us Shaka Smart magic on hardwood, Johnny Miller cracking wise on NBC (he called Marino a “walking lip-out,” yes he did), Tiger and, of course, the King himself.

When Arnold is in the house – deeply-tanned, sweater draped over his shoulders on the NBC broadcast, exuding Arnie-ness – all is right with the golf world. And let’s be honest: This coming week’s Shell Houston Open is window dressing, the golf equivalent of the final weekend of baseball spring training, when bags are packed and all anybody can do is look forward to blowing out of town.

In baseball, that means teams splitting from Florida and Arizona for Opening Day.

In golf, that means enduring the Shell Houston Open until we get to the Masters.

Consider Bay Hill a final cram session before the year’s first major, then. And like John Belushi’s Bluto Blutarsky springing from the trash bin with the answers to the final exam in “Animal House,” we’ve got some final answers right here:

• Tiger will not win the Masters. This is not about Tiger hate, dear reader. This is an honest evaluation of a guy who can’t putt right now – much less reliably hit fairways and greens. When Tiger Woods goes to Torrey Pines, Dubai, Doral and Bay Hill and posts T-44, T-20, T-10, T-29 … well, that’s like Larry Bird shooting a cool 11 percent from the field at the Boston Garden. Amazingly, the greatest player of our time is wracked by a lack of consistency – and worse, a lack of confidence – in his game. How else can you explain being in contention at Torrey after 36 holes, then firing a 74-75 on the weekend? Or being in contention at Dubai after 54 holes, then posting a 75 on Sunday? Or following up a buzz-worthy Friday 68 at Bay Hill with a 74-72 weekend? For Tiger to struggle is one thing. For him to struggle on weekends is something else entirely. I’ve long thought that, even given his travails since Nov. 27, 2009, he’d still pass Jack Nicklaus’ major record because of his comfort zone at Augusta National, where I thought he’d win three more green jackets just by showing up. And that still may be. Just not this year.

Sergio Garcia played well from tee to green at Bay Hill, but he's unlikely to be a factor at Augusta National.
(David Cannon/Getty Images)

• Spencer Levin will not win the Masters, but he will entertain you nonetheless.Trick statement: Levin does not have an invite for Augusta, and won’t make it unless he wins at Houston this week. Regardless, Levin, who produced a woeful Sunday in the final pairing and wound up T-6 at Bay Hill, is a 26-year-old with a game on the rise. He’s been known in Northern California circles for years for his prodigious talent, homemade swing, affinity for on-course cigarettes and, ahem, intense desire. That’s another way of saying Levin runs hot. Perhaps you all saw his errant drive at 16 on Saturday, followed by a wicked practice swing, at full force, at his tee in the ground. My favorite Levin anecdote came when I covered him in the 2003 California State Amateur at Pebble Beach. Approaching the 15th tee box, three holes down, he spied a spectator clutching a cold bottle of beer. Amid the pressure of the moment, an expressionless Levin was thoughtful enough to ask the gentleman: “How’s that Heineken treatin’ you?” Bonus points for Levin, a San Francisco Giants fan, for wearing the team lid last October at tour events during the G’s run to the Series.

• Sergio Garcia will not win the Masters despite a recent flash of form.A general rule of golf is: Sergio Garcia – ever since the Medinah Tease of ’99, and backed up by the Carnoustie Crash of ’07 – will never win a major. Whether it’s because he enraged the golf gods with the “Loogie in a Cup” move, or whether it’s because he’s proven to have a dime-store head in pressure situations, or whether it’s because he’s really a poor putter, El Nino will be El Zip-o when it comes to career majors, sadly. And yet, here he is in 2011, preaching slow improvement, patience and posting better results: eighth at Bay Hill; ninth in Qatar on the Euro Tour; a T-15 at Innisbrook. Don’t fall for it and catch Sergio Fever going into Augusta. Amazingly, Garcia has fallen to 72nd in the world rankings (as of Sunday) and only qualified for the Masters by virtue of his three-year exemption from winning the 2008 Players Championship, his last tour win. That’s sort of shocking.

• The rest is wide open. Without getting an eyeball test on Martin Kaymer or Lee Westwood, who didn’t play Bay Hill, we can fairly proclaim the 2011 Masters gigantically open for conjecture. It wasn’t always thus. In Tiger’s prime, you’d come to Masters week and assess the field like this: Tiger, Tiger, Phil, Tiger, Tiger, Ernie, Tiger, Tiger, Vijay, Tiger, Tiger, Retief. Now? Take about 20 names, shake ‘em up in your Masters bucket hat and have at it. Everybody looks good – and everybody has flaws. Bubba Watson? Sure, he won at Torrey and is great pick and all … but he shot 78 on Sunday at Bay Hill. Nick Watney? Love him, may be the smartest pick out there – and then I remember that 69-68-66-81 at Whistling Straits. Dustin Johnson? A second at Doral was sweet, but a missed cut at Bay Hill was sour. Phil Mickelson? Just two top-10s in six stroke-play starts, but the defending champion only had one top-10 last year before rolling down Magnolia Lane and leaving with a third green jacket. Hunter Mahan … Paul Casey … Luke Donald … we could go on. Point is, take any of them – except Tiger. Or Sergio. Or Spencer. And you’ll be good to go.

Scorecard of the week

• 70-65-70-75 – 8-under 280, Martin Laird, winner, Arnold Palmer Bay Hill Invitational.

And then there’s this guy – proving a player may be able to win “Comeback Player of the Year” in one day.

Martin Laird is a Scotsman who came to America to play golf at Colorado State, and never left. After his 11th hole on Sunday at Bay Hill, however, he was probably wishing he could move back to the Scottish Highlands and hide out for decades in a cave.

Laird took a three-shot lead at Bay Hill and massacred it. He bogeyed No. 3. He bogeyed No. 7. He bogeyed No. 9. And on 11, he snapped a shot from a fairway bunker into one of Bay Hill’s many watery graves for a double bogey. That’s five shots given back to the field, and after he bogeyed 14, too, a three-shot deficit. Slow death.

But while Steve Marino found agony in double bogeying 17, Laird stayed calm, birdied 15 and 16, made a tough two-putt for par on 18 and won his second PGA Tour event. Go figure. Sudden life.

Maybe we should get used to this guy. Like last week’s winner Gary Woodland, Laird is a monster off the tee, sixth in driving distance at 302.1 yards. He’s 16th on tour in putting, and fourth in scoring. He had three top-10s prior to the win, too, and will make his Masters debut this year.

On a day when Scotland’s Paul Lawrie won for the first time in nine years – yes, like you, I thought Lawrie moved to Bora Bora years ago, never to be heard from again – let’s call Sunday “Braveheart Day” in the golf world. To paraphrase “Fantasy Island’s” Mr. Rourke, I say: Kilts, everyone! Kilts!

Mulligan of the week

• Amazingly, the LPGA played another event in the continental United States. In California, even! The Kia Classic was a doozy, too. Jiyai Shin, who has name recognition, eight wins and a major, had a battle royale with Sandra Gal, who has no name recognition, zero wins in 70 starts, and stands 6 feet tall.

Turns out Gal, a German who went to the University of Florida, lists modeling as a hobby and has the bikini photos to prove it. (Now there’s something she does not have in common with Martin Laird.)

At any rate, Gal and Shin came to the 18th hole at City of Industry near Los Angeles all tied up, and both women hit stony approach shots, answering the bell. Shin was three feet out; Gal just 24 inches away.

And then it reared its ugly head – the Golf Pressure Monster (GPM) … Shin, who has done this all before, suddenly felt the temperature inside her body rise about 40 degrees and had to back away from her three-footer. A juiced-up crowd whooped and hollered at Shin’s indecision, and then it happened: The GPM showed up. Shin blocked her 36-incher, lipping out. Ouch!

Gal, of course, kicked in her winner and became the tallest winner this side of Michelle Wie. Shin, meanwhile, gave an interview so full of good cheer and grace to The Golf Channel, I found myself asking: Wait, didn’t she just miss a three-footer on national TV? Where’s the Spencer Levin-esque rage?

Still – shades of John Daly at Harding Park in his playoff with Tiger Woods – you hate to see somebody lose like that. It would have been great to see the two tangle further, so let’s rush back out to 18, place Shin’s ball three feet out and … give that young lady a mulligan!

Broadcast moment of the week

• “You’re seeing a lot of chips in the Foley Era come up short.” – Johnny Miller, NBC, getting a dig in at Tiger’s short game and new swing coach.

You give Johnny Miller a chance to tweak, and he will tweak.

With all sorts of golf luminaries – Arnie, Jack, Lee – wondering aloud why Tiger would go to such great lengths to re-invent his swing for the third time, Miller took the chance to call out Tiger’s short game after an indifferent chip on Saturday left him about 12 feet for par.

Sad thing is, Miller is right. Among the many things that ail Tiger’s game right now is a lack of that sizzling short game. Tiger around a green used to be the surest bet in sports. Now, it’s a 50-50 proposition.

Miller saw the opening and attacked. It’s what he does – like a lion in the savannah.

Where do we go from here?

• In a feat once thought impossible, the LPGA will play three consecutive weeks Stateside – somebody alert Ripley’s! It’s the Kraft Nabisco in Rancho Mirage, Calif., the year’s first major, too. Is it time for The Big Wiesy? A distinct possibility, friends.

And while I spent the top part of this column ridiculing the very notion of the Houston Open, the field isn’t half bad: Mickelson always loves to get work in the week before Augusta and is in. Mahan and his big surfer shades will be there. Bay Hill protagonists Levin and Marino will be, too. Lee Westwood will dare to find his way to H-Town, as well.

And anytime Fred Couples shows up, everybody has a good time. Oh – he’ll also be at the Masters. You might want to give him a look. Why not?

Power Rankings: Johnson begins his Imperial March

2011-03-29T04:40:00.000-07:00

Time for our latest round of power rankings. Each week throughout the season, we'll size up who's rising and who's falling, based on current standings, behind-the-scenes changes, expected staying power, recent history and general gut feelings. And we continue with the competition for the No. 1 spot getting a little tighter:

1. Carl Edwards. An unspectacular week for Edwards, which in this case means he finishes 6th. He was never really a factor this time around, but he did exactly what top-flight drivers do in these kinds of situations: ran his own race and made up points where he could. It's why he's now sitting at the top of the Cup standings. Last week's ranking: 1.

2. Kyle Busch. If this race were 195 laps long, Kyle would have the No. 1 spot this week. As it is, giving up the win (and second place) means he doesn't have quite enough juice to push Edwards out of the top spot. Still, when a disappointing week means you lead the most laps and get passed right at the end, well, that ain't bad. Last week's ranking: 2.

3. Ryan Newman. And this is how it's done, friends: Newman has been relentlessly consistent, posting finishes of 5th, 5th, 10th and 5th since a disappointing 22nd at Daytona. And as fast as he qualifies, he has an extra edge that other drivers would commit crimes to have. So, yeah, Rocketman is setting himself up for a big win sometime soon. Or at least another 5th-place finish. Last week's ranking: 5.

4. Kurt Busch. The glow of Daytona is a long way away now, and while Kurt has posted some strong finishes, he finished a disappointing 17th at Fontana and never threatened for the lead. But he did crack lobster claws while driving in his latest commercial, so that's kind of cool. Last week's ranking: 3.

5. Jimmie Johnson. Cue the Imperial March; Lord Vader is once again on the move. Anybody who thought Johnson was lost as a result of some early-season stumbles just hasn't been paying attention. However, 48-haters can take heart in the fact that Johnson got completely outplayed in the final lap at Fontana, something that would have been unthinkable even last year. Last week's ranking: 6.

6. Tony Stewart. He led a few laps at Fontana, but never seemed quite comfortable up front, and the last round of restarts shuffled him to the back like the skinny kid in the cafeteria line at elementary school. Still, for a guy who hits the snooze button on his season until May, he's playing with house money right now. Last week's ranking: 8.

7. Kevin Harvick. Harvick strikes me as the kind of guy who'd swoop in and take the last piece of pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving dinner right as you were reaching for it. I bet he does the same thing in New York City when going for a cab, jumping in right in front of some poor sap who'd been hailing in the rain for hours. Hey, it's a gift. Last week's ranking: 11.

8. Paul Menard. The Menard Empire took a bit of a hit this week, sliding back to 16th in Fontana. But when you're used to your guy finishing in the low 20s, a 16th-placer suits you just fine. Still, let's not make a habit of this, Mr. Menard; your Empire is restless, and they demand nothing less than, well, lower-top-10 finishes. Last week's ranking: 8.

9. Juan Pablo Montoya. He snagged the pole position and actually held it for a few laps before surrendering to the far faster field. But he nonetheless posted a top-10 finish, which is exactly what he needs at this time of year. Solid race, solid position all the way around. Last week's ranking: 9.

10. Jeff Gordon. While everybody enjoyed Gordon's win a few weeks back, nobody thought to ask him what he'd do for an encore, and if they did, "finishing 36th, 14th and 18th" probably isn't the answer that people really would have wanted to hear. Me, I blame the crew chief. Seems like the easiest thing to do. Last week's ranking: 7.

11. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Yep, another reasonably decent run for Junior, this time a 12th-place finish. As Earnhardt noted after the race, his problem continues to be qualifying; if he's down in the mess at the start of the race, it's that much tougher to fight through it and start actually passing people. Still, finishing in the teens is better than finishing in the 20s, yes? Last week's ranking: 10.

12. Matt Kenseth. Welcome aboard, Flatline! Matt Kenseth makes his 2011 Power Rankings debut thanks to his second straight fourth-place finish. Kenseth responded to the honor by nodding once, then staring wordlessly into space. So, yeah, congrats, Matt. Last week's ranking: NR.

Lucky Dog: Clint Bowyer. Last week's DNF is this week's Lucky Dog. That's how the wheel spins. Bowyer finally had himself a decent run this year, finishing 7th and even leading a lap along the way. He's got a huge hill to climb to get back into this season, but this is the way you start.

DNF: Denny Hamlin. Man, what a comedown from 2010. More under-the-hood troubles for Joe Gibbs Racing ended Hamlin's day just after the halfway mark, and the guy who was half a race away from a championship last year now sits in 21st place after five races. That ain't good, but if there's anybody who could win their way into the Chase, it's Hamlin.

Skeen’s call proves correct

2011-03-29T04:38:00.000-07:00

Jamie Skeen’s decision to transfer from Wake Forest to Virginia Commonwealth three years ago wasn’t exactly well received within his inner circle.

“Friends, family, associates,” Skeen said. “Everyone kept telling me it was a terrible decision.”

Now those same people are asking Skeen for tickets to the Final Four, which is where Skeen and the Rams are headed following Sunday’s 71-61 upset of No. 1 seed Kansas at the Alamodome.

VCU's Jamie Skeen raised his game against Kansas and was voted the Most Outstanding Performer of the Southwest Regional.
(Tony Gutierrez/AP Photo)

With 26 points and 10 rebounds, Skeen was selected as the Most Outstanding Performer of the Southwest Regional. Pleased as he was to receive the accolade, Skeen was hardly parading the trophy around the Rams’ postgame locker room.

“I’m not satisfied,” Skeen said. “We’ve still got two games left. People think that because we [beat Kansas], that we’re going to settle for just making it to the Final Four.

“I’m not settling at all. I’m not satisfied. I want to win two more games and win the whole thing. That’s when y’all will see me smiling and jumping all over the place.”

Whether he admits it or not, the 6-foot-9, 240-pound Skeen has to feel fortunate to even be in this position. The former North Carolina Mr. Basketball averaged a collective 6.6 points and 4.4 rebounds in two seasons at Wake Forest from 2006-08. But he was declared academically ineligible for the fall semester of his junior year.

Even though he likely would’ve played a prominent role, Skeen opted not to rejoin the Demon Deacons once his academics were in order. He announced in December 2008 that he was leaving the program to seek opportunities elsewhere.

Not long after that, he resurfaced at Virginia Commonwealth.

“People thought I was washed up,” Skeen said. “They thought my college career was going to be done before I even went to VCU. But I’d seen the future, and I knew VCU had a future for me.”

Skeen noted that Eric Maynor, a guard for the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder, played for VCU. So did Larry Sanders, who was selected in the first round of last summer’s draft by the Milwaukee Bucks.

“I figured, ‘Why not try to be that third person?’” Skeen said. “That’s been my dream my whole life, to make it to the NBA.”

Sunday’s performance may have helped Skeen take a major step toward achieving those aspirations. Gaudy as Skeen’s stat line may have been, it was even more impressive considering it came against Kansas twins Marcus and Markieff Morris – each of whom project as top 15 selections in this summer’s draft.

A Charlotte native, Skeen entered Sunday’s contest averaging 15.1 points and 7.3 rebounds. But he took his game to another level against the Morris brothers.

“It was his time,” VCU guard Ed Nixon said. “We felt like he’s just as good – if not better – than the Morris brothers. He had something to prove. He definitely did it.

“He wasn’t being more vocal. Skeen isn’t really one of our vocal leaders. But he was focused. You could see in his eyes that he was ready to go.”

Jamie Skeen (R) more than held his own against Kansas' Marcus Morris.
(Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Skeen had made just 29 3-pointers before Sunday’s game. Against Kansas he went 4-of-7 from beyond the arc. Four of his 10 rebounds were on the offensive end, and he helped pester Markieff Morris into a season-high eight turnovers.

“I love to play against NBA talent,” Skeen said. “I want to be in the NBA one day myself, so I want to see how good I can be going against NBA talent. Today we were able to see. I matched up pretty well with them.”

One of the biggest plays of the game came when Skeen was fouled while shooting a 3-pointer with his team leading by two points with about 13 minutes remaining. Skeen hit two of his three free-throw attempts to stretch the cushion to four, and Kansas never posed much of a threat from that point forward.

By the time Skeen returned to the locker room following the win, his cell phone already had already been flooded with messages from friends, family and well-wishers.

“Now they’ve had a change of heart,” said Skeen, laughing. “Everyone who said it was a stupid decision for me to come to VCU is jumping on the bandwagon. I don’t get mad. We’re accepting passengers.

“There’s still room.”

Hossa gives Blackhawks 3-2 OT win over Red Wings

2011-03-29T04:37:00.002-07:00

Marian Hossa (notes) scored against the Detroit Red Wings for the first time since leaving them to sign with the Chicago Blackhawks.

He was happier about the extra point it gave the defending champions.

Hossa scored on a power play 51 seconds into overtime, lifting Chicago to a 3-2 road win on Monday night.

“We are real desperate to get points,” Hossa said.

The Blackhawks improved their precarious playoff positioning with their third win in four games. They moved three points ahead of idle Calgary and remained one back of seventh-place Anaheim, which rallied to beat Colorado 5-4 late Monday.

“Definitely a different year,” Chicago’s Jonathan Toews (notes) said.

Henrik Zetterberg (notes) was called for hooking Patrick Kane (notes) with 3.7 seconds left, putting Chicago on the power play to begin the extra session. The Blackhawks took advantage on Hossa’s shot from the left circle off a pass from Kane.

Zetterberg agreed with the call and thought it was a fitting end to Hossa’s night.

“He had a real good game,” Zetterberg said. “I’m not surprised he scored the game-winner.”

The Blackhawks improved to 15-6-4 in March and February after barely being over .500 in each of the first four months of the season, giving their salary-cap depleted team a shot to defend the Stanley Cup when the playoffs start in two weeks.

Chicago coach Joel Quenneville acknowledged the latest win was important.

“None bigger all year,” he said. “That was a huge win, coming off a very disappointing loss. It was a playoff game for us.”

The Red Wings, meanwhile, are in a 1-2-2 slump that has trimmed their cushion to six points in the Central Division over Nashville with six games left for both teams.

Toews and Brent Seabrook (notes) scored in the first period to give Chicago a 2-1 lead that held up until Danny Cleary (notes) was credited with a goal early in the third that was later given to Zetterberg, who scored the second tying goal of the game on a shot that went off Chicago defensemanChris Campoli (notes).

“We kind of hung in there,” Detroit’s Mike Modano (notes) said.

Detroit’s Nicklas Lidstrom (notes) made it 1-all in the first period and became the NHL’s first 40-year-old defenseman with 60 points in a season. He surpassed the mark set by Ray Bourque, who had 59 points as a 40-year-old defenseman during the 2000-01 season—his last—with the Colorado Avalanche.

“It’s a tribute to his career and consistency,” said Modano, who is also 40 years old.

Corey Crawford (notes) made 33 saves for the Blackhawks.

Detroit’s Joey MacDonald (notes) stopped 38 shots while starting in place ofJimmy Howard (notes), who might play with his injured left shoulder Wednesday at home against the St. Louis Blues.

“Mac played great, but our play without the puck was not the best,” Modano said.

Both teams were missing one of their leading scorers.

Detroit’s Pavel Datsyuk (notes) was out for a fifth straight game with a lower body injury and Chicago’sPatrick Sharp (notes) for the third game in a row with an injured left knee that might keep him out for the rest of the regular season.

The Red Wings had to play much of the night without Todd Bertuzzi (notes), who was called for a 5-minute elbowing penalty and a game misconduct for hitting Ryan Johnson (notes) in the head 5:17 into the game.

“They’re trying to eliminate hits to the head,” Detroit coach Mike Babcock said. “I guess they felt his helmet came off, there must’ve been a hit to the head.”

Johnson went down to his knees and gloves for a while before slowly getting up. He went off the ice and toward the dressing room, but played later in the first period.

After being checked for a concussion, Johnson said he felt fine and wasn’t upset with Bertuzzi.

“I don’t think it was malicious,” Johnson said. “He was very apologetic.”

After a scoreless second period, the Red Wings got some puck luck when Zetterberg’s shot got past Crawford 2:25 into the third.

Both teams had plenty of scoring chances the rest of the game, but Crawford and MacDonald held up for the rest of regulation.

“It was a big point getting into overtime and a bigger point getting the win,” Kane said.

NOTES: Hossa, in his second season with the Blackhawks after one year with the Red Wings, hadn’t scored against Detroit since his hat trick on Jan. 15, 2008, while playing for Atlanta. … Chicago has won three of four against Detroit heading into their home-and-home series on April 8 and 10 that ends the regular season. … MacDonald was sent to the minors and recalled twice this month because Chris Osgood (notes) was unable to come back from hernia surgery. … The Blackhawks scratched Dave Bolland (notes) for the seventh straight game because of a concussion. … Detroit’s Johan Franzen (notes) returned to the lineup after missing four games with a groin injury and whiffed on two scoring chances on a sequence late in regulation.

John Salley still has an answer for Scottie Pippen

2011-03-29T04:37:00.001-07:00

It has been 23 years since theChicago Bulls and Detroit Pistons first met up in the first of three playoff series' that pitted Isiah Thomas' nasty Bad Boys versus Michael Jordan's group of soon-to-be-champs. The young Bulls were obvious up-and-comers. The tough Pistons wanted in on the championship party first, before the Bulls initiated what was clearly going to become a dynasty. And in doing so, as they beat Chicago in the 1988, 1989 and 1990 playoffs, the Pistons used every legal trick in the book. And a few illegal ones. Whatever worked.

Those Bulls, clearly, are still smarting. The team was everyone's choice to replace the Lakers and Celtics at the top of the NBA's heap, but the Pistons had to go and ruin that narrative, winning two championships in 1989 and 1990, and downing a Bulls team (before losing to theLos Angeles Lakers in seven games) that featured two rookies in Horace Grant and Scottie Pippen in 1988.

Pippen, who will be honored on April 7 as a bust of his likeness is introduced at Chicago's United Center, was particularly candid about the Pistons in an interview from early in March, telling the Chicago Sun-Times this:

''The Pistons were a nasty team. You always had to expect them to play dirty because, remember, they were the Bad Boys of Motown. They'd go out of their way to be mean and try to hurt you.
"And because we had better athletes, coach Chuck Daly just let them play the way they had to play to win. Bill Laimbeer was no real athlete. The same for Rick Mahorn and Joe Dumars and James Edwards. We were faster, quicker, more competitive and smarter."

Interviewed over the weekend, former Piston (and former teammate of Pippen's, in 1996) John Salley,wanted no such part of that noise:

"They were more athletic -- and they were younger," Salley said. "But obviously not smarter because we're not talking about him 22 years later. He's talking about us."
"Guys who said we played dirty couldn't have played in the '80s and the '70s. I watched those games in the '80s and '70s, and it's how I learned to play that hard. You fouled a guy who needs to be fouled. If he's going to the basket, you don't give a knick-knack foul and then argue with the ref. You foul him so he knows, so the next guy coming behind him knows, so his team knows you can't go in the lane. …
"We beat them psychologically, and obviously it's still working."

Ouch.

It clearly is still working. Every time Pippen goes to shave, he sees a scar on his chin that Dennis Rodman (who will have his number retired on Friday in Detroit, with the Bulls in town) gave him following a flagrant shove. And though Detroit was the better team from 1988 through 1990, those Bulls still can't get over having a puncher's chance against the would-be champs in 1989 and 1990. Even after six rings, Scottie Pippen wants more.

And John Salley will always be there to remind him of the two rings that got away. Obviously, like the city of Detroit, the Pistons' plan is still working.

Hibbert leads Pacers past Celtics

2011-03-29T04:36:00.001-07:00

Indiana’s Roy Hibbert (notes) had no mercy on Boston’s depleted front line.

The 7-foot-2 center scored 26 points as the Pacers beat the Celtics 107-100 on Monday night and remained in sole possession of eighth place in the Eastern Conference playoff race.

Boston had already traded away Kendrick Perkins (notes), and Shaquille O’Neal (notes), Jermaine O’Neal (notes) andTroy Murphy (notes) were out with injuries, leaving the Celtics thin in the post.

The last thing Boston’s remaining posts needed was foul trouble, but they dealt with it for most of the game.Kevin Garnett (notes) finished with four fouls and only played 25 minutes, and Krstic finished with five fouls and played just 17 minutes. That left the 6-9 Davis to defend Hibbert for much of the night. Davis tried to use his 290-pound frame to make Hibbert uncomfortable, but Hibbert made 12 of 17 shots.

“I just came out aggressive and wanted to be a force down there offensively and defensively,” Hibbert said.

It was the most points Hibbert has scored since tying a career high with 29 on Feb. 16. He had only scored more than 20 points once since.

“The kid works so hard, cares so much,” Pacers coach Frank Vogel said. “He deserves all the success that he gets.”

Boston coach Doc Rivers said the inability to defend down low turned the game.

“Kevin and Nenad were in foul trouble, and tonight, we need that extra big body,” he said. “Tonight, the foul trouble just killed us. It crushed us today.”

Danny Granger (notes) scored 18 points, and Darren Collison (notes) added 17 for the Pacers.

The Pacers entered a game ahead of Charlotte and two games ahead of Milwaukee for the No. 8 spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Charlotte beat Milwaukee on Monday, so the Pacers remained a game ahead of Charlotte and extended their lead over Milwaukee to three games.

Indiana remained unpredictable. The Pacers won at New Jersey and Charlotte and had seemingly built momentum before losing to Sacramento and Detroit, who are among the league’s worst teams. Now, the Pacers have beaten Boston, which is fighting for the top seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

“One day, probably when I’m old and gray, I’ll try to figure out what was wrong with us—why we can beat Boston, but lose to Sacramento and Detroit,” he said. “I can’t figure it out, but we definitely needed this. We’re going to have to figure it out and some point.”

Boston point guard Rajon Rondo (notes) started after missing Sunday’s game against Minnesota with a jammed finger on his right hand. Rivers said before the game that Rondo would not play, but Rondo scored 10 points in the first 5:10 and finished with 22 points and eight assists.

Paul Pierce (notes) led Boston with 23 points, and Davis added 20 for the Celtics, who have lost seven of their last 12.

“We became a great team because we were known to do it for 48 minutes,” Garnett said. “We seem to be missing that right now.”

Monday’s game was tied in the fourth quarter before the Pacers made a run. Collison scored on a short jumper in the lane, then Hibbert found a cutting Brandon Rush (notes) to give Indiana a 98-94 lead. Collison then stole the ball from Rondo near halfcourt, and the 6-foot point guard went up for an emphatic two-handed dunk to put the Pacers ahead 100-94. A putback by Hibbert pushed Indiana’s lead to eight with 3:52 to play.

Boston hung close, but Collison made a fadeaway jumper with 1:16 left, then made a driving layup with 34.4 seconds remaining to give Indiana a 106-100 lead.

Collison scored eight points in the fourth quarter.

“He gave us a huge spark and really sealed the deal for us,” Vogel said. “We knew we had to score some points on the break and that’s what he did— getting those loose balls and a couple steals. You have to score in transition against that defense.”

A 3-point play by Hibbert early in the second half pushed Indiana’s lead to 67-57, but Boston responded with an 8-2 run. A jumper by Ray Allen (notes) cut Indiana’s lead to 69-65 and caused the Pacers to call timeout. The Celtics made six of their first seven shots in the second half.

Allen hit a 3-pointer to put Boston up 72-71 with 5:04 left in the third quarter, and the Celtics extended their lead to 85-81 at the end of the period.

“Boston made a huge, third-quarter run, and we put them to the free-throw line too many times,” Vogel said. “Once we decided to start defending without fouling, we were able to get enough stops to get the ‘W.”’

The Celtics shot 4 for 14 from the field and 6 for 12 from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter.

“Our third quarter was really bad, and the fourth quarter, we clamped it down on them and made it tough for them to score,” Granger said.

Indiana shot 12 for 18 from the field in the fourth quarter.

“In the most important part of the game, the fourth quarter, we couldn’t get a stop right there,” Pierce said. “It’s a weird time to be talking about this, when there are nine games left in the season.”

Notes: Hibbert scored 13 points in the first quarter on 6-for-7 shooting. … Former Pacers O’Neal and Murphy were inactive for the Celtics. O’Neal was out with a sore left knee, while Murphy missed the game with a sprained right ankle. … Indiana has shot at least 50 percent from the field in four of its past 10 games.

Anthony scores 39, Knicks top Magic in OT

2011-03-29T04:34:00.002-07:00

Carmelo Anthony (notes) seemed caught up in the panic surrounding the New York Knickswhen he declared their game Monday was “almost a must win.”

Then he stayed calm when he missed a potential game-winner, and the Knicks let the Orlando Magic lose their poise in overtime.

Anthony scored 39 points, his best effort since coming to New York, and the Knicks pulled out a 113-106 overtime victory to snap a six-game losing streak.

Hours after placing elevated importance on the game, Anthony added 10 rebounds, and the Knicks got some help when Dwight Howard (notes) fouled out in the extra session, then picked up his NBA-leading 17th technical foul.

“I said that. That’s how I felt, that’s how we felt as a team, that it was a must win for us,” Anthony said. “We, as a team, backed it up tonight.”

Amare Stoudemire (notes) had 20 points for the Knicks, who won for just the second time in 11 games and inched closer to their first playoff berth since 2004.

The Knicks improved to 8-12 since acquiring Anthony from Denver. Though the questions about the deal have grown louder as the Knicks struggle, the All-Star forward showed why the team wanted him by scoring 33 points after halftime.

“Carmelo helped, he was on fire out there.” Stoudemire said. “They had no answer for him, and then we played great defensively, we got after it, chasing down loose balls, really, really showing the effort to want to win and it showed tonight.”

Howard rebounded from a quiet first half to finish with 29 points and 18 rebounds, but Orlando didn’t score after he picked up his sixth foul going for a rebound with 1:17 remaining in a two-point game, then tossed the ball into the backcourt after the whistle.

“There’s nothing you can do about it now. I just went for the rebound,” Howard said.

“I think that should have been a delay of game,” he added of the tech. “Every time you roll the ball down the court, they usually call a delay of game, but it’s cool, you know. I’ll try to get it rescinded. If not, I’ll just have to continue to play.”

Jason Richardson (notes) made the tying 3-pointer in regulation and scored 24 for the Magic, who had a five-game winning streak snapped and lost for only the third time in 16 games against the Knicks. Hedo Turkoglu (notes) scored 18 points, but he also fouled out, leaving the Magic furious with the officiating down the stretch.

“I thought our guys fought hard and stayed in the game and gave ourselves a chance to win,” Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said. “I think it’s a shame we weren’t able to get it done.”

Chauncey Billups (notes) made the go-ahead 3-pointer with 3:16 left in overtime, then Anthony was alone after an Orlando miss for a dunk and a 108-104 lead with 2:46 remaining. Howard cut it to two by tipping in his own miss, but he was whistled for No. 6 when Billups went down as Howard tried to grab another offensive board.

Howard then was hit with the tech for tossing the ball into the backcourt, moving him one away from another one-game suspension, and Billups made the free throw for a three-point lead.

“I mean 99.9 percent when you throw the ball down the other side, it’s a delay of game warning,” Gilbert Arenas (notes) said. “They’ve got to call it how they see it. You can’t put too much on what they do. They’re human, too. The calls they see is the calls they’re going to make.”

The Magic then got another bad break when Richardson was called for an offensive foul away from the ball on Anthony after they became tangled, negating what would have been a tying 3-point basket by Turkoglu.

The Knicks finished it off at the line as the Magic players on the bench yelled their frustration toward the referees and fans.

Billups scored 17 and Toney Douglas (notes) had 16 for the Knicks, who shook things up Monday by holding their first morning shootaround at home this season. It was there that Anthony said the game was “almost a must win.”

They did by finally beating the Magic in a game that was postponed Nov. 2, after debris fell into the arena during an overnight cleaning of asbestos-related materials.

Anthony made another with a hand in his face for a 96-90 lead with 2:03 to play in regulation. The Magic closed to 98-97 on a 3-pointer by Arenas with 32 seconds remaining, but Anthony drove and found Douglas along the baseline, and his short jumper counted when Howard was called for goaltending with 10.2 seconds left.

Richardson nailed a 3 to tie it at 100 with 5.7 to go—aided by defender Jared Jeffries (notes) not even putting his hands up to contest—and Anthony was just short trying to follow his own miss, sending it to overtime.

The Magic were without point guard Jameer Nelson (notes) because of a sprained left knee, giving Arenas his first start with Orlando but robbing the Magic of perhaps their best clutch player. Backup forwardQuentin Richardson (notes) (back spasms) also was out and reserve guard J.J. Redick (notes) (lower abdominal strain) remains out, leaving the Magic thin on the perimeter.

Notes: Van Gundy said he expected both Nelson and Quentin Richardson to play this week, but said Redick’s injury is “a little more problematic.” He missed his ninth straight game Monday. … Howard was chosen Monday as last week’s Eastern Conference player of the week. … A Knicks dancer presented Knicks Hall of Fame guard and current TV analyst Walt Frazier with a jar of Snickers, his favorite candy, as a gift for his birthday Tuesday.

Irish beat Tennessee, reach third Final Four

2011-03-29T04:34:00.001-07:00

Moments before they climbed the blue stepladder to cut down the net, Skylar Diggins and her Notre Dame teammates joined arms, formed a circle and did a jig at the free-throw line.

There’s a little history in that step.

The Fighting Irish began kicking up their heels during the 1999-2000 season, turning it into a pregame ritual. They danced all the way to the national title the following year, good reason to turn the ritual into a tradition.

Ten years later, they’re high-stepping it back to the Final Four.

Diggins scored a season-high 24 points with her clutch left-handed shot, steadying the Fighting Irish through the tough moments of their 73-59 victory over Tennessee for the regional championship on Monday night.

Notre Dame (30-7) will play either Big East rival Connecticut or Duke in the semifinals. No question who they prefer.

“We’re definitely cheering for the Big East,” coach Muffet McGraw said. “We’d like to have two Final Four teams from the Big East.”

UConn beat them 79-76 at Notre Dame and 78-57 at home during the regular season, then again 73-64 in the conference tournament. Given what happened on Monday night, the Fighting Irish figure the math is on their side.

The second-seeded Irish were 0-20 all time against top-seeded Tennessee (34-3), taking 28 years of beatings. The seemed to be pretty even teams with contrasting styles heading into game No. 21 in their one-sided series—the Lady Vols with muscle upfront and young guards, while the Fighting Irish do it with hustle on defense and a fast-paced attack.

Notre Dame had the best guard on the floor, one who likes to play disc jockey in her spare time. Diggins sure was a hit in the regional.

The sophomore point guard had a career-high 12 assists in a semifinal win over Oklahoma, distributing the ball to open shooters. With the Lady Vols clamping down, Diggins asserted herself and kept Notre Dame ahead most of the way—Tennessee led for only 2 minutes, 43 seconds in the first half.

“In a way, I’m just living my dream,” said Diggins, a South Bend native who became only the second Notre Dame player to reach 1,000 points in her second season.

The Fighting Irish weren’t sure whether they’d have senior forward Becca Bruszewski, the team’s emotional leader who sprained her left knee during the semifinal win over Oklahoma. She played 37 minutes wearing a brace, scored 13 points and had a team-high eight rebounds, then danced the jig on her bum knee.

“This is an unreal feeling,” Bruszewski said.

For Tennessee, too.

The Lady Vols had won their past 25 games, the second-longest streak in school history. They hadn’t lost since falling at Baylor on Dec. 14, but were off their game in Dayton. Coach Pat Summitt had to yell at them at halftime of a close win over Ohio State.

She fumed on the sideline Monday with arms crossed as her young players tightened up and her team unraveled.

“Obviously I’m very upset, I’m very disappointed in our basketball team,” Summitt said. “I don’t think we came here with the focus. Don’t ask me why. I’m kind of at a loss for words.

“We’ve got a ways to go, obviously. We were exposed today.”

Freshman guard Meighan Simmons went 1 for 11 from the field and finished with two points. Tennessee shot 33 percent from the field and had 19 turnovers.

“There were times we got so overanxious,” Summitt said. “Being at this point and trying to get to a Final Four was probably too much for the younger players.”

Not for Diggins, who didn’t hesitate to shoot whenever Tennessee tried to make a comeback.

“No question Skylar Diggins was the player that made them go, and we don’t have a guard that plays that way,” Summitt said. “And guard play is very important at this time of year. She was terrific, without any doubt the best guard on the floor. She energizes that team. She was the real force. She does what she has to do.”

So has Notre Dame during its run to the third Final Four in school history.

“I think there were some questions early,” McGraw said. “When you lose four starters, you’re going to have to figure out who’s going to step up for you. I think the growth of this team is one of the best of any I’ve coached.”

Colombian fans took a dead body to football match

2011-03-29T04:33:00.001-07:00

A 17-year-old fan of Colombian side Cucuta Deportivo was shot dead while playing in a neighborhood park on Saturday -- allegedly by hired assassins. So on Sunday, his fellow members of the Barra del Indio fan group took a coffin supposedly filled with his corpse to the club's match against Envigado. Seriously.

Welcome to the hardcore world of South American football. From Colombia Reports:

After his wake, friends from "Barra del Indio" took the cadaver from the funeral home and paraded it around and then into the stadium in an attempt to pay homage to the slain soccer fan.
The medic for the soccer club, Julio Rivera, told the press, "They don't let in the "barras" (fanatics) but yes, a cadaver. This is the only part of the world where this has happened."
Colonel Alvaro Pico, a local police [official] said that the boy's death had nothing to do with his love for the soccer team rather it was a consequence of criminal actions in the area where he lived.
The event has generated controversy in Cucuta and stadium officials will hold a meeting to find out who permitted the entry of the cadaver and what punishment will be given.
Colonel Pico said they have identified some individuals who took the body from the funeral home.

Wow. So with that precedent set, the next time you taunt rival fans for having a stadium with the atmosphere of a morgue, be sure that it's not because their stands are filled with actual dead people.

Spain, Netherlands under pressure to find Platini’s fizz

2011-03-29T04:31:00.002-07:00

All eyes will be on 2010 World Cup finalists Spain and the Netherlands on Tuesday to provide the razzmatazz missing from international football which UEFA boss Michel Platini referred to last week.

The Frenchman spoke of his shock at hearing players saying they would rather win the Champions League than the World Cup but Tuesday’s Euro 2012 fixtures have hardly created a stir of anticipation.

Spain and the Netherlands will bid to preserve their 100 percent qualifying records as the Spaniards travel to Lithuania (1845 GMT) and the Dutch host Hungary (1830).

In Spain’s Group I, second-placed Czech Republic welcome Liechtenstein (1530) and in Group E Sweden should clinch three points against Moldova (1700) to close on second-placed Hungary.

In Group A, Turkey host Austria (1730) while Azerbaijan meet Belgium in Brussels (1845), all four teams a long way behind leaders Germany but with ambitions of finishing second.

Another four countries who trail Group C pacesetters Italy are in action, with Estonia playing Serbia in Tallinn (1830) and Slovenia travelling to Northern Ireland (1845).

Surprise Group F packages Georgia could leapfrog Greece and Croatia with a win in Israel (1605), while in Group D Romania will look to bounce back from losing to Bosnia by beating Luxembourg (1745).

France coach Laurent Blanc to keep unchanged defence for Croatia friendly

2011-03-29T04:31:00.001-07:00

France coach Laurent Blanc has revealed he will keep the majority of the back line that shut out Luxembourg 2-0 in their Euro 2012 qualifier last week for the upcoming international friendly against Croatia.

The 45-year-old was expected to hand some fringe players like goalkeeper Steve Mandanda a start against the Croats on Tuesday but the Bleus tactician will stick with the same defence corps that got the job done in Luxembourg.

"Just so we're clear, Hugo [Lloris] will start tomorrow and I will not touch the central defence pairing of [Philippe] Mexes and [Adil] Rami," Blanc said during a press conference on Tuesday.

"Hugo needs as much playing time as possible to build a relationship based on trust with the defenders in front of him."

Blanc went on to state that he plans on using all the substitutions available to him.

"We will be entitled to make six substitutions in the friendly and it's my intention to use all of them," he concluded.

The match will kick off at 21:00 CET at the Stade de France.

Aaron Lennon to miss England friendly against Ghana with hamstring injury

2011-03-29T04:30:00.001-07:00

Aaron Lennon will not feature in England's friendly with Ghana on Tuesday night after picking up a hamstring injury.

The Tottenham Hotspur winger has left the national squad and returned to his club for further treatment.

The FA have confirmed Fabio Capello will not draft a new player into the squad. This could result in the uncapped winger Matthew Jarvis securing his first appearance for England.

A statement on the FA's website read: "Aaron Lennon returns to Tottenham Hotspur.

"The Spurs winger has left the England squad ahead of the friendly with Ghana, there will be no replacements at this time."

Lionel Messi set to start for Argentina against Costa Rica

2011-03-29T04:29:00.000-07:00

Barcelona star Lionel Messi is set to keep his place in the Argentina team as they prepare to take on Costa Rica in a friendly on Tuesday evening. He will be one of the only players from the side which drew 1-1 against the USA at the weekend to retian their spot in a much-altered side.

Albiceleste coach Sergio Batista had previously stated his intention to rotate his first XI as he faces off against fellow Argentine Ricardo La Volpe and his Central American side, and Ole reports that up to seven new faces can be expected to take the field in the Estadio Nacional in San Jose for one of the first matches to be played in the remodelled ground.

The newspaper reports however that 'La Pulga', along with second-choice goalkeeper Mariano Andujar and Javier Mascherano, is almost certain to repeat his centre-forward role against the Tricolor; playing alongside Benfica's Nicolas Gaitan and Javier Pastore of Palermo in an attacking trident.

The news is likely to irritate Barcelona officials and sections of the Spanish media, who have accused 'Checho' of overusing Messi, to the point of "squeezing" the World Player of the Year. Messi however is crucial to the tecnico's plans for the Copa America and World Cup Qualifying, and it appears that in Argentina there is one player at least who cannot afford to be rested.

The official confirmation of the team is expected later on Monday afternoon.

Possible Argentina XI to take on Costa Rica (4-3-3):

Andujar; Angeleri, Garay, Fazio, Rojo or Zanetti; Banega or Belluschi, Mascherano, Biglia; Gaitan, Messi, Pastore.

Basketball: NBA: Nowitzki leads Mavs to 11th straight 50-win season

2011-03-24T21:50:00.000-07:00

With the game slipping away against one of the NBA’s worst teams, the Dallas Mavericksturned to their reliable fourth-quarter duo of Dirk Nowitzki (notes) and Jason Terry (notes).

Nowitzki had 30 points and 11 rebounds, Terry contributed 18 points, and the Mavericks rallied down the stretch for a 104-96 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday night, giving Dallas 50 wins for the 11th straight season.

Nowitzki and Terry combined for 19 points in the final quarter, both going 4 for 7 from the field, to help the Mavs win for the third time in four games.

“Dirk said during a timeout, ‘We can’t lose this one,”’ Terry said.

On just about every fourth-quarter possession, coach Rick Carlisle called for the pick-and-roll with Nowitzki and Terry. Dallas finished with an 11-2 run over the final 2:38.

“It’s the key to our success late in games, it’s no secret, if it’s a close game late in the fourth quarter, Coach is going to ring up our numbers and we need to answer,” Terry said. “We work extremely hard on (the pick-and-roll) in practice, and during these types of games our team needs us and that’s what clutch players do by coming up big when the team needs them most.”

Shawn Marion (notes) added 17 points, Peja Stojakovic (notes) had 16, andTyson Chandler (notes) came up with nine points and 10 rebounds for Dallas.

Anthony Randolph (notes) had a career-high 31 points with 11 rebounds for the Timberwolves, who’ve lost their last five games and are without injured All-Star forward Kevin Love (notes).

Randolph made his first start of the season in place of Love. Randolph, acquired from the Knicks in a three-team trade on Feb. 22, had a 23-point first half, 17 in the second quarter.

“We’re missing a huge part of our team without Kevin being here,” said Randolph. “I think if he was here, we definitely would have won the game.”

Dallas was in front by as many as eight in the third quarter, but the Timberwolves came back to grab a 95-93 lead with 3:17 to play onWayne Ellington’s (notes) 22-footer.

Chandler’s three-point play with 2:38 left put Dallas back in front for good, 96-95.

Jonny Flynn (notes) hit a layup with 1:17 remaining to pull Minnesota to 98-96, but Terry’s 3-pointer with 55.6 seconds left gave Dallas some breathing room at 101-96.

“Give Minnesota credit, they really made us work, made some shots down the stretch and made us reach deep, but it was a good win and we’ll move on,” Nowitzki said.

Marion stole Flynn’s pass on Minnesota’s next possession, and Nowitzki hit two free throws with 43.5 seconds left for a 103-96 advantage to ice the victory.

“We’re a veteran team that knows how to win,” Carlisle said. “Persistence has to be our calling card.”

Dallas fans have grown accustomed to 50-win seasons, which Carlisle credited to owner Mark Cuban.

“It’s more about the commitment Mark has made, that there have been good players and Mark has surrounded Dirk with good players,” Carlisle said.

Now the Mavericks need a better showing in the playoffs, where they were eliminated in the first round by San Antonio last season.

“It (50 wins) is nice, but I’d rather trade them in for a championship,” said Nowitzki. “Fifty-win seasons don’t mean nothing.”

Stojakovic came off the bench to score seven points during a 13-4 second-quarter run, and the Mavs held a slender 49-47 edge at the break.

Before the game, Timberwolves coach Kurt Rambis said there’s a chance Love could miss the rest of the season with a strained left groin.

“There is an outside chance, I don’t know how great that chance is,” Rambis said. “Obviously, with hamstring or groin injuries, you want to be cautious with them because they can linger for a long period of time, and we don’t want that to happen with Kevin.”

Love, averaging 20.3 points and an NBA-best 15.4 rebounds per game, didn’t travel with the team after sustaining the injury in Minnesota’s previous game, a 127-95 home loss to Sacramento on Sunday.

Notes: Randolph’s previous career high was 28 points against Orlando on Dec. 5, 2009. … Marion started after missing the previous game with a sprained right wrist. … The Mavericks have won 21 of the last 23 meetings with the Timberwolves. … Minnesota is 5-31 on the road. … Nowitzki hit all five free throws to give him 63 in a row.

Basketball: NBA: Okafor, Paul lead Hornets past Jazz 121-117 in OT

2011-03-24T21:49:00.000-07:00

Emeka Okafor (notes) banked in a 20-footer at the regulation buzzer to force overtime, and reserve Aaron Gray (notes) scored six points in the extra period to lead the New Orleans Hornets to a 121-117 victory over the short-handed Utah Jazz on Thursday night.

David West (notes) scored 29 points for the Hornets before being taken off in a wheelchair holding his head and grimacing in pain after going down hard after a dunk that tied the game at 103. The team said West sustained a left knee injury and that X-rays were negative. An MRI is planned.

Paul Millsap (notes) hit two free throws to put the Jazz ahead 105-103 with 1.3 seconds to go, but Okafor, who had subbed back in when West was injured, managed to get off the game-tying shot.

Millsap had 33 points to lead the Jazz, who have dropped four straight.

Chris Paul (notes) scored five of his 24 points in overtime for the Hornets, andTrevor Ariza (notes) added 14, including a 3-pointer in the extra period.

While the Jazz were coming off an 0-3 road trip, the Hornets hadn’t played since Saturday, and coach Monty Williams used the time to hold some closed-door practices.

“We tried to create a bunker mentality, playoff mentality,” Williams said of the practice sessions. “Some things were said in practices that I didn’t want anybody else to hear. That’s just the way it’s got to be for us.”

The Hornets were coming off an 89-85 loss to Boston, playing what Williams called the most undisciplined second half they’ve had all year.

“Guys watched the film, took it to heart,” Williams said. “We had some spirited practices this past week. It was definitely what we needed.”

The Hornets were starting a three-game Western trip just a 1/2 -game ahead of eighth-place Memphis in the Western Conference playoff race. They also face Phoenix and the Los Angeles Lakers on the trip.

“It’s really huge for us to get off to a good start,” Williams said.

Williams knows there are doubters after the Hornets finished 37-45 last season and missed the playoffs for the first time in three years.

“I’m sure (the players) are hearing all the stuff people are saying and writing about our team,” said Williams, in his first season as coach. “The best thing is we control our destiny. We have no one to blame but ourselves.”

The Jazz entered Thursday four games behind eighth-place Memphis with 10 to go. In mid-January, they were as many as 14 games over .500.

Despite being without starters Andrei Kirilenko (notes) and Devin Harris (notes), they continued to play spirited ball.

They trailed by five after Jarrett Jack’s (notes) 3-pointer with 8:47 remaining but fought back, with Earl Watson (notes) sinking a pair of 3-pointers to tie it at 89, then Millsap converted a three-point play for a 92-91 Jazz lead with 5:24 left.

The Hornets surged ahead 98-92 on Paul’s running jumper, but the Jazz came back again.

Notes: Mehmet Okur (notes), who will miss the rest of the season because of recurring problems with his back and Achilles’, said he had no thoughts of retiring after the trying year. “I should be OK. I’m not that old. I’m just 32. It’s going to be a huge summer for me,” Okur said of strengthening his left leg and his back. He admitted that he probably tried to rush back too soon from the Achilles’ injury because he was “hungry” to play basketball after missing 10 months. … Former Butler star Gordon Hayward (notes) planned to TiVo Thursday night’s Butler-Wisconsin game. He also will cheer for Arizona on Friday against Duke as he has a promotion with Subway to buy 5,555 Meatball Madness subs if a No. 5 seed wins it all.

MLB: NL West preview: Geared-up Giants look to defend throne

2011-03-24T21:47:00.000-07:00

Rejoice, rejoice, the baseball season is almost here! In an attempt to quickly get some of you slackers up to speed on the year ahead, Big League Stewards Kevin Kaduk and David Brown look at a division, hold a conversation about the issues therein and then issue some predictions on standings and award-winners. Let's start our series in the division of the defending champions, the National League West.

David Brown: 'Duk, my dear colleague. Is it me, or was that the shortest offseason in the long history of offseasons? Do you think the world's champion San Francisco Giants agree? It seems not more than a couple of weeks ago that Aubrey Huff (notes) was yanking the Famous Rally Thong from the secret hiding place in his pants at the crescendo of the streetcar parade. And now, here we are, about a week from OPENING THURSDAY. Oh, squeal!

So, based on where we ended up in 2010, the Giants have clear sailing for another NL West title in 2011, right? I mean, the San Diego Padres can't be expected to jump them now -- not with Adrian Gonzalez (notes) in Boston. And the Colorado Rockies finished nine games back of the Giants. And that's a team that lost 50 — FIFTY! — games on the road. Did they address those flaws sufficiently in the offseason? And the Los Angeles Dodgers are in no position to do anything because the leadership is being paralyzed by a divorce. And the Arizona Diamondbacks are just now getting around to banning toy airplanes in the clubhouse 30 minutes before the first pitch. This is not a team ready for takeoff, either.

So why don't we just fast forward to October, save everyone some grief, and just put the Giants in the playoffs? Crown them!

'Duk: Hey hey! Is that Dave Brown I'm welcoming back to baseball or Buster "Put The Giants Back Into the World Series" Olney? Let me know if it's the latter, because I'd like to direct all Philadelphia hatemail toward your Twitter account.

Look, I like the Giants to repeat in this division, too, but let's not lose sight of the fact that this is a team that redefined torture for their fans in 2010. They trailed the Padres for most of the year, had an offense so bad that they lost two games where their pitcher gave up only one hit, and didn't clinch a playoff spot until the final weekend of the season. If you're looking for more reasons to be pessimistic, they're still counting on Aubrey Huff, Cody Ross (notes) and Pat Burrell (notes) to be big producers on offense, they just replaced one fossil at shortstop (Edgar Renteria (notes))with another (Miguel Tejada (notes)), and already have some injury concerns heading into the season with closer Brian Wilson (notes).

That's not to say that I'm not excited for all the possible positives: A full season of Buster Posey (notes) and Freddy Sanchez (notes), the emergence of prospect Brandon Belt (notes) and the best pitching staff in baseball from top to bottom (all complaints to @bigleaguestew this time, Phils fans). It's just that I'm hesitant to fast forward a season and completely overlook a good team like the Rockies. There are things that can go wrong with this Giants squad that don't involve Tim Lincecum's evil twin running him over with a cab in the parking lot of an In-N-Out.

DB: You didn't even mention the Incredible Shrinking Panda over at third base! Can he regain his figurative form at the plate while having lost so much of his figure? Who's ever heard of a skinny Panda? And what about the conundrum of what Belt making the team means to the other dominoes on the roster? Huff in left field? Burrell in ... short center? Mark DeRosa (notes) roaming around, wherever. It's too bad one of their outfielders/second basemen can't play short.

Ah, but these are nice problems to have, aren't they? And there's not much reason to worry when Wilson shows up with a sore arm; all he has to do is transform into another of his personalities — such as the Sea Captain — and he'll be OK.

Now, the Rockies. They hurt my personal feelings last year when they didn't finish the season winning 19 of 20 like they're always supposed to. What was Jim Tracy doing? You've got Troy Tulowitzki (notes) andCarlos Gonzalez (notes) locked up until their early 40s. You've gotUbaldo Jimenez (notes) reigning mass socks destruction on the mound. What else could a boy want in a Major League Baseball team?

Well, here's the problem: They've gotten below-average production at first base, third base and right field. Plus, after Jhoulys Chacin (notes),Jorge De La Rosa (notes) and Jason Hammel (notes), their entire pitching staff is questionable. Can we expect the Seth Smith (notes)-Ryan Spilborghs platoon to bear juicier fruit? Is Ian Stewart (notes) going to develop? IsTodd Helton (notes) on the verge of a revival, or retirement?

'Duk: Hey, Chacin is on the verge of becoming a superstar once everyone figures out how to pronounce "Jhoulys" and there are a lot of teams that would love to have two MVP candidates and a "questionable" pitching staff helmed by four pretty good starters.

But I do get your point. The offseason imports of Matt Lindstrom (notes) and Felipe Paulino (notes) from Houston don't answer many questions about a bullpen that wasn't anything special in 2010. We're much closer to everyone writing a Hall of Fame case for Todd Helton the minute he retires than we are to another good season like the one he put together in 2009. And the search for that third consistent presence at the plate is growing longer than the Rockies would like it to be. Looking at this team from afar and weighing all their positives and negatives, it appears to be the type of squad where one of their patented 19 of 20 game runs would put them in a position to take the wild card — but not the division.

DB: Hail, Jhoulys Caesar!

So, we've crowned the Giants as champs, and the Rox will challenge for the NL Wild Card. Maybe. Does that mean we're already counting the Padres out? Nobody seemed sure how they managed to lead the division as long as they did in '10. And then they had us at a loss when they lost 10 straight games at one point and eventually fumbled away the playoffs. Is that the most disappointing successful season in recent memory?

But without the big stick in the middle of the lineup — No, Adrian! — there's not going to be a lead to lose this season. The Padres still have strong pitching but, as Mat Latos (notes) wistfully pointed out, they're missing a few mercenaries. The additions of Jason Bartlett (notes) andOrlando Hudson (notes) definitely shore up the "run prevention" strategy, but I look around the rest of the offense and wonder if they'll go Seattle Mariners on us.

Brad Hawpe (notes) at first base? He might have as much tread left asGarrett Atkins (notes). Cameron Maybin (notes)? Maybin he'll hit finally, and Maybin he won't. No matter who plays right field -- Will Venable (notes),Chris Denorfia (notes) or Aaron Cunningham (notes) -- nobody is going to be reminded of Dave Winfield.

Their big slugger is Ryan Ludwick (notes)! Come ON!

'Duk: Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on Jed Hoyer for again fielding offense with the combined power of a La Jolla ladies' club meeting.

I still do like that rotation and bullpen, though. The one easily written off team that I find interesting is the Los Angeles Dodgers. While the McCourts are ruining the good names of rich people, Donnie Baseball is trying to mount a winning season at Chavez Ravine. Baseball Prospectus' PECOTA system currently has the Dodgers pegged for 87 wins, which would put them in second behind the Giants (91 projected victories) and in front of the third-place Rockies (84).

They do have some pieces that make that prediction believable. Clayton Kershaw (notes) andChad Billingsley (notes) can be an effective 1-2 punch, if they're thowing at the top of their games. That duo is followed by Ted Lilly (notes), who is putting together a pretty underrated career, if you haven't noticed.Matt Kemp (notes), Andre Ethier (notes) and Rafael Furcal (notes) can anchor a lineup, and if you get a hold-the-line season from Giants defector Juan Uribe (notes) and coax James Loney (notes) into producing anything at the plate, maybe you start to talk about getting into the upper 80s.

But I can't get past that left-field platoon of Jay Gibbons (notes) andMarcus Thames (notes), plus that back half of the rotation —Hiroki Kuroda (notes), Jon Garland (notes) and Vicente Padilla (notes) — is going to have to either get or stay healthy. A great season would require a lot of players turning in career years and I don't see that happening. Combine that with a possible reluctance to spend at the trading deadline and I have a hard time thinking that Don Mattingly's first season will be a good one.

DB: I happen to like the platoon of Gibbons and Thames -- no matter what T.J. Simers thinks. But I think there's real possibility of messy implosion here. The Dodgers need to have Kemp, Ethier, Furcal and Broxton functioning at full capacity or else there's no way they're reaching 87 victories. The top of their pitching staff is really, really good, but Broxton is a nightmare as a closer right now. And Hong-Chih Kuo's (notes) arm is making weird noises. (He's back for now.) The dysfunction of the front office won't really show up on the field until later — unless you count the overpaying of Uribe in free agency to play second base. If the Dodgers don't happen to win this season, it's going to be a long time until they do again

'Duk: That's a shame, really, because the fine baseball fans of Los Angeles deserve better. And to think this is all going down after they watched their neighbors to the north finally break through for a World Series title after years of harboring a home run cheat and then throwing the GNP of a small nation at Barry Zito (notes)and Aaron Rowand (notes)! Do you figure that we're a few years away from the McCourt Curse becoming a "thing?"

At any rate, let's finish things out with the Arizona Diamondbacks. A few seasons after thinking they were on the right path with a core ofJustin Upton (notes), Mark Reynolds (notes) and Dan Haren (notes), only Upton remains with fellow building blocks Stephen Drew (notes) (left) and Chris Young. The Snakes have seen a drop in season ticket sales — even in a year when they're hosting the All-Star game — and there seem to be few incentives to sign up and watch this team in 2011. Maybe even beyond. Any reason to think this team can finish any higher than fifth this season?

DB: Do the baseball fans of Los Angeles deserve better? Prove it! I'm kidding. Well, if the Dodgers tank early and sell off some of their parts, perhaps they could sink to the bottom of the NL West. But I think the D-backs are bound to have squatting rights.

What *I'm* excited about, however, is how Kirk Gibson is going to manage the team? While I agree that a hard-ass approach seems right for a club in this state, I also know that hustle, bravado and a lack of electronic leisure devices in the clubhouse isn't going to make up for a lack of talent. I like a few of their pitchers — notably Daniel Hudson (notes), Ian Kennedy (notes) and ... OK, I like a couple of their pitchers. But if Gibson pushes these guys too hard, they're going to lose 100 games and be miserable while it's going on.

It will also be fun to keep an eye on individual performances; Will Upton blossom into a superstar, or will he simply settle on pretty good? Can Drew make an All-Star team at last? Will left-handed mustache specialist Clay Zavada (notes) reclaim his major league career? Lots of interesting individuals to follow.

Collectively, though, they will be terrible.

* * *

Prediction time!

Order of finish
'Duk: 1. Giants, 2. Rockies, 3. Dodgers, 4. Padres, 5. Diamondbacks
DB: 1. Giants, 2. Rockies, 3. Padres, 4. Dodgers, 5. D-backs.

NL West Cy Young
'Duk: Tim Lincecum (notes), Giants
DB: Tim Lincecum, Giants

NL West MVP
'Duk: Buster Posey, Giants
DB: Troy Tulowitzki, Rockies

NL West Rookie of the Year
'Duk: Brandon Belt, Giants
DB: Cory Luebke (notes), Padres

ICE HOCKEY: NHL :Bruins erupt to blow out rival Canadiens 7-0

2011-03-24T21:44:00.000-07:00

turned a grudge match against the rival Canadiens into a blowout, and he did it with his stickwork instead of his brawn.

A bete noire in Montreal—and the subject of a police investigation—since the hit that sent Max Pacioretty (notes) to the hospital, Chara had three assists to lead Boston to a 7-0 victory over the Canadiens on Thursday night. The win left the Bruins five points ahead of second-place Montreal in the Northeast Division; Boston has nine games left, and the Canadiens seven.

“I don’t know if there were any scores to be settled,” Bruins forward Shawn Thornton (notes) said. “We came to play. All the other stuff didn’t matter. We did a good job all week staying away from all the bull.”

The highly anticipated game between the Original Six rivals came 16 days after Chara banged Pacioretty into a padded stanchion, leaving him on the ice with a broken vertebrae and a concussion. The hit prompted Montreal fans to call police and demand criminal charges; authorities say they have opened an investigation.

The NHL chose not to suspend the Bruins captain. Chara said he has tried unsuccessfully to contact Pacioretty, who was released from the hospital after two days and is expected to be out at least until the playoffs.

Nathan Horton (notes) and Gregory Campbell (notes) scored twice, andDavid Krejci (notes) and Milan Lucic (notes) also had three assists to help the Bruins beat Montreal for just the second time in six games this season.Tim Thomas (notes) stopped 24 shots for his career-best eighth shutout and 25th of his career.

Johnny Boychuk (notes), Adam McQuaid (notes) and Tomas Kaberle (notes) also scored for Boston.

“I never thought we would do this,” Bruins forward Mark Recchi (notes) said “(I) thought it would be close.”

Carey Price (notes) allowed five goals on 33 shots before he was replaced with 15:31 left following Adam McQuaid’s goal that made it 5-0. Price is 2-5 in his last seven starts, allowing 21 goals in his five losses. He was replaced by Alex Auld (notes), who stopped two of eight shots.

It was Montreal’s second consecutive shutout. Coach Jacques Martin said he didn’t expect his team to come out fighting to avenge Pacioretty’s injury; he just wanted them to play better.

“The response is you want to win the hockey game and battle with the Bruins when you are trailing them by three points,” he said. “I wouldn’t say (it was) a lack of emotion—more a lack of execution.”

Fans were scanned with metal detecting wands when they came through security — a routine measure, according to TD Garden General Manager Hugh Lombardi. Although he would not comment on specific measures, he said security was “heightened.”

“Typical Montreal and Boston,” he said before the start of the third period. “We like to make sure we’re on our toes.”

The Boston fans taunted the Canadiens fans among them, waving signs that said “Call 911” and mocking the cheers usually heard at the Bell Centre. But there were no obvious problems in the stands, and just one short fight on the ice between Campbell and Paul Mara (notes).

The Bruins quickly made sure there wasn’t any suspense over the outcome— thanks largely to Chara, who has three goals and eight assists in his last nine games.

Boychuk scored 61 seconds into the game on the rebound of Chara’s shot, then Chara assisted on Campbell’s goal that made it 2-0 with 6:17 left in the first. Horton had his first of the game to give the Bruins a three-goal lead after one, then, after a scoreless second period, the Bruins erupted for four goals in the third to chase Price from the net and turn it into a rout.

With under 7 minutes left in the game and the Bruins giving up a 5-on-3 advantage, Campbell poked the puck out of the zone and split the defenders to break free, beating Auld to make it 7-0. Tyler Seguin (notes) put the puck in the net just after the final buzzer, but the goal did not count.

Notes: The Bruins signed Boston University junior D David Warsofsky, a fourth-round draft pick who was a former captain of the U.S. under-18 team and a star of BU’s 2009 NCAA championship. He was assigned to Providence of the AHL. … Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky was at the game as an ambassador for TD Bank. … Marck Recchi had one assist to tie Paul Coffey with 1,531 points—12th on the NHL’s career list. … The last time Montreal visited Boston, the Bruins won 8-6 in a game with 187 penalty minutes and a fight between goalies Thomas and Price.

Basketball: NCAAB: Did Coach K’s halftime interview jinx Duke in second half?

2011-03-24T21:42:00.000-07:00

Before halftime, Mike Krzyzewski did something he almost never does: He stopped for a television interview. After halftime, his Duke team did something it almost never does: They got run out of the gym.

The top-seeded Blue Devils held a six-point, 44-38, halftime lead over Arizona in the west regional semifinal in Anaheim. When the teams came out of the locker room, the Wildcats put on a clinic, using a 19-2 run to burst past Coach K's team en route to a 93-77 victory. Arizona outscored Duke 55-33 in the second half.

Krzyzewski almost never stops to talk to sideline reporters on his way to the locker room. Oftentimes, he'll send assistants like Johnny Dawkins or Chris Collins to perform the perfunctory interviews. Earlier this year, Coach K talked about why he shuns the television commitment:

"A coach's responsibility, from the time we talk to our players in the locker room before the game, until we talk to them in the locker room after the game, is sacred for us and our team. My responsibility is to my kids, to my team. You shouldn't be distracted. You don't owe anything to anyone else. That's why I never do halftime interviews."

He should have heeded his own warning. So far, there's no indication as to why Krzyzewski decided to grant Lesley Visser the interview, but I'd wager that it's the last one he'll be doing for a while. It may not have had any affect on his team's preparation but it's certainly a coincidence he won't want to relive again.

The thing is, even if Coach K had blown past the interviewer, even if Duke hadn't collapsed, even if Nolan Smith hadn't disappeared and even if the Blue Devils didn't essentially give up once they got down, the result would have been the same. Arizona was as close to perfect in the second half as a team can get. Not even a halftime-interview jinx could change that.

Basketball: NCAAB: Arizona upsets defending champion Duke 93-77

2011-03-24T21:37:00.000-07:00

Derrick Williams scored a career-high 32 points and his Arizona teammates showed they’re not just a one-man team, upsetting defending national champion Duke 93-77 Thursday night to reach the final eight for the first time since 2005.

The top-seeded Blue Devils (32-5) were sent packing from a regional semifinal for the second time in three years. Coach Mike Krzyzewski, with 900 wins, will have to wait until next season to resume his pursuit of Bob Knight’s record as the winningest men’s coach in Division I history.

Williams scored 25 of his points in the first half before his teammates came up big in the final 20 minutes. Lamont Jones added 16 points and Solomon Hill 13.

Fifth-seeded Arizona (30-7) will play Connecticut (29-9) on Saturday in the West Regional final. The third-seeded Huskies defeated No. 2 San Diego State 74-67 in the other semifinal.Williams had 13 rebounds to help his team dominate the boards, 40-27, while playing 15 minutes from his hometown of La Mirada.

Duke’s Kryie Irving scored 28 points in his most minutes since returning at the start of the NCAA tournament after missing 26 games with a toe injury. Kyle Singler added 18 as one of three Blue Devils in second-half foul trouble. Nolan Smith was held to eight points—well under the senior’s 21-point average.

Down by six points early in the second half, the Wildcats unleashed a scoring rampage that left the Blue Devils looking stunned.

Williams scored just two points during the 19-2 run while five of his teammates did the rest, hitting from long-range, driving to the basket and scoring off a fast break. Jones’ basket tied the game at 53 and the spurt ended with Arizona leading 66-55. Jones and Jamelle Horne had five points each.

Horne’s dunk extended Arizona’s lead to 77-63 as the Wildcats’ fans roared, thrilled to see their team making a deep run in the tournament a season after the school’s 25-year streak of consecutive appearances ended.

The Wildcats closed the first half on an 18-13 run, capped by Williams’ 3-pointer just before the buzzer, that left them trailing 44-38. He hit back-to-back shots from the same spot at the top of the 3-point line during the spurt in which his teammates contributed just five points.

The Wildcats closed within one point earlier in the half, and Duke responded by outscoring them 14-7, including eight in a row, to take its largest lead, 31-20.

Irving didn’t start the game, but he quickly had an impact once he got in. He scored seven points in the run that built Duke’s biggest lead.

Motor:Another Hamilton hits the track

2011-03-24T21:05:00.000-07:00

Nicolas Hamilton has been his half-brother's biggest fan for as long as he can remember but now he hopes to win recognition for his own achievements on the track.

The Briton's debut in the Renault Clio Cup series will be at Brands Hatch on April 2-3 and his name, although sure to attract plenty of attention, will not be the only thing that makes him remarkable.While 2008 champion Lewis Hamilton was gearing up for Formula One's Australian season-opener, the 19-year-old tested far from the media spotlight in a much slower car at the Rockingham raceway in central England on Thursday.

A sufferer of cerebral palsy, or spastic diplegia which affects his legs and leaves him weaker on the right side of his body, Hamilton is battling more than just his track rivals.

"I am a complete novice. I have got to begin at the bottom and then work my way up. But just to be out there is a great achievement for the challenges I've had to overcome," he told Reuters in an interview.

"The idea of this wasn't to inspire people. My aim was to just race. That's what I wanted to do. But if I can inspire people on the way and help people, then that's a bonus.

"I'd love to see disabled people at kart races or indoor karting or whatever. I just want them to be enjoying motorsport and be part of it," Hamilton added.

"I go to an indoor kart event and there's no disabled people there, I'm the only one there and I do believe that some people think they wouldn't be able to do it because of their legs or whatever they suffer.

"But trust me if you want it hard enough and you really want to race then give it a go."

With Lewis breaking down barriers as Formula One's first black world champion and father Anthony, who never let his humble background or lack of money stand in the way of his dreams, Nicolas is not short of role models.

Yet it is the name of Italian Alex Zanardi, the former F1 driver who lost both legs in a near-fatal IndyCar crash and came back to forge a new career racing touring cars, who makes the teenager's eyes light up.

"I met Alex in September and just to see him and the way he approaches things and the adaptations he's had to his car and whatever is a massive inspiration," he said.

"If he can do it I definitely can do it."

His mother Linda, watching from the pitwall in front of empty stands before buying lunch for her son from a lone burger van at the end of the paddock, looked on with some apprehension.

"I'm happy with it. It's what he wants to do. Obviously I'm nervous but anybody would be really under the circumstances," she told Reuters.

"He looks quite confident, he's listening to what the team are telling him and he's taking it easy. He did push last time he was here and it went horribly wrong. So he's learned that he needs to just progress slowly and not rush into it too much."

Hamilton's first test at Rockingham last week ended after he hit the wall early in the session and on Thursday he was around three seconds off the fastest time in a car with modified pedals.

Linda, who is Lewis's step-mother, said Nicolas had always loved going to races but only shown interest in competing in the last year.

"I think it was Lewis who suggested maybe he should try and get into a car because he was so good on the simulation games," she said.

A test in a regular Porsche showed he could be quick.

"I've loved motorsports from a young age," said Hamilton. "I started following Lewis when I was two or maybe even younger.

"I always wanted to race karts but never really had the opportunity because of Lewis, which I am happy with.

"I finally got the opportunity when I was seven and I crashed quite heavily so then that put me off racing.

"It wasn't until I was 15 that I got back into a kart and that I realised that I could do it," added Hamilton.

"At the moment it's a hobby. But it's step one. It's both. It's step one of a complete career, I hope.

"I love driving the car, I just love racing and everything about it. So let's hope the career doesn't stop here and that this is just the beginning," said Hamilton.