Sports Quote of the Day:
"You can practice shooting eight hours a day, but if your technique is wrong, then all you become is very good at shooting the wrong way. Get the fundamentals down, and the level of everything you do will rise." ~ Michael Jordan, Professional Basketball Player and NBA Team Owner
How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Bickell scores in OT, Blackhawks beat Wild 2-1.
By
Corey Crawford settled down after allowing a weak goal in the opening minutes. Marian Hossa also scored, and the Blackhawks took the early lead in this first-round series.
Game 2 is Friday at the United Center.
''We just needed to stay patient,'' Bickell said. ''We were getting our opportunities. Not odd-man rushes like they were, but we got the one, and to capitalize on it is huge. With our speed, through the whole season a lot of teams were trying to shut us down and let us get frustrated.''
The Blackhawks finally put this one away when Johnny Oduya chipped the puck off the boards up to Viktor Stalberg on the right side. Stalberg then dished it on the two-on-one rush to Bickell, who was all alone for the winning backhander at 16:35.
Big things are expected in Chicago after a spectacular regular season that included a record start and the team's first Presidents' Trophy since 1991.
The Blackhawks are eyeing a run to the Stanley Cup for the second time in four years. They have been eliminated in the first round the past two seasons after beating Philadelphia for the championship in 2010, and they realize that for all they accomplished thus far in 2013, they'll ultimately be judged by what happens in the playoffs.
They seemingly caught a break before the game when Minnesota goalie Niklas Backstrom was scratched because of a leg injury suffered while reaching for a puck in the pregame warm-ups.
Josh Harding replaced him and more than held his own after being limited to just five games following a multiple sclerosis diagnosis last summer. Harding made 35 saves.
''Phenomenal,'' coach Mike Yeo said. ''It's hard to sit here and try to paint an accurate picture of what he's gone through, because I have no idea, we have no idea. He's a guy that, certainly, for many reasons you're rooting for.''
Yeo didn't have much of an update on Backstrom, although he did say, ''It was a bit of a curveball to say the least.''
The Wild, trying to match what the Los Angeles Kings did a year ago and win the Stanley Cup as an eight seed, took the lead just under five minutes into the game when Cal Clutterbuck fooled Crawford with a soft shot from the left circle.
The goal on Minnesota's first shot brought back some bad memories for Blackhawks fans who remember him allowing several soft goals in the playoffs against Phoenix a year ago.
Hossa tied it just over two minutes into the second period, streaking down the left side, getting behind Minnesota's Jonas Brodin and firing the puck between Harding's pads after taking a feed from Patrick Kane.
Harding made a big save with his right pad from point-blank range on Kane after he beat Marco Scandella in the opening minutes of the third period to preserve the 1-1 tie.
Chicago appeared to take the lead midway through the third. Minnesota's Jared Spurgeon fell on a loose puck just outside the crease, and the Blackhawks kept swatting at it. Jonathan Toews knocked it into the net, but the whistle had already blown.
Blackhawks fans responded with some nasty chants, but they were letting out big sighs of relief two minutes later when a wraparound shot by Minnesota's Jason Zucker slid across the crease.
After five of their six playoff games against Phoenix last year went to overtime, the Blackhawks found themselves in a familiar spot.
They almost won it in OT when Hossa skated toward the net and drew Harding to the ice, but the goalie barely deflected his backhanded shot. Crawford then had a big blocker save on Zach Parise.
''We were able to battle through a lot today,'' Crawford said. ''We battled through that first goal, had a couple of PKs (penalty kills) in overtime, one in the third there. Our guys did a solid job. It was definitely a good test for us.''
Notes: Kane is sporting a playoff mullet again. ''I think it's fun,'' he said. ''It's good for a good laugh or two. It's something that's been a little bit of a tradition.'' The youthful looking Kane gained national attention when he grew the mullet for the championship run in 2010 and he went with it again the following year. He went with a beard, instead, last year. But on Tuesday, he was all business up front and party in the back. ... Besides Emery, the Blackhawks were without Dave Bolland (lower body injury).
Jason Collins announces that he is gay, altering the landscape of sports. Please read CS&T's Take!!!
By
Bryan Bickell scored in overtime on a two-on-one rush, and the Chicago Blackhawks started the playoffs on a winning note after dominating the regular season, beating the Minnesota Wild 2-1 Tuesday night.
Game 2 is Friday at the United Center.
''We just needed to stay patient,'' Bickell said. ''We were getting our opportunities. Not odd-man rushes like they were, but we got the one, and to capitalize on it is huge. With our speed, through the whole season a lot of teams were trying to shut us down and let us get frustrated.''
The Blackhawks finally put this one away when Johnny Oduya chipped the puck off the boards up to Viktor Stalberg on the right side. Stalberg then dished it on the two-on-one rush to Bickell, who was all alone for the winning backhander at 16:35.
Big things are expected in Chicago after a spectacular regular season that included a record start and the team's first Presidents' Trophy since 1991.
The Blackhawks are eyeing a run to the Stanley Cup for the second time in four years. They have been eliminated in the first round the past two seasons after beating Philadelphia for the championship in 2010, and they realize that for all they accomplished thus far in 2013, they'll ultimately be judged by what happens in the playoffs.
They seemingly caught a break before the game when Minnesota goalie Niklas Backstrom was scratched because of a leg injury suffered while reaching for a puck in the pregame warm-ups.
Josh Harding replaced him and more than held his own after being limited to just five games following a multiple sclerosis diagnosis last summer. Harding made 35 saves.
''Phenomenal,'' coach Mike Yeo said. ''It's hard to sit here and try to paint an accurate picture of what he's gone through, because I have no idea, we have no idea. He's a guy that, certainly, for many reasons you're rooting for.''
Yeo didn't have much of an update on Backstrom, although he did say, ''It was a bit of a curveball to say the least.''
The Wild, trying to match what the Los Angeles Kings did a year ago and win the Stanley Cup as an eight seed, took the lead just under five minutes into the game when Cal Clutterbuck fooled Crawford with a soft shot from the left circle.
The goal on Minnesota's first shot brought back some bad memories for Blackhawks fans who remember him allowing several soft goals in the playoffs against Phoenix a year ago.
Hossa tied it just over two minutes into the second period, streaking down the left side, getting behind Minnesota's Jonas Brodin and firing the puck between Harding's pads after taking a feed from Patrick Kane.
Harding made a big save with his right pad from point-blank range on Kane after he beat Marco Scandella in the opening minutes of the third period to preserve the 1-1 tie.
Chicago appeared to take the lead midway through the third. Minnesota's Jared Spurgeon fell on a loose puck just outside the crease, and the Blackhawks kept swatting at it. Jonathan Toews knocked it into the net, but the whistle had already blown.
Blackhawks fans responded with some nasty chants, but they were letting out big sighs of relief two minutes later when a wraparound shot by Minnesota's Jason Zucker slid across the crease.
After five of their six playoff games against Phoenix last year went to overtime, the Blackhawks found themselves in a familiar spot.
They almost won it in OT when Hossa skated toward the net and drew Harding to the ice, but the goalie barely deflected his backhanded shot. Crawford then had a big blocker save on Zach Parise.
''We were able to battle through a lot today,'' Crawford said. ''We battled through that first goal, had a couple of PKs (penalty kills) in overtime, one in the third there. Our guys did a solid job. It was definitely a good test for us.''
Notes: Kane is sporting a playoff mullet again. ''I think it's fun,'' he said. ''It's good for a good laugh or two. It's something that's been a little bit of a tradition.'' The youthful looking Kane gained national attention when he grew the mullet for the championship run in 2010 and he went with it again the following year. He went with a beard, instead, last year. But on Tuesday, he was all business up front and party in the back. ... Besides Emery, the Blackhawks were without Dave Bolland (lower body injury).
Jason Collins announces that he is gay, altering the landscape of sports. Please read CS&T's Take!!!
Jason Collins on the cover of this week's Sports Illustrated (Image via Twitter.com/SInow)
At CS&T without sounding facetious, cold, uninterested and uncaring, we do not understand why a big deal is being made out of this issue. Even though gay rights are still being debated, tremendous progress has been made in the last few years. I really don't know of anyone that doesn't know someone that is gay, lesbian, transgendered or bisexual. GLBTs are a significant part of the world's population. They are in every segment of professional life, soldiers, lawyers, teachers, businessmen and business ladies, politicians, auto workers, CEO's and on and on. So please tell me what the big deal is about him coming out? The only thing that is constant in life is change. Most will accept it and move forward. There will always be those that have opinions that won't change and you'll always have detractors. Right or wrong, that's what makes America great, the freedom of thought, freedom of the press, freedom of religion, freedom of dissent and in general, FREEDOM. It's our American constitutional right. The American public always seems to do the right thing albeit, sometimes it takes longer for things to happen than we would like. I can guarantee you that in the next few years this matter will be part of life's everyday norm. So in closing, please read the following article:
Gay Athletes have come out while active or retired.
Associated Press
Even before Jason Collins, plenty of other athletes around the world have come out as gay, either while still active or in retirement.
From Martina Navratilova to Greg Louganis to Sheryl Swoopes, men and women from a variety of sports have openly acknowledged their sexuality, though many others are believed to still be reluctant to come forward.
Collins, a 34-year-old NBA veteran, became the first active player in the four major American professional sports to come out as gay, writing a first-person account posted on Sports Illustrated's website Monday. Collins has played for six teams in 12 seasons, including this past season with the Washington Wizards, and is now a free agent.
"It is hugely powerful when any individual in the sports world, wherever they come from in the world, feels able to come out," said Ruth Hunt, deputy chief executive of the British gay rights organization Stonewall. "The fact that this is a current player adds to the strength of his statement."
Previously, some pro sports athletes waited until after quitting to say they were gay, including former NBA player John Amaechi and former NFL running back Dave Kopay. English soccer player Justin Fashanu committed suicide in 1998, eight years after coming out during his playing career.
Amaechi, a center who played five seasons with four teams, became the first NBA player to publicly come out in 2007, three years after the Englishman's playing career was over. He said Collins spoke with him before deciding to come out and called his decision "ground-breaking" and one that could encourage other gay athletes to follow suit.
"I'm getting tons of messages right now from people talking to me about him, about what he's done," Amaechi told The Associated Press. "I've spoken to a couple of college athletes in the States and a couple of high school athletes who are very good who have been immensely buoyed by this news.
"They feel a weight lifted off them even if they aren't out and they aren't going to come out at this point."
Sports leagues in Britain and elsewhere in Europe have been trying to combat anti-gay bias. But the taboo remains particularly strong in soccer, where there are no openly gay players in Europe's top leagues. Homophobic chants still occur at some games.
"Football is not going to change," Amaechi said. "If it wanted to change it would change. It has the resources to do so. It doesn't want to change."
Amaechi said he has been in touch with soccer players, including in the English Premier League, who are gay but are not ready to go public.
"Many of them are out already," he said. "They are out in the way that most people are out in that people they love and that people who care about them know that they are gay. But random strangers don't know that they are gay."
Fashanu remains the only top-level British soccer player to have come out publicly, acknowledging he was gay in 1990. The former Nottingham Forest and Norwich City striker was found hanged in a London garage at age 37.
According to an inquest, Fashanu left a note saying, because he was gay, he feared he wouldn't get a fair trial in the United States on sexual assault charges. Maryland police were seeking him on charges that he sexually assaulted a 17-year-old boy after a party at his apartment.
Robbie Rogers, a former U.S. national team player who played for Leeds in England's second-tier division last season, went public in February that he was gay, saying on his personal website that "I realized I could only truly enjoy my life once I was honest." He also said he was retiring from the sport.
Anti-gay sentiment in soccer has been expressed in different ways.
Last year, Italy forward Antonio Cassano said he hoped there were no homosexual players on the national team and used a derogatory word to describe gays. Fans of two-time defending Russian champion Zenit St. Petersburg signed a petition saying gay players were "unworthy of our great city."
Marcello Lippi, Italy's World Cup winning manager, caused a stir in 2009 when he said he had never come across a gay player and would advise gay players to stay in the closet.
"The NBA is light years ahead of football, there is no doubt about that," Amaechi said.
In the U.S., Kopay, who played for five NFL teams over 10 years, was the first pro athlete to acknowledge his homosexuality publicly when he came out in 1977 after retiring, and wrote a book about it.
Four-time diving gold medalist Louganis revealed he was gay in 1994, a year before announcing he was also HIV-positive.
Swoopes, a WNBA star and three-time Olympic gold medalist, disclosed in 2005 that she was gay.
In tennis, women's greats Navratilova and Billie Jean King came out about their sexuality. Former French player Amelie Mauresmo also spoke about her sexual orientation.
U.S. soccer star Megan Rapinoe came out before she played in last year's London Olympics. WNBA star Seimone Augustus and the league's No. 1 draft pick, Brittney Griner, are some of the more recent female athletes to follow suit.
Glenn Burke, an outfielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Oakland A's in the 1970s, and Billy Bean, a utility player in the 1980s and 1990s, disclosed they were gay after retiring. Burke died of complications due to AIDS in 1995.
Gareth Thomas, a Welsh rugby star, attracted widespread media attention in 2009 when he announced he was gay; he played until he retired in 2011.
"I was like a ticking bomb. I thought I could suppress it, keep it locked away in some dark corner of myself, but I couldn't. It was who I was, and I just couldn't ignore it any more. I'd been through every emotion under the sun trying to deal with this," Thomas said in a recent documentary broadcast on British television.
Orlando Cruz of Puerto Rico came out in October as pro boxing's first openly gay fighter, saying, "I don't want to hide any of my identities. I want people to look at me for the human being I am."
Canadian swimmer Mark Tewksbury came out as gay six years after winning a gold medal in the backstroke at the 1992 Barcelona Games. Former Olympic skiing gold medalist Anja Paerson of Sweden announced last year after her retirement that she was in a long-term relationship with a woman. Australian diver Matthew Mitcham came out as gay before he won the men's 10-meter platform gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
San Francisco 49ers favored to win Super Bowl XLVIII.
By The Sports Xchange
Now that the smoke has cleared and the NFL scouting combine has long been over and teams have spent millions on free agents and the draft has raised the hopes of many, all that's left this offseason is to ponder who has positioned themselves the best to win Super Bowl XLVIII on Feb. 2, 2014.
According to Bovada.com, the San Francisco 49ers are clearly the team to beat. The 49ers were listed as the 6-1 favorite to win next year's championship.
During the offseason, the 49ers acquired Anquan Boldin in a trade with the Baltimore Ravens. They signed cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha, defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey and kicker Phil Dawson.
Then in last week's draft, general manager Tom Baalke was praised by most draft experts for addressing the team's needs with 11 picks. Rookies Eric Reid at safety, Tank Carradine on the defensive line will be expected to be key contributors next season.
When the free-agent signing period started back in March, the 49ers and the Denver Broncos were listed as 7-1 co-favorites, followed by New England at 15-2 and Seattle at 10-1.
On Monday, the Broncos were listed at 15-2, the Patriots at 8-1, Seahawks at 9-1 and Atlanta Falcons at 12-1.
On the other end of the spectrum the Arizona Cardinals, Buffalo Bills, Oakland Raiders and Tennessee Titans were listed at 100-1, and were followed by the Jacksonville Jaguars -- the longest of long shots -- at 200-1.
Post-draft Super Bowl odds.
By Joe Fortenbaugh
Not much has changed in the eyes of Las Vegas bookmakers following the conclusion of the 2013 NFL draft.
Adjustments have been made to four teams since our last update on March 17, which came at the end of the free agent feeding frenzy. The LVH sports book in Las Vegas has dropped the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 60/1 to 40/1 while New Orleans, Arizona and the New York Jets have all shifted in the opposite direction.
Here’s the complete rundown:
Gay Athletes have come out while active or retired.
Associated Press
Even before Jason Collins, plenty of other athletes around the world have come out as gay, either while still active or in retirement.
From Martina Navratilova to Greg Louganis to Sheryl Swoopes, men and women from a variety of sports have openly acknowledged their sexuality, though many others are believed to still be reluctant to come forward.
Collins, a 34-year-old NBA veteran, became the first active player in the four major American professional sports to come out as gay, writing a first-person account posted on Sports Illustrated's website Monday. Collins has played for six teams in 12 seasons, including this past season with the Washington Wizards, and is now a free agent.
"It is hugely powerful when any individual in the sports world, wherever they come from in the world, feels able to come out," said Ruth Hunt, deputy chief executive of the British gay rights organization Stonewall. "The fact that this is a current player adds to the strength of his statement."
Previously, some pro sports athletes waited until after quitting to say they were gay, including former NBA player John Amaechi and former NFL running back Dave Kopay. English soccer player Justin Fashanu committed suicide in 1998, eight years after coming out during his playing career.
Amaechi, a center who played five seasons with four teams, became the first NBA player to publicly come out in 2007, three years after the Englishman's playing career was over. He said Collins spoke with him before deciding to come out and called his decision "ground-breaking" and one that could encourage other gay athletes to follow suit.
"I'm getting tons of messages right now from people talking to me about him, about what he's done," Amaechi told The Associated Press. "I've spoken to a couple of college athletes in the States and a couple of high school athletes who are very good who have been immensely buoyed by this news.
"They feel a weight lifted off them even if they aren't out and they aren't going to come out at this point."
Sports leagues in Britain and elsewhere in Europe have been trying to combat anti-gay bias. But the taboo remains particularly strong in soccer, where there are no openly gay players in Europe's top leagues. Homophobic chants still occur at some games.
"Football is not going to change," Amaechi said. "If it wanted to change it would change. It has the resources to do so. It doesn't want to change."
Amaechi said he has been in touch with soccer players, including in the English Premier League, who are gay but are not ready to go public.
"Many of them are out already," he said. "They are out in the way that most people are out in that people they love and that people who care about them know that they are gay. But random strangers don't know that they are gay."
Fashanu remains the only top-level British soccer player to have come out publicly, acknowledging he was gay in 1990. The former Nottingham Forest and Norwich City striker was found hanged in a London garage at age 37.
According to an inquest, Fashanu left a note saying, because he was gay, he feared he wouldn't get a fair trial in the United States on sexual assault charges. Maryland police were seeking him on charges that he sexually assaulted a 17-year-old boy after a party at his apartment.
Robbie Rogers, a former U.S. national team player who played for Leeds in England's second-tier division last season, went public in February that he was gay, saying on his personal website that "I realized I could only truly enjoy my life once I was honest." He also said he was retiring from the sport.
Anti-gay sentiment in soccer has been expressed in different ways.
Last year, Italy forward Antonio Cassano said he hoped there were no homosexual players on the national team and used a derogatory word to describe gays. Fans of two-time defending Russian champion Zenit St. Petersburg signed a petition saying gay players were "unworthy of our great city."
Marcello Lippi, Italy's World Cup winning manager, caused a stir in 2009 when he said he had never come across a gay player and would advise gay players to stay in the closet.
"The NBA is light years ahead of football, there is no doubt about that," Amaechi said.
In the U.S., Kopay, who played for five NFL teams over 10 years, was the first pro athlete to acknowledge his homosexuality publicly when he came out in 1977 after retiring, and wrote a book about it.
Four-time diving gold medalist Louganis revealed he was gay in 1994, a year before announcing he was also HIV-positive.
Swoopes, a WNBA star and three-time Olympic gold medalist, disclosed in 2005 that she was gay.
In tennis, women's greats Navratilova and Billie Jean King came out about their sexuality. Former French player Amelie Mauresmo also spoke about her sexual orientation.
U.S. soccer star Megan Rapinoe came out before she played in last year's London Olympics. WNBA star Seimone Augustus and the league's No. 1 draft pick, Brittney Griner, are some of the more recent female athletes to follow suit.
Glenn Burke, an outfielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Oakland A's in the 1970s, and Billy Bean, a utility player in the 1980s and 1990s, disclosed they were gay after retiring. Burke died of complications due to AIDS in 1995.
Gareth Thomas, a Welsh rugby star, attracted widespread media attention in 2009 when he announced he was gay; he played until he retired in 2011.
"I was like a ticking bomb. I thought I could suppress it, keep it locked away in some dark corner of myself, but I couldn't. It was who I was, and I just couldn't ignore it any more. I'd been through every emotion under the sun trying to deal with this," Thomas said in a recent documentary broadcast on British television.
Orlando Cruz of Puerto Rico came out in October as pro boxing's first openly gay fighter, saying, "I don't want to hide any of my identities. I want people to look at me for the human being I am."
Canadian swimmer Mark Tewksbury came out as gay six years after winning a gold medal in the backstroke at the 1992 Barcelona Games. Former Olympic skiing gold medalist Anja Paerson of Sweden announced last year after her retirement that she was in a long-term relationship with a woman. Australian diver Matthew Mitcham came out as gay before he won the men's 10-meter platform gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
San Francisco 49ers favored to win Super Bowl XLVIII.
By The Sports Xchange
Now that the smoke has cleared and the NFL scouting combine has long been over and teams have spent millions on free agents and the draft has raised the hopes of many, all that's left this offseason is to ponder who has positioned themselves the best to win Super Bowl XLVIII on Feb. 2, 2014.
According to Bovada.com, the San Francisco 49ers are clearly the team to beat. The 49ers were listed as the 6-1 favorite to win next year's championship.
During the offseason, the 49ers acquired Anquan Boldin in a trade with the Baltimore Ravens. They signed cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha, defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey and kicker Phil Dawson.
Then in last week's draft, general manager Tom Baalke was praised by most draft experts for addressing the team's needs with 11 picks. Rookies Eric Reid at safety, Tank Carradine on the defensive line will be expected to be key contributors next season.
When the free-agent signing period started back in March, the 49ers and the Denver Broncos were listed as 7-1 co-favorites, followed by New England at 15-2 and Seattle at 10-1.
On Monday, the Broncos were listed at 15-2, the Patriots at 8-1, Seahawks at 9-1 and Atlanta Falcons at 12-1.
On the other end of the spectrum the Arizona Cardinals, Buffalo Bills, Oakland Raiders and Tennessee Titans were listed at 100-1, and were followed by the Jacksonville Jaguars -- the longest of long shots -- at 200-1.
Post-draft Super Bowl odds.
By Joe Fortenbaugh
Not much has changed in the eyes of Las Vegas bookmakers following the conclusion of the 2013 NFL draft.
Adjustments have been made to four teams since our last update on March 17, which came at the end of the free agent feeding frenzy. The LVH sports book in Las Vegas has dropped the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 60/1 to 40/1 while New Orleans, Arizona and the New York Jets have all shifted in the opposite direction.
Here’s the complete rundown:
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NBA-Highlights of Tuesday's NBA playoff games.
Reuters
Denver's Andre Iguodala collected 25 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists as the Nuggets forced a Game Six against Golden State.
Ty Lawson added 19 points and 10 assists and Wilson Chandler scored 19 for the Nuggets, who trail 3-2 in the best-of-seven series. Game Six will be in Oakland on Thursday.
Harrison Barnes scored 23 points, Jarrett Jack had 20 and Klay Thomson had 19 for Golden State. Stephen Curry was held to a series-low 15 points and struggled to 1-of-7 from beyond the arc.
Denver jumped out to a 20-point lead at halftime and led 92-73 with nine minutes left before the Warriors made one more push. Curry's three-pointer with 5:09 left capped an 18-4 burst and brought Golden State to 96-91.
The Warriors had a chance to make it a one-possession game but Curry and Thompson missed three-pointers on the same possession.
Chandler then responded with a three-pointer from the corner at the other end to stretch the lead to 103-95 with 1:25 left.
- - - -
Grizzlies 103, Clippers 93
Zach Randolph had 25 points and 11 rebounds and Marc Gasol added 21 points as visiting Memphis defeated Los Angeles for the third straight game to take a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference best-of-seven series.
Mike Conley scored 20 points and Tayshaun Prince tallied 15 as the Grizzlies continued a stunning turnaround after finding themselves in a 2-0 hole. Memphis can close out the series with a home victory in Game Six on Friday.
Chris Paul scored 35 points and Jamal Crawford added 15 for the Clippers.
Blake Griffin had four points and five rebounds in 20 minutes before leaving midway through the third quarter because of a sprained right ankle suffered in practice on Monday.
The Grizzlies kept Los Angeles at bay throughout the final quarter.
Los Angeles pulled to within 91-86 on a three-pointer by Crawford with 1:49 remaining but Prince drained a long-range effort 20 seconds later and Gasol hit six free throws in the final 22 seconds to seal the win.
(Editing by John O'Brien)
NBA-Highlights of Monday's NBA playoff games.
Reuters
Nets 110, Bulls 91
Brooklyn upended Chicago to stay alive in their Eastern Conference first-round series, Brook Lopez with 28 points and 10 rebounds and Deron Williams adding 23 points and 10 assists as the Nets cut the Bulls' lead to 3-2.
Game Six is on Thursday in Chicago.
Nate Robinson scored 20 points and Jimmy Butler added 18 for the Bulls, who were outscored 33-18 in the final quarter.
Chicago had rallied from a 14-point final-quarter deficit in the final minutes of regulation in Game Four before notching a triple-overtime victory.
Chicago trailed 85-84 after Marco Belinelli's three-pointer with 8:15 to play before Brooklyn took control. Robinson's jumper with 4:15 left was Chicago's last field goal and Brooklyn answered with a game-ending 15-1 run.
- - -
Rockets 105, Thunder 103
Houston avoided being swept by Oklahoma City in the best-of-seven Western Conference series on Monday, Chandler Parsons scoring 27 points with 10 rebounds and eight assists to lead the Rockets to a 105-103 win.
Omer Asik added 17 points and 14 rebounds, Patrick Beverley scored 16 and James Harden had 15 as the Rockets cut the Thunder's lead to 3-1.
Oklahoma City had two chances to tie in the final seconds, but Reggie Jackson missed a driving shot and Serge Ibaka missed the putback as time expired to force the series back to Oklahoma City for Game 5 on Wednesday.
Kevin Durant had 38 points on 12-of-16 shooting, Jackson scored 18 points and Kevin Martin added 16 for the Thunder.
Jackson again started in place of Russell Westbrook, who is done for the postseason after undergoing knee surgery on Saturday.
- - -
Hawks 102, Pacers 91
Atlanta, led by Josh Smith's 29 points and 11 rebounds, evened the best-of-seven series with Indiana at two games apiece.
Kyle Korver hit five three-pointers en route to 19 points off the bench and Al Horford added 18 for the Hawks, who have held the Pacers to an average of 80 points in the last two games to crawl out of an 0-2 hole. Game Five is on Wednesday at Indiana.
Paul George recorded 21 points and 12 rebounds and David West had 15 and six as the Pacers struggled to 38.1 percent from the field.
Indiana crept to within 92-87 with 1:46 left but Horford knocked down a jumper and found Smith for a layup on the next possession to push it out to a nine-point edge.
Atlanta went 6-for-6 from the free throw line in the final 26 seconds to close it out.
(Editing by Peter Rutherford)
NBA committee recommends rejecting Kings move.
By
Here they stay, for now.
In an emotional saga that has dragged on for nearly three years, the NBA's relocation committee voted unanimously Monday to recommend that owners reject the application for the Sacramento Kings to move to Seattle, the latest — and by far the strongest — in a long line of cities that have tried to land the franchise.
Despite the recommendation, investor Chris Hansen pledged to "move forward with the transaction" he signed with the Maloof family to buy and move the franchise anyway. In a post on his Seattle arena website late Monday night, Hansen said he plans to pitch the NBA Board of Governors at its meeting the week of May 13, when league owners will vote on the issue.
"When we started this process everyone thought it was impossible," Hansen wrote. "While this represents yet another obstacle to achieving our goal, I just wanted to reassure all of you that we have numerous options at our disposal and have absolutely no plans to give up. Impossible is nothing but a state of mind."
Hours earlier, the feeling was far more festive in California's capital city.
Moments after the league announced the committee's recommendation, Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson wrote on Twitter: "That's what I'm talking about SACRAMENTO!!!!! WE DID IT!!!!!"
At a packed pep rally at a downtown restaurant, fans serenaded Johnson with chants of "Sac-ra-mento!" He called the recommendation a "big day for the city of Sacramento" but stopped short of declaring victory.
"We do not want to dance in the end zone. We do not want to celebrate prematurely," Johnson said.
TIBCO software chairman Vivek Ranadive, the head of the Sacramento investor group Johnson assembled to mount a competing bid to keep the Kings, also expressed excitement.
"I'm speechless. Thanks to all of the amazing people who supported this great effort," tweeted Ranadive, a minority owner of the Golden State Warriors who could become the first Indian-born majority owner of an NBA team. He would have to sell his share in the Warriors if his group's bid for the Kings is successful.
"We did it, baby," said California Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg. The Sacramento Democrat joined Johnson and Republican state Senator Ted Gaines at the rally in a show of bi-partisan support.
Barbara "Sign Lady" Rust, as she has become known by Kings fans, waived a sign as Johnson spoke that read: "Love found a way, now here we stay!"
"You should have seen me a few hours ago," she said. "I totally lost it. First I jumped like a crazy woman for a minute. Then I cried."
Who will own the Kings next season is still unclear.
The Maloof family reached an agreement in January to sell a 65 percent controlling interest in the team to Hansen's group at a total franchise valuation of $525 million, topping the NBA-record $450 million that Joe Lacob and Peter Guber bought the Warriors for in 2010. Then Hansen increased his offer to $550 million, which implies buying the 65 percent stake for about $357 million.
Hansen hoped to move the team to Seattle and rename it the SuperSonics, who moved to Oklahoma City and renamed the Thunder in 2008. Instead, those plans suddenly seemed to crumble.
But Hansen insisted again that his group has a more solid arena plan, offered more money and "placed all of the funds to close the transaction into escrow." At the bottom of his post, Hansen attributed a quote to boxing great Muhammad Ali that ended with the famous line: "Impossible is nothing."
The NBA Board of Governors is expected to follow the recommendation by the relocation committee, coincidentally headed by Thunder owner Clay Bennett, already a reviled figure in Seattle.
The other owners on the committee are Miami's Micky Arison, Washington's Ted Leonsis, Utah's Greg Miller, Indiana's Herbert Simon, Minnesota's Glen Taylor and San Antonio's Peter Holt — who's also the chairman of the board.
Even still, the Maloofs are not bound to sell the team to the Sacramento group — and the threat of lawsuits always looms. Johnson said he was unsure what the next step is in the process or whether the NBA would — or could — take a role in streamlining the team's sale.
In a letter sent to the relocation and finance committees during its April 17 meeting, the Maloofs said they preferred to sell to the Seattle group and expressed discontent with Sacramento's latest bid, saying it falls "significantly short." NBA Commissioner David Stern has said the offers are in "the same ballpark."
Stern said owners felt leaving Sacramento just didn't make sense. He also reiterated his long-held stance that expansion is unlikely at this time.
"As strong as the Seattle bid was, and it was very strong, there's some benefit that should be given to a city that has supported us for so long and has stepped up to contribute to build a new building as well," Stern said on NBA-TV.
A Spokesman for the Maloof family declined to comment on the committee's recommendation. Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn pledged that his city will continue to fight for an NBA team.
"I'm proud of how Sonics fans have rallied together to help Seattle get a team," McGinn said in a statement. "We're going to stay focused on our job: making sure Seattle remains in a position to get a team when the opportunity presents itself."
While the odds often seemed stacked against Sacramento, the city rallied each time.
In 2011, the Maloofs made plans to move the Kings to Anaheim, Calif., before Johnson convinced the NBA to give the city one last chance to help finance an arena. At one point, Johnson seemed so certain the team was gone he called the process a "slow death" and compared the city's efforts to keep the Kings to a "Hail Mary."
Johnson delivered on his promise of a new arena plan — which Stern helped negotiate — before last season. But in a stunning move, the Maloofs backed out of the tentative deal for a downtown arena, saying it didn't make financial sense.
The city of Sacramento and the owners broke off talks, reigniting fears the franchise could relocate. Cities such as Virginia Beach, Las Vegas and Kansas City surfaced as potential new homes.
In January, the Maloofs caught Sacramento — and to a certain extent, the NBA — by surprise when they announced the deal with Hansen's group, which includes Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and members of the Nordstrom department store family.
Led by Johnson, Sacramento fought back to make the sale and relocation of the Kings tough for the league to recommend. He pushed a non-binding financing plan for a $447 million downtown arena through the Sacramento City Council — complete with a $258 million public subsidy — and lined up an ownership group to try to compete with the powerful Seattle contingent.
The potential Sacramento ownership group also includes 24 Hour Fitness founder Mark Mastrov, former Facebook senior executive Chris Kelly and the Jacobs family that owns communications giant Qualcomm. Johnson has touted the group as a "California team" with members from all over the country's most populated state.
Johnson, a former NBA All-Star point guard known best by his initials "KJ," also commended Seattle for its efforts and wrote that the Pacific Northwest city "no doubt deserves a team in the future."
"Just not ours," he said.
"I feel good for KJ because he's worked so hard," said interim Brooklyn Nets coach P.J. Carlesimo, who worked with Johnson at NBC and coached the Sonics in their last season. "If it goes down that way, there's no question who deserves the credit because, I mean, they could've rolled over a long time ago. Kevin just really made this happen, which is great."
Seattle is now back to wondering when, and if, the NBA will ever return.
Hansen's purchase agreement with the Maloofs seemed the perfect solution for the heartache that has lingered in the Puget Sound since the Sonics — and their 41 years of history — were moved to Oklahoma City. Hansen spent nearly two years working to get an arena plan approved by the city and county governments and spent more than $65 million buying land in Seattle's SoDo neighborhood where the arena would be built.
In the last few months, fan interest and support seemed to be at its highest since before Bennett purchased the team from Howard Schultz in 2006. Now those same fans are stuck waiting to see what the next move by Hansen and Ballmer will be, including mounting an effort for expansion or buying another team.
Hansen has a five-year memorandum of understanding with the city and county on the arena plan. Whether momentum for the NBA in Seattle will remain also is unclear.
It’s the 30th anniversary of one baseball’s greatest manager tirades — so here’s a Mad-Lib version.
By Mike Oz
Lee Elia says "&*%$% your #@$*&%" (AP)
Thirty years ago, Chicago Cubs manager Lee Elia unleashed one of the most foul-mouthed, F-bomb laden rants a skipper has ever given us. It's glorious — if you're the type of person who can find glory in a three-minute soliloquy that contains 37 iterations of the F-word.
Monday is the 30th anniversary of Elia's rant. On the 25th anniversary, Elia told the Chicago Tribune:
"There are about six reporters, three from Los Angeles, and they start asking me about the bad start and how Cubs fans are reacting. Well, I just lost it."
For reasons you understand, we can't exactly post the rant word-for-word here. You can listen to the totally NSFW original version or head over to the Tribune's site if you want to hear a censored version, but be forewarned the bleeps might give you a headache. Instead, here's a different spin on the Elia rant.
I asked people on Twitter to offer up some of their favorite funny words — among the responders was a preschool, which is kinda weird, but I'll go with it. I've subbed in the funny words for the curses, creating a wacky Lee Elia Mad Lib that almost makes as much sense as the censored version does.
"[Wowza] those [gigglin'] fans who come out here and say they're Cub fans that are supposed to be behind you rippin' every [gorgonzola] thing you do. I'll tell you one [radical] thing, I hope we get [whapow] hotter than [balls], just to stuff it up them 3,000 [balderdash] people that show up every [necking] day, because if they're the real Chicago [crazay] fans, they can kiss my [holy schneickys] [poop] right downtown and PRINT IT.
"They're really, really behind you around here... my [scrimmagin'] [whapow]. What the [mastication] am I supposed to do, go out there and let my [gigglin'] players get destroyed every day and be quiet about it? For the [necking] nickel-dime people who turn up? The [schmapple] don't even work. That's why they're out at the [necking] game.They oughta go out and get a [necking] job and find out what it's like to go out and earn a [necking] living. Eighty-five percent of the [poop] world is working. The other fifteen percent come out here. A [loopy] playground for the [mastication]. Rip them [fudgesicles]. Rip them [scrimmagin'] [fudgesicles] like the [gorgonzola] players. We got guys bustin' their [crazay] [whapow], and them [balderdash] people boo. And that's the Cubs? My players get around here. I haven't seen it this [radical] year. Everybody associated with this organization have been winners their whole [moist] life. Everybody. And the credit is not given in that respect.
"Alright, they don't show because we're 5-14... and unfortunately, that's the criteria of them dumb 15 [poop] percent that come out to day baseball. The other 85 percent are earning a living. I tell you, it'll take more than a 5-12 or 5-14 to destroy the makeup of this club. I guarantee you that. There's some [loopy] pros out there that wanna win. But you're stuck in a [moist] stigma of the [moist] Dodgers and the Phillies and the Cardinals and all that cheap [scrimmage]. It's unbelievable. It really is. It's a disheartening [necking] situation that we're in right now. Anybody who was associated with the Cub organization four or five years ago that came back and sees the multitude of progress that's been made will understand that if they're baseball people, that 5-14 doesn't negate all that work. We got 143 [holy schneickys] games left.
"What I'm tryin' to say is don't rip them [gigglin'] guys out there. Rip me. If you wanna rip somebody, rip my [gigglin'] [balderdash]. But don't rip them [gorgonzola] guys 'cause they're givin' everything they can give. And right now they're tryin' to do more than God gave 'em, and that's why we make the simple mistakes. That's exactly why."
On that note, I'm going to go rip some scrimmagin' fudgesicles.
The U.S. Open will feature wicker baskets instead of flags at Merion Golf Club.
By Shane Bacon
Getty Images
For the first time since 1981, the world will descend on Merion Golf Club's East Course on June 13 for the second major championship of the year and the fifth time the U.S. Open has been hosted there.
One thing you should expect to see? Wicker baskets adorning the tops of the flagsticks all across Merion's famed links.
For the first time since 1981, the world will descend on Merion Golf Club's East Course on June 13 for the second major championship of the year and the fifth time the U.S. Open has been hosted there.
One thing you should expect to see? Wicker baskets adorning the tops of the flagsticks all across Merion's famed links.
Devil Ball put a call into the USGA on Monday morning asking if the traditional wicker baskets would be in play and it was confirmed they would.
Why wicker baskets instead of traditional flags? Let the Merion Golf Club website explain it ...
"The wicker baskets' origin is a mystery to this day. There was a great deal written in 1912, and for three years thereafter, locally and nationally about this new course in Philadelphia. However, there was no mention of the soon-to-be famous wicker baskets. It could be assumed they were not there. By the summer of 1915, William Flynn, Merion's Superintendent, received patent approval for his wicker basket design. Merion had baskets that fall and from then-to-today. It could be assumed, due to lack of written proof, that Flynn convinced Wilson to use the baskets, and Merion received its "basket notoriety" the next year during the 1916 U.S. Amateur."
So, yeah, no concrete proof of why they are used, but it's a cool tradition that I'm glad the USGA is sticking with for the '13 U.S. Open.
The only time that the wicker baskets weren't used when the USGA descended on Merion was in 1950, when Ben Hogan won his second U.S. Open. According to the book "Miracle at Merion," the USGA went with flags because, as Richard Tufts wrote, "Simply because they are different I think there will be some criticism if the baskets are used."
Anybody that wins a USGA event at Merion receives a wicker basket, and the course calls the flagsticks "standards" because of the lack of flags.
Anybody that wins a USGA event at Merion receives a wicker basket, and the course calls the flagsticks "standards" because of the lack of flags.
Now for the fun game, which player will be the first to hit a basket with a golf shot and complain? Your guess is as good as mine.
2013 Kentucky Derby Race Schedule.
By T.S. Vann
The 139th running of the Kentucky Derby will take place at Churchill Downs in Louisville, KY, on Saturday, May 4, 2013.
Their will be 6 televised races on the NBC family of networks with complete coverage of the event. As usual you can expect coverage of celebrities as they enter the event.
Derby coverage will begin on Saturday, May 4, at 11:00 a.m. EST on NBC Sports and take you up until 4:00 where coverage will switch to NBC until 7:00 EDT. NBC will give up to date information with all horses and jockeys right up until the race.
Schedule of Events (All times Eastern)
1:19pm Race 6 $125,000 Twin Spires Turf Sprint Presented by RAM
2:08pm Race 7 $400,000 Churchill Downs (GII)
2:59pm Race 8 $250,000 Churchill Distaff Turf Mile
3:49pm Race 9 $300,000 Humana Distaff
4:44pm Race 10 $500,000 Woodford Reserve Turf Classic
6:24pm Race 11 $2,000,000 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (GI)
Projected Field for 2013 Kentucky Derby
Horse
Jockey
Trainer
1. Orb
J. Rosario
C. McGaughey
2. Verrazano
J. Velazquez
T. Pletcher
3. Goldencents
K. Krigger
D. O'Neill
4. Java's War
J. Leparoux
K. McPeek
5. Overanalyze
R. Bejarano
T. Pletcher
6. Revolutionary
C. Borel
T. Pletcher
7. Lines of Battle
R. Moore
A. O'Brien
8. Vyjack
G. Gomez
R. Rodriguez
9.Will Take Charge
J. Court
W. Lukas
10. Itsmyluckyday
E. Trujillo
E. Plesa
11. Governor Charlie
M. Garcia
B. Baffert
12.Black Onyx
J. Bravo
K. Breen
13. Palace Malice
M. Smith
T. Pletcher
14.Normandy Invasion
J. Castellano
C. Brown
15. Frac Daddy
V. Lebron
K. McPeek
16. Mylute
R. Napravnik
T. Amoss
17. Oxbow
G. Stevens
D. Lukas
18. Falling Sky
N/A
J. Terranova II
19. Charming Kitten
N/A
T. Pletcher
20. Winning Cause
N/A
T. Pletcher
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