Sports Quote of the Day:
Good, better, best. Never let it rest. Until your good is better and your better is best.
How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Blackhawks-Bruins Preview. Blackhawks down 2-1, you gotta believe, have trust and keep the faith. The Blackhawks have been here before, Surprise Hossa scratch part of NHL injury culture.
Marian Hossa is scheduled to return for Game 4 against the Bruins, Wednesday night in Boston.
By
Marian Hossa is one of the Chicago Blackhawks' top scorers, with three game-winning goals already this postseason.
And then, suddenly, he wasn't in the lineup for a team that needed all the scoring it can get.
Hossa's surprise scratch from Game 3 of the Stanley Cup finals - and the one-word explanation, ''upper,'' for the part of his body that was injured - is part of a long-running cat-and-mouse game NHL teams play on the theory that any information about injuries is a competitive disadvantage.
''I think that's self-explanatory,'' said Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville, declining to explain why he declined to explain the secrecy surrounding Hossa's injury.
Tuukka Rask stopped 28 shots from the depleted Blackhawks to help the Bruins win 2-0 on Monday night and move two wins from their second Stanley Cup title in three seasons. Game 4 is Wednesday night in Boston before the series returns to Chicago for a fifth game.
Hossa is expected to play in Game 4, Quenneville allowed, but only after making clear that ''I'm not going to get exactly what the injury is or where it occurred.''
''It's sort of a secret society in the hockey world and in the injury world,'' Blackhawks forward Dave Bolland said. ''You don't want other teams having any injury information at all.''
Asked if he had seen Hossa or had a chance to talk to him, Bolland said, ''I don't know.''
You don't know if you've seen him or talked to him?
''I don't know if I've seen him,'' Bolland repeated with a sly smile.
Hossa's mysterious injury may have been a turning point in Game 3, but it is hardly unusual in the secretive world of hockey injuries. Players and coaches say they just don't talk about what's hurting, partly because they don't want to seem weak in a sport where they hit each other for a living.
But mostly, they don't want let the other team know where to aim.
''If I'm going out to battle and I have an injury to any part of my body, I don't want the other side to know what it is,'' Bruins forward Shawn Thornton said.
Injury information can also help the opponent strategize. Quenneville was so concerned about giving the Bruins advance notice of even a few minutes that he didn't let substitute Ben Smith skate in the warmup even though there was a chance he would need to play.
''I just didn't want to tip our hand that there's something going on,'' the coach said.
''Ben was ready. I knew he was doing everything,'' Quenneville said. ''We were hopeful that Hoss was playing, and Ben was doing everything to get ready. He was ready.''
It worked.
''I'm still surprised,'' Thornton said. ''I don't know what happened to him.''
No hard feelings, Bruins coach Claude Julien said. After all, he would do - and has done - the same thing.
''I respect that from other teams. When you're playing against each other, you know exactly where everybody is coming from,'' Julien said.
''There's times where you have to protect your players, and I understand it. I know it's frustrating for you guys as media. You're trying to share that information. The most important thing for us, we can take the heat for that, is protecting your players.''
So, how to tell if an injury is minor?
When a team actually admits it exists.
''I'll share one with you: Yesterday in a warmup, Zdeno Chara fell down, got a cut over the eye,'' Julien said, making light of the mishap in the way that only a coach two wins from an NHL title will do. ''I'll let you know about that. That's not a hidden injury.
''If it's something that doesn't put your player in danger, I don't see why you shouldn't talk about it,'' he said.
Players say they don't have to be told not to discuss injuries; it's as much a part of the culture as Canadian accents and playoff beards. Blackhawks forward Patrick Sharp said he doesn't remember when he first learned the subject was off-limits, but it was long before he reached the NHL.
And hockey players are not alone.
''It's not just here,'' Thornton said. ''I don't think Bill Belichick is (listing) all the injuries they have, either.''
But even the notoriously uncommunicative New England Patriots coach is required by NFL rules to say what body part is injured. NHL coaches have to narrow it only to ''upper body'' or ''lower body,'' which means a player with a concussion and one with a broken finger would have the same diagnosis.
During the playoffs, information is even scarcer.
''It's that time of year where everybody's kind of battling. I would say that not just injuries, strategy, all that kind of information we're not going to talk about,'' Sharp said. ''It's all part of being this close to the ultimate goal.''
And does he have any injuries he cares to mention?
''No comment.''
LeBron James, Ray Allen rally Heat to Game 7 of NBA Finals with wild win over Spurs.
By Johnny Ludden
LeBron James had drifted through much of Tuesday night. Confused, perhaps, a little self-doubt starting to creep into him, he looked more like the shell-shocked, ineffective star who lost a season-ending Game 6 to the Dallas Mavericks here two years ago than the bold, cocksure leader who has dominated the NBA ever since.
After losing Game 5 of these NBA Finals in San Antonio, James said he embraced the challenge of having to win consecutive games at home to claim his second straight championship. Only, the pressure appeared ready to swallow him whole, once again, the enormity of the moment too big for him to grasp.
The San Antonio Spurs had worn on James. As the Spurs hiked their lead deeper and deeper into the second half, the Miami Heat's championship reign moved that much closer to expiring.
In the end, maybe that was all James needed to jolt him. His season, his legacy, at a crossroads, the NBA's best player finally took charge, rallying these Heat – with the help of desperate Ray Allen 3-pointer – to a thrilling 103-100 overtime victory at America Airlines Center, delivering the league a decisive Game 7 on Thursday night. James ended his night with a powerful triple-double of 32 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds. More important, 18 of those points came after the third quarter.
In the end, maybe that was all James needed to jolt him. His season, his legacy, at a crossroads, the NBA's best player finally took charge, rallying these Heat – with the help of desperate Ray Allen 3-pointer – to a thrilling 103-100 overtime victory at America Airlines Center, delivering the league a decisive Game 7 on Thursday night. James ended his night with a powerful triple-double of 32 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds. More important, 18 of those points came after the third quarter.
The Heat were on the brink of losing Game 6 more than once. They rallied from 13 points down late in the second half only to lose the lead in the final minute of regular to Tony Parker's heroics.
James and Allen then rescued the Heat. Down five with less than 30 seconds left, James drilled a 3-pointer to bring Miami within two. After Kawhi Leonard made only one of two free throws with 19.7 seconds left, the Heat had the opportunity they needed. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich also made a key tactical decision that backfired, pulling his best rebounder, Tim Duncan, to insert a smaller defender to better match up with Miami's shooters.
James missed a 3-pointer, but Bosh corralled the rebound and pitched it to Allen in the corner, who raised up and coolly drilled the tying 3-pointer with 5.2 seconds left. The shot saved Miami's season. If the Heat win Game 7, Allen's basket will go down as one of the greatest in Finals history.
The Heat trailed in overtime only to have James and Allen again pick them up. James scored a key basket inside, but also buoyed Miami's offense with his passing. Allen's late steal on Manu Ginobili preserved the stunning victory.
Duncan delivered a first half for the ages, but was largely contained after that.
If the Spurs can pick themselves up after squandering a championship that was oh so close, their goal is clear: Become the first team in 35 years to win a Finals Game 7 on the road. Not since the Washington Bullets beat the Seattle SuperSonics for the 1978 championship has any team done so.Atlanta DJs Deserve Blame for Steve Gleason Incident, Not Falcons, City of Atlanta.
By Nathan Raby
COMMENTARY | Steve Gleason is a man who has overcome so many obstacles to become an inspiration for people with ALS and, frankly, people everywhere. It's easy to get swept up in his amazing story, especially when he wrote about it so eloquently in yesterday's Monday Morning Quarterback. And that's why it's easy to get so angry and want to rally to his defense when he is mocked and degraded like he was yesterday on an Atlanta Sports radio program. But with all of that emotion, it is important to remember who the culprit is, and more importantly who it isn't.
It's easy to get carried away in the social times we live in, where reaction is instant and public. It's easy to be horrified by stupid jokes and inappropriate behavior. It's easy to want to show your disgust for these actions. It's easy to take that disgust out on people who don't deserve it.
This last sentence is the kicker. Yesterday, three people did an inappropriate, ill-advised thing when the DJs at 790 The Zone mocked Steve Gleason's condition.
Those people have been fired and publically shamed for their actions. And that's where it should end.
The city of Atlanta has nothing to do with this. The Atlanta Falcons have nothing to do with this. The New Orleans Saints have nothing to do with this. Horrified fans in New Orleans and across the country would like to make this about a sports rivalry that has heated up over the past few years, but in reality it starts and ends with three men in a studio.
It would be fun to add another chapter to the Saints/Falcons rivalry. Fans of both sides relish in disliking their NFC South foe. Whether it be Roddy White's comments about New Orleans, the Saints taking pictures on Atlanta's logo, or Atlanta citizens egging the Saints bus, there has been plenty of fuel to the fanatic fire. It's a little intense, but it's fun and it should be. There's something satisfying about rooting against a team, and it's easy to let off-the-field incidents become a part of that.
But if you're truly horrified by Nick Cellini and company's actions, the last thing you want to do is put on your black and gold war paint and battle the Falcons or the city of Atlanta. Because Sunday glory is important, but only to a certain extent. It's not important enough to stoop to the low levels of mocking a man's disease. And it's also not important enough to meet that level by blaming an entire city for the actions of three men.
The team has distanced itself from the radio hosts, and they were right to do so. As fans of the Black and Gold, we should do the same. We should acknowledge what they did was wrong, and that we do not approve, but we must also acknowledge that there is no deeper meaning to it. It doesn't have anything to do with football. And when Week 1 comes around and the Saints host the Falcons in the same spot where Steve Gleason made a nation of Who Dats happy seven years before, it should be about the two teams, their players, and their fans. It won't be - and shouldn't be - about three men who thought it would be funny to tear down a man who means so much to so many people.
San Jose lawsuit at least provides some hope in putrid A's stadium situation.
By Jeff Passan
Two days after the (expletive) hit the carpet, it finally hit the fan.
Talk to any veteran Oakland Athletics player, and the raw sewage backup that spilled into the O.co Coliseum clubhouses on Sunday was a long time coming. A similar sentiment surrounded the long-overdue antitrust lawsuit the San Jose City Council filed against Major League Baseball: Someone in this foul, festering mess preventing the A's from moving to Silicon Valley was going to get litigious. It was just a matter of when and who.
Turns out it was Tuesday morning and a group of politicians that couldn't pass up an opportunity like the (expletive) storm that erupted in the A's clubhouse. Whether the timing of the suit happened to coincide perfectly with the backup that serves as a perfect metaphor for the entirety of this situation is immaterial. Years of thumb-twiddling, pat-a-cake-playing obstructionism finally can yield to a substantive solution.
If that means the A's stay in Oakland – an unlikely outcome – fine. Should the council get its wish, see the San Francisco Giants yield their so-called territory to the A's for hundreds of millions of dollars and absolve MLB of responsibility in the matter, the A's will get what they want – a new stadium in an area rich with corporate sponsors – and an issue that should've been solved a decade ago will finally go to the baseball graveyard, secrets and all.
Like: What the hell took so long?
It's been almost four years since commissioner Bud Selig assigned a panel to assess the A's ballpark situation. Four years. One more time: Four years, or close to 1,400 days, or more than 33,000 hours, or 2 million-plus minutes, all devoted to one issue on which it has not offered a single recommendation Selig saw fit to take public.
It's been almost four years since commissioner Bud Selig assigned a panel to assess the A's ballpark situation. Four years. One more time: Four years, or close to 1,400 days, or more than 33,000 hours, or 2 million-plus minutes, all devoted to one issue on which it has not offered a single recommendation Selig saw fit to take public.
Considering the zealousness with which MLB has pursued new stadiums in practically every other city, the stonewalling of the A's – spearheaded by the Giants and, from the league's lack of action, tacitly endorsed by Selig – remains curious at best. Never did A's owner Lew Wolff, Selig's old frat brother, raise a stink publicly or threaten legal action. Upon the news of the suit, in fact, he bemoaned San Jose for choosing such a tack.
His patience borders on lunacy. With Billy Beane and David Forst, the A's are led by two of the game's finest minds. Their manager, Bob Melvin, is likewise near the top among his peers. They've got an excess of good, young pitching, a bullpen with powerful arms and a lineup that has turned the coliseum into a pinball machine of runs. They lead the American League West, and over the last 162 games, they are 102-60. And they're doing this on a budget that's half of what it could be in a market like San Jose's, with revenue that San Jose could provide and a fan base like San Jose's that would embrace the A's much as Washington, D.C., did the Nationals.
The suit could merely be a gambit to force MLB into settling by threatening its antitrust exemption. The lengths to which MLB has gone protecting the exemption makes this a strong possibility. On the other hand, San Jose is suing based on an idea – the A's should be allowed to move here – rather than a concrete contract that has been blocked by the league. Should MLB resolve to fight the suit, San Jose arguments will face stiff refutation from the league. And as proven by the unconventional lawsuit that prompted Biogenesis clinic operator Anthony Bosch to cooperate, the league employs a cache of brilliant lawyers to parry these very sorts of legal contrivances.
For the fans caught in the middle, this is welcome. Because at least it's something. The cadre of Oakland die-hards who patrol the bleachers and dress up and yell want the A's to stay, and no wonder. The millions of people who live in San Jose want a professional-sports brother to the Sharks. The sooner this can find an answer, the better for all parties involved.
They know a bad situation when they smell it. And as long as the A's are at the coliseum without any resolution in sight, it will smell some kind of awful.
They know a bad situation when they smell it. And as long as the A's are at the coliseum without any resolution in sight, it will smell some kind of awful.
Miale meeting tomorrow with NFLPA.
Posted by Mike Florio
On Monday night, Jay-Z celebrated the 10th anniversary of his 40/40 Club in Manhattan. On Wednesday, the NFLPA will continue to explore whether Jay-Z’s effort to run an NFL agency will make it to a first anniversary.
Per a source with knowledge of the situation, NFLPA officials will meet on Wednesday with Kim Miale, the NFLPA-certified agent hired by Roc Nation Sports to serve as the in-house football agent. The union, which previously has met with other Roc Nation representatives, is investigating the question of whether and to what extent Jay-Z was involved in recruiting Jets quarterback Geno Smith to hire Miale.
The NFLPA, which regulates contract agents, permits only NFLPA-certified agents to be involved in the recruitment of clients. Technically, then, any involvement from Jay-Z would run afoul of the rules.
As we’ve previously pointed out, Jay-Z’s situation doesn’t fit within the spirit of the rule against so-called runners. The NFLPA, frustrated by the inability to effectively police those who, at the behest of NFLPA-certified agents, were recruiting college players with cash or other things of value, opted in 2012 to remove runners from the process completely.
But Jay-Z isn’t a runner, in the classic sense of the term. Runners work for agents. In this case, the agent (Miale) works for the would-be runner.
That’s why the NFLPA should use this situation as an occasion to consider adjusting the rules that apply to those who own agencies. The problem is that, if the Roc Nation folks and/or Miale opt for the tangled-web approach, insisting Jay-Z wasn’t involved in recruiting Smith with anyone with common sense and/or access to an Instagram account knows he was, the philosophical points will be lost in the more practical question of whether folks are lying to the union.
None of that seems to matter to Jay-Z, whose overall business plan apparently consists of doing what he wants and seeing if anyone has the ability or the will to stop him. And that has made many wonder where this all will end.
Given the presence of Robert Kraft at last night’s part, it’s hard not to wonder whether Jay-Z ultimately aspires to own a sports-related business slightly larger and more significant than a player agency.
If, after all, Jay-Z’s business plan truly consists of doing what he wants and seeing if anyone has the ability or the will to stop him, he’ll fit in quite nicely with the NFL.
British Open odds released, Tiger Woods the 7-to-1 favorite at Muirfield.
Per a source with knowledge of the situation, NFLPA officials will meet on Wednesday with Kim Miale, the NFLPA-certified agent hired by Roc Nation Sports to serve as the in-house football agent. The union, which previously has met with other Roc Nation representatives, is investigating the question of whether and to what extent Jay-Z was involved in recruiting Jets quarterback Geno Smith to hire Miale.
The NFLPA, which regulates contract agents, permits only NFLPA-certified agents to be involved in the recruitment of clients. Technically, then, any involvement from Jay-Z would run afoul of the rules.
As we’ve previously pointed out, Jay-Z’s situation doesn’t fit within the spirit of the rule against so-called runners. The NFLPA, frustrated by the inability to effectively police those who, at the behest of NFLPA-certified agents, were recruiting college players with cash or other things of value, opted in 2012 to remove runners from the process completely.
But Jay-Z isn’t a runner, in the classic sense of the term. Runners work for agents. In this case, the agent (Miale) works for the would-be runner.
That’s why the NFLPA should use this situation as an occasion to consider adjusting the rules that apply to those who own agencies. The problem is that, if the Roc Nation folks and/or Miale opt for the tangled-web approach, insisting Jay-Z wasn’t involved in recruiting Smith with anyone with common sense and/or access to an Instagram account knows he was, the philosophical points will be lost in the more practical question of whether folks are lying to the union.
None of that seems to matter to Jay-Z, whose overall business plan apparently consists of doing what he wants and seeing if anyone has the ability or the will to stop him. And that has made many wonder where this all will end.
Given the presence of Robert Kraft at last night’s part, it’s hard not to wonder whether Jay-Z ultimately aspires to own a sports-related business slightly larger and more significant than a player agency.
If, after all, Jay-Z’s business plan truly consists of doing what he wants and seeing if anyone has the ability or the will to stop him, he’ll fit in quite nicely with the NFL.
British Open odds released, Tiger Woods the 7-to-1 favorite at Muirfield.
By Shane Bacon
While thoughts on the U.S. Open are still wrapping up, we are just a few weeks away from the third major championship of 2013.
The British Open kicks off on July 18, and goldodds.com has released the favorites for the Claret Jug. Tiger Woods, who just came off his worst finish at a major, leads everyone at 7-to-1, with Rory McIlroy coming in at 12-to-1 and the two major winners of 2013 both landing at 20-to-1.
It's pretty interesting that Tiger is such a high favorite considering how he just played at last week's U.S. Open. Woods' final score of 13-over par is his highest score ever at a major championship as as professional. On top of that, it has now been five years and counting since Woods last won a major so it's a pretty crazy number to give the man even if he has four PGA Tour wins this season.
The rest of the odds are after the jump, but give us your early favorite to win the one major held outside the United States.
BRITISH OPEN
MUIRFIELD - GULLANE, EAST LOTHIAN, SCOTLANDBRITISH OPEN
JULY 18-21, 2013
ODDS TO WIN:
TIGER WOODS 7/1
RORY McILROY 12/1
ADAM SCOTT 20/1
JUSTIN ROSE 20/1
LEE WESTWOOD 25/1
LUKE DONALD 25/1
PHIL MICKELSON 25/1
SERGIO GARCIA 30/1
JASON DAY 30/1
CHARL SCHWARTZEL 30/1
GRAEME McDOWELL 30/1
ERNIE ELS 30/1
BRANDT SNEDEKER 30/1
DUSTIN JOHNSON 30/1
PADRAIG HARRINGTON 40/1
LOUIS OOSTHUIZEN 40/1
RICKIE FOWLER 40/1
MATT KUCHAR 40/1
JASON DUFNER 40/1
HUNTER MAHAN 40/1
IAN POULTER 40/1
HENRIK STENSON 50/1
THORBJORN OLESEN 50/1
NICOLAS COLSAERTS 50/1
WEBB SIMPSON 50/1
MARTIN KAYMER 60/1
KEEGAN BRADLEY 60/1
BUBBA WATSON 60/1
JIM FURYK 60/1
BILLY HORSCHEL 60/1
MATTEO MANASSERO 60/1
FRANCESCO MOLINARI 60/1
ANGEL CABRERA 80/1
ZACH JOHNSON 80/1
PETER HANSON 80/1
NICK WATNEY 100/1
BO VAN PELT 100/1
BILL HAAS 100/1
GEOFF OGILVY 100/1
BERND WIESBERGER 100/1
GEORGE COETZEE 100/1
BRANDEN GRACE 100/1
FREDDIE JACOBSON 100/1
MARTIN LAIRD 100/1
PAUL LAWRIE 100/1
THOMAS BJORN 100/1
PAUL CASEY 100/1
TIM CLARK 125/1
ROBERT KARLSSON 125/1
K.J. CHOI 125/1
GONZALO FERNANDEZ-CASTANO 125/1
CARL PETTERSSON 125/1
RYAN MOORE 125/1
CAMILO VILLEGAS 125/1
MIGUEL ANGEL JIMENEZ 150/1
RETIEF GOOSEN 150/1
RICHARD STERNE 150/1
ALEXANDER NOREN 150/1
JAMIE DONALDSON 150/1
RAFAEL CABRERA BELLO 150/1
JOHN SENDEN 150/1
SCOTT PIERCY 150/1
ROBERT GARRIGUS 150/1
BRIAN DAVIS 150/1
SHANE LOWRY 150/1
RICHIE RAMSAY 150/1
BEN CURTIS 150/1
STEWART CINK 150/1
THOMAS AIKEN 150/1
MARCEL SIEM 150/1
KEVIN STREELMAN 150/1
BUD CAULEY 150/1
DARREN CLARKE 200/1
VIJAY SINGH 200/1
JOSH TEATER 200/1
MICHAEL THOMPSON 200/1
HIDEKI MATSUYAMA 200/1
DAVID LYNN 200/1
DANNY WILLETT 200/1
LUKE GUTHRIE 200/1
THONGCHAI JAIDEE 200/1
JOHN HUH 200/1
D.A. POINTS 200/1
Y.E. YANG 200/1
LUCAS GLOVER 200/1
JUSTIN LEONARD 200/1
JOHN DALY 250/1
KIRADECH APHIBARNRAT 250/1
MARCUS FRASER 250/1
SCOTT BROWN 250/1
JOHNSON WAGNER 250/1
FRED COUPLES 300/1
TOM LEHMAN 300/1
THAWORN WIRATCHANT 500/1
TOM WATSON 500/1
DAVID DUVAL 500/1
TODD HAMILTON 500/1
HIROYUKI FUJITA 500/1
STEVE FOX 1000/1
FIELD (all others) 8/1
TIGER WOODS 7/1
RORY McILROY 12/1
ADAM SCOTT 20/1
JUSTIN ROSE 20/1
LEE WESTWOOD 25/1
LUKE DONALD 25/1
PHIL MICKELSON 25/1
SERGIO GARCIA 30/1
JASON DAY 30/1
CHARL SCHWARTZEL 30/1
GRAEME McDOWELL 30/1
ERNIE ELS 30/1
BRANDT SNEDEKER 30/1
DUSTIN JOHNSON 30/1
PADRAIG HARRINGTON 40/1
LOUIS OOSTHUIZEN 40/1
RICKIE FOWLER 40/1
MATT KUCHAR 40/1
JASON DUFNER 40/1
HUNTER MAHAN 40/1
IAN POULTER 40/1
HENRIK STENSON 50/1
THORBJORN OLESEN 50/1
NICOLAS COLSAERTS 50/1
WEBB SIMPSON 50/1
MARTIN KAYMER 60/1
KEEGAN BRADLEY 60/1
BUBBA WATSON 60/1
JIM FURYK 60/1
BILLY HORSCHEL 60/1
MATTEO MANASSERO 60/1
FRANCESCO MOLINARI 60/1
ANGEL CABRERA 80/1
ZACH JOHNSON 80/1
PETER HANSON 80/1
NICK WATNEY 100/1
BO VAN PELT 100/1
BILL HAAS 100/1
GEOFF OGILVY 100/1
BERND WIESBERGER 100/1
GEORGE COETZEE 100/1
BRANDEN GRACE 100/1
FREDDIE JACOBSON 100/1
MARTIN LAIRD 100/1
PAUL LAWRIE 100/1
THOMAS BJORN 100/1
PAUL CASEY 100/1
TIM CLARK 125/1
ROBERT KARLSSON 125/1
K.J. CHOI 125/1
GONZALO FERNANDEZ-CASTANO 125/1
CARL PETTERSSON 125/1
RYAN MOORE 125/1
CAMILO VILLEGAS 125/1
MIGUEL ANGEL JIMENEZ 150/1
RETIEF GOOSEN 150/1
RICHARD STERNE 150/1
ALEXANDER NOREN 150/1
JAMIE DONALDSON 150/1
RAFAEL CABRERA BELLO 150/1
JOHN SENDEN 150/1
SCOTT PIERCY 150/1
ROBERT GARRIGUS 150/1
BRIAN DAVIS 150/1
SHANE LOWRY 150/1
RICHIE RAMSAY 150/1
BEN CURTIS 150/1
STEWART CINK 150/1
THOMAS AIKEN 150/1
MARCEL SIEM 150/1
KEVIN STREELMAN 150/1
BUD CAULEY 150/1
DARREN CLARKE 200/1
VIJAY SINGH 200/1
JOSH TEATER 200/1
MICHAEL THOMPSON 200/1
HIDEKI MATSUYAMA 200/1
DAVID LYNN 200/1
DANNY WILLETT 200/1
LUKE GUTHRIE 200/1
THONGCHAI JAIDEE 200/1
JOHN HUH 200/1
D.A. POINTS 200/1
Y.E. YANG 200/1
LUCAS GLOVER 200/1
JUSTIN LEONARD 200/1
JOHN DALY 250/1
KIRADECH APHIBARNRAT 250/1
MARCUS FRASER 250/1
SCOTT BROWN 250/1
JOHNSON WAGNER 250/1
FRED COUPLES 300/1
TOM LEHMAN 300/1
THAWORN WIRATCHANT 500/1
TOM WATSON 500/1
DAVID DUVAL 500/1
TODD HAMILTON 500/1
HIROYUKI FUJITA 500/1
STEVE FOX 1000/1
FIELD (all others) 8/1
Daytona frontstretch getting $400M facelift.
The Associated Press
Daytona International Speedway is getting another facelift, this one considerably bigger than the last.
Three years after a complete repaving project, the famed track is overhauling the frontstretch to enhance the ''fan experience.''
International Speedway Corp., which owns Daytona and 12 other NASCAR tracks, announced funding approval Tuesday. ISC estimates the redesign with cost between $375 million and $400 million. Daytona had hoped to get some public funding, but the Florida House of Representatives declined to even vote on a bill that would have provided financial assistance to several sporting venues in the Sunshine State.
ISC pushed forward anyway, scheduling the project to begin July 5 and be completed by January 2016 - in time for the Rolex 24 At Daytona and the Daytona 500.
The redevelopment will give Daytona's aging grandstands a modern look and feel. It will include expanded entrances and a series of escalators and elevators to transport fans to three different concourse levels, each featuring spacious and strategically-placed social ''neighborhoods'' along the nearly mile-long frontstretch. Those 11 neighborhoods, each measuring the size of a football field, will allow fans to meet and socialize during events without ever missing any on-track action.
''We are truly creating history with this unprecedented endeavor,'' ISC CEO Lesa France Kennedy said. ''I commend the board's decision to move forward on our plan to redevelop the company's signature motorsports facility, thereby shaping the vision of Daytona for the next 50 years.
''The decision was made with strong consideration of the current macroeconomic condition and a clear view for our long-term growth. This significant private investment is a strategic use of our capital that will ensure the long-term viability of the iconic speedway, and when completed, will contribute favorably to the company's revenues, as well as to our community and the sport as a whole.''
Backstretch grandstands will be removed while wider and more comfortable seating will be installed throughout the frontstretch. When the project is complete, Daytona will have reduced its capacity by 46,000 seats to 101,000.
''The redevelopment of Daytona International Speedway reaffirms its status as the 'World Center of Racing' for years to come,'' France Kennedy said. ''It is imperative that we build upon my grandfather's vision to create a world-class facility with premium amenities to provide unparalleled experiences for our guests and partners.
Doing so will ensure that the Daytona 500 and all our other events continue to drive our business while serving as a significant economic engine for the region.''
Doing so will ensure that the Daytona 500 and all our other events continue to drive our business while serving as a significant economic engine for the region.''
Altidore scores, US beats Honduras 1-0.
By
Jozy Altidore scored a goal in his fourth consecutive international match, enough for the United States to edge Honduras 1-0 in a World Cup qualifying game Tuesday night.
Before 20,250 fans at Rio Tinto Stadium, the Americans remained atop the six-team CONCACAF group. The United States (4-1-1) won three straight games this month, all since a 0-0 draw at Mexico gave it a boost toward the top.
It has also shut out its last two opponents, Panama and Honduras.
''Every time we get a clean sheet, we feel like the best players in the world,'' goalkeeper Tim Howard said. ''We've been on a roll. It's good for the young guys in the back. It gets us feeling good about ourselves. Every time we have a good performance, we put in our back pocket and save it.''
Honduras (2-3-1) was the last team to win at the United States in a World Cup qualifying match, back in 2001. The Americans have won or drawn 25 straight at home since then.
The visitors made it difficult on the Americans for much of the game by slowing the pace before Altidore broke through.
''The team now understands it's not only a physical grind you put into these games. It's a mental one,'' coach Jurgen Klinsmann said. ''Mentally we're getting stronger.
We're getting tougher. We are now prepared to go through the games.''
After several second-half near misses, the U.S. got its goal in the 73rd minute.
Altidore took a cross from Fabian Johnson from near the end line and put it past goalkeeper Noel Valladares across the goalmouth inside the right post.
It was Altidore's ninth goal in a qualifier as he finally develops into the scoring threat the United States has hoped for.
''We are very happy for Jozy,'' Klinsmann said. ''We always told him from a coaching perspective that it takes a lot of hard work, it takes a lot of adjustment, it takes the right moment to be there, it takes the hunger. The energy he has put in the last four or five games has been tremendous. It's not only that he scored those goals, the work he does for the team is awesome.''
Both teams played physical soccer in the first half, leading to an emphasis on defense and a limited number of scoring chances on either side of the field. Just before the first period ended, though, Howard was forced to make a difficult save when Andy Najar launched a running right footer from the right side of the box.
Howard met the ball in the center of the box and deflected it outside the right post.
Eddie Johnson had a chance in the 17th minute when he latched onto a cross from Fabian Johnson. His left-footed shot from the center of the box was knocked away by Valladares.
When the U.S. stepped up the offensive pressure early in the second half, it put Honduras on its heels. Altidore had the finishing touch.
He even appeared to score earlier in the half. Moments after Graham Zusi sent a free kick into a crowd of players just outside the 6-yard box in the 56th minute, only to see Brad Evans' header go right into Valladares' gloves, Altidore got behind the defense. Clint Dempsey sent a through ball ahead to Altidore, who was ruled offside and his score was negated.
Valladares came up with another clutch save in the 69th minute. Zusi, who was particularly active all night after sitting out the win over Panama because of yellow card accumulation, sent a ball into Dempsey in the center of the box and he leaned into a point-blank header. The ball bounced off of Valladares' hands and Michael Bradley sent a follow-up shot too high.
NOTES: Altidore is the sixth American to score in four straight matches, equaling Landon Donovan (twice), Eddie Johnson, Brian McBride, Eric Wynalda and William Loob ... Clint Dempsey 's next U.S. appearance will be his 100th ... Howard has 26 shutouts for the national team.
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