Ortiz and steroids?

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=4385699

NEW YORK -- David Ortiz believes then-legal supplements and vitamins likely caused him to land on a 2003 list of alleged drug users seized by the federal government, and Major League Baseball and the players' association said some of the players on the list never tested positive for performance-enhancing substances.

MLB said in a statement Saturday that 96 urine samples, at most, tested positive in the 2003 survey -- and the players' association said 13 of those were in dispute.


I definitely was a little bit careless back in those days when I was buying supplements and vitamins over the counter -- legal supplements, legal vitamins over the counter -- but I never buy steroids or use steroids," Ortiz said during a news conference that began about 3½ hours before his Boston Red Sox played the New York Yankees.

"I never thought that buying supplements and vitamins, it was going to hurt anybody's feelings."

The New York Times reported last month that Ortiz and Manny Ramirez were on the 2003 list and said earlier that Sammy Sosa was on it. In February, Sports Illustrated reported Alex Rodriguez was on it, and Rodriguez later admitted he had used performance-enhancing substances from 2001 to 2003.


[+] EnlargeAP Photo/Frank Franklin II
Union general counsel Michael Weiner, left, said the MLBPA couldn't tell Ortiz if he had tested positive, only that he was on the 2003 list.
Ortiz said when he met with union lawyer Michael Weiner in 2004, he wasn't told he tested positive for steroids. Weiner, who has been designated to succeed union head Donald Fehr, said that because the list is under court seal, the union couldn't confirm to Ortiz that he tested positive, only that he was on the list.

"I want to apologize to fans for the distraction, my teammates, our manager," Ortiz said, flanked by Weiner, with Boston manager Terry Francona standing behind and to the side. "This past week has been a nightmare to me."

Some players past and present -- notably Hall of Famer Hank Aaron -- have called for the entire list to be released.

"Sure, there are some people who say 'Why don't we just get this story over with and get the list out?'" Weiner said. "I think to do that would one, be illegal, and two, be wrong. It's illegal because it's covered by court order, and it would be wrong because a promise was made by the commissioner's office and the union to every player who was tested in 2003 that the results would be anonymous."

Ortiz is against the list becoming public.

"I don't think that I would really like to see another player going through what I've been through this past week," he said.

Manning to be overpaid - Eli that is

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/giants/2009/08/06/2009-08-06_giants_make_eli_manning_nfls_highestpaid_player_but_hes_far_from_best_quarterbac.html

In such a tight economy, did the Giants really have to give him the agreed upon six-year, $97.5million extension (with $35million guaranteed), that added on to the $9.4 million he was already getting this season in the final year of his rookie deal, making his grand total $106.9 million over the next seven years? That covers quite a few PSL sales, you know. His annual average is $1.25 million more than his brother's and 50% more than Brady's $10 million.

It really comes down to this: That's the going rate, and the Giants had no desire to create ill will and stick him with the franchise tag next year. Was A-Rod, with no rings, worth a 10-year, $275 million extension from the Yankees? At least Manning was at his best on that final Super Bowl drive against the Patriots, although the way he played against the Eagles in the playoffs last season makes you wonder how he did it against New England.

We know he can handle the responsibility off the field of being the league's highest-paid player. But what about on the field? "Highest-paid player" now becomes part of his name. More will be expected of him. The pressure will be turned up. And he has to do without a true No. 1 receiver.

"You don't get more pressure than he already has in this market," Reese said. "He knows how to handle pressure and he's done it before. I don't expect to see anything different in his attitude and work ethic."

Manning could stay at No. 1 on the pay chart for a while considering all the top quarterbacks are locked into long-term deals. As long as Brady shows he's the same player post-knee surgery this season, the Patriots soon will want to extend/renegotiate his six-year, $60 million deal that runs through 2010. That contract is badly outdated considering Matt Cassel, who had been Brady's backup, turned his buddy's injury last year into a six-year, $63million deal with the Chiefs.



Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/giants/2009/08/06/2009-08-06_giants_make_eli_manning_nfls_highestpaid_player_but_hes_far_from_best_quarterbac.html#ixzz0NnC1FFLt

Info on Gatti's death

http://www.saddoboxing.com/boxing_news/25056-brazil-provide-details-on-boxer-gattis-death.html

Michael Vick with no job - who cares?

http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/rank?versionId=1&listId=341

Where will Michael Vick end up?

With Brett Favre out of the picture, all the attention now turns to the other quarterback looking for a job this offseason. Michael Vick, who has been conditionally reinstated by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, is free to sign with a team but which situation is the best fit for the league's former highest paid player?

Coming off a two-year prison sentence, many teams aren't sure about what Vick has to offer. There are questions about his fitness and skill level and the public relations hit a team could take is certainly in every owner's thoughts. Will he be the type of quarterback to stay in the pocket and throw the ball down field? Is he still the run first, pass second guy? Is quarterback even the right position for him?

Take all these questions into account as you decide which teams are most likely to step up to the plate and give Vick the second chance he so desperately wants.

Click on the team logos below to create your rankings.

Veron Forrest Killed

http://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta/boxer-vernon-forrest-100921.html

The incident began at 11 p.m. at the Chevron on Whitehall Street in Southwest Atlanta when Forrest, 38, stopped to put air in the tires of his Jaguar, said Atlanta Police Detective Lt. Keith Meadows.

A male suspect approached Forrest and robbed him of a few items at gunpoint, he said. Forrest, who was also armed, then chased the suspect to an area near McDaniel and Fulton Streets.

Forrest was shot seven to eight times in the back, Meadows said. Meadows said there is evidence Forrest used his weapon but did not know if the suspect was shot.

An 11-year-old boy, described as a godson by Forrest’s manager Charles Watson, was in the Chevron at the time of the robbery. The boy is the son of Forrest’s girlfriend, Meadows said, and was able to provide police with a description of the suspect. Police are looking for that man and a second suspect who left in a red Monte Carlo, Meadows said.

The boy did not see the shooting, he added.

The APD is interviewing several witnesses Sunday.

Al Mitchell, who first trained Forrest when he was an amateur and then as a pro since 2000, said Forrest was “a guy who did everything right.”

“He didn’t take drugs. He wasn’t involved with gangs. He lived his life the right way. He was a gentleman,” said Mitchell, who learned of the news through Forrest’s manager, Charles Watson.

“I trained a lot of kids ... and most of them are now teachers or doing something else. They’re all good role models. They understand what life is about. They take care of their family. Vernon was like that. He took care of his mother, his sister, his son. He took care of his friends. How can something like this happen? Just in the wrong place at the wrong time – that’s all it was.”

Forrest, a longtime Atlanta resident, started boxing at age 9 and won his first major title in 2001, when he defeated Raul Frank for the IBF welterweight title. He is a recent WBC middleweight champ and 1992 Olympian who had a 41-3 career record with 29 knockouts.

He achieved long-sought recognition with two wins over “Sugar” Shane Mosley in 2002 that earned him the title of Ring Magazine’s Fighter of the Year.

“My goal, once I’m done, is to be considered one of the best boxers in my era,” Forrest told the AJC in 2007.

In his last major match-up, in 2008, he reclaimed his WBC 154-pound title at age 37 after battering his rival, 27-year-old Sergio Mora in a unanimous decision.

Forrest was also involved in charity work. He started Destiny’s Child Inc., which provided housing and assistance to mentally challenged adults.

Mitchell says “The Viper” was training to fight again.

“He told me his plan was to fight again in September and then fight for the title in December,” Mitchell said. “He was supposed to call me this week with details.

Brett Farve drama

http://blogs.usatoday.com/thehuddle/2009/07/agent-brett-favre-needs-more-time-before-giving-vikings-an-answer.html

Brett Favre is not likely to inform the Vikings today if he's going to un-retire and join them.

ESPN's Rachel Nichols spoke with Favre's agent, Bus Cook, who indicated the quarterback needs more time to decide.

"He just doesn't feel ready yet," Nichols said of her conversation with Cook. "There are some things he's still considering."

NFL.com had reported earlier this week that Favre would give the Vikings an answer by today. But on Thursday night, NFL.com columnist Thomas George also reported that Favre needed more time.

Vikings veterans report for training camp on Thursday.
Hat tip: St. Paul Pioneer Press

Prince Fielder wins 2009 Home Run Derby

http://free-sms-mms.blogspot.com/2009/07/2009-home-run-derby-winner-prince.html

Home Run Derby 2009 was held on 13/07/2009 and the event was held at Busch Stadium.

Last years ie 2008 winner was Justin Morneau.

Some other participants other than winner Prince Fielder were :-

Nelson Cruz, Brandon Inge, Ryan Howard, Albert Pujols, Adrian Gonzalez, Carlos Pena and Joe Mauer.

Once again congratulations for 2009 Home Run Derby winner Prince Fielder.

2009 MLB All-Star Game Rosters

American League
Starters
Pos Player B/T

RF Ichiro Suzuki, SEA L/R

SS Derek Jeter, NYY R/R

C Joe Mauer, MIN L/R

1B Mark Teixeira, NYY S/R

LF Jason Bay, BOS R/R

CF Josh Hamilton, TEX L/L

3B Evan Longoria, TB R/R

2B Aaron Hill, TOR R/R

P Roy Halladay, TOR R/R

Pitchers
Pos Player B/T

P Andrew Bailey, OAK R/R

P Josh Beckett, BOS R/R

P Mark Buehrle, CWS L/L

P Brian Fuentes, LAA L/L

P Zack Greinke, KC R/R

P Felix Hernandez, SEA R/R

P Edwin Jackson, DET R/R

P Joe Nathan, MIN R/R

P Jonathan Papelbon, BOS R/R

P Mariano Rivera, NYY R/R

P Justin Verlander, DET R/R

P Tim Wakefield, BOS R/R


Reserves
Pos Player B/T

C Victor Martinez, CLE S/R

1B Justin Morneau, MIN L/R

1B Carlos Pena, TB+ L/L

1B Kevin Youkilis, BOS R/R

2B Dustin Pedroia, BOS³ R/R

SS Jason Bartlett, TB R/R

3B Brandon Inge, DET¹ R/R

3B Michael Young, TEX R/R

OF Carl Crawford, TB L/L

OF Nelson Cruz, TEX+ R/R

OF Curtis Granderson, DET L/R

OF Torii Hunter, LAA² R/R

OF Adam Jones, BAL R/R

OF Ben Zobrist, TB




National League
Starters
Pos Player B/T

SS Hanley Ramirez, FLA R/R

2B Chase Utley, PHI L/R

1B Albert Pujols, STL R/R

LF Ryan Braun, MIL R/R

RF Raul Ibanez, PHI L/R

3B David Wright, NYM R/R

CF Shane Victorino, PHI¹ S/R

C Yadier Molina, STL R/R

P Tim Lincecum, SF L/R

Pitchers
Pos Player B/T

P Heath Bell, SD R/R

P Chad Billingsley, LAD R/R

P Jonathan Broxton, LAD² R/R

P Matt Cain, SF² R/R

P Francisco Cordero, CIN R/R

P Zach Duke, PIT+ L/L

P Ryan Franklin, STL R/R

P Dan Haren, ARI R/R

P Trevor Hoffman, MIL+ R/R

P Josh Johnson, FLA L/R

P Ted Lilly, CHC L/L

P Jason Marquis, COL L/R

P Francisco Rodriguez, NYM R/R

P Johan Santana, NYM L/L

Reserves
Pos Player B/T

C Brian McCann, ATL L/R

1B Prince Fielder, MIL L/R

1B Adrian Gonzalez, SD L/L

1B Ryan Howard, PHI L/L

2B Orlando Hudson, LAD S/R

2B Freddy Sanchez, PIT R/R

SS Miguel Tejada, HOU R/R

3B Ryan Zimmerman, WSH R/R

OF Carlos Beltran, NYM² S/R

OF Brad Hawpe, COL L/L

OF Hunter Pence, HOU R/R

OF Justin Upton, ARI R/R

OF Jayson Werth, PHI+

Fan visit Mcnair one last time

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5grrYbARZsg3ruEAqycFPRfNu2EjwD99B00NO0

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Fans lined up outside a funeral home before work Thursday to pay their respects to ex-NFL quarterback Steve McNair.

Inside the building, a closed silvery-gray casket sat next to a photograph of the former Tennessee Titans star.

A line formed around the corner and many mourners showed up wearing Tennessee Titans jerseys and T-shirts to pay their respects to a man they say was a leader of the team.

Former teammate Derrick Lewis said McNair "put the Titans on the map."

Lewis, wearing a jersey, said he and his family were devastated when they learned of McNair's death. Police have said McNair, 36, was shot four times July 4 by a girlfriend who then killed herself in a condo McNair shared with a friend.

"Myself and my family were completely shocked and some of us were crying because you almost feel like you are related," Lewis said.

Annetta Moore brought her grandson, Darrien James, 9, and granddaughter Olivia Cole, 11, to the funeral home and said she planned to take them to LP Field for another public memorial Thursday.

Moore said it wasn't uncommon to see McNair hanging out around town.

"I think he just blended right in with everybody," Moore said.

The Tennessee Titans have also opened LP Field to the public, where a video tribute to McNair is being shown and fans can write messages in a book for McNair's family.

McNair's wife, close friends and ex-teammates are expected at a memorial service Thursday night at Mount Zion Baptist Church where the family has attended since moving to Nashville in 1997.

McNair killed by lover

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/2009/07/08/2009-07-08_steve_mcnair.html

"The police department has concluded that Steve McNair was murdered by Sahel Kazemi and that, in turn, Sahel Kazemi killed herself with a single gunshot wound to her head," said Nashville Police Chief Ronal Serpas. "The totality of the evidence clearly points to a murder-suicide."

Serpas said the findings were based on the appearance of the crime scene, evidence collected, autopsy findings and laboratory results. He said he broke the news to the widow of the former Tennessee Titan's quarterback, Mechelle, before going public.

"We believe now, at this time, that McNair was seated on the sofa and likely was asleep," Serpas said.

"And we believe that Kazemi shot him in the right temple, then shot him twice in the chest and then shot him a final time in the left temple."

The chief said Kazemi sat down on the sofa next to the 36-year-old McNair and shot herself once in the right temple.

All five shell casings littering the crime scene matched the weapon that Kazemi purchased on Thursday and was discovered beneath her slumped over body, Serpas said.

Gunshot residue was found on Kazemi's left hand. None was discovered on McNair's hands, bolstering the case's conclusions, said Serpas.

"Because there's a lack of any evidence of a struggle or defensive wounds to McNair, his physical position on the sofa, the trajectory of the bullets and the wound pattern we still believe it was likely that Kazemi shot Mr. McNair and he didn't know," Serpas said.

In the five days leading up to her violent explosion, Kazemi had been stressed out about having to make payments on two cars, including a Cadillac Escalade she had bought with McNair, Serpas said.

Her roommate had recently announced that she was moving out and Kazemi, a waitress at a Dave and Buster's sports bar in Nashville, feared her rent would double.

Compounding her anxieties was an increasing suspicion that she was not McNair's only mistress.

"She believed McNair was involved with another woman and that, too, participated in her state of mind, we think," said Serpas.

Kazemi even tracked down the woman she assumed McNair was romantically involved with and followed her home Friday, but did not confront her, Serpas said.

"She had become very distraught and on two occasions she had told friends and associates that her life was all messed up and that she was going to end it all," Serpas said.

He added that Kazemi told a friend on Friday, "My life is a ball of s--- and I should end it."

Relatives told reporters that Kazemi believed McNair, the father of four, was about to finalize a divorce from his wife of 12 years. In reality, no divorce papers were ever filed.



Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/2009/07/08/2009-07-08_steve_mcnair.html#ixzz0Km942wQ8&C

Steve McNair found dead

http://ktar.com/?sid=1186571&nid=237

Josh Hamiltom caught with women who aren't his wife lol

http://ballhype.com/story/josh_hamilton_had_some_fun_with_some_drunk_asu_girls/

Shaq goes to Cavs - who cares, he is old and out of shape

http://www.nba.com/2009/news/features/david_aldridge/06/25/shaq.trade.analysis/

Well ...

It's hard for me to slap Steve upside the head. For years as a player, he was eminently quotable, funny and intelligent, providing great insights into the championship teams in Chicago and San Antonio in which he was a part. And he was a terrific colleague of mine at TNT. But there is no other conclusion to make after Kerr sent Shaq to Cleveland late Wednesday for Ben Wallace and Sasha Pavlovic -- the Shaq experiment in the Arizona desert was a colossal failure, and Kerr has to take the responsibility and the major heat for that.

Every bit of the gambit failed, and the high-flying, free-wheeling Suns, the league's most exciting team this decade, were sacrificed. Shawn Marion was sent to Miami in the deal, depriving Phoenix of its best (only?) open-court defender. Mike D'Antoni was told to take his circus and go home (he wound up in New York). Amar'e Stoudemire came within hours of being dealt at the trade deadline last season (to be fair, owner Robert Sarver's finances were more of an impetus behind those trade talks). Terry Porter -- Kerr's hand-picked replacement for D'Antoni -- didn't make it to the All-Star break, having been sabotaged from within, mere months after getting a mandate to do whatever it took to make Phoenix a better halfcourt team.

So, now, a year and a half later -- and Steve Nash a year and a half older -- the Suns can get back to playing the way they play, their payroll pared more to what their ownership can bear.

Sorry about being Lazy

I've been super busy. Nice to see I am still getting a thousands hits or so a week without anything new!

Florida Gators are "good guys" - who cares about their arrest records

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=4250905

No one is perfect. That was the message Florida coach Urban Meyer tried to convey Thursday as he addressed the 24 legal incidents involving Gators players since 2005.


SEC blog

ESPN.com's Chris Low writes about all things SEC in his conference blog.

• Blog network

Meyer said he's disappointed with the incidents but he and his staff are determined to educate his players and by and large they are "a pretty good group."

However, the legal problems are taking some of the luster from Meyer's program, which will attempt to win a third national title in four years this season.

Starting cornerback Janoris Jenkins was the latest Gator to have a run-in with the law when he was arrested in late May and charged with fighting and resisting arrest without violence.

"This group of players we have now are by and large a pretty good group. They are 18-to-22 years old and, like most young people, they are trying to find their way," Meyer said in a statement.

"It is a continual part of our program to mentor and guide our players and it is not an exact process. Although we have been very successful with most, we are by no means perfect. We are disappointed when we encounter some issues along the way, but we are going to continue to educate and teach our players."

ESPN college football analyst Jesse Palmer, who played quarterback at Florida from 1997 until 2000, defended Meyer in an interview with the Orlando Sentinel.

"[Urban] can't be out at the clubs at 1 a.m. monitoring these guys," Palmer told the Sentinel. "I think it's an internal accountability issue where these players might think they are invincible after the national title. Everybody's patting them on the back and you feel like you can do anything."

Alabama in trouble with NCAA

http://www.seattlepi.com/scorecard/cfootballnews.asp?articleID=260071

Birmingham, AL (Sports Network) - The Alabama football program will reportedly be forced to vacate a number of wins from 2005-07 as a result of NCAA violations of textbook distribution policy.

The Birmingham News reported Thursday that the NCAA will announce the ruling at 3 p.m. (et). The report said the number of wins is at least 10, and that the NCAA will both place Alabama on three years' probation and fine the school.

The newspaper said the school, which was already on probation when the infractions occurred, must vacate all wins during the time frame in which implicated players were involved. Alabama suspended five players in 2007 after it was discovered they were involved in the acquisition of free textbooks for friends.

Because they were suspended prior to the team's win against Tennessee on October 20, 2007, the News reported Alabama will not have to vacate that victory or its bowl win over Colorado later in the year.

The paper reported several other Alabama sports were involved and will need to vacate individual records; about 200 athletes in all were involved over a four-year period.

Lakers all over Magic again

This may be over in four -

http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/gameTrax?gameId=2009060713&refreshRate=30

Pacman a Cowboy??

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4240457

Is there going to be an Adam "Pacman" Jones sequel in Dallas? According to a published report, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones recently said he's considering bringing the controversial cornerback back, although he calls it a long shot.


NFC East blog

ESPN.com's Matt Mosley writes about all things NFC East in his division blog.

• Blog network: NFL Nation

Reached by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram after the George Strait concert than opened the new Cowboys stadium on Saturday night, Jones asked the reporter: "Would you beat me up too bad if I brought back Adam?"

The Cowboys released Pacman Jones in February. Jones was suspended for six games by the NFL after an alcohol-related scuffle in October with a team-provided bodyguard at a Dallas hotel.

In the Star-Telegram report, Jones said he now blames the fight on the bodyguard. He also reportedly said that he's not worried about any off-the-field issues with Pacman Jones.

The cornerback came to Dallas after being suspended for the entire 2007 season following multiple off-field incidents while with the Tennessee Titans. The Cowboys acquired him in a trade during the draft in April, and commissioner Roger Goodell cleared him to play at the end of the preseason.

Expected to give the Cowboys a boost on defense and special teams, Jones had 31 tackles and no interceptions in his nine games (six starts). He averaged only 4.5 yards on his 21 punt returns, with a long of 18 yards.

However, in the Star-Telegram report, Jones said that Pacman Jones graded out as the Cowboys' best cornerback.

Before coming to Dallas, Jones was arrested six times and involved in 12 instances requiring police intervention after Tennessee drafted him in the first round in 2005.

The Cowboys traded for him anyway, despite the 2007 suspension.

Lebron claims to be happy - he is still not Kobe (and not Jordan!!)

http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/9631362/LeBron-happy-in-Cleveland-despite-loss

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio (AP) - LeBron James finally talked about not making the NBA Finals, and insists Cleveland's loss to Orlando will not impact his future with the Cavaliers.

James stormed out of Amway Arena without speaking to the media Saturday night after the Cavs were eliminated with a 103-90 loss to the Magic in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals.

James, who averaged 38.5 points, 8.3 rebounds and 8.2 assists against Orlando, said Sunday he hasn't given any thought to signing a contract extension with the Cavs this summer. James can become a free agent next season.

Cleveland can offer the extension on July 18 — the three-year anniversary of him signing his previous deal.

"I don't know," James said when asked if he'll sign. "I haven't thought about it just yet. I'm just going to take time off from basketball and not think about contracts or the game period. I'll relax with my family we'll figure out once it comes from them."

The league MVP, who also did not shake hands with Olympic teammate Dwight Howard or congratulate any Orlando players as he left the floor, said that he's happy in Cleveland and feels the Cavs made major progress this season.

KC loses 16 out of 21 - maybe George Brett should make a comeback

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/al/2009-06-01-2349225691_x.htm

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — After beginning the year on such a promising note, the Kansas City Royals must feel trapped in a cruel and savage time warp.
It's no longer 2009. It's 2005. They're not the sexy pick to win the AL Central any more. They're stumblebums again, hopeless also-rans in the midst of another long, dreary 100-loss season.

In what almost seemed like an act of mercy, the schedule gave the Royals an off day Monday, time to collect their thoughts before launching a nine-game road trip immediately following a three-game sweep in Kauffman Stadium by the Chicago White Sox. When did that last happen? In 2005.

Future HOF Randy Johnson wins 299

http://www.ajc.com/business/content/sports/braves/stories/2009/05/28/braves_giants.html

San Francisco — He’s 45 and not quite as ferocious as he was when he threw 100-mph fastballs, but Randy Johnson showed Wednesday night that he still can manhandle the Braves.

The Giants’ giant left-hander notched his 299th career win with six innings of three-hit, one-run ball, leading San Francisco to a 6-3 win that completed a series sweep against the Braves at AT&T Park.

Randy can still win — we didn’t rough him up at all,” said manager Bobby Cox, whose Braves had won five of their last six at home before coming to San Francisco and being swept by the Giants for the first time since 2003.

Chipper Jones, playing with a sprained right big toe, went 0-for-4 with four strikeouts, the first time the Braves third baseman whiffed four times in 2,060 major league games. Three of his strikeouts were against Johnson, who had given up a career-high six home runs to Jones in 33 at-bats before Wednesday.

“He just caught me at a good time,” said Jones, who tried to take his first Golden Sombrero (four strikeouts in a game) in stride, given the circumstances. “You just write it off as an 0-for-4 and try not to think about the punchouts.”

Braves starter Kenshin Kawakami (3-6) was charged with four runs (three earned), nine hits and four walks in 5-2/3 innings. His control wasn’t anywhere close to what it had been five days earlier, when he threw eight scoreless innings with three hits and no walks to beat Toronto and ace Roy Halladay.

Kawakami had been 2-2 with a 2.63 ERA in four May starts before Wednesday.

“I was aware [Johnson] was close to 300 wins,” he said through a translator. “It’s really a disappointment that I couldn’t pitch the way I wanted to today.”

Johnson (4-4) had five strikeouts with no walks while improving to 3-0 with a microscopic 0.64 ERA in his past four starts against the Braves, a stretch that began with his 13-strikeout perfect game at Atlanta in 2004.

The 6-foot-10 pitcher was 2-5 in eight starts against the Braves before that.

On striking out Jones three times, Johnson said: “We’re still not even. He’s still got some real good numbers against me.”

Jones struck out with a runner at third and one out in the fourth inning, and struck out with a runner on first to end the sixth with the Braves trailing 2-1. He nearly buckled from pain while swinging at strike three on the latter at-bat.

He missed four starts before returning to the lineup Tuesday. The 37-year-old switch-hitter was asked after Wednesday’s game if it was painful to swing.

“Right-handed, yes,” Jones said. “Left-handed, no. Right-handed, it’s tough on me right now. I have no back foot, not back side, and I can’t push off. I’m lunging real bad. It made everything Randy threw tonight 4 or 5 miles [per hour] harder.”

Johnson’s last start against the Braves before Wednesday was a win on May 24, 2008. Since then, he was 10-13 with a 4.47 ERA in 31 starts against everyone else.

Pinch-hitter Garret Anderson’s two-run, two-out single in the seventh inning trimmed the lead to 4-3, but the Braves stranded two in the inning, and the Giants added two runs against reliever Eric O’Flaherty on four consecutive hits in bottom of the seventh.

It was the Giants’ first sweep against the Braves since an August 2003 series at AT&T Park, where the Braves’ 12-21 record is their worst this decade at any ballpark where they’ve played at least 15 games.

The Braves are 9-15 against Giants since beginning of 2006 season, including seven losses in their past eight games at the ballpark by the bay.

Their seven-game trip continues Thursday in Phoenix with the opener of a four-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Casey Kotchman’s two-out RBI single in the sixth cut the lead to 2-1, after Jordan Schafer led off with a single and advanced on a Kawakami sacrifice.

Until Anderson’s two-out single in the seventh, the Braves had scored only three runs in the first 24 innings of the series.

In all three games, the Giants scored two or more runs before the Braves got on the board, including a 2-0 lead after three innings Wednesday.

The Giants got a run in the second inning after Fred Lewis drew a leadoff walk, stole second and advanced on a wild pitch — a scenario that’s happened too often lately with Braves pitchers. He scored on Juan Uribe’s single.

They scored their second run on an unsual play in the third inning, a double steal that probably deserved an asterisk.

They had runners on first and third with one out when Edgar Renteria stole second. Braves catcher David Ross threw to the base, and second baseman Martin Prado came up to catch it and throw back to keep Aaron Rowand from scoring.

Rowand held up, but Prado’s throw to the plate was low and bounced off Ross and back to the grass in front of the plate. When Ross went to pick it up, he slipped. Rowand seized the opportunity to race home, scoring just in front of the tag after Ross recovered and lunged to the plate.

Right fielder Jeff Francoeur prevented the Giants from making it a 3-0 lead in the fifth, when he fired a throw to the plate to nail heavy-footed catcher Bengie Molina trying to score from second on Travis Ishikawa’s two-out single.

For my women fans - Tom Brady is back

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/peter_king/05/26/tom.brady/

For one morning last week the field house next to Gillette Stadium was Tom Brady's personal playground. Joining the 31-year-old quarterback were the four receivers he hopes will be on the field with him for the Patriots' first series of the 2009 season, on Sept. 14 against the Bills. Brady split Randy Moss and Joey Galloway outside the numbers and lined up Wes Welker and Greg Lewis in the slots, then they jogged through some of the new pass plays that New England will be installing in training camp. It had been 32 weeks since Brady's left knee was surgically reconstructed, and he moved straight ahead, laterally and backward with no pain. No one brought up the injury. Brady didn't stop to think,

Hey, my knee feels great. They just worked through the routes, and Brady wondered, When we run this play against Buffalo, how will the defense respond?

"Come on!" Moss said before Brady called the last of the 25 or so plays they ran. "Make this a hard one!"

Moss likes to be challenged, and he's one of the best in the game at reading his quarterback's subtle signals. Moss showed that in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl XLII when, after seeing a simple nod from Brady, he adjusted his route, cut inside the cornerback and caught a six-yard touchdown pass to put the Patriots up 14-10 over the Giants. This time Brady called one of the new plays with a hand signal; to further test Moss, he quick-snapped and backpedaled, seeing if his receivers would figure out what to do.

Moss guessed wrong, walking off the line of scrimmage confused. "What are you doing?" Brady yelled.

"I don't know," Moss said. "What [play] is it?"

Brady called out the name, then said, triumphantly, "I'm going home! I got Moss today! I got you!"

Even Moss had to laugh.

This week, when New England starts full-roster organized training activities (OTAs), Brady will step into the huddle with the entire offense for the first time since he tore his left anterior cruciate ligament and medial collateral ligament in the 2008 season opener. (Last week's sessions were for rookies, free agents and select veterans returning from injury, with Brady and his top receivers working in seclusion.) The quarterback acts and sounds as if he wished the Buffalo game were tomorrow. In his first extended interview since he got hurt, Brady told SI that his recovery is on schedule, he's running and cutting without pain or restricted movement, and he has no ill effects from two follow-up procedures to flush out a postop staph infection in the knee. In fact, calling the last eight months "the halftime of my career," Brady said, "I want to play another 10 years."

He was convincing when he said he was "as confident as anyone could be that I'll be ready to play, back to playing normally, when the seasons starts. I've done everything I could to push myself, sometimes too hard. Right now, I'm doing everything. Literally everything. There's nothing I can't do."

With his voice rising as he leaned forward in his chair, Brady said that playing 10 more seasons "is a big goal of mine, a very big goal. I want to play until I'm 41. And if I get to that point and still feel good, I'll keep playing. I mean, what the hell else am I going to do? I don't like anything else.

"People say, 'What will you do if you don't play football?' Why would I even think of doing anything else? What would I do instead of run out in front of 80,000 people and command 52 guys and be around guys I consider brothers and be one of the real gladiators? Why would I ever want to do anything else? It's so hard to think of anything that would match what I do: Fly to the moon? Jump out of planes? Bungee-jump off cliffs? None of that s--- matters to me. I want to play this game I love, be with my wife and son, and enjoy life."

Impassioned, fiery, a little defiant -- it was a side of Tom Brady the public hasn't often seen. Truth is, the public hasn't seen much of Brady at all since the injury, save for the few images taken with the long telephoto lenses of the paparazzi -- sharing an ice cream cone in Brazil with his new wife, supermodel Gisele Bündchen; strolling on the beach with his toddler son, Jack; golfing with the Entourage cast; catching a Celtics playoff game with Bündchen. Brady has jealously guarded his privacy; and those close to him, including coach Bill Belichick and the rest of the Patriots staff, have helped him do so.

D.C. area teams busted for juicing

http://washingtontimes.com/news/2009/may/27/nationals-capitals-mentioned-in-steroid-bust/

Law enforcement officials in Lakeland, Fla., on Tuesday arrested two people on charges of steroid possession who claim they sold the illegal substances to players on the Washington Nationals and Washington Capitals teams.

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said officers arrested Richard and Sandra Thomas on 10 counts of steroid possession with intent to distribute, 10 counts of importing the drugs and one count of maintaining a dwelling for drug sales.

Judd said Thomas bragged about being one of the largest sellers of steroids in Florida, obtaining the drugs from suppliers all over the world. In making the arrests, the Sheriff's Department seized several loaded weapons, including an AR-15 assault rifle.

Thomas did not name specific players but mentioned the Capitals and Nationals by name in specific interviews, Judd said.

"Richard Thomas told Sheriff's narcotics detectives when he was asked if he had sold steroids to professional athletes, 'Name the sport - if they played it, I sold it,''" Judd said in a statement Wednesday morning. "Then Richard Thomas went further and specifically mentioned two professional sports teams from the Washington D.C. area whose players he had sold steroids to - the DC Nationals baseball team, and the Washington Capitals hockey team. While he stated to detectives that he sold steroids to professional athletes on those teams, he did not mention any specific players' names."

Judd said that Polk County detectives have yet to uncover any evidence to support Thomas' claims that but that an investigation is ongoing.

Canseco beaten in 76 seconds in fight

http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Canseco-loses-in-1-16-injures-knee?urn=mma,165794

Mark McGwire, Rafael Palmeiro, Alex Rodriguez and countless baseball players outed as steroid users by Jose Canseco were probably hoping for a fate worse than this. The 44-year-old risked life and limb for a big payday in Japan in his first professional mixed martial arts fight. The 1988 AL MVP took on a 7-foot-2, 330-pound Korean kickboxer. It went exactly as you'd expect. Canseco threw some wild punches and attempted a few kicks. Nothing of significance landed. Hong Man Choi waited patiently and then pounced. The 253-pound Canseco threw a kick to Choi's thigh that caused him to lose his balance. When he fell to the ground, Choi jumped on top of Canseco throwing 14 punches. Very few landed but it was clear the slugger was shot. The ref stepped in to stop the fight at 1:16 of the first round when Canseco tapped.

The fight was part of DREAM's Super Hulk Tournament. The entire event was a farce consisting of four fights that featured an average weight difference of 87.6 pounds. The Canseco-Choi fight was exactly the kind of matchup that would never be approved in the U.S. by any commission. Nevada nearly denied a license recently to 45-year-old Mark Coleman to fight at UFC 100. Coleman, who has 24 pro fights under his belt and was an NCAA wrestling champ, tired badly in his last fight at UFC 93. The fighters' safety is paramount in MMA where knees, kicks, elbows, punches, jiu-jitsu and wrestling are all fair game.

Canseco's approach to the fight was actually intelligent. He tried to throw big overhand rights and then scoot away from the giant. But in doing so, it looked like he was exhausted after just a minute of fighting. He attempted seven kicks to Choi's legs and body. The final right kick landed awkwardly on Choi's left thigh. Canseco's knee buckled and down he went. When he rose to his feet after the stoppage, Canseco had a noticeable limp.

Canseco had zero professional fighting experience before this freak show, but he did have two celebrity boxing matches to his credit. He was destroyed in his first try against former NFL player Vai Sikahema. The former Golden Gloves champ stopped Canseco inside of one minute. Canseco also fought former Partridge Family star Danny Bonaduce to a draw. Canseco outweighs Bonaduce by 70 pounds.

Choi, who is 12-6 in K-1 professional kickboxing, is now 2-2 in MMA. Choi had previously lost to Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic, who is fighting in the UFC at UFC 99 on June 13. He also lost to Yahoo! Sports' No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter Fedor Emelianenko.

Mike Tyson's daughter on life support

As much as I dislike this man, nothing is funny about this story -

http://msn.foxsports.com/boxing/story/9612466/Mike-Tyson's-daughter-critically-injured

PHOENIX (AP) - The near-fatal strangulation of boxer Mike Tyson's 4-year-old daughter appears to be a "tragic accident," police say.


Mike Tyson left Las Vegas for Phoenix upon hearing of his daughter's tragic accident. (Ross D. Franklin / Associated Press)
Exodus Tyson was on life support Tuesday after apparently accidentally hanging herself on a cord dangling from a treadmill in her modest central Phoenix home.

"Somehow she was playing on this treadmill, and there's a cord that hangs under the console — it's kind of a loop," police Sgt. Andy Hill said. "Either she slipped or put her head in the loop, but it acted like a noose, and she was obviously unable to get herself off of it."

Exodus' 7-year-old brother found her Monday and told their mother, who was in another room. She took Exodus off the cord, called 911 and tried to revive her.

Responding officers and firefighters performed CPR on Exodus as they rushed her to a nearby hospital, where she was in "extremely critical condition" and on life support, Hill said.

Hill said former heavyweight champion Tyson, 42, had been in Las Vegas but flew to Phoenix immediately after learning of the accident.

"The Tyson family would like to extend our deepest and most heartfelt thanks for all your prayers and support, and we ask that we be allowed our privacy at this difficult time," the boxer said in a statement.

Peavy says no to White Sox

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/9597850/Peavy-invokes-no-trade,-rejects-White-Sox-deal

CHICAGO (AP) - Jake Peavy is staying with the San Diego Padres.

The ace pitcher turned down a trade to the Chicago White Sox, choosing Thursday to remain with his longtime team.

Jake Peavy: '09 stats
Jake Peavy
San Diego Padres
Starting pitcher

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
G W-L ERA IP K
9 3-5 3.82 61.1 69
The Padres and White Sox had reached an agreement, but needed the 2007 Cy Young Award winner to waive his no-trade clause.

"As of right now, this is the best place for us to be. We made that decision for the time being," Peavy said before Thursday night's game against San Francisco.

"It's been a crazy 24 hours," he said. "I don't want to be any kind of distraction to the team. We're playing as well as we possibly can, winning five in a row and I've got a big game tomorrow night vs. the Chicago Cubs."

Peavy said he would answer additional questions about his decision after Friday night's start.

Peavy, who turns 28 later this month, is 3-5 with a 3.82 ERA. He made his major league debut with San Diego in 2002.

Several reports said the White Sox would've sent top pitching prospect Aaron Poreda and young left-hander Clayton Richard to San Diego as part of the package for Peavy.

White Sox general manager Ken Williams declined comment earlier in the day and did not immediately respond to a message after Peavy's decision.

Earlier in the day, while they were waiting for Peavy's announcement, the White Sox lost 20-1 to the Minnesota Twins.

"I hope he don't watch the scoreboard because he might say no," White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said.

San Diego talked to the Cubs and Atlanta Braves during the offseason about a deal for Peavy.

On Thursday afternoon, Peavy's agent, Barry Axelrod, said, "my suspicion is he still has a strong preference to stay in the National League."

"There was a question posed to us as to whether Jake's position on going to the American League was still cast in stone or whether he'd consent to going to an AL team, specifically, the White Sox," Axelrod said.

The Padres, who lost 99 games last season and aren't expected to contend this year, have been cutting payroll. Peavy is to earn $11 million this season, $15 million in 2010, $16 million in 2011 and $17 million in 2012. The Padres have a $22 million option for 2013 with a $4 million buyout.

"Greatest NFL QB" Ryan Leaf busted - of course I am joking about him being the greatest

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/rumors/post/Former-NFL-bust-Ryan-Leaf-indicted-in-Texas?urn=nfl,165289

Former San Diego Chargers quarterback and West Texas A&M University coach Ryan Leaf is indicted Thursday by a Randall County Grand Jury in Texas, according to newschannel10.com.

Leaf was indicted on seven counts of Obtaining a Controlled Substance By Fraud, 1 count of Burglary Of A Habitation, and 1 count of Delivery Of A Controlled Substance.

The Randall County District Attorney's office say the dates of these charges span from January of 2008 through last October.

Source: www.newschannel10.com

Mike "Overrated" Vick out of jail

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5haOoOM3D6bv9j5rLhxJIiDh_YlvwD98A7SNO0

HAMPTON, Va. (AP) — Michael Vick is out of prison and headed home, penniless and reviled for running a vicious dogfighting ring, but hopeful for a second chance at his once-charmed life as a star NFL quarterback. The suspended quarterback served 19 months in prison on the dogfighting conviction that capped one of the most astonishing falls in sports history — one that stole his wealth and popularity.

"Football is on the back-burner for now," said agent Joel Segal, who negotiated Vick's 10-year, $130 million contract with the Atlanta Falcons but will be asking for substantially less if his tarnished client's suspension is lifted by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

Falcons owner Arthur Blank said Vick deserves a second chance, but it won't be with Atlanta, which has severed ties with its former star.

Vick, who turns 29 in June, left the federal penitentiary in Leavenworth, Kan., by car early Wednesday, undetected by hordes of reporters who had staked out the prison.

He was accompanied on the 1,200-mile ride by his fiancee, Kijafa Frink, a videographer and several members of a security team assembled by Vick's lawyers and advisers, a person familiar with the plans told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to comment on the matter. The person did not know the reason for the videographer.

Avoiding the media will be tougher in Hampton, where he will serve two months in home confinement. His five-bedroom brick house is at the end of a cul-de-sac, where at least a half-dozen satellite trucks and several reporters and camera crews awaited his return. Out back, between the house and a pond, maintenance workers got the swimming pool ready.

Vick was sentenced to 23 months in federal prison for financing a dogfighting conspiracy. He won't be released from federal custody until July 20, but his departure from Leavenworth begins a new chapter.

"It's a happy day for him to be starting this part of the process," said Larry Woodward, Vick's Virginia-based attorney, said. "He looks forward to meeting the challenges he has to meet."

His ultimate goal is a return to the NFL, but Woodward said Vick's first priority "is spending time with his children and his loved ones."

Chief among his challenges is rehabilitating his image and convincing the public and Goodell that he is truly sorry for his crime, and that he is prepared to live a different life — goals that will depend more on deeds than words.

"It goes beyond, 'Has he paid his debt to society?' Because I think that from a legal standpoint and financially and personally, he has," Blank said at an NFL owners' meeting Wednesday.

Part of Vick's problem was the company he kept, Blank said, and weeding out the bad influences and associating with people who have his best interests at heart will be a key to redemption and a possible return to the NFL.

"There's the expression 'you are what you eat.' To some extent, you are who you hang with too, and that does have an effect on lives for all of us," he said.

Vick's NFL future remains a mystery.

"Mike's already paid his dues," Falcons receiver and former teammate Roddy White said Wednesday. "He wants to play football. I think if he gets reinstated before the season, there'll be a couple of teams that will be after him and give him a chance to play."

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals said Vick doesn't deserve that chance until he passes psychological tests proving he is capable of feeling genuine remorse.

"Our position would be the opportunity to play in the NFL is a privilege, not a right," PETA spokesman Dan Shannon said.

First up for Vick is a $10-an-hour job as a laborer for a construction company. That job is part of his probation, and he will find out more about the restrictions he faces in home confinement when he meets with his probation officer later this week. He also will be equipped with an electronic monitor.

John Wall to UK

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=4178271

Top point guard recruit John Wall has told Kentucky coach John Calipari that he will sign with the Wildcats, ending a highly publicized courtship with the game-changing player.

Wall, ranked the No. 1 point guard, No. 5 overall, in the ESPNU 100, informed Miami coach Frank Haith on Tuesday morning that he had committed to Kentucky. The reasoning, according to a source, was because he just wanted to play for Calipari.

"It's an exciting offense; I like the way coach Calipari has the point guard doing a lot of work," Wall told ESPNRISE.com's Chris Lawlor on Tuesday.

If Calipari had stayed as coach at Memphis, there would have been no drama in Wall's commitment. Privately, Calipari was convinced Wall would have chosen the Tigers, but the coach's departure to Kentucky created a soap opera in the renewed recruiting chase.


Adding another chip
Top 2009 recruit John Wall's commitment to Kentucky is the latest development in a remarkable stretch for John Calipari, writes Paul Biancardi of Scouts Inc. Story

Wall teased Duke, and actually gave Miami an informal commitment last week, according to a source close to the situation. But ultimately, the Word of God Christian Academy playmaker out of Raleigh, N.C., didn't stray from his original plan: He chose to play for Calipari; it's just that the pursuit for a national title will be out of Lexington instead of Memphis.

Kentucky adds Wall to another top-10 recruit, 6-foot-9 DeMarcus Cousins of LeFlore (Mobile, Ala.).

Wall and Cousins have said they would have signed with Calipari at Memphis.

"It's a new beginning for all of us; there's a lot of talent," Wall said.

Wall was impressed by Calipari's work at Memphis, especially the last two years, with 2009 NBA Rookie of the Year Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls and All-America guard Tyreke Evans, who declared for the NBA draft after one season.

"Coach Calipari pushes his players, and that's why his teams are successful," Wall said. "Some compare me to Derrick Rose, and that's a compliment. In the last two years, he's helped Derrick and Tyreke become top-10 picks in the NBA draft. He's helped them reach that level, but I'm reaching my goal of playing college basketball."

According to sources, moving from Memphis to Lexington had been an issue for Wall's adviser, Brian Clifton, who likely will be the one to represent Wall when the player eventually declares for the NBA draft.

A source close to the situation at Duke said multiple times that if Clifton were making the call, Duke would have been selected. But according to sources, Wall made the decision.

"He did his due diligence when it came to recruiting," Clifton told ESPNRISE.com. "He likes Cal's style of play and is excited about the opportunity to display his creativity. John has a chance to take college basketball by storm."

Duke was hoping to be Wall's choice because his mother has had health problems, and the Blue Devils had no issue recruiting a player who is projected to leave after his freshman season.

In the meantime, Wall had strung Miami along after a recruiting visit in late April, feeling comfortable enough with Haith and the team to make the Hurricanes a compromise choice.

Wall would have made Duke an instant title contender and clearly would have elevated Miami into an NCAA tournament team. Florida had made a run at him, but the Gators couldn't get Wall to make a visit.


Chris Williams/Icon SMI
John Wall had made two unofficial visits to Kentucky when Billy Gillispie was still the coach.
Earlier in the year, Clifton's brother, Dwon, was hired as director of player development at Baylor, creating a stir.

Wall even had made two unofficial visits to Kentucky when Billy Gillispie was still the coach.

Former NBA player Tisdale dies after two year battle with cancer

http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/9578270/Former-Sooner-star,-NBA-player-Tisdale-dead-at-44

Wayman Tisdale, a 12-year NBA veteran and Oklahoma University's all-time leading scorer and rebounder, has died after a two-year battle with cancer. He was 44.


A noted musician, Tisdale played at a charity event during the All-Star weekend in February. (David Sherman / Getty Images)
Tisdale was selected No. 2 overall in the 1985 NBA draft, behind only Patrick Ewing. He played four seasons in Indiana, five in Sacramento and four in Phoenix.

Tisdale first learned he had a cancerous cyst below his right knee after he broke his leg in a fall at his home in Los Angeles in 2007. His leg was amputated last August, but he had made several public appearances since.

During and after his playing career, Tisdale was a talented jazz bass guitarist. He released his first album in 1995 when he was a member of the Suns.

Tisdale is survived by his wife, Regina, and their four children.

Wie still winless; for some reason still talked about like she's a star

http://msn.foxsports.com/golf/story/9573734/Wie-off-the-cart-path,-on-a-career-path

My first vision of Michelle Wie spurred this unmistakable thought: She was a can't-miss star in the making who would dominate and revolutionize women's golf.

More from the New York Post


Vaccaro: Trip will test Mets


She seemed more composed and mature than most 23-year-olds and her swing was as sound as Tiger Woods' swing. Her future could not have been more promising. She surely was better than even-money to become the Woods of women's golf.

That was some six years ago, the last time Wie played a pro event in the New York-New Jersey area until this week's Sybase Classic at Upper Montclair Country Club in Clifton, N.J., where she's playing for the first time.

What transpired from those years of early-teen innocence slowly turned into an ugly sideshow worthy of a Jerry Springer episode.

Wie spun uncontrollably into a head-case spiral to golfing oblivion because of questionable direction and advice from her parents and greed from sponsors bent on cashing in on her star power.





"They weren't my best moments," Wie said yesterday. "But I feel like I've learned a lot from struggling more than I have playing well."

Just four years after those moments of brilliant promise at age 13, Wie became a cheap circus act. She futilely played in PGA Tour events (0-for-8 and a withdrawal attempting to make the cut) on sponsor's exemptions offered to bring more attention to low-profile tournaments and all the while exploiting Wie.

With the obvious talent she has, one can't help but wonder how much better she would be today had she followed a more traditional career path and competed against her women contemporaries.

It should be noted that Morgan Pressel, Yani Tseng and Inbee Park beat Wie in amateur match-play competitions and all won an LPGA major championship in their teens.

Where would Wie's career be had she followed the same path?

The path her parents chose for her was all a pathetic mistake -- one that wasn't corrected until she finally went to the LPGA Tour's Qualifying School last winter and qualified the hard way to get her tour card.

"One of my proudest moments," Wie said of making it through Q School.

Fellow LPGA member Christina Kim said everyone "is very relieved that she's finally out here full time."

"She did whatever she felt was the right way to get out here," Kim said. "She lived her life with conviction and for someone her age it's very difficult to do and it's something you have to respect."

Speaking of respect, Lorena Ochoa, the No. 1-ranked player in the world and one of the most respected players on the LPGA Tour, uttered some words Wie should have lived by years ago.

"I think I first need to prove and achieve my goals here on the LPGA. This is where I belong," Ochoa said when asked if she has aspirations to compete against players on the PGA Tour one day.

Wie is not dwelling on the past.

"There's nothing I can do to change the past if I wanted to, so all I can do is focus on the future, focus on now," Wie said. "It's a fresh new start for me. I'm moving forward now."

Hopefully forward for Wie will soon lead to victories and a return of that same exuberance I saw in her eyes six years ago.

Umpire touches player - Leyland goes nuts

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=4166378

MINNEAPOLIS -- Umpire Paul Schrieber has apologized for making contact with Detroit Tigers slugger Magglio Ordonez during a confrontation Wednesday night.

In the seventh inning against Minnesota, Schreiber called Ordonez out on strikes. Ordonez argued that the pitch was low. As Schrieber spoke to him, the umpire placed his hand on Ordonez's back and steered him toward the dugout.

Schrieber read a brief statement before the Tigers-Twins series finale on Thursday. He said he "should not have placed my hands on him, period. For doing so, I apologize to both Magglio Ordonez and the Detroit Tigers."

Tigers manager Jim Leyland was ejected for coming to Ordonez's defense, screaming in Schrieber's face. His ejection came in seconds. Before the game Thursday, Leyland and Ordonez said they did not think Schrieber's act had malicious intent.

"Did you see what happened? OK, then you write what you saw," Leyland said angrily following the game, according to MLB.com. "I don't have to say a word. You write what you saw. And I hope you all got the guts to write what you saw.

"I don't need to say anything. Write what you saw. I don't need to say a word. If you watched the ... game, then write what you saw."

Usually, players, managers and coaches are suspended if they make contact with an umpire.

A three-run home run by Miguel Cabrera that had given Detroit an 8-7 lead preceded Ordonez's strikeout. Minnesota won the game 14-10 in 13 innings on Joe Crede's walk-off grand slam.

Ordonez was not available for comment after the game.

Karen Cunagin Sypher pleas not guilty

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=4164209

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- A woman accused of trying to extort millions of dollars from Louisville coach Rick Pitino pleaded not guilty Wednesday. She later defiantly announced she "will not break" while surrounded by supporters on the courthouse steps.

Karen Cunagin Sypher was mostly silent at her arraignment but proclaimed her innocence to reporters afterward. Her attorney indicated he might seek a change of venue because of extensive publicity.

Sypher's arraignment came one day after her indictment on federal charges of trying to extort money from Pitino and lying to the FBI. A criminal complaint last month claimed her demands included college tuition for her children, two cars, her house to be paid off and $3,000 per month.

The demands later escalated to $10 million, according to the complaint.

Sypher, the estranged wife of a longtime Pitino aide, told reporters after the hearing that the charges had created "a very dark cloud" for her family, which she called "very unjust to me, very unfair."

Seemingly bolstered by her supporters, Sypher said she was prepared to see the case through to "the very end" and then added: "I will not break."

"Justice will prevail," she said. "Yes, yes. I have to believe in the justice system. I have to."

Sypher, 49, remains free on her own recognizance. Her trial was scheduled for June 29.

Pitino attorney Steve Pence said in a statement last month, when Sypher was charged, that the coach "takes no comfort in this prosecution and remains astonished by these events." Pence said Wednesday that no further statement would be made.

Kenny Klein, spokesman for Louisville athletics, also declined to comment.

The estranged wife of Louisville equipment manager Tim Sypher was greeted outside the courthouse by eight supporters. They held hand-made signs with sayings including "Money Power" and "Leave Karen Sypher Alone." Sypher, accompanied by two of her sons, hugged the group of family and friends, who accompanied her to the courtroom.

Sypher's attorney, Thomas Clay, entered the not guilty plea on her behalf.

She faces a maximum of seven years in prison and a $500,000 fine if convicted of both charges.

Clay said after the hearing that Sypher's version will eventually be heard and said he will consider filing a motion to move the trial out of Louisville.

"Because of the extensive publicity, it's going to be one of the first things I consider," he said.

The case became public last month when Pitino released a statement saying someone had tried to extort him. The coach said he reported it to the FBI. Sypher surrendered to authorities a few days later when she was named in the criminal complaint.

Authorities have not said what information Sypher might have been trying to use to allegedly extort Pitino. They have said the coach believed it was related to an unspecified 2003 encounter with her.

Several media outlets have declined to air interviews with Sypher, saying the allegations are of a personal nature and are unsubstantiated.

Pitino took over Louisville's basketball program in 2001. He has coached three different schools to the Final Four -- Louisville, Providence and Kentucky, where he won a national title. He also coached the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks in the NBA.

Pitino signed a three-year contract extension with Louisville in May 2007 that could keep him at the school through 2013. The deal pays him an annual salary of $2.5 million a year if he stays until the end of the contract. He'll receive loyalty bonuses of $3.6 million in 2010 and 2013 if he remains with the school.

He has recently said there is no truth to rumors that he is considering a return to the NBA.

USC's Tim Floyd pulls a Eddie Sutton

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?entryID=4164328&name=katz_andy

Arizona athletic director Jim Livengood said Wednesday that he asked USC coach Tim Floyd a point-blank question about former USC star O.J. Mayo during an exploratory interview for the Arizona head coaching job last month and was told by Floyd that there were no issues with Mayo's recruitment.


On Tuesday, Yahoo! Sports reported that Floyd gave Mayo's handler, Rodney Guillory, $1,000 in cash before Guillory went to Las Vegas for the 2007 NBA All-Star Game. The allegation was made by Louis Johnson, a former member of Mayo's inner circle, who said Guillory told him he received the money in an exchange in Beverly Hills.

Johnson said he told the NCAA, FBI, IRS and the U.S. Attorney's office that Floyd had paid Guillory. Johnson said he saw Guillory meet Floyd outside a café while he drove around the block. He told them Guillory showed him $100 bills in an envelope. Johnson made allegations against USC a year ago on ESPN's "Outside the Lines" and detailed a case against the Guillory and the Trojans of extra benefits that were provided to Mayo.


Livengood, who said he considers himself a "good friend" of Floyd's over the past few decades, said Arizona would have investigated the Mayo matter further had Floyd become a serious candidate for the vacant head coaching job.

"There would have been more questions. We would have been thorough. It was too important a hire," said Livengood, who pointed out that he couldn't get information out of the NCAA because "they can't comment on it."

Floyd did meet with Livengood and UA president Robert Shelton in Tucson on April 2, but Livengood said it was because Shelton couldn't meet in another location.


"Quite frankly, it was overblown," Livengood said of Floyd's candidacy. He said had current Arizona coach Sean Miller been able to commit earlier when Miller was the head coach at Xavier, the process would have been over, indicating Miller was the target choice.


"I looked into a number of things and the question was asked about O.J. and he was very candid about it," Livengood said. "I asked Tim, 'There's a lot of things being talked about the past year on O.J., tell me about it?' He said, 'There's no issue with O.J.'"


Livengood said Floyd left the meeting and then called back the next day and said they didn't need to talk further because he was going to stay at USC.

As a result, Arizona avoided an Indiana-type situation in which the Hoosiers hired Kelvin Sampson from Oklahoma after he had been sanctioned by the NCAA. More violations occurred while at IU and Sampson resigned in his second season. The program is still dealing with the effects of hiring a coach who had an NCAA issue hanging over him.


Livengood said it would be easy to say Arizona dodged a bullet in hiring Miller and not going further with Floyd. But he didn't want to seem like he was "piling on."


"It was an exploratory thing, that's all it was," Livengood said. "The end result for Arizona was excellent. Sean's doing a great job."


• USC doesn't have an official gag order, but the Trojans aren't commenting on the story. Reached Wednesday, USC officials made it clear there won't be anything to say during an ongoing investigation. Floyd is out of town this week, according to a school official.


• Here's what would happen procedurally based on Yahoo! Sports' report: If Johnson told the NCAA of the alleged payment, the NCAA would conduct follow-up interviews to see if anyone saw Floyd and Guillory meet in Beverly Hills (valet, café worker, etc.) and would check to see if there were receipts from a lunch. A follow-up with Floyd could also occur. Still, it could ultimately come down to a he said-he said in this case, especially when dealing with cash.


• The consensus among coaches and at least one adminstrator contacted Wednesday came down to one question: How could Floyd be so careless in dealing with a cash payment in broad daylight? If this is true, the arrogance -- the "stupidity" to quote one coach -- was beyond comprehension among those contacted.


• The ACC coaches met in Amelia Island, Fla., and they agreed to keep the schedule as is with 16 games instead of 18, while also declining to look at splitting the conference into two divisions.


ACC associate commissioner Karl Hicks said the coaches and athletic directors felt there is already so much parity in the league and didn't want to dampen the coach's willingness to play "big intersectional rivalries." Adding two more conference games would possibly discourage that from happening. While there was some debate as to whether two more league games might help the RPI, the consensus was, 'Why take two more opportunities out with more conference games?'

The athletic directors agreed. Hicks said if they had gone to divisions, four teams would lose their two permanent partners and another eight would lose one and you would "blow all that hard work up" of the current schedule.

Mark Cuban says sorry - what a crybaby

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs/2009/news/story?id=4160606

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, locked in a verbal sideshow with Denver Nuggets forward Kenyon Martin ever since Saturday's Game 3 of the playoff series against Dallas, apologized to Martin and his mother in his latest posting on his blog.

The billionaire team owner has been accused of calling Martin a "thug" or a "punk," depending on the account, but as Cuban said on the early Tuesday morning posting, "That has become irrelevant."

"I shouldn't have said anything. Now, the reality is that this has gotten out of hand," Cuban wrote on blogmaverick.com, with the posting titled, "An Apology to Kenyon Martin's Mom."


Mike and Mike in the Morning
ESPN NBA analyst Jon Barry breaks down the NBA playoffs. He says Mark Cuban's comments to Kenyon Martin's mother were way out of line. Jon also thinks that as well as the Cavs are playing, they will lose in five games to the Lakers in the NBA Finals.

More Podcasts »

"When tempers and such start impacting the fan experience both in Dallas and Denver, and it requires special security, that's not what I want for Mavs or Nuggets fans. No one takes more abuse and gets more threats on the road than I do. So I know exactly how it feels," Cuban wrote. "I've also had my family and friends spit on at games in this series. So I know how unpleasant that is as well.

"So at this point I would like to apologize to you and your mom, KMart, for my comment. I should have not said anything and I was wrong. Hopefully you will accept the apology and we can move on."

Clemens speaks out

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090512&content_id=4683724&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb

Roger Clemens, participating in an interview Tuesday for the first time in months, repeated his denial that Brian McNamee injected him with performance-enhancing drugs, called allegations of such use "hurtful" and said that excerpts he has read from a book that has just hit stores are "completely false."

Clemens appeared on the "Mike and Mike in the Morning" show on ESPN Radio and ESPN2 TV, his first high-profile media appearance since his Jan. 6, 2008, segment on "60 Minutes," during which he denied steroid use. Five weeks later, on Feb. 13, Clemens testified under oath at a Congressional hearing that he has never used performance-enhancing drugs.



Clemens said that any evidence, such as syringes provided by McNamee, his former trainer, that allegedly link him to the use of steroids or human growth hormone cannot exist.

"Impossible, because he's never given me any," Clemens said. "He's never given me HGH or any performance-enhancing drugs."

"American Icon: The Fall of Roger Clemens and the Rise of Steroids in America's Pastime" was written by four reporters from the New York Daily News who, according to a story published Monday by that newspaper, concluded that Clemens had lied last year in a deposition and at the hearing.

"It's piling on," Clemens said. "It's hurtful at times, but I'm moving on.

"All I can do is speak the truth and from the heart. I know what your polls say, [but] I get great responses in every city I go to. ... When you've got someone out there crawling up your back to make a buck -- and that's what it is -- how do you defend a negative? The garbage that's in this book, I've got an opportunity to [talk about] that today."

The Daily News said that its reporters -- Teri Thompson, Nathaniel Vinton, Christian Red and Michael O'Keeffe -- came to their conclusion after interviewing scores of sources, including Major League Baseball players and executives, Players Association officials, political leaders, law-enforcement agents, steroid suppliers, trainers, doctors and gym rats.

The reporters also reviewed thousands of pages of documents -- including court records, Congressional depositions, medical files and the Mitchell Report -- while preparing the book.

Clemens, a 354-game winner who last pitched in 2007 for the Yankees, reportedly is being investigated by the Justice Department regarding whether he may have lied to the House committee during the February 2008 hearing. Clemens also sued McNamee for defamation. A judge dismissed most of that suit, but it remains active. Clemens said that he has not been summoned by Congress.

"The legal proceedings are still going on," Clemens said. "Like I said, I'm trying to stay positive about it. I know I'm a public figure, but I'm getting out there and doing the things I normally do. I hear people saying that you're not doing this or doing that, but I've been doing what I normally do," instructing high school and college players as well as taking part in charity events such as dinners and golf tournaments.

Clemens offered generic answers to questions from hosts Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic about Manny Ramirez and Alex Rodriguez, who this year have been connected to steroid use, recently in the case or Ramirez and dating back, for Rodriguez, to his seasons with the Rangers. Ramirez was suspended last week for 50 games and Rodriguez admitted to using steroids from 2001-03 after a report revealed that he had tested positive in survey testing in 2003.

He said that he didn't know the "exact details" of Ramirez's suspension, and said of Rodriguez, a teammate in 2007, "I just wish him the best."

Clemens repeatedly said that he talks to young people about the dangers of steroid use, and restated his claim that former teammate Andy Pettitte "misremembers" a conversation the left-hander testified to that he and Clemens discussed steroid use.

Gene Grabowski, senior vice president of Levick Strategic Communications, which has been hired by Clemens, appeared on the show an hour earlier and explained why his client had decided to begin speaking publicly again.

"He realizes that he has to get out there, defend himself, and in the end we'll find out that he's been falsely accused," Grabowski said. "It's no coincidence. This book ... there's nothing new in it. It's a patchwork job, a narrative [of newspaper stories] woven together in a more enticing way. It's filled with a lot of the lies that were repeated before.

"Roger feels a need to get out there and tell his side of the story before it gets out of hand and people's opinions are cemented."

Hank Aaron is not overrated

I wrote an article about a poster who claimed I knew nothing about baseball. You can read my debate on Sandy Koufax being overrated. Allan Rosteing also made the remark “Aaron never hit over 44 homerunsin a season.” Okay, and?

Aaron is easily one of the top 5 players of all time. Actually, I’d rate him fourth all time behind Ruth, Walter Johnson and Willie Mays. It is true that Aaron was not flashy like Ruth nor possessed the power of Ruth. Yes, Aaron’s career high in home runs was 44. Along with Ty Cobb and Pete Rose, Aaron was one of baseball’s most consistent hitters.

Aaron played from 1954 until 1976. He made 25 All-Stars (some years there were two all-star games during his playing time). Aaron holds the MLB records of RBI’s, extra base hits and total bases. He is 2nd in home runs behind cheater Barry Bonds, 3rd in hits, and tied for 4th in runs. Aaron is one of only four players with at least 150 hits in 17 straight seasons. He also hit 24 or more home runs from 1955-1973. Most people also forget the fact Aaron won three Gold Gloves for his great and underrated defense.

Besides this Allan Rosteing dude, nobody else besides racist people seem to think Aaron is overrated. Sporting News rated Aaron 5th all time on their list of players, scholar Molefi Kete Asante ranks Aaron as the greatest black player in MLB history and SABR ranks Aaron 4th like me, Dugout Central ranks Aaron 7th all time, and Aaron also made the All-Century team which proved beyond a doubt, he clearly belongs in the top ten MLB players of all time.


Aaron is a living legend within the baseball realm. He was not only good in his prime, but was still a star at age 40. Most players like Johnny Bench and Sandy Koufax were done in their early 30’s. If you think Aaron is overrated, you truly don’t understand the game of baseball.

UK may have Nation's best Freshman class

http://www.aseaofblue.com/2009/5/3/863309/it-appears-uk-will-have-consensus

Lakers and Rockets fight for win - and they fight each other

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/sports_blog/2009/05/daily-debate-lakersrockets-suspensions.html

You can cut the suspensions, er, suspense with a knife.

Or is that stab a man in the heart with a table leg?

Either way, NBA disciplinarian-in-grief Stu Jackson probably didn't sleep well last night. While attending the Lakers-Rockets game in the second round of the NBA playoffs, he got to see a better fight than last month's Silva-Leites debacle. Despite two separate ejections and five technicals, it was the only game in the series without anybody bleeding profusely from the head. No, Derek Fisher's cut doesn't count -- I said profusely.

Granted, it was only Game 2. The series will now head back to the state of Texas, where they might know a little about bravado and vigilante justice. We know Friday's game in Houston won't start off like the recent Ducks-Sharks clincher, but we don't know if everybody will be suited up. Jackson has to debate the fate of several key players. So can you ...


DEREK FISHER

Why he should be suspended: It's never the initial foul but the reaction. Houston's Luis Scola fouled Lamar Odom, who said his piece and walked away. Then the Lakers' Luke Walton added a few words, and Scola added a few more. Things should have cooled off when referees separated everybody, but on the next play Fisher delivered a shiver to Scola's dome. On the slow motion replay, you can see Fisher raise his arm and launch his entire body into the attack. The Lakers veteran should have known better, and he should know he'll be sitting Friday.

Why he shouldn't be suspended: Scola was already causing trouble when he ran at Fisher from behind. Slow motion sometimes distorts reality, and Fisher might have been trying to defend himself to some degree. Though Fisher admitted that he was expecting to dish out a "good, hard foul" on a screen, he also said he had no intent to injure or hurt anybody.

KOBE BRYANT

Why he should be suspended: Basketball is a contact sport, but there shouldn't be any contact above the shoulders. An elbow to the neck? Not cool. And what about that elbow (and knee) to Shane Battier a couple days earlier? He might be biased as the victim, but it's bad when even Ron Artest thinks you should be suspended. Houston's troublemaker claims this is far from the first illegal contact Kobe has made this series.

Why he shouldn't be suspended: Do you really think it's worth suspending the league's biggest draw for a little bump 'n grind? Artest was coming over Bryant's back, and the Lakers star was just making a routine basketball play.

RON ARTEST

Why he should be suspended: Besides initiating the incident with Kobe by coming over his back, Artest made a scene -- and a long one, at that. He ran across the court to argue with officials. He ran back to get in Kobe's face. Then, he made contact with Kobe. Big no-no. He also seemed to drag his feet while leaving the court.

Why he shouldn't be suspended: The contact with Kobe was incidental and insignificant. The fact that he's communicating with words, not fists, is actually a positive step with Artest. And there is that little mater that he was reacting to a hard foul. Sound easy? You try to smile after getting decked in the neck. Even Kobe said that Artest shouldn't be suspended.

DISHONORABLE MENTIONS

They're off the ballot, but Scola and Von Wafer weren't good citizens on Wednesday. Scola started this whole mess with a foul on Odom, and Wafer was ejected from the game by his own coach. Oh, to be a fly on that wall ...

Michael "Bong Hitter" Phelps ready to swim lol

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/06/AR2009050600433.html

BALTIMORE -- Michael Phelps heard all the jokes, dealt with all the criticism, read all the tabloid reports about his supposed party-boy lifestyle.

Now, it's time to get even, in the one place where he has the last word.

The pool.

After resisting the urge to quit and serving a three-month suspension handed down by USA Swimming after an embarrassing picture showed him inhaling from a marijuana pipe, Phelps is preparing for his first competition since winning eight gold medals at the Beijing Olympics.

When he competes at a meet in Charlotte, N.C. next week, he'll certainly have plenty of motivation. Phelps is still seething a bit about how an admittedly "stupid mistake" led to such a dramatic fallout _ and plenty of ridicule for an athlete who was celebrated after his record showing in China.

"When you find out things that have been said and done, for me it is sort of a factor," Phelps said Tuesday in an exclusive interview with The Associated Press, coinciding with the end of his suspension. "When you say something about me, more than likely I'll be able to overcome whatever you say. I know I'll be more satisfied than you'll ever be at the end."

Phelps didn't always feel so defiant. When he was at his lowest, unsure if he wanted to return to swimming, he sat down with a pen and a piece of paper.

"I wrote out the pros and cons of swimming," he said, "and quitting."

In the end, swimming won out.

"What am I doing even thinking about quitting?" Phelps asked himself. "I'm 23 years old. I'm not retiring at 23. I have four more years to my career. I still have things I want to accomplish."

Favre to meet with Vikings coach

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/sports/20090506_NFL___Favre__Vikings_likely_to_meet.html

Less than a week after obtaining his official release from the New York Jets, quarterback Brett Favre reportedly is ready to talk with the Minnesota Vikings.

Citing a source with "direct knowledge of the situation," ESPN reported yesterday that Favre is scheduled to meet with Vikings coach Brad Childress later this week about a possible comeback with Minnesota.

Favre's agent, Bus Cook, did not immediately return a phone call to his Mississippi office. Childress and Vikings spokesman Bob Hagan also did not immediately return calls.

Both Favre and Cook have said this spring that Favre intends to stay retired.

Childress, the former offensive coordinator of the Eagles, said Friday he had been too busy to concentrate on Favre, but he acknowledged that the subject would soon be broached.

It wouldn't be the first time.

Favre spent 16 seasons in Green Bay, retiring in 2008 after leading the Packers to the NFC title game. He changed his mind a few months later, which set up a long and messy soap opera that ultimately led to his trade to the Jets.

It was believed all along that Favre, after hearing Green Bay's plans to go with Aaron Rodgers at quarterback, wanted to come to NFC North rival Minnesota so he could exact some revenge on the Packers. But the Packers would have none of it. The team filed tampering charges against the Vikings.

With unproven veterans Sage Rosenfels and Tarvaris Jackson slated to compete for the starting job this season, it would come as no surprise that the Vikings would at least consider adding a three-time MVP who holds the career records in every major statistical passing category, including interceptions.

Throwback games. The NFL will stage 16 games this season to honor the American Football League, which turns 50 in 2010. The league said the eight original AFL teams will wear historic uniforms.

The first legacy game is scheduled for Aug. 8 in Canton, Ohio, when Buffalo will play Tennessee (originally the Houston Oilers) in the Hall of Fame game.

Dungy meets with Vick. Michael Vick and Tony Dungy met at the federal penitentiary in Leavenworth, Kan., agent Joel Segal confirmed.

Vick is serving a 23-month sentence for bankrolling a dogfighting conspiracy.

Dungy retired as the Colts' coach in January. He has long been involved in prison ministries.

Noteworthy. Middle linebacker Larry Foote, who started two winning Super Bowls with the Pittsburgh Steelers, said he has reached agreement on a one-year contract with the Detroit Lions, who set an NFL record last season by going 0-16. . . . New Orleans cut receiver Biren Ealy and tight end Kolomona Kapanui two days after the players were arrested for allegedly being drunk and exposing themselves to two women. . . . New England signed former Chicago safety Brandon McGowan.

Big Ten may become the 2nd Big 12

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=4141080

The Big Ten has no immediate plans to expand, and it would take more than a desire for a football championship game and a longer regular season for the league to add a 12th member, commissioner Jim Delany said.

Penn State coach Joe Paterno last week called on the Big Ten to expand, saying the conference goes "into hiding for six weeks" while other leagues hold championship games and play into the first week of December.

This fall, nine of 11 Big Ten teams will finish the regular season on Nov. 21, two weeks before teams from the other five BCS conferences. Come the 2010 season, the Big Ten adds a permanent bye week that will extend the regular season by one week.

Paterno expressed concern that the Big Ten disappears from college football's radar, which hurts league members vying for a spot in the national championship game. The Big Ten owns a six-game losing streak in BCS bowl games and hasn't won the Rose Bowl since 2000.

"Everybody else is playing playoffs on television," Paterno said. "You never see a Big Ten team mentioned, so I think that's a handicap."

Delany responded to Paterno's comments Monday, saying that while a league championship game has its benefits, particularly from a marketing perspective, expansion requires much more.

"It's not the reason you would expand," Delany told ESPN.com. He also said Paterno isn't the only Big Ten coach who has stumped for expansion in recent years.

"The issue has come up with our football coaches a couple times -- with the extra week and if we did expand, would we be more competitive?" Delany said. "I would say in some years they might be right. But has it enhanced the competitiveness of the ACC in football? Has it enhanced the competitiveness of the WAC? I don't know.

"Just because you have a championship doesn't make you more competitive. It's about coaching the players. The SEC game has been a marketing bonanza. I wouldn't discount that. But others have struggled with it."

Delany admits the lack of a championship game puts the Big Ten at a marketing disadvantage, which also was the case before the Big Ten added league tournaments in basketball in 1995 (women's) and 1998 (men's). Although Delany pushed for the basketball tournaments, he pointed out that the events haven't always translated to more success for its members in the NCAA tournament.

"I still think the tournament's a good thing, but it wouldn't be the reason why you'd expand a conference, to have a men's basketball tournament," he said. "It's too big a question."

The 82-year-old Paterno said the Big Ten remains a league dominated by a select few who "snicker" whenever he brings up the prospect of expansion. His claim surprised Delany, who recently spent several hours with Paterno in New York. The expansion issue never came up during their discussions.

"Coach Paterno ... is as important a coach, leader, teacher as we've ever had in college sports," Delany said. "So what he says gets disproportionate weight, and properly so. Whether it's in a coaches' meeting, a meeting of athletic directors or university presidents, his work and recommendation still means a lot. Coach Paterno has a lot of experience in this area. He's played around with conference configurations. He knows it's not easy, and he knows what he says matters.

"But the point of it is, [expansion is] a very big issue, it's a fundamental issue and it's a back-burner issue right now."

Paterno mentioned Syracuse, Rutgers and Pittsburgh as possible 12th members for the Big Ten. Delany declined to discuss specific teams from other conferences but said a school would need to fit the Big Ten, not just from a marketing perspective, but with its academic vision, athletic success and commitment, among other factors.

And since the Big Ten's second attempt to add Notre Dame fizzled in 1999, no other school has surfaced as a viable candidate for expansion.

"There's not an obvious move," Delany said. "There might be to some coaches, including coach Paterno, but it's not as obvious to the university presidents and to the athletic directors.

"There are a lot [of schools] that could take a lot away, but there aren't a lot that could bring so much to make the choice an easy one. You have to have a lot to make something go like this, and it's broader than really a championship game or a basketball tournament."

LeBron James easily wins MVP

http://www.theinsider.com/news/2115541_LeBron_James_Wins_MVP

The best player definitely won the award this year. LeBron James had his best season yet, by leading his Cavaliers to a franchise best, 66-16 record. They tied the 1996 Chicago Bulls for second best home record of 39-2, behind the 1985 Boston Celtics who went 40-1. LeBron led his team in just about every statistical category there is. Congrats to the 24 year old, King James! Now his journey has begun, to put the cherry-on-top, by winning his first and the franchise’s first NBA Championship. Read more details on how he was presented the MVP trophy back in his high school gym right here.