Ryan Mallett Miffed About Questions Concerning Drug Use Allegations

Filed under: NFL Draft, NFL Quarterbacks, NFL Analysis

INDIANAPOLIS -- Before Cam Newton faced the cameras, microphones, recorders and notebooks, it was Ryan Mallett's turn, and he had the added burden of dealing with drug use allegations that have been raised recently. He chose to sidestep the issue and let it stay between him and the teams interviewing him, other than to say he has laughed them off and hinted that "obviously, somebody did it for a reason, right before the combine, right before the draft."

But just as he seemed to be finding his rhythm in his answers and touted the quality of competition he faced in the Southeastern Conference as another plus, he was pressed a little more on the allegations and how he's dealing with them and he insisted he wasn't going to talk about them anymore. His session came to an abrupt end when another reporter tried to explain that the questions aren't going to go away until he gives a definitive answer as he said he didn't want to and walked off.

At 6-foot-7 and 253 pounds, Mallett is slightly bigger than Newton (6-5, 248) and has perhaps the biggest arm of all of the quarterbacks. Some scouts have been concerned about his accuracy, but he shot back that the fact that he has thrown for more than 7,000 yards and 60 touchdowns in two seasons should speak for itself. He also claimed he can throw the ball more than 80 yards.

 

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Source: http://nfl.fanhouse.com/2011/02/26/ryan-mallett-miffed-about-questions-concerning-drug-use-allegati/

Wayne Rainey Michael Ranseder Phil Read Jim Redman George Reeve

Bryce Harper Strikes Out Twice in Debut

Filed under: Mets, Nationals, Prospects, Spring Training

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (AP) -- Bryce Harper has made his much-anticipated spring training debut with the Washington Nationals, striking out twice in a game against the New York Mets.

The 18-year-old phenom didn't see any action in the field during the Nationals' exhibition opener Monday, but the top pick in last year's amateur draft got his first two at-bats against big league competition.

Harper entered the game as a pinch runner for Matt Stairs in the fifth inning and finally got a plate appearance in the seventh. He fouled off the first pitch from Taylor Tankersley, then swung and missed on the next two.

In the top of the ninth, Harper struck out on four pitches against Ryota Igarashi.

 

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Source: http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2011/02/28/bryce-harper-strikes-out-twice-in-debut/

Andreas Hahn Richard Haidegger Mike Hailwood Mike Hale Ross Hannan

Cavs' Trade for Baron Davis Was All About the Draft Pick

Filed under: Cavaliers, Clippers, NBA Rumors, NBA Transactions

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio -- What does a rebuilding team do when it wants draft picks to help recover from the departure of the league's two-time MVP? It trades another of its popular players for a first-round pick, and agrees to take on almost $28 million in salary for an aging, oft-injured point guard.

Such is the fate of the Cleveland Cavaliers that it celebrated a trade Thursday that took point guard Baron Davis from his home in Los Angeles and dropped him in Cleveland in the middle of winter. Davis goes from playing on the same team as Blake Griffin to joining a 10-47 team.

And the Cavs were exultant -- because they acquired a first-round draft pick that will give them two lottery picks this summer. They said they were happy about acquiring Davis, too, but sending Mo Williams and Jamario Moon to the Clippers was much more about getting that first-round draft pick.

"Our scouting department just got a little busier, which is a good thing," said GM Chris Grant.

 

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Source: http://nba.fanhouse.com/2011/02/24/cavs-trade-for-baron-davis-was-all-about-the-draft-pick/

Christian Boudinot Roy Boughey  Dennis Boulom Christian Bourgeois Philippe Bouzanne

Harry Gant, Hal Needham Live Chat Replay With FanHouse

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- FanHouse senior motorsports writer Holly Cain had another exclusive FanHouse live chat from Daytona International Speedway Saturday, this time with NASCAR legend Harry Gant (above) and stuntman and director Hal Needham.

Needham directed the classic "Smokey and the Bandit" starring Burt Reynolds, and Gant won 18 victories during 22 years of driving in the NASCAR Sprint Cup series from 1973 through 1994. Many of his wins came driving the Skoal Bandit, named after the movie.

Needham, famous in Hollywood for his stunt work before he took up directing, has authored a book on his life, "Stuntman!" that was published Feb. 9.

Below is a replay of the chat.

 

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Source: http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2011/02/19/harry-gant-hal-needham-chat-live-with-fanhouse-at-11-a-m-satur/

Silvio Habat Larbi Habbiche Ron Hackett Gerhard Haeberle Bernard Haenggeli

Blake's Takes: The Dark Spectre in Racing

Filed under: Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, Mark Martin, Car of Tomorrow, Chase for the Sprint Cup, NASCAR Crashes, NASCAR Fans, Sprint Cup, FanHouse Exclusive, NASCAR

There's an Iggy Pop song called "Gimme Danger." The tune is haunting, although the words have almost nothing to do with what I'm about to discuss.

Those two words came to me every time I thought about what to write on a touchy subject, and I'll admit to some reservation in writing it at all.

Arguing with aggrieved NASCAR fans is like trying to explain something to your ex-wife -- you cant win.

Another quote brings it closer to home. Former world champion Jackie Stewart recalled a pre-season drivers meeting in the 1970s and looking around and wondering, en brogue, "which of these men I wouldn't see at next year's meeting."

Yes, friends, the possibility of death on the track loomed large then, and before, not just in Grand Prix racing but in midget and sprint-car shows in the Tommy Hinnerschitz days. The Nurburgring, that 16-mile monstrosity through the German forests, was billed as the world's most lethal track. Anyone remember Langhorne Speedway, outside Philadelphia? Bill Vuckovich? Eddie Sachs?

The now-gone Indianapolis News annually published the "official" record book of the 500-Mile Race. On a full page in the back was "Died at the Speedway", a list that included not only drivers and crewmen but spectators and innocent bystanders.

 

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Source: http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2011/02/26/blakes-takes-the-dark-spectre-in-racing/

Gerhard Boll Jacques Bolle Pierre Bolle Maurice Bolwerk Gianfranco Bonera

WGC-Accenture Match Play Power Rankings: Euros Lead Ranks

Filed under: PGA

As March Madness draws near, this week's PGA stop will give you a little taste of the bracket format that makes college basketball so exciting. The World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championships is one of the best tournaments outside of the majors, pitting the top 64 available players in the world rankings.

This will easily be the best field thus far in 2011, and it will be particularly interesting to see the top 5 players in the world all in the same location for the first time since Tiger Woods was unseated as No. 1.

We've decided to break this week's power rankings down a little differently due to the match play format. This week we'll dissect players' chances by where they're seeded.

From the top group (seeds 1-4), here are the three that have the best chance:

1. Graeme McDowell -- Last time we saw McDowell in a match play format, he was closing out Hunter Mahan to retain the Ryder Cup for Europe. He's playing in the same half of the bracket as defending champion Ian Poulter, but McDowell is arguably the best player in the world right now.

2. Rory McIlroy -- McDowell's fellow countryman hasn't finished outside of the top 10 in six starts and holds a 4-2 all-time record at this event. McIlroy has a difficult draw that includes a possible matchup with Martin Kaymer. It would be a coin toss at that point, but I like McIlroy's game a slight bit more at the moment.

3. Martin Kaymer -- Rounding out the European trifecta of favorites, the No. 2 player in the world could very well be the only No. 1 seed to advance beyond Friday. As a Ryder Cup rookie, the German lost just once in four matches. With a potential matchup looming, Kaymer or McIlroy won't be making the semifinals, but whoever escapes the Player bracket will be a heavy favorite come Sunday.

 

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Source: http://golf.fanhouse.com/2011/02/23/wgc-accenture-match-play-power-rankings-euros-lead-ranks/

Cecil Sandford Charlie Salt Federico Sandi Christian Sarron Kevin Schwantz

Mariners Hire Ken Griffey Jr. as Consultant

by John Hickey

Filed under: Mariners, MLB Transactions, Sports Business and Media, Spring Training

PEORIA, Ariz. -- Ken Griffey Jr., the longtime face of the Seattle Mariners organization who left the team to retire last year when his playing time dwindled, is returning to the Mariners as a special consultant to the franchise.

The announcement was made by club president Chuck Armstrong, one of the few club employees who was already on board when Griffey came up in 1989 as a then-19-year-old to turn around what had been one of the saddest organizations in Major League Baseball.

Griffey forced a trade in Feb. 2000, to the Cincinnati Reds, and he played there for almost a decade before returning to Seattle in 2009, where he had one decent year before things fell apart in 2010.

With Griffey unproductive offensively for the first time in his life in 2010, then-manager Don Wakamatsu used him less and less, and Griffey ultimately opted to leave on June 2, driving home to Florida after deciding to retire.

 

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Source: http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2011/02/15/mariners-hire-ken-griffey-jr-as-consultant/

Alex de Angelis Randy de Puniet Didier de Radiguès Raffaele de Rosa Alex Debon

Ryan Mallett Miffed About Questions Concerning Drug Use Allegations

Filed under: NFL Draft, NFL Quarterbacks, NFL Analysis

INDIANAPOLIS -- Before Cam Newton faced the cameras, microphones, recorders and notebooks, it was Ryan Mallett's turn, and he had the added burden of dealing with drug use allegations that have been raised recently. He chose to sidestep the issue and let it stay between him and the teams interviewing him, other than to say he has laughed them off and hinted that "obviously, somebody did it for a reason, right before the combine, right before the draft."

But just as he seemed to be finding his rhythm in his answers and touted the quality of competition he faced in the Southeastern Conference as another plus, he was pressed a little more on the allegations and how he's dealing with them and he insisted he wasn't going to talk about them anymore. His session came to an abrupt end when another reporter tried to explain that the questions aren't going to go away until he gives a definitive answer as he said he didn't want to and walked off.

At 6-foot-7 and 253 pounds, Mallett is slightly bigger than Newton (6-5, 248) and has perhaps the biggest arm of all of the quarterbacks. Some scouts have been concerned about his accuracy, but he shot back that the fact that he has thrown for more than 7,000 yards and 60 touchdowns in two seasons should speak for itself. He also claimed he can throw the ball more than 80 yards.

Source: http://nfl.fanhouse.com/2011/02/26/ryan-mallett-miffed-about-questions-concerning-drug-use-allegati/

Andrea Ballerini Kork Ballington Hans Baltisberger Carlo Bandirola Alain Barbaroux

Zayner welcomes new child, new season with DC

While some of his teammates were relaxing and on vacation during the offseason, D.C. United defender Jed Zayner was busy welcoming a new member to his family.

His wife Katie gave birth to the couple?s first child on Nov. 24, and for the following two months Zayner quickly made a big adjustment to fatherhood, caring for his wife and newborn child.

?It?s a full-time job,? Zayner told MLSsoccer.com. ?I told her I was her nanny for the next couple of months. She definitely utilized that. I swear those first two weeks were a blur in my head and still are.?

Source: http://www.dcunited.com/news/2011/02/zayner-welcomes-new-child-new-season-with-dc

Tadahiko Taira Kunimitsu Takahashi Yuki Takahashi Gábor Talmácsi Makoto Tamada

Sidelined by Injury, Rangers' Adrian Beltre Focused on Rings

Filed under: Rangers, Spring Training

SURPRISE, Ariz. -- It's been a dozen years that Adrian Beltre has been a major leaguer, and for the most part they've been good ones.

When he went looking for a job this winter, however, the Gold Glove-winning third baseman looked to address the deficiencies he saw in his career. He's only been to the postseason once, with the Dodgers in 2004, and that, he says, has to change.

Small wonder then that he opted to connect with the Texas Rangers, the defending American League champions. The Rangers went to the World Series in 2010, and Beltre says it's his belief they are in excellent position to get there again.

"There were other ways I could have gone," said Beltre, who considered signing with Angels or A's in order to stay close to his Southern California home. "I've accomplished a lot in my career but this team gives me a chance to get to the World Series.

"I've been in the big leagues 12 years and only played in the playoffs once. That doesn't sit well with me. I don't have a ring, and I want one."

 

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Source: http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2011/02/25/sidelined-by-injury-rangers-adrian-beltre-focused-on-rings/

Roberto Colombo Leo Commu Pierluigi Conforti Chris Conn Craig Connell

Coming to North America Was No-Brainer For Top Prospect From Sweden

Filed under: NHL Draft, NHL Rumors, International Hockey, Minor League Hockey, Junior Hockey

KITCHENER, Ontario, Canada -- A steely resolve came over Gabriel Landeskog's face when he was asked whether he did the right thing by moving to Canada in his mid-teens to play major junior hockey and possibly take a shortcut to the NHL.

Landeskog (in yellow uniform in photo, right) is in his second season with the Kitchener Rangers of the Ontario Hockey League and the skills he used to become one of the youngest players ever in the Swedish Elite League a couple of years ago have also vaulted him to the top of the NHL's rankings of skaters in North America for the NHL Draft in June.

If selected first overall, Landeskog will be the first Swede to go that high since Mats Sundin went to the Quebec Nordiques in 1989.

"I thought it would be the best thing for my development," says Landeskog about coming to this side of the Atlantic Ocean. "I didn't want to be a guy playing five minutes a game in the Swedish Elite League. This is the junior NHL. It's the best junior league in the world and that's why I wanted to come here.

"And I also wanted to show the Swedish kids back home that this is a path you can take. It is a great life and it is a great experience. This is an experience you would never get in Sweden."

It was at the world under-18 championship in April 2009 when Landeskog first caught the attention of Kitchener coach Steve Spott, who was an assistant coach with Canada. After Landeskog scored a power-play goal, he skated by the Canadian bench and stared the Canadians down.

Spott, who is also the general manager of the Kitchener Rangers, made a mental note to himself to find out whom that kid was "because he's got a lot of moxie."

Source: http://nhl.fanhouse.com/2011/02/26/coming-to-north-america-was-no-brainer-for-top-prospect-from-swe/

Andrea Iannone Tomoko Igata Dennis Ireland Fumio Ito Shinichi Itoh

Oak Trees Deliberately Poisoned at Toomer's Corner in Auburn

Filed under: Auburn, SEC, General CFB Insanity

AUBURN, Ala. (AP) -- Auburn University says someone deliberately poisoned trees at Toomer's Corner, and that the live oaks likely can't be saved.

The university said in a statement Wednesday that a herbicide commonly used to kill trees was applied "in lethal amounts" to the soil around the trees. Toomer's Corner has long been a site where Auburn fans celebrate big wins, including the football national championship on Jan. 10.

City police are investigating the incident.

The use of Spike 80DF, or tebuthiuron, is also governed by state agricultural laws and the Environmental Protection Agency. The university says it doesn't use the herbicide.

The university says a caller to a syndicated radio show on Jan. 27 claimed he had applied the herbicide. Soil samples taken the next day and were tested at Mississippi State to determine the type of poison.

 

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Source: http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2011/02/16/oak-trees-deliberately-poisoned-at-toomers-corner-in-auburn/

Kent Andersson George Andrews Luigi Anelli Marcel Ankone Hans Georg Anscheidt

Adam Wainwright, Cardinals Ace, Needs Tommy John Surgery

Filed under: Cardinals, MLB Injuries

Ace Adam Wainwright will need Tommy John surgery, the Cardinals announced Thursday. The pitcher, who finished second in NL Cy Young voting last year and third in 2009, felt a tug in his right elbow while throwing batting practice on Monday.

He returned to St. Louis on Wednesday for examination, and it was there that the Cardinals' worst fear was realized -- Wainwright has a tear in his ulnar collateral ligament and will need it replaced.

Both Dr. George Paletta, the team's head physician, and orthopedic surgeon Dr. Lewis Yocum recommended Tommy John surgery for Wainwright, which typically carries with it a 12-18 month timetable for recovery and rehab.

"It's not a real surprise to us this morning, but certainly a disappointment and a finality to this process." Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak told reporters in Jupiter, Fla.

 

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Source: http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2011/02/24/adam-wainwright-cardinals-ace-needs-tommy-john-surgery/

Masao Azuma Jan Bäckstrom Chris Baert Graham Bailey Steve Baker

Aaron Baddeley Holds off Singh, Couples to Win First Tournament in Four Years

Filed under: PGA

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Aaron Baddeley returned to his old swing and a title he hadn't seen in four years -- a PGA Tour winner.

In a battle of generations Sunday at Riviera, the 29-year-old Baddeley played mistake-free over the final six holes to hold off Vijay Singh and deny a fairy-tale finish for 51-year-old Fred Couples.

Baddeley closed with a 2-under 69 for a one-shot victory over Singh, who turns 48 on Tuesday.

It was the third career PGA Tour win for Baddeley, whose game had slipped so much that he had plunged to No. 224 in the world. This isn't enough to get back into the top 50, but at least he can book a trip to Augusta National in April for the Masters.

Singh, who only three weeks ago had fallen out of the top 100 in the world for the first time in more than 21 years, had his highest finish since he won the Deutsche Bank Championship in 2008 on his way to the FedEx Cup. Despite back-to-back bogeys on the back nine, he gave himself a chance to the end and closed with a 69.

Singh said it was the best week with the putter in his career, which would include his 2000 Masters victory. He took only 105 putts for the week, including just one three-putt in the second round.

 

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Source: http://golf.fanhouse.com/2011/02/20/aaron-baddeley-holds-off-singh-couples-to-win-first-tournament/

Angel Nieto Fonsi Nieto Pablo Nieto Alan North Noriyasu Numata

NBA Trade Deadline Sees Flurry of Deals

Filed under: Bobcats, Cavaliers, Celtics, Clippers, Grizzlies, Hawks, Jazz, Knicks, Lakers, Magic, Mavericks, Nets, Nuggets, Pacers, Rockets, Suns, Trail Blazers, NBA Rumors, Thunder, NBA Transactions

PLANET LOVETRON, NBA UNIVERSE -- Woe to those NBA fans who own an authentic or replica jersey or T-shirt of one of the following players:

Gerald Wallace, Dante Cunningham, Joel Przybilla, Aaron Brooks, Goran Dragic, Nazr Mohammed, D.J. White, Morris Peterson, Shane Battier, Hasheem Thabeet, Semih Erden, Luke Harangody, Kendrick Perkins, Nate Robinson, Jeff Green, Nenad Krstic, Baron Davis, Marquis Daniels, Jamario Moon and Mo Williams.

Those men, including draft picks and canvas sacks of cash were traded in copious amounts at one of the most active NBA trade deadlines in memory. Fans, meanwhile, will need to find cash to buy new merchandise or risk being ridiculed for being ironic in wearing an out-of-date jersey.

One day after the Utah Jazz and New Jersey Nets left jaws agape when the Jazz sent All-Star point guard Deron Williams to the Nets for point guard Devin Harris, rookie forward Derrick Favors, two first round picks and dough, the Celtics stunned many when they sent starting center Perkins and bench energizer Robinson to Oklahoma City for forward Green and center Kristic.

Source: http://nba.fanhouse.com/2011/02/24/nba-trade-deadline-sees-flurry-of-deals/

Jean Pierre Beltoise Felice Benasedo Gert Bender Ingemar Bengtsson Johnny Bengtsson

NHL Trade Deadline: Atlanta Thrashers

Filed under: Thrashers, Eastern, Trade Deadline

The Atlanta Thrashers needed something and the additions of forward Blake Wheeler and tough guy defenseman Mark Stuart last week could very well be enough to turn around the club's flagging hopes.

But it may already be too late.

Atlanta enters play Wednesday on a three-game skid and five points of the eighth place in the Eastern Conference. The Thrashers are 2-7-1 in their last 10 games and have six wins over the last 25 games. It's the kind of run that quickly turns teams from buyers to sellers at this time of year.

Give credit to first-year Atlanta general manager Rick Dudley for acquiring Wheeler and Stuart from the Bruins in exchange for center Rich Peverley and defenseman Boris Valabik; Dudley also dealt defenseman Ben Eager to the Sharks in exchange for the fifth-round pick.

 

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Source: http://nhl.fanhouse.com/2011/02/23/nhl-trade-deadline-atlanta-thrashers/

Luigi Anelli Marcel Ankone Hans Georg Anscheidt Alessandro Antonello Haruchika Aoki

Source: 'We're Nowhere' on NFL CBA Talks

Filed under: NFL Draft, NFL Analysis, NFL Labor Negotiations

INDIANAPOLIS -- NFL players' union chief DeMaurice Smith addressed agents in an annual meeting here Friday at the scouting combine. But several agents who were in the meeting said Smith didn't get into the specifics of the mediated collective bargaining negotiations that took place over the previous seven days in Washington, D.C.

One reason Smith withheld specifics was his concern that agents would leak the information to the media. But the more important reason is that, in spite of speculative optimism that emerged from the fact that the two sides were actually meeting, there just isn't very much to update.

"The truth is, we're nowhere," a person who'd been briefed on the talks told FanHouse on condition of anonymity. "Nothing has changed."

 

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Source: http://nfl.fanhouse.com/2011/02/25/source-were-nowhere-on-nfl-cba-talks/

Romolo Ferri Jack Findlay Jonas Folger Marc Fontan Bob Foster

Grella loaned to Swindon Town

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SoccerByIves/~3/zP0AotrCZdk/grella-loaned-to-swindon-town.html

Jacques Bernard Adrian Bernetic Manfred Bernsee Bruno Bertacchini Silvano Bertarelli

Blake's Takes: NASCAR's Fuel Injection? Well, It's a Start

Filed under: Yates Racing, Sprint Cup, NASCAR

To me, the most exciting announcement to come out of Speed Weeks was in a bulletin released by NASCAR the Thursday before qualifying.

Or was it? We'll get to that later.

The news was that NASCAR, in a major break from the stock cars of 1948, finally decided to adopt fuel injection for its racing engines, replacing the venerable (and largely obsolete) carburetors, the primary device for mixing air and fuel on internal combustion engines since the dawn of time.

Problem is, all cars manufactured for street use in the United States (and just about everywhere else) began widespread of fuel injection in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The last factory-for-sale car to use a carburetor was a single model of the Subaru in 1991.

NASCAR's insistence on carburetor use was therefore mystifying, and evidence of the widening chasm between NASCAR and "stock" cars. Every other major form of motorsport uses some type of computerized mix-and-inject.

In fact, only one company makes the kind of carburetors used in NASCAR racing. The carbs therefore are pricey and require extensive machining in the team shops to make them work in specific applications.

 

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Source: http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2011/02/22/blakes-takes-nascars-fuel-injection-well-its-a-start/

Denis Clancy Harold Clark John Clark Brendan Clarke Noel Clegg

NHL Trade Deadline: St. Louis Blues

Filed under: Blues, Trade Deadline

By landing last year's Stanley Cup hero, goaltender Jaroslav Halak, in a deal with the Montreal Canadiens in the offseason, the Blues had hoped for a better year than the previous one which saw them finish ninth in the West. But, alas, some of their key players have been battered by injuries during 2010-11, making their drive for respectability that more arduous.

They've enjoyed a fine season from their young leader, right winger David Backes (right), and center Alexander Steen. After 59 games, St. Louis still has breath, as they are five points out of a playoff spot, but there are also four teams between them and the coveted eighth spot in the wild, wild West.

Cap-wise, the Blues have room to play with and they've been quite busy in the past couple of weeks. But one wonders whether general manager Doug Armstrong has yet another deal up his sleeve.

 

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Source: http://nhl.fanhouse.com/2011/02/24/nhl-trade-deadline-st-louis-blues/

Ian Burne Roger Burnett  Arthur Burton Otello Buscherini Jose Maria Busquet

Replay of Jeff Gordon Live FanHouse Chat

Four-time NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon returned again this year for another live FanHouse chat from Daytona International Speedway on Friday.

Gordon, driver of the No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet, is a three-time Daytona 500 winner and is looking for his first Cup title since 2001. He posted the second-fastest qualifying speed last Sunday and will start The Great American Race from the outside of the front row.

The champ chatted with FanHouse senior motorsports writer Holly Cain. See a 3-D photo of Friday's chat here.

 

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Source: http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2011/02/17/join-jeff-gordon-for-live-fanhouse-chat-at-3-45-p-m-friday/

Ramon Torras Herri Torrontegui Imre Toth Jean Louis Tournadre Takeshi Tsujimura

Bruins' Milan Lucic Returns to Home of Junior Glory

Filed under: Bruins

VANCOUVER -- Milan Lucic returned to the scene of the grime Wednesday.

The Boston Bruins winger was serenaded in the Pacific Coliseum, the rink where he spent many days working and sweating his way to the NHL with the Vancouver Giants of the junior WHL. The Giants held a news conference in advance of Milan Lucic Night on Friday, when they will place him on their Ring of Honor and hand out 500 bobblehead dolls bearing his likeness.

Boston's practice in his old junior barn, due to a schedule conflict at Rogers Arena, evoked memories of his final game with the Giants in May 2007 when they won the Memorial Cup, symbolic of North American major junior supremacy. Lucic also won a WHL crown in his two seasons as a Giant.

"It was especially nice today, being able to practice here in the Coliseum," said Lucic, a 22-year-old Vancouver native. "Growing up down the street, that's where I always wanted to play, because when I was a kid the Canucks were always playing here.

"When I started playing, it was right next door at the Agrodome. Obviously, the two years that I had here with the Giants, winning championships both years, it was somewhere where I was able to develop my game. It got me to where I am now."

 

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Source: http://nhl.fanhouse.com/2011/02/23/bruins-milan-lucic-returns-to-home-of-junior-glory/

Simon Crafar Cecil Crawford Dick Creith Bruno Cretti Thierry Crine

Blake's Takes: NASCAR's Fuel Injection? Well, It's a Start

Filed under: Yates Racing, Sprint Cup, NASCAR

To me, the most exciting announcement to come out of Speed Weeks was in a bulletin released by NASCAR the Thursday before qualifying.

Or was it? We'll get to that later.

The news was that NASCAR, in a major break from the stock cars of 1948, finally decided to adopt fuel injection for its racing engines, replacing the venerable (and largely obsolete) carburetors, the primary device for mixing air and fuel on internal combustion engines since the dawn of time.

Problem is, all cars manufactured for street use in the United States (and just about everywhere else) began widespread of fuel injection in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The last factory-for-sale car to use a carburetor was a single model of the Subaru in 1991.

NASCAR's insistence on carburetor use was therefore mystifying, and evidence of the widening chasm between NASCAR and "stock" cars. Every other major form of motorsport uses some type of computerized mix-and-inject.

In fact, only one company makes the kind of carburetors used in NASCAR racing. The carbs therefore are pricey and require extensive machining in the team shops to make them work in specific applications.

 

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Source: http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2011/02/22/blakes-takes-nascars-fuel-injection-well-its-a-start/

Josef Albisser Pierluigi Aldrovanti Alejandro Aleman Eduardo Aleman Jaime Alguesuari

Oak Trees Deliberately Poisoned at Toomer's Corner in Auburn

Filed under: Auburn, SEC, General CFB Insanity

AUBURN, Ala. (AP) -- Auburn University says someone deliberately poisoned trees at Toomer's Corner, and that the live oaks likely can't be saved.

The university said in a statement Wednesday that a herbicide commonly used to kill trees was applied "in lethal amounts" to the soil around the trees. Toomer's Corner has long been a site where Auburn fans celebrate big wins, including the football national championship on Jan. 10.

City police are investigating the incident.

The use of Spike 80DF, or tebuthiuron, is also governed by state agricultural laws and the Environmental Protection Agency. The university says it doesn't use the herbicide.

The university says a caller to a syndicated radio show on Jan. 27 claimed he had applied the herbicide. Soil samples taken the next day and were tested at Mississippi State to determine the type of poison.

 

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Source: http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2011/02/16/oak-trees-deliberately-poisoned-at-toomers-corner-in-auburn/

Stefan Bradl Umberto Braga Stefan Brägger Vincent Braillard Ernesto Brambilla

Fight of the Century: Muhammad Ali's Legacy Grows in Defeat

Just outside of Madison Square Garden's 7th Avenue doors are soaring, decorated, celebratory columns of Garden historical splendor. A center one is plastered with a photograph and these words of a transcending boxing event that soon reaches 40 years old:

``THE FIGHT OF THE CENTURY _ MARCH 8, 1971.''

Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier.

It was the first of their trilogy of blazing boxing dances, a Garden bash with the nation plus corners of the world all bopping too, transfixed. Ali vs. Frazier. The Greatest vs. Smokin' Joe. Louisville's lip vs. Philadelphia's pride. Peace vs. war. The anti-establishment vs. the establishment.

Ali lost.

But he would win both rematches -- "Ali-Frazier II'' in 1974 and the "Thrilla in Manila'' in 1975.

In losing, Ali gained droplets of mercy and understanding. In losing, he became more than a light of hope. This loss would continue the comeback narrative that marked his heavyweight boxing career, the comeback narrative that has served as the brushstroke of his life. He was knocked down. He got up. He flew.

The Fight of the Century, approaching anniversary 40, proved a grand essential in the larger, more blazing footprints of Muhammad Ali.

Source: http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2011/02/24/fight-of-the-century-muhammad-alis-legacy-grows-in-defeat/

Leon Haslam Ron Haslam Bjorn Hasli Yasumasa Hatakeyama Mike Hawthorne

Stern Not Enthralled With Rampant Speculation About Anthony, Howard

by Chris Tomasson

Filed under: Magic, Nuggets, NBA Rumors, Sports Business and Media

LOS ANGELES -- It seems even David Stern is getting tired of all the Carmelo Anthony drama.

In an interview at All-Star Weekend on Thursday night with FanHouse's Sam Amick and Chris Tomasson, the NBA commissioner was asked if the constant speculation about where the Denver star, who is on the trading block, soon might be playing has become somewhat of a negative for the league.

"Yes, I think that,'' Stern said. "Honestly, it can't be helpful getting to the place where the sport is so popular now and the ruminations about it in the media so over the top, in a good way, I suppose, that if a player doesn't sign a new contract, the speculation begins.

"In fact, it's now gone to the next level. Poor Dwight Howard (of Orlando). He's out there playing his head off and the media is, 'Oh, where's he going next?' What is that all about? It's ridiculous.''

There has been speculation about where Howard might play after his contract could expire in the summer of 2012. Stern was asked how he might change the situations involving Anthony and Howard.

"I have some great ideas,'' Stern said. "But it would be less employment for the (Fourth) Estate (the media). It's what we live with. That's what we do.''

 

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Source: http://nba.fanhouse.com/2011/02/18/stern-not-enthralled-with-rampant-speculation-about-anthony-how/

Ken Armstrong Reg Armstrong Arciso Artesiani Sandro Artusi Javier Arumi

MLS reveals expanded playoffs structure for 2011

NEW YORK ? Major League Soccer unveiled its long-awaited revamped postseason structure for the 2011 season on Wednesday, giving 10 teams the chance to vie for MLS Cup in a unique twist on the league?s format from the last two seasons.

The league?s new structure will include the top three seeds from each conference and four wild card berths ? regardless of conference affiliation ? but the postseason will now include two play-in games for those wild card teams.

Source: http://www.dcunited.com/news/2011/02/mls-reveals-expanded-playoffs-structure-for-2011

Bruno Kneubühler Randy Krummenacher Hiroaki Kuzuhara Gijs Lagervey Fabrizio Lai

Marta Returns to WPS, Signs with Expansion Club in Western New York

Filed under: WPS

She is, without question, the best women's soccer player in the world -- a five-time FIFA award winner whose stunning skill would impress even Andy Gray and Richard Keys.

Her talents have translated to Women's Professional Soccer, where she led her clubs to first place in each of the league's two seasons while scoring 29 goals.

But she's also been the kiss of death. Worth a reported $500,000 per year, the Brazilian's contract has weighed heavily on clubs struggling to survive in a sport that still hasn't turned the corner. Marta's first team, the Los Angeles Sol, folded one year ago after L.A. Galaxy owner Anschutz Entertainment Group pulled out and a prospective replacement failed to deliver. WPS's marquee franchise was history.

 

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Source: http://soccer.fanhouse.com/2011/01/26/marta-returns-to-wps-signs-with-expansion-club-in-western-new-y/

Sammy Miller Derek Minter Kevin Mitchell Luca Morelli Chas Mortimer

Keith Moreland Takes Over for Ron Santo in Cubs' Radio Booth

by FanHouse Staff

Filed under: Cubs, Sports Business and Media

Keith Moreland will take Ron Santo's place on the Cubs' radio broadcast team, and he knows exactly what he's getting into as he steps in for the beloved announcer.

"I'm not a replacement for Ron Santo -- he's impossible to replace," Moreland said in a statement released Wednesday. "All I can do is be me and strive to connect and build a relationship with Cubs fans everywhere."

Santo, who died in December after years of battling various illnesses, spent 20 years in the Cubs' broadcast booth.

Though not quite as entrenched in Cubdom as his predecessor, Wrigley Field fans already are familiar with Moreland. He spent 1982-87 with the Cubs, playing mostly in the outfield but also seeing time at first base, third base and catcher. He also played for the Phillies (who originally drafted him), Padres, Tigers and Orioles.

 

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Source: http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2011/02/16/keith-moreland-takes-over-for-ron-santo-in-cubs-radio-booth/

Adu Celso Santos Enrico Cereda Federico Ceroni Dave Chadwick Jean Francois Chaffin