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Sharks suffer another playoff letdown (AP)

admin — Tue, 25 May 2010 09:18:11 +0000

Sharks suffer another playoff letdown (AP)

Shortly after his San Jose Sharks were swept out of the Western Conference final by Chicago, coach Todd McLellan tried to draw inspiration from the Blackhawks. Just one year after losing in five games to Detroit in the conference final, the Blackhawks are headed to the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1992 after outskating and outplaying the Sharks in the four-game sweep.

Brunson returns from overseas, reinstated by Spelbolag (AP)

The Minnesota Lynx have reinstated Rebekkah Brunson from the team’s suspended list after her overseas commitments came to a finish. The team says Brunson is expected to participate in practice Tuesday. The Lynx acquired Brunson in the Sacramento Monarchs dispersal draft. She has career averages of 8.8 points and 6.2 rebounds per game in six WNBA seasons.

WNBA Capsules (AP)

Angel McCoughtry scored 21 points, Erika DeSouza had 15 points and 10 rebounds, and the Atlanta Dream remained undefeated with an 86-77 victory over the New York Liberty on Sunday. Iziane Castro Marques scored nine of her 13 points in the final 5 1/2 minutes for Atlanta (4-0), which is off to the best start in the franchise’s three-year history.

IOC signs new sponsor as U.S. television deal delayed (Reuters)

admin — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 18:18:19 +0000

IOC signs new sponsor as U.S. television deal delayed (Reuters)
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) signed a new global sponsor Friday but a fragile economic climate has delayed the start of negotiations for the U.S. television rights for the 2014 and 2016 Games.

Carolina inks C Nash to entry-level deal (AP)
The Carolina Hurricanes have signed center Riley Nash to a three-year contract. The entry-level deal announced Monday will pay Nash $550,000 next season, $600,000 in 2011-12 and $700,000 in 2012-13 at the NHL level. He will earn $65,000 per season if he plays in the American Hockey League. Nash also receives a signing bonus of $262,500.

IOC officially announces Dow sponsorship deal (AP)

admin — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 08:18:20 +0000

IOC officially announces Dow sponsorship deal (AP)
Dow Chemical announced its new 10-year deal with the International Olympic Committee on Friday, making it the official “chemistry company” for the games. The American giant became a top-tier sponsor through 2020. Olympic and Dow officials declined to reveal terms, but IOC marketing commission chairman Gerhard Heiberg said the value of deals was increasing even with the global financial…

Dolphins DT Ferguson retires (AP)
Miami Dolphins defensive tackle Jason Ferguson is retiring. Ferguson, who spent the last two seasons with the team, says he’s appreciative of the team’s support throughout his career. He says he’s thankful for his extended family, which includes the teammates, coaches and support staffs “that have all played a part of a great ride.” The team made the announcement Thursday.

Seahawks S Ellison pleads not guilty (AP)
Seattle Seahawks safety Kevin Ellison has a court date of Oct. 5 after pleading not guilty to drug possession in Southern California. A court clerk confirmed Friday that Ellison entered the plea Wednesday in Los Angeles County Superior Court in Torrance. He remains free on $10,000 bail. The 23-year-old former All-Pac-10 safety and USC defensive captain was released by the Chargers after he was pulled…

Three very different reactions to LeBron James’ decision

admin — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 04:36:40 +0000

Three very different reactions to LeBron James’ decision
Hey, guess what? The Miami Heat won the LeBron James(notes) sweepstakes. As you can imagine, people have a lot of feelings about this. Here are the best.To start, let’s go to Miami, where Heat fans seem to be pretty happy about their free agency haul. And even more happy about blowing out your speakers with screaming. You’ve been warned.Whoa, chill out, bros. You are going to blow out your larynges if you keep yelling like that. I can understand the excitement though. The Heat did get three pretty good players this summer.Of course, not everyone was so happy about LeBron choosing the Heat. So they did the best athlete protest in the history of protesting — the ol’ burned jersey move.Nice one, Cavs fans. It’s good to see them rightfully expressing their anger, just like it’s good to know that LeBron’s family wouldn’t have burned down the Cavaliers organization if he’d been traded. That was a big worry during that era, I’m sure.But my favorite reaction of all, that of complete befuddlement, belongs to R&B tween superstar Justin “Biebdawgs” Bieber. If Justin Bieber can’t trust his sources, then who can? Tough break, little guy.Of course, if you’d like to throw your reaction in that comment section down there, that’d be pretty cool. Other popular sports stories on Yahoo!: • Historic round for PGA golfer • Unique landing for home-run ball • Video: Warren Buffett to LeBron James: ‘Call me’

Luke Harangody’s face is remarkably consistent
In the NBA there are hundreds of different players, but they can really be broken down into two categories. There are the guys like Pau Gasol(notes) who have tremendously expressive, rubbery faces when they play basketball, and then there are guys like Boston Celtics rookie Luke “Skilz Train” Harangody.I don’t know about you guys, but I’m impressed that Harangody can keep his face almost the exact same no matter if he’s shooting, passing, dribbling or giving a basketball a death stare. It’s amazing that he didn’t break character once. Even though he’s played just three summer-league games in the NBA, I think it’s safe to say that Luke Harangody(notes) is the league’s premier granite face. I bet his favorite AC/DC song is “Stiff Upper Lip.”

LB Pierce retires to become analyst (AP)

admin — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 10:54:08 +0000

LB Pierce retires to become analyst (AP)
Linebacker Antonio Pierce has retired from the NFL after nine seasons and is joining ESPN as and NFL analyst. Pierce spent the past five seasons with the New York Giants and was released by the team in February. He was the Giants’ defensive captain and helped team defeat the New England Patriots in the 2008 Super Bowl.

Lions president gets 6 months probation (AP)
Detroit Lions president Tom Lewand pleaded guilty Friday to driving while impaired, two weeks after he was pulled over in northern lower Michigan for driving erratically near a bar. Lewand was sentenced to six months of probation with $870 in fines and costs, according to court administrator Cynthia Esckilsen of the 83rd District Court in Roscommon.

Veteran WR Engram signs with Browns (AP)
Free agent wide receiver Bobby Engram has signed with the Cleveland Browns. Terms of the deal announced Thursday were not disclosed. The 37-year-old Engram had five receptions for 61 yards in five games last season with the Kansas City Chiefs. Engram, a 14-year veteran, was a second-round draft pick of the Chicago Bears in 1996.

The Heat reel in Chris Bosh, retain Dwyane Wade

admin — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 06:54:29 +0000

The Heat reel in Chris Bosh, retain Dwyane Wade
So Chris Bosh(notes) and Dwyane Wade(notes) are joining the Miami Heat. Well, Wade will re-join the team. It’s Bosh, the former Raptor and current free agent, that is really joining the squad.And beyond that, we have no clue.How could anyone? The Heat, as it stands, have two players signed for next season: Mario Chalmers(notes) and Michael Beasley(notes). They could bring Joel Anthony(notes) back, and they should be interested in possibly filling out the next 11 roster spots beyond those two and the two famous ones between now and October. Of course, assuming LeBron James(notes) does not sign with them (with the rumors about Bosh demanding the full max, Wade’s salary and the amount of cap holds limiting available cap space for James, it seems a bit unlikely unless both Wade and Bosh took less money), the Heat will have around $16 million in cap space to sign those 11 players. And it’s not as if everybody is going to start at $1.45 million.No, there will have to be a third-tier free agent, taking about five or six of that $16 million to start. Possibly another name, without much game, like Shaquille O’Neal(notes) or Richard Jefferson(notes). The Heat will have to run as this league’s ultimate top-heavy team. Aren’t the Lakers the same way? Isn’t Wade at least on par with Kobe, probably a small step ahead of him, and isn’t Bosh just a bigger step behind Pau Gasol(notes)? Sure. Of course. The problem with that comp is the Lakers have an All-Star level center, when he’s healthy, in Andrew Bynum(notes). They’ve Ron Artest(notes), warts and all, and Lamar Odom(notes).Of paramount importance, though, is Los Angeles’ foundation. The team has a coaching staff that has seen it all, and runs an offense that makes the squad greater than the sum of its parts. And even if Pat Riley blings his way down to the sideline next season or sometime the year after, he’s never run an offense along those lines. It’s always been 1 + 2 = 3 for Riles, in sharp contrast to what Phil Jackson has been able to do with his teams.Has Riley done it before with Wade? Of course. But put yourself in the 2006 context. It’s desperately needed.The Detroit Pistons, as was usually the case from 2006 until 2008, badly underachieved in the East finals. Badly underachieved in the first two rounds, actually, letting the Milwaukee Bucks be competitive and the Cleveland Cavaliers (a terrible, terrible team surrounding LeBron James) take them to seven games. And somehow, the Pistons still played worse in the conference finals. And in the actual finals? All Miami had to do was take advantage of an impossibly stubborn Avery Johnson on its way to the title. Just run Dwyane Wade into Adrian Griffin(notes) 400 times a game, and take in all those free throws. Sound coaching move by Riley, but do you see the same thing happening next spring against Boston or Orlando or even Cleveland? Least of all Kobe and the Lakers? Come on.I’m glad this team is starting off in this style, even if Wade’s in his prime and needs to win now. It’s always nice to see great players work off each other, and Wade and Bosh should be just fine picking and popping (though Dwyane will have to improve his bounce passing, especially to his left) for the next five years. Just understand that this isn’t the Bulls. This isn’t even Cleveland. Beyond Dwyane and Chris, there’s no there, there. You grok? This isn’t even New York, where Danilo Gallinari(notes) might be a better prospect than Beasley at this point. Sadly. This is a team with two players under contract, and two more deciding to join. Chicago has four starting slots filled, as it stands, even if they end up being left in the cold. Cleveland has most of the team that led it to the most wins in the NBA last year. Miami has four players, two of which are under contract. The other two are Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. And that ain’t bad. But it’s no championship guarantee. And unless those two, plus LeBron James, suddenly became all about winning, the Wade and Bosh agreement will not be the big move that comes before James joining the Heat. Because this last week has been all about ego and money. Precious little to do with winning, otherwise these men would have agreed to sign with a conference finalist (or, at least, a team with actual players on it) days ago. There’s no way that, over the next day and a half, LeBron James is suddenly going to forget what has been the driving force in his life over the last decade. He’s not going to forget his ego, he’s not going to forget about the money. And this makes him a bad bet to join the Heat.If he does lose that mindset? Good for him. Seriously, great for him thinking win-first for once. I’m just not betting on it.And beyond that? The Heat have a lot of work to do. Fine foundation, one they should be proud of, but this team has a long way to go until it can fill out that bench and find its way back to the top.

Free agent Bonner to re-sign with Spurs (AP)
Matt Bonner has reached a tentative agreement to return to the San Antonio Spurs next season. Kenny Grant, Bonner’s agent, said Friday the deal will likely be finalized next week and that Bonner is happy to be staying in San Antonio. Terms of the contract were not available. Bonner became a free agent this summer after four seasons with the Spurs.

James joining Miami deflates MSG stock (AP)
Now that LeBron James has decided to play basketball in Miami, shares of Madison Square Garden Inc., owner of the New York Knicks, have gone south as well. Madison Square Garden shares had risen as much as 11 percent this month as a nationwide fervor mounted over what team the superstar free agent would pick.

CBS Outdoor becomes London 2012 sponsor (AP)

admin — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 00:00:05 +0000

CBS Outdoor becomes London 2012 sponsor (AP)
CBS Outdoor has become the 33rd domestic sponsor of the 2012 London Olympics. The company was unveiled Thursday as the official “outdoor advertising supplier” for the games. CBS Outdoor will supply organizers with outdoor space to support advertising campaigns for the Olympics. The advertising space includes the London Underground, national rail, bus and tram networks and major retail…

LenDale White, Hollis Thomas suspended (AP)

admin — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 09:54:05 +0000

LenDale White, Hollis Thomas suspended (AP)
The NFL has suspended free agent running back LenDale White for four games for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy and free agent defensive tackle Hollis Thomas for eight games for violating its performance-enhancing substances policy. League spokesman Randall Liu confirmed the suspensions Thursday in an e-mail to The Associated Press.

James talks to Cavs, Bulls to end summit (AP)

admin — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 22:54:03 +0000

James talks to Cavs, Bulls to end summit (AP)
After three days being romanced by six NBA teams, a few billionaires, coaches, executives, hip hop’s biggest star, and fixating the sports world on his every move, LeBron James got behind the wheel of his customized car and drove home. Only he knows where he’s going next. James concluded his personal free-agent summit on Saturday by hearing presentations from the Cleveland Cavaliers, whose…

Pens sign former Thrashers LW Sterling (AP)
The Pittsburgh Penguins signed left wing Brett Sterling to a two-way contract Saturday that will pay him $500,000 if he plays in the NHL next season. The 26-year-old Sterling had two goals and two assists in 19 career games with the Atlanta Thrashers, who drafted him in the fifth round in 2003. Sterling has played most of his career with Atlanta’s top farm club, Chicago of the AHL, scoring 144…

Evidence of Russian “corruption” over 2010 preparations (Reuters)
Officials have discovered evidence of corruption in Russia’s $100 million preparations for this year’s Winter Olympics, they said on Monday.

Lynx-Dream Preview (AP)

admin — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 03:36:03 +0000

Lynx-Dream Preview (AP)
The Atlanta Dream remain atop the Eastern Conference as the season’s midpoint approaches, and Philips Arena is fast becoming a venue WNBA teams don’t want to visit. The Dream look for a fifth consecutive home win as they play the fourth of six straight in Atlanta on Thursday night against the Minnesota Lynx.

Canadian speedskater Nesbitt breaks arm (AP)
Olympic speedskating champion Christine Nesbitt is recovering from a fractured right arm after a car struck her while she was cycling home from a training session. The 1,000 meter gold medalist at the Vancouver Games posted on her Twitter account that the incident occurred Friday and joked, “I guess I have a rest week now.” In a subsequent tweet she said: “I was hit by a car while…

AP Source: Tiger Woods interviewed in Galea probe (AP)
Tiger Woods has been interviewed by federal authorities investigating a Canadian doctor accused of distributing human growth hormone, a person familiar with the investigation told The Associated Press on Wednesday. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the investigation of Dr. Anthony Galea is ongoing.