Pass the Geritol: Corey Pavin, Fred Couples in contention at Riviera

Pass the Geritol and flip on the Golden Girls, because the old guys are taking over the Northern Trust Open.

Even with the bottleneck on the leader-board -- there was a nine-way tie before play was called due to darkness -- it was hard not to notice Fred Couples and Corey Pavin's names lurking near the top.

For a moment on Thursday, it felt like we were back in the early 90's, when Pavin and Couples were in their prime.

Both former champions of the event, they know a thing or two about winning at famed Riviera. But their past success didn't mean people were pegging them to make a run at this year's event.

Pavin spent most of his early week interview time talking about his Ryder Cup experience, while Couples discussed his aching back.

Even with the little fanfare, here they are, sitting just couple shots off the lead. It just goes to show you that age doesn't matter on the PGA Tour; it's all about experience.

Having played the tournament 27 (Pavin) and 29 (Couples) times, respectively, it's safe to say they have the local knowledge part down on a course where knowing the subtle nuiances can give you a distinct advantage.

While it's still early, it looks like both could be in for great weeks. Even though the tour has passed both players by, it's always great to see some of the marquee names that pushed the tour to new heights during the 90's doing well.

So long as they pop a couple Advil and remember to get to bed by 9 p.m., don't be surprised if you see one or both in contention on the weekend.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/golf/blog/golf_experts/post/Pass-the-Geritol-Corey-Pavin-Fred-Couples-in-c?urn=golf-323099

Anton Volchenkov Viatcheslav Voynov Steve Wagner Matt Walker

Links! And everyone doing the Kidiaba bum-bounce!

All the stuff being covered outside the unfriendly confines of the award-winning Dirty Tackle...

Tunisia beat Congo in the African Nations Championship and topped it off by mocking opposing goalkeeper Mutebe Kidiaba's signature goal celebration. [101gg]

Gerard Pique and Shakira are staring at you. [Kickette]

Barcelona and the many flavors of arrogance. [Twisted Blood]

Fernando Torres, Carmelo Anthony, and liberated fandom. [Good Men]

AS is kind of sorry for doing a bit of tricky photoshoppery to make Dani Alves look offside. [Deadspin]

Ronaldinho as the baby on the cover of Nirvana's Nevermind album. [Original Winger]

Philipp Lahm is an intense thinker. [The Offside]

MLS looking for TV broadcast feedback on Twitter. [MFUSA]

Your weekend in Freddy Adu. Respect The Adu! [Avoiding The Drop]

If you use Messi's image to further your homophobic political career, he will sue you. [Unprofessional Foul]

Is Xavi secretly pretending to be video-game Xavi? [Run of Play]

The true identity of the Guardian's Secret Footballer (who says nothing that requires anonymity). [Studs Up]

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/soccer/blog/dirty-tackle/post/Links-And-everyone-doing-the-Kidiaba-bum-bounce?urn=sow-325053

Jon Matsumoto Shawn Matthias Greg Mauldin Ben Maxwell

Edwards leaps off a building; Hamlin goes, uh, bowling

In Las Vegas on Thursday, Carl Edwards decided for some insane reason to throw himself off a perfectly good building. Observe:

What, no backflip? Eh, after that I'm willing to give Edwards some slack. Surprised he didn't find Trevor Bayne there at the bottom ahead of him, though.

Meanwhile, in an equally thrilling appearance, behold Denny Hamlin in Bristol:

Hamlin was there to promote the Jeff Byrd 500 in Bristol, touchingly named for the track's president and general manager, who passed away last fall. So we'll call this one a push. Though Hamlin should have totally tried to bowl off the top of a building.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/post/Edwards-leaps-off-a-building-Hamlin-goes-uh-b?urn=nascar-326319

Dion Phaneuf Chris Phillips Alexandre Picard Sebastien Piche

RIP Emory Bellard, father of the offense that ruled college football

Former Texas A&M and Mississippi State coach Emory Bellard died early this morning of complications from ALS, better known as Lou Gehrig's Disease. He was 83 years old, and hadn't coached in nearly 20 years. But if his name doesn't quite ring out among the greatest sideline heroes of the twentieth century, his impact as the key innovator and proselytizer of the wishbone offense – and of the triple-option, in general – most certainly does.

Ballard had already picked up on the option as a successful Texas high school coach when he was hired by Darrell Royal to coach the University of Texas' linebackers in 1967. The next year, with Royal beginning to feel a little heat after three straight finishes outside of the final polls, Bellard took over the Longhorn offense, introduced his version of the wishbone – so named, reportedly, because a Houston Chronicle reporter thought the formation looked like the "pulley bone" from a turkey – and rode the scheme to 30 straight wins from 1968-70, including the 1969 national championship. (Much to Joe Paterno's lasting chagrin.)

Bellard assumed the top job at rival Texas A&M in 1972 and eventually took the ailing Aggies to two wins over Texas and four top-20 finishes in seven years before moving on to finish up his head coaching career at Mississippi State in the early eighties. In Starkville, he oversaw the only win over a No. 1 team in MSU history, a 6-3 upset over defending national champion Alabama in 1980 – a full decade after Bear Bryant had installed the wishbone on a visit to Texas in 1970 – that still ranks as the Bulldogs' single greatest victory.

Bellard is notable mainly, though, for the concentric circles that his central innovation inspired over the subsequent three decades. Midwestern and Southern football was dominated by the wishbone and triple-option concepts well into the nineties, by which time Alabama (1973, 1978-79), Nebraska (1970-71, 1994-95, 1997), Oklahoma (1974-75, 1985), Texas (1969), Notre Dame (1988) and Colorado (1990) had deployed them for a combined 14 national championships and five Heisman Trophy winners in the 30 years following their introduction in the college ranks. Auburn running back Bo Jackson also won the Heisman out of a wishbone attack in 1985, and that only scratches the surface.

Eric Crouch's 2001 Heisman win as the point man in Nebraska's vaunted triple-option scheme effectively drew the curtain on the option as a dominant force as offenses began to migrate toward the spread. In its day, though, the wishbone was to the sixties and seventies what the spread is to the turn of the century: Fresh, bizarre, occasionally scorned and lethally effective. When it worked, the combination of design, deception, timing and teamwork coming to precise fruition on the field has never been more fun to watch.

- - -
Matt Hinton is on Twitter: Follow him @DrSaturday.

Source: http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday/post/RIP-Emory-Bellard-father-of-the-offense-that-ru?urn=ncaaf-319627

Eric Gelinas Bruno Gervais Tom Gilbert Hal Gill

A tale of two hole-outs

Did the rulers of golf make the hole bigger in the last few months and not tell us about it, or is it just that more guys are knocking in shots from the fairway than ever before?

That was none more apparent than this weekend, when both winners of the respective PGA and European Tour events holed out in their final round to propel them to victory.

The first is below, and belonged to D.A. Points, who knocked in a wedge on the 14th hole at Pebble Beach for eagle to give him enough cushion to cruise to his first-ever PGA Tour victory.

>

The second was Alvaro Quiros, who carded an ace on the par-3 11th at Emirates Golf Club to jump him to a one-shot victory in Dubai. It also posses the question; have two men ever holed out in the final round to win tournaments on the same day? I'd be surprised if the answer is yes. 

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/golf/blog/golf_experts/post/A-tale-of-two-hole-outs?urn=golf-321313

Frans Nielsen Jordan Nolan Jim O Brien Ryan O Marra

Mike Gundy plays ringtone tag with Justin Bieber, for some reason

Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy, as you know, is a man. (He's now 43.) He's so comfortable with his masculinity, in fact – and has enough of a sense of humor about it – that he's willing to inflict himself with a potentially life-threatening strain of the virus leading biologists are calling "Bieber Fever," for the sake of a laugh.

This rare and unsettling cross-pollination of big-time college football and pre-teen heartthrobbing began last week, when the floppy-haired Bieber – currently ranked No. 1 in the world in generating huge profits from the barely formed artistic sensibilities of children, and annoying almost everyone else – revealed that the ringtone on his phone is a recording of Gundy's epic "I'm a man! I'm 40!" rant from 2007, which proves to be the gift that keeps on giving. Warning: The following video may be difficult for some viewers, but contains crucial documentary evidence:

Today, Gundy responded (hilariously) in kind:

Hats off to the reporter who recognized the tune as Bieber's "Baby," and wasn't afraid to admit it in front of his colleagues. He, too, is a man – presumably (hopefully), a man with a 7-to-13-year-old daughter. If you're going to go after someone, go after him. But he hopes someday you have a child, and someone downgrades and belittles their squeaky-voiced musical heroes, and you have to look them in the eye and say, "You know what? That's OK." Because it's still not as lame as the head coach getting weepy over a Josh Groban song in front of the entire team.

- - -
Hat tip: CBS Sports' Tom Fornelli and Adam Jacobi.
Matt Hinton is on Twitter: Follow him @DrSaturday.

Source: http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday/post/Mike-Gundy-plays-ringtone-tag-with-Justin-Bieber?urn=ncaaf-321302

Niclas Wallin Mike Weaver Mike Weber Shea Weber

Court Report: Week 19 Dashboard, Part II

Each Sunday, the Dashboard centralizes all the crucial information fantasy managers need to dominate their weekly head-to-head matchups or climb the standings in their rotisserie leagues. The Dashboard covers schedule analysis, status updates, adds, drops, watch list candidates, and deep league targets for managers of all skill levels. Quite simply, it is a comprehensive weekly cheat sheet that is packed with so much information that we’ve devoted two writers to producing it.

Add List - players currently owned in less than 40% of Yahoo! leagues

• Chase Budinger, GF, HOU (32% owned)
Budinger got plenty of hype around here in the wake of the trade deadline and made good on it during his first start of the season on Saturday (34 minutes, 27 points, 8-11 FG, 8-9 FT, 3 threes, 6 boards).

• Chuck Hayes, FC, HOU (39% owned)
The great thing about Hayes is that he managed to stay productive even during a recent three-game stretch where he saw just 18 minutes per game (6 points, 7 boards, 2.7 assists, 0.7 turnovers, 1.3 steals). Oh yeah, and the Chuckwagon has been back in full effect for the past two games (31 minutes, 10 points, 60% FG, 14 boards, 5.5 assists, 1.5 turnovers, 0.5 steals, 1.5 blocks). Hayes' averages going back 25 games now include 9.6 points on 60-percent shooting, 8.8 boards, 2.9 assists, 1.1 turnovers, 1.4 steals, and 0.8 blocks in 30 minutes. And no, he's not going to lose many minutes to Hasheem Thabeet this season.

• Marcus Thornton, SG, SAC (33% owned)
Thornton is going to find more minutes and usage with the Kings, so it will just be on him to make good with the new-found opportunities. In two games since being traded for Carl Landry, Thornton has averaged 14.5 points on 42-perent shooting, 1.5 threes, 1 steal, and 0.5 blocks in 28 minutes. He isn't a lock, given Paul Westphal's erratic rotation and Jermaine Taylor's reasonable production as a starter, but Thornton's offensive talents should separate him from the pack before long, particularly if Tyreke Evans is largely absent over the remainder of the season. Another reason to take a chance here: Sacramento's 4-4-4 schedule during the default h2h playoff weeks.

• Rodrigue Beaubois, G, DAL (17% owned)
Roddy Buckets has understandably been up and down during his first four games back for the Mavs, with the numbers averaging out to 8.5 points on 42-percent shooting, 1 three, 3.8 assists, 2 turnovers, and 1.3 steals in 19 minutes. Dallas' depth is working against Beaubois as he works his way back up to full game speed - during those same four games, Jason Terry has averaged 29 minutes (16.5 points, 49% FG), Peja Stojakovic has averaged 25 (52% FG, 2.3 threes), and Jose Juan Barea has averaged 19 (58% FG, 6 assists). He was quickly promoted to the starting five for a reason, however - the team has big plans for him and he should be one of their key contributors the rest of the way, particularly when/if Peja and Barea slow their rolls a bit.

• Gerald Henderson, SG, CHA (17% owned)
Henderson was another big winner at the trade deadline and has been installed as the Bobcats' starting shooting guard. He was solid in his first start Friday (33 minutes, 21 points, 2 blocks) and has now averaged 13.8 points on 48-percent shooting, 4.3 boards, 2 assists, 1.3 turnovers, and 1.3 blocks in the 12 games where he's played at least 25 minutes. Henderson has his categorical limitations but is looking at no impediments to playing time over the remainder of the season.

• Josh McRoberts, FC, IND (15% owned)
McBob almost changed addresses and lost his starting gig at the trade deadline, but almost doesn't count for our purposes. Over the past nine games, McRoberts has averaged 10.4 points on 70-percent shooting, 5.3 boards, 2.9 assists, 1.1 turnovers, 0.9 steals, and 0.7 blocks in 25 minutes. He'll remain the starter at power forward for the Pacers and will have every opportunity to continue his productive ways, even with occasional outbursts from Tyler Hansbrough.

• Jason Thompson, FC, SAC (17% owned)
Thompson shouldn't have trouble finding minutes on most nights with Carl Landry gone and DeMarcus Cousins continuing his up-and-down ways. Thompson only played 21 minutes in the blowout loss to the Grizzlies Saturday because of an ankle injury but has still managed averages of 11 points on 49-percent shooting, 6 boards, 3 assists, 2 turnovers, and 1.3 blocks in 29 minutes over the past four games. There are better upside picks, but Thompson isn't a bad option with all things considered - just be on the lookout for updates on his ankle. And again, keep in mind the Kings' 4-4-4 schedule during the default h2h playoffs.

• Tony Allen, GF, MEM (26% owned)
I'm not going to read too much into Saturday's 16 minutes for Allen given the nature of the game (Memphis won by 28), but obviously Shane Battier's arrival complicates things here. But even if Allen only maintains the 25-minute average he's had over the past month, he still will be in a good place to register a sizable fantasy impact.

• Anthony Parker, GF, CLE (14% owned)
Parker stayed put at the trade deadline, so now we need to point out how productive he's been for the Cavs lately. Over the past three weeks, Parker has averaged 11.9 points on 49-percent shooting, 1.6 threes, 3.7 boards, 4.3 assists, 1.6 steals, and 0.6 blocks in 34 minutes. That's quite a diverse line, and Parker's role as the starting shooting guard appears set, regardless of what happens at point guard between Ramon Sessions and Baron Davis.

• Kenyon Martin, PF, DEN (13% owned)
Things look up for K-Mart any time he's delivering steals and blocks consistently, and that's exactly what he's been doing lately. Martin has averaged 9 points on 53-percent shooting, 5.4 boards, 3.6 assists, 1.4 turnovers, 1.1 steals, and 1.4 blocks in 27 minutes over the past seven games. George Karl likes him as the team's starting power forward because of his defensive intensity, so he's going to stay in the mix for as long as his knees don't give him problems. Note: Martin missed Friday's game because of the flu, but is expected back Monday.

• Courtney Lee, GF, HOU (7% owned)
The Aaron Brooks and Shane Battier trades have freed up minutes at point guard, shooting guard, and small forward for the Rockets, putting Lee in a very good position as sixth man. He played 27 minutes on Saturday and shouldn't have trouble approximating that total on most nights. Lee has averaged 15.1 points on 55-percent shooting, 1.9 threes, 3.5 boards, 1.6 assists, 0.6 turnovers, and 0.9 steals in games where he's seen at least 25 minutes so far this season. 

Cut List – players currently owned in more than 60% of Yahoo! Leagues who are largely expendable in most standard formats

• Jamal Crawford, G, ATL (84% owned) - further marginalized with the arrival of Kirk Hinrich

• J.R. Smith, GF, DEN (70% owned) - the team's deadline acquisitions seal his already-fringey fate

• Gilbert Arenas, G, ORL (68% owned) - horrific numbers since joining the Magic, without exception

• Al Harrington, FC, DEN (66% owned) - like Smith, lost out at the trade deadline

• Aaron Brooks, PG, PHO (66% owned) - only will register for the Suns if Nash gets hurt

• Corey Maggette, F, MIL (64% owned) - role has diminished greatly for a now-healthy Bucks roster

• Carl Landry, F, NOR (62% owned) - no reason to expect consistent minutes behind David West

Deep League Specials – players currently owned in five percent or less of Yahoo! leagues

• Shawne Williams, F, NYK (1% owned)
The Knicks' sudden lack of depth should lead to consistent playing time for Williams in the 20-25 minute range. Williams has been a stellar per-minute contributor all season, and his per-20 minute averages on the season include 1.4 threes, 0.5 steals, and 0.7 blocks.

• James Johnson, F, TOR (2% owned)
The Raptors moved Johnson into their starting five immediately upon his arrival and he's averaged 27 minutes, 7.5 points, 4 boards, 1 steal, and 1.5 blocks in two games since. There's a mixed bag of potential when you take a look at his career per-30 minute averages. The good includes 0.5 threes, 5.1 boards, 1 steal, and 1.8 blocks; the bad includes 2.7 turnovers and career 44/30/70 percentages.

• Nazr Mohammed, C, OKC (4% owned)
Mohammed is in line for steady playing time at least for the next few weeks while Kendrick Perkins deals with his sprained left knee. Nenad Krstic was averaging just over 20 minutes per game for the Thunder at the time of his trade, which is enough for Mohammed to averaged eight points, six boards, and a block.

Follow Matt on Twitter @busersports

-----
photos via Getty Images

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/fantasy/blog/roto_arcade/post/Court-Report-Week-19-Dashboard-Part-II?urn=fantasy-327045

Dan Boyle Daryl Boyle Nick Boynton Justin Braun

3-D Photo Gallery From Daytona International Speedway

Filed under: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Kurt Busch, Reed Sorenson, Daytona Int'l Speedway, NASCAR Fans, Sprint Cup, NASCAR

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Here's a 3-D photo gallery from Speedweeks here at Daytona International Speedway, as well as several photos from the Charlotte Motor Speedway Media Tour in January.

To see these photos in 3-D, use common red-cyan 3-D glasses. Remember, left eye red.

Except as noted, all 3-D photos were taken by FanHouse motorsports editor Bob Zeller using a Fuji W3 3-D camera.


Jeff Gordon answers questions from fans in a live chat with FanHouse senior motorsports writer Holly Cain from the media center at Daytona on Friday afternoon.

 

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Source: http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2011/02/19/3-d-photo-gallery-from-daytona-international-speedway/

Ryan Suter Andy Sutton Lee Sweatt Danny Syvret

QB Focus: Robert Griffin, Baylor's Mr. Indispensable

Assessing 2011's field generals, in no particular order. Today: Baylor sophomore Robert Griffin.

• Typecasting. Somewhere on the list, Griffin is one of the most explosive, productive players in Baylor history. Also on the list: He was born in Japan, set Texas high school track records in the 110 and 300-meter hurdles, graduated high school early to enroll at Baylor at age 17, won a Big 12 championship in the 400-meter hurdles shortly after arriving on campus, graduated in three years with a degree in political science, made the honor roll in six straight semesters and plans to attend law school. Just your run-of-the-mill Army brat.

And then, yes, he's one of the most explosive, productive players in Baylor history. Griffin reportedly had offers from Nebraska and Tennessee, among others (see below), where his speed and 6-foot-3 frame likely would have made him a wide receiver. Instead, he latched on to the chance to play quarterback in Art Briles' spread attack at Houston, and followed Briles to Waco – about an hour from Griffin's high school – when he took the top job at Baylor in November 2007. Griffin took over in the second quarter of his first game and immediately established himself as the focal point of the Bears' attack, as a runner and passer.

• At his best… The first hint Griffin was going to be better than "a track guy" with limited utility in the shotgun was the 346-yard, three-touchdown bomb he dropped on Washington State in September 2008, en route to the school's single-game rushing record and most impressive victory in years:

We were only beginning to grasp at the time just how wretched Washington State's defense would turn out to be, but Griffin's athleticism was no mirage: The offense increasingly revolved around his legs in the biggest games, in which Griffin went over 100 yards on the ground against Oklahoma, Nebraska and Texas, and came up one yard shy of the century mark in a near upset at 10-1 Texas Tech to close the regular season. He ended his freshman campaign with 1,118 yards rushing before sacks, most by any Bear back since 2003, and 13 touchdowns, tying the school record.

But while Griffin avoided mistakes – he went nine games and more than 209 attempts (another school record) before throwing his first interception – he was also clearly limited as a passer: In the four conference games in which he cracked 100 yards on the ground, he averaged just 93 through the air, and the Bears lost all four.

As dynamic as he was as a freshman, Griffin slowly chipped away at his reputation as a one-dimensional threat last year – partly because he was coming off a severe knee injury that cost him almost all of his sophomore season in 2009, and partly because he'd developed into one of the more reliable passers in the conference, in one of the most reliably pass-happy systems. Griffin put the ball in the air 35 times per game in 2010, distributing it among five different receivers who brought in at least 40 receptions and shattering single-season school records for total completions, completion percentage, total yards and yards per game. He also became Baylor's career leader in passing yards and TDs in the process, in essentially his second year as a starter.

Not coincidentally, Baylor scored at least 30 points in nine different games, averaged more than 30 for the first time since the formation of the Big 12, set a new school record for total offense, beat Texas for the first time since '94 and snapped a 16-year bowl drought despite continuing to field one of the conference's most porous defenses. Oh, and Griffin netted over 600 yards rushing, too, keeping him on pace with the most prolific players in the country in terms of total offense. With apologies to Denard Robinson and Colin Kaepernick, there may not have been a more complete quarterback this side of Cam Newton.

• At his worst… In all, Griffin personally accounted for about two-thirds of Baylor's total offense as a runner of passer (66.9 percent, to be exact), and their fates were inexorably tied: When the quarterback struggled, the whole operation ground to a halt, which it frequently did against even mediocre defenses.

In five games against defenses that ranked in the top half of all defenses nationally – that is, ranked in the top 60, not exactly an elite gauntlet – Griffin's efficiency plummeted and the Bears averaged about 15 fewer points than they managed against defenses in the bottom half. TCU, owner of the No. 1 defense in the country, harassed Griffin into a season-low 185 total yards with three sacks in a 45-10 laugher in September; eventual Big 12 champ Oklahoma held him to 207 yards in a 53-24 rout in November, the second of a three-game losing streak against respectable defenses to close the year.

• Fun Fact. Griffin's not the first Baylor quarterback to beat Texas, but he's certainly the first in recent memory that Longhorn fans have ever actively wished they had in their huddle. UT might have had him, too, if it had shown more of a personal touch:

"Texas did not recruit me as a quarterback," Griffin said [before last October's game in Austin]. "But they walked into my (high school) coach's office and placed an offer on the table as an 'athlete,' then walked out, so I never saw them."

Say what?

"That's Texas for you," Griffin said. "But they get talent from anywhere they want.

"If they put an offer on the table and you don't accept it, they'll go find some other guy."

Griffin didn't see the snub as a sign of disrespect, necessarily – more like disinterest, because he didn't attend any of the Longhorns' camps for prospects. "I felt like my game tapes did the talking for me, and I didn't have to go prove it." It's not bragging if it's true.

• What to expect in the fall. Griffin already holds every relevant school record with two years of eligibility still in front of him, and has enough tomato cans on the front end of the schedule to get off to another roaring start after the daunting opener against TCU. His continued progress as a passer in an extremely passer-friendly system should more than overcome the half-step he seems to have sacrificed through the knee injury and the addition of some 25 pounds since arriving on campus. If you're looking for a fantasy quarterback, the final numbers should easily put him back in the running for an all-conference nod at the end of the year.

With a ninth Big 12 game (in this case, Missouri) replacing a gimme non-conference gimme, though, getting back above .500 is going to require huge games from Griffin to outscore at least two of the old South Division rivals that resisted Baylor's rise last year – specifically, that means Oklahoma State, Texas A&M and Texas Tech, all of which beat the Bears by at least a touchdown, not to mention Texas, which hasn't lost back-to-back games to Baylor in 20 years. If Griffin's healthy, the offense should surpass the 2010 edition on the stat sheet; if it matches last year's win total against the tougher schedule, someone should invent an MVP award just to award it to him.

- - -
Matt Hinton is on Twitter: Follow him @DrSaturday.

Source: http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday/post/QB-Focus-Robert-Griffin-Baylor-s-Mr-Indispens?urn=ncaaf-326074

Dave Bolland Nick Bonino Darryl Boyce Dustin Boyd

Nate Montana completes most inevitable transfer ever: To Montana

It seemed too good to be true, rhetorically speaking, but the rumor has come to pass: Notre Dame quarterback Nate "Yes That Montana" Montana, son of Joe, has indeed transferred to Montana, where he plans to walk on to the football team. From the local Missoulian:

University of Montana athletic director Jim O'Day confirmed to the Missoulian on Monday evening that Nate Montana, son of NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana, plans on enrolling at the University of Montana.

"He's admitted as a student, and he started classes today," O'Day said. "Then I would assume he's a walk-on, because we have no aid as of this semester."

[…]

The 21-year old junior quarterback and his father met with athletic department officials Monday, just six days after Joe Montana and his wife had an informal meeting with Grizzly football head coach Robin Pflugrad.

Nate, initially a walk-on at his dad's alma mater, would have been on scholarship in South Bend this fall as a fourth-year junior, though he would have also been planted firmly on the bench as a third-stringer, at best, behind senior Dayne Crist and sophomore Tommy Rees. (Incoming freshman Everett Golson was expected to push Montana even further down the depth chart.) Montana's never been a regular starter at any stop in his gridiron career, including two Northern California high schools and a stint at Pasadena Community College in 2009, but at least he looks the part at 6-foot-4, 215 pounds, and has an opening to play right away with the departure of the Grizzlies' 2010 starter, former Oregon transfer Justin Roper.

The main competition for the job: Sophomore D.J. Zapata, who attempted two passes last year as a redshirt freshman. With the Montana-to-Montana narrative seemingly secure, if Zapata ever comes out for warmups in a giant sombrero, ludicrous mustache and bullet vest as the crowd chants "¡Viva el Tigre!" I will donate a paycheck to the university.

- - -
Matt Hinton is on Twitter: Follow him @DrSaturday.

Source: http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday/post/Nate-Montana-completes-most-inevitable-transfer-?urn=ncaaf-321587

Tobias Enstrom Jonathan Ericsson Anders Eriksson John Erskine

Four Wide: Smoke at Phoenix; time to take away wins?

Rounding up a few of the week's best stories that didn't quite get the full-post treatment...

• Tony Stewart loves running at Phoenix, even though he hasn't won there since 1999. What gives? [Scene Daily]

• What are the odds for this weekend's Phoenix race? There are some familiar names up top. And if David Ragan can win, somebody's going home rich. [All Left Turns]

• A provocative question whose time has come: is it time to start taking away wins from drivers? Case in point: Michael Waltrip. [The NASCAR Insiders]

• How Fidel Castro kidnapped the world's greatest race car driver. A long read, but a fine one. [Jalopnik]

• Was Trevor Bayne's Daytona win fixed? (Satire.) [Bleacher Report]

• And finally ... "meet the Dale Earnhardt of shredders." I've ticked off enough Earnhardt fans this week, so I leave it to you to come up with jokes for this one. [MSNBC]

Got a link or tip? Hit us up at jay.busbee@yahoo.com or on Twitter at @jaybusbee. Get to it!

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/post/Four-Wide-Smoke-at-Phoenix-time-to-take-away-w?urn=nascar-326494

Kevin Klein Anton Klementyev Rostislav Klesla Kyle Klubertanz

2011 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: OF

Filed under: MLB Position Rankings

Three great outfielders battled mercilessly for the top spot in our 2011 fantasy baseball rankings. Each has his merits, and all should be selected in the first round of your drafts.

Ryan Braun is the most highly regarded, topping most sets of rankings at the outfield position. He had a down year for power last season, never managing to go on a big home-run binge. However, he's a five-category contributor, hitting over .300 while notching at least 100 runs and 100 RBIs in each of the last two seasons. He's also hit 57 HRs and stolen 34 bases over that two-year stretch. At 27 years old, he's as rock solid as they come.

Carl Crawford is another play used to being selected high in fantasy drafts. Throw out a 2008 season hit by injury and Crawford has hit at least .300 with more than 10 HRs and 45 SBs in every year since 2005. Oh, and in 2004 he only fell short of that feat in average, where he hit "just" .296. In Boston, Crawford will be surrounded by great hitters and should enjoy another fantastic statistical season.

 

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Source: http://fantasybaseball.fanhouse.com/2011/02/23/2011-fantasy-baseball-rankings-of/

Ryan White Todd White Trent Whitfield Colin Wilson

Saturday morning matches show us the problem with match play

When it comes to match play, I'm all in for more. I love the format, and think it would be great to see it played in higher events throughout the season. But, the problem is that will never happened, mainly because of Saturday morning at the Accenture Match Play.

Four quarterfinal matches before the field was trimmed to just four golfers, and all four were basically blowouts. It's the reason that match play can fail at times. Like Louis Oosthuizen's win at the British Open a year ago, when there is no chance for a comeback, the passion dries up.

That isn't to say that some of the matches didn't give us drama. JB Holmes was five-up on Bubba Watson with eight holes to play, but the big-hitting lefty is making some waves, giving us at least a peaking interest in that otherwise bland match (the other interesting part of the match? Holmes hit a 413-yard drive on the second hole). 

But Saturday's morning matches were the reason that television executives and advertisers wouldn't be pumped for a match play major, or anything like that to end the year (like my suggestion that the FedEx Cup conclude with a match play format). Multiple matches this week have ended with someone winning 8-up, which can't happen if you want viewers to tune in, and when you don't have the star power that previous Accenture events had late into the weekend, you are going to need some drama.

Sadly, the quarterfinals were drama-less, and if The Golf Channel-NBC want people to tune in this afternoon, and even Sunday, they're going to need close matches. 

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/golf/blog/golf_experts/post/Saturday-morning-matches-show-us-the-problem-wit?urn=golf-326736

Carl Hudson Matt Hunwick Kent Huskins Andrew Hutchinson

Jim Gray 'removed' from Golf Channel coverage after confrontation

Three things that you can always bank on; death, taxes, and Jim Gray getting into it with some athlete or coach.

The latest episode came on Thursday at Riviera, when Gray got in a heated argument with Dustin Johnson's caddie, to the point that The Golf Channel has removed Gray from its coverage this week from the Northern Trust Open.

According to USA Today's Michael McCarthy, Johnson's caddie went into a profanity-laced screaming match with Gray after he reported on The Golf Channel earlier that day that Johnson had landed a two-shot penalty for being late to the tee.

Johnson's caddie, Bobby Brown, took most of the heat for the late tee-time arrival, with Dustin even commenting after the round that he doesn't look at the time, leaving that up to the caddie.

Related: Golfer hits light pole twice on purpose

But Gray's argument with Brown is far from the first time he's been involved in a confrontation with athletes and coaches. Famously, Gray lambasted Pete Rose during Game 2 of the 1999 World Series, an interview so harsh that Rose concluded it by saying, "This is a prosecutor's brief, not an interview, and I'm very surprised at you. I am, really."

More in the game of golf, Gray was involved in a spat with Corey Pavin over a captain's pick at the 2010 Ryder Cup. Pavin went to Twitter to correct a report that Gray and The Golf Channel made, and it infuriated Gray to the point that he confronted Pavin, calling him a liar.

The Golf Channel's decision to bench Gray this week is mainly to avoid any distractions with the coverage, but it brings up a deeper problem: Can certain journalists make themselves too much of a story? Gray has been around the block a long time, but when you're getting in multiple arguments with people in the games you're reporting, you really are becoming a nuisance, and nobody wants to deal with those types of people.

Who knows what was said to get Brown to flip out at Gray, but the caddie was already having a tough day, and the wrong thing could have pushed him over the edge. Is that the proper move for a journalist for a story, or overstepping your boundaries? For me, it's the latter.

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• An extremely embarrassing on-air gaffe
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Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/golf/blog/golf_experts/post/Jim-Gray-removed-from-Golf-Channel-coverage-af?urn=golf-323395

Jordan Nolan Jim O Brien Ryan O Marra Cal O Reilly

Bisping Denies Spitting on Cornerman, Rivera's Team Wants Suspension

Filed under: UFC, FanHouse Exclusive, News

In the immediate seconds following the conclusion of an emotionally charged fight between Michael Bisping and Jorge Rivera, Bisping walked to the Octagon corner nearest to Rivera's team and spit. That much is clear. But the two sides disagree on what exactly he was aiming at, and whether he hit it.

Rivera's team says that the spit was directed -- and hit -- boxing coach Matt Phinney. Bisping denies it.

"No, not at all. I was spitting on the floor to let him know what I thought of him," Bisping told MMA Fighting's Ariel Helwani in a UFC 127 post-fight interview. "I apologized for that, and I never want to act like that."

Source: http://www.mmafighting.com/2011/02/27/bisping-denies-spitting-on-cornermen-riveras-team-wants-suspen/

John Carlson Jonathan Carlsson Josh Caron Sam Carrier

Surprise, Surprise: Serena Pulls Out Again

Filed under: WTA

With tickets sold, it's time to go ahead and erase Serena Williams' picture from the poster.

She isn't coming.

Williams withdrew Monday from the Nike Clash of Champions exhibition March 8 in Eugene, Ore. It was going to be the first time she had played publicly since July. She has been out with a mysterious foot injury that she has given varying explanations for.

It's not nice to say "I told you so," so let's just say this: tennis fans, you were warned.

The event was supposed to have Williams, Maria Sharapova, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. And every event like this puts a little disclaimer on the bottom of posters somewhere, about players being subject to change.

But this one was weird. The press release announcing the field spelled it out prominently, right in the second paragraph:

"Under certain circumstances, it is possible that one or more of the advertised athletes will not be able to participate in the NIKE Clash of Champions."

I called it The Serena Clause.

 

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Source: http://tennis.fanhouse.com/2011/02/21/surprise-surprise-serena-pulls-out-again/

Jay Bouwmeester Johnny Boychuk Dan Boyle Daryl Boyle

Rooney beat City's Lescott again after the derby in FIFA 11

After Wayne Rooney stopped playing poorly long enough to score what many people have apparently decided is The Greatest Goal Ever Scored by a Human in the History of Earth to beat Man City on Saturday, he again proved his spotty domination over his rivals and would-be teammates. No, he didn't tear their beating hearts out of their chest like that guy in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. He beat Joleon Lescott in FIFA 11 on the Xbox. 

From The Mirror:

“I played FIFA with Wayne on the Xbox that night,” said Lescott. “I’m all right, but Wayne beat me.

“He’s better at it because he gets the new releases a few weeks ahead of everyone else because of his ­sponsorship deal and can practice.

“He’s decent but I think I’m almost there now – I think I can almost take him. There are quite a few of us play on the Xbox. Me, Shaun [Wright-Phillips], James Milner and Micah Richards.

“But it’s not just City players, there are 14 or 15 players in the England squad who play as well.

“We’ve got lives away from football. Obviously we’ve got our families who we spend time with, but playing on the Xbox is something we do to wind down after a game.”

Well, it's nice to know that his practice is paying off in the video games more than it has on the pitch this season -- even if it is only because he got the game earlier than everyone else. 

According to The Sun, Lescott also said that he told Rooney that his overhead winner in the derby was a "great goal" as they spoke to each other through the Xbox, which makes you wonder what kind of witty repartee footballers engage in when they have those headsets on.

And as if losing to Wayne Rooney twice in one day wasn't bad enough for Lescott, on Monday he forgot his passport as City traveled to Greece for their Europa Cup match against FC Aris this week. 

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/soccer/blog/dirty-tackle/post/Rooney-beat-City-s-Lescott-again-after-the-derby?urn=sow-321474

Stefan Chaput Kyle Chipchura Erik Christensen Andrew Cogliano

Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s promising day ends five laps too soon

DAYTONA BEACH, FLA. — If, before Sunday's Daytona 500, you'd told Dale Earnhardt Jr. — or, more properly, Junior Nation — that the 88 car would be running in the top four on the 200th lap of the Daytona 500, with a realistic chance to win, chances are the Nation would leap on that faster than a new limited-edition souvenir die-cast car.

Indeed, that's exactly what happened. Problem is, this year's Daytona ran 208 laps. But what happened on Lap 203 changed everything, and left Junior Nation feeling empty but, perhaps, hopeful as well.

The day began as the week did, with the weight of tributes to his late father bearing down on Earnhardt's shoulders. It's anyone's guess what he was thinking during the silent third lap of the race, with hundreds of thousands of fans holding up three fingers in honor of his father. But, that behind him, he began a charge that started literally at the back of the field, thanks to a practice wreck, and ended with him leading nine laps.

Late in the race, he hooked up with Tony Stewart, and appeared to have at least a fighting chance to catch the David Ragan-Trevor Bayne tandem. Then Regan Smith spun to take out Ryan Newman, Clint Bowyer and Denny Hamlin, removing three serious competitors from the board and apparently opening the door for Stewart and Earnhardt.

But before the race could even go green, the news came down: Earnhardt had flattened a tire going into the grass to avoid the wreck, and he had to come into the pits to change the tire. A couple laps later, a late wreck collected Earnhardt once and for all, and the week was at long last over.

As the race wound down around him, Earnhardt watched his crew saw pieces of sheet metal off his ruined 88, sipping from an Amp Energy bottle with his firesuit rolled down to his waist. He could actually manage a wry smile, perhaps as much in relief that the week was over as anything else.

"We ran good and had as much fun as we could under the circumstances," he said. "This type of racing is not very good. I can't see where I'm going when I'm pushing somebody, and we don't need to be pushing somebody."

However, Earnhardt was careful not to criticize NASCAR for the race. "NASCAR did what it had to do," he said. "It was too late in the game to make big changes [to adjust for the 2x2 driving]. It was a good product, a great race, and an awesome ending. ... I think we can do a little bit better. Hopefully NASCAR can make things happen and put together a better package. I want to go faster. If we're running slow, we're getting run over, and we don't need that." 

The race provided an initial answer to another question, how well Earnhardt would work with new crew chief Steve Letarte. Earnhardt and Letarte talked constantly on the radio, with Earnhardt calling Letarte "sir" and Letarte pumping up Earnhardt's confidence even after the victory-destroying wreck.

It's one race in, at a track on which Earnhardt is very confident — and one, it must be noted, where he notched a second-place finish last year — but this time it was one of them racin' deals, as the saying goes, that took out Earnhardt rather than lack of skill or lack of communication.

And if nothing else, we know this thing wasn't fixed.   

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/post/Dale-Earnhardt-Jr-s-promising-day-ends-five-lap?urn=nascar-323998

Dan Jancevski Doug Janik Aaron Johnson Erik Johnson

Becks buys dinner for Spurs, Galaxy players probably go hungry

David Beckham's training spell with Spurs has come to an end, but before he begrudgingly returns to the L.A. Galaxy for one last season in his American prison, he gave his Premier League training partners one final gift (aside from the experience of practicing with him).  

From the Independent:

The midfielder left Spurs after training on Monday, but not before ordering in pie and mash, a traditional working-class London meal. Redknapp teased reporters at the club's training ground when he said: "You don't know what it is.

"It's only us Cockneys that know -- I had three actually; I nicked an extra pie. I was brought up on it in the East End, it was fantastic.

"He had them delivered but I think some of the foreign lads were not too sure what to make of it -- so we had their portions!"

In light of his tax-evasion charges, Harry Redknapp probably shouldn't go around announcing that he's stealing pies. That aside, between this, the brilliance he shared with Spurs on the training ground and the family he rescued from their broken-down car, Beckham has done quite a few good deeds during his stint back in London.

Meanwhile, in the U.S. he can't even singlehandedly make his sport the national pastime. What a jerk.   

Photo: Getty Images

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/soccer/blog/dirty-tackle/post/Becks-buys-dinner-for-Spurs-Galaxy-players-prob?urn=sow-324383

Patrick McNeill Adam McQuaid Derek Meech Andrej Meszaros

Playoff Fantasy Football 2011: Week 1 FanHouse League Preview

Filed under: NFL Value Machine, Playoffs Advice

If you're addicted to fantasy football like I am, you never want the fun to end. There's no reason it has to stop once the NFL reaches its playoffs, so we at FanHouse organized a little fantasy football playoff league.

We threw a bit of a monkey wrench in the rules to add a little complexity and hopefully intrigue to the league. Here they are:

We redraft after every playoff round, and only players competing in the current week's round are eligible to be drafted. When you see players like Tom Brady and Michael Turner surprisingly absent from our Week 1 results below, now you know why. Scoring remains the same as our FanHouse Fleaflicker League from the regular season.

Draft order is determined randomly for each round. The schedule, however, is not. In the first round, the team with the No. 1 pick plays the team with the No. 8 pick. No. 2 plays No. 7, No. 3 plays No. 6, and No. 4 plays No. 5.

 

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Source: http://fantasyfootball.fanhouse.com/2011/01/05/playoff-fantasy-football-2011-week-1/

Max Sauve Marc Savard Dave Scatchard Brayden Schenn

Durrell Summers pulls disappearing act at worst possible time

Moments after Michigan State fell 71-61 at Ohio State on Tuesday night for its sixth loss in eight games, Spartans coach Tom Izzo offered this evaluation of his team's failed bid to topple the Big Ten-leading Buckeyes. 

"I feel good about a lot of our guys," Izzo told reporters. "Just one or two I don't."

There was no mistaking which player Izzo meant even if he was courteous enough not to call him out by name. He was referring to senior guard Durrell Summers, who pulled a disappearing act that would have made Harry Houdini envious.

In a game that could have revitalized the Spartans' season and solidified their flickering NCAA tournament hopes, Summers went scoreless with only one field-goal attempt in 16 lackluster minutes. Summers is averaging 5.3 points per game on 8 for 28 from the field in Michigan State's last four games, lowering his season average to 12.6 points per game on a career-low 40.9 percent shooting.

The no-show in Columbus is the latest setback for Summers in a disappointing season that began amid high expectations. The MVP of the Midwest Regional last season, Summers has not only failed to blossom into the senior standout many thought he'd become but his deteriorating performance lately has coincided with Michigan State's midseason slide.  

There's no way of knowing whether Michigan State could have upset Ohio State with a decent performance from Summers, but the Spartans were within striking distance even with zero production from him. Kalin Lucas had 14 points, Delvon Roe fought through a debilitating knee injury and big men Adreian Payne and Derrick Nix did a credible job containing Jared Sullinger, enabling Michigan State to pull within four points with four minutes to play.

Just one big 3-pointer or game-changing steal from Summers might have put Michigan State over the top, but the senior guard couldn't overcome the early adversity he faced. Summers picked up two blocking fouls in the game's opening 63 seconds trying to keep Ohio State's David Lighty out of the lane, forcing him to sit out most of the first half.

Listless and out of rhythm the rest of the game, he even failed to make any effort to chase down a loose ball in the backcourt with 5:39 left in the game, enabling Ohio State's Aaron Craft to convert a breakaway layup. At that point, Izzo had seen enough, sitting Summers for the rest of the game.

At 14-11 overall and 6-7 in Big Ten play, Michigan State is still in contention for an NCAA tournament berth because of its strength of schedule and the weakness of some of the other teams on the bubble.

For the Spartans to even make the field let alone do any damage, however, they are going to need Summers to recapture last season's form before it's too late. 

Source: http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/blog/the_dagger/post/Durrell-Summers-pulls-disappearing-act-at-worst-?urn=ncaab-322223

Dustin Boyd Brian Boyle Tyler Bozak Derick Brassard

Strikeforce heavyweight GP: Fedor loses again, talks of quitting the sport

The end of an era officially arrived tonight in New Jersey. Fedor Emelianenko dominated the sport's landscape from 2001-2006, but age, lack of size and an ever-evolving heavyweight field has caught up to him.

Fedor couldn't overcome the massive Antonio "Big Foot" Silva and lost via TKO on a doctor's stoppage at the end of two rounds. Silva had Fedor mounted for most of the second round. His repeated blows closed Fedor's right eye. The ringside doctor and referee Dan Miragliotta stopped the fight before the third began.

The melancholy crowd in New Jersey's Izod Center was further shocked when a sullen Fedor (31-3) talked about walking away from the sport.

"Yes, maybe it's the last time. Maybe it's high time," Fedor said through his translator. "Thanks god for everything.I spent a great, beautiful, long, sport life. Maybe it's God's will."

Emelianenko, was arguably the world's No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter from 2001-2008. He had a 10-year unbeaten streak, that lasted from 2001-2009, snapped last year by Fabricio Werdum. That loss was chalked up by many as a fluke. Fedor got caught in a pretty elementary armbar.

This was the first fight back in the cage for the Russian since that loss in June of 2009. He had prolonged negotiations about a contract entension and his inclusion in the Strikeforce heavyweight Grand Prix. Fedor was placed on the same side of the bracket as Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem. It was an odd alignment since those two fighters were thought to be the No. 1 and 2 seeds. Now we see why. Anything can happen in MMA.

Silva (16-2) is a respected heavyweight, but was still very underestimated entering the fight. You can't discount how huge the Brazilian is at 6-foot-4, 264 pounds. Showtime announcer Mauro Ranallo claimed Silva was 285 at fight time. That's a 55-pound weight advantage over Fedor, who's a smallish heavyweight at 230.

Silva and Fedor put on a great show. They slugged it out in the first. Two of the three judges gave the round to Emelianenko, but the Russian came out for the second with little strategy in mind.

Just three seconds in, he hurled a big right hand at Silva, who ducked and scored an easy double-leg takedown. The 55-pound weight gap may not kill you standing, but it's brutal on the ground. Silva, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, is also skilled with his positioning. A minute later, Silva passed Fedor's half guard to side control and then mounted the Russian thirty seconds after that.

Fedor rotated between his back and his stomach four different times. On his back, he was pummeled by Silva's humongous fists. On his stomach, his risked getting caught in a rear-naked choke. That was a lot of work over two minutes. Once Fedor settled on his back again, Silva worked and then latched on an arm-triangle choke. Fedor's head turned purple but he survived and Silva got tired. Fedor finally got out of the mount when Silva attempted a knee bar. The round ended with Fedor trying his own heel hook. Silva knew what he was doing, smiled and waved his finger at Fedor.  When the Russian rose to his feet, it was clear that right eye was nearly swollen shut. It had the look of broken orbital bone or maybe he'd take a thumb to the eye. 

When the fighters hit their stools, Miragliotta walked to Fedor's corner and quickly called a halt to the fight. Confusion reigned for 30 seconds before Silva's corner was finally informed of the win. 

Fedor has his chances in the first round. He stalked the big Brazilian trying to land a right-changing right hand, but he didn't set up the punches with a jab. Emelianenko actually got top control on the ground when Silva fell out of a standing guillotine attempt. In the past, Fedor on top, meant doom for most fighters. In 2011, the top-level big heavyweights are pretty solid off their backs. Fedor had trouble landing anything significant and tried for a kimura, but Silva wisely rolled out of it.

Emelianenko took heavy damage. Silva landed 51-of-81 shots on the ground and 72-of-128 overall. Fedor landed 36-of-53.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Strikeforce-heavyweight-GP-Fedor-loses-again-t?urn=mma-320604

Blair Jones Jacob Josefson Andrew Joudrey Nazem Kadri

Being good mates: UFC auction to benefit Australian flood victims

With the UFC headed to Australia next weekend, the promotion is holding an auction to benefit the victims of the massive flooding that has hit Australia in the past few months. Fans can bid on fighters' items, the Octagon canvas or a special fight night experience at UFC 127, and the money raised will benefit the Premier's Disaster Relief Appeal, a special fund that will help Queensland residents who have been hit so hard by the floods.

The crown jewel of the auction is the UFC 127 Fight Night experience. From the press release:

Ultimate Aussie UFC 127 Fan Experience – BIDDING ENDS 7PM (AEST) TUESDAY FEB 22
The ultimate way to experience the biggest fight card in Australian history! You and a friend will have unbelievable access behind-the-scenes at both the weigh-in and on fight day, to the Octagon, and to the combatants and guest fighters. You’ll stay for two nights in a two-bedroom apartment at the official UFC 127 host hotel, Star City, have breakfast with UFC star Kenny Florian, plus much, much more.

Breakfast with Kenny Florian comes with the right to rip on him for wearing skinny jeans. 

Travel to Sydney for the fights is not included, but it's an incredible experience for fans with the means to get to Australia quickly, or who already live Down Under. Those who can't make it to Sydney can still bid on Michael Bisping's fight gloves, the Octagon Canvas and other fantastic signed memorabilia by clicking here. 

Queensland, the province of Australia that is home to Brisbane and the Great Barrier Reef, has been devastated by flooding. Coal mining, the main industry of the region, has been shut down. Thousands have been evacuated from their homes, and the country estimates that the clean-up will cost more than $5 billion dollars.

This is the second time the UFC has visited Australia, and the Aussies have been good to the promotion. Until UFC 129 in Toronto's on-sale, UFC 127 was their fastest sellout in history. The UFC is saying thank you in a way that will truly have meaning.

Click here to donate to Australian flood relief.  

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Being-good-mates-UFC-auction-to-benefit-Austral?urn=mma-322545

Shawn Matthias Greg Mauldin Ben Maxwell Jay McClement

Another day, another Jeter; scenes from an industry auction

I know most of our Arcade readers honed their roto craft in the mixed-league world, and to be honest that's my preferred format as well. But it's always fun to step into different formats and challenges, and on Wednesday afternoon I participated in an American League-only Industry Auction set up by the folks at CBS Sports.

Details: 12 teams, 30 roster spots (23 active, 7 bench), $260 to spend, 5x5. Full auction results are here.

There was some crazy spending in the early going – Robinson Cano went for $49 (I still don't understand that), Adam Dunn fetched $38, Jose Bautista chased up to $32. My general strategy was the same as it usually is for this type of exercise – I wanted a balanced offense where most of the hitters participate – collecting at-bats is the key – and I wanted an anchor or two on the pitching staff, followed by low-cost, high-upside guys. I'd prefer to avoid single-dollar players if possible; they're actually good things to have in a keeper league (as potential trading chips), but I prefer to avoid the singletons in a one-and-done league (in part because they usually come after losing financial flexibility in the endgame, something I try to avoid whenever possible).

Let's have a look at my haul and try to make some sense of things. We'll start up the middle, because that's where the key to my team is.

Middle: Aaron Hill $20, Derek Jeter $23, Asdrubal Cabrera $13

Full disclosure: I've got no love affair with Jeter, or the Yankees. I grew up in New England. If Derek Jeter could go 0-for-600 this year and strike out 450 times, it would warm my heart (though I'd be annoyed when they handed him a Gold Glove for nothing). But I keep drafting him this winter, for mock teams and for real teams. This is a tremendous buying opportunity. Career regression is not always linear, especially when we're talking about a Hall of Fame athlete, and the undertow of the Yankees lineup will be very good to his run production, even if he's not an elite hitter again.

Most smart roto players appreciate how scarce the shortstop position is this year in mixed leagues. Have a long look at the shortstop board. It's not pretty. And when you head over to AL-only, it's truly a wasteland. No Hanley. No Tulo. No Reyes. No Rollins. No Drew, no Desmond. Anyone got a cell number for Tanner Boyle?

The $23 on Jeter came fairly early in the auction, before anyone had a reason to panic over the board. Consider some of the prices that came later in the day: Elvis Andrus $27 (maybe you see a logical reason to slot him over Jeter, I certainly don't). J.J. Hardy $15. Alcides Escobar $13. And a bunch of teams put $1 or $2 scrubs into the middle infield, guys who will be lucky to see 300 at-bats.

I was price enforcing on Cabrera but I like him at that number. Hill only needs a mild average bump to make him a $20 player again.

Corner: Billy Butler $27, Alberto Callaspo $4, Felipe Lopez $1

I didn't want to chase the high-end corners (Adrian Gonzalez went for $42, Mark Teixeira $38), and by the time Butler's name came up, he was the only significant commodity left. Callaspo will play enough to be handy in this format, and while Lopez is a lottery ticket on a minor-league deal, he's still young enough to potentially make a comeback. My utility player is Mike Aviles (just $3), and he'll see plenty of time at third base this year (he didn't qualify at short, per the CBS settings).

Outfield: Shin-Soo Choo $34, Coco Crisp 15, Johnny Damon $7, David DeJesus $7, Juan Rivera $2, Mike Aviles $2 (utility)

Choo is the biggest ticket on my club, a quiet five-category man who has hit .300 the last two years. You'd like to see a little more contact with him, but at least his strikeout and walk rates were moving in the right direction last year. If Crisp can do his thing for 110-120 games, I'll make my money back; anything past that, he should be a profit player. DeJesus illustrates the difference between a mixer and an AL-only pool; he's barely worth considering in the full universe, but he could be useful in this group as Oakland's No. 3 hitter. Damon, I just want 450 at-bats and some stat collection. Rivera is a concern, as Toronto is looking to unload him and if he's dealt out of the AL, he's dead in this format.

Catcher: John Jaso $6, Jason Kendall $2.

It's an ugly underbelly, no doubt. Hopefully I've collected enough at-bats at the other positions that the suck here won't hurt me. Maybe Jason can approach what he did last year – Joe Maddon seems to like him – but Kendall is a spotty offensive player when he is healthy, and he's not expected to be back until the middle of the season anyway (I flaked on his status during the draft, didn't realize he was quite as hurt as he is). So it goes. Finding a free-agent catcher won't be easy, with seven bench spots and DL spots gumming up the works.

Pitcher: Jon Lester $29, Dan Haren $25, Joakim Soria $23, Fernando Rodney $8, Rick Porcello $3, Marc Rzepczynski $3, Grant Balfour $2, Hisanori Takahashi $1, Derek Holland $1

I bought the Big Three relatively early in the proceedings, all of them price-enforce purchases. Maybe I was a buck or two favorable on Lester, and maybe I overpaid a buck or two on Haren. I have to sweat out possible trades with Soria, but on skills he's worth the ticket. Most of my nominations past this trio were high-strikeout pitchers who were now out of my budget.

It would have been nice to get a proven third starter or second closer, but I wanted to devote my resources to offense and take more chances with the pitchers. For all of Rodney's fleas, he only needs 10-12 saves before I'll make my money back on him. Porcello is a safe play at his price and offers some upside. Holland's pedigree still sings to me, and a lefty has a better chance of beating that park than a righty does.

Reserve Draft: Kevin Millwood (please sign in the AL), Michael Wuertz, Jason Frasor, Jake Fox, Robinson Tejeda, Ryan Perry, Eric Chavez.

Understand that 276 players are already off the board when we get to this point, AL-only. These names are not supposed to entice you. If I get contributions from 1-2 of the names here, I'll be happy.

(Now is when you hammer my results and tell me how I'd finish 27th in your 12-team hometown league. Have at it. If you want to sneak in some comments about the nuances of AL-only and NL-only formats, or auction strategy, even better. And let's definitely talk about some of the prices for players I didn't purchase.)

----------

Image courtesy Associated Press. 

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/fantasy/blog/roto_arcade/post/Another-day-another-Jeter-scenes-from-an-indus?urn=fantasy-319783

Greg Nemisz Kris Newbury Scott Nichol Rob Niedermayer