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UCI agrees to strip Armstrong's titles

2012-10-22T23:27:00.001-07:00

Updated Oct 22, 2012 11:15 PM ET

GENEVA (AP)

Seven lines of blanks. From 1999 to 2005. There will be no Tour de France winner in the record book for those years.

LATEST ON LANCE

Once the toast of the Champs-Elysees, Lance Armstrong was formally stripped of his seven Tour titles Monday and banned for life for doping.
As far as the Tour is concerned, his victories never happened. He was never on the top step of the podium. The winner's yellow jersey was never on his back.
The decision by the International Cycling Union marked an end to the saga that brought down the most decorated rider in Tour history and exposed widespread cheating in the sport.
''Lance Armstrong has no place in cycling, and he deserves to be forgotten in cycling,'' said Pat McQuaid, president of the governing body. ''Make no mistake, it's a catastrophe for him, and he has to face up to that.''
It's also devastating for Tour de France organizers, who have to carve seven gaping holes from the honor roll of the sport's biggest event and airbrush Armstrong's image from a sun-baked podium on the Champs-Elysees.
No more rides through Paris for the grim-faced cancer survivor bearing the American flag. No champagne. From the sport's perspective, it's all gone.
''We wish that there is no winner for this period,'' Tour director Christian Prudhomme said Monday in Paris. ''For us, very clearly, the titles should remain blank. Effectively, we wish for these years to remain without winners.''

VIDEO: LANCE SPEAKS

Lance Armstrong spoke at a Livestrong event Friday about his "difficult couple of weeks." Watch the video.

Armstrong's fiercely defended reputation as a clean athlete was shattered by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency two weeks ago, when it detailed evidence of drug use and trafficking by his Tour-winning teams. USADA released its report to show why it ordered Armstrong banned from competition back in August. Monday's judgment by the UCI was just the necessary next legal step to formalize the loss of his titles and expel him from the sport.
It also likely will trigger painful financial hits for Armstrong as race organizers and former sponsors line up to reclaim what are now viewed as his ill-gotten rewards, though the cyclist maintains he never doped.
Prudhomme wants Armstrong to pay back prize money from his seven wins, which the French cycling federation tallied at (euro) 2.95 million ($3.85 million). Armstrong also once was awarded $7.5 million plus legal fees from Dallas-based SCA Promotions Inc., which tried to withhold paying a bonus for the rider's 2004 Tour victory after it alleged he doped to win.
The U.S. government could also get involved in a case brought by Floyd Landis, who was key to taking down his illustrious former teammate by turning whistleblower in 2010.
The losses pile up for a man who dedicated himself to victory, over other cyclists and the cancer that almost killed him in 1996.
Neither Armstrong nor his representatives had any comment about Monday's decision, but the rider was defiant in August when he chose not to fight USADA in one of the agency's arbitration hearings. He argued the process was rigged against him.
''I know who won those seven Tours, my teammates know who won those seven Tours, and everyone I competed against knows who won those seven Tours,'' Armstrong said then. ''The toughest event in the world where the strongest man wins. Nobody can ever change that.''

LOOKING BACK

Lance Armstrong's career highlights may be tainted, but they're still worth remembering.

The condemnation by McQuaid, cycling's most senior official, confirmed Armstrong's pariah status, after the UCI had backed him at times in trying to seize control of the doping investigation from USADA.
McQuaid announced that the UCI accepted the sanctions imposed by USADA and would not appeal them to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. His board will meet Friday to discuss going after Armstrong's 2000 Olympic bronze medal and the possibility of setting up a ''Truth and Reconciliation'' commission to air the sport's remaining secrets.
''WADA is encouraged that the UCI feels it can use this case as a catalyst to thoroughly clean up its sport and remove any remaining vestiges of the doping programs that have clearly damaged cycling over the last decade,'' World Anti-Doping Agency President John Fahey said in a release.
The International Olympic Committee said it would study the UCI's response and wait to receive its full decision before possibly taking away Armstrong's medal from the Sydney Games time trial.
''It is good to see that all parties involved in this case are working together to tackle this issue,'' the IOC said.
McQuaid said he was ''sickened'' by some of the evidence detailed by USADA in its 200-page report and hundreds of pages of supporting testimony and documents.
USADA said Armstrong was at the center of ''the most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program that sport has ever seen'' within his U.S. Postal Service and Discovery Channel teams.

CHEAT SHEET

These athletes flouted the rules. Who's in this hall of shame?

The American agency welcomed the decision by UCI.
''Today, the UCI made the right decision in the Lance Armstrong case,'' USADA CEO Travis Tygart said in a statement, which called on cycling to continue to fight doping. ''There are many more details of doping that are hidden, many more doping doctors, and corrupt team directors and the omerta has not yet been fully broken.''
The USADA report said Armstrong and his teams used steroids, the blood booster EPO and blood transfusions. The report included statements from 11 former teammates who testified against Armstrong, including that he pressured them to take banned drugs.
In all, 26 people including 15 riders testified to USADA that Armstrong and his teams used and trafficked banned substances and routinely used blood transfusions. Among the witnesses were loyal sidekick George Hincapie and admitted dopers Landis and Tyler Hamilton.
McQuaid singled out former teammate David Zabriskie, saying: ''The story he told of how he was coerced and to some extent forced into doping is just mind-boggling.''
Armstrong denies doping, saying he passed hundreds of drug tests, as many as 500. UCI conducted 218 tests and there were another 51 by USADA, although they are not the only drug-testing bodies.
''At the moment Lance Armstrong hasn't admitted to anything, yet all the evidence is there in this report that he doped,'' McQuaid said.

FALLS FROM GRACE

Some sports icons were on top of the world until they lost respect with these epic falls from grace.

While drug use allegations have followed the 41-year-old Armstrong throughout much of his career, the USADA report has badly damaged his reputation. Longtime sponsors Nike, Trek Bicycles and Anheuser-Busch dropped him last week, and Armstrong also stepped down as chairman of Livestrong, the cancer awareness charity he founded 15 years ago after surviving testicular cancer that spread to his lungs and brain.
After the UCI decision, another longtime Armstrong sponsor, Oakley sunglasses, cut ties with the rider.
Armstrong's astonishing return from life-threatening illness to the summit of cycling offered an inspirational story that transcended the sport. His downfall has ended ''one of the most sordid chapters in sports history,'' USADA said in its report.

Cutler shakes off injury, Bears beat Lions 13-7

2012-10-22T23:26:00.001-07:00

CHICAGO (AP) -- There was a big gasp going through the stadium as Jay Cutler writhed in pain on the field.

He rose to his feet. The Bears defense rose to the occasion.
Cutler returned after bruising his ribs, and Brian Urlacher made a key fumble recovery to help Chicago beat the Detroit Lions 13-7 on Monday night for its fourth straight win.
It was certainly not an easy night for the NFC North leaders, particularly their quarterback, but they came away with the win after a week off and possibly buried Detroit (2-4) in the process despite getting a major scare along the way.
That happened in the second quarter when Cutler was sacked by Ndamukong Suh and ultimately wound up going to the locker room to have his ribs examined.
''He's a tough guy,'' coach Lovie Smith said. ''Most people thought Jay would get up. Unless it's a broken leg or something like that, he's going to get up. He is a tough guy. ... That was a gutsy effort by him. He was in some pain, but he fought through it.''
Cutler came back to start the second half and was 16 of 31 with 150 yards and a touchdown in the game, and although he said he was feeling ''all right'' afterward, he acknowledged he wasn't at full strength during the game.
''But we had to fight through it,'' he added.
They did just that, and with the defense locking down the Lions, the Bears (5-1) prevailed. It was a huge blow for last-place Detroit, a team many expected to contend for the division championship after making the playoffs for the first time in more than a decade.
''It's tough,'' Lions receiver Calvin Johnson said. ''We had a great week of practice last week and it just didn't translate. It just didn't translate to the field today.''
The Lions simply never got in gear, and when they had chances, they blew them, turning the ball over four times. The biggest came early in the third quarter, when Joique Bell fumbled at the goal line with the Bears leading 13-0.
Urlacher recovered and Chicago hung on from there, sending Detroit to its fourth loss in five games.
Brandon Marshall caught six passes for 81 yards and scored a touchdown on Chicago's first possession. Matt Forte ran for 96 yards, and with the defense doing its part again, Chicago never really was threatened in this one.
It was a rough night for the Lions, with Matthew Stafford going 28 of 46 for 261 yards after leading the late charge in last week's win over Philadelphia. Johnson had trouble shaking the Bears' Charles Tillman and finished with three catches for 34 yards. He dropped a deep pass over the middle on the game's first possession even though he was wide open.
''Calvin is one of the best players in the league,'' Smith said. ''It's hard for Detroit to win games without him being productive. That's why you need a guy like Charles Tillman that can match up on him. It made them go look at other ways to get the ball down field. That's going to lead up to wins most of the time, when we can get that kind of effort out of Charles.''
The Lions lost receiver Nate Burleson for the remainder of the season to a broken right leg in the third quarter on a hit by Tim Jennings after a catch, another blow for a team that's reeling again after pulling out a dramatic win.
''There is a lot of season left,'' Stafford said. ''We got a chance to play back home next week and play a tough Seattle team. It's a short week for us but honestly I'm glad it's a short week. I don't want to be sitting around thinking about this one too much longer.''
There weren't many scares for the Bears, with one big exception. They were leading 10-0 in the second quarter and had just taken over at their 26 when that happened.
Cutler, who had his helmet ripped off on a hit by Suh after a run last year at Soldier Field, got driven to the turf by him on an 8-yard sack. He came up kneeling and holding his head as trainers tended to him, then ran to the sideline.
Jason Campbell came in for one play, but Cutler returned right after that and threw an incomplete pass on third down before Chicago punted. But after Julius Peppers recovered a fumble by Mikel Leshoure to stop a Lions threat, Campbell was behind center while Cutler was having his ribs examined.
Smith insisted the hit on Cutler was not dirty and that Suh was simply ''playing hard, trying to win the game.''
Marshall apparently took issue with the hit even though Smith and Cutler did not, posting on Twitter, ''A Suh. What u did to Jay wasn't cool. Great players don't have to do that.''
Cutler, like Smith, thought it was clean, even though he knew it wasn't going to end well for him once Suh wrapped him up.
When Cutler trotted onto the field to start the second half, some fans cheered.
They were really roaring moments later when Stefan Logan fumbled trying to catch Adam Podlesh's punt. Zack Bowman recovered it for Chicago at the 27, and that led to a 21-yard field goal by Robbie Gould to make it 13-0 after Cutler had two passes broken up with the ball on the 3.
The Lions lost Burleson after a 16-yard catch near midfield on the next possession but drove all the way to the 1 before Bell turned it over. As he lunged over the pile, Henry Melton poked the ball out and Urlacher made the recovery to keep the shutout going. D.J. Moore extended it when he picked off Stafford near the goal line in the closing minutes. The Lions spoiled the shutout when Stafford connected with Ryan Broyles on a 12-yarder with 30 seconds left, but it was another big game from a defense that's been dominating all season.
''We really wanted to make them a little more one dimensional,'' Melton said. ''They still ran the ball a little bit more than we wanted them to, but when it was time to get after the quarterback, we really got after him. When they dropped it off we really got after whoever they dropped it off to.''
Notes: The Bears were in line for their first shutout since they beat Miami 16-0 on Nov. 18, 2010, until Broyles' TD. ... The Lions signed CB Justin Miller and released LB Doug Hogue before the game. ... Detroit had more yards than Chicago - 340 to 296.

ACC suspends three officials, one player

2012-10-22T23:25:00.001-07:00

The Atlantic Coast Conference announced Monday it has handed out one-game suspensions to three game officials and one player.
Crew chief David Epperley was suspended for a game for improperly administering the 10-second runoff rule at the end of the first half of the Florida State game against Miami. The entire crew was issued a letter of reprimand. North Carolina linebacker Shakeel Rashad has been suspended for the game against North Carolina State for a dead-ball hit on Duke's Conner Vernon on Saturday. Two officials working the game, head linesman Tyrone Davis and side judge Angie Bartis, were given one-game suspensions for failure to adhere to rules related to player safety. It was a strange play in which Vernon was lined up at a wide receiver position awaiting the snap, when Rashad, coming onto the field as a defensive replacement, ran into Conner from the side. Rashad later issued an apology.

SPORTS: Sequim defeats Port Townsend in volleyball, close to league title; other prep reports

2012-10-18T01:11:00.002-07:00

Peninsula Daily News

PORT TOWNSEND — Sequim, ranked No. 7 in state, continued along the road to the Olympic League volleyball championship by beating Port Townsend 3-0.

The Wolves, a perfect 6-0 in league standings and 11-1 on the year, defeated the Redskins 25-15, 25-19, 25-11 on Tuesday night.

Sequim has only two regular-season matches left on the year, Bremerton at home tonight for Senior Night, and than at archrival Port Angeles on Tuesday night for the Roughriders’ Senior Night.

Tuesday’s match should be a dandy because the Riders will be fighting for a playoff spot by finishing in the top five in league.

Powerhouse North Kitsap sits solidly in second place with its only loss to Sequim, while it’s a bottleneck below the Vikings with Port Angeles, Olympic, Kingston and Klahowya all tightly battling for third through sixth place.

Win out and the Wolves will host the league tournament on Oct. 27 with the conference’s top four teams.

The No. 4 and 5 squads will have a loser-out playoff match on Oct. 25 with the winner advancing to the league tournament.

The league champion will host the tourney, which is seeding for the West Central District tournament.

Sequim will find out its standing in the state while participating in the Capital Invitational at Capital High School in Olympia on Saturday.

There will be at least two other state-ranked teams at the tourney.

On Tuesday, the Wolves came out uninspired but got better as the match went out to beat the Redskins in three.

“I was hoping we would have been a little more on fire,” Sequim coach Jennie Webber-Heilman said.

On the other hand, Port Townsend put up a good battle.

“Port Townsend has improved a lot,” Webber-Heilman said. “They have only one senior, so they will do better next year.”

Taylor Balkan dominated the backfield while Haleigh Harrison was tops at the net for the Wolves with Balkan earned 33 assistsand Harrison putting down 18 kills.

Balken also served 7 of 8 with two aces, and she had 10 digs.

Harrison had 15 digs in the three games, and also served five aces, four in the final game.

Lex Besand, meanwhile, earned seven kills at the net, and she also had an eight-point serving run in the third game with three aces.

Harrison’s and Besand’s serving in that final game helped the Wolves dominate and end the match early, Webber-Heilman said.

Besand ended up with five aces in the match.

Also, Rylleigh Zbaraschuk had 13 digs for Sequim while Hannah Hudson earned seven digs, five aces, and four perfect passes, and sophomore Emma LeBlanc had 16 digs, two kills and 7 of 7 serving.

Mariah Reidel went a perfect 4 for 4 in serving and had a kill while Caitlin Stofferahn had three blocks and Kate Harker had three kills.

Abby McGuire led the Redskins with 14 digs, and she also had three kills and two assists while teammate Megan Juran earned two kills and two aces.

Other highlights for the Redskins were Baili Shaw with 10 digs, Megan Lee with eight digs, Rio Golden with seven digs and Codi Hallinan with three kills.

Port Angeles 3, North Mason 0

PORT ANGELES — The Roughriders stayed in the hunt for a playoff spot by beating the Bulldogs 25-23, 25-15, 25-13

The Roughriders, 4-3 in the Olympic League and 5-6 overall, must finish in the top five after the dust settles at the end of the regular season Tuesday to advance to the postseason.

Port Angeles concludes the regular season against the top two teams, North Kitsap (5-1 in league) at Poulsbo tonight and at home on Senior Night against Sequim (6-0) on Tuesday night.

Kendra Harvey led the Riders against North Mason with 19 of 20 serving with six aces, and 11 digs and a kill while Madison Hinrichs earned seven kills and 13 digs.

Bailee Jones ended up with seven kills and four digs while Brittany Norberg had six kills, six digs and an ace, and setter Holli William earned 28 assists, four digs, two aces and one kill.

The Port Angeles JV team won 2-1 by the scores of 25-17, 25-15, 21-25.

The Rider C team defeated the Bulldogs 3-0 by the scores of 25-14, 25-6, 25-17.

Girls Soccer
Port Angeles 3, North Mason 2, OT

PORT ANGELES — In a seesaw, back and forth game, it only made sense that the last team to score was going to be the winner — and the Roughriders did just that, earning the Olympic League win in overtime.

“The girls withstood some adversity and showed good heart by working hard to earn the win,” Port Angeles coach Scott Moseley said.

The Riders jumped out to an early lead in the second minute when Shayla Northern found Maddie Boe with a cross that Boe placed into the net.

The Bulldogs equalized at the 15th minute.

Port Angeles took the lead in the 51st minute when Kelsie Balfour scored her first goal of the season on a Boe assist.

Once again though, North Mason drew even, this time with only 6 minutes left.

This set the stage for perhaps the first Golden Goal win in Rider history.

Northern was fouled in the penalty box by a North Mason player, and the referee awarded a penalty kick.

Northern, the team’s designated penalty-kick artist, calmly hit the game winner that earned the Riders a crucial three points as the team fights for a postseason playoff spot.

“I was confident that I could score, but until it actually went in, it was nerve-racking,” Northern said.

Moseley named Boe and Balfour as co-offensive players of the game while Northern took transition player of the game honors and Kylee Jeffers was selected as the defensive player of the game.

The Riders outshot the Bulldogs 20-5 while goalkeeper Hayley Baxley recorded four saves.

The Port Angeles JV team won 2-0.

The Riders next play North Kitsap at Poulsbo tonight.

Port Townsend 1, Sequim 0, SO

PORT TOWNSEND — The two teams battled to 0-0 regulation and overtime scores but the Redskins prevailed 5-4 in a penalty-kick shootout.

Scoring the crucial penalty-kick goals for Port Townsend were Jewel Johnson, Alex Akins, Irina Lyons, Jody Kimmel and Nakaia Millman.

When it came to the overtime penalty kicks, the Redskins were down 3-1 going into the fourth round.

Two magnificent saves from keeper Malia Henderson allowed Port Townsend to draw level, and then in sudden death penalties she made two more great saves before Millman calmly scored the winner in the ninth round.

“We thought the Kingston game was exciting but this was even more so,” Port Townsend coach Colin Foden said.

“In truth, the game should have been decided during regulation time but we seemed unable to capitalize on the numerous openings they created.

“The swiftness of our counter-attacks had Sequim on their heels time and time again, with Jewel Johnson carving through the defense and Irina Lyons taking long-range shots at will.

“Nakaia Millman was majestic in center mid, and the whole defense was superb.

“Almost everyone played, and played well but as a coach my regret was not getting Alethea Westlund into the game on Senior Night.”

Seniors playing their final home game were Akins, Millman, Lyons, Westlund, Kimmel and Bethany Foster.

The Port Townsend JV team wrapped up its season against Sequim on Tuesday night.

“There are some good emerging players in the group, and we also need to show our appreciation for the teams who lent us players so that our JV team could play competitive games,” Foden said.

“Shenoa Snyder and Emily Slough will be joining the varsity squad for the remaining games.”

The Redskins next play tonight in Bremerton against Olympic.

The Redskins are now 3-3-0 in the Olympic League.

The Port Townsend vs. Bremerton game that had been rescheduled for next Wednesday now more likely will be at 7 p.m. on Monday at Memorial Field.

Last modified: October 17. 2012 6:02PM

Goa Govt forms Water Sports Policy

2012-10-18T01:10:00.006-07:00

Panaji, Oct 18:

Goa Government has finally formulated a policy to keep a check on erring water sports operators on its coastline, following a contempt order by the Bombay High Court.

The State Cabinet, which met yesterday evening, passed a ‘policy for regulation of water sports in Goa’, that makes it mandatory for operators of this tourism trade to shut down business by 6.30 PM or before sunset, whichever is earlier.

State Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar said the Policy aims to have concrete and time-bound measures to regulate water sports activity in Goa, with immediate effect.

The Tourism season has already begun in the State with the first chartered flight arriving on Monday.

The High Court, after passing an interim order in May had directed the State Government to regulate water sports.

The court had issued contempt notice on August 31 when the Government failed to comply with the directions.

The water sports policy, which was approved by the State Cabinet yesterday, has a provision to allow the activity only at designated places and not scattered everywhere.

The Tourism Department, in coordination with the Captain of Ports Department, will identify specific areas from where water sports operators will operate their equipment, as per the safety standards prescribed.

Government will also set up ticket kiosks which will dispense tickets and ensure collection of fees at one point.

“The kiosks will also double up as Police counters and information points for the tourists,” the Policy mentions.

Any water sports operator, who is found to be violating the system or operating the water sports equipment in unauthorised area shall be treated as nuisance under The Goa Tourist Places (Protection and Maintenance) Act, 2001, and the violators shall be prosecuted under section 10 of the Act, according to the Policy.

It also ensures that the State Government has absolute right over the water sports activities carried out over various water bodies within the jurisdiction of the state, including the inland waterway dam reservoirs, lakes, rivers, ponds and coastal waters.

Sports Digest | Timberwolves' Kevin Love breaks hand, out 6-8 weeks

2012-10-18T01:10:00.001-07:00

BASKETBALL
MINNEAPOLIS – Minnesota Timberwolves star Kevin Love will miss the next six to eight weeks after breaking his right hand in a workout on Wednesday. Love is a two-time All-Star who led the team in scoring and rebounding last season.

Charles, Catchings lead All-WNBA squad

NEW YORK – Connecticut’s Tina Charles was the leading vote-getter for the All-WNBA team, and Indiana’s Tamika Catchings earned her seventh first-team selection.
Joining Charles and Catchings on the first team were the Sparks’ Candace Parker, New York’s Cappie Pondexter and Minnesota’s Seimone Augustus.

Kings pick up options on Cousins, Fredette

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The Sacramento Kings exercised the 2013-14 contract options of center DeMarcus Cousins and guard Jimmer Fredette.
Former Kentucky star Cousins is entering his third NBA season after being the fifth pick in the NBA Draft in 2010. He averaged 18.1 points and a team-high 11.0 rebounds per game last season.

NC State picked as ACC favorite at media day

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – North Carolina State is the preseason favorite to win the ACC championship.
The Wolfpack, with four starters back from a team that reached the NCAA round of 16, earned 26 of 53 first-place votes from media members at the league’s annual “Operation Basketball” media day. It is the first time N.C. State has been picked as the preseason favorite since the 1974-75 season.
Duke was second with 21 first-place votes, while North Carolina was third.
Football

Hearing set in Arkansas coach's bankruptcy

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – A new hearing has been set for next month in Arkansas football coach John L. Smith’s $40.7 million bankruptcy filing.
The Nov. 14 hearing is to discuss a request by bankruptcy trustee John Lee to add special legal counsel. Smith filed for Chapter 7 liquidation of his debts on Sept. 6.

Former Ark. players sentenced for burglary

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Former Arkansas football players Marquel Wade and Andrew Peterson have been sentenced to six months in jail and five years’ probation for their roles in on-campus burglaries.
Wade and Peterson each pleaded guilty Wednesday to one count of residential burglary in Washington County Circuit Court.

Spurrier might bench DT for throwing punch

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier says he’ll discipline defensive tackle Kelcy Quarles for punching a player at LSU last week. Spurrier said the discipline would probably involve missing game time. A video on YouTube shows Quarles punching LSU center P.J. Lonergan in the facemask after a first-quarter play in the Tigers’ 23-21 victory.
• Notre Dame: Quarterback Everett Golson has been cleared by doctors to practice after he sustained a concussion in the Stanford game.
BASEBALL

'The Walking Man' dies

BOSTON – Eddie Yost, nicknamed “The Walking Man” because of his penchant for drawing bases on balls during an 18-year major league career, died Tuesday morning in Weston, Mass. He was 86.
• Blue Jays: Toronto claimed Marlins outfielder Scott Cousins and Yankees pitcher Cory Wade, a Kentucky Wesleyan product, off waivers.
• Brewers: Milwaukee said veteran reliever Livan Hernandez and catcher Yorvit Torrealba have become free agents after refusing outright assignments to the minor leagues.

Latest Pennsylvania news, sports, business and entertainment

2012-10-18T01:09:00.002-07:00

By: | Associated Press
Published: October 18, 2012

» Comments | Post a Comment

PENN STATE-ABUSE
Pa. House Dems asks feds to review Sandusky probe
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) Democratic leaders in the Pennsylvania House are asking the U.S. Justice Department to look into how the investigation of Jerry Sandusky was handled by the state attorney general's office.
Rep. Frank Dermody, the floor leader, and Rep. Mike Hanna, the whip, asked Wednesday for "an independent eye" to look into how the child molestation case was investigated.
The letter was sent after House Republicans blocked a similar resolution earlier this week.
The former Penn State assistant coach is serving at least 30 years after a conviction on 45 criminal counts.
The letter notes the case was begun three years before charges were filed. It began while Republican Gov. Tom Corbett was attorney general, but news of the investigation didn't break until a few months after his inauguration early last year.
PENN STATE-ABUSE-LAWSUIT
In lawsuit, man says Sandusky groped him in 2005
UNDATED (AP) A 22-year-old man claims in a new lawsuit that Jerry Sandusky fondled him at a summer camp on the Penn State University campus in 2005.
The plaintiff, called "John Doe" in the lawsuit, says the former Penn State assistant football coach approached him in a swimming pool and grabbed his genitals. He says he backed away and left the camp.
The lawsuit was filed Monday in federal court in Scranton. The defendants include Sandusky; his charity for troubled youths; Penn State; and former university officials.
Victims or accusers in the child sexual abuse scandal have filed at least four other lawsuits seeking monetary damages. Penn State has said it wants to settle the claims.
Sandusky was sentenced last week to at least 30 years in prison for sexually assaulting 10 boys.
STATE UNIVERSITIES-FACULTY
Pa. university faculty take 1st step toward strike
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) The union representing faculty at Pennsylvania's 14 state-owned universities is taking the first step toward a possible strike.
Union officials say delegates from each campus will meet Saturday in State College for a strike authorization vote.
The move was announced amid stalled contract negotiations. On Monday, state higher education officials declined the union's offer for binding arbitration.
The two sides disagree on pay for temporary faculty, health care and retiree benefits. The union's last contract expired in June 2011.
The Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties represent more than 6,000 faculty and coaches.
The union's general membership also must vote to authorize a strike before one can be called. That vote has not been scheduled.
The universities serve about 120,000 students. There has never been a faculty strike.
TAX DIVERSIONS
Corbett gets bill to let firms keep payroll taxes
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) An income tax incentive to encourage companies to hire in Pennsylvania is on its way to Gov. Tom Corbett's desk following passage in both chambers of the Legislature.
The House voted 111-to-80 late Wednesday in favor of the Promote Employment Across Pennsylvania program, which would let employers retain state income tax money related to new hires.
Corbett's office says he's not sure if he'll sign the measure, which was passed about six weeks after it was first introduced.
The Senate vote earlier in the day was 33 to 16.
SEXTING-MINORS
Lawmakers send Corbett bill on juvenile sexting
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) A bill that creates criminal penalties for minors who transmit nude or sexually explicit images of themselves or other youths is on its way to the governor.
The House and Senate both voted overwhelmingly Wednesday in favor of the measure.
It's designed to punish kids who are 17 or younger for the practice known as sexting. It would impose or a summary offense or a misdemeanor, depending on the facts.
Minors charged under the law could be referred to a diversionary program and potentially get their records expunged.
PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Lawmakers wrap without charter schools bill
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) A closely watched proposal to rewrite Pennsylvania's charter school law appears dead for the time being.
The House of Representatives wrapped up voting Wednesday without a final vote on a bill to toughen oversight of the publicly funded, privately run schools.
The Senate approved the measure Tuesday, but House Speaker Sam Smith says there wasn't enough time to deal with the complicated bill, and funding was a sticking point. Neither chamber plans votes on any blils before the session ends Nov. 30.
The bill would subject school officials to tougher ethics rules, limit how much surplus cash the schools could keep and require annual audits and performance standards.
Improving conditions for charter schools to operate is a key goal of Gov. Tom Corbett, and he supports the bill.
LAWMAKER VIDEO
Pa. House member calls video 'personal attack'
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) A Pennsylvania state representative from the Hazleton area says she's one of the people in a newly posted YouTube video that shows young women in a room with a bong and what appears to be marijuana.
But Rep. Tarah Toohil said in a statement Wednesday that the images in the "Pizza Party" video are more than a decade old. She said "I am not that young woman today."
She called the video "a blatant and personal attack" intended to "degrade me for photos taken many years ago."
Toohil says she's speaking out to tell young people that drugs are not OK and to warn them to be careful in making choices.
The Luzerne County Republican, a lawyer, is finishing her first term after upsetting Democrat Todd Eachus two years ago.
APARTMENT FALL
PSU cheerleader still critical after apt. fall
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) A Penn State cheerleader who fell from a fifth-floor window at an off-campus apartment building remained in critical condition Wednesday.
A friend of the family of Paige Raque (rah-KAY'), said the 19-year-old student showed less movement compared to Tuesday, when Raque opened her eyes. According to Randy Jepson, doctors have said that's normal for someone recovering from such traumatic head and pelvic injuries.
Jepson is head coach of the Penn State men's gymnastics team. Raque's brother, Parker is the team captain.
Police have said Raque, of Louisville, Ky., fell about 39 feet through a screen and out the window on to pavement during a party Saturday night. She was flown to Altoona Regional Health System.
Authorities have said the fall appears to be accidental, though an investigation is continuing.
TEACHER-STUDENT SEX
Ex-Pa. teacher gets 20 to 40 years in sex case
(Information in the following story is from: Intelligencer Journal/Lancaster New Era , http://lancasteronline.com)
LANCASTER, Pa. (AP) A former central Pennsylvania teacher has been sentenced to 20 to 40 years in prison on convictions related to sexual relationships with two teenagers, including one from the school where she worked.
Thirty-four-year-old former McCaskey High School teacher Christy Lee Smith was convicted in Lancaster County of 18 of 22 counts involving relationships with teens between 2008 and 2010.
Prosecutors said one teen met Smith through school, the other through a dance class.
The (Lancaster) Intelligencer Journal/Lancaster New Era says Judge Dennis Reinaker said Wednesday that Smith was a good teacher but "proved incapable of knowing where to draw the line" with students.
Smith declined comment in court. Defense attorney Merrill Spahn said she didn't agree with the verdict and asked the judge to consider her good works.
BEAVER FALLS SHOOTING
Man gets 10 to 20 years in Xmas Eve Pa. slaying
(Information in the following story is from: Beaver County Times, http://www.timesonline.com/)
BEAVER, Pa. (AP) A western Pennsylvania man has been sentenced to 10 to 20 years in state prison for a slaying in a bar early on the day of Christmas Eve.
Thirty-one-year-old Lamont North of Beaver Falls was convicted in August of third-degree murder and reckless endangerment in the Dec. 24 shooting death of 20-year-old Mark Waldron in a Beaver Falls bar. He was acquitted of first-degree murder.
The Beaver County Times says North apologized in court Wednesday to Waldron's family, saying "I pray for you more than I pray for myself."
North testified that three armed men had burst into his apartment Dec. 19 and fired two shots. In the bar, he said, Waldron told him "Next time, I won't miss." No one has been charged in the home invasion.
STABBING DEATH
Defense wants evidence tossed in Pa. murder trial
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) The attorney representing a man accused of having stabbed a man to death in an argument over about $20 worth of marijuana earlier this year is trying to get some of the evidence tossed out before his client's trial.
Twenty-one-year-old Tyler Marlatt of State College is charged in Centre County with first-, second- and third-degree murder as well as robbery and aggravated assault in the Jan. 16 slaying of slaying of 20-year-old Tyler Struble in Lemont.
Defense attorney Ed Blanik says his client acted in self-defense. He said in motions filed Monday that marijuana found in his client's apartment and text messages from his girlfriend should be excluded because they could prejudice jurors.
The trial is scheduled to start Nov. 5.

Nike Womens Dunk High Premium in Metallic Snakeskin

2012-08-18T01:44:00.000-07:00

Nike amazes us with another unique pair of sneaker but unfortunately, this new pair is only exclusive for women enthusiasts. This new Sneaker is known as as Womens Nike Dunk High Premium Metallic Silver Snakeskin that they are presenting in striking colorway and unique combination of materials.This new Womens Nike Dunk High Premium in Metallic Silver Snakeskin is without a doubt the most attractive Dunk which was created for women. This sneaker consists having a snakeskin material in metallic silver found on the front area, shoelace area, as well as on the rear area. This metallic snakeskin is also combined with a fabric material highlighted in gray found on the collar and on along side it panels.Apart from these, its upper is also made up of leather located on the perforated toe box highlighted in gray, as well as on the Nike swoosh in blue. This sneaker includes a gray textile tongue with accents of blue Nike branding on the top. This pair includes light blue accent found on the shoelaces and is carried out with a white midsole and grey outsole.This Womens Dunk High Premium in Metallic Snakeskin has just reached selected Nike outlets an internet-based stores consider getting them now before they ran sold-out.Info/Image: Shoes. Mens & Womens Shoes by Jordan ,wholesale jordans shoes, DC & Vans Shoes

Inov-8 330 Mudclaw Review

2012-08-17T01:17:00.002-07:00

Click the link to view the Inov-8 330 MudclawAnyone whose read my earlier posts knows that I'm an Inov-8 convert.I have been using their trail shoes for several years and recently tried and liked their lightest race shoe the 212 X-Talon.As the trails recently be a tad around the slippy side I needed to locate something after some more grip than my Adidas Kanadia trail shoes. The X-Talon's have fantastic grip but they offer very little support so whilst they're ideal for racing they are not that good for churning out the miles in training.I've never been a big fan of Inov-8′s fell shoe styling (212 excepted) but recent changes for their colourways plus some subtle changes to the uppers have, in my opinion, improved the range considerably.?We all know that exactly what a fell shoe looks like shouldn't matter a hoot?but we are all aware it does and how things look can have a big effect, even when it's?all in the mind.When searching for a grippy trail shoe the 330 caught my attention and whilst I understand it's designed to be considered a fell racer the upper?does look more like a trail shoe.These shoes do feel slightly larger than the same sized 212 but I guess that's to become expected because the 212 should be a tight fitting stripped down racer.Following a obligatory walk around the house for a day, my first run?within the 330s would be a 90 minute trot around Baildon Moor and the very first thing you notice is the massive levels of traction that the heavily studded sole supplies. The shoes really inspire confidence in muddy conditions and certainly live up to their name.The shoes are extremely comfy and although nice and little as a great off-road shoe ought to be, they offer descent cushioning from the midsole and also a noticable amount of welcome'bounce' in the studs on hard surfaces.The heel is very low, a feature of Inov-8 shoes that we still don't fully understand, and initially?I could feel a little movement when climbing steep wholesale jordans shoes ground. This has basically?disappeared now?the shoes have been?wet and dried several times and started to mould to my feet but I would rather a greater heel to ensure the movement isn't there to begin with.Another issue is the shoe's capability to handle wet rock-put simply, they don't! Knowing this you'll be able to?use them very effectively but the first couple of times you attempt them on a wet, hard, cambered surface the results can be very un-nerving. What I learn about shoe design / manufacture you can write around the back of a small stamp but I want to have experienced two lines of studs running across the length of the sole unit which were produced from super soft sticky rubber.For those who have a relatively efficient style and keep light on your feet these shoes can be used for almost anything from hard packed trails towards the high fells however i think they'll really come into their very own on long-distance fell races where comfort, support?and grip are needed.I've now done around 15 hours within the shoes and overall I like them very much and would gladly recommend them. If? you try before you buy to make sure you obtain the right size and become aware of their dislike of wet rock, you'll not go far wrong.Click the link to see the Inov-8 330 Mudclaw

Nike Air Max LeBron VII P.S. Midnight Navy

2012-08-16T00:48:00.001-07:00

We have been showing you Nike Air Max LeBron VII like there's no tomorrow, and here we have the newest edition of the kicks set to be used this post season, hence the Nike Air Max LeBron VII P.S. Midnight Navy name. These are not your typical LeBron VII, some major details happen to be changed, but somehow, that could be the best thing. I'm only saying this because I think the post season edition from the LeBron VII should be cheap jordan different than the regular editions, and not simply in the color scheme.How do I begin describing this one, well top of the remains nearly as good as the regular LeBron VII, using a white base, Navy side panels, with a mixture of red and white flywire. This combination of red, navy, and white is seen through the remaining shoe, used in the white tongue, with red and navy accents, a white Nike Swoosh with a red out line, and in the LB23 lower side pin. The differences begin to be viewed inside a changed heel tab, a quilted inner lining and collar area, and in the Lion logo added to the inner side panel. The large difference though, is available in the Air Max aspect, only this time, it's gone. Stay tuned for just about any updates along with other colorways.Info/

The NBC Sports Network Hopes Ratings Will Rise

2012-08-15T18:53:00.005-07:00

In past lives, it was called the Outdoor Life Channel, OLN and Versus. But by any name, the NBC Sports Network has been a blip in a universe dominated by ESPN.

Enlarge This Image

Robert Caplin for The New York Times

Mark Lazarus, chairman of the NBC Sports Group.

Sometimes consigned to the upper reaches of the cable listings, the network usually churns along with a low profile and modest viewership. During the London Olympic Games, however, it was temporarily transformed.

With about 14 hours of Olympic programming each day, primarily of team sports, the number of viewers swelled sixfold, to 977,000 a day, compared with the four weeks before the Games. That was an increase of 26 percent over the same period last year, providing a 17-day tonic to the ratings as special as the one CNN gets on election nights.

The idea was to enable viewers to see NBCSN as a viable sports channel, perhaps for the first time. In past Olympics, NBC Universal farmed out team sports to USA Network.

Among all cable networks, NBCSN leapt to fifth in viewership, and it was No. 1 with viewers 18 to 49 and 25 to 54. The most-watched event was the United States women’s gold medal-winning soccer match, which drew nearly 4.4 million viewers — more than the network has drawn for any event, including the Stanley Cup Final, in its 17-year existence under various owners.

“This has exceeded all our predictions,” Jon Miller, president of the NBC Sports Network, said last week from London. “There’s a great euphoria with the success these Olympics have generated.”

Now what? The Olympics are gone until the Winter Games from Sochi, Russia, in 2014. The network returns to reality, meaning a regular schedule that has experienced reduced prime-time viewership in 2012 compared with last year.

Part of that decrease is because of the overhaul the network began earlier this year, when its parent, the NBC Sports Group, renamed it and added new programming, like a monthly prime-time interview show with Bob Costas; a daily early evening show called NBC Sports Talk; and sports like Major League Soccer. They join existing content like the National Hockey League, motor racing, cycling, college football, boxing, horse racing, and hunting and fishing.

On Monday, the network added a weekday morning show, “The ‘Lights,” that disdains anchor banter for an unseen male voice narrating highlights on a 20-minute loop. The show begins at 7 a.m. Eastern and is repeated five times in succession until 9 a.m. Another show, called “Caught Looking,” was scheduled to start Wednesday night. A collaboration with Major League Baseball Productions, the show will take a behind-the-scenes look at a specific weekend series through the rest of the baseball season.

Last month, it added a monthly magazine series — similar to “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel” on HBO and “E:60” on ESPN — in partnership with Sports Illustrated.

But most of the new additions are studio shows and not the live-action sports that NBC Sports Network so desperately needs. There remain enormous gaps in its schedule. There are no Major League Baseball, National Football League or National Basketball Association games. There is no college football from major conferences. There are no Nascar races, only those from the lower-rated IndyCar series.

And there are no defining personalities among the channel’s regular hosts and game announcers.

It is no surprise, then, that it charges cable, satellite and telephone companies an average monthly fee of 31 cents a subscriber compared with ESPN’s $5.13, according to SNL Kagan. Depending on the time of year, NBCSN’s prime-time viewership is about one-tenth to one-quarter of ESPN’s.

“We all know this is a five-year plan to make it a bigger sports network,” Mark Lazarus, chairman of the NBC Sports Group, said on Sunday. “No one here believes, ‘You did the Olympics, now we expect your ratings to go up 20 percent.’ I’m hoping we get more people to sample the network.”

Mr. Lazarus has consistently kept his public expectations low and declines to speak about directly challenging ESPN. He recognizes that Olympic success is not enough to push subscriber fees higher or to justify rewriting existing contracts with cable, satellite and affiliates. NBCSN needs a stronger slate of more prominent sports to attract consistent audiences, especially males, from season to season.

Comcast, which owns NBC Universal, spent $4.38 billion to acquire the four Olympics from 2014 to 2020, but it will have to look seriously at buying some or all of the sports whose rights will soon be up for bids — Major League Baseball, Nascar or the Big East conference, each of which would be carried on NBC’s broadcast and cable networks.

Mr. Lazarus would alter his channel’s economics drastically if he could acquire a slate of eight Thursday night games from the N.F.L. But the league, which carries one Thursday slate on its own NFL Network, has not decided to sell another.

“The idea is that if they can get these blockbuster events, they at least have the leverage to get higher carriage fees,” said Brad Adgate, senior vice president of research at Horizon Media.

Peter Liguori, the former chairman of Fox Entertainment who also ran the FX cable channel, said the Olympics got NBCSN on “people’s mental menus.” Now, he said, in addition to aggressively pursuing more sports rights, the channel “has to give an audience something to talk about and do certain things that ESPN doesn’t, either in production techniques or announcers.”

He said the network needed breakthrough programming to attract viewers, as “The Shield” did for FX and as HBO has done with “Hard Knocks,” which focuses on a single N.F.L. team in training camp.

“If you get one thing to really stand out,” he said, “you break down the barriers of habit.”

Red Sox boss says no players asked for new skipper

2012-08-15T18:53:00.000-07:00

BOSTON (AP) -- None of the Boston Red Sox players in a series of meetings with the team's top brass called for manager Bobby Valentine to be replaced, owner John Henry said Wednesday.

Henry issued a statement one day after Yahoo! Sports reported that several players met with him and team president Larry Lucchino in New York on July 27 to complain about Valentine's handling of the team. Chairman Tom Werner was also at the meeting.
Henry said he called the meeting, and it ''quickly went to the point - what do we need to do to turn things around?''
''No one in that meeting at any time took the position that Bobby should be or needed to be replaced,'' Henry wrote.
Henry said players took responsibility for the team's performance; the Red Sox were 57-60, 12 1/2 games out of first place in the AL East, heading into Wednesday night's game in Baltimore against the Orioles.
''They weren't blaming injuries or anyone but themselves,'' Henry wrote. ''At the same time they openly spoke about what could improve in addition to their play. They made substantive points. We addressed those points.''
Valentine also declined to point fingers.
''Personally, I think we're in it together,'' he said. ''I think we're going to get hot.''
Henry said he called a similar meeting ''about this time eight years ago,'' a reference to the 2004 season in which the Red Sox won the World Series for first time in 86 years. This time, the meeting was divided up into three parts, Henry said, ''separating groups so as to have frank discussions about what was wrong.''
Henry also complained in his statement about the details of the meeting going public.
''I understand that when the team isn't playing up to our standards that issues are going to be sensationalized,'' he wrote. ''But what is important for Red Sox fans to know is that ownership, players and all staff especially Bobby Valentine are determined to turn around what has thus far been an unacceptable, failed season. We are all on the same page in that regard and will not waver.''
Valentine also said he regretted that details had gone public, but he said that the controversy hasn't weighed on him.
''If we were 10 games over .500 and in first place, he wouldn't have to make any statements,'' the manager said.
Valentine was hired last offseason to replace Terry Francona, who was let go after the team went 7-20 in September to blow what had seemed like a certain playoff berth. Valentine said he wanted to change the culture of a clubhouse where players ate fried chicken and drank beer during games, rather than sitting in the dugout to support their teammates.
Red Sox pitcher Clay Buchholz defended the manager.
''He does his job,'' Buchholz said. ''When something goes wrong, somebody has to be blamed for it and it's usually us. ... He's doing a good job. It's a game, man, it doesn't always work.''
Valentine said he planned to be back in 2013.
''And '14 and '15,'' he said. ''That's what I'm hoping.''
---
AP Sports Writer David Ginsburg contributed to this story from Baltimore.

‘NBA 2K13′ will include the Dream Team* and Team USA 2012, allow for debate-settlin’

2012-08-15T18:52:00.001-07:00

Well, this is a neat little surprise.
Remember how for a little while there, folks were batting around the question of whether the 2012 edition of Team USA — led by present-day superstars LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant and Chris Paul — could have beaten the 1992 version popularly referred to as "The Dream Team," which featured legends Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, and is widely considered the greatest team ever assembled in any sport? Well, in case you were under a rock for a couple of weeks (or got on Billy King's scotch plan to "Eternal Sunshine" the memories away), let's catch you up:
The discussion started when a reporter asked Kobe at a pre-London workout how he thought the 2012 squad would fare against the Dream Team. Kobe, unsurprisingly, said he thought his team would "pull it out," citing superior speed, scoring and wing depth. This, naturally, led to a slew of Dream Teamers, including the famously shy Charles Barkley, disputing Bryant's claim. Hoops fans all over the world, including President Barack Obama, shared their opinions on the topic, with most falling on the side of the '92 squad, which smashed its opponents by an average margin of 43.8 points per game en route to gold in Barcelona, compared to the crummy lil' 32-point average posted by 20-Doz during their 8-0 run in London.
[ Y! Sports Minute: Coach fuels Jordan-James debate ]
While chatter on the matter has largely subsided in the wake of another U.S. gold-medal win at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Wednesday has brought us a new fuel-for-the-fire nugget: "NBA 2K13" — the forthcoming annual update to the wildly successful basketball video-game series from 2K Sports, which will feature Blake Griffin, Kevin Durant and Derrick Rose on its cover and is being "executive produced" by Brooklyn Nets minority owner/hip-hop legend Jay-Z — will include both the Dream Team and the 2012 squad, enabling players to get their "Rocky Balboa" on and simulate the result for themselves (or choose their side and influence the outcome on their own, if they want to be non-scientific about it).
2K Sports shared a promotional image of the Dream Team lined up and ready to go on its Twitter account on Wednesday morning, dovetailing nicely with a story from SI.com's Sam Amick in which Jordan (as part of the 2K team announcing USA Basketball's involvement in this year's game) reiterated that he doesn't think "we would've had any problems with [2012], as much as they think they probably would've given us a lot more difficulties." Promotional synergy, y'all!

The sharper cookies among you noticed that asterisk in the subject line and might be wondering what's up. Well, the whole Dream Team isn't represented in "2K13" — Scottie Pippen won't be included on the '92 roster, because he couldn't come to terms with the game's makers, according to multiple reports. (That's especially weird considering he was one of the all-time legends available for selection in the 2012 model of the game; you'd figure there must be some relationship in place there. But apparently, not enough to get this deal done.)
That's a bummer, both because it'd be nice to have the whole gang together and because Pippen was an integral on-court part of the Dream Team — remember, he led the team in assists, trailed only Jordan in steals and gave many European players fits on the defensive end in Barcelona. Luckily, I'm sure that as soon as the game drops on Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2012, about 300 enterprising fans will upload step-by-step tutorials on how to create your own Scottie Pippen to YouTube. They're helpful like that.
The absence of Pippen puts "NBA 2K13" at a significant disadvantage in its quest to be a better video game than the Sega Genesis classic "Team USA Basketball." Will the gameplay, graphics and music be superior? Only time will tell:

Deadly Defoe sinks Azzurri

2012-08-15T18:50:00.003-07:00

Daniel De Rossi opened the scoring in a contest between two sides that last met just over seven weeks ago in the quarter-finals of Euro 2012, before Phil Jagielka levelled.
Italy prevailed on penalties at the European Championship and started brightly on Wednesday as De Rossi met an Alessandro Diamanti corner with a powerful header after 15 minutes.
England's equaliser came from a similar source, with Frank Lampard swinging over a set-piece for Jagielka to stoop and glance into the bottom corner.
Roy Hodgson took the opportunity to cast an eye over a number of debutants and players of promise, but it was the tried and tested Defoe who fired a 79th-minute winner from the edge of the box.

Atmosphere

Fifty-two days since that shattering quarter-final shoot-out defeat in Kiev, the atmosphere could not have been more different.
A 30,000-capacity stadium in Switzerland that was barely half full for a game few had any appetite for.
Yet, with only Ashley Young surviving from the team that started that last eight defeat, so many had a point to prove.
Three would have gone to the finals but for injury, Michael Carrick made himself unavailable, Tom Cleverley never had a chance to prove his worth and four were in Poland and Ukraine but had only a peripheral role.
Amongst them was Jack Butland.
The Birmingham keeper has had an amazing summer.
League Two with Cheltenham, to third choice England keeper, Olympics and now this.
Indeed, when Hodgson's squad was announced on Friday, the intention had been to send Butland back to Birmingham on Tuesday so he could feature in their Capital One Cup victory over Barnet.

Momentous

Joe Hart's back injury changed those plans and after giving it some thought overnight, Hodgson plumped for Butland ahead of John Ruddy, his other goalkeeper, who was also hoping to make his first appearance.
At 19 years and 158 days, it meant he became England's youngest keeper, beating the record of Billy Moon, who was 19 and 222 days when he played against Wales at Crewe in February 1888.
Not that Butland would have enjoyed the opening stages of his momentous night as Italy quickly gained the initiative.
Cesare Prandelli had named an equally experimental squad but it was one of his Euro 2012 stalwarts, De Rossi, who did the damage, rising to meet Diamanti's corner and power it in.
Things got better for Butland after that, with the teenager producing a couple of decent saves and commanding his penalty area in a manner that suggested in a few years he will be a genuine challenger for Hart.
Indeed, England improved as a whole, with Carrick and Cleverley starting to get to grips with their roles in a three-man midfield, a new innovation for Hodgson since he succeeded Fabio Capello in May.
Adam Johnson also sparkled, although the equaliser arrived from an unlikely source just before the half hour when Jagielka's diving header found the bottom corner.
It was the Everton man's first international goal, which skipper Lampard nearly built on when he curled a free-kick inches over.

Superb

Although he had happier things to occupy his mind this evening, Sir Alex Ferguson would not have been too impressed to see Davide Astori go straight through the back of Ashley Young, which led to a few choice words to the referee from the Manchester United winger.
Butland and Andy Carroll were replaced at the break, which gave Ruddy his chance.
And he could not do much more than get down brilliantly to turn away Mattia Destro's shot on the turn that was heading for the bottom corner.
Antonio Nocerino slid a superb pass through to Federico Peluso, who drove his shot into the side-netting.
Kyle Walker was at fault on both occasions, proving the Tottenham youngster is not quite the finished article even though he was last season's PFA Young Player of the Year.
Gary Cahill has a happy knack of scoring for England and thought he had another when he drove home from a corner, only for the goal to be ruled out for an infringement by Joleon Lescott.
Jake Livermore became England's fourth debutant when he replaced Lampard midway through the second-half, a move which saw Carrick inherit the captaincy, and Ryan Bertrand completed the quintet of rookies.
And, after Ruddy produced another sparkling save to deny Marco Verratti, Defoe's shot exposed some sloppy keeping by Salvatore Sirigu to seal victory to ensure it was a night to remember for them all.

New Big East boss says league is 'united'

2012-08-15T18:48:00.002-07:00

NEW YORK (AP) -- New Big East Commissioner Mike Aresco wants to create a conference that gives its members no reason to leave.

Aresco held his first news conference Wednesday since being hired by the Big East. He was joined at the New York Athletic Club by University of Cincinnati President Greg Williams, the head of the league's search committee.
The Big East was gutted during the last round of conference realignment, losing three longtime members (Syracuse, West Virginia and Pittsburgh) and a member-to-be (TCU). It has reconstructed itself as a national football conference that will span four time zones starting next season.
''I think you approach realignment with the idea that you strengthen your conference,'' said Aresco, who is leaving his job as an executive vice president with CBS Sports to take over the Big East in early September. ''You make it a place people want to be. You make it a place where people who have left would rather have been back there. You make sure that there is a consensus among the schools.''
Aresco said he believes the rebuilding league is stable.
''I would not have taken this job if I did not feel that this was a cohesive conference that was committed to each other,'' Aresco said. ''What I want to do is make sure I'm a good communicator. I think it's very, very important to make everyone feel welcome. To understand everyone's concerns. You have a disparate group of schools but they share a common goal. They want to make this work.''
The Big East also has an expansive basketball league that includes eight members that don't participate in the football conference, including Notre Dame.
Balancing the desires of the basketball schools with the football schools has always been tricky for the Big East and now it's bringing in schools such as Boise State and San Diego State for football only with no regional ties to the current members.
''I think we have a football conference that's going to be extremely successful. We already have the most successful basketball conference in the country,'' Aresco said. ''There already is stability and it's my job to guide them to an even brighter future.''
Aresco is a Connecticut native who grew up with the Big East Conference, which started as a northeast basketball league, expanded to football in the early 1990s and is now in the process of its second major makeover.
The Big East is also about to enter into negotiations for a new television contract, one that will likely decide whether the conference does have future.
Football drives the value of a conference and right now Big East football has been downgraded. The Big East has held a lucrative automatic bid to the Bowl Championship Series, but that system is being replaced by a playoff, starting in 2014.
The Big East will no longer draw postseason revenues equivalent to the Big Ten, Southeastern Conference, Big 12, Pac-12 and Atlantic Coast Conference, but it is still hoping to land a television deal worth upward of a billion dollars.
''I'm not daunted,'' Aresco said. ''We have to tell the story. We have to talk about the Big East's strengths. They're there and they're quite significant and substantial.
''I believe this conference has always had the ability to reinvent itself and become stronger. It's had to do that a few times and it's going to do it this time.''
Online: http://bigstory.ap.org/NFL-Pro32 and http://twitter.com/AP-NFL

Nike Dunk High Fight Club x YoaKustoms

2012-08-15T01:10:00.004-07:00

Just want to purchase a pair of Nike Dunk High Fight Club x YoaKustoms at this time? Nike Dunk High Fight Club x YoaKustoms.The following Nike Dunk High edition is not a group effort but a custom web design made by YoaKustoms. YoaKustoms is among the greatest sneaker customizers that offer different shoe brands re-done and re-designed through colorful graphic images. Among YoaKustoms' popular works would be the Padraig harrington "JUST DID IT"Supra, Lafeyette Dunk Hi, Sket One Bacon Pack PINK Edition, BAD Hatter Dunk Hi, and many more. YoaKustoms like to paint the entire upper from the sneaker from the visible reason for inspiration. For instance, in creating the Padraig harrington custom sneaker, the golf ball can be used as lace lock with Woods image appearing around the outer side panel. For its next mission, this sneaker customizer desires to convey your dream Club concept. This 1996 novel by Chuck Palahniuk follows the experiences of an unnamed protagonist struggling with insomnia.YoaKustoms dressed up this set of Nike Dunk Highs with different patterns, where one shoe features the mysterious man in the movie, Tyler Durden, while the other shoe has a mugshot of Edward Nortona?s unnamed narrator character. Each of the shoes comes in different colors, the first is black and the other is white, with FIGHT CLUB caption and blood splatter appearing on each inner side panel. Red inner lining, tongue, and outer sole happen to be utilized.Thanks to YoaKustoms for an additional great contribution.[image via ToaKustoms]Purchase your own pair of Nike Dunk High Fight Club x YoaKustoms right now!cheap jordan

Jordan Men's Retro Dub Zero Basketball Shoe

2012-08-14T00:31:00.003-07:00

I cheap jordan love this-Nike does a job very retro shoes release and re-release current shoe Basketball Retro Jordan Dub Zero is fantastic.Developed by Brand Jordan like a tribute to the legendary designer Tinker Hatfield sneaker, the environment Jordan Dub Zero was originally released in 2005. These footwear are incredibly unique and appealing-and on top of that, they succeed. I love the colours black and red body color and graphite gives the shoe a great balance. The design is very unique and identifiable features of many Air Jordan sneakers. Some elementsinclude: the sole and midsole Air Jordan IV, patent leather Jordans XI, the stem form of the Jordans XIII, and laser engraving from the Air Jordan XX. The Dub Zero can be obtained in several colors and every one of options are highly desired.The retro bubble / pocket Jordan Dub Zero gives a classic and also the "back cover"Dub Zeros gives a glance hip while providing additional support towards the ankle and easy on / off access.I really like them, they have the best shoes and newcomers all the time the way in which his shoes go.all thirteen are 1000% authentic as you have to bother with Nothung. Ill buy from them again this isn't my last!

Wiggins eschews hero's welcome

2012-07-25T02:25:00.003-07:00

Britain's Bradley Wiggins, wrapped in a national flag, celebrates during his parade at the end of the 120km last stage of the 2012 Tour de France cycling race at the famous Paris-Champs-Elysees Avenue on Sunday. Jeff Pachoud / Agence France-Presse
British cyclist shuns celebrations of his historic Tour de France victory
Bradley Wiggins made a low-key return home on Monday after his historic Tour de France win, even as Britain looked forward to the cyclist leading the country to more success at the London Olympics.
The 32-year-old and his wife Cath were seen leaving their home in Eccleston, a village in the northern county of Lancashire, just one day after he became the first Briton in history to pedal to victory in the race.
Wiggins, wearing sunglasses and a black T-shirt, and with his trademark bushy sideburns on display, drove off in a black Mercedes without speaking to waiting journalists.
But while he chose to stay quiet about his achievement as Britain's first Tour de France winner, his countrymen were quick to hail it.
"In terms of individual sporting achievements, I am struggling to think of a better one," Britain's Olympics Minister Hugh Robertson said.
Robertson also said that British cycling chiefs believe that Britain's success in the 2008 Beijing Olympics encouraged half a million people to take up cycling, and Wiggins' victory could give the sport a similar lift.
Jonathan Edwards, who won gold in the triple jump at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, said it was "one of the best (achievements) of all time by a British sportsman".
Wiggins said after the race that he was now completely focused on the Olympics, in which he will compete in the men's road race and the individual time trial.
"If I'm 100 percent honest, it's gold or nothing in London now, really," Wiggins said. "That's the way I'm treating the next nine days.
"I can't sit here and say I'll be happy with a silver or happy with a bronze."
Wiggins admitted that adding to the three gold medals he has already accumulated at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics would not necessarily top his Tour win, which he described as the "greatest day of my sporting life".
He moved from London to Eccleston, where he lives with his wife and their children Ben and Isabella, to be closer to the Manchester Velodrome where British Cycling is based.
The quiet village is a far cry from the media circus of the past few days.
Images of his victory parade on the Champs Elysees in Paris were splashed across the front pages of Britain's press, who were unanimous in saying the cyclist now firmly belonged in the pantheon of British sporting greats.
Many said Wiggins could now expect to be honored with a knighthood for his achievement while some reports speculated he may also now enter the frame as the man to light the Olympic flame at Friday's opening ceremony.
"Wiggo hailed UK's greatest sportsman," the tabloid The Mirror ran across its front page.
The popular tabloid The Sun said "a new British hero" had been immortalized, comparing Wiggins to cricketer Ian Botham, soccer player Bobby Moore and Olympic rowing legend Steve Redgrave.
The Daily Mail led with "20m and a knighthood next for wonderful Wiggins", echoing calls for the three-time Olympic gold medalist to be honored by the queen.
Meanwhile, The Daily Star called for Wiggins to light the Olympic flame at Friday's ceremony, although he is due to compete in the men's road race the following day.
The Times, which carried a souvenir cover celebrating the "Promenade des Anglais", said Wiggins had "proved to be a great champion of British sport. He has also shown himself to be a fine man".
Wiggins has become something of a cult figure for his plain speaking and also for his adherence to the "Mod" subculture, a British movement from the 1960s focusing on scooters, sharp fashion and music.
Richard Moore, the author of "Sky's the Limit", a book on British cycling, said Wiggins had helped to change the sport's image in the country.
"Oddballs - that was traditionally the classic loner cyclist," he told BBC radio.
"In the UK, cyling was seen as a very exotic, foreign sport. The riders spoke foreign languages. It was rooted in France and Belgium, and (they wore) funny shorts and funny clothes.
"There was a huge Beijing effect after the Beijing Olympics when British cyclists were dominant, and I think this is even bigger and I think this seems to have really captured people's imagination."

Exit Jeremy Lin. Enter Ichiro Suzuki To New York City's Sports Market

2012-07-25T02:24:00.001-07:00

Ichiro Suzuki (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Although Jeremy Lin is an exciting rising basketball star and Ichiro Suzuki may be a fading baseball one, New York City will once again be the toast of the Asian community as Ichiro, the most recognizable athlete in Japan, put on the pinstripes of the New York Yankees Monday night for the first time. Lin, a Chinese-American, left the New York Knicks for the Houston Rockets last week.
The move by the Yankees appears to be a brilliant one as a stopgap measure to replace left fielder Brett Gardner, lost for the season due to elbow surgery. Ichiro’s game is similar to Gardner’s – a slap hitter with speed who plays great defense.
Ichiro amassed more than 200 hits in his first 10 seasons after coming from Japan, including a major-league record 262 in 2004. Only Pete Rose has also had 10 seasons of 200 or more hits. Ichiro needs only 466 hits to reach the coveted 3,000 total and seems destined to be a Hall of Famer as a lifetime .322 batter with 438 stolen bases and 1,176 runs scored.
But the last 1 ½ years have not been nearly as productive for Ichiro as he’s hitting just .261 this year. With the Mariners in last place in the AL West, Ichiro had his agent, Tony Attanasio, ask Seattle management to trade him to a contender during the All-Star break.
The result was a bargain-basement deal for the Yanks, who only had to give up two marginal minor league pitching prospects in exchange for a 10-time All-Star and $14.75 million as the Yanks will only pay $2.25 million of the $17 million left on his five-year, $90 million deal that expires at the end of the season, according to the YES Network.
Ichiro, batting an unaccustomed eighth, delivered a clean single up the middle and stole a base in his first at-bat Monday, going 1-for-4, but, if he can get back to his .300 hitting ways, the Yanks have a steal. Especially if he can help them get back to the World Series for the first time since 2009.
The possibility that Ichiro would be re-signed by the Yankees for 2013 would seem remote considering their high payroll and Gardner’s expected return to health. But one never knows with the Yankees.

Where to find Olympics competition on NBC and affiliated networks

2012-07-25T02:21:00.002-07:00

By David Bauder, The Associated Press | The Canadian Press

NEW YORK, N.Y. - The Summer Olympics opening ceremony takes place Friday, but the first of 5,535 hours that NBC is showing of the games begins Wednesday with qualifying rounds in women's soccer. With so many different options, viewers need a road map to make sense of it all.

NBC is promising that every competition in London will be available to U.S. consumers live, with the bulk of them seen online.
The centerpiece of coverage will be NBC's prime-time, 8 p.m. to midnight on most evenings, with Bob Costas as host. Given the time difference with England, all of the events will be shown on a tape-delayed basis, although particularly rabid fans will have the opportunity to see each of these events online during the day.
Costas will give people an overview of the day's big stories. But the prime-time package is not designed to offer a complete picture of the games. As in the past, NBC will be heavy on personal stories to make non-sports fans interested in strangers they will see competing in sports they rarely follow — with the obvious exception of known personalities like Michael Phelps. And if you want badminton or boxing, you'll have to turn elsewhere: the prime-time hours are generally concentrated on the swimming, diving, gymnastics and track and field competitions.
New to NBC this year is the amount of coverage presented during the business day, starting at 10 a.m. following the "Today" show.
The cable and satellite networks all avoid prime-time hours to funnel those viewers into NBC. Except for those hours and the overnight in London, a viewer could expect to see competition on NBC and cable the rest of the day.
The NBC Sports Network, for example, is on the air from 4 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET on Sunday, the second full day of the competition. The cable and satellite outfit did not exist during the last Olympics and will show 292 hours of competition this year. It is being positioned as the home of U.S. team sports. The centerpiece of Sunday's coverage, for example, is the U.S. men's basketball team's game against France.
While producers want the NBC Sports Network to form an identity as a home of U.S. team sports, the truth is that NBC, NBC Sports and MSNBC are airing so much competition that they will lack clearly focused identities. The best way to keep track of their daytime schedules is to keep checking NBCOlympics.com.
As it has in the past, the CNBC business network is positioned as the home of Olympic boxing, including women's boxing for the first time. The competition will be focused weekdays on the hours between the close of financial markets and the beginning of TV prime-time.
Between July 28 and Aug. 3, Bravo will air the Olympics tennis competition.
The amount of hours available to Spanish-speaking viewers through Telemundo are also being sharply increased, and then network promises a broader look at the range of competitions than it has in the past. Still, swimming, basketball and soccer will be the sports the network concentrates upon.
Through cable and satellite providers, NBC is also running speciality channels devoted to the basketball and soccer competitions. For the first time, the Olympics will also be presented in 3-D with a special channel available to viewers with this technical capability.
With all that coverage on television, NBC will be offering even more online. That represents a change in philosophy; the network once worried that making competitions available online could cut into the number of people who want to watch on television. Now NBC's leaders believe all of the online competition will compel viewers to want to watch more online.
The NBC Olympics Live Extra App gives fans a variety of options, including live streams of what is being shown on the TV networks. Online channels will also be set up to offer coverage of every single Olympic competition taking place, and the Gold Zone will have rapidly-moving coverage of the day's most compelling live events.
To satisfy cable and satellite operators, NBC is requiring viewers to prove that they have a cable or satellite subscription in order to access the online options. This requires a username and password from the companies, so interested viewers would be advised to set those up before the games start to avoid missing out.

Alex Rodriguez breaks hand

2012-07-25T02:20:00.001-07:00

The Associated Press

SEATTLE (AP) -- Alex Rodriguez has broken his left hand after being hit by a pitch from Felix Hernandez in the eighth inning of the New York Yankees' 4-2 loss to the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday night.

Rodriguez was the third player to be hit by a pitch from Hernandez. He immediately fell to the ground, wincing in pain and was removed from the game.
The Yankees said afterward that A-Rod had a non-displaced fracture of the left hand, and there was no timetable for his return. He will be placed on the disabled list and will see the team's doctor when the club returns to New York after Wednesday's series finale.
Hernandez also hit Derek Jeter and former teammate Ichiro Suzuki.

Viewing guide for Olympics coverage

2012-07-25T02:19:00.001-07:00

By DAVID BAUDER (AP Television Writer) | The Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) -- The Summer Olympics opening ceremony takes place Friday, but the first of 5,535 hours that NBC is showing of the games begins Wednesday with qualifying rounds in women's soccer. With so many different options, viewers need a road map to make sense of it all.

NBC is promising that every competition in London will be available to U.S. consumers live, with the bulk of them seen online.
The centerpiece of coverage will be NBC's prime-time, 8 p.m. to midnight on most evenings, with Bob Costas as host. Given the time difference with England, all of the events will be shown on a tape-delayed basis, although particularly rabid fans will have the opportunity to see each of these events online during the day.
Costas will give people an overview of the day's big stories. But the prime-time package is not designed to offer a complete picture of the games. As in the past, NBC will be heavy on personal stories to make non-sports fans interested in strangers they will see competing in sports they rarely follow - with the obvious exception of known personalities like Michael Phelps. And if you want badminton or boxing, you'll have to turn elsewhere: the prime-time hours are generally concentrated on the swimming, diving, gymnastics and track and field competitions.
New to NBC this year is the amount of coverage presented during the business day, starting at 10 a.m. following the "Today" show.
The cable and satellite networks all avoid prime-time hours to funnel those viewers into NBC. Except for those hours and the overnight in London, a viewer could expect to see competition on NBC and cable the rest of the day.
The NBC Sports Network, for example, is on the air from 4 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET on Sunday, the second full day of the competition. The cable and satellite outfit did not exist during the last Olympics and will show 292 hours of competition this year. It is being positioned as the home of U.S. team sports. The centerpiece of Sunday's coverage, for example, is the U.S. men's basketball team's game against France.
While producers want the NBC Sports Network to form an identity as a home of U.S. team sports, the truth is that NBC, NBC Sports and MSNBC are airing so much competition that they will lack clearly focused identities. The best way to keep track of their daytime schedules is to keep checking NBCOlympics.com.
As it has in the past, the CNBC business network is positioned as the home of Olympic boxing, including women's boxing for the first time. The competition will be focused weekdays on the hours between the close of financial markets and the beginning of TV prime-time.
Between July 28 and Aug. 3, Bravo will air the Olympics tennis competition.
The amount of hours available to Spanish-speaking viewers through Telemundo are also being sharply increased, and then network promises a broader look at the range of competitions than it has in the past. Still, swimming, basketball and soccer will be the sports the network concentrates upon.
Through cable and satellite providers, NBC is also running speciality channels devoted to the basketball and soccer competitions. For the first time, the Olympics will also be presented in 3-D with a special channel available to viewers with this technical capability.
With all that coverage on television, NBC will be offering even more online. That represents a change in philosophy; the network once worried that making competitions available online could cut into the number of people who want to watch on television. Now NBC's leaders believe all of the online competition will compel viewers to want to watch more online.
The NBC Olympics Live Extra App gives fans a variety of options, including live streams of what is being shown on the TV networks. Online channels will also be set up to offer coverage of every single Olympic competition taking place, and the Gold Zone will have rapidly-moving coverage of the day's most compelling live events.
To satisfy cable and satellite operators, NBC is requiring viewers to prove that they have a cable or satellite subscription in order to access the online options. This requires a username and password from the companies, so interested viewers would be advised to set those up before the games start to avoid missing out.

Sports above all else leads to huge Penn State penalties

2012-07-25T02:18:00.000-07:00

By Christine Brennan, USA TODAY

Unprecedented atrocities demand unprecedented action, and that's exactly what the NCAA did Monday.

NCAA President Mark Emmert didn't give Penn State's football program the so-called death penalty, but he might as well have. Clearly wanting to make an example of Penn State in this run-amok era in big-time college sports, the NCAA essentially decimated the Nittany Lions' football program for the next decade in the wake of the reprehensible Jerry Sandusky child sex-abuse scandal.

Emmert's actions were stunning and appropriately devastating for Penn State football. And his words resonated far beyond the Happy Valley campus to a much broader audience. It was as if he were speaking to every university president, conference commissioner, bowl official, football coach, booster and football fan in America when, time and again, he spoke of the Penn State scandal as a "gut check," asking, "Do we have the right balance in our culture?"

We all know the answer for years has been a resounding no. But, perhaps, what Emmert's NCAA did Monday will begin to force everyone in college football to reassess just how out of control big-time football has become on the nation's campuses. It was just last year that Ohio State President E. Gordon Gee, when asked if he would fire coach Jim Tressel in the midst of a growing scandal involving his football players, uttered the immortal words: "I'm just hopeful the coach doesn't dismiss me."

Set against this backdrop, the magnitude and depth of the NCAA's action against Penn State must have turned the heads of even those in the most insulated and untouchable of college football programs.

That's clearly what Emmert was hoping. "Football will never again be placed ahead of educating, nurturing and protecting young people," he said Monday. "These events should serve as a call to every single school and athletics department to take an honest look at its campus environment and eradicate the 'sports are king' mindset that can so dramatically cloud the judgment of educators."

Now the NCAA is saying that if the school won't do that, it will - to which we all should say: It's about time.

"We cannot look to NCAA history to determine how to handle circumstances so disturbing, shocking and disappointing," Emmert said. "As the individuals charged with governing college sports, we have a responsibility to act."

Clearly, Penn State's anemic leaders could not be trusted to make any of the correct or tough decisions against their football program, so Emmert did it for them, basically ensuring that Penn State football will be a shell of its former self for the next 10 years.

He fined Penn State $60 million, which amounts to one year of gross revenue for the football team - all of it going to programs that will serve the victims of child sex abuse. He banned Penn State from bowl games for four years. He took away dozens of scholarships. He told any football player who wants to transfer that he can do so right now and immediately play wherever, which certainly will further gut the Nittany Lions roster. He is sending an academic-integrity monitor approved by the NCAA to watch everything Penn State does for the next five years.

And he vacated 112 wins from the football team from 1998-2011, in the process taking away Joe Paterno's title as the winningest coach in big-time football. For his major role in enabling the actions of a child rapist in Penn State's football facility for 13 years, Paterno deserved to have those victories stricken from the record.

Paterno lied, deceived and covered up Sandusky's awful behavior for so long simply because he was the venerable head coach at one of the most powerful football institutions in America. There are many others coaching major-college football today with the same kind of power. No one is saying they are wielding it in the devastating manner Paterno did, but we also don't know that they aren't.

If the NCAA is truly interested in finding out, the remarkable Penn State punishment won't be the end of the story. It will be only the beginning.

Obama the Sports Fan: How the President’s Sports Knowledge Works For and Against Him

2012-07-23T19:21:00.003-07:00

By Nicole Bartnik: Subscribe to Nicole's RSS feed

July 23, 2012 7:14 PM EDT

With the Nov. 6 election quickly approaching, President Barack Obama is gearing up for a hard-fought campaign against Republican challenger Mitt Romney.

To wind down from the weight of being commander-in-chief, Obama is known to sit back and enjoy what many fellow Americans look to for solace and comfort: sports.
Obama makes no effort to hide his immense interest in watching sports, with basketball being one of his lifelong passions. There is Barack-etology, in which the president unveils his NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament picks during "March Madness." Then there are his brief appearances on Monday Night Football, pickup games with friends and colleagues, and an occasional coaching role on his daughter Sasha's youth basketball team.
In March, the president even invited British Prime Minister David Cameron along to an opening round game of the NCAA men's tournament before discussing relations between the two allies.
Last week, Obama immersed himself in the Olympic spirit as he watched the U.S. men's basketball team rally from an early deficit to beat Brazil, 80-69, in a friendly.

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During that game, the president gave a brief halftime interview with ESPN regarding Team USA's chances in London.
"Obviously the talent that we've got at this point is unbelievable. ... So there's no reason that we shouldn't bring home the gold. We just have to stay focused," he said.
Obama's interest and enthusiasm for sports extends far beyond basketball. He frequents the green on many Sundays for a round of golf, regularly follows college and professional football, and is a knowledgeable baseball fan, and the White House is not shy about sharing the president's fandom.
While there is nothing unusual about fondness of sports, Obama's high-profile position means his hobbies and interests are scrutinized more than the average sports fan. For example, when Obama had filled out his NCAA college basketball bracket on ESPN, his critics complained that he was wasting time on frivolous matters rather than attending to more important issues.
Others note that it only takes 20 minutes out of a busy schedule to assess the bracket and select picks, and Obama's interest in the tournament connects him to the average American. A president who can analyze teams and matchups thoroughly, as many sports fans do, counters the perception that the most powerful man in the world cannot enjoy everyday activities.
Meanwhile, Romney took the opposite approach when it came to the NCAA tournament. The Republican nominee said he wouldn't fill out a college basketball tournament bracket.
"I'm not plugged in well enough this year to do that," Romney briefly told reporters in March.
To most voters, Romney's indifference to the NCAA tournament has little to no effect on their opinion of him. Some may view Romney's attitude as a sign that he is simply too busy working on settling important political and economic matters to take time to follow sports, while others may argue that it demonstrates Romney's inability to relate to the average citizen, whether true or not.
Obama's interest in sports can also work against him. While addressing voters in June on Romney's home turf of Massachusetts, Obama jokingly thanked Boston for trading Kevin Youkilis, a much-beloved Red Sox infielder, to Obama's favorite baseball team, the Chicago White Sox.

Yankees acquire OF Ichiro Suzuki from Mariners

2012-07-23T19:20:00.002-07:00

The Associated Press

SEATTLE (AP) -- Ichiro Suzuki is headed to a new team and, after all these years, maybe a shot at playing in the World Series.

The New York Yankees acquired the star outfielder from the Seattle Mariners in a trade Monday for two young pitchers.
''I am going from a team with the most losses to a team with the most wins,'' he said. ''It's hard to contain my excitement for that reason.''
The Yankees also got cash in the deal that sent 25-year-old righties D.J. Mitchell and Danny Farquhar to the last-place Mariners. The trade was announced a few hours before the Yankees played at Seattle.
Moving from one clubhouse to another, Suzuki was set to start in right field in place of the injured Nick Swisher and bat eighth for New York on Monday night. It will be the first time Suzuki started a game batting anywhere other than the top three spots in the lineup.
The Yankees made the trade a few days after learning that the speedy Brett Gardner would likely miss the rest of the season because of an elbow problem, and manager Joe Girardi said Suzuiki will mostly play left field.
''We're very excited with the caliber of player we are getting. We feel that he brings the speed element. He's a tremendous hitter. That speed element is what we lost when Gardy had surgery,'' Girardi said. ''So this is a big day for us.''
Suzuki was given No. 31 because the number he wore his entire career with the Mariners, No. 51, has not been worn since four-time World Series champion Bernie Williams last played.
''No. 51 is a special number to me, but when I think about what 51 means to the Yankees, it's hard for me to ask for that number.''
Mitchell made his major league debut this season and pitched four games for the Yankees. Farquhar made his big league debut last year with Toronto and was claimed last month on waivers by the Yankees from Oakland.
The 38-year-old Suzuki had spent his whole big league career with Seattle. The 10-time All-Star and 10-time Gold Glove winner is batting .261 with four home runs, 28 RBIs and 15 stolen bases this year.
Suzuki is a career .322 hitter, a former AL MVP and holds the record for most hits in a season. He had batted over .300 in every season until dipping last year.
The only thing missing on Suzuki's resume is an appearance in the World Series, and he may get a chance with the Yankees. Suzuki was the AL MVP and rookie of the year in 2001 after a stellar career in Japan, and the Mariners reached the AL championship series that season before losing to the Yankees. Seattle has not been back to the playoffs since then.
He said he hasn't played in left field since those 2001 playoffs.
The Yankees certainly hope this trade with the Mariners works out better than the last big deal between the teams. New York sent prized young catcher Jesus Montero to Seattle before the season for All-Star pitcher Michael Pineda, who was later injured and is out for the year.
The Mariners had been in a delicate situation with Suzuki. A long time star and fan favorite, Suzuki's skills have been eroding. He's in the final year of a five-year contract, paying $18 million this season. There has been much debate in the Seattle media whether he would be back next year with Seattle, a team that is rebuilding with young talent.
Suzuki put an end to the speculation when he approached management around the All-Star break and asked to be traded.
''Several weeks ago, Ichiro Suzuki, through his long time agent, Tony Attanasio, approached (team president) Chuck Armstrong and me to ask that the Mariners consider trading him,'' said Howard Lincoln, the team's CEO. ''Ichiro knows that the club is building for the future, and he felt that what was best for the team was to be traded to another club and give our younger players an opportunity to develop.''
Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter has long admired Suzuki, saying, ''he's been consistent throughout his career.''
''They're been a lot of guys that have come here over the years, starting my first year with Cecil Fielder,'' he added. ''It's been unexpected, sort of out of the blue. That's why you don't ever listen to rumors. Getting someone like this is unbelievable.''
Said Suzuki about playing with Jeter: ''I noticed that he's not only a guy who has performed for a long time but consistently performed for a long time. And for a team that has the highest expectations of demand to win. To do what he has done there makes me see that he's exceptional, not just potential wise as a talent but also as a human being.''
Suzuki, usually stoic on and off the field, became emotional at times during the news conference, especially when talking about his admiration for the Mariners fans.
''When I think about this long period, it is difficult to express precisely my feeling,'' Suzuki said of his time in Seattle. ''When I imagined taking off a Seattle Mariners uniform, I was overcome with sadness. That made it a very difficult decision to make.''