Category: External Sports (Page 165 of 821)

      NBA Playoffs: Monday Roundup

      April 26, 2011 /
      Memphis Grizzlies’ O. J. Mayo, Tony Allen and Zach Randolph (L-R) celebrate on the bench during the second half against the San Antonio Spurs of Game 4 of their Western Conference first round NBA basketball playoffs in Memphis, Tennessee April 25, 2011. REUTERS/Mark Weber (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT BASKETBALL)

      Grizzlies 104, Spurs 86 (MEM leads series 3-1)
      Things are getting interesting in the West, especially in this 1/8 series between San Antonio and Memphis. The Grizzlies are playing very good basketball right now and beat the Spurs with balance (nine players scored 8+ points). The Spurs shot 47% from the field, which would usually be enough to win, but Memphis shot 51% from the field and 42% from 3PT land, while the Spurs turned it over 17 times. The Grizzlies are in control of the series, but don’t count the Spurs out. They have to win three games in a row, but two of those games are at home, so it’s doable. Right now, it just looks like the Grizzlies are the better, deeper team.

      Mavericks 93, Blazers 82 (DAL leads 3-2)
      Give the Mavs credit. They didn’t fold after blowing a 23-point lead in Game 4. Dirk Nowitzki scored 25 points, but Dallas was balanced in the fourth quarter with six different players scoring in the first seven and a half minutes of the fourth quarter. Tyson Chandler had 14 points and 20 rebounds, while Jason Kidd dished out 14 assists. As an encore to his brilliant play in Game 4, Brandon Roy only managed five points on 2-of-7 shooting.

      Nuggets 104, Thunder 101 (OKC leads series 3-1)
      Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook both scored 30+ points, but it wasn’t enough as Ty Lawson dropped 27 points and five other Nuggets scored in double-figures to help Denver avoid elimination. Westbrook’s play is a little perplexing. He went 12-of-30 from the field and went 0-for-7 from three-point range, including three misses in the final 30 seconds. Can the Thunder win without traditional point guard play from their All-Star?

      External Sports, NBA

      Report: No free agency until injunction ruling

      April 26, 2011 /
      The NFL logo is seen on a trailer parked near the New Meadowlands Stadium where the New York Jets and New York Giants NFL football teams play home games in East Rutherford, New Jersey, March 14, 2011. The NFL has officially announced a lockout of players by team owners following the move by the players’ union to dissolve themselves and pursue court action against the league. REUTERS/Mike Segar (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL BUSINESS)

      Jason La Canfora is reporting that the current freeze on NFL free agency will remain intact until the St. Louis appeals court rules on the lockout injunction.

      From Rotoworld:

      The owners filed for the appeal on Monday night, and expect a decision by Tuesday. GMs and coaching staffs have also been instructed to stay away from free agents. NFL teams are still adhering to “lockout rules,” since the league hasn’t constructed a new set of rules for whatever you want to call the period we’re in. We’d still be shocked if any transactions occurred before the draft.

      I agree with Rotoworld. I think at this point, we can assume that no team will be able to sign a free agent before the draft on Thursday. Thus, we’re seemingly headed for one of the most unpredictable drafts in recent memory.

      In terms of the lockout injunction, the owners won’t give up without a fight. This was a victory for the players, but the situation is (sadly) still far from over. Even if the owners’ appeal isn’t granted, there’s still the issue of the two sides working out a new CBA deal. Granted, the owners and players could agree to an uncapped season (just like there was in 2010), but that obviously doesn’t mean all will be resolved.

      External Sports, NFL

      Judge lifts NFL lockout, but owners are expected to appeal

      April 25, 2011 /

      Even though Judge Susan Nelson has granted an injunction of the NFL owners’ lockout, players and fans will have to hold off on the celebration.

      While this ruling is obviously a huge win for the players, the owners are pursuing a stay on the injunction, which could mean that Nelson’s decision could eventually be overruled. The NFL’s hearing is scheduled for Tuesday.

      From USA Today:

      “The irreparable harm to the players outweighs any harm an injunction would cause the NFL,” Nelson wrote in her decision. She also cited public interest in her ruling and said the NFL’s lockout — which would threatened to shutter the regular season if it lingered into the fall — was “far from purely a private argument over compensation.”

      As of right now, it’s uncertain whether or not the league is open for business. According to Peter King via Twitter, agents have started advising clients with huge workout bonuses to report to their teams on Tuesday morning. Adam Schefter shared a similar tweet on his page.

      If the owners’ appeal doesn’t hold up, we could be looking at another uncapped year as the two sides continue to work on a new CBA. The good news there is that free agency will begin and I would have to imagine that teams will start calling players as early as this week. (If not on Tuesday.)

      Of course, if the owners’ appeal is granted, then the league has another mess on its hands. For now, all we can do is wait for the situation to provide more clarity.

      External Sports, NFL

      In regards to expanded playoff, Lincecum doesn’t know where Selig’s “head is at”

      April 25, 2011 /
      San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Tim Lincecum smiles during a news conference before practice for the NLCS MLB baseball series in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, October 15, 2010. REUTERS/Tim Shaffer (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT BASEBALL)

      Not everyone is on board with baseball commissioner Bud Selig’s idea of expanding the current playoff format.

      “It doesn’t seem very fair, and personally, I don’t know where his head is at,” said Giants’ ace Tim Lincecum in an interview last week. “Players like it the way it is. It’s dog-eat-dog. People know they need to win 11 games to win the World Series.”

      I for one like the idea of an expanding the current playoff pool, although not if it’s going to be a one-game format like some have suggested. Anything can happen in one game and as Lincecum points out, it’s not fair that a team goes through a 162-game jaunt to make the playoffs, only to be knocked out in one game because its pitcher had an off day. That’s not right.

      But I can’t be alone in the thinking that adding two more teams (one from each league) to the current playoff pool is a bad thing. It’s good for the game for several reasons, none bigger in that it’ll keep fans interested (and stadiums packed) through August because they know their team has a shot at making the postseason. (This is assuming of course that their team isn’t 15 games out of first place.)

      Lincecum isn’t alone in criticizing Selig’s idea, as Yankees’ first baseman Mark Teixeira has sounded off about the news as well.

      From the New York Daily News:

      “For a team like us, I don’t like it,” Mark Teixeira said. “We battle all year long in a very tough division; if you win the division and have to have five or six days off before the start of the playoffs, or you win the wild card and still have to play another one- or three-game series just to get into the playoffs, it doesn’t make much sense.”

      Hey, I get why this would upset the players. They don’t want to have to win more games in order to reach/win the World Series and they don’t want extra days off. They like the current format and want to see it left alone, which I get.

      But from a fan’s perspective, if Selig figures out a way to add two more teams and a new five-game series (not just a one-game series), then I’m all for it. Maybe I’m in the minority though.

      External Sports, MLB

      Panthers’ GM: “This is a quarterback league.”

      April 25, 2011 /
      Auburn Tigers Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Cam Newton warms up for the Tigers game against the Oregon Ducks at the BCS Championship game at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, AZ, January 10,2011. UPI/Art Foxall

      While appearing on FOX Sports Radio with the Charlotte Observer’s Darin Gantt, Panthers’ general manager Marty Hurney suggested that Carolina will take a quarterback with the No. 1 overall pick on Thursday.

      “This is a quarterback league,” Hurney said. “Look at the order of the draft. The ones who have them are picking low, and the ones who don’t are pick high.”

      Hurney went onto say that “this has nothing to do with Jimmy Clausen.” It’s noteworthy that Gantt is convinced that the Panthers will take Cam Newton with the top pick, although that conflicts with Tony Softli’s prediction over the weekend that Carolina will take Alabama DT Marcell Dareus. Softli is a former high-ranking executive with the Panthers, so take his Dareus prediction for what it’s worth.

      Hurney could be setting up a smokescreen with his comments about quarterbacks, although the only benefit there would be if some team were interested in trading up for Newton. If no team is, then there’s really no reason for Hurney to be coy about the Panthers’ draft plans at this point. It’s not like someone is going to sneak up ahead of them seeing as how they hold the first overall pick.

      My gut says Newton and when I release my final mock draft on Thursday, I don’t imagine that you’ll see anyone else’s name written into that top spot.

      External Sports, NFL, NFL Draft

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