Yahoo! Sports has the list, which averages the salaries for a starting player.
It’s interesting to see six NBA teams on the list, but it makes sense. Since only five players can play at a time in basketball, franchises can spend more money on their starters. NBA rosters are quite a bit smaller than baseball, football or even soccer rosters.
That makes the Yankees’ top-ranking that much more amazing.
Rick Reilly, ESPN.com: There’s no point in going over all the reasons Huggins is bad for basketball. That’s just kicking a man when he’s up. And boy, is Huggs up. Eighteen years after his last Final Four, eight years after his heart attack in the Pittsburgh airport, six years after his DUI, five years after choosing to “resign” over “be fired” at Cincinnati (where he had four years of 0.0 graduation rate), three years after pulling a one-and-done at Kansas State and leaving them with a crazy-eyed, death-staring Huggins wannabe named Frank Martin, the world is cuddling The Huggy Bear again. “The first time I heard he was coming,” remembers West Virginia’s best player, Da’Sean Butler, “I was like, ‘I’m getting ready to go to Michigan.’ But I’m glad I didn’t leave. It’s been great. I’d be doing all kind of nothing right now.”
John Feinstein, Washington Post: There may not be such a thing as a perfect Final Four, but the one that will begin on Saturday in Indianapolis comes pretty close. It has a Cinderella practically playing on its home court. It has a team that hasn’t been to the Final Four in 51 years but is going back after a prodigal son came home. It has a team whose coach always seems to find a way this time of year, playing in its sixth Final Four in 12 seasons. And it has a villain, the team people love to hate, whether because it wins so often or because people have to have someone to root against once their team has gone home.
Bob Kravitz, Indianapolis Star: History and common sense tell you a school with an enrollment of 4,200 students, a mid-major affiliation and, most important, mid-major revenues, shouldn’t be able to stare down the likes of No. 1 seed Syracuse and No. 2 seed Kansas State. The coaches and players, though, weren’t satisfied with being this cute little underdog story who upsets one or two teams and reaches the Sweet Sixteen every few years… How many times have they been told this year they were too small and too, ahem, un-athletic (which, let’s be honest, is code for “too white”)? Here’s what we saw all tournament, and especially Saturday against massive Kansas State: Butler outrebounded the Wildcats by 12. Twelve… The “Hoosiers” comparisons began again after the game, when players and Stevens were asked how often they’d seen the movie. (There are some parallels: Two small schools. Two teams who built up to the moment; recall how good Milan was the year before the Milan Miracle. The shocking resemblance between Gordon Hayward and Jimmy Chitwood. Fine. I mean, it’s unavoidable, right?)
Michael Rosenberg, Detroit Free Press: Unless Durrell Summers or Kalin Lucas pulls a surprise and leaves for the NBA, MSU should be the preseason No. 1 team in the country next fall. The Spartans will lose Raymar Morgan but bring back everybody else in the rotation and a highly regarded freshman class. What does that have to do with this year’s Final Four? Maybe nothing. But sometimes a surprise national champion is simply a team that peaks before we expect it. In 1991, Duke was a surprise national champion … but the Blue Devils dominated college basketball the next year and won a second title. In 1992, Michigan was a surprise national runner-up … but the next year, the Wolverines earned a No. 1 seed and made the title game again. In 1997, Arizona was a surprise national champion … but the Wildcats were probably the best team in the country the next year, before losing in the Elite Eight. In 2006, Florida was a surprise national champion … but the next year, the Gators were the best team in the country and won another title.
Thomas George, FanHouse: [Coach K’s] trio of seniors — forward Lance Thomas, center Brian Zoubek and guard Jon Scheyer (left to right, photo right) — took the old-school route to Final Four glory. There was nothing microwave about their journey. They went 22-11 as freshmen, 28-6 as sophomores and 30-7 last year. Yet, no Final Fours. They were labeled underachievers. They lacked Duke blue and royal blood. A sham. A bunch of louses. But this trio never stopped fighting, believing, working. Old-school values, sure, but the difference when you’re “not that good.” The Duke assistant coaches will tell you that Scheyer, Thomas and Zoubek did not spend a second griping and moping and doing the things that kill a team, that kill a program. That this trio is the team’s rock. And they have been that for each other. When it was over, after they had popped Baylor 78-71 in front of a Baylor-friendly crowd of 47,492, Zoubek said the seniors just looked at each other. No words needed.
Photo from fOTOGLIF
ESPN.com’s Buster Olney is reporting that the Red Sox have offered ace Josh Beckett a four-year contract extension. Olney also reports that a deal could be completed in the next week or two.
Beckett, the sources said, has a four-year, guaranteed offer from Boston on the table. His deal could be along the lines of the free-agent contract John Lackey signed with the Red Sox this winter — $16.5 million a year for five years — in terms of annual salary. It could be worth a total package in the range of $65 million to $70 million, sources said.
The three-year, $30 million extension Beckett signed in 2006 expires at the end of the season. He is coming off a 17-win season and has won 65 games in his four seasons in Boston.
Beckett is coming off a solid season in which he compiled a 17-6 record, with 199 strikeouts, a 3.86 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP. It was the fourth time in five years that he posted a WHIP under 1.2 and as long as he stays healthy, he will continue to be the rock in Boston’s rotation.
A back injury did cause him to miss a start last season, but he hasn’t suffered any lingering affects and will be set to go on Opening Day. The Red Sox would be smart to get a deal done now so the situation won’t be a distraction during the season. Not that it would anyway – Beckett is the consummate pro.
Photo from fOTOGLIF
According to a report by ProFootballTalk.com, Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford may refuse to sign a pre-draft contract with the Rams in order to gain more leverage in negotiations.
If Bradford declines to agree to terms before being picked, and if the Rams ultimately don’t select him, Bradford would slide to the Redskins at No. 4, at worst. (He also could end up going second or third, if a team that needs a quarterback moves up.) Operating from the four hole, Bradford likely would then attempt to invoke the so-called “quarterback premium” in the hopes of getting more than the first overall pick, just as Matt Ryan did from the third spot two years ago.
If the Rams pick Bradford without a contract in place, the leverage then flips to the player, with the Rams compelled to get the guy signed in the hopes of justifying the pick and turning around a franchise that seems far longer than a decade removed from a Super Bowl win.
It’s important to keep in mind that PFT.com never cites their sources, so take this report with a grain of salt. They’re hit and miss with their reports, but since I’m dying for anything football-related, I’ll allow myself to get sucked into their vortex for a report like this.
If Bradford wants to start next season, the best thing for him to do is sign a pre-draft contract. That would ensure that he wouldn’t hold out and he would be in camp on time. If he does choose not to sign, then there’s a chance the Rams will pass on him and then he’ll risk losing a little bit of money by falling in the top 5. Either that, or the Rams will still draft him and then a holdout could ensue.
Personally, I would feel fortunate just to be selected with the top overall pick and I would sign a fair deal before the draft. But then again, I’m not in his shoes so I have no idea what other factors he’s dealing with. Either way, it’s safe to say that he’ll go in the top 5 and will be the first quarterback taken in April.
Photo from fOTOGLIF
Clemson product C.J. Spiller is highly regarded as the best running back prospect in this year’s draft. But even though he carries that moniker, many draft pundits have been reluctant to view him as a top 10 selection.
That may have changed, however, as ProFootballTalk.com reported yesterday that teams are contemplating moving up into the top 10 in order to draft Spiller. Per the report, there are rumors that the Dolphins or Giants could trade up in order to get their hands on the tremendous athlete.
Shedding more light on the subject, apparently Spiller has accepted an invitation to New York to attend the first round. The NFL always does extensive research on players before inviting them, so there’s a good chance that Spiller will be taken off the board early.
If no team trades into the top 10, the Seahawks at No. 6 might be candidates to nab him early.
Photo from fOTOGLIF
© 2026 The Scores Report – The National Sports Blog
Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑