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Adam Scott cards unbelievable albatross at Australian Open

dme — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 23:07:12 +0000

Adam Scott sure does enjoy making the most difficult shots look insanely easy. One week after he holed out for eagle at the HSBC Champions event in Shanghai, the Aussie marked his return to his homeland with an impressive 3-under 68 on Thursday that included an incredible albatross on the par-5 eighth hole.

After knocking his drive short of the bunker on the hole, Scott took dead aim at the pin, hitting the ball absolutely flush and then watching as it hit short of the hole and rolled in on the second shot.

Even more amazing is that Scott accomplished his two most recent hole-outs just days after having to deal with the Tiger-Stevie saga. Who knows, maybe he needs Steve Williams to make some more off-course noise. It certainly seems to be helping his game.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/golf/blog/golf_experts/post/Adam-Scott-cards-unbelievable-albatross-at-Austr?urn=golf-wp6813

Tony Parker Zach Randolph Tom Brady Philip Rivers Aaron Rodgers

7-on-7: Mathews looks good for Thursday. McFadden, not so good

dme — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 22:07:33 +0000

It just wouldn’t be a proper 7-on-7 without an update on some broken San Diego running back, so let’s get started with the delicate flower pictured above…

? Ryan Mathews reportedly put in a full practice on Tuesday, so he looks promising for the Thursday night match-up with the Raiders. Mathews has managed to top 100 scrimmage yards in six of his seven games this season, so you can’t easily bench him, not unless your bench options are stellar. Oakland’s defense currently ranks No. 29 against the run (139.6 YPG, 5.2 YPC), and of course that group just allowed triple-digit yardage to both Willis McGahee and Tim Tebow.

? Darren McFadden is apparently still riding around in a Rascal, a warm blanket on his lap, wishing his grandkids would call more often. Doesn’t sound like he’ll be playing on Thursday, so it’s another excellent week to start Michael Bush. Here are some key McFadden details, via Steve Corkran:

It’s a long-shot, at best, that McFadden will return after missing most of the Kansas City Chiefs game, every practice the past two-plus weeks and the Denver Broncos game last Sunday.

When last spotted, McFadden was on crutches and with his right foot in a protective boot. The smart money says, Jackson rests McFadden this week in hopes of getting him back for the Minnesota Vikings game Nov. 20.

? Hakeem Nicks (hamstring) is expected to practice in some capacity did not practice on Wednesday. Neither did Ahmad Bradshaw (broken foot). The match-up ahead against San Francisco isn’t too appealing for anyone ? the Niners are holding opponents to just 14.8 points per game, the lowest number in the league ? but it’s particularly bad for the New York running game. San Francisco has the NFL’s top-ranked run D and, incredibly enough, they still haven’t allowed a rushing score.

? There’s no link in this blurb, just a piece of advice: We’re nearly finished with the bye weeks, so it’s time to deal. As we get closer to the end-game, it becomes increasingly important to have the best possible starting fantasy roster. Trade surplus, upgrade your active lineup. Make a strong multi-player offer, maybe trading three singles for another owner’s five. When we hit Weeks 15 and 16, all those useful bench players will be wasted resources.

? I can’t see any obvious reason to be hopeful about a Felix Jones return this week. He’s not practicing on Wednesday, instead just heading in for ankle maintenance. I’ve got DeMarco Murray at No. 5 in my RB ranks this week, facing a Buffalo defense that allows 4.6 yards per carry and 120.8 rushing yards per game. Murray was fantastic last Sunday, against a highly ranked Seattle run D. He gets the strongest possible endorsement in Week 10.

? As you might have already heard, the Lions re-signed Kevin Smith recently, and he’s now running behind Maurice Morris and Keiland Williams. The team would like you to believe that this addition is unrelated to Jahvid Best’s playing status, but … well, c’mon. There hasn’t been much in the way of good news on Best, who’s suffered multiple concussions this season. Best is not likely to be available in Week 10 against the Bears, but he’s talking as if he still expects to play at some point in the second half. So that’s somewhat encouraging.

? Frank Gore suffered a left ankle sprain in Week 9 and limped away from the Niners’ win. But when asked about his availability for the Giants game, he said, “I’ll be all right.” He wore no boot on Monday, which is a relatively good sign. There’s really no benching him now, as he’s coming off five straight 100-yard performances.

—

Photo via Getty Images

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/fantasy/blog/roto_arcade/post/7-on-7-Mathews-looks-good-for-Thursday-McFadde?urn=fantasy-wp11125

Michael Vick Ben Roethlisberger Josh Freeman Joe Flacco Matt Cassel

The 2011 MLS Most Valuable Player was traded twice this season

dme — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 21:07:39 +0000

In what has to be a first for any league’s Most Valuable Player, the 2011 MLS MVP is Dwayne De Rosario — a man who was traded twice and played for three different teams in two different countries this season before ending the year with DC United as the league’s highest scorer. That makes him the only athlete in the history of North American professional sports to win an MVP award for a season in which he played for three different teams.

From MLSsoccer.com:

De Rosario began the year with TFC, his hometown club, but was dealt to New York on April 1 after just two games. From his central midfield spot he helped guide the Red Bulls to the top of the table by the end of April, but a prolonged, team-wide slump through May and June prompted RBNY to deal him to United for Dax McCarty.

His arrival in Washington lit the spark that propelled De Rosario to one of the most memorable hot streaks in league history. He racked up 13 goals and seven assists in his 18 games with D.C., giving him a total of 16 and 12 on the year. He was the only player in MLS to reach double-digits in both categories in 2011, finishing tied with Chris Wondolowski for the league lead in goals and placing fourth overall in assists.

Though two of the three teams he played for didn’t make the playoffs and the third just barely eked in after he left, 33-year-old De Rosario’s numbers are undeniable (he even notched a hat trick over a span of nine minutes against Salt Lake — an MLS record). Plus, you can probably make the argument that just on the sheer number of teams he played for, he really was the league’s most valuable player. Even though he made some enemies in Toronto with his check signing goal celebration last season during his contract negotiations and his harsh words for the city while on trial with Celtic during the offseason.

Here’s the MVP campaign video DC United put together for him…

Houston’s Brad Davis, Dallas’ Brek Shea and the Galaxy’s Landon Donovan rounded out the top four (in that order) in the MVP scoring, which was a weighted vote among clubs, media and players. Noticeably absent from even the top five: the league’s second-leading assist leader, David Beckham (15 assists), and the league’s third-leading goal scorer, Thierry Henry (14 goals). Also, the league’s top teammate insulter, Rafa Marquez.

So with this award added to his Golden Boot, De Rosario can now set his sights on a new goal for next season: winning both awards after playing for four different teams in one year.

Photos: Getty

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/soccer/blog/dirty-tackle/post/The-2011-MLS-Most-Valuable-Player-was-traded-twi?urn=sow-wp6753

Chauncey Billups Chris Bosh Danny Granger David West DeMar DeRozan

Munich bitter in 2018 Olympics loss

dme — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 20:07:10 +0000

With a jubilant presentation headlined by figure skating champ Yu-Na Kim and Korean-American bronze medalist Toby Dawson as well as a strong and compact plan for the Games, Pyeongchang captured the bid for the 2018 Olympics. It was their third bid, and their experience helped them win.

Well, that’s one way to look at it. If you’re from Munich, the city that lost to Pyeongchang, you may see it slightly differently.

“We know that in sport winning is not everything and that defeat does not spell the end,” said IOC Vice President Thomas Bach, a German who was one of Munich’s bid leaders. “But obviously we are very disappointed. It seems that the sympathy effect for the Korean proposal played its role.”

Yikes! The sympathy effect, Munich? That’s not nice. Pyeongchang worked hard to overcome their last two losses. Their presentation was moving and focused on what the legacy of sport can do for a country. Two-time Olympic gold medalist Katarina Witt would understand that, right?

“At the moment I am at a loss for words,” Witt told reporters. “Obviously we are bitterly disappointed but the decision seems to have been taken before our good presentation today and we could just not turn it around.”

Ouch, Katarina. Look, it’s awful to have your city lose out on the Olympics you’ve dreamed about for years. Trust me, I know this all too well. Even when every pundit in the world was saying that Chicago wouldn’t get the Olympics because of the political problems between the USOC and the IOC and the IOC’s wish to get an Olympics in South America, I held out hope that I’d get to see the Olympic flame burn on the shores of Lake Michigan. That means I was broken-hearted by the my city’s humiliating defeat in the race for the 2016 Olympics.

But I got over it, and you will too, Katarina and Thomas and all the other good people of Munich. It helps to indulge in two of your country’s best exports: beer and chocolate. Time eases the pain, as does a Stanley Cup championship. In a few years, you’ll forget about the disappointment, pain and hole left in your heart from your city not winning the Olympics.

At least, that’s what I’ve been told.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/vancouver/blog/fourth_place_medal/post/Munich-bitter-in-2018-Olympics-loss?urn=oly-wp406

Joe Mauer Johnny Damon Josh Hamilton Juan Pierre Luke Scott

Matchmaker, matchmaker: Pettis, Shields, Lauzon get next bouts

dme — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 19:07:34 +0000

This week has seen the UFC come up with several upcoming bouts as the Rio, Super Bowl weekend and Japan fight cards start to fill up.

UFC 142 in Brazil: Siyar Bahadurzada revealed via Twitter that he will take on Erick Silva. Silva destroyed Luis Ramos in just 0:40 at UFC 134. Bahadurzada will be making his UFC debut after putting together a record of 20-4 in Europe, Japan and Brazil. Mike Massenzio and Rousimar Palhares have also been added to this card.

UFC 143 in Las Vegas: Featherweights Erik Koch and Dustin Poirier will fight on Super Bowl Weekend. Poirier asked for the bout which will pit two rising stars against each other.

UFC 144 in Japan: Anthony Pettis and Joe Lauzon will meet on Feb. 26. Both lightweights are coming off wins, with Pettis taking out Jeremy Stephens and Lauzon submitting Melvin Guillard.

Jake Shields will try to put his tough 2011 behind him with a bout against Yoshihiro Akiyama. Shields lost to Jake Ellenberger in September just weeks after losing his father. This will be Akiyama’s first fight at welterweight.

In his first fight since losing in a title fight to Anderson Silva, Yushin Okami will meet Tim Boetsch in Okami’s native Japan.

Who will win these fights? Tell us in the comments or on Facebook.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Matchmaker-matchmaker-Pettis-Shields-Lauzon-?urn=mma-wp9508

Dirk Nowitzki Dorell Wright Dwight Howard Dwyane Wade Joe Johnson

Fred Couples admits he picked John Cook to help Tiger Woods

dme — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 18:07:18 +0000

Tiger Woods was always going to be the biggest story at the Presidents Cup; Fred Couples made sure of that when he decided to announce more than a month prior to finalizing his team that Woods would be a part of the event, regardless of where he stood in the standings.

Since the announcement was made, we’ve seen a handful of high profile names come out and question the decision to put a struggling Woods on the team. But despite the criticism, Couples has not wavered one bit from his initial opinion that the former No. 1 was a worth pick.

Couples seems to have a lot of faith in Woods, but that still doesn’t mean he’s not trying to find other ways to make sure Woods is in a good frame of mind when he steps on the first tee on November 17th. After Michael Jordan decided to step down from his post as assistant captain at the Presidents Cup, Couples went out and tabbed John Cook to be his right-hand man.

The move seemed like a smart one. Couples and Cook were good friends, and the new assistant captain had a good relationship with the rest of the players on the team — most notably, Tiger Woods.

One Wednesday, Couples admitted that while Cook would have “probably” been his pick all along, the main reason he brought him on in the first place was to help the one player that needs a confidence boost: Tiger Woods.

“I felt like John and Tiger are very close, and that would help Tiger as much as any of the other guys,” Couples said during his press conference at the Charles Schwab Cup Championship.

Cook even admitted that while he’s happy to be a part of the team, his main reason for being there in the first place is to do whatever it takes to have Tiger Woods ready to go.

“[Woods] just texted me and said, ‘Congrats. Really excited to have you aboard.’ I said, ‘I’ll do whatever you want me to do,” Cook said. “Get you water, get your energy bars, you know, whatever.’ That’s going to be my job.”

Honestly, I have no problem with the Cook pick. I think he’ll make a great assistant captain during the event. But the way Couples and Cook have gone about this whole announcement makes it appear that the only thing that matters at the moment is how Tiger’s feeling.

If Couples was trying to add some extra scrutiny to the pick by bringing Cook abroad to help Tiger, as well as heaping more pressure on Woods, well, he’s doing a pretty good job of making this all about one man.

The President Cup may be a team event, but if Couples continues to keep Tiger front and center, we may just find out there’s an “I” in team, after all.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/golf/blog/golf_experts/post/Fred-Couples-admits-he-picked-John-Cook-to-help-?urn=golf-wp6682

LeSean McCoy Matt Forte BenJarvus Green-Ellis LeGarrette Blount Fred Jackson

Presidents Cup pairings announced; Woods/Williams to start

dme — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 17:07:24 +0000

The Presidents Cup kicks off in one day, and that meant Fred Couples and Greg Norman were set to announce the opening-day pairings for the foursomes. Every player is out on Thursday in Melbourne, and without further ado, your American versus International pairings.

Match No. 1: Bubba Watson and Webb Simpson vs. Ernie Els and Ryo Ishikawa — Not a complete shocker on the American side as both these guys have become friends and share a similar outlook on faith, but a little bit of a surprise on the International side splitting up Ishikawa and Y.E. Yang. The good thing is, you pair young Ryo with a veteran in Ernie, which could really help the talented Japanese phenom.

Match No. 2: Bill Haas and Nick Watney vs. Geoff Ogilvy and Charl Schwartzel – A duo of great 2011 seasons on the American side going up against a major-heavy International team. Might not be the final match of the first day in terms of hype, but could definitely be the most competitive.

Match No. 3: Dustin Johnson and Matt Kuchar vs. Aaron Baddeley and Jason Day — The first set of all-Australians for the International team will be up against a tough American squad in Kuchar-Johnson. Word on the street was Johnson might get thrown out with Tiger, but it might be nice to have similar outlooks on the game for the Americans.

Match No. 4: Phil Mickelson and Jim Furyk vs. Retief Goosen and Robert Allenby — While this match might have been a lot sexier in 2005, it’s still bound to be exciting with the long-hitting Lefty paired with the accurate Furyk. The biggest problem for the Americans here? The short-stick, which both have been struggling with this season.

Match No. 5: Hunter Mahan and David Toms vs. K.T. Kim and Y.E. Yang — Don’t look past this International pairing that I really like together and think could be a consistent one for Norman all week.

Match No. 6: Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker vs. Adam Scott and K.J. Choi — Here is your storyline of the first day, as Tiger will be stuck in the same group with his old caddie for the first time in competition since they broke up. Yes, Williams/Woods is the story of the first day, but watch out for Scott, who is arguably the hottest player in Australia right now, and paired with Choi, will be looking to steal the first ever point from Woods and Stricker in these matches.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/golf/blog/golf_experts/post/Presidents-Cup-pairings-announced-Woods-William?urn=golf-wp6895

Philip Rivers Aaron Rodgers Michael Vick Ben Roethlisberger Josh Freeman

Penn State Scandal: NCAA May Do Something, But it Won’t be Death Penalty

dme — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 16:07:13 +0000

A little over a week ago, I wrote this article claiming that Penn State should receive the death penalty for what Jerry Sandusky allegedly did to those children. It received a ton of different emotions and started this huge debate of whether or not they should receive the NCAA harshest penalty if Sandusky did in fact molest little boys.

I stood firmly behind that opinion and I still do to this day.

I received tons of comments and emails saying that Penn State could not be punished by the NCAA because they didn’t break any NCAA bylaws. Well, not that we know of at least. The case is just getting started and I’m sure more and more evidence will come to light once this goes to court.

But I’m almost positive that you can read the NCAA rulebook and find a few things to use against Penn State if you really wanted to. The rulebook is over several hundred pages, there has to be something that fits this crime.

It didn’t take me long as I looked over the rules and regulations to come across this rule 2.4.

For intercollegiate athletics to promote the character development of participants, to enhance the integrity of higher education and to promote civility in society, student-athletes, coaches, and all others associated with these athletics programs and events should adhere to such fundamental values as respect, fairness, civility, honesty and responsibility. These values should be manifest not only in athletics participation, but also in the broad spectrum of activities affecting the athletics program. It is the responsibility of each institution…

Maybe I’m crazy, but I think covering up sexual abuse falls under breaking this rule. Coaches, the school president and athletic directors allegedly knew about what was happening and they chose to cover it up.

As you skim down to section 19, which is the enforcement part of the rulebook, you’ll come across rule 19.01.2 which says:

Individuals employed by or associated with member institutions for the administration, the conduct or the coaching of intercollegiate athletics are, in the final analysis, teachers of young people. Their responsibility is an affirmative one, and they must do more than avoid improper conduct or questionable acts. Their own moral values must be so certain and positive that those younger and more pliable will be influenced by a fine example. Much more is expected of them than of the less critically placed citizen.

If what Sandusky did happens to be true, this rule has been broken no matter how you want to flip or turn it. Sandusky was associated with Penn State University and allegedly molested little boys in the Penn State locker room.

He did not avoid improper conduct or questionable acts.

But let’s say that Penn State didn’t break any NCAA rules, they still did something that was beyond horrible. Does it really take a recruiting violation or a player selling a jersey to get the NCAA to step in? So, people can run around raping little boys in the showers of our schools and nothing happens, but Ohio State players get tattoos and it’s World War III?

Seems like we need to add a few more rules to the rulebook, huh? Probably the only reason that “molesting little children” isn’t in the rulebook to begin with is because nobody would have ever thought something like this would actually happen.

While I still stand beside the death penalty wish, I also understand that it probably won’t happen. Penn State is too much of a valuable football program and they bring way too much money in for the NCAA. It also wouldn’t be fair to the student-athletes that didn’t do anything wrong in this whole mess.

NCAA president Mark Emmert said they will wait and see before possibly punishing the university.

“Well we have rules and bylaws that while they were never written to address anything quite like this of course, they speak directly to the control that institutions have to maintain over their athletic departments and their programs,” Emmert said. “And they speak very directly to ethical behavior of people in those programs and we’ll apply those bylaws, and if the allegations hold up then we’ll act accordingly.”

I proved that what Sandusky allegedly did violates NCAA rules.

Let’s see if the NCAA will do something about it.

Randy Chambers is a B/R Featured Columnist that covers College Football and the NFL. You can contact him @Randy_Chambers or Randy.Chambers7@yahoo.com

Bleacher Report is your home for college football for the 2011 season. From scores, news, analysis, live blogs and updates on your favorite teams and the big national games every week, keep it on Bleacher Report for the very latest in college football news.

Read more College Football news on BleacherReport.com

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/946880-penn-state-scandal-ncaa-may-do-something-but-it-wont-be-death-penalty

Felix Hernandez Francisco Liriano Gio Gonzalez Hiroki Kuroda Jaime Garcia

Update: ?Waifish? Kit Cope is off Vegas kickboxing card with testosterone replacement therapy issues

dme — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 15:07:27 +0000

UPDATE: Kit Cope is now off the Lion Fights card because of problems with the Nevada State Athletic Commission and his use of testosterone replacement therapy. Watch the video with a cool dummy at his side to hear Cope’s side of the story.

For a guy with a 4-7 record in mixed martial arts, Kit Cope has always been able to maintain some buzz amongst MMA fans. It helps when you have a big mouth and a history with Gina Carano. People want to hear what Cope has to say.

This weekend, he can lean on his fighting a little more as he goes back to his roots on a big kickboxing card in Las Vegas. A muay thai champ for much of his early 20′s, Cope explained why he’s back in the ring with the bigger gloves.

“I never really left on purpose. It’s just that there weren’t anymore interesting kickboxing fights. There weren’t anymore interesting kickboxing promotions. Now finally there’s a resurgence from the mid-90′s, where it’s starting to gain popularity,” said Cope.

The 34-year-old is fighting all the way down at 147 pounds. He’s spent most his MMA career at 155. Cope lost to some pretty high level MMA fighters including Kenny Florian in his lone UFC fight and Rob McCullough in the WEC. You’ll notice a trend with his MMA losses, the word “submission” is awfully prevalent. Cope can laugh about his deficiencies. He acknowledges that he simply has more passion for the stand-up game.

“You’ll see a lot of awesome action. All the stuff when you’re into the UFC, you’re watching and people are cheering, and they’re like ‘oh my gosh, this is so awesome.’ That’s cause they’re standing up and doing muay thai,” Cope said. “That’s what we’re doing. So you get to stand up and cheer and think it’s awesome the entire time. Instead of waiting for (the referee) to stand them up.”

Cope is part of Lion Fight Promotions: “Battle In The Desert 4″ at Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas this Saturday.

Check out the entire interview. Cope also updates everyone on his television career and his thoughts on Gina Carano and her June fight cancellation.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Update-Waifish-Kit-Cope-is-off-Vegas-kickboxi?urn=mma-wp9531

David Garrard Jon Kitna Kyle Orton Jay Cutler Eli Manning