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Sixers prep for 2nd-half surge in Game 2 vs. Celts (Yahoo! Sports)

admin — Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:01 +0000

Sixers prep for 2nd-half surge in Game 2 vs. Celts (Yahoo! Sports)
BOSTON (AP) Philadelphia coach Doug Collins warned his team about the Celtics’ third-quarter prowess this season. Perhaps that advisory should have been extended into the fourth quarter as well. Leading for most of the game and by as many as 10 early in the fourth, the 76ers could no longer contain Kevin Garnett or Rajon Rondo, who ignited a 23-7 surge to start the final quarter, helping the Celtics steal Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals with a 92-91 victory Saturday night. Game 2 is Monday in Boston. ”I think they’re the top third-quarter team in the league this year and Coach really stressed that,” Philadelphia forward Elton Brand said. ”So, when we pushed that lead back up to 10, it was just a feeling like we had a chance there.” Rondo had other ideas. The fleet-footed point guard collected 17 assists, 13 points and 12 rebounds, notching his eighth career playoff triple-double. Six of those points, five assists and four rebounds came in the fourth quarter, fueling the late-game run with three long-range jumpers that turned a double-digit deficit into a six-point lead with 1:17 remaining. ”I think we shot ourselves in the foot, that’s what you learn pretty much,” Sixers guard Evan Turner said. ”We were up 13 a couple times, we weathered the storm, went back up 10, and just think we shot ourselves in the foot. ”Especially the Celtics, they’re always going to fight. You just have to keep them down.” There’s been no slowing Garnett lately. The 35-year-old forward submitted another age-defying performance on the heels of one of his best all-around efforts in recent memory. On Thursday, in closing out Atlanta, he had 28 points, 14 rebounds, five blocks and three steals. Less than 48 hours later, Garnett scored a season-high 29 and added 11 rebounds against Philadelphia, playing the entire fourth as Boston improved to 4-0 on its home court this postseason. Garnett is averaging 20.1 points and 10.6 rebounds in the playoffs. ”We are gonna ride Kevin all the way until his wheels fall off,” Boston forward Paul Pierce said. ”He understands the sense of urgency with this ball club and he’s giving it everything he’s got out there for us.” Brand seems to agree. ”I think he’s the hottest guy in the league right now,” he said. ”The closeout game in Atlanta and how he played last night? It was pretty amazing.” Andre Iguodala scored 19 and Turner added 16 and 10 rebounds for the Sixers, who became just the fifth No. 8 seed to win a first-round series against the top-seeded team when they knocked off the Chicago Bulls. Philadelphia took advantage of Chicago’s injuries, and took a 3-1 series lead, before eventually capping the upset in Game 6 at home Thursday. The Celtics are different, though, a sage squad seeking their third berth in the East finals over the past five seasons. Boston did not practice on Sunday. Philadelphia owned a 77-67 lead with 11 minutes to go before Rondo drained a pair of outside jumpers in a span of two minutes to hand Boston an 83-82 edge. Garnett later put Boston in front for good on a layup and Pierce and Rondo helped seal it with back-to-back jumpers. Celtics coach Doc Rivers wasn’t sure if his team had one last run in them. When they did, though, he wasn’t surprised. ”It’s funny, when we cut the lead the first time and then they pumped it back up to seven, nine . I didn’t feel bad about the game,” he said. ”I didn’t know if we were going to win or lose. I did feel like mentally, our guys were still very much in the game, and, to me, that’s a good sign.” The Sixers learned a valuable lesson, too. ”We played well, but they’re a weathered team, they’re a championship team,” Brand said. ”Most of those guys have been on a championship team, so they know how to execute, they know to finish at the end, which we’ve done better at, but that’s what we have to do against this Boston team.”

#52-63: Second round ends in a lighting round

admin — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 05:18:10 +0000

#52-63: Second round ends in a lighting round
52: Tennessee Titans — Zach Brown, OLB, North Carolina — Like former West Virginia and current Seattle Seahawks linebacker Bruce Irvin, Brown is all about speed. He’ll need to develop as a read-and react guy, but as a moveable chess piece on passing downs, he can have an impact right away. 53: Cincinnati Bengals — Devon Still, DT, Penn State — The Bengals still play enough straight four-fronts to make this pick very sensible. Still is more a pure penetrator than a guy who’s going to stand there and take up three blockers. 54: Detroit Lions — Ryan Broyles, WR, Oklahoma — Injured last year, and at 5-foot-10, 182 pounds, one wonders how much abuse he’ll be able to take at the NFL level. Not a real burner, but an elusive and consistent target in a dynamic passing offense. 55: Atlanta Falcons — Peter Konz, C, Wisconsin — Thought by some to be a first-round pick because of his strength, fundamental awareness, and versatility, Konz could shift outside to guard if need be. Injuries (blood clots in both lungs, various ankle issues) may have pushed him down the board, but you won’t often see Konz get pushed down anywhere else. 56: Pittsburgh Steelers — Mike Adams, OT, Ohio State — The Steelers pulled off an interesting bifecta – -they selected my favorite (David DeCastro) and least favorite (Adams) in this draft class. Adams is the kind of big, athletic tackle the Steelers prefer, but I’ve seen him struggle against enough elite defenders to wonder how his transition will go. 57: Denver Broncos — Brock Osweiler, AB, Arizona State — Osweiler is an interesting prospect — a big, mobile quarterback who can make all the throws (including the bad ones). He’s raw clay to a degree, but what better building for a developmental quarterback than one in which John Elway and Peyton Manning reside? 58: Tampa Bay Buccaneers — LaVonte David, OLB, Nebraska — Too small/too slow? Well, yes. You don’t want to run a 4.65 40 at the combine when you stand 6-foot-1 and weigh 235 pounds. However, David is also is one of those guys we like to call “just a football player” — when you turn on the tape, he’s thumping people in the box and playing stay-at-home linebacker against the goofiest spread offenses. He’s another reason the Bucs have been the offseason winners so far. 59: Philadelphia Eagles — Vinny Curry, DE, Marshall — Ever wonder what would have happened if the Eagles drafted Jason Pierre-Paul? Wonder no more. Underrated pass-rusher who can play many roles. Has the burst to get 10 sacks a season as an edge rusher, the agility to play in LEO fronts (the Clay Matthews/Aldon Smith role) and the upper-body strength to hold up as a straight run defender outside or in a five-tech role. I’m very surprised he fell this far. 60: Baltimore Ravens: Kelechi Osemele, OT, Iowa State — Osemele is a huge lineman with elite strength and the ability to pound his opponents into submission. A perfect fit for an offense always looking to get tougher. Add his long arms and huge hands, and Osemele could be Ray Rice’s new best buddy. 61: San Francisco 49ers: LaMichael James, RB, Oregon — In one year, the 49ers’ offense has gone from stodgy to fairly explosive. Between Mario Manningham, rolling the dice in Randy Moss, first-round receiver A.J. Jenkins, Jim Harbaugh had already given quarterback Alex Smith more to work with. But James outstrips them all in terms of pure athleticism — he’s not as powerful as Darren Sproles, but he shares many of the same characteristics as a burner of a running back, and he adds explosive capabilities in the return game. San Francisco fans who can stomach memories of the NFC Championship game will appreciate that concept. 62: Green Bay Packers: Casey Hayward, CB, Vanderbilt — Decent sized cornerback with 37 straight starts at Vandy; a very aware player in space who could do multiple things for a Green Bay secondary looking to overcome several concerns. Couls switch off to cover safety, or play nickel corner, if Charles Woodson has to play more straight cornerback instead of his hybrid role. 63: New York Giants — Rueben Randle, WR, LSU — This is an ideal player for the Bears’ offense, especially after Mario Manningham’s departure — he’s a tough possession receiver with route correctness and a surprising snap upfield after the catch. Doesn’t explode off tape, but he’ll eat your lunch in the intermediate game, he’s great over the moddle because he doesn’t fear traffic, and he’s very quick after the catch. Other popular content on the Yahoo! network:• The Rams miss out on two draft gems, yet still got coveted player• Dan Wetzel: NBA players should want answers for union’s ongoing controversy• Rory McIlroy tweets proof he was ahead of the times with ‘belly putter’• Shine: How to make McDonald’s french fries at home

Lynx draft Notre Dame’s Devereaux Peters (The Associated Press)

admin — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 00:54:06 +0000

Lynx draft Notre Dame’s Devereaux Peters (The Associated Press)
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) The defending champion Minnesota Lynx didn’t have much room on their roster for rookies, so this year’s WNBA draft served a future purpose. Looking ahead for a potential replacement for 41-year-old center Taj McWilliams-Franklin, the Lynx picked Notre Dame’s Devereaux Peters with the third overall selection on Monday. They took five other players, but only two of them will even be at training camp. For the first time in their 14 seasons, the Lynx didn’t need the draft. They’ve already got a title contender assembled, and they’re hoping Peters can be a valuable piece. The 6-foot-2, two-time Big East Defensive Player of the Year, who helped the Fighting Irish reach the last two NCAA championship games, finished her college career as only the second player in program history with at least 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, 150 blocks and 150 steals. The Lynx acquired the selection before last season in a trade with the Washington Mystics for center Nicky Anosike. ”Although I believe Taj might play until she’s 50, there’s probably a more than likelihood that in a couple years, if not a year from now, we might have to replace her,” head coach Cheryl Reeve said. Peters, on a conference call with reporters, said her selection was ”just pure shock” because of how loaded the Lynx are. With McWilliams-Franklin, Rebekkah Brunson, Maya Moore, Seimone Augustus and Lindsay Whalen in the lineup, moving from biggest to smallest, the starting five is set. Candice Wiggins leads the list of reserves, with recent acquisition Erin Thorn and Monica Wright in the backcourt and Amber Harris and Jessica Adair in the post. After two ACL injuries earlier in her career, Peters played the last two seasons without any problems. She’s a strong rebounder and defender who’s used to playing a supporting role on a star-studded Notre Dame team. She’ll need to improve her jump shooting and cut down on her foul-prone play in the WNBA. ”I think I’ve made a big improvement,” Peters said. Reeve joked that Peters was as happy as any player to join the league this year, because ”she gets six fouls.” The Lynx also drafted Damiris Dantas of Brazil with the final choice of the first round, 12th overall. They then picked mid-major stars Julie Wojta of Wisconsin-Green Bay and Kayla Standish of Gonzaga before grabbing guard Nika Baric of Slovenia in the second round, with the 18th, 19th and 20th selections. In the third round, No. 31 overall, they took oft-injured USC point guard Jacki Gemelos. Wojta and Standish will be long shots to make the team, but the two forwards could challenge Wright or Harris for time. WNBA rosters are limited to 11 players. ”We’ve seen it before that you think you’re set, but you come in find out that someone is better and they’ll have that opportunity to prove that they can beat somebody out on our roster,” Lynx executive vice president Roger Griffith said. ”If that happens, we’ll all be stronger for it.” Said Reeve: ”I certainly won’t be drawing a depth chart for them. I think that’s rather disappointing. I won’t go that route. I want them to come in and be confident and be competitive.” Gemelos has torn the ACL in both of her knees twice each, most recently in December, so she won’t play this season. But the Lynx will hold her rights as long as she’s still recovering. The same goes for Dantas and Baric, who are both 19. They’re playing internationally – Baric is a teammate of Augustus in a Russian league – and won’t start their WNBA careers for some time. Dantus might not turn pro until after the Summer Olympics – in 2016. ”That’s not a timeline that scares us either,” Griffith said. — Follow Dave Campbell on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/DaveCampbellAP

888 Casino Bonus February 2012

admin — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 10:54:11 +0000

888 Casino Bonus February 2012
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Next Chelsea Manager Odds Update

admin — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 06:36:19 +0000

Next Chelsea Manager Odds Update
It seems high time we took an updated look at the odds for the next full-time Chelsea manager, and after their not entirely unpredictable win over Barcelona in the Champions League Roberto di Matteo has moved in to evens with Ladbrokes from being a fairly distant outsider. In truth he hasn’t done a huge amount with the players he can call on, and the win they achieved in far from inexplicable, but the Italian is keeping it simple and reaping the rewards. The victory in Spain (alright, draw) was built around not trying too much under pressure, and these tactics worked well, but I can see RdM being rather underwhelming in league management terms if he were given the job, personally. The success of RdM has also thrown the market for this job into some disarray, with previously favoured Jose Mourinho now at 5/1 with PaddyPower, a price unlikely to come in if he masterminds a Real Madrid victory over Chelsea in the final. This may also be down to the fact Mourinho has been fairly vocal about wanting to stay at Real for another season in recent weeks, and we know he has the ability and self-belief to turn down a job if it is not right, but the Portuguese may be keeping a cheeky eye on the situation at Manchester City even as he pledges allegiance to Madrid. Another former favourite from the Spanish League is Pep Guardiola, the vanquished man from the Nou Camp, and he has slipped to 14/1 with StanJames. What the future holds for him after losing the Champions League and most likely domestic league title in the same week will be interesting to see, but if he were to walk away from Barca now you’d imagine some fairly strong criticism would be headed his way, mainly centred around him being a quitter. Rafa Benitez and Laurent Blanc are still contenders, at 10/1 with StanJames and PaddyPower respectively, but at present the job is di Matteo’s to lose, it seems. Related Articles:Next Chelsea Manager Odds Who will be the next Chelsea manager? Spanish Liga BBVA Odds Update Big Brother Update 18/06 Next Leeds Manager Odds

Air Force’s Garland returns to Broncos (Yahoo! Sports)

admin — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 08:18:07 +0000

Air Force’s Garland returns to Broncos (Yahoo! Sports)
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) Defensive tackle Ben Garland has rejoined the Denver Broncos for offseason workouts after getting an early release from his commitment to the U.S. Air Force. Garland was a training camp phenom two years ago, impressing the coaches with his work ethic and regularly outracing even quarterback Tim Tebow in post-practice wind sprints. He was placed on the reserve/military list after training camp in 2010 and began serving his five-year military commitment. Garland told The Associated Press he was allowed to return to the NFL through a program that allows servicemen to cut short their commitment after two years for a career that would benefit the Air Force in recruiting or public affairs. Garland totaled 115 tackles, 11 1/2 sacks and three forced fumbles in 39 games at the Air Force Academy.

March Round-Up

admin — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 04:18:08 +0000

March Round-Up
Written by Betting-RSS admin on 02 April 2012. Hello dear subscribers, With regret I must tell you that we have the first negative month in 2012, hopefully will be one of the few like in 2011 and we can keep up the form and build up the profit. I don’t think that April will be the same as march as many important things will happen this month, one of them being Bucharest Tennis Open where I will be on court and where old subscribers know that we made lots of profit in past 2 years. The statistics are the following: March 201237 WON / 3 VOID / 48 LOST Staked 321.5 / Returned 297.66 Yield -7,41% / ROI 92.58 Total P/L -23,84 It has been a hectic month. Bad start and at the end had to go to London. Without the trip maybe things could have looked a little bit better. Everyone that had a bad month from the start of his calendaristic month will receive a free month of course. The stats on the website weren’t updated and I didn’t have time to post anything. In April things will go back to normal. For 21-29 of April a chat will be enabled only for the users as I will be on court at Bucharest Nastase Tiriac ATP Trophy and will send live informations about the games. So, I advice any new subscriber or old to have prepared an account with Betfair for this event. May we all have good luck and a good month!

Goodell warns NFL about leaking Wonderlic scores (Yahoo! Sports)

admin — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 08:36:03 +0000

Goodell warns NFL about leaking Wonderlic scores (Yahoo! Sports)
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has sent a memo to all 32 teams threatening “significant discipline” to anyone caught leaking confidential information gathered on draft prospects to the public. The Associated Press obtained the memo, which was sent on Wednesday night after reports that LSU defensive back Morris Claiborne allegedly scored poorly on the Wonderlic test. The exam is used by NFL teams to try to gauge a prospect’s intelligence, problem-solving ability and cognitive skills. League rules prohibit officials from disclosing the results, but scores have routinely been leaked for years, both of the very poor and very high variety. In his memo, Goodell stresses that Wonderlic scores, personal and family histories and drug tests are to be kept strictly confidential. “You should be reminded that disclosure of inappropriate private or confidential information concerning draft-eligible players is conduct detrimental to the league and will be met with significant discipline when a violation can be established,” Goodell wrote. Much of the information is collected at the annual combine in February. But every year, as the draft gets closer, some teams and officials leak certain information in part to possibly influence how the draft plays out. A poor Wonderlic score or a failed drug test could significantly hurt a player’s stock and change the perception of that player with the fan base of the team that chooses him. “Bear in mind that the publicly-disclosed information is frequently inaccurate, incomplete or misleading, and often results from an effort of an individual to advance a self-interested goal,” Goodell wrote. “What is lost in the pursuit of that goal is concern for the reputation and well-being of the young men who have worked so hard to reach their own goal of becoming an NFL player and concern for the reputation of the NFL and our game.” The first round of the NFL draft will be held this year on Thursday, April 26, with the draft continuing through Friday and Saturday. Now that the calendar has turned to April, the smokescreens, negotiations and subterfuge are only expected to heat up. The players’ union, players and some agents have been irked by the lack of discretion in the past, which can be difficult to police. Goodell felt it necessary to send a reminder of the rules that are in place. “Disclosing this confidential information about draft-eligible players to the public can be extremely damaging to players, clubs, and the league,” he wrote.

Hot/Not: Don’t Blame David Reutimann, Blame NASCAR (Yahoo! Contributor Network)

admin — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 03:54:18 +0000

Hot/Not: Don’t Blame David Reutimann, Blame NASCAR (Yahoo! Contributor Network)
As it was, the final eight laps of Sunday’s race at Martinsville Speedway were pressure-packed – and not just on the intense battle at the front. Ryan Newman (No. 39) slides by as Clint Bowyer (No. 15), Jeff Gordon (No. 24) and Jimmie Johnson (No. 48) spin to cause the final caution during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Goody’s Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday in Martinsville, Va.Getty Images for NASCAR Vying to be the team hero for its 200th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win, Hendrick Motorsports drivers Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson engaged in familiar duel at NASCAR’s oldest venue. A cat and mouse game with 3,400-pound stock cars, the sport’s most prolific current drivers angled to be the first to reach the checkered flag after 1,000 left hand U-turns. But that pressure wasn’t anything like the battle for 34th place. Behind them, David Reutimann – a journeyman driver who caught the wrong end of a business deal at the close of the 2011 season – was in sight of the only goal he was hired to do: make sure GoDaddy icon Danica Patrick is guaranteed a spot in her next race at Darlington Raceway, two events after Martinsville. To do that, Reutimann needed to finish with enough points to keep his No. 10 car in the top 35 of NASCAR’s owner point standings. Doing so would guarantee him a spot at the series’ next race at Texas Motor Speedway. And from there, he could repeat the process all over again and make sure Patrick is guaranteed her spot in the race at Darlington. If you’re a novice racing fan and that doesn’t make sense, well, it’s of no fault of your own. Simply, NASCAR awards points during each event to the owner of a specific car, and then every team within the top 35 of those owner point standings the next week is guaranteed a spot in the race. It’s basically one big convoluted process to reward teams for racing each week, and it’s only confused further when owners are allowed to sell or otherwise make alliances with other race teams to use the coveted owner points. It’s a mess, and everyone in NASCAR knows it. But the mess is also the rule, and thus Reutimann was trying like hell to live by it. Reutimann had spent considerable time under repair in the tight Martinsville garage area during the race as the rest of the field continued their war with the paperclip’s curbed corners and drag strip straightaways. But with eight laps left, Reutimann – off the leaders’ pace by some 58 laps – was on target to catch Dave Blaney in 34th. Blaney, nearly the improbable winner in the season-opening Daytona 500 after the jet dryer exploded and burned the race track, had dropped off the track after completing 439 laps. In those final eight laps, Reutimann just needed to pass the flagstand six times before the leader finished to earn the 34th spot and a single point in the owner standings. That lone point truly meant the world to the No. 10 team, as it would force a tie in the owner point standings with Landon Cassill’s No. 83 team for 35th. Ties in the point standings are broken by whoever has the most 1st-place finishes, 2nd-place finishes, 3rd-place finishes and so on. Reutimann, with a 21st-place run in the No. 10 car two weeks prior at Bristol Motor Speedway, held that tiebreak. Cassill’s best finish in the No. 83 was 22nd – again, a single position – at Daytona. With the point gained and the tie broken, Reutimann would be a lock for the Texas starting grid instead of being forced to qualify on speed. Not qualifying at Texas would be a virtual disaster, as the No. 10 would earn no points and would fall further from the top 35. Danica would also lose her guaranteed spot at Darlington. All looked good for Reutimann as the laps counted down at Martinsville. He’d make it to the finish, grab 34th and move on to Texas. Then, something in the suspension broke. Naturally, Reutimann pointed the No. 10 toward pit road but the confines of Martinsville kept him from pulling in as the leaders roared by. Undoubtedly someone in his pit looked at the scoring monitor – a screen showing real-time track position and point standings – and told Reutimann to keep going. Even limping to finish, he stood a solid chance of passing Blaney and securing his near-term future. But then, something else broke on the car that cut the engine’s power. The car slowed to a crawl along Martinsville’s frontstretch as race officials hoped it would re-fire and seek refuge in pit lane. Gordon and Johnson, after all, were putting on a side-by-side show for the win emblematic of Martinsville, and not a soul in the place wanted to mess it up. But Reutimann’s car wouldn’t restart. The No. 10 finally stopped as the leaders had three laps left. The caution flag waved. The race was forever changed. In a matter of minutes, Gordon and Johnson would end up spinning just yards from where Reutimann’s car came to a rest, their chances for Hendrick’s 200th gone. Race officials were steamed at Reutimann, believing he had acted incorrectly and demanded a post-race explanation. Fox Sports announcer Larry McReynolds railed at Reutimann live on air. “I have no idea why David Reutimann did not go to the pits awhile ago,” McReynolds exclaimed, unintentionally setting the narrative. “There’s no sense in that!” Drivers lit up radio channels in disgust. Fans on Twitter erupted with criticism. After the race, typically calm Dale Earnhardt Jr. didn’t hold much back. “It doesn’t seem like there could be a logical reason to end up stopped on the track,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “You got a problem, get on pit road. I don’t believe he had any trouble getting [to the pits]. I would like to hear a good excuse, to be honest with you, because I’m sure it would be laughable.” It turns out that Reutimann did have a good excuse. NASCAR officials didn’t penalize him for the incident, and the driver offered an apology. “It broke a tie rod or something. I was just trying to limp around,” Reutimann said. “We needed to finish the next couple of laps to try to stay in the top 35.The thing quit going down the back straightaway, and it shut off. I just didn’t stop there intentionally.” Still people were and are angry at him. They shouldn’t be. Instead, that anger and resent should be directed another way: NASCAR’s top-35 rule. There’s zero doubt that NASCAR’s rules that encourage earning every point possible – even when laps upon laps behind – directly caused Reutimann’s actions. Staying on track may have seemed inconsequential to everyone else, but for Reutimann, it meant his job, because right now his job is to make sure Danica Patrick has a guaranteed spot whenever she races in the Cup Series. Wht’s the solution to it all? There’s no telling, really. NASCAR has also been in favor of guaranteeing teams who make a concerted effort to compete and be in the sport a shot in each race. Until that mindset goes away – if ever – these incidents will crop up again and again. In the meantime, don’t blame David Reutimann. Let’s talk about some drivers that didn’t finish 35th, shall we? HOT: Martinsville for being Martinsville. Sure, there were long green-flag runs. Sure, we had green-flag pit stops. But the racing at Martinsville is forever tight and it’s one place where a second groove is a good thing. Can we just make a guarantee that NASCAR won’t ever leave either of its two races at its oldest venue? NOT: Kasey Kahne’s engine woes on Sunday continue one terrible streak of luck. It will change at some point – but you’ve got to wonder what it will take. I still stand by argument of a week ago that both he and Jeff Gordon (14th after dominating) need race wins to make the Chase. The holes are only getting deeper. HOT: So Dale Earnhardt Jr. is five points from the lead in the Sprint Cup Series point standings, and has accumulated three top-5′s. Is anyone still making the argument that he’s an overrated driver? The wins are coming for the No. 88, and they may come in bunches. Steve Letarte remains the most perfect of crew chief matchups for Earnhardt. NOT: Kevin Harvick had no pressure on him during Saturday’s Camping World Truck Series race thanks to what amounts to team orders from the Richard Childress Racing camp. The fans who paid money to see that race deserve better. NOT: Another ho-hum week for Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing put Jamie McMurray 20th and Juan Pablo Montoya 21st. Still waiting to see the changes there, otherwise expect some big ones to start later in the year. HOT: Stewart-Haas Racing has three of the six Sprint Cup race wins in 2012. That deserves some praise – as do the free Bloomin’ Onions that Ryan Newman is giving out on a pretty routine basis. HOT: You’ve got to appreciate AJ Allmendinger for the way he finished Sunday’s race. He could’ve easily dive-bombed Newman out of the way in a bid for his first series win, but instead opted for a clean and steady second. The No. 22 team needed that after a slow start to 2012. NEUTRAL: Greg Biffle remains the leader in points, but has he done anything that makes you think he’ll be a Chase for the Sprint Cup contender? HOT: Did you see NASCAR’s April Fool’s Day joke with Google? The joke centered around the two coming together to race fully automated cars that require no driver. I give the joke two thumbs up for humor and effort. (NASCAR even had a car at Google for a photo). That being said, it’s not hard to speculate that this congenial relationship may be a hint of future partnership between the two companies – one who has content and the other who distributes content. FINAL: It’s incredible how well NASCAR’s product would do if they raced at short tracks more consistently. Look no further than the television ratings to see why. Year to year, ratings at both Las Vegas and Auto Club Speedways dropped while Martinsville and Bristol have gone up. I may as well be a broken record on this, but the NASCAR schedule is in sincere need of an overhaul. More short tracks, more road courses and fewer cookie-cutter 1.5-milers is an easy rule of thumb to start with. Geoffrey Miller has covered NASCAR and other forms of racing since 2007. Follow him on Twitter @GeoffreyMiller. Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

Islanders beat Penguins again, sweep home and home (Yahoo! Sports)

admin — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 10:36:26 +0000

Islanders beat Penguins again, sweep home and home (Yahoo! Sports)
UNIONDALE, N.Y. (AP)—While the Pittsburgh Penguins were trying to chase down the New York Rangers, they seem to have overlooked the New York Islanders. Pittsburgh has been trying to catch the Eastern Conference-leading Rangers, and a monthlong stretch in which they barely lost got them within one point with a whole lot of momentum. A home-and-home set with the also-ran Islanders seemed to be the perfect tonic to keep the Penguins rolling, but the Penguins failed to take advantage. After sustaining a rare loss to New York in Pittsburgh on Tuesday night, the Penguins did little to change their fortunes in the rematch and were beaten 5-3 on Thursday night. Now Pittsburgh’s hopes of finishing first are nearly gone. The Penguins trail the Rangers by five points with five games remaining, and New York owns the tiebreaker. Of bigger concern is the Philadelphia Flyers, who are only two points behind Pittsburgh in the race for home-ice advantage in what is shaping up to be an all-Pennsylvania matchup in the first round. “We’re in Buffalo (Friday), and we have big games with Philly, New York, Boston and Philly again,” Penguins coach Dan Bylsma said. “We’re going to try to win every one of those games.” Josh Bailey had two goals and three assists, after setting up three goals in the Islanders’ win at Pittsburgh on Tuesday, and carried the New York offense that is usually fueled by top-line forwards John Tavares and Matt Moulson. That duo was a combined minus-2 on Thursday, but it didn’t matter. Secondary scoring from the line of Bailey, Kyle Okposo and Frans Nielsen made the difference in the back-to-back 5-3 wins. “As a line I thought we played pretty well and found a way to get some goals,” Bailey said. “It’s resulted in our team getting a couple of extra wins and takes some pressure off the top line.” The Islanders (33-33-11), in a 12th-place tie in the 15-team Eastern Conference, took pride in their fight down the stretch and their accomplishment of getting back to .500 New York is playing the spoiler role to the hilt, and in turn helping out the hated Rangers. “We always play to win, no matter where we are in the standings,” said Okposo, who reached 20 goals for the first time. “We always play with pride. I think the last two games definitely showed that.” The night was already going badly for the Penguins when captain Sidney Crosby left in the second period after he was struck in the nose by a puck and was bloodied. Crosby has missed significant time because of concussion troubles, but he was able to return shortly after. He didn’t need stitches, but he sounded very congested when he spoke after the game. However, the result seemed to bother him more than the injury. “We didn’t do a lot of good things and we paid for it again,” Crosby said. “We made some mistakes and they capitalized on it.” The Penguins, who hadn’t lost consecutive games in regulation since Jan. 10-11, are trying to finish first to avoid being no better than the No. 4 seed in the East. “We have to find ways to get back on track,” forward Jordan Staal said. “It’s going to take everyone in the room.” Marty Reasoner gave the Islanders a 1-0 lead with his first goal in over a year, and Pascal Dupuis got the Penguins even in the second with a short-handed goal while Crosby was in the dressing room for repairs. When Crosby got back to the bench and then on the ice, the Islanders took over again. Okposo scored a power-play goal when his centering pass intended for Nino Niederreiter caromed into the net off defenseman Deryk Engelland with 3:24 left in the period. Bailey pushed the lead to 3-1 exactly 2 minutes later when he scored on a short-handed breakaway. Bailey starred in this two-game series, notching a career-best three assists in each game and helping the Islanders snap the Penguins’ 10-game, home-winning streak with their first win in Pittsburgh in more than four years (0-11-2). “I don’t see the opponent being the demoralizing part,” Bylsma said. “I didn’t see a lot of response in the way we played.” Okposo added his second of the night at 5:52 of the third off a feed from Bailey. Al Montoya made 26 saves. Evgeni Malkin cut it to 4-3 with 1:31 remaining after goalie Marc-Andre Fleury was pulled for an extra skater, but Bailey added an empty-netter with 4.7 seconds left. Pittsburgh, which recorded 54 shots in Tuesday’s loss, held a 29-24 edge Thursday. The Penguins were recently rolling and cementing themselves as the popular choice to be this year’s Stanley Cup champion. But sudden struggles, coinciding with the Rangers getting back on track, have stunted Pittsburgh’s surge. The Penguins went on a 13-0-1 spurt, but are 1-3 since. The Islanders returned home after a 4-1 road trip with their slim playoff hopes still intact, and they took things to the Penguins again. Reasoner got New York on the board in the fast-moving first period by snapping in his first goal in 71 games—dating to March 8, 2011. Crosby, playing in the ninth game of his second comeback of the season after recovering from concussion symptoms, was injured 1:43 into the second. Islanders defenseman Dylan Reese was trying to clear the puck out of the lower left corner in the New York end when he hit Crosby, who was standing a few feet away. Crosby stayed down on his stomach for about a minute before getting back up on his skates. He skated off toward the tunnel to the dressing room. He returned to the bench with 10:13 left in the period, and was back on the ice moments later. He returned to a 1-1 game after Dupuis scored to tie it at 8:37. But Okposo put New York back in front 7:59 later, and Bailey made it 3-1 when Jay Pandolfo dived at center ice to knock a loose puck to him and send him in on a breakaway. Okposo struck again in the third, and Staal brought the Penguins within 4-2 with 11:40 remaining. NOTES: Bailey is on a five-game point streak (3 goals, 9 assists). He has seven goals and 10 assists in 15 games after missing two games because of a back injury. … Penguins defenseman Kris Letang missed his second straight game and will also sit out Friday. … Islanders goalie Evgeni Nabokov missed the game after sustaining a lower body injury at Pittsburgh.