Sharapova suffers shock defeat
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Author: Sharapova suffers shock defeat
British teenager Heather Watson’s impressive run at the Auckland Classic comes to an end with defeat by Shuai Peng in the last eight.
Beavers WR Rodgers gets medical hardship (AP)
Oregon State flanker James Rodgers has been granted a medical hardship for this past season, meaning he can return for 2011. Rodgers, a senior, played in four of the team’s first five games before he suffered a left knee injury that required surgery. A team captain, Rodgers was averaging 176.8 all-purpose yards per game when he was injured, ranking him sixth in the nation.
Houllier position safe at Villa
Aston Villa manager Gerard Houllier will be given time to turn around the fortunes of the struggling Premier League club, BBC Sport understands.
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Big Ten sticking with Legends, Leaders (AP)
Big Ten sticking with Legends, Leaders (AP)
Legends and Leaders, the names for the Big Ten’s two new divisions, are sticking around. At least through next football season. With the addition of Nebraska as its 12th team, the Big Ten announced in December it would field two six-team divisions in football with the winners meeting in a league title game.
Test cricket betting – West Indies long odds at series sweep against Sri Lanka
West Indies v Sri Lanka test series betting Betsafe Odds Tuesday, November 16, 11pm EST (LT) West Indies +600 Draw +325 Sri Lanka -300 [Off topic: by the way, do you want to get a 55% bonus on your first deposit here at BetUS? Find out more exciting details HERE.] Could Sri Lanka’s third most prolific Test bowler Lasith Malinga have prevented West Indies captain Chris Gayle’s day…
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Tour Report: Final update: Mickelson, Bradley tied (PGATOUR.com)
Tour Report: Final update: Mickelson, Bradley tied (PGATOUR.com)
How/Getty Images J.B. Holmes got off to a great start with a 4-under 67 on Thursday. By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. — J.B. Holmes knew he was playing better than his scores indicated. Particularly that disappointing 80 he shot last Saturday in the third round at Spyglass Hill last week on the way to a missed cut at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. “It was just kind of one of those weeks where a couple bad things happened and I didn’t putt as well,” Holmes said simply. “All of a sudden I put up a pretty big number out there.” Not so on a blustery Thursday during the first round of the Northern Trust Open, though. Holmes’ score finally reflected the way he felt he’d been hitting the ball when he fired a 68 that left him one shot off the lead held by Phil Mickelson. The big-hitter from Kentucky. who set the tone for the day when he birdied his first three holes, was tied with Hunter Mahan. “I really felt pretty good this week practicing and coming up to this golf course,” Holmes said. “I really enjoy playing here. I like the layout of this golf course. I felt like I could shoot a pretty good score today.” Holmes, who started on the back nine, made the turn in 32 and then hung tough during an adventurous homeward stretch. He birdied the first hole, parred Nos. 3 and 4 and then went bogey-bogey-birdie-birdie-double bogey-birdie over his final six holes played in the day’s most gentle breezes. “It was blowing really hard all day,” Holmes said. “You really had to be real precise with your lines, especially striking your irons going in. You had to make sure you flushed it because the wind would definitely move it around quite a bit. I started off great, and then it died down a little bit at the end, and actually when it got a little bit easier I made a few mistakes. My record was a little bit better when the wind was blowing real hard. “Overall it was a really good day for me. It was really difficult. We got about four holes where the wind wasn’t blowing. It was whipping most of the day on us. Holmes is playing in just his fourth tournament since undergoing brain surgery last September to repair a Chiari malformation at the base of his skull. He’s not quite 100 percent but h says he’s seen improvement every week. Holmes has a good track record at Riviera, too — sharing the first round lead a year ago on the way to a tie for 12th and finishing seventh or better the three previous years. “It’s nice to get back out here and start hitting some shots like I used to, so it’s nice to put a good competitive round in on tough conditions,” Holmes said. “It’s just nice to be back out here, and it’s always encouraging when you can play good starting off on the first round. Watch: Round 1 Highlights Mahan makes more memories By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. — When Hunter Mahan was 11 or 12 years old, his dad would bring him to Riviera Country Club to watch what was then called the Nissan Open. He later worked the range as a volunteer while a student at USC. “This was always the best field in golf, so this was always a great place to come out here and watch a lot of great players from pretty much all over the world to come and play,” Mahan said. “This was always a great spot.” Imagine, then, the new memories Mahan could make if he continues to play as well as he did on a windy Thursday at Riviera in the first round of the PGA TOUR event that is now known as the Northern Trust Open. Mahan turned an OK round into something special with a string of four straight birdies that brought him home with a 67 that was one stroke off the lead held by Phil Mickelson. Mahan is tied with J.B. Holmes, who also played in the afternoon, as did Mickelson, on a day when the average score on the par-71 layout was 73.466. “Obviously when we woke up this morning, the wind was humming pretty good,” Mahan said. “The course is in perfect shape right now. The greens are rolling very true. They’re not too fast because if they were it would be pretty difficult to play with the wind. … Probably the last seven holes the wind started to die down progressively, and by the end, it couldn’t be playing any nicer or any better. So I was excited to come make some birdies late. ”I hit it good all day, just a couple loose swings, but other than that, it was very solid from tee to green, and put myself in good position all day to kind of make putts.” Mahan had played 13 holes and was even par when the birdie barrage began in calmer conditions he called “about as good a weather as we’re ever going to see.” He’d had four birdies up until that point, but also made two bogeys and a double bogey at the 18th as he made the turn. Mahan wasn’t discouraged, though, and all of a sudden, the putts started falling — from 34, 21, 4 and 12 feet. He was tied with Mickelson when the last putt dropped but the big lefthander chipped in for a final birdie to seize sole possession of the lead. “I felt like I was close to getting a string going,” Mahan said. “The course is in great shape and the greens are holding just enough to where you can hit it close. The pins were pretty accessible for the last few holes.” Mickelson rides momentum Thursday By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. – Phil Mickelson didn’t set up over the ball behind the 18th green expecting to chip it in. But he did — much to the delight of the vocal fans at Riviera Country Club — and with that closing birdie Mickelson claimed sole possession of the lead at the Northern Trust Open. he birdie, which was his sixth of the day, capped off an extremely solid 66, and Mickelson, who only dropped one shot to par on this blustery afternoon, finds himself one stroke ahead of Hunter Mahan and J.B. Holmes. He’s a two-time champion at Riviera, too. “It was quick, it was downhill, and I had to play about four or five feet of break, so it’s not one that you’re trying to get aggressive with,” Mickelson said as he revisited the final chip. “I was trying to get good speed and try to let it feed with the break, and I got fortunate obviously that it went in.” Fortunate, maybe. But Mickelson is clearly confident right now after closing with a 64 — that was three strokes better than anyone else in the field — on Sunday as he won the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am for the fourth time. The victory boosted Mickelson’s career total to 40 and showcased the hard work he put in during the offseason that he’d yet to put on display in 2012. “I felt very confident at the start of the year because I had played eight to ten rounds exactly like Sunday’s final round, and I felt like I was so amped up and ready to start the season,” Mickelson said. “(Then) I came out and played three terrible tournaments, and I don’t know what happened there, and my confidence took a little bit of a hit. “To come back and play the way I know I can play Sunday when I needed it most at Pebble, it gets my confidence right back to where I was starting the season, and I’m excited about the upcoming event, especially heading into our biggest event in April.” Mickelson’s performance at Pebble Beach certainly was not lost on his peers. While he said it was too early to start worrying about Mickelson this week, Mahan called him a “stud of a player” and said it would be fun to compete against him on Sunday, as Tiger Woods had done in the same group at Pebble Beach. Mickelson outscored Woods by 11 shots that day. He has now has beaten the former world No. 1 the last five times they’ve played in together in the final round. ”I’m sure Tiger really didn’t like watching Phil make all those birdies, that’s for sure, because that was a great tournament by Phil,” Mahan said. “That final round was pretty impressive. That course was setting up for it, too, because the conditions were pretty good, and you can get on a streak there pretty quick those first few holes, and boy, Phil played a very impressive final round. “I think Tiger has made huge strides and big progress, and I think he’s on the right path, it just didn’t click that day.” Final update: Mickelson leads by 1 By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. — A blustery day didn’t blow Phil Mickelson off course, not with the affable lefthander riding the momentum of Sunday’s come-from-behind victory on the Monterey Peninsula. Mickelson, who fired a flawless 64 on Sunday to win the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, is back at the top of another leaderboard after the first round of the Northern Trust Open. Mickelson claimed sole possession of the lead when he chipped in from 35 feet for a sixth and final birdie at the 18th hole as shadows settled over Riviera. His 66 was one better than J.B. Holmes and Hunter Mahan while Jonathan Byrd and Carl Pettersson are another stroke behind. “It feels really good to get that one extra shot because I felt like I left one or two out on 16, 17, and you hate to have such a good round and let a few slide late,” said Mickelson, who is commuting to San Diego this week and beat a hasty retreat to the Santa Monica airport after his round. “To make that shot unexpectedly on 18 felt like I got one of those back.” Play was suspended by darkness at 8:42 p.m. ET after the gusty weather had scores soaring and rounds inching towards the five-hour mark. Tee times in the afternoon, in fact, were delayed 26 minutes on the front nine and 11 on the back. Tournament officials made the unusual decision to send the afternoon groups out without standard bearers since the wind was gusting to 35 mph. The scoring average when play was suspended with 30 players left on the course was 73.466 – more than two strokes above par 71. Only 23 players were in red numbers when the horn sounded. The first round will resume at 7 a.m. PT (10 a.m. ET) and the second round will begin as scheduled. “It was a challenging day today because Riviera doesn’t give you great opportunities to run balls onto the green,” Mickelson said. “That kikuyu grabs it so you really have to fly it on. Fortunately the greens were somewhat receptive, and that’s why I think the scores weren’t extremely high. A lot of them were right around par. “You could keep the ball underneath the wind, underneath the tree line and still get it to stop somewhat on the greens because they were receptive. So I thought that even though the wind was challenging, it was still a fair test.” Play suspended by darkness PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. – The first round of the Northern Trust Open has been suspended by darkness. Play will resume at 7 a.m. PT (10 a.m. ET) and the second round will begin as scheduled. A total of 30 players were stranded on the course. Everyone had finished at least 12 holes when the horn sounded at 5:42 p.m. PT (8:42 p.m. ET). Mahan birdies four straight PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. — Hunter Mahan has reeled off four straight birdies to pull into a tie for the lead. Mahan’s birdie putts started on the fifth hole, his 13th of the day, and came from 34, 21, 4 and 12 feet. He’s now tied with Phil Mickelson, who has two holes remaining, and J.B. Holmes, who bounced back from a double bogey to birdie the ninth for a 67. Mahan, who started on the back nine, has had an equally adventurous round. He birdied his first two holes but ended up making the turn in even par after another birdie, a bogey and a double bogey on No. 18. He was even par when the streak started on the front nine, too, after making birdie on No. 1 and a bogey on the fourth. Leaderboard update: Lefty on top PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. – J.B. Holmes has had a roller-coaster ride on his second nine at Riviera on Thursday. He was cruising along at 5 under before he made consecutive bogeys at Nos. 4 and 5. Holmes bounced back well, though, tapping in from 19 inches at the sixth hole and making another birdie from 17 feet at the next to get back into a tie with Phil Mickelson. Holmes gave both those shots back, though, when he made double bogey at No. 8. He found the left rough off the tee and was short of the green in two, then chipped on a three-putted from 58 feet. So Mickelson, who made three birdies in his first four holes after he made the turn, is now alone in first at 4 under. He has just bogeyed the par-3 16th, putting his tee shot just over the green and eventually missing a 7-footer to save par. Twos aren’t unprecedented for Phil PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. — Phil Mickelson came to Riviera this week bidding for a second straight victory after Sunday’s phenomenal 64 lifted him to his fourth AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am title. Consecutive wins aren’t unprecedented for the affable lefthander, either. He’s accomplished the feat three times (2006 BellSouth Classic and Masters, 2005 FBR Open and AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am and 1996 Nortel Open and Phoenix Open). The last time a player won in consecutive starts on TOUR was Jonathan Byrd (2010 Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open and 2011 Hyundai Tournament of Champions). The last player to win in consecutive weeks, though, was Tiger Woods at the 2009 Buick Open and Bridgestone Invitational. Donald fires solid 70 in opener By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. — Luke Donald, who led the PGA TOUR in strokes gained putting last year, didn’t have his best day on the greens during the first round of the Northern Trust Open. Even so, the world No. 1 played well enough to post a 70 that left Donald firmly in the hunt at a tournament where he’s finished sixth or better three of the last four years. “These greens are tricky,” Donald said after taking 30 putts. “If you can putt well around here, it’s going to help. … I practice in south Florida on pretty perfect, smooth Bermuda greens; to come here and play on poa annua, it’s a big adjustment. “And with them being quicker today with the wind, that was the toughest part for me.” Donald started relative quietly on the back nine in his 2012 PGA TOUR debut, reeling off four straight pars before making bogey at No. 13. Donald got that stroke back at the next par 3, though, rolling in a 14-footer for birdie, and later two-putting from 36 feet at the par-5 first hole to get into red numbers. “This morning it was freezing, blowing a gale, and it was not easy,” Donald said. “This course is tough with benign conditions, so with the added wind and the greens, they’re fast. They seemed a little bit faster than usual. Eleven-and-a-half to 12 on the Stimpmeter usually makes it really tough out there.” Otherwise, Donald was pretty pleased with the way he was hitting the ball overall. He found 8 of 14 fairways and 12 greens in regulation while playing just his fifth competitive round of the year — and first in the United States. “I’m excited about my ball striking, the way I’m controlling the flight,” Donald said. “I’m moving it both ways, feel like I’m driving the ball pretty solidly, happy with the work that I’ve done in the off season, seems to be paying off. So far, so good. Yeah, just a little bit of tidying up here and there, but feels very good.”
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Video: LeBron James and Blake Griffin help us wish you a happy Valentine’s Day
Video: LeBron James and Blake Griffin help us wish you a happy Valentine’s Day
It doesn’t say much for our cold, loveless hearts that we attempted to write a paean to NBA fans to celebrate Valentine’s Day and failed, but then again we’re kind of sick of coming up with things that rhyme with “Lin.” Instead, all we can say is that we hope the shoebox in front of your desk receives the a litany of well-penned Valentine’s Day cards, thrown in with the ferocity that LeBron James and Blake Griffin showed the rim on Monday night. Happy Valentine’s Day, darlings.
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Kansas opens casino, finalizes road-course plans (NASCAR.com)
Kansas opens casino, finalizes road-course plans (NASCAR.com)
Lesa France Kennedy strode through the Art Deco-inspired lobby, past rows of blinking slots machines and spinning roulette wheels, her eyes trying to take in the homage to old Hollywood. The chief executive of International Speedway Corp., which owns and operates Kansas Speedway, could only marvel at the new casino overlooking Turn 2 of the race track—a $411 million facility that has created 1,000 new jobs and is expected to attract 4 million visitors annually. “All the different screens, all the colors,” Kennedy said. “I’m blown away.” Kennedy is gambling on the Hollywood Casino at Kansas Speedway, which celebrated its grand opening on a rainy Friday morning, to generate interest, drive ticket sales and increase revenue for ISC during a sluggish time for motorsports. It’s a bet she’s confident will pay off. “Anything we can do to bring more entertainment to the area, and also for our fans, will help not only us but the overall region,” Kennedy said. “The group here has been so supportive and so interested in bringing tourism that it’s made it really easy.” Long lines of cars snaked out of the parking lots and along the access roads running parallel to the backstretch in anticipation of the opening. After a ribbon was cut and Sprint Cup drivers Clint Bowyer and Kasey Kahne threw the ceremonial first dice, people began streaming through the doors and taking up seats at slot machines and blackjack tables. The casino, a partnership between ISC and Penn National Gaming, is the first to open in the Kansas City market in 15 years, and the first land-based, Las Vegas-style casino in the area. All of the gaming is on a single, 95,000-square-foot floor, with a bar and restaurant that overlooks Turn 2 of the speedway, providing a unique vantage point for its two race weekends. The first is in late-April, when the Truck Series and Sprint Cup Series visit the track. The second weekend, in mid-October, brings an ARCA race, the Nationwide Series and one of the Chase races that make up the Sprint Cup playoff system. “I get to do this for a living and we’ll open several new facilities this year, but you can imagine the creativity that comes with opening a venue like this,” said Peter Carlino, the chief executive of Penn National Gaming, which owns and operates casinos across the country. The casino is only the latest development on the Kansas side of Kansas City. The speedway, which opened in 2001, served as the cornerstone of a building boom that took advantage of good economic times. Several outlet stores, theaters, a minor league ballpark and the new stadium for MLS team Sporting Kansas City have popped up around the facility. But the economic downturn has hurt motorsports, and suddenly it’s become tougher to sell the 80,000-plus seats at Kansas Speedway, along with a dozen other tracks that are owned and operated by International Speedway Corp. Kennedy believes unique entertainment options like the casino can help bring people back to the track. In places where gambling may not work, it could mean shopping and restaurant projects, concert venues and general upgrades to facilities such as Phoenix that have seen better days. “We have a certain amount of capital each year for all our tracks,” she said, “and we’ll take a look at those that are ready for the next step.” Kennedy said she couldn’t have envisioned setting foot inside a casino at Kansas Speedway five years ago. The truth is that nobody could have. It wasn’t until 2007 that the legislature passed a bill authorizing the construction of casinos in four areas of Kansas to generate additional revenue, one of them near the speedway. Under the bill, the games themselves are owned by the state. There’s more to the facility than just gambling, though. A steakhouse offers fine dining, a buffet on the casino floor caters to nearly 300 at a time, a coffee bar and VIP lounge offer more dining options, and the place to be on race weekends is the patio overlooking the track. “It’s truly brought Las Vegas to Turn 2 of this race track,” said Bowyer, who grew up in Emporia and considers Kansas Speedway his home track. “Can you imagine what the atmosphere is going to be like on race weekend?” Everything inside the facility is modeled after the golden age of Hollywood. There are soaring columns with ornate scrollwork, video screens rolling historic clips of Grace Kelly and James Stewart, and vintage movie posters of Steve McQueen in Le Mans and James Garner in Grand Prix, a nod to the motorsports element of the unique partnership. “Any time we can bring more things to the race track area and offer more entertainment, we’d definitely look at that,” Kennedy said. “The casino happens to work for this property. Obviously it’s available here in the area. But we would look at this or any other types of things that would add an extra boost to the economy and to the experience.” But the casino is not the only change taking place at Kansas Speedway. Officials received the final layout from their design team this week for a proposed road course through the infield, and construction is scheduled to begin after the April race weekend. Track president Pat Warren also said Friday he hopes one of the two Sprint Cup races at Kansas Speedway will be run at night in 2013. The track installed lights last year and drew about 25,000 fans last fall for an ARCA race run under the lights. “I can tell you opportunities like this don’t come along very often, but when they do you take advantage of them,” Warren said. “We added lights to the track, last year we replaced 20,000 seats. We’ve done a number of things to the speedway itself. “We always talk about Kansas Speedway being a unique destination. We are truly unique now in a sense of being a destination casino, and a hotel in the not-too-distant future.” The road course, which will be built in conjunction with a reconfiguration and repaving of the original 1.5-mile tri-oval, begins after the frontstretch. Drivers will make a hard left and meander down the backstretch before a hairpin turn brings them back to the main speedway. There are also configurations that allow for the course to be run as a mile-long road course contained entirely in the infield, and part of it as a smaller go-kart track. The work will be finished before the October race weekend, though there won’t be competitive racing on the road course until next year, when a Grand-Am stop is planned. “We haven’t announced the date yet and I’m sure we will in the near future, but that’ll be the first Grand-Am race here and give us road racing, and that will even diversify the fan base even more than it already is,” Kennedy said. The repaving project has generated mixed reactions. Some drivers argued last fall that the new surface would hurt the quality of racing at the track, while others pointed to cracks and potholes as potential safety issues. Some also are upset that 15-degree banking will be replaced by variable banking designed to make passing easier. “I liked the old surface, too, but you have to repave at certain times,” Hendrick Motorsports driver Kasey Kahne said. “To repave now, it might take a few races to get back to where we want it, but overall it’ll be good.” Kahne also said he’s in favor of a night race at Kansas, something that Warren has been pushing for since the lights were installed last year. It won’t happen this season, but the track president is optimistic about next year. “One day race, one night race—the tracks change,” Kahne said. “They race differently at night, so it’ll be good. I’d be looking forward to that.”
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25,000 send off Patriots to Indianapolis (AP)
25,000 send off Patriots to Indianapolis (AP)
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP)—Packed to capacity in the lower level on one side of Gillette Stadium on Sunday, Patriots fans watched replays from the AFC championship victory that put New England in the Super Bowl. A few minutes later, those roughly 25,000 fans sent the players off in style. Before a spirited crowd that filled approximately one-third of Gillette Stadium, the Patriots officially began their short journey to Indianapolis by attending a free send-off rally, addressing the fans and returning the appreciation that’s been bestowed upon them. “This never gets old, huh?” running back Kevin Faulk asked the raucous crowd. “The one question I was asked during the offseason was, `Why are you coming back, Kevin?’ “This is it, right here.” Following the 13-minute program on a stage constructed at the 50-yard line, the players skirted the lower level of seats on their way out of the stadium, high-fiving fans and filming the celebration along the way before boarding busses bound for the airport. New England will play the New York Giants next Sunday—a little more than four years after the Giants spoiled the Patriots’ perfect season with a stunning 17-14 Super Bowl victory. “We wish we could take all of you guys to Indy with us,” said Tom Brady, who will tie the record for quarterbacks with his fifth Super Bowl start. “Hopefully we’ll have a lot more people at our party next weekend.” After re-watching Baltimore kicker Billy Cundiff’s botched 32-yard field goal attempt in the closing seconds that gave New England a 23-20 win over the Ravens last Sunday, the fans erupted as players filed into the stadium to their traditional entrance music. A parade of Patriots, including coach Bill Belichick, then made their way to the podium to thank fans for their support. “You guys are the reason why we’re in the spot we’re in, because we had home-field advantage throughout the end, and we were able to take advantage and now we’re in the Super Bowl,” said receiver Wes Welker. “That’s what it’s all about. “I promise you all, all of these guys, with the way we’re going to play this next Sunday, we’re going to give it everything we’ve got out there and you’re going to be proud to support the New England Patriots.” Linebacker Jerod Mayo touched on the difficult year endured by team owner Robert Kraft, whose wife, Myra, passed away July 20 after a battle with cancer. The team dedicated this season to her, wearing oval patches with the initials “MHK” on their uniforms right above their hearts. Kraft, the final speaker, took the stage to chants of “MHK.” “At the beginning of the season, (Kraft’s son and team president) Jonathan and I met with the team and told them that they would wear an MHK patch over their hearts,” Kraft said. “And they really dedicated this season to her and all the volunteers in America who make this country great.” Liam Corbett, a fan clad in a blue Rob Gronkowski jersey, recalled attending his first Patriots Super Bowl send-off rally with his father in 2004, when New England beat the Carolina Panthers for the second of its three championships. Now, with his father unable to attend due to an injury, he made the 50-mile trek from New Bedford with his wife, sister and two children, marveling at how the celebration morphed from roughly a couple hundred fans eight years ago to more than 20,000 on Sunday. “It gives you more of a connection,” he said. “You’re able to be here with the team and they’re able to see you off and all that, because not everybody can get to Indianapolis. It’s pretty cool.” Corbett’s wife, Nicole, was focused on creating memories for her almost 2-year-old son, Maximus, and 5-year-old daughter, Aurora, who was sporting a Brady jersey. “Someone asked why we were coming down … he goes, `I could sit on my couch.’ I said, `Yeah, but I can’t afford to go to the stadium for a regular game so I’m going.’ We love this,” she said. “It’s exciting. I just like the energy, getting pumped up for the game, especially the kids, it makes great memories. “It really gives you a lot of history and connection to the team as you get older. (Liam) did this with his dad when he was little and now we get to do it with our kids.”
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Fever assistant Kloppenburg to coach WNBA’s Shock (AP)
Fever assistant Kloppenburg to coach WNBA’s Shock (AP)
TULSA, Okla. (AP)—The Tulsa Shock hired Indiana Fever assistant Gary Kloppenburg on Tuesday to be their next head coach. Kloppenburg spent the past four seasons with the Fever, who made the playoffs each of those seasons and lost in the Eastern Conference finals last year. He also has been an assistant coach for the WNBA’s Seattle Storm and the Charlotte Bobcats of the NBA. He replaces Hall of Fame player Teresa Edwards, who took over on an interim basis after Nolan Richardson stepped down last season. Kloppenburg will be charged with improving the franchise with the league’s worst record of the past two seasons, following a relocation from Detroit. The Shock won only three games last season and are 9-59 in two seasons in Tulsa. “I am really excited about the opportunity to come to Tulsa, rolling up my sleeves and getting to work on building a winning franchise,” Kloppenburg said in a statement released by the team. “I’ll work non-stop with our staff and front office to build a team that the community can be proud of. We have a good core of young players to build around and with the upcoming free agency period and draft, we will have a chance to be competitive right away.” Kloppenburg will be formally introduced Wednesday. His former boss, Indiana’s Lin Dunn, predicted that Kloppenburg “will make Tulsa an immediate playoff contender.” “We are extremely excited and looking forward to Gary leading our team on the court in 2012 and beyond,” team owner Bill Cameron said. “His experience in this league along with his reputation and basketball knowledge will translate to progress on the court in 2012.” Despite having the league’s worst record each of the past two seasons, Tulsa again won’t have the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft. The Shock lost the draft lottery and won’t select until the fourth pick. They also have the 17th and 25th picks. Kloppenburg also expressed hope that Tulsa will pursue free agents once the signing period begins Jan. 15. “There are a number of excellent free agents available that I am confident will want to come to Tulsa and become a part of a franchise on the rise, and we will be aggressively reaching out to them in the coming months,” Kloppenburg said. “I envision a Shock team next season that will play tough and aggressive pressure defense as well as be able to run an up tempo and early flow offense. We know we have a lot of hard work to do in 2012, but good players and coaches relish challenges such as the one in front of us.”
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Chiefs keep Crennel as head coach (AP)
Chiefs keep Crennel as head coach (AP)
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP)—The Kansas City Chiefs made Romeo Crennel the permanent head coach on Monday after he led the floundering team to a pair of wins late in the season. Crennel had been the interim coach and the leading candidate to replace Todd Haley, who was fired last month. He was scheduled to be introduced at an afternoon news conference. “We are very excited to name Romeo the new head coach of the Chiefs,” Chiefs CEO Clark Hunt said in a prepared statement. “In 30 years as a coach in the National Football League, Romeo has established an outstanding track record of success, and we believe his experience and proven ability make him the best person to help us reach our goal of consistently competing for championships.” The former head coach of the Cleveland Browns, Crennel had been serving as defensive coordinator when general manager Scott Pioli made him the interim coach. He quickly united a disjointed locker room and instantly endeared himself to fans in Kansas City, leading a team that had been ransacked by injuries over Green Bay, the Packers’ only loss this season. Crennel’s lone defeat came in overtime against Oakland, which knocked the Chiefs (7-9) from playoff contention. But he rallied his team to a season-ending victory over the Broncos, after which players spontaneously began to chant his name in the locker room in Denver. “Romeo’s vast experience and intelligence have helped him achieve success at the highest level,” Pioli said. “The way in which he creates accountability and respect amongst the team creates a very productive work environment and will be critical in continuing to develop our young core of players.” Crennel was considered the front-runner to get the full-time job not only because of his work over the final three weeks of the season, but because of his calm demeanor and strong ties to Pioli, whom he worked with during his days running the New England Patriots defense. “I have a deep appreciation for the vision that Clark Hunt has and his commitment to building a championship-caliber team,” Crennel said. “I believe in the types of players that we are trying to win with and the identity we are trying to create.” Pioli also spoke to former Tennessee coach Jeff Fisher, Packers offensive coordinator Joe Philbin and former Jacksonville coach Jack Del Rio before settling on the in-house candidate. “It is a rare opportunity to be a part of an organization like the Kansas City Chiefs with its storied history and passionate fans,” Crennel said, “and I am eager to get to work and bring this franchise and our fans the success they deserve.” Crennel went 24-40 during four years in Cleveland, though the record is somewhat misleading. He took over a suffering franchise short on talent and went 6-10 and 4-12 in his first two seasons, missing the playoffs each year. But his breakthrough came in 2007, when the Browns went 10-6 and fell just short of the playoffs, earning Crennel a two-year contract extension. After falling back to 4-12, though, the affable Crennel was summarily fired. He figures to have a much better chance of success in Kansas City, where Pioli has locked up several young players to long-term deals and continues to overhaul an aging roster. The Chiefs should be the favorites to win the wide-open AFC West next year. They nearly claimed a second straight division crown despite losing several star players to season-ending injuries. Tight end Tony Moeaki, All-Pro running back Jamaal Charles and Pro Bowl safety Eric Berry were lost to knee injuries by the second week of the season. Pro Bowl quarterback Matt Cassel joined them on injured reserve in Week 10 after he hurt his throwing hand in a game against Denver. That left the team in the hands of journeyman Tyler Palko. The Chiefs claimed quarterback Kyle Orton off waivers from Denver, but he hurt his hand on the first pass he attempted against Chicago, and did not return until the final three weeks of the regular season. By that time, Haley had been fired and Crennel had been given the reins. “Throughout the year, we were all over a little bit. We came to a common ground over the last three weeks,” said fullback Le’Ron McClain, who is a free agent but has said he hopes to return to the team next season. “We started doing good when Romeo stepped in.” Fisher reportedly spoke briefly with the Chiefs about the head coaching job, but he’s expected to decide between St. Louis and Miami. Philbin also was linked to the job, and Del Rio’s agent, Phil DePicciotto, had conversations with the Chiefs about the former Jaguars coach taking over. Crennel will likely have to hire a defensive coordinator to replace himself, and also could be in the market for a new offensive coordinator. The Chiefs struggled to move the ball under longtime assistant Bill Muir, who was in his first season as a coordinator. Muir has been contemplating retirement. “Trying to put a staff together is a tough deal, because maybe the guys you want aren’t available, so you have to look other places. You end up trying to do the best you can, getting the best guys you get,” Crennel said. “You have to adapt and adjust as you go along.”
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Cardinals’ Duncan takes leave of absence (AP)
Cardinals’ Duncan takes leave of absence (AP)
ST. LOUIS (AP)—Derek Lilliquist will be making the calls from the St. Louis Cardinals dugout instead of receiving them next season. The Cardinals retooled their coaching staff Friday while Dave Duncan takes an open-ended leave of absence, elevating Lilliquist from bullpen coach to pitching coach and replacing him in the pen with Dyar Miller. General manager John Mozeliak said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press that he didn’t know whether Duncan planned on returning for a 17th season. Mozeliak said reports that Duncan will retire were speculation at this point. “Honestly, I don’t know that answer,” Mozeliak said. “The one thing I wanted to make clear, I did want Lilly and Dyar to know they’d be with the team. I want clarity going into 2012.” If Duncan does not return, the Cardinals will be defending their World Series title without three of their biggest figures. Tony La Russa retired as the third-winningest manager in major history the day after the World Series parade. Three-time NL MVP Albert Pujols, who anchored the No. 3 spot in the lineup for 11 seasons, agreed to a $240 million, 10-year contract with the Los Angeles Angels. The 45-year-old Lilliquist filled in as pitching coach when the 66-year-old Duncan took a leave of absence last August to be with his wife, Jeanine, following surgery to remove a brain tumor. Duncan returned to the team in time for its run to a World Series championship but the Cardinals announced Thursday he was taking another leave related to his wife’s recovery. During Lilliquist’s time as the fill-in pitching coach, the Cardinals charged from 10 1/2 games back in the NL wild card standings. They clinched a playoff spot on the final day of the season, then upset the Phillies, Brewers and Rangers to take the title. “I think he has the confidence of our pitchers and obviously has had the time to learn under Dave,” Mozeliak said of Lilliquist. “He was always somebody that I believed had a bright future.” Duncan returned in time for the regular season finale at the request of La Russa, who had decided a month earlier that he would be retiring, and wanted Duncan at his side when his managing career concluded. Duncan coached alongside La Russa for 33 seasons with the Chicago White Sox (1979-86), Oakland Athletics (1986-95) and Cardinals. He’s coached several Cy Young winners, including LaMarr Hoyt, Dennis Eckersley and Chris Carpenter, and has been credited with resurrecting the careers of countless pitchers including Woody Williams and Jeff Suppan, who played major roles on Cardinals postseason runs. Lilliquist was bullpen coach last year and had been retained in that spot under new manager Mike Matheny. The 65-year-old Miller, who pitched for seven major league seasons, has been with the organization since 1985.
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Penn St. staff facing uncertain future (AP)
Penn St. staff facing uncertain future (AP)
DALLAS (AP)—Penn State interim coach Tom Bradley planned to hit the recruiting trail this week upon returning from a lost trip to Texas knowing full well his itinerary may change at any minute. Nearly two months after Joe Paterno was fired, the school still hasn’t settled on a permanent replacement. “I’m going to work until the very end until they tell me I’m no longer needed,” Bradley said Monday. “That’s what Penn State is paying me to do and what is in my heart that I am going to do. Because I love this university and I love the people.” Bradley and most of the rest of the Penn State contingent in Dallas were scheduled to return to Happy Valley on Tuesday, a day following a 30-14 loss to No. 20 Houston at the TicketCity Bowl in Dallas. The dispiriting defeat capped a tumultuous two months that began with child sex abuse charges against retired assistant coach Jerry Sandusky and the ouster of Paterno in the scandal’s aftermath. Receivers coach Mike McQueary, a key witness in the state attorney general’s case against Sandusky, is also on administrative leave. Most of the rest of the staff, including Bradley, have worked with Paterno for years—if not decades. Bradley and defensive line coach Larry Johnson are among the candidates who have been interviewed in a search that could end in the next few weeks. Mike Harrison, the agent for San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator Greg Roman, said Monday that Roman interviewed in November and is on the “short list” for the job. Acting athletic director David Joyner said Sunday there was no one who could be classified as a leading candidate for the position in what the school has described as a “deliberate search.” Paterno, Division I’s winningest coach with 409 victories, had been the Nittany Lions’ leader for 46 seasons. Joyner hopes to give the next coach at least a few weeks to recruit before high school seniors can officially announce their college choices starting Feb. 1. As they await their fates, the current coaches plan to recruit until they’re told otherwise. “I don’t know if it’s the end of an era for Penn state football, but it feels like it’s a change,” Johnson said. “We know that a change is finally going to come, and that’s tough to say—that a change is finally going to get here.” Players have said they have grown closer amid the media scrutiny on a scandal in which athletes had no connections. A positive for the next coaching regime is that it appears Penn State’s top juniors and sophomores plan to return. Sophomore Silas Redd, who ran for more than 1,200 yards and seven touchdowns in his first year as the featured tailback, has said he pondered his future with his family and coaches in the week after charges were initially filed before settling on staying committed to Penn State by the Nebraska game Nov. 12. “It would be silly of me to up and leave and sit out a year,” Redd said Saturday, “and I wasn’t willing to do that.” Leading tackler Gerald Hodges, who emerged as a speedy playmaker in his first year as a full-time starter at linebacker, has submitted his name to an NFL draft advisory board, but plans to return. Hodges said he wanted an evaluation for precautionary reasons, but cemented his plans after talking to his parents during Christmas break. “Not a chance at all,” the junior said when asked if he would leave. “I have a semester-and-a-half left to graduate. I’m not in any rush.” Linebacker should be the strength of the defense next season with Hodges and middle linebacker Glenn Carson returning, along with the expected return of standout Michael Mauti from a season-ending left knee injury. Jordan Hill, a junior who formed one-half of the standout defensive tackle tandem with All-American Devon Still, appears to be leaning to return but has said he would also like an evaluation about his potential draft prospects. “I’ll definitely talk to (my teammates). I’ve got close friends on this team and they’ll definitely play a factor,” Hill said. “I want to come back, but you just can’t say there’s a guarantee for anything. I don’t want to base my decision on anybody else. I want to do what’s best for myself.” And Penn State even has some good news on the recruiting trail, securing its first verbal commitment since charges were first filed against Sandusky early November. Sandusky is awaiting trial after pleading not guilty last month. While three recruits have reportedly taken back their verbal commitments, two-way linemen Jamil Pollard of West Deptford (N.J.) High announced at an all-star game in Arlington, Texas last week that he was planning to attend Penn State. Pollard had a scholarship offer from Penn State last summer before it was revoked for academic reasons. “Penn State is going to be Penn State no matter what. One coach or one player is not going to change things,” he told the Courier-Post of Camden, N.J. last week. “You buy into the school, not a coach.”
