Archive for the ‘Sports News’ Category

Los Angeles Lakers point guard Steve Blake’s wife received death threats on Twitter against him and his family following a missed late-game three pointer, the Los Angeles Times reports.

“It’s pretty disappointing that there’s a lot of hateful people out there,” Blake said. “You move on. I just don’t appreciate it when it’s toward my family. You can come at me all you want. But when you say things about my wife and my kids, it makes me upset.”

“I didn’t see it,” Blake said. “She told me about it. That’s why I don’t look at that crap. I just let it be.”

Blake’s wife reportedly was forced to block over 500 people on the social networking service.

The Lakers lost Game 2 against the Oklahoma City Thunder 77-75 despite having possession of the ball in the final seconds of the game. Los Angeles ran a play designed for Kobe Bryant, but with the superstar swarmed with defenders, Metta World Peace inbounded the ball to a wide open Steve Blake. Blake took and missed a three pointer from the corner. Had it gone in, the team would have likely won the game.

Article source: http://tracking.si.com/2012/05/18/steve-blakes-wife-received-death-threats-on-twitter/?xid=si_topstories



2012 HP Byron Nelson Championship – PGA Tour – Leaderboard | GOLF.com

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Article source: http://www.golf.com/leaderboard/pga-tour?xid=si_topstories

LOS ANGELES (AP) — For a team that hadn’t trailed in a game since last month, the Los Angeles Kings were awfully good at
playing from behind.

For a club that barely made the playoffs this spring, the Kings are on a near-unprecedented rampage through the Western Conference’s
top seeds.

And for a franchise that has never raised the Stanley Cup, these Kings appear quite ready to play for that singular privilege.

Anze Kopitar scored the tying breakaway goal, Dwight King added the winner early in the third period, and the Kings rolled
to the brink of their first Stanley Cup final in 19 years with a 2-1 victory over the Phoenix Coyotes in Game 3 of the conference
finals on Thursday night.

Los Angeles is up 3-0 in the series and could wrap up the franchise’s second trip to the Cup final in Game 4 on Sunday.

“The biggest thing is we believed in the locker room that we can do it,” said Kopitar, the third-leading scorer in the NHL
postseason. “Not a lot of guys outside the locker room gave us the chance, I guess, especially (after) barely squeaking in
the playoffs.”

Jonathan Quick made 18 saves, and the eighth-seeded Kings improved to 11-1 in an undeniably charmed run through the NHL postseason
by a franchise with 44 seasons of frustrating, Cup-free history.

When Daymond Langkow beat Quick on a breakaway and celebrated Phoenix’s first lead of the series, captain Dustin Brown was
curious how his Kings would respond to the first serious adversity they’ve faced in weeks. Their answer – a quick equalizer,
followed by a fiery discussion in the locker room between periods – told Brown exactly what he expected.

“Phoenix was a lot better tonight, but we found a way to win,” Brown said. “That’s what it takes this time of year. It’s exciting.
There’s a lot of guys in here that haven’t experienced this … but the thing that’s made this work is how we’re handling
all this. We’re up 3-0 again.”

Although the Kings trailed for the first time in roughly 18 periods since April 28, they bounced back swiftly before largely
controlling the third period. King scored his fourth goal in three games against the Coyotes, who face a deficit only three
teams have overcome in NHL playoff history.

King connected 1:47 into the third, beating Mike Smith high to the glove side. The massive rookie scored two goals in the
series opener and added the winner in Game 2.

“Everybody is answering the challenge and being better,” said King, who has outscored the Coyotes all by himself in the series.
“We’re playing good, playing consistent. With the way we’re going, we’re tough to beat right now.”

Smith stopped 26 shots in a standout performance for the third-seeded Coyotes, who must win four straight to reach their first
Stanley Cup final in club history.

“None of us planned on being in (a 3-0 hole),” Phoenix captain Shane Doan said. “I don’t think it’s disbelief, but I think
it’s disappointed.”

In front of a long-suffering crowd gratefully enjoying its unexpected good fortune after decades of disappointment, the Kings
dominated the third period in front of Quick. They forechecked relentlessly in the final minutes, forcing Smith to play a
long stretch without his goal stick because Phoenix couldn’t clear the zone so he could retrieve it.

The crowd soaked in another memorable performance during the best playoff run by this Second Six franchise since Wayne Gretzky
and Luc Robitaille led Los Angeles to its only conference title in 1993, while the Coyotes wondered if their own remarkable
postseason run has any chance of continuing beyond Sunday.

Los Angeles largely dominated the first two games of the series in Glendale, outshooting the Coyotes 88-51 while winning by
a combined 8-2. Phoenix had no more luck than Vancouver or St. Louis against the surprising No. 8 seeds, who finished two
points behind the Pacific Division champion Coyotes in the regular season before steamrolling the West’s top two teams in
a combined nine games.

“We’ll take a couple of days here and rest up, and what have we got to lose?” Phoenix coach Dave Tippett asked. “We’ll come
here and play as hard as we can. We’ll give a real honest evaluation of who we are and how we got here.”

Phoenix played Game 3 without forward Martin Hanzal, who served a one-game suspension for boarding Brown in Game 3. Doan,
who escaped suspension for his own hit, took up the job of agitating Brown, face-washing the Kings’ high-scoring captain with
his glove during one scrum.

After Smith came up with several stellar saves during a scoreless first period, Keith Yandle slipped a long pass behind Mike
Richards to Langkow, who beat Quick between the legs for his first goal of the postseason 1:03 into the second. Los Angeles
hadn’t trailed since the first period of Game 1 in its second-round series with St. Louis 19 days ago.

Staples Center briefly fell silent, but reached full roar moments later when Brown found Kopitar with a long pass behind the
Phoenix defense. The Slovenian star beat Smith with a backhand for his fifth goal of the playoffs.

The teams were even in goals and shots heading to the third period, but King quickly put Los Angeles ahead with the latest
impressive play of his incredible first NHL playoff run. Moments after Smith made a spectacular point-blank save on Jarret
Stoll, King collected the puck during a delayed penalty and wired a high shot past Smith’s glove into the top corner of the
net.

“What a shot, and an even better look on his face when he saw where it went,” Stoll said.

Tippett didn’t love the call that created the delayed penalty.

“If I told you what I really thought (about the officiating), I think it would cost me a lot of money,” he said.

NOTES: The game was the first of six playoff contests in four days at Staples Center, where the NBA’s Lakers and Clippers
will host back-to-back second-round playoff games this weekend. The Tour of California – the nation’s largest cycling race
– also finishes outside the arena about 30 minutes before the puck drops on Game 4 Sunday. “We get about 60 hours’ rest before
our next game, as long as nobody’s in that bike ride,” Kings coach Darryl Sutter said. … Marc-Antoine Pouliot took Hanzal’s
spot in the Coyotes’ lineup, and enforcer Paul Bissonnette replaced Gilbert Brule. D Adrian Aucoin has missed the entire series
with an injury. … USC QB Matt Barkley and actor Cuba Gooding Jr. attended the game.

Article source: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/hockey/nhl/gameflash/2012/05/17/30218_recap.html?&xid=si_topstories

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — On his 30th birthday, Tony Parker first kept the
San Antonio Spurs
on pace for what might be another lopsided playoff sweep. Then the All-Star who’s always quick to needle Tim Duncan about
his age finally acknowledged his own.

“I’m old. Used,” said Parker, laughing.

Chris Paul, meanwhile, isn’t acknowledging anything: Not his aching body that everyone but him is talking about, or the
Los Angeles Clippers
‘ season careening toward the end this weekend unless things change fast.

Parker scored 22 points, Duncan had 18 and the Spurs beat the fading Clippers 105-88 on Thursday night, taking a 2-0 lead
in their Western Conference semifinals and winning their 16th in a row with yet another playoff blowout.

For the 13th time in a winning streak that seldom run this long in the NBA playoffs, the Spurs won by double digits. Only
two other teams have sustained a longer winning streak in the playoffs: the 2004 Spurs (17) and the 2001 Lakers (19).

“I think for us, is to not look at that,” Parker said about the streak. “Concentrate on the task. We know Game 3 is going
to be very, very hard. I think we should focus on that and not focus on the winning streak, or what we’re doing good.”

Paul responded to his awful Game 1 with only a slightly better encore, scoring 10 points as the Clippers now head home desperate
to steer out of what’s starting to get the feel of a sweep.

Game 3 is Saturday in Los Angeles, and Game 4 is Sunday.

When the Clippers land in California early Friday, they’ll be home for the first time in nearly a week. They’ve played seven
games in 13 days, and they’ll have played nine in 16 by the time the weekend is over.

Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro knows his team needs rest. Blake Griffin scored 20 points but added another injury to the list,
this time what he described as a hip flexor strain. He’s already battling a sprained left knee and shaking off a turned ankle
in Game 1.

He had just one rebound.

“We’re not going into these next two games thinking `Oh, let’s try to keep it close,”‘ Griffin said. “There’s no moral victories
or moral losses here. We’re not worried about how many points we lost by.”

The All-Star matchup of Paul vs. Parker went from a Game 1 bust to a lopsided mismatch, and appeared to prove Paul is hurting
more than he’s letting on. Del Negro says his star is still struggling with an aching hip and groin, even as Paul insists
he’s OK.

He again looked anything but. While Parker – the last of the Big Three to finally hit the big 3-0 – celebrated by more than
tripling his seven points and dreadful 1-for-9 shooting in Game 1, Paul shot 4 of 9 and had just five assists.

At halftime, the third-place finisher in the league’s MVP voting had more personal fouls (3) than points (2), assists (2)
or rebounds (2). He finished with eight turnovers, a career playoff high.

“No excuses, I’ve just got to play better,” Paul said. “But I don’t ever recall having that many turnovers.

Del Negro said his star will bounce back.

“He’ll get loose here soon,” Del Negro said. “We need him to.”

Duncan, on the other hand, stayed in a playoff time warp. At 36 years old and playing in his 182nd postseason game – and with
no contract beyond these playoffs – Duncan turned in another solid performance that sometimes recalled the former MVP who
was winning championships in his prime rather than the old-timer who’s chasing a fifth ring now.

He scored 14 points in the first half – almost as much as the rest of the starting lineup – and finished 9-of-14 shooting.
Points in the paint weren’t even close: The Spurs had 50, and the Clippers 18.

Boris Diaw added 16 points and Danny Green had 13 for the Spurs. Manu Ginobili scored 10 and was held scoreless in the second
half.

Randy Foye was the Clippers’ only other player in double digits, scoring 11.

If this keeps up, a near-historic postseason for the Clippers will end this weekend unless they figure out a plan fast.

This is only the third time in the woeful 41-year history of the franchise that Los Angeles’ long-maligned “other” team has
survived to the second round. Their momentum started with a stunning 27-point comeback on the road against Memphis in their
playoff opener, but the Clippers haven’t made a rally stick in San Antonio.

A bumbling start had the Clippers already down by 15 in the first quarter before clawing back with a 9-2 burst. Getting to
within 46-42 at halftime had the Clippers’ bench heading to the locker room clapping and Spurs coach Gregg Popovich storming
off fuming.

Halfway through the third quarter, however, the lead was back to 16.

“There was a refocus of energy at halftime,” Duncan said. “We came out understanding of what we had to do to finish this game.”

As the deficit deepened, so did the Clippers’ frustration.

DeAndre Jordan seethed and slammed the ball when a missed rotation gave Green an uncontested 3-pointer that stretched San
Antonio’s lead to back to double digits in the third. Less than a minute later, Foye trotted upcourt shaking his head after
Paul’s fumbled dribble gave Kawhi Leonard a clear path for a breakaway dunk.

Following another 3-pointer by Green- this one pushing San Antonio’s lead to 70-60 – the turned-around Clippers looked so
disjointed that Green darted back down and knocked the ball out of Paul’s hands on the ensuing inbound.

Notes: The Spurs followed up tying a franchise playoff record with 13 3-pointers in Game 1 with 10 this time… Talk about
a pro cut: A 12-year-old Spurs fan suspended from his San Antonio middle school for shaving the face of forward Matt Bonner
in his hair scored free tickets to the game and a meeting with his favorite player before tipoff. Bonner, whose mother is
a teacher, said he was puzzled by the school’s decision and gave Patrick Gonzalez an autographed pair of shoes and an autographed
jersey. “Keep supporting us redheads in the NBA,” the Red Rocket told his biggest fan.

Article source: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/basketball/nba/gameflash/2012/05/17/31803_recap.html?xid=si_topstories

Kings

Coyotes

What we learned in Los Angeles’ economical 2-1 win over Phoenix in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals:

• Another night, another set of heroes. The Kings were a very beatable team Thursday night. They were outplayed early on as the Coyotes pushed the pace and they never fully established the punishing forecheck or relentless puck pursuit that defined their first two dominant efforts in the series.

And yet they come away with another win, their eighth in a row, to move within one game of a berth in the Stanley Cup finals.

It’s something different every night with this team. Even at their worst — and this was clearly their least consistent effort of the playoffs — someone answers the call. Tonight, it was an heroic effort from the third line of Jarret Stoll, Trevor Lewis and Dwight King that eventually turned the tide. Stoll offered up what might have been the game of his career, full of grim determination in all three zones. He had live legs from the start, driving the net to launch three shots, and blocked at least as many from getting to Quick. He was brutal in the circle (winning only four of 15 draws), but always found a way to win back possession with his tenacious checking. No surprise it was his steal off the stick of rookie Michael Stone in the slot that led to King’s winner early in the third.

When a guy like King — a rookie better known for his industriousness than his soft hands — has four goals, then you’ve got the kind of scoring depth that wins a series.

• Some guts, no glory. Give half marks to the Coyotes. Coming off a tail-dragging effort in front of their home crowd on Tuesday, they showed no quit in their game Thursday.

They got the cycle going early, matching the speed and puck hunger that L.A. brought to Jobing.com Arena. They were creative, exploiting gaps that uncharacteristically opened with stretch passes that got them behind the defense. And they got pucks toward the net early, landing enough that they actually outshot the Kings 11-8 in the opening frame (the first time they’d outshot anyone in 11 periods).

But the numbers were misleading. While the Kings were generating premium chances — Slava Voynov’s one-timer from the high slot, Stoll’s partial break down the right side — Phoenix settled for the long range or bad angle shots that got Jonathan Quick’s legs moving but did little to test him.

And that’s been the Coyotes’ biggest problem in a series where they’ve now scored just three times, and one of those was a center-ice fluke. They’re not getting to the front of the net, either through lack of execution or will, which is where they have to be to challenge the NHL’s hottest goaltender. That’s a losing formula.

The Coyotes were better tonight. In fact, they’ve been a little bit better every game…but that’s three now where they’ve slowly been battered into submission by a faster, smarter, harder-working opponent. They haven’t given any reason to believe they won’t be put down for good on Sunday afternoon.

• Disciplinary warning. After blowing their cool in a Game 2 that saw Phoenix lose Shane Doan and Martin Hanzal with game misconducts (with Hanzal sitting out Game 3 thanks to a Shanaban), the expectation was that the Coyotes would maintain their composure for this contest.

It didn’t happen. And it’s making Dave Tippett crazy.

There was Doan, taking a retaliatory elbowing call in the first. Then Derek Morris with a senseless roughing penalty earned after the whistle in the second. Michal Rozsival should have been called for applying the lumber to Justin Williams’ jaw. Finally, Oliver Ekman-Larsson responded with a cross-check after Dustin Brown laid a hard but clean hit on him in the third.

Tippett’s said it the whole series. They have to stay out of the box. But again, they just couldn’t turn the other cheek.

No surprise that Los Angeles’ feeble power play failed to capitalize. You want to shove a stick in the Kings’ spokes? Give ‘em the man advantage. They generated better scoring chances while Alec Martinez was in the box for their only short-handed situation of the night.

But that’s hardly the point. The Coyotes not only lost their focus, they lost their chance to build any momentum. And it cost them.

• Time to man up. If the Coyotes hope to salvage some pride on Sunday afternoon, it’s pretty clear who needs to show up.

Hanzal can be a difference maker. His big body can be a load down low if he can battle his way into the crease. Ekman-Larsson needs to slow down and let the game come to him. He’s pressing, and that’s cost him the timing that made him a 13-goal scorer during the regular season. The rookie defender was held shotless again tonight, and has put just one on net in his last eight games. He has to be the guy directing the puck toward Quick’s pillows for tips and rebounds.

Ray Whitney and Radim Vrbata — the team’s leading point and goal getters, respectively — have both gone six games now without a point. Neither were noticeable tonight until Vrbata’s last-minute slashing penalty killed any hope of a comeback. It wouldn’t be surprising to learn that he’s hurt. He’s not battling effectively in the corners and when he takes a shot, there’s not much on it. Still, excuses are for summer time, and if the Coyotes would like to put that off for a few more days, their stars need to do something other than fill a roster spot.

Article source: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/allan_muir/05/18/coyotes.kings.game3/index.html?xid=si_topstories

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Game 2
 
Game LeadersPacers lead 2-1
 
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GAME 1  Heat 95, Pacers 86
GAME 2  Pacers 78, Heat 75GAME 3  Pacers 94, Heat 75GAME 4  at IND, Sun. May 20, 3:30 p.m., ABCGAME 5  at MIA, Tue. May 22, TBD, TNTGAME 6  at IND, Thu. May 24, If NecessaryGAME 7  at MIA, Sat. May 26, If Necessary

INDIANAPOLIS — All season long, Frank Vogel has hammered home a message, one simple, easy to understand: We’re good.

Not two years from now, when this crop of 20somethings has a little more seasoning. Today, now.

When Miami pulverized the Pacers twice early in the season? Bleep it, we’re good.

When third-seeded Indiana entered the playoffs behind the Heat and Bulls in the standings and the Celtics and Knicks in the minds of many? We’re good.

When talking heads predicted Miami would roll through Indiana in the second round? We’re good.

For some, it was easy to believe. George Hill went to the playoffs his first three seasons with San Antonio; David West played in a conference semifinal with New Orleans. But for Darren Collison and Tyler Hansbrough, for Roy Hibbert and Paul George, they needed to hear it. You’re heavyweights, you’re the big dogs, Vogel told them. And they needed to believe.

Guess what? They do.

There was a cool, confident team on the Bankers Life Field House floor in their 94-75 Game 3 rout of the Heat on Thursday, and it wasn’t the defending conference champs. After mucking it up with Miami in the first half, Indiana pulled away with a 51-32 second-half surge that Heat coach Erik Spoelstra called “a good old-fashioned butt-kicking.” The Pacers did it their way, controlling the defensive glass (36-25), pounding the ball into the post and raining down three-pointers at a scorching clip (57.1 percent). The defense contained LeBron James (22 points) and shut down Dwyane Wade (five). The Pacers played their game, and they were good.

Up 2-1, this is Indiana’s series to lose now. Chris Bosh is gone, and the Heat have begun to come unspooled. They got nothing from Wade, who looked disconnected from the game, right up until he got into it with Spoelstra during a timeout in the third quarter. Spoelstra downplayed the incident (“Anyone who [has not] been a coach or a player has no idea of how often those things happen”) but hinted that, perhaps, there was something Wade was dealing with.

“He will never make excuses and we won’t do that as well,” Spoelstra said. “At this point in the season, no one is 100 percent.”

Miami is adrift, making up lineups (Dexter Pittman, who played 301 minutes in the regular season, got the start at center in Game 2) and offense on the fly. Missed jumpers, missed runners, missed layups. Miss after miss after miss, and the Heat kept looking over at the bench, as if Spoelstra wasn’t just supposed to design the play, but shoot the ball for them. James and Wade are trying to will the team to wins (“You can see it in their eyes,” said Hibbert) but against a confident and complete opponent like Indiana, that strategy just isn’t going to get it done.

The Heat have two days to make adjustments, but poking holes into Indiana’s game plan won’t be easy. The Pacers aren’t reinventing the wheel. They have an elite defender in Paul George to blanket Wade and waves of others to throw at James. When LeBron slides over to the power forward spot, West made sure he feels it, banging James with elbows to the back. When the Heat match Shane Battier with West, he camps out in the paint and simply waits for spots to outmuscle him. Hibbert lingers nearby, waiting for second-chance opportunities, waiting to utilize his 7-foot-2 frame against a team with no option for him. Miami could counter with more Joel Anthony and Ronny Turiaf, but it would be adding two non-scorers to an offense already struggling to put up points.

“We will not back down or take anything from any team,” West said. “We are not going to be pushed around.”

And there is this: Indiana can still play better. Hibbert put up a monster stat line in Game 3 (19 points, 18 rebounds, five blocks), but feeding him in the post has become a blooper reel. Miami fronts everyone, and its speed on the weak side with James and Wade disrupts virtually every entry pass. Hibbert has had a few moments, but his ability to control the glass, to make Miami a “one-and-done team” has been his biggest contribution.

“I’ve embraced that role,” Hibbert said. “I let the offense come to me and try to be an anchor of the paint and make things difficult for the other team.”

Miami is being pushed to the brink by a Pacers team that believes this is how it was supposed to play out. When Vogel offered them the day off on Friday, West, speaking for the team, turned it down. We’re all coming in for a film session, West said. We’ve got a good thing going. Let’s keep it up.

Yes, the Pacers are good. Finally, it seems, they know it.

Article source: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/chris_mannix/05/18/pacers.heat.game3/index.html?xid=si_topstories

IRVING, Texas (AP) — Ryan Palmer has been thinking about redemption at the Byron Nelson Championship, and a chance at home to hold up that trophy.

The 2011 Nelson runner-up is off to a good start.

Palmer, who lives in Colleyville not far from the TPC Four Seasons, opened with a 6-under 64 on Thursday to take a one-stroke lead over Marc Leishman and Alex Cejka.

Last year, Palmer birdied the 72nd hole to force a playoff against Keegan Bradley. Palmer then hit his approach into the greenside water to hand Bradley his first tour title.

“I didn’t lose it last year by any means,” Palmer said. “But to get back in the same setting with the same people watching, here where I live, and just to have that feeling again, this time be the guy standing with the trophy, that’s been my focus.”

Palmer’s bogey-free start came on a relatively calm day. With only a light breeze, 85 players were at par or better in the first round on the 7,166-yard course where Palmer and Bradley finished 72 holes last year at 3-under 277.

Coming off his victory at The Players Championship last weekend, Matt Kuchar overcome an opening bogey and was in a group of seven players at 66.

“Coming off momentum, a little tired,” said Kuchar, No. 5 in the world ranking. “It was a whole lot of extracurricular activities out of the norm for me, but I feel good about the round.”

Kuchar’s approach shot at No. 1 went over the green. He tried to putt it up the hill, but the ball ended up rolling back to his feet, prompting someone in the gallery to say, “I could have done that.”

When Kuchar tried again, he got the ball within 4 feet for his only bogey. He was under par to stay after birdies at Nos. 3 and 4.

Bradley, who won the PGA Championship three months after the Nelson, was among 13 players who shot 67. His up-and-down round included four bogeys, five birdies and an eagle.

The only other top 10 player this week is 10th-ranked Phil Mickelson. Back at the Nelson for the first time in five years, he had a 70 with two birdies and two bogeys.

“It’s a beautiful day, it’s warm, not too hot, the greens are in great shape. They’re receptive, you can get the ball stopped,” said Mickelson, the 1996 Nelson champ. “Really good opportunity to take advantage of the course, and I just didn’t.”

The forecast for Friday, and into Saturday, calls for wind steady at 15-20 mph and gusting to 30. That is similar to what happened last year, when scoring conditions quickly got tougher.

“Blow wind, blow! … Picking up about 12:45 (p.m.) hopefully,” said Palmer, who plays Friday morning. “Maybe we can build on (the first round) and set myself up for a big weekend.”

It worked so well last year that Palmer is again letting caddie James Edmondson call all the shots at the Nelson. With input from instructor Randy Smith, Edmondson tells Palmer what and where to it.

They have tried that briefly at other courses without the same kind of success. But the formula works at the Nelson.

“Continuation from last year, that’s what’s cool,” Palmer said. “For some reason, I get in the frame of mind with this golf course and what me and him are doing, and it was the same exact thing. I didn’t move until he put the bag down and half of the time he pulled the club out of the bag and handed it to me, I didn’t know what the club was.”

Former PGA Tour rookie of the year Leishman had two eagles on the back nine, at the 323-yard 11th hole and the 546-yard 16th.

The 65 was his best of 41 rounds this season and lowest since another 65 in the first of his 84 rounds last year, when he slipped to 65th in the FedEx standings – 45 spots below his standout rookie year of 2009.

“Last year was pretty disappointing. I felt like I got off to a good start and then just about nothing for the rest of the year, really,” Leishman said. “It’s the first time since I’ve been a pro that I’ve struggled for a decent amount of time, just not hitting the ball as well as I would like to, not holing putts. This year, I feel like I’m doing everything a lot better.”

The 28-year-old Australian hit 11 of 14 fairways and needed only 24 putts Thursday.

“It probably took longer than I would have liked to have a good round like this,” he said.

Article source: http://www.golf.com/ap-news/2011-byron-nelson-runner-ryan-palmer-leads-opening-64?xid=si_topstories

ATLANTA (AP) — Brandon Beachy learned an important lesson in his first career shutout: The ninth inning is a blast.

Beachy improved his major league-best ERA with a five-hitter and the Atlanta Braves beat the Miami Marlins 7-0 Thursday night.

The shutout came in the first career complete game for Beachy (5-1), who hadn’t lasted longer than 7 1-3 innings.

The right-hander said he went straight to Braves closer Craig Kimbrel after the game.

“I told Craig `I’m jealous. You get to do this all the time,”‘ Beachy said. “I got pumped up there in the last inning. That’s
a lot of fun.”

Beachy had two strikeouts in the ninth to cap Atlanta’s first shutout of the season. He has won five straight decisions since
losing his first start. He had no walks and six strikeouts and lowered his ERA from 1.60 to 1.33.

Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez and pitching coach Roger McDowell allowed Beachy to remain in the game after throwing 110 pitches
through eight innings.

“Roger and I were hanging on every pitch,” Gonzalez said. “You want the kid to be successful. You want him to have the complete
game. You want him to have the shutout, but you want to keep him healthy.”

Beachy finished with 122 pitches.

“The pitch count thing is irrelevant in my opinion,” said Braves catcher
Brian McCann
. “It’s how many stressful pitches you throw, and he didn’t throw very many.”

Freddie Freeman homered and Chipper Jones , Michael Bourn , Martin Prado and Tyler Pastornicky each had two hits as the Braves
outhit the Marlins 12-5 and split the two-game series.

The Braves improved to 18-5 with Jones in the starting lineup. They are 6-10 in games he did not start.

Ricky Nolasco (4-2) gave up four runs on seven hits in four innings as he was denied his bid for sole possession of the Marlins’
record for career wins. Nolasco, who is tied with Dontrelle Willis at 68 wins, has lasted less than five innings in two straight
losses.

“He threw better than what he showed,” said Miami manager
Ozzie Guillen
, who removed Nolasco for a pinch-hitter in the fifth inning.

“That’s what I hate about the National League; you have to take the pitcher out for offense,” Guillen said.

Nolasco said he “couldn’t catch a break” even though he said he “made a lot of good pitches,” even on Freeman’s homer.

“Balls were finding holes and stuff,” he said. “There’s nothing I can do there. That’s baseball.”

Bourn led off the first with a single and scored on Prado’s triple just beyond the reach of centerfielder Emilio Bonifacio
.

The Braves added two runs with two outs in the third. Freeman launched a high homer, his seventh, to right field. Dan Uggla
walked and scored on Brian McCann ‘s double past a diving Logan Morrison in left field. The ball skipped past Morrison and
bounced to the wall, allowing Uggla to score easily.

Jason Heyward was caught stealing after he was hit by a pitch to open the fourth. The Braves still had a productive inning
as Pastornicky singled, moved to second on Beachy’s sacrifice and scored on Bourn’s single up the middle for a 4-0 lead.

With dark clouds hovering and lightning flashing over Turner Field, the Marlins stranded runners on second and third in the
fifth. After singles by Gaby Sanchez and pinch-hitter Austin Kearns , Jose Reyes lined out to right field to end the inning.

The Braves added three runs in the fifth off Chad Gaudin , who walked freeman and Uggla to start the inning. Jones, Heyward
and Beachy had run-scoring singles.

The Marlins had another scoring opportunity when Giancarlo Stanton led off the seventh with a double. Stanton was left standing
on second as Beachy struck out Brett Hayes to end the inning.

Notes: Former President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, watched the game from a seat near the Braves dugout. … Beachy’s
previous longest start was 7 1-3 innings in two games, most recently on April 20 at Arizona. … Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez
said he may use Jones and McCann as the designated hitters in the team’s first interleague series at Tampa Bay, beginning
Friday night. Gonzalez said it will be a good way to give two of his top hitters a break while keeping their bats in the lineup.
… Morrison is the possible DH for the Marlins’ three-game series at Cleveland. Manager Ozzie Guillen said Kearns may be
the DH if the Marlins face a left-hander. … RHP Tommy Hanson will start for Atlanta against Tampa Bay’s James Shields on
Friday night. Marlins RHP Carlos Zambrano will face Indians RHP Justin Masterson .

© 2011 STATS LLC

Article source: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/baseball/mlb/gameflash/2012/05/17/41057_recap.html?xid=si_topstories

WASHINGTON (AP) — During another seven grueling hours of cross-examination that frustrated all sides, Roger Clemens’ accuser explained the evidence he kept in a beer can – and why his story about it has changed.

Brian McNamee was on the stand Thursday for a fourth day in the perjury trial of the seven-time Cy Young Award-winning pitcher, holding firm to his testimony that he injected Clemens with steroids from 1998 to 2001 and human growth hormone in 2000.

But Clemens’ longtime strength coach again conceded that his memory of some details has evolved over the years, and that he initially told some lies during the drugs-in-baseball investigation conducted by federal agents and former Sen. George Mitchell.

Whether the jurors were still keeping track is another matter: They again expressed concern about the agonizingly slow pace of a trial that still has weeks to go, and the judge opined that Clemens’ lawyer was “confusing everybody.”

“At this pace,” U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton said, “I’ll guess we’ll be here forever.”

Clemens lawyer Rusty Hardin tried to exploit McNamee’s inconsistencies, even if it meant taking the case far afield from the principal issue of whether Clemens actually used performance-enhancing drugs. The former baseball star is accused of lying when he testified to Congress in 2008 that he never used steroids or HGH.

The day’s testimony ended at a tantalizing moment. After some 19 hours on the stand, McNamee was being challenged by Hardin over the needle and other waste kept in a Miller Lite can after a steroids injection McNamee said he gave Clemens in 2001. The government is expected to show the waste contains Clemens’ DNA.

McNamee indicated to Congress in 2008 that he kept the evidence primarily because he was starting to distrust Clemens, but he told the jury earlier this week he kept it because his wife had starting nagging him to do something to protect himself from being a fall guy in case he ever got caught.

McNamee said Thursday he had hoped to keep his wife out of the story. His change of heart came as he and his wife are going through a contentious divorce.

“Now she’s involved,” McNamee said, “she’s got to take responsibility for her action.”

McNamee said the beer can came from the recycling bin in Clemens’ apartment, while conceding that he’d never seen Clemens drink a light beer. Hardin insinuated that McNamee manufactured the evidence after Clemens’ televised denials of steroids use.

“All of a sudden, the person being accused is fighting back,” Hardin said, “and you have to figure out some way to save yourself.”

Hardin’s aim is to portray McNamee as a serial liar, and he appeared to have some success this day.

“Did you ever tell Sen. Mitchell that you injected Roger Clemens approximately four times in the rear over a two-week period in 1998?” Hardin asked.

“That’s possible,” McNamee answered.

“If you did tell him … would that be a lie?” Hardin asked.

“Yes, it would,” said McNamee, who testified this week that he injected Clemens about eight to 10 times during Clemens’ 1998 season with the Toronto Blue Jays.

McNamee again maintained that he had minimized the number of shots to try to help out Clemens.

“I wanted to make it not look like he was a bigger steroids user than he was. … I never lied about the usage, just amounts,” he said.

There were several similar exchanges. Hardin also displayed a calendar to show that a 1998 pool party at former slugger Jose Canseco’s house was on a Tuesday; McNamee has always remembered it taking place on a Saturday. McNamee then went back and forth trying to place the date he gave Clemens’ wife an HGH shot at the Clemens’ home in Texas – switching from the 2003-04 offseason to the 2002-03 offseason.

“I could be confused,” McNamee said. “I’m getting handed a lot of dates.”

But it’s an open question whether the lawyer’s scattershot approach – leapfrogging from topic to topic with complex questions that evoke frequent objections from the government – will pay dividends with the jury. A serious trial that could end up sending one of baseball’s all-time greats to prison was peppered with exchanges Thursday that sounded more like a situation comedy.

There was one exchange in which Hardin wanted to know why McNamee didn’t tip off Clemens after being contacted by federal authorities. McNamee said Clemens never asked.

Hardin: “How could he ask if he didn’t know?”

McNamee: “How could I answer if he didn’t ask?”

Hardin: “You’re serious?”

At another point, when Hardin was switching topics at a fast and furious pace, McNamee turned his palms up and said: “You’re going from articles to emails – I’m trying to keep up, man.”

Later, as Hardin was trying to pin another lie on him, McNamee responded: “I’m having a problem with the `lie’ thing.”

Then, when explaining why he decided to cooperate with federal authorities, McNamee said: “They would have had an opportunity to lock me up for lying.” But Hardin mistook McNamee’s thick New York accent, thinking McNamee said “life” instead of “lying.” Hardin started to make a big deal of the comment until McNamee corrected him.

The sputtering pace of the trial, now in its fifth week, is taking a noticeable toll on the jury. Two members of the panel already have been dismissed for sleeping, leaving 12 jurors and two alternates. Walton emerged from a morning break and said they’ve been asking again how long the trial will last.

Walton sounded incredulous when the government responded that it had 14 more witnesses to call, which would bring its total to 26. The judge then told the jury that he expects the trial to last through at least June 8.

With the jury out of earshot, the judge said “someone’s going to pay the price” for the slow pace, but Walton said he couldn’t tell which side it would be. Then he segued into a critique of Hardin’s all-over-the-place questioning.

“It’s confusing everybody,” Walton said, “but I don’t think it’s making much of a point.”

Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Article source: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/baseball/mlb/05/17/mcnamee.clemens.trial.ap/index.html?xid=si_topstories

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Eagles Thursday agreed to terms with running back LeSean McCoy on a five-year contract extension that runs through 2017.

McCoy set franchise records in 2011 with 17 rushing touchdowns, and 20 total scores, while earning All Pro and Pro Bowl honors. He also led the NFL with 102 first downs and 48 runs of 10-plus yards, while finishing as the league’s fourth-leading rusher with 1,309 yards.

In 2010, McCoy ranked fourth in the NFL with 1,672 yards from scrimmage while leading all running backs with a career-high 78 catches.

Philadelphia had a disappointing 4-8 start last season, before rallying with four straight wins to end the year. The Eagles did not make the playoffs.

“We are excited to continue this offseason of taking care of our own players,” coach Andy Reid said. “LeSean is one of the most electrifying running backs in the National Football League. He can do it all – run, catch, block and score touchdowns from anywhere on the field.”

McCoy, a native of Harrisburg, was drafted in the 2009 second round out of Pittsburgh. He has played in 46 games, with 32 starts, and has registered 4,241 yards from scrimmage.

“He’s worked extremely hard to turn himself into a Pro Bowl running back,” Reid said, “and he is well deserving of this contract extension.”

Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Article source: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/football/nfl/05/17/eagles.lesean.mccoy.extension.ap/index.html?xid=si_topstories

NEW ORLEANS (AP) Suspended Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma filed a defamation lawsuit Thursday against NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, claiming the league’s top executive made false statements that tarnished Vilma’s reputation and hindered his ability to earn a living playing football.

McCANN: More than just a defamation lawsuit

The suit in U.S. District Court in New Orleans claims Goodell, “relied on, at best, hearsay, circumstantial evidence and lies” in making comments about Vilma while discussing the NFL’s bounty investigation of the New Orleans Saints.

Goodell has said Vilma was a leader of the team’s bounty program that put up thousands of dollars for hits which took out opposing teams’ star players from 2009-11, including $10,000 each on then-Arizona quarterback Kurt Warner and then-Minnesota quarterback Brett Favre during the playoffs in 2010.

“Commissioner Goodell opted to make very public and unfortunately erroneous allegations against Jonathan,” said Vilma’s attorney, Peter Ginsberg. “By making these false and public statements, he has significantly harmed Jonathan’s reputation and ability to make a living.

“By suing Commissioner Goodell in court, Jonathan opted to use a fair playing field where he has procedural rights and protections to remedy the harm Commissioner Goodell has done to him.”

Vilma wrote on his Twitter account that, “As I’ve said before..I NEVER PAID, NOR INTENDED TO PAY ANY AMOUNT OF MONEY, TO ANY PLAYER FOR INTENTIONALLY HURTING AN OPPONENT.”

Goodell has suspended Vilma, an eight-year veteran and defensive captain, for the entire 2012 season. Vilma and three other current of former Saints who received shorter suspensions – defensive end Will Smith, defensive lineman Anthony Hargrove and linebacker Scott Fujita – all have appealed their punishments. Hargrove now plays for Green Bay while Fujita is with Cleveland.

“We have not yet reviewed the filing,” NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said. “However, our commitment to player safety and the integrity of the game is our main consideration. We recognize that not everyone will agree with decisions that need to be made.”

The NFL also hired former federal prosecutor Mary Jo White in late 2011 to review its evidence in the case, and White has said the NFL’s findings are corroborated by multiple independent witnesses as well as documentation.

Vilma’s lawsuit, which is expected to be heard by Judge Ginger Berrigan, asks for unspecified monetary damages as well as punitive damage and attorneys fees.

The lawsuit states that Goodell, “knew and intended that Vilma would suffer severe emotional distress” when the NFL published its bounty report and handed down punishment for the 30-year-old linebacker.

“Vilma will soon have to leave behind the world of professional football and will likely face difficulties in obtaining other employment and entering into new ventures as a result of Goodell’s false and defamatory statements,” the lawsuit said. “Media will forever mention his name in the context of the Bounty investigation and fans will forever remember Vilma with ill repute rather than remember his substantial accomplishments on and off the field.”

The players’ association has said that the league has refused to turn over what the union would view as hard evidence that Vilma or the other sanctioned players tried to intentionally injure targeted opponents, or sponsored such behavior.

“It is certainly the case that in court, Jonathan will have a right to see whatever it is that Commissioner Goodell has been hiding from us and what Commissioner Goodell contends gave him a basis to make these false allegations,” Ginsberg said. “We will have a fair and neutral judge to preside over the dispute rather than contending with the executioner also being the person making the final decision.”

Vilma’s lawsuit states that the linebacker “never `pledged,’ made or received payments of any kind encouraging or resulting from an opposing player being injured.”

The NFL found that former Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams oversaw a bounty program in New Orleans from 2009 to 2011 which paid off-the-books cash bonuses of $1,500 for “knockouts,” or hits which forced a player out of games, and $1,000 for “cart-offs,” which left players needing help off the field.

The Saints have been punished harshly as an organization. Head coach Sean Payton has been suspended for all of 2012 for failing to put a stop to the program and attempting to cover it up, while general manager Mickey Loomis has been suspended eight games and assistant head coach Joe Vitt six games. The club also was fined $500,000 and docked two second-round draft picks.

Williams, now with St. Louis, has been suspended indefinitely.

Payton, Loomis and Williams all have issued written public apologies regarding the bounty scandal.

Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Article source: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/football/nfl/05/17/jonathan.vilma.roger.goodell.ap/index.html?xid=si_topstories

The 2012 NBA playoffs started on April 28 after a compressed 66-game regular season because of the lockout. Here are some of the A-listers (and B- and C-listers) who were on hand to watch.

Miami Heat fan and four-time Grammy winner, Lil Wayne (Dwayne Carter, Jr.), sat courtside as LeBron James and Co. destroyed the Knicks, 100-67, in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference quarterfinals matchup. Now, if you’ll recall, Weezy had beef with LeBron and Dwyane Wade last year because they never came over to talk to him. Let’s hope they worked it out, and James and Wade were kind enough to chuck Wayne the deuce.

Article source: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/1204/celebrities.nba.playoffs.2012/content.1.html?xid=si_topstories

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — LeBron James grabbed a seat on Miami’s bench, lowered his head and stared down at the floor.

Way down.

The Heat are in a hole.

Roy Hibbert had 19 points and 18 rebounds, George Hill scored 20 and Danny Granger 17 as the Pacers, showing more balance,
toughness and togetherness than favored Miami, throttled the malfunctioning Heat 94-75 on Thursday night in Game 3 of the
Eastern Conference semifinals.

Overlooked during the regular season and given little chance to upset the reigning East champions, the Pacers took a 2-1 lead
in the best-of-seven series.

Game 4 is Sunday at raucous Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

James scored 22 – 16 in the first half before wearing down – and Mario Chalmers added 25 for Miami. However, Dwyane Wade,
banged up and possibly slowed by a more serious injury, scored only 5 on 2-of-13 shooting for the Heat, already missing forward
Chris Bosh because of a strained abdominal muscle and not expected to return for this series.

“It’s obvious he wasn’t himself.” James said of Wade. “Does he want to play better? Of course. He’s one of the best players
in the world.”

Wade didn’t play like one and he also had an angry exchange during a timeout in the third quarter with coach Erik Spoelstra,
who dismissed it as a heat-of-battle incident.

“That happens,” Spoelstra said. “Anybody that has been part of a team or has been a coach or been a player, you have no idea
how often things like that happen. That was during a very emotional part of the game. We were getting our butt kicked. Those
exchanges happen all the time during the course of an NBA season.

“There’s going to be a lot of times where guys say something, you don’t like it. You get over it and you move on. We’re all
connected. Dwyane and I have been together for a long time, a long time. We’ve been through basically everything. A lot of
different roles, a lot of different teams. That really is nothing. That is the least of our concern. That type of fire, shoot,
that’s good. That’s the least of our concerns. Our concern is getting for Sunday.”

Wade wouldn’t discuss his dispute with Spoelstra.

Indiana outscored Miami 51-32 in the second half, when the Pacers could do no wrong.

They made big shots, challenged everything the Heat tossed in the air and didn’t back down from a Miami team that appeared
poised to make an easy run to the NBA finals after top-seeded Chicago lost Derrick Rose and was eliminated in the first round.

The Pacers, though, have other plans.

In the second half, Indiana forward David West flung James to the floor in the lane, and Granger later got in the superstar’s
face after a foul on a breakaway. After winning Game 2 in South Florida by three points, the Pacers wanted to show that win
was no fluke and that they’re for real.

Believe it.

They’re two wins from tilting the balance of power in the East.

“We’re certainly happy with the win,” said Pacers coach Frank Vogel. “But we’ve got a lot of work to do.”

Vogel’s pregame message to his team: “Keep your edge, and enhance your edge.”

Enhance, they did.

Hibbert controlled the glass, roaming the lane on both ends and finishing with five blocks.

“My primary focus is defense, defense, defense,” he said. “I embrace that role and let the offense come to me. Them being
one and done, that’s what we talked about in the huddle,” he said. “One shot and they’re done.”

Two more losses and the Heat are done.

With his team down 20 in the closing minutes, Spoelstra waved the white flag and pulled out first Wade, then James, who quickly
removed his headband as he got to the bench and then pulled out the mouthpiece inscripted with XVI – the Roman numeral for
16 – or the number of wins it takes to get a championship.

When the final horn sounded, the three-time MVP quickly exited the floor.

“When you lose a game like that, all you try to take it away and move on to the next one,” James said. “They’re playing some
good basketball. We’re playing pretty good defense on them. We’re not scoring the ball.”

Indiana busted open a grind-it-out game with a 17-3 run in the third quarter, doing it with an inside-outside attack that
had the Heat wondering what was coming next.

Pushed by a rocking home crowd wearing “Gold Swagger” T-shirts and chanting “Beat The Heat” every chance they could, the Pacers
pushed their lead to 69-55 after three and then held off one brief run by the Heat in the fourth quarter.

Behind Miami’s bench, owner Micky Arison and team president Pat Riley looked on in disbelief.

Despite playing almost 21 minutes and exerting himself on defense, James had enough energy to throw down a vicious left-handed
dunk in the final minute of the first half, pulling the Heat even at 43-all. He looked back at the Miami bench as if to say,
“How about a little help out here?”

He was doing it all.

Wade, on the other hand, was lost.

He missed all five field-goal attempts, made two turnovers and ran around like a first-time rookie and not a superstar playing
in his 95th career postseason game.

Wade finally made his first field goal with 10:22 left in the third to put Miami up 47-45, but the Pacers went on a 10-1 run
with Granger dropping a 3-pointer in front of the Heat bench to make it 55-48 and then playfully skipping down the sideline
as Miami called a timeout.

With Bosh out, rehabbing in Florida and doubtful to be back at any point in this series, Spoelstra said “everything is out
on the table. Everyone has to be ready.”

He wasn’t kidding.

Spoelstra made a dramatic change to his starting lineup, putting Shane Battier at power forward and using bench-riding center
Dexter Pittman in place of Udonis Haslem and Ronny Turiaf in the first five along with James, Wade and Chalmers – a group
he played together for just nine minutes during the regular season.

The moves smelled of desperation and maybe Spoelstra sensed his team was in more trouble than he wanted to admit.

And when the Pacers jumped to an 11-2 lead, amping up an already frenzied Indiana crowd, it appeared Miami was indeed in danger
of dropping a second straight game.

However, with James leading the charge, the Heat responded by closing the first quarter on a 24-6 tear.

James and Wade were relaxed following the Heat’s morning shootaround. There wasn’t a hint of panic in either of their voices
and they exuded been-here-done-that attitudes.

James downplayed the idea that he and his teammates would need to maintain some kind of “edge” to be best prepared for a pivotal
Game 3 many felt would tilt the series.

“It’s the postseason,” said James, playing in his 100th postseason game. “There’s no secrets about an edge or not having an
edge. It’s the postseason. You have to be ready and approach every possession as if it’s the last. I’m always going to have
an edge, so that’s not going to change.”

Well, things have changed.

Notes: The Heat are 4 for 42 on 3-pointers in the series. … Miami’s 75 points were a low in these playoffs. … Indiana
outrebounded Miami 52-36. … The Heat managed just 12 points in the third quarter. … Former Pacers center Rik Smits attended
the game and got a huge cheer when he was shown on the scoreboard.

Article source: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/basketball/nba/gameflash/2012/05/17/31764_recap.html?xid=si_topstories

TORONTO (AP) — Brett Lawrie heard the penalty, then expressed just one regret about his tantrum: that his batting helmet bounced up and hit an umpire.

Major League Baseball suspended Lawrie for four games and fined him an undisclosed amount Wednesday, a day after the Toronto third baseman got into an altercation with umpire Bill Miller.

Lawrie appealed and can play until there is a hearing, which could he held next week via video conference. He said he intended to apologize to Miller for being hit in the right hip.

“The only thing I would change is maybe not throwing the helmet or any equipment toward the umpire because you can get an unlucky hop and have the kind of mess that’s going on right now,” he said.

The 22-year-old Lawrie was in the starting lineup Wednesday night against the New York Yankees — with the same umpiring crew in town, Miller was stationed in close proximity at third base.

Lawrie received the loudest cheer in pregame introductions while the umpires were booed. He did not speak with Miller upon taking his position for the top of the first, and quickly ran off the field after the inning.

“I’m just playing the game the way I’ve always played it,” Lawrie said. “That’s the passion I have for the game and I don’t feel like I need to change anything.”

Lawrie, born and raised in Canada, is in his first full season in the majors. Miller became part of the MLB umpiring staff in 1999.

The trouble began Tuesday night in the ninth inning in a game Toronto lost to Tampa Bay 4-3. Lawrie started toward first base after he thought a 3-1 pitch missed, but Miller called it a strike.

On a full-count pitch that he believed was ball four, Lawrie again headed toward first base. When Miller called strike three, Lawrie momentarily crouched in disbelief. Lawrie dropped his bat, gestured at Miller and shouted, and was ejected.

Lawrie then started toward Miller, wound up with his right arm and slammed down his helmet. It bounced at the umpire’s feet and ricocheted up into him.

“That’s a bit extreme,” Miller said after the game.

As Miller walked off the field, he was hit in the shoulder by a drink thrown by a fan.

Both Blue Jays manager John Farrell and general manager Alex Anthopoulos said they would not try to curtail the exuberance of their infielder.

“He’s an energetic player, we don’t want him to lose that energy and that passion for the game, that will to compete and do whatever he has in his power at the moment to make an impact on the game,” Farrell said.

Anthopoulos said he would “never begrudge a player for being upset and being a competitor.”

“That’s just part of the game,” he said. “I don’t fault anybody for that.”

Anthopoulos approached Lawrie as he stood next to the cage during batting practice. The two spoke briefly, with Anthopoulos patting Lawrie on the shoulder several times before walking away.

Lawrie then returned to the clubhouse to speak with his manager and GM in Farrell’s office before returning to the field to face the media as news of the suspension was made official.

Lawrie said he looked forward to the hearing as a chance to tell his side of the story.

“The only thing I regret is the helmet hitting him,” Lawrie said. “I never meant to do that and it shows … it took a bad hop and it hit him just totally by accident.”

“I don’t have any intentions of hurting anyone,” he said. “I was just frustrated at the play at the time.”

While conceding that Lawrie had made “a bad choice” in slamming down his helmet, Anthopoulos stressed Lawrie’s lack of intent, and the misfortune that Miller happened to be struck.

“He knows he shouldn’t throw his helmet, it goes without saying,” Anthopoulos said. “Everyone knows he didn’t throw it at anybody, it happened to bounce and hit someone. If he had turned a little to his right or a little to his left, I think you’re probably not even involved in any type of suspension.”

“It’s not like you’re recounting a story over the phone of, ‘You won’t believe what happened,”‘ he said.

Anthopoulos deflected the suggestion that Miller’s strike calls were motivated by spite after Lawrie headed toward first base.

“I don’t think the umpires would ever do their jobs that way,” he said. “I think, from that standpoint, you can look back at the film, like we all can in hindsight and 20-20, and we can obviously see if they’re balls or strikes. That’s very easy to look at in hindsight. I’m not sitting back there behind the plate and I know how hard that job is so I would never accuse anybody of doing that.”

Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Article source: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/baseball/mlb/05/16/blue-jays-lawrie-suspended.ap/index.html?xid=si_topstories

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2012 HP Byron Nelson Championship – PGA Tour – Leaderboard | GOLF.com

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New Jersey

New York

NEW YORK — The New Jersey Devils’ David Clarkson is now 3-for-3. When he tipped in a high point shot from Adam Henrique past New York goalie Henrik Lundqvist, the 27-year-old winger scored his third goal of the postseason — incidentally, his third game-winner of this spring. Clarkson himself has no answer as to why his stick has a certain Midas touch this spring.

“I just tried to get a stick on it,” he said. “It’s just about being in the right place, I guess … [After Game 1,] I needed to get into those areas in front where I was tonight. And that was what I tried to do going into the game.”

From that area, right outside of Lundqvist’s crease, Clarkson found the perfect place. The goal, at 2:31 in the third period, was the eventual reward New Jersey received for its aggressive forecheck Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden, where the Devils defeated the Rangers, 3-2, and evened the Eastern Conference finals at 1-1.

For the better part of a month now, through a seven-game series win over Florida and a dominating series victory over Philadelphia, New Jersey has found its identity with this style. Maintaining time in the offensive zone and wearing opponents down with energetic puck possession style, the Devils simply outworked the Rangers along the boards and down low, winning one-on-one battles.

“In the first period, they were winning more battles than us,” New York defenseman Marc Staal said. “It enabled them to get more pressure on us.”

The pressure, Devils captain Zach Parise says, is the key. “It’s not easy for a defenseman to get it out of the zone when there are a bunch of forwards on him,” he said. “We want to be aggressive.”

Parise said, though, that all forechecks may not be equal. What works against one team may not work against another, so while New Jersey had success aggressively pursuing the Flyers in the neutral zone and more in open ice, where Philadelphia’s forwards excel, their forecheck against the Rangers may have to be different. Putting a lot of pressure along the boards and taking away the walls for New York was the key in shutting them down.

The offense will come from there, they figure. And eventually it did.

New Jersey winger Ilya Kovalchuk opened scoring on the power play 13:39 into the game, firing a laser shot into the top corner over the glove hand of Lundqvist. The Rangers perhaps overcommitted, sending four hard to one side, leaving Kovalchuk unattended, and so when the puck came across, Devils forward Patrik Elias set a pick, keeping Rangers defenseman Dan Girardi from getting across. It left Kovalchuk wide open on the weak side without any Rangers bodies in front of him, a rarity given New York’s penchant for throwing their bodies in front of shots. And with a quick wrist shot, the New Jersey superstar picked the perfect corner.

“We know they’re going to lay down and you want to fake them and go around,” Kovalchuk said.

Earlier in the period, again on the power play, Kovalchuk had the puck at the left circle and a look on Lundqvist, only it was obscured by the body of Rangers winger Brandon Prust, who looked like he was doing up-down drills in anticipation of a shot. New York’s shot-blocking, a pivotal part of the Rangers’ win in Game 1, continued to be a thorn in New Jersey’s side through half of the game. Through two periods, the Devils had thrown 38 shots toward New York’s net. Ten were blocked before reaching Lundqvist. By contrast, the Rangers threw just 24. Seventeen reached Brodeur, four missed the net and three were blocked in front.

“I feel like everyone is obsessed with this shot-blocking because that’s what they’re doing,” Parise said after Game 1. “A lot of teams block shots. We’ve just got to get it around.”

With less than two minutes left in the second, and the Rangers hugging a 2-1 lead off power-play goals from defenseman Marc Staal and rookie forward Chris Kreider, the Devils seemed to find their way. With the Rangers pinned in their own zone, New York winger Marian Gaborik failed to clear the puck out against Bryce Salvador at the blue line, one of the many battles the Blueshirts lost along the boards. The puck found an open Steve Bernier, who took a shot from the top of the right circle, and the rebound bounced back out to Salvador whose subsequent shot was deftly deflected in the slot by forward Ryan Carter, passed Lundqvist.

“We need to get traffic in front of him,” Salvador said. “If he’s going to see it, he’s going to save it. That’s why he’s a Vezina candidate. So we were able to get traffic in front of him and some of the tips went in … In the playoffs, you’re not going to see too many tic-tac-toe plays. Most of the goals you’re seeing are rebounds, crash the net, going off a leg, bounces. You just have to keep sticking to it and not get frustrated.”

Clarkson’s score early in the third, another deflection, was a reward for the hardworking forward and this aggressive New Jersey team. They outbattled the Rangers, especially along the boards, and Lundqvist couldn’t bail them out.

Article source: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/sarah_kwak/05/17/devils.rangers.game2/index.html?xid=si_topstories

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Game 2
 
Game LeadersThunder lead 2-0
 
POINTS
REBOUNDS
ASSISTS

Box

Recap

Photos77
75
 

Durant22

Gasol11

Durant5 

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GAME 1  Thunder 119,
Lakers 90GAME 2  Thunder 77,
Lakers 75GAME 3  at LAL, Fri.
May 18, TBD, ESPNGAME 4  at LAL, Sat.
May 19, TBD, TNTGAME 5  at OKC, Mon.
May 21, If NecessaryGAME 6  at LAL, Wed.
May 23, If NecessaryGAME 7  at OKC, Sun.
May 27, If
Necessary

OKLAHOMA CITY — In the summer of 2010, Scott Brooks issued Kevin Durant a challenge: Defend. You’re a great scorer, Brooks told Durant, but to be a great player you have to play both ways. Like Michael. Like LeBron. Like Kobe. “I said Kevin, if you want to be an elite player in this league, you can’t do it on one end,” Brooks told SI.com. “You are going to be known as one of the best scorers in the game. If you want to be known as something more than that, you have to play both ends.”

Two years have passed. The talk stuck, and it is one Brooks remembered in the calm of a quiet hallway after the Thunder’s dramatic, 77-75 win, a plea from coach to player that has charted a championship course for the franchise. Make no mistake, it wasn’t Durant’s seven-foot fourth quarter floater that will serve as the defining moment of this game, this series. It was the steal and subsequent dunk of a Kobe Bryant –yes, Kobe — pass that sparked a furious comeback in the final two minutes and gave Oklahoma City a daunting 2-0 series lead.

Yes, it is the determination of Durant to become a two-way player that could be key to this young Thunder team’s rise. With just over four minutes to play in a close game Brooks switched Durant onto Kobe, a decision made without much concern, or doubt. “It was just time,” Durant said. Two years ago Durant wasn’t equipped to handle Kobe. He was all arms and legs then, a 6-foot-9 string bean with a knack for scoring and flaws everywhere else. He vowed to change his game after that first-round series loss to the Lakers and in a short time, he has.

“He listens,” Brooks said. “He badly wants to be a great player.”

Be great, like Kobe. There is the bar, meet it.

No one understands the evolution of Bryant better than Derek Fisher, who came into the league with Bryant in 1996 and has had a front-row seat to his development ever since. No one today can match Bryant’s intensity, his singular focus. That will to be great though, that’s something that oozes from Durant’s pores.

“I watched Kobe for years work to become one of the greatest of all-time,” Fisher said. “I think Kevin has the same love and passion for playing basketball. The process is happening, for sure. You can see he is understanding more of what it takes to be the leader of the team. Not just statistically; but the little things, the defense, the rebounding, being in the right position. Knowing when to control the game, when to get his teammates involved. But I think he is making a commitment on the defensive end. He wants to get better. He wants to improve. He is on his way.”

The Thunder have the Lakers on the ropes now, and the killer growing in Durant is ready to finish them off. They won their way in Game 1, sprinting out in transition, shredding the Lakers in the pick-and-roll. They played L.A.’s game in Game 2, slow, methodical, every possession a street fight. They got beat up in the paint (46-34) and on the glass (41-36) and shot the ball in the second half like the rim were the size of a thimble. Down seven, two minutes to go, they were finished. Then Kobe malfunctioned and Durant sprung to life, willing — there is that word again — his team to a win.

“That’s what great players are supposed to do, to take on that challenge at the end of the game,” said Lakers coach Mike Brown. “He did. He won the game for them, basically.”

The confidence inside Durant, in this Thunder team grows by the day and everyone is on the same page. Talk of a rift between Durant and Russell Westbrook is old news, and the whispers that maybe, just maybe these two alpha males can’t play together get quieter by the day. Westbrook is a critical cog but this is Durant’s team. Soon, it could be his league, too. Magic Johnson and Larry Bird ceded the throne to Michael Jordan, Jordan to Kobe. It’s assumed that, eventually, Kobe will step aside for LeBron. Durant may have a say in that. As the injury to Chris Bosh puts the title hopes of the Super Friends in Miami in doubt, the door is open for someone else to seize Kobe’s throne. Someone, perhaps, more like him.

“There are similarities in terms of that internal fire,” Fisher said. “Kevin is not as demonstrative [as Kobe] in terms of his actions, but on the inside, he wants to be one of the greats.”

Article source: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/chris_mannix/05/17/lakers.thunder.game2/index.html?xid=si_topstories