Nina's Sports Bad Boys Blog World: July 2012

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

LONDON -- Missy Franklin stared out on the horde of reporters, suddenly sounding very much like a high school senior-to-be. "I don't like being up here alone," she said nervously.

Then, just like that, she turned on a big smile and worked the room like a pro.

Thanks to this Colorado teenager, America's swim hopes are back on track at the Olympics.

More from ESPN.com

Missy Franklin officially became a household name after winning her first Olympic gold medal, writes Wayne Drehs. Story

Michael Phelps has yet to win a gold medal, and Ryan Lochte's star has dimmed just a bit. So it was Franklin providing a much-needed boost to swimming's powerhouse nation, coming back less than 14 minutes after swimming a semifinal heat to win the first gold medal of what figures to be a dazzling career.

"Indescribable," the 17-year-old Franklin said after rallying to win the 100-meter backstroke Monday. "I still can't believe that happened. I don't even know what to think. I saw my parents' reaction on the screen and I just started bawling. I can't even think right now."

After finishing up the semis of the 200 freestyle, she hopped out of the pool and headed to the diving well for a quick warmdown. She didn't even have time to make it to the practice pool, not when her bigger event was coming right up.

Even Phelps was amazed at Franklin's stamina, saying he had never done back-to-back races that close together at such a major meet. His quickest turnaround was about a half-hour.

"She's a racer and she knows what to do," Phelps said.

Franklin, who was rattled less than two weeks before the Olympics by the Aurora theater shooting not far from her home, barely advanced from the 200 free semis. She qualified for Tuesday night's final with the eighth-fastest time, but clearly she was saving something for the race that really mattered.

She's still got five more events to go, having started her Olympics with a relay bronze and leaving plenty of time to come away from these games as America's big star in the post-Phelps era.

Australia's Emily Seebohm, the top qualifier, led at the turn and was under world-record pace, but Franklin showed a remarkable finishing kick. With her arms whirling and size-13 feet pounding the water, the 6-foot-1 swimmer passed the Aussie in the final 25 meters and lunged toward the wall for a winning time of 58.33 seconds.

She broke into a big smile but was clearly exhausted, her head dropping back against the wall. Seebohm settled for silver in 58.68 and Japan's Aya Terakawa took bronze in 58.83.

"You never know until you see that scoreboard, so I was just going as fast as I could until I got my hand on the wall," Franklin said. "It was 110 percent effort, and all the work paid off."

Someone noticed afterward that Franklin wasn't wearing her medal. She pulled it out of her pocket and marveled, "Isn't it pretty."

Then, she showed her age again. There's still one more year to go at Regis Jesuit High.

"My junior year was awesome," Franklin said. "I can't wait to go back to Regis!"

Source: http://espn.go.com/olympics/summer/2012/swimming/story/_/id/8215209/2012-london-olympics-missy-franklin-wins-100-meter-backstroke

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U.S.' Franklin, Grevers win 100 back gold; Lochte 4th

LONDON (AP) Michael Phelps has yet to win a gold medal, and Ryan Lochte's star is fading. So along comes Missy Franklin, yet to start her senior year in high school, to restore American swim hopes at the Olympics.

Coming back less than 14 minutes after swimming a semifinal heat, the Colorado teenager won the first gold medal of what figures to be a dazzling career, rallying to win the 100-meter backstroke Monday.

"Indescribable," the 17-year-old Franklin said. "I still can't believe that happened. I don't even know what to think. I saw my parents' reaction on the screen and I just started bawling. I can't even think right now."

Matt Grevers kept the gold medals coming in rat-a-tat fashion, following up Franklin's win with one of his own in the men's 100 back. For good measure, Nick Thoman made it a 1-2 finish for the red, white and blue by taking the silver.

Rebecca Soni nearly pulled out a third U.S. gold, rallying furiously on the return leg of the 100 breaststroke. But she couldn't quite catch blazing Lithuanian Ruta Meilutyte, a gold medalist at the tender age of 15.

Good thing for the U.S. that Franklin and the other Americans are coming through.

Phelps missed the podium in his 2012 Olympic debut, and Lochte has turned two straight disappointing performances after opening the games with a dominant win in the 400 individual medley. He finished fourth and off the podium Monday night in the 200 freestyle, which France's Yannick Agnel won by a full body length against a field with gold medalists galore.

On Sunday, Lochte anchored the U.S. in the 4x100 free relay, taking over with a seemingly comfortable lead. But Agnel chased him down on the final leg, giving France the gold.

Now, another defeat.

"I did my best," Lochte said. "I guess sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. I gave it 110 percent. There's probably some things I messed up on, but you live and learn. (Agnel is) a great racer. There's no doubt about it. He's quick and he showed it last night and tonight. I'm happy for him. He did good."

Franklin, who was rattled less than two weeks before the Olympics by the Aurora theater shooting not far from her home, showed tremendous resiliency racing with such a short break following the semis of the 200 freestyle. She didn't even go to the practice pool for a warmdown, doing her strokes in the nearby diving well to save precious time.

She barely advanced in the first race, qualifying for Tuesday night's final with the eighth-fastest time, but she was clearly saving something for the one with a medal on the line. She's still got five more events to go, having started her Olympics with a relay bronze and leaving plenty of time to come away from these games as America's best hope in the post-Phelps era.

The winningest Olympian ever plans to retire after these games.

Australia's Emily Seebohm, the top qualifier, led at the turn and was under world-record pace, but Franklin showed a remarkable finishing kick. With her arms whirling, the 6-foot-1 swimmer passed the Aussie in the final 25 meters and lunged toward the wall for a winning time of 58.33 seconds.

She broke into a big smile but was clearly exhausted, her head dropping back against the wall. Seebohm settled for silver in 58.68 and Japan's Aya Terakawa took bronze in 58.83.

"You never know until you see that scoreboard, so I was just going as fast as I could until I got my hand on the wall," Franklin said. "It was 110 percent effort, and all the work paid off."

The 6-foot-8 Grevers pulled off a similar rally on his return lap, winning the 100 back in 52.16 - the fifth straight Olympics, dating to the 1996 Atlanta Games, that the U.S. men have won the backstroke. Thoman joined his teammate on the medal podium at 52.97, a finish they were thinking about all along.

"Going into the ready room, we were both just sitting there and we shared a look and shared a thought," Thoman said. "I think that was in both of our heads."

Grevers didn't notice right away that Americans took the top two spots.

"I must be selfish because it took me a good 10 seconds to realize he got second," Grevers quipped. "That's something I should do right away. But when I noticed, that moment became much more special. To know that we can go 1-2 in that event, again really shows the USA's dominance in backstroke right now when we're able to step up."

Japan's Ryosuke Irie was third in 52.97.

"I've been watching the Olympics for as long as I can remember," Thoman said. "The first one I really remember is the '92 Barcelona Games and just watching guys back then. Seeing Lenny Krayzelburg, my idol, and then Aaron Piersol, again my idol, who I got to train with for a little while. Just being able to carry on that tradition, it's a great thing."

Agnel showed that his brilliant swim on the Olympic relay was no fluke. The baby-faced, 6-foot-6 Frenchman did it again in the 200 free, leading from start to finish in perhaps the most star-studded race of these games - even without Phelps, who passed up a chance to defend his Olympic title.

That might have been a good move by Phelps. It was hard to see anyone beating Agnel on this night, as he pulled away to win by a full body length in 1 minute, 43.14 seconds. No one came close to challenging him, and he looked just as strong at the end as he did at the beginning.

"I really didn't expect that time," Agnel said. "I had a race plan in my head, but this is above my expectations and hopes. I'm delighted. It's a childhood dream come true. I had to start quickly over the first 100 meters. I did that. Then I worked on keeping my speed and putting all my guts into the last 50. I don't know what to say. It worked."

French President Francois Hollande came to the mixed zone to congratulate Agnel, shaking his hand warmly in the chaos of reporters and cameras. He was dwarfed by the swimmer, who gave the country its third swimming gold of the games - its most ever.

And there's still five nights to go at the pool.

"Remarkable, two gold medals two nights in a row," Hollande said. "It's a big reward for French swimming, a proud moment for him and encouraging for the whole Olympic team."

South Korea's Park Tae-hwan and China's Sun Yang tied for the silver in 1:44.93. But Lochte, the reigning world champion who seemed poised to have a huge Olympics just 48 hours earlier, faded out of the medals. So did world-record holder Paul Biedermann of Germany.

Soni tried to make it three in a row, but Meilutyte dashed those hopes. Competing for the first time on a major international stage, the 15-year-old showed her strong performances in the prelims and semis were no fluke.

She built a big lead on the outward lap, then held off the 2008 Olympic silver medalist on the return. Meilutyte touched in 1:05.47, while Soni's rally came up eight-hundredths of the second short. Japan took yet another bronze with Satomi Suzuki in 1:06.46.

Meilutyte broke into tears on the medal stand, the enormity of her accomplishment at such a young age finally sinking in. She became the first Lithuanian to win a swimming medal, and took her country's first gold in any sport since a shooting gold in 2004.

"I can't believe it," she said. "It's too much for me. I can't really say anything. It was hard and difficult."

Soni swept the 100 and 200 breaststrokes at last year's world championships, and was hoping to do the same in London. Now, she'll look to defend her title in the 200 breast.

"I'm a little disappointed," she said. "I knew it was going to come down to the last five meters and I wish I had five more meters to get to that finish. It was a great race overall."

Lochte is looking more and more like a swimmer who took on too much of a workload. He's already raced six times in three events covering a total of 1,500 meters over the first three days in London. He has three more events to turn things around, but definitely has the look of a tired swimmer.

If nothing else, it shows just how remarkable Phelps' performance was when he won a record eight gold medals in 2008.

"This is just an incredibly fast Olympics," Grevers said. "To win six of them is a really hard thing to accomplish. Your body's going to get tired. It's not just a physical strain, it's an emotional strain to try to get up and compete every time."

Phelps didn't have any medal races on this night, but he did advance comfortably through the prelims and semis of the 200 butterfly, going into Tuesday's final with the fourth-best time.

This will be his second attempt at becoming the first male swimmer to win the same individual event at three straight Olympics. He failed in the 400 individual medley, and Japan's Kosuke Kitajima came up short of the same feat in the 100 breaststroke.

Source: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/olympics/2012/07/30/200-freestyle-Yannick-Agnel-Ryan-Lochte.ap/index.html?xid=si_topstories

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Monday, July 30, 2012

Missy Franklin, Michael Phelps headline Monday's swimming

This is the night Franklin, in all likelihood, will win her first individual Olympic medal. And it'll be the first of many.

Wouldn't you have liked a little heads up on Phelps' first? Knew it. You're welcome for this.

PHOTOS: Shots from Olympic swimming action

Franklin will be competing in the 100-meter backstroke at 7:51 p.m. London time (2:51 p.m. ET), one of her signature events. Franklin's biggest competition will be Australia's Emily Seebohm.

But before we get too ahead of ourselves looking at the night's competition, let's preview the prelims.

Not too many events this morning:

?Women's 200-meter freestyle? Franklin again. Just watch her whenever she's in the pool, and expect a smile from her every minute she's outside of it. Allison Schmitt, who won silver in the 400 free Sunday night, is also a U.S. medal contender here.

?Men's 200-meter butterfly? Phelps is back to medal form after an excellent 100 free relay leg, and look for him to have a strong showing here. It's one of his best events, and let's not forget he's still trying to get that first gold medal of the Games.

?Women's 200-meter individual medley?Ariana Kukors and Caitlin Leverenz will swim for the U.S., but watch out for China's Shiwen Ye, who raised eyebrows with her 400 IM gold medal - and world record - on Saturday.

Source: http://rssfeeds.usatoday.com/~r/UsatodaycomSports-TopStories/~3/kwKqPn_uHZA/1

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Joe Lemire: Reds' pitching, A's hitting, Hanley contributing, more MLB thoughts

Five Cuts from a pre-trade deadline weekend ...

1. Red-hot Reds -- Cincinnati lost Joey Votto, who only happens to be the game's best pure hitter, to knee surgery three games after the All-Star break, just as the club had wrestled first place in the NL Central away from the Pirates. That lead seemed tenuous without Votto, yet with their first baseman still on the disabled list, the Reds have now won 10 straight games after consecutively sweeping the Brewers, the Astros and, this weekend, the Rockies.

While the Reds have put together only the second 10-game winning streak this season (joining the Yankees), the Pirates have done well to hang close -- they are 12-7 during the same stretch -- but there's only so much one can do when the Reds have won 17 of their last 19, so Pittsburgh has lost five games in the standings, as Cincinnati has turned a two-game deficit into a three-game lead. The two division rivals meet Friday for a three-game series at Great American Ballpark.

It sounds like a broken record to explain the key to their sustained success, but once again, the key seems to be healthy starting pitchers. The Reds' Opening Day rotation -- Johnny Cueto, Mat Latos, Bronson Arroyo, Homer Bailey and Mike Leake -- has started all 101 of Cincinnati's games this season, the only major league club that can make such a claim.

The starting staff has been especially sharp over the last three weeks, pitching to a 2.90 ERA while logging nearly three times as many strikeouts as walks. Of particular note is the emergence of Bailey, the former first-round pick who seemed stuck as a run-every-other-inning pitcher -- which is literally a 4.50 ERA while Bailey had a 4.47 ERA in 61 starts from 2009-11 -- but is growing into his potential. Not only does he have a 3.53 ERA in 20 starts this season, but he's 3-0 with a 1.21 ERA in 29 2/3 innings over four outings during the Reds' hot stretch.

Longtime club broadcaster Marty Brenneman said he'd shave his trademark poofy white hair if the team won 10 straight and, perhaps fitting, it was Bailey who called dibs on grabbing the clippers and doing the honor.

Enthusiasm in Cincinnati should be tempered somewhat, however, if one considers the strength of the Reds' schedule the past three weeks. Of their six opponents, four have losing records; Arizona, against whom Cincinnati split a four-game series for their only two recent losses, has a .500 record; and only St. Louis has a winning record. Then again, Votto only played six of the last 19 games, so the Reds' success without their best player -- and one of the best all-around players in all of baseball -- is no small feat.

2. Grade A Power -- The AL's two biggest surprises this season squared off in Baltimore this weekend, with the Athletics taking two of three games from the Orioles. Powering Oakland to the series victory has been a newfound reliance on the long ball.

The A's hit two homers in each of their two wins over the Orioles this weekend, led by two from first baseman Chris Carter, who has hit eight in the past month. Right fielder Josh Reddick has been a particular revelation this season, hitting a team-high 22 homers.

Reader Paul Maslin, from Madison, Wis., wrote in this weekend to note how Oakland's recent power surge has gone relatively unnoticed, with 62 home runs over roughly a quarter of the season. He's right about how impressive that number is: it's a pace that, if sustained for the whole year, would rank in as a top-10 all-time season total.

Those 62 homers in the Athletics' last 40 games (dating to June 12) are the third-most in the majors during that span -- trailing only the Pirates (67) and Yankees (66) -- and have helped them go a major league-best 29-11 in that stretch. It's particularly noteworthy because Oakland only hit 49 homers in its first 61 games, meaning they doubled their daily rate from 0.8 per game to 1.6 per game.

The A's, who haven't ranked higher than 11th in the AL in homers since '07 and whose 483 homers from '08 through '11 rank last in the majors, are now fueling their offense with big flies; their 111 this year ranks eighth.

Also, the A's have only played 19 of those 40 games on the road and away from cavernous O.co Coliseum, and their season split isn't as severe as one might expect: 52 homers in 50 home games; 59 homers in 51 road games.

3. Dodger Dj vu? -- All Hanley Ramirez has done since his trade from the Marlins to the Dodgers is go 7-for-22 (.318) in his first five games. He tripled in his first at bat in Dodger blue, hit a game-winning 10th-inning home run on Friday, is preparing to move back to shortstop and now, including his final game with Miami, has a six-game hitting streak.

That last part is especially notable because of how rarely he has hit consistently in the last year and a half, despite being a former batting champ who had four straight .300+ seasons from 2007-10 and who had a .313 career average entering last year. But this is only his fourth hitting streak of six games or more, and he hasn't had one longer than eight games since 2010.

But Ramirez's new team, new uniform and new coast have given him a spark, and in turn he's done the same for the Dodgers, who swept the Giants in San Francisco to pull into a virtual tie for the NL West lead. If he keeps up this pace -- and it is, admittedly, very early -- the trade would hearken back to 2008 when another Ramirez (Manny, of course) lifted L.A. into the playoffs.

4. Red Sox: Buy, sell or hold? -- Fresh off losing five of six games to the Blue Jays and Rangers, the Red Sox entered this weekend in New York against their arch-nemesis having slinked below .500 and 10 games behind the Yankees in the AL East but still only a tantalizing 4 games away from the wild-card picture. After getting blown out on Friday night, the Red Sox won the final two games, both of which were tied to start the ninth inning.

Winning the series this weekend, two days from the trade deadline, was important, at least for reasons of public perception, as it moves Boston back to .500 and within four games of the wild card.

"This organization is in it to win it all the time," manager Bobby Valentine said. "I don't think the ownership and the front office is thinking anything other than we've got a shot."

There were, however, reports on Sunday night from CBSSports.com and ESPNBoston.com that the Red Sox had at least explored the possibility of trying to trade disappointing starter Josh Beckett.

The players, of course, insisted all weekend that they have the talent and just haven't had their inevitable hot streak yet. "We have a lot of the pieces from when we were the best team in baseball for the majority of last year," said reliever Andrew Miller, who got the win in relief on Saturday and pitched the Sox out of a tight eighth-inning jam on Sunday.

At times, the Red Sox' play appeared charmed this weekend, with unheralded injury fill-in Pedro Ciriaco driving in the winning run with a triple on Saturday that barely escaped the glove of Yankees center fielder Curtis Granderson and then with a bloop single in the 10th inning on Sunday.

Realistically, the climb will be difficult. Six teams are ahead of them in the standings for the two wild card spots, and the club's co-aces, Beckett (4.57 ERA) and Jon Lester (5.49), continue to under-perform with just two quality starts in nine combined outings this month; the Sox are just 14-24 in their 38 combined starts, though they did win Saturday after Lester, who personally was credited with a no decision, went six innings and allowed four runs.

5. Check swings -- The biggest headline of the weekend was the Angels' acquisition of Zack Greinke -- covered by SI.com, in discussions of Angels' new deadline approach and the escalating power struggle in the AL West -- who lost his Los Angeles debut, despite allowing just two runs in seven innings while striking out eight. ... Speaking of debuts, the Mets' top prospect, right-hander Matt Harvey, became the first player since 1900 to strike out 10 or more and smack two or more hits in his victory over the Diamondbacks on Thursday. ... In trade news, Arizona acquired Houston third baseman Chris Johnson, and the Twins dealt starter Francisco Liriano to the White Sox; both moves returned prospects. ... While most sub-.500 clubs are trading veterans, the Padres are signing them to extensions. They previously locked up outfielder Carlos Quentin, and on Sunday they inked closer Huston Street through 2014 with a team option for '15. ... The Phillies, who entered the weekend teetering on the brink, were swept by the Braves to fall 16 games back in the division and 12 back in the wild card, all but assuring that they'll become deadline sellers, with starter Joe Blanton, center fielder Shane Victorino and right fielder Hunter Pence the three most likely pieces to be moved.

Source: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/joe_lemire/07/29/five-cuts-cincinnati-reds-oakland-athletics-los-angeles-dodgers/index.html?eref=si_latest

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Sunday, July 29, 2012

Running back Michael Dyer dismissed from Arkansas State

JONESBORO, Ark. (AP) ? Former Auburn running back Michael Dyer has been dismissed from the Arkansas State squad for violating team rules.

Arkansas State coach Gus Malzahn announced the decision Saturday, saying: "I am truly disappointed that it didn't work out here at ASU for Mike. I wish Mike nothing but the best in the future."

The offensive MVP as a freshman in Auburn's victory over Oregon in the 2011 national championship game, wasn't eligible to play this season for the Red Wolves after the NCAA denied his request to play immediately.

Dyer transferred to Arkansas State in January after he was suspended indefinitely by Auburn coach Gene Chizik for violating unspecified team rules before the Chick-fil-A Bowl.

He was the first Tigers tailback to rush for more than 1,000 yards in each of his first two seasons, including a 1,093-yard performance as a freshman that broke Bo Jackson's school record of 892 yards set in 1982. Dyer rushed for 1,242 yards and 10 touchdowns last season.

Malzahn, who was Dyer's offensive coordinator at Auburn, helped recruit Dyer to the Tigers before being hired by the Red Wolves after last season.

Source: http://rssfeeds.usatoday.com/~r/UsatodaycomCollegeSports-TopStories/~3/7ogb3t77vTA/1

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Brandon Lloyd, Tom Brady working on chemistry

Source: http://www.nfl.com/goto?id=09000d5d82ae53a1

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USA's Kim Rhode shoots near perfect round for gold in skeet

Rhode clinched the medal with seven shots to go in a dazzling performance that made her the first U.S athlete in an individual sport to win five medals in five consecutive Olympics.

Rhode won golds in double trap in 1996 and 2004, a silver in skeet in 2008 and a bronze in double trap in 1996.

With her final score of 99 points, Rhode equaled the world record held by Slovakia's Danka Bartekova, who earned the bronze with 90 in a shoot-off. The near perfect round also set a new Olympic record.

Upon hitting her final two targets, Rhode broke out in a wide grin and pumped her right fist to the roaring crowd. There was plenty of American support at the Royal Artillery Barracks, including her parents.

"Both my wife and I were crying," Rhode's father, Richard, said. "It was a great moment in my daughter's history. I ran over, hugged her and told her I loved her. She was crying, too."

Wei Ning of China earned silver with 91 points.

During morning prelims, Rhode also set an Olympic record, hitting 74 of 75 targets . Italy's Chiara Canero set the previous record of 72 in 2008.

Source: http://rssfeeds.usatoday.com/~r/UsatodaycomSports-TopStories/~3/QyRgu4NLT4Y/1

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Moore gets best of Pujols in game's key moment

TB@LAA: Moore blanks the Angels over 6 1/3 innings

ANAHEIM -- Call the fifth inning what you will -- a Maalox moment for Rays manager Joe Maddon or a defining moment for Matt Moore. One thing was certain, you could almost hear the ker-thump, ker-thump of the rookie southpaw's heart when Albert Pujols stepped to the plate with one out and the bases loaded.

Moore had a three-run lead at the time and every one of the 41,232 Angels fans watching wanted to see the veteran slugger spoil Moore's outing with one swing of his mighty bat.

He did not, and the Rays came away with a 3-0 win over the Angels at Angel Stadium.

By winning, the Rays moved to 3-2 on the current road trip while improving to 52-49 on the season.

Moore held the Angels to four hits while striking out six in 6 1/3 innings to pick up his seventh win of the season. However, everything else he did Saturday night paled in comparison to his great escape in the fifth.

"That's where the game either changes against you or stays the way it had been going," said Moore.

The fifth started innocently enough when Moore retired Maicer Izturis on a groundout to second. Bobby Wilson then doubled to left and Mike Trout reached on an error by third baseman Ryan Roberts. When Torii Hunter walked to load the bases, the situation quickly turned into Deep Gulp City.

Moore didn't lose his mind, instead he considered the situation.

"I really needed a ground ball," Moore said. "He doesn't run particularly well. So I felt like we could have turned a couple of different ones and got out of that situation."

Moore fell behind 1-0 to Pujols before reversing the count to 1-2. Pujols then popped up to shortstop Sean Rodriguez for the second out of the inning -- the infield fly rule was in effect. While Moore managed to retire Pujols, Mark Trumbo was next and the bases were still loaded.

That's when Moore uncorked a pitch that escaped Jose Molina. Wilson took off for home while the Rays catcher gave chase to retrieve the ball. The ball ricocheted off the backstop, Molina scooped and fired to Moore, who tagged Wilson at the plate for the third out, albeit one the Angels disputed.

"That was a huge play to end the inning," Moore said. "I was probably a little too pumped up for that particular moment. I think I yanked a fastball. It took a good bounce to him and he gave me a perfect throw. We practice those plays during Spring Training. ... It was a good feeling to bring my glove around and see Wilson just barely sliding there on his chest."

Angels manager Mike Scioscia called the fifth a great opportunity for his team.

"Moore made some tough pitches to Albert," Scioscia said. "Then the wild pitch, we didn't get the call at home. So it's a tough way to get out of that inning. We definitely had some momentum on our side. Those guys got out of it."

Maddon simply marveled at his 23-year-old hurler.

"The big part about that was how well Matt Moore maintained his composure there," Maddon said.

C.J. Wilson started for the Angels and the Rays scratched across a run in the first when Desmond Jennings doubled to left to lead off the game and moved to third on B.J. Upton's bunt single. Ben Zobrist's sacrifice fly to right scored Jennings to give the Rays their early lead.

The Angels gifted the Rays a run in the second. Wilson walked the leadoff batter, Rodriguez, who promptly stole second and advanced to third on the play thanks to an errant throw by catcher Bobby Wilson. Matt Joyce then popped up to Izturis, but the Angels shortstop dropped the ball and Rodriguez walked home with the Rays' second run.

Zobrist added to the lead with two outs in the third when he powered a 3-2 pitch over the wall in center for his 12th home run of the season, putting the Rays up 3-0.

"I hit it hard, so I thought he was either going to make a running catch on it or it was going to get over his head," Zobrist said of Trout, the center fielder. "So I was just thankful it got over his head. When he jumped up, I'm like, 'You've gotta be kidding me. Please, not another one of these.' But, I was thankful it got over."

Jake McGee took over for the Rays after Moore got the first out in the seventh. McGee then struck out Wilson and Trout in order to end the inning. Joel Peralta pitched a scoreless eighth and Fernando Rodney retired the Angels in order in the ninth to preserve the win while earning his 29th save of the season.

As for Moore, he came away from the outing with a lesson well learned.

"You don't want to get the bases loaded with Pujols coming up," he said.

Bill Chastain is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Source: http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2012_07_28_tbamlb_anamlb_1&mode=recap_away&c_id=tb&partnerId=rss_mlb

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Jason Babin, Riley Cooper add to Eagles' injury woes

Source: http://www.nfl.com/goto?id=09000d5d82ae253e

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Big Ten opponents pay compliments to Michigan State defense

James Ferentz, the starting center at Iowa, said it was a nightmare to prepare to play the Spartans.

"I think they are incredible," Ferentz said. "You have to spend all this extra time preparing for them, because they are able to do so many different things. It's not like they are doing a lot of different things to confuse you. They do a bunch of different things, and they are good at all of them."

Ferentz said the Spartans made it harder because they change their defensive look so often.

"They come out in a 3-4 and then a 4-3, and then they have stacked looks," Ferentz said. "They have a lot of depth, a lot of speed. It's a very tall order preparing for them."

Ferentz said Iowa can make adjustments to any defense. "The problem is, MSU is very good," he said. "It's definitely one of the toughest defenses to face in the Big Ten."

Will Matte, a senior center at Indiana, praised the intelligence of the Spartans defense.

"You can adjust the protection, but then they can adjust the blitz," he said. "They did that a lot last year when we played them. They pick up on a lot of habits. It's a smart defense, if anything."

Brian Mulroe, a senior left guard at Northwestern, praised Michigan State's energy.

"They are very high motor," Mulroe said. "It's always exciting. It's the best of the best."

While the Spartans lost All-American Jerel Worthy to the NFL, Mulroe doesn't think it will change anything. "I'm sure who is coming up next is just as good. It's their speed and explosiveness. They are relentless."

Chris Norman, a Michigan State linebacker, said the Spartans defense started to change after the 2009 season.

"Our defense improved tremendously," Norman said. "Then our defense took the next step in 2011. A trend was established. We have to stay faithful to that trend."

Norman said the defense was fast and disciplined.

"It looked extremely fast in 2011," Norman said. "If we get faster, I think we will be, like, the best defense in college football history."

Source: http://rssfeeds.usatoday.com/~r/UsatodaycomCollegeSports-TopStories/~3/Em1mExW2k7c/1

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Saturday, July 28, 2012

Ryan Tannehill, Miami Dolphins agree on rookie contract

Source: http://www.nfl.com/goto?id=09000d5d82ae2f8b

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Hope Solo bashes Brandi Chastain on Twitter

Solo called out analyst Brandi Chastain after the U.S. women's national team beat Colombia 3-0 to advance to the Olympics quarterfinals.

Solo tweeted: "Lay off commentating about defending and gking until you get more educated @brandichastain the game has changed from a decade ago."

COLUMN: Brennan: Solo wrong to criticize Chastain

At the conclusion of the live broadcast, Chastain gave the U.S. team's performance an "A-minus" because of defensive issues. She was specifically critical of Rachel Buehler in the first half.

Said Chastain in the match's 20th minute: "As a defender, your responsibilities are to defend ? win the ball, and then keep possession. And that's something that Rachel Buehler actually needs to improve on in this tournament."

The Colombians managed several breakaways early in the first half, but were unable to finish the chances.

Solo followed up her original tweet, adding: "3-0 and onto the quarters! Proud of our team for keeping our composure during a chippy game! On to Manchester!

For obvious reasons, Solo's tweets have drawn a lot of attention, which seems to have gotten back to Solo. 30 minutes after the initial incendiary tweet she sent this, "Its important 2 our fans 2 enjoy the spirit of the olympics.Its not possible when sum1 on air is saying that a player is the worst defender! ? I feel bad 4 our fans that have 2 push mute, especially bc @arlowhite is fantastic. @brandichastain should be helping 2 grow the sport"

U.S. Soccer has declined comment.

Chastain has not responded on Twitter, but here's one response from USA TODAY Sports' Kelly Whiteside (@whitesideUSAT): "Hope Solo needs to focus on her own game, her own team. Lashing out at Chastain doesn't help her team win the gold."

Solo might also be a little ticked off about some comments that Chastain made to LarryBrownSports.com a few weeks ago, in the wake of the goalkeeper's failed drug test, seemingly implying that Solo was at fault and put the team in jeopardy by not being careful enough.

"As athletes, we have to be more careful. Whether you've been told one time something is OK, it's always good to double and triple and quadruple check," Chastain said.

"Something as innocuous as a cold medication to clear up the sniffles could derail not only you as an individual, but perhaps a whole team.

"I was disappointed that it came up because for as careful as I think everybody is, I think we could all go without some medication for a short amount of time and not suffer too greatly."

Source: http://rssfeeds.usatoday.com/~r/UsatodaycomSports-TopStories/~3/3jXP_I15Lc8/1

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David Garrard likes odds to start for Miami Dolphins

Source: http://www.nfl.com/goto?id=09000d5d82ae02f5

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Friday, July 27, 2012

Tom Verducci: The three tiers of starting pitchers at this year's trade deadline

Starting pitchers Cole Hamels (signed), Anibal Sanchez, Wandy Rodriguez, J.A. Happ, Jeremy Guthrie and Jonathan Sanchez (all traded) have come off the market in the past eight days. In other words, no impact starting pitcher has yet changed the shape of the pennant races -- though who knew Doug Fister (8-1, 1.79) would be so valuable after joining Detroit from Seattle last year?

Let's face it: Nothing is more valuable this time of year than a starting pitcher. With playoff spots often decided by one or two games -- especially this year with logjams for the second Wild Card in each league -- it makes sense to invest in literal game-changers. Starting pitchers might only get 10-12 more starts, but they can influence those games more than any other player.

Do trades for starting pitchers this time of year work? You bet. Over the past five years, contenders have traded for 19 starting pitchers in July. Those pitchers proceeded to rack up a combined record of 94-45 -- a .671 winning percentage. Nine of them wound up pitching in the postseason, including Edwin Jackson, who went 6-3 in 16 starts, postseason included, after being traded last July to the eventual world champion St. Louis Cardinals.

Other sudden impact pitchers included Cliff Lee (2010 Rangers, 2009 Phillies), Roy Oswalt (2010 Phillies), Ted Lilly (2010 Dodgers) CC Sabathia (2008 Brewers) and Joe Blanton (2008 Phillies).

Teams still doing last-minute shopping for a starting pitcher this year include the Rangers, Angels, Dodgers, Orioles, Blue Jays and Braves. With four shopping days left, here are the best available options, ranked according to how much impact they can provide:

1. Race-changers: Zack Greinke, Josh Johnson, Ryan Dempster, Cliff Lee

Greinke seems almost certain to be traded before he makes his start Sunday for the Brewers. Milwaukee likes pitchers Martin Perez of the Rangers and Julio Teheran of the Braves -- and why not? They're major league ready and figure to be rotation fixtures for years. But Greinke, though he is only 28, a former Cy Young Award winner and 25-9 over the past two years, is no sure thing to pay such a high price. Two executives from large market teams both said they wouldn't touch Greinke because of concerns that his makeup is better suited to a small market. His road ERA this year (4.09) is far worse than it is at home (2.56).

Johnson, also 28, has been durable this year, but his velocity and bite on his slider have been inconsistent and his strikeout rate has been declining. And keep this in mind: His worst and least durable month of his career is September (4.29 ERA with just 16 starts in seven seasons).

Still, he comes with a contract for next season ($13.75 million) and has ace stuff when he's right. He also has a higher price tag than Greinke, but yes, he can be had in the right deal. Said one scout, "The owner [Jeffrey Loria] there is so fed up he's ready to get rid of just about any high-priced player and start over."

Dempster, a pedestrian 117-121 lifetime, jumps into this category because he is the ultimate hot hand. He is pitching to a 2.25 ERA while allowing few walks and home runs. It's still more likely he makes his next start (scheduled for Monday) for the Dodgers, not the Cubs.

As for Lee, the Phillies signed Hamels to his extension with the thought of keeping Roy Halladay, Lee and Hamels together -- their version of Maddux, Glavine and Smoltz. Executives expect him to stay put, though don't be surprised to hear the Rangers make a run at him.

2. Rotation mortar: Matt Garza, James Shields, Paul Maholm

Cubs president Theo Epstein and GM Jed Hoyer are looking to turn any short-term asset into long-term ones. Garza has pitched well in both leagues and in the postseason, bringing a level of security to a contender. Likewise, Shields is a valuable innings eater, but the Rays are not expected to move him unless it's a clear win for them in terms of what's coming back.

Maholm is essentially the same lefthanded pitcher as Rodriguez -- only younger and hotter. Like Dempster, Maholm is a rising stock. Over his past six games, he is 5-0 with a 0.94 ERA -- looking a lot like the potential Fister of 2012.

3. Discount rack: Francisco Liriano, Kevin Correia, Randy Wolf, Jeff Francis

How does a guy who allows fewer hits than innings pitch to a 5.31 ERA? The problem with Liriano is he looks great when he controls his slider and awful when he doesn't. "He can give you seven [innings] or 2 1/3 -- that's the problem with counting on him," said a scout.

Said another evaluator, "There were a ton of teams there to watch him the other day -- and by the second inning they were all out of there."

Correia is expendable because of the Pirates' acquisition of Rodriguez, and could be worth a flier for another NL team. His low strikeout rate is a warning to AL teams. Wolf, after an awful first half, has put together back-to-back quality starts.

Francis may be the best bargain out there, with Toronto heavily interested in bringing the lefthander back to his home country. He's been so good lately that the Rockies let him blow through their 75-pitch limit in his last start; he threw 97. And get this: With that win by Francis, the Rockies were 8-2 with Francis since they signed him June 9, and 5-25 with anybody else getting the ball.

More Trade Deadline Coverage

Sheehan: Three players who could push a team over the top

JAFFE: Six deadline deals that made all the difference

JAFFE: James Shields is on the market. Should he be?

JAFFE: Just how valuable will Ryan Dempster be in a trade?

REITER: Marlins' exec: More moves still possible

Source: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/tom_verducci/07/27/starting-pitchers-trade-deadline/index.html?xid=si_topstories

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Saints' situation still unsettled, but Brees' presence brings optimism

METAIRIE, La. -- Maybe it was appropriate that a thunderstorm came rolling in Thursday just as the New Orleans Saints were about to open their 2012 training camp, sending a long line of fans away and forcing the Saints into their practice bubble.

After all, hasn't their offseason been one dark cloud coming after another?

The Bountygate scandal that has rocked the foundation of this franchise, sending head coach Sean Payton into a year of exile and elevating his top capo, Joe Vitt, to the rank of head coach -- at least for the time being, but more on that in a bit -- has highlighted an offseason for the Saints that couldn't end faster than a hangover after a night on Bourbon Street.

But while the cloud hid the sun late Thursday afternoon, there was something bright and glowing inside the team's practice bubble that will help make the problems easier to handle, almost making them now an afterthought for those players and coaches still on the field.

All you had to do was see that guy in the No. 9 jersey throwing pinpoint pass after pass, making big play after big play, to know that the New Orleans Saints will again be a team to reckon with in the NFC, head coach or not.

Drew Brees might have missed all of the offseason work during his contract dispute -- landing a five-year, $100 million contract in the process -- but you would never know it by seeing him Thursday, his first day on the field since the Saints lost to the 49ers in the playoffs last January.

Who needs practice?

"We know it so well, we've done it so long," Brees said. "It's just second nature. It's muscle memory. It's been six months since I threw to these guys in live reps. It doesn't feel like it's been that long."

But this will be a first for Brees -- playing a season in New Orleans without Payton, the offensive wizard who helped put him in a position to be a passing numbers machine and one of the NFL's best.

Payton is arguably the game's best offensive play caller, a risk taker who calls a game like he lives, which is with a swagger and a huge boulder of a chip on his shoulder.

Since Brees missed all of the offseason work without Payton, who is serving a one-year suspension imposed by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell for his role in the bounty scandal, this was the first practice of any kind in New Orleans where he didn't have Payton in his ear.

"That's going to be an adjustment as we go through here," Brees said. "Every little thing -- the start of the meeting. You are used to Sean getting up. Even if he's just running through the schedule. He has a great way of telling us a story to reach a lesson. That's one of his great strengths. You miss that. You can't replace that. Joe Vitt is doing a phenomenal job. He's been here since we've been here. We all know him very well. We know what he expects out of us. As we go along, we'll continue to adjust. But, yeah, it's different."

Said Vitt: "[It was] weird not having Sean here for the minicamps, weird not having Sean here for the OTAs, weird not having Sean here for the draft. That's not going to change."

Vitt, who got his start in the NFL coaching in 1979 with the Baltimore Colts, is a head coach for the second time in his career -- including a short interim stint with the Rams in 2005. And he gets the chance with the backdrop like no other. He's not only the interim coach, he has to deal with things such as players missing the beginning of Thursday's practice so they could testify on behalf of teammate Jonathan Vilma, who is suspended for a year for his role in the bounty scandal and is trying to get that reversed.

Four players -- linebackers Jonathan Casillas and Scott Shanle, defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis and safety Roman Harper -- all missed the first 45 minutes of practice after testifying for Vilma on the other side of town. Vitt also testified earlier in the day, but he was back in time.

"We knew this was coming," Vitt said. "They were late some. We anticipated that. They got 99 percent of the work they had to get into today."

Vitt, like Payton, has to serve a league suspension. His will be the first six games, but he can coach until then. That leaves open the question as to who will be the interim-interim coach when he does leave. The Saints aren't saying, but the best guess is offensive line coach Aaron Kromer, which would leave coordinators Pete Carmichael Jr. (offense) and Steve Spagnuolo (defense) to run their units.

That means the Saints will have two coaches in a year, and neither is their regular coach, the guy who led them to the only Super Bowl in franchise history. In Vitt, they have a feisty, talk-tough profanity-spewing former college linebacker who always seemed to be a guy to lean on for Payton, but he isn't Payton.

"It's always weird when you don't have a head coach," Saints Pro Bowl guard Jahri Evans said. "Guys are taking it pretty good. We're not going to miss a beat. We look at ourselves with [Payton not here] to pick it. They call it. We haul it. They call a play. We run it. On different levels of football, coaches come and coach go. We adjust. We'll be OK."

Carmichael called plays last season when Payton broke his leg in a sideline mishap, so he should be comfortable in that role. But the Saints will miss Payton's ability to install an offense and also to be as daring and creative as he was in the week leading up to the game and again on Sundays.

"It is something that we are going to have to get used to, but last year we kind of went through it whenever Sean Payton went down," Saints tight end Jimmy Graham said. "Pete Carmichael stepped up and he is a great play caller and it got us through a lot of good games. We had a great year with him. There is always going to be a little bit of difference, but I think that everyone is going to step up and everyone is going to do a little bit more to fill that void."

It's still tough to replace Payton. It's a lot easier with a mind like Brees behind center.

The issue might be checks and balances for Brees. Great quarterbacks need somebody to let them know when things aren't right, that they aren't running the show.

Great actors need directors. So that's one question that remains unanswered: Who will keep Brees in check?

Carmichael doesn't have the juice yet, and Vitt is a defensive coach who spent most of his first practice watching that side of the ball. Then again, maybe Brees doesn't need it.

The joke in Indianapolis was that Peyton Manning ran the Colts offense. During practice Thursday, Brees stepped away from a short chat with Vitt. That led to this joke when practice was cut short by 15 minutes:

"Hey, Joe, why did Coach Brees cut practice short?"

They call him "Brees-us" in these parts: Don't dare say a bad thing about him or you will feel the wrath, which I have felt in the past.

There's a reason Saints fans feel that way. It was on display Thursday inside the team's practice bubble.

All the drama, all the offseason missteps and troubles, seemed to fade away with every Brees bullet that hit a receiver in the hands.

Suddenly, it wasn't so dark around here anymore.

Even inside, with a storm outside, it seemed to be sunny again.

Source: http://feeds.cbssports.com/click.phdo?i=db034767eedf109a6eabc6c7413a0b60

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Penn State player: Recruiting is 'no holds barred'

Fifth-year senior linebacker Michael Mauti said he sometimes receives a dozen calls a day from coaches at other schools. He said opposing coaches have been on campus, and the situation has become "no holds barred" recruiting of the Penn State roster.

"There are no rules," Mauti said at Big Ten media day. "So they are not breaking any rules. At the same time, for someone to tell me that they feel for us, but at the same time go after one of our guys, I have a problem with that.

"I am a competitor, and if the people I am playing against want to pull at and weaken our stability, then we are going to have problems ? We have all the motivation we need for two seasons, for three. We are starting from square one. This is a brand-new legacy."

O'Brien told USA TODAY Sports that his biggest challenge, among many, is keeping the core of the current team together as schools, some within the Big Ten, pursue his players. The NCAA will allow Penn State players to transfer without having to sit out a season.

Illinois coach Tim Beckman acknowledged he is "just following the rules of the NCAA" and has nothing to apologize for, refuting reports Wednesday that members of his staff were on campus. Beckman said Illinois provided Penn State with a list of the names of players it was interested in pursuing.

"We were in State College, but we did not go on campus," he said. "We went to two establishments outside campus and called some individuals and if they wanted to come by, it was their opportunity to come by."

Wisconsin's Bret Bielema said he made the decision that his staff would not actively recruit Penn State players.

"We play Penn State the last game of the season," he said. "I am going to be their biggest fan for every week of the year for the guys that stay there and stick it through. My hat's off to the coach and all the players staying strong."

Told the gist of Bielema's comments, O'Brien said, "That's why he is the coach he is."

Ohio State coach Urban Meyer said he "has a problem" with coaches being able to solicit players from Penn State.

Told of Meyer's comments, O'Brien said, "That's why he's got two national championships. That's why he is the coach he is."

O'Brien said as of Thursday afternoon "none of our best core players" had informed him they were leaving.

During a more than 20-minute sit-down interview, O'Brien provided USA TODAY Sports with a glimpse into his thinking in the lead-up to Monday's NCAA announcement of unprecedented sanctions. He said he was never concerned that Penn State would not have a football program.

"I knew on Sunday that we were playing football," O'Brien said.

He said he was not told of the specific sanctions before Penn State President Rodney Erickson signed the NCAA consent agreement . Erickson told ESPN's Outside the Lines that if he had not agreed to the sanctions then the program would have been suspended for four years.

With the death penalty off the table, O'Brien most wanted to avoid a television ban.

"I had just asked that they let us play football on TV," O'Brien said. "That's what we're doing. We're playing football and we're on TV. That's what I asked them to fight for. If you can play, but not on TV, that's hard.

"But you are playing, and on TV, and you have six or seven home games a year in front of 100,000 fans. There's a lot to sell. I don't see the whole huge demise of Penn State football out there that everyone is talking about."

Monday morning, O'Brien retreated to his office with Jim Bernhardt, the team's special assistant to the head coach, to watch NCAA President Mark Emmert's news conference. That is when, O'Brien said, he first learned of the specific sanctions levied against his program.

As Emmert detailed the sanctions, O'Brien scribbled down page after page of hand-written notes with the specific numbers: $60 million fine, four-year postseason ban, massive scholarship losses. He said he was not shell-shocked by the severity of the sanctions because he knew they'd be harsh.

"Why waste time being angry?" O'Brien said. "I tried to digest it and figure it out. I was not shocked. I wanted to get in front of my team as quickly as possible."

In terms of moving forward, O'Brien has specific plans to build up the walk-on program.

He also said he plans to use, in addition to athletic scholarships, academic scholarships or need-based grants. O'Brien believes that those would not count against the limit of 65 (down from 85) that will be imposed in the coming years, but he is seeking further clarification.

"People think that this is just the demise of Penn State football, and they don't understand the type of people in that program right now," O'Brien said. "People don't understand all the creative ways we can come up with to field a competitive football team. They don't understand the type of guys we have there right now on the 2012 team. Hopefully we will prove them wrong. We sure as hell are going to try."

O'Brien also did not rule out changes to Penn State's famously nondescript uniforms. And he vowed on continued transparency in the Penn State football program as it looks to make over the athletic culture at the school.

"I think we all have to understand ? those that are fans, and those that are supporters ? that it's time for a new Penn State," O'Brien said. "It is time to turn the page and move on. Changes are good."

Source: http://rssfeeds.usatoday.com/~r/UsatodaycomCollegeSports-TopStories/~3/0kdtLJrQo_s/1

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Michael Farber: A flair for the theatric, not athletic, at Olympics opening ceremony

LONDON -- Cue the sheep.

In what undoubtedly was a painful editorial decision, stunt bike riders are out while the farm is in for Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle's grandiosely titled Olympic opening ceremony, Isles of Wonder. The trick cyclists would have offered the anticipated one billion global viewers an X Games vibe for the Games of the XXX Olympiad, but the grass menagerie inside the stadium -- 70 sheep, 12 horses, 10 ducks, nine geese, three cows and two goats -- better represents bucolic England, land of hope and grazing, than daredevils on two wheels.

As dedicated ringheads already know, some 30 minutes were excised last week from Boyle's extravaganza -- the anti-directors cut -- because festivities, commencing at 9 p.m. local time, would not have wrapped until past 12:30 a.m. A three-and-a-half-hour-plus ceremony certainly would have indisposed 80,000 homeward-bound spectators even though public transportation runs until 2:30 a.m. during the Olympics, one hour later than usual. Ideally, you don't want East London looking like the last chopper out of Saigon. There also was some pressure to ensure the athletes can get to bed before the English equivalent of Jimmy Fallon starts his monologue, especially with the first event -- women's 10-meter air rifle -- starting at 8:15 the next morning.

The British Olympic Association said it expected fewer than half of its 542 athletes to march because of the late start. As BOA chairman Lord Moynihan told journalists, "There is no athlete who goes to the Games who doesn't want to be part of the opening ceremony ... But it's wholly reasonable to choose to be asleep."

Athletes. You remember them.

They used to be the centerpiece of the opening ceremony, the reason the youth of the world is called to gather every four years. Emphasis on the jugglers and the clowns, even the four-legged ruminant kind, now has eclipsed the parade of nations and its implicit message of universality. The fencers and rowers and judokas are extras in their own show, time fillers until the host nation marches in. Then Olympians endure an hour or more as the director reduces his homeland to stereotype in a showy infomercial that often veers into self-parody.

Theoretically Olympic opening ceremonies imagine the host nation as it is and was: a mirror of its best self. Invariably, however, the abridged history lessons are pastiches crammed with hi-tech stunts, sly boasting, native dress nobody would be caught dead in 364 days of the year and deep bows to clich. Boyle's take on the United Kingdom reportedly includes a cricket match, two mosh pits, picnicking families, a troupe of National Health Services nurses, some Mary Poppins and Harry Potter stuff, British humor (although probably not Monty Python's Ministry of Silly Walks; the men's 50 kilometer race is not until Aug. 11), Paul McCartney and -- o joy, o rapture -- rain from a fake cloud. The show, with a cast of 10,000, required 157 rehearsals, which makes London a bunch of slackers compared to the Beijing clambake in which director Zhang Yimou had his 15,000 cast and crew members rehearse an average of 16 hours a day. (One rehearsal lasted 51 hours. The director later lamented that North Koreans could have produced even more uniformity. You don't often get somebody pining for the good old PRK.) Zhang's 2008 ceremony cost a reported $100 million, more than double the 27 million -- $42 million -- in Boyle's budget.

My first opening ceremonies were a decidedly humbler affair, conducted in a small stadium on the outskirts of the charming and absurdly overwhelmed Adirondack village of Lake Placid. I don't remember much about them except for dancing children and overpriced hot dogs. I have a keener recall of what occurred after the ceremonies, when buses scheduled to shuttle people back into town never appeared. We all tromped back the three miles or so into town on a pleasant February afternoon. But if the opening ceremony is supposed to hold up a mirror to the Games, the aftermath was perfect. Transportation in Lake Placid never did get sorted out. Throughout the 1980s in major league baseball press boxes, a writer, for no particular reason, would suddenly intone, "The bus for Mount Van Hoevenberg leaves in 10 minutes." Those who had covered the 1980 Games would convulse in laughter. The other writers ... well, you had to have been there. Or not. Once at the nightly seven o'clock briefing in which the hapless organizers would try to explain the bungling of that particular day, an Italian journalist, first pardoning his imperfect English, prefaced a question with, "I know a person cannot be in two places at once, but here in Lake Placid, you have made it impossible to be in one place at once."

I skipped my next opening, in Sarajevo in 1984, when the city was awash in hope and a lingering coal dust haze. Leigh Montville and I -- newspaper guys then, later colleagues at Sports Illustrated -- gained an introduction to a woman who was in her 70s, a former English teacher, who invited us for tea in her high-ceilinged apartment in the center of the city that for centuries has been an east-west crossroad for far-flung armies. As the opening ceremony took place a mile away -- the Olympic flag mistakenly was raised upside down -- she described the sound of the German soldiers' boots in the snow on the street below her window some four decades earlier. The Sarajevo show might have been more entertaining, but an old woman's tale was more harrowing, more real.

Ever since going AWOL on the opening that year, I have cherry picked my ceremonies. Of my previous 16 Olympics, I have attended about half. Yes in Seoul and Barcelona and Lillehammer and Atlanta and Nagano. No in Sydney and Athens and, regrettably, Beijing because, like the athletes in London, some of us have to get up and go to work in the morning.

Isles of Wonder was inspired by Shakespeare's "The Tempest," whose five acts can be read in roughly half the time of Boyle's truncated opening. The play offers Prospero, who gives a memorable speech in the epilogue. The ceremony offers an Olympic prologue to the prosperous. As of last Saturday, Level IV tickets, the cheap seats,were available for $2,885. Those won't be groundlings occupying them. With that kind of spectator investment, Boyle's show-and-tell better go off without a hitch, although the sprawling nature of the opening and the increasingly complex technology invite gaffes like the one two years ago in Vancouver when one of four mechanical posts delivering torches failed to rise from the infield.

But more vexing are the clumsy artistic flaws. The Vancouver ceremony included a slam poet who reminded a global audience "we do more than sit around and say, 'eh?'" and "Canada is the 'what' in 'what's new.'" Riiiight. The sudden outbreak of nation-affirming poetry was almost as puzzling as the Albertville ceremony two decades ago. In an avant-gardist entrance, each nation paraded into the stadium behind a Frenchwoman encased in a bubble that stretched from neck to knee while accompanied on the public address system by a rhyming couplet that included the name of the country. Mercifully, Nantucket had not declared independence.

The director's best chance at creating a genuine "wow" moment, as opposed to a "wow, what the hell are those giant puppets supposed to be doing?" moment, involves the cauldron. Instead of "The Tempest," "Macbeth" should have been Boyle's inspiration. (Act IV, Scene 1: The witches.) If you remember anything from the Barcelona 1992 opening, it is the Paralympic archer's flaming arrow, which seemed to overshoot the cauldron. (Artistic license is always in order.) An old Olympic light-heavyweight once known as Cassius Clay illuminated Atlanta 1996 while four years later runner Cathy Freeman and the submerged cauldron rising to the top of the Sydney stadium packed an emotional punch beyond the range of any gaggle of geese. I watched in a Sydney pub, a moment that was met with mouths agape and dewy eyes.

The Olympics, of course, were designed to be more than a symposium of sweat. The original Games, in ancient Greece, included cultural and artistic components, elements that Baron de Coubertin envisioned when he resurrected the modern Olympics in 1896. But now we have one night of culture and art -- if you pardon the expression -- on steroids. The spectacular has become as bloated as the Olympics themselves, which during the next two weeks will feature 26 sports and 10,500 athletes representing 203 countries, 11 more than have United Nations membership. (Puerto Rico doesn't have statehood, but it gets nationhood every quadrennial.) Even without Boyle's bikers, the opening will be too long and too late. He has allotted 90 minutes for the parade of nations. In Beijing, it took about two and a half hours, although fewer team officials will march this time. Team Great Britain is not scheduled to enter the stadium until 11:30 p.m., at which point the evening will have run the gamut from a-to-zzzzzzs. The Times of London reported dress rehearsals have run a half hour late.

Like the Games -- BMX cycling, synchronized diving -- the opening has evolved through the quadrennials. The grandest leap probably occurred with the 1936 Berlin Olympics, the first mega-ceremony that introduced the torch relay and also included a stadium flyover. (The aircraft above Hitler's head? The Hindenburg.) As befitting a world recovering from war, London 1948 had an athlete-focused and buttoned-down approach to the opening, a sober treatment that continued in Helsinki 1952. (The most entertaining element of that ceremony was a German woman running onto the stadium infield.) But like the London bus driver who took some athletes on a circuitous ride after they landed at Heathrow last week, simplicity lost its way. In an effort to show the Soviet Union's chops, Moscow 1980 ushered in the modern age of pageantry, upping the ante by featuring its world-famous ballet dancers and theme music composed by Shostakovich. Los Angeles riposted four years later with 85 grand pianos playing Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue," counterpoint to Moscow's Olympic red menace as the world entered the final decade of the Cold War. That day some 92,000 spectators in the Los Angeles Coliseum participated in a card stunt that displayed flags of all (non-boycotting) nations.

Speaking of sheep ...

Don't discount the purchasing power of Isles of Wonder's $42 million when you are in the market for higher-faster-stronger kitsch. Although IOC president Jacques Rogue has promised that the farm animals used in the opening will not slaughtered -- apparently only the banged-up Great Britain men's basketball team awaits that fate -- the sheep in Boyle's ploughman's England better stick to the script. If they blow their lines, they could end up as the director's barnyard epitaph.

Source: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/michael_farber/07/27/opening-ceremony-london-2012-olympics/index.html?eref=si_latest

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NFL divisional breakdown: AFC North's best, AFC West most competitive

You want to know who wins the NFC East, and I have an answer: Wait five months. OK, let's give it another six weeks before we try to sort the NFL out. In the meantime, here's my take on this year's eight divisions, not in terms of wins and losses but in terms of relative strength.

It's based largely on offseason moves, strength of schedules, key subtractions and -- yep, you got it -- gut feeling. Anyway, let's go to the scoreboard.

AFC North
Three of the four reached last year's playoffs, with one (Baltimore) making it to the conference championship game. Pittsburgh went to three of the past seven Super Bowls, winning twice. Baltimore went to two of the past four conference championship games. So did the Steelers. Now, Cincinnati is starting to squeeze both, with a quarterback who, as a rookie last season, had to play 10 top 10 ranked defenses yet still finished 9-7. Yeah, I know, the Bengals were 0-8 vs. playoff teams, but four of them (twice each) were Baltimore and Pittsburgh. Anyway, there's strength at the top.

Runner-up: (tie) NFC North, NFC East. One has the 2010 Super Bowl champions; the other has the 2011 winner. And both are solid 1 through 3.

AFC South
Once upon a time this division seemed loaded. Then Peyton Manning bowed out, Chris Johnson stopped running to daylight and Jacksonville stopped, period. With Matt Schaub back, Houston is a legitimate Super Bowl threat -- primarily because it should lap the field. Plus, last time I checked Wade Phillips was still coaching the defense. The Texans won their first division title in franchise history without Schaub, without star linebacker Mario Williams, without star receiver Andre Johnson (out nine games) and with a third-string rookie quarterback. That should tell you something. What it tells me is that everyone else is playing for second -- with Tennessee, 9-7 a year ago, the slam-dunk runner-up.

Runner-up: AFC West. In two of the past four years 8-8 has won it. I know, Peyton Manning changes things, and San Diego looks better, tougher and ready to return to the playoffs. But there wasn't a club here last year with a winning record.

AFC West
One game separated these four in 2011, and one game could separate them again. No, I don't think that happens, nor do I think that Oakland is, as Carson Palmer predicts, "a playoff team." But Denver could be. So could San Diego. All I know is that this is as good as it gets from top to bottom, and I'm not talking about strength; I'm talking about competition in teams 1-4. There isn't a patsy here, with 7-9 the worst finish, and the Broncos just added Peyton Manning. That could separate them from the pack, but I'm skeptical. I want to see what happens after his first three weeks when the Broncos take on Pittsburgh, Atlanta and Houston and after the first eight games, six of which are vs. playoff opponents.

Runner-up: NFC East. You can make a case for every team but Washington, and the Redskins should be improved with Robert Griffin III at quarterback. The Giants are the defending champions, but Dallas and Philadelphia were within a game of them last season -- and it's not a stretch to think either could reach the playoffs now.

AFC East
Let's make this one simple: If Tom Brady plays, the division belongs to New England. Period. Since Brady took over as the team's starter, New England has won the AFC East in all but one season (2002) where Brady was healthy ... but even then it tied for first, losing out in a tiebreaker. The Patriots are the defending champions. They're the defending AFC champions. They're stronger today than they were a year ago. And Tom Brady is back at quarterback. What part of this is so difficult to understand? Buffalo is better, and tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson insists the Jets "have greatness written all over us." Maybe, but I pay attention to what is written on the wall, and it says that everyone but New England plays for second as long as Brady is upright.

Runner-up: AFC South. First, you have Houston, and they're a legitimate Super Bowl contender. But then it's ... it's ... it's what? Tennessee, the only non-playoff team with a winning record last year, could make a run at the Texans. But it ranked 24th vs. the run and has a front-loaded schedule that features four playoff teams in the first six games. Sorry, but that's a death sentence when you're trying to overcome Arian Foster, Ben Tate and Houston.

AFC West
Denver added Peyton Manning, and San Diego's strong offseason moves make the Bolts playoff worthy again. I don't know, but I could see both clubs making it to the postseason. A year ago no one from the division looked like it belonged there. Then Denver upset the defending conference champions, and it did so with Tim Tebow at quarterback. I don't need to tell you what a healthy Manning does for the Broncos' passing game and overall record. With him, Indianapolis was a division champion; without him, it was a 2-14 doormat. So you have Manning, Philip Rivers with a multitude of weapons, Carson Palmer with an offseason of workouts and a healthy Jamaal Charles and Matt Cassel in K.C. Yeah, I'd say that's an improvement over what we witnessed last season.

Runner-up: NFC West. I have this feeling that Seattle is going to squeeze the 49ers at the top. Granted, the Seahawks are waffling on their quarterback. But the 49ers were in the same position a year ago and look what happened. Defense still matters, and Seattle's could rival the 49ers. Then there's Arizona, and I never, ever, ever count out a Ken Whisenhunt team. The guy won seven of his last nine in 2011, most of them with John Skelton at quarterback, and the Cards are a tough out at home. St. Louis is still the fourth-best team here, but the Rams started improving the minute they hired Jeff Fisher.

NFC South
This one's a no-brainer. The Saints are the defending champions and a club you'd normally consider a legit Super Bowl candidate. So what did they do to get better? They didn't. They just lost their head coach and star linebacker for the season. Their GM is out for half the year, and their assistant head coach sits down six games. I don't think I need to draw you a picture. The team has been weakened by Bountygate, which means the division has been weakened. Atlanta moves to the top, and tell me which of its offseason moves convinces you this is a club ready to win its first playoff game with Matt Ryan. Someone? Anyone?

Runner-up: AFC South. I hate to keep cracking on these guys, but it is what it is and what it is is a division with one heavyweight -- and that club just lost the right side of its offensive line, as well as its star linebacker. Granted, it also regained its starting quarterback, but let's see how this shakes out. Indianapolis is more intriguing with Andrew Luck but still a project. I'm not sure how Jacksonville is better off with Mike Mularkey, and the Maurice Jones-Drew situation has to be a concern. Same goes for Justin Blackmon. And I'm starting to wonder who sees more of Kenny Britt in Tennessee -- the Titans or the local police.

Source: http://feeds.cbssports.com/click.phdo?i=c86dfcd14f05487465a443a76fe313a2

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