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Derek Anderson to Browns fans: No, YOU suck [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: March 10, 2010, 8:18 am] For some NFL players who get released, it's difficult to leave a team, because they've grown to love the organization, fans and city. But that is not the case with Derek Anderson(notes). After being cut in the wake of the Cleveland Browns acquiring Seneca Wallace(notes), Anderson is leaving Cleveland with anger, resentment and vengeance flowing from his fingertips. Jeff Schudel of The News-Herald in Ohio e-mailed Anderson to ask for his thoughts on being released. Anderson sent the following back: "The fans are ruthless and don't deserve a winner. I will never forget getting cheered when I was injured. "I know at times I wasn't great. I hope and pray I'm playing when my team comes to town and (we) roll them." Goodness. The fans of Cleveland, perhaps the North American city that has experienced the most sports suffering in history, don't even deserve a winner? That's some anger. The incident Anderson is so bitter about is this: In late 2008, Anderson went down with a knee injury in the fourth quarter of a loss to the Colts. The fans cheered as he squirmed on the turf in pain. Evidently, he hasn't gotten over it. It's hard to blame the guy for it. Someone else cheering your misery is cruel, ridiculous and absolutely senseless. And all Browns fans got out of their cold-heartedness was to see Ken Dorsey(notes) and Bruce Gradkowski(notes) go 0-4 over the last quarter of the season, losing those games by a combined score of 102-19. So, yeah, everything was Derek Anderson's fault. Anyway, being still young and physically gifted, Anderson will get another chance somewhere else. As for getting a chance to stick it to the Browns, well ... let's worry about getting that career quarterback rating above 70 first. Derek Anderson has a very bad day [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: March 10, 2010, 8:17 am] It's been a rough time for former Cleveland Browns quarterback Derek Anderson(notes). First, the Browns put the "former" in his title by cutting him after they traded for ex-Seahawks quarterback Seneca Wallace(notes). Denied the $2 million roster bonus he would have received had he been on the team as of March, Anderson blasted Browns fans in an e-mail response to Jeff Schudel of the News-Herald. Asked about his time in Cleveland, Anderson said that the team's fans "are ruthless and don't deserve a winner."The root of Anderson's displeasure was when the home crowd cheered as Anderson lay on the ground in obvious pain after tearing a knee ligament on a sack from Indianapolis lineman Robert Mathis(notes) in 2008. "I will never forget getting cheered when I was injured," Anderson wrote. "I know at times I wasn't great, (but) I hope and pray I'm playing when my team comes to town (we) roll them." Selected in the sixth round of the 2005 draft by the Baltimore Ravens, Anderson was waived and signed by the Browns in September of that year. He put together a Pro Bowl season in 2007 and signed a three-year, $24 million contract in February of 2008. But things were never the same. Anderson's deep-ball style became a mismatch in various unsuccessful Cleveland offenses in 2008 and 2009, and his completion percentage dropped to an appalling 43.3 percent (74 of 171 passes for 802 yards, three touchdowns and nine interceptions) in 2009. Faced with an open market and upcoming visits to Seattle and Arizona to discuss a roster spot, Anderson eventually revised his thoughts on his former fanbase:"I said some things to Jeff Schudel earlier that I regret. Those of you who got to know me personally from covering the Browns over the past five years, know this was out of character for me. I wasn't taken out of context, but I was speaking out of my frustration after my career with the Browns came to a close."I had some great times playing in Suicide lines: 'Bron coming back, Jordan fired?; Manu 'a necessity' [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: March 10, 2010, 8:15 am] Each weekday morning, BDL serves up a handful of NBA-related stories to digest with your can of beans, ya hobo. Brian Windhorst, Cleveland Plain Dealer: "An MRI on Antawn Jamison's(notes) left knee at the Cleveland Clinic revealed nothing serious. Jamison was pulled from the Cavs' 97-95 win over the San Antonio Spurs in the third quarter when the back of the knee tightened up. Jamison said he's been bothered by soreness in the knee earlier this season and was able to get through it with treatment. The Cavs said his status for Friday's game at Philadelphia will be updated later. He's considered day-to-day at this point. Coach Mike Brown said his plan was to play LeBron James(notes) on Friday after giving him two games off to rest."Bob Cooney, Philadelphia Inquirer: "Sixers general manager Ed Stefanski, asked yesterday about a report by Howard Eskin that the organization will fire Eddie Jordan at the end of the season, said: "I don't comment on rumors." During his Sunday night show on NBC-10, Eskin reported that the Sixers will get rid of Jordan. Eskin also reported that Jordan's replacement would be one of four coaches - Jeff Van Gundy, Jay Wright, Doug Collins and Avery Johnson. Kevin Ding, Orange County Register: "Derek Fisher and Lamar Odom(notes) are, respectively, the head and the heart of the team. And with the Lakers stumbling up to the crossroads of this post-championship season, both Fisher and Odom came to share a vision Tuesday night. They grew tired of their team being pulled left or right or backwards by individual concerns or even resting comfortably with an eye peeking back at the title already behind them. As Fisher told his teammates in a compelling halftime speech and then Odom told reporters in a fierce postgame rant, there is only way for the Lakers to react to these crossed roads: Go hard. Straight forward." Sam Amick, Sacramento Bee: "Even the leading Rookie of the Year candidate makes rookie mistakes. An Your Jeremy Mayfield update: yep, it's still rolling [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: March 10, 2010, 8:02 am] Those of you complaining about the Edwards/Keselowski drama, cheer up -- at least we're talking about on-track action. Could be worse; remember that this time last year, we were about to descend into discussion of meth use and urine tests, courtesy of one Jeremy Mayfield.Alas, the story's not done yet, and won't be for some time. Quick version: Mayfield failed a drug test in May, was suspended, protested, was reinstated, failed another drug test, and was suspended again. Court cases and accusations of everything from home meth labs to murder followed; you can see a complete timeline here.One particularly fascinating aspect of the case is the defamation lawsuit that Lisa Mayfield filed against her stepson after Jeremy accused her of being involved in the 2007 death of his father. According to Scene Daily, Lisa Mayfield's attorney is now seeking to depose ESPN.com reporter David Newton: "ESPN reporter David Newton and ESPN are essential and material witnesses to the facts and circumstances involved in this cause of action," Lisa Mayfield's attorney wrote in a request to the North Carolina Superior Court.And in related -- literally speaking -- news, Mayfield's former brother-in-law was one of two crewmen suspended on Tuesday for violations of NASCAR's substance-abuse policy. William David Keith, spotter for David Gilliland and brother of Mayfield's first wife, was suspended, as was Matthew Huffstetler, a crew member on the Daisy Ramirez Motorsports No. 1 Camping World Truck series team.Keith has been involved Mayfield's ongoing legal problems; he claimed in a deposition last year that he saw Mayfield using methamphetamine on multiple occasions. Keith's statements were part of NASCAR's motion to force Mayfield to undergo a comprehensive physical and mental examination; that motion is pending.Of course, one might expect that seeing a significant witness in a drug-use case get tagged himself for drug use might weaken said case. NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston tri Bubble Watch: Notre Dame-Seton Hall highlights Wednesday's slate [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: March 10, 2010, 7:45 am] Bubble teams got good news on Tuesday night when Butler crushed Wright State to snatch the Horizon League's automatic bid and leave an at-large spot for somebody else. By my count, 57 of the 65 spots in the NCAA tournament are accounted for right now, either by automatic qualifiers or teams almost certain to earn at-large berths. About 20 teams are still in contention for the eight remaining at-large bids. Here's a look at the bubble picture as it stands on Wednesday morning:Tuesday's Bubble Recap• South Florida 58, DePaul 49 — The Bulls slogged to a win over the Big East's last place team to stay alive for an at-large bid. • Saint John's 73, UConn 51 — A fitting conclusion to a disastrous season for the underachieving Huskies. • Seton Hall 109, Providence 106 — The Pirates nearly let a 29-point second-half lead slip away in a must-win game. • Dayton 70, George Washington 60 — At minimum, the Flyers need an Atlantic 10 title game appearance to make up for an 8-8 conference record.• Rhode Island 87, Saint Josephs 76 — Another must-win game awaits the Rams in the Atlantic 10 quarterfinals against Saint Louis. Wednesday's Bubble Look-ahead:• South Florida vs. Georgetown — The Bulls already beat Georgetown once this season behind 29 points from star Dominique Jones.• Seton Hall vs. Notre Dame — The surging Irish lock up a bid with a win; The Pirates need a win just to stay alive. • Oklahoma State vs. Oklahoma — The Cowboys are probably fine no matter what, but a win here seals it. Last Five In, First Five Out:61. Illinois (18-12, 10-8, RPI: 75) Although it's hard to imagine a team with victories over Clemson, Vanderbilt, Michigan State and Wisconsin not making the field, Illinois is in jeopardy as a result of its bloated RPI and poor finish. The Illini have to avenge Sunday's loss to Wisconsin in the Big Ten quarterfinals, or Selection Sunday will be very dicey. 62 Bubble Watch: Notre Dame-Seton Hall headlines today's slate [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: March 10, 2010, 7:45 am] Bubble teams got good news on Tuesday night when Butler crushed Wright State to snatch the Horizon League's automatic bid and leave an at-large spot for somebody else. By my count, 57 of the 65 spots in the NCAA tournament are accounted for right now, either by automatic qualifiers or teams almost certain to earn at-large berths. About 20 teams are still in contention for the eight remaining at-large bids. Here's a look at the bubble picture as it stands on Wednesday morning:Tuesday's Bubble Recap• South Florida 58, DePaul 49 — The Bulls slogged to a win over the Big East's last place team to stay alive for an at-large bid. • Saint John's 73, UConn 51 — A fitting conclusion to a disastrous season for the underachieving Huskies. • Seton Hall 109, Providence 106 — The Pirates nearly let a 29-point second-half lead slip away in a must-win game. • Dayton 70, George Washington 60 — At minimum, the Flyers need an Atlantic 10 title game appearance to make up for an 8-8 conference record.• Rhode Island 87, Saint Josephs 76 — Another must-win game awaits the Rams in the Atlantic 10 quarterfinals against Saint Louis.Wednesday's Bubble Look-ahead • South Florida vs. Georgetown — The Bulls already beat Georgetown once this season behind 29 points from star Dominique Jones.• Seton Hall vs. Notre Dame — The surging Irish lock up a bid with a win; The Pirates need a win just to stay alive. • Oklahoma State vs. Oklahoma — The Cowboys are probably fine no matter what, but a win here seals it. Last Five In, First Five Out:61. Illinois (18-12, 10-8, RPI: 75) Although it's hard to imagine a team with victories over Clemson, Vanderbilt, Michigan State and Wisconsin not making the field, Illinois is in jeopardy as a result of its bloated RPI and poor finish. The Illini have to avenge Sunday's loss to Wisconsin in the Big Ten quarterfinals, or Selection Sunday will be very dicey. 62. Washi Twin Cities paper goes way back in time for Strasburg headline [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: March 10, 2010, 7:27 am] Fifty seasons ago, the American League franchise in Washington, D.C. picked up and moved to Minnesota, transforming from the Senators to the Twins.That anniversary might have been on the mind of the copy editor at the Minneapolis Star-Tribune who flubbed the nickname of the team for which Stephen Strasburg(notes) plays.Instead of calling them, you know, the Nationals, the headline read "Senators' Strasburg impressive in debut." As brain farts go, it's pretty awesome. It's so cool, in fact, the ghost of Walter "Big Train" Johnson appeared on the page next to Strasburg's photo.OK, we might have added Walter in there ourselves. But it just goes to show: You can't go 88 mph in a souped-up DeLorean and paginate a newspaper at the same time. In defense of the headline writer, Strasburg was impressive and it was his debut, which means the newspaper person went 2-for-3, a performance Joe Mauer(notes) would take every time. Note: Another Senators franchise came to Washington in the major league expansion of 1961, but they, too, had moved west by the '70s. So, keep on the lookout for the Dallas Morning News someday referring to Justin Smoak's(notes) debut for the Rangers Senators. A big BLS head nod goes to @AaronGleeman for the assist. If Wigan avoid relegation, they're going to Barbados [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: March 10, 2010, 3:27 am] Wigan owner Dave Whelan (pictured above, conjuring your default computer background) returned from a bit of sun and relaxation in Barbados just in time to see his club notch their first win in almost two months by beating Liverpool for the first time ever on Monday. And upon seeing first-hand that they're not actively trying to get relegated, he decided to make them an offer.From the Mirror:Whelan had been watching his club drop into trouble during his lengthy spell at his Barbados base but the way Roberto Martinez's men beat the Kop raised his spirits.And Whelan is now promising an end-of-season break to the Latics stars if they finish the job and secure their top-flight status for another season.Whelan has splashed out on the surprise holiday gift before, taking the Wigan staff to Barbados when they beat the drop in their first season in the Premier League.Currently in 15th place in the Premier League, Wigan are four points above the drop zone, so they shouldn't be packing their bags just yet. One thing the team might want to clarify between now and the end of the season, however, is whether Whelan intends to bring them to his "Barbados base" as guests or as his summer staff. Either way, Titus Bramble will probably be making Pina Coladas the whole time, though. (Side note: One person who definitely won't be going to Barbados? That kid behind Whelan in the picture.) Court Report: Tuesday's gone [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: March 10, 2010, 3:04 am] Trevor Ariza(notes) and Marcus Camby(notes) returned to the court Tuesday, but it doesn't look like Kenyon Martin(notes) is coming back any time soon. • Trevor Ariza returned to the active roster for the Rockets Tuesday, his first game action since February 21. His shot was off (4 of 13 FG) but he was reasonably effective as a reserve (28 minutes, 13 points, 3 treys, 2 steals), given the circumstances, and he's likely to push Shane Battier(notes) to the bench once he's back to game speed. I don't anticipate a serious drop-off in his fantasy impact with Kevin Martin(notes) in town. He'll certainly lose some usage but is better suited as a supporting offensive player, and he should offset the drop in quantity of looks with an uptick in quality, with no drop-off in opportunities for defensive stats. • What to do with Randy Foye(notes)? Tuesday's line (19 minutes, 2 points, 1 of 6 FG) dropped his averages over the past 12 games to 10.7 points on 36-percent shooting, 1 three, 2.1 boards, 5.7 assists, 1.4 turnovers, and 0.3 steals in 29 minutes. With both Shaun Livingston(notes) and Earl Boykins(notes) around to poach minutes on his off-nights, you will not be faulted if you drop Foye for a better option, regardless of the quality of the Wizards' schedule moving forward. • An off night for JaVale McGee(notes) (17 minutes, 4 points, 7 boards, 0 blocks), as well, but he saw pine for much of the game as the teams ran opposing small lineups against each other. James Singleton(notes) was the beneficiary on this night (28 minutes, 12 points, 4 boards, 2 steals, 3 blocks). • The Clippers' starting backcourt on Tuesday consisted of Steve Blake(notes) (30 minutes, 11 points, 3 treys, 5 assists, 2 turnovers, 1 steal) and Rasual Butler(notes) (35 minutes, 9 points, 1 three, 5 boards, 2 blocks), as Baron Davis(notes) dealt with an illness and Eric Gordon(notes) dealt with a nagging leg injury. Davis ended up putting in a very effective 26 minu Cicinho doesn't like Real Madrid, loose-lipped Raul [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: March 10, 2010, 2:19 am] Brazilian defender Cicinho, who is on loan at Sao Paulo from Roma, spent two injury-scarred seasons with Real Madrid upon which he apparently doesn't look back very fondly. He busted out his sour grapes and told Brazil's TV Bate Bola:"When I left Real Madrid they told me that was crazy, but I lived there and knew. The crowd is not the problem but what happens in the dressing room. In addition, following the departure of Roberto Carlos and Ronaldo, the Brazilians lost strength."According to Cicinho, the Spanish members of the club formed "gangs" (I'm imagining a cross between West Side Story and Mean Girls) and foreign players were held to a different standard. "It is what is happening with Kaka being the best in the world and being questioned at Real Madrid. You can understand how difficult it is to work there."Yeah, it's not exactly a pub team. But Cicinho offered the harshest revelation about Mr. Real Madrid himself, Raul:"He has privileges at the club. The problem is that what happens in the dressing room is communicated to the press. I can not judge, but it always happened: if Ronaldo did something, there was Raul, saying: 'Ronaldo can not play because he's fat.'"Snitch. I mean, telling the press that Ronaldo is fat isn't exactly revealing much of a secret, but still. Photo: Getty Images; Sources: AS and Goal The Shutdown Corner hypothetical mock draft, Part 2 [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: March 10, 2010, 12:48 am] For our second Shutdown Corner mock draft, we're going throw a couple semi-likely scenarios into the mix. First of all, as most mocks tend to reflect need as opposed to the Best Player Available mantra, free agency decisions will weigh heavily on many picks. Second, we'll throw in two hypothetical trades, just to make life a bit more interesting. Let's assume, for whatever reason, that the St. Louis Rams get cold feet on Sam Bradford and trade a second-round pick to the Eagles for Michael Vick(notes), in order to run more of an option offense in the short term to mitigate their lack of playmakers not named Steven Jackson. Then, let's say that the Seattle Seahawks pull the trigger on the Brandon Marshall(notes) deal, but give up the 14th overall pick they got from Denver last season in a trade, instead of the sixth-overall pick they'd have to give up for Marshall if there were no negotiations. How would the first round look under those conditions? Here's one man's opinion, in two parts (picks 17-32 below; picks 1-16 here):17. San Francisco 49ers: S Taylor Mays, USC -- Mays' straight-line athleticism might be a bit overrated in an NFL prospect sense, but certain pre-draft stories take on a life of their own and can drag a player down. Specifically, the notion that Mays' lack of elite hip turn and instincts for the position seems to have grown in some circles to the point where he's not even considered a first-round pick. But he's strong against the run, has good recovery speed, and could develop into a top-tier safety under the right conditions. With Mike Singletary as a supreme motivator, Mays has every chance of justifying his draft position here.18. Pittsburgh Steelers: ILB Brandon Spikes, Florida -- The Steelers' obvious need is on the offensive line, but there's an ancillary need in the middle of their defense that will grow as time goes on. Brandon, cousin of Takeo, shares the elder Spikes' mean streak and tough inside game. Steelers defensive coordinator Dick L Welcome to The Dance, Oakland Golden Grizzlies [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: March 10, 2010, 12:46 am] It's OK if I'm completely honest with you, right? I only saw Oakland play one time this year, and that one time was last night. Can you blame me? The Summtt League is never on television. So I can only go off what I saw and the numbers on paper tell me. What I do know: The Golden Grizzlies (the smaller schools have the best monikers) absolutely dominated the Summit this season. Ooeey-Pooey (IUPUI) was no match for Oakland last night (76-64), and while IUPUI would've been more fun to discuss for the next week, the right team got into the field. We're seeing a lot of that this year: The teams who owned the regular season are getting the job done in the conference playoffs. Player to know: Yeah, I'm going to go with the guy who had 36 points and nine rebounds with a tournament berth on the line. That would be Derick Nelson, who still hasn't gotten his nose completely healed yet after getting it broken in Oakland's first game of the conference tournament. The Vitals: »Record: 26-8, 17-1 Summit »Team colors: gold and black »We're thinking: a 14-seed »KenPom ranking: 147 »RPI: 61 »Best win: @ Oral Roberts (20-13) »Worst loss: Eastern Michigan (17-14) »Notable stat: Does five blocks per game do anything for you? That's not spectacular, but it was good enough to lead the Summit. Also: The team has a .500 NCAA tournament record! You'd never guess that, right? Well, here's the catch ... »Most recent tournament history (one total appearance): -2005 (15-seed): W opening-round game over Alabama A&M, 79-69; L first round to North Carolina, 96-68. Tuesday's Three Stars: Canucks' latest trick; Wings fold [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: March 10, 2010, 12:32 am] No. 1 star: Mikael Samuelsson(notes), Vancouver Canucks After playing 531 career regular-season games without a hat trick, Samuelsson scored three goals in the second period alone as the Canucks erased deficits of 3-0 and 4-1 in what would conclude as a 6-4 victory. The Canucks won for a league-leading 10th time when trailing after two periods, not surprising when you realize they've been outscored 25-6 in the first period during their arduous road trip. Samuelsson, who scored twice on rebounds in close and also assisted on Daniel Sedin's(notes) empty-netter, has been critical of the team's tendency to fall behind. Hats off to the Swedish Olympic snub. No. 2 star: Jarome Iginla(notes), Calgary Flames A 4-2 win allowed Calgary to leapfrog Detroit in the race to eliminate San Jose from the playoffs for the final postseason spot out West. We'll expend a "did you know" bullet early here: Iginla's third-period, game-tying goal was his first against Detroit since March of 2004. About 90 seconds later he batted a puck out of the air and off the leg of teammate Rene Bourque(notes) for what held up as the game-winner. No. 3 star: Scott Gomez(notes), Montreal Canadiens Gomez led a balanced attack with one goal and two assists in a 5-3 victory over the desperate Lightning. Gomez, who has 15 points in 11 games dating back to early February, was involved in the scoring of Montreal's first three goals, as the Habs chased Antero Niittymaki(notes) before the midway mark of the second period. Honorable Mention: Getting another shot to provide stability in the Nashville net, Dan Ellis(notes) made 30 saves in a 2-1 win over Atlanta to strengthen the Preds' hold on No. 7 in the West. … Nice homecoming for Toronto native Luca Caputi(notes), who scored to force overtime in his first home game in a Leafs sweater, an eventual 4-3 win. … Steven Stamkos(notes) set a Tampa franchise record with his 17th power-play goal and extended his team-record point streak t Video: Ryan Whitney's cross-check to the noggin of Chris Neil [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: March 10, 2010, 12:01 am] If we're going to ban hits to the head in the NHL, then Step 1 is giving every referee an anatomy text book.As the Sportsnet announcers mention at the end of the following clip, referee Brad Meier was arguing with Ottawa Senators Coach Cory Clouston that Sens forward Chris Neil(notes) had been cross-checked on the arm by Edmonton Oilers defenseman Ryan Whitney(notes) in the first period of Tuesday night's 4-1 Ottawa win. Which would be true if Neil's arm was on the side of his head like the Rachel Dratch mutant baby from SNL:Whitney was given a 2-minute minor for cross-checking, which is simply farcical. The only way he's not getting at least a double-minor there is if Meier ascribed to the "like Ryan Whitney would ever do that" defense. Neil ended up playing 14:21 for the game without recording a point or a shot. No word if he kept bumping Jeff Deslauriers like a broken jukebox for the rest of the game after Whitney made him hear lumber. Stick tap to the unstoppable Daywalk3r for the clip. Davey Becks can't hide joy for Old Trafford return [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: March 9, 2010, 10:05 pm] Davey Becks couldn't help but smile as he walked back onto the pitch at Old Trafford for a bit of training on Tuesday. The second leg of AC Milan's Champions League tie with Manchester United will mark the first time Beckham has played at the stadium he wishes he never left in seven years. Meanwhile, I'm pretty sure that cop has never seen a David Beckham in real life before. Before Davey even made it to Old Trafford, he had to push through a swarm of press and fans happy to see him back at Manchester airport. Here's what that claustrophobic's nightmare looked like...While it must have been nice to get a positive reception, I would've just attached a snow plow to a mobility scooter and pushed right through that nonsense. Yes. That's exactly what Becks needs. A personalized mobility scooter. You're welcome for that idea, David. Photo: RTRPIX Links! And Messi watching TV with a goat! [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: March 9, 2010, 9:26 pm] All the stuff being covered outside the unfriendly confines of the award-winning Dirty Tackle...This is the second installment (here's the first) of Pepsi's World Cup campaign and wow, is it weird. I never thought I'd see Lionel Messi give a goat sitting in a chair the thumbs up. [ONTD] Also unexpected: The Sun apologizes to Nicklas Bendtner. [The Sun] England's best uncapped XI. [The Spoiler] Who doesn't love a good WAG style-off? [Kickette] Fiorentina fans had a message for Bayern Munich. [Goal] Fabio Capello probably not a fan of having his team meetings bugged. [Pies] Francesco Totti almost went to Real Madrid. [Football Italia] Gianluigi Buffon's World Cup kit is the opposite of good. [The Offside] Harry Redknapp: definitely not sexy. [Unprofessional Foul] Wayne Bridge takes a break from worrying about what his son will think to party with hoochies in Miami. [Daily Mail] Pep Guardiola is not happy. [Tribal] The Arsenal milk ban proved costly. [Studs Up] Desert Drive: Mariners smiling and dancing their way to victory [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: March 9, 2010, 9:08 pm] Stew lieutenant David Brown is visiting Arizona, with his desert swing taking him Tuesday to Peoria (it's not just for Illinois!) where the Seattle Mariners train. Expectations are higher than Mt. Rainier for the M's, who added Chone Figgins(notes) and Cliff Lee(notes) to the potent mix of Ichiro Suzuki(notes) and Felix Hernandez(notes). General manager Jack Zduriencik had bonanza of an offseason, but just two years removed from 101 losses, can the Mariners climb all of the way to the top of the AL West?Konichiwa, Stewies!Well, these Mariners sure make for a lively bunch. Ken Griffey Jr.(notes) was running his own Improv comedy club both inside and out. Others got into the fun, too. Above, check out the dance moves of a grooving (and smiling) Milton Bradley(notes), along with happy Mike Sweeney(notes). In the middle, the incomparable Ichiro, who is finishing up his own shimmy. You'd be smiling, too (even during morning stretch) if you played for a team that had what it took to win the World Series. Fun is the atmosphere at Mariners camp. Not two years ago, they were a team that would just as soon throw a batting helmet at you as beat you in the game. They were a bunch of overpaid sourpusses who lost 101 games and then lost a bunch of people their jobs. This team will not be a bunch of sourpusses. Rather, it's a non-stop laugh-a-palooza at the Port of Zduriencik. Except maybe for Cliff Lee, but he's not paid by the chuckle; his contract specifically stipulates it. "I've had people come in and tell me they've been in 10 [other] locker rooms and they haven't seen a locker room as loose as that one," Zduriencik said, referring to his own. "That doesn't mean destiny, but if you don't like showing up at the place you work at, it's tougher to work. That goes for no matter where you work." Winning further makes for good chemistry. If the M's are flailing about, 15 games out of a playoff spot in late August, not even popping in a tape of the Dean Martin C UConn's stilted Big East season comes to an end [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: March 9, 2010, 7:52 pm] The smoke is still slowly and quietly emanating off the now-dead pyre that is the 2009-10 Connecticut Huskies men's basketball season. Anybody got a theory as to what this team was for the past five months? UConn fell in the first round of the Big East tournament earlier today, 73-51 to St. John's, in the most embarrassing way possible: without a care in the world. The Huskies committed 20 turnovers, though if you watched the game that number felt double the amount. Jim Calhoun's team looked as uninterested with the game of basketball as a bunch of church-going grandmas on a Sunday morning. The Huskies fans who made the trip to the Garden began to file out with more than five minutes remaining. If do-or-die urgency couldn't get this team's adrenaline going, then it wasn't worth saving. It all changed so quickly for UConn, which is now 17-15 and could very well miss the NIT tournament. Before the Big East tournament began, some wondered if UConn made the tourney final and lost if it would still receive an at-large bid. If it could become the first 15-loss team in modern tournament history to do so. We'll never know, and it's probably better that we won't. And yet, less than two weeks ago UConn was coming off a home win against West Virginia and thrown back onto the better side of the bubble by most prognosticators. Calhoun - who openly said he has every intention to coach next year; just gotta take care of that little thing called a contract - had no problems admitting he didn't know what to do with this team. Jerome Dyson, a senior starting shooting guard who scored just four points for the second straight game, played only 26 minutes and continued to get the cold shoulder from his coach. Dyson and the rest of his friends who will graduate from the University later this spring never found out what it was like to experience winning a Big East tournament game. UConn's drought is now extended to five years. The last win came in 2005, in the first round, a Jags season ticket holders to Tebow: No, thanks! [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: March 9, 2010, 6:59 pm] During a media conference call with Jacksonville Jaguars general manager Gene Smith today, it was revealed that in a poll of 800 Jags season ticket holders, 55 percent voted against the idea of the team drafting Tim Tebow -- in any round and in any capacity (this according to Jags beat writer Vito Stellino). This is an interesting wrinkle inasmuch as team owner Wayne Weaver has been quoted as saying that he'd be amenable to Tebow on the roster if the Florida Hero of Intangibles put butts in the seats. "The game is such an important part of this community, and Tebow is such an iconic figure that people would legitimately think, 'Wouldn't it be great if he was a Jaguar,'" Weaver told the Associated Press last September. "I'd be silly to sit here and think that's not going to be a huge thing. Clearly there's going to be a groundswell for Tebow, and we'll have to make that evaluation if we have a draft pick that's going to be anywhere near him," Well, with the sample size alert in full effect, it would appear that the community isn't so sure. The Jags have lost thousands of interested fans in the last few years, and expected a full string of local TV blackouts even before the 2009 season began. That said, Weaver might want to take a step back before assuming that Tebow's arrival in team and black would be some sort of panacea for those attendance issues. He may be the apple of every media member's eye these days, but as Tebow works to adjust his throwing motion and turn himself into the very model of a moden NFL quarterback, the fans don't appear to be quite so convinced. How much will teams beg off his "intangibles" if one of them isn't the ability to sell tickets? We can but wait and see... Remember Matt Wieters? He's on the newest Sports Illustrated [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: March 9, 2010, 5:39 pm] The baseball Twittersphere has hyperbolized its way through so many prospects in the last year that it seems like the fawning over Matt Wieters actually took place on an early 90s BBS.But that's the nature of the beast and it's not hard to see why Aroldis Chapman(notes), Stephen Strasburg(notes), Jason Heyward(notes) and Bryce Harper have followed in Wieters' footsteps as the Internet's it-boy. Our insatiable hunger for being on a superstar's ground floor now growls on a second-by-second basis The unfortunate byproduct of that technological progress is that today's savior is easily turned into tomorrow's afterthought, even if he has less than 100 big league games to his name. Such seems the case with Wieters, who played in 96 contests for the Orioles, assembling a split line of .288/.340/.412 with nine homers and 43 RBI. Fantastic rookie stats, but considering the hype suggested we should expect three homers and six RBI a game, a little bit of a letdown. All of that is to say that I'm glad to see Wieters on the front of Sports Illustrated — the first Oriole coverboy since Roberto Alomar in 1996 — and an extended profile on the young O by Tom Verducci within its pages. The article is entitled "Rare Bird" while the cover is emblazoned with "Matt Wieters: The Orioles' Tower of Power, The Game's Next Joe Mauer(notes)." Perhaps both are reminiscent of the cyber palm fronds that greeted Wieters arrival in Charm City last summer. But in an age where we lose focus once something doesn't immediately match our outsized expectations, it's nice to receive a reminder that Wieters is still only 23 years old and that he's still on a path to be one heck of a baseball player. PS — Andy Behrens of Roto Arcade agrees. |