Giants win a 1-0 pitcher's duel in 11 innings - Boston Herald

SAN FRANCISCO — A classic duel between multimillion dollar pitchers Matt Cain and Cliff Lee ended in a draw Wednesday night, but the Giants ultimately claimed a 1-0 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies in 11 innings on Melky Cabrera’s one-out RBI single at AT&T Park.

Brandon Belt, who had entered the game a half-inning earlier on a double-switch, ignited the Giants’ game-winning rally with a one-out single against the Phillies’ second pitcher, left-hander Antonio Bastardo.

Belt advanced to second when Angel Pagan followed with a grounder that was bobbled for an error by third baseman by Ty Wigginton, and Cabrera followed by lining a 1-0 pitch into the right-center gap to score Belt easily.

The story of the night, however, was the matched brilliance of Cain and Lee. Cain limited Philadelphia to just two hits and no runs during the first nine innings. Lee held the Giants scoreless on seven hits with no walks over the first 10 innings.

Both pitchers worked quickly. The first nine innings were played in 1 hour, 50 minutes, and both starters were well under 100 pitches.

The Giants looked as though they might score a quick run off Lee when Pagan opened the bottom of the first with a single to left and Cabrera moved him to third with a single to right. But Lee retired Pablo Sandoval on a short fly ball to right field, and Buster Posey hit into a double play.

Cain, meanwhile, retired the first six hitters he faced, and after retiring the first batter of the third inning, he had set down 34 of 35 hitters his last two starts. Freddy Galvis broke up that run with a single to center, and Galvis was sacrificed to second by Lee, but Cain retired Juan Pierre on a pop-up to short to end that threat.

The Phillies mounted another threat in the fifth. Wigginton led off with a single, and after Laynce Nix struck out, Carlos Ruiz walked. But Cain ended the inning quickly when Galvis hit a grounder to short, which the Giants turned into a double play.

From that point, Cain was perfect over the next four innings to give him a string of 14 consecutive outs through nine innings to end his night’s work. He was lifted for a pinch-hitter in the bottom of the ninth, having thrown just 91 pitches. He walked one and struck out four.

Lee also got stronger as the game wore on. Brett Pill led off the fifth inning with double over the head of center fielder Shane Victorino, but the left-hander retired Ryan Theriot, Nate Schierholtz and Brandon Crawford on consecutive grounders to short with Pill not even able to advance to third. Lee then retired nine more in a row.

The Giants finally broke the string in the bottom of the ninth when pinch-hitter Hector Sanchez reached on an error. But with Gregor Blanco pinch-running, Pagan hit a double-play ball to short, and after Cabrera singled, Lee retired Sandoval on a fly to center, sending the game into extras innings.

The Phillies nearly broke through in the top of the 11th. Ruiz led off the inning by hitting a ball past Sandoval down the third-base line for a double. Galvis sacrificed Ruiz to third, but when the Phillies sent up pinch-hitter Jim Thome, the Giants countered with lefty specialist Javier Lopez [stats], who struck out the slugger. When John Mayberry Jr. subsequently pinch-hit for Pierre, right-hander Chad Hensley (0-1) came on and got the final out on a grounder to short.

n The Giants might have acquired an important buffer with the loss of closer Brian Wilson in offseason signee Hensley. Hensley has drawn raves so far in the early going — entering Wednesday’s game, he had allowed just one hit and no runs in four appearances with six strikeouts in 3 1/3 innings.

Tuesday night, he entered the game for starter Madison Bumgarner with a man on and nobody out in the seventh inning and got three quick outs, including a strikeout of Victorino with a well-spotted inside change-up.

Pagan, who’s seen plenty of Hensley when he was with Mets and Hensley was with Florida the past two seasons, attests that Hensley is a tough guy to figure out in the late innings.

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Pat Summitt's Signature: Success and Dignity - New York Times

It was at once a moment expected and inevitable and yet one with no way to prepare. As Tennessee’s women’s basketball season marched on, it became clear Pat Summitt could not sustain her role as head coach much longer as she battled early onset Alzheimer’s and it became one long goodbye party, but one no one could acknowledge. And when the goodbye was finally uttered on Wednesday, with Summitt abdicating the throne she occupied for 38 years, the reality washed over everyone who is in some degree in her debt. And that would be everyone in the sport.

Pat Summitt after Tennessee defeated DePaul in the second round of the N.C.A.A. tournament in March.

Stay on top of all the news, on and off the court, on The Times's college sports blog.

Summitt’s announcement on Wednesday that she was stepping aside, taking on the title of head coach emeritus while her longtime assistant Holly Warlick became head coach, was as soft a landing as she could muster, her former assistant Mickie DeMoss described it. Summitt found a way to do it with dignity and class, David Climer writes in The Tennessean, as she always has. John Adams writes in The Knoxville News-Sentinel that Summitt always made the right choices to stick by her program, so this made total sense. She will turn her star power now on the fight against Alzheimer’s, writes Dan Wetzel on Yahoo.com and if Summitt showed anything in her farewell season, it’s that she can teach people how to fight, Ann Killion writes on SI.com.

The task quickly becomes how to quantify Summitt’s legend, which isn’t as easy as counting victories (1,098) or national championships (eight), writes Gene Wojciechowski on ESPN.com. She changed the sport so profoundly and became such an icon that reaction to her stepping down drew reactions from people ranging from Peyton Manning to LeBron James. She was as much a force of nature as anything, an example of all the right ways to handle success and failure and everything in between, writes Gary Parrish on CBSSports.com.

It was hard not to appreciate how rare that is in sports, particularly with the maelstrom of everything else. Up in Wisconsin, Coach Bo Ryan was showing the ugly side of college sports’ control over its unpaid players, throwing every road block in his power in front of transferring player Jared Uthoff, as Jeff Goodman writes on CBSSports.com. Southern Methodist, meanwhile, was continuing its out-of-this-world crazy courtship of coaching vagabond Larry Brown, Pat Forde writes on Yahoo.com.

And if you’re looking for dignity and class, please don’t even pause at the N.H.L. these days. Yes, its three playoff games transpired without any players being hospitalized (after all, Gary Bettman wants us to think positively!! :) ), but the matter of how punitive a suspension the league will hand Phoenix head-hunter Raffi Torres for his brutal hit on Chicago’s MarianHossa still hangs in the air. It sounds good that he’s suspended indefinitely until you realize it’s just because they haven’t announced it yet, having pushed back his hearing until Friday. Yes, Torres will miss at least one game waiting for his hearing, and it won’t be a tough decision to throw a shelf-full of a books at him, but the N.H.L. usually falls on its face in such matters, so it’s best not to presume anything. Dave Shoalts of The Toronto Globe and Mail reminds us that this butchered set of offseason discipline is the product of a shiny new system of justice that produces the same old rusty results.

If you are looking for progress, Game 4 between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh produced a pebble of it. The referees decided to regain control by calling everything including crosswise glances which made the penalty box look like a mall parking lot on Christmas Eve. That didn’t prevent all boneheadedness — the Flyers’ Zac Rinaldo upheld that fine tradition with a vicious crosscheck, writes Adrian Dater on SI.com — but at least the ambulances weren’t necessary. The only alarms going off were in the heads of the Flyers, who responded to their chance to sweep the Penguins with a goalie meltdown of epic proportions, writes Phil Sheridan in The Philadelphia Inquirer. A 10-3 loss served to highlight the flailing of the Flyers goalies, writes Scott Burnside on ESPN.com, and sparked the debate whether this is a momentary lapse or the start of a momentous collapse, writes Greg Wyshynski on Yahoo.com. What we do know is, Sidney Crosby responded to everything by shutting his mouth and playing, a definite improvement writes Ron Cook in The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and that we are going to find out a few things about the Flyers now, writes Rich Hofmann in The Philadelphia Daily News.

We found out a few more things Wednesday night in the Rangers-Senators game, namely that the Rangers let an overmatched opponent back in the series with an inexplicable lapse, writes Allan Muir on SI.com. We discovered that Vancouver’s off-the-mat victory over the Kings has probably settled the Canucks’ goaltending question in favor of Cory Schneider once and for all, writes Iain MacIntyre in The Vancouver Sun.

But what we mostly discovered on Wednesday was what we already knew about Pat Summitt, that the end of her reign was near and that the goodbye would be done well.

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Bo Ryan: I am doing what every coach in the country does - USA TODAY

Over the past couple of days, Wisconsin men's basketball coach Bo Ryan has been vilified for restricting transfer options of redshirt freshman Jarrod Uthoff.

Uthoff said he's been blocked from transferring to any Big Ten schools, Atlantic Coast Conference schools, Iowa State and Marquette. Twenty-five schools.

Uthoff said he's appealed the decision/restrictions.

Ryan and the Wisconsin athletic department were quiet on the subject, initially. But a bit of a media firestorm emerged.

Ryan appeared on ESPN's Mike and Mike radio show Thursday morning and defended his program's actions, saying that they weren't anything out of the ordinary.

Ryan said he feels that one school -- his -- has been unfairly attacked by the media for placing restrictions on a transferring player the same way other programs do.

"I am doing what every other coach in the country has done," Ryan said.

Ryan was defensive about the situation with Uthoff, who is a former Rivals Top 150 recruit and Iowa's Mr. Basketball. Uthoff redshirted this season and has said he wants to transfer because he feels he doesn't fit the Badgers' system.

"I was perfectly fine with the transfer, and everybody knows that," Ryan said. "Everyone remembers the accusations but very few remember the outcome."

"What we've done is given the young man a chance to appeal for the school he really wants to go to."

More exchanges from the show:

Mike Golic: You started the process by blocking him from all these schools. For whatever reason, he doesn't want to go (to Wisconsin) anymore. People are thinking because you blocked him from so many schools, it's a vindictive thing on your part. Why is it so hard for a coach to say, 'You know, it isn't working out here, you go where you want to play.

Ryan: You play, you're an athlete, you practice every day. Your players, your coaches work with someone in good faith. You're in the trenches and you're going to say, without any conversation, any time someone wants to leave a job, you have in your contract – a penalty if you leave your job.

Mike Greenberg: Yeah. there's a penalty because you get paid.

Ryan: I understand this is a scholarship. When they sign the scholarship there is fine print that is very readable. If you played, you would at least understand what I'm talking about. ... Years and decades of coaches have done the same thing way before me and you're not going after them.

Golic: It's also interesting the basketball and football coaches can sign a 7-year extension and then the next year leave for one of those schools you blocked the kid from going to

Ryan: I know that's the easy way to go. Here's the thing, I didn't create the market.

Contributing: Mike Foss

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Indianapolis Colts tell Andrew Luck he'll be No. 1 in NFL draft - Los Angeles Times

Andrew Luck, of Stanford, has been informed that he will be the No. 1 pick of the Indianapolis Colts. (Paul Sakuma / Associated Press / March 22, 2012)

The Indianapolis Colts have informed ?Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck that he’s the No. 1 pick in next week’s draft, The Times has confirmed.

The news was first reported Thursday morning by ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

That means Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III is in line to go second to the Washington Redskins.

Although that 1-2 lineup has been forecast for months, there had been increasing speculation in recent weeks that the Colts were flirting with the idea of taking Griffin.

On Wednesday, Colts General Manager Ryan Grigson said at a pre-draft news conference that the franchise had made its decision, without specifying the player.

“We’ve exhausted the process, pretty much made up our mind,” Grigson said. “We’re going to go from there. We feel good about it and we’ll go from there.”

Grigson said the Colts have known who their pick will be “for a little while.”

“We’ve done all of our due diligence,” he said. “[Barring] any unforeseen problem we’re pretty sure what direction we want to go. Barring any unforeseen event, we know what we’re doing.”

RELATED:

Tim Tebow named one of Time's 100 most influential people

NFL schedule: Peyton Manning will make a splash right away

NFL bars Sean Payton from contact with Saints during suspension

Colts will use No. 1 pick on Andrew Luck

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(3) Phoenix Coyotes (2-1) at (6) Chicago Blackhawks (1-2), 8 pm (ET) - MiamiHerald.com

The tightly-contested Western Conference quarterfinals series between the Phoenix Coyotes and Chicago Blackhawks will continue tonight, as the 'Hawks host Game 4 at United Center.

All three games in this series have been decided in overtime, with Phoenix taking Games 1 and 3 to grab a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven set. Mikkel Boedker's first career playoff goal was the overtime winner for the Coyotes on Tuesday, but unfortunately Game 3 will be best remembered for a vicious hit that sent Blackhawks star forward Marian Hossa to the hospital.

The hit in question was delivered by Phoenix forward Raffi Torres, who has been suspended indefinitely ahead of his hearing with NHL disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan in New York on Friday.

Torres drilled Hossa with an open-ice shoulder hit in the first period of Phoenix's 3-2 win on Tuesday. He left his skates to deliver the shot, which forced Hossa off the ice on a stretcher and to the hospital.

Hossa was released from the hospital late Tuesday night and there is no timetable for his return. The Blackhawks have not disclosed the exact nature of the injury, but the team has ruled Hossa out of Game 4. Hossa hasn't recorded a point so far in this series, but he did lead Chicago with 77 points during the regular season.

Torres, who was not penalized on the play, could be facing a lengthy ban for the hit. The 30-year-old is considered a repeat offender and was suspended two games for a similar hit against Minnesota defenseman Nate Prosser in early January.

Tuesday's incident came on the heels of Phoenix goaltender Mike Smith being shaken up on a hit by Andrew Shaw in Game 2 on Saturday. Shaw was given a three-game suspension. Although he missed practice Monday, Smith made 35 saves the following night to backstop the Coyotes to a 2-1 series lead.

Chicago goaltender Corey Crawford would probably like to get another shot at stopping Tuesday's OT winner. Boedker beat Crawford from a sharp angle along the left goal line with 6:45 remaining in the extra session to lift the Coyotes to the 3-2 road victory.

Taylor Pyatt started the play by dumping the puck into the Chicago zone. Pyatt jostled with Chicago defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson while attempting to gain possession. A trailing Boedker then swooped in and managed to put the puck behind Crawford, who was hugging the near post.

"It's a tough angle to score from, but as long as you get it on net, anything can happen and this one squeaked through and it feels great," Boedker said.

Andrew Brunette and Michael Frolik record the goals for Chicago in Game 3, while Crawford made 31 saves before yielding the game-winner.

"Just a tough loss. I felt like we dominated overtime," said Crawford.

Each of Chicago's last five playoff games have gone beyond regulation. After tonight's game in the Windy City, the series will shift back to Phoenix for Game 5 on Saturday.

Phoenix won Game 3 despite playing without forwards Martin Hanzal (lower body) and Lauri Korpikoski (upper body). Hanzal, who normally centers the club's top line between wingers Radim Vrbata and Ray Whitney, was a game-time decision on Tuesday. Both players are questionable for tonight.

The Blackhawks and Coyotes have never met in the postseason and the Coyotes won three of the four regular-season meetings this season.

Cory Schneider made 43 saves and stopped Dustin Brown's penalty shot in his first career playoff victory, Daniel Sedin sparked Vancouver's power play in his return from injury, and the top-seeded Canucks avoided an embarrassing first-round sweep with a 3-1 victory over the Los Angeles Kings in Game 4 on Wednesday night.

Backed by the return of Daniel Sedin, the Vancouver Canucks staved off elimination with a 3-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings in Game 4 of this Western Conference quarterfinal series.

The Florida Panthers are coming off a thrilling comeback victory and will try to keep the momentum tonight when they visit the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center for Game 4 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals. 1334848173

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Canucks Vs. Kings Game 4: Big Decisions Coming For Both Teams After Vancouver ... - SB Nation

By Matt Wagner - NHL Contributor

With the Canucks managing to come back to life, both teams need to make changes in advance of Sunday's Game 5.

Follow @sbnation on Twitter, and Like SBNation.com on Facebook.

Apr 19, 2012 - The sweetest words uttered in British Columbia this spring might just be "Game 5 tickets are now on sale."

After staving off elimination Wednesday night with a 3-1 victory over the Los Angeles Kings, the Vancouver Canucks cling to hopes of survival as the series shifts back to Vancouver, but each team must look at their lineup and make major decisions in advance of Sunday's rematch.

The most obvious question is the one that is likely giving extreme tsuris to both head coach Alain Vigneault and general manager Mike Gillis: After watching Cory Schneider stop 62 of the last 64 shots he's faced in the playoffs (including his 43 save performance last night), is there any way the Canucks can realistically start Roberto Luongo again in this series?

The team's Game 1 and 2 losses were not entirely the fault of goaltending -- indeed, given that only two of the 7 goals scored against the $5.3 million dollar netminder came at even strength, the blame could just as easily be shared with the lackluster special teams' performances -- but there's no denying the results. Even in Game 3's 1-0 shutout loss, the Vancouver defense seemed to stiffen up and work harder on denying the Kings' time and space with Schneider in net, while Game 4 finally saw players like Alexander Edler and Kevin Bieksa engaging from the blue line.

One can argue that the return of Daniel Sedin to the lineup was also part of this, as the reunited top line helped to provide a sense of confidence and control to the club, or that the team's refocusing on matchups due to their status as the road team also played into the result, but one wonders about how confident the locker room actually feels about each netminder.

Another question is the role of Zack Kassian, who was on the ice for less than four minutes Wednesday night, the lowest ice time of any Vancouver player. Though the former Sabre was not expected to be a minute muncher, he was expected to provide reliable minutes while getting under the skin of players like Drew Doughty and Dustin Brown. He's failed to do so, raising the question: Should he be used in these elimination games, or would his ice time be better distributed to a bottom six player who does not bring as high a risk of being called for retaliatory penalties?

Meanwhile, Darryl Sutter and the Kings must look at their special teams, where several issues were exposed.

After doing a phenomenal job of containing the Canucks, the Kings went one-for-three on the penalty kill, a situation that could become a major Achillies heel if not corrected. Relying heavily on the same core group in all three shorthanded situations (Drew Doughty, Matt Greene, Mike Richards, Anze Kopitar, Dustin Brown, Willie Mitchell, and Trevor Lewis), the strategy worked well when the Canucks were still trying to rework their power play on the fly, but seemed to have issues with the re-established top unit's puck movement.

Spreading out the workload in favor of players like Slava Voynov and Jeff Carter (who did see just under a minute of shorthanded time last night) might provide a better fit and add the speed needed to help break up the Sedin's passing in particular.

Los Angeles' power play is also in need of a few adjustments, most notably a quiet sit down with Mike Richards. In what was already a down season for the former Flyer, the same scenario continues to repeat: Richards moves behind or to the side of the net as part of the cycle, receives the puck, shifts to the left side of the net, and fires into the goaltender's legs or chest.

It's a strategy that may have been more effective in the Eastern Conference against goalies like Craig Anderson or Tim Thomas with a tendency to move and open up seams, but against the more anchored styles he's now facing, it has only cost opportunities, and explains why Richards is down to just three PP goals this season compared to his normal nine or ten.

With both teams adjusting to give a little more discipline (or at least a little less obvious fouls), the man advantage opportunities are going to be even harder to come by. If Richards is going to be one of their primary weapons (and his 30-plus minutes a night certainly suggests that to be the case), he cannot keep doing the same old thing. An adjustment, either in better elevation or more awareness of his teammates, might be the difference between wrapping up this series or continuing to leave the door open for a comeback.

Read More: Roberto Luongo (G - VAN), Kevin Bieksa (D - VAN), Willie Mitchell (D - LOS), Daniel Sedin (LW - VAN), Alexander Edler (D - VAN), Cory Schneider (G - VAN), Slava Voynov (D - LOS), Matt Greene (D - LOS), Drew Doughty (D - LOS), Anze Kopitar (C - LOS), Dustin Brown (RW - LOS), Trevor Lewis (C - LOS), Tim Thomas (G - BOS), Craig Anderson (G - OTT), Jeff Carter (C - LOS), Mike Richards (C - LOS), Zack Kassian (RW - VAN), Los Angeles Kings, Vancouver Canucks, Vancouver Canucks at Los Angeles Kings, Apr 18, 2012 10:00 PM EDT

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Frequently accused of being a stealth Canadian, Matt is, in fact, a Ohio boy who got into hockey a short time before his home town was given an NHL team. Working in IT by day and obsessive... Read full bio

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Teen hoops star in spotlight leans on family, God - The Associated Press

Teen hoops star in spotlight leans on family, GodBy ANDREW SELIGMAN, AP Sports Writer – 11 minutes ago?

CHICAGO (AP) — This is what it's like to be Jabari Parker, the nation's top high school basketball player.

One day he's presenting a project in his Spanish class, turns around and sees Alonzo Mourning. Parker takes a seat and grins. The former Miami Heat star is making a surprise visit to give him the Gatorade Basketball Player of the Year award.

And there are nights like this.

Parker and his teammates from Simeon Career Academy are holed up in a classroom after beating Whitney Young in the Illinois state playoffs.

Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski and Michigan State's Tom Izzo were in the stands. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and his wife were there, too, sitting next to Parker's mom, Lola.

As Simeon holds its postgame meeting, a crowd gathers in the hallway, waiting to get a glimpse of the team and its 17-year-old star. Parker slips out a back entrance, trying to make a quiet exit.

Nice try, but no luck. It's hard to hide when you're 6-foot-8 and 220 pounds.

The young fans see him and run down the street, with one screaming "Jabari!" and begging for an autograph. The thing is, they're not even from Simeon. They're from other schools, but they've seen Parker on YouTube or TV and want a brush with fame, with the latest phenom from the South Side school that produced Derrick Rose.

Parker slumps down in a car as it pulls away. This is one of those occasional nights when he's just not in the mood, when he's weary of the attention and can't make himself face it.

He is, after all, a teen in unusual circumstances. Parker is a prodigy, and that can be dicey in any era.

Before he was Kareem, Lew Alcindor led his Manhattan high school team on a 71-game winning streak and went on to become the leading NBA scorer of all time. LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett all made successful jumps from high school to the NBA when the league allowed it. But for every safe landing, there are plenty of players who never became one of the game's best — JaRon Rush and Sebastian Telfair, to name just two.

Parker is determined to follow his own path, keeping all the adulation in perspective. Most nights, he tries to accommodate his young fans. He poses for pictures and signs autographs to show his appreciation.

"I can see myself as a role model," Parker says.

Good thing, too. In a world fueled by social media, where every move is caught on camera or dissected in 140 characters, the lights are shining brighter than ever on sports' youngest stars.

"I used to hear all this stuff about Kareem, Lew Alcindor, all the players having hundreds of letters," says Jabari's father, Sonny Parker, who played six seasons with the Golden State Warriors in the NBA after starring at Chicago's Farragut Career Academy, where Garnett played as a senior. "Now, he can't go to the bathroom without it (being posted) on Twitter."

It wasn't like that during Sonny's NBA career, which ended in 1982. Or even when Rose was finishing high school, just five years ago.

"The media has definitely changed where it's even crazier," Rose says. "I can only imagine."

What it means is that Parker, a soft-spoken young man who likes old "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" reruns and NBA matchups on ESPN Classic, feels a lot of pressure to be perfect.

"You can't really mess up," he says. "There's always going to be a camera on you everywhere you go."

So how does he cope? Answer: faith and family.

A devout Mormon like his mother, Jabari worships at a church near the University of Chicago and the Parker home, a simple brick bungalow in a working-class section of the city's largely African-American South Shore neighborhood.

It is not a flashy place, but it is, like Parker and his family, solid.

"I take for granted having two parents and a good inner circle," he says. "And I know that a lot of people that are superstars in the sports world right now didn't have a lot of the resources that I have."

Few have the talent he has.

Lola Parker could see it when Jabari, the youngest of seven children, was in the second grade and going against fourth and fifth-graders in a league set up by Sonny, who established a foundation to help inner city youth in Chicago after he retired.

Sonny, by the way, isn't the only professional athlete in the family. Lola has four relatives with pro football experience: Kansas City Chiefs tight end Tony Moeaki; Baltimore Ravens nose tackle Haloti Ngata; Philadelphia Eagles fullback Stanley Havili; and, running back Harvey Unga, a 2010 supplemental draft pick by the Chicago Bears.

Jabari might be the best of the bunch.

Scholarship offers started when he was in the sixth grade. Back then, they came from Illinois, Brigham Young, Washington, Purdue and Kansas, the Parkers say. UCLA started showing interest, too, and pretty much everyone was offering one by the time he hit high school.

To get an idea how big Parker is now, go back to an evening in September, when Simeon hosted an open gym. Not even a practice, mind you, but an open gym.

A who's who of coaches jammed the court from baseline to baseline.

Krzyzewski was there. So were Izzo and Roy Williams (North Carolina), Thad Matta (Ohio State) and Bill Self (Kansas). In all, some 40 coaches looked on, and as word spread that this was no ordinary session, that something special was happening, fans started packing the place, too.

"It was like the movie 'Blue Chips' — and this was open gym," Sonny says. "The school had been in session a couple days. They closed down the barber shop, they came over to the school. It was packed in the gym. The coaches were coming in limos. It was unbelievable."

It's easier to understand why once you've seen Parker, who played varsity as a freshman — something not even Rose did.

Parker might grab a rebound, bring the ball up the court and try to set up his teammates as he runs the offense. The next possession, he might bury one from the outside. He averaged about 20 points last season and could probably score 35 a game, but he makes a concerted effort to play within his team's system and take over only when needed.

"He knows we have a good team, so he passes the ball," guard Reggie Norris says. "When it's time for him to step up, he scores."

Parker takes pride in getting his teammates chances to shine for college scouts. It's one reason why he's waited to narrow his own list of finalists. You see, he figures that'll keep the scouts coming and give his teammates exposure.

"He's good, a polished player to be so young," says Rose, who gets to keep an eye on Parker while he leads the hometown Chicago Bulls. "Has the will to win, and that's all you need."

Yet, it's about more than honors and accolades, fame and fortune, to the Parkers. It's about the impact, on and off the court.

Lola Parker mentions what happened at the De La Salle game in February, when Jabari led his Wolverines to an easy victory over a talented squad just one night after winning the city championship.

The crowd included Louisville coach Rick Pitino and then-Illinois coach Bruce Weber. Southern California's Kevin O'Neill was there, too, but it was a father sitting in front of Lola with his three young sons that stood out to her. They kept asking Parker for autographs and pictures as he was warming up. When Lola told the dad she was Jabari's mother, and would set up the boys after the game, the man was overcome with gratitude.

He said one of his boys was doing terrible in school. So he collected all the articles he could find on Jabari and made his sons read them, hoping they'd be an inspiration. The child with bad grades had turned things around, Lola recalls.

"He said, 'You don't know what impact Jabari has done for my three boys, but it has changed their whole character, their grades, the way they're thinking and their attitudes,'" she recalls.

After last year's state championship win, Jabari gave his medal to the son of a former bishop from his church because the boy's family had traveled all the way from California to see him play.

"That little piece (of metal) doesn't really mean that much to me, but the memory means a lot," he says.

The family's faith is a respite for Jabari, who rises at 5 a.m. three days a week to attend a Bible study at his church before school. On one particular morning, he is the first to arrive, taking the rare moment of quiet to gather his thoughts and pray.

When the others join him, they sing a hymn and hear lessons based on the Old Testament, about avoiding the temptations teens face, valuing parents and giving back. Parker says he would come to this Bible study five days a week if he didn't have to trouble someone that early in the morning for a ride.

"It gives me a better view of life," he says.

On his bedroom door is a reminder to "put the Lord first" along with several sheets of 8-by-10 white paper. One lists the Ten Commandments. The other shows his "Always Remember" list, with his own personal rules: "Don't be quick to judge" and "Think positive things," among them.

Amid all the trophies is a Kobe Bryant Team USA jersey, hanging where Sonny had put Jabari's U.S. team jersey after he returned from the FIBA Americas U16 Championship last summer. Within about 10 minutes the teen had replaced it.

Why?

"I don't look up to myself," he told Lola.

He does look up to his older brother Christian, which explains why their old bunk bed — or the remaining bottom half — is still in the room. Jabari had the top part and, well, he grew out of it.

Yet for sentimental reasons, he won't get rid of the bed. He also keeps a drawing and poem Christian, who now lives in Seattle, gave him. In it, big brother praises Jabari's athletic talent — "heart, love for the game, commitment and a future to be the one."

"He's my biggest fan," Parker says.

His father is there, too, to offer sports advice. His mom, who works as a nanny, has found herself playing the role of agent, taking calls from media and helping her son set up visits to prospective schools.

At the start of each week, they sit down and go through their calendars and requests.

Often, it is Jabari who is asking for less — fewer interviews, fewer obligations, more time to rest and focus on his game. His ability to set limits has quickly become a survival skill.

"He tells us, 'Mom and dad, don't you guys get caught up into this,'" his dad says. "He tries to keep US grounded from all this."

It's not easy when he's penciled in as an All-American and All-Star, and he wonders: "What if I don't make it one day? What am I going to do with my life?"

For now, he plans to narrow his list of colleges down to five later this spring. A Mormon mission is a possibility for him at some point, too.

Before he does that, he talks about needing to "polish up the little things before I step into the real world."

An ability to express himself more smoothly, even when he's tired, is among the items on his to-do list. Playing to his ability is another.

"I just want to prove to myself every time I'm on the court that I'm able to live up to those expectations," he says.

Whatever happens, though, he and his parents insist that being famous, and even making a lot of money, isn't the focus. They all vow that Jabari will earn a college degree, one way or another, in a world where the starting five for national champion Kentucky all left school just weeks after claiming the title.

It may seem old school. But that's just fine with the Parkers.

"The ultimate for us and our children is being a good example and being a good person, giving back," Lola says. "That's really very dear and precious to Jabari and also to us."

AP National Writer Martha Irvine contributed to this report.

Copyright ? 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

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Fenway Park Turns 100 This Week - Patch.com

On Friday, April 20, Fenway Park celebrates its 100th anniversary. Designated a National Historic Landmark on March 7 of this year, Fenway is the oldest major league baseball park in the United States. It is a unique and interesting facility that has been a popular draw for thousands of Connecticut residents. In fact, the Red Sox annually sponsor a "Connecticut Day" in early September.

The grandfather of President John F. Kennedy, Mayor John F. Fitzgerald, threw out the first pitch to christen the ballpark on April 20, 1912. The cost of the new facility was only $650,000, and it held about 33,000 fans, a big crowd for its time, though low by modern standards. The game was a?huge success for the home team, as the Sox defeated the New York Highlanders 7-6 in 11 innings.?

The Highlanders were re-named the Yankees in 1913, and their rivalry with the Red Sox remains one of the oldest and most intense?in professional sports. The exciting news of the opening day win, however, was eclipsed by news concerning the sinking of the?Titanic?only five days before the first pitch was thrown at Fenway.

The Red Sox franchise predates Fenway Park by 11 years, the team having been formed in 1901. The early Red Sox teams played their home games on Huntington Avenue in Boston, near Boston University.

According to the?Baseball Almanac, in 1912 there were eight Connecticut natives playing in the major leagues, four of whom debuted in 1912. Marty McIntyre of Stonington, an outfielder, was the veteran of the group, having begun his major league career in 1901 with the Philadelphia Athletics. McIntyre divided his next 10 years between the Detroit Tigers and Chicago White Sox. He retired in 1912, having played 1,039 games with a career batting average of .269.

Howard Baker from Bridgeport had a three-year career in the majors from 1912 to 1915. A third baseman, Baker played for the Cleveland Naps and the Chicago White Sox, playing part-time and batting just .220. Herman "Dutch" Bronkie from Manchester played intermittently for seven seasons between 1910 and 1922 with five different teams. Dutch played in a total of 122 major league games, batting .242. He died in Somers in 1968.

Jud Daley of Coventry played for two years for the Brooklyn Dodgers — 1911 and 1912. He was an outfielder who played in 71 games, batting .250. Ray Keating of Bridgeport played seven years in the majors as a pitcher, mostly for the Yankees. Keating pitched in 130 games, winning 30 and losing 51. He had an ERA of 3.29. He gave up only 13 homers in over 750 innings.

Pat Maloney of North Grosvenordale played one season with the New York Highlanders as an outfielder. He batted .215 over 25 games during the 1912 season. Jimmie Savage of Southington was a Villanova grad who caught the attention of the Philadelphia Athletics. They drafted him in 1912. He had a three-year career as a utility player, playing various infield and outfield positions. Jimmie played in 148 games and batted a respectable .276.

Jack Barry? of Meriden had an 11-year career in the majors. A graduate of Holy Cross, Barry was an infielder who began his career in 1908 with the Philadelphia Athletics. Halfway through the 1915 season, he was traded to the Red Sox, becoming the first Connecticut native to don a Bosox uniform. Jack played in more than 1,100 major league games, with more than 300 as a member of the Red Sox. He was a teammate of Babe Ruth. His lifetime average was .243.

Here are some of the most interesting facts about the oldest baseball stadium in the majors:

As of April 17, 2012, the Sox have had 717 consecutive sellouts at Fenway. The old record was 455 by the Cleveland Indians.Baseball experts estimate that the very narrow foul territory at Fenway adds between five and seven points to the home team's batting average.Despite being unfriendly to left-handed pitchers, Babe Ruth won more than 67 percent of his games in Fenway — a record of 94-46.The "Green Monster" in left field is just over 37 feet high and is made mostly of wood. It wasn't painted green until 1947.While a Yankees outfielder, Babe Ruth hit the longest homer ever at Fenway — an estimated 545 ft — on May 25, 1926.

Happy 100th to Fenway Park, a New England landmark cherished by many Nutmeggers!

Thanks. We'll email you the next time we update this story.
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Playing Barcelona at Camp Nou does not scare us, says Petr Cech - The Guardian

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Bahrain police use tear gas, stun grenades on protest march - Fox News

Published April 19, 2012

Associated Press

April 18, 2012: Bahraini anti-government activist Zainab al-Khawaja, second right, gestures and chants slogans in front of riot police during a protest in downtown Manama, Bahrain.AP

MANAMA, Bahrain – ?Security forces in Bahrain have fired tear gas and stun grenades at hundreds of anti-government protesters who are chanting slogans against the upcoming Formula One Grand Prix.

Thursday's clash, witnessed by an Associated Press photographer, is the latest flare-up in the Gulf kingdom as it hosts F1 racing teams from around the world.

Bahrain opposition groups have criticized the decision to stage Sunday's race, which was canceled last year because of unrest.

Marchers chanted slogans against the F1 and appealed for the release of a jailed activist who has been on a hunger strike for more than two months.

Bahrain's Shiite majority began an uprising in February 2011 seeking a greater political voice in the Sunni-ruled kingdom.

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Book paints Tigers Woods as full of dichotomies and contrasts - Kansas City Star

Veteran PGA golf instructor Hank Haney has a new book about Tiger Woods. But it isn't a "tell-all" mainly because Tiger doesn't share all with either his friends or swing coach. That said, the book does provide a rare look behind the veil that Woods has constructed around himself, a barrier that allowed only the genius of his golf to escape until running his SUV into fireplug on Thanksgiving 2009.

In "The Big Miss, My Years Coaching Tiger Woods," published last week by Crown Archetype, Haney offers fascinating insights on the broad duality that underlies Tiger's persona. Haney believes that Tiger's success springs from "the Package," a mixture of opposing extremes, or as Haney writes, "the sum of all of Tiger's qualities and characteristics, the good and the bad." Accompanying the foundation of his incomparable play - the ability to stay focused and calm under stress, the ying, perhaps -are other facets of his personality, the yang - "selfishness, obsessiveness, stubbornness, coldness, ruthlessness, pettiness, and cheapness."

The book is full of the dichotomies and contrasts swirling about Tiger, and his relationship with Haney, like slices and hooks.

Woods' public image versus his private life. Tiger's fairly warm embrace of nice guys on the PGA Tour who don't threaten his reign - Steve Stricker and Jim Furyk, but nothing but alpha dog slights and "competitive bullying" for the super talents - Phil Mickelson, for example. Tiger's passive-aggressive behavior. The objective examination of Tiger's swing from Haney, alternating with his subjective psychoanalysis of Woods. Haney's sincere admiration for Woods's achievements and talent versus his settling of some accounts.

Other than a tease at the start about the dissolution of the Haney-Woods association, the book follows the chronology of their time together, 2004-2010. With able assistance from collaborator Jaime Diaz of "Golf Digest" and "GolfWorld" magazines, Haney tells of his unbridled excitement when Tiger asked for his help. He had been coaching topflight players for years, but this would be a career mountaintop.

Woods parted with his previous coach, Butch Harmon, in the summer of 2002, and in 2003, he didn't win a major. In the spring of 2004, Haney viewed Tiger as a "diminished golfer," a real player with real problems, not a mythic athlete. In Haney's view, Woods had three major problems. First, his left knee was hurting. Second, he moved his head too much during his swing. Last and the biggie -Tiger played the driver "with a lot of fear." He feared the "big miss," inside golf-speak for a momentum killer such as driving out of bounds.

As they worked together, Haney found that Tiger's stubbornness made for tough sessions on the range. The coach had to devise ways of making the student believe swing changes were his own ideas. It was a slow process, netting only one official win for Tiger in 2004, the WGC-Accenture Match Play. The relationship became more productive the following year - six official wins, including two majors. In 2006, Woods won two majors and six other official tournaments. In 2007, Tiger won one major and six others, but Haney sensed a subtle change in Woods.

"The 2007 season was when I first began to think that Tiger was closer to the end of his greatness than he was to the beginning," Haney writes. "In hindsight, I think Tiger did, too." Further, again in retrospect, Haney thinks Woods had started to tire of his career, and cites Tiger's obsession then with all things military.

With his father Earl as a model, Tiger had always admired military men. But in 2006 and 2007, Woods started entertaining the idea of becoming a Navy SEAL, a member of the elite special operations force. Haney writes that Woods attended multiple sessions with SEALs, which included parachuting, hand-to-hand combat exercises and live-fire weapons training. The 31-year-old Woods even told Haney that the SEALs would waive their age maximum, 28, for him. This proved worrisome to Team Tiger -agent, caddie, coach and others. Recalling the NFL player who joined the Army Rangers, Haney recalls, "This was Pat Tillman times 100."

The U.S. Navy has acknowledged that Tiger made several unofficial visits to the Navy Special Warfare Command in 2006, but offered no significant details.

Haney writes that information available to him points to Woods tearing his already deteriorated anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during a 2007 SEAL exercise in "kill house," an urban combat simulator. Woods told Haney that he tore it while running on the golf course.

The coach also was opposed to the military-style weight training Tiger affected during this period. The macho pull-ups favored by the SEALs were hard on his shoulders, and Olympic-style lifts appeared to be at least one source for his right Achilles tendon injuries. Haney also believed that he was carrying too much weight for his bad knee.

In July 2007, Mark Steinberg, Tiger's agent, confronted the player about his military preoccupation. Haney heard less about the issue afterward, but another distraction had him worried.

It was that year that Tiger's cell phone seemed to ring more often than before. Unknowing at the time, Haney later saw the activity as evidence of Tiger's extramarital affairs. As exposed by the news media in late 2009, Woods made a deal in 2007 with the "National Enquirer" to keep an affair quiet in return for posing for a photo spread in a sister publication, "Men's Fitness." Haney thought it odd at the time for Tiger, who was always tight-lipped about his training, to speak on the record about his lifting and bare his buff chest.

Haney professes to have been in the dark about Tiger's sexual escapades, and that's not surprising considering Tiger's titanium privacy curtain. Haney did notice coolness between Tiger and his wife Elin in 2007, as well as Tiger's self-centered style at home. At dinner in their Orlando house, Tiger routinely left the table when finished, regardless of whether Hank and Elin were through eating.

Lean, fit and powerful, Woods matched the American stereotype of a professional athlete and brought crossover sports fans to the PGA Tour. This matched Earl Woods' belief that his son was the first golfer to be a true athlete. Tiger eagerly bought into this paradigm, and Haney comments on Tiger's use of insider phrases from other sports in his public statements. He talks about "reps," as in repetitions in NFL practices, "game speed," taking it deep" and "getting good looks."

Haney watched Woods insinuate himself into the fraternity of contact sports stars by casting his injuries as shared badges of honor. Stuff happens to us superstars, right Shaq? This is quite a stretch from his college days when his friends viewed him as such a nerd they nicknamed him Urkel after a TV geek character.

According to Haney, Tiger's multiple swing changes and constant tinkering on the practice tee reflect his deep-seated and admirable quest to improve. He reportedly left Harmon because Butch thought that by 2002, all Woods needed was swing maintenance. Additionally, Haney observes that technical improvements kept Tiger interested in the game. The threat of a prodigy's early burnout, plus Tiger's self-proclaimed attention deficit disorder, has propelled him toward new coaches and new swings.

Full swing analysis aside, Haney frequently mentions Tiger's short game. He faulted him for poor straightforward chips, which he overplayed with too much spin. "Chicks dig spin," he told Haney.

Haney blamed three-putts for many of Woods's woes in tournaments. Overly bold runs on birdie putts beyond 20 feet yielded stressful five-footers for par. Hank argued that even Superman can't make every mid-range birdie putt, so just avoid the three-jack. Tiger's former caddie Steve Williams told Haney that Woods won 85 percent of the time when he played 72 holes without a three-putt. Haney offered this final word on the now 36-year-old Tiger and his putting. "Players rarely improve their putting after their mid-30s."

Tiger's heroic win in the 2008 U.S. Open with two stress fractures and a torn ACL in his left leg has been well documented by others, but Haney adds many insider details. He then takes the reader through Tiger's rebound year in 2009 and his six wins.

Trying to get Woods ready for the 2010 Masters after the player's train wreck the previous winter tested the Woods-Haney team. Coming off his self-imposed exile and a month-long sex addiction rehabilitation, Woods seemed to indirectly blame Haney for his poor play in the tournament. Upset that Tiger replied to his dedication with moody and rude behavior, Haney resolved to quit after the Masters. He phoned Woods in May to resign, but Tiger said that he was busy with his kids. They ultimately traded texts that finished with this exchange.

"I can't tell you how grateful I am for the opportunity, but it's time for you to find another coach."

"Thanks, Hank. But we're still going to work together.

"No we're not. It's finished. Done. Over. I'm no longer your coach."

"We'll talk in the morning."

When the split later became public, Haney did a quick burn when Team Tiger spun the separation as a mutual decision.

Haney and Diaz have crafted a nice read that moves along nicely for golf-savvy readers. The golf-speak leans toward the technical side, but the authors try to help the uninitiated through the tangled forest of swing planes, strong left hand grips and trajectories. Those who are comfortable reading about swing mechanics, however, will enjoy understanding how Tiger hits a golf ball, either well or badly.

The authors intersperse the swing analysis with stories and anecdotes about Woods and his team that add a strong personal flavor to the narrative. Some of what they describe ain't pretty, although Haney's admiration for the man's golf game always shows through. However, that appreciation often fights for sentences with Haney exasperations with Tiger's hardheadedness. Of course, we have only Haney's view on this, and the pushback from Team Tiger will surely offer contrasting assessments.

For the prurient looking for the "good stuff" on Tiger's marital waywardness, there's little to be found. Haney does offer brief accounts of Tiger's reaction to rehabilitation and attempts at reconciliation with Elin. Haney and Diaz chose to include a short index of names only, so casual browsers at the bookstore, if that tribe still exists, can't simply turn to a titillating segment.

The biggest strength of "The Big Miss" is the breadth of its insider view of the Tiger Woods phenomenon, a scrutiny previously unavailable to the public. Considering that Woods is "allergic," to use Haney's term, to people trying to get too close to him, the book succeeds in this regard.

If Haney wrote about why he wrote the book, I missed it. It's clear, however, that he doesn't want to be blamed for Tiger's uneven play before hiring another coach, Sean Foley, in 2010. He must believe that his frank account of dealing with a complex player in difficult circumstances will help defend his reputation. To that end, he notes that under Harmon, Woods won 34 times, almost 27 percent of his 127 official starts. With Haney's help, Tiger won 31 times in 91 official tournaments, or 34 percent of the time.

Haney may pay a price for what Tiger views as out-of-school tales. Another prominent swing coach, Rick Smith, says the book violates golf's version of doctor-patient relations. Harmon, however, backs Haney's freedom to write the book.

A longtime member of the PGA, Haney owns and operates a far-flung golf instruction business with headquarters in Dallas, Texas. He has written four golf instruction books, including "Fix Your Yips Forever," a malady that he admits to having suffered for much of the 1980s and 1990s.

ABOUT THE WRITER

Michael K. Bohn is the author of "Money Golf," a history of the gentlemanly wager on the golf course, and more recently, "Heroes & Ballyhoo: How the Golden Age of the 1920s Transformed American Sports."

Bohn also wrote "The Achille Lauro Hijacking: Lessons in the Politics and Prejudice of Terrorism" (2004), and "Nerve Center: Inside the White House Situation Room" (2003). He served as director of the White House Situation Room, the president's alert center and crisis management facility, during Ronald Reagan's second term. Bohn was a U.S. naval intelligence officer from 1968 to 1988.

2012 McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

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Rangers Vs. Penguins: Pittsburgh Clinches Home Ice With Decisive Victory - SB Nation

By Matt Wagner - NHL Contributor

As the Penguins hosted the Rangers, the club threw everything they could into seizing home ice advantage for the first round season against the Flyers - but they may want to be careful what they wish for after the fallout from their 5-2 victory.

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Apr 6, 2012 - With just two games left in the regular season, the New York Rangers have secured first place in the Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference, but they have yet to hire an engraver for the President's Trophy. With only that somewhat superstitious prize to play for, perhaps it's not surprising that head coach John Tortorella decided to give Henrik Lundqvist the night off.

Penguins head coach Dan Bylsma, however, had every reason to throw his top assets out against the Rangers, including goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, but the injuries that have plagued his team all season claimed both James Neal and Steve Sullivan with the dreaded "lower body" injuries.

With the battered Penguins roster looking to clinch home ice advantage for their first-round series against the Flyers, the decision was made to challenge Martin Biron and the Ranger defense early and often, and it would pay off when Chris Kunitz scored by redirecting a Kris Letang shot off of his leg and into the net.

The Rangers, however, seemed ready to respond in kind. Attacking through the neutral zone, Brian Boyle dragged around the Penguin defense before firing a shot off Fleury's pads, and Brandon Dubinsky was in a perfect position to hammer the rebound home.

Two can play at that game, though, and the Penguins continued the scoring with a very similar play just over eight minutes in. Working the puck around the Ranger zone, Jordan Staal fired a long shot that Biron kicked out toward the boards, but Tyler Kennedy was there to grab the puck and return fire before the netminder could get back into position.

The Rangers would get an opportunity to draw even on the power play, but Fleury and his penalty killers protected the 2-1 lead through the first period.

A brief confrontation between Ryan Callahan and Kris Letang put the teams into 4-on-4 hockey, but neither team would capitalize. Instead, the game turned on a strange misplay by Biron a few minutes later when the goaltender lost his stick on a sprawling save against Pascal Dupuis. Trying to reach out and freeze the puck with his glove, he ended up knocking it across the crease to Richard Park, and the shot rid over Biron's side and into the net.

Smelling blood in the water after the goal, the Penguins would hammer Biron relentlessly, racking up 25 shots on goal by the end of the second period, while the Ranger offense a strong effort of their own, registering 17.

Hoping to respond early and bring the game back into reach, the Rangers challenged Fleury throughout the third period, but the game would be effectively settled midway through the period thanks to an all-star play that saw Sidney Crosby just miss Chris Kunitz with a long pass behind the Ranger net, but the veteran winger sent a no-look pass to Evgeni Malkin as he drove to the net for his 49th goal of the season.

It all seemed over except for the champagne for securing home ice when Brooks Orpik clobbered sophomore winger Derek Stepan with a blatant knee-on-knee hit at center ice. Orpik was given a five-minute major and a game misconduct and he was ejected from the match. Richard Park served the penalty, further reducing the Pittsburgh roster.

Artem Anisimov scored to cut the lead down to two goals with over two-and-a-half minutes of power play time left, and Tortorella called Biron to the bench for an extra attacker. The Rangers hopes of using the major to draw even would end, however, when Jordan Staal won a key defensive zone faceoff back to Kris Letang, who sent a long bouncing shot the length of the ice and into the empty net.

The 5-2 victory gave Fleury his 42nd win of the regular season, tying him with Pekka Rinne for the overall lead in the NHL, and also ties Fleury with Tom Barasso for the franchise's wins leader at 226.

Unsurprisingly, the story of the game may not be the action on ice, but the consequences off of it. With coach Tortorella calling out the Pittsburgh organization and players in his vitriolic postgame comments, it seems likely that the NHL could fine the bench boss for his remarks in addition to the likely supplemental discipline coming for Orpik that could deny the Penguins a valuable contributor in their final regular season matchup against Philadelphia on Saturday -- a game that is sure to set the tone for their meeting in the first round.

Read More: Richard Park (RW - PIT), Brandon Dubinsky (C - NYR), Ryan Callahan (RW - NYR), Henrik Lundqvist (G - NYR), Artem Anisimov (C - NYR), Steve Sullivan (LW - PIT), Pekka Rinne (G - NAS), Chris Kunitz (LW - PIT), Brian Boyle (C - NYR), Pascal Dupuis (LW - PIT), Marc-Andre Fleury (G - PIT), Martin Biron (G - NYR), James Neal (LW - PIT), Jordan Staal (C - PIT), Brooks Orpik (D - PIT), Tyler Kennedy (C - PIT), Kris Letang (D - PIT), Evgeni Malkin (C - PIT), Sidney Crosby (C - PIT), Derek Stepan (C - NYR), Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, New York Rangers at Pittsburgh Penguins, Apr 5, 2012 7:00 PM EDT

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Knicks links: Tyson Chandler dominates Dwight Howard, Toney Douglas returns ... - The Star-Ledger - NJ.com

Douglas Jones/US PRESSWIREIs the Defensive Player of the Year for the 2011-2012 season in this picture? Tyson Chandler held Dwight Howard to eight points and eight rebounds while helping to force five turnovers from the Magic center in a 16-point Knicks win on Thursday night.

The Knicks were entrenched in their own chaotic world on the way down to Orlando. Even though interim coach Mike Woodson has had a good showing during his brief tenure, there was rumors that his position would be handed to Phil Jackson or John Calipari at season's end.

It was just another example of the crazed microcosm in which this franchise has existed for the past 30 years or so... And then we saw the craziness brewing in Orlando.

At the morning shootaround, Stan Van Gundy accused Dwight Howard of trying to get him fired. Howard did a good job of playing dumb, but did a poor job of playing basketball later that evening, finishing with eight points, eight rebounds and five turnovers in a 96-80 Knicks win.

As always, here's NJ.com's daily aggregation of Knicks news, with a special emphasis on Tyson Chandler's manhandling of the reigning NBA Defensive Player of the Year:

? Chandler nearly pitched a shutout against Howard, wrote Marc Berman of the New York Post: "Chandler’s physical defense on Howard had him scoreless at halftime. He scored his first points with 3.5 seconds left in the third quarter to scattered boos. Howard finished with eight points — six meaningless ones in the fourth with the game out of reach — eight rebounds and five turnovers. He also was booed when he missed two free throws late in the third quarter... 'Anytime I play against a guy like that, I want to try to take him out,' Chandler said. 'I know for my team’s success, I can’t let him get off.'"

? Not only did Chandler shut down Howard, but he may have put himself ahead of the Magic center in the Defensive Player of the Year voting, wrote Frank Isola of the New York Daily News: "For the second straight game, Chandler enhanced his case for Defensive Player of the Year honors. In that span, he has neutralized the two centers — Indiana’s Roy Hibbert and Howard — that made the All-Star team ahead of him. Chandler finished with 12 points and 12 rebounds in 35 minutes while Howard produced eight points, eight rebounds and five turnovers and didn’t score until the final seconds of the third quarter."

? Perhaps the biggest news for the Knicks wasn't how they handled Howard, but how combo guard Toney Douglas shook off some cobwebs to finish with 15 points, explained Kevin Clark of The Wall Street Journal: "Douglas's emergence is crucial with Baron Davis struggling to return to health. He played 19 minutes and scored five points on Thursday but Knicks coach Mike Woodson said Davis won't be able to play more than about 25 minutes per night. With Jeremy Lin out, point guard becomes paper-thin, meaning Douglas will get huge minutes if he can contribute at all... Douglas said he never doubted that he'd get to play again, even when Lin had a firm grasp on the starting spot. Douglas was entangled in an interesting situation—former coach Mike D'Antoni once said that when Douglas wasn't playing that he had the most defined role on the team. Douglas' Knicks career, even under Woodson, was sunk until Thursday."

? Even though Douglas looked sharp on Thursday, Davis still wants to be counted upon, explained Steve Popper of The Bergen Record: "Baron Davis had a new injury Thursday, icing a sore left knee. That was in addition to his already aching back and right hamstring and calf. But Davis insists he is coming back next season... 'I definitely want to continue, especially the journey that I’ve been on,' Davis said after the morning shootaround. 'Just the fact of the herniated disk to where I am now. I know there’s a lot more room for improvement as far as my strength and my conditioning, and my game will come around — once I’m able to lift weights and run up and down the court and work on my foot speed and my quickness.'... Davis considered the end of his career this past off-season, wondering if his back would recover well enough for him to play. He returned Feb. 20 and has been forced into a starting role since Jeremy Lin injured his knee."

? J.R. Smith also bounced back for the Knicks on Thursday, but only after a long talk with Woodson, Berman wrote: "Woodson had a long talk with Smith in the wake of Tuesday’s ejection with 10.7 seconds left in Indiana for throwing down Leandro Barbosa.... 'I told him I’m going to continue to coach him as long as I’m coaching the team,' Woodson said at the Thursday morning shootaround at Amway Center. 'I told him I’m not going to let him off the hook. I want his shorts pulled up. I want him to look presentable. Be a professional. That’s what it’s all about.'... In following a new fashion trend for youth, Smith likes to wear his pants and shorts around the hips in what has been termed as 'sagging,' exposing underwear."

? If there was any concern that Smith took Woodson's words to heart, Thursday's game removed all doubt, Al Iannazzone of Newsday wrote: "Mike Woodson said Thursday that he wants J.R. Smith to be more professional 'on and off the floor.'.. Smith took care of the 'on the floor' part Thursday night. He was a positive force off the bench with 15 points and a career-high nine assists as the Knicks beat the Magic, 96-80... Smith scored 13 points in the second quarter as the Knicks expanded a two-point lead to 12 at halftime. He hit all five of his second-quarter shots, including three three-pointers... That's what Woodson said he wanted from Smith, who got a talking-to from the interim coach after being ejected from Tuesday's loss to Indiana for a flagrant foul."

? Carmelo Anthony--who has been accused of tinkering in the front office in the past--had some words of encouragement for Howard after the game, Iannazzone reported: "When the game ended, Anthony went over to Howard and talked to him. 'I just told him keep his head up, just play basketball, just focus in on basketball and keep having fun with it,' Anthony said. 'Everything will fall into place in due time. Right now, just focus on the team and focus on the playoffs and see what happens.'"

? Unlike Tuesday, when Anthony scored 39 points and the Knicks lost, the scoring was spread evenly in Thursday's win, Popper explained: "It wasn’t just Chandler though as the Knicks spread the wealth offensively after relying almost solely on Carmelo Anthony in recent games. Five players finished in double-figures, including an unlikely 15 points from Toney Douglas."

? Amar'e Stoudemire (back) should be able to return before the playoffs start, Howard Beck of The New York Times reported: "The Knicks have clarified that Amar’e Stoudemire’s recovery schedule — listed as two to four weeks — began from the day he received an epidural shot, not from the day the team first announced he had a bulging disk. That means his earliest possible return would be April 12, and perhaps as late as April 26, the last day of the regular season."

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Yoenis Cespedes hit one of three A's home runs in a 4-1 win over the Mariners - SI.com

TOKYO (AP) -- Cuban defector Yoenis Cespedes is starting to look at home with the Oakland Athletics.

Cespedes hit his first major league home run on Thursday to power the Athletics to a 4-1 victory over the Seattle Mariners that earned Oakland a split in the two-game season-opening series at Tokyo Dome.

Cespedes, who signed a $36 million, four-year contract with Oakland on March 3, said he is starting to feel comfortable in his new surroundings.

"I wake up early every day and get to the field early and work hard because the baseball is different than in Cuba," Cespedes said.

Cespedes connected for a two-run homer off Seattle reliever Shawn Kelley (0-1) to give Oakland a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the seventh. Josh Reddick followed with a solo shot off George Sherrill to give the A's a two-run cushion.

"They tried to throw me sliders every at-bat, so I had to adjust to hit the ball," Cespedes said. "It was great to hit a home run here for the Japanese fans."

The A's opted not to re-sign Japanese slugger Hideki Matsui after a disappointing 2011 season and are hoping Cespedes can provide more production in the middle of the order.

The late rally Thursday was an encouraging sign for Oakland, which had only scored one run in the first 17 innings of the season.

Oakland manager Bob Melvin said Cespedes has been showing steady improvement since joining the team at the beginning of this month.

"He's getting more and more comfortable every day," Melvin said. "The challenges he faces on the field are probably the easiest for him. He's been dropped into a situation that is difficult both on and off the field."

The 26-year-old Cespedes played in Cuba's top league for eight seasons before defecting in 2011. He starred for Cuba in the 2009 World Baseball Classic, hitting .458 with two home runs and five RBIs in six games.

Ichiro Suzuki, who was 4 for 5 in Seattle's 3-1 win over Oakland on Wednesday, was hitless in four at-bats Thursday.

Oakland starter Bartolo Colon picked up the win after striking out six and holding the Mariners to one run on three hits over eight innings. Grant Balfour pitched a scoreless ninth for the save.

"I mixed my pitches well," Colon said. "I tried to go inside with my two-seamer and outside with my fastball."

Jonny Gomes completed the scoring in the eighth with a solo homer off reliever Steve Delabar. Seattle scored its lone run on a solo homer by Justin Smoak in the seventh.

Even though Suzuki was quiet at the plate, he excited the crowd of 43,279 in the fifth inning with a fine leaping catch up against the wall in right to take away a base hit from Kurt Suzuki.

MLB and the players' association are using the series to assist rebuilding in Japan following last year's earthquake and tsunami. A group of players and coaches traveled to the disaster zone on Tuesday to conduct a baseball clinic.

"The main reason we came here was because of the tsunami," Melvin said. "I know MLB has been coming every four years, but the tsunami made this trip happen for sure."

The rest of the big league teams start on April 4, when the renamed Miami Marlins open their new ballpark against the World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals. In the meantime, the A's and Mariners will resume playing spring training games this weekend before facing each other in Oakland on April 6.

NOTES: The two-game series marked the fourth time MLB has opened the season in Japan. The New York Mets and Chicago Cubs opened in Tokyo in 2000, followed by the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay (2004), and Boston and Oakland (2008). Seattle and Oakland had been scheduled to play at the Tokyo Dome in March 2003, but the series was scrapped because of the threat of war in Iraq. Former Seattle closer Kazuhiro Sasaki threw out the ceremonial first pitch. Seattle outfielder Mike Carp was placed on the 15-day disabled list on Thursday. Carp suffered a sprained right shoulder diving for a double hit by Oakland's Kurt Suzuki in Wednesday's game.

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

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