|
| Brooklyn Nets arena will host KHL regular-season games, according to Medvedev () | 12/03, 11:27 |
| We've heard of Moscow on the Hudson ; how about on the East River? Kontinental Hockey League President Alexander Medvedev said on Monday that Barclays Center, which will be the new home for the New Jersey Nets beginning in the 2012-13 season, will host KHL regular-season games and exhibitions, marking the first time the League has made an attempt to bring its product to North American ice. This is what Medvedev said today about this, via SovSport: "I had a good meeting with the head of the NHLPA, Gary Bettman and Bill Daly, discussed many important questions. I watched two games: New Jersey Devils vs. Anaheim Ducks and the New York Rangers vs. Chicago. We decided that when the basketball club [the New Jersey Nets, owned by Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov] finishes building its arena in Brooklyn, KHL Legends Game and regular season games will be held there. We are continuing to improve the relationship between the KHL and the NHL. I am hoping that the situation with [Alex] Radulov will not spoil it." Medvedev added that "the NHL promised that they won't oppose [having KHL games in Brooklyn]." The New York Islanders, of course, have been discussed as a possible future hockey tenant for the Brooklyn arena, and are scheduled to play an exhibition game against the New Jersey Devils this October (CBA permitting). What draws a bigger crowd: an exhibition game with the Islanders or an exhibition game with Russian hockey legends? And which one will Alexei Yashin play in? | |
 | |
| Anthony Davis? mom wore a unibrow mask to the SEC championship () | 12/03, 11:27 |
| Standing together with her son in unibrow solidarity, Eranier Davis, the mother of SEC Player of the Year, future No. 1 draft pick and Bert-lookalike Anthony Davis wore a unibrow mask to Sunday's SEC championship game in New Orleans. Mrs. Davis was seen cheering on her son, who is almost as famous for his singular eyebrow than he is for his shot-blocking prowess, from the stands in a Mardi Gras mask with a drawn-on brow. She also wore the mask to Saturday's semifinal game. It was probably hard to see through the mask, which may not have been a bad thing on Sunday. Though Davis contributed a double-double, Kentucky was upset by Vanderbilt, 71-64. It was the Wildcats' first loss SEC loss of the year and only the team's second defeat this season. Davis and Kentucky are the top overall seed in this year's NCAA tournament. The team opens play on Thursday at 6:50 p.m. EDT against the winner of a play-in game between Mississippi Valley State and Western Kentucky. Oh, and in case you were wondering, Mrs. Davis does not share her son's monobrowistic tendencies under that mask: | |
| |
| Zone read: Georgia Tech tries to lure recruits with Hollywood promises () | 12/03, 11:07 |
| The Zone Read is your college football primer to make you seem like the smartest person at the water cooler even if you're not. Georgia Tech is trying a new recruiting pitch: Come to GT and you might see a movie star. That's what several of Georgia top high school juniors were hoping this past weekend when the coaching staff took them for a tour of campus and stopped at the baseball fields where Clint Eastwood was shooting scenes from his new movie "Trouble with the Curve." According to MTV.com , the movie "revolves around an aging baseball scout (played by Eastwood), who goes on a road trip to Atlanta with his daughter to check out a potential recruit" and stars Clint Eastwood, Amy Adams, John Goodman and Justin Timberlake. Unfortunately for the recruits, the stars were not out as they rolled by, so it wasn't exactly a selling point. But the idea that there might have been Hollywood royalty on Georgia Tech's campus created a little bit of intrigue. "That was awesome, seeing how everything was set up," JJ Green, an all-purpose athlete from Camden County High School told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution . "We probably should've stayed around there and tried to get into the movie." | |
| |
| No suspension for Evgeni Malkin after hit from behind on Bruins? Johnny Boychuk () | 12/03, 10:48 |
| It's interesting to listen back to Eddie Olczyk of NBC on the following clip, because his thought process mirrored our own: 'Yikes, ouch, Evgeni Malkin of the Pittsburgh Penguins really nailed Boston Bruins defenseman Johnny Boychuk in the numbers there ? eh, on second thought, he did seem to initially target the shoulder ?' According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the boarding minor Malkin received in the Penguins' victory over the Bruins on Saturday will be the extent of his punishment: No suspension, no fine, just time served. Seth Rorabaugh of Empty Netters has it right: This was a trifecta in Malkin's favor. No immediate injury, no prior history of illegal hits and there's enough gray area in Boychuk's last-second turn to the boards that supplemental discipline gets a little murky. One more thought here: I know we're in an era of player safety and the shaming of those who dare perceive hockey as a physical, hard-hitting and dangerous form of entertainment. But with due respect to Misters McGuire and Burke, I don't want to see the bear hug rule for hits near the boards. Ever. Not only because it adds another subjective call to the referees' menu ? 'Did he release the bear hug in a reasonable amount of time?! How many Missississippis was it?!' ? but because booming hits along the boards, legal or illegal, make the game more engaging for the viewer and add to the brutal drama of professional hockey. Cuddling doesn't. Continue to teach these guys the right way to hit, but let'em keep hitting. | |
| |
| Video: There are two portraits of Michael Jordan shaved into this gentleman?s hair () | 12/03, 10:30 |
| If you ever have a tough time deciding what kind of haircut you should get when you go to your barber/stylist, don't worry ? I can help. This is the kind of haircut you should get. The "two pictures of Michael Jordan shaved into your head" haircut. Problem solved! We did it! Now, you will have to go to San Antonio to get this haircut, because that is where Razor Sharp Cutz is, and Razor Sharp Cutz is where master barber Joe Barber ? which is a pretty lucky last name, considering the profession he chose ? makes people's heads into love letters to Michael Jordan. (It remains unclear if he will turn your head into this love letter from Michael Jordan . I bet he would, if you asked nicely enough.) If you really care about looking great for your spring formal or that big job interview, though, you will spring for airfare, plus the $75 that Sweater Punch reports that this haircut will cost you. Sometimes you have to sacrifice for art. | |
| |
| Josh Adams? amazing OT tip-in wins first Colorado state hoops title for Chaparral () | 12/03, 10:23 |
| With all the hoopla surrounding conference basketball tournaments and the beginning of the annual big dance, it's easy for the grand finale of some states' prep basketball seasons to get overshadowed. That wasn't the case for the Colorado Class 5A boys basketball championship got a good reason: Parker (Colo.) Chaparral High scored a game and title-winner on one of the plays of the season. The player providing the truly incredible tip-in you see above is Chaparral senior star Josh Adams , who was named tournament MVP shortly after his game-winning bucket. After his teammate (and BYU-commit) Cory Calvert missed what was expected to be the final shot of the Wolverines' overtime period against Arapahoe (Colo.) High, Adams came soaring to the rescue, elevating and suspending in mid-air while cutting to the basket from left to right, then connecting with his left hand -- the only one he could get to the ball -- and scoring what has to be the tip-in of the year at any level so far. The bucket, which left just two seconds on the clock, gave Chaparral a 69-67 lead , an edge which held up to hand the Wolverines their first state title in school history, leaving Arapahoe stunned in the process. "He's an amazing athlete," Calvert told the Denver Post of Adams, a close friend and classmate. "And that's why he's a big-time player." A big-time player with big-time leaping ability. Beyond the fact that the tip-in was lefty, the amount of time that the Wyoming-bound Adams spent in the air has to be the most impressive aspect of the game-winning feat. The fantastic photo you see above from the Denver Post tells that story better in one image than any further explanation can do itself. | |
| |
| Spring headlines: Jim Thome scheduled to play ? oh, boy ? defense () | 12/03, 10:20 |
| Baseball is back! Here at Big League Stew, we'll take a quick dash around the league each morning in an attempt to keep you updated on all the springtime story lines. ? The Philadelphia Phillies have warned us all spring it would happen. On Monday, we'll see the plan in action. Jim Thome, at 41 years old, who has played in the field a grand total of eight innings and one batter since 2006, will play four or five innings at first base in a minor league Grapefruit League. Reporter Ryan Lawrence of the Delaware County Times writes that Thome will work his way up to major league exhibitions later this month. Thome's chronic back problems, along with being in the American League where they use a designated hitter, have limited his opportunities on defense. But Thome is game to help the Phils at first while slugger Ryan Howard continues to recover from his Achilles' tendon surgery. "We've been doing our work. That's no worries there, just have to continue to try to make improvement. Any time you haven't done something in 6 or 7 years, you know there are going to be those steps you have to take to get where you wan to get. We've been trying to do that, and its been great." ? It doesn't sound so bad once you read the details ? that David Wright is heading back to New York to get a cortisone shot in his ribcage . But when you think "Mets" and "injury" and "medical staff" and " getting on an airplane ," it does give you pause. | |
| |
| What will Michigan call the other ?Ohio? this week? () | 12/03, 10:16 |
| The unveiling of fourth-seeded Michigan's opening-round NCAA tournament matchup against 13th-seeded Ohio on Sunday evening inspired one obvious question for Wolverines coach John Beilein when he met with reporters that night. What would Beilein call the Bobcats? Perhaps in an effort to irritate their most hated rivals, Beilein and Michigan football coach Brady Hoke have taken to referring to Ohio State as merely "Ohio" since the start of the school year. Asked what he would call the real Ohio this week, Beilein responded , "We're playing Ohio University now, a great university down in Athens, Ohio." Beilein's response was diplomatic, but Michigan fans have a clever alternative. Already there's a movement for Beilein to refer to his team's opening-round opponent as "The Ohio University," another obvious dig at Ohio State. The irony of Michigan's draw was not lost on Ohio State coach Thad Matta, who chuckled at the NCAA tournament selection committee's sense of humor. "That's gonna be really confusing for them," Matta told reporters in Indianapolis , where the Buckeyes gathered for the selection show after their loss to Michigan State in the Big Ten title game. | |
| |
| Titans owner Bud Adams wants Peyton Manning, is doing it wrong () | 12/03, 10:13 |
| Peyton Manning was just released by a capricious owner who can't keep things to himself, and clearly wants to take over his team, despite the absence of any professional football acumen. If you're a fellow NFL owner, your best bet at landing a Manning visit to your facility is to avoid acting like Jim Irsay. Somehow, Tennessee Titans owner Bud Adams didn't get the memo. In a story written by Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean , Adams came right out and said that he wants Manning on his team, and he really doesn't care what it takes to get it done. "He is the man I want. Period," Adams told Wyatt on Sunday. "And the people that work for me understand that. They know who I want. I want Mr. Manning with the Titans and I will be disappointed if it doesn't happen." Adams has spoken to Tom Condon, Manning's agent, and has tried to bridge any interest gap with the potential for a very attractive offer -- no matter what Chief Operating Officer Mike Reinfeldt, General Manager Ruston Webster, and Head Coach Mike Munchak might have to say on the subject. "[Condon] is all for having him come see me," Adams said of Manning. "He just wants to make sure my people in Tennessee want the same thing too ? Ruston and Mike and Mike. I am 650 miles away [in Houston], but [they] will do what I say to do because that's the guy I want and I am going to make the decision. ? I think I will be able to work it out myself as far as the money angle goes." In 2011, the Titans signed veteran quarterback Matt Hasselbeck to a three-year, $20 million contract, and selected Washington quarterback Jake Locker with the eighth overall pick. There will be an open competition between the two quarterbacks this preseason -- at least, that's been the plan so far -- unless Adams is somehow able to upset the applecart by putting in a legit eleventh-hour bid for Manning's services. | |
| |
| GolfTube: NBC uses the blimp to track Tiger Woods? every move () | 12/03, 10:00 |
| Sizing up the TV coverage from the WGC-Cadillac Championship ... and away we go. NBC has apparently found a new use for the MetLife blimp, after the network took advantage of the aerials shots and tracked Tiger Woods' every move following his WD from the Cadillac Championship. We've seen some bizarre shots from the golf course over the years, but this ranked right up near the top. After NBC got word of Woods' decision to pull out of the tournament, after 11 holes, the blimp immediately started following Woods as he drove in a golf cart to his car. No big deal, right? The problem was the overhead coverage didn't stop there. Trying to give viewers at home as much Tiger coverage as possible, the blimp continued to track Woods as he received ice packs through the window of his Mercedes, to the moment his car left the parking lot ... and started down the freeway. "The MetLife blimp has got it covered," NBC's Dan Hicks said, as the blimp continued to track the car as it whizzed past other motorists. "Right above Tiger as he drives away. ... But we still don't know the extent of the injury." What made the moment even more incredible was that we almost got the quote of the year from NBC analyst Peter Jacobsen. After returning from a commercial break, Jacobsen could be heard saying that Tiger "better not pull into a puh..." before cutting himself off right before he finished the sentence. Now, we don't like to make assumptions around here, but that "puh" sounded like he was about to say "a Perkins," but that would have been too perfect, right? I'm sure it was the "Pub"restaurant in Miami. Yeah, that's it. Regardless, I guess we found out the blimp has a place at tournaments after all. More follows ... | |
| |