Links:

Dan Shaughnessy has a point here. I loved Nomar as a player, there was a lot to admire, but the evidence was overwhelming. He was a prick.

ESPN's ombudsman talks about Kornheiser's suspension as well as Tiger Woods and journalism. The lesson from the former subject: if you offend anyone, your job is on the line. Tow the line and be bland. Don't say what you think if it might be controversial.

A look at the dearth of black American players in MLB.

Bill Plaschke doesn't think the Lakers are playing good enough to even make the Finals again.

Over the last decade, Carmelo Anthony has the best field goal percentage in crunch time.

An article describing the class of Wayne Rooney in light of Beckham's first appearance back at Old Trafford.

Real Madrid again failed to make it out of the Round of 16 despite having a galaxy of stars.

Is Sam Bradford worth the No. 1 pick? Is he the real deal?

It's always tough to fault a coach (Chip Kelly) when players can do what they want and allegedly burglarize in this instance.

I'd care about this dilemma facing women's college basketball, but I don't care for the sport.

I hope this court case burns the NCAA to the ground. Thieves.

Is the recession's effects in sports over?

NY Post reports Tiger is returning to golf in two weeks. The real news we learned about him was from the Miss Tiger Woods Mistress Beauty Pageant yesterday on the Stern Show. He never tips, he made his girls fly coach, he never spent any money on them, he's circumcised, he never used protection, he's easily jealous, was careless in his liasions, was looking to get caught, there was never a period where he was faithful to his wife, and he's bigger than Jordan and Bruce Willis. I'll leave out in exact inches how big he is, but he's more black than chinese in that regard.

Can Clottey counterpunch his way to victory against a Pacquiao who throws an ungodly amount of punches at dazzling speed?

A look ahead at the matchups in the BIg East Tournament.

Big Ben denies sexual relations with the girl accusing him of sexual assault.

Tim Tebow scores below average on Wonderlic test. To be fair, I doubt it means anything.

An enlarged thyroid gland may be an indicator of HGH use.

YouTube video(s) of the day:

Dwyane Wade and Co. took it to the Clippers, Wade had 27 points and eight assists as the Clippers fell to 25-40.

Rasual Butler did his part for the Clippers with 31 points, even without scoring in the final 16:50, but got little help from his friends. Ofter reliable Chris Kaman and Drew Gooden combined for just 22 points and 14 rebounds.

"We have to get better every day," Clippers coach Kim Hughes told the Associated Press. "We have to work and try to find that chemistry. There are no excuses for not continuing to finish it out. The season is not done and every game is a learning process."

The Heat got it done, moving a game ahead of Chicago.

"We've had a better sense of urgency now in the last couple weeks and we've been able to sustain it," Erik Spoelstra told the AP. "But we can't get ahead of ourselves and start to think about all these games in the future. We've got a big one on Friday."

Wade, and others helped close the third quarter with a 15-2 run that turned a cushy lead into 90-72, turning into a rout.

The Heat take on the Chicago Bulls (33-32) at home Friday at 4:30 pm. The Clippers (25-40) head to take on the Charlotte Bobcats Friday at 4:00pm. All times are PST.

The Los Angeles Kings dropped their third game out of five since the Olympic break, losing to Chicago in overtime 3-2.

Two minutes into extra time, the Blackhawks' Patrick Sharp picked up a gift from the Kings in the form of Brad Richardson's bad neutral-zone pass and skated alone to put the puck past Jonathan Quick.

Sharp also scored the first goal for Chicago two minutes into the first period. Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown responded with a pair of goals in the second period. Kopitar's power play goal is his 31st of the season.

But, Kris Versteeg caught Quick lying on the ice and tied the game with a point-blank rebound shot.

After neither team scored in the third, the game went into overtime when Sharp's 20th goal gave Chicago the W.

Chicago outgunned Los Angeles by whacking 43 shots at Quick while the Kings managed 30 shots.

Dustin Brown applauded the Kings effort and getting the point for the overtime loss after the game.

"We'll take it. We want two, but at this point in the year, you take whatever you can get. I thought we battled hard. One mistake and it's in our net, but mistakes happen in the game."

The Kings will try to get back to .500 hockey in Dallas on Friday at 5:30 p.m. PST. Los Angeles beat up on the Stars, 5-1, the last time they met 10 days ago at Staples.

Links:

Jerry Jones should be commended for bringing the Pacquiao v. Clottey fight to center stage.

What can happen to college players that decide to return to college instead of bolting to the NBA?

Baseball is so fickle, but I think Strasburg is the real deal. Jim Leyland was singing his praises as was the alcoholic/non-alcoholic Miguel Cabrera.

The Mid-American Conference hasn't won an NCAA title in any sport in almost fifty years.

I'd take Big Ben on my team any day. He's built like a bull and he wins. Reputations are malleable.

I think a year like this in college basketball favors the Big East teams in the tournament. They're battle tested.

I think Jim Calhoun has lost his fastball.

Nomar Garciaparra, when he was healthy and on his game, was one of the best pure hitters. He signed a one-day contract with the Red Sox and retired.

Boxing trainers are all so original and full of character, but Freddie Roach is my favorite.

Robert De Niro will play Vince Lombardi in a movie.

How many teams should the NCAA tournament expand to, if at all?

LaDainian Tomlinson could wind up being a Viking.

A very entertaining profile on Ozzie Guillen.

YouTube video(s) of the day:

The losing Clippers just lost something else: their manager. General manager Mike Dunleavy was fired during the game with against the Orlando Magic, who have now gone 5-0 this March.

"It's just like another monkey wrench in a roller-coaster season for us," said Clippers guard Baron Davis to the Associated Press. The Clippers, who were most recently rocked by the departure of Dunleavy as head coach, are now left without a GM.

The Clippers were down 26 at the half and it never got any better, dropping the fourth game in a row.

The Magic will host the Chicago Bulls Thursday at 5:00pm PST. The Clippers will head to Miami to play the Heat Wednesday 4:30pm PST.

Kobe Bryant buried a difficult jumper over Antoine Wright with 1.9 seconds to play to give the Lakers a 109-107 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday.

After Lamar Odom split a pair of free throws, Chris Bosh hit a long range 3-pointer with 9 seconds remaining to tie the game at 107.

But Bryant had the last laugh as he buried the game winner for the 5th time this season.

Bryant finished with a game-high 32 points and 6 assists.

Andrew Bynum chipped in with 22 points on just 12 shot attempts as the Lakers (47-18) avoided their first four game losing streak since 2007.

Links:

Should Geno Auriemma and his success be seen in the same light as John Wooden's?

Madison Square Garden and Big East basketball equals the best conference tournament in the land.

Ricky Hatton is hanging up his gloves.

Is Aroldis Chapman the next big thing in baseball?

Was what Carl Edwards did to Brad Keselowski criminal? Would a prosecutor have a case?

A look at college basketball swag.

He did it at Seton Hall, but can a much older P.J. Carlesimo recruit the best if he was hired by Oregon?

Maybe Manny isn't the life of the party anymore or maybe T.J. Simers is just stirring shit up.

A look at how much the elite college basketball programs pay their coaches.

Would tennis be better served if it returned to wooden rackets?

Iverson responds to the alcohol and gambling allegations. He doesn't say anything concrete.

The consolation prize if the Knicks don't land LeBron James is Joe Johnson, rumor has it.

Is Rutgers going to go down the path of stupid and blind ADs and fire their basketball coach?

A look at Big East basketball programs and their cost of operations.

Verizon Wireless has signed a deal to show live NFL games. The cost to the consumer, if there is one, was not disclosed.

YouTube video(s) of the day:

Jonathan Quick picked up third shutout this season in a 6-0 Kings win over the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Quick, though, only had to stop 11 shots Monday night while the Columbus goalies faced 35.

Newcomer LW Fredrik Modin is proving to be a valuable addition so far after scoring his second goal as a King and his second game in a row.

By the end of the first period, the Kings had scored four goals and chased away Columbus goalie Steve Mason from the ice.

Los Angeles converted 3 out of 5 power plays, tying a season record.

The Kings meet up with the Blackhawks in Chicago Wednesday, 5:30pm PST.

Links:

This first link complete with stills and videos is courtesy of the boss, Patrick Crawley. Ron Artest going for the vintage Dennis Rodman look.

This is a great feature on not a professional nor collegiate athlete. Just great storytelling.

The MLB is looking for ways to improve the national pastime. What's the rush curmudgeons?

NY Daily News feature on why they think Derek Jeter is the greatest Yankee ever. I think they're just trying to sell papers.

Shaun White is ridiculously rich. He raked in 8 million in endorsements last year. He owns a Lamborghini and a seven-bedroom house north of San Diego he uses only for storage and parties.

Highlights from a study done on refereeing and star treatment.

Seventy consecutive wins for UConn Women's Basketball is quite a feat, tying your own record is remarkable.

A study finds the Wonderlic test not indicative of NFL success or draft selection. Personally, I'd rather know their SAT scores.

Woody Paige manages to ruin one of my favorite songs with a stupid opening to a column advocating the Broncos to cut ties with Brandon Marshall.

Favre proved he still has it. The Vikings, for their own success, ought to bring him back.

Tim Cowlishaw thinks the Big 12 is the best basketball conference and makes a case why the Big East isn't.

A look at the shuffle, in and out of the top spot in college basketball.

Tony Parker of the Spurs is out for the season with a fractured hand. The Spurs should have gone after Jason Kidd all those years back. Parker is good, but he's not an elite player like Kidd was in the earlier part of the last decade.

YouTube video(s) of the day:

UCLA guard Erica Tukiainen had a game-high 20 points to lead the Bruins past the Wildcats, 70-61 on Saturday at Pauley Pavilion.

Reiko Thomas matched Tukiainen scoring 20 points of her own but it wasn't enough to stop Arizona from losing their 5th straight game.

With the win, the Bruins extended their winning streak to 8 games, including 12 of their last 13.

The 22 wins are the most by UCLA since the 1998-99, and the 15 Pac-10 victories ties a record set in that same season.

UCLA's next game will be Friday at the Galen Center as they take on the winner of Thursday's match-up between the No.7 and No.10 seed.

Men's Roundup -

Malcolm Lee and Nikola Dragovic each had 15 points for the Bruins who fell to Arizona State, 56-46, on Saturday to end the regular season on a 3-game losing streak.

But UCLA had no answer for Arizona State's Eric Boateng down low as he scored 16 points and pulled down a career-high 14 rebounds en route to the win.

The Sun Devils started the game on a 13-0 run and never looked back.

UCLA's offense was average at best as they shot 33 percent from the field for 46 points, tying a season low.

The Bruins (13-17, 8-10 Pac-10) will now take on Arizona in the quarterfinals of the Pacific Life Pac-10 Tournament at Staples Center on Thursday.

Kobe Bryant had a game-high 34 points, including 18 in the fourth quarter, but missed the potential game-tying shot as time expired, and the Los Angeles Lakers fell to the Orlando Magic, 96-94 in a rematch of last years NBA Finals.

Vince Carter led the way for Orlando with 25 points, 15 of which came in a first quarter where Carter was 10-10 from the free throw line.

Pau Gasol chipped in with 20 points and 11 rebounds for the Lakers who lost their third straight game for the first time since Los Angeles acquired Gasol back in February of 2008.

With the Lakers trailing by three, Bryant hit what he thought was the game-tying 3-pointer. But after a stoppage in play it was reviewed by the referees and changed to a 2-pointer.

It was even worse for Los Angeles on Friday.

On the second end of a back-to-back, the Lakers rolled into Charlotte for a date with the Bobcats.

Bryant did what he could scoring 25 points, but the team struggled as a whole shooting just over 36 percent from the field, and a meager 17 percent from downtown as they fell to Charlotte, 98-83.

Up next: The Lakers (46-18) head back to Los Angeles for one game with the Raptors before heading back out on the road.

Tomas Plekanec scored the final goal in a shootout to lead the Montreal Canadiens to a 4-3 overtime win against the Ducks on Sunday night in Anaheim.



The Ducks jumped out to an early 3-0 lead after the first period. But Montreal came roaring back with goals from Brian Gionta and Andrei Markov in the final 1:50 of regulation to force overtime.



The loss extends Anaheim's losing streak to three games. The Ducks will next play the Columbus Blue Jackets at home on Tuesday.


 

The Utah Jazz outscored the Clippers 56-35 in the second half to overtake the struggling Clippers for a 107-85 victory in Salt Lake City Saturday night."We got in a rut when we turned the ball over, which was a ridiculous amount of times," Clippers coach Kim Hughes told the Associated Press.

Ilya Bryzgalov had 32 saves to help Phoenix shutout the Ducks 4-0 Saturday night in Phoenix.



The shutout was Bryzgalov's seventh of the season. Wojtek Wolski added a goal and an assist to a dominant performance by the Coyotes.  



Jonas Hiller has surrendered eight goals in his last two games for the Ducks. After two consecutive losses, Anaheim is still looking for its first win in March.

 

The Los Angeles Kings dropped their second game in a row, losing to the Montreal Canadiens Saturday night, 4-2. L.A. hasn't bested the Habs since almost seven years to the day on March 8, 2003.

Montreal outgunned the Kings early, firing three shots and scoring on one by Bran Gionta only 22 seconds in the first period.

Anze Kopitar answered back late in the first by scoring his team-leading 30th goal this season.

But the Kings power play proved powerless in the second. During three power play chances in the period, the Kings had two shots and allowed a Canadien goal through. Canadien center Dominic Moore put in a short-handed, roof shot over Jonathan Quick at 4:43.

Benoit Pouliot followed Gionta's lead and scored early for Montreal, 36 seconds into the third.

Scoring his first goal in a Kings' jersey, Fredrik Modin scored and pulled his new team to within one goal seven minutes in the third.

Coach Terry Murray pulled Quick from goal with a little over a minute left, but Montreal's Tomas Plekanec quickly iced the game by scoring an empty netter at 18:49.

The Kings, who were 10-1-1 before the Olympic break, have dropped two out of three games after the break and fallen to fifth place in the Western Conference.

The next matchup for the Kings is against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Staples Monday night at 7:30.

The bullpen continues to be the Achilles' heel for the USC Trojans (4-5) as junior Ryan Cabral couldn't come through in the clutch giving up the tying run in the eighth inning and the winning run in the ninth.

New Mexico (7-3) came into Friday night's game at Dedeaux Field batting .354 on the season and averaging over six runs per game, but it took them until the eighth inning before they could get anything off sophomore Andrew Triggs. For seven innings, USC's sophomore ace was nearly unhittable.

Triggs recorded a career-high nine strikeouts and allowed only five hits with only two of those coming through the first seven frames.

But in the eighth inning, the Lobos chased Triggs after stringing together three hits and cutting the lead to 2-1 on Rafael Neda's RBI-single up the middle. Cabral was inserted by coach Chad Kreuter to preserve the lead, but after a single loaded the bases, he walked Chris Juarez on four pitches tying the game 2-2.

Cabral (0-1) was able to get a strikeout and popout to end the eighth inning. However, in the ninth inning, he couldn't hold the Lobos' bats at bay allowing the game-winning run when Justin Howard doubled home Daniel Gonzalez from first base. Howard finished the game 3 for 4 with a pair of doubles.

USC took an early 2-0 lead in the first inning when Alex Sherrod ripped a single through the right side to drive in senior Mike O'Neill and sophomore Ricky Oropesa, who each reached on fielder's choices.

After the first, New Mexico starter Rudy Jaramillo settled in allowing only two more hits over his final seven innings. The ninth inning made him a winner moving his record to 1-1. Edwin Carl picked up his first save of the season throwing a hitless ninth inning.

The two teams take back to the diamond at Dedeaux Field tomorrow at 6:30 p.m.