NBA-Late rally helps Magic snap Clippers' record streak

Jan 12 (Reuters) - The high-flying Los Angeles Clippers came down to earth with an unexpected late bump in a 104-101 loss to the Orlando Magic on Saturday, their first defeat at home after a franchise record 13-game win streak.
With Blake Griffin recording 30 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, the Clippers never trailed until bench player J.J. Redick finally put the Magic ahead on a three-pointer with 42 seconds left.
Though Los Angeles All-Star guard Chris Paul hit a 15-foot jumper that cut the deficit to 102-101 with 33 seconds remaining, a slam dunk from Nikola Vucevic stretched Orlando's lead to 104-101.
Jamal Crawford, a tower of strength off the bench all season for the Clippers, missed a three-point attempt on the buzzer and the Magic were able to celebrate the end of a 10-game skid.
Arron Afflalo scored a season-high 30 points for the visiting team and Redick finished with 21 on eight-of-14 shooting to snap the Clippers' franchise-record win streak of 13-game, home-winning streak.
"An embarrassing performance for us today," Clippers head coach Vinny Del Negro told reporters. "We got outworked in every aspect -- second-chance points, rebounding.
"We wanted to take the three (point) ball out of the game and today we didn't do that at all."
Griffin, who made 15-of-22 attempts from the field, was bitterly disappointed after the Magic outscored the Clippers 29-18 in the final quarter.
"This was a bad loss," he said.
Despite being marginally outshot by 49 percent to 48 from the field, the Magic improved their record to 13-23 while the Western Conference Pacific division-leading Clippers slipped to 28-9.
Paul finished with 10 points and 16 assists and Crawford contributed 13 points as six Clippers players reached double figures but Redick's late go-ahead play made the biggest difference.
"Seven of our last 10 games have been one-possession games at one point or another in the last minute, and we just haven't had the ball bounce our way," Redick said. "The law of averages worked out (today)."
Seven-time All-Star Grant Hill made his first appearance of the season for the Clippers after returning from a bruised right knee.
After being welcomed in the fourth quarter with a standing ovation, he made two free throws and pulled in two defensive rebounds in six minutes of action. (Reporting by Mark Lamport-Stokes in Los Angelese; Editing by Frank Pingue)

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Late rally helps Magic snap Clippers' record streak

(Reuters) - The high-flying Los Angeles Clippers came down to earth with an unexpected late bump in a 104-101 loss to the Orlando Magic on Saturday, their first defeat at home after a franchise record 13-game win streak.
With Blake Griffin recording 30 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, the Clippers never trailed until bench player J.J. Redick finally put the Magic ahead on a three-pointer with 42 seconds left.
Though Los Angeles All-Star guard Chris Paul hit a 15-foot jumper that cut the deficit to 102-101 with 33 seconds remaining, a slam dunk from Nikola Vucevic stretched Orlando's lead to 104-101.
Jamal Crawford, a tower of strength off the bench all season for the Clippers, missed a three-point attempt on the buzzer and the Magic were able to celebrate the end of a 10-game skid.
Arron Afflalo scored a season-high 30 points for the visiting team and Redick finished with 21 on eight-of-14 shooting to snap the Clippers' franchise-record win streak of 13-game, home-winning streak.
"An embarrassing performance for us today," Clippers head coach Vinny Del Negro told reporters. "We got outworked in every aspect -- second-chance points, rebounding.
"We wanted to take the three (point) ball out of the game and today we didn't do that at all."
Griffin, who made 15-of-22 attempts from the field, was bitterly disappointed after the Magic outscored the Clippers 29-18 in the final quarter.
"This was a bad loss," he said.
Despite being marginally outshot by 49 percent to 48 from the field, the Magic improved their record to 13-23 while the Western Conference Pacific division-leading Clippers slipped to 28-9.
Paul finished with 10 points and 16 assists and Crawford contributed 13 points as six Clippers players reached double figures but Redick's late go-ahead play made the biggest difference.
"Seven of our last 10 games have been one-possession games at one point or another in the last minute, and we just haven't had the ball bounce our way," Redick said. "The law of averages worked out (today)."
Seven-time All-Star Grant Hill made his first appearance of the season for the Clippers after returning from a bruised right knee.
After being welcomed in the fourth quarter with a standing ovation, he made two free throws and pulled in two defensive rebounds in six minutes of action.

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WRAPUP 1-Basketball-Maccabi hail journeyman Roth after big win

BELGRADE, Jan 11 (Reuters) - Maccabi Tel Aviv playmaker Moran Roth emerged from obscurity on Friday to help the winners of four Euroleague titles to a 91-73 victory over Fenerbahce Istanbul to rekindle their hopes of reaching the playoffs.
Spaniards Caja Laboral, who were on the brink of an early exit in the preliminary group stage, continued their impressive comeback with a 77-51 rout of Besiktas Istanbul which kept them in the driving seat to advance to the knockout phase.
Barcelona beat holders Olympiakos Piraeus 76-68 in a heavyweight clash to avenge last season's semi-final defeat to the Greeks, CSKA Moscow overpowered Bamberg 90-83 and Real Madrid achieved a thrilling 75-74 victory over Zalgiris Kaunas.
Roth, who joined Maccabi this season after playing for a myriad of less-fancied Israeli teams, averaged 0.9 points and less than five minutes on the court until his moment of glory at home to Fenerbahce.
The 30-year-old journeyman scored eight points, including two three-pointers, and dished out six assists in 15 productive minutes to earn a standing ovation from the jam-packed Nokia Arena.
"I've been dreaming about this since I was five because nothing compares to the lights of this arena," a delighted Roth told the competition's official website (www.euroleague.net).
"I am really happy I could help the team get this very important win. It's our first in the top 16 and now we have to ride the momentum."
Maccabi coach David Blatt, who guided Russia to the 2007 European Championship, said: "We didn't expect Moran to put on such a good show although we knew he was capable of this. Winning by such a big margin is a big bonus for us."
Shooting guard Ricky Hickman picked up 24 points and fellow American centre Shawn James grabbed 22 for Maccabi who have a 1-2 win-loss record while Fenerbahce are rooted to the bottom of their section with three defeats.
The second group stage comprises 16 teams divided into two pools of eight. The top four in each section advance to the best-of-five quarter-final series from where the winners progress to the May 10-12 Final Four in London.
UNSTOPPABLE CAJA
Written off after losing six of their opening seven games, Caja squeezed into the top 16 with three wins in a row and now look unstoppable after registering another three on the trot to go first in their section.
They took an early 21-2 lead against Besiktas and never looked back as shooting guard Brad Oleson recorded 13 points and three other players chipped in with 12 each, providing the kind of team chemistry the Basque outfit were so bereft of earlier in the season.
"We have improved a lot in the last few games," said the 29-year-old Oleson who once plied his trade for lower league Dodge City Legend in the United States after completing his college career at Alaska Fairbanks.
"Nobody on this team stepped back when we were in a difficult situation in the last games of the regular season. The guys took two steps forward and now we need to stay top and not relax."
CSKA made it three wins out of three in the second group stage but not before they were pushed to the limit by Bamberg for the third time this season, the Russians having edged out the plucky Germans in similar fashion in their last two meetings.
Forward Viktor Khryapa led CSKA with 19 points while Serbia playmaker Milos Teodosic and guard Dionte Christmas added 17 each to cancel out a valiant solo effort by Bamberg's Slovenian forward Bostjan Nachbar who amassed 35 including six three-pointers from seven attempts.
"It was a high-quality game and a nice one to watch as both teams played well," said the 31-year-old Nachbar who played for several NBA teams before moving back to Europe in 2008.
Croatian centre Ante Tomic cheered Barcelona with 15 points against Olympiakos in an ill-tempered game littered with technical fouls.
Montenegrin-born forward Nikola Mirotic bagged 17 in a dramatic victory for Real Madrid marred by a post-game scuffle between rival players.
Zalgiris appeared set to stun the winners of a record eight European titles before Sergio Rodriguez buried a three-pointer with three seconds left and a brief altercation followed after Marko Popovic narrowly missed a three-point shot on the buzzer at the other end.
Elsewhere, league top scorer Bobby Brown collected a game-high 20 points in Montepaschi Siena's 82-76 home win over Khimki Moscow and former Los Angeles Lakers guard Jordan Farmar notched 15 in Anadolu Efes Istanbul's 71-62 defeat of Alba Berlin. (Editing by Tony Jimenez)

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Former Yankees manager Joe Torre wants focus on child abuse

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A government commission co-led by former New York Yankees manager Joe Torre said on Wednesday that the U.S. federal and local governments are not doing enough to identify and treat child victims of abuse and violence.
At a meeting with representatives from major federal departments, the commission of academics, law enforcement officials and others, issued 56 recommendations to help child victims, including expanded training for social workers.
Torre, whose own childhood with an abusive father led him to start a charitable foundation focusing on the issue of child abuse, said many social workers and law-enforcement officials simply did not know how to spot signs of domestic abuse.
"I don't think society knows how to react, even if they think something's going on," said Torre, who won four World Series championships with the Yankees and is now an executive in Major League Baseball.
The failure of Penn State University to report former assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky for child abuse - charges Sandusky was convicted of this year - was one example, Torre said.
The commission, set up by the Justice Department and known as the Task Force on Children Exposed to Violence, has held hearings for the past year. U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder has made the issue a priority.
Banging his fist on a table for emphasis, Holder told the commission its ideas would not sit on a shelf gathering dust, and that he would push the White House for support.
"The Justice Department is a big organization with a lot of tentacles in a lot of places, and my hope is to use the time I have as attorney general to continue the effort," Holder said at a news conference after the meeting.
President Barack Obama has not said whether he wants Holder to serve into a second term, though Holder is expected to stay on as the chief U.S. law enforcement official at least into early 2013.
Holder said there was a moral imperative for the U.S. government to support child victims - whether they have witnessed violence at home, in gangs or elsewhere - and a financial incentive to do so if those children are kept off a path to crime.

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Korean closer Lim heading to Chicago Cubs

semifinal game at the World Baseball Classic in Los Angeles, California March 21, 2009. …more
(Reuters) - South Korean closer Lim Chang-yong is set to sign a deal with Major League Baseball's Chicago Cubs, though the sidearm pitcher is unlikely to be able to take the mound again until late next season.
The 36-year-old righthander, who had elbow surgery earlier this year, told reporters at Incheon Airport on Thursday he had long dreamed of signing for a major league team.
Lim tallied 296 saves in his 18-year career in Korea and Japan and could wind up pitching against compatriot Choo Shin-soo, who was acquired by the Cubs' NL Central rivals Cincinnati on Tuesday.
"I want to play the kind of baseball that I'm known for, and give the fans enjoyment," said Lim, adding that the deal was worth up to $5 million over two years.
Lim, who spent the last five season in Japan with the Tokyo Yakult Swallows and is known for his scorching fastball, said the Cubs would give him enough time to recover from the surgery before putting him into the bullpen.
"After enough rehab I want to get back on the mound in the middle or towards the end of next season," said Lim, adding that the Cubs were placing more importance on 2014 for the former Japanese baseball All Star.
Lim made his professional debut with South Korea's Haitai Tigers in 1995 and also played with the Samsung Lions in Korea.
He earned a bronze medal at the Sydney Olympics and was part of the South Korean team that finished second at the 2009 World Baseball Classic.
"I'm happy that my dream has finally came true," said Lim.
"I'm not young any more and I wanted to do something that I've never experienced before.

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Angels land slugger Hamilton in $125 million deal

(Reuters) - The Los Angeles Angels grabbed Major League Baseball's prized free agent for a second consecutive year on Thursday by signing slugger Josh Hamilton to a five-year, $125 million contract.
Hamilton, a five-time All-Star who overcame drug and alcohol addictions to become one of Major League Baseball's most feared hitters, powered the Texas Rangers to consecutive World Series appearances in 2010 and 2011.
He joins a high-powered Angels lineup that includes three-time National League Most Valuable Player (MVP) Albert Pujols, a 32-year-old slugger who signed a 10-year $240 million deal with the team last year.
The Rangers had been hopeful of resigning the 2010 American League MVP and admitted they were caught off guard by Hamilton's jump to their American League West division rivals.
"Our full expectation was that the phone call was going to be before he signed, certainly not after," Texas General Manager Jon Daniels said on the team's website.
"Josh had indicated recently, last week, he told us he felt it might be time to move on but that we were still talking ... I'm a little disappointed in how it was handled, but he had a decision to make and he made it."
The 31-year-old hard-hitting outfielder broke into the major leagues in 2007 with the Cincinnati Reds but was traded to the Rangers the following year.
Hamilton has a career .304 batting average, 553 runs batted in and 161 home runs, including a career-high 43 last season.
The Rangers stood by Hamilton as he battled to control is addictions, including a relapse before the start of last season.
But the slugger got the campaign off to a sizzling start and looked to be a Triple Crown threat after slamming 18 homers in the Rangers' opening 34 games.
Hamilton, however, saw his production fall off in the second half of the season finishing with a .285 batting average and 128 runs batted in.
"Josh has done a lot for the organization, the organization has done a lot for Josh -- a lot of things that aren't public and things of that nature," said Daniels.

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Judgment day for Bonds, Clemens, Sosa at Hall

NEW YORK (AP) — There's a chance the podium under the chandeliers in the gold-and-ivory-colored Vanderbilt Room of the Waldorf Astoria Hotel will go unused.
With the cloud of steroids shrouding the candidacies of Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and others, baseball writers may fail for the only the second time in more than four decades to elect anyone to the Hall of Fame, rendering a news conference unnecessary.
About 600 people are eligible to vote in the BBWAA election, all members of the organization for 10 consecutive years at any point. Results will be announced at 2 p.m. EST Wednesday, with the focus on first-time eligibles that include Bonds, baseball's only seven-time Most Valuable Player, and Clemens, the only seven-time Cy Young Award winner.
Since 1965, the only years the writers didn't elect a candidate were when Yogi Berra topped the 1971 ballot at 67 percent and when Phil Niekro headed the 1996 ballot at 68 percent. Both were chosen the following years.
"It really would be a shame, especially since the other people going in this year are not among the living, which will make for a rather strange ceremony," said the San Francisco Chronicle's Susan Slusser, president of the Baseball Writers' Association of America.
Three inductees were chosen last month by the 16-member panel considering individuals from the era before integration in 1946: Yankees owner Jacob Ruppert, umpire Hank O'Day and barehanded catcher Deacon White. They will be enshrined during a ceremony at Cooperstown on July 28.
Also on the ballot for the first time are Sammy Sosa and Mike Piazza, power hitters whose statistics have been questioned because of the Steroids Era, and Craig Biggio, 20th on the career list with 3,060 hits — all for the Houston Astros. Curt Schilling, 11-2 with a 2.23 ERA in postseason play, is another ballot rookie.
The Hall is prepared to hold a news conference Thursday with any electees. Or to not have one.
Biggio wasn't sure whether the controversy over this year's ballot would keep all candidates out.
"All I know is that for this organization I did everything they ever asked me to do and I'm proud about it, so hopefully, the writers feel strongly, they liked what they saw, and we'll see what happens," Biggio said on Nov. 28, the day the ballot was announced.
Jane Forbes Clark, the Hall's chairman, said last year she was not troubled by voters weighing how to evaluate players in the era of performance-enhancing drugs.
"I think the museum is very comfortable with the decisions that the baseball writers make," she said. "And so it's not a bad debate by any means."
Bonds has denied knowingly using performance-enhancing drugs and was convicted of one count of obstruction of justice for giving an evasive answer in 2003 to a grand jury investigating PEDs. Clemens was acquitted of perjury charges stemming from congressional testimony during which he denied using PEDs.
Sosa, who finished with 609 home runs, was among those who tested positive in MLB's 2003 anonymous survey, The New York Times reported in 2009. He told a congressional committee in 2005 that he never took illegal performance-enhancing drugs.
The BBWAA election rules say "voting shall be based upon the player's record, playing ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character, and contributions to the team(s) on which the player played."
"Steroid or HGH use is cheating, plain and simple," ESPN.com's Wallace Matthews wrote. "And by definition, cheaters lack integrity, sportsmanship and character. Strike one, strike two, strike three."
Several holdovers from last year remain on the 37-player ballot, with top candidates including Jack Morris (67 percent), Jeff Bagwell (56 percent), Lee Smith (51 percent) and Tim Raines (49 percent).
When The Associated Press surveyed 112 eligible voters in late November, Bonds received 45 percent support among voters who expressed an opinion, Clemens 43 percent and Sosa 18 percent. The Baseball Think Factory website compiled votes by writers who made their opinions public and with 151 ballots had everyone falling short. Biggio was at 68 percent, followed by Morris (63), Bagwell (62), Raines (61), Piazza (59), Bonds (43) and Clemens (42).
Morris finished second last year when Barry Larkin was elected and is in his 14th and next-to-last year of eligibility. He could become the player with the highest-percentage of the vote who is not in the Hall, a mark currently held by Gil Hodges at 63 percent in 1983.
Several players who fell just short in the BBWAA balloting later were elected by either the Veterans Committee or Old-Timers' Committee: Nellie Fox (74.7 percent on the 1985 BBWAA ballot), Jim Bunning (74.2 percent in 1988), Orlando Cepeda (73.6 percent in 1994) and Frank Chance (72.5 percent in 1945).
Ace of three World Series winners, Morris finished with 254 victories and was the winningest pitcher of the 1980s. His 3.90 ERA, however, is higher than that of any Hall of Famer. Morris will be joined on next year's ballot by Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine, both 300-game winners.
If no one is elected this year, there could be a logjam in 2014. Voters may select up to 10 players.
The only certainty is the Hall is pleased with the writers' process.
"While the BBWAA does the actual voting, it only does so at the request of the Hall of Fame," said the Los Angeles Times' Bill Shaikin, the organization's past president. "If the Hall of Fame is troubled, certainly the Hall could make alternate arrangements."

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Source: RG3 to have surgery on torn knee ligament

WASHINGTON (AP) — A person familiar with the situation says Robert Griffin III will have surgery Wednesday to repair a torn ligament in his right knee.
The person said Griffin has a torn lateral collateral ligament and that the surgery will also determine whether he also has damaged the ACL.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the Redskins have not announced the latest details of Griffin's injury.
Baylor coach Art Briles confirmed the same details in an interview with USA Today.
A torn LCL would require a rehabilitation period of several months, possibly extending into training camp and the start of next season. A torn ACL is a more severe injury, typically requiring nine to 12 months of recovery.
Griffin reinjured the knee in Sunday's playoff loss to Seattle.

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Redskins' RG3 to have knee surgery

WASHINGTON (AP) — Robert Griffin III is having surgery Wednesday on a torn ligament in his right knee — and to see if there's a second ligament that also needs to be repaired.
Baylor coach Art Briles confirmed to USA Today and The Associated Press on Tuesday night that the Washington Redskins rookie has a torn lateral collateral ligament. He said the surgery also will determine whether Griffin has damaged his ACL in that knee.
A person close to Griffin, speaking on condition of anonymity because the Redskins have not made an announcement, also confirmed the details surrounding Griffin's injury to the AP.
A torn LCL requires a rehabilitation period of several months, possibly extending into training camp and the start of next season. A torn ACL is a more severe injury, typically requiring nine to 12 months of recovery.
Griffin missed most of the 2009 season for Baylor after tearing his ACL in the same knee, getting injured on the game's opening drive against Northwestern State but not leaving until halftime. He recovered to win the Heisman Trophy two years later.
"RG3 will be good as new, though. I know that!" Briles said in a text message to the AP.
Griffin sprained the LCL last month against the Baltimore Ravens and missed one game. He returned wearing a bulky black brace and reinjured the knee at least twice in Sunday's playoff loss to the Seattle Seahawks, prompting a national debate over whether coach Mike Shanahan endangered his franchise player's career by not taking him out of the game sooner.
The Redskins said an MRI taken after the game was inconclusive, so Griffin flew to Florida on Tuesday for a more detailed examination conducted by orthopedist James Andrews. Andrews will perform the surgery Wednesday.

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Ryan says Tebow would have done wildcat if asked

Tim Tebow would have done whatever Rex Ryan asked — if the New York Jets coach had asked him.
Ryan acknowledged Monday that Tebow wasn't happy when the coach chose Greg McElroy to start for the benched Mark Sanchez, but insisted Tebow was willing to play in any role Sunday against San Diego — including the wildcat.
"He was disappointed, there's no question," Ryan said Monday. "He was disappointed that he was not named the starter, but with that being said, I'm not going to get into private conversations that I have with players, but it was my decision to use Jeremy Kerley in the wildcat, without question.
"But I'll say this: I believe if Tim's number was called, he would've went in and played. I don't think there's any doubt about that."
A person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press that Tebow asked out of his wildcat offense duties last week after hearing that McElroy, the third-stringer, would get his first NFL start over Tebow, listed as the No. 2 quarterback.
Another person, also familiar with the situation, said that wildcat plays involving Kerley instead of Tebow were added before practice last Wednesday.
Both people spoke on condition of anonymity because the Jets do not disclose personnel discussions.
ESPN New York first reported that Tebow opted out of running wildcat plays. ESPN also reported that Tebow said his relationship with Ryan was "strained" for a few days, but they smoothed things over. Ryan had all three quarterbacks active for Sunday's 27-17 loss, but Tebow never got onto the field in any capacity.
Ryan did not deny that Tebow asked out of running wildcat plays, but also refused to go into any details of what happened.
"I've been transparent and all that stuff without question, but I'm not going to give you a private conversation that I would have with a player," Ryan reiterated. "That's between him and I. If he wants to share whatever the conversation is, Tim or anybody else, then that's up to him."
Ryan was also asked if it could be considered "insubordination" if a player refuses to play in a role designed for him.
"You guys are assuming something's a fact or whatever, and that's fine," Ryan said. "If I would have asked Tim to play in anything, Tim would have gone into the game and done that."
After the game, Tebow would say only that "it just happened" that he didn't play in the wildcat package. He has done his best to hide his frustration throughout what he could consider a lost year on the playing field.
"Well, it's been disappointing," Tebow said of the season. "Obviously, it didn't go as we thought, as I had hoped, but sometimes in life you have that. Sometimes you have setbacks and you just have to look at them as another opportunity for you to step back up and keep working and figure out what to do."
New York will either trade or release Tebow after the season, a disappointing and frustrating one-year stint with the Jets that just seems to get worse. Tebow was asked after the game if he could remember the last time he had played so little.
"Three or 4 years old, probably," Tebow said. "Since I started."
Tebow has not played a single snap in four of the last five games, although some of that inactivity was due to him breaking two ribs at Seattle on Nov. 11. He has been cleared to play, and got a full offensive series at quarterback last Monday night at Tennessee, but Ryan confirmed that Tebow "still has two cracked ribs."
The Jets (6-9) were eliminated last week with their loss to the Titans, and Ryan announced after the game against San Diego that McElroy — despite being sacked 11 times — would start in the season finale at Buffalo. Whether Tebow actually plays in that game or has taken his last snap with the Jets remains to be seen.
Tebow was acquired from Denver in a stunning trade last March and expected to be a major contributor to the offense. He has been only a role player — whenever he actually plays.
"I thought we'd do some better things out of that wildcat," Ryan said. "It hasn't happened. I'm not blaming it on Tim Tebow. I'm sure there's multiple reasons, but for whatever reason, it has not had the results that I envisioned for it."
Some reports have Jacksonville interested in bringing Tebow in to compete for its quarterback job next season. The Jaguars were the only team other than the Jets that tried to trade for Tebow last year, plus it would be a homecoming for Tebow if he played in Jacksonville.
"I'm not pulling the tampering thing," Ryan said. "Tim's under contract with us and that's all I know."
Jaguars coach Mike Mularkey told Jacksonville reporters that he wasn't aware of reports that his team looked into pursuing Tebow before the trade deadline earlier this season.
"I am not going to talk about that," he added. "I don't talk about other players on other teams right now."
NOTES: Ryan was still disgusted by how many times McElroy was sacked by the Chargers on Sunday. "The 11 sacks and all that, that's as poor as I can ever remember as far as the pass protection was concerned," he said. It was the most a Jets QB was sacked since David Norrie in 1987 against Dallas — a game played by replacements. ... The Jets waived WR Mardy Gilyard, who had two catches for 15 yards in three games for New York.

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Column: Seattle isn't just sleepless, it's loud!

That dull roar still rumbling between your ears a day later is not your imagination.
It's the echo from the 49ers-Seahawks game Sunday night, when an already notoriously loud hometown crowd outdid itself. How?
Start with CenturyLink Field, a U-shaped stadium with cantilevered roofs extending over most of the 67,000 seats in the grandstands, a configuration designed to bounce back sound. Then throw in some fans presumably hopped up on espresso and, thanks to a later starting time, some more who stopped at Safeco Field on the way over to quaff 24-oz. beers offered through a promotion at a mere $4.50 each.
Next, mix in their dislike for a nasty NFC West rival and especially coach Jim Harbaugh, who smacked the Washington Huskies every chance he got when he was at Stanford and has been tormenting Seahawks coach Pete Carroll ever since.
Finally, throw in that early, unexpected lead and — voila! — a near-perfect sound storm.
Just know it could have been worse.
"Obviously, they were jacked up last night," said Fred Gaudelli, the innovative producer of "Sunday Night Football" on NBC. "But in my mind, it's one of the underrated sports towns in America. Actually, the special challenge there is always to convey how loud it actually is.
"We knew that going in, plus we knew the 49ers were the team their fans hate the most. So at Wednesday's regular 'brainstorming session,' we turn to our head audio engineer and said, 'How do we make viewers understand you can't hear the person next to you most of the time, even if he's yelling?' We wanted to be ready."
Gaudelli knows what can happen to a team that ventures into Seattle without preparing for the wall of noise.
In 2005, the visiting New York Giants collected 11 false-start penalties in a single game, the start of a five-year span when opponents piled up league-leading totals, averaging twice as many there as the Seahawks. The Carolina Panthers once practiced for a game there by dragging loudspeakers down to the practice field and simulating the sound of a jet engine. If that sounds over the top, it is, by about 18 decibels. Jets are routinely measured at around 130, Century Link's best is only 112.
Gaudelli and his crew hatched a plan to demonstrate that by having sideline reporter Michele Tafoya speak into a microphone as the sound reverberated, then take a step back and try again. When they ran through it before the game, he had a stadium staffer simulate the crowd noise over the PA system. At the point Tafoya's words were drowned out the system was cranked to 50 percent of volume.
"So I asked the guy, is it really going to be that loud? He looked at me," Gaudelli chuckled into the phone, "and said, 'Double it.'"
The guy was right. That much was apparent at the start of the broadcast, when Tafoya interviewed Carroll — remember, the game hadn't even begun — and didn't dare stand anywhere but uncomfortably close.
Uncomfortable might be the right word to describe the 49ers as well, at least in the early going, when they had to burn timeouts as relatively inexperienced quarterback Colin Kaepernick was having trouble getting the play calls from his sideline. Right about then, he probably wished the 49ers had devoted more time to mastering their silent snap counts.
"The crowd's explosive, it really is," Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson said. "They love us so much, and it brings so much energy to our football team. They keep us in the game, obviously, and they keep us alert."
Experts have been arguing over the worth of home-field advantage for decades. Most concluded that in those places where it's statistically significant, it's usually because of a number of factors and not just one, such as noise. Since CenturyLink opened up in 2002, Seattle is 58-29 at home, a 67 percent winning clip that ranks the Seahawks sixth in the NFL over that span. That's a far cry from New England's league-best 72-15 record (83 percent).
But the Seahawks haven't had Tom Brady at quarterback, and their road record is dismal enough (33-55) that the boost the fans at CenturyLink have provided might be best measured by their last four playoff appearances. If that's not exact enough, try this: After a 2001 earthquake shook a viaduct that runs along the water and near the stadium, the University of Washington set up a lab to track future "seismic events." One of them actually occurred during Marshawn Lynch's thundering, winning, 67-yard touchdown run in a memorable upset of the then-defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints on Jan. 9, 2011.
Yet while we know how Seattle fans make so much noise, why remains the subject of much speculation. Gaudelli, like a lot of people, blames coffee. But I'm going with a theory advanced Sunday night by announcer Al Michaels, who suggested the locals roar non-stop because showcase games gives them a rare chance to remind the rest of the country they're there.
"For media people on the East Coast," he said half in jest, "Seattle might as well be Bulgaria.

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Hunt leads SMU to 43-10 win over Fresno State

 Margus Hunt knew he had eight hours to fill on the flight over the Pacific Ocean, so he asked the SMU staff to put together film of Fresno State for him to study. He hit the Bulldogs like a tidal wave Monday night in the Hawaii Bowl.
The 6-foot-8 defensive end raced around right tackle to blindside Derek Carr and force a fumble. Hunt smashed into running back Robbie Rouse on a delayed handoff and forced another fumble. On a three-man rush, he sacked Carr in the end zone for a safety.
It was an inspiring performance by the senior from Estonia, and it set the tone for the Mustangs' 43-10 win.
"That was a lot of fun," Hunt said. "We knew from the get-go it was going to be a Monday night football game, the only game in the nation. We wanted to show our skills and make some plays. To me personally ... this is where it all started. It's good to end on this note."
The Mustangs (7-6) also returned two interceptions for touchdowns, giving them eight for the season to tie the NCAA record set last year by Southern Miss. Hayden Greenbauer picked off Carr and returned it 83 yards with 1:14 left, the final blow to a miserable night for the Bulldogs (9-4).
SMU had seven sacks, more than double the most Fresno State had given up in a game all year.
Garrett Gilbert was effective with his arm and his legs, running for a 17-yard touchdown for the first score of the game and throwing a perfect strike to Darius Johnson for a 21-yard score to answer the Bulldogs' only touchdown. He rushed for 98 yards on 18 carries and threw for 212 yards.
But this game was decided by the Mustangs' defense, with Hunt leading the way. He was voted the game's MVP.
"We tried some slide protections to 92 (Hunt). You know, they beat us," Fresno State coach Tim DeRuyter said. "We tried going empty to spread things out and get it out quick, we tried to max protect. Everything we tried didn't work."
Fresno State, the Mountain West Conference champion, has lost its last four bowl games.
SMU, which went 25 years without a bowl after its NCAA death penalty, now has played in a school-record four straight bowls, winning three of them. Hunt was a mystery when that run started in 2009, a gold medalist in the shot put and discus in Beijing at the 2006 Junior World Championships who came to SMU for track and field and turned to football when it was his only hope of scholarship money.
SMU coach June Jones has a knack for taking a chance on athletes from other sports, and he liked what he saw, from the 82-inch wing span to the 4.7 speed in the 40.
"It's not hard for me to see a world-class athlete who can run like that, has strength like that, has an arm length like that," Jones said. "The first scrimmage we had ... the only thing I didn't know was if he was going to be tough enough. The first play we ran a trap and hit him real hard, and he wanted to fight. I said, 'OK, we may have a player here.'
"His best football is ahead of him," Jones said. "I was really excited, on a national stage, for him to have that kind of a game."
The Bulldogs turned in a dud.
Fresno State, which had averaged just over 47 points in its last five games, was shut out in the first half for the first time in two years. Carr was too busy running for his life to get the Bulldogs into any kind of offensive rhythm. And when the Bulldogs finally scored with 10:21 left in the third quarter, Gilbert led the Mustangs on a 75-yard drive that he finished with a pinpoint pass to Johnson in the corner for a touchdown.
"That drive there put the game away in essence," Gilbert said. "For us to respond like that and put six points on that board was big."
It allowed Jones to walk out of Aloha Stadium with yet another win.
He was the coach at Hawaii for eight years, leaving after its unbeaten regular season in 2007. Jones now has won 10 straight games in Aloha Stadium, dating to a December 2006 loss to Oregon State.
"I just want to say 'Aloha' to the seniors," Jones said during the trophy presentation. "We said we were going to do it and we did it."
Without hardly breaking a sweat.
The 10 points matched the fewest Fresno State has scored this year, dating to its 20-10 loss to Boise State. Carr was 33-of-54 passing for 362 yards, but most of that came late in the game when the Bulldogs were trying to catch up.
He was overwhelmed by the Mustangs' defensive front, particularly Hunt, who had two sacks, two forced fumbles and three tackles behind the line of scrimmage.
"When you go three-and-out, it feels like there's no rhythm at all," Carr said.
After a dull, scoreless opening quarter, Gilbert shook off one tackle and scored on a 17-yard run. The defense took over from there.
Hunt blew past right tackle Alex Fifita and blindsided Carr, dropping him flat as the ball came loose and was scooped up by Aaron Davis, who returned it 23 yards to the Fresno State 16 until he fumbled it out of bounds. SMU had to settle for a field goal. On the next series, Carr scrambled backward and couldn't escape an 18-yard sack to the 6, and then Hunt sacked him in the end zone for a safety.
Hunt wasn't finished. On second-and-7 from the 33, Carr gave it to Robbie Rouse on a delayed handoff, right about the time Hunt showed up to disrupt the play and cause another fumble that Taylor Reed recovered. That drive went backward, and Chase Hover connected from 48 yards.
Jones' only concern was having to settle for field goals, fearing that might come back to haunt the Mustangs given Fresno State's explosive offensive. Not to worry. The SMU defense dominated to the very last score.

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Rafael Nadal's comeback delayed by stomach bug

 Rafael Nadal's return to competition has been delayed by a stomach virus.
The Spaniard was scheduled to play in an exhibition tournament in Abu Dhabi on Thursday after missing seven months because of tendinitis in his left knee. But he said on his Facebook page Tuesday that his doctors ordered him to pull out when he was running a fever, telling him his body needed rest.
"My rehab has gone well, my knee feels good and I was looking forward to competing," he said.
The 11-time Grand Slam champion hasn't played since June, when he lost to 100th-ranked Lukas Rosol in the second round at Wimbledon.
The injury prevented Nadal from defending his Olympic singles gold at the Olympics in London, where he was supposed to be Spain's flag bearer at the opening ceremony. He also had to pull out of the U.S. Open and Spain's Davis Cup final against the Czech Republic, which his teammates lost without him.

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On the back roads of golf, tales from the tour

Dave Kindred, a preeminent American sports writer who has worked his trade for the better part of four decades, was walking down the right side of the first fairway at Kiawah Island with the final group at the PGA Championship when he mentioned he had been teaching a writing class to college students. Like most great columnists, Kindred's strength is his power of observation, and he has tried to pass that along. "The one thing I tell them," he said, "is that if you really pay attention to what you're covering, you'll see something you've never seen before." He stopped and kneeled to watch Carl Pettersson, playing in the last group that Sunday with Rory McIlroy, hit his approach to the green. Pettersson was just inside the red hazard line, so he was careful not to ground his club. Brushing the top of the grass was OK. Moments after his shot, he was approached by PGA rules official Brad Gregory and told there might be a problem. In a bizarre development, Pettersson's club nicked a leaf on the way back, a violation of Rule 13-4c for moving a loose impediment in a hazard. After an exhaustive video review, Pettersson was given the bad news — a two-stroke penalty — on the fourth hole. Pay attention and you never know what you'll see. That much was true in a wild year of golf. Phil Mickelson lost his bid at the Masters by hitting two shots right-handed. Rory McIlroy was confused by the time zone and needed a police escort to get to the final day of the Ryder Cup on time. Tiger Woods never found his golf ball, was not penalized and still missed the cut. Those have been well-documented. What follows is the 2012 edition of "Tales from the Tour," the obscure moments that keep golf so interesting and entertaining. ___ Kyle Stanley is a quiet man. This was a quiet celebration. One week after he made triple bogey on the 18th hole at Torrey Pines and then lost in a playoff, he rallied from eight shots behind on the final day with a 65 in the Phoenix Open to win his first PGA Tour event. It was a remarkable turnaround. One week he faced the media after his meltdown and fought back tears. The next week he was a winner. Stanley was invited to a Super Bowl party that night at the home of Jim Mackay, the longtime caddie of Phil Mickelson. He was late to the party because of the media obligations that come with winning. When he finally arrived, Stanley knocked and then walked in the door holding the oversized winner's check over his head. He quietly placed it above the TV, and then sat down to watch the game, a player at peace. ___ No other golfer spends more time with the media after every round than Ryo Ishikawa, who is treated like a rock star in Japan. When he signs his card, even when it's late in the day, it's not unusual for the 21-year-old to spend close to an hour fulfilling his media obligations. That's where "The Chair" comes in. His handlers have a white folding chair for Ishikawa as he endures two interviews with different television stations. A dozen or so reporters form a semi-circle around him as they wait and listen, occasionally jotting down notes. Then, it's their turn. They spent close to 15 minutes with Ishikawa after his round at Innisbrook, going over the clubs he used and shots he hit on just about every hole — this after a 73 that left him 12 shots out of the lead. Finally, he was finished. He got up from the chair and walked around the clubhouse toward the parking lot. The Japanese reporters followed him, walking in a group about 20 yards behind. One of them was asked where they were going. "Now we wave goodbye," the reporter explained. Indeed, they stood on a sidewalk and waved as Ishikawa's car drove by them. ___ Butch Harmon was talking retirement in the spring. He turned 69 this year. A Vietnam War vet, he has been teaching most of his life, working for Sky Sports and traveling the world, which is starting to take its toll. He worries about the day when his attention span is short or he doesn't care as much as he once did. "It's not there, but it's coming," he said. "I will never step away. I'll always teach. I love to teach." The next morning, he was on the range at Quail Hollow waiting for Phil Mickelson to arrive. Gary Christian , a 40-year-old PGA Tour rookie from England, walked over and introduced himself. Christian said he was fascinated to watch so many Americans use the leading edge of the club on wedge shots. They chatted for a few minutes and after Christian walked away, Harmon said, "Who was that?" Harmon nodded when told about Christian's back story, how he came to America on a college scholarship, supported himself by selling steak knives and toiled in the minor leagues for 15 years before finally making it to the big leagues. Still no sign of Mickelson. A few minutes later, Harmon walked over to Christian. He spent a few minutes observing, and then pulled a wedge from the bag and gave an impromptu lesson. He'll always teach. He loves to teach. ___ You've seen the sign at the baggage claim to check your luggage because some bags may look alike. That goes for golf travel bags, too. Nick Watney and Angel Cabrera arrived in San Francisco for the U.S. Open about the same time, on different flights. Cabrera kept waiting at oversized luggage for his bag to come out, and he began to think the airlines had lost it. There was only one golf bag there, and it belonged to Watney. That's when the light came on. Cabrera's agent called the person in charge of U.S. Open courtesy cars and asked them to stop Watney on his way out. Sure enough, Cabrera's golf bag was in his trunk. ___ The relationship three-time major champion Padraig Harrington has with reporters is unlike that of any other player, especially the Irish media. He was giving an interview to Greg Allen of Irish radio station RTE, and after they finished, Harrington began making small talk. He asked Allen, "I heard you lost your sunglasses?" Allen's shoulders slumped as he told Harrington he had misplaced his glasses and didn't know where to look for them. Harrington didn't commiserate. He smiled. "They're in my locker," he said. "You left them behind the other day." ___ Sung Kang received elite training in South Korea's national program that is producing more and more top players, but he worked equally hard on his English and speaks beautifully for someone who has played the PGA Tour only the last few years. Turns out he has been coming to America twice a year since 2002 to work on his golf, and he devoted just as much effort to the language. In Florida? California? "Dallas," Kang said. "I went to the Hank Haney schools, so I would work with Haney and learned English there in Texas." Some things, however, still get lost in translation. Kang was asked if he ever bought cowboy boots from all that time spent in Dallas. "No," he said. "I don't really like the NFL. I'm more of a Lakers fan." ___ The British Open has a massive scoreboard in the press center where a group of volunteers, most of them women in their early 20s, move ladders on rails from side to side as they post the score of every hole for every player. Press officers often check to see which players they should bring in for interviews the first two rounds as the leaderboard is taking shape. In the second round, Adam Scott had a 67 to get within one shot of the lead with several players still on the course. The announcement over the intercom: "Can we see a show of hands for Adam Scott?" Six young women posting scores all raised their hands. ___ About two dozen fans waiting for autographs behind the ninth green on the Magnolia Course at Disney got more than they expected. Brian Harman emerged from the scoring trailer after the final PGA Tour event of the year and said, "Who's left-handed?" One man came forward, and it turned out to be his lucky day. Harman went over to his bag, removed all the irons and handed them to the fan. Turns out Harman wanted to try something different at Disney, so he used irons with graphite shafts. He described it as the worst ball-striking week he had all year. "I just wanted to try some different stuff," Harman said. "And now I know what was not the answer." No other sports organization comes close to the amount of charity produced by the PGA Tour. Harman took it to a new level.

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NHL lockout has chilling effect on business

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Most everywhere Lou Billittier turns these days, the Buffalo restaurateur is reminded of the NHL lockout, and its impact on his blue-collar, sports-mad town where Dominik Hasek became a star and the French Connection is still revered.
Billittier misses the familiar faces of Sabres players having their traditional game-day lunch at his restaurant, Chef's. He recalled a recent conversation he had with his seafood supplier, who's struggling because he also provides salmon and chicken wings to the Sabres arena, the First Niagara Center.
And then there are the arena's idled, part-time employees who stop in looking for work. With his own business down 15 percent, Billittier can only turn them away because he's concerned whether there's enough work for his staff.
"It's amazing the trickle-down effect," Billittier said, standing in his lobby, not far from Chef's "The French Connection" room, honoring the famed former Sabres line of Gilbert Perreault, Rene Robert and Rick Martin. "It bothers me, not only because we're down, but it affects everything. Our community out-reach, we can't donate to the people we normally donate to. It's brutal."
From south Florida to Vancouver, Montreal to Anaheim, a wide array of businesses located in the NHL's 30 markets have taken a significant hit because of the lockout, which is now in its fourth month and has wiped away 625 games. On Thursday, the league canceled all games through Jan. 14.
Joe Kasel, owner of the Eagle Street Grille in St. Paul, Minn., last month wrote a letter expressing his concerns to NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman.
"I had to look 32 of 48 employees in the eyes and inform them that I no longer can afford to keep them on staff," Kasel wrote. "The impact on our lives is immeasurable. One city's devastation may not seem like a powerful incentive to end the lockout; but I know this is happening in other cities around the nation."
Chris Ray, manager of the Brewhouse Downtown in Nashville, said his establishment is losing an estimated $5,000 for every canceled Predators' home game. That's already a $90,000 hit, given 18 Predators' home games have been wiped out.
It's no different at Wayne Gretzky's sports bar in Toronto, where much of the Great One's memorabilia is on display.
"Yes, it's been very slow," said a bartender, who wouldn't give her name. "I'm scared about January."
The Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto is feeling the pinch. Hall of Fame spokeswoman Kelly Masse said they've made "adjustments" to staff because gate and retail revenues are down significantly.
And so's Hockeytown, aka, Detroit.
The downtown three-level Hockeytown Cafe, operated by Red Wings owner Mike Ilitch, was nearly empty on Monday.
"If there's not a show at the Fox, this is what it's like in here," bartender Molly Brown said, referring to the Fox Theatre next door. "We haven't fired anyone, but everyone has had their days and hours cut because the Red Wings aren't playing. We're all suffering."
The effect goes beyond bars, restaurants and tourism.
In Chicago, Gunzo's Hockey Headquarters, a four-store chain that sells hockey equipment and jerseys, is losing business.
"It's been a huge impact. Huge, huge, huge. People don't see the games and it's out of sight, out of mind," owner Keith Jackson said. "It's kind of a double-whammy for us. We're losing out on equipment sales and we're losing out on the jerseys and licensed apparel sales."
With the Christmas shopping season nearly over, Jackson worries those are sales he'll never get back even if the NHL resumes playing soon. Mid-January will be a critical time, since Bettman has said the league doesn't want to play a season shorter than 48 games per team.
With an entire season wiped out in 2004-05, outsiders are wondering whether the two sides — rich owners and well-paid players — are indifferent to the effects their labor disputes create.
"People are disgusted," said Tom Woolsey, owner of Andrews On the Corner in Detroit. He estimates his business is down 75 percent on nights the Red Wings are playing.
"It's incomprehensible to me that after four or five prosperous years in the NHL, that they can't figure out how to split $3.2 billion (in revenue)," Woolsey said.
It's mind-boggling to John Heidinger, chairman of the Service Employees International Local 200 in Buffalo, who represents about 225 ushers at First Niagara Center.
"When you're making 12 bucks an hour working at an arena, and these guys are haggling over hundreds of millions of dollars, I think for a lot of people it's a hard reality to understand," Heidinger said. "It really frustrates you."
Sabres president Ted Black can understand the frustration.
"We are disappointed the NHL and NHLPA have not been able to negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement," Black said. "Our fans are extremely disappointed, and we know the lack of NHL hockey is having a negative impact on many local businesses. At the same time, we want to play hockey under the right circumstances that the NHL will negotiate on our behalf. ... The league has our full confidence."
The impact of another lost season would be high.
In Buffalo alone, the city's tourism bureau, Visit Buffalo Niagara, estimates local hotels that host visiting NHL teams will lose between $850,000 and $1 million if there's no season.
City transit is affected. Douglas Hartmayer, spokesman for the Niagara Frontier Transportations Authority, says up to 1,700 riders use Metro Rail to attend each Sabres home game.
There's even a psychological cost, especially in a place like Buffalo, where the winters are already long, and the Sabres provide an entertaining outlet, particularly when the Buffalo Bills are struggling, as they are once again are this year.
"Especially with Pegula, you had some hope," said Joe Allman, bartender at the Swannie House, referring to Sabres owner Terry Pegula, who's raised expectations since purchasing the team two years ago. "They probably are our best chance to win."
With no hockey, and the Bills out of playoff contention for a 13th straight season, there's little for Buffalonians to fall back on.

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Finding the right footwear a constant challenge for offensive lineman Sewell

When Matt Sewell starts the season with a new pair of football cleats, he'll go to great lengths to make sure they last.
The McMaster Marauders hulking offensive lineman isn't superstitious or especially finicky about his footwear. It's just with size 17 feet, finding shoes that fit is a constant challenge.
So when the six-foot-eight, 340-pound Sewell gets his hands on a suitable pair of shoes, he goes the extra mile to ensure they stand the test of time.
"Shoes in general are hard to find but (football) cleats are probably the hardest," he said with a chuckle. "Once I find a pair I stick with them until they're completely gone.
"I just tape them up and hopefully they don't fall apart during the game because if I wanted a new pair of cleats it would be tough to find in mid-season.''
With size 17 shoes a rarity in the bargain bin, Sewell often surfs the net looking for footwear and orders them online. That will be put on hold shortly as Sewell will spend Christmas with his family in Mexico.
But only for a week. Then Sewell will resume his search ahead of what promises to be a very busy off-season.
Sewell is being considered to play in the 2013 East-West Shrine Game on Jan. 19 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla. If chosen to play, Sewell will receive pro level coaching during the week-long practices and work out under the watchful eye of scouts representing teams on both sides of the border.
CFL teams are very aware of Sewell, who earlier this month was ranked second among the top-15 ranked prospects for this year's Canadian draft by the league's scouting bureau. Not only will Sewell be put through his paces by CFL scouts at the league's annual evaluation camp in Toronto but he'll also spend a lot of time answering questions in head-to-head interviews.
NFL teams have also reportedly taken note of Sewell's size and quick, nimble feet, which could also result in further workouts and interviews.
Add to that regular training sessions and it's shaping up to be a hectic off-season for Sewell as he auditions for the next phase of his football career.
"I'm looking forward to it," he said. "It should be an exciting few months for me and I think things will work out.''
Growing up in Milton, Ont., Sewell said he was more a fan of the sport than a specific team and thus has no real preference as to where he might start his pro career.
Sewell was an all-Canadian in 2012 for a second straight year and helped lead McMaster to another Vanier Cup appearance. The Marauders beat Laval 41-38 in double overtime to win a thrilling 2011 Vanier Cup final at B.C. Place before the Rouge et Or exacted some revenge by downing the Marauders 37-14 in last month's rematch at Rogers Centre.
Sewell played left tackle at McMaster, given the important task of protecting Hec Crighton Trophy-winning quarterback Kyle Quinlan's blind side. It's a position he'd like to line up at in the pro ranks.
"I think I have the body shape more for a tackle," he said. "When I was growing up all the minor coaches would tell me, 'If you're going to play offensive line, play left tackle,' and I've always played that position through my entire career.''
Sewell said working under the guidance of McMaster offensive line coach Jason Riley — a former CFL player with Montreal, Saskatchewan and Hamilton, — he feels he's ready to move up to the next level.
"Coach Riley is a high school teacher by nature so he liked to teach us," Sewell said. "He certainly knows what he's talking about.''
Sewell has also shown he can overcome physical adversity.
During his high school career he suffered a knee injury that forced him to the sidelines. After completing his rehab, Sewell opted to attend a prep school in Massachusetts to not only play another year but make sure all was right with his knee.
Convinced it was, he returned to Ontario the following year looking to go to school near home and settled upon McMaster.
"I'm very proud of that (overcoming knee injury), I actually put a lot of work into it," he said. "Football has been great at Mac but most important for me was everything outside of football.
"I've been able to accomplish a lot (in football) but the biggest thing for me is I'm going to be able to graduate with a degree in commerce from one of the top business programs in the country. I think that's the greatest achievement from my university career.''

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NHL cancels all games through Jan. 14

NEW YORK (AP) — The NHL could be one step away from canceling another hockey season because of a labor fight with the players.
In the latest round of cancellations, the NHL on Thursday wiped out all games through Jan. 14. More than 50 percent of the schedule has been lost, and the rest is now in great danger, too.
"I don't want to characterize what today's cancellations mean or don't mean," NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly told The Associated Press in an email. "I will stand on the announcement that was made."
So far, 625 regular-season games have been called off, including nearly 100 in the announcement made Thursday — the 96th day of the NHL's lockout. The New Year's Day Winter Classic and the All-Star game also have been lost.
The NHL had previously canceled games through Dec. 30.
Daly said in a radio interview Wednesday that mid-January is likely the latest the sides could go to make a deal to save the season. When pressed, however, he said he expects the season will be played.
No drop-dead date has been announced by the NHL, which is the only North American professional sports league to cancel a season because of to a labor dispute. The 2004-05 season was lost to a lockout.
Daly said the sides hadn't been in contact with each other Thursday, and no new talks are planned.
The groups have remained apart since two days of meetings with a federal mediator last week produced no progress. There haven't been negotiations since Dec. 6 in New York, when talks broke down after a few days of bargaining.
Since the sides split last week, there has been limited contact — phone calls and a brief email exchange.
The NHL believes negotiations should resume only when there is something new to say.
"I don't think either party is refusing a meeting," Daly said Wednesday. "But unless there is an indication one side or the other is prepared to move or has a new idea to move the process forward — and so far neither side has indicated — I am not sure what we would do at the meeting.
"What is the agenda? Who is directing the conversation? We don't have anything new to say right now."
Union executive director Donald Fehr said Wednesday he was glad to hear Daly's belief that there would be a season, and added he hopes Daly is right.
"Hopefully, we'll get back together and negotiate out the remaining issues as soon as possible," Fehr said. "(We aren't talking) because the owners have not indicated a desire to resume.
"We've indicated any number of times that we're willing to resume when they are (and) we're willing to resume without preconditions. So we're waiting to hear back from them."
Last week, the NHL announced it filed a class action suit in the U.S. District Court in New York, seeking to establish that its lockout is legal. In a filing posted Thursday, the court said the union had three weeks after receiving the suit to file an answer.

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Top prospect Parker chooses Duke

CHICAGO (AP) — Jabari Parker still had just about everyone guessing. Then, he pulled out that blue T-shirt with a white "D," and, finally, it became clear.
The prized prospect from Chicago's Simeon Career Academy, one of the most highly touted recruits in years, is headed to Duke to play for Mike Krzyzewski. Parker made the announcement in front of a national TV audience Thursday, in his high school gym, surely delighting Blue Devils fans.
A 6-foot-8 forward with the ability to nail jumpers from just about any spot when he's not throwing down vicious dunks, Parker can't sign his letter of intent until April 17. But he made his intentions clear with one highly anticipated oral commitment.
Michigan State, Florida, Stanford and Brigham Young also made his top five and caps from each school lined a table next to the podium. But he said it really came down to three schools, with the Gators and Spartans right there with the Blue Devils.
In the end, he chose to play for Krzyzewski for at least a year before making what many believe will ultimately be a jump to the NBA.
"Duke is always going to be a team in the tournament," he said. "You can't go wrong at the program and most importantly, the long-term investment. I feel like if I go there, I can get a good degree. I can also stay close to home where it's easily accessible to my parents, my family. It's not too far away. Coach K, that's one of the best coaches ever, and I wanted to be able to experience the things that he has next year."
Parker said he might play two or three seasons in college. Either way, he vowed to get a degree. He also said he didn't decide on a school until about 1 p.m. Central, and he apparently kept his parents in the dark until just before he made his announcement.
His mom Lola said Jabari whispered his decision to her and her husband, Sonny, as they were walking into the gym. A few minutes later, he pulled out that Duke T-shirt, drawing a standing ovation from the crowd packing the bleachers behind the podium.
Parker committed to join a program next season will lose two key frontcourt players — seniors Mason Plumlee and Ryan Kelly — from a team that earlier this week rose to No. 1 for the first time since February 2011.
Parker figures to fit right in on a talented group of players that will include Quinn Cook, who's expected to be in his second year as the starting point guard, and returns pure shooter Andre Dawkins, who's expected back after redshirting this season.
Turning down the other programs, particularly Michigan State, wasn't easy, particularly after coach Tom Izzo's final pitch Wednesday.
Simeon coach Robert Smith was so impressed he said, "If he was recruiting me yesterday, I would have committed."
Parker didn't. He saw a potential for controversy with him and the Spartans' Branden Dawson playing the same position. Instead, he's headed to Duke even though he said that was his "worst" on-campus visit.
"I didn't do what I wanted to do — that's be a kid," he said. "But I know being at college, it's all business. That's what they wanted to do, to show me. I know I didn't have a good time, but they just wanted to tell me, prepare for me and give me a little bit of a taste of how it's going to be in college."
Lola Parker said she was more interested in Krzyzewski the person than the Krzyzewski the coaching icon. She mentioned his character, his discipline and his final home visit on Tuesday.
"The first time Coach K came in, he stood up and showed Jabari where his foot should be on an offensive or a defensive play," she said. "He showed Jabari where his arms should be. This guy doesn't sit down. We kind of laughed about it, and it was the same thing Tuesday. I moved my coffee table to the side to make sure he had room right there to get up."
Given Jabari Parker's skills, it's easy to see why just about every major program was interested in him.
Parker just might be the greatest prospect to come out of Simeon, and that's saying something considering Derrick Rose played there. All he did was go on to become the MVP with the hometown Bulls.
As for Parker, his credentials to this point sure are impressive.
He received the Gatorade Boys Basketball Player of the Year award after leading Simeon to its third straight state championship while averaging 19.5 points and 8.9 rebounds as a junior.
His father played six seasons with the Golden State Warriors in the NBA after starring at Chicago's Farragut Career Academy.
"He has a gift and he has what's called 'It'," Sonny Parker said.
Religion also plays a big role in Jabari's life. He is a devout Mormon, just like his mom, and he has talked about going on a mission. He's not sure if he will do that, but he did make one thing clear:
He plans to get his degree.
Now that he's made his college choice and assuming he doesn't have a change of heart, Jabari can focus on leading Simeon to another state title and getting his conditioning back after being slowed by a broken right foot.
The injury over the summer caused him to push back some recruiting trips and delay his decision rather than commit during the early signing period last month. He's also missed a game this week because he's trying to work his way back from the injury, an obstacle for a player rarely stopped on the court, but this moment was years in the making.
Lola Parker recalled in an interview at the family's house earlier this year that she could see it when Jabari, the youngest of seven children, was in the second grade going against the fourth and fifth-graders in a league run by Sonny, who established a foundation to help inner-city youth in Chicago after he retired.
Scholarship offers started rolling in when Jabari was in the sixth grade, and now, it's not uncommon for him to get mobbed by fans at games, even though they're often not from Simeon.
Usually, he'll accommodate them, but sometimes, he needs an escape.
He finds one in religion. That means rising several days a week at 5 a.m. for Bible study and heading from the family's brick bungalow on the city's South Side to worship a few miles away, near the University of Chicago.
The day of the interview at the house earlier this year, there was a reminder on Jabari's door to "put the Lord first" along with several sheets of 8-by-10 white paper. One listed the Ten Commandments, the other personal rules such as "don't be quick to judge" and "Think positive things."
For now, big things are happening for Parker. He's headed to a storied program. And then?
"His potential, the sky's the limit," Sonny Parker said.

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AP Sources: Jets could trade QBs Sanchez, Tebow

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — Mark Sanchez is no longer the face of the New York Jets. He could soon be a former member of the team.
And Tim Tebow might even beat him out the door.
A person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press on Thursday that the Jets will consider all of their options regarding the two quarterbacks during the offseason. That means both Sanchez and Tebow are in limbo and trades cannot be ruled out.
The person, who requested anonymity because the team's personnel plans are private, told the AP that the Jets have not made any determinations involving Sanchez or Tebow.
The Jets could be hard-pressed to trade or cut Sanchez, who is due $8.25 million in guarantees next season after having his contract extended last offseason.
But there are no such complications with Tebow, who will likely be traded or released after just one disappointing season in New York. Tebow has two years remaining on his contract, but would cost the Jets only a little more than $1 million against the salary cap if cut.
"Anything dealing with the future past Buffalo (the regular-season finale) will be handled after that," coach Rex Ryan said.
The futures of Ryan, general manager Mike Tannenbaum and offensive coordinator Tony Sparano also are uncertain.
Parting ways with Tebow, the immensely popular but little-used backup, appears a certainty, though, after he came to New York amid lots of hype but had little impact. The final indication that Tebow will not be part of the Jets' future came when Ryan went with Greg McElroy, the third-stringer, to start at quarterback instead of him against San Diego on Sunday.
"Sometimes, things just happen out of your control," Tebow said Wednesday. "Obviously, you might not be pleased with them or happy about it, but you just try to handle it as best you can."
There are several complications that could lead to Sanchez actually sticking around in New York — whether it's as a backup or starter. Sanchez, who received a contract extension in March, would cost the Jets a $17.1 million salary cap hit next season. They could, however, spread that amount over the next two seasons if he is cut after June 1.
New York could also find it difficult to find a trading partner to unload Sanchez, who isn't likely a very attractive option at the moment after turning the ball over 50 times since the start of last season. With Tannenbaum's status unclear, teams might not be willing to even talk to him about possible trades. Teams can't make deals or sign free agents until March.
If the Jets did wind up trading Sanchez, the salary cap hit for them would still be a costly $8.9 million.
"That didn't come from me or anything else," Ryan said of the trade rumors. "We have two games to play and that's where my focus is, so, that's news to me."
The Daily News reported Thursday, according to sources, that the Jets would be interested in Michael Vick and that the Eagles quarterback would come to New York if it was clear he would be the starter. The newspaper also said Ryan "loves" Vick.
"I'll just focus on the players we have on this roster instead of somebody else's players," Ryan said while laughing.
Sanchez, whom the Jets drafted fifth overall in 2009, was benched in favor of McElroy for at least the home finale Sunday against San Diego. Sanchez threw four interceptions and fumbled away the final offensive snap — and the Jets' playoff chances — in New York's 14-10 loss at Tennessee on Monday night.
He once drew comparisons to Joe Namath after helping the Jets to consecutive AFC title games in his first two seasons, but his lack of improvement the last two years have caused him to fall out of favor. Ryan was non-committal Thursday when asked about Sanchez's long-term future.
"Whether it's not a ringing endorsement or whatever, I have absolutely zero focus on that right now," he said. "Everybody knows I've been supportive of Mark Sanchez. I think he still has the skill set to be a good quarterback in this league and we've won a lot of games with him.
"Again, that's for another day."
Tebow was supposed to be the spark that got the offense going, but instead spent most of his time on the sideline. While he has been hampered the last month by two broken ribs, his numbers were far from special even before that. For the season, he has rushed for 102 yards on 32 carries and is 6 of 8 for 39 yards, and has a stunning zero touchdowns while participating in just 72 offensive snaps.
"I think anytime you look at those things, it's a combination of things, but I wouldn't use the words 'didn't work' at all," Sparano said. "We had a plan going into this thing, but obviously the plan always, at that particular time, was that Mark was the quarterback and Tim would have a role and to what degree the role was, if I remember correctly, it was one to 20 plays in a game. Some days it was eight, some days it was one, some days it was none."
But, many fans and media have said it appears Tebow never got a true opportunity to be the playmaker everyone expected.
"I'm not going to get into that fair shake, not fair shake, all of those kinds of things," Sparano said. "Tim played his role and has done his role as well as expected right now. In other words, he's done everything we've asked him to do so far."
Tebow repeatedly said he was "excited" to be a member of the Jets when he first came from Denver in a trade in March, and he reiterated that throughout the season. But he acknowledged that he was "a little bit disappointed" that Ryan chose McElroy to start over him — at least for Sunday.
Now, Tebow could be an ex-Jet less than a year after he came to New York with lots of expectations.
"I've always, since I was a young boy, believed in myself and the abilities that God has given me and I just look forward to having an opportunity to try to show those again," Tebow said. "I'm pretty positive and I look forward to the future and what's going to happen."
It won't be in New York, though. And the inability to consistently find a way to effectively use Tebow could end up costing Sparano his job, too.
"That's not for me to assess," Sparano said. "Somebody else will do that."

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