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Josh Hamilton Won't Put a Timetable on Return from Broken Shoulder

With Josh Hamilton, the Texas Rangers were practically unbeatable in the early goings of the 2011 season. Heading into an April 12 matchup against the Detroit Tigers, the Rangers had won nine of their first 10 games, and there was no question that they were the best team in baseball.

Unfortunately, reigning AL MVP Josh Hamilton broke his right shoulder sliding headfirst into home on a controversial tag-up play in the first inning of that game against the Tigers. The Rangers went on to lose 5-4, and they've only won three of eight games since.

Needless to say, the Rangers could use Hamilton back. But according to a report from the Associated Press, it's still up in the air when Hamilton might be able to return.

Hamilton, who was projected to be out as long as two months, says he can run and throw okay, but he still can't swing a bat.

"He's feeling better. His biggest problem is finishing," said Rangers manager Ron Washington. "As far as all his other movements, it's great. But the finish is the thing."

As for the man himself, Hamilton refused to put a timetable on his return. All he can really do is stay the course.

"I'm not going to say ahead of schedule or behind schedule or anything,"said Hamilton before the Rangers win over the Royals on Friday . "The more I can use it in everyday life and try to get back to normal, the better it's going to be, the faster it's going to be."

Must Read: MLB Power Rankings: Ebbets Field and the Top 50 Stadiums in Baseball History

Because the Rangers have struggled without their three-time All-Star left fielder, the question is naturally whether or not the other players on the team might be pressing a little bit.

"The only person who can tell you if a guy is trying too hard are the guys who are out there. But I don't see it," said Washington. "I see that we're facing good pitching."

As for whether or not the Rangers miss having Hamilton in the lineup, Washington didn't attempt to sugarcoat it.

"Do we miss Hamilton? Darn right," he said.

Before his injury, Hamilton was hitting .333 with no home runs and seven RBIs. He led the American League with a .359 average in 2010, and also added 32 home runs and 100 RBIs on his way to winning the AL MVP. The Rangers eventually lost to the San Francisco Giants in the World Series.

Chicago Cubs Have Lost Two in a Row Since 1918 World Series Scandal Came to Light

I don't know if you've noticed, but the Chicago Cubs haven't won the World Series in 102 years. If they fail to win it again this year, it will be 103.

In case you're wondering, that is indeed the longest championship drought in North American sports. And no, it's not exactly a badge of honor for those who make their living in Chicago's north side.

Cubs fans have come up with all sorts of excuses (they call them "curses") about why their team hasn't won the Series since the early part of the 20th Century. The most famous one involves a goat, but they've also blamed the Cubs' epic winless streak on a black cat and a poor chap named Steve Bartman. After all, there's simply no way the actual team is responsible for over a century of misery, right?

Then again, maybe not. Earlier in the week, the Chicago History Museum unearthed a court deposition that contained a rather interesting testimony from a ballplayer named Eddie "Knuckles" Cicotte, who was one of eight players from the 1919 Black Sox that was banned for life for conspiring to throw the World Series against the Cincinnati Reds.

In the previous year, the Cubs lost the World Series to the Boston Red Sox. And as Cicotte explained it, this may not have been an accident:

The way it started, we were going east on the train. The ball players were talking about somebody trying to fix the National League ball players or something like that in the World's Series of 1918. Well anyway there was some talk about them offering $10,000 or something to throw the Cubs in the Boston series. There was talk that somebody offered this player $10,000 or anyway the bunch of players were offered $10,000 to throw this series.

Translation: the 1918 World Series, which the Cubs lost in six games, may have been fixed.

Must Read: MLB Power Rankings: Ebbets Field and the Top 50 Stadiums in Baseball History

But wait, it gets worse. Cicotte went on to make it sound like the 1918 Cubs inspired him and his cohorts to throw the 1919 Series:

Somebody made a crack about getting money, if we got into the series, to throw the series. The boys on the Club got to talking over there in New York about the fellows getting too much money and such stuff as that and said that they would go ahead and go through with it if they got this money.

As damning as all this sounds, the good news for Cubs fans is that there is plenty of evidence (much of which I've already written about) that supports the 1918 Cubs. First and foremost, it must be understood that Cicotte was referencing rumors and hearsay. Secondly, the way the 1918 World Series played out suggests that the Cubs' defeat was a simple matter of going up against a superior team.

On balance, this is nothing more than an interesting story, and my hat is off to Don Babwin of the Associated Press for (I think) being the first to bring it to light.

However, an interesting thing has happened since Babwin published his story on Wednesday afternoon. Earlier in the day, the Cubs beat the San Diego Padres in 11 innings on a walk-off home run by Reed Johnson.

That was the first game of a double-header, and the Cubs would unfortunately go on to lose the second game by the final of 5-4. After an off day on Thursday, the Cubs got trounced by the Los Angeles Dodgers 12-2 in the first game of a three-game series.

If you're not getting the big picture here, the Cubs haven't won since the story of the 1918 Cubs came to light.

Coincidence? I think not. It appears that the goat, the black cat, and Steve Bartman have themselves a new friend by the name of Eddie Cicotte. You heard it hear first.

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Knicks Fall Flat in First Playoff Game at Madison Square Garden in Seven Years

As soon as it was set in stone that the Boston Celtics and the New York Knicks would be doing battle in the first round of the NBA playoffs, I was one of many who thought that we were going to have a king-hell barn burner of a series on our hands.

When it comes to such things as the NBA playoffs, predictions are absolutely necessary. And as I saw it, the Knicks had enough firepower to take the defending Eastern Conference champs to seven games.

Boy was I wrong.

In case you didn't get a chance to see it, the Celtics destroyed the Knicks in Game 3 by the final of 113-96. After winning the first two games in Boston, they now hold a commanding 3-0 series lead, and they can finish off the Knicks in Game 4 on Sunday.

Needless to say, this was hardly the dream ending for the first Knicks playoff game Madison Square Garden has hosted in seven years. Because the Knicks haven't won a playoff game at the Garden in a decade, Friday night's showing looks even worse.

The Knicks got off to a very rough start in Game 3. The Celtics had a 22-5 lead eight minutes into the game, and they had a 23-point lead by the end of the third quarter. Carmelo Anthony ended up making just four shots all night, and Amar'e Stoudemire and his ailing back weren't able to do much.

MUST READ: 40 Players That Entered the NBA Draft Way Too Early

Meanwhile, it seemed like the Celtics could do nothing wrong. Paul Pierce scored 14 points in the first quarter on his was to a game-high 38 points, Ray Allen scored 32 points on the strength of eight threes, and Rajon Rondo had a triple-double that included a Celtics playoff-record 20 assists.

Technically, the Knicks are still alive in this series. Realistically, however, they're dead and buried. No team in NBA history has ever climbed out of a 3-0 hole to win a best-of-seven series, and the notion that they can be the first with Stoudemire hurting and Chauncey Billups unable to play with a bum knee.

Oh well. I suppose we probably should have seen this coming. The Knicks had us fooled with the little hot streak they went on at the end of the regular season, but it's easy to forget that the competition level tends to sag in the final weeks of the NBA season.

If nothing else, kudos to the Knicks for making sure the joke was on us while they still could. Right now, however, the joke is on them. My guess is that it will be after Sunday as well.

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Boston Celtics Thump Knicks 113-96 to Take 3-0 Series Lead

Madison Square Garden hadn't seen the New York Knicks play a postseason game in seven years, and the team's last playoff win came a decade ago.

So what did the Knicks do to commemorate the occasion? In a word, they got stomped.

The Boston Celtics came into New York up 2-0 in their first-round series against the Knicks, and they proceeded to dominate the home team from the very start on their way to a 113-96 win. The Celtics now have a commanding 3-0 series lead, and they can eliminate the Knicks on Sunday.

The defending Eastern Conference champs got off to a very good start in the first quarter, racing out to a 22-5 lead behind 12 points from Paul Pierce. The Knicks eventually closed the gap to 27-20 by the end of the period, but the writing was on the wall.

By halftime, the Celtics led 52-44, and they all but put the game out of reach when they outscored the Knicks 34-19 in the third quarter. The home crowd booed as the Knicks walked off the court with a 23-point deficit.

The Celtics could do little wrong on offense. Pierce ended up scoring a game-high 38 points, and Ray Allen was right behind him with 32. Allen and Pierce also combined to go 14-of-19 from beyond the three-point line, eight of which came from the NBA's all-time three-point king.

Rajon Rondo was no slouch either, as he notched a triple-double with 15 points, 11 rebounds and a Celtics playoff-record 20 assists. He added a couple of steals for good measure.

MUST READ: 40 Players That Entered the NBA Draft Way Too Early

As for the Knicks, well, there wasn't much for the Madison Square Garden crowd to hang their hats on. Amar'e Stoudemire and his bad back were able to play 33 minutes, but he scored just seven points and grabbed a mere three rebounds. Carmelo Anthony had a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds, but he made just four field goals.

In fact, the only real silver lining for the Knicks is that they got very good work off the bench. Shawne Williams led the team with 17 points, and Jared Jeffries had 12 of his own. Roger Mason also cracked double figures with 10 points.

This should just about do it for the Knicks. They were able to hang with the Celtics pretty well in the first two games of the series, but the Celtics looked like a far superior team in Game 3.

No team in NBA history has come back to win a seven-game series after trailing 3-0.

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Anibal Sanchez One-Hits Rockies in Marlins' 4-1 Win

Anibal Sanchez made his major league debut for the Marlins on June 25, 2006, beating the New York Yankees with 5 2/3 scoreless innings. On September 6, he no-hit the Arizona Diamondbacks. Not a bad way to start one's career.

On Friday night, Sanchez found himself in a familiar spot against the Colorado Rockies. A rough first inning saw him give up a run on a walk, a passed ball, and an error, but the scoreboard was still showing no hits when Sanchez took the hill for the top of the ninth to try and close out a 4-1 win.

Unfortunately, that's as far as Sanchez got, as Dexter Fowler led off the inning with a soft single to right field that was just beyond the reach of second baseman Omar Infante.

Like that, the no-hit bid was over, and the few people packed into Sun Life Stadium stood and applauded Sanchez's effort.

Moments after Fowler reached, Jonathan Herrera flew out to left field and Fowler was doubled off first. Carlos Gonzalez grounded out to first for the third out, and Sanchez had himself a nifty one-hitter for his first win of the year.

Sanchez threw 123 pitches on the night, walking three and striking out nine. He also helped his own cause with an RBI fielder's choice in the Marlins' two-run second inning.

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Despite the fact Sanchez exited the first inning with a 1-0 deficit, Chris Coghlan picked him up right away by launching a lead-off home run to right field. It was his second home run on the season, and Gaby Sanchez would also get his second with a solo homer in the third.

Jhoulys Chacin got the start for the Rockies, and he struggled right off the bat, as it were. He lasted five innings, giving up four earned runs on seven hits and three walks. He took his first loss of the season.

This is not the first time the Rockies have nearly been no-hit this season. San Francisco Giants ace Tim Lincecum took a no-hitter into the seventh inning against the Rockies this past Monday. Carlos Gonzalez ended it with a single.

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Will Braun's Extension Heat Up the MLB Trade Rumor Mill?

The Milwaukee Brewers are going to give Ryan Braun a lot of money. To be exact, they signed him to an extension that is going to pay him $105 million and keep him in Milwaukee through at least the 2020 season.

This is all well and good, but it just so happens that the Brewers have another player on their roster that deserves some contract attention: first baseman Prince Fielder. He's due to be a free agent at the end of the season, and he is going to command a hefty price tag whether or not he stays with the Brewers.

We know this because Fielder is good for 35 home runs and 100 RBIs every year, but the fact that he is represented by uber-agent Scott Boras is a not insignificant factor.

Now that the Brewers have directed so much money at Braun, can they afford to keep Fielder?

According to the Associated Press, Fielder hopes so:

I'm not sure. You never know. If they have this much to spend, you never know. I hope not. I hope they have a little left for me, but this year, my contract's good for this year, I'm happy about it and ready to play baseball.

Fielder is making $15.5 million this season, which is the highest figure ever given to an arbitration-eligible player. He is definitely helping his impending free agency in the early goings, as he is hitting .368 with three homers and an NL-best 19 RBIs.

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As for Braun, the slugging left fielder said he would love to keep playing alongside Fielder for years to come:

There's no doubt in my mind that he loves it here. I know he's enjoyed his time here. I can say that we've never had more fun playing together than we have since the beginning of spring training. We're really enjoying baseball right now. I know that this is a place he'd love to stay, but again, that depends on what happens here in the future, and what he really feels like is in the best interest of himself and his family.

When Brewers GM Doug Melvin was asked about how Braun's extension effects the clubs ability to re-sign Fielder, he said that their situations are different.

"They're similar in that they're two of the most talented players in the game, but then they're different in where they are with their contract status," said said Melvin.

Melvin also stressed that the club is trying to win this year first and foremost, and he thinks having both Fielder and Braun in the mix gives them a very good chance to do so. The Brewers are currently third in the NL Central at 9-9.

Personally, I think that Bruan's extension will ultimately spell the end of Fielder's tenure in Milwaukee. He's already making $15.5 million, so it's entirely likely that he could command an annual contract in the $20 million range, a la Adrian Gonzalez or Mark Teixeira. And if Albert Pujols gets what he's asking for, then so will Fielder.

Let's face it, the Brewers can't afford to pay any player $20 million a year. Braun's contract is too big, and Boras doesn't do hometown discounts.

So here's a question: if the Brewers are out of the race by July 31, would they listen to offers for Fielder?

I guess that would depend how far out of the race they are, but I also think that they would have to listen to offers if clubs started calling.

The tricky part is that, unless he is acquired by a team that thinks they can resign him, Fielder would be a pretty pricey rental.

Because the Yankees and Red Sox are set at first base, Fielder could therefore stay put.

Only time will tell.

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Victor Ortiz Makes It Sound Like He Wants Manny Pacquiao Next

Earlier in the day, I wrote a piece questioning who Manny Pacquiao's next opponent is going to be after Shane Mosley. Usual suspects like Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and Juan Manuel Marquez popped up, but so did Victor Ortiz. The 24-year-old just beat Andre Berto to win the WBC Welterweight title, so matching him against Pacman might just be a hot ticket.

As luck would have it, Ortiz did an interview with BoxingScene.com on Friday in which he more or less suggested he's ready for an elite fighter like Pacquiao:

There are a lot of great fighters. I'm tired of the 140s always doging [sic] me, so there are no 140s for me anymore. As far as I'm concerned, I want the best pound-for-pound, elite of all-time. I don't even need to mention the names on those, because you already know who the 147s are. I'm really ready. I'm young, I'm hungry, I have youth on my side and I'm unstopabble [sic].

Despite the fact Ortiz doesn't think he needs to name names, when you use phrases like "the best pound-for-pound" and "elite of all-time," the writing on the wall spells out Manny Pacquiao's name. We've been referring to him as the best pound-for-pound fighter for a while now, and he will be one of the great boxers of all time by the time his career is over (if he isn't already, of course).

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There are some rather obvious hitches in the idea of a Pacquiao-Ortiz bout. First and foremost, their respective promotional companies, Top Rank and Golden Boy Promotions, are rivals. Moreover, Top Rank CEO Bob Arum has made it clear in the past that he has no love lost for Ortiz.

Does Ortiz care about Arum? Of course not.

"I don't really care about Bob right now. As long as I'm WBC world champ - I can call the shots," said Ortiz.

If it's Pacquiao Ortiz wants, that's where he's wrong. This fight is only going to happen if Pacman's camp wants it, and I'm not so sure that's something worth holding your breath over. The Margarito and Mosley choices would seem to suggest that they are in no hurry to put Pacquiao in a position to lose, and putting him up against a fighter who is eight years his junior might not be what they have in mind.

Of course, the right dollar amount could always change that. However, a fighter like Ortiz might not fetch a high enough figure. He may be a hot prospect, but his name isn't quite as big as Mosley's.

Don't get me wrong, I would love to see this fight. But for now, I have my doubts.

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Mavericks Owner Comes Under Attack in Portland During 2011 NBA Playoffs

Okay, let's be honest here. At some point or another, we've all thought about throwing something at Mark Cuban.

Shoot, I know I have. Admitting to as much in print probably does not represent a case of exemplary journalistic responsibility, but I only bring it up because somebody actually did throw something at the Dallas Mavericks' controversial owner.

According to Tim McMahon of ESPNDallas.com, Cuban claims something flew out of the Rose Garden stands and hit him in the face during the fourth quarter of the Mavericks Game 3 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.

Apparently, said projectile struck Cuban shortly after he had shared a brief exchange with some fans sitting behind Dallas' bench.

"I don't know what it was, but something hit me in the face," said Cuban, who was not injured.

The response from Rose Garden security was swift, as they increased their presence around the Dallas bench for the rest of the game. No more objects were thrown (at least, not in that part of the arena).

MUST READ: 40 Players That Entered the NBA Draft Way Too Early

The Mavericks had won the first two games of their first-round series against the Trail Blazers, but were unable to overcome a strong effort from Brandon Roy in Game 3. After losing the only two games they played in Portland during the regular season, the Mavericks have yet to win at the Rose Garden this season.

As for Cuban, he certainly didn't do much to endear himself to the hostile crowd. Fans booed him mercilessly, and he egged them on by putting his hand to his ear.

In case you're not familiar with Cuban, such antics are par for the course. Hence the reason why I say we've all thought about throwing something at him.

For the record, I was safely at home in the Bay Area during Game 3. At least three people can vouch.

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NBA Executives Expect Kings to Stick Around in Sacramento for At Least One More Year

File this one under "So you're telling me there's a chance!"

According to Mark Hailer and Lance Pugmire of the LA Times, NBA officials expect the Sacramento Kings to still be in Sacramento next season. In other words, they won't be in Anaheim.

Good news, right? Sort of. Even if the Kings are in Sacramento next season, the Times indicates that the Kings could still conceivably pack up and move after the season is over.

Apparently, it will all come down to "city and county officials and local businesses redeeming the pledges made by Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson before the NBA's relocation committee last week in New York, including support for a new downtown arena."

NBA Commissioner David Stern would not comment when asked to compare the packages offered by Sacramento and Anaheim, but he did confirm that the league is doing proper diligence to the Sacramento proposal.

"The [NBA relocation] committee thought it would be prudent to send an NBA task force out to Sacramento to verify those commitments," said Stern.

The Times says that NBA officials think that the Kings will stay in Sacramento long-term if they "live up to all their pledges."

If the Kings end up staying in Sacramento, Mayor Johnson's efforts would definitely count as a pretty miraculous last-minute rescue operation. Kings owners Joe and Gavin Maloof were in New York to pitch the idea of moving to Anaheim the Friday after the regular season ended, and they had until the following Monday to apply for relocation.

In came Johnson with a proposal that convinced the NBA to extend the Kings' deadline to apply for relocation to May 2 so the league could look into what Johnson had presented them with.

At first, it looked like Johnson had merely bought some time, but it now looks like he may have done enough to keep the Kings in his city.

MUST READ: 40 Players That Entered the NBA Draft Way Too Early

The officials who spoke with the Times did clarify that there is nothing wrong with the Anaheim proposal, which would move the Kings into the Honda Center, but one official called it "immaterial" as soon as the Sacramento bid was presented.

The relocation committee is supposed to convene late next week, with the May 2 deadline looming a couple days away. If the Sacramento offer holds up, the committee is expected to recommend that the Kings stay in Sacramento.

However, that would necessarily put an end to this matter. The Maloofs could ask the committee to reconsider. If that doesn't work, they could file an anti-trust suit.

Either way, this thing is not going to be solved quickly. If the move to Anaheim is nixed, the Maloofs could choose to try again next year if they don't feel like fighting the league right away. Moreover, the impending lockout could play a part in all this.

As we say in the industry, stay tuned. This thing is far from over.

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Jerry Rice Thinks A.J. Green Is the Better Pick in 2011 NFL Draft

When Jerry Rice speaks, people listen. That's the kind of respect you get to enjoy when you're one of the best players in the history of the NFL.

Of course, when Rice talks wide receivers, we basically have gospel on our hands. After all, who better to talk about the wide receiver position than the greatest receiver of all time?

Wide receivers were definitely on Rice's mind during a Friday interview with Sirius XM's Mad Dog Radio (via the National Football Post). In the 2011 NFL Draft class, the two best receivers are Georgia's A.J. Green and Julio Jones. When Rice was asked who the better player is, he didn't hesitate to name Green.

As Rice sees it, it's a simple matter of Green having better hands than Jones:

I would have to say A.J. Green because the guy, he makes plays. He makes plays and he doesn’t drop the ball as much and that’s part of Jones, what he’s going to have to work on, Julio Jones, he’s going to have to work on catching the football. So maybe right now he’s that young pup right now but once you get to that level, that next level, teams are not going to afford to let you drop footballs.

In case you haven't been following the draft all that closely, the notion that Green is a more polished pass-catcher is not exactly news. Jones probably has Green beat in terms of pure athleticism, but the former Georgia star has drawn rave reviews for both his hands and his route-running savvy.

MUST READ: A Detailed Look at the Top 100 NFL Draft Prospects

The fact that Green is not going to drop many balls is something that is near and dear to Rice's heart. After all, it is his experience that dropping balls could cost you your job in the NFL:

That was something that Bill Walsh would always preach, ‘If you drop footballs you’re not going to be with the San Francisco 49ers.’ So [Jones is] very talented but I think that phase of the game he’s going to have to work on. But Green right now, he gets the thumbs up right here.

One way or another, it is entirely likely that both Green and Jones are going to be Top 10 picks on Draft Day. In particular, Green is a trendy pick for the Cincinnati Bengals at No. 4, and Jones could go as high as No. 6 to the Cleveland Browns.

Both Green and Jones definitely put up enough numbers during the 2010 season to warrant all the hype. Jones caught 78 balls for 1,133 yards and seven touchdowns, and Green caught 57 for 848 and nine. Green achieved his totals despite being suspended for the first four games of the season.

So yeah, you can't go wrong with either one of them.

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Chad Ochocinco Delighted to Talk to NFL Commissioner

Chad Ochocinco gets a bad rap. Everybody knows that the longtime Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver is one of the NFL's premiere pass-catchers, but he has a reputation of being something of a selfish, attention-seeking diva.

While Ochocinco has done some things in the past to deserve a reputation such as this, those who follow him on Twitter should know better. The truth is that the dude is cool as hell, and I definitely recommend following him if you aren't already.

After all, who knows what you might be missing out on? If you're lucky, Ochocinco might just drop something exclusive.

On Thursday, for example, Ochocinco tweeted that he had received an "amazing surprise phone call" from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

As for what they talked about, Ochocinco indicated that it was nothing major. Goodell just asked him how he was doing and how his workouts were going, and it sounds like that's about it.

However, seeing as how the league is currently in a lockout right now, this is slightly more significant than you might think. Players aren't even allowed to talk to their own coaches, so the fact that Ochocinco shared a few words with the commissioner has a lot of people scratching their heads wondering if this is some kind of violation.

As far as Ochocinco is concerned, that Goodell even thought to call him was significant enough.

"[Truth is] I was nervous as hell when [Goodell] called me earlier," tweeted Ochocinco, "just the thought of him taking the time out to call is cool as fudge."

MUST READ: NFL Draft 2011: Grading Each Team's Performances in the Last Five Years

Of course, the lockout implications were not lost on Ochocinco, but he seemed content to let people draw their own conclusions:

Its a lockout,let alone the offseason and the NFL commissioner called and we held an hour convo.Not sure how yall look at it but that's cool

Needless to say, some people have chosen to look at this phone call as a case of blatant hypocrisy.

For example, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk asked NFL spokesperson Greg Aiello, who re-tweeted one of Ochocinco's messages, what everyone should make of Goodell's phone call.

According to Aiello, “normal social interaction” is permissible while the lockout is in effect, whether we're talking Goodell or the teams.

When asked if that could lead to some kind of slippery slope, Aiello merely said, “Life is a slippery slope."

Well, I guess that's true... but it's still not much of an answer. As Florio points out, how do you police "normal social interaction" when the definition is apparently quite vague?

Not to fault Ochocinco for tweeting about it, but the only reason this is an issue at all is because it went public. But now that it is public, Goodell comes off as a villain. It may not be fair, but the perception of the general public is that Goodell deserves as much blame as anyone for the current crisis in the NFL, and the fact that he appears to have broken one of the lockout's major rules makes him look like a hypocrite.

Personally, I'd rather not worry myself with such things. As much as I love football, I think I would be better off wrapping my head around the NBA playoffs or a nice, relaxing baseball game. But I guess that's just me...

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Brandon Davies Working to Gain Eligibility for Fall Semester

The BYU Cougars weren't quite the same after Brandon Davies was dismissed for violating the Mormon school's cherished honor code. Without their leading rebounder, the Cougars lost much of their early dominance, and they were ultimately eliminated from the NCAA Tournament by the Florida Gators in the Sweet 16.

As we all know, Davies was given the boot because he admitted to having premarital sex, which is a rather big honor code no-no.

However, it sounds like Davies has not yet played his final game in a BYU uniform. He voluntarily withdrew from BYU after the winter semester, but the Associated Press is reporting that he is working with the dean of students to meet certain conditions that would allow him to return in the fall.

University spokesperson Carri Jenkins said that if Davies meets those conditions, expectations are that he will be able to return for his junior year.

MUST READ: College Basketball Rankings 2011-2012: Predicting the Top 25

Davies started 26 of 29 games in his sophomore season, averaging 11.1 points and a team-high 6.2 rebounds per game. Only Jimmer Fredette, who led the country in scoring with 28.5 points per game, bettered Davies' scoring average.

The 6'9" forward was dismissed on March 1, at which point the Cougars had just two losses on the season and were ranked No. 3 in the country. Playing without Davies for the first time on March 2, BYU lost to New Mexico 82-64.

The Cougars are going to be a drastically different team in 2011-2012. Head coach Dave Rose recently signed an extension, but Fredette, Jackson Emery, Logan Magnusson, James Anderson, and Kyle Collinsworth are all gone. Moreover, BYU is leaving the Mountain West Conference for the West Coast Conference.

The team may be different, but you have to think that Davies is going to be welcomed back with open arms. He made a mistake in the eyes of the university, but he handled it as gracefully as they could have asked, especially when you consider that it is apparently rare that honor code violations lead to dismissals and suspensions.

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Patriots Hosted Ryan Mallett for Two Days This Week

Until further notice, former Ryan Mallett is pretty high up on the watch list for the 2011 NFL Draft. The strong-armed former Arkansas quarterback has been the subject of quite a few less-than-savory rumors in recent days, but he's certainly drawn plenty of looks from interested teams as we speed towards Draft Day.

Surprisingly, one of the teams that took a close look at Mallett was the New England Patriots, who already have themselves a pretty good quarterback in Tom Brady. The Pats nevertheless hosted Mallett for a two-day visit earlier this week.

Why would the Pats be so interested in Mallett? Well, as head coach Bill Belichich explained things in a Thursday night phone interview with the Boston Herald, the truth is really not all that complicated:

You need to know the whole board. That’s part of what has helped us in making trades and maneuvering on draft day, understanding what we think is the value on the board as it relates to us, and our perception of what it is in the league. It’s just doing your homework.

Whether you want to call it "homework" or "due diligence," the fact of the matter is that the Patriots want to make sure they have a clear picture of just about every player they could find themselves involved in on Draft Day.

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There's a lot of interest in Mallett, and the thinking is that he could go right around the Patriots' No. 28 pick in the first round. Belichick says the Pats need to know who they could be missing out on:

If somebody’s interested in or you think they’re interested in a certain player, from your evaluations, you have some idea of whether that is or isn’t a possibility. If you [evaluate] the guy and you say, ‘There’s no way this guy could go in the first round, here’s all the reasons why, I can’t imagine any team taking him,’ well, that might be good to know. Versus, if you haven’t done it at all, maybe the guy would go, maybe he wouldn’t. But you at least want to know what the player’s true value is.

Case in point, the Pats made waves last season by hosting Tim Tebow for a visit. They ended up passing on Tebow twice before the Broncos took him at No. 25.

One way or another, Belichick thinks having your own evaluations to go off of is always going to come in handy.

But you want to know what you’re trading away from or what somebody else might be trading into. Even though that might not be your guy, it’s still useful information.

After reading all this, it seems to me that chances of the Patriots drafting Mallett are even slimmer than they first appeared to be. Instead, the Patriots now have a very good idea just how much he might be worth to a team that is looking to acquire one of their two first-round picks (probably No. 28).

There's a reason the Patriots are the class of the league, folks. They've got no shortage of brains, and they know how to use them.

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Frank McCourt Will Wait to See Who Bud Selig Selects to Run Dodgers Before Suing

So who here is ready for a good, old-fashioned legal battle between a bunch of rich people?

[Huzzahs!]

Me too, and we should have ourselves a good one Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt as soon as he files suit against Major League Baseball and Comissioner Bud Selig, who of course are taking over the team's everyday financial operations.

However, it sounds like we may have to wait for a bit.

You see, Selig has yet to pick a person who will be in charge of things at Chavez Ravine, and the word from TMZ is that McCourt and his camp are not going to make their move against MLB until the commish makes up his mind.

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Moreover, TMZ says whoever Selig tabs is not going to actually run things, but will instead have veto power over the decisions that are made by McCourt and the existing Dodgers management.

This is not nearly as damning, and it could be even less damning if Selig picks somebody friendly to the organization, a la Tommy Lasorda or Joe Torre.

If this doesn't end up being the case, then McCourt and his lawyers will challenge Selig's decision.

Given the contempt that Selig seems to have the Dodgers these days, something tells me that he's not going to be too eager to go out of his way to find a person that is going to be acceptable to McCourt.

Despite the fact McCourt seems willing to fight him, it looks from afar like Selig means to get the ball rolling on finding new ownership for the Dodgers, and this little hostile takeover is just the first step.

Meanwhile, there is still no word on whether or not Selig has any plans to go after the New York Mets, who are rumored to be roughly $400 million in debt.

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NFL Draft Rumors Have the Bengals Possibly Making a Move on Draft Day

I'm usually not one to get technical, but the Cincinnati Bengals are absolutely terrible.

Okay, that's not that technical, but you get the idea. The team went 4-12 last season, Carson Palmer wants nothing to do with the organization, and both Terrell Owens and Chad Ochocinco/Johnson are going to be elsewhere next season (if and when it comes).

However, there is hope for the Bengals in the form of the No. 4 overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, which is less than a week away now.

Draft experts have been largely inconsistent who they like for the Bengals at No. 4, but the trendy train of thought these days has them taking a wide receiver like Georgia's A.J. Green and then grabbing a quarterback like TCU's Andy Dalton or Florida State's Christian Ponder early in the second round.

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This sounds like a fine plan, but ESPN NFL guru Adam Schefter said on Friday that Dalton, Ponder and Arkansas' Ryan Mallett could all go in the first round. If they do, the Bengals won't have many options for the No. 35 overall pick.

Therefore, ESPN's AFC North blogger James Walker is thinking the may have to trade up into the first round in order to keep the WR-then-QB game plan intact.

Personally, I think Walker is right. The folks at Pro Football Talk reported a couple days ago that the Bengals are taking close looks at both Ponder and Dalton this week. Moreover, a recent story by Sports Illustrated's Peter King contained a quote from a quarterback coach who said that Bengals offensive coordinator is having a hard time hiding his admiration for Dalton.

"It's getting very hard for Jay Gruden to hide how much he loves Andy Dalton," said the unnamed coach.

I'm generally very hesitant to buy into any draft rumors that are out there at a given moment, but the pieces definitely fit in this case. The Bengals can't afford to come away from this draft without a quarterback, and they could right their ship in a big way if they can get both Green and Dalton (Ponder would also be acceptable).

Either way, this is all just speculation for now. There's been no shortage of that in recent months, but luckily for us all there's only a week to go until Draft Day.