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MLB Umpire Angel Hernandez: Twitter Reacts to Another Blown Call

Doug Mead — Sat, 25 May 2013 00:51:20 -0400

MLB umpire Angel Hernandez was trending on Twitter on Friday night after yet another blown call. At least this time it didn't cost a team a victory. But it was egregious nonetheless.

I know, you're thinking to yourself, "Wait, didn't MLB suspend him after he blew that home run call a few weeks ago?"

Well, this is Major League Baseball you're talking about. Hernandez wasn't disciplined in any way, although MLB at least acknowledged that Hernandez blew it.

Just to refresh your memory: With the Oakland Athletics down to the Cleveland Indians 4-3 in the top of the ninth inning on May 8, shortstop Adam Rosales hit what appeared to be a game-tying home run. But Hernandez thought otherwise, saying the ball bounced off the wall rather than the railing above the yellow line. Rosales was given a double on the play.

After A's manager Bob Melvin pleaded for a video review, Hernandez and the rest of the umpiring crew relented, stepping off the field to review the play. After several minutes, they returned, and Hernandez was apparently not swayed by the video he reviewed.

Needless to say, Melvin was beside himself. He was ejected from the game, and Rosales was stranded at second base with the A's eventually losing 4-3.

At the time, the A's beat reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle, Susan Slusser, said everyone in the press box knew Hernandez completely blew the call:

Slusser was also the pool reporter sent in to interview Hernandez about the call. He refused to have his comments taped:

The following day, MLB vice president of operations Joe Torre admitted that Hernandez blew the call.

Via the New York Daily News:

“By rule, the decision to reverse a call by use of instant replay is at the sole discretion of the crew chief,” Torre said. “In the opinion of Angel Hernandez, who was last night’s crew chief, there was not clear and convincing evidence to overturn the decision on the field. It was a judgment call, and as such, it stands as final.

“Home and away broadcast feeds are available for all uses of instant replay, and they were available to the crew last night. Given what we saw, we recognize that an improper call was made. Perfection is an impossible standard in any endeavor, but our goal is always to get the calls right. Earlier this morning, we began the process of speaking with the crew to thoroughly review all the circumstances surrounding last night’s decision.”

Hernandez saw what everyone else saw, yet still made an "improper" call. And MLB handed out no discipline.

Let's fast-forward two weeks, shall we?

On Friday night during the 10th inning of a game between the Chicago White Sox and Miami Marlins, the White Sox loaded the bases with one out. Alex Rios grounded into a double play to end the threat.

But on closer inspection, it appeared that Rios beat the throw to first base. Another blown call by Hernandez.

Fortunately for the White Sox, Jeff Keppinger hit a game-winning single in the bottom of the 11th. The White Sox, unlike the A's 16 days before them, didn't have a win taken away from them.

It was just delayed by an inning.

By another blown call by Hernandez.

We can't show the video here, but we'll let you make the call.

White Sox play-by-play man Ken Harrelson nearly blew a gasket. I expected another F-bomb on TV, but he was able to hold his tongue.

People on Twitter, however, weren't afraid to hold back their feelings.

Dan Hayes of CSNChicago.com didn't exactly have a birds-eye view of the play, but he thought Rios was safe:

Bleacher Report's own Zachary Rymer thought it was the right time to mention that Hernandez was prominently featured in his column about people in baseball ruining the sport:

Chris Rongey is one who believes the MLB needs to act immediately in the wake of yet another blown call:

For the record, I completely agree with Rongey, but we'll get to that later.

Britton Robinson believes that Hernandez could be collecting unemployment checks in the very near future:

I'm not quite that convinced.

Another Twitterer thought that the reason Hernandez still has a job might have something to do with blackmail:

Well, I don't think I'd go quite THAT far.

Needless to say, baseball fans are out of their minds with anger, wonderment and incredulity. The fact that Hernandez was in a position to make another bad call in the first place is bad enough. With MLB essentially doing nothing in the wake of the fiasco 16 days ago, Hernandez was given free rein to continue blowing calls.

MLB has no one to blame but themselves. They had a golden opportunity to clean up a situation that cost a team a ballgame. How are the A's going to feel if they lose out on a postseason berth by one game at the end of the season?

This latest egregious and obvious error by Hernandez must be dealt with—and severely. There have been far too many instances this season already in which umpires—rather than baseball games—have been the story.

Susan Slusser had to leave her tape recorder behind when interviewing Hernandez after the blown call in the A's game. Was it because he simply didn't want to leave a digital trail?

Jim Joyce didn't have a problem owning up to his error with his blown call in the near-perfect game thrown by Armando Galarraga. And that cost Galarraga a piece of history.

This won't be a history-altering blown call, but for the A's, it well could decide their fate at the end of the season if they're in the thick of a playoff race.

Joe Torre and MLB need to act on Hernandez's latest outrageously bad call. Torre's got incontrovertible evidence, and he needs to use it.

Enough is enough.

Doug Mead is a featured columnist with Bleacher Report. His work has been featured in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, SF Gate, CBS Sports, the Los Angeles Times and the Houston Chronicle.

Feel free to talk baseball with Doug anytime on Twitter.

Carolina's Key to Success Rests on the Strength of Its Defense

Charles Edwards — Sat, 25 May 2013 00:51:04 -0400

Defense wins championships. A lot of coaches have been saying it for years. The Carolina Panthers have been identified as being defensive-oriented since their inception. From Dom Capers to Ron Rivera, every head coach to grace the sidelines for the Panthers has been one with a defensive background.

When the right personnel have been on the field or the unit has remained healthy, Carolina has a defense that is among the best in the league.

While the Cam Newton-led offense may garner much of the attention, the defense will be the backbone of the team’s success and failures in 2013. Last year, the Panthers were in every game but two, and a few of those losses were due to the defense being unable to stop its opponents in the waning minutes of the game.

Enter Dave Gettleman, who brought his “hog molly” philosophy to Carolina and proceeded to beef up the defensive line through both the draft and free agency.

He made Utah defensive tackle Star Lotulelei his first pick in the draft and followed it up by selecting Purdue’s Kawann Short. What was a liability on defense became an immediate strength in just two rounds.

But will it be enough?

In a perfect world, the tandem of Lotulelei and Short will be a staple of Carolina football for years to come and should anchor a line that can be one of the league’s elite on an annual basis. However, the football world is far from perfect, and the Panthers haven’t tasted playoff glory since 2008.

These two young men will be charged with shoring up a weak interior on the line, stuff the run and free up the linebackers and defensive ends to create all kinds of problems for opposing quarterbacks.

That is asking a lot of two rookies who will be seeing plenty of playing time this upcoming season. The good news is they will have plenty of veterans to help them make the transition into the Carolina defense and practice against an offense that has the potential to be great in 2013.

With the rookies in place, there is still the matter of the veteran starters who will be counted on to either improve last year’s numbers or rebound from a horrible 2012 campaign.

Carolina Needs to Combat the Injury Bug

Veteran and team captain Jon Beason has been very limited the past two seasons because of injuries. He only appeared in five games between the 2011-12 seasons and has seen his stock drop because of it.

Additionally, there has been speculation about his time in Carolina coming to an end, but if he can stay healthy and play the outside with the same kind of skill that he did at middle linebacker, he could stick around longer.

The same can be said of Thomas Davis, another Carolina linebacker who dealt with his own injury issues and came back with a strong season in 2012. That year marked his first full season since 2008; though he did miss one game last season.

Davis and Beason will be closely watched as their health will be paramount to how good the defense will be when the season gets under way.

Fortunately, the Panthers do have Chase Blackburn and rookie A.J. Klein to step in and make an immediate impact if necessary. The ideal situation would be to keep them both in a backup role, but anything is possible on any given week.

If the middle of the defense can stay intact along with the secondary and defensive front, the Panthers will have going for them during the season.

Pass Rush Will be Key

Charles Johnson and Greg Hardy are both coming off great seasons where they each recorded more than 10 sacks. With an improved defensive line, expect the blitz packages to be more frequent and Carolina’s pass rush off the edge to be more lethal. Most quarterbacks are not nearly effective under pressure, and the key to the defense’s success will be to upset their opponent’s tempo.

Lotulelei, Short and Dwan Edwards should be able to take away the double-teams, which will allow Johnson, Hardy or any of the linebackers to penetrate the backfield and cause a plethora of problems.

Teams like Atlanta, New Orleans, New England and the New York Giants all have quarterbacks who are dangerous when they have a lot of time inside the pocket. An effective pass rush will make all of those teams and this year’s opponents one dimensional.

The same can be said about those teams with a mobile quarterback. Fortunately, the Panthers have a great mobile quarterback to practice against. Having that luxury could help the defense prepare for the likes of Seattle, San Francisco, Buffalo and the New York Jets (the latter assuming Geno Smith is named the starter for their matchup).

Ultimately, having an excellent pass rush will nullify the need for a shutdown corner or an elite player in the secondary.

Secondary Is a Weak Link, But It Can Be Solid

There is no doubt that this year’s weak area is the secondary.

Until the season starts in September, let’s assume the starting cornerbacks will be Captain Munnerlyn and Josh Norman. Neither one is very flashy, but both did play well last year in the wake of former Panthers corner Chris Gamble being lost for the season. They combined for three interceptions in 2012 and both have proved durable on the field.

Safety is the wild card among the group, and with the lone exception to Charles Godfrey, the other safety position will be up for grabs heading into training camp. Haruki Nakamura struggled last season, and his spot on the roster is not guaranteed with the likes of Colin Jones and Robert Lester looking to challenge him for the starting job. Mike Mitchell and D.J. Campbell cannot be overlooked either.

The pass defense was middle of the road last season, finishing 14 out of 32 teams in the league. However, Carolina’s total defense rounded out the top 10, and that should be looked at with a sense of optimism moving forward.

There should be no reason why both the pass defense and rush defense won’t improve in 2013 and make the defense a formidable one during the course of the season.

Carolina has an excellent blend of veteran leadership and promising rookies on defense, and the outlook should be favorable not only on the team but among the fanbase. If the Panthers defense can correct the mistakes of last year and help close out the tight ballgames, they could very well see an win increase of three or four games at the end of this season.

The offense may get all the accolades, but defense wins championships.

Can Indiana Pacers Do Unthinkable and Upset Miami Heat?

Grant Hughes — Sat, 25 May 2013 00:47:25 -0400

Now that the Indiana Pacers have evened their Eastern Conference finals series with the Miami Heat by taking a hard-fought 97-93 win in Game 2, it appears that the impossible is actually possible. The Pacers have a legitimate shot to beat the Heat.

Paul George was phenomenal again, piling up 22 points and six assists on 9-of-16 shooting. It's hard to laud his defense against LeBron James, who poured in 36 points on only 20 shots, but it's no coincidence that George's plus-17 rating was the highest of any player on either team. He made James work for his buckets and got plenty of his own on the other end.

In fact, George even matched James in the highlight category, throwing down more than one vicious dunk.

The budding superstar wasn't fighting the Heat alone, though; Roy Hibbert turned in yet another great performance, scoring 29 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. At times, the big man looked like he was out there on the court with nine kids playing "keep away" by himself on the glass. His six offensive boards were absolutely critical to Indiana's surprising win.

The Pacers got production from the other three members of their starting lineup as well.

George Hill had a couple of ball-handling gaffes (as usual), but he scored with terrific efficiency (18 points on only eight field-goal attempts) and actually attacked in pick-and-roll sets for the first time all series. Plus, David West worked his way to the line 10 times and doled out plenty of physical punishment.

Ask Mario Chalmers how his shoulder is feeling after a hard shot from West.

Even Lance Stephenson chipped in with a terrific floor game. Though he was visibly upset with his 4-of-12 shooting night, the gritty 2-guard supplemented his 10 points with eight rebounds, five assists and a pair of steals.

If all five members of the Pacers' starting unit can continue to play well, it'll go a long way toward helping them pull off a previously unthinkable upset.

Looking ahead, though, there are some other signs from Game 2 that certainly favor the Pacers as the series returns to Indiana.

First, Indy seemed to shore up a major weakness that had plagued it during the regular season and playoffs. In the 2012-13 campaign, only four teams averaged more turnovers per game than the Pacers. Yet in Game 2, Indiana committed only 13 giveaways.

Frank Vogel clearly made an adjustment that helped relieve the pressure Norris Cole had been applying to Hill in the backcourt by having his players immediately fire the ball up the floor to the first available wing player. The strategy was a simple version of a press break—the kind you'd see in plenty of high school games. But it definitely helped.

And ironically, it was James who committed the most crucial turnovers, as he gave the ball up on bad passes twice in the final minute.

It's definitely unrealistic to expect James to make those mistakes again, and it's probably unlikely that the Pacers will be so careful with the ball during the rest of the series. But Indiana has at least addressed a major problem. That'll help as these games get even more tense going forward.

In addition to smaller tactical changes, the Pacers will now get to enjoy the benefit of two games at home.

During the regular season, Indiana amassed an excellent 30-11 mark in its own gym. A 6-0 home playoff record shows that its home dominance has clearly carried over into the postseason.

And speaking of records, consider the following as it pertains to Indy's chances of pulling off the upset: Coming into Game 2, everyone was fixated on the Heat's 47-3 mark over their past 50 games. Some cited it as proof that there was no way the Pacers could be expected to take four games out of six after losing Game 1.

Objectively, that makes a ton of sense. But remember, these Pacers took two out of three games from the Heat during the regular season. That number should matter more than the gaudy record Miami ran up against the rest of the league over the past few months.

We now know that the Pacers aren't like the rest of the league. They're better.

Plus, Indiana has actually had a taste of what it's like to have an edge on the Heat in the postseason. Perhaps it'll be motivated to savor that taste this time around.

And finally, the biggest thing the Pacers have going for them is sheer confidence. They know they could have taken Game 1 if not for a couple of late miscues and James' heroics. After bouncing back to notch a statement win in Game 2 on Miami's home floor, Indiana should believe it can win this series.

Look, there are plenty of reasons for the Heat to continue to be the favorite to advance. The Pacers still don't have a bench, and there's almost no way James' supporting cast pulls another disappearing act like it did in Game 2.

Plus, the Heat have finally been hit in the mouth in a game that really counts. Sure, they lost a couple of tough regular season games and even dropped a playoff contest to the Chicago Bulls, but perhaps this latest loss will finally remind the Heat that they've got to play with urgency all the time.

They haven't had to do that yet, and if there's another gear the Heat have yet to hit, Indiana's big win might actually force them to find it.

I said the Pacers had "a chance" to win this series earlier, and that's just what it is: a chance.

The Heat still have the best player in the series, a better bench and more playoff experience. If forced to make a pick, I'd still say they are more likely to win this series. At the same time, it definitely won't be a shock if Indiana wins either.

The Heat are a great team. But now we know they're not invincible.

2013 NBA Playoffs: Paul George Is Blossoming into a Star

Thomas Duffy — Sat, 25 May 2013 00:35:42 -0400

Physically, Paul George could almost look like a younger brother of LeBron James. The reigning MVP is stronger, has more ink and has less hair than the leader of the Indiana Pacers, in addition to possessing seven more years of professional experience. But like any younger sibling playing his big brother, George has not backed down from the challenge of taking on the league’s best player in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Although he has three seasons under his belt, this is really George’s first year playing the role of Indiana’s top gun. In the absence of Danny Granger, the 2013 NBA’s Most Improved Player put up All-Star numbers of nearly 18 points and eight rebounds per game. He had already established himself as a tremendous defender, but George increased his offensive production by more than five points per game from last season (via ESPN).

When you think of superstars in the NBA, who do you think of? LeBron, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony—George really doesn’t come up in that discussion. After this season, however, that is going to change.

George is blossoming into a star, right before our very eyes, here in the playoffs. His Game 1 performance in the conference finals against the Miami Heat was unreal: 27 points on 7-of-16 shooting (3-6 from three-point territory), including a 30-footer to send the game into overtime and then three cold-blooded free throws with 2.2 seconds left to give his Pacers a one-point lead.

On the following play, George overplayed James on the inbound pass and allowed LBJ to surge in for the game-winning layup as time expired, 103-102 Miami. George is 23 years old, though; that’s going to happen. How he would respond to that kind of adversity is what mattered.

And boy, did he respond.

In Game 2 on Friday, George poured in 22 points (9-16 from the field) in 39 minutes while keeping his composure in the biggest game of his career. His smothering defense forced James into two turnovers with less than a minute left en route to a 97-93 victory in Miami.

Now that the away team has won on their opponent's home court, we have a series (as the saying goes). And you know what else we have? A rising star in Paul George, who is going toe-to-toe with one of the greatest players of all time and loving every second of it.

Game 3 will be played on Sunday, May 26 at 8:30 p.m. on TNT.

Indiana Pacers vs. Miami Heat Game 2: Video Highlights and Recap

Tyler Conway — Sat, 25 May 2013 00:24:20 -0400

Just when we thought the "is LeBron clutch?" conversation had ended, Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals will undoubtedly get the NBA's most oft-debated conversation heated up once again.

James turned the ball over twice in the final minute of Friday night's action, helping the Indiana Pacers defeat the Miami Heat, 97-93, to even the best-of-seven series at 1-1.

The critical turnovers obscure an otherwise brilliant performance from the league MVP. James scored a game-high 36 points and grabbed eight rebounds on a night where Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh both turned in disappointing outings.

Wade scored only 14 points, while Bosh had a customary 17 but grabbed only five rebounds. Both shot 6-of-14 from the floor.

While most will focus on the implications for Miami as the series heads back to Indiana, Game 2's biggest star was Pacers center Roy Hibbert.

The 7'2" big man, who was infamously benched for James' game-winning basket on Wednesday, scored 29 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. And on Miami's final meaningful offensive possession—James' second turnover of the final minute—it was Hibbert's length that forced LeBron to stop in his tracks and attempt a difficult pass.

The man who tipped that pass, David West, was involved with both James turnovers—making up for a dreadful offensive evening.

Meanwhile, Paul George's leap to superstardom continued. The 23-year-old All-Star scored shot 9-of-16 en route to scoring 22 points, including a ferocious dunk that will assuredly make highlight shows across the nation.

Indiana now heads back home having done what all underdogs aspire to do—win one of the first road games. The pressure will now be firmly on the Heat, as the series gets back underway Sunday night in Indianapolis.

Follow @tylerconway22

Indiana Pacers vs. Miami Heat: Game 2 Postgame Grades and Analysis

Peter Emerick — Sat, 25 May 2013 00:21:09 -0400

I feel like we've been here before. A playoff series between the Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers tied up at 1-1 as the series heads back to Indiana?

Thanks to a 97-93 Game-2 win over the Heat, the Pacers are treating fans to another thrilling series, only this time the stakes are higher with a trip to the 2013 NBA Finals on the line.

Paul George and LeBron James went back and forth throughout the night, with George ending with 22 points and six assists and LeBron ending with 36 points on 14-of-20 shooting.

With the game going back and forth, George rose to the occasion and threw down one of the filthiest dunks you'll ever see, shoving Chris Andersen out of his way.

LeBron had a great game throughout the first 47 minutes, but with the game on the line, he turned the ball over twice, which sealed the Heat's fate.

Roy Hibbert owned the interior on both sides of the ball, with 29 points and 10 rebounds. It's clear that the Heat need to find an answer for the Pacers' size and strength in the paint. If they don't, they may be watching the 2013 NBA Finals from the comfort of their own homes.

Game 3 is set for Sunday at 9 p.m. ET. You won't want to miss a single minute of this series, that's for sure.

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Kobe Bryant Gets a New Tattoo, Posts Pic on Instagram

Maxwell Ogden — Sat, 25 May 2013 00:14:31 -0400

Entering the 2012-13 NBA regular season, it appeared as if Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers were on pace to add another championship ring to his collection. After tearing his Achilles tendon and watching his team lose in the first round, however, those dreams failed to come to fruition.

Kobe opted to settle for some new ink.

Bryant posted a photograph of the process on his personal Instagram account. The social media world has instantly responded, providing their take on what Kobe is doing during his offseason.

As one might expect, Bryant is displaying no signs of pain.

The legend of Kobe's pain threshold continues.

Yesterday, Bryant took to Twitter to ask his loyal fanbase what they believed he should get. Before they could offer up a definitive answer, the five-time NBA champion offered up a suggestion of his own.

A rosary.

It didn't take much time for Bryant to get it done.

There's something to be said about a man who garners this much media attention for getting a tattoo. After all, we are in the midst of the 2013 NBA playoffs, where we unexpectedly saw a year without Kobe taking the floor.

When you're as accomplished as Bryant, however, the news is bound to circulate, no matter what you do—this time around, it's about getting a tattoo.

Reasons to Root for Each Team Left in NBA Playoffs

Stephen Fenech — Sat, 25 May 2013 00:02:56 -0400

With only four teams remaining in the NBA playoffs, most fanbases across the country are already looking forward to next season. That being said, the two conference finals being contested currently are producing high-quality basketball games.

Even if your favorite team is already on summer vacation, there are a plethora of reasons to cheer for the remaining squads.

While each team still in contention is different, they all have a few things in common. They are all competent on the defensive end and are composed of mature players who understand how to fit into their team's system.

At this point of the postseason, making mental mistakes can be the difference between a win and a loss. That was the case at the end of overtime between the Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, when Paul George overplayed LeBron James, allowing the MVP to take an uncontested layup that won the game.

With stars such as James, Tim Duncan, Marc Gasol and George all vying for the championship, the final weeks of the season promise to be exciting.

Each team has a couple of compelling reasons as to why people should jump on their bandwagon as the playoff action gets even more intense and dramatic.

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5 Free Agents the Chicago Bulls Must Avoid

Andres Montero — Fri, 24 May 2013 23:50:58 -0400

Free agency will start in just over a month and the Chicago Bulls have some needs they must address. However, they also have to make sure they avoid any players that may not be great fits for them.

With most of this season's bench players on one-year deals, the Bulls will have to fill their bench once again with free agents.

Jermaine O'Neal is a potential target for the Bulls' backup center spot, but his age and injury history should raise some flags.

With the Bulls' lack of cap room, they'll have to offer up a couple of minimum contracts to add some extra bodies to the second unit. That being said, they still have to make sure that player will contribute and fit Tom Thibodeau's system.

So which free agents should Chicago avoid?

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UFC 160 Prelims: Complete Undercard and Predictions for Saturday's Event

Alex Ballentine — Fri, 24 May 2013 23:48:50 -0400

Before UFC 160's marquee fights get underway on pay-per-view, the organization will offer seven fights for free that will be available via Facebook or on FX.

While these matchups may not offer the same name recognition of a heavyweight title fight between Cain Velasquez and Antonio Silva, there are plenty of matchups that should affect the landscape in their respective divisions.

Featuring an intriguing welterweight collision between Mike Pyle and Rick Story, there are a slew of fighters who will be trying to climb the ladder with entertaining and decisive wins. Here's a look at the compete schedule along with quick picks for the biggest prelims on the card.

FX Card (Starting at 8 p.m. ET)

Welterweight Mike Pyle vs. Rick Story

Featherweight Dennis Bermudez vs. Max Holloway

Welterweight Colton Smith vs. Robert Whittaker

Lightweight Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Abel Trujillo

Facebook Card (Starting at 6:35 p.m. ET)

Welterweight: Nah-Shon Burrell vs. Stephen Thompson

Bantamweight: Brian Bowles vs. George Roop

Featherweight: Estevan Payan vs. Jeremy Stephens

Predictions

Mike Pyle Continues Winning Ways Against Rick Story

Thirty-seven-year-old Mike Pyle is making the most out of the latter parts of his career. The longtime UFC vet is making his way to the main card scene with three straight first-round finishes, and a win here could propel him to the highest heights he has seen in his career.

Story is always a dangerous underdog—his wins over Johny Hendricks and Thiago Alves are nothing to laugh at. But he's been mediocre since those wins, posting a 2-3 record in his last five fights.

Look for Pyle to continue his recent winning streak with another spectacular knockout.

Nurmagomedov Redeems Weigh-In Mishaps With Win Over Abel Trujillo

Khabib Nurmagomedov may have a bright future in the UFC, but his antics at the weight can't help him.

Nurmagomedov showed up to the weigh-ins wearing a goofy wig. Which wouldn't have been a big deal if he hadn't missed weight. And if he hadn't pushed Abel Trujillo at the staredown for no reason. As Bleacher Report's Duane Finley and Jeremy Botter point out, the whole performance just wasn't a good idea:

Fortunately for Nurmagomedov, he has the skills in the Octagon to ensure he doesn't receive the harsh backlash that may come with losing. He's 19-0 for a reason. The man has knockout power on the feet and the ability to win with submissions on the ground.

Nurmagomedov will finish this fight.

Jeremy Stephens Will Make His Last UFC Appearance Against Estevan Payan

It feels like Jeremy Stephens should be 37. He's not, he's 27.

He made his UFC debut in 2007 and has been a fixture in the organization ever since, but it looks like his time in the Octagon might be done. Stephens has never been an elite fighter, but he's now riding a three-fight losing streak and finds himself on the Facebook prelims.

He's making his debut at featherweight, but even dropping weight might not be enough. Estevan Payan may not be a well-known name, but he's coming off of a TKO win in Strikeforce.

Another loss and it's hard to envision Dana White keeping Stephens around.

The X's and O's of an NFL No-Huddle Attack

Alen Dumonjic — Fri, 24 May 2013 23:32:47 -0400

It's not often that the NFL undergoes a schematic transition. In reality, the league is pretty bland when it comes to coaching, but in the past couple of years, things have changed.

There are more and more formations and concepts that are being brought over from the college ranks, as witnessed this past season with the implementation of the pistol and zone read. Another addition (or expansion) has been the no-huddle attack.

Teams are using an up-tempo offense more than just in the final stages of a half. They're using it in the middle of drives and quarters, making it difficult for defenses to keep pace with them. The New England Patriots are best known for this right now, but it's something that goes back many years, dating back to at least the early '90s with the Buffalo Bills' K-Gun offense.

There are three keys to successfully using a no-huddle attack: controlling tempo, cutting down terminology and using simpler concepts to move the ball.

Tempo

Controlling tempo is the biggest advantage in sports right now. I frequently compare the sport of football to basketball because a lot of the concepts and philosophies are similar, and it's no different here.

In basketball, there are teams like the San Antonio Spurs, for example, that do a great job of controlling the game. They know when to push the game and when to sit back. It's a fine line and one that many football play-callers don't understand because they don't have a feel for it.

There have been NFL coaches who have done well with the no-huddle in the past, such as Chan Gailey.

Although Gailey hasn't had much overall success recently, he's one of the brighter minds in the game because of his understanding of offenses. He's familiar with tempo, as he once explained using gears as an analogy, via AFCAStore.com:

By lining up at the LOS [and not huddling], we push the defense into a tempo they are not accustomed to. We relate this idea to gears in a car. First gear is the gear most everyone uses. Both teams huddle then go to the LOS and execute their plays. In second gear, the offense does not huddle; therefore, the defense cannot huddle either. This changes the tempo. Third gear is hurry-hurry offense; with the no-huddle, you can get into this tempo at any time. Now we have the ability to speed up the game or slow it down according to our wants and needs. This keeps the defense off balance.

Keeping the defense off balance is one of the keys to winning games, whether it's done through scheme or tempo. The Denver Broncos and aforementioned Patriots do a good job of this. A big reason why they're so successful at it is because they've cut down their verbiage.

Terminology

Verbiage or terminology, as it's often called, is another big key to mastering a no-huddle attack. Long play calls are not always necessary, and teams have started to figure this out.

One man who has had it long figured out is Chip Kelly of the Philadelphia Eagles and formerly of the University of Oregon. Kelly is a mastermind when it comes to terminology, using poster cutouts as signals and simple one-word play calls.

A word or picture tells the offense the formation, play and blocking scheme, as former Oregon and current Baltimore Ravens tight end Ed Dickson told The Boston Globe's Greg Bedard. It can be mind-bending for offensive players at first, but it becomes easier through practice, as Dickson explained:

It’s kind of easy. It comes with repetition. A lot of guys learn different. Myself, I just needed to be out there repping those plays. The more comfortable you get, the faster you’ll go. He wants to make it easier to where you’re not thinking about anything, you’re just going fast. Make it as simple as guys can learn it so you can go really fast. That’s the key, making it simple for your players so they can play at top speed.

Concepts

A no-huddle attack is different from a huddled one because it uses simpler plays, most of which come from the traditional three-step passing game.

The three-step game consists of screens, slants and other quick-hitting plays that get the ball out of the quarterback's hands quickly and makes the defense run. The quicker the ball moves, the quicker the defense moves, making them more tired than usual.

What Kelly has done over the past few years is build his passing game off of his running game, which he did a great job of explaining to Urban Meyer a couple of years ago on ESPN.

See how Kelly's quarterback fakes the run and then throws the bubble screen in the video? It's simple, yet effective. It all looks the same, consequently putting the defense in a bind and making the players think the wrong thing.

That's what other NFL teams are going to start doing more of. With more college quarterbacks coming out of school unprepared for the pros, coaches will start to adopt more of the offense that their quarterbacks ran in college. We've already seen the Washington Redskins do it with Robert Griffin III, one of the deadliest dual-threat quarterbacks to come to the pros in recent time.

With teams looking to acquire more mobile passers that they can speed up the transition of to the pros, there will be more simple college concepts that feature the signal-caller as a runner or passer. That's difficult to deal with, especially when it's played at a fast tempo.

NHL Reportedly Reaches Agreement to Sell Phoenix Coyotes

Alex Ballentine — Fri, 24 May 2013 23:30:06 -0400

It appears that the NHL has finally found a buyer for the Phoenix Coyotes franchise.

According to a report from Fox Sports Arizona by Chris Morgan, the NHL and the George Gosbee and Anthony LeBlanc-led Renaissance Sports and Entertainment group have come to terms on a deal to purchase the team from the league.

Per the report, the next step in the process will be for NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, deputy commissioner Bill Daly, Gosbee and LeBlanc to meet with city officials and put together the details of the deal. That meeting is currently set to happen on Tuesday. According to another report from Fox Sports Arizona, the team is expected to announce a new contract for Coyotes' general manager Don Maloney.

The team has been owned by the NHL since 2009 when then-owner Jerry Moyes was forced to declare bankruptcy and sold the team to the league for $140 million.

After four years with no real owner, it appears that the Coyotes ownership saga will now come to a close. There are still a few details that will need to be figured out, though.

According to Fox Sports Arizona, the issue of funding for Jobing.com Arena could be a contentious issue for the new ownership group and the Glendale city council. According to The Arizona Republic, the true operating cost for the arena is around $5.1-$5.5 million.

Gosbee and LeBlanc are reported to be asking the city for around $13-$15 million to keep up the maintenance of the arena.

Having a GM and new ownership is important given the timing. After finishing with 51 points on the season and two spots shy of a playoff berth, the Coyotes will be looking to transform the current roster into a playoff contender.

Indiana Pacers vs. Miami Heat: Game 2 Score, Highlights and Analysis

Maxwell Ogden — Fri, 24 May 2013 23:30:05 -0400

The 2013 NBA playoffs resumed on Friday as the Indiana Pacers defeated the Miami Heat by a score of 97-93 in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference Finals series.

With the victory, Indiana ties this series at 1-1.

LeBron James led all scorers with 36 points, while Dwyane Wade added 14 points, six rebounds and five assists. Chris Bosh scored 17 of his own and Chris Andersen continued his efficient offensive play with seven points off of the bench.

For the winners, it was all about the interior.

Roy Hibbert responded to his late-game benching in Game 1 by scoring a playoff career-high 29 points paired with 10 rebounds. Paul George added 22 points, while George Hill dropped 18 and David West tallied 13 points and seven rebounds.

Lance Stephenson was well-rounded again, tallying 10 points, eight rebounds and five assists.

Both teams started hot, combining for 19 points during the first four minutes of the game. Indiana used a 15-3 run and Hibbert's low-post prowess to jump out to a double-digit lead, but Miami countered to bring the lead down to six points entering the second quarter.

Even still, Indiana had every reason to be confident while holding a 28-22 lead and showing no signs of broken will after a heartbreaking Game 1 loss.

Indiana refused to let up in the second quarter, using 12 made free throws to maintain its lead entering the half. With that being said, Chris Andersen took over offensively and managed to keep the Heat in this one.

Mike Miller drained one heck of a buzzer-beater to end the half and the stage was set for something classic.

These teams didn't disappoint.

The third quarter was all about the Big Three, as Bosh started a furious rally, Wade hit one of his signature circus shots and James was his usual self. The trio accounted for 24 of Miami's 27 third quarter points, outscoring Indiana by themselves.

With Indiana's offense continuing to pound it down low and space the floor with the three-ball, however, the Pacers held on to a 76-74 lead. The key to that lead was one of the most glorious plays of the postseason.

George shot down the Birdman.

Now that's what you call a dunk.

For those upset at what happened on this play, don't be. George took it in cleanly and threw down a dunk of such extraordinary heights that the opposition offered him praise.

Most specifically, the man whom George has been defending—LeBron.

Respect.

During the fourth quarter, the Pacers and Heat battled down to the wire as neither found a way to pull away. It came down to the final minute, when the Pacers used Hill's defense and Hibbert's presence—believe it or not, he was on the floor during crunch time—to secure the lead.

With Hill making four free throws to close out the game and Hibbert's rotation forcing LeBron into a late turnover, Indiana took Game 2 and evened the series—things just got interesting.

Twitter Reaction

This was yet another display of exceptional resiliency by the Indiana Pacers, as they refuse to back down against the heavily favored Miami Heat. Fortunately for those in need of some competition, the Pacers haven't checked the paper rosters.

They're just leaving it all out on the floor.

And that's what makes a series great.

Per usual, James was sensational, scoring at will and making pinpoint passes to his teammates. While the numbers keep coming, though, the adjectives to describe his play are running thin.

It's time we simply shut our mouths and enjoy greatness.

All who disagree are given permission to pose some new terms to describe LeBron's greatness.

Nevertheless, for everything that LeBron was able to do, he was consistently countered by Indiana breakout star Paul George. George, who won the 2012-13 Most Improved Player award, had some detractors questioning his legitimacy.

No more.

George has been sensational in both games of this series.

If there's one thing for us to follow as we push through this series, it's the positional battle between George and LeBron. Not only is James the best player in the world, but he's also one of the premier defenders.

George hasn't let that prevent him from creating one of the NBA's best rivalries.

Hit the comments section and let us know.

LeBron James and Paul George Turn Heads with Epic Game 2 Highlight-Reel Duel

Grant Hughes — Fri, 24 May 2013 23:27:24 -0400

Game 2 between the Miami Heat and the Indiana Pacers was supposed to be about adjustments and the interplay between Chris Bosh and Roy Hibbert. Instead, it boiled down to a good old-fashioned battle of jaw-dropping plays between LeBron James and Paul George.

And really, nobody's mad about that.

Paul George kicked off the highlight bonanza late in the third quarter with a vicious slam on Chris Andersen. George drove hard to his left, came to a two-foot plant and soared right over the top of the Birdman, cramming home a wicked righty spike.

He let out a guttural yell upon landing, which, when translated, actually sounded an awful lot like "I am Paul George, and I have arrived."

Everybody enjoyed the play. Well, except for Andersen.

Others were more brief in their analysis of the monstrous dunk.

Mere seconds later, James fired right back, ending the third quarter with a long bomb that conjured up recent memories of George's own 30-footer from Game 1.

It was an incredible exchange, reminiscent of the extremely high level of play in this series. Make no mistake, George and James are in line for plenty more battles in the coming seasons. And that's a pretty exciting proposition.

Best of all, these guys respect one another. It had to have been hard amidst an incredibly testy series, but James and George actually exchanged an appreciative low five after LBJ buried his quarter-closing triple.

Highlight plays and great sportsmanship don't often coexist like this.

Getting back to the action, the eye-popping plays started before the marquee exchange that ended the third quarter. Earlier in the game, James converted a breathtaking reverse dunk.

At the time, it was the game's best highlight. Little did we know there'd be so much more to come.

And shortly after that, George snared a lob from Lance Stephenson and thundered home a powerful dunk.

The final moments of Game 2 weren't quite enthralling as the end of Game 1. In the series opener, James and George also traded highlights down to the wire. This time around, James coughed up the ball on two critical possessions to end the contest.

Still, the enduring images from this game will definitely be the amazing individual plays from James and George in that epic third quarter.

Masai Ujiri Reportedly Negotiating to Become Toronto Raptors' New GM

Tyler Conway — Fri, 24 May 2013 23:26:23 -0400

Masai Ujiri may be the NBA's reigning Executive of the Year, but don't expect the Denver Nuggets to fight to retain his services.

According to Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski, the Toronto Raptors are engaged with serious negotiations to make Ujiri their next general manager.

Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment is said to have made Ujiri an aggressive, multi-million dollar offer to help resuscitate the struggling franchise. The two sides met on Friday to discuss the vacancy, which opened when the team transitioned Bryan Colangelo to the business side of the organization.

What's interesting is that the Nuggets have no intention of making a counteroffer. Toronto's contract is said to be at least twice or even three times what Denver was willing to offer in negotiations with Ujiri, who took over basketball operations in 2010.

A source close to the Nuggets said team owners "seems to be moving on," per Wojnarowski.

While dumping an Executive of the Year has become something of the norm for the Nuggets—Mark Warkentien won the award in 2009 only to be replaced a year later—Ujiri is among the most respected young executives in basketball.

The 42-year-old Ujiri, who spent time under Colangelo in Toronto before coming to Denver, is largely credited for the current iteration of the Nuggets, which went 57-25 during the regular season en route to finishing with the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference.

It was under Ujiri's stewardship that Denver traded Carmelo Anthony, the franchise's best player of all time, to the New York Knicks in a deal that brought Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler and Timofey Mozgov to Colorado. He made the Nuggets an instrumental fourth wheel in the Dwight Howard trade last summer, landing the Nuggets Andre Iguodala for next to nothing in the process.

A darling of the analytics committee, the Raptors are hoping the return of Ujiri can bring success that the forward-thinking Colangelo could not. Toronto has not had a winning season since 2006-07 and finished 34-48 this past season.

With a roster that already exceeds the cap for the 2013-14 season, Uriji has a major rebuilding job ahead of him. There are questions about what to do with Andrea Bargnani among others, and the previous regime banked hard on Rudy Gay turning into a franchise-level player.

It gives Ujiri something to think about in the coming days. He reportedly has a good relationship with the Nuggets organization and has built a team bursting with young pieces that could be flipped for a superstar.

However, it seems Toronto is preparing to give him the ultimate form of respect—a Brinks truck full of money.

Uriji will reportedly take a couple of days to think about the Raptors' offer.

Ranking the 10 Greatest Fights in NASCAR History

Joseph Shelton — Fri, 24 May 2013 23:14:57 -0400

Make no mistake, fights in NASCAR are fun to watch.

Let's face it, when we see drivers or crew members roll up their sleeves and engage in a legitimate brawl everything else goes dim. We become glued to that scene and that scene alone. The refreshing aspect of the raw emotion shown takes us back to the sport's basic roots. The fights take us back to those Saturday night's spent at the local bullring.

Or, if you want to be less poetic about it, it's always fun to watch that one pesky driver get a mudhole stomped in their backside and walked dry.

Here is a list of the 10 greatest fights in NASCAR history.

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Memorial Cup 2013: Portland vs. London Recap, Updated Bracket and More

Joseph Zucker — Fri, 24 May 2013 23:14:08 -0400

The Portland Winterhawks beat the London Knights, 2-1, to advance to the 2013 Memorial Cup final.

The Winterhawks were quick to proclaim victory on Twitter:

Portland had one fewer shot than London but did a great job of making its chances count. The Knights tried to make a late charge, but the Winterhawks proved too much.

Portland's Ty Rattie continued his strong performance in the Memorial Cup, taking the top spot amongst goal scorers. His go-ahead goal in the third period was his fifth. Put that together with his three assists and his eight points have him tied for the lead with Nathan MacKinnon of the Halifax Mooseheads.

Mac Carruth was just as good on the other end of the ice. He stopped 34 of London's 35 shots. His great save on Olli Maatta late in the third period preserved the win for the Winterhawks and summed up the kind of performance he had.

Here's the Memorial Cup schedule and a recap of Friday night's semifinal matchup.

Round-Robin Standings

Team	GP	W	L	OTL	PTS
Halifax Mooseheads	3	2	1	0	4
Portland Winterhawks	3	2	1	0	4
London Knights	3	1	2	0	2
Saskatoon Blades	3	1	2	0	2

Full Memorial Cup Schedule

Round-Robin Stage

Date	Away		Home
May 17	London	3	Saskatoon	2
May 18	Portland	4	Halifax	7
May 19	Saskatoon	5	Halifax	2
May 20	Portland	6	London	3
May 21	Halifax	9	London	2
May 22	Saskatoon	2	Portland	4

Playoff Schedule

Round	Away		Home		Date	Time
Tiebreaker:	Saskatoon Blades	1	London Knights	6	Thursday, May 23	8 p.m. ET
Semifinals:	London Knights	1	Portland Winterhawks	2	Friday, May 24	8 p.m. ET
Finals	Portland Winterhawks		Halifax Mooseheads		Sunday, May 26	7 p.m. ET

Portland vs. London Recap

Team	1	2	3	Total
London Knights	0	1	0	1
Portland Winterhawks	0	1	1	2

This was not one for the casual fans out there, as a scoreless and uneventful first period set the stage for what would be a much more defensive game.

The Knights controlled much of the game early as they were solid in defense and created more on the offensive end of the ice. London took the lead on the power play off a goal by 12:43 into the second period.

It was the first penalty of the game as Brendan Leipsic was sent to the sin bin after a check from behind. Not one to let an opportunity slip away, London capitalized on the man advantage.

Max Domi scored his first goal of the Memorial Cup. Olli Maatta and Seth Griffin helped out with the assists.

Largely from that point on, the Winterhawks began to assert themselves. They evened the scoring a little over two minutes after the Knights' goal. Tyler Wotherspoon scored 14:51 into the second period, with Petan and Seth Jones registering assists.

As the second period ended, the momentum was squarely with the Winterhawks. The Knights have been strong finishers to help overcome some early game issues, but you wondered how much longer London could rely on making a late run.

Morris Dallacosta of the London Free Press summed it up well:

#MemorialCup The Knights have made a habit all year of surviving games like this. But what do they have left
— Morris Dallacosta(@MoDaCoatLFPress) May 25, 2013

It seemed the gas tank began reaching empty. The players looked tired going into the third period. To make matters worse, Rattie scored what would prove to be the game-winning goal with 8:32 left in the game. Petan and Derrick Pouliot helped with assists.

London tried to throw everything it had forward late in order to try to stage a late comeback, but every one of its offensive movements proved ineffective.

Portland will face off against Halifax in the Memorial Cup Championship at 7 p.m. ET Sunday night. If their rematch is anything like these two teams' first matchup, then fans will be in for an exciting championship. The Mooseheads downed the Knights, 7-4.

Anibal Sanchez Further Cements Ace Status with 1-Hitter vs. Twins

Zachary D. Rymer — Fri, 24 May 2013 23:05:10 -0400

Anibal Sanchez came this close.

The Detroit Tigers right-hander was staring his second career no-hitter right in the face at Comerica Park on Friday night, making it through 8.1 innings without allowing a hit. Alas, then came Joe Mauer with a squeaky-clean single up the middle.

A one-hitter would have to do. Sanchez polished off his outing with back-to-back strikeouts of Josh Willingham and Justin Morneau. His final line included 12 punchouts, giving him two double-digit strikeout games so far in 2013.

The first one saw Sanchez punch out 17 Atlanta Braves back on April 26. I didn't want to say what I'm about to say now because of the whole small sample size thing, but it's more safe to say it now that the guy has 10 starts under his belt.

Holy heck, is Sanchez having himself a season. And if you haven't already been buying this guy as an ace, now's the time, bucko.

Sanchez now has a 2.38 ERA and 80 strikeouts next to 17 walks in only 64.1 innings. At this moment, he sits atop the FanGraphs WAR charts for pitchers ahead of notables like Adam Wainwright, Clayton Kershaw, Felix Hernandez, Justin Verlander and Matt Harvey.

And this is no joke, folks. Sanchez has been nasty ever since he first got settled in the American League last August.

His first four starts in a Tigers uniform after coming over in a July trade from the Miami Marlins didn't go so well. He gave up 18 earned runs in 20.1 innings, good for a 7.97 ERA.

But since then:

2.15 ERA in eight starts down the stretch.
1.77 ERA in three postseason starts.
2.38 ERA in 10 starts this year.

Add all the starts and all the earned runs together, and here's what you get: Sanchez has a 2.20 ERA in his last 21 starts in a Tigers uniform.

That's not a huge sample size, but it's not a small one either. It's certainly too big to ignore, and the same goes for the sexiness of the numbers.

It's also hard to ignore how Sanchez has evolved into the pitcher he's become.

By all rights, Sanchez probably shouldn't even be pitching anymore. He had Tommy John surgery in 2003, three years before he even broke into the big leagues. He made a name for himself as a rookie in 2006 with a 2.83 ERA in 18 outings with the Marlins, a stretch that included a September no-hitter against the Arizona Diamondbacks, but he had to go in for major shoulder surgery in 2007.

His recovery kept him out for most of 2008. Then in 2009, he had to hit the disabled list twice due to more shoulder trouble. His arm might as well have had a sign hanging on it: "Damaged goods."

Apparently not, and the thing is that you'd never know about Sanchez's injury problems if you were to look only at his velocity numbers. Pitchers tend to lose velocity as they age, and injuries certainly don't help matters. But Sanchez is different.

Here's his average fastball velocity by year, according to Baseball Info Solutions by way of FanGraphs:

2006: 90.8
2007: 90.0
2008: 90.5
2009: 90.9
2010: 91.3
2011: 91.7
2012: 91.8
2013: 92.1

Sanchez is throwing more than a mile per hour harder now at the age of 29 than he was in 2006 at the age of 22. It's not going to work for everyone, but that's one way to become a late-blooming ace.

It also helps to hone one's repertoire, and he has done that too.

He's throwing his changeup more often than ever before this season, and it's been his best swing-and-miss pitch. BrooksBaseball.net has the whiff percentage on Sanchez's changeup at 20.37 percent, by far the highest of any of his pitches. To boot, both left-handed and right-handed batters have been fooled by it.

It's no wonder Sanchez's changeup ranks among the best in baseball this season. In terms of Linear Weights, the only pitchers who have saved more runs with their changeups this season are King Felix, Doug Fister, Chris Sale and Cole Hamels—see FanGraphs.

You can go far with good fastball velocity and a wicked changeup, but while we're kissing Sanchez's butt, we might as well give him props for his above-average slider and command too. His tool chest contains most of the things you want an ace pitcher to carry, and Sanchez has been using all he's got like a master craftsman in 2013.

And that $80 million contract? I'll admit that I had it pegged as an overpay based on Sanchez's brilliant showing in the postseason, but it's panned out to be the best big-money investment of the offseason.

Maybe the Tigers knew they were buying an ace. Or maybe they just didn't want to lose Sanchez and are just getting lucky.

Either way, they should sit back and enjoy themselves when Sanchez is on the mound. He's a good one.

Note: Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.

If you want to talk baseball, hit me up on Twitter.

Pittsburgh vs. Ottawa: Are the Penguins an Unstoppable Machine?

Nicholas Goss — Fri, 24 May 2013 23:01:20 -0400

The Pittsburgh Penguins eliminated the Ottawa Senators from the NHL playoffs on Friday night with an offensive performance that should be included in future youth hockey instructional videos.

Following their 7-3 win on Wednesday in Ottawa, the Penguins returned home for Game 5 and the team's offense was once again firing on all cylinders with a convincing 6-2 victory. These high-scoring games have become a common theme throughout the team's playoff run (stat via Chris Johnston of Sportsnet).

This victory has given Pittsburgh a spot in the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since its Stanley Cup-winning season in 2008-09. It's also the first time this team has clinched a playoff series at home since 2008.

The question that remains ahead of the conference finals is if this Penguins team is an unstoppable machine that will maintain its torrid offensive pace all the way to the Cup final.

Going back to the third period of Game 4 in Ottawa, the Penguins outscored the Senators, 10-3, in the final four periods of the series and consistently controlled the flow of play in all three zones.

Pittsburgh's offense started to hit its stride in the second round, and by the end of Game 5 it became a dominating force. Here are some notable offensive stats from the team's playoff run thus far:

Stat	Penguins	NHL Rank
Goals Scored	47	1st
Goals/Game	4.27	1st
5v5 Goals	27	1st
1st Period Goals	16	1st
2nd Period Goals	19	1st

Aside from the obvious amount of incredible skill they have at forward, the real strength of this Penguins offense is its depth, which was bolstered further by the trade-deadline acquisitions of Jarome Iginla, Brenden Morrow and Jussi Jokinen.

These players have made a smooth transition into the lineup, and credit head coach Dan Bylsma for preventing team-chemistry issues by finding the best line combinations to put the newly acquired forwards in a position to best utilize their skills.

When you look at the team's top-six forward group, there are almost no areas of weakness for opposing head coaches to game-plan around.

The top line of Sidney Crosby, Pascal Dupuis and Chris Kunitz was arguably the most effective line in hockey during the regular season. Crosby is the world's best player with a skill set that includes everything you want in a No. 1 center. Dupuis and Kunitz are both hard-working wingers who take advantage of their scoring opportunities and play responsible defense.

The second line boasts a trio of Evgeni Malkin, Iginla and James Neal, which is arguably the most talented line in all of hockey. Malkin is the reigning Hart Trophy winner, Iginla is a proven playoff performer and Neal has raised his game at the perfect time.

In his first eight games of the playoffs, Neal tallied just point, but in the final two matchups of the second round, he scored five goals with two assists to break out of his slump, including a hat trick in Game 5.

It doesn't matter if one, two or even three of the Penguins' top forwards are having a tough time finding the back of the net because the team has enough depth to win games without its stars playing at a high level. Matt Cooke, Brent Sutter, Jokinen and Morrow are among Pittsburgh's bottom-six forwards who excel at both ends of the ice and provide important secondary scoring when the stars struggle.

Shutting the down the Penguins forwards is a tough challenge in itself, but when the team gets scoring from the blue line, it becomes almost impossible to prevent this offense from scoring three or four goals.

The Penguins rank second in the NHL in goals scored (eight) by defensemen during the playoffs. Norris Trophy finalist Kris Letang has steadily improved as the postseason has progressed and tallied seven points in the final two games of the Senators series.

But the Penguins' biggest threat offensively is their amazing power play, which is so tough to defend because of its quick puck movement, good spacing and the creativity of Malkin and Crosby. Pittsburgh leads all playoff teams with 13 power-play goals and a league-best success rate of 28.3 percent. This power play is also super effective on home ice (stat via Sean Gentille of The Sporting News):

Another positive for the Penguins heading into the conference finals is the benefit of home-ice advantage. They are 5-1 at the Consol Energy Center in the playoffs and lead all teams with 26 goals scored at home. Pittsburgh will also have a few days of rest before opening up the East finals at home, which will help it tremendously after two physical series.

The Penguins are a well-oiled machine right now with more skill and depth than any team remaining in the 2013 playoffs. If their offense maintains its current level of execution, Pittsburgh will be able to win games even if starting goaltender Tomas Vokoun has a sub-par performance in the next round.

We rarely see teams overcome inconsistent defense and goaltending in the playoffs, but this Penguins team has the depth and talent to win a championship playing a lot of high-scoring games. They do have flaws that can be exploited, as does every other team in the playoffs. But like most veteran teams, when a few players struggle, others step up.

If there were any questions about them being the favorites to win the Stanley Cup following a hard-fought six-game first-round series victory over the New York Islanders, Pittsburgh answered them emphatically in Round 2.

The Penguins are beginning to rediscover the form they had during the team's 15-game winning streak in March, which is bad news for their next opponent, whether it's the Boston Bruins or New York Rangers.

Follow @NicholasGoss35

Nicholas Goss is an NHL Lead Writer at Bleacher Report. Nick was a credentialed reporter at the 2011 Stanley Cup Final and 2012 NHL playoffs, and he is also a credentialed writer at the 2013 NHL playoffs in Boston.

Crowne Plaza Invitational Play Suspended Due to Inclement Weather on Day 2

Tyler Conway — Fri, 24 May 2013 22:45:02 -0400

Inclement weather was just about the only thing that could stop Matt Kuchar in Friday's second round of the 2013 Crowne Plaza Invitational.

Kuchar was five-under par through 15 holes and standing in good position on the 16th green when officials suspended play at Colonial due to an impending storm in the area (h/t Jimmy Burch of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram). The 34-year-old Kuchar is the highest-ranked player who made the trip to Fort Worth this week, and he's looked it as the course has mostly stayed in low numbers.

Kuchar will return to the course Saturday morning to finish his final three holes, where he will take a one-stroke lead over Graham DeLaet.

Here is a look at how the leaderboard shook out, with some top contenders still having holes to play:

Position	Player	Score (Hole)
1	Matt Kuchar	-10 (15)
2	Graham DeLaet	-9 (F)
T3	Josh Teater	-8 (F)
T3	Jordan Spieth	-8 (F)
T3	Steve Flesch	-8 (F)
T3	Ryan Palmer	-8 (12)
T7	Freddie Jacobson	-7 (F)
T7	Chris Stroud	-7 (F)

Weather played a major factor throughout Friday's second round, as play was suspended twice due to thunderstorms in the area. In all, 18 groups (54 golfers) that did not finish their rounds on Friday and will have to come back early Saturday morning.

For those in contention, the rain out will be a massive inconvenience. The second round will resume at 7:15 a.m. ET, bringing the golfers back to the course less than 12 hours after play was suspended. Kuchar, who was unhappy with the decision to suspend play, was noticeably dejected about returning to the course so soon.

"That's a bit of a bummer," said Kuchar (per ESPN). "It's no fun to wake up at 4:30 to get out here and play three holes."

Assuming Kuchar finishes his round at even-par or better, he will likely be in the last group of Round 3—giving him a lengthy wait in the clubhouse. If all holds, he would be paired with DeLaet, who followed up his opening-round 64 with a three-under 67 on Friday. The 31-year-old Canadian is coming off an excellent performance at the Byron Nelson and seems to be hitting his groove.

Other notables on the leaderboard include 19-year-old Jordan Spieth, whose expertise on this course dates back to his days at the University of Texas.

Saturday's third round will commence at Colonial as normally scheduled. There are no plans at this time for a Monday finish.

Follow @tylerconway22

10 Fighters Who Challenge Stereotypes About Professional Boxing

Briggs Seekins — Fri, 24 May 2013 22:44:41 -0400

Boxing is a brutal and bloody sport, so it should be no surprise if boxers are cut from rougher cloth than the general citizenry. At the same time, to master the sport well enough to have any sort of professional career takes extreme self discipline and hours of technical training. So for a lot of reasons, a fighter is not your average cat.

At the same time, an individual sport like boxing attracts a wide array of personalities. True enough that a boxer is not your average type of person. But that doesn't mean there is any such thing as an average type of boxer.

Still, some fighters challenge the typical stereotypes about boxing more than others. Inside the ring they might be classic warriors in every detail. But away from the action, they have interests, or other careers, that you just wouldn't associate with a person who gets paid to beat people up.

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UFC 160 Results: Live Reaction for Every Fight

Nathan McCarter — Fri, 24 May 2013 22:41:29 -0400

UFC 160 will come to you live on Saturday night from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The main event will feature Cain Velasquez defending the UFC Heavyweight Championship against Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva in a rematch of their 2012 fight.

The co-main event could determine the next top contender in the heavyweight division when No. 1-ranked Junior dos Santos takes on No. 8-ranked Mark Hunt.

Twelve fights in total line the card and are ready to get underway Saturday evening. Stay right here for live reactions for each and every fight at UFC 160.

Weigh-In Results:

Cain Velasquez (240) vs. Antonio Silva (263)
Junior dos Santos (239) vs. Mark Hunt (264)
Glover Teixeira (205) vs. James Te Huna (206)
Gray Maynard (156) vs. T.J. Grant (155)
Donald Cerrone (155) vs. K.J. Noons (156)
Mike Pyle (170) vs. Rick Story (169)
Dennis Bermudez (146) vs. Max Holloway (145)
Colton Smith (170) vs. Robert Whittaker (171)
Khabib Nurmagomedov (158.5) vs. Abel Trujillo (155)*
Stephen Thompson (170) vs. Nah-Shon Burrell (172)
Brian Bowles (135) vs. George Roop (135)
Jeremy Stephens (146) vs. Estevan Payan (145)

* Nurmagomedov forfeits 20 percent of his purse for coming in over weight. Ten percent goes to the Nevada State Athletic Commission, and 10 percent goes to Abel Trujillo.

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Watch LeBron James End 1st Half with Twitter's Favorite Pass of the NBA Playoffs

Grant Hughes — Fri, 24 May 2013 22:23:20 -0400

Mike Miller hit the shot that pulled the Miami Heat to within six points at halftime, but LeBron James' utterly incredible pass was easily the most impressive part of the play.

James drove hard to his left as the clock ticked down in the second quarter, left his feet with no real plan and somehow saw Miller camped out in the opposite corner. As he floated down and away from the direction of his target, James reared back and fired a bullet to Miller without ever putting his left hand on the ball.

And as I read that back, I realize that words can't do justice to the inhuman way in which James delivered the ball. For what it's worth, Rudy Gay agrees about the "inhuman" part of my analysis.

Aint no way a human should be able to throw a cross court pass like @kingjames just did lol
— Rudy Gay (@rudygay22) May 25, 2013

For those of us watching at home, it was hard to appreciate how amazing the dime was. But thanks to the magic of our giant televisions, HD and slow motion, that task got easier in the immediate aftermath.

You appreciate that pass by LeBron more when you see it in slo-mo.
— Rey-Rey (@TheNoLookPass) May 25, 2013

You know when else you appreciate that pass? When you try to imagine yourself doing it.

Think about what would happen if you tried the fading, one hand, cross-court corner jump pass LeBron just pulled off.
— Couper Moorhead (@CoupNBA) May 25, 2013

I just did. And now, if anyone reading this would be so kind, could you please look up how to treat a ruptured spleen, torn labrum and whiplash all at once? I'm asking for a friend.

Hell, Mike Miller came away grimacing after he made the shot. Maybe he was vicariously injured by James' impossible contortions.

If biology isn't your thing, just think about the physics of what James did. He was fading away from Miller, already descending and had to somehow see through a sea of Pacers. There was no angle to make that pass, and what's more, there was no way he should have been physically capable of making it.

That pass LeBron made was technically impossible.
— chris palmer (@ESPNChrisPalmer) May 25, 2013

Everyone likes to joke about how James could play almost any other professional sport if he wanted to. Now, we're seeing things that imbue those jokes with a hint of seriousness.

Not sure any QB in NFL can make it. With feet planted. RT @ethanjskolnick Anyone else in the NBA make that pass from that angle?
— Steve Aschburner (@AschNBA) May 25, 2013

Unless you're James, it's probably a good idea to listen to the coaches who told you to never leave your feet unless you knew what you were going to do with the ball.

But like so many other things, the regular rules just don't apply to LBJ. And this pass proved it.

New NBA Stars Basking in the Playoff Limelight

Bryant Knox — Fri, 24 May 2013 22:15:45 -0400

There's a fine line between being a good NBA player and a great one. There's no one definition to distinguish between the two, but the postseason is where we start to separate the posers from the superstars.

The playoffs offer a grand stage for players to make the transition. The regular season is where players show what they have to offer, but the postseason is where they tease us about what is yet to come.

In case you're wondering, 2013 has been no exception.

It goes without saying that LeBron James has dominated the show. He's the best player on the planet for a reason, and the championship is his to lose at this point in the process.

But there are a handful of players who don't care about James and his status as the best player in the league. Every player has something different to offer, and we're seeing the future of the league begin to develop before our eyes.

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Cruz Azul vs America Final 2013: What Each Team Needs to Do to Win

Jeremy Fuchs — Fri, 24 May 2013 21:54:53 -0400

The Cruz Azul vs. America Final 2013 will feature a lot of good players battling it out in the second leg of the Liga MX Final.

Cruz Azul took the first leg by a score of 1-0. What do they need to do to score a second upset? And what can America do to advance?

Cruz Azul

Cruz Azul needs a superhuman performance from goalkeeper Jose de Jesus Corona. Corona stopped all 22 shots in the first leg, and held Club America scoreless.

Corona is probably the best goalie in Mexico. He was the starting goalkeeper on the 2012 Mexican gold medal-winning Olympic team. He has 81 saves in 21 games this year.

In order to advance, Corona needs to be at his best. In the second half of the first leg, America dominated. Top scorers Cristian Benitez and Raul Jimenez will be threats, and Jesus Molina and Juan Carlos Medina ran circles around Cruz Azul and midfielder Gerardo Torrado in the first leg.

Club America dominated possession in the first leg, meaning they will have more time to get quality shots off. With Cruz Azul only getting six shots off in the last match, they will need all they can get from Corona.

If he's up to the task, then Cruz Azul has a chance. However, Club America needs just one goal to advance. Corona needs to pitch another shutout against a top offensive team. It will be quite the task.

Club America

Club America has to keep up their performance from the second half of the first leg. Despite losing, America dominated possession, keeping the ball for 58 percent of the time. They had 22 shots and looked like the much better team.

Their offense had an easy time getting around the Cruz Azul defense. If not for Corona, America could have scored at least three goals.

They will take that momentum into the second leg. By keeping the pressure on Corona, it will make it more likely that the goalkeeper will make a mistake. With Cristian Benitez, Raul Jiminez and Jesus Molina making life tough for the shaky Cruz Azul defenders, a goal will eventually squeak by Corona.

Final Thoughts

Club America is a better team that Cruz Azul. Without Corona's top performance, it's likely that America would have won. They'll bring an offensive assault, something that even Corona will be hard-pressed to stop.

Look for Club America to win this one pretty easily, and advance in the Liga MX final.

Pacers Assistant Coach Brian Shaw Draws T, Yells 'Ball Don't Lie' at Missed FT

Zach Buckley — Fri, 24 May 2013 21:54:37 -0400

The Indiana Pacers know they don't have the offensive firepower to entertain thoughts of a finesse series against the Miami Heat.

They want to bring some ugliness to the Eastern Conference Finals, to physically challenge the mental fortitude of the defending champs. With a pair of bulky bruisers filling the paint and a trio of athletic, blue-collar grinders on the perimeter, they have the bodies to do it.

But there's a variable in that approach that's outside of their control. The players can only be as physical as the officials will allow.

Hoops heads might bemoan the decade-long transition away from the black-and-blue basketball that used to take center stage come playoff time.

But more than anything, players and fans simply want the game called consistently, and those nonstop whistles that have been chirping since Game 1 have at least set the tone for the series.

Of course, desiring consistency doesn't have to mean enjoying it.

Those whistles didn't relent in Game 2, and after Pacers forward Sam Young drew a questionable technical-foul call, Indiana assistant coach Brian Shaw had seen enough:

Sam Young gets a tech. Brian Shaw gets a tech, then earns the admiration of millions by yelling, "Ball don't lie!" after missed FT.
— Ken Berger (@KBergCBS) May 25, 2013

Rasheed Wallace's colorful catchphrase has certainly taken on a life as large as the 6'11", four-time All-Star himself.

But there's something unique about Wallace's take on the basketball gods extending their long hands of justice, something that's forced the expression deeply into the hoops vernacular.

It often feels far more like an accurate assessment than just a memorable slogan:

Ray Allen is proof that Ball Don't Lie is a scientific principle #AmexNBA
— ok creelman (@futurematic) May 25, 2013

Free throws are never a guarantee, but they certainly seem like one when Ray Allen (a career 89.4-percent foul shooter) strolls to the charity stripe.

So if you're grading the officials on Shaw's (or Wallace's) scale, then make the technical foul on Young the right call and the one assessed to Shaw the wrong one.

Anibal Sanchez's No-Hitter vs. Twins Broken Up in 9th Inning

Patrick Clarke — Fri, 24 May 2013 21:52:27 -0400

Detroit Tigers ace Anibal Sanchez was phenomenal on Friday night, nearly throwing the second no-hitter of his career in a 6-0 win over the Minnesota Twins (via SportsCenter).

Sanchez threw 130 pitches, striking out 12 and getting plenty of run support from Miguel Cabrera and company as the Tigers picked up their fourth consecutive win, sending the reeling Twins to their 10th straight loss in the process.

Sanchez was just two outs away when Joe Mauer singled to shallow center, deflating the crowd inside Comerica Park and breaking up the no-hit bid.

It's been nearly seven years since Sanchez accomplished the feat. He threw the only no-hitter of his career as a member of the Florida Marlins in September 2006, striking out six in a 2-0 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Minnesota's starting pitcher, Samuel Deduno wasn't quite as fortunate as Sanchez on Friday, allowing nine hits and six earned runs in a little over five innings pitched.

Sanchez has made 10 starts for Detroit this season, boasting a 5-4 record. Although his ERA was decent coming into Friday's game, his season prior to this performance had been mired in inconsistency on the mound.

This stat from Bleacher Report MLB writer Zachary Rymer tells the tale:

A native of Maracay, Venezuela, the 29-year-old Sanchez played for the Marlins from 2006 to 2012 before being traded to Detroit last summer.

The win helps the Tigers keep pace with the Cleveland Indians in the American League Central Division as they improve to 27-19 overall and 15-7 at home.

Pyscho T and Friends Open Tech Floodgates in Confrontations with LeBron, Wade

Grant Hughes — Fri, 24 May 2013 21:48:30 -0400

Physical play has marked virtually every recent meeting between the Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers, and Game 2 was no different as Tyler Hansbrough and his teammates got into it with LeBron James and Dwyane Wade early and often.

Sam Young actually started things off by taking a swipe at the ball James was cradling after the whistle. It was a relatively benign play, but James took exception, probably because he knew the officials would be quick to quell any issues with a technical foul.

It also didn't hurt that James was pretty sure he'd avoid a tech himself.

Young earned the violation in the opening minutes of the second quarter, but his technical wasn't the last. Moments later, Pacers assistant Brian Shaw got his very own technicals foul for getting into it with referee Bill Kennedy.

Apparently, Kennedy thought one good tech deserved another.

Best of all, Shaw screamed "Ball don't lie!" after Ray Allen missed the second technical free throw. It appears Rasheed Wallace's absence from these playoffs won't keep us from enjoying his signature howl.

Just a couple of minutes later, we had another incident.

The Heat had been having remarkable success with their pump fakes all game long, as the Pacers defenders seemed particularly intent on preventing open jumpers. Either that, or they were a little wound up for a game they really needed to win to avoid a 0-2 hole.

At any rate, Indiana players were jumping out of their shoes at the slightest eyebrow raise from the Heat's cadre of scorers. Naturally, the insanely aggressive, bug-eyed lunatic known as "Psycho T" was chief among the leapers.

Shortly after the Young and Shaw technicals, Wade got Hansbrough airborne with a solid fake from the left wing. As the Pacers forward came down, Wade leaned in, easily drawing enough contact to earn a whistle.

But then Hansbrough, who ended up behind Wade, actually reached up and gave the Heat guard a little shove on his right shoulder. Wade, never afraid to hit the deck with slight contact, went down. Probably seeking to aggravate the situation, Wade hopped up and stared Hansbrough down.

In the midst of all that, the officials administered a technical foul to Psycho T, which was understandable. I mean, considering the guy's nickname (and incomprehensibly annoying habit of hacking everything in sight), it's hard to understand how he ever avoids techs.

The action continued after halftime, as David West took a shot at Mario Chalmers' sore shoulder. Thanks to some hard contact by West on a screen, Chalmers' shoulder is going to be hurting for a while longer.

It's hard to be sure what West's intentions were. Just kidding! He was definitely gunning for Chalmers' sore spot.

The Pacers are continuing to play well despite the few instances in which they've lost their cool, so it appears as though the Heat are in for a fight in more ways than one.

The 25 Greatest Players in Tennessee Titans History

Daniel Barnes — Fri, 24 May 2013 21:35:02 -0400

The Tennessee Titans' 2013 squad features a lot of very promising young players. Just from the last three drafts, there is Jake Locker, Akeem Ayers, Jurrell Casey, Kendall Wright, Zach Brown, Chance Warmack and Justin Hunter.

All have tons of potential, and all could end up being franchise players, but they've got a long way to go.

There have been a lot of great players in the Titans's short history in Tennessee, and here are, in this writer's opinion, the 25 best.

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5 Reasons Why Edinson Cavani Is Manchester City's Must-Have at Transfer Window

Phil Keidel — Fri, 24 May 2013 21:34:52 -0400

Edinson Cavani in a Manchester City shirt has been an ongoing campaign in this space for a while now.

There is some history on my side.

You may not know this, but my other byline here is as a Featured Columnist for the Philadelphia Phillies. Last winter, my first published recommendation to the Phillies to sign outfielder Delmon Young appeared on December 16, 2012.

After a few more nudges from me, the Phillies signed Young on January 22, 2013.

Did Phillies' general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. take my advice? Maybe not directly, but sometimes you just have a feel for things.

My feeling now is that Manchester City need Cavani very badly, and there is no point in being bashful about it.

Obviously, there is a fairly significant difference between a one-year, $750,000.00 outfielder and a £60 million striker.

Still, here's hoping lightning strikes twice.

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