Bleacher Report - Front Page

Kevin Youkilis Will Miss 10-12 Weeks After Undergoing Back Surgery

Justin Onslow — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:57:08 -0400

It may be a while before the New York Yankees receive any contributions from third baseman Kevin Youkilis.

Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News reported on Monday that Yankees general manager Brian Cashman was concerned over Youkilis' status following a lumbar strain the veteran sustained following the team’s 18-inning loss to the Oakland Athletics on Thursday.

Instead of good news, however, the Yankees learned Youkilis will need back surgery to repair a herniated disc and is expected to miss 10-12 weeks of action, as reported by Aaron Gleeman of NBC Sports:

Given the initial timetable for his return, Youkilis could face missing the remainder of the season after batting just .219 in 28 games with the Yankees thus far in 2013. Considering the team’s mounting list of injuries, even that subpar production will be missed from the lineup.

Mark Teixeira is back on the disabled list, as reported by Feinsand, joining Curtis Granderson, Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Eduardo Nunez and Francisco Cervelli. If the Yankees’ injury problems continue piling up, they could be entering dangerous territory in a tight AL East race.

At 38-31, New York is three games back of the Boston Red Sox and just two games ahead of the fourth-place Tampa Bay Rays. In the middle of a recent 4-6 skid and with even more uncertainty at key positions, New York is facing an uphill battle to stay afloat in the division.

Youkilis signed with the Yankees last offseason on a one-year, $12 million contract in hopes of replacing some of Rodriguez’s production as he tries to get back into playing shape. Instead, the former Red Sox slugger tallied just two home runs and eight RBI this season.

His injury now leaves the Yankees with yet another hole to fill.

Steve Gleason Responds to Radio Hosts Who Mocked Him for Having ALS

Tyler Conway — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:49:56 -0400

Former NFL safety Steve Gleason has released an official statement after radio hosts in Atlanta were fired for a segment in which they mocked the former New Orleans Saints standout's battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

In a post on his Team Gleason Facebook page, Gleason thanked fans for their outcries of support and noted that the radio personalities had apologized for their part in the incident.

Here is Gleason's full statement:

Regarding the DJ skit in Atlanta yesterday. I would like to thank the public for their support. 'Defend Team Gleason' now has been officially redefined. Additionally, the DJs have provided genuine apology. Received and accepted. We have all made mistakes in this life. How we learn from our mistakes is the measure of who we are.

I think everyone can learn from this event. Its clear to me that, on a national & global scale, ALS is not understood, which is part of why its under funded and largely ignored. In the past 36 hours lots of people have been talking. Lets talk about this... There are zero treatments for ALS. If you take any action as a result of this event, I prefer it to be action to end ALS. See what we are doing to change that @ teamgleason.org. SG

During Monday's "Mayhem In The AM" radio show on Atlanta's 790 The Zone station, hosts Steven "Steak" Shapiro, Chris Dimino and Nick Cellini took part in a skit in which they made fun of Gleason's ALS diagnosis.

Here is the full audio. (Warning: This content contains offensive remarks.)

As his condition has deteriorated, Gleason is now unable to use his hands, speak or communicate on his own volition. He communicates through a computer program, which he controls through his eyes.

Gleason was the guest writer for Peter King of Sports Illustrated's "Monday Morning Quarterback" column this week, where he spoke at length about his diagnosis in 2011 and how life has adjusted in the years since.

Using that as a platform for attempted humor, the radio hosts engaged in a mock interview with Gleason on Monday. They used a computer program to automate his voice in the same manner as the program Gleason uses to communicate, telling knock-knock jokes and engaging in other sophomoric humor. At one point in the interview, the faux Gleason says he doesn't know how much longer he will live.

The story was first picked up on by a post on TigerDroppings.com. It then took on a life of its own, with many across all platforms of media—both inside the NFL and outside—decrying the segment as being in poor taste.

Upon heading the segment and the feedback from the local community, the station's senior vice president and general manager, Rick Mack, released a statement apologizing to Gleason and noting that the three hosts were terminated:

We deeply regret the offensive programming that aired this morning on “Mayhem In The AM” on 790 The Zone, related to former New Orleans Saints player Steve Gleason and his battle with ALS. We suspended the three individuals involved immediately following their comments and have since terminated their employment. 790 The Zone, our owners, sponsors and partners in no way endorse or support this kind of content. We sincerely apologize to Mr. Gleason, his family and all those touched by ALS.

According to Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk, Nick Cellini took to Twitter after the segment aired and apologized for his part in the incident.

“My apologies to everyone. It was a stupid attempt at humor that backfired. Emphasis on stupid,” Cellini tweeted.

Cellini has since deleted his Twitter account. He also pledged to donate earnings to Gleason's Team Gleason charity in an interview with NOLA.com's Katherine Terrell.

Gleason, who went undrafted out of Washington State in 2000, went on to have a lengthy NFL career with the Saints from 2000 to 2007. Mostly a special teams standout, he is most beloved in New Orleans for a blocked punt in the Saints' home opener against the Atlanta Falcons in 2006. The game was New Orleans' first back at the Superdome after Hurricane Katrina.

Since retiring in 2008, Gleason has worked hard at raising awareness for ALS. His Team Gleason charity raises funds to find a cure for the disease, commonly referred to as Lou Gehrig's Disease, which does not currently have successful treatments.

Venus Williams Withdraws From Wimbledon With Back Injury

Tim Keeney — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:41:14 -0400

Venus Williams was hoping to get redemption after suffering through the worst Wimbledon finish of her career in 2012. Unfortunately, she is going to have to wait.

According to Sky Sports News, the five-time Wimbledon champ and seven-time major winner will miss the action this year at the All England Club with a back injury:

Williams confirmed the news on her Facebook page:

Unfortunately, I will not be able to participate in Wimbledon this year. I am extremely disappointed as I have always loved The Championships, but I need to take time to let my back heal. I look forward to returning to the courts as soon as possible, with my goal being to return to Mylan World Team Tennis on July 8th in Washington DC. Many thanks to my fans for the love and support and I will be seeing you very soon back on the courts.

You have to go back to 1996 to find the last Wimbledon without Williams.

As a mere 17-year-old, she appeared in the 1997 tournament. She was ousted in the first round but went on to play in 16 straight at the All England Club, winning five and making it to three other finals. In the process, Williams established herself as a staple at the tournament.

Overall, she is an astounding 71-11—by far her best major—on the famous grass courts, and it won't feel right to not have her there this year.

Still, Williams is clearly on the back end of her magnificent career, and it's not surprising to see her dealing with an injury.

This will mark the third straight year in which she has failed to participate in all four Grand Slam events, as she missed the French Open in 2011 and Australian Open in 2012.

Moreover, the 33-year-old was dominated by Elena Vesnina in straight sets in the first round at Wimbledon last year and is coming off another first-round defeat at Roland Garros earlier this month.

She hasn't made a quarterfinal appearance at a major since the U.S. Open in 2010.

Nevertheless, this doesn't mean we'll be completely void of the Williams sisters.

Serena won Wimbledon last year and will be looking for her fourth major victory in the last five tournaments—and with this news, she just gained one more super fan.

Follow @t_keen

Pavel Datsyuk Talks About the Winter Classic, Red Wings and the NHL Draft

Casey DeMarco — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:38:01 -0400

Pavel Datsyuk was in New York City recently to promote next season's Winter Classic and, as always, talk a little hockey.

"It's good for hockey fans of both teams, for the NHL, and for people who live in Michigan," Datsyuk said. "When I grew up, lots of kids played outside; I played all day, every day almost."

The Detroit Red Wings will host the Toronto Maple Leafs in an Original Six clash set at "The Big House"—the University of Michigan's football stadium.

The Red Wings were eliminated from the playoffs by the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 7 of the Western Conference Semifinals when Brent Seabrook scored at the 3:35 mark in overtime. As the Wings look to next season, they can find comfort in some sizable contributions from their young players.

"Nyquist, Brunner, Andersson, they were unbelievable, especially in the playoffs," he said.

Their contribution was sizable, to say the least—that wasn't just a veteran talking up the team's young guns. Damien Brunner had nine points (five goals and four assists), Gustav Nyquist had five points (two goals and three assists) and Joakim Andersson also had five points (one goal and four assists).

Detroit acquired Nyquist and Andersson through the NHL Draft, while Brunner signed with the Wings as a free agent. Nyquist was a fourth-round pick in 2008, and Andersson was a third-round pick in 2007.

Datsyuk was drafted by the Wings in the sixth round in 1998. Red Wings captain Henrik Zetterberg was also selected in a later round; he was drafted in the seventh round in 1999.

There are plenty of examples of NHL teams grabbing gems in later rounds of the NHL Draft, but the Red Wings seem to do it better than anyone else.

How?

"Work," Datsyuk said. "They love to work."

Jake Ellenberger: Rory MacDonald Was Invented by the Media and Sold to the Fans

Damon Martin — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:34:51 -0400

It's safe to say UFC on Fox 8 fighter Jake Ellenberger is not buying the hype surrounding his next opponent, Rory MacDonald.

The two fighters have recently engaged in a back and-forth war on Twitter, but even before that, Ellenberger didn't seem to care much for the overinflated way MacDonald is being promoted as a top-five welterweight.

According to the current UFC rankings, MacDonald actually sits one spot ahead of Ellenberger, and he believes the young Canadian is more artificial than reality.

"The thing with Rory, too, is he's been invented by the media," Ellenberger said in a recent interview with Bleacher Report. "He's been invented and sold to the fans and no disrespect, he is a talented fighter. I do agree with that, he is skilled, he's got a lot of potential. But we don't know how good he is. I'm glad I've got this fight."

Ellenberger hopes to expose MacDonald in the Octagon when they meet in July, while also possibly earning a long-awaited shot at the UFC welterweight title.

While UFC officials have yet to say the fight between Ellenberger and MacDonald is a No. 1 contender's fight, both fighters being ranked in the top five of the division speaks volumes towards the magnitude of this bout.

"I was told this was going to be the title eliminator fight for the No. 1 contender, but that's not what I'm thinking about," Ellenberger said. "I'm not looking past him at all."

In the interview, Ellenberger also comments on performance enhancing drugs in MMA, and welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre's influence on his next opponent.

Bosnian Goalkeeper Discovers In-Game Headache Was from Bullet in His Head

Gabe Zaldivar — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:23:33 -0400

A Bosnian goalkeeper had the terrifying realization that the headache he suffered during a game was actually from a bullet lodged in his head.

Dirty Tackle's Ryan Bailey discovered one of the more remarkable stories we have ever seen over at the Sarajevo newspaper Dnevni Avaz.

Thanks to the power of Google Translate, we've gathered that the caption beneath the picture on the newspaper's website reads, "Ground where the injured Krtalic: Children yesterday trained."

Those are stunning details of a goalkeeper who found out the nagging headache he had was from a 9mm bullet—the byproduct of an irresponsible person celebrating a local wedding by firing a few shots in the air.

According to the report, Duško Krtalica, the 51-year-old amateur keeper, was in goal for his suburban team when he complained that his head was hurting.

Being far more of a man than I could ever hope to be, he played the entire 90-minute fixture and only allowed one goal.

At some point, he began to complain about far more severe symptoms. Bailey writes that Krtalica "complained of a stiff arm and had difficulty speaking. He was driven to a local hospital, where doctors were shocked to see that a 9mm bullet was clearly lodged in his skull."

My initial thought was someone had to see something or at least hear a gunshot at a place as serene as an amateur football match.

Thankfully, the report had some answers as to how a bullet came to be lodged in an unsuspecting keeper's head:

According to Dnevni Avaz, a 42-year-old local named Seyne Ligata was subsequently arrested and his pistol was seized. A further 12 shells were found near the football field, suggesting it was very lucky that no one else was injured.

This is why it is never a good idea to fire your handgun up in the air.

It seems like such a simple notion to grasp, but some people forget that what goes up must come down—especially during big celebrations like weddings and New Year's Eve.

We have to second the sentiment that it's amazing nobody else suffered a similar injury, or worse. Had this been a bigger match with far more fans, we might be reporting on something far more serious.

In an odd twist, the goalkeeper was both the luckiest and most unfortunate player on the pitch. While he did get hit in the head with a bullet, the report states that he made it through the operation just fine and is in stable condition.

And now he has a story that people will never believe, until he shows off that scar.

Hit me up on Twitter: Follow @gabezal

Fantasy Football Sleepers 2013: RBs That Will Out-Perform Their Draft Positions

Rob Goldberg — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:23:03 -0400

The key to winning fantasy football is getting good value for players during the draft, so make sure you make the right selections in the middle rounds.

While everyone can guess that players like Adrian Peterson, Arian Foster and Ray Rice will be elite players, it is more advantageous to grab guys a few rounds later or for less money in auctions that will still perform at a high level.

Last season, players like Doug Martin and Stevan Ridley provided a lot more value to those who were able to secure elite talent at other positions before grabbing the two youngsters.

With this in mind, look to grab these players in your upcoming fantasy drafts this summer.

Chris Ivory, New York Jets

Last season, Chris Ivory was hardly utilized but did a good job when he was on the field for the New Orleans Saints. He finished the year with 217 yards on 40 carries for an average of 5.4 yards per rush. This brought his career average to an impressive 5.1 yards per carry.

This is a number the Jets would have dreamed about last season, with Shonn Greene and Bilal Powell averaging under four yards per carry as the primary running backs.

Greene is now with the Tennessee Titans, leaving plenty of opportunity for Ivory to take over the starting job.

A year ago, New York had the sixth most rushing attempts in the NFL as they looked to take the pressure off the quarterback. With Mark Sanchez either remaining the starter or rookie Geno Smith taking over, that number should only increase this year.

Ivory has the talent and he will get plenty of carries. As long as he stays healthy, he will be a solid factor in fantasy football.

Andre Brown, New York Giants

With Ahmad Bradshaw gone, the New York Giants will likely use a two-headed attack with Andre Brown and David Wilson sharing carries. Based on the way the year ended, most fantasy owners are siding toward Wilson as the featured back.

However, a look at their season side-by-side shows that Brown was the more useful player while healthy. Wilson did not start putting together big performances until Brown was placed on injured reserve after Week 12.

Head coach Tom Coughlin has a lot of trust in the big running back because he runs hard and did not fumble once last season.

Additionally, he was the go-to man near the end zone, and totaled eight touchdowns on the year compared to only four by the skinnier Wilson.

While the Giants will likely give more carries early on to the former first-round pick, Brown still has a lot of usefulness on the roster when healthy. He will likely be a late selection in fantasy drafts, but his role on New York will give him a lot of value this season.

Bryce Brown, Philadelphia Eagles

It is not often a great move to draft a player that is clearly No. 2 on the depth chart. LeSean McCoy is one of the best running backs in football, but Bryce Brown will still get plenty of time to shine.

New coach Chip Kelly loves utilizing his running backs as much as possible, and offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur already said that the Eagles will utilize both players often during the year.

Last season at Oregon, Kelly had one of the best running backs in the nation in Kenjon Barner, but he still spread the ball around to the rest of the roster. Here is a look at the distribution of carries for the Ducks:

As a comparison, Michigan State's Le'Veon Bell represented 77.6 percent of rushing attempts for the Spartans.

In the NFL, Kelly should be able to run the ball almost as often, although many carries that went to the quarterback (Marcus Mariota) will likely go to the second-string running back.

When Brown does get the ball, he has proven the ability to come through with a big game. In Week 12 and 13 when McCoy was injured, the young player totaled 347 rushing yards and four touchdowns.

Philadelphia is certain to have a dominant rushing attack this season, and Brown will provide fantasy owners with great value.

Follow Rob Goldberg on Twitter for the latest updates in sports.

SEC Football: Power Ranking Top 5 Running Back Tandems in the Conference

Michael Taglienti — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:18:33 -0400

Despite the recent influx of spread offenses, the Southeastern Conference is still a ground-based league on offense. The SEC features some of the best running backs in the country.

The are multiple backs across the 14-team league that will eventually play on Sundays. With the specter of injuries constantly hanging over everyone's head, a lot of teams have resorted to a two-running-back system on offense.

The SEC features multiple running backs who are talented enough to compete for All-American honors in 2013. They will face off against the top defenses in the country on a weekly basis during the fall.

This is a look at the top running-back tandems in the SEC in 2013.

Begin Slideshow

Ohio State Football: Reasonable Goals for Buckeyes' 2013 Season

Randy Chambers — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:16:44 -0400

Setting reasonable goals can be difficult for an Ohio State team that went undefeated last season. Expectations have reached new levels, and the media is hyping things up like nobody's business.

Ohio State is going to play the SEC Champion in the BCS National Championship Game!

Let's pump the breaks and let the games play out before that talk begins surfacing. The Buckeyes still have to iron out a few wrinkles and handle a tricky Big Ten schedule before booking a flight to the Rose Bowl.

Reasonable goals never hurt anybody.

Top-Two Offense in the Big Ten

If you thought this offense was good last season, wait until things unravel this year. The Buckeyes return nine starters from a unit that finished third in the Big Ten, averaging 423 yards per game.

Quarterback Braxton Miller will be a lot more comfortable in his second season under Urban Meyer. The backfield is deeper than it was last season. Three of the top four receivers return. There is also a respectable offensive line, with three of the four returning starters earning at least honorable mention All-Big Ten.

Miller was great at making plays with his legs and improved his completion percentage by 4.2 percent. He will have no problem taking that next step.

Another thing that helps him is the depth in the backfield. Carlos Hyde, Rod Smith, Bri’onte Dunn and Warren Ball will split carries and help relieve some of the pressure. Miller will no longer need to make every play like he often found himself doing a year ago. The offensive line should also provide better protection after allowing 29 sacks.

Ohio State was solid offensively, but should be more potent with key players returning and another year in the system.

More Consistent Pass Rush

The Buckeyes racked up 30 sacks, which was good enough for fourth in the conference, but those numbers can be misleading. John Simon and Ryan Shazier were the only players generating consistent pressure. The team also finished four games with fewer than two sacks, including a two-game stretch (Indiana and Purdue) with zero.

An improved pass rush is on the way.

A combination of Adolphus Washington and Noah Spence has the potential to become the best 1-2 defensive-end punch in the country. Of course, it would take a while to prove such a claim, but the pure athleticism and speed coming off the edge is scary. Michael Bennett and Tommy Schutt in the middle at defensive tackle is a lot to deal with and will make others' jobs that much easier.

There is a lot of young blood on the defensive front, but it is quicker and possesses more upside. Topping 30 sacks and possibly leading the Big Ten in the category is a reasonable goal for this group.

11 Victories

Huh? No running the table?

There isn't a football team around that can reasonably set a goal of an undefeated record. Even Alabama fans can find a possible loss or two on their schedule. Is it possible the Buckeyes finish with back-to-back undefeated seasons? Sure. But it is far from a reasonable goal.

Only four BCS programs have finished undefeated since 2005.

While some consider the Big Ten schedule to be a joke, the Buckeyes do have tough matchups against Wisconsin, Penn State and Michigan. You can also count California, Northwestern and Indiana as potential sleepers.

The Buckeyes are overwhelming favorites to win the Big Ten and compete for a national championship. However, they will still have a shot to accomplish that with one loss.

Follow @Randy_Chambers

2013 NFL Free Agents: Latest Buzz Surrounding Top Remaining Players

Jesse Reed — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:14:28 -0400

NFL teams are always looking for ways to improve, which is why it's shocking to see some of the players still available on the 2013 free-agency market.

With the dog days of summer fast approaching and teams having already completed OTAs and minicamps, there are still some veritable stars who have yet to sign on with new teams.

Rest assured, these players will find jobs before the start of the 2013 NFL season. Veterans with something left in the tank will likely end up making a significant impact for their new teams as leaders in the clubhouse and on the field.

Here's the latest buzz surrounding the top players left on the market as the NFL shifts its focus from offseason training to the beginning of training camp and the start of a new season.

Richard Seymour Content to Wait for Market to Come to Him

Seymour and the Atlanta Falcons had been in talks recently to see if they could work out a deal. At this time, however, as CBS Sports' Jason La Canfora reported, the talks have stalled, though Seymour thanked them "for their efforts":

ESPN's Adam Schefter more recently reported on SportsCenter (via Rotoworld.com) that Seymour is in no rush to sign on with a team. Schefter mentioned Seymour's likely aversion to attending two-a-days during training camp and noted that "He's only gonna play if the money is absolutely right."

There's a school of thought, as expressed by D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, that the Falcons and Seymour could revisit contract talks after the team negotiates a long-term extension with superstar quarterback Matt Ryan.

Though Seymour is certainly nearing the end of his career at the age of 33, there is no doubt that he still has a lot to offer. A powerful defensive tackle who can also slide out to play as a five-technique defensive end in 3-4 schemes, Seymour is a force in the middle.

Throughout his career, Seymour has consistently dominated the line of scrimmage and is capable of pushing the pocket from inside. The Falcons would certainly benefit from a player of his caliber, and Seymour knows it.

Atlanta should pounce on Seymour as soon as possible, because there will undoubtedly be other teams interested in landing him this summer.

Israel Idonije Likely Won't Re-Sign with Chicago

The Chicago Bears have long had a "standing offer" for Idonije's services this year, as Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune reported back in April.

After the team signed Sedrick Ellis recently (h/t ESPNChicago.com), however, it doesn't appear likely that Chicago will be able to re-sign Idonije, given salary-cap constraints. Dan Pompei of the Chicago Tribune essentially ruled out the idea (Digital Plus; subscription required) after Ellis' signing.

Though Idonije isn't as prodigious a pass-rusher as the top defensive ends in the league, he's a capable situational player who has consistently provided pressure off the edge for the Bears the past few years.

With 28.5 sacks in his career, Idonije has averaged 6.5 sacks the past three years.

While the market appears to be cool for Idonije's services, he'll certainly find a home before training camps conclude this summer.

Desmond Bishop Already In High Demand After Release

Ted Thompson of the Green Bay Packers officially released Bishop on Monday, June 17, as reported by Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.

Within hours of his release, Bishop was being linked to the Minnesota Vikings, per the Packer Report:

ESPNWisconsin.com's Jason Wilde confirmed that report and noted Bishop would be visiting the Vikings on Tuesday:

Finally, Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reported Bishop would be visiting the Kansas City Chiefs on Wednesday after his visit with the Vikings:

Judging by the way things are unfolding, it won't be long before Bishop lands on his feet with a new club, despite the fact that he missed the 2012 season with a torn hamstring.

Bishop was a solid player for the Packers in 2011 before his injury, so it's not a big surprise to see him garnering so much interest. At the age of 28, Bishop still has a lot to offer a team in need of a middle linebacker.

Follow me on Twitter @JesseReed78

What Can Myck Kabongo Bring to His NBA Team?

BRtv — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:14:06 -0400

Myck Kabongo compiled 14.6 points, 5.0 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game as a sophomore at the University of Texas.

Bleacher Report had the opportunity to interview the top draft prospects at the 2013 NBA combine. These players will be joining the NBA this upcoming season, so these profiles can show NBA fans the personality and character of the incoming rookies. These profiles show not only what type of player they are on the court, but also what type of person they are off the court.

Myck Kabongo Combine Results

Name: Myck Kabongo

Height: 6' 2.75" (in shoes)

Weight: 180 lbs.

Wingspan: 6'6.25"

Do you think that Myck will be on your team this season? What type of pro career do you think he will have? Let us know in the comments below.

Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant Have Incredible Statues in China

Dan Favale — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:08:36 -0400

Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant's reach extends farther than yours.

NBA superstars are known to have a fanbase that spans across the globe, but Shaq and Kobe are officially pushing the limits of international stardom. Both apparently have monstrous statues that tower over everyone in China.

Here's a look at the Black Mamba's iconic sculpture, which appears to stand outside of the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts' Sculpture Museum, h/t Lakers Nation:

Whomever created this demonstrative work of art captured Kobe's essence almost perfectly.

Here stands a stone-faced baller, looking off into the great abyss, probably contemplating his future or wondering if his ring-to-finger ratio will ever become overwhelming.

He's not alone either. And no, I'm not talking about Stephen Marbury.

Shaq has a statue that was raised in his honor as well, and it is equally as incredible and seems to be beyond enormous, h/t reddit.com:

The Los Angeles Times' Bill Plaschke was in Beijing for the Olympics in 2008 and reported the statue stands at 50 feet and was "part of his [Shaq's] endorsement deal with a Chinese sportswear company."

The only thing that could have made this statue better is if Shaq was also holding and/or taking a swig of a can of Soda Shaq along with that ball. Perhaps in the near future they can fashion some object-based adjustments to account for Shaq Daddy's latest business venture.

This gigantic statue is perfect otherwise. The size of it appears unnatural, but then again, the 7'1", 325-pound big man was never one to look organic.

Shame on me for not having a visit to Kobe and Shaq's oversized clones on my bucket list. Shame on us all.

Fortunately, there's still time to resurrect such a travesty. Something tells me these two structures aren't going anywhere anytime soon.

Book all your future vacations accordingly.

The Evolution of the Baseball From the Dead-Ball Era Through Today

Zachary D. Rymer — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:03:52 -0400

Cut open a baseball, and inside you'll find a glowing orb of happiness with a dash of hopes and dreams.

This according to my imagination, anyway, which is admittedly not the most accurate source.

According to actual, you know, reality, baseballs are made of much more mundane things: cork, rubber, yarn, hide, etc. Cut open a baseball, and you won't find anything worth bragging to your friends about.

If you really want to impress them, what you should do is tell them all about how baseballs have evolved over the years. They've come a long way since the game's prehistoric days and the Dead-Ball Era.

It's quite the story, and now's the time to step into the TARDIS and relive it.

The Dead-Ball Era

We don't know much about what baseballs were like in the early days, but we generally know that no two baseballs were identical.

According to a 1975 article from The New York Times, pitchers just used to make their own balls. Knowing that, it's not the least bit surprising that Baseball-Reference.com tells tales of baseballs that varied in size and weight and were much softer than modern balls.

The National League was founded in 1876. That year, a pitcher for the Chicago White Stockings named A.G. Spalding pitched a design that the league chose to adopt as its standard. That's also how Spalding's sporting goods business came to power.

At the center of the Spalding ball was a core of rubber that tended to favor pitchers. Per Baseball-Reference.com, an average of 3.94 runs per game were scored from the time Major League Baseball was formed in 1901 to 1910. That span also featured a average of 0.13 home runs per game.

Imagine a league filled with Placido Polancos, and you'll have a pretty good idea what things were like.

However, things changed during the 1910 World Series. John McMurray, head of SABR's Dead-Ball Era research committee, told The New York Times in 2011 that it was during the 1910 Fall Classic that the league introduced a new ball that had a center of cork rather than rubber.

The new cork-centered ball was put back into play in 2011, and the pendulum proceeded to swing away from pitchers and towards the hitters.

The 1910 season saw an average of 3.83 runs and 0.14 home runs per game. The 1911 season, by contrast, saw an average of 4.51 runs and 0.21 home runs per game. Frank Schulte led the league with 21 home runs, a figure that more than doubled the league-leading total in 1910.

The offensive boom lasted through 1912 and 1913, but things started going back to normal in 1914 and the trend continued through 1919. In that span, games saw an average of 3.72 runs and 0.16 home runs per game.

McMurray chalked up the decline of offense to a new trend that was popularized by a hurler named Russ Ford: scuffing the baseball. It's also worth noting that the spitball was legal in those days, and it's fair to conclude that many pitchers were gleefully partaking.

Whatever it was, the calming of the offensive numbers didn't last for long. Changes were made to the ball on the eve of the '20s, and that's when the Dead-Ball Era turned into the Live-Ball Era.

The Live-Ball Era

Allow me to spin you a yarn about yarn.

According to a 1946 New York Times article, a bit of Australia started going into baseballs in 1920 when Spalding started using Australian wool on the insides. William McNeil wrote in The Evolution of Pitching in Major League Baseball that the new yarn was stronger and allowed for a more tightly wound ball.

The new ball proved to be a lively one. So the players thought, anyway.

After averaging 3.88 runs and 0.20 home runs per game in 1919, the league averaged 4.36 runs and 0.26 home runs per game in 1920. By 1925, the league was averaging 5.13 runs and 0.48 home runs per game, and complaints about the new "rabbit ball" were coming from all over.

The National League's owners sought to quell the unrest in 1925. According to The New York Times, they decided in a midsummer meeting that the Senior Circuit would continue to use the rabbit ball, in large part due to the testimony of Professor Harold A. Fales of Columbia University.

What Professor Fales determined after a lengthy study was this:

The 1925 ball is larger in size, weighs more, and gives the pitcher much less control in that the seam of the ball is much smoother and the thread of same almost completely countersunk so as to be flush with the leather of the seam. The elasticity of the ball for small heights of fall, namely 13.5 feet, is practically the same.

It may indeed have been harder for pitchers to grip the rabbit ball. Walks experienced an uptick in the 1920s, going from an average of 2.7 per game between 1901 and 1919 to an average of 3.0 per game between 1920 and 1929.

Also working against pitchers were new rules put in place in 1920 that outlawed spitballs and regulated intentional walks, and Professor Fales also highlighted another newer rule as a factor. Before the 1920s, the baseballs in play in a given game were rarely changed and the balls were thus allowed to become dirtier and softer throughout the course of a game. Balls were exchanged much more frequently starting in 1920, and that benefited the hitters.

And so the rabbit ball was kept in place, with the overall message to the league's pitchers being something along the lines of: "DEAL WITH IT."

They did, but the punishment they were forced to endure in 1929 and 1930 proved to be too much even for the owners.

Offense exploded in those two seasons to the tune of 5.37 runs and 0.59 home runs per game. The 1930 season was particularly ridiculous, as Hack Wilson, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and Chuck Klein all topped 40 home runs and the league's batting line was an absurd .296/.356/.434.

Per an essay by Jay Jaffe that was excerpted on Deadspin last year, 1931 was the year when the cork center was replaced by a "cushion cork" pill that was a mixture of cork and ground rubber. Scoring and home runs promptly went down to 4.81 runs and 0.43 home runs per game.

There continued to be slight differences between the balls being used in the American and National League for the next couple years, but the two leagues agreed to a standardized ball in 1934.

And for the first time ever, the specific ingredients of a Major League Baseball ball were revealed. From The New York Times:

The ball will have a cushion cork centre weighing 7/8 of an ounce, the cushion being provided by one layer of black rubber and another of red, the reason for which was not made known.

Then come 71 yards of blue gray woolen yarn, building the ball to a circumference of 7 3/4 inches and the weight to 3 1/8 ounces. Next, 41 yards of white woolen yarn is wrapped on, and the circumference has become 8 1/4 inches, the weight 3 7/8 ounces. A coat of special rubber cement is applied.

Two more wrappings of yarn, the first 41 yards of blue-gray woolen, the second of a final 100 yards of 20/2 ply fine cotton, provide a circumference of 8 7/8 inches and a weight of 4 3/8 ounces, to which another coat of rubber cement is applied.

The cover is a special tanned horsehide, weighing 1/3 ounce and 5/100 of an inch thick, and sewn with a double stitch of four-strand red thread. The finished ball is 9 to 9 1/8 inches in circumference and should weigh 5 to 5 1/8 ounces.

The writer of that article said it best: "The specifications...are highly technical and indicate that there is much more to the making of a baseball than any but those engaged in the trade suspected."

You'd be surprised how little the exact specs have changed since 1934, but baseball did experience a slight complication a few years later when the peoples of the earth got into a worldwide disagreement.

World War II

Major League Baseball lost a fair amount of talent to World War II in the 1940s, as stars such as Ted Williams, Joe DiMaggio and Bob Feller left to go serve their country.

Everyone knows that, right?

Of course they do, but one of the lesser known impacts of the war on baseball had to do with the ball. Noel Hynd of Sports Illustrated wrote all about it back in 1985:

Rubber is an essential ingredient of a baseball's core, and it always has been....But when the Japanese seized Malaya and the Dutch East Indies, the U.S. was cut off from its usual source of supply. About a ton of the stuff was required in the construction of a tank and about half that for a long-range bomber. So Uncle Sam banned the use of rubber in all items not essential to the war effort, and that included baseballs.

The powers that be in baseball found themselves scrambling to find a suitable stand-in, and one wasn't introduced to the press until about five weeks before Opening Day in 1943.

Here's Hynd again:

It looked and felt like a real baseball, but it had a granulated cork center instead of the high-grade cork and rubber mixture, and there was no rubber shell or rubber wrapping around that core. Instead, to give it a little pop, there were two hard shells of a rubberlike substance inside the ball, hugging the core...For the first time, Americans heard the ominous word 'balata,' which was what the two shells were made of.

Balata resembles rubber, but is made from tropical trees and was normally used in the manufacturing of industrial gaskets and the insulation of telephone lines. It lacks rubber's elasticity, and that would become painfully obvious once the ball was put in play in 1943.

Right out of the gate, nobody could hit. By the end of April, the league was hitting just .223 with a .270 slugging percentage. Danny Litwhiler was leading baseball in home runs with a grand total of two.

Baseball once again found itself resorting to improvisation. The ball was tweaked over and over again as the 1943 season went along. Eventually, it became, in Hynd's words, "acceptably lively," and the league ultimately managed a respectable 3.91 runs and 0.37 home runs per game.

That was it for the balata ball. Synthetic rubber was being mass-produced in the States by 1944, and there was plenty of it for baseballs. The league was able to go back to its usual design in '44, and offense picked up to the tune of 4.17 runs and 0.42 home runs per game.

How many changes has the ball undergone in the 70 or so years since then?

Short answer: Not many.

Post-WWII to Today

In 1958, almost 25 years after Major League Baseball first made the specifications of its baseballs public, J.E. McMahon of The New York Times sought to update the public on the contemporary composition of a major league baseball.

See if you can spot the differences:

Major league baseballs start with a core of cork mixed with a small amount of rubber. This is covered by a layer of black rubber, then by a layer of red rubber. It is then ready for the winding process, where yarn is added to the core. This is done on a revolving machine...in a humidity- and temperature-controlled room.

Yarn windings consist first of 121 yards of rough gray wool, forty-five yards of white wool then 53 yards of fine gray wool and finally 150 yards of fine white cotton. After these layers have been added to the sphere, it is coated with rubber cement. Then two pieces of horsehide in the shape of the figure '8' are hand-stitched with red thread to cover the ball.

….Each ball has 108 hand-stitched double stitches in its cover. A finished ball weighs from 5 to 5 1/4 ounces and measures not less than 9, nor more than 9 1/4 inches.

Nothing was different about the center of the ball, as it still consisted of a cushion cork pill surrounded by two layers of rubber. The wrappings changed, however, as did the size and weight. The old balls needed to be between 9 to 9 1/8 inches in circumference and 5 to 5 1/8 ounces. The new balls were allowed to be an eighth of an inch thicker and an eighth of an ounce heavier.

More home runs were being hit in the late 1950s than there had been in the mid 1930s, but chalking that up to the ball alone would be to ignore the fact that home run hitters were simply more common. There were 10 30-homer guys in 1929 and 1930 and that was an extreme rarity. But there were 11 such players in 1950 and at least 10 in 1953, 1955, 1956, 1958 and 1959.

A few more changes took place in the 1970s. Per the Jay Jaffe essay, the outer covering was changed from horsehide to cowhide due to a shortage of the former in 1974, and in 1975 baseball announced that it was ending its century-long partnership with Spalding over cost concerns.

Rawlings took over manufacturing duties in 1977, and offense just so happened to experience a spike. After averaging 3.99 runs and 0.58 home runs per game in 1976, baseball averaged 4.47 runs and 0.87 home runs per game in '77.

But as Jaffe explained, the spike wasn't necessarily anything sinister:

The 1977 rates weren't unprecedented; both leagues had been at similar heights as recently as 1970, itself a spike year for homers. The 1976 rate of 0.58 homers per game was the lowest since 1946, even lower than 1968. Prior to the switch in manufacturer, the last major change to the ball had come in 1974, when the outer coating switched from horsehide to cowhide because of a shortage of the former. Homer production fell from 0.80 per game to 0.68, a 14.7 percent drop. It increased 2.4 percent in 1975, but then fell off another 17.4 percent in 1976.

Given those ups and downs, it's possible that Spalding didn't perfect the process of using the new covering before surrendering the manufacturing process to Rawlings, or that the balls used at the end of their run were leftovers that were slightly substandard in resilience, leading to the dip in home runs. It would take a Deep Throat to provide insight into the matter, but unlike in the Watergate scandal of that decade, none has ever come forward.

In short: Who knows?

In any event, Rawlings is still the official supplier of baseballs for MLB. And thanks to the Science Channel, we know that the production of baseballs these days goes a little something like this:

These many years later, a baseball is still a cushion cork center with three layers of wool yarn and a final layer of what Jaffe says is "cotton-polyester." The finished product must still be between 9 and 9 1/4 inches in circumference and 5 and 5 1/4 ounces.

Of course, conspiracy theorists love to ramble on about how Major League Baseball is still willing to juice the ball whenever it desires more offense. It's certainly possible that a juiced ball contributed to the home run binge that occurred during the Steroid Era, as Jaffe acknowledged in his essay, and whispers of juiced balls still pop up every now and then.

The thing to keep in mind is that intentionally juicing the ball wouldn't be an easy task to carry out. As Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports wrote a couple years ago:

In order to juice balls, MLB would need cooperation among the cork makers in Mississippi, the yarn spinners in Vermont and the hide sewers in Costa Rica, plus those who test the balls in St. Louis, and the final layers of quality control, the clubhouse attendants who rub them with mud and the umpires who keep a bagful at a time.

In other words, juicing the ball would require a complicated conspiracy that a lot of people would have to be in on. That's a lot of trouble to go through for the sake of trying to generate a little extra offense.

So juice in the ball? Nah, probably not. Not now, maybe not ever. It's more likely that the ball has always consisted of cork, rubber, yarn and hide, and always will.

At least until science figures out how to make a glowing orb of happiness with a dash of hopes and dreams.

Note: Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.

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

Anderson Silva: 'Every Fighter Commits Mistakes,' Even Chris Weidman

Damon Martin — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:01:32 -0400

It's hard to imagine the greatest fighter in UFC history entering a fight as an underdog, but that almost seems to be what is happening with Anderson Silva approaching his next bout against Chris Weidman at UFC 162.

For months, Weidman has pounded the drum that he is the fighter best suited to finally snatch Silva's middleweight belt away from him after 10 consecutive title defenses and 16 straight victories inside the Octagon.

Add to that the growing list of fighters, including UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre, who believe that Weidman is a stylistic nightmare for the long reigning champion and will be the first fighter to hand Silva a loss in over seven years.

Some others who are closest to the champion disagree with that assessment.

"Once the Octagon door closes and you've got Anderson Silva standing across the ring from you, it's not the same game anymore," Silva's manager Ed Soares recently said in a pre-fight interview ahead of UFC 162.

Outside of his fights against Chael Sonnen, Silva has only managed to lose a few minutes (statistically) of any fight he's been involved in since he came to the UFC in 2006. It's the Sonnen fights, however, that have many people convinced that Weidman is the kryptonite to Silva's Superman.

Sonnen wrestled Silva to the mat repeatedly during their first fight, punishing the champion with ground-and-pound strikes for the better part of 20 minutes. Sonnen eventually fell in their first fight to a late triangle choke submission courtesy of the champion.

In their rematch, Sonnen again took Silva down at will during the first round, even mounting the Brazilian in a dominant position before the horn sounded to stop the action. Silva did eventually stop the takedown in the second round before finishing Sonnen with strikes.

Weidman is a two-time Division I All-American wrestler, who trains under famed jiu-jitsu instructors like Renzo Gracie, Matt Serra and John Danaher at his home camp in New York. His style appears to be the anti-Anderson Silva method, taking fights to the ground and finishing his opponents on the mat.

"Weidman got good jiu-jitsu and great wrestling," Silva said in the interview. "But he needs to work with his stand-up. Wrestling is not my best strength, and I need to work on my wrestling."

The old days of matching up a pure striker with a pure grappler in MMA are long gone, but that doesn't mean the roots of those elements still can't play a part in a major fight like the one between Silva and Weidman.

It's hard to ignore, however, that despite Silva's apparent lack in wrestling, he's beaten several top grapplers in his career like Demian Maia and Thales Leites as well as highly regarded wrestlers such as Dan Henderson.

The scariest thing about Silva in the cage is the fact that he doesn't need much of an opening to exploit a fighter's mistake and unleash hell on them immediately. One punch, one kick or one knee is all Silva usually needs to put an opponent away, and rarely do they come back asking for seconds.

"Every fighter commits mistakes," Silva said. "I just have to look for the right opportunity to capitalize on his mistakes."

Damon Martin is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report.

Is Clayton Kershaw's Anger at Leaked Contract Talks a Threat to Dodgers Future?

Chris Stephens — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:54:56 -0400

Clayton Kershaw is not happy with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

According to The Los Angeles Times, Kershaw was displeased that contract discussions were leaked to the media, saying it's now a distraction.

"I think the reason we've been able to continue discussions for this long is that it's not been talked about," Kershaw said. "And now that I'm having to talk about it, it's a distraction because people are talking about it. I guess you'll have to talk to the Dodgers as to why it came out now. I don't love the fact that I have to talk about it."

Kershaw felt he had a gentleman's agreement with the Dodgers to not talk speak about the contract publicly.

"It didn't come from our side," Kershaw said. "I'm going to still hold up my end of the bargain and not talk about it."

The question now is does this hurt the Dodgers' future? Could it possibly lead Kershaw to hold off talks until the offseason and possibly until he's a free agent?

Hurt Feelings

Kershaw may have had his feelings hurt just a little because someone leaked this to the media, but it's not like contract extension talks were a secret.

Multiple media outlets, including Bleacher Report, have long considered Kershaw and the Dodgers to be working on an extension. Most have tried to guess how much he'll make.

The fact that they're making progress shouldn't hurt Kershaw's feelings. The fact that it leaked shouldn't, either. In today's social-media world, that kind of stuff happens.

It's hard for anything to be done in secret. Just look at the country's political scene from the IRS scandal to the Edward Snowden situation. Even when sworn to secrecy at the highest levels of government, stuff still gets leaked.

So, what would make Kershaw think progress on contract talks wouldn't be leaked?

Welcome to the good ole USA.

He's Going to Get Paid

No matter what happens, Kershaw is going to get paid.

Being that he's just 25, he's likely going to become the highest-paid pitcher in baseball.

Justin Verlander's contract extension that could pay him $202 million over seven years would just be a starting point for the Dodgers (or any team if Kershaw goes to free agency).

Verlander's highest-paid years are from 2015 to 2019, in which he'll make $28 million a season.

As far as Kershaw, he'll likely be the first pitcher to reach $30 million in a year. His total contract will likely exceed $210-215 million.

And there aren't too many teams that can afford that. In fact, outside of the Dodgers, I don't see anyone paying that kind of money.

The New York Yankees are looking to be more frugal with their spending, while the Philadelphia Phillies have a lot of money they still owe their top pitchers.

The Dodgers are currently the only team that can afford to open their checkbook and pay multiple players absurd amounts of money.

This is just a small hiccup and both parties will get past it.

Kershaw wants to stay with the Dodgers over the course of his career, and the Dodgers want to keep him in town.

2013 Stanley Cup Final: Keys to Chicago Blackhawks Regaining Home-Ice Advantage

David Bessin — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:49:39 -0400

After being blanked 2-0 by the Boston Bruins in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final, the Chicago Blackhawks find themselves down 2-1 heading into their next game in Boston.

Only one team has come back in the finals when down 3-1, and that was the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1942. With that history in mind, Game 4 is a must-win for Chicago.

In order to even the series and regain home-ice advantage, here are three things that the Blackhawks need to address by their next faceoff.

Marian Hossa Needs to Play

17 shots, five hits and a steady defensive presence during his first two games in the final round. To say that Marian Hossa is a playmaker would be an understatement.

He was scratched after pregame warm-ups in Game 3 and Chicago missed him dearly. With one offensive catalyst out of the way, the Bruins put the clamps on Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews. They had very few, if any, scoring opportunities, which is a continuing trend in this playoff series.

Having Hossa on the ice gives Boston a big body to worry about and eases the already-high pressure on Kane and Toews to produce offensively.

Hossa is also one of the top penalty-killers on the team and Chicago needs every advantage it can get at this point.

Power-Play Issues

This one’s a no-brainer.

The Hawks haven’t scored a power-play goal in their last 18 chances dating back to the Western Conference Final. That has to change if they want to extend this series.

Hossa’s return could help, but he’ll need assistance from the rest of the struggling power-play unit for the team to cash in on the man advantage.

As previously stated, they need every mismatch they can get. However, they have to convert their chances too.

Remain Calm

Chicago only had to split the games in Boston to turn this into a three-game series and earn back home-ice advantage. With that mindset, nothing has changed, as the Blackhawks still have Game 4 to play in Beantown.

Despite their current struggles, this is a loaded team that got to the Stanley Cup Final for a reason. Staying mentally focused will go a long way in determining how they rebound from Game 3.

Why Danny Green Can Keep Up This Torrid Shooting Pace

Andy Hu — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:48:14 -0400

One of the more compelling stories in the 2013 NBA Finals is Danny Green having the series of his life.

Green, who came in as a role player, is currently the leading scorer in the series and recently broke the Finals' record for three-point field goals made with 25 (per Basketball Reference), which surpassed Ray Allen's 22 in 2008.

After five straight games of spectacular shooting displays, Green has yet to show any signs of slowing down. He finished Game 5 with 24 points, going 6-for-10 from beyond the arc and registering yet another amazing shooting performance.

The Miami Heat should've learned by now and found a way to stop Green, but there are several factors that are preventing that from happening.

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Buffalo Sabres: Was It a Mistake to Trade Daniel Paille?

Matt Clouden — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:44:38 -0400

Right about now it's not hard to picture many Buffalo Sabres fans hitting their heads off of the nearest table wondering how in the world their general manager, Darcy Regier, could trade Daniel Paille.

And not only just for trading him, but trading him to the Boston Bruins of all teams.

Since Paille was sent from the 716 to the 617 four seasons ago, the Bruins have won the Stanley Cup once, the Northeast Division twice and have even knocked the Sabres out of the playoffs in the first round.

Now, to say that their success has to do with Paille directly is a bit far-fetched. He has been great during the past two rounds of this year's playoffs and has the game-winning goal in both of the Bruins' Stanley Cup Final victories, but the team's success is not on his shoulders.

What Paille has done is solidify a bottom six that could be one of the best in the NHL.

So why did the Sabres and Regier feel the need to ship him off to a division rival, especially given the time they put into developing Paille?

He was drafted 20th overall in the 2002 Entry Draft, with the Sabres using the first-round pick they obtained from the Detroit Red Wings in the Dominik Hasek trade to move up 10 slots to select the Guelph Storm product. Paille spent two more years in the OHL and represented Team Canada in the World Junior Championships both of those years.

After spending the better part of two years with Rochester of the AHL and splitting time between Buffalo and Rochester the next season, Paille was promoted to the Sabres' roster full-time in 2007-08. In his first full year, he had the best statistical season of his career, posting 35 points in 77 games, spending most of his time on the third line.

While recording a comparable season statistically in 2008-09, Paille struggled to stay consistent, posting numerous stretches without a point and a minus in the plus-minus column.

The next season, Paille was traded to the Bruins for a third-round pick, which was used on depth prospect Kevin Sundher, who likely will never see more than a bottom-six role with Rochester.

So should Sabres fans be mad that Paille never really got a fair shake as a Sabre? Yes and no.

It was pretty shocking that Regier would be as cavalier with one of his more talented young guys, even if his talent was clearly as more of a two-way, bottom-six player. Paille had the tools to be an excellent shutdown pivot and had the size and skating ability to back it up.

However, looking back at what the Sabres were facing at that time makes the move make at least some sense for those who are extremely unhappy.

Paille had been a healthy scratch for most of the beginning of the season that year, with then-coach Lindy Ruff favoring the play of a less-targeted Pat Kaleta and rookie Tim Kennedy.

Beyond that, the Sabres were flirting with the top-end of the salary cap, having just signed Jason Pominville and Ryan Miller to new deals that summer. Needing to clear some space, the Sabres saw the underperforming Paille as the easiest piece to move.

But the most important factor in all of this has been Paille's ability to play on the third and fourth lines in Boston, a team whose defensive identity is far more apparent than any post-lockout Sabres team. Paille has not come close to eclipsing the statistical levels he hit while in Buffalo, but he has flourished in his defense-first role with the Bruins.

So, while Paille is enjoying a fair amount of success this postseason, it may not be necessarily fair to say "that could be us," because, realistically, the Sabres would not have been able to get the same type of play out of Paille given the differing styles of the two teams.

Follow me on Twitter for NHL and Sabres news all season: @SwordPlay18.

NFL Changes In-Stadium Bag Policy for 2013 Season, And Not For the Better

Josh Zerkle — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:43:26 -0400

The NFL has had it up to here with your bags.

Late last week, the National Football League announced a stark change to its policy regarding what bags fans can bring into their stadiums on game days. As reported by NFL.com, almost anything short of a 12-inch-by-six-inch-by-12-inch transparent bag will be confiscated by stadium security at the gates.

That means that most women's purses and all backpacks, fanny packs and seat cushions won't be making it into NFL stadiums this fall. The NFL claims this is being done in the name of creating "a safe and secure environment," but the unintended consequences of such a measure will certainly be dire.

With fewer fans willing to attend NFL games in person today, won't this measure turn off prospective guests from visiting stadiums, especially women? And exactly how dangerous have purses and seat cushions been for other Sunday patrons?

My guess is "Not very..."

Do you agree with the NFL's new bag policy? Sure, this might take care of a certain sect of potential troublemakers, but does the measure commit more harm than good? And will the end of fans bringing in their own seat cushions really make anyone at the game feel safer?

Join me for our latest installment of "Let Me Get This Straight," where I break down the consequences and repercussions of the NFL's War On Fanny Packs. Check out my takes in the video above and leave your own thoughts in the comments below. As always, thanks for watching.

Why Thiago Alcantara Was the Star of the European Under-21 Championships

Karl Matchett — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:43:22 -0400

As if a first-half hat-trick in the final itself didn't make him a stand-out already, Thiago Alcantara headed into the UEFA European under-21 Championships final having already proven himself head and shoulders above most of his peers.

The Spain captain and attacking midfielder used the final to give one final top-drawer showing, netting a perfect treble in the process—header, left foot, right foot.

That last display only served to underline his importance and his quality, and he was certainly the star of the tournament.

Controlling Matches and Spain's Tempo

A clear selling point for winning his place in the Spain side at any level, Thiago proved himself vastly capable of controlling games for his team with consistent, creative passing. The Barcelona midfielder was always available to recycle and retain possession in the middle of the park, but also rarely wasted a pass further forward.

His teammates clearly have the utmost confidence in his ability to distribute the ball well, always looking infield for the No. 10 shirt.

Much of Spain's forward movement goes through him, even with all the other attacking talent in the side.

It's easy to point to training and playing alongside the likes of Xavi and Andres Iniesta and saying that Thiago has the best grounding possible to play in this way, but his style and his ability are his alone. Thiago has the talent and has very much been able to harness it during the tournament, to the great benefit of his antion.

Ability in the Final Third

Only teammates Asier Illarammendi, Koke and Marc Bartra managed to complete a higher percentage of passes than Thiago, considering players who made at least two starts in the tournament.

During the entire Championships he started all five matches, missing just 10 minutes overall, and completed 93 percent of his 424 attempted passes—stunning accuracy and consistency for a young, attacking player in a high-pressure environment.

Then again, he isn't the captain for nothing.

Two key passes each game on average showed his creative side as he was a key figure for his nation keeping the pressure up in the opposition's territory, and Spain's 12 goals in their five matches were an indication of the attacking prowess the squad as a whole contained. There can be no doubt that Thiago was a big part of that from his advanced central role.

And, of course, on the biggest stage of all, Thiago put three goals past the Italians to fire his side to glory.

Leadership and Making a Difference When it Matters

It's all well and good wearing the captain's armband, but Thiago showed he could inspire his players by his own example on the pitch. Not just in scoring or creating chances, but in showing a very professional approach, by working hard and with his sheer consistency.

It takes nerves to take a penalty in a final, even if it was for the hat-trick, but maybe it takes even more composure to pass up the opportunity to score a fourth goal in the final and let another player take the second spot-kick, just in case the goalkeeper has figured out the initial taker's approach.

Thiago performed magnificently on the ball but his work-rate off of it and his willingness to help his side dominate make him a good leader at this level.

Like all great captains, as well, he came up with the quality when his team needed it and no matter what he goes on to achieve, it's not likely he'll forget a European Championships final hat-trick in a hurry.

Follow @karlmatchett

Player data from WhoScored.com

The Gutsiest Play-Through-Pain Moments in Sports

Jessica Isner — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:40:31 -0400

Plenty of us don't even go to work if we're feeling the slightest bit under the weather.

So imagine finishing your workday with a cracked clavicle, or with a broken leg, or with a dislocated elbow—and imagine your work entails running, jumping and getting hit by other people.

Sometimes, we forget how tough our favorite athletes can be. We like to rag on them when they miss a shot or give up a bad goal, and we routinely insult their manliness if they dare take themselves out of a game.

But this group of guys (and girls) makes us forget all about the athletes who can't stay in the game when they get hurt—which, by the way, is totally reasonable.

These guys are just superhuman.

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How Doc Rivers' Exit From Celtics Would Define Boston's Future

Adam Fromal — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:39:14 -0400

We've almost officially reached the point of no return for Doc Rivers and the Boston Celtics.

After the mega-trade between the C's and the Los Angeles Clippers failed to come to fruition, Rivers is technically still a member of the Boston organization, but it sure doesn't feel like it. How can he realistically be expected to just step back onto the sidelines of the TD Garden and pretend like nothing happened?

According to Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski, general manager Danny Ainge reached out to the indecisive head coach after the deal fell through, but no conclusion was immediately reached:

After talks in a blockbuster deal fell apart over draft pick compensation, Doc Rivers is unsure about returning to the Boston Celtics as coach, league sources told Yahoo! Sports on Tuesday.

Celtics general manager Danny Ainge informed Rivers of the failed trade talks on Tuesday morning, and reiterated the Celtics' desire to have him return and fulfill the final three years and $21 million left on his contract, sources said.

The Celtics and Rivers planned to reach a final resolution in the next few days, sources said.

I can't even begin to imagine how that conversation went.

Did Ainge open with, "So...uh...Doc. We were trying to trade you, and it didn't work. So...now we want you back? Yeah, we want you back!"

It's a little late in the process for that kind of backtracking.

There's one more relevant quote from that Wojnarowski article:

Rivers pushed for the Clippers partnership because of his desire to bypass a rebuilding process with Boston. As one source tied to Boston ownership and Rivers said, "You don't just move on from this and act like nothing happened."

Nothing happened, but at the same time, a lot certainly happened. Boston did just about everything in its power to burn the bridge between Rivers and the C's organization. It's tough enough to place a player on the trading block and expect him to return with nothing but a smile after no offers come flowing in. It's tougher still to do the same with a coach who was already considering a potential departure.

Following this saga, Rivers would be well within his rights to respond to Ainge's overture with a simple YouTube link to this song:

The damage is done, so I guess he'll be leaving. The Celtics don't have to say what they did, because Rivers already knows. Now there's just no chance for him and them.

There never will be.

Let's assume that Rivers exits Boston this offseason, leaving the C's scrambling for a new head coach. What does that mean for the future of this organization?

Doc Rivers' Future

Even if Rivers doesn't return to the same sideline he's paced throughout recent memory, he'll be able to take his froggy voice back into the broadcasting booth. That's not a bad backup option, and Rivers was quite good in 2004 when he served as a commentator for NBA on ABC.

Because the head coach has multiple years left on his contract, he can't simply walk away and then join another team in the NBA. He's contractually bound to the Celtics, and he can't break that bond without Ainge's permission.

Whether he desires a managerial role or another coaching job in the Association, Boston will be demanding that it receives something in return from his new landing spot. Obviously that didn't work out so well with the Clippers, and it's unlikely that many other teams will be willing to match the Celtics' inevitably high asking price.

Now that L.A. has fallen out of the picture, it looks like it's either the booth or the Garden for Rivers. Neither are bad options, but the former is looking more and more likely as this drama continues to press on.

Remember, we're operating under the assumption that Rivers has exited the organization here. So with only one other choice available, let's go ahead and make another assumption: that he winds up working for a TV station.

Kevin Garnett's Future

Kevin Garnett and Rivers have formed one of the tightest relationships in recent NBA history. Many coaches and players have created unbreakable bonds, especially after winning a championship together, but these two take it to an extreme.

That much was clear when they embraced on the sideline after a defeat at the hands of the Chicago Bulls ushered in the possibility that they'd worked together for the final time. It was more than a simple hug; it was a tacit declaration of mutual respect and admiration, as made clear by Wojnarowski:

Kevin Garnett changed Doc Rivers' life, changed forever the way people will remember him as a basketball coach. Rivers is a champion now, a paragon of his profession and there's never been a day on the job he hasn't understood that Garnett made it possible. This is the reason the tears welled within his eyes beneath that 17th championship banner in the Garden on Friday night, the reason that he squeezed Garnett on the sideline in the final seconds.

Deep down, Doc Rivers and Kevin Garnett understood this was goodbye.

Deep down, they know it is over.

"I love you," Rivers told Garnett.

"I love you," Garnett told Rivers.

Rivers is one of the major reasons that The Big Ticket ever came to Beantown, and now that he's hovering on the brink of retirement, the coach's departure could very well lead to his own. Without a perennially hoarse voice yelling at him from the sideline, Garnett doesn't have much of a reason to stay with the Celtics.

Remember, we're assuming that Rivers is gone here. And if that's the case, we can safely bet on KG departing too.

Garnett still has time left on his contract, but he could bypass that in one of two manners: He could either choose to retire and pull the plug on his Hall of Fame career, or he could ask Ainge to buy out his contract and allow him to hit the open market as an unrestricted free agent.

Based on his play, the latter seems more likely. Garnett still has some quality basketball left in the tank, as the New York Knicks found out during the postseason. The big man averaged 12.7 points, a playoff-high 13.7 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game with a 17.3 PER, according to Basketball-Reference.com.

That doesn't sound like a man ready to hang up the sneakers and walk off into the sunset. Not that KG would walk; he'd probably run and protect any baskets along the way.

It's too early to speculate about where he'd end up, but one thing is certain: If Rivers is gone, so too is Garnett.

Paul Pierce's Future

Let's take it one step further.

If Rivers is gone, then Garnett will be washed right out the door by the current. And along with him will go Paul Pierce. Initially, the process was supposed to happen the other way, with the Pierce decision ushering in the other moves. But now, the flow seems like it may be reversed.

KG and Pierce have been friends for much longer than the six years they've spent in the same jersey, and "The Truth" was one of the main reasons Garnett decided to join the Celtics, as he made clear in an interview with WEEI's Mike Petraglia:

Garnett made it very clear that his decision about next year will hinge greatly on whether Ainge brings back Pierce.

“One of the big reasons I came [to Celtics] was because of Paul,” said Garnett. “Obviously, you want to be in a situation where it’s better. I want to make sure that I’m able to always help a team. I want to be in positions to where I’m giving something. I demand a lot of myself, both physically and from a skill level. But I’d be lying to y’all if I said Paul didn’t play into that factor. Like I said, it’s too soon of a conversation for me right now.”

Pierce, much like Garnett, could have his contract bought out, and it's seemed for a while now like that's the most likely scenario. For the hefty sum of $5 million, Ainge could cut ties with the franchise's long-time superstar, allowing him to become an unrestricted free agent.

My guess has been that Pierce will end up on the Clippers, but recent events have caused me to treat anything that involves both the Celtics and the Clippers with a heavy dose of cynicism.

Regardless, Rivers leaving the organization would also cause Pierce to walk out the door. He doesn't want to be left alone, without his coach or his friend and fellow star there beside him. Rajon Rondo, talented point guard that he may be, isn't going to sway him in Boston's favor.

Who Becomes the Next Coach?

There are a number of excellent coaches out on the market, and one of the big names will almost certainly replace Rivers in this hypothetical situation.

George Karl, Lionel Hollins and Brian Shaw are the leading candidates, and it's Shaw that should emerge as the frontrunner. According to the Boston Globe's Baxter Holmes, this is already happening:

Shaw, the coaching candidate who seems to have been rumored to go to virtually every team in the Association, would be a terrific fit for the Celtics. Originally drafted by Boston, the long-time assistant is ready to step up and take on the top coaching position out there. He's learned under the greats and has a championship pedigree.

More than anything else, though, Shaw is known for his ability to help develop players.

He morphed Andrew Bynum from a potential-filled enigma into a paint-residing anchor on a championship-winning team. Then he helped Paul George blossom into an All-Star who could go toe-to-toe with LeBron James. These aren't coincidences; Shaw is a legitimate developer of talent.

As long as he doesn't try to neutralize Rondo's many talents by running the triangle offense, he'd be the perfect man to help shape Avery Bradley, Jared Sullinger, Fab Melo and whichever other young players the team brings in.

Without Rivers, Pierce and KG, Boston is inevitably entering into a bit of a rebuilding period. It may be a full rebuild or a mini one, but developing young talent is still absolutely crucial to the organization's long-term success.

Where Does the Team Go From Here?

With three faces of the franchise departed, this squad belongs almost solely to Rajon Rondo. He's the talent the team must build around, so it's a good thing he's an MVP-caliber player when he puts it all together.

The problem is, even without Pierce and Garnett's hefty contracts on the books, Boston doesn't have the financial flexibility to retool this offseason.

Let's say that Ainge chooses to pick up the team options on Shavlik Randolph, D.J. White and Terrence Williams. Then Pierce's contract gets bought out and KG retires, thereby completely wiping his salary off the books. Additionally, the C's use their No. 16 draft pick and owe that rookie $1,348,200.

All together, Boston would be paying out $59,600,829. Even after using the stretch provision, Ainge would inevitably be left filling up the roster with players singed via the mid-level exception and minimum deals. Sign-and-trades could also work, but the general manager still couldn't bring in any big players.

There just isn't enough money to reel in the marquee names, so it appears likely that the C's will enter the season featuring Rondo, Jeff Green, Sullinger, Avery Bradley and Brandon Bass as their primary players.

It would make for a rough season—by Boston standards—but it also open things up down the road. Ainge will have money to spend in 2014 if he's patient and doesn't blow the cap space on this season; it's far more beneficial for him to just bide his time.

Things don't look pretty in Boston if Pierce, KG and Rivers all leave, but it wouldn't stay that way for long.

Are the Star-Laden Toronto Blue Jays Finally Ready to Make a Hard Playoff Push?

Joe Giglio — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:36:10 -0400

As baseball fans awoke to the MLB standings on Sunday, May 5, the Toronto Blue Jays, after an offseason of spending, roster improvements and high expectations, sat at 10-21, last place in the American League East, riddled with injuries and staring at a 6-12 record in front of their home fans.

A day earlier, R.A. Dickey, expected to be the most impactful of the offseason additions, surrendered seven earned runs in six innings of miserable pitching against the light-hitting Seattle Mariners.

If it's possible to hit rock bottom in early May, the Blue Jays did it.

Since that moment, the AL East standings have been close, but one team has stood above the rest:

Toronto: 23-15
Baltimore: 22-18
Tampa Bay: 20-17
Boston: 22-19
New York: 20-20

Not only has Toronto turned the corner, but the rest of the even, muddled AL East has looked exactly how they appeared in spring training: Good, but not great, capable of fleeting moment of big success, but also showing vital weaknesses to hold back any 95-plus win team from emerging.

In other words, the division may house five good teams, but not one great one.

As the Blue Jays have found themselves, watched their pitching staff turn a corner and look forward to the health and returns of expected contributors, the American League should heed warning: Here come the Blue Jays.

At 33-36, it would be foolish for Toronto fans to plan for October baseball. At this point, the team still resides in last place, owns a negative run differential, and, according to ESPN's playoff odds, have just a 13.9 percent chance to qualify for the postseason. As a point of reference, not one of the last place teams across baseball on this date last season qualified for October baseball.

With logic and context disclosed, AL East foes and future Blue Jays opponents should respect the warning shots being fired lately by baseball's hottest team.

Over the last ten games, Toronto is 8-2, including a six-game winning streak heading into play on Tuesday. That stretch includes a sweep in Texas last weekend, a shutout victory over the Rockies on Monday evening and incredible pitching by a staff that looks markedly different than they did earlier this year.

Led by Josh Johnson (19.1 IP, 20 K, 1.86 ERA since coming off the DL on 6/4) and R.A. Dickey (two or less runs allowed in five of eight starts since the May 4 outing against Seattle), the staff has posted a 2.07 ERA. The recent signing of Chien-Ming Wang has been prescient, giving Toronto 14.1 decent innings, along with two victories, last week. Within a few weeks, the flame-throwing Brandon Morrow could return, looking to get back on the track to stardom he boarded in 2012.

Offensively, the team has survived despite the devastating loss of Jose Reyes. If he can return before the All-Star break, manager John Gibbons could continue to bat Jose Bautista in the two-hole, giving the Blue Jays one of the most dangerous and unique top of the order combinations in the sport.

If Adam Lind can continue his resurgent season (161 OPS-plus after back-to-back-to-back seasons of an under-100, below average mark), the offense, along with Edwin Encarnacion, Melky Cabrera, healing Brett Lawrie and powerful, yet free-swinging Colby Rasmus and J.P. Arencibia, the Toronto offense might score more second half runs than any team in the division.

Toronto isn't a great team, and will probably fall short of the 90 wins some pegged them for prior to the season and continue to face an uphill climb out of the hole they dug themselves. But don't mistake that for a team that won't contend.

As the Blue Jays surge, Boston is facing regression from Jon Lester and injury to Clay Buchholz, Baltimore is struggling to find consistent and average starting pitching, Tampa is still without the David Price or Fernando Rodney of 2012 and New York is trotting out one of the worst offenses in the American League, if not all of the sport.

Over the last 44 days, the Blue Jays have been the best team in the division. If they can repeat that feat over the next, say, 50 days, then they'll be in a position to command the division down the stretch.

Comment below, follow me on Twitter or "like" my Facebook page to talk all things baseball!

The Biggest Adjustments Joel Quenneville, Chicago Blackhawks Need to Make

Steve Silverman — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:34:52 -0400

The Chicago Blackhawks are no longer feeling the glow of a triple-overtime win in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final.

On the contrary, the Blackhawks have ceded control of the series to the underdog Boston Bruins. Boston head coach Claude Julien made a significant adjustment when he put Daniel Paille, Chris Kelly and Tyler Seguin on the same line in Game 2. From that point forward, the Bruins have outscored the Blackhawks 4-0 in the series and taken a 2-1 lead.

Now it's Joel Quenneville's turn to make adjustments. The Blackhawks are down by just one game in this series. Should they find a way to take Game 4, Chicago will regain home-ice advantage.

Here's look at the adjustments the Blackhawks should make to keep the Bruins from taking the series.

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NFL Great Dan Marino Talks About His Passion for Another Sport

BRtv — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:30:48 -0400

Something about the game of golf appeals to athletes from all kinds of other sports, and football is no exception.

We caught up with former Miami Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino to talk about his favorite aspects of golf and how he got started playing.

Questions? Comments? Hit us up below!

Floyd Mayweather Should Fear Unwavering Confidence of Canelo Alvarez

Donald Wood — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:30:40 -0400

When Floyd “Money” Mayweather (44-0, 26 KOs) squares off against Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (42-0-1, 30 KOs) on Saturday, Sept. 14, at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, the undefeated champion should take his opponent's unwavering confidence very seriously.

Despite the fact that Mayweather is the top pound-for-pound fighter in the world, Alvarez has shown nothing but self-confidence thus far in his preparation for the bout.

The fear that Canelo’s assuredness inevitably causes will refresh Mayweather’s innate instinct to fight hard and protect himself. As a result, the undefeated star will revert back to the brawler that dominated the sport for the last decade.

Alvarez spoke to BoxingScene.com about his confidence that he will beat the Mayweather:

I'm ready [to sit on the throne]. I feel motivated about this challenge. If I win, I'll be in the position that he has now and I'll have to fight with the best, face opponents who are coming up and build myself over the years as well as he did. The most important thing is to win and that's what will happen. It will be a great night for us. People will not believe [the outcome]. We are going to have a good training camp, a good strategy to fight him and win; he is a complicated opponent, but we know how to fight him…I'm ready to beat Floyd Mayweather and we are going into the fight with that mentality.

Canelo’s mindset coming into this fight will likely be to attack Mayweather’s body and open up clean shots to the head as the fight wears on. With Money fighting defensively in each of his last several bouts—fighting to protect a decision win instead of aiming for a knockout—Alvarez is convinced that he will be able to solve the riddle of the undefeated champion.

Mayweather understands Canelo’s strengths and weaknesses. Furthermore, he will use the fear of being abused along the ropes by the bigger and stronger opponent to change his own game plan to throw off the young fighter.

The fresh mindset will revitalize Money and force him to fight like the champion fans had seen earlier in his career when he was bringing the action to challengers like Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton and the other top names in the sport.

While fear has a negative connotation in the mainstream media, in the sport of boxing, fear is a form of respect. Mayweather must fear the power of Alvarez to realize how important it is to avoid it.

Ultimately, fear can be Money's friend as long as he can harness it and use the emotion for his benefit. Based on his decorated resume, there's a good chance he will do just that.

Follow @Donald_Wood

Biggest Threats to Miami Heat Remaining NBA's Most Dominant Team

Maxwell Ogden — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:26:02 -0400

The Miami Heat are the unquestioned best paper team in the NBA, regardless of what happens in the 2013 Finals. With that being said, the Heat have shown signs of being human and that has some questioning how long they can remain on top.

The question is, which team could surpass them as the most dominant in the NBA?

There are countless contenders that truly aren't legitimate, as their intrigue outweighs their production. There are other teams that may not have the look of a dominant squad, but they've quietly set a new standard for themselves.

Regardless of where you look, there are teams that are primed and ready to become the most dominant in the NBA—so who might they be?

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UFC: Former Welterweight Contender Mike Swick Moving Back to Middleweight

Kyle Symes — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:25:05 -0400

Former Ultimate Fighter competitor and UFC welterweight title challenger Mike Swick seems poised to return to 185 pounds.

Swick replied to a fan's tweet to indicate he would be returning, but not at 170 pounds.

"I wanna come back at a big and healthy 185. No more sickly 170 for me! ;) @ChrisWhite209 Making that UFC return?"

Swick hasn't competed at middleweight since losing to Yushin Okami at UFC 69 in 2007. One fan was quick to bring up the size difference Swick could be facing by jumping up a weight class.

"@officialswick @ChrisWhite209 don't you think you were undersized with okami?"

"Yup. I was 182, in ring, when I fought Okami. I am 200 now. ;) @the_lunchbucket don't you think you were undersized with okami?"

It appears the stomach/throat ailments combined with age have made the cut to 170 pounds increasingly hard for the American Kickboxing Academy standout. The fact Swick was knocked out (and in brutal fashion) for the first time in his career at 170 pounds probably played a role in his decision.

Swick entered the UFC as a middleweight contender on The Ultimate Fighter and won five straight matches in the Octagon to begin his UFC career. The loss to Okami sent Swick down to 170 pounds where he racked up four-straight victories before hitting a rut in his career.

He not only missed out on the chance to challenge for the 170-pound title, Swick dropped two straight bouts and also faced some serious health problems that kept him out of action for over two years.

Swick didn't present a timetable as to when he'd be back or who he'd like to face, but it seems as though he's had enough of the tough weight cut at this point in his career.

The 5 Most Impressive College Basketball Coaching Trees

Scott Polacek — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:24:26 -0400

When discussing the best coaches in college basketball, the lion’s share of the attention is granted to tangible qualities such as wins and losses or championships.

Clearly those are critical metrics when arguing such things, but the presence of a formidable coaching tree indicates a lot about a coach’s teaching ability and willingness to spread his knowledge to those around him.

With that in mind, read on to see five of the most impressive college basketball coaching trees.

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Picking a European Under-21 Championships Best XI

Sam Tighe — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:13:07 -0400

The U-21 European Championships have finished, Spain are the victors once more.

That's consecutive titles for Thiago Alcantara and co., and the Barcelona midfield schemer rightfully features in our ultimate XI for the tournament.

Who joins him? Read on to find out, but be warned: It's La Roja-centric!

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