He plays about eight minutes a night, yet his impact is more palpable than players with twice his ice time. He’s the most physically intimidating player on the Boston Bruins not named Zdeno Chara. Once in a while, he even gets offensive.

He’s Shawn Thornton, and together with Daniel Paille and Gregory Campbell he’s playing on the most underrated line in the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs. They skate hard, hit harder and possess the puck in the offensive zone better than some of their opponents’ top lines do.

They’re the “Merlot Line”, because of “the cranberry Bruins jerseys they don in practice,” according to Joe Haggerty.

Both Paille and Campbell have been seen as something more than fourth liners in their careers, but Thornton’s had to work hard to break the stigma that he’s just a brawler who barely warrants a roster spot.

“He’s not a high-end skill player,” Coach Claude Julien told the Boston Globe. “But he still has enough skill so you can use him and play him. That’s the thing that, as a coach, I’ve always liked of our enforcer. He’s one of those guys who can settle things down when things get out of hand, but he’s able to play. I don’t like having a guy sit on the bench playing 2-3 minutes and just utilizing him in those [fighting] situations. Thorny’s fit the bill extremely well.”

Although the bar is set low for his offensive contributions, Thornton comes through in some key spots. In Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, Thornton took an offensive zone faceoff after Gregory Campbell was tossed from the circle. He won it back to Johnny Boychuk, whose blast beat Henrik Lundqvist. Later, his tipped shot went off of Lundqvist’s mask to set up Paille’s game-winner.

Offensive output aside, Thornton’s still at this best when he’s sticking for his teammates – like when Derek Dorsett of the Rangers started taking shots at Brad Marchand, and Thornton indicated he was ready to fight Dorsett. As he told WEEI:

“I don’t know how to say this without sounding cocky: If I’m asking to fight, it’s not going to be an easy fight for him, either. Not that I’m saying I could beat him up. I’m just saying it won’t be an easy fight, and that might have taken the life out of everyone, too. Or it might have gotten my team going even more. I don’t know. You can never I guess speculate on what was going to happen in different situations.”

One things for sure: With his fists or with his line’s tenacious fore-checking, Thornton makes a difference in his limited minutes.

Add in his quirky personality – please recall his dressing down of a Vancouver columnist – and he’s a fan favorite for the B’s.

Federer got tossed the usual tennis questions ("who would win between you and 2007 Roger Federer"), but it was some of the random questions that got the best responses from the 17-time Grand Slam champion.

What type of music does Federer fancy? "It all started for me in Dance & Techno. Then I moved over to Rock. Now I'm all over the place."

How does he keep his hair so coifed and perfect? "I really don't. I fight it every day like everybody else. But thanks."

But it was the tennis questions that really stood out. Federer was asked about his top-five toughest matches of all-time and listed them as such.

• Hewitt in Davis Cup 03.
• Del Potro in Olympics 2012.
• Roddick Wimbledon 09.
• Nalbandian 05 World Tour Finals, final.
• Rafa Wimbledon 2008. One of the great matches I've been apart of.

That was fun, but I think my favorite moment was when a commenter asked him about this infamous whiff that had most tennis fans scratching their heads when it happened.

Federer's response? "For you baseball fans out there: Strike 1."

Go check out the rest of his AMA on Reddit and enjoy Roger being Roger.

The call came in the bottom of the tenth inning. Alex Rios hit a tailor made 6-4-3 double play to end the inning. However, things became complicated for the Miami Marlins when shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria double-clutched just slightly getting the ball out of his glove. This slowed down the relay process just enough that Rios was able to beat the throw at first by a step, which in turn means the winning run should have scored from third. However, Hernandez ruled Rios out, and then Hawk went off the deep end.

What you heard here was just Hawk's immediate reaction. That alone would not top some of his famous outbursts and rants against umpires from the past, but his comments after the commercial where he tells Hernandez to start flipping a coin on his calls gave it an extra point or two.

Classic Hawk, which we enjoy.

Unfortunately, it was also classic Angel Hernandez, which is turning into a big problem for Major League Baseball. Between the botched home run review in Cleveland, the questionable review in Colorado, and just the all around aura he gives off, I don't know how his act can be seen as anything other than negative for the sport.

But maybe I'm thinking along the wrong track. Maybe the attention he garners is worth it to them. Maybe that explains how we see him in the postseason. Or maybe it's just not a real issue for them either way. I don't know for sure, I just know he's on our minds at least once a week and sometimes much more, and that's something that should never happen with an umpire.

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Jim Henderson

And then on Friday night, Pandora's box swung open again.

Henderson was called upon to close out a 2-1 victory over Pittsburgh but his body didn't cooperate. He suffered a right hamstring strain in the ninth and was forced out of the game. "I don't think it's just going to be a day," manager Ron Roenicke told the team's official site.

Francisco Rodriguez inherited Friday's chippie, throwing two pitches, recording one out and shaking many hands. But the Brewers may not have one dedicated closer while Henderson gets hale. Let's go back to Brewers.com for the 411:

If Henderson does miss time, Roenicke said he likely wouldn't count on one pitcher to take over the closer's role. The Brewers have three other pitchers with closer experience on the roster: John Axford, left-hander Michael Gonzalez and Rodriguez.

"I don't know if we want to go with just one person in particular," Roenicke said. "We may look at the matchups and see what they are every night. If there are a couple lefties coming up, we may leave one of our left-handers in there."

K-Rod has only been back with the team for a couple of weeks; he was nothing special in 78 appearances last year (4.38/1.33). But it's interesting to see him summoned into Fridays' spot over a rested John Axford. If I had just one spin to take on a speculative play, I'm using it on Rodriguez. K-Rod is owned in 10 percent of Yahoo! leagues, while Axford trades at 35 percent.

• Has John Lackey pushed his way back into the circle of trust? He had little trouble shutting down the surging Cleveland offense Friday, allowing just one unearned run over seven terrific innings (2 H, 3 BB, 8 K). Lackey has a strikeout per inning and almost four punchouts for every walk in 2013, validating stats. And when batters do make contact against him, they're rapping the ball on the ground 53.6 percent of the time.

The "best shape of his life" meme gets plenty of dismissive waves every spring, but let's not be stubborn about it: when an athlete trims down and takes his craft more seriously, it's a good thing. Lackey came to camp in terrific condition and it's translated into the season. He looks like a solid stream-to-own option next week at Philadelphia. Lackey awaits your contract in 84 percent of Yahoo! leagues.

• I don't know what else we can say about Ike Davis. He struck out in all four of his Friday at-bats, dropping his slash to .143/.230/.238. He's piled up 53 whiffs over 147 at-bats, a 30-percent clip. It's painful to watch this story. A demotion to the minors seems inevitable, but I'm wondering if a mental break from baseball might be the right play. Where's Lucy Van Pelt when you need her?

• Paper covers rock, scissors cut paper, rock breaks scissors, and Tyler Chatwood beats Tim Lincecum. The rules are the rules.

Chatwood cruised to a 10-2 victory in Coors last week, and it was a similar coconut stroll Friday in San Francisco, a 5-0 final. Chatwood's 1.90 ERA is difficult to trust at face value (though he does have a 58.3 percent ground-ball rate), and you worry about a thin-air payback eventually, but the main takeaway here is Lincecum's crashing stock. Do you trust him next week against Oakland or the following week against Toronto? Both starts are at home, not that AT&T Park has been any saving grace for him in 2013.

The Rockies lineup cleans up nicely with Michael Cuddyer (neck) back in the mix. Cuddyer produced three runs in his first game back, roping a double and crushing a homer, and has a nifty .325/.387/.610 slash on the year. The fifth slot in this order is a good place to be, working behind Carlos Gonzalez and Troy Tulowitzki. The fun really starts on May 29, when the Rockies open a stretch of Coors Field play (15-of-18 at home). If you're thinking of trading for any Colorado bats, it's go time.

• Let's hear it for Brandon McCarthy, who's been terrific over his last three turns (24 IP, 15 H, 1 R, 4 BB, 12 K). Perhaps he's starting to get comfortable in the National League, albeit a run of favorable opponents (Padres, Marlins, Phillies) has come in handy. His ordinary strikeout rate might not be a big deal considering his excellent control; he's collecting 3.9 whiffs for every walk. But with road starts in Texas and St. Louis looming, now isn't the time to make a permanent commitment. We'll revisit streaming McCarthy when the schedule softens up.

Speed Round: Poor Curtis Granderson can't catch a break. He suffered a fractured knuckle in Friday's win over Tampa Bay, which means he'll be out another month. Brennan Boesch and Ichiro Suzuki get extra playing time in Grandy's absence . . . Mark Teixeira (wrist) is pointing to a Friday return. He'll play in a couple of minor-league rehab games next week . . . Jered Weaver (non-pitching elbow) will take a bullpen session Sunday and if all goes well, he'll pitch Wednesday against the Dodgers . . . Oswald Arcia cooled off after a hot start and the Twins optioned him to Triple-A Rochester on Friday . . . The timetable remains slow on Austin Jackson (hamstring), though he's doing a little throwing. He's not ready to hit off a tee yet, which tells you what you need to know . . . Trevor Plouffe (concussion) has passed his early testing and will likely be good to go Wednesday, when first eligible . . . Stephen Drew is in an 0-for-17 funk, perhaps related to a cranky back that cost him a couple of games. He's not in Saturday's lineup . . . John Danks was passable in his first turn back (6 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 5 K), though you might have expected better against the Marlins. Now it's time for a road trip, visiting Wrigley Field and Safeco Field . . . Melky Cabrera seems to have his mojo back, enjoying a .341 May with nine doubles, two homers and solid run-production numbers . . . It's probably just a coincidence, but Anthony Rizzo is in a .143 funk since signing the monster extension with the Cubs on May 13. I'm still a full believer in him.

Considering Fallon Fox won her first two fights in the first round, it was expected for the first openly trans fighter to walk through her next opponent, Allanna Jones at Championship Fighting Alliance on Friday. In her first nationally televised bout, Fox won with a submission in the third round, but it was not the overwhelming win that oddsmakers were expecting.

You can watch the full fight in the video above. Fox and Jones both made mistakes like keeping their hands too low and holding their chin out too far throughout the bout. They looked like two inexperienced fighters because that's what they are.

Much of the controversy that surrounded Fox was the perception that since she was born a man, she would have clear advantage over her opponents. As Sherdog's Jordan Breen pointed out, "So, did anyone watch that and think, 'Wow, what an insurmountable advantage Fallon Fox has, no one could ever beat her!'?" She beat a 2-1 fighter, but not soundly. When she goes up in level of competition, as she will do in the next round of the CFA tournament, she will have a hard time.

During the UFC 160 weigh-ins, Khabib Nurmagomedov blew weight, wore a wig, started a fight and made Mike Tyson laugh. He had a full day.

Nurmagomedov weighed in at 158.5 for his lightweight bout with Abel Trujilo. He will forfeit 20 percent of his purse, so maybe that's why he was angry when he faced off with Trujilo. He got in his opponent's face, first bumping Trujilo's head and then pushing him back. He was quickly escorted off stage by the UFC's Burt Watson.

The best part of the scuffle? Mike Tyson was on stage and loved every minute of it. Look in the upper right-hand corner of the video to see his reaction.

What followed was a pretty one-sided wrestling match in the visitor's dugout that may have necessitated a wardrobe change and makeup touch up for Orsillo.

He did not fare well — at all. And we have his NESN colleague, Jenny Dell, to thank for the entertaining footage.

As legendary wrestling manager and commentator Bobby "The Brain" Heenan might say, "Francona's got him by the tongue!"

To which his partner Gorilla Monsoon would then reply, "That's his tie, you idiot."

Fun stuff, and Francona's "Come back here you big baby" at the end makes it complete.

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Weird baseball reached a whole new level on Friday night in Seattle.

To be completely honest with you, I'd like to say what happened was worthy of consideration for the worst call we'll see all season. As you know, that would be s saying a lot when you consider the botched home run call in Cleveland (that Hernandez himself admitted was blown), among other inexplicable rulings and misapplications. But I think the call itself might be offset by just how plain strange the entire play was.

Here's the set up: Rangers lead the Mariners 2-1 in the second inning. Seattle has runners at first and second with nobody out when rookie Jesus Sucre raps one on the ground to Rangers first baseman Mitch Moreland. Moreland then throws to Elvis Andrus to get the middle runner. There's one out. Andrus returns fire in the direction of the first base bag where Moreland and pitcher Justin Grimm are converging to receive the throw.

Typically, when two defenders arrive at a base simultaneously the result is somewhere between comical and disastrous. In this case, though, we end up in a whole different category thanks to first base umpire Jeff Nelson.

Moreland was actually back at the base and in position to receive the throw. However, Grimm, who was not on the bag and never did get to the bag, stuck his glove in front to intercept it. At this point, Sucre is a good step and a half short of the base, making it an easy out call if Moreland catches it. But again, the ball is picked off by Grimm, so Sucre beats it out easily.

At least that's what most of us either saw or thought we saw. Nelson, though, missed that most important detail and instead ruled Sucre OUT. He then missed Grimm fiddling with the ball in his glove immediately after the call — or thought some type of optical illusion had taken place before him — so he continued back into position without so much as considering changing his call.

Needless to say, the result drew an immediate argument from Seattle manager Eric Wedge. But here's the funny thing. I assumed throughout the rest of the game that Wedge had known of Grimm's interception and based his argument around that. According to his comments after the game — courtesy of MLB.com's Doug Miller — it turns out Wedge had just as little clue as Nelson did.

"Everybody's just focused on the bag," Wedge said. "I thought he came off the bag. That's what I was out there arguing. And then I come to find out later, with the replay, that he didn't even catch the ball. ... It would have been a much bigger argument if I had known that at the time, no doubt about it."

I thought for sure we were in for more discussion about replay and umpire accountability, but instead Nelson comes off as somewhat sympathetic when the arguing manager admits he didn't fully understand what his argument should have been. It all makes more sense now, too, because when the umpires huddled briefly there was no movement to overturn it.

All they were asked to determine is whether or not Moreland's foot had come off the bag on the play. It didn't, so even if they wanted to overturn the call, they couldn't based on what they were asked to reconsider. Maybe those rules need to be tweaked. Maybe they don't. But regardless of rules, the human element and all of those considerations, this was simply a bizarre play that we might not see duplicated for a long time.

Oh, and yes, there's a decent chance it cost Seattle one run, and maybe more. Brendan Ryan followed with an RBI double that could have been the opening to a huge inning. Instead, Seattle settles for one, and then eventually falls 9-5.

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The Juice returns for season No. 6! It's almost eligible for free-agency! Stop by daily for news from the action, along with great photos, stats, video highlights and more.

Anibal Sanchez's bid for his second career no-hitter fell just two outs short on Friday night. After retiring Jamey Carroll on a somewhat questionable strike three call to begin the ninth inning, Minnesota Twins star Joe Mauer laced a 1-1 pitch right back up the middle for a clean single, which keeps Sanchez from joining Justin Verlander, Mark Buehrle and Roy Halladay as the only active pitchers with multiple no-hitters. At least temporarily. The way he's throwing this season, another bid is probably around the corner.

''It's not that I go to the mound and want to do something special, it's just that I want to go nine innings, go deeper, get a good command, get a good game,'' Sanchez said. ''When I come to the eighth inning, I think about it. But when I come to the ninth inning, it's really tough with those guys.''

Much like his Friday night start back on April 26 when he struck out 17 Atlanta Braves, Sanchez had everything working against Minnesota. That was especially true during a stretch from the second inning to the seventh inning where he retired 18 straight batters. He ended up going the distance for his fourth career one-hitter, striking out 12. The outing required 130 pitches, which is sure to make a few fans uneasy, but he's been no worse for the wear after throwing 122 in the April start.

As for how Mauer felt about his latest history-breaking hit, which by the way is his third career ninth inning knock to break up a no-no attempt.

''He's nasty, and he had everything working tonight,'' Mauer said. ''Obviously, you know exactly what is happening, and you don't want to get no-hit. I'm just up there trying to put the bat on the ball. He threw me a really good cutter and I was just able to square it up.''

Rockies exorcise AT&T Park demons: Last weekend the Colorado Rockies snapped a ten-game overall losing streak to the San Francisco Giants by taking three out of four in a series at Coors Field. On Friday, they ended a nine-game skid at AT&T Park with an impressive 5-0 victory. Right-hander Tyler Chatwood did most of the work on the hill, tossing six scoreless. In a big return from the DL, Michael Cuddyer provided the offensive punch with a two-run first inning double and a solo homer in the sixth. Carlos Gonzalez also homered in the win as Colorado vaults to a first place tie in the NL West.

Houston Homecoming: What a night for Houston native Chris Young as he returned home with his Oakland A's. Young came into the game hitting a dismal .168 on the season through 101 at-bats, but broke out for three hits, including a game-winning, three-run homer off Jose Veras in the top of the ninth.

I believe there can only be one possible explanation for such an unexpectedly huge performance.

''Mom's cooking definitely has something to do with it for sure,'' said Young, who grew up in Houston and spent an off day Thursday with his family. ''Barbecue, just good old Texas southern barbeque. It always does the trick for me.''

I know that's right!

MORE SCORES

Orioles 10, Blue Jays 6: Baltimore's home barrage continues. They hit four more here, including Chris Davis' league-leading 16th.

Yankees 9, Rays 4: The bigger story is Curtis Granderson's broken knuckle on his left pinkie. He'll be sidelined at least four weeks.

Red Sox 8, Indians 1: John Lackey throws seven innings of two-hit ball.

Braves 5, Mets 5 (susp.): Game will be resumed on Saturday.

Reds 7, Cubs 4: Five-run fourth inning propels Cincinnati. Joey Votto and Ryan Hanigan each homered in the inning.

Brewers 2, Pirates 1: Doesn't matter which direction these teams are going, Milwaukee owns the series at Miller Park.

Angels 5, Royals 2: Mike Trout is hitting everything in sight and the other Angels are along for the ride.

White Sox 4, Marlins 3 (11 inn.): Chicago overcomes latest blown call by Angel Hernandez.

Diamondbacks 5, Padres 2: Brandon McCarthy's 18-inning scoreless streak was snapped in the second. He started another with five scoreless frames to end the quality outing.

Cardinals 7, Dodgers 0: When you're Don Mattingly and you need a good weekend to help out the old job security, a series with St. Louis and their pitching staff is the last thing you want to see on the schedule.

Rangers 9, Mariners 5: This game featured perhaps the most bizarre play we'll see all season.

''My wife, she probably wants me to take it off, I'm sure she does,'' Johnson said. ''But I might leave it on, see if this is not something strange happening here.''

— Washington Nationals manager Davey Johnson on the facial hair he's vowed to continued growing until his offense starts clicking. Despite their 5-2 win over the Phillies on Friday night, Johnson intends to keep it a little longer.

Tyler Moore of the Nationals collides with Phillies catcher Erik Kratz. Amazingly, Kratz held on to the ball for the out. Thankfully, neither man was injured.

• Anibal Sanchez's one-hitter was the fifth in baseball this season. Jordan Zimmermann, Chris Sale, Shelby Miller and Jon Lester have the others.

• Evan Gattis and Brandon Belt lead baseball with five go-ahead or game-tying hits in eighth inning or later this season.

• Chris Young now has 27 RBI in 19 games at Minute Maid Park.

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As the old, unfortunately fitting cliche goes, Curtis Granderson and the New York Yankees can't catch a break when it comes to injuries this season.

In Granderson's case, that's because he's found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time on two different occasions, and has been unable to avoid the two stray pitches that immediately sent him to the x-ray table.

The first came on Feb, 24 when Granderson was struck on the right forearm by Toronto Blue Jays hurler J.A. Happ. That ended up costing him all of spring training and the first 38 games of the regular season before his return on May 14. Now, just ten short days later, Granderson is headed right back to the disabled list after being hit on the left hand by Cesar Ramos during Friday night's 9-4 win over the Tampa Bay Rays.

Much like the first injury, it was a pitch from a left-hander that rode in on the lefty swinging Granderson. He committed early, and got clipped right on the bottom side of the hand before he could pull back. The result this time was a broken knuckle on his left pinkie finger that will cost him at least four weeks. That's the early estimation anyway, and that doesn't seem all that likely to come down.

It's another rough blow for the Yankees offense to be sure, though we've seen them survive the lack of Granderson, Mark Teixeira, Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter through nearly two months. It's probably a tougher blow for Granderson, who spent so much time sitting helplessly on the sideline only to return and suffer a similar type injury. One can only imagine that frustration.

And would you believe that wasn't the only injury concern for New York on the evening? Starting pitcher David Phelps, who had been very effective into the eighth inning, was struck on his pitching arm by a Ben Zobrist line drive. X-rays there were negative, and the official diagnosis for Phelps is a bruised right forearm. But goodness, it's one thing after another for New York, and I'm not sure their fans have been able to exhale (despite the success) since spring training began.

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The Indiana Pacers knew during Friday’s Game 2 that LeBron James would probably be the reason for any close defeat. What they probably didn’t guess is that LeBron James beating himself would end up being the reason for the change in tone and outlook of this Eastern Conference final.

For most of Game 2, there was absolutely nothing the Indiana Pacers could do about James. The team guarded him smartly, with tough and athletic All-Star Paul George ignoring foul trouble and an embarrassing end to Game 1 to stick with James throughout. Indiana’s league-best defense funneled him to uncomfortable spots on the wing and minded him expertly in transition. By the time the end of the fourth quarter hit, James (who finished with 36 points while hitting 70 percent of his shots) had dragged his Heat to what seemed like was going to be a 2-0 series lead.

Instead of the full drag, though, James played the goat. Two last minute passes were deflected by Pacer forward David West, giving Indiana the extra possessions it needed to pull out an inspired 97-93 win. The Pacers did not doubt themselves in the wake of what could have been a mood-altering overtime loss in Game 1, rallying behind coach Frank Vogel on the way to a tough win over a team that they now have downed in three out of five regular and postseason contests.

And although the headlines will center on some flashy dunks or James’ late game gaffes, the Pacers won because of the dominant play of big man Roy Hibbert. Yes, “dominant.”

Hibbert was his typical self in altering shot after shot, a presence that won’t show up in the box score, nor on any highlight shows. Better for Indiana, he was able to stay on the court for over 39 minutes, easing the Pacers’ collective mindset while George sat with early foul trouble, and West struggled after hitting his first shot of the game – going nearly the length of the game before hitting his second field goal. Roy’s defense on James was killer – four of LeBron’s five turnovers in the game came on drives with Hibbert in the paint, and when Dwyane Wade (14 points on 14 shots) attempted to go to the rim with Hibbert looming, Roy eased that All-Star into misses as well.

That’s just the defensive end. Hibbert finished with 26 points, a playoff career high, adapting adeptly to Miami’s fronting of the post and general quickness. With West struggling from the field and the Pacers often taking far too long to ease into their offensive sets, Hibbert was a bailout machine – making 10 of his 15 from the floor while never seeming to wear down the stretch in spite of his all out play on both sides, and heavy minutes.

Though some contributors faltered – Tyler Hansbrough did not replicate his good play on the glass and in the scoring column from Game 1, Lance Stephenson came through with some strange plays down the stretch, Sam Young is not a player for this level and D.J. Augustin offered next to nothing – this was the Pacers at their best. Miami was behind for most of the game, but they also tossed what should have been several killer knockout blows in Game 2, only to see the Pacers (usually George or Hibbert) respond with a much needed score on the other end, and a stop to quell any major run.

This is why this was always going to be a series. These two teams have just about played each other to a draw over 101 combined minutes thus far, The Pacers have taken three of five on the season, and these two first games were played in Miami. James’ late two turnovers were the turning point, we don’t mind pointing to the obvious, but they were also created because a smart defender in West was ready to help, and his final miscue was created because of Hibbert’s ability to cut off passing angles, snuff out a shot from Chris Bosh, while still helping on James.

LeBron tossed it all away, but Indiana earned this. Frank Vogel’s team put itself in a position to succeed.

Now they’ll have to earn both games in Indiana, working against a Heat team that is often at its best while playing from behind, with Vogel and crew wondering all over again just how in the heck they’ll be able to get up to 90 points again. The tied series is nice, but the turnaround is swift, and the Pacers could be a few clanged jumpers or turnovers of their own on the way to a 2-1 series deficit after Game 3 ends on Sunday evening. Game 1’s near miss and Game 2’s conquest won’t mean anything when the ball goes up in the air in Indiana.

It’ll still serve to make the flight home an enjoyable one, though. All while, in the same airspace, LeBron James seethes his way to Indianapolis.

No. 1 Star: James Neal, Pittsburgh Penguins

It was epic Neal time in Pittsburgh as the winger scored thrice in the Penguins' 6-2 rout of the Senators, leading his club into the third round of the 2013 postseason. Enjoy this clip of all three goals, unless you're a Senators fan, in which case, maybe just skip ahead:

No. 2 Star: Kris Letang, Pittsburgh Penguins

Letang was all over the ice, setting up the Penguins' second goal from behind the net, scoring the eventual game-winner, and adding another assist on Neal's hat trick goal. With three points on the night, Letang finished the series with 10 points. He's a defenceman.

No. 3 Star: Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh Penguins

Malkin was his usual, ho-hum, game-breaking self, with a quiet two points in the win.

Honourable mention: In the end, it didn't mean much, but Jason Spezza's pass to Milan Michalek for this goal was pretty nifty:

... Sidney Crosby won 21 of 31 faceoffs in this game... and finally, here's your handshake line:

Conn Smythe Watch: 1. David Krejci, Boston Bruins; 2. Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh Penguins; 3. Jonathan Quick, Los Angeles Kings; 4. Logan Couture, San Jose Sharks; 5. Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins; 6. Patrice Bergeron, Boston Bruins; 7. Henrik Zetterberg, Detroit Red Wings; 8. Kris Letang, Pittsburgh Penguins; 9. Corey Crawford, Chicago Blackhawks; 10. Jimmy Howard, Detroit Red Wings.

Dishonourable mention: After allowing six goals in an elimination loss, the entire Senators roster goes here.

Three months after coming out as gay and stepping away from the game, midfielder Robbie Rogers has signed with the LA Galaxy according to multiple reports. MLS rights to Rogers, who previously played in the league for Columbus Crew from 2007 to 2011, were owned by the Chicago Fire, but Rogers didn't want to play for them. So after casually training with the Galaxy over the last several weeks, a trade was finally worked out, sending midfielder Mike Magee to Chicago in exchange for Rogers, who is now the first openly gay player in MLS. And according to ESPN, he is also "the first active openly gay male athlete to compete in an American professional team sport."

Rogers came out in February with a moving post on his personal blog, saying "Secrets can cause so much internal damage. People love to preach about honesty, how honesty is so plain and simple. Try explaining to your loved ones after 25 years you are gay." At the end of March, he told the Guardian that it was "impossible" to be gay in football.

"I might be strong enough but I don't know if that's really what I want. I'd just want to be a footballer. I wouldn't want to deal with the circus. Are people coming to see you because you're gay? Would I want to do interviews every day, where people are asking: 'So you're taking showers with guys – how's that?'

"If you're playing well it will be reported as: 'The gay footballer is playing well.' And if you have a bad game it'll be: 'Aw, that gay dude … he's struggling because he's gay.' F*** it. I don't want to mess with that."

But then, NBA player Jason Collins came out and though he hasn't played since his announcement (he's currently a free agent), Rogers says he started to "feel like a coward" for not doing so himself. From USA Today:

Rogers' epiphany to return to the game came when he spoke to a group of about 500 kids at the Nike Be True LGBT Youth Forum in Portland last month.

"I seriously felt like a coward," he tells USA TODAY Sports in an exclusive interview about his return. "These kids are standing up for themselves and changing the world, and I'm 25, I have a platform and a voice to be a role model. How much of a coward was I to not step up to the plate?"

Rogers will be formally unveiled as a Galaxy player on Saturday. But he also told USA Today that the MLS is just the beginning of what he wants to achieve on the pitch. With 18 caps for the U.S. national team to his credit, he was to resume his international career and hopes to play in the 2014 World Cup.

"I want to get past the point where I was before," he says. "I want to get back to the national team. I was so close to making the World Cup in 2010, I want to be there for the next one."

Rogers obviously has a lot of work to do to get back to that level and all the media attention he will surely get in the coming months could make that more difficult. But this begins the road towards getting past the circus he spoke of March and getting back to just doing what he loves. In February he felt freed from the "internal damage" of holding his secret by being honest and now he's ridding himself of "feeling like a coward" by being brave. There's a lot that others can learn from Robbie Rogers.

Canada, you may want to sit down.

The Pittsburgh Penguins advanced to the Eastern Conference finals Friday, eliminating the Ottawa Senators -- the last remaining Canadian team -- with a decisive 6-2 victory in Game 5.

With that, an American club will win the Stanley Cup for the 19th straight season. Now comes the annual Canadian tradition where the country shifts from counting Canadian teams in contention to Canadian players on American teams.

The Senators made a slight improvement in Game 5, holding the Penguins to fewer goals than in their previous game. Unfortunately, it was just one fewer, and that's not nearly enough when they allowed 7 the last time around.

This game was a lot like Game 4, come to think of it: All Pittsburgh, and not all that close.

The Penguins got on the board early, opening the scoring when Brenden Morrow redirected a Mark Eaton pass into the goal with his skate.

It was reviewed, but the officials ruled that there had been no distinct kicking motion (or at least not as much of one as when Mika Zibanejad scored a goal similarly in Round 1).

Pittsburgh doubled the lead on a second period powerplay, when Kris Letang threw a puck into the goal mouth, Craig Anderson lost it in his equipment, and James Neal was the first to find it.

Ottawa would never get any closer. Letang scored what would turn out to be the game-winner five minutes later, and after a Milan Michalek goal brought them back within two, Neal and Evgeni Malkin would force a turnover and connect on a late, second-period dagger:

In the third, Neal went off, adding two more of his own for a hat trick as the Penguins closed out the series.

The Penguins were so explosive in this game, they added another goal in the handshake line.

Said Paul MacLean after the rout: "I hope they don't bill us for the clinic." That guy is the best and now we won't get another press conference from him until next year. In a way, we all lost tonight.

The Penguins outscored the Senators 26-11 in this series, and if you're looking for the reason the Senators are heading home and the Penguins are heading to the Eastern Conference finals, I'd start there. Ottawa simply couldn't handle the Penguins' attack. Like, at all.

Can Pittsburgh's next opponent? The Penguins had a much easier time with the Senators than the Islanders, and one wonders if Ottawa was simply an inferior opponent, or if Pittsburgh has found their legs. The latter idea is a scary thought. Sidney Crosby scored just once in the final two games of this series. Pittsburgh still scored 13 times. The Boston Bruins (or New York Rangers, I guess) have to be hoping that was Ottawa's fault.

But it wasn't all sunshine and roses for the Penguins. With the win, the conditional draft pick they traded for Douglas Murray officially became a second 2nd-rounder. Ray Shero is probably okay with that, though.

As for the Senators, it wasn't a great way to go out, but they still have to be proud of what they accomplished this season. Many hockey fans wrote them off months ago, but they're only finished now. Plus, they look to have a promising future.

Whether captain Daniel Alfredsson is a part of it remains to be seen. Does he have one more year left in him?

Just one problem, Paul: You left a little too much time on the clock before the end of the quarter.

A mammoth posterization followed by a 29-foot 3-pointer at the horn to bring the score back within two points heading into the deciding fourth quarter. Not a bad 15 seconds of basketball, huh?

Even better? After the end of the quarter, James called out to George before the two headed back to their respective benches for a quick handshake:

This was my immediate, measured, nuanced reaction:

THE NBA IS FREAKING AWESOME

— Dan Devine (@YourManDevine) May 25, 2013

I stand by it.

George video via @cjzero. LeBron video via OUOutreach. Handshake screenshot via Bleacher Report.

Miami Heat uber-star LeBron James is widely acknowledged as the best player in the NBA, but merely calling him such doesn't communicate just how amazing he is to watch on a daily basis. In seemingly every game, LeBron does something no other player in the league can do, turning a creative idea into an incredible play with astonishing regularity.

In Friday night's Eastern Conference Finals Game 2 against the Indiana Pacers, James had one of these moments right before halftime. With the Heat down 53-44 and mere seconds on the clock, LeBron attacked the basket and drew three defenders near him to challenge a likely shot attempt. However, James changed course in midair, switching the ball to his right hand and firing a shot to Mike Miller in the right corner for a buzzer-beating three. In real time, it looked like a smart, creative move by James to get his teammate an open look and cut the lead to six points.

Replays show much more. Because of the angle of his drive, LeBron could only get the ball to Miller by twisting his body, sliding the ball closer to his ring finger and pinky (theoretically the least powerful part of the hand), and throwing a high-speed pass to Miller before hitting the ground and with enough accuracy to allow him to get the shot off before the horn. It's goofy that someone could make this pass so well. Given what LeBron's shown us this year, it's probably what we should expect from him for the foreseeable future.

In his final two games against the Indiana Pacers as a member of the Boston Celtics, Ray Allen combined to shoot 10-27 from the field. In the 2012-13 regular season, against Indiana, Allen missed 13 of 16 shots, and made just one three-pointer in nine attempts. Allen, an 88 percent free throw shooter on the year, did make 4-5 from the line.

Over the first six quarters of Indiana’s pairing with Allen’s Heat in the Eastern Conference finals, the bad luck streak in dancing school has continued, with the sharpshooter hitting for just eight attempts in 10 tries off the Miami bench. Weirder, he’s missed three of his six free throw attempts, including the infamous clang that allowed the Pacers to tie Game 1 at the end of regulation, and a technical foul miss that led to a mention that we very much appreciated.

This could be the tipping off point. A post like this could serve as a lowest dip for Allen and the Heat, especially if they find away to stop what should be a lacking Pacers offense (scored 50 points in the second half in game one, and 53 in Friday evening’s first half) and dash into the open court. The long arms of Paul George, Lance Stephenson, and George Hill aren’t as effective when Allen is spotting up in the corner in transition, with LeBron whipping away pass after pass.

It’s a pattern so far, though. Shooting 15-53 in six and a half games isn’t a fluke, it’s a matchup problem. The Heat had quite a bit to worry about entering this third round with Indiana. They probably didn’t think they’d have to Ray Allen’s shooting stroke, though. Odd, and untimely.

(And, perhaps, just one second half blitzkrieg away from righting itself.)

Well, Pacers associate head coach Brian Shaw didn't much care for that call, and he let the officials know it while Ray Allen strode to the line to shoot the technical free throw. As Allen made the shot, Shaw was assessed a technical foul of his own, putting Allen back at the stripe — but this time, the vaunted sharpshooter missed. And when that happened, Shaw knew just what to say:

You know, I've always liked that Brian Shaw.

And in case you're wondering: Yes, he played with Rasheed Wallace ... for one game in 1999. Clearly, one needn't be around Sheed for very long for him to have a life-changing impact.

After a very tightly officiated second quarter that featured 22 personal foul calls, the Pacers went into intermission with a 53-47 lead.

If the clip above isn't rocking for you, please feel free to check out the bench bellow elsewhere, thanks to our dude @cjzero.

With small-ball lineups reigning the NBA these days, the third-string center has become something of a lost figure. On the rare occasions when these players do get off the bench, it's typically only to provide fouls or eat up a few minutes in the event of injury. They've always been role players, but now that job is becoming increasingly minor and perhaps surplus to requirements.

Some players persist, though, including Golden State Warriors big man Andris Biedrins. Despite averaging only 9.3 minutes in 53 games this season (with ostensible starter Andrew Bogut missing 50 games), Biedrins has an early termination option to opt out of his $9 million contract for the 2013-14 season, the last year of the six-year, $54 million extension he signed as a very promising player in July 2008. To the surprise of no one, Biedrins has chosen not to exercise that option. From Chris Haynes for CSNNW.com (via PBT):

As was expected, Golden State Warriors center Andris Biedrins will exercise his player option and return to the Bay Area for the 2013-14 season, according to his agent Bill Duffy. [...]

“He will not opt out,” Duffy stated clearly to CSNNW.com.

General Manager Bob Myers has some tough decisions to make being that the Warriors are destined to be luxury tax payers next season with roughly $75 million in salary tied-up.

The punitive luxury tax system goes into effect and Carl Landry (player option), Jarrett Jack (free agent) are integral pieces the organization would hope to retain.

To be clear, this is not news because of the announcement, which was as predictable as anything that has happened in the NBA this season. There's no way that Biedrins would make this kind of money on the open market, if he were even to get a new contract offer at all. It's a shame, too, because he once looked like the kind of big man who could thrive in this era: at his best, he was active, athletic, able to cover a lot of ground, and a solid performer in pick-and-roll situations.

Under the last collective bargaining agreement, Biedrins's $9 million salary would have been an enticing trade asset for any team looking to open up cap space for future free agents. However, with the new CBA making it easier for teams to sign their own players to extensions, it's not necessarily as valuable to hold a great deal of cap space.

The Warriors, then, are likely going to have to pay Biedrins for another year. With little-used wing Richard Jefferson holding his own $11 million player option, the Warriors could be faced with paying two end-of-bench players approximately $20 million simply because of past mistakes (Jefferson came over in a trade, but it's not as if the Warriors didn't know they'd have to pay him). That's roughly a quarter of the likely salary cap, which emphasizes just how little margin for error teams have.

Biedrins and Jefferson signed these contracts fairly long ago, to the point where general managers can't be faulted too much for not predicting they'd become albatrosses under a then-undefined CBA. Nevertheless, their effect on the cap for this upcoming season suggests that these lucrative deals might not exist for valued role players in the future. With each contract getting teams closer to a more punitive luxury tax, it makes little sense to risk massive payouts on all but the best players on a team. If a player's success seems at all tenuous, why risk financial headaches for uncertain rewards? We could see more extreme salaries, with a team's most valuable players getting up near the max-level salary and everyone else inching nearer to the minimum. In effect, it might mean the marginalization of the NBA's middle class.

Former Denver Broncos center Tom Nalen made a surprising revelation this week, admitting that he tried to injure a defensive lineman's knee on a specific play during his career.

The act itself shouldn't be all that surprising. Nalen had a reputation as a dirty player through his career, as did many of Denver's linemen in the Broncos' zone-blocking era. That he tried ruining San Diego defensive lineman Igor Olshansky's knee on a play near the end of a game in 2006 shouldn't truly shock anyone.

The fact that he would announce it publicly is pretty startling, however.

"I wouldn’t consider myself a dirty player," Nalen said at a press conference for his election into the team's ring of fame. "I know people will bring up the Igor Olshansky play in 2006, but if people will look at the play before that and realize why I did what I did—and even on that play, I missed the cut. Definitely I wanted to blow his knee out on that play, because of what happened the play before. But is that dirty? I don’t know. It’s revenge, kind of."

On the play in question, the Broncos were spiking the ball near the end of a game against San Diego. Nalen dove at Olshansky's legs even though the Broncos were not even running a play. Olshansky punched Nalen and got ejected, and the 15-yard penalty with the Chargers nursing an 8-point lead drew the ire of coach Marty Schottenheimer. Nalen was fined $25,000, and Olshansky was fined $10,000.

These things happen in football, it's just that not many would admit to deliberately trying to hurt another player. Maybe this is why Nalen never wanted to talk to the media.

(Nalen famously led the Broncos' offensive linemen's childish boycott of the media when he played, bullying other players into following suit. When I covered the Broncos, in 2007 I did a "Where are they now?" series on the 1997 Broncos. I managed to track down almost everyone from that team, but the last guy who talked to me for that series was Nalen, who I asked numerous times as I saw him just about every day covering the Broncos beat. Now Nalen is a sports radio show host in Denver. Go figure.)

Nalen was a great player for those Broncos teams, as an undersized center who slipped to the seventh round of the 1994 draft but fit Denver's scheme perfectly. He was one of the best players on back-to-back Super Bowl teams and Mike Shanahan said he thinks Nalen is the best center to ever play the game. Nalen probably probably deserves to get strong consideration for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

He was also known for a dirty style of play, and based on this week's admission, he probably earned that reputation.

In addition to recording his players' in-game conversations, New York Knicks owner James Dolan has been known to lay down some tracks in the studio as frontman of the "blues" band JD and the Straight Shot. While Dolan's band has only occasionally covered his work with the Knicks, it's safe to say that the majority of the band's fame comes from his off-stage associations. Nevertheless, when it comes to NBA owners with somewhat embarrassing musical careers, Dolan stands above all others.

However, it looks like a new challenger has emerged. After years as a budding amateur guitarist and benefactor of various music-oriented causes, billionaire Microsoft cofounder and Portland Trail Blazers owner Paul Allen will release his first album on August 6 via the Legacy Recordings imprint of Sony Music. From Randy Lewis for the Los Angeles Times (via Blazersedge):

“Everywhere at Once” is the introductory effort from Paul Allen and the Underthinkers. Allen, in case you’re wondering, is the same Paul Allen who back in 1975 created a little venture called Microsoft with his pal Bill Gates.

Allen, who also owns the Portland Trailblazers basketball team, has always been a music aficionado and an accomplished amateur guitarist who used a chunk of his Microsoft fortune to start the Experience Music Project museum in Seatte.

Now he’s assembled a debut album with his band, with a lot of help from other friends, including Heart’s Ann and Nancy Wilson, the Pretenders’ Chrissie Hynde, Joe Walsh, Los Lobos’ David Hidalgo, Derek Trucks, Doyle Bramhall II and Neville Brothers scion Ivan Neville.

It’s no mere vanity project for the 60-year-old billionaire -- all proceeds will go to support educational programs at the nonprofit EMP.

“I’ve rarely gone a week without picking up a guitar,” Allen wrote in his bestselling 2011 memoir, “Idea Man. “It’s more than a hobby; it gives me balance and keeps me in the moment, which can be a challenge with all the projects I’m pursuing at any one time… I take music with me wherever I go.”

It's nice that Allen can find this release from his hectic lifestyle. Sometimes, when nabbing coveted superyacht docking spaces gets to be too much, a man has to sit back and rock out with some very famous friends.

Yet, with all due respect, to Mr. Lewis, this album is essentially the definition of a vanity project. Allen might be a very good guitarist, but it's pretty clear that this album only exists because he has ungodly amounts of money. While it's nice that he's giving any proceeds to charity, he also likely put up the costs of production himself, which means he easily could have given the money directly to these causes if that were the ultimate goal. Allen made the album because he wanted to record a bunch of tracks with classic rock stars, and any other justification seems a little silly.

Of course, if this project is about Allen's ego, it'd also be interesting to hear if Dolan feels threatened by this record. Do JD and the Straight Shot consider this their turf? Is he offended that Chrissie Hynde wouldn't appear on any of his songs? Or is Dolan a musical purist who considers the competition immaterial when groovy tunes can be so powerful?

While the Miami Heat might not have played their best game yet in these 2013 playoffs, the Indiana Pacers know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they didn't play their best game in Wednesday's Eastern Conference finals opener, either — and they still came up just one remarkable play by LeBron James (and one arguably unwise decision by Pacers coach Frank Vogel) from scoring an upset overtime win that stripped home-court advantage away from the No. 1 overall seed. They were right there, and they think — they know — they can get there again.

Still, they've got some stuff to clean up in Friday night's Game 2 if they want to close the deal and send the series back to Indiana tied up with a chance to take a commanding lead at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Here are three areas where the Pacers must improve to come away with a win:

1. Slow the march to the front of the rim. In our series preview, I noted that the Pacers had done an excellent job during the regular season of keeping the Heat from feasting on shots from their favorite, and the most valuable, spots on the floor — the restricted area (the semicircle directly in front of the basket) and the 3-point arc, especially the shorter corners.

That's the centerpiece of the philosophy that made the Pacers the league's best defensive team this year — play tight D outside, don't give shooters space to rise and fire, stay true to your one-on-one assignments and close out like demons when you have to step away, offer help without over-helping and force drivers/pick-and-roll ball-handlers to have to pull up from midrange rather than meet 7-foot-2 Roy Hibbert at the basket. It figured to be a critical element in the Pacers' attempt to overcome the Heat, and Indiana didn't do the best possible job of it in Game 1.

Well, the Pacers got it half right, at least. Indiana again did a strong job of shutting down the 3-point line, limiting Miami to 18 long-ball attempts (four fewer than their per-game regular-season average, 2 1/2 below their playoff mark) and only five makes. For the Pacers to have produced just three fewer points beyond the arc than the Heat did, given the vast gulf between the quality of shooters available to each side, was a pretty big Indy win. But then there's the not-half-right half: The Pacers struggled to keep the Heat out of the paint and prevent point-blank looks.

Thirty-six of Miami's 86 field-goal attempts (41.8 percent) came in the restricted area in Game 1, and the Heat made 26 of them. They rolled up 60 points in the paint, which would've topped the Denver Nuggets' NBA-best per-game regular-season mark and absolutely dwarfs what the Heat typically put up; they averaged 41.5 paint points per game during the season, and had dipped to 40.7 per game in the playoffs before Wednesday.

That the Heat went 26 for 36 in the restricted area (72.2 percent) isn't especially shocking given both the finishers Miami boasts and the team's track record on bunnies. They led the league with a 67.2 percent mark at the rim this season, shot a bit better (72.9 percent) against the Milwaukee Bucks in Round 1 and a bit worse (66.4 percent) against the Chicago Bulls in Round 2, and were similarly strong (64.5 percent) against a stout Indiana defense during the regular season. That they got there so often, though — that's the concern.

Because while Miami did do a fair amount of damage at the basket when Hibbert was off the floor — 12 of the 21 shots the Heat took during Hibbert's 12:03 of rest were in the restricted area, and they made nine — Erik Spoelstra's squad wasn't exactly shy about attacking when Hibbert played, either. Just under 37 percent of Miami's shots came in the restricted area while Hibbert was on the floor — a bit below the Heat's season average, but well above what Miami managed against the Pacers during the regular season — and they went 17 for 24 there. That tracks with what we saw during the regular season — the Heat shot at the rim less frequently and less successfully when Hibbert played, but they still went at him and hit better than 61 percent of their up-close looks against the big man.

All of which is to say: Yes, keeping Hibbert on the court to defend the paint as much as possible matters, but not nearly as much as keeping the Heat's perimeter players from getting there in the first place. That's easier said than done, of course, when those perimeter players include James and Dwyane Wade, and when — as NBA.com's John Schuhmann detailed — Miami found successful penetrating angles by targeting Indiana power forward David West in side pick-and-rolls, especially those directed toward the baseline.

Vogel is well aware of that, and reportedly spent the lion's share of the team's Thursday film session dedicated to emphasizing Indiana's need to "help the helper" and not allowing the integrity of the Pacers' team defense to become compromised on second and third rotations. How well Vogel's message filtered through to his players and how effectively he's been able to adjust his scheme to corral those screening actions will likely go a long way toward determining Indiana's chances of emerging from Miami with a split.

2. Take care of the ball, even if only a little bit. Again, this is something we talked about a bit in our series preview — Indiana's too loose with the ball too often, and Miami's too good at forcing too many turnovers for the Pacers to be able to survive chucking the ball all over the lot or being unmindful when handling. That largely held in Game 1, with Indiana turning the ball over on 20 percent of their offensive possessions and allowing 22 Miami points off those miscues.

It didn't come back to bite them too badly on Wednesday, though. That's due in part, as Schumann notes, to Miami managing only 11 fast-break points despite the Pacers posting nine live-ball turnovers. (That's a lot.) It also owes something to Miami's own carelessness with the rock, as the Heat balanced the scales somewhat by actually turning the ball over more frequently than the Pacers (20.6 percent of their possessions ended up going the other way) by committing a postseason-high 21 turnovers that led to 18 Pacers points. While Miami hasn't been the most careful bunch this postseason, expecting them to cough it up more than once in every five trips and expecting them not to capitalize when you give it up in the middle of the floor doesn't seem like an especially sound or reliable strategy.

A Pacers team piloted by trap-vulnerable point guards (hey there, George Hill and especially D.J. Augustin) and heavily reliant on the wing creativity of often-adventurous dribblers and passers (nice to see you, Paul George and Lance Stephenson) will never be the safest and most secure group; by now, we must accept that. But any reduction in unforced errors, ceded possessions and squandered opportunities will increase the Pacers' margin of error and put more pressure on Miami to play a cleaner game than they managed on Wednesday.

That is to say: Put your shooting shirts on and sit down, Guys on the Bench.

3. Get something — anything — from your starting backcourt. Hill and Stephenson had a rough time in Game 1, combining for just 12 points on 19 shots, turning the ball over seven times to mitigate their 10 total assists and shooting a combined 1 for 11 outside the paint, including 0 for 7 from 3-point range. Having two heavy-minute non-performing assets against an opponent as good as Miami is hard enough to overcome, but it's downright deadly when you get as little wing punch off the bench as Indiana does.

Some of those looks were contested jumpers, late-in-the-clock prayers or up-close tries taken directly in the mug of a shot-blocker, as most looks are against a swarming, octopus-armed Miami defense; it's understandable not to make those. But some were not — several times, either Hill or Stephenson got what passes for a clean look against the Heat, the result of quick decision-making and sharp ball movement, and just couldn't do anything with it. Stephenson's a bigger culprit than Hill here — on four separate occasions, he got a good look at a 3-pointer (in the right corner at about the 4:25 mark of the first quarter, on the right wing with 3:25 left in the second, in the right corner 3 with 9:15 remaining in the third quarter and on the right wing with 1:25 left in overtime) and came up empty on all of them.

Even one more make might've made a major difference in Indiana's game-long attempt at counterpunching. While neither Hill (36.8 percent from 3 during the season, 31.4 percent in the playoffs) nor Stephenson (33 percent and 23.9 percent, respectively) would be confused for marksmen, they have stepped into and made long-range shots for Vogel, and they will absolutely have to do some more of that when Indiana's able to swing the ball from the strong side of the floor to the weak side against Miami's overloading defensive scheme. If they can make Miami pay, even a couple of times, for loading up so heavily to take away David West's post-ups and George's driving room, their odds of finishing the job improve dramatically. If they can't, the noose figures to tighten on the Pacers' go-to offensive options, making an upset that much harder to achieve.

You've gone to the driving range before. But have you ever gone to the driving range the way Toronto Blue Jays sluggers Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion recently went to the driving range?

In this newest video offering from the MLB Fan Cave, the two ball-crushing Blue Jays visited Chelsea Piers driving range in New York City, with their bats at their side. And they did some driving all right — walloping baseballs while people next to them sliced at golf balls. They were knocking balls 400-plus feet off underhand tosses. Then they tried to play a game of accuracy, seeing who could be first to hit a golf cart. Watch the video to see who won.

Makes you want to play a game of baseball-golf now, huh? Us too. That might not be a real thing, but it should be. Until it becomes one, here are a couple amateur baseball-golf mash-ups for you to enjoy.

Now go out and use the three-day weekend to create a new sport.

Baseball is back. Don't miss anything.
Follow @MikeOz and @bigleaguestew, on Twitter, along with the BLS Facebook page.

As it's being reported by multiple outlets, including the Associated Press, a 14-year-old girl seated in the stadium's upper deck collapsed and needed immediate medical attention. Fans in the area immediately began calling for assistance, and among the very first to respond, thankfully, was 26-year-old Sam Sapenaro, who works primarily as a nurse but was on duty at her second job as a member of Kauffman Stadium's K-Crew (in-game entertainment).

Within the 15-20 seconds Sapenaro says it took her to arrive on the scene, which is a remarkably quick reponse, the girl was completely unresponsive and without a pulse. With the assistance of the gentleman who accompanied the young girl to the game, who also turned out to be a nurse, Sapenaro immediately began CPR and was able to successfully resuscitate her.

By that point stadium medical personnel had arrived and soon prepared the girl to be moved to the ambulance. It's reported that during the transport to the ambulance the girl had to be revived a second time, but the encouraging news is they were able to get her to a hospital where she's now receiving further treatment and is expected to survive.

It's a frightening situation to think about, but the best case outcome may not been possible had it not been for the quick actions of Sapenaro and all of those who either alerted personnel of the situation or assisted in her treatment. It took an incredible team effort to save a precious life, and we can't thank and credit those people enough.

Of course, with that said, it's great to hear that people are reaching out, specifically to Sam Sapenaro, to show their appreciation.

Kansas City you are truly amazing. And thank you to everyone near & far for your incredible words. Love & Prayers. #KCrewLove

— SassyRNbarbie (@sassyRNbarbie) May 24, 2013

Since we can't all give Ms. Sapenaro a pat on the back, if you know another doctor, nurse or paramedic, go ahead and give them one. They deserve it.

Looking for more baseball chatter?
Follow @bigleaguestew, @Townie813, @AnswerDave and @MikeOz on Twitter
Also, check out the BLS Facebook Page

In the months since Johnny Manziel won the Heisman, most of his life has been subject to scrutiny and ridicule.

But ESPN analyst Joe Tessitore started a conversation about one of the lesser talked about parts of Manziel's world during College Football Live on Wednesday when he said people should focus on Manziel’s football skills instead of his “celebrity and VIP-ness.”

/record scratch

His VIP-what?

C’mon, channel your inner 12-year-old and say “VIP-ness” fast. Yeah, he just said that. It's OK to giggle.

Of course, Tessitore was referring to Manziel’s spotlight, which has been courtside at NBA games, the Super Bowl and hanging out with the likes of LeBron James, Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel, and not his nether region, but it was really a poor choice of a made-up-word when discussing Texas A&M’s starting quarterback.

But don’t worry Joe, this isn’t the first time that word has been mistaken for something else.

See, it happens.

- - -

Want to join the conversation? Hit us up on Twitter @YahooDrSaturday and be sure to "Like" Dr. Saturday on Facebook for football conversations and stuff you won't see on the blog.

This offseason we will count down various topics from Monday through Friday, bringing you the top five of the important and definitely some not so important issues in college football. It's the Doc Five, every week until we will thankfully have actual games to discuss.

PLAYERS WHO COULD KEEP JOHNNY MANZIEL FROM ANOTHER HEISMAN

NO. 1 AND 1A, TEDDY BRIDGEWATER AND MARCUS MARIOTA

When we go to a restaurant, we just order two dishes to avoid having to decide.

Honestly, we planned on going with Teddy Bridgewater for the top spot. But how can you pick him over Marcus Mariota? Then again, Bridgewater has to be the top candidate aside from Johnny Manziel to win the Heisman, right?

So we just picked both as the co-leaders in the race to knock off Manziel from his Heisman throne.

Bridgewater might be the most talented quarterback in college football, at least in NFL scouts' eyes. Bridgewater telling Louisville he doesn't want any part of a Heisman campaign, so the focus stays on his team, has sparked an interesting debate.

Our first reaction was that it was a fine gesture and Heisman campaigns are just aimed at lazy voters anyway. The Sporting News' Matt Hayes said he thought Bridgewater had "saved Louisville’s season and was "dodging disaster" by telling Louisville no thanks. HeismanPundit.com's Chris Huston had a contrary opinion, saying Louisville should promote him anyway, comparing a Heisman campaign to a politician's marketing campaign. Both columns raise good points.

That's all a subplot for May, however. The big picture of this week's Bridgewater story is that his Heisman train has already started, whether he requested it or not.

As the player being named as the most likely to steal the No. 1 overall pick in the 2014 NFL draft from Jadeveon Clowney (and it will be very interesting if a quarterback needy team like Jacksonville or Oakland gets the first pick), of course Bridgewater has to be a top Heisman candidate.

The biggest issue with Bridgewater is his conference and how much exposure he'll get during the season. During Louisville's lame-duck season in the American Athletic Conference before it jumps ship to the ACC, Bridgewater faces a schedule that won't provide any high-profile games. The toughest opponents on Louisville's schedule might be Cincinnati or Rutgers. He has no margin for error. That makes it incredibly tough to win a Heisman. The last Heisman winner to come from a conference as small as the AAC was probably BYU's Ty Detmer in 1990. That's a long time. Bridgewater has a lot going against him.

Not so much for Mariota, who plays in a major conference and is on a team that should compete for a national title. Mariota played very well as a freshman, leading a team that was even more successful than Manziel's Texas A&M squad. Assuming replacing Chip Kelly with offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich works (and honestly, there has to be some worry when you replace an offensive genius like Kelly), Mariota should put up numbers as good as any other quarterback.

If he can boost his passing numbers a bit (32 touchdowns and six interceptions last year was remarkable, but 2,677 passing yards might not get it done given the depth at quarterback in college football), and add a bit to his rushing numbers (752 yards and five touchdowns in 2012), he will be in the conversation. He has the dual-threat talent, as well as the explosive offense that should again run a ton of plays, to make an even bigger name for himself this season.

We would pick Bridgewater over Mariota if we were starting a team. But Mariota is in a much better spot to have a huge season and impress voters. If anyone can knock off Manziel this year, the list probably starts with these two, in some order.

Previously on the "Doc Five"
5. Jadeveon Clowney
4. Jameis Winston
3. Lache Seastrunk
2. Tajh Boyd

- - -
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As reported by North Carolina CBS affiliate WNCT and the Jacksonville Daily News, Jacksonville (N.C.) Southwest Onslow High senior quarterback Shak Pershey was found around 2 a.m. Friday morning after he had disappeared while swimming the prior evening. Pershey reportedly ventured into the water at North Topsail Beach with a group of friends around 7 p.m. and disappeared.

While police and emergency responders launched a rapid response search, they were unsuccessful and suspended the efforts due to rough water after just two hours. A number of hours later Pershey’s body was discovered when the crew began scouring the area again.

The teen’s tragic death came less than two weeks before he would have graduated from Southwest Onslow High as one of his class’ most celebrated figures. During his senior season, Pershey led Southwest Onslow to a North Carolina High School Activities Association Class 1-AA football crown, a campaign that was capped by a 44-34 victory against Swain County (N.C.) High in December.

En route to that title, Pershey was nearly unstoppable under center. As noted by the Daily News, the senior passed for 1,149 yards and 13 touchdowns and rushed for 929 yards and 18 touchdowns. He was a three-way starter, and he intercepted five passes and recorded 73 tackles as a defensive back and returned three kicks for a touchdown.

While it is impossible for a school or small, tight community like Jacksonville to fully prepare for a tragedy of these proportions, Southwest High principal Tim Foster told reporters at the North Topsail scene early Friday that the school had a crisis plan in place and would have a number of grief counselors on site Friday for students who needed help.

Nevertheless, Foster said that the atmosphere at the school on Friday was “somber,” befitting the loss of a much loved classmate.

“[Pershey was a] fine young man and had accomplished so much,” area representative and Reverend Phil Shepherd told the Daily News. “It's times like this that we put our faith and trust in God."

Want more on the best stories in high school sports? Visit RivalsHigh or connect with Prep Rally on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

The Phoenix Coyotes are used to difficult offseasons, but this one looked even trickier. On top of looking for an owner, as usual, the club ran the risk of looking for a new General Manager and head coach as well, as the contracts of both Dave Tippett and Don Maloney were set to expire on June 30.

There was some talk that neither would receive a new deal until the Coyotes had found an owner. But with the draft and free agency coming up, and Maloney being exactly the sort of guy you want to have around for that stuff, the NHL did what a good ownership group does, and took the steps to retain their guy.

On Friday, the Coyotes announced a long-term contract extension with Maloney. From their release:

"We are very pleased that Don has agreed to sign a long-term contract extension with the Coyotes," said NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly. "Since joining the team in 2007, Don has done an outstanding job managing his team and building a competitive roster that has produced on the ice, even given less than ideal circumstances off the ice. The NHL remains committed to securing the Coyotes' future in Glendale under new ownership, and we believe Don's long-term agreement evidences that he is equally committed."

[...] "I am grateful to continue working for this franchise," said Coyotes General Manager Don Maloney. "We have a strong core of talented people, both on and off the ice, who are committed to building a championship team and a first class organization. I would like to thank NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly for their tremendous support these past few years."

So weird to see Bettman and Daly in this release. This situation is ridiculous.

That part aside, it's tough to disagree with the move. As James Mirtle points out, over the last four years, the Coyotes' record of 156-96-42 makes them the eighth-best team in the NHL. That's definitely extension-worthy, especially under the circumstances.

Maloney is basically a wartime GM. He's acquitted himself nicely and done his part to keep Phoenix competitive in a dire, dire situation. And really, he was the best candidate for Phoenix anyway, since he's the only guy with four years experience GMing a team without an owner.

After coughing up the ball for an Allen runout, Ginobili raced back, grabbed Allen's left forearm and pulled him down to the ground. It was a hard fall, but Allen appeared to get both of his hands down in front of him to break it; after impact, though, he grabbed his head with both hands and began writhing along the baseline in apparent pain. The referees on the scene called a flagrant foul, headed over to the replay monitor to review the incident and, despite widespread perception that Allen had embellished things, upheld the call, granting Allen two free throws (which he made) and the Grizzlies another offensive possession (with which they tied the game and forced overtime).

While the officials on the scene apparently saw nothing untoward in Allen's behavior, after a couple of days to review the play, the league office begged to differ. The NBA announced Friday afternoon that Allen has been fined $5,000 for violating the league's anti-flopping policy with his embellishment on the play.

Allen now joins Derek Fisher, Jeff Pendergraph and J.R. Smith as the only players penalized for simulation this postseason; should Allen run afoul of the league's flopping rules again, he'll have to cough up $10,000 for a second offense, $15,000 for a third and $30,000 for a fourth violation, in accordance with the NBA's stricter postseason flopping punishments.

It seems kind of weird to accept that the play could result in penalties for both Ginobili and Allen — on the face of it, it would seem that if the officials thought Allen oversold the degree of the contact, then Ginobili's foul shouldn't have been ruled a flagrant, and that if it was indeed a flagrant foul, then Allen shouldn't be punished for reacting strongly to a hard fall. However, as our man Freeman wrote after the play, the two don't necessarily need to be mutually exclusive:

The NBA has expanded its definition of flagrant fouls in recent seasons with the goal of keeping players safe. While players like Ginobili certainly aren't actively trying to injure players at the rim, the fact is that certain kinds of plays are more dangerous than others.

[...] under the NBA's now-standard enforcement of flagrant fouls, this play qualifies as a dangerous action with the potential to injure. Allen looked like he sold the contact beyond its apparent impact, but that doesn't mean the play was perfectly safe.

After review of the play, the referees judged Ginobili's contact — grabbing an airborne Allen's arm and pulling him to the ground — to be "unnecessary," and deserving of a flagrant foul. After review of the aftermath, the league office judged Allen's reaction "inconsistent with the degree of contact received on the play, and deserving of a flopping fine. It can be both. Maybe it shouldn't be, but the way the rules are written, it can be, and as a result, the Grizzlies' top grit-and-grind guard is out five grand.

"I'm aware," Bylsma told reporters Friday about that little blip on his NHL resume.

Since Bylsma replaced Michel Therrien in Feb. 2009, the Penguins have had six chances to initiate a handshake line on the ice at Mellon Arena and CONSOL Energy Center, and six times they've failed. Up 3-1 in their series versus the Ottawa Senators, the Penguins are also a win away from advancing past the second round for the first time since that 2008-09 season; one that ended with the franchise's third Stanley Cup.

"Our team knows exactly how important this opportunity is to get the fourth win and try to do that here as soon as possible and not look at this being three more games," said Bylsma after Friday's morning skate. "We have one game right in front of us and it's important to have that mentality and mindset for us tonight."

But as Senators head coach Paul MacLean declared during his only post-Game 4 statement, his team is going to Pittsburgh and coming to play. And like the New York Rangers, Ottawa can only follow the cliche and take it one game at a time.

The Senators won't be able to force a Game 6 if they let the high-powered Pittsburgh offense run wild like Hulkamania again. Offense is obviously the Penguins' biggest strength, having scored 16 times through the first four games. That's where Craig Anderson comes in; but he's been pulled twice in three games after having gone 43 starts, dating back to March 2012, without getting the hook. Any Ottawa comeback starts with Anderson.

"We haven't played very well," said Anderson. "You don't give up seven goals by playing well, I'll tell you that right now.

"I think we have to get back to what gives us success and that's hardnosed hockey, taking away space and figuring out how to win games 2-0 or 2-1. That's how we've had success all year and that's our blueprint for winning."

Beating the Penguins 2-0 or 2-1 is hard enough, but with Anderson in net, the Senators can pull it off. His 49-save performance in Game 3 gave Ottawa the chance to tie the score late in regulation and eventually win it in double overtime. They won't win any game that turns into a shootout, they know that, and slowing Pittsburgh's offense for three straight games in a tall task. But a goaltender getting hot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs isn't a rare sighting.

It's just a matter of how high the desperation level is on the Ottawa side of the ice.

Follow Sean Leahy on Twitter at @Sean_Leahy

There is never a good time for a relationship to end or divorce proceedings to be put into place, even if the move is necessary and agreed upon by both sides. Working through a divorce trial while working as an All-NBA member of a team two wins away from the NBA Finals, though, would be quite the mental task. It has not been completely confirmed by the player, team, or representatives, but the San Antonio-Express News is reporting that it’s more than likely that Tim Duncan and his wife have engaged in divorce proceedings, and that the San Antonio Spurs big man is attempting to delay the trial because of his postseason commitments with the team.

The Express-News’ Patrick Danner discovered the case’s paperwork this week, and deduced that the initials utilized in the paperwork (the case is listed as “A.S.D. vs. T.T.D,” Tim’s wife’s name is Amy and Duncan’s middle name is Theodore), some of the language regarding the timeliness, and (sadly), the ages of the couple’s two children to deduce that the Spurs legend is trying to put off the divorce proceedings in order to concentrate fully on the playoff run.

From the Express-News:

The case is playing out in Bexar County District Court. Court papers filed last week include a request that legal discovery in the case be postponed until after the Spurs' last playoff game.

[…]

[Duncan’s possible lawyer Sue M. Hally] filed a motion last week asking that the parties not to have to turn over documents and other information pertinent to the case until a future court date.

In the alternative, she asked the court to “give T.T.D. 30 days following the first work day following the San Antonio Spurs' last playoff game (whenever that might be) to respond to the outstanding discovery requests.”

A hearing on the request was scheduled for Thursday, according to the court docket. The outcome wasn't immediately known.

TMZ, as it usually does, went on from there:

TMZ has obtained legal docs filed in Bexar County, Texas, in which Duncan makes the case that his employment "is currently making extraordinary demands on him and hopefully will continue to make those demands for the next 30 or so days." Translation -- he's banking on a ring.

Duncan's wife, Amy, filed for divorce in March, saying she wanted to end their 12-year marriage which she says has become "insupportable because of discord and conflict."

Like her husband, Amy Duncan has more or less stayed out of the public eye while away from the AT&T Center. She was with Duncan when he toured the Orlando Magic facilities in 2000 when Duncan was a free agent, but things have remained quiet on the home front for the couple – which, as the Express-News reminded, married in 2001. Amy Duncan was a cheerleader at Wake Forest, where Duncan graduated from in 1997.

San Antonio is currently up 2-0 on the Memphis Grizzlies in the Western Conference finals, with designs on making their first Finals appearance since 2007. Whatever the pairing, the Finals won’t tip off until June 6, potentially taking until a full two weeks following that starting date to finish if the series goes seven games.

The Spurs are good enough, and the competition will be fierce enough, to drag the season out that long. And though private jets and the work of a high-powered legal staff can help expedite the process (and a prenuptial agreement, if it is officially in place, can answer a lot of questions before the lawyers get down to business), this can still be a life-altering back and forth that one probably doesn’t want to endure while thinking about guarding Zach Randolph, while potentially on and off the road for another three and a half weeks.

Reportedly. We don’t know for sure. If “T.T.D.” is Tim Duncan, though, then this is a sad time to try to muddle through. And we can understand why he’d like to put it off for a while.

• Detroit Lions' defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh discovers the difference between the NHL and the NFL in his fair city., At football games, people throw flags. At hockey games, they throw cephalopods.

• Don Cherry stands up for maligned realist Daniel Alfredsson. [Ottawa Sun]

• Cam Charron on why it would be unwise to write off the Chicago Blackhawks just yet. I haven't read it or anything, but I'll just assume it says, "because they're really good and stuff." [Backhand Shelf]

• Jonathan Toews after Game 4. "Eventually, something's got to give. We're too good a team. We've got too much talent. For as hard as we're working, something's got to go our way." [MLive]

• An interactive visualization of the NHL drafts of yore. This is very, very cool stuff from Sarah Connors. [Stanley Cup of Chowder]

• The last time the Penguins had a chance to close out an opponent in a Game 5 at home, in 2011, they lost big, both in the game and, eventually, the series. What can they learn from that fiasco, besides "don't let this happen again"? [Post-Gazette]

• Logan Couture, on whether he's talked to good buddy Drew Doughty. "“No nothing, nothing. I’ve just talked to our friends. We have a group of mutual friends, about five to six guys, so I’ve texted them. But, I haven’t talked to Drew at all. It’s probably going to hold that way for another week.” [Mayor's Manor]

• The San Jose Sharks would prefer that their series with the Los Angeles Kings goes seven games. One suspects they didn't prefer that when the series began, but here we are. [Mercury News]

• So the Bruins lost one game. Big deal. Don't panic. It's not like they're going to lose the next three. When has that ever happened before? [CSNNE]

• "Eighteen Russians, in Amish country, with a high-octane American trainer." Cool story on Lokomotiv Yaroslavl working out in Pennsylvania. [ESPN]

• John Scott could help the Buffalo Sabres' powerplay. You know, because he's big. [Rant Sports]

• Can Patrick Roy, one of the game's greatest goalies, handle Semyon Varlamov being, uh, not quite that good? [Denver Post]

• The Pittsburgh Penguins might get Brenden Morrow back for Game 5. [NHL]

• Who are the Edmonton Oilers' best scouts? [NHL Numbers]

• The Coyotes are nearing an extension for GM Don Maloney. [FS Arizona]

• Looking at how attendance has rebounded in Tampa Bay since the arrival of Jeff Vinik. [Raw Charge]

• How a fan and is friends turned an Ottawa Senators' third-period goal into free Big Macs for the homeless. [HuffPo]

• Hey, remember Marc-Andre Fleury? When will he play again? [The Hockey Writers]

• A high school in Nova Scotia has created an all-hockey curriculum, because Canada. [CBC]

• Henrik Lundqvist is beloved in New York. What other goaltender gets chants of supports from the home crowd after giving up this goal?

He leads not just the American League, but all of baseball, with a .391 batting average and 55 RBIs. His 14 home runs are second to only Chris Davis of the Baltimore Orioles, who has 15. Those 55 RBIs are something, though. The next highest is Davis with 44. Cabrera is on pace to knock in 198 runs, according to ESPN Stats & Info — which is absurd, but actually a tad less absurd when we're talking about Miggy.

All those stats are one way of telling you how good Cabrera is. But the GIF above can show you in a different way. It comes from Drew Sheppard of Fangraphs — who also made that marvlous Yu Darvish GIF. Just look at Cabrera covers the plate, but maintains his swing. Go ahead, try to say he's not dangerous. All six of these pitches, it's worth noting, Cabrera hit for home runs.

Here's Sheppard explaining his work:

This composite clip shows six pitches of varied location that Cabrera not only hit with power, but for home runs. The footage has been synchronized to the time of contact and stabilized at home plate to represent the end location of each pitch as accurately as possible. The pitches are taken from the last year, with the furthest off the plate over nine inches inside.

Head over to Fangraphs to see this broken down in a number of ways. Seriously, do it.

Baseball is back. Don't miss anything.
Follow @MikeOz and @bigleaguestew, on Twitter, along with the BLS Facebook page.

In the closest finish in Indianapolis Motor Speedway history, Peter Dempsey beat Gabby Chaves to the finish line by .0026 seconds in a four-wide finish to win the Indy Lights Series Firestone Freedom 100 Friday afternoon.

Almost incredibly, Dempsey was fourth behind Carlos Munoz, Sage Karam and Chaves on the final lap. But when Munoz, Karam and Chaves went three-wide on the backstretch, the hole they created in the air allowed Dempsey to draft up to their bumpers.

The three stayed three-wide off of turn four when Dempsey got a run on the high side of the track and had just enough room to slingshot past the trio and nip Chaves at the line for the first Indy Lights win of his career.

"Enough (room) for an Indy Lights car to fit through," Dempsey said after the race. "It was tight, you know. I was just hoping they weren't going to move, because if the moved, there would have been a huge crash. I've seen too many big crashes over the years, so that's what I said, hats off to the other three drivers. They gave me the respect, they gave me the room. I might have snuck up on them a little late, maybe a little too late to see me, but they gave me just enough room. I don't think they would have fit another car in there, that's for sure."

The Indy Lights Series is the feeder series for the Izod IndyCar Series. Munoz, who finished fourth, is also running in Sunday's Indianapolis 500 and will start third.

Hot -- Bryan Pedersen: Many legislators have talked about the economic benefits of MMA when the sport is legalized. Few have gone the extra mile to find out what it feels like to be in a cage to fight. Pedersen will do that in Cheyenne, Wyo., this weekend. No matter the result, it's admirable that he has even gone the distance to train and join the first fights to take place in Wyoming's capitol.

Not -- Renan Barao: The interim bantamweight men's champ was injured and had to pull out of his main event bout with Eddie Wineland at UFC 161. Dan Henderson and Rashad Evans' fight is now the main event, and Roy Nelson vs. Stipe Miocic was added.

Hot -- John Cholish: After losing to Gleison Tibau at UFC on FX 8, Cholish decided to hang up his fighting gloves. Before he left, he decided to give his fight purse to Oklahoma tornado survivors.

To update I just received my fight purse payment of $2,014 from Zuffa. I will be donating 100% of it to charity-Oklahoma Tornado Victims

— John Cholish (@JohnCholish) May 23, 2013

Kudos to Cholish.

Not -- Brett Atchley: The manager who specializes in female fighters has been accused of bad behavior by several fighters separately. His alleged improprieties include accosting fighters, telling them he would "blackball them" from Invicta though president Shannon Knapp has denied anyone has the power to do this, and sharing the confidential details of a client's contract. His response?

"It's really easy for women to play the victim, especially when they make their mind up that they're going to do it. Because everyone will believe them," Atchley said to MMA Junkie.

Stereotyping women is not a smart thing to do, particularly by someone who makes his living off of them.

Still taking temperature -- Cain Velasquez: He lost the UFC heavyweight championship belt once, and managed to get it back. Will he defend it on Saturday night against Antonio Silva at UFC 160?

Thanks for reading Cagewriter this week. Check us out on Twitter and Facebook for bonus UFC 160 coverage.

"I don't know if you could say I won the jump ball. But I didn't lose the jump ball." — San Antonio Spurs forward Matt Bonner, who is the best, to Deadspin's Alan Siegel in a "brief oral history" of his hilarious jump ball vs. Memphis Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph early in the fourth quarter of the Spurs' Game 2 win over the Grizzlies on Tuesday.

Do yourself the service of heading over to Deadspin for the rest. You deserve it. And whether or not Bonner considers himself the "winner" of the jump ball, I think it's fair to say that, every time we watch it, we all win.

Hughes posted this tweet Friday, holding a venti something-or-other with "Sanderson" written on the cup. Sanderson, as you may or may not know, is Jeter's very-distinguished-sounding middle name.

Payback! sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mlb-big-… twitter.com/PhilHughes65/s…

— Phil Hughes (@PhilHughes65) May 24, 2013

Funny stuff, Phil (and we're not just saying that because you included a Big League Stew link, promise).

This, of course, opens up a litany of inside-baseball gags to be used during trips to Starbucks. Robin Ventura can get coffee as "Nolan." Zack Greinke's Starbucks cup could have "Carlos" written on it. The entire Tampa Bay Rays team can get Starbucks cups that say "Fausto," a nod to name-changing teammate Roberto Hernandez.

As for Jeter? Here's hoping next time he gets Starbucks he chooses "Joba" as his alias. Oh, or "Alex" — that would make the tabloids squeal.

Baseball is back. Don't miss anything.
Follow @MikeOz and @bigleaguestew, on Twitter, along with the BLS Facebook page.

An accident involving a Roman candle last July 4 cost Homewood-Flossmoor (Ill.) High junior right-handed pitcher Jameson Lamb the use of his right eye, as detailed in a tremendous feature by Chicago Sun-Times columnist Pat Disaboto.

After H-F coach Todd Sippel specifically warned his players "not to be stupid" following a summer league game on July 3, 2012, the next day Lamb and his friends gathered near his family's cottage in Michigan to set off some fireworks, the Sun-Times detailed.

Just teenagers being teenagers, right? Well, here's the problem: The kids decided to hold the Roman candles in their hands, and when one of them thought the series of bursts had finished, he lowered the tube and fired one last shot into Lamb's eye.

"He turned around and I was like, ‘Oh, my God,’" Lamb's father Sean described to the Sun-Times. "There was a black hole in his one eye. It was like the ‘Terminator’ movie.”

In the aftermath of a handful of surgeries and dozens of doctors visits, however, Lamb's attitude has been inspiring. According to the feature, he doesn't blame his friend, swore off fireworks and accepted the challenge of playing baseball with full use of only one eye.

Within a fortnight of the injury, Lamb began playing catch with his father, said Disaboto. Almost a year later, he's 1-1 with one save, a 3.20 ERA and 12 strikeouts in 19.2 innings, leading the Vikings to a berth in the Class 4A regional semifinals this weekend.

Thankfully, a series of medical procedures could return Lamb's vision and appearance to normal, the Sun-Times said. But remember: While baseball and fireworks-fueled summer holidays may be as American as apple pie, it's best to approach both the right way.

And as long as we're on the subject, let's not forget Memorial Day is about honoring those who died in service to the United States Armed Forces. Thank a serviceman or woman if you get the chance. They deserve it.

Want more on the best stories in high school sports? Visit RivalsHigh or connect with Prep Rally on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

For example: Liz Habib is a sports reporter for FOX 11 in Los Angeles. She occasionally does LA Kings highlights. In the playoffs, they tend to go horribly, horribly wrong.

So with 10 minutes left in the third period of Game 4, Willie Mitchell scored for the Los Angeles Kings to cut the San Jose Sharks’ lead to 2-1.

Except it wasn’t Willie Mitchell, who has three career playoff goals in 71 games. It was Mike Richards, who has 22 in 94 games.

Because Willie Mitchell wasn’t playing in Game 4.

Because Willie Mitchell hasn’t played since Game 6 of the 2012 Stanley Cup Final.

Because Willie Mitchell’s knee is so [expletived] that he’ll likely miss parts of the 2013-14 season.

But we do appreciate Liz’s mathematical explanation concerning what happens when a team in a 2-2 series wins Game 5.

If Liz Habib’s name rings a bell, perhaps the name “Brad Doty” rings one. Yes, she was the sportscaster behind the Greatest Highlights Train Wreck of the 2013 Playoffs.

Please advance, LA Kings. YouTube needs you.

Racing is a dangerous business, and it can turn deadly. Canadian driver Greg Moore was an exceptional open-wheel driver who died far too soon, in 1999 at age 24. A friend and colleage of such notables as Dario Franchitti, Moore appeared headed for a career of racing stardom before dying in a wreck in the 1999 season finale. The new documentary "A Hero's Drive" recounts that story, and so much more, in heartbreaking detail.

A proud Canadian, Moore wore red gloves no matter what his sponsor's colors. James Hinchcliffe, also a Canadian, was just 12 years old at the time of Moore's death, and considered Moore his hero. Moore never got to race at Indianapolis, but Hinchcliffe offered some small measure of tribute by carrying a pair of Moore's gloves during qualifying. It was a powerful moment, and a perfect way to memorialize Moore.

Above is part 1 of "A Hero's Drive." Below are parts 2 and 3.

Part 2:

Part 3:

If you understand or appreciate the Packers-Bears rivalry in the slightest, you know how funny and brilliant that is. And if you're basically any sane person, you also understand it was a joke.

Well, someone at NESN (New England Sports Network) didn't get it, which led to a joke on top of the original joke.

The screen grab of NESN reporting the Urlacher joke as actual news during a broadcast was obtained by @FSURich and forwarded to SportsPickle.

Oh ... this is good. RT @fsurich @sportspickle, @nesn thinks your article is real news. twitter.com/FSURich/status…

— SportsPickle (@sportspickle) May 24, 2013

Now that's funny.

Mistakes happen, obviously, but being on the wrong end of a satire article – especially one about the preposterous notion that Urlacher would ever sign with the Packers, or vice versa – isn't the error you want to make.

As a result, Wardle will not only retain his job but also avoid either a fine or suspension.

What led UWGB to hire an independent investigator to look into Wardle's behavior was a series of alarming accusations by former forward Brennan Cougill and walk-on center Ryan Bross. In a story published last month by the Green Bay Press-Gazette, Bross claimed Wardle called him derogatory and homophobic slurs, interfered with his academic course choices and ran him when he was ill during preseason conditioning to the point where he lost control of his bowels.

The statement UWGB chancellor Tom Harden released Friday mostly defended Wardle's conduct, especially how he handled Bross' illness during preseason drills.

Evidence culled from interviews with more than two dozen individuals suggested Wardle neither forced Bross to keep running even though he wasn't feeling well or humiliated him in front of the team. Harden does acknowledge, however, that "Wardle should have more appropriately sent the player back to the locker room at an earlier point in the drill."

UWGB also largely dismissed Bross' claims that he was prevented from pursuing a certain major because the course load would interfere with basketball. The investigator found that, like all freshmen, Bross' course preferences weren't given the same priority when the team's practice schedule was set as they would have been were he an upperclassmen.

The one area where the school did fault Wardle was the language he used when criticizing his players. Harden said some of Wardle's words were "obscene or vulgar" and he crossed the line encouraging a player to have sex because it would make him better in practice.

"I do not condone the notion, as some have suggested, that Division I basketball “culture” should allow coaches to mistreat players or direct obscene or vulgar language toward them," Harden said.

"There are certain words that are unacceptable — period — and Coach Wardle has acknowledged they are unacceptable. [The] report shows Coach Wardle has, at times, used such unacceptable language in criticism and comments to players,though whether it was specifically directed at particular players remains unclear. Coach Wardle has acknowledged the need to stop using certain offensive words in his dealings with student athletes, and I am confident he will be able to do so."

Since the school essentially found Wardle was only guilty of something numerous coaches do across the country, his punishment is predictably minor. In addition to a disciplinary letter addressing his language being placed in his personnel file, Wardle will not get his usual rollover contract extension and will be assigned an adviser to help him properly motivate players in the future.

Wardle, not surprisingly, was pleased by the outcome.

"I want to stress that I am grateful for the opportunity to represent this University and will continue to build a program of which it can be proud," Wardle said in a statement. "As a head coach it is my responsibility to care for our student athletes as if they were my own children. Their personal development is very important to me. I have done a tremendous amount of reflection and self-examination over the past several months that will help me improve as a coach. I am confident that our players are in a healthy environment where they can reach their academic and athletic potential."

That the independent investigator essentially refuted the worst of the accusations has to be a relief both for Wardle and for UWGB. As I wrote a few weeks ago, the allegations from Bross, in particular, were severe enough that Wardle's job likely would have been in jeopardy were they found true.

Of course, the one question that remains is why Cougill and Bross would concoct or embellish accusations against Wardle.

Maybe other players and coaches covered for Wardle. Maybe the two ex-players simply had an axe to grind. Maybe the truth is somewhere in between. Regardless, hopefully this experience serves as a learning experience for Wardle and his staff and accusations like this don't surface again.

UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones is in Russia this weekend. He met retired great Fedor Emelianenko and tried a McDonald's that was apparently of a higher quality than ones in the U.S. He also found time to go back and forth with a possible future opponent.

Its on @jonnybones cant wait to get in that cage with YOU!!!

— Alexander Gustafsson (@AlexTheMauler) May 24, 2013

Fighting me is not good for your image@alexthemauler FYI

— Jon Bones Jones (@JonnyBones) May 24, 2013

@jonnybones if you think of what is good for your image, maybe you should continue to fight this 185ers??

— Alexander Gustafsson (@AlexTheMauler) May 24, 2013

Ouch! But it's not worries about their images that will keep this pair out of the cage. The dislocated toe Jones suffered during his fight with former middleweight Chael Sonnen is causing some problems. UFC president Dana White talked it about on Thursday.

"He says he feels great, the toe's healing good, but the problem is that ligament," he said. "That ligament popped. Anytime you tear a ligament, blood flow helps repair the thing and heal, and you don't get a lot of blood flow to the toe. Who knows? This thing could be six weeks, it could be six months."

Still, if these two are already pestering each other, the build up to a potential fight could be lots of fun.

The NBA’s newest set of Finals promos is based around legendary Finals moments from current players. This is a nice idea, but also one that severely limits the league’s choices, especially in regard to the four active teams fighting for the right to make it to the final round.

Thumbing their nose at convention, in the wake of highlighting a Dirk Nowitzki one-legged jumper from the 2011 Finals, the league went Kobe Bryant this time around, dunking on Todd MacCulloch during the 2002 Finals:

Sweet dunk, Kobe.

Frankly, I don’t want to be reminded of the 2002 NBA Finals. The Lakers were finishing a bickering end to the team’s three-peat, while taking on a New Jersey Nets team that would have ranked as perhaps the fifth or sixth-best team in the NBA that year. Kobe and Shaquille O’Neal were fantastic that season, but the team’s bench was terrible, and the Nets were given weird credit as this terrifying fast break machine, when really the team produced some of the more boring half-court basketball in the NBA that season.

We eagerly await the next clip of Tim Duncan shooting a solid jump hook over Drew Gooden in the 2007 NBA Finals.

With two German clubs in the Champions League final, their London hosts are probably a bit more apathetic about the event than they would otherwise be. So to combat that lack of enthusiasm and win over the locals, Borussia Dortmund have organized a rather impressive friendship campaign in the lead-up to the match against more well known Bayern Munich.

The ad above is just one of many parts of their "From Dortmund with Love" campaign in London, urging citizens to enjoy the match while also positioning BVB as the underdog fairytale club that neutrals should get behind. But just how much campaigning are they doing in the city?

From the London Evening Standard:

A black and yellow double-decker bus will tour central London with an onboard team handing out gifts on both tomorrow and Saturday.

The bus will stop off at a number of destinations to celebrate the final with fans.

There will also be men in yellow and black busbies standing guard over some of London's iconic tourist attractions while in various locations such as Tower Bridge, Big Ben and Buckingham Palace, there will be life-size cardboard cut-outs of star players including Robert Lewandowski and Marco Reus to showcase the club's love of football.

Here's a map (it's a PDF file) that shows all the landmarks they have covered with their scarves on statues, hot air balloon rides, BVB busbies, touring yellowing bus and player cut-outs. They also have moving signs driving through the city with pandering slogans like "thanks a million for inventing the game we love" and Beatles imagery.

It's a clever way to build grassroots support abroad that should give them a bit of lasting goodwill beyond Saturday's game. Bayern, meanwhile, will just continue to buy all the players that Dortmund charm people into supporting. There's more than one way to skin a cat.

"Actually, we weighed him in at 403," Fisher said on Thursday. "We had him in for the tryout, and he had some issues that we had to clear up from a physical standpoint. But he got that put behind us. We worked him out on both sides of the ball, defensive line and offensive line, and we felt like his best position would be right tackle. [Rams offensive line coach Paul Boudreau] said he'd love to have him. He's a defensive lineman that we've converted to offensive lineman."

Brown actually played on both sides of the ball in college, and Fisher also joked about using him to block kicks. And why not? As Gil Brandt of NFL.com said of him, Brown "just might be the biggest player we’ve reported on."

And as you can see from the video below, the Rams had best reinforce their folding chairs.

As for the speed part of that height/weight/speed equation ... well, Brown's still working on that. At his pro day, he ran the 40-yard dash in 5.80 and 5.88 seconds, but it was his raw measurements that set NFL teams off. Brown measured in with 38-inch arms and a 92 3/8-inch wingspan, far above the norm, even by NFL standards.

That said, if he makes the Rams' roster, Brown would not be the tallest player in pro football history -- that honor goes to Richard Sligh, who played a few games for the 1967 Oakland Raiders at seven feet tall even, and was a reserve in Super Bowl II. The heaviest player ever to make an NFL roster (at least, we're talking official weight here) was Aaron Gibson, who cracked the 400-pound bar with the Dallas Cowboys in 2002.

It's a (gettin' down on) Friday edition of Marek vs. Wyshynski beginning at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT, and we're talking about the following and more:

Special Guest Star: Adrian Dater of the Denver Post talks Patrick Roy to the Avalanche and the NHL Playoffs.

• The Red Wings defeat the Blackhawks again; can the best team in the NHL rally from 3-1 down?

• Brad Richards, John Tortorella and a squirmy situation.

• GAME SHOW FRIDAY

• Previewing the weekend's games.

Question of the Day: How would you have handed out the NHL awards? Email puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or hit us on Twitter with the hashtag #MvsW to @wyshynski or @jeffmarek.

Click here for the Sportsnet live stream or click the play button above! Click here to download podcasts from the show each day. Subscribe to the podcast via iTunes or Feedburner.

Fred Tedeschi is the trainer for a team that cleared former Bulls center Omer Asik to play in the 2011 NBA playoffs with a broken leg.

Tedeschi is on the staff of a team that presided over the mishandling of Luol Deng’s infamous absence in the 2013 playoffs, when the Bulls announced Deng’s severe reaction to a spinal tap procedure (one that Deng himself had to personally disclose on Twitter, after the Bulls denied a procedure took place) as “flu-like symptoms.”

Deng also played through the last two months of the season with a fractured thumb, when he was cleared as game-workable, alongside torn ligaments in the same hand.

Fred was also on the staff when center Joakim Noah – who has a history of falling prey to plantar fasciitis due to overuse – averaged 40 minutes a game for the first three months of the season. The Bulls staff also has an Internet connection, which would reveal that Noah runs more during those particular minutes than any other player in the NBA.

Noah was also cleared to play during the 2012 playoffs in a game that saw him severely sprain his ankle, an injury that would knock Noah out of the Olympics some three months later.

Tedeschi last won the award in 2007, two years before the Bulls sent out a letter regarding Luol Deng, telling the media that Deng should be undertaking something called “active rest” to work himself toward "expeditious return to play." The Bulls training staff then "encouraged [Deng] to challenge himself physically."

Luol Deng got a second opinion from another doctor, who revealed that Deng had a broken right leg. Something not enough “active rest” in the world can heal.

Congratulations to Tedeschi and the rest of the Chicago Bulls.

How many "best parts" can a photo have? This picture of Minnesota Twins superstar Joe Mauer at (perhaps) 9 years old has too many to count.

• The Zubaz pants. They've been making a comeback, thank goodness, but for a while it appeared the striped wonders would remain a relic of the late 1980s and early '90s. Every kid in '92 (with any taste) wanted Zubaz, and obviously Mauer's parents came through for the lad.

• The reluctant smile for the camera. Mauer (from what I can tell) is genuinely friendly, and a nice guy as an adult, but there's some shyness there also. His emotions mostly stay under the surface, a lament of some Twins watchers. It makes sense that, while he's obviously happy about winning a basketball trophy and wearing those pants, something prevents him from showing a grin. As the inset photo of Mauer shows, it's obvious he's worked on that part of his personality.

• The bangs. Oh my gosh darn it, the bangs. That's the price you pay for Zubaz pants; subjecting yourself to bangs because that's what mom wants. It's "kid pro quo" at its most elemental. Note, again in the inset photo, how Mauer's catcher's helmet simulates the bangs today. Mauer is in charge of his own haircut now — he's an adult — but he's still got mom on his mind. That's for you, Mrs. Mauer.

• The basketball trophy. We don't know precisely what he got it for, but it's likely that Mauer's team won a tournament. He was, after all, a 12-sport star by the time high school came.

• The house. As Twitter follower Bob Bohland said:

@answerdave @overthebaggy @twins_morsecode yep, that's the house he grew up in on Lexington Pkwy in St Paul

— Bob Bohland (@dropshotbob) May 23, 2013

@answerdave @overthebaggy @twins_morsecode haha, i went to grade school with Joe, spent a lot of time in that backyard hitting wiffle balls

— Bob Bohland (@dropshotbob) May 23, 2013

Can you imagine? The original Mauer Compound in the Twin Cities! It's like seeing where George Washington, or Jay-Z, or the Corleones from "The Godfather" grew up! Love the brick. Indifferent about the awning.

• The shoes. Untied high-tops. Who can't relate to that? My grandfather was a photographer, and one of the best tips he ever gave anyone taking a picture was, "Everybody's got feet." In other words, don't worry about capturing every inch of the person. Waist-and-up is fine. Thank goodness his sage advice was ignored here. Not only do we see all of the Zubaz, but we get to see Joe Mauer's untied shoes. Crucial to the adorableness quotient of the photo.

This photo has been kind of an internet legend for a few years, having been discussed at places like Randball. It showed up on the Facebook site for Zubaz on Wednesday, and Danny Ferris, one of the MLB Fan Cave dwellers, tweeted about it. And now it's part of The Stew's permanent record. I'm going to celebrate by buying some Zubaz pants.

Baseball is in full swing! Interact with @AnswerDave, @MikeOz, @Townie813and@bigleaguestew on Twitter, along with the BLS Facebook page!

“It’s a tremendous honor,” Ditka said via a team statement. “It’s something that I didn’t anticipate or expect, but it’s a great honor. When you think of all the great Bears players who have had their jerseys retired, I can’t say that there’s any greater honor. I’m very humbled by it and very thankful that [team chairman] George [McCaskey] made the decision to go ahead and do that because it’s really great."

Ditka was selected in the first round by the Bears in the 1961 NFL draft out of Pittsburgh and went on to define the franchise's tough-minded mentality as much as anyone who's ever been a part of it. He caught 316 passes for 4,503 yards and 34 touchdowns in six years for the Bears at a time when tight ends were generally afterthoughts. But contract negotiations with George Halas went south when Ditka famously said that Halas "throws nickels around like manhole covers," and he was traded to Philadelphia. His playing career ended in Dallas in 1972, and Tom Landry immediately hired him as an assistant coach. Halas brought Ditka back into the fold by hiring him as the Bears' head coach in 1982. And in 1985, Ditka's Bears won Super Bowl XX with one of the greatest defenses of all time. He became the first person in the modern NFL to win an NFL championship (1963) and a Super Bowl with the same team as a player and as a coach.

“Mike Ditka embodies the spirit of everything the Bears are about,” McCaskey said. “He’s an icon. The last time we won the championship Mike Ditka was our coach, and the last time we won before that Mike Ditka was a player. The organization knew it was the right thing to do. He revolutionized the tight end position as a player and grabbed an entire franchise by the throat as a head coach and willed it to victory in the Super Bowl. We have more retired numbers than any other team in the NFL. After this, we do not intend to retire any more numbers but we thought if there is going to be a last one, there is no more appropriate one than 89.”

In 1988, Ditka became the first tight end inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

“It’s the consummation of a career," Ditka said of the Bears honor. "It’s one of the greatest things you could be honored with. When you mention [Gale] Sayers and [Dick] Butkus and some of the guys who have had their jerseys retired, it’s an unbelievable group of men and great players in the NFL and for the Chicago Bears. It’s a tremendous honor. It’s just fantastic and I’m very honored and very pleased. I can honestly say that if it wouldn’t have happened it wouldn’t have mattered because the joy I had from playing with the Bears was unbelievable. I had a lot of fun doing what I did. I had a great career and a great time.”

The Bears have also retired the numbers of Bronko Nagurski (3), George McAfee (5), Halas (7), Willie Galimore (28), Walter Payton (34), Gale Sayers (40), Brian Piccolo (41), Sid Luckman (42), Dick Butkus (51), Bill Hewitt (56), Bill George (61), Clyde "Bulldog" Turner (66) and Red Grange (77). McCaskey's statement would seem to intimate that anyone looking for the Bears to retire the number of linebacker Brian Urlacher, who retired from the NFL on Wednesday, may have to wait a while.

And in honor of Ditka, we proudly present his greatest fans:

The question was “what is 9 times 9?”

The answer? Marian Hossa, a.k.a. No. 81 for the Blackhawks.

As you can see, her teacher was baffled at first ...

We know what you’re thinking: Did she get credit for what was, in a roundabout way, a correct answer?

Justin Breen of DNAinfo Chicago had this whimsical hockey story, and spoke with Maggie’s teacher. While she didn't quite get what the answer meant at first, Maggie clarified it for her:

Her teacher, Christine Mech, circled the answer and wrote "What is this?" in red pen. When Maggie explained her response, Mech gave her credit, and she received an A+.

"Maggie is a very clever little girl," said Mech, who's a Hawks fan and knew what Maggie was up to. "I love the way Maggie has a sense of humor. She did get her 100 percent on the quiz, and we had a little bit of a laugh afterward."

Maggie's mother, Diane, posted a photo of the exam Wednesday afternoon, and it already has more than 1,300 "Likes" on Facebook. It even has appeared on the Blackhawks official Facebook page.

Hopefully this ushers in a new era in Chicago area schools when it comes to math. After all: Duncan Keith times Duncan Keith equals Niklas Hjalmarsson, and Niklas Hjalmarsson times Niklas Hjalmarsson equals Marcus Kruger, and …

Further proof that no matter what the question is, hockey is the answer.

s/t Deadspin

In one of the quirks of top level swimming, Missy Franklin has now proven that she can beat just about anyone in the world at most strokes, but she couldn’t beat future Cal teammate Celina Li, a fellow high school senior from Pleasanton (Calif.) Foothill High, when the two competed in the 200-meter individual medley at the AT&T Winter National Championships. Li finished that race with a time of 1:55.28 with Franklin hitting the wall at 1:55.88.

As noted in a terrific profile of Li from MaxPreps, the Foothill senior is a far cry from a physically imposing figure like Franklin, but still manages to fly through the pool. Li stands just 5-foot-3, a height which assuredly puts her at a significant setback when competing against the likes of Franklin and other international stars. Yet what Li lacks in physical presence she makes up for in her technical talent, with her club coach claiming that the teen has “impeccable strokes.”

Li has never let her height affect her enthusiasm for the pool, either. She trained in both swimming and gymnastics growing up, but decided that swimming was a safer sport once she began to reach the more advanced levels of gymnastics.

"You don't see a whole lot of shorties like me," Li told MaxPreps. "I like being short though. … I don't think height matters as much as how determined you are and how much heart you put into it."

That attitude likely resonated with Franklin, with the pair reportedly bumping into each other during the recruiting process and getting along quite well (Li said of Franklin, “she really is the nicest person.”).

Between the two incoming freshmen, Cal could have quite a Class of 2017, with both swimmers likely to earn berths to the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, provided that they stick with the sport between now and then.

"She's incredibly strong and very flexible. ... She may be small, but she always swims big,” Foothill coach Lauren Andrade told MaxPreps. “She has the heart of a lion. She swims with such courage. She's fearless and unafraid.

"The thing about Celina is that she's just so versatile. She's just scratching the surface to all she can do.”

Want more on the best stories in high school sports? Visit RivalsHigh or connect with Prep Rally on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

A Dallas County, Texas judge has ordered Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Josh Brent to undergo further alcohol monitoring while he awaits a trial on an intoxicated manslaughter charge, Selwyn Crawford of the Dallas Morning News reports.

Brent was arrested by Irving, Texas police following a Dec. 8 accident that claimed the life of Jerry Brown, a linebacker on the Cowboys' practice squad and Brent's former teammate at the University of Illinois. Brent's blood-alcohol level was twice the legal limit when his Mercedes S600 hit a curb, causing it to overturn and catch on fire.

Brent faces up to 20 years in prison and his trial is scheduled to begin on Sept. 23. Brent is currently free on a $100,000 bond. Friday's hearing came about after the Dallas County District Attorney’s office filed a motion on Thursday to revoke Brent’s bond on the grounds that he had violated his bond by either drinking alcohol or being around it. Brent has been wearing a SCRAM bracelet on his ankle and failed to log data on 22 occasions.

Brent will continue to wear the SCRAM bracelet, which will now randomly sample for alcohol.

The 25-year-old Brent was a supplemental draft choice by the Cowboys in 2010. After playing sparingly during his first two seasons in the NFL, Brent started five of 12 games in 2012, setting career-highs with 22 tackles and 1.5 sacks. Following his arrest, Brent was placed on the "non-football injury" list by the Cowboys, who paid him the remainder ($95,294) of his $540,000 base salary. Brent has one season remaining on his current contract and been present at the team's Valley Ranch headquarters this offseason, but he will not play for the Cowboys in 2013.

The only folks who didn't see the humor in a Knoxville barbecue chain's clever radio ad poking fun at former Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl were members of the Ohio State compliance department.

They told Sporting News they intervened this week, requesting point guard Aaron Craft's name be removed from the ad out of fear the use of it could result in a minor NCAA violation. NCAA rules stipulate that a current student-athlete’s name or likeness cannot be used for commercial ventures.

"We have taken the necessary steps with all parties involved to alleviate any potential NCAA issues," Ohio State associate athletic director for compliance Doug Archie told Sporting News. "Aaron Craft's eligibility was never in danger. He had no knowledge nor provided consent."

Craft's name pops up in the commercial because of his role in the career-altering mistake that got Bruce Pearl fired as Tennessee's basketball coach.

Pearl hosted a backyard barbecue at his home for Craft while Tennessee was recruiting the point guard, a violation uncovered by the NCAA enforcement staff when they found pictures of the future Ohio State star at Pearl's home. Bruce Pearl later lied to NCAA investigators when questioned about the location of the barbecue, resulting in his firing.

In the radio ad, Steven Pearl, Bruce's son and host of a weekly show on Tennessee Sports Radio, begins by telling listeners "if there's one thing we Pearls know, it's how to throw a barbecue." Then after lauding the food at the restaurant chain, Pearl delivers this hilarious line: "Just remember, my two rules for legendary backyard barbecues – get your food from Calhoun’s and absolutely no photography."

The part of the commercial Ohio State has asked to be removed is the brilliant one-liner in the legal disclaimer at the end of Pearl's pitch. "Offer not available to Aaron Craft," it concludes.

Of course, the purpose of the radio ad obviously wasn't to get Craft in any trouble, but it's understandable Ohio State would send a cease and desist request. The school has endured enough trouble with the NCAA compliance issues recently. It doesn't need a clever but innocuous radio ad creating anymore.

By Dmitry Chesnokov

Sergei Bobrovsky is the favorite to win the Vezina Trophy. His 2.00 GAA and .932 save percentage season nearly led the Columbus Blue Jackets to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for only the second time in team history. He may be the cover model for NHL 14.

Ah, yes: He’s a restricted free agent this summer. Translation: Sergei Bobrovsky is going to get paid.

The question is: Who’s paying him?

Columbus GM Jarmo Kekalainen said the two sides haven’t made any progress on a new contract. According to the Columbus Dispatch, the Blue Jackets will extend a qualifying offer to Bobrovsky by the end of June to retain his rights. After that, he would be open to an offer sheet from another NHL team.

But there’s another suitor.

Some time in April, SKA St. Petersburg decided to go after Bobrovsky. I was told the money they are willing to offer is very good.

SKA wanted to get Colorado Avalanche goalie Semyon Varlamov a couple of years ago. This time they want Bobrovsky.

They also know him well because he played for the club during the lockout. After the lockout was over, Bobrovsky mentioned in a number of interviews that he was following how SKA was doing in the KHL playoffs.

Bobrovsky was snubbed by the Russian national team and didn't make the roster. Signing with SKA would virtually guarantee he'll be in Sochi.

However, this option is by far not the most attractive to him. Bobrovsky wants to play in the NHL

The 2013 season has not gone as hoped, so far, for the Toronto Blue Jays or young slugger Brett Lawrie. The Jays have a 20-27 record amid injuries and below-average performances, and Lawrie has experienced both personally.

However, that doesn't mean the Jays need to play in dirty uniforms, or that the players can't be responsible for cleaning them — like many other Canadians in charge of their own work laundry. So it's reassuring that the Jays aren't afraid to function in Toronto society amongst the people, like Lawrie does in this TV commercial for Rogers cable.

As a fan explains to the dry cleaner all of the wonders of being able to watch R.A. Dickey throw knucklers on his mobile device, Lawrie casually enters the establishment, reaches over the counter with a recognizably tatted arm and grabs his stuff. He says his line flawlessly, too. Great range, just like at third base!

But does the fan recognize Lawrie? Almost. Maybe once he gets on a hot streak, there will be major bro hugs.

A fun, creative commercial by Dean Hore, though — unfortunately for the Jays — it's Lawrie's best work this season. But only so far. He'll get it together.

Big BLS H/N: Captainlatte on Tumblr

Baseball is in full swing! Interact with @AnswerDave, @MikeOz, @Townie813 and@bigleaguestew on Twitter, along with the BLS Facebook page!

Pads, helmets, handoffs. For football fans longing for the NFL's return, this week's OTAs scratched an insatiable itch.

On this week's hard-hitting program, Brad Evans and Andy Behrens reacted to Michael Crabtree's premature demise, went to war over perpetual underachiever Ryan Mathews, project ballyhooed right-hander Kevin Gausman and pinpointed when Francisco Liriano's 'Fransucko' side will bubble to the surface.

Too busy prepping the grill? No problem. Listen to the replays below:

LISTEN TO HOUR 1 HERE (NFL)

LISTEN TO HOUR 2 HERE (NFL/MLB)

Hemingway once wrote that Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania is also known as "Ngaje Ngai," or "House of God." Ray Lewis has spent enough time thanking God for all of his success over his career, so it makes perfect sense he'd head up to the Big Guy's house to say hello in person.

Lewis announced on Twitter that he'll be ascending the 19,000+-foot summit this summer:

Fans U know 1st- Tackling Kilimanjaro 2 bring clean H2O to kids in Africa. RT & enter to win my signed #Ravens helmet:bit.ly/YZUUEi

— Ray Lewis (@raylewis) May 23, 2013

Lewis' "TackleKili" journey is intended to help raise awareness, and funds, to bring water to children in East Africa. It's a noble aim, and you can take part in TackleKili by clicking here.

Kilimanjaro is the highest peak in Africa, and the largest freestanding mountain on the planet, so congrats to Lewis on attempting such a feat. We demand video of the Squirrel Dance at the summit.

-Follow Jay Busbee on Twitter at @jaybusbee.-

For those who don't feel quite like reading the fine newsprint, here's Milwaukee Journal scribe Bob Wolf's account:

As far as the visiting Seattle Supersonics were concerned, the only amusing thing about the basketball game at the Arena Tuesday night was that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar wore his trunks backwards.

Aside from that one little slipup, the Milwaukee Bucks were a fearsome lot as they dismembered one of the better teams in the National Basketball Association, 123-91. [...]

At game's end, the badly beaten Sonics were ready to agree that it didn't make a bit of difference how he wore his pants.

Asked about his sartorial mistake, Abdul-Jabbar grinned and said, "Somebody told me about it shortly after the game started, but we were going by then."

Since the Bucks' trunks are the boxer type, the only visible evidence that Abdul-Jabbar had them on backward was that the club emblem was in the back instead of the front. And he didn't bother to turn them around at halftime.

On one hand, not pulling the old switcheroo when you've been notified that your shorts are on backward — as Washington Wizards big man Kevin Seraphin did on the bench back in January 2011 — seems kind of strange. On the other, though, it's hard to mess with success — Kareem finished with 26 points, 18 rebounds and four assists in the blowout win.

Maybe Cap knows something we don't about the feel, comfort and performance-enhancing elements of backward shorts. There's only one way to find out if it holds true in today's NBA — we're going to need one of the players still alive in the conference finals to give it a shot. My vote's for Zach Randolph, because:

A) He could use a shift in luck after shooting 27 percent from the floor in two losses to the San Antonio Spurs, and

B) The Grizzlies are already the most Internet-friendly team in the NBA, and this would only bolster their bona fides.

C'mon, Z-Bo. Come out reversed for Saturday's Game 3. Make Kareem, and the rest of us, proud.

Hat-tips to Uni Watch and The Basketball Jones.

Unless you've been hanging with Wilson on a deserted island, you know that any big sports event is followed by the inevitable Taiwan animation of that event.

This week we got our golf fix of the ridiculousness thanks to the verdict that anchored putters will be banned by 2016 and what Sergio Garcia said of Tiger Woods at a European Tour player's party.

Come for the anchored putter golfers being forced to walk the plank, stay for what Tiger does to Sergio at the end of the video.

h/t With Leather