March 9, 2010, 9:08 pm
Desert Drive: Mariners smiling and dancing their way to victory
Big League Stew

Stew lieutenant David Brown is visiting Arizona, with his desert swing taking him Tuesday to Peoria (it's not just for Illinois!) where the Seattle Mariners train. Expectations are higher than Mt. Rainier for the M's, who added Chone Figgins(notes) and Cliff Lee(notes) to the potent mix of Ichiro Suzuki(notes) and Felix Hernandez(notes). General manager Jack Zduriencik had bonanza of an offseason, but just two years removed from 101 losses, can the Mariners climb all of the way to the top of the AL West?Konichiwa, Stewies!Well, these Mariners sure make for a lively bunch. Ken Griffey Jr.(notes) was running his own Improv comedy club both inside and out. Others got into the fun, too. Above, check out the dance moves of a grooving (and smiling) Milton Bradley(notes), along with happy Mike Sweeney(notes). In the middle, the incomparable Ichiro, who is finishing up his own shimmy. You'd be smiling, too (even during morning stretch) if you played for a team that had what it took to win the World Series. Fun is the atmosphere at Mariners camp. Not two years ago, they were a team that would just as soon throw a batting helmet at you as beat you in the game. They were a bunch of overpaid sourpusses who lost 101 games and then lost a bunch of people their jobs. This team will not be a bunch of sourpusses. Rather, it's a non-stop laugh-a-palooza at the Port of Zduriencik. Except maybe for Cliff Lee, but he's not paid by the chuckle; his contract specifically stipulates it. "I've had people come in and tell me they've been in 10 [other] locker rooms and they haven't seen a locker room as loose as that one," Zduriencik said, referring to his own. "That doesn't mean destiny, but if you don't like showing up at the place you work at, it's tougher to work. That goes for no matter where you work." Winning further makes for good chemistry. If the M's are flailing about, 15 games out of a playoff spot in late August, not even popping in a tape of the Dean Martin C

 

March 9, 2010, 6:59 pm
Jags season ticket holders to Tebow: No, thanks!
Shutdown Corner

During a media conference call with Jacksonville Jaguars general manager Gene Smith today, it was revealed that in a poll of 800 Jags season ticket holders, 55 percent voted against the idea of the team drafting Tim Tebow -- in any round and in any capacity (this according to Jags beat writer Vito Stellino). This is an interesting wrinkle inasmuch as team owner Wayne Weaver has been quoted as saying that he'd be amenable to Tebow on the roster if the Florida Hero of Intangibles put butts in the seats. "The game is such an important part of this community, and Tebow is such an iconic figure that people would legitimately think, 'Wouldn't it be great if he was a Jaguar,'" Weaver told the Associated Press last September. "I'd be silly to sit here and think that's not going to be a huge thing. Clearly there's going to be a groundswell for Tebow, and we'll have to make that evaluation if we have a draft pick that's going to be anywhere near him," Well, with the sample size alert in full effect, it would appear that the community isn't so sure. The Jags have lost thousands of interested fans in the last few years, and expected a full string of local TV blackouts even before the 2009 season began. That said, Weaver might want to take a step back before assuming that Tebow's arrival in team and black would be some sort of panacea for those attendance issues. He may be the apple of every media member's eye these days, but as Tebow works to adjust his throwing motion and turn himself into the very model of a moden NFL quarterback, the fans don't appear to be quite so convinced. How much will teams beg off his "intangibles" if one of them isn't the ability to sell tickets? We can but wait and see...

 

March 9, 2010, 5:00 pm
Game to pay attention to: Celtics vs. Bucks
Ball Don't Lie

Boston at Milwaukee There is a healthy, healthy chance that this game will end with a 80-72 score. I know the NBA runs now. I know it doesn't like hand-checking, it tries to call bumping off the ball, and once in a week you'll actually see a moving screen called. Actually, the last one helps the offense. That's right. The NBA loves offense now, it wants to make offenses run smoother, and for that I thank the NBA. The Celtics and Bucks don't want your offense to run smoother. They want to beat you, defensively, because for all the famous and semi-famous that dot their respective rosters, the Bucks and Celtics can only win if they shut you down. And there's a good chance that both teams shut each other down, there's a good chance (I'm serious) that we could see 45 combined turnovers in this game, and there's a great chance you'll have the time of your life watching this mess. I mean it. This will be a defensive battle between two smart teams with smart coaches who know that the Bucks are a half game out of playing the Celtics in the first round of the playoffs. OK, a half-game up of the Raptors, the Bucks are, in the fifth spot and avoiding the third-seeded Celtics for now. But anything can happen in Toronto. Oh, you know it. And a Celtic win tonight puts the Bucks in a virtual tie with the Raps. Eight games tonight, some solid marks worth flipping through. Comment away if you see fit. Boston Celtics: 40-21, 91.6 possessions per game (22nd), 106.9 points scored per 100 possessions (14th), 101.9 points allowed per 100 possessions (first). Milwaukee Bucks: 33-29, 92.6 possessions per game (16th), 104.5 points scored per 100 possessions (23rd), 102.8 points allowed per 100 possessions (third). All statistics courtesy basketball-reference.com.

 

March 9, 2010, 5:09 pm
Puck Previews: B's, Leafs battle; Milbury sees no Cooke discipline
Puck Daddy

Here are your Puck Previews: Spotlighting the key games in NHL action, news and views as well as general frivolity. Make sure to stop back here for the nightly Three Stars when the games are finished.Preview: Boston Bruins at Toronto Maple Leafs, 7 p.m. EST. Boston plays their first game since the Matt Cooke(notes) his on Marc Savard(notes) and they will also be without Zdeno Chara(notes) as he's day-to-day with a "lower-body injury". For the Leafs, Luca Caputi(notes) will find himself promoted to the top line alongside Phil Kessel(notes) (pointless in all four meetings against Boston this season) and Tyler Bozak(notes) in his first home game with Toronto. Tim Thomas(notes) will be in goal for Boston, while Jonas Gustavsson(notes) is expected to get the start for the Leafs. And might we see Colton Orr(notes) and Milan Lucic(notes) dance again?  Preview: Vancouver Canucks at Colorado Avalanche, 9 p.m. EST. With both teams separated by two points, this Northwest Division battle is key for both teams as we hit the final month of the season. Vancouver is winding down their 14-game road trip and will finally return home on Saturday night, while the Avalanche enter tonight 2-2-0 since the NHL resumes last week. Vancouver has outscored Colorado 16-4 in their past three meetings this season and look to continue that trend and extend their divisional lead.  Watch this game live on Y! Sports Check out previews and updated scores for all of today's games on the Y! Sports NHL scores and scheds page.Evening Reading• An armed man stole an unknown amount of cash from a Buffalo-area Auntie Anne's mall pretzel stand and then swiped a Sidney Crosby(notes) jersey from another store's office before escaping. [Buffalo News] s/t to David C. for sending that in• Plans for the 2010 Pinstripe Bowl were finalized today with the college football bowl game to be played at Yankee Stadium on December 30th. There goes any chance of the NHL holding the next Winter

 

March 9, 2010, 10:51 am
Liverpool winning the race for seventh
Early Doors

Despite going down 1-0 at Wigan last night, Liverpool still have their noses in front in the race for that much-coveted final Europa League spot. They obviously like it in that tournament. Despite playing just two matches in the nascent competition, their goal average of four goals scored for every one conceded means it's evidently their kind of place. ...

 

March 8, 2010, 2:28 pm
Beckham can lift United
Paul Parker

He may have started the weekend's game on the bench for Milan, but I'm hoping David Beckham gets the nod to start against his former club Manchester United at Old Trafford. Not for any sentimental reasons - although it will be nice to see him get the terrific reception he deserves, and is expected to get, should he feature - but rather because his presence on the pitch can be of benefit to United. ...

 

March 5, 2010, 12:54 pm
Hard times for Joe and Theo
Jim White

Anything can happen between now and June 12th when England play USA in Rustenburg. John Terry could meet Carlos Tevez and his mates down a dark alley; David James could lose all his strength, Samson-like, after an altercation with his barber; Owen Hargreaves could discover a new pair of knees. But one thing can be certain: would the tournament kick off next week it would do so without two players who, a year ago, seemed nailed-on certainties for inclusion. ...

 

March 9, 2010, 2:15 pm
Pompey Cup run a great story
Danny Murphy

It has been a great story for Portsmouth to reach the FA Cup semi-final this season, and I am delighted for them. They are a side that possess a lot of quality and I believe without the difficulties off the pitch which led to a number of their more recognisable names leaving, Portsmouth would be a competitive mid-table team. Their run in the FA Cup shows that within the squad, there is plenty of self belief and character. ...