Billy Horschel Doing It All Over Again at Q School

WINTER PARK, Fla. -- A year ago after the final stage of PGA Tour Qualifying School, Billy Horschel, fresh from an All-America career at the University of Florida, was being mentioned in the same breath as another arriving college star, Oklahoma State's Rickie Fowler.

Horschel, just like Fowler, brought game and gaudy amateur credentials to their first qualifying tournament and breezed through, earning projections for future success.

Now, a year later, Fowler, after collecting seven top 10s and playing on the U.S. Ryder Cup team, was just named 2010 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year. Horschel, meanwhile, is back at qualifying, trying to do it all over again.

By all indications, he will. Heading into Monday's final day at Orange Country National, where the top 25 finishes (and ties) earn exempt status for next season, Horschel is 11 under and tied for ninth place. After Sunday's round of 70 he is five shots back of co-leaders Billy Mayfair and Ben Martin.

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Mick Eliott at Q-School: Ben Martin Leads the Long Haul at Q-School
Billy Mayfair Back to Future at Q-School

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Source: http://golf.fanhouse.com/2010/12/05/billy-horschel-doing-it-all-over-again-at-q-school/

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Tiger Woods' Chevron World Challenge Offers Final Chance for 2010 Win

Filed under: PGA

The top two golf tours have officially moved into the off-season. So how do you get 18 of the world's best golfers to spend their time off taking part in another tournament? Put together a prize pool of $5 million and guarantee a minimum take home of $150,000. That's exactly what's on the line this week at the Chevron World Challenge in California.

Tiger Woods created this tournament in 1999 to benefit his Tiger Woods Foundation, and this will be the first time in three years that he has taken part. Knee surgery kept him out in 2008 and injuries from his car accident sidelined him a year ago. Although it won't count as an official tour victory, a win this week would keep Tiger from being shutout in 2010. Sherwood Country Club gives him as good a chance as any course. He is a four-time winner and three-time runner up in the 11-year history of this event.

Tiger enters the week as the highest ranked player in the field with Lee Westwood not participating. World No. 3 Martin Kaymer also decided to stay home following his European Tour championship last week in Dubai -- but five of his tour competitors have made the long trek from Europe, including a couple of his Ryder Cup teammates. Graeme McDowell and Ian Poulter caught a 16.5-hour direct flight to Los Angeles shortly after the Dubai World Championship ended.

Jet lag might be the only thing that can slow down Poulter right now, although his busy travel schedule doesn't seem to be having any negative effects. The Englishman was a playoff away at Dubai from entering this tournament coming off back-to-back wins. He said last week that he has felt very comfortable on the course and it's showing.

 

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Source: http://golf.fanhouse.com/2010/12/01/tiger-woods-chevron-world-challenge-offers-final-chance-for-201/

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LeBron James, Dwyane Wade Continue to Click as Heat Win Seventh Straight

Filed under: Heat, Warriors

OAKLAND, Calif. -- The boos were there.

Of course the boos were there.

The boos are everywhere for these hated Miami Heat, with the superstar in the devil's No. 6 who drew the nightly chorus of negativity on Friday at Oracle Arena just as he has everywhere else not near the Florida panhandle. But LeBron James is wearing them down. Dwyane Wade is wearing them down. The Heat are wearing them down, them being these dispirited fans who show up in droves to see the latest beatdown and the teams themselves -- seven straight, for those who are counting -- that continue to fall.

Miami darted past Golden State 106-84 in the latest one-sided outing, marking the first time in franchise history the Heat have won this many games by at least 10 points in succession while putting them atop the Eastern Conference's Southwest Division at 16-8. And the boos said everything about how much things have changed in these last two weeks.

They lacked the passion, the fervor, the joy that came when the evidence backed up the emotion for those not in favor of what James, Wade and Chris Bosh decided to do here. Yet if the intent of the many who cup their hands to their mouths is truly to nudge the Heat closer to failure, they really ought to either go silent or perhaps cheer wildly for the simple sake of reverse psychology. This approach, for everyone but the Heat, isn't working anymore.

 

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Source: http://nba.fanhouse.com/2010/12/11/lebron-james-dwyane-wade-continue-to-click-as-heat-win-seventh/

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Chip Kelly Wins Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award

by FanHouse Staff

Filed under: Oregon, Coaching, Sports Business and Media

Chip Kelly of Oregon has been named the 2010 Eddie Robinson coach of the year by the Football Writers Association of America.

Kelly (pictured here with Eddie Robinson, Jr., son of the award's namesake) has led the Oregon Ducks to their first 12-0 season and an appearance in the BCS Championship game. A win would give Oregon its first national championship.

Kelly's high-powered offense took the nation by storm this season, averaging an FBS-high 49.3 points per game and checking in second in the country at 537.5 yards per game. Only one of the Ducks' 12 wins was not a blowout -- a 15-13 win at Cal.

"It is really an honor for me to stand here and represent our university in winning awards like this," Kelly said in the FWAA press release. "It is pretty humbling to have your name and Eddie Robinson's said in the same sentence. It is kind of funny, to keep it in perspective, if I won 10 games for the next 38 years, I would still be six wins short of Eddie Robinson. So, he was quite a man and really one of the true gentlemen of college football.

"Obviously, what this means to us and our university, I really can't put into words. But I also have always felt every coach of the year award is more a representation of your team. This award is shared with our great assistant coaches and with a bunch of young men back in Eugene, Oregon, who are truly special."

 

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Source: http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2010/12/06/chip-kelly-wins-eddie-robinson-coach-of-the-year-award/

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Florida Pulls Will Muschamp Out of Coach-In-Waiting Status

Filed under: Florida, Texas, Big 12, SEC

Will Muschamp is a head-coach-in-waiting no more.

University of Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley announced Saturday night that Muschamp, the Texas Longhorns defensive coordinator and head-coach-in-waiting will replace Urban Meyer as the Gators' new head football coach.

The hiring of Muschamp, 39, is a bit of a shocker and certainly a bit of a gamble because he comes into a high pressure job without any head coaching experience. But apparently the one-time Gainesville resident's resumé, which includes 16 years of experience and 12 in the SEC, was good enough for Florida.

"We are thrilled to have Coach Muschamp lead our football program," said Foley. "Coach Muschamp is someone we targeted from the beginning and he is the guy we wanted. He is the only person we met with and the only person we offered the job to."

Earlier Saturday, there was speculation that Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops had been offered and accepted the Gators job. But a few hours later, it became clear that Muschamp had been Foley's choice all along.

This move was completely unexpected due to the status Muschamp held as the handpicked successor to UT's Mack Brown, who most expected to step down soon. And if Muschamp did take another job, the thought was that he would return to his alma mater, Georgia, if Mark Richt had been let go.

Muschamp turned down a chance to become the head coach of the University of Tennessee last year.

 

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Source: http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2010/12/11/florida-pulls-will-muschamp-out-of-coach-in-waiting-status/

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Mid-Day Ticker: Mondragon set to join Union, Cervi goes on loan and more

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SoccerByIves/~3/umF2Ad9-gdE/mid-day-ticker-allardyce-out-at-blackburn-cervi-goes-on-loan-and-more.html

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Inaugural MLS Re-Entry Draft Provides Fascinating Choices

Filed under: Chivas USA, D.C. United, New York Red Bulls

When the first stage of the inaugural MLS Re-Entry Draft kicks off Wednesday afternoon, it will mark the dawning of a new era for front offices and players alike.

A byproduct of last March's new, five-year collective bargaining agreement, the Re-Entry Draft is an offseason mechanism designed to provide MLS veterans with increased flexibility to move within the league.

Previously, MLS clubs often retained the rights for out-of-contract players they had no intention of re-signing, which left those individuals in a purgatory of sorts, unable to move on until their previous teams garnered fair trade offers. Now, certain veterans (who qualify based on age and years of service) with expired contracts or declined options are made available to the rest of the league in a two-part draft.

It's a step short of traditional free agency, which would drive price tags higher than the still-fledgling league can afford. But it's a fascinating new wrinkle.

 

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Source: http://soccer.fanhouse.com/2010/12/07/inaugural-mls-re-entry-draft-provides-fascinating-choices/

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Kobe Bryant: New Face of Turkish Airlines

by Michael Katz

Filed under: NBA, Sports Business and Media

Kobe Bryant really likes Airplanes. Or money. Probably both.

The Lakers guard has endorsed airplanes before (see above), but now he's getting paid to do it. According to CNBC, Bryant has inked a two-year deal with Turkish Airlines, which will soon offer non-stop service from Los Angeles International Airport to Istanbul, Turkey.

As part of the deal Bryant will star in a promotional film to be used on international television and shown in movie theaters. Of course, an even bigger bonus is that Bryant will get to travel to Turkey for the first time. Wouldn't you know he's been dying to go.

"I've never been to Turkey," Bryant told CNBC. "But all the guys on the team in the league who have been keep saying it's one of the hottest places to go to."

Here that? "Guys." Plural. So not just Allen Iverson.

 

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Source: http://backporch.fanhouse.com/2010/12/13/kobe-bryant-new-face-of-turkish-airlines/

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Rex Ryan's Circus Conjures Memories of Jerry Glanville's Clown Act

Oh, now I get it.

All year long, I've seen this silliness with the New York Jets generated by their ring master disguised as a head coach named Rex Ryan, and I haven't been able to put my finger on it.

The brash talk. The props. The illusion of building a franchise for the present as well as the future.

And especially this: the undisciplined ways of the team, ranging from the players to the coaches -- and in the Jets' case, even to the strength and conditioning guy who used his knee during a home game on Sunday to trip an opposing player streaking near the sideline.

Rex Ryan is Jerry Glanville.

From an NFL standpoint, this isn't good. All you need to know is that the only thing Glanville won of significance during his nine years as an NFL head coach was the wrath of others. He created an environment that would entice those inside to do exactly what that Jets strength and conditioning coach did on Sunday.

 

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Source: http://nfl.fanhouse.com/2010/12/13/rex-ryans-circus-conjures-memories-of-jerry-glanvilles-clown-a/

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Big Ten Divisions: Legends, Leaders

Filed under: Big 10

The Legends and Leaders Divisions.

Those are the names for the Big Ten Conference's divisions, announced Monday by commissioner Jim Delany.

Illinois, Indiana, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue and Wisconsin will make up the Leaders Division. Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska and Northwestern will make up the Legends Division.

The division names were needed when the Big Ten added Nebraska as its 12th member for the 2011-12 season. The inaugural Big Ten football championship will be held Dec. 3, 2011, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

 

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Source: http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2010/12/13/big-ten-divisions-legends-leaders/

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Chelsea vs Tottenham Live Blog, Highlights

Filed under: International, English Premier League

FanHouse has a Chelsea vs. Tottenham live blog from our friends at FanHouse UK. Follow the match minute-by-minute or check back for Chelsea vs. Tottenham highlights later on Sunday.

Didier Drogba said he thinks the Spurs are a genuine title contender, and it's likely a match of that quality to follow.

More: Manchester United vs. Arsenal Live Blog

 

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Source: http://soccer.fanhouse.com/2010/12/12/chelsea-vs-tottenham-live-blog-highlights/

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Graeme McDowell Dashes Tiger Woods' Comeback Attempt at Chevron Challenge

Filed under: PGA

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. -- There was golf history made Sunday at Sherwood Country Club -- but it didn't include a fairy tale ending for Tiger Woods.

In a dramatic, back-and-forth final round, Graeme McDowell came back from four strokes down to overtake Woods and win the $5 million Chevron World Challenge, sinking two consecutive long birdie putts at the 18th hole - one in regulation, and another in a sudden death playoff . McDowell's Sunday surge marked the first time Woods had failed to win an event that he had led by three strokes going into the final round.

It was, in a way, a fittingly disappointing conclusion to a forgettable 2010 for the world's most famous golfer, whose personal life was turned upside down a year ago after revelations about his extra-marital affairs. Woods, who turns 35 later this month, has not won a tournament in 378 days, by far the longest winless streak of his professional career -- and likely the longest such drought of his life.

Despite the near-miss and his inability to hold a lead, Woods showed few signs of disappointment after the round. "It was a great week even though I didn't win," he said. "It said a lot for me to come back and put my swing back together again. I'm just really excited about this offseason, and I haven't been that way in a while."

For McDowell, the Northern Ireland native and 2010 U.S. Open champion, it was yet another memorable moment in a fantastic season that's seen him climb to No. 7 from No. 39 on the World Golf Rankings.

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Golf.com: Chevron World Challenge Final Leaderboard

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Source: http://golf.fanhouse.com/2010/12/05/graeme-mcdowell-dashes-tiger-woods-comeback-attempt-at-chevron/

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. Opens Up About Team Shake-Up and His Popularity

Filed under: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Hendrick Motorsports, NASCAR

LAS VEGAS -- The only suspense in Thursday's announcement of NASCAR's 2010 Most Popular Driver Award rested with the winner. For the eighth consecutive year, Dale Earnhardt Jr. claimed the honor -- tops among the 1.5 million fan votes -- once again proving his popularity is soaring even if his on-track efforts have fallen flat.

"Oh yeah, I was surprised,'' Earnhardt claimed moments after accepting the award during NASCAR Champion's Week. "You just never know. There's the performance factor we've suffered from on the race track, there's the new guys coming into the sport all the time. You never take it for granted.''

The same could be said for winning.

Earnhardt hasn't won a race in nearly three seasons and hasn't even been consistently competitive in the No. 88 National Guard-Amp Energy Chevrolet, while his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson will be crowned champion for the fifth consecutive year in Friday night's lavish NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards Banquet at the Wynn Las Vegas.

The juxtaposition isn't lost on the third-generation driver, son of the late seven-time champion, Dale Earnhardt. The 2004 Daytona 500 champ and 18-race winner is hoping a three-way crew chief swap at Hendrick will infuse new life into his career. And it can't happen soon enough.

 

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Source: http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2010/12/02/dale-earnhardt-jr-opens-up-about-team-shake-up-and-his-populari/

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Source: http://dcunited.com/node/13899

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Hawaii Joins Mountain West Conference for Football, Big West for Other Sports

Filed under: Hawaii, Mountain West, WAC, Sports Business and Media

HONOLULU (AP) -- The University of Hawaii is joining the Mountain West Conference for football and the Big West in other sports, abandoning the Western Athletic Conference after 32 years.

School President M.R.C. Greenwood said Friday that Hawaii will make the move in 2012, following Boise State, Nevada and Fresno State to the MWC.

The four schools represent the top football programs in the WAC, which is adding Texas-San Antonio, Texas State and the University of Denver on July 1, 2012. Denver doesn't have a football team.
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School leaders at the MWC and Big West voted unanimously in favor of inviting Hawaii, which has been in the WAC since 1979.

 

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Source: http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2010/12/10/hawaii-joins-mountain-west-conference-for-football-big-west-for/

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Mark Sanchez, Jets Go From Kings of New York to World of Trouble After Home Loss

Filed under: Dolphins, Jets, AFC East

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- One week ago, Mark Sanchez and the New York Jets were the Kings of New York, thinking Super Bowl or bust.

In a six-day span, "bust" took over the conversation following back-to-back losses to AFC East rivals New England and Miami. And Sanchez became the target of boo birds.

How quickly a team's fortune can turn.

Getting pummeled by a Patriots team that has regained its dominant form, on the road no less, can be forgiven. Every team experiences that one game where everything that could go wrong does and the opponent gets on a roll.

But to come back home to the New Meadowlands talking the talk, only to throw up another stinker, cannot be so easily overlooked. That's exactly what happened Sunday afternoon in the rain to the Jets.

Something was amiss on the first drive after the opening kickoff as New York went three-and-out, with Sanchez handing Dolphins cornerback Sean Smith an early Christmas gift that Smith rejected -- a Sanchez pass hit him right in the hands for a seemingly sure interception that ended up incomplete.

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Dolphins 10, Jets 6: Quick Hits | Box Score | Recap

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Source: http://nfl.fanhouse.com/2010/12/13/rex-ryans-jets-go-from-kings-of-new-york-to-world-of-trouble/

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The Next Tiger? Meet Joseph Bramlett

Filed under: PGA

WINTER GARDEN, Fla. -- Veteran Billy Mayfair won the PGA Tour's Qualifying Tournament Monday. That's good. Joseph Bramlett finished seven shots back and tied for 16th. Maybe, even better.

That's how Q School, golf's six-day, 108-hole coming-of-age event, works. Nobody really wins qualifying. Success is achieved by surviving -- that means finishing among the top 25 and ties -- to play in next season's PGA Tour.

"Yeah, this is about as good as it can get right now," Bramlett said. "You always play to win, but just getting that tour card is winning."

For more reasons than the obvious.

Bramlett, 22 and fresh out of Stanford, will bring more than a promising game and high hopes to the 2011 PGA Tour season. He'll bring a little more color.

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Mick Eliott at Q-School: Ben Martin Leads the Long Haul at Q-School
Billy Horschel Doing it All Over Again at Q School
Billy Mayfair Back to Future at Q-School

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Source: http://golf.fanhouse.com/2010/12/06/the-next-tiger-meet-joseph-bramlett/

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PGA Tour Q-School Always Educational

Filed under: PGA, Nationwide Tour

WINTER GARDEN, Fla. -- Although the final stage of PGA Tour qualifying returns with a familiar storyline this time every year, it never seems to get old.

Maybe that's because the fascinatingly brutal golf event was a television reality show before there were television reality shows. The process, affectionately known as "Q School," is where golf goes to watch dreams realized and wrecked, to see careers launched and extinguished. It's where youth is served and veterans can live to play another season. Or not.

"Q-School is no place for women and children," offered veteran Jason Gore (right).

It is, however, the home of long odds, frazzled nerves and aching muscles.

Wednesday morning at Orange Country National Golf Club, located in a small central Florida town just outside Orlando, a field of 166 players will begin six rounds -- that's 108 holes -- of competition. From that sizable field, only the top 25 finishers and ties are rewarded with exempt status for next year's PGA Tour schedule.

"I know what I need to do to get my job back," said James Driscoll, who lost his PGA Tour card this year after four of five seasons in the big leagues.

Qualifying comes along only once a year. And while the eventual winner collects $50,000, no one is here to play for the money. They are playing for a chance to compete next year on the big stage -- for the money.

 

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Source: http://golf.fanhouse.com/2010/11/30/pga-tour-q-school-always-educational/

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Billy Mayfair Back to Future at Q School

Filed under: PGA, Nationwide Tour

WINTER GARDEN, Fla. -- PGA Tour Qualifying School cares little about history.

Last year does not exist. At Q School it's here and now -- or not at all.

Otherwise, there's no way to explain 22-year veteran Billy Mayfair -- five career wins and more than $18 million in earnings -- showing up this week at Orange Country National for the final stage of the annual qualifying process.

Again.

Yeah, Mayfair has gone through the six-round marathon before. Once -- 22 years ago immediately after coming out of Arizona State.

Since then the 1988 U.S. Amateur winner has been one of the PGA Tour's Steady Eddies. After advancing in his only previous trip through qualifying, Mayfair has played 673 PGA Tour events, been in the money 423 times and recorded 69 top 10s.

Mayfair won his first professional tournament in 1993 by beating Mark Calcavecchia and Ted Schulz in a playoff in Milwaukee. He became the only tour player to beat Tiger Woods in a playoff when he took him down in extra holes at the 1998 Nissan Open in Valencia, Calif. He won the 1995 Tour Championship.

And in 2006 he beat testicular cancer.

 

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Source: http://golf.fanhouse.com/2010/12/03/billy-mayfair-back-to-future-at-q-school/

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Injury Central: Antonio Gates Inactive, Brandon Marshall Active for Week 14

Filed under: NFL Injury Report

Stop me if you've heard this one before: Antonio Gates will be a game-time decision on Sunday.

Gates missed practice on Wednesday, but then said "something would have to be really, really hurting for me not to go," speaking about the Chargers' huge game against Kansas City.

Then he missed practice on Thursday.

Same again on Friday, no practice for Gates.

Now, Gates is sounding a little hesitant about his status for Week 14 because of his bum foot. "I don't know. It's rough. I couldn't go today," said Gates.

Last week on Saturday the Chargers' website said that Gates would not play and then he broke off six catches for 73 yards and a touchdown. I can honestly say I have no idea what Gates will do. You're going to have to wait until almost game time to find out which direction from questionable Gates will go.

Update: Antonio Gates is INACTIVE for Week 14.

Source: http://fantasyfootball.fanhouse.com/2010/12/12/injury-central-antonio-gates-brandon-marshall-questionable-for/

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Brandon Spikes' Suspension Reportedly From ADHD Medication

Filed under: Patriots

Patriots' linebacker Brandon Spikes' four-game suspension came not for a steroid, but for an attention deficit and hyperactivity drug, Comcast Sports New England is reporting.

A source told CSNNE that Spikes tested positive for amphetamines, which are one of the ingredients in Adderall and other drugs used to combat ADHD. Amphetamines are considered a performance enhancer by the NFL , MLB and other professional sports organizations, but players can apply for a waiver allowing them to use ADHD medications if they are diagnosed with the condition.

"I've been contacted by the NFL and informed that I will be suspended (four) games for the detection of an illegal substance in a drug test," Spikes said in a statement. "The substance was a medication that I should have gotten clarification on before taking. It was not a performance enhancer or an illegal drug. The integrity of the game is very important to me. I understand the league's ruling and apologize to my teammates, the fans and the Patriots organization for this mistake."

Source: http://nfl.fanhouse.com/2010/12/11/brandon-spikes-suspension-reportedly-from-adhd-medication/

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Metrodome Roof Inflated By Dangerous Air of Uncertainty

Filed under: Giants, Vikings, NFC East, NFC North

The videotape of the collapse of the roof in the Metrodome in Minneapolis Sunday resembles in some respects the film of the Hindenburg zeppelin burning in 1937 in Lakehurst, N.J.

The Hindenburg disaster was far worse because 36 people were killed; nobody died or got hurt in the Metrodome Sunday when the roof collapsed under the weight of snow. But the visual records make a similar impact on viewers because they will linger in memory as markers of the end of their eras.

The Hindenburg disaster ended the use of hydrogen-powered airships for passenger travel. The roof collapse at the Metrodome -- the fourth in its history -- showed again why air-supported stadium roofs were a cutting-edge technology of the late 20th Century that quickly came and went.

Sunday's collapse was not the worst such event. Twenty-five years ago, a similar avalanche in a similar stadium -- the Pontiac Silverdome, built by the same general contractor -- could have killed many people if it had occurred seven hours later, during a basketball game.

"That is not a model of a building they are building anymore," said John C. Mozena, a spokesman for the Silverdome, which is north of Detroit. "And there's a reason for that."

 

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Source: http://nfl.fanhouse.com/2010/12/12/metrodome-roof-inflated-by-a-dangerous-air-of-uncertainty/

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Diego Maradona Linked to Iran Coaching Position

Filed under: Argentina

The future of Argentine soccer great Diego Maradona's coaching career has been juicy water cooler gossip in recent months, with the 50-year-old throwing his name in the ring for seemingly every high-profile opening, from Aston Villa in August to Boca Juniors just last week.

If you're to trust the motions of Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's noggin, however, Maradona just might end up plying his trade in the Middle East.

The headline, "President Ahmadinejad: Maradona might be head coach of the national team," was plastered on the front page of Iranian daily Ebtekar on Monday after Ahmadinejad nodded in response to a question about Maradona becoming Iran's new coach, according to a Reuters report.

Ahmadinejad was present at a ceremony honoring medalists from the recent Asian Games in China when he was prodded about Maradona.

An admirer of Cuban leader Fidel Castro and Venezuela President Hugo Chavez, Maradona likened Ahmadinejad to the two controversial politicians in 2007 when he sent an autographed shirt to Iran.

"I've already met Fidel and Chavez ... now I need to meet your president. I'd like to meet Ahmadinejad," he said at the time, according to Reuters.


Maradona with Castro (left) in 2005 and Chavez (right) in 2010

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Iran has qualified for three World Cups: 1978, 1998 and 2006.

A polarizing figure with an image marred by drug use and public outbursts, the 50-year-old Maradona has been actively pursuing coaching vacancies since guiding his native Argentina to the quarterfinals of this past summer's World Cup in South Africa. The Argentine Football Federation declined to renew his contract after the tournament.

He is widely considered one of the greatest players of all-time, having captained Argentina to the 1986 World Cup title.

 

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Source: http://soccer.fanhouse.com/2010/12/06/diego-maradona-linked-to-iran-coaching-position/

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Cam Newton Wins Heisman Trophy

Filed under: Auburn, Heisman

Cam Newton, the quarterback for Auburn University, has won the 2010 Heisman Trophy.

Newton beat out worthy adversaries -- LaMichael James of Oregon, Andrew Luck of Stanford and Kellen Moore of Boise State -- in landslide fashion. He ended with 2,263 points. Luck was the runner-up with 1,079 points and James finished third with 916. Moore amassed 635.

Broken down regionally, Newton won each and every one, including the Far West.

There were 105 ballots that completely omitted Newton's name, but he was the first place vote on 93 percent of the ballots.

Newton has led Auburn to a 13-0 record and a berth in the BCS Championship game, which will be played Jan. 10 in Glendale, Ariz.

The 6-foot-6 junior from College Park, Ga., led the nation in passer efficiency rating (188.2) and was second in rushing touchdowns (20). He completed 165 of his 246 passes for 2,589 yards and 28 touchdowns against just six interceptions. He ran the ball 242 times for 1,409 yards and the aforementioned 20 scores. He amassed six 100-yard rushing games and two 300-yard passing games.

Newton becomes the third player in Auburn history to win the coveted award, joining Bo Jackson (1985) and Pat Sullivan (1971). Jackson was on-hand for his Silver Anniversary to see Newton crowned. With three, Auburn now only trails Notre Dame (seven), Ohio State (seven), USC (six) and Oklahoma (five) in Heisman Trophy winners.

The last two winners -- and three of the last four -- have now come from the SEC.

This also marks the second consecutive season the award has gone to a player from a school in the state of Alabama. Mark Ingram of Alabama won the 2009 Trophy.

 

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Source: http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2010/12/11/cam-newton-wins-heisman-trophy/

Kate Beckinsale Kate Bosworth Kate Groombridge Kate Hudson Kate Mara

FanHouse TV: Winter Meetings Losers

Filed under: Angels, Blue Jays, Orioles, Rangers, Rays, Twins, Yankees, AL East, MLB Video, MLB Hot Stove, MLB Free Agency, Executive Take, MLB Winter Meetings

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- A few teams came up big this week Winter Meetings at Disney World. Others simply stood pat, either hampered by financial restrictions or choosing to wait until later in the offseason to make their moves. Then there were the teams that were hurt by events at the Swan and Dolphin Resort. FanHouse TV's Dan Graziano and Steve Phillips try to identify the latter group as they present this week's losers.

 

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Source: http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2010/12/09/fanhouse-tv-winter-meetings-losers/

Kristen Bell Kristin Cavallari Kristin Kreuk Kristy Swanson Kylie Bax

College Hockey Weekly: Boston 'W' Party

Filed under: College Hockey

Each week, FanHouse takes a look at what's going on in college hockey.

This weekend, a storied college rivalry gets the spotlight, as Michigan and Michigan State meet at Michigan Stadium Saturday.

Last weekend, another storied rivalry took center stage, as Boston College and Boston University (pictured right in last year's outdoor game at Fenway Park) played a home-and-home series, with both games airing on national television.

As it turned out, the weekend set was dominated by Boston College, as the defending national champions used its main rival to serve notice that it doesn't intend to disappear as easily as BU did in what turned into a futile title defense the previous season.

 

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Source: http://nhl.fanhouse.com/2010/12/09/college-hockey-weekly-boston-w-party/

Mariah Carey Mariah OBrien Marika Dominczyk Marisa Coughlan Marisa Miller

US Soccer President Sunil Gulati At a Loss as Qatar Wins 2022 World Cup Bid

Filed under: FIFA World Cup, International Soccer, US Soccer

WASHINGTON, DC -- My second day at Al Jazeera's TV studio here in the nation's capital got off to a unexpectedly disheartening start.

At least an hour before FIFA overlord Sepp Blatter was scheduled to announce the hosts of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, Qatari bid chairman Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the son of the Emir, was pictured offering his congratulations to the people of Qatar.

"We have won," he declared boldly.

I watched it all on the studio's hi-def monitor.

About 90 minutes later, Al Thani was proven right. Qatar won easily, in fact, defeating the U.S. by a wide margin through four rounds of voting. (The moment sinks in, above). Qatar's oil-soaked thumb print clearly was on the pulse of the FIFA executive committee. In contrast, the U.S. never found its rhythm.

 

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Source: http://soccer.fanhouse.com/2010/12/02/us-soccer-president-sunil-gulati-at-a-loss-as-qatar-wins-2022-wo/

The Pussycat Dolls Thora Birch Tila Tequila Tina Fey Tricia Helfer

Cliff Lee Negotiations Heat Up, Rangers Make 'Substantial' Offer

Filed under: Rangers, MLB Free Agency

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) -- Texas Rangers owner Chuck Greenberg traveled to Arkansas on Thursday and presented Cliff Lee with an offer in an attempt to persuade the prized pitcher to remain with the team he helped reach the World Series.

Greenberg, Rangers assistant general manager Thad Levine and co-chairman Ray Davis, a pipeline billionaire, met with Lee, the pitcher's wife and agent Darek Braunecker at the agent's office.

"We made an offer with substantial additional commitments in years and dollars," Greenberg said. "It was a very constructive conversation."

Before Thursday, the Rangers had asked Lee to tell them what it would take to for him to stay in Texas, which acquired from Seattle in July.

The New York Yankees added a year to their offer earlier in the day, proposing a seven-year contract for the 2008 AL Cy Young Award winner. On Wednesday, the Yankees had offered a six-year deal worth $137.5 million to $140 million.

 

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Source: http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2010/12/09/texas-rangers-push-to-keep-cliff-lee/

Jessica Cauffiel Jessica Paré Jessica Simpson Jessica White Jill Arrington

Brad Keselowski Gets Nationwide Crew Chief Paul Wolfe for Cup Team

Filed under: Crew Chiefs, Sprint Cup, NASCAR

No driver competing in NASCAR's two top series showed greater disparity in results in 2010 than Brad Keselowski, who won the Nationwide series championship with six victories while eking out a couple of top-10 finishes in a forgettable Sprint Cup campaign.

Both cars came from Penske Racing, and when Roger Penske is involved, nonperformance won't stand.

Thus, the organization announced Tuesday that Paul Wolfe, Keselowski's championship-winning crew chief in Nationwide, has been promoted to become his Sprint Cup crew chief, replacing Jay Guy.

In addition to the six victories and the championship, Keselowski and Wolfe scored 29 top-10 finishes in 35 races. Twenty six of those were top fives -- a series single-season record. He also won five poles, led 1,147 laps and had an average finish of 5.2.

By contrast, in his Sprint Cup car, Keselowski had no victories, one pole position, no top fives and just two top 10s -- 10th-place finishes at Martinsville and Talladega late in the season. He led 41 laps and had an average finish of 22.4.

 

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Source: http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2010/11/30/brad-keselowski-gets-nationwide-crew-chief-paul-wolfe-for-cup-te/

Janet Jackson January Jones Jennie Finch Jennifer Aniston Jennifer Gareis

Carl Crawford, BoSox Line Up Perfectly

Filed under: Red Sox, Yankees, MLB Rumors, MLB Video, MLB Inside Scoop, Executive Take, MLB Winter Meetings

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- The Red Sox-Yankees rivalry never gets boring, does it? Boston fired the latest salvo in the yearly offseason war for the best talent in baseball by signing Carl Crawford to a seven-year, $142 million contract. FanHouse TV's Dan Graziano and Steve Phillips examine where Crawford will slot in the lineup, and what the Yankees have to do now to respond.

 

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Source: http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2010/12/09/carl-crawford-bosox-line-up-perfectly/

Kat Von D Kate Beckinsale Kate Bosworth Kate Groombridge Kate Hudson

Tiger Woods' Chevron World Challenge Offers Final Chance for 2010 Win

Filed under: PGA

The top two golf tours have officially moved into the off-season. So how do you get 18 of the world's best golfers to spend their time off taking part in another tournament? Put together a prize pool of $5 million and guarantee a minimum take home of $150,000. That's exactly what's on the line this week at the Chevron World Challenge in California.

Tiger Woods created this tournament in 1999 to benefit his Tiger Woods Foundation, and this will be the first time in three years that he has taken part. Knee surgery kept him out in 2008 and injuries from his car accident sidelined him a year ago. Although it won't count as an official tour victory, a win this week would keep Tiger from being shutout in 2010. Sherwood Country Club gives him as good a chance as any course. He is a four-time winner and three-time runner up in the 11-year history of this event.

Tiger enters the week as the highest ranked player in the field with Lee Westwood not participating. World No. 3 Martin Kaymer also decided to stay home following his European Tour championship last week in Dubai -- but five of his tour competitors have made the long trek from Europe, including a couple of his Ryder Cup teammates. Graeme McDowell and Ian Poulter caught a 16.5-hour direct flight to Los Angeles shortly after the Dubai World Championship ended.

Jet lag might be the only thing that can slow down Poulter right now, although his busy travel schedule doesn't seem to be having any negative effects. The Englishman was a playoff away at Dubai from entering this tournament coming off back-to-back wins. He said last week that he has felt very comfortable on the course and it's showing.

 

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Source: http://golf.fanhouse.com/2010/12/01/tiger-woods-chevron-world-challenge-offers-final-chance-for-201/

Joanne Montanez Jodi Lyn OKeefe Jolene Blalock Jordana Brewster Josie Maran

Stanley Robinson Hospitalized Due to Staph Infection

Filed under: Magic, NBA D-League, Rio Grande Valley Vipers

Stanley Robinson, selected by the Orlando Magic with the 59th overall pick in this year's NBA Draft, has endured some difficult situations in his young basketball career.

As a junior at the University of Connecticut, Robinson had to take a semester off of school to go to work in an industrial plant so that he was better able to provide for his two young daughters. Following his senior season, Robinson was projected as a possible first-round pick before falling to the penultimate pick of the draft. Robinson then looked like he'd be on the Magic's opening-day roster, but the team surprisingly cut him while electing to keep Malik Allen -- despite the fact that Orlando wasn't over the 15-player maximum and could have kept Robinson on a minimum-salary contract.

The latest setback might be the worst, however.

Robinson, a 6-foot-9 forward, was recently acquired by the Houston Rockets' NBA D-League affiliate Rio Grande Valley Vipers and playing well as he scored 22 points and added five rebounds, two steals and a block in just 18 minutes of action for the club in his second game with the team.

Shortly thereafter, however, Robinson's foot began hurting him. After being limited to just nine minutes in a Vipers' victory on Tuesday, Robinson found that the pain in his foot had been caused by a staph infection, leading to him being admitted to the hospital.

 

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Source: http://nba.fanhouse.com/2010/12/11/stanley-robinson-hospitalized-due-to-staph-infection/

Erica Leerhsen Erika Christensen Estella Warren Esther Cañadas Eva Green