Terry Pegula Close to Sabres Purchase

Filed under: Sabres, Eastern, NHL Economics

As the NHL prepares to return from their All-Star break with a full slate of games Tuesday night, the Buffalo Sabres appear close to being sold.

Pennsylvania billionaire Terry Pegula signed a purchase agreement Monday, according to TSN. Sabres managing partner Larry Quinn confirmed to The Buffalo News Monday that the team will discuss the sale Thursday.

Reports have Pegula spending around $189 million on the team, which is currently owned by Tom Golisano. He bought the Sabres in 2003, when the team was in bankruptcy, for $92 million. The team has become financially stable under his ownership.

Pegula and his wife are the primary donors involved in Penn State's decision to start a varsity hockey program. Their $88 million donation allows the university to construct a new arena.

 

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Source: http://nhl.fanhouse.com/2011/01/31/terry-pegula-close-to-sabres-purchase/

Jennifer Gimenez Jennifer Love Hewitt Jennifer Morrison Jennifer ODell Jennifer Scholle

Everson Griffen Arrested Twice, Tasered Once in Three Days

Filed under: Vikings

Everson Griffen, the Viking who was a standout at USC, couldn't seem to stay out of trouble while on a recent trip back to California.

Griffen was arrested Monday after police pulled him over by the USC campus. Griffen couldn't produce an ID and reportedly fled on foot at that point, allegedly assaulting an officer in the process, forcing cops to restrain him with a taser. He was arrested for felony battery.

The incident came just three days after Griffen was arrested Friday night in Hollywood for being drunk in public.

Griffen was a fourth-round pick of the Vikings in 2010 after some considered him a first- or second-round prospect. In his rookie season, he appeared in 11 games with 11 total tackles.

 

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Source: http://nfl.fanhouse.com/2011/02/01/everson-griffen-arrested-twice-tasered-once-in-three-days/

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Meyer, ESPN Form Alliance on Their Terms

by Milton Kent

Filed under: Florida, SEC, Media Watch, Sports Business and Media

Here are some things we learned from Monday's conference call to announce ESPN's hiring of Urban Meyer as a college football analyst:

Meyer doesn't want to criticize anyone. And he doesn't want to formally cut his ties to Florida, the school he coached to two national titles before announcing his departure in December. In fact, he apparently wants to continue assisting the school in raising funds, even while he may be called on to comment on the team and school's doings.

And doggone it if it's all OK with ESPN.

In a 30-minute conference call with reporters Monday afternoon, Meyer and Norby Williamson, ESPN's executive vice president for production, discussed the once and almost certainly future coach's role with the Worldwide Leader. Suffice it to say, the terms that were laid out would hardly pass the smell test in any journalism ethics course.

But, then, save for, say, "Outside the Lines," precious little that goes out over the airwaves at ESPN these days bears much connection with solid journalism.

Still, you don't have to be the modern day sports equivalent of Edward R. Murrow to see that allowing a coach who just stepped off the sidelines to maintain any ties with a school, much less the school he just left, raises serious questions about his objectivity and impugns the integrity of the outlet for whom he now works.

 

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Source: http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2011/01/31/meyer-espn-form-alliance-on-their-terms/

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MLS names finalists for end-of-season awards

NEW YORK ? Major League Soccer released the finalists for the league's annual end-of-season awards, including the three finalists for the hotly debated MVP race.Check them out:

Goalkeeper of the Year Finalists
Kevin Hartman (FC Dallas)
Donovan Ricketts (LA Galaxy)
Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake)...

Source: http://dcunited.com/node/13959

Shania Twain Shanna Moakler Shannon Elizabeth Shannyn Sossamon Shiri Appleby

Urban Meyer Joins ESPN as College Football Analyst

Filed under: Florida, Media Watch, Sports Business and Media

Once Urban Meyer stepped down for good as Florida's head football coach in November, the clock began counting down to when some broadcast entity would bring the man who won two national titles in six years into the fold as an analyst. It just seemed too obvious that the youthful, telegenic Meyer would make a pit stop in a booth or studio before heading back to the sidelines.

And sure enough, the most likely suitor, ESPN, announced Monday that it has signed Meyer to join its ranks, with his first appearance coming during Wednesday's marathon ESPNU show for National Signing Day.

Meyer developed a taste for television work after serving as a guest analyst for the Worldwide Leader for the national title game in January. That experience helped Meyer get past a desire he might have had to sit relaxing on his couch for a year or more.

"There's a lot of time, and I don't sit very well and I want to stay around college football," said Meyer on a conference call Monday. "There was time (to ponder sitting out) , but not much time. I was really hoping something like this would materialize after the national championship game."

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More Coverage: Objectivity a Question Mark for Meyer, ESPN

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Source: http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2011/01/31/urban-meyer-joins-espn-as-college-football-analyst/

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Americans Abroad: Clint Dempsey, Jonathan Spector Keep Scoring Goals

Filed under: European Soccer, English Premier League, Bundesliga (Germany), U.S. Men's National Team

Several Americans abroad found net this weekend, a few settled in with new clubs, and one even did both. But amid it all, Clint Dempsey continued to set the gold standard for Yanks abroad.

The Fulham midfielder scored both goals in the Cottagers' 2-0 home win over Stoke City on Saturday, bringing his English Premier League total to eight on the season -- five more than Fulham's second-leading scorer.

The crafty Texan scored the opener in the 33rd minute when, in vintage Dempsey fashion, he launched a goal-crashing run to beat his man to the ball and slide Andy Johnson's cross into the roof of the net (photo).

 

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Source: http://soccer.fanhouse.com/2011/01/24/americans-abroad-clint-dempsey-jonathan-spector-keep-scoring-goals/

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Americans Abroad: Maurice Edu Scores for Rangers

Filed under: European Soccer, International Soccer, English Premier League, La Liga (Spain), Bundesliga (Germany), U.S. Men's National Team

The U.S. national team's central midfield depth chart seems to get more and more crowded by the week.

Presumed starters Jermaine Jones and Michael Bradley recently left less-than-enviable club situations for new homes in the English Premier League, with Blackburn Rovers and Aston Villa (still to be finalized), respectively.

Stuart Holden has been starring at Bolton, Sacha Kljestan has been contributing at Anderlecht, and despite playing different positions for much of their careers, Jonathan Spector and Jonathan Bornstein are getting minutes in the middle for their clubs.

Then there's Ricardo Clark, Benny Feilhaber and José Torres, who went to the World Cup, and up-and-comers like Mikkel Diskerud and Dax McCarty.

Amid it all, Maurice Edu is doing his best to avoid getting lost in the shuffle.

Making his second start for Ranters since returning from a two-month injury layoff, Edu scored the opener in Saturday's 2-1 win over Motherwell in the Scottish League Cup semifinals.

 

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Source: http://soccer.fanhouse.com/2011/01/31/americans-abroad-maurice-edu-scores-for-rangers/

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