My Sports News Digest

MySportNews іѕ a sports news digest publication that compiles real time, on demand sports news, articles, аnd resources. This article was distributed by Syndicated Sports news wire and aggregation service, For more college football news see: PSU’s Paterno, Spanier each made over M in 2011 .

San Antonio (NBA/Moore) – The San Antonio Spurs beat the Utah Jazz 106-91 Sunday in Game 1 of their first round series, behind 28 points and 8 assists from Tony Parker. The Spurs have taken a 1-0 lead in their best-of-seven series.

For San Antonio, it was a way to wipe clean the memories of last year’s embarrassing first-round loss to the Grizzlies and get a win in the first game on their home floor. They lead throughout the game and while Utah hung in there, the Spurs busted it open in the third, and were able to close the game out when the Jazz had cut the lead to ten in the fourth.

For the Jazz, it could have been much worse. They showed that they can hang, but thy also have several talent issues which are likely to restrict them from being able to get past San Antonio and may keep it from being a competitive series. Jazz coach Ty Corbin made a serious error in starting Josh Howard over DeMarre Carroll, who had given the Jazz a serious lift over the past several weeks. Howard came out and badly missed his first two shots, and the stage was set.

The Jazz face an interesting dilemma against San Antonio. Their strength is in their frontcourt, but the Spurs are more than willing to bring double-teams. The Jazz kicked out to shooters but Gordon Hayward and Devin Harris missed open looks on the perimeter. As a result, the Jazz offense stalled. The bigger problem, though, may be that Tim Duncan was able to play Al Jefferson to a standstill, and Paul Millsap didn’t dominate in his matchups versus Matt Bonner and DeJuan Blair. Millsap has 20 points, 9 rebounds and 3 blocks… and it still wasn’t enough. The Jazz honestly have to run all their offense through Millsap to get the pressure off Jefferson and spread the floor.

For San Antonio, just about what you would expect. Tony Parker dominated his matchup against Devin Harris, getting in the lane and hitting soft runners and jumpers, and Manu Ginobili owned Gordon Hayward, getting whatever he wanted whenever he wanted. He made several great plays, dishing over his shoulder to Tim Duncan and getting out in transition for dunks (including one miss, but we won’t talk about that). The Spurs’ perimeter bench attack didn’t even get involved that much outside of Stephen Jackson’s 14.

Basically, the Spurs won in just about every phase of the game. Turns out they’re the better team, funnily enough. Utah showed some things to suggest they might be able to steal one if they can get hot, but the Spurs showed that there is no let up from them against a weaker opponent. It’s just Game 1. But every indication is that there will be no upset this year.

The Spurs are in the space they need to be.

MySportNews іѕ a sports news digest publication that compiles real time, on demand sports news, articles, аnd resources. This article was distributed by Syndicated Sports news wire and aggregation service, For more NBA news see: Spurs have all the answers in win over Jazz.

NEW YORK – Chris Kreider fidgeted with the black lid he was donning, the chapeau handed out to the New York Rangers player of the game after each Broadway Blueshirt victory.

“It’s a little small,” he admitted.

Unlike his impact, which has been huge.

The headpiece he was wearing is known inside the New York Rangers dressing room as The Broadway Hat, which was purchased by Brad Richards during the team’s early season trip to Europe to honour the guy who makes the biggest splash in the course of a win.

At this rate, Kreider might be keeping the thing permanently.

For a kid like this to score his second game-winning goal in the span of just three playoff outings is the kind of Cinderella story you might only find under the bright lights and beckoning stages of Broadway, which is just a short breakaway from Madison Square Garden.

As Frank Sinatra once said of New York: “If you can make it there, you can make it anywhere …”

Ol’ Blue Eyes was right on the mark. Chris Kreider is prime evidence of that.

Having helped Boston College to an NCAA hockey title earlier this month, Kreider ripped a slapshot past Washington Capitals goalie Braden Holtby on Saturday afternoon to snap a 1-1 tie at 7:00 of the third period.

Less than two minutes later, here was this raw rookie again, setting up Richards for the insurance tally in a 3-1 Rangers win that gave New York a 1-0 lead in this best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinal.

When the Rangers inked him just days after he had helped BC to a national title, they knew they were getting a first-round pick with speed and size. But to be such a difference maker this quickly in the pressure cooker of the NHL playoffs, well, this is the type of script you might only find at one of the stage shows that take place at the many nearby theatres just off Times Square.

In the process, he has become a fan favourite here, not an easy feat when you consider this was just his sixth career NHL game. Try imagining the goosebumps that must have been sprouting all over his 20-year-old body when the capacity throng at the World’s self-proclaimed Most Famous Arena started chanting his name in unison after he had given the Rangers the lead for good.

“It’s kind of crazy,” Kreider said when asked about what it was like to hear the love being thrown his way by the fans.

“It’s hard to believe (the NCAA title) was only three weeks ago.”

His life has changed oh, so much since then.

In Game 6 of the Rangers first-round series against the Ottawa Senators, he scored the winner against Sens goalie Craig Anderson. Now, just two games later, he did it again, this time against a shaky Holtby.

“He has no fear. That’s what I like about him,” coach John Tortorella said. “The biggest thing is his mindset. He’s not here to test the waters. He’s here to make a difference.”

He’s done exactly that.

“I don’t think it’s been an overwhelming situation, maybe aside from the media, just because the way the guys have been, how the front office has been and, obviously, how my friends at home and BC have been. It’s just hockey. It’s the same game I’ve played, just at a higher level,” Kreider said.

Given the eye-glazing product these two teams produced on this sun-splashed New York afternoon, considering this boring example of non-entertainment “a higher level” might not be an applicable description.

The two teams combined for just 32 shots, with 18 of those produced by Washington. Through the first 31 minutes of regulation, in fact, the Rangers had fired just five at Holtby.

No matter. New York scored three times on its first 12 shots, including questionable goals by Richards and Artem Anisimov that found their way through Holtby’s five hole.

“Obviously I wasn’t real happy with (my game),” Holtby said. “It’s a tough game to stay into, mental-wise (because of the inactivity) and I didn’t do a good enough job of it.”

Chris Kreider certainly did. And he was wearing The Broadway Hat afterward to prove it.

mike.zeisberger@sunmedia.ca

twitter.com/zeisberger

MySportNews іѕ a sports news digest publication that compiles real time, on demand sports news, articles, аnd resources. This article was distributed by Syndicated Sports news wire and aggregation service, For more NHL hockey news see: Rangers post win over Caps.

HAZELWOOD, Mo. — When it’s time to leave work, David Backes is the kind of person that leaves it all at the office — or rink, in his case.

At least most of the time.

Backes, the Blues’ center and first-year captain, prefers to devote his time and attention to wife Kelly and their pets. Both are advocates for various charities, including David’s Dogs and Kelly’s Kats. These organizations work to get needy stray pets placed in loving homes, as well as raise money for various shelters and animal-awareness campaigns. It’s part of who Backes and his wife are away from the rink.

But at home?

“At home we don’t talk a whole lot of hockey,” Backes said Monday. “When I’m here for four hours a day, it’s pretty intense decision-making and going through the paces and getting things done. When I get home, it’s nice to have a little retreat. … It [hockey] takes me away from her. But she played in high school and there are times I do need to vent to her. She’s pretty good at keeping me level-headed and talking me off the ledge. It’s a lot of self-reflecting, and the coaching staff and some of the other leaders I think would be the guys that I really hash it out with.”

Backes was named as one of three finalists Monday [along with Boston's Patrice Bergeron and Detroit's Pavel Datsyuk] for the Frank J. Selke Trophy, which is given to the NHL forward who demonstrates the most skill in the defensive component of the game. He’s the heart-and-soul of a Blues team that has flown under the radar all season long.

He typifies what underrated means in the utmost fashion.

“It’s quite an honor and a humbling regard to be seen in that light by the writers and the guys voting on it,” Backes said. “That being said, it’s not singular. I feel a lot of debt to guys like T.J. Oshie, who I play almost every shift with. Some of the other guys that play the left side like [Alexander] Steen, David Perron, the defensemen, the goalies … they’ve all chipped in to create that atmosphere for good team success, and then comes in individual honors like that.”

Blues coach Ken Hitchcock said of the award, “That’s one of the most valuable awards in the League. That went from a checking award to now a two-way award. You look at the players that are there, they’re 200-foot players.

“Every player that gets nominated now is a guy that’s able to contribute offensively, but is a conscientious two-way performer. I’m really proud of him because he personifies the way we want to play the game, the way our team wants to play the game, the way we want to be seen in the NHL. To me, he carries the mantle. I think that award is almost as valuable as the Most Valuable Player award. I really believe that. I believe anybody that wins that award, with the way the game of hockey’s played right now, that’s a significant award to win because it’s now being looked at in a different environment. … It was a checking award [in the past], it was a shutdown award and now it’s changed. I’m really proud of David on that.”

Backes’ style of play doesn’t fit the bio of most NHL captains. He’s not among the leading scorers nor does he fill up the stat leader boards — even though he paced the Blues with 24 goals and tied Oshie for the top spot with 54 points. But his will, determination and leading-by-example style at both ends of the ice is what exemplifies what his teammates see.

“Not really a rah-rah guy,” Oshie said. “He says stuff when it needs to be said. He gives guys the normal talk that [Barret Jackman] does or that [Jamie Langenbrunner] gives. He doesn’t go overboard. He’s mostly a lead-by-example guy and he does that very well.

“… I think the one big step that he’s taken is how unselfish he is. You want to look to your leader and know that that guy’s going to go to work for you and a guy’s going to do anything for you when it comes down to it. He does that. He’s taken on a role right now where they’re telling him that, ‘Hey, you’re not going to get 10 scoring chances a night. We need you to defend the top line,’ because he’s our best checker. He’s our best down-low guy in the defensive zone. He’s taken pride in that, but it’s a hard thing because everyone wants to score goals. He’s taken pride in shutting down their top line from scoring. You can’t do anything but gain respect from your team when you do something like that.”

It’s the only way Backes knows how to do things.

“I’ve always been a believer that you can yell and talk and rah-rah all you want, but unless you’re out there being the first guy in the battle and leading by example, those words fall on deaf ears,” Backes said. “That’s kind of my thing. If we have a tough period, for me to come into the locker room and scream and yell and try to get guys going that way, to me, it’s wasted energy. I need to be the first one on the ice for the first shift to set the example and lead that way. It’s a lot more effective way than the verbiage.”

Backes doesn’t mind that he’s not among the League’s top scorers. If he can step onto the ice and shut those players down and help his team win games, that’s what satisfies him most on those drives home.

“We’re an evolution, at least where St. Louis Blues hockey is going … we don’t have guys that are going to put up 100 points a year, score 60 goals a year,” Backes said. “We need complete players that are hard to play against at both ends, being responsible in the defensive end. Trying to create turnovers that turn into offense has been a focal point. It’s going to have to continue to be a focal point.”

Hitchcock said Backes could be one of those elite-number players.

“He could be a different player. He could get more points, but we probably wouldn’t get as many wins if he got more points. He’s bit the bullet in some areas so that the team can win. We’re really happy for him.” - Blues coach Ken Hitchcock

“He could be a different player,” Hitchcock said. “He could get more points, but we probably wouldn’t get as many wins if he got more points. He’s bit the bullet in some areas so that the team can win. We’re really happy for him.”

Backes, 27, said he’s learned a lot this season. Leaning on players like Jackman, Langenbrunner, Andy McDonald, Steen, Jason Arnott and Scott Nichol, among others, has helped him fit into a role the Blues will need him to fill for years to come.

“It’s been quite a year,” Backes said. “There’s been a lot of learning with the captain role, but I think still growing as a player altogether. There’s a lot of things that I’ve learned that … whether I’m going to state them all or not, I think there’s a lot of things that we’ve done very well this year, but there’s some things that will change in the future that I’ve learned we’ll be better off in the future from going through a few trials and tribulations.”

Being named captain, Backes forever will be grouped with names like Brian Sutter, Bernie Federko, Brett Hull, Al MacInnis, Chris Pronger and Wayne Gretzky. But one thing those great names never were able to accomplish that Backes hopefully will get a chance to do with a younger and promising team: win the Stanley Cup. It would be quite the honor.

“I think we’re a ways away from that,” Backes said of thinking about his place in the organization’s history. “If something like that happens … those things don’t sink in until I think you’re maybe not even playing. The accomplishments, the accolades as they’re happening, you’ve got to take them in stride because you start thinking too good about yourself and you start to dip a little bit.

“We’ll just keep pushing forward and then when all is said and done and I’m sitting at home one day, we’ll think about how good one instance was or how impressive what we were able to do was.”

MySportNews іѕ a sports news digest publication that compiles real time, on demand sports news, articles, аnd resources. This article was distributed by Syndicated Sports news wire and aggregation service, For more NHL news see: Team goals take priority over individual for Backes.

MySportNews іѕ a sports news digest publication that compiles real time, on demand sports news, articles, аnd resources. This article was distributed by Syndicated Sports news wire and aggregation service, For more NBA news see: Lakers get huge double overtime win over Thunder…. without Harden.

MySportNews іѕ a sports news digest publication that compiles real time, on demand sports news, articles, аnd resources. This article was distributed by Syndicated Sports news wire and aggregation service, For more MLS news see: Pontius scores in United Win Over Revs .

MILWAUKEE (CBB/Rivals) Jarrod Uthoff is scheduled to meet with Wisconsin officials on Thursday, hoping to resolve a dispute over restrictions the school has placed on the freshman forward’s list of potential transfer destinations.

Uthoff said school officials have notified him that he is not allowed contact with several of the high-profile programs he had hoped to speak to about a potential transfer. Uthoff is appealing the school’s decision.

“I just want to explore my options,” Uthoff said Wednesday evening, in a telephone interview with The Associated Press.

Uthoff’s dispute with Wisconsin took an odd turn Wednesday when The Gazette of Cedar Rapids, Iowa reported that school officials had misplaced a letter he was required to file to appeal the decision.

Uthoff told the that he had a friend deliver the letter to the office of associate athletic director Justin Doherty before the deadline and a secretary put it in his mailbox.

“Apparently, he didn’t check his mailbox,” Uthoff said.

Doherty said the person who dropped off Uthoff’s letter at his office last week didn’t explain its importance or time-sensitive nature. After Doherty and other athletic department staff met with Uthoff to figure out what had happened, Doherty looked in his mailbox and found the letter.

Now Uthoff will meet with Doherty on Thursday regarding his appeal.

“Jarrod is going to be afforded the normal, NCAA-described appeal process,” Doherty said.

Although his appeal now is back on track, it was another example of Uthoff finding out that he isn’t entirely in control of his search for a new school.

Uthoff’s former AAU coach, Jamie Johnson, said earlier Wednesday that Uthoff recently told Wisconsin officials he intends to transfer and submitted a list of approximately 25 schools he hoped to talk to. Johnson said Wisconsin denied permission to more than half of the programs on Uthoff’s list.

Johnson said Iowa’s “Mr. Basketball” from 2011 was optimistic about his appeal.

“He’s hopeful,” Johnson said. “I think he’s surprised at what has transpired.”

Johnson said Uthoff will visit Creighton, one of the schools approved by Wisconsin.

Earlier, the 6-foot-8 forward told an Iowa-based high school sports website, metrosportsreport.com, that Badgers coach Bo Ryan has placed every Big Ten and ACC school, plus Iowa State and Marquette, on the list of schools that can’t contact him.

According to the site, Uthoff said he would consider making an appeal to the NCAA if his appeals to Wisconsin don’t work.

“We’ll see. I might,” he told the site.

NCAA rules allow a player to transfer, requiring them to sit out a year in most cases. But as Uthoff’s situation shows, the process can be more complicated than simply finding a new school and filling out some forms. According to the NCAA’s website, most transfers also require a “permission-to-contact” letter from the current school to the new school.

According to a student-athlete handbook posted on Wisconsin’s website, a player who intends to transfer must make a written request to the school’s director of compliance for permission to speak to another institution or use the transfer exception. A coach may deny permission, and the student-athlete can appeal.

“Appeals related to the denial, by a coach, of a student-athlete’s request to contact another institution or to use the one-time transfer exception, begin with a written request to the sport administrator for the student-athlete’s team,” the handbook says.

If the sport administrator upholds the coach’s decision, the student-athlete can appeal to athletic director Barry Alvarez. If Alvarez upholds the decision, the student-athlete can make a request to the chair of the athletic board for an appeal committee hearing that will determine “whether the athletic director‘s decision was reasonable.”

According to the handbook, the appeal committee’s decision is final and not subject to further review.

Although Uthoff isn’t yet a high-profile player – he redshirted as a freshman last season – his situation is gaining national attention. ESPN analyst Jay Bilas posted on his Twitter account that “Wisconsin restricting Jarrod Uthoff’s transfer is simply wrong. There is no legit reason for a school to control a player’s destination.”

Johnson wonders why players don’t have more freedom to switch schools when there are few such restrictions on coaches and athletic directors.

“I guess I don’t understand how ADs can job-hop and coaches can job-hop … It seems like there’s a double standard out there,” Johnson said.

And Johnson doesn’t understand why Wisconsin might be worried about Uthoff going to another marquee program.

“If you end up playing (against) him, just try to beat that team,” Johnson said.

Johnson said Uthoff wants to transfer because he felt he didn’t fit in with the Badgers’ style of play.

His advice to Uthoff this time around?

“Take your time this time,” Johnson said. “Don’t rush into anything.”

Johnson, a coach with the Iowa Barnstormers program, calls Ryan and assistant Greg Gard “good guys” and says he wouldn’t necessarily discourage future recruits from considering Wisconsin.

“At the same time, I hope cooler heads prevail,” Johnson said.

MySportNews іѕ a sports news digest publication that compiles real time, on demand sports news, articles, аnd resources. This article was distributed by Syndicated Sports news wire and aggregation service, For more NCAA basketball news see: Uthoff, Wisconsin at odds over potential transfer .

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell told Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton on Wednesday that there would be “serious consequences” for the Vikings if a stadium bill is not completed.

A Minnesota House committee voted down a bill on Monday that would have provided for a new stadium at the site of the Metrodome, leaving the Vikings’ long-term fate up in the air. The team is committed to playing in the Metrodome for the 2012 season, even though its lease expired last year.

According to the St. Paul Pioneer-Press, Eric Grubman, the NFL’s executive vice president of ventures and business operations, said the situation was “ripe for change.”

“I don’t know if that means a sale. I don’t know if that means a move. You have a very dejected ownership,” Grubman said.

In an interview with the Minnesota Star Tribune, Grubman said “there are plenty of willing buyers.”

“I think the Wilfs do not want to sell the franchise, but I think there is a point where they probably would be open-minded to listening to alternatives,” he said. “To my knowledge, they have not been willing to do that at this point … I doubt the commissioner would put probablilities or threaten or anything like that. But I would not be surprised if the commissioner tells the governor, if he asks, what other cities are interested in the Vikings because we are aware of that.”

If a deal isn’t reached this year for a new stadium in Minnesota, Grubman said he believes the league’s criteria for approving relocation of the franchise would be met.

“Who’s holding this up?” Grubman asked. “Who doesn’t want this to be voted on? Stand up and be counted.”

Roger Chamberlain, a state senator who introduced a competing bill to shift much of the stadium cost from the taxpayers to the Vikings, answered the league’s concern.

“It’s disappointing to think the NFL or the Vikings are driving policy for Minnesota government,” Chamberlain wrote in an email. “They need to be willing to come back to the table and negotiate. The Vikings and NFL are in a much better financial position than our state.”

Dayton holds out hope a bill can be reached this year, if not before the end of the session, then perhaps in a special session after the November elections.

Goodell has another phone call scheduled for Thursday with Dayton and Pittsburgh Steelers president Art Rooney II, who chairs the league’s stadium committee.

MySportNews іѕ a sports news digest publication that compiles real time, on demand sports news, articles, аnd resources. This article was distributed by Syndicated Sports news wire and aggregation service, For more NFL news see: Goodell: Minn. faces ‘serious consequences’ over stadium bill.