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PITTSBURGH -- The 2010 NHL Winter Classic has been moved to an 8:00 p.m. ET start. NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly confirmed the postponement late Friday afternoon.

By moving the game between the Penguins and Capitals from its original 1:00 p.m. ET start, the NHL is avoiding the potentially unseemly sight of more than 60,000 fans waiting out a lengthy rain delay in the stands of Heinz Field. Weather forecasts continue to call for driving rainstorms and unseasonably warm weather on Saturday afternoon.

Gates to Heinz Field will open to the public at 5:30 p.m ET. Weather-related contingencies for the game are still in place for the 8:00 p.m. ET start.

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KINGSTON TECHNOLOGY COMPANY KEY

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Filed under: Bruins, Flyers, Eastern, NHL Playoffs

The hero is wearing a different color sweater and the Philadelphia Flyers have the sort of swagger that may not allow such a sneak attack again -- at least for a very long while.

But on May 14, Simon Gagne sealed one of the most unlikely comebacks in NHL history. His tally with seven minutes left in regulation allowed the Flyers -- who were trailing 3-0 in the second-round series and by the same margin in Game 7 -- to overtake the Boston Bruins with a 4-3 decision.

"It's unbelievable to be part of something like that," said Gagne, now a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning, after the game. "All the guys are happy to be part of something big like that. We didn't do it the easy way, but we are part of history now."

The Other Nominees: Canada-USA Gold Medal Game | Rangers-Flyers for Playoff Spot

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VEECO INSTRUMENTS VARIAN SEMICONDUCTOR EQUIPMENT ASSOCIATES

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Filed under: Celtics, NBA Injuries

Boston's Kevin Garnett could miss two weeks with a strained right calf -- and that's just fine by GM Danny Ainge.

Garnett missed the entire 2009 playoffs with a right knee injury that eventually required surgery, so Ainge was initially concerned after seeing the All-Star forward limp off the court Wednesday in Detroit. But an MRI performed Thursday confirmed the team's postgame prognosis: Garnett suffered a simple muscle injury that's unrelated to his previous ailment.

"It's a muscle injury, a strained calf," said Ainge in a radio interview with Boston's WEEI. "It's actually the softer side of the leg below the knee. It's not anything to do with his knee, which is great news, and it's one of those injuries that he may be out for a couple of weeks at the most. That's my guess. It's always a guess. I'll just say two weeks. I think that's on the conservative side."

Garnett was hurt when he jumped for a dunk with 2:38 left in the first quarter of a 104-92 loss at the Detroit Pistons. The forward, who is averaging 15.4 points and a team-leading 9.8 rebounds, limped down the court before leaving the game.

As Garnett goes on the shelf, Rajon Rondo could return -- although it's unclear if that will be Friday against the New Orleans Hornets or sometime soon after. Rondo has missed the last six games with a sprained ankle.

"Rajon is getting better," Ainge said. "It was a pretty severe sprain. Rajon is in a situation where he could play, but he's in pain still. He has pain on both sides of the ankle and we just don't want to get him back on to the court until he can play hard."

SONIC AUTOMOTIVE SKYWORKS SOLUTIONS

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Filed under: PGA

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. (AP) -- Tiger Woods is starting to look like his old self at the Chevron World Challenge.

Woods got off to a blazing start Friday and played bogey-free in the second round for a 6-under 66 to take a four-shot lead into the weekend of his final tournament of the year.

He was at 13-under 131, his best 36-hole start to the year by six shots.

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APPLIED MATERIALS ARIAN SEMICONDUCTOR EQUIPMENT

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Filed under: Celtics, Heat, Hornets, Lakers, Magic, Nuggets, Rockets, Spurs, NBA All-Star Game, Thunder

Kobe Bryant remains the leading vote-getter for the 2011 NBA All-Star Game with 1,153,694 votes, the league announced Thursday. Dwight Howard (988,572) leads all players in the Eastern Conference, while Miami's LeBron James (969,459) and Dwyane Wade (938,402) place third and fourth in the league.

Bryant, a three-time All-Star MVP (2002, 2007 and 2009), has been voted a starter in each of the last 12 All-Star games, although he missed last season's contest in Dallas due to injury. This season's game will be played Feb. 20 in Los Angeles on Bryant's home court at STAPLES Center. Paper balloting for the All-Star game will continue through Jan. 17, while electronic ballots can be cast through Jan. 23. The starters will be announced on Jan. 27, and the reserves will be announced on Feb. 3.

The latest returns also suggest a passing of the torch in Boston, as Rajon Rondo (777,310) so far has been named on more ballots than any of the Celtics' Big Three of Kevin Garnett (712,555), Paul Pierce (381,348) or Ray Allen (392,441). Rondo and Garnett are second among the East's guards and forwards, respectively, putting them on pace to earn a stating job -- provided they're healthy. Rondo, who's recently missed time with a sprained ankle, is expected to return Friday, but Garnett, who left Wednesday's game with a leg injury, is sidelined indefinitely.

In the West, Kevin Durant (735,521) and Carmelo Anthony (602,516) are the current leaders among forwards, although Pau Gasol (597,201) doesn't have much ground to make up to earn a starting job. Chris Paul (585,690) is second among the West's guards, possessing a healthy lead over Manu Ginobili (403,632).

Yao Ming (376,283), who's already been ruled out for the remainder of the season, is the runaway leader among the West's centers, with Andrew Bynum (376,283) a distant second. If Yao finishes as the top vote-getter at center, NBA commissioner David Stern will name a replacement for his spot on the roster, and the West's coach, currently slated to be Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, will choose a starter.

SPSS SPANSION

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Filed under: Mississippi State, Coaching

Dan Mullen and Mississippi State have agreed to a four-year, $10.6 million contract.

Mullen previously ranked last in the SEC in base salary, but led the Bulldogs to a No. 21 ranking this season behind an 8-4 record. The team improved in most statistical categories in 2010, including points scored and points allowed. The deal includes a $1.4 million buyout.

"I didn't have any doubts we would get it done," MSU athletic director Scott Stricklin said. "We've been to bowl games before and we've been in the Top 25 before but our goal is to build a program that does it consistently. Dan and I share a lot of the same visions and ideas about ways to go about achieving that success. I feel really good about his leadership and am glad we were able to structure this in a way where he has security and he knows we are supportive from a standpoint of facilities, fan support and administrative support. This contract is another example of that commitment."

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SIEMENS CDW

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by Pat Lackey

Filed under: MLB Biz, Sports Business and Media

The amount of money moved between teams via Major League Baseball's revenue sharing decreased slightly in 2010, Maury Brown at the Biz of Baseball reported Wednesday.

$404 million was funneled from the league's big-market teams to those in the smaller markets in 2010, a 6.7 percent decline from the $433 million total in 2009. Brown also reports that total gross revenues for the league increased to $7 billion.

How the $404 million was distributed isn't known, though we do know a bit more about the league's revenue sharing after the massive leak of team's financial documents over the summer. The leak gave some insight into both how much small-market teams like the Pirates, Marlins and Rays take in, as well as how much a larger-market team like the Angels pays out.

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TERADATA TELETECH HOLDINGS

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Filed under: Clippers, Kings

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- The Lakers will continue to get top billing in Los Angeles over the Clippers (and second and maybe third), even with their Christmas Day humbling by the Heat.

But kudos to the other team in La-La land for giving its most-loyal fan base quite the holiday treat in recent weeks, winning five of six games in a stretch that began on Dec. 17 and continued with a 100-99 win over the lowly Sacramento Kings on Monday night at Arco Arena.

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LAM RESEARCH L1 IDENTITY SOLUTIONS

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Filed under: European Soccer, English Premier League

FanHouse has an Arsenal vs. Chelsea live blog that's even better than watching on TV. Follow for minute-by-minute commentary and highlights from the contest courtesy of our friends at FanHouse UK.

Frank Lampard is back in action for The Blues at Emirates Stadium. Both sides have faltered recently and this contest will have implications going forward for a pair of teams with Premier League title hopes.

More FanHouse UK: Arsenal vs. Chelsea Preview | Top 10 Premier League Goals of 2010
More FanHouse Soccer: Americans Aboard | Straus: In Costa Rica, No Pura Vida in Soccer

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EMC FIDELITY NATIONAL INFORMATION SVCS

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Filed under: White Sox

When Bobby Jenks took a pot-shot at Ozzie Guillen's bullpen management Tuesday, it figured to only be a matter of time before the outspoken White Sox manager fired back at his former closer. The return volley did arrive, but instead of coming from Guillen himself, it came in the form of a personal attack on Jenks from Ozzie's son Oney via Oney's Twitter account.

In a series of Tweets, Oney's profane rant accused Jenks of having a drinking problem that affected his pitching and resulted in an incident with a clubhouse attendant. He also accused Jenks of not caring when his poor performances hurt the team, self-diagnosing injuries to stay off the mound, and a host of other similar complaints.

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EMC FIDELITY NATIONAL INFORMATION SVCS

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Filed under: Jets, Vikings, AFC East, NFC North

Brett Favre is expected to be fined within the next 48 hours over sexual harassment allegations raised by Jenn Sterger dating to two years ago, when both worked for the New York Jets. But Favre is not expected to be suspended.

Both ESPN's Adam Schefter and Fox's Jay Glazer have reported that discipline is coming, but that discipline will not include a suspension for the Vikings' season finale on Sunday.

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INFOSYS TECHNOLOGIES INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES

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Filed under: Carl Edwards, Denny Hamlin, Jamie McMurray, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick, Matt Kenseth, Chase for the Sprint Cup, Sprint Cup, NASCAR

Twenty years ago, when I started covering NASCAR stock car racing, the sanctioning body's public relations staff consisted almost exclusively of one man who ran 'his' media centers in the same dictatorial manner that his boss, the late Bill France Jr., ran NASCAR.

That PR guy is now doing hard time in prison, but that's another story. Today, the many-tentacled NASCAR public relations operation is a media bureaucracy -- an endlessly churning mill of facts, figures, videos, press conferences, photos and other information and content.

In their efficiency and zeal, bless their hearts, the PR folks at NASCAR have informed us exactly which five of the season's 36 Sprint Cup races were the best of the year. Although I don't agree with all the choices -- I think the race in Texas last month was one of the best races I've seen in years -- NASCAR says these five were selected "from discussions with the national series director, competition department and NASCAR PR managers."

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DELL CYPRESS SEMICONDUCTOR

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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.

INTEL INSIGHT ENTERPRISES

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Filed under: Carl Edwards, Denny Hamlin, Jamie McMurray, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick, Matt Kenseth, Chase for the Sprint Cup, Sprint Cup, NASCAR

Twenty years ago, when I started covering NASCAR stock car racing, the sanctioning body's public relations staff consisted almost exclusively of one man who ran 'his' media centers in the same dictatorial manner that his boss, the late Bill France Jr., ran NASCAR.

That PR guy is now doing hard time in prison, but that's another story. Today, the many-tentacled NASCAR public relations operation is a media bureaucracy -- an endlessly churning mill of facts, figures, videos, press conferences, photos and other information and content.

In their efficiency and zeal, bless their hearts, the PR folks at NASCAR have informed us exactly which five of the season's 36 Sprint Cup races were the best of the year. Although I don't agree with all the choices -- I think the race in Texas last month was one of the best races I've seen in years -- NASCAR says these five were selected "from discussions with the national series director, competition department and NASCAR PR managers."

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NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS MOTOROLA

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Filed under: Atlanta Falcons, Saints, NFC South

ATLANTA -- When the Falcons beat the Saints 27-24 in overtime on Sept. 26, Atlanta tight end Tony Gonzalez caught eight passes for 110 yards. Six of those grabs converted third down to first down.

The average play was third-and-seven and Matt Ryan, the quarterback, found Gonzalez and kept drives percolating. The thing about the Atlanta tight end is he can catch the ball with a defender breathing down his neck. Coverage is there, but the big mitts snatch it.

Where are you Roman Harper? The Saints strong safety will wear Gonzalez like a glove in Georgia Dome. The Saints are going to have to get off the field on third down and to do that they have to minimize Gonzalez.

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IBASIS HYPERCOM

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Filed under: Navy, San Diego State, Mountain West, Bowl Games

Navy will square off against San Diego State in the Poinsettia Bowl Thursday, Dec. 23 at 8:00 ET in San Diego.

Navy (9-3) comes in having won four in a row and seven of its last eight. The Middies are the nation's fifth-best running team, racking up an average of 288.9 yards per game. They are led by quarterback Ricky Dobbs, who ran for 860 yards and 13 touchdowns in addition to throwing for 1,380 yards and 12 scores. He has had a problem with turnovers this season, however.

Alexander Teich (825 yards, five touchdowns) and Gee Gee Greene (459 yards, five touchdowns) also pose threats out of the Navy backfield.

Running the ball could be at a premium, too, as San Diego was hit hard with rain in the past few days. In fact, the Qualcomm Stadium playing surface was under water for much of the past two days.

The Aztecs counter with a strong run defense, having allowed the third-fewest rushing yards in the Mountain West.

SDSU has grown immensely under coach Brady Hoke. In just his second season, he's led the Aztecs to an 8-4 record and to their first bowl game since 1998. In those four losses, SDSU fell by a combined 15 points. Perhaps more impressive is that those losses came to No. 3 TCU, No. 14 Missouri, No. 20 Utah and BYU.

The Aztecs are led on offense by quarterback Ryan Lindley, who was the MWC's top passer with 3,554 yards and 26 touchdowns (which tied for first with TCU's Andy Dalton).

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MEMC ELECTRONIC MATERIALS MICROSOFT

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Filed under: Navy, San Diego State, Coaching, Bowl Games

SAN DIEGO -- So that's what a bowl victory looks like when dressed in red and black accompanied by shouts of "S-D-S-U, fight, fight, fight."

An NFL-bound receiver catching six passes before the second quarter arrived.

A freshman wearing a lucky No. 13 and running for 228 yards on 28 carries.

A 6-foot-4 quarterback tossing accurate spirals nearly 60 yards through the damp, chilly air.

San Diego State, what got into you?

"In my time here at the Naval Academy," said coach Ken Niumatalolo, who has worked at Annapolis since 1999, "that's as good of an offense as we've seen."

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EMS TECHNOLOGIES EMC

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Filed under: Heat, Lakers

LOS ANGELES -- Lakers forward Ron Artest on Saturday raffled off his championship ring from last season for charity. The Lakers, meanwhile, spent Christmas looking quite willing to donate championship rings from this season to another team.

After a second straight ugly home loss, Lakers guard Kobe Bryant was seething. He vowed to really get on his teammates when they next practice Monday.

"It's going to get through,'' Bryant said of the message. "Beat them in the head until it gets through.''

If anybody thought an ugly 98-79 loss to Milwaukee last Tuesday would wake up the two-time defending champions, think again. They looked uninterested in Saturday's 96-80 drubbing by Miami at the Staples Center.

"I'm just upset (with) how we're playing,'' Bryant said. "I think these games mean more to our opponents than they do to us. I think we need to get that straight. We need to play with more focus and put more importance on these games.''

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ALLTEL AMAZONCOM

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Filed under: English Premier League, U.S. Men's National Team, Houston Dynamo

U.S. national team midfielder Stuart Holden is the best player in the English Premier League.

All right, maybe that statement is just a tad premature. But based on The Guardian's analysis of readers' player ratings, Holden has been the highest-rated performer throughout the first half of the Premier League campaign, with an average mark of 7.4 out of 10.

Yes, English fans have rated an American as the best player in the world's most popular league.

The 25-year-old has started each of his 16 league appearances for Bolton this season, going the full 90 in all but one contest as Wanderers have made a surprising run to seventh place (6-4-8).

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LM ERICSSON LOGITECH INTERNATIONAL

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Filed under: Red Wings, NHL Injuries

Detroit Red Wings forward Pavel Datsyuk left Wednesday's game against Vancouver after suffering a broken bone in his right wrist.

Datsyuk was injured when he tripped over Canucks forward and former teammate Mikael Samuelsson.

The collision sent Datsyuk tumbling to the ice, and he appeared to injure his right hand or wrist. Datsyuk did not return to the game, and is expected to miss at least four weeks with the injury.

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SYMANTEC SYKES ENTERPRISES INORATED

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Filed under: PGA

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) -- Coming off its first year without Tiger Woods winning a tournament, the PGA Tour will be leaning on its next generation of players to promote the 2011 season.

Commissioner Tim Finchem said he could not recall greater interest in such a big group of rookies and other young players in his previous 17 years running the PGA Tour.

Among those in their 20s, Dustin Johnson played in the final group of two majors, Rickie Fowler became the first PGA Tour rookie to be selected for the Ryder Cup team and golf had two players in their 20s (Louis Oosthuizen, Martin Kaymer) win majors for the first time since 2001. Also starring was Rory McIlroy and Ryo Ishikawa, who are not PGA Tour members but will play at least six times in America.

"I think the takeaway on the competition side of 2010, more than anything else, was the tremendous interest in young players coming up," Finchem said during a conference call Thursday. "I've never in my tenure seen so much buzz and interest about rookies and young players creating exciting performances. Actually, it has led us to conclude that we really need to focus on that dynamic as we go into 2011."

Finchem said youth will be "our primary promotional focus" because it makes for good theater.

Woods still figures to command much of the attention next season, which begins in one month at the Tournament of Champions in Hawaii. Woods, who hasn't played at Kapalua since 2005, wasn't eligible this year.

It was his first year as a pro when he didn't win a single tournament.

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ELECTRONICS FOR IMAGING ELECTRONIC DATA SYSTEMS

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Filed under: Florida, Temple, Coaching

Steve Addazio was the interim head coach at Florida less than a year ago. He's now going to be the next coach at Temple University, according to the Philadelphia Daily News.

Addazio, 51, was the offensive coordinator at Florida for the past two seasons and had been a member of Urban Meyer's staff since 2005. He served as the interim coach in the Sugar Bowl, when Meyer was on a leave of absence. When Meyer resigned this time around, he was replaced by Will Muschamp, who decided to hire a new offensive staff.

Addazio also served as Indiana's offensive coordinator for three seasons and has been an assistant coach at Syracuse and Notre Dame.

The Temple job would be his first full-time head coaching job.

Al Golden, who had coached Temple for five seasons and rescued the Owls from the depths of embarrassment, took the Miami job Dec. 12.

Temple finished 8-4 in 2010, and was the only bowl-eligible team with a winning record to not receive a postseason invite.

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ROGERS COMMUNICATIONS SAIC

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by FanHouse Staff

Filed under: NHL Fans, NHL Economics, Sports Business and Media

Former Major League Baseball Players Association executive director Donald Fehr is on the verge of being named the new executive director of the NHL Players Association, according to TSN. The report says the official announcement could happen as soon as this weekend.

Fehr ran the baseball union for 26 years, and he will replace Paul Kelly, who was abruptly fired in 2009 and now runs College Hockey, Inc., an organization designed to promote and expand U.S. college hockey.

The appointment doesn't require a full vote of the union membership, but the process was a bit slower than expected because Fehr wanted to get every NHL player's input.

The league and players extended the already-existing collective bargaining agreement through the 2012-13 season, giving Fehr and his staff more time to get settled in before what could be another in a long series of contentious battles between NHL owners and players.

TSN notes that Fehr is considered a popular choice among NHL players.

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SPSS SPANSION

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NEW YORK ? Fans, start making plans for the middle of March.

Major League Soccer revealed the schedule for "First Kick 2011" ? the entire opening week of the 2011 season. In fact, all home openers have been set.

"First Kick 2011" will feature a week of action among an unprecedented 18 clubs as expansion franchises in Portland and Vancouver join the fold. This coming season, all clubs will play a 34-game balanced scheduled in which every team will face every other team twice, home and away. Ten teams will qualify for the MLS Cup Playoffs.

INTERDIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS INTEL

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Filed under: Hawaii, Tulsa, Bowl Games, FCS

If you didn't know better, you'd wonder if Tulsa played Hawaii in basketball or football Friday night in the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl at Aloha Stadium. It was that wild of a scoring affair.

With Tulsa and Hawaii being two of the highest-scoring teams in college football this season, many expected it to be a shootout, and neither team disappointed, as the two combined for nearly 100 points, with the visiting Golden Hurricane rolling to a 62-35 blowout over the host Warriors, who were ranked No. 24 coming into the game.

You read that right: 62-35, in a game that lasted roughly four hours. At least the 85 degree temperatures for those in attendance were some consolation.

Both teams compiled over 500 yards in total offense. Hawaii totaled 542 yards, including 471 via the air, while Tulsa racked up 531 total yards, with 343 of those coming via passes. The Hurricanes also added 188 rushing yards, compared to just 71 for Hawaii. Greg Salas pulled in 13 passes for 206 yards and two touchdowns for Hawaii in the losing cause, while Tulsa was led in receiving by Damaris Johnson (photo above), who caught four passes for 101 yards and 1 TD.

Johnson, who was named the bowl game's Most Valuable Player, wound up with 326 all-purpose yards, setting an NCAA record of over 7,700 total yards in his tenure at Tulsa.

ALLIANCE DATA SYSTEMS ALLTEL

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Filed under: Kings, NBA Rumors

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- The cornerstones of the Kings' crumbling new castle couldn't have looked more miserable.

At one locker inside Arco Arena late Thursday night, Tyreke Evans explained his malaise after his team lost for the 21st time in 23 games, reacting to coach Paul Westphal's comments about an unspecified off-court distraction that has affected his mind and his play for, as the reigning Rookie of the Year said, "three months."

At the locker next door, rookie forward DeMarcus Cousins explained his own issues, the latest being yet another volatile argument with the coach after he refused to reciprocate a high-five in the fourth quarter against Milwaukee and subsequently exchanged words with Westphal yet again and was sent to the bench for a long stretch.

Reporters jockeyed for space between the two players, listening to one while not wanting to miss the compelling words of the other as the unwelcome drama played out on both sides.

Behold the disaster story of this season, one that some believe is about to spark major change from the top down and others say will still play out no matter how torturous the results. And while it's a tale with no shortage of subplots or twists and turns, the two players who were supposed to return hope to this most-woeful of teams are at the center of this tumultuous time.

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VIRGIN MEDIA VIEWSONIC

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Filed under: Navy, San Diego State, Mountain West, Bowl Games

Navy will square off against San Diego State in the Poinsettia Bowl Thursday, Dec. 23 at 8:00 ET in San Diego.

Navy (9-3) comes in having won four in a row and seven of its last eight. The Middies are the nation's fifth-best running team, racking up an average of 288.9 yards per game. They are led by quarterback Ricky Dobbs, who ran for 860 yards and 13 touchdowns in addition to throwing for 1,380 yards and 12 scores. He has had a problem with turnovers this season, however.

Alexander Teich (825 yards, five touchdowns) and Gee Gee Greene (459 yards, five touchdowns) also pose threats out of the Navy backfield.

Running the ball could be at a premium, too, as San Diego was hit hard with rain in the past few days. In fact, the Qualcomm Stadium playing surface was under water for much of the past two days.

The Aztecs counter with a strong run defense, having allowed the third-fewest rushing yards in the Mountain West.

SDSU has grown immensely under coach Brady Hoke. In just his second season, he's led the Aztecs to an 8-4 record and to their first bowl game since 1998. In those four losses, SDSU fell by a combined 15 points. Perhaps more impressive is that those losses came to No. 3 TCU, No. 14 Missouri, No. 20 Utah and BYU.

The Aztecs are led on offense by quarterback Ryan Lindley, who was the MWC's top passer with 3,554 yards and 26 touchdowns (which tied for first with TCU's Andy Dalton).

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F5 NETWORKS EPICOR SOFTWARE

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Filed under: Kings, NBA Rumors

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- The cornerstones of the Kings' crumbling new castle couldn't have looked more miserable.

At one locker inside Arco Arena late Thursday night, Tyreke Evans explained his malaise after his team lost for the 21st time in 23 games, reacting to coach Paul Westphal's comments about an unspecified off-court distraction that has affected his mind and his play for, as the reigning Rookie of the Year said, "three months."

At the locker next door, rookie forward DeMarcus Cousins explained his own issues, the latest being yet another volatile argument with the coach after he refused to reciprocate a high-five in the fourth quarter against Milwaukee and subsequently exchanged words with Westphal yet again and was sent to the bench for a long stretch.

Reporters jockeyed for space between the two players, listening to one while not wanting to miss the compelling words of the other as the unwelcome drama played out on both sides.

Behold the disaster story of this season, one that some believe is about to spark major change from the top down and others say will still play out no matter how torturous the results. And while it's a tale with no shortage of subplots or twists and turns, the two players who were supposed to return hope to this most-woeful of teams are at the center of this tumultuous time.

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FORMFACTOR FISERV

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Filed under: Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Sprint Cup, Hendrick Motorsports, NASCAR

Five-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson has been named Driver of the Year for the fourth time -- tying a record with Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jeff Gordon for the most wins in the prestigious award's 44-year history and putting him ahead of three-time winners Mario Andretti and Darrell Waltrip.

Johnson, who is the first to win five consecutive Sprint Cup titles, edged drag racing legend John Force, who won a historic 15th National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) championship. Johnson received 10 first-place votes from the 20-member panel of racing journalists and broadcasters while Force earned seven votes. Kyle Busch, who won a NASCAR-best 24 races in three national divisions this season, received one first-place vote.

"Among such tough competition; with the voting panel, who it is and how well-versed they are in motorsports, it's a huge, huge honor," said Johnson, who will receive a Tissot watch and trophy from the organization.

Driver of the Year President Barry Smoyer said the final vote came following one of the most "spirited" debates in the history of the award, which honors the best driver in an American four-wheel racing series or best American driver racing overseas.

"As many people have said already, it will be a long time before anyone will set the bar as high as Jimmie Johnson," Schmoyer said.

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SAIC ROCKWELL AUTOMATION

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by Ryan Wilson

Filed under: NFL, Sports Business and Media

We provide the picture, you provide the 1,000 words. It's the Back Porch Photo of the Day.

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IKON OFFICE SOLUTIONS IDT

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Filed under: Bruins, Thrashers, NHL Fights, NHL Videos

With the Boston Bruins leading 4-1 late in the third period of their win over the Atlanta Thrashers on Thursday night, Milan Lucic was leveled by Thrashers defenseman Freddy Meyer. What followed was a complete line brawl that resulted in six fighting majors and six 10-minute misconducts. For the game, the two teams combined for 118 penalty minutes, with most of them coming as a result of this friendly exchange of pleasantries.

Here's complete video of the hit, as well as the ensuing fights that included Boston's Andrew Ference, Marc Savard, Nathan Horton and Lucic, as well as Atlanta's Anthony Stewart, Evander Kane, Bryan Little and Meyer.

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NIKON NINTENDO

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Filed under: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Kasey Kahne, Petty Enterprises, Sprint Cup, FanHouse Exclusive, NASCAR

EDITORS NOTE: When you start talking about Richard Petty's rightful place in NASCAR history vs. Dale Earnhardt vs. Jeff Gordon, you're going to get in an argument.

In his first book, Trading Paint: 101 Great NASCAR Debates, recently published by John Wiley & Sons Inc., motorsports writer Jerry Bonkowski tackles these questions and provides his unique viewpoint. Prior to joining FanHouse over a year ago as an editor, Jerry Bonkowski was National NASCAR Columnist for Yahoo! Sports and ESPN.com and wrote for USA Today.

Here are several excerpts from Bonkowski's book, which is available at Barnes & Noble, Borders and other book stores, as well as online at Amazon.com.

WHO'S THE GREATEST NASCAR DRIVER EVER?

This debate always gets passionate fans going, with typically mild-mannered individuals turning into raving, obsessed fanatics if someone dares to challenge the superiority of the guy they so proudly call "their" driver. Think of a 140-pound, Woody Allen-looking dweeb who lives and breathes Kasey Kahne suddenly getting a surge of testosterone, puffing out his chest while forgetting common sense, and stupidly trying to take on a hulking, 300-pound redneck who takes great offense if you say anything bad about Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Then watch the punched-out Woody Allen-esque fan suddenly wind up doing a frightening, almost cartoonlike barrel roll through the air like the great Rusty Wallace did more than a few times during his career at places like Talladega Superspeedway.

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UNITED ONLINE UNISYS

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Filed under: Capitals, Eastern, NHL Coaching

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman disagrees with Bruce Boudreau's mom: He doesn't mind the Washington Capitals coach's cursing.

Boudreau's expletive-filled rant at his team during the first episode of HBO's "24/7" series surrounding preparations for the NHL Winter Classic has drawn a lot of buzz. Boudreau even got a call from his mother about his language in the rant, which lasted around a minute and featured almost 20 expletives. The rant happened during intermission of a home game against Florida that Washington lost.

Bettman says it is a natural part of "the ultimate reality show."

More: Watch "24/7" Episode 1

Bettman was speaking at a media breakfast promoting the Winter Classic, being played between the Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins at Pittsburgh's Heinz Field on New Year's Day.

"No one in this room is prudish enough to think that locker room language isn't coarse," the commissioner said.

The commissioner added that he feels "both teams have handled themselves beautifully."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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GRUPO IUSACELL HARRIS

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THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. (AP) -- Those streaks of good play from Tiger Woods keep getting a little longer.

In one of his most complete rounds of the year, Woods missed only two greens and putted for eagle four times Thursday on his way to a 7-under 65 for a one-shot lead over U.S. Open champion Graeme McDowell and Rory McIlroy in the Chevron World Challenge.

Woods made it all the way until the 18th hole before an old flaw crept into his new swing. He popped up his tee shot, forcing him to pitch out from behind a tree and two-putt from 50 feet to escape with bogey. Even so, he matched his best score of the year, and was atop the leaderboard for only the second time in his troublesome season.

About the only club that didn't cooperate was his new putter, although that's nothing new. If anything has held Woods back from at least having a few chances at contending, it's not making many putts.

Great iron play made up for that at Sherwood Country Club.

"It's not too often you can say I shot 65 and only made one putt, but that's kind of what I did today," Woods said. "I only made one putt and it was on 9. The rest were either two-putts or kick-ins. It was a good ball-striking day."

The putt on the par-4 ninth was from about 15 feet with significant break. Equally impressive were some of his shots into the par 5s, particularly the 3-iron into No. 2. Woods hit it so clean that he twirled the club, a sure sign of a good shot.

He hasn't done much twirling this year.

"I have not," Woods said. "Usually, it's point which way the ball is going to go -- incoming somewhere."

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ELECTRONIC ARTS ECLIPSYS

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Filed under: PGA

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) -- Coming off its first year without Tiger Woods winning a tournament, the PGA Tour will be leaning on its next generation of players to promote the 2011 season.

Commissioner Tim Finchem said he could not recall greater interest in such a big group of rookies and other young players in his previous 17 years running the PGA Tour.

Among those in their 20s, Dustin Johnson played in the final group of two majors, Rickie Fowler became the first PGA Tour rookie to be selected for the Ryder Cup team and golf had two players in their 20s (Louis Oosthuizen, Martin Kaymer) win majors for the first time since 2001. Also starring was Rory McIlroy and Ryo Ishikawa, who are not PGA Tour members but will play at least six times in America.

"I think the takeaway on the competition side of 2010, more than anything else, was the tremendous interest in young players coming up," Finchem said during a conference call Thursday. "I've never in my tenure seen so much buzz and interest about rookies and young players creating exciting performances. Actually, it has led us to conclude that we really need to focus on that dynamic as we go into 2011."

Finchem said youth will be "our primary promotional focus" because it makes for good theater.

Woods still figures to command much of the attention next season, which begins in one month at the Tournament of Champions in Hawaii. Woods, who hasn't played at Kapalua since 2005, wasn't eligible this year.

It was his first year as a pro when he didn't win a single tournament.

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WESTERN DIGITAL VOLT INFORMATION SCIENCES

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Filed under: International Soccer, MLS, Serie A (Italy), Los Angeles Galaxy

The long-running rumors connecting Ronaldinho with the Los Angeles Galaxy apparently are a signature or two away from finally being silenced.

The Brazilian icon and 2010 World Cup snub reportedly has agreed to terms with Grêmio, the club from his home town of Porto Alegre with which he began his career a dozen years ago.

Grêmio president Paulo Odone told RBS television on Wednesday that the contract terms are "all settled" and that all that remains is for the player to secure his release from AC Milan.

"Ronaldinho wants to go back to Grêmio, which is his home -- where he began playing football," Odone said.

The RBS interview is scheduled to air on Thursday, according to the club's Web site.

Ronaldinho joined Milan in the summer of 2008 after five years with Barcelona, which sold the player to the Italian giant for just under $30 million. His form and health have been inconsistent since. While he appeared revitalized during much of the 2009-10 season, he now has not started a Serie A match for the league leaders in more than two months.

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Discussions between Ronaldinho and the Galaxy are thought to have been quite serious, and there was a definite possibility that the two-time FIFA world player of the year would come to Major League Soccer.

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NINTENDO NOKIA

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