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The NCAA has cited former Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin with a failure to monitor charge in a Notice of Allegations letter released by the University of Tennessee on Wednesday. Overall, the school was charged with 9 major violations, two in football -- both tied to Kiffin -- and seven in basketball.

The story was first reported here by FanHouse earlier this month.

Kiffin has also been hit with a failure to promote an atmosphere of compliance charge. The levying of these two charges against the former coach rather than the Vol program represents a last-minute appeal by Tennessee to avoid the saddling of the program itself with the penalties. Instead, Tennessee deftly stepped aside and served up the head of Kiffin to the NCAA.

Meanwhile Bruce Pearl, head basketball coach of the University of Tennessee was cited by the NCAA for, per the UT release, "impermissible contact with prospective student-athletes during an unofficial visit, acting contrary to the principles of ethical conduct, failure to promote an atmosphere of compliance, and failure to monitor the activities regarding compliance of all assistant coaches within the men's basketball program."

The majority of these charges stem from Pearl's lying about having junior recruits over to his house for a barbeque. Hosting juniors at the home of a head coach is a secondary violation, but Pearl's lie made the matter a major violation that led to a dock in pay, an eight-game SEC suspension, and more punishment to come, potentially, from the NCAA.

While Tennessee declined comment other than posting the letter, Pat Haden, the athletic director at USC, released this statement in support of Kiffin:

"We have received from the NCAA a notice of allegations against Lane Kiffin pertaining to his tenure as the head football coach at Tennessee. The NCAA enforcement process provides for Tennessee and Lane to address those charges. Until that process is completed, it would be unfair and premature for me or USC to comment on this matter."

"However, I will say this: Since his return to USC last year as our head football coach, Lane has been vigilant in making sure he and the football program follow the NCAA's rules and compete the right way. Lane has my support as our head football coach."

For his part, Kiffin, who declined comment when FanHouse broke this story, released the following statement: "On the advice of my legal counsel, we cannot comment other than to say we look forward to working through the process with the NCAA."

Tennessee will have 90 days to respond to the NCAA's notice of allegations and then will appear before the Committee on Infractions in early June.

Follow Clay Travis on Twitter here. With All That and a Bag of Mail back on a weekly basis, you can e-mail him questions at Clay.Travis@gmail.com.

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IXYS ITRON

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

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s shoulders may well have borne 500 miles worth of expectations this week at Daytona.

Marking 10 years since the death of his legendary father in NASCAR's most important race, Earnhardt Jr. served as the central beacon of a sport remembering the passing of one of its most legendary drivers.

The sport's most popular driver also has been the most talked about non-factor for most of the last three seasons and has seen his share of changes in the Hendrick Motorsports program around him. A new crew chief -- Steve Letarte -- was in his ear.

Sunday, none of it seemed to be a distraction as Earnhardt sliced his way through the field time and again to find the front -- and occasionally lead -- one of the most unusual Daytona 500s in recent memory.

However, the chaotic nature of NASCAR's season-opening beast, a race marked by the most cautions and lead changes in the event's 53-year history, finally caught up with Earnhardt moments from the end.

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TRANSACTION SYSTEMS ARCHITECTS TOTAL SYSTEM SERVICES

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Filed under: NFL Quarterbacks, NFL Analysis

There's nothing scarier for a quarterback than an unblocked pass rusher.

If you were a quarterback for the Broncos, Redskins or Cardinals in 2010, you had plenty of reasons to be frightened.

Denver, Washington and Arizona were the only NFL teams to reach double digits in unblocked sacks.

There are a couple of ways that a blitzer can pick up the easiest of easy sacks. The simplest explanation is that confusion along the offensive line (or among running backs assigned for blitz pickup) lets someone come free even though the blocking scheme should have accounted for him. On other plays, especially if the defense calls a corner blitz, the unblocked blitzer is the responsibility of the quarterback and wide receivers -- the quarterback has to recognize it and the receiver has to break off his route so that the QB can get rid of the ball before the blitzer arrives.

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ASML HOLDING ASUSTEK COMPUTER

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by Chris Tomasson

Filed under: Heat, Nuggets, USA Basketball, Sports Business and Media, NBA CBA

LOS ANGELES -- LeBron James, the two-time defending MVP and the NBA's most recognizable player, is taking a more active role than he previously has during collective bargaining agreement negotiations.

And he's somewhat worried.

"It does. It does,'' the Miami Heat star said Saturday when asked if it concerns him that NBA owners haven't changed their proposal at all in one year since the one that was immediately rejected during last February's All-Star Weekend in Dallas.

Still, James is trying to stay as optimistic as he can even though NBA commissioner David Stern said there's a "huge gap'' between the players and owners. With the CBA expiring June 30 and many believing there then will be a lockout, James was among a number of NBA stars to take part in a Friday negotiating session in Beverly Hills, Calif., and was said to have been a very active participant.

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DIODES INORATED DIEBOLD

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Filed under: Chicago Bears, NFL Coaching

CHICAGO (AP) -- Out of patience after three straight playoff misses, many Chicago fans were calling for coach Lovie Smith to be fired a year ago.

The Bears stuck with him. Now, they plan to keep him around a little longer.

The Bears gave Smith a two-year contract extension Friday, keeping him through the 2013 season after a year in which his team won the NFC North at 11-5 and reached the conference championship game.

Smith, who led the Bears to the Super Bowl after the 2006 season, is 63-49 over seven regular seasons and is 3-3 in the playoffs.

"Every day I've been on the job, the goal has been to do the best possible job that I could, and I could live with the results," Smith said. "With three years on my contract, I feel pretty good about that."

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RESEARCH IN MOTION ROGERS COMMUNICATIONS

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PHOENIX - The measure of a baseball team is not how many runs it scores or how many runs it allows. What matter is how many more runs it scores than it allows.

Such was Billy Beane's thought when he did something in January that may have puzzled casual observers. Instead of continuing to try to upgrade an offense that was clearly the team's biggest weakness, the A's general manager added two more free agent pitchers to a staff that had already led the league in ERA.

The fewer runs you allow, Beane figured, the fewer you have to score.

While offensive additions like David DeJesus, Josh Willingham and Hideki Matsui have been the focus of most of the discussion about the improved A's, the club is also excited about a bullpen that may be the best in baseball.

"The names may not be as popular as any other teams, but the quality might be as good as anybody," manager Bob Geren said.

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AVNET BHARTI AIRTEL

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Filed under: PGA

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) -- Phil Mickelson was locked in concentration over a 30-foot birdie putt on the par-3 16th, the some 20,000 onlookers mostly quiet on the amphitheater hole except a fan who screamed "Tiger would make it!"

Playing partner Bill Haas heard it, but Mickelson was oblivious to the slight, perfectly striking the putt that drew a thunderous cheer when it dropped in.

"It's Saturday of the Phoenix Open. It's always fun," Mickelson said. "There's a lot of people out here. I don't think there's a shot I wanted to make more, other than a major championship, than that putt on 16. I wanted to make that so bad.

"To see that go in with the crowd right there was a great feeling."

The birdie and another on the short par-4 17th helped Mickelson close within four strokes of leader Tommy Gainey halfway through the frost-delayed tournament.

"There's a lot of golf left," Mickelson said. "Even though it's Saturday -- it feels like it's the third round -- but we've only played two, so we're halfway through and to be within a few shots, it's where everybody is trying to get to."

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LEXMARK INTERNATIONAL

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Filed under: NFL Draft

INDIANAPOLIS -- Two of the intriguing quarterbacks in town this week also happen to be close friends now, which will be put to the test somewhat once the drills begin.

Missouri's Blaine Gabbert and Florida State's Christian Ponder have been working out together in preparation for the combine and the NFL Draft. They also have gone fishing together and although Gabbert likes the idea of having another quarterback to bounce things off of, he and Ponder are aware that it's a unique dynamic.

"It's been great for the both of us because it's the kind of deal where we can each talk to somebody that's going through the same process together," Ponder said. "We've become pretty close and it's hard to find someone that you're so similar to. At the same time we obviously know that we're competing against other but we've formed a close bond in such a short time and we're there to support each other."

Gabbert (above, right) is projected to be one of the top two quarterbacks in the draft so he is facing a little more scrutiny than Ponder, who has to answer questions about his injury history. They don't look at all alike, as Gabbert is 6-5 and 240 pounds while Ponder is 6-3 and 227. Ponder was initially going to join Gabbert as the only two quarterbacks not to throw at the combine but he changed his mind. He also claimed to be the better fishermen of the two.

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MCAFEE MAXIMUS

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Filed under: Penske Racing, Daytona Int'l Speedway, NASCAR

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Brian Keselowski was still sitting in his race car on Daytona International Speedway's pit road well after the checkered flag when his little brother Brad leaned in for a hug and a congratulatory word. It wasn't a victory, but the Brothers Keselowski provided the unquestionable feel-good story of Thursday's Daytona 500 qualifying races.

Driving a barely-sponsored, five-year-old race car, Brian Keselowski will make his debut in the Daytona 500 Sunday, thanks to the kindest shove he ever received from the little brother he used to wrestle as a kid.

After spinning early in Thursday's Gatorade Duel qualifier, Brad Keselowski, 27, fell to the rear of the field and had to drive his No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge back up through the pack.

On his way, he dropped the famous Penske Racing "Blue Deuce" in behind Brian, 29, and literally pushed -- and willed -- his big brother's wayward No. 4 Dodge forward during the second half of the race. Brian finished fifth, Brad seventh, and for the first time in their lives, they will have the opportunity to compete against one another in NASCAR's Super Bowl.

"Oh, my God,'' an emotional Brian Keselowski said after climbing from his car. "He's got to be the best pusher here. ... I've watched him push others for the past three years and to push me into the Daytona 500 today. .. ''

"I'm gonna ask Roger (Penske) to help him out with a little better motor,'' Brad Keselowski joked afterward.

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AMERICA MOVIL AMKOR TECHNOLOGY

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INTEL INSIGHT ENTERPRISES

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Filed under: 49ers, Ravens, AFC North, NFC West

INDIANAPOLIS -- The most entertaining moment of the morning was when Harbaugh was asked what advice he has given to his younger brother, Jim, now that he is an NFL head coach with the San Francisco 49ers. Jim Harbaugh happened to be sitting at a table nearby and someone pointed that out to John as he stood at the podium.

He spotted his brother and asked him to answer the question and when Jim didn't say anything John said, "See, Jim can't think of a thing. That's your answer right there."

Laughter ensued and John talked about how the two grew up together and shared the same room and used to draw a line down the middle and start a little fight. But those were few and far between.

"I think we get along really well and I have tremendous respect for him," John Harbaugh said. "He doesn't really need any advice I don't think. He's a proven head football coach. I think he did something at Stanford that's unprecedented in the history of college football."

As far as what he might have learned from his younger brother, John joked that he tried to learn how to throw a football but that Jim must have kept that a secret because he had a 15-year NFL career and John can't throw it more than 30 yards. The love between the two was clearly evident and interesting to see.

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INFORMATICA INFOCUS

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Filed under: PGA

Let's hear it for the power of cheese.

One day after his beloved Green Bay Packers won the Super Bowl, Wisconsin native Mark Wilson, who briefly wore a plastic Cheesehead as he played Sunday, returned to TPC Scottsdale Monday and won the frost-delayed Waste Management Phoenix Open, beating Jason Dufner in a playoff. Wilson, who in January won the Sony Open, became a four-time career winner by making a nine-foot birdie putt on the second hole of sudden-death.

Wilson has now won two of his last three starts and becomes this season's first multiple winner.

"I think I've been a little bit better practicer," Wilson said. "I've got a new green-reading technique that I learned from Dr. Greg Rose there at (the) Titleist Performance Institute, and then Ping has been really good with me working with my wedges trying to dial in the grooves just right. I spin the ball more than most guys, so the whole groove thing last year was supposed to be good for me, but I still was spinning it back too much from the fairway. So Ping has been working with me good. I've got some good equipment now, and just -- but the putting really has been the big thing.

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COMPAL ELECTRONICS COSMOTE MOBILE TELECOM

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Filed under: Yankees

Some of the things the late George Steinbrenner said were absolutely correct. Others were outrageously wrong. Whatever the case, the real "Boss" of the New York Yankees said what he meant, and he never hustled back to first base when he knew he just slammed a shot into the alley by ripping somebody with his tongue.

Are you listening, Hank?

Apparently not.

I mean, everybody knows what (and who) George's oldest son was referring to this week when Hank Steinbrenner said of the Yankees failing to repeat last season after winning the 2009 World Series: "Some of the players are too busy building mansions and not concentrating on winning."

Not coincidentally, the Yankees' current Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio, Mantle and Jackson -- named Derek Jeter -- is in the final stages of building a multimillion dollar mansion in Tampa.

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PEROT SYSTEMS PALM

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Filed under: Bulls, Heat

CHICAGO -- Derrick Rose scored 26 points and Luol Deng added 20, including the tiebreaking 3-pointer, and the Chicago Bulls beat the Miami Heat 93-89 on Thursday night in a wild showdown between two of the Eastern Conference's top teams.

In a game that could have playoff seeding implications, the Bulls used a big third quarter to turn a nine-point halftime deficit into a 71-67 advantage, then watched a nine-point lead in the fourth evaporate into a four-point hole before pulling it out.

Deng's 3-pointer with 16 seconds left broke an 89-all tie and sent Chicago to its 16th win in 21 games.

Dwyane Wade scored 34 points and LeBron James (shown in dejected mood in above photo) added 29 for Miami, which got outrebounded 53-39 while losing for only the second time in 13 games. Both losses have come against teams also vying for the East's top seed -- Boston beat them on Feb. 13, and the Bulls now own the head-to-head tiebreaker.

The Bulls beat Miami by three at the United Center last month, and this one was every bit as dramatic.

Rose and Deng led the charge in the third with 12 and 10 points, respectively, as Chicago outscored Miami 27-14, and the Bulls continued to pour it on early in the fourth.

The crowd was really rocking when Ronnie Brewer nailed a jumper to make it 80-71 with 8:26 left, but the Heat weren't finished.

They answered by reeling off 13 straight points, with Mario Chalmers nailing a 3 and James hitting two free throws to put Miami ahead 84-80 with 4:52 remaining.

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FINISAR FEI COMPANY

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Just outside of Madison Square Garden's 7th Avenue doors are soaring, decorated, celebratory columns of Garden historical splendor. A center one is plastered with a photograph and these words of a transcending boxing event that soon reaches 40 years old:

``THE FIGHT OF THE CENTURY _ MARCH 8, 1971.''

Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier.

It was the first of their trilogy of blazing boxing dances, a Garden bash with the nation plus corners of the world all bopping too, transfixed. Ali vs. Frazier. The Greatest vs. Smokin' Joe. Louisville's lip vs. Philadelphia's pride. Peace vs. war. The anti-establishment vs. the establishment.

Ali lost.

But he would win both rematches -- "Ali-Frazier II'' in 1974 and the "Thrilla in Manila'' in 1975.

In losing, Ali gained droplets of mercy and understanding. In losing, he became more than a light of hope. This loss would continue the comeback narrative that marked his heavyweight boxing career, the comeback narrative that has served as the brushstroke of his life. He was knocked down. He got up. He flew.

The Fight of the Century, approaching anniversary 40, proved a grand essential in the larger, more blazing footprints of Muhammad Ali.

MISCROSOFT OFFICE MICROSOFT

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by Milton Kent

Filed under: Sports Media, Sports Business and Media

Hollywood, in its infinite wisdom, is remaking the classic '80's film, "Arthur," with Russell Brand in the role made famous by Dudley Moore as a playboy who careens through his life drunk.

Both film versions are presumably fiction, but you can certainly draw some interesting comparisons between the character of Arthur Bach and the life of actor Charlie Sheen. And, in the last three days, radio talk show host Dan Patrick has made a pretty good case for the idea that he could play the role of Hobson, Arthur's friend/confidante and butler.

Twice this week, Sheen has appeared on Patrick's show, which is simulcast on DirectTV and a number of FOX Sports Net affiliates. During the first appearance, arranged by Patrick to discuss Sheen's impromptu pep talk last week to the UCLA baseball team, Sheen came across as cavalierly endorsing casual drug and alcohol use.

On Wednesday, however, Sheen called in, presumably to reduce some of the heat he's been taking, both from Monday and in general from conduct that led CBS and Warner Bros., the network and studio that air "Two and a Half Men," the sitcom Sheen stars in, to shut the show down so as to let Sheen get his act together.

In an often rambling nine-minute conversation, an unrepentant Sheen sought to diffuse speculation that he and Chuck Lorre, the creator and executive producer of the show, were on the outs over his behavior. He said that the "real message" of his talk at UCLA, in which he advised the team to stay away from the crack and drink chocolate milk, was to "enjoy every moment."

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MOODYS MISCROSOFT OFFICE

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Filed under: PGA

It's easy for golf to feel a little romantic about this week's Northern Trust Open. By any name, it's the old Los Angeles Open at Riviera Country Club. This is the course that Ben Hogan all but made his own, turning it into "Hogan's Alley." In the 1940s, Hogan won the Los Angeles Open three times and finished second once.

Other winner's over the years include Sam Snead, Byron Nelson, Hale Irwin, Tom Watson, Johnny Miller, Ben Crenshaw, Fred Couples, Nick Faldo, Ernie Els and Phil Mickelson.

Not bad.

And then there's the real history.

Riviera is the club that was so Hollywood.

Famous members over the years include Humphrey Bogart, Glen Campbell, Peter Falk, Dean Martin, Gregory Peck, Walt Disney and Douglas Fairbanks.

Oh, yeah, O.J. Simpson once had a locker there, too.

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DLINK DIGITAL CHINA HOLDINGS

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Filed under: PGA, Golf Odds and Ends

The Tour heads back to California for one of the most scenic stops all year at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. Players will be competing on three courses, all of which measure less than 7,000 yards and demand accuracy and a solid short game. Tiger Woods might be on the other side of the world this week, but the field in Northern California doesn't lack star power.

Favorites

Dustin Johnson -- After back-to-back top 10s to open the year, Johnson (pictured) might have made it three straight had the weather in Scottsdale not caused delays everyday. Less than 30 minutes after his opening-round 64, he was back on the tee for round two and shot nine strokes worse. The two-time defending champ at this event was a disastrous final round away from winning the U.S. Open here last summer.

Vijay Singh -- Don't look now, but the Big Fijian looks to be regaining his form. Winless since 2008, Singh has improved each week and earned his first top three finish in three years, which is pretty unbelievable. The 2004 winner here also has three runner-up finishes at the AT&T

Mark Wilson -- Winner in two of his three starts this season, Wilson's game is primed for the trip to Pebble Beach. He sits top 5 on Tour in greens in regulation, scrambling, and scoring, and his consistency will benefit him this week. While his past results here aren't spectacular, the FedEx Cup points leader hasn't missed the cut at the AT&T since 2003.

Jim Furyk -- Last season's FedEx Cup winner took a month off since missing the cut at the Sony Open. He also took a month break after playing both tournaments on the islands to open 2007, returning to the AT&T and finishing T6. Maybe that trend could be a bit of a stretch, but there's no doubt Furyk enjoys Pebble Beach - he hasn't finished outside of the top 40 since 1999.

J.B. Holmes -- The two-time Tour winner nearly added number three at the AT&T a year ago. Holmes finished one stoke behind Dustin Johnson in a tie for 2nd and hasn't missed the cut in four starts at this tournament. One of the longest hitters on tour, he also sits sixth in birdie average after a T5 at the WMPO.

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NATIONAL SEMICONDUCTOR NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS

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Filed under: Nuggets

DENVER -- Wilson Chandler just got to Denver and he already wants to stay.

That's easy to say now. Still, it has to be comforting news for Nuggets fans.

"I'm pretty sure I'll like it,'' Chandler, one of five players acquired Tuesday by the Nuggets in a blockbuster trade in which they gave up Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups, said when asked by FanHouse about being a restricted free agent this summer. "What the future holds, hopefully I'll come back next year.''

Chandler was acquired from the Knicks in a three-team deal along with forward Danilo Gallinari, guard Raymond Felton and center Timofey Mozgov. All arrived in the second quarter of Denver's 120-107 win Tuesday night over Memphis at the Pepsi Center and got a good ovation from the crowd.

The Nuggets also picked up center Kosta Koufos from Minnesota, and he will arrive Wednesday. The Nuggets have pushed practice back a few hours in anticipation of having all their new players.

In the meantime, all must get used to their new surroundings.

"I feel great (to be traded to the Nuggets). ... I know the high in Denver right now,'' Mozgov, who speaks limited English, said, apparently referring to the city's altitude.

But nobody, apparently, has a serious case of altitude sickness. Felton said all four players from New York have passed their physicals.

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PEROT SYSTEMS PALM

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Last night, Pat Onstad made his second preseason start for the Black-and-Red following last week's announcement that he would be returning to the playing field. Playing 45 minutes in a 1-0 victory over the University of California Santa Barbara, Onstad is slowly regaining fitness as he competes for a starting job in United's goal.

ALLIANCE DATA SYSTEMS ALLTEL

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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -- Tiger Woods stumbled in a bid for his first victory in 15 months Sunday, leaving Alvaro Quiros to win the Dubai Desert Classic with a wild round that included a hole-in-one and triple bogey.

The 70th-ranked Quiros shot a 68 to finish at 11-under 277, one stroke ahead of Anders Hansen of Denmark (70) and James Kingston of South Africa (67).

Woods had a 75 to end tied for 20th at 4-under 284.

"There were quite a few positives this week but a couple of glaring examples of what I need to work on," Woods said.

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LIBERTY GLOBAL LM ERICSSON

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Filed under: PGA

It's easy for golf to feel a little romantic about this week's Northern Trust Open. By any name, it's the old Los Angeles Open at Riviera Country Club. This is the course that Ben Hogan all but made his own, turning it into "Hogan's Alley." In the 1940s, Hogan won the Los Angeles Open three times and finished second once.

Other winner's over the years include Sam Snead, Byron Nelson, Hale Irwin, Tom Watson, Johnny Miller, Ben Crenshaw, Fred Couples, Nick Faldo, Ernie Els and Phil Mickelson.

Not bad.

And then there's the real history.

Riviera is the club that was so Hollywood.

Famous members over the years include Humphrey Bogart, Glen Campbell, Peter Falk, Dean Martin, Gregory Peck, Walt Disney and Douglas Fairbanks.

Oh, yeah, O.J. Simpson once had a locker there, too.

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HEARTLAND PAYMENT SYSTEMS GOOGLE

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Filed under: Panthers, NFC South

Is DeAngelo Williams done in Charlotte? Next question. Could he be playing for the Saints next season?

The Panthers have not yet put a franchise tag on Williams, so perhaps they feel they can come to a reasonable long-term deal with him. They have until Thursday before Williams gets out on the open market, provided the terms of any new collective bargaining agreement on franchised players remain in place.

The Carolina coaching staff has just been finalized, so that could be holding up the process. It's that or the club feels the $9 million they would have to pay Williams for 2011 is too much and they think Jonathan Stewart and Mike Goodson looked effective enough running the ball that they have the 1-2 punch for their running game.

The Panthers could also be exploring the franchise tag on center Ryan Kalil, but that would have meant paying him in the neighborhood of $10 million, according to numbers posted by NFL.com.

The other candidates for franchise tag are linebacker Thomas Davis and defensive end Charles Johnson. Johnson had a breakout season and there is a need across the league for pass rushers.

But back to Williams. He injured his foot in 2010 and played in just six games.

Meanwhile, Goodson, a two-year pro out of Texas A&M, rushed for 452 yards and averaged 4.4 yards per carry. He showed a nice burst once past the line and ran like he was hunting a paycheck. He looked like a keeper.

Stewart started the season slow, but came on and had some nice games and looked like a No. 1 back. He ran for 770 yards.

If Williams gets out on the open market, the Saints might just be interested. They are probably going to re-sign Reggie Bush at a discount, but he is a receiver out of the backfield. It appears the club has no interest in bringing back running back Pierre Thomas.

New Orleans has Chris Ivory, who had impressive rookie season and he could be the remedy for a run game that was not very good in 2010 because of injuries and Sean Payton's unwillingness to throw the ball.

Now, back to Carolina. General manager Marty Hurney told Carolina Growl the team's three biggest needs this offseason are quarterback, defensive tackle and cornerback. The team, according to the Growl, is not likely to re-sign cornerback Richard Marshall.

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FEI COMPANY FAIRCHILD SEMICONDUCTOR INTERNATIONAL

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Filed under: Rangers, Eastern, Trade Deadline

The Rangers have played solid hockey most of the season, at least enough to stay in the Eastern Conference playoff picture. However, February has been unkind to them so far. They're 2-5-1 in the month so far and have slipped to 7th in the conference standings, only two points ahead of eighth-place Carolina.

Defensively, the Rangers have been solid thanks to two very strong goaltenders in Henrik Lundqvist and backup Martin Biron. Lundqvist has seven shutouts on the year and the duo has combined for a stellar .922 save percentage. There's a young, yet talented defense in front of them, leaving the biggest need for improvement up front on offense. Going into Sunday's game against Philadelphia, the Rangers had six players with 10 goals or more but none of those players had yet to reach 20. To add to that, off-season acquisition Alex Frolov has been a bust and oft-injured star Marian Gaborik has missed 14 games to injury.

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TERADATA TELETECH HOLDINGS

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Filed under: Alabama, Auburn

AUBURN, Ala. (AP) -- A 62-year-old Dadeville man has been arrested in connection with the poisoning of the historic Toomer's Corner oak trees at Auburn University.

A spokeswoman for the Lee County Sheriff Office says Harvey Almorn Updyke Jr. was arrested early Thursday morning and charged with one count of first-degree criminal mischief.

Bond was set at $50,000. If convicted, Updyke could face one to 10 years in prison.

A man claiming to be "Al from Dadeville" phoned a radio show late last month, claiming he poured herbicide around the 130-year-old oaks that are the scene of celebrations after Auburn's sports victories.

Travis: Alabama-Auburn Rivalry Hits New Low

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IRON MOUNTAIN INORATED IOMEGA

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by Chris Tomasson

Filed under: Heat, Nuggets, USA Basketball, Sports Business and Media, NBA CBA

LOS ANGELES -- LeBron James, the two-time defending MVP and the NBA's most recognizable player, is taking a more active role than he previously has during collective bargaining agreement negotiations.

And he's somewhat worried.

"It does. It does,'' the Miami Heat star said Saturday when asked if it concerns him that NBA owners haven't changed their proposal at all in one year since the one that was immediately rejected during last February's All-Star Weekend in Dallas.

Still, James is trying to stay as optimistic as he can even though NBA commissioner David Stern said there's a "huge gap'' between the players and owners. With the CBA expiring June 30 and many believing there then will be a lockout, James was among a number of NBA stars to take part in a Friday negotiating session in Beverly Hills, Calif., and was said to have been a very active participant.

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PLANAR SYSTEMS PEROT SYSTEMS

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Filed under: Mariners, MLB Video

It may seem like just weeks ago that the baseball season ended, but, believe it or not, Spring Training is here. If you're like the rest of us at FanHouse, you can't wait for the season to begin, but we've got you covered until opening day arrives.

It's the FanHouse 15, a countdown of the 15 most talked about, blogged about, tweeted about, sensational stars of America's pastime. Who will be number one?

The list continues with No. 8, Mariners international superstar Ichiro Suzuki.

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INTERDIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS INTEL

Fallahiof9o

Filed under: FIFA World Cup, US Soccer, U.S. Men's National Team

us chile usa chile u.s. national team soccer juan agudelo teal bunbury

CARSON, Calif. -- For the casual fan of the U.S. national team, Saturday's match against Chile probably seemed a bit unusual. Where was Landon Donovan? Why wasn't the game on English-language TV? Who the heck is Mikkel Diskerud, and why is everyone calling him "Mixx?"

The simple answers to these questions are that Landon Donovan is in Los Angeles preparing for the upcoming MLS season.

The game wasn't on television because ESPN is contracted to show a certain number of matches annually and this one wasn't selected.

And Mikkel Diskerud is a promising 20-year-old midfielder from Oslo whose American mother (hence his U.S. passport) nicknamed him "Mixx" when he was a child.

The reason for all of this confusion? The game against Chile was basically a scrimmage -- the international soccer equivalent of a JV game. Which is why Landon Donovan was given the night off. And why ESPN chose not to air the game. And why Diskerud got the start instead of Michael Bradley or Clint Dempsey or Stuart Holden.

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ADOBE SYSTEMS ADVANCED SEMICONDUCTOR ENGINEERING

Fallahiof9o

Filed under: Blues, Lightning, Trade Deadline

After narrowly missing the postseason last year the St. Louis Blues went out this past summer and acquired goaltender Jaroslav Halak, fresh off his spectacular playoff run with the Montreal Canadiens. At the time, it looked like it was going to give the Blues an opportunity to return to the playoffs for just the second time since the lockout.

It hasn't exactly gone as planned for the Blues after a promising start, as they've dropped down to 13th place in the Western Conference. On Friday, they officially became sellers when they traded their captain, defenseman Eric Brewer, to the Tampa Bay Lightning for a third-round draft pick and prospect Brock Beukeboom, via TSN.

In 54 games this season Brewer has already matched his career high with eight goals to go with six assists. He's spent the past six seasons in St. Louis after playing the early years of his career with the New York Islanders and Edmonton Oilers. Solid player, but durability has been a concern over the years as he's played more than 60 games just twice in the past five seasons.

Tampa Bay has, surprisingly, climbed to the top of the Southeast Division and is in the No. 2 spot in the Eastern Conference with 74 points. This despite being outscored by its opponents over the course of the season. The Lightning boast an explosive offense that's anchored by Steven Stamkos and Martin St. Louis (No's 1 and 4 respectively in the NHL scoring race). The problem, however, has been preventing goals as they're allowing the sixth most goals per game (3.09) in the NHL.

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EMC ELECTRONICS FOR IMAGING

Fallahiof9o

Filed under: FC Dallas, Houston Dynamo, Kansas City Wizards, Portland Timbers, Vancouver Whitecaps FC

Major League Soccer's love of conferences will be tested in 2011 by a balanced 34-game schedule, which makes the separate standings pointless, and the addition of two clubs in the Pacific Northwest.

It addressed the second problem on Friday, announcing that the Houston Dynamo will shift to the Eastern Conference after five years in the West.

Each conference will have nine clubs, thanks to the arrival of the Portland Timbers and the Vancouver Whitecaps.

The league's reasoning? Houston was the eastern-most club in the Western Conference. Done and dusted.

The move splits the Dynamo with in-state rival FC Dallas (mostly to the north, but slightly to the west), but it won't affect the number of times they'll play each other this season.

Houston's Eastern sojourn may be short. With Montreal entering the league in 2012, MLS will be forced to have one conference with 10 teams and another with nine. Houston easily could return next year, or wait until the 20th club (MLS is targeting New York City), joins the league. At that point, conferences will matter because the schedule will be unbalanced.

Either way, the Dynamo likely won't be spending too much time in the East, and they may not mind. Although the new conference offers shorter flights, it hasn't been as kind on the field. Houston has earned just 1.357 points per game against Eastern foes over the course of its five regular seasons, compared to 1.646 points per game vs. Western teams.

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The most recent existing team to switch conferences was Sporting Kansas City, which moved east in 2005.

The problem created by the balanced schedule, unfortunately, remains one that fans will have to live with in 2011. MLS has committed to determining its playoff participants based on conference standings, in part to avoid the embarrassment of seeing a Western team win the Eastern title for a third straight year.

That means the sixth place team in one conference might stay home this fall while the fifth place club in the other moves on, even if it boasts a better record playing the exact same schedule.

It's unfortunate, but it should be temporary. Unless MLS finds a way to add a 13th month to the calendar, it will return to an unbalanced schedule in 2012. At that point, conference standings will be meaningful once again.

Here's the new MLS alignment:


Eastern Conference	Western Conference
Chicago Fire	Chivas USA
Columbus Crew	Colorado Rapids
D.C. United	FC Dallas
Houston Dynamo	Los Angeles Galaxy
Sporting Kansas City	Portland Timbers
New England Revolution	Real Salt Lake
New York Red Bulls	San Jose Earthquakes
Philadelphia Union	Seattle Sounders
Toronto FC	Vancouver Whitecaps

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AMAZONCOM AMERICA MOVIL

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Filed under: Heat, Lakers, NBA All-Star Game

LOS ANGELES -- As LeBron James fielded questions from the press corps at Staples Center on Sunday night, he was asked about his favorite moments from All-Star weekend.

The Miami star answered by talking about charity, describing how richly he was rewarded for taking part in a number of good-will efforts in the days leading up to the game itself. Yet after the West had won 148-143, it was the MVP voters who had been in the giving spirit. At James' expense.

Despite his triple-double (29 points on 10-of-18 shooting, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists), James lost out to the Lakers' hometown hero, Kobe Bryant (37 points on 14-of-26 shooting, 14 rebounds and three assists) for the game's top award. The voting is done with media members accounting for nine votes and the fan votes accounting for three more. The triple-double was only the second in All-Star game history -- and the first since Michael Jordan turned the trick in 1997.

"I just tried to showcase my talent on both ends of the floor -- defending, rebounding, scoring," James said. "We came up short. And you know for me, I'm all about winning, so (I'm) just a little disappointed in our game. Disappointed that we didn't win."

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KDDI KLATENCOR

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Filed under: Steelers, NFL Free Agency

The Pittsburgh Steelers placed the franchise tag on outside linebacker LaMarr Woodley on Friday.

Woodley, who was drafted by the Steelers in the second round of the 2007 NFL draft, made $550,000 during the final year of his rookie contract in 2010. Under the current collective bargaining agreement, Woodley will now receive the average pay of the top five salaries at his position, paying the 26-year-old linebacker approximately $10.2 million in 2011 if the parties don't agree on a long-term contract.

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DIEBOLD DELL

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Filed under: Ohio State, Purdue, Big Ten

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) -- E'Twaun Moore scored a career-high 38 points to lead No. 11 Purdue past Ohio State (No. 3 ESPN/USA Today, No. 2 AP) 76-63 on Sunday, capping a week that saw the top four teams in the Top 25 lose a game.

Moore tied a career high with seven 3-pointers. He surpassed 2,000 points during a flurry of 13 in the final 3:49 of the first half, becoming the fifth player in school history to reach the milestone.
JaJuan Johnson added 13 points and six rebounds for Purdue (22-5, 11-3 Big Ten), which avenged an 87-64 loss at Ohio State on Jan. 25.

Jared Sullinger scored 25 points and Jon Diebler added 11 for the Buckeyes (25-2, 12-2), who have lost two of three after winning their first 24 games.

With losses in the past week by No. 1 Kansas, No. 3 Texas and No. 4 Pittsburgh, the Buckeyes entered the game in line to reclaim the No. 1 ranking they dropped after losing at Wisconsin on Feb. 12.

Instead, Ohio State now finds itself in a dogfight for the conference title. The Buckeyes, who could have all but sealed the championship with a win, now have a one-game lead with four to play.

Purdue shot 51 percent overall after hitting just 38 percent in the first matchup. The Boilermakers held the Buckeyes to 6-for-22 shooting in the second half.

Diebler entered the game one 3-pointer short of the Big Ten career record of 331 set by Penn State's Pete Lisicky from 1994-1998. Diebler tied the record on a fadeaway as the shot clock expired that gave Ohio State an 11-5 lead, and broke it on a shot from the right corner 1 minute into the second half.

Ohio State led 28-24 in the first half before Moore took over. He hit a 3-pointer, then scored on an acrobatic fastbreak layup to give Purdue the lead. He followed that with two more 3s to give the Boilermakers a 35-30 lead.

David Lighty's 3-pointer with 20 seconds left in the first half cut the lead to two, but Moore drained a jumper over Lighty in the closing seconds of the half to push Purdue's lead to 37-33. The Boilermakers forced nine turnovers in the first 20 minutes.

Moore found a streaking Terone Johnson with a behind-the-back pass, and Johnson's layup gave Purdue a 48-42 lead. Moore then made a long jumper to push the lead to 10 for the first time.

Ohio State hung around while Purdue took questionable shots. Sullinger drove for a powerful two-handed dunk and was fouled. His free throw cut Purdue's lead to 56-51.

Moore hit a fadeaway, then his sixth 3-pointer, to increase Purdue's lead to 61-53.

ELECTRONIC ARTS ECLIPSYS

Fallahiof9o

Filed under: Blue Jays, MLB Transactions

Jose Bautista and the Blue Jays finalized a five-year, $65 million contract extension Thursday.

The reigning home run champion will make $8 million in 2011 and $14 million each year from 2012-15. The Jays have a $14 million option for 2016 that can be bought out for $1 million.

Bautista had been scheduled for an arbitration hearing Monday but that proceeding was put on hold as the two sides hammered out a multiyear deal. He had asked for $10.5 million for this season and the Jays had offered $7.6 million, so the team won the battle for this season but Bautista certainly is the long-term beneficiary.

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SKYWORKS SOLUTIONS SILICON LABORATORIES

Fallahiof9o

Filed under: Alabama, Auburn, Texas A&M, Texas, All That and a Bag of Mail

On Wednesday, the South's national holiday -- signing day -- took over the region. Four-stars and five-stars become celebrities for putting hats on their heads. Or posing with cuddly bulldog puppies. Bulldog puppies that, sigh, it might be necessary to use as a replacement for UGA VIII given his recently untimely demise after just six games. Maybe it's time to get some new genes into that bulldog family tree. Just an idea.

In the meantime, let's go ahead and crown our beaver pelt trader of the week. Her name is Briana Baisden and if you ever wondered whether the people who are obsessed with recruiting suffer from a heterosexual sex deficit that would make prisoners look lame, Baisden's ascension to Internet sex symbol proves the deficit. What did Baisden do? She retrieved a letter from Alabama's fax cam -- yes, this exists -- in her Crimson Cabaret dance uniform. The resulting Internet pandemonium over her thigh's public airing even made officials in Riyadh blush. The Internet, which basically exists as a flesh emporium, still has the ability to titillate by showing virtually nothing at all. So awesome was the uproar over Baisden's bum -- the skirt that launched a million e-mails -- that the Southeastern Conference felt compelled to issue a public rebuke to Alabama.

I'm not making that up.

As many of you have emailed, the league office was quicker to chastise Alabama for this than it was, and has been, to publicly condemn Auburn for the entirety of the Cam Newton escapade.

Anyway, Briana is our beaver pelt trader of the week. On to All That and a Bag of Mail.

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ZORAN ZIONS BAN

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