FIVE QUICK HOOPS THOUGHTS: 1. STAN VAN GUNDY (Pistons): A terrific move by this dysfunctional franchise to select a guy as both president and head coach to lead them down the right path. I have no doubt that hell get them back on track. Everyone will be on the same page and there wont be any nonsense. Hes a straight shooter with outstanding basketball coaching and teaching abilities, who also communicates and connects with players. If you can find a guy that you truly believe in as your leader, then I have no hesitation whatsoever in allowing him to run the show and put together a team with his vision. Its his win-loss record and career on the line. Hes paid his dues at every level and is more than capable of doing this. The days of the revolving door of coaches in Detroit will come to an end and theyll have stability of leadership with the defining voice leading the way. Get on board or get moving on. If I owned a team, this would have been the move Id make as well. 2. STEVE KERR (Warriors): I agree with his decision to turn down the New York Knicks and go with the organization with the better short and long term futures. He got the contractual stability he was looking for and it will be vital for him to make sure he selects a terrific staff with some veteran coaching experience to help him through it. Look at his mentor Phil Jackson in his early days with the Chicago Bulls having veteran coaches like Tex Winter and Johnny Bach with him and Pat Riley in Los Angeles having Bill Bertka on his staff. Kerr would be wise to surround himself with folks that will tell him what he NEEDS to hear and not what he WANTS to hear. Thats a sign of smart leadership. There will be some things to learn and make sure you have folks that can help you grow and not guys who were your buddies when you played hanging out. 3. DONALD STERLING (Clippers): Enough already! This clown just wears me out. He loves his team? I have no doubt the residual effects of all the drama the past few weeks had a wearing effect on his team in the playoffs. Hes going to sue the NBA and not pay the $ 2.5 million fine to the league? Okay. You do that and good luck getting your TV money from the league next year and/or any other funds from the league. Thats what Id do - Major league hardball now because the gloves are off. This promises to be quite the legal battle, which is typical from a guy who loves to sue at the drop of the hat and try to work people over. This thing is going to drag on and I hope the players realize that the league is trying its best to oust this person, but its going to be a hard and potentially slow battle, which could spill into next season. What a circus! Not a pretty picture at all. I learned a long time ago that "a man can achieve great wealth, stature and position in society yet fail as a man." Example 1A of that right here. 4. WEST FINALS (THUNDER VS SPURS): Spurs in Seven. It should be a fascinating series with two wonderful teams that are playing at a high level right now. Im probably picking more with my heart right now than my head, but I still believe that the best team always finds a way to win. Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant are sensational players and are a really tough cover for the Spurs, but I think theyll find a way. 5. EAST FINALS (HEAT VS. PACERS): Heat in Six. In spite of the Pacers finding a way to get past the Wizards, the "eye test" tells me that the Heat, even though theyre not as good as theyve been the past few years, have just enough to get by the Pacers. They guard, shoot the 3 and have the best player in the world in LeBron. The Pacers are playing better defensively and have enough big time players in Paul George and David West (love that guy) who wont back down, but the erratic play of the Pacers second unit and inconsistent offensive play dont convince me. Heat like being the two seed here and having some adversity to play through - that will be a positive jolt for them to rise to the challenge. . Radulov scored the lone goal in the shootout, and the Predators edged the Minnesota Wild 2-1 on Tuesday night to reach 100 points for the second time in three seasons and fourth in seven. .FIFA says it is relaxing the rule which forced match officials to leave its international list at the end of the year they turned 45.
http://www.saintsrookiestore.com/Saints ... -Jersey/... as usual. Even with the salary cap being set lower than many general managers expected and hoped for at $69 million and whats considered a shallow pool of top-end players available, this unrestricted-free-agent period figures to follow the familiar script of teams bidding up prices to keep up with each other. .Best moustache: How can we not give this to Lanny McDonald? Check out the duster for yourself. . David Perron had a career high four-point night with two goals and two assists as the Oilers experienced an offensive explosion, blasting the Columbus Blue Jackets 7-0 to record a rare home win for their second victory in a row.The Winnipeg Goldeyes got behind early in their Opening Day game on Thursday night against the Amarillo Sox. And despite slowly clawing their way back into the game, the Fish were never quite able to level the score. The Goldeyes (0-1) gave up 11 runs over the first two innings to the Sox (1-0), and that is all the offense the Sox needed. With the 11-7 final, Amarillo got their first ever franchise win against Winnipeg. The Fish actually took the early lead with Ray Sadler getting on base on a walk in the first and then scoring on a RBI double from Reggie Abercrombie. But the Sox responded in the bottom of the first scoring two of their own. Then in the top of the second the Goldeyes were taken down in order. In the bottom of the inning the Sox did their damage, scoring nine on nine hits, with 14 batters stepping to the plate. The Goldeyes mustered a response in the top of the third. "Guys in the dugout still felt like we could win the game," Goldeyes Pitching Coach Jamie Vermilyea said on the Jewel 101 Post-Game Show. "It was good to bounce back after that nine-run inning and put 5 on the board to pull us back in the game a little bit." Luis Alen and Tyler Kuhn led off the top of the frame with two singles. Jake Blackwood then loaded the bases on a walk. Ray Sadler flew out, but up next was Abercrombie who was able to get a single and drrive in Alen.ddddddddddddTwo batters later Webb reached base on an error that scored Kuhn. Casey Haerther then stepped to the plate and hit a three RBI double. Haerther reached 300 RBI for his career on the play. The five runs the Goldeyes scored in the inning cut the Sox lead in half. Great pitching from Kyle Anderson, Chase Johnson and Brendan Lafferty then kept the Sox off the scoreboard through the remainder of the game, as they tried to give their team a chance to get back into the game. The Fish offense didnt go quietly, they were able to get at least one runner on base in every inning from the third on."You have to grind out those at bats," said Vermilyea. "We started doing a good job of that, and we kept hitting the ball hard, but they just werent dropping." The only additional run the Goldeyes were able to score came in the top of the seventh. Donnie Webb got on base with a single and then was driven in by Ryan Pineda on a RBI single. "You take away that one inning and we had a good game," said Vermilyea. "Its nothing to hang out heads on, we have 99 more them." The Goldeyes series against the Sox continues Friday and Saturday evenings at 7 p.m., and wraps up with a game on Sunday at 6 p.m. After this series the Fish will travel south to Laredo for a three game series against the Laredo Lemurs. ' ' '
