NEW YORK -- The NBA plans to donate proceeds from sales of Jason Collins jerseys to the Matthew Shepard Foundation and the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network. Collins became the leagues first openly gay player when he signed with the Brooklyn Nets last Sunday, and his No. 98 jersey has been the top seller on NBAStore.com. He chose the number in tribute to Shepard, who was killed in a gay hate crime in 1998. Collins met Shepards parents on Thursday when the Nets played in Denver. The league says Friday the donations will total no less than $100,000, and it will also auction off Collins autographed, game-worn jerseys to benefit the same organizations. Collins says he is thrilled to help the organizations that "work tirelessly to ensure LGBT youth get the resources and assistance they need to be successful in life." . -- Derek Jeter spoke for 25 minutes, 44 seconds and answered 26 questions about his decision to retire at the end of this season. . Born in Berkeley and raised in Oakland, where he later pitched for the As, Ross beat the Giants for the first time in six career appearances by throwing eight scoreless innings to lead the San Diego Padres to a 2-1 victory Friday night.
http://www.grizzliesbasketballpro.info/ ... -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. .com)LeBron clearly likes his Italian sports cars, and thats ok with me, so up next up is the 458 Spider. . The 26-year-old Redditch, England, native played three of his past four seasons under Rennie with the Carolina RailHawks of the North American Soccer League.Nine players have withdrawn from the Australian Open through the first two days due to injury, including No. 12 Tommy Haas, No. 13 John Isner and No. 21 Philipp Kohlschreiber. Thats five more players in two days than the entire 2013 U.S. Open in September of last year. While the final Grand Slam at the end of a gruelling season might be expected to have more impact on the health of players, the Australian Open is taking out competitors at an alarming rate to kick off the 2014 schedule. And although none of the nine players officially retired due to the roaring heat in Melbourne, one would think its played a part. Heat has always been an issue for this event but it seems to be getting worse. What should be done to make things better for the players? The average temperature in Melbourne in January - the first month of summer Down Under - is 25.9 C. The average temperature for the opening two days of the seasons first Grand Slam was 36 C. Despite any match-ending issues related to the heat, there is no shortage of players - and a ball boy - struggling to maintain their composure under the sun. But tournament organizers have not suspended any matches as yet. "I think its inhumane, I dont think its fair to anybody, to the players, to the fans, to the sport, when you see players pulling out of matches, passing out," Canadian Frank Dancevic told reporters after his first-round loss in which he collapsed on the sideline during the second set. "Ive played five set matches all my life and being out there for a set and a half and passing out with heat stroke, its not normal." The tourrnament has contingencies in place to deal with the heat, which was put into effect Tuesday by granting womens matches an extra 10-minute break between the second and third sets.dddddddddddd Stopping a match, however, is at the discretion of tournament director Wayne McKewen as part of a new rule instituted this year. "We have to reach a minimum threshold and have a forecast that it will be sustained for a reasonable time," McKewen said in a statement. "That didnt happen. While conditions were hot and uncomfortable, the relatively low level of humidity ensured play would continue." Organizers use the Wet Bulb Global Temperature composite, which factors in humidity and wind in an attempt to assess the conditions more accurately. On Tuesday, temperatures were expected to reach as high as 42 C. Rod Laver Arena and Hisense Arena are the only two venues with retractable roofs and air conditioning, but have yet to be utilized. All other courts remain at the mercy of the heat and the forecast is calling for high 30s on Wednesday and low 40s for Thursday and Friday. Two-time defending champion Victoria Azarenka said the court at Rod Laver was "like youre dancing in a frying pan." Is it time for organizers to provide more cooling options, including stopping matches before its too late? Could the tournament begin earlier or later and still comfortably sit between the U.S. Open in September and the French Open in May? What more can be done to combat the uncomfortable and potentially dangerous conditions at the Australian Open? As always, its Your! Call. ' ' '
