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PHOENIX -- The Brewers' feelings about the 2011 season changed dramatically one shocking weekend in December, when the unthinkable happened.The Brewers acquired Zack Greinke.
"Disbelief," is how Corey Hart described his reaction to the news. "Any time the Brewers outdo the big-market teams, you are always a little shocked."
Randy Wolf, who dropped from being the Brewers No. 2 starter to being the No. 4 starter when the club acquired Greinke and Shaun Marcum, said he was taken off guard -- in a good way -- when it happened.
"The discussion was whatever team loses out on Cliff Lee will try to get Zack Greinke," Wolf said, "so when the Phillies got Cliff Lee, I was wondering 'Who's going to get Greinke?' Then it was the Brewers, out of nowhere. I don't think anyone expected it. It was exciting."
The excitement of that day sparked an anticipation that has been building toward the day when the new Brewers begin the 2011 season, bringing with them the highest expectations since Robin Yount's playing days. This is a team that hasn't had any trouble scoring over the past few years, thanks to an offensive core of Prince Fielder, Ryan Braun, Rickie Weeks and Hart. To add to that, they have undergone the most significant starting pitching upgrade in the majors.
Greinke's talent is well-known, but Marcum may have been somewhat under-the-radar. The 29-year-old right-hander had a 3.39 ERA pitching for the Blue Jays last year. With Greinke, Marcum and the returning Yovanni Gallardo, the Brewers now boast a rotation that includes three of the 30 Opening Day starters from 2010. No other team has more than two."I think management and everyone else is going for it," Hart said. "We feel like this is our window and there's no reason not to focus on the next few years and try to do it now. We came in with the best team we've had in no telling how long."
On paper, the Brewers would seem to be one of the top two teams in the NL Central, along with the defending champion Reds. One of the most intriguing storylines to watch with the Brewers will be how Greinke handles his new role. This is a pitcher whose social anxiety disorder is well-chronicled. He's been a No.1 pitcher before, with the Royals, but he has never been a guy expected to lead a team into the playoffs.
That may be why first-year manager Ron Roenicke is already trying not to heap too much responsibility on Greinke's shoulders.
"I don't want to have people think this is our guy, this is going to be the leader of our staff," Roenicke said. "He is going to be one of the leaders of the staff. I don't think it's fair to put it on him, Hey we've got a four-game losing streak, you are the guy that has to stop it. I think it's a good thing to have other good pitchers with him, because they'll push each other."
In fact, Roenicke has not yet named an Opening Day starter. The Brewers played their first exhibition games on Monday, and Greinke did not start. He'll make his debut on Tuesday against the White Sox.
"The last few years probably we put a little extra pressure on ourselves because every run is magnified. Now, you don't have to score six. You might be able to score three and still win a lot of ballgames."
-- Corey Hart The other issue with Greinke is how he'll assimilate to a new clubhouse.
"He doesn't say much," veteran Mark Kotsay said, "but that's OK, because we've got enough other people in here who say enough."
Added Hart: "He's a quiet guy, but we have a lot of characters and personality in here. It's going to be hard not to be outgoing in this clubhouse."
When Greinke does talk, it is usually in biting one-liners or else short, direct, no-holds-barred honesty. He introduced himself to Wisconsin fans at a team event before the Super Bowl when he picked the Steelers over the Packers.
"It doesn't take long to know what he's about," Roenicke said. "He's totally open. He's not trying to be politically correct. He just says what's on his mind and states facts. I know that. There's no malice in it."
Roenicke admitted there will be some adjustment to learning how to handle the professional communication necessary between a manager and one of his pitchers. He said Greinke has already assured him that he'll be absolutely honest about how he feels.
Marcum, meanwhile, seems to be the exact opposite of Greinke in terms of personality. He is outgoing and talkative.
It's likely the Brewers will be happy to accept whatever Greinke or Marcum do in the clubhouse as long as they each pitch to the standard they've set throughout their careers. The Brewers' starters had a 4.65 ERA in 2010, second-worst in the league. That was actually an improvement from their league-worst 5.37 ERA in 2009.
"You know going in you don't have to score six or seven runs every night now," Hart said. "The last few years probably we put a little extra pressure on ourselves because every run is magnified. Now, you don't have to score six. You might be able to score three and still win a lot of ballgames."
Jeff covered the A's and the Giants at the Santa Rosa Press Democrat for 11 years and was a sports reporter at the Los Angeles Times. He is a Baseball Hall of Fame voter, Baseball Writers Association of America member, Baseball America contributor and APSE award winner.
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February 18 2011 Last updated at 12:30 AM ET
LOS ANGELES -- It seems even David Stern is getting tired of all the Carmelo Anthony drama.
In an interview at All-Star Weekend on Thursday night with FanHouse's Sam Amick and Chris Tomasson, the NBA commissioner was asked if the constant speculation about where the Denver star, who is on the trading block, soon might be playing has become somewhat of a negative for the league.
"Yes, I think that,'' Stern said. "Honestly, it can't be helpful getting to the place where the sport is so popular now and the ruminations about it in the media so over the top, in a good way, I suppose, that if a player doesn't sign a new contract, the speculation begins.
"In fact, it's now gone to the next level. Poor Dwight Howard (of Orlando). He's out there playing his head off and the media is, 'Oh, where's he going next?' What is that all about? It's ridiculous.''
There has been speculation about where Howard might play after his contract could expire in the summer of 2012. Stern was asked how he might change the situations involving Anthony and Howard.
"I have some great ideas,'' Stern said. "But it would be less employment for the (Fourth) Estate (the media). It's what we live with. That's what we do.''
Stern also talked about Friday's negotiating session with the players union in Beverly Hills, Calif. With the collective bargaining agreement expiring June 30 and many believing there will be a lockout, Stern admitted he doesn't expect anything substantial to come out of it.
"I think it's not a negotiating session,'' Stern said. "I would say more of a get together. What I'm really hoping the most relevant it could be is if the parties agree that we've got to get down to hard work after the meeting is over and decide to set a (negotiating) schedule. But with that many people coming it's really more of a sort of a goodwill gesture and sort of a show-your-resolve gesture by both sides. ... I agreed with (union executive director) Billy Hunter and (NBA deputy commissioner) Adam Silver that this is a good thing to do, to have a meeting. Because the players really wanted it."Union officials also don't expect anything substantial to come out of the meeting. Expected to attend are many of the 24 players in Sunday's All-Star Game. Players who are likely will be on hand include Anthony, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Derrick Rose.
"That's the way Billy has set it up,'' Stern said of the meeting being open to so many players, not just those on the union executive board. "And we said the same thing to our owners (about being free to attend). So we won't know until we get there (who will be there).''
Stern said he initially had wanted the meeting to be Monday morning because the NBA "didn't want to turn it into a sideshow.'' But the meeting instead will be held Friday with plenty of focus from the media. In fact, the union has scheduled a press conference for after the meeting at the media hotel in downtown Los Angeles.
Stern was noncommittal on whether he believes there will be a lockout.
"I'm neither an optimist or a pessimist on this one,'' Stern said. "We're just going to work hard and hopefully we'll get a deal done. We will get a deal done eventually. We would like very much to get one done before any damage is done. But we'll see how that works.''
Asked whether he believes next season will start on time, Stern said, "I don't know. I'm not optimistic yet. But I'm not pessimistic yet. I just don't know. See me on June 30. I'll have a better idea.''
The sides are still far apart. In fact, Stern, who has said NBA salaries need to be cut by a third, said nothing has changed from the perspective of the owners since the meeting that was held last February during All-Star Weekend in Dallas. The proposal the owners made then, which included significant cuts in salary and length of contracts, was quickly rejected by the players.
"No,'' Stern said of the owners not having changed their thinking in the past year. "The numbers are the numbers. And we have to negotiate with those numbers.''
The union presented a counter proposal last summer that primarily dealt with keeping the status quo. But the owners have yet to respond to that.
Stern also was asked about the possibility of the union setting up meetings with not only agents, but other advisers to players, in order to educate them on the labor situation.
"I think it's good,'' Stern said. "I think that we spent a lot of time giving the union all the economic data you could possibly ask for. And I think that the more of an understanding that any interested party has about the situation in which we find ourselves is a good thing.''
Apparently, though, all this speculation about Anthony and Howard is not as good.
Chris Tomasson covered the Denver Nuggets from 2002-09 for the defunct Rocky Mountain News. Prior to that, he was on the Cleveland Cavaliers beat for the Akron Beacon Journal and also has covered five Olympics, major college sports, the NFL and MLB. He has won numerous awards, including 10 in the past nine Pro Basketball Writers Association contests.
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Or it might not.
That's the tricky thing about match play. When competition begins Wednesday with 64 of the top ranked players in the world, there will be all sorts of intriguing possibilities. A few times over the years, promise has even delivered. In 2000, Darren Clarke beat Tiger Woods in the final. Woods won in 2003 by taking down David Toms in the final and won again in 2004 over Davis Love III. Woods defeated Stewart Cink in 2008. Even last year, although an all-England final, Ian Poulter's victory over Paul Casey had its viewing strengths.
But then there was 2001 when Steve Stricker beat Pierre Fulke in the Sunday final. Or 2007 when Henrik Stenson beat Geoff Ogilvy. And who doesn't remember Kevin Sutherland's 1-up decision over Scott McCarron in 2002?
Because players are eliminated as the week wears on, it is always possible that by the time Sunday's final match arrives, there is the possibility of a "Who's He?" taking on "Who Cares?"
That makes match play events fascinating in that much of the intrigue often occurs early in the week, and the final days can drag.
FORMAT
The top 64 players on the World Rankings after the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am qualified. Among those eligible, only Japan's Toru Taniguchi is missing, because of a neck injury. He was replaced by Stenson.
Wednesday will have 32 matches, and by Friday only 16 players will remain.
The quarterfinals will take place on Saturday, and the semifinals will go off Sunday morning. An 18-hole final will be played Sunday afternoon, along with a match to determine third and fourth place.
EARLY FUN
There's no shortage of potential upset matches. Englishman and World No. 1 Lee Westwood comes out of the blocks against Sweden's Stenson. Two No. 1 seeds have been eliminated in the event's 13-year history. Peter O'Malley beat Tiger Woods 2 & 1 in 2002 and last year Steve Stricker went down to defeat in the hands of Ross McGowan.
Poulter, the defending champion, will open with Stewart Cink. Two-time camp Geoff Ogilvy will face Padraig Harrington; Tiger meets Thomas Bjorn; Phil Mickelson starts with Brenden Jones; Stricker meets 17-year-old Italian Matteo Manassero, Luke Donald plays Charley Hoffman, Louis Oosthuizen draw Bo Van Pelt, Rory McIlroy goes against Jonathan Byrd, and Bubba Watson meets Bill Haas.
THE COURSE
The Ritz Carlton Golf Club at Dove Mountain was designed by Jack Nicklaus and opened in November of 2008. The resort offers 27 holes with tournament play scheduled for the Saguaro and Tortolita nines. The third nine, the Wild Burro, is Nicklaus' favorite of the three, but it was judged fan-unfriendly.
The course will be a par 72 and measure 7,849 yards but at an elevation of 3,500 feet. The greens and fairways are large.
FLASHBACK
Poulter didn't just beat United Kingdom countryman and close friend Paul Casey for the 2010 Accenture Match Play Championship, he became golf significant, advancing from his past role as an occasional background distraction to legitimate attraction.
And while the well-played 4 & 2 decision over Casey that went 34 holes may not have been a jolly-good attention getter in the colonies, at the least it provides something for golf to talk about other than Tiger Woods -- who earlier in the week make his first public appearance after an offseason of issues.
The victory was Poulter's first on American soil in addition to being his first World Golf Championship title. It also moved him to No. 5 on the World Golf Rankings, a career high.
"Feels just amazing," Poulter said. "Five or six years of hard work, coming over to change my residency, to be living in America, to finally win over here just means everything.
"I moved my family across. It's just so pleasing to be able to finally say now I'm a winner on the PGA Tour."
Casey, who needed one hole early Sunday to eliminate Camilo Villegas in 24-hole semifinal match that had was halted Saturday night by darkness, went 1 up with a birdie on the second hole, but never led again.
Poulter birdied the next hole to square the match and took the lead on No. 8. From there, he was 2 up after 18, 4 up through 26, and after Casey closed within two, came back with a birdie on the 33rd hole, hitting the day's best shot, to slam the door.
After missing the fairway badly to the right on the short par-4 and with mud caked on his ball, Poulter hit wedge to two feet for birdie.
"Probably one of the toughest shots I had," he said. "The ball had a lot of mud on it. It was quite a bare lie, because it was quite close to where the drain was. I hit that shot absolutely perfect."
BY THE NUMBERS
14: Years tournament has been played at four different courses.
9 & 8: Largest margin of victory in tournament history, by Tiger Woods over Stephen Ames, in 2006 opening round.
38: Holes played in longest championship match -- Jeff Maggert and Andrew Magee in 1999.
23: Players entered under age 30.
16: Wins in 33 career starts by Tiger Woods in WGC events.
AND OUR WINNER IS ...
Graeme McDowell.
What's the biggest stage in match play? That's right, the Ryder Cup.
Who played better the entire week of last year's European victory?
Graeme McDowell.
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When doctors told Hampton point guard Jerica Jenkins that she had cancer, she cried for a long time that April day.It's an understandable reaction, even more so for a high school freshman, which she was at the time of the diagnosis of Hodgkin's lymphoma.
That day ended, and, so too did Jenkins' tears, as it's coming up on seven years since that day, and she hasn't wasted any water on her cancer.
"I was shocked," said Jenkins, a 5-foot-4 junior from Lancaster, Tex. "I didn't believe it. I was 14. I was like, 'There's no way I have cancer.' I just couldn't believe it. I cried right then. Then, I realized that I had to deal with it and move on."
There were enough tears to go around that first day when Jenkins got the diagnosis two days after a biopsy. She and her mother cried and prayed, and then got after beating Hodgkin's, a lymphoma with a relatively high treatment rate, if detected early.
Jenkins underwent six rounds of chemotherapy three times a week every three weeks for a few months, until the cancer was eradicated in November 2007. And it hasn't returned since.
That's not to say there haven't been anxious moments. Jenkins admits that she does worry at times about the cancer returning, particularly in those moments when she gets a little under the weather and her lymph nodes might enlarge, say, during a throat infection.
But Jenkins said those thoughts don't stay with her long.
"I don't sweat the small stuff, like with anything in life," said Jenkins. "But if something's going on, I feel like, 'It's not a big deal. OK. Calm down. Get over it. What happened, happened. It's not going to change. It's in the past. You have to look forward to the next thing.'"
Said teammate Melanie Warner: "She just plays like what else does she have to lose? Going through something like that (cancer) was really (tough) for her. She cherishes every moment of the game. She just plays. She gives her all every game."
Having that attitude was key for Jenkins just to get noticed. Because of her height, which is actually a couple inches shorter than what's listed in the game program, few colleges were interested in Jenkins out of high school, so she sent out DVDs.
"I don't sweat the small stuff, like with anything in life. But if something's going on, I feel like, 'It's not a big deal. OK. Calm down. Get over it. What happened, happened. It's not going to change. It's in the past. You have to look forward to the next thing."
-- Jerica Jenkins One of them landed at Hampton on the desk of previous coach Walter Mebane, who offered Jenkins a scholarship. When coach David Six, who had previously been the head of the intramural program got the job before last season, he inherited a player whom he says is "not quick, not athletic."
"But she gets it done," said Six. "She's crafty. And very headstrong. She's very confident in what she's doing. She's been able to parlay that into being a Division I player."
And a good one at that, as Jenkins is not only the Lady Pirates' leading scorer at 13 points a game, but she's third in all of women's basketball in assist-turnover ratio at 2.98:1, while her 7 assists per game are second in the NCAA behind Gonzaga's Courtney Vandersloot.
She's not only resourceful, but Jenkins' play inspires comparisons to a certain Peanuts character with security issues.
"People's comfort level goes up with her on the floor," said Six. "She gets you in your sweet spot. It's like having Linus' blanket around you. When we didn't have her, we turned the ball over 30 times a game."
With one regular season game left at Howard Thursday, the Lady Pirates (21-6) who have a 10-game win streak in play, have already wrapped up the MEAC regular season title. They'll almost certainly have to win the conference tournament to claim a second straight NCAA tournament bid, but non-conference wins over Florida and James Madison could get them off the No.16 line in the bracket should they get in.
But with a win over cancer in her pocket, you can bet that Jerica Jenkins won't be shedding any tears over something as easy as facing Connecticut or Baylor.
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February 28 2011 Last updated at 10:10 AM ET
It's the FanHouse 15, a countdown of the 15 most talked about, blogged about, tweeted about, sensational stars of America's pastime.
The countdown concludes with No. 1, the Cardinals' sensational Albert Pujols.
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February 27 2011 Last updated at 05:43 PM ET
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?
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MARANA, Ariz. (AP) -- The slow road back for Tiger Woods took another detour Wednesday when he followed a clutch birdie with a shocking shot into the desert and lost to Thomas Bjorn in the first round of the Match Play Championship.It was only the second time that Woods, the No. 3 seed, had been eliminated in the first round.
But this was stunning even to Woods.
Moments after he made an 8-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole to extend the match, he hit a 3-wood so far to the right that it landed in a desert bush. It took two shots just to get it back onto the grass. After badly missing an 18-foot bogey putt, he conceded to Bjorn.
"I blew it," Woods said.
Twice he had simple chips on the back nine and failed to convert them into birdies, losing his lead on the 13th and falling behind on the 15th. He missed a 10-foot birdie on the 17th that he figured he should make "every time."
And then came No. 1, the first extra hole.
"It's easy to put the ball in the fairway and I couldn't even do that," Woods said, so visibly upset that he was stumbling over his words.
The other top seeds didn't have that much trouble.
Top-ranked Lee Westwood never trailed in his 3-and-2 victory over Henrik Stenson, while PGA champion Martin Kaymer had the shortest match of the opening round, a 7-and-6 win over 19-year-old Seung-yul Noh of South Korea.
Phil Mickelson, the No. 4 seed who only decided to play this World Golf Championship two weeks ago, won 6-and-5 over Brendan Jones.
Woods had some company in going home early.
The Americans had four of the top 10 seeds at Dove Mountain, and Mickelson is the only one left. Matteo Manassero, the 17-year-old Italian, became the youngest winner in this tournament with a 2-and-1 victory over eighth-seeded Steve Stricker, while Jim Furyk (No. 10) continued his struggles in losing to Ryan Palmer, who was making his Match Play debut.
Coming off the worst season of his career, most of that from the crisis in his personal life, Woods does not appear to be making any progress. Through three tournaments this year, he has failed to crack the top 20.
Woods keeps talking about needing more repetition as he works on a new swing, although he is not playing more tournaments. Asked if he might add the Honda Classic, Woods replied, "Probably now is not the time to ask me right now."
He next is likely to play the Cadillac Championship at Doral in two weeks, with Bay Hill two weeks after that. One possibility is the Transitions Championship outside Tampa, Fla., which is the week between Doral and Bay Hill.
It was the second time Bjorn has beaten Woods head-to-head, although not in this format. Ten years ago, they went 72 holes together in the Dubai Desert Classic, with Woods putting his shot into the water on the last hole to make double bogey.
Bjorn was gracious in victory, saying that Woods is not playing "his absolute best right now." although he still saw some good swings.
Others piled on.
When asked about the youth movement in golf, especially after Manassero won his match, Rory McIlroy said all the young players feel they are good enough to compete with the likes of Woods, Mickelson, Stricker and Furyk.
"I mean, I don't think Tiger and Phil have got any ... well, yeah, I mean I don't think Phil has gotten any worse," McIlroy said after his 4-and-2 win over Jonathan Byrd. "Tiger isn't as dominant as he used to be, and Phil won the Masters last year."
Then came a tweet from Hank Haney, the swing coach from whom Woods split a year ago in May.
"For all the talk of Tiger's poor driving the last 6 years I have never seen him drive it out of play with a match or tournament on the line," Haney said on Twitter.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. Active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.
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February 1 2011 Last updated at 04:14 AM ET
Sixteen months after the fatal car accident that destroyed his World Cup dreams and nearly ended his career, Charlie Davies may be returning to the city where his life changed.On Tuesday afternoon, D.C. United confirmed a morning report from The Washington Post's incomparable Steven Goff that Davies and his French club, FC Sochaux, were considering a season-long loan.
Davies is expected to join United in Fort Lauderdale on Wednesday, when he will commence "a week-long evaluation period, which will include training and game time with the first team and a full medical evaluation," according to the MLS club.
D.C. said the terms of the the loan "have already been negotiated."
If Davies proves himself and the move happens, it will generate a fair bit of publicity for United and MLS, while giving the former U.S. national team starter the opportunity to salvage both his career and his image.
His commitment to doing the former has been inspiring. His interest in the latter remains unknown.
Whether or not things work out in Florida, a loan for Davies is a necessity -- he has failed to see the field for Sochaux's first team and has made the club's 18-man match day roster just once. He has been playing for the reserve side, however, and prior to Tuesday there had been mixed messages from Sochaux about its interest in sending Davies out on loan.
Signing Davies would be a gamble, but not an unreasonable one for a team in need of a spark and a fan base beleaguered by three years of losing and an intractable stadium situation. There will be curiosity and enthusiasm on East Capitol Street, for sure.
And while United's technical staff surely will be looking very closely into whether Davies is fit, capable and worth their time and investment, American soccer fans should be equally as cautious and critical. There must be a separation between hoping he continues to recover from his injuries and lionizing him for doing so. There must be a separation between evaluating Davies the soccer player and Davies the person.
Why does Davies the person matter? Because he has represented the United States and wants to do so again. A professional athlete taking money from a for-profit franchise does not necessarily have an obligation to be a role model, or even a good person.
But make no mistake -- when you wear your country's colors, you are viewed as an ambassador. That was very evident at the World Cup, where the effort, commitment, perspective and demeanor exhibited by Bob Bradley's team was consistently noticed and appreciated.
On the character front, Davies appears to have some work to do. He certainly paid heavily for his October 2009 decision to break national team curfew and go out in Washington, DC, and for his decision to get into a car with a woman, Maria Espinoza, who had been drinking.
Everyone makes mistakes, and Davies deserves no further punishment. But he didn't seem to grow much as a result of the incident. His consistent tweeting and promises of recovery throughout last spring were an irritant and a distraction, to the point where Bradley issued a rare public criticism during his pre-World Cup training camp in Princeton.
Last fall, as the anniversary of the accident approached, Davies was pulled over by police near Sochaux for driving nearly 125 mph. It later emerged that an FCSM teammate actually was driving, but that Davies switched seats with him inside the tinted vehicle because the teammate feared having his license suspended. What first looked like reckless and bitterly ironic behavior turned out to be just Davies lying to the cops.
On the one-year anniversary of his accident, Davies tweeted:
"It has been one year to the day and I give thanks to the lord and all of you for supporting me throughout! It means a lot. We are blessed!"
Oct. 13 would have been the ideal time to extend a public and kind word to the family of the woman who was killed in the crash, Ashley Roberta. It's possible he was forbidden to do so by his attorneys since the case against Espinoza was still open. Or perhaps Davies preferred to make it about himself and the devotion he enjoys from both God and his fans.
None of these things make Davies a bad person, but they do call his maturity into question. Perception is important -- it's often reality, after all -- and it certainly may impact the reception Davies receives, his future with Bradley and the national team and his legacy.
Davies, who will turn 25 this summer, has worked tirelessly to rehabilitate his body. He shouldn't forget to devote some of his energy to erasing any doubts that might linger about his character. If he does come to MLS and join D.C. United, everyone with a stake in American soccer should hope he seizes the opportunity to do both.
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February 26 2011 Last updated at 01:00 PM ET
Talk about being stuck between a rock and a hard place.The rock is Brad Richards, a rock-solid player, in terms of ability but not necessarily health. The hard place is Dallas, and Stars general manager Joe Nieuwendyk (photo right) is the man caught in the middle. As the trading deadline approaches, he is doomed if he does and almost doomed if he doesn't trade his superstar center.
If Nieuwendyk keeps Richards, he risks losing him for nothing to unrestricted free agency in July. After paying Richards millions and building the franchise around the Murray Harbour, P.E.I., native in recent seasons, the financially-strapped stars need to get something for him in order to remain competitive -- and financially-appealing while they are in the process of being sold.
On the other hand, if Nieuwendyk decides to move the superstar center, he could jeopardize the Stars' flickering playoff hopes -- presuming Richards can recover from his concussion in time. Another angle not widely considered: Nieuwendyk risks permanently disrupting his dynamic duo of Richards and Loui Eriksson, who were thriving as linemates before the center was concussed.
Richards considers himself and Richards to be two like-minded players who really think the game through. The chance to keep playing alongside Eriksson could sway his decision to stay in Dallas. Eriksson has also become one of the NHL's top scorers this season and might not be the same without Richards.
Nieuwendyk has stated repeatedly that he wants to keep Richards, but he also made it known recently that he will consider trade offers. It's only prudent ? and safe ? for a GM to consider both options. The salary cap is not really an issue right now, because Nieuwendyk has ample space, and he cleared more room by trading young forward James Neal to Pittsburgh.
Nieuwendyk's decision will likely come down to whether the team's lenders allow him to make a hockey move versus a cost-saving one. Until they went into a tailspin with Richards out, the Stars were making big improvements and had a secure hold on a playoff spot as well as home-ice advantage in the first round. Their current troubles are likely temporary.
"I can't shake my head at the Stanley Cup team I played on, because that was a pretty special team," said Richards, who won a title with Tampa in 2004. "But we're turning that way. We've got a lot of young guys and it kind of feels like we were in Tampa ... But there's a lot of hockey left."
Without him, unfortunately.
NEEDS
If the Stars decide to move Richards, they will need another No. 1 center. Otherwise, they do not need much, other than patience, which is always elusive. They have a strong young defense corps that was improved with the addition of Alex Goligoski in the trade that sent Neal to Pittsburgh.
THE VERDICT
Barring an unexpectedly great offer, the Stars will keep Richards. Why? If he manages to return in time, he could help them make the playoffs. And, by waiting, they can get a better read on his health, spend more time negotiating a new contract or, if necessary, trade him and get more value in return.
After acquiring Goligoski and Jamie Langenbrunner in an earlier deal, Nieuwendyk has likely completed his dealing for this year.
"I think you have to build through the draft," said Nieuwendyk. "But if something made sense through a trade to help our hockey club, like the (Jamie) Langenbrunner thing, we'll take a look at it."
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In the immediate seconds following the conclusion of an emotionally charged fight between Michael Bisping and Jorge Rivera, Bisping walked to the Octagon corner nearest to Rivera's team and spit. That much is clear. But the two sides disagree on what exactly he was aiming at, and whether he hit it.Rivera's team says that the spit was directed -- and hit -- boxing coach Matt Phinney. Bisping denies it.
"No, not at all. I was spitting on the floor to let him know what I thought of him," Bisping told MMA Fighting's Ariel Helwani in a UFC 127 post-fight interview. "I apologized for that, and I never want to act like that."
During a break in the fight following a Bisping intentional foul, Bisping also directed a middle finger towards Phinney.
According to Rivera's management team, that wasn't the worst of it. After completing his second-round TKO win, Bisping walked towards Rivera's corner and spat at them. But while Bisping denies directing it at anyone, Rivera's team says he did indeed hit a cornerman.
"Bisping's conduct after he was awarded the TKO is not acceptable," Rivera's manager Lex McMahon told MMA Fighting in an email. "Taunting and spitting at and on Jorge's coach Matt Phinney is the deplorable conduct of a schoolyard bully. And like all bullies, Mr. Bisping needs to be punished. In this instance, it would be appropriate if Bisping is fined and suspended by the commission and/or the UFC."
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UFC 127 Fight Night Photos
Jon Fitch strikes BJ Penn at UFC 127 on Sunday, Feb. 27, 2011 at the Acer Arena in Sydney, Australia.
Daniel Herbertson, FanHouse
Daniel Herbertson, FanHouse
Tiequan Zhang submits Jason Reinhardt at UFC 127 on Sunday, Feb. 27, 2011 at the Acer Arena in Sydney, Australia.
Tiequan Zhang celebrates his submission win over Jason Reinhardt at UFC 127 on Sunday, Feb. 27, 2011 at the Acer Arena in Sydney, Australia.
Tiequan Zhang celebrates his submission win over Jason Reinhardt at UFC 127 on Sunday, Feb. 27, 2011 at the Acer Arena in Sydney, Australia.
Mark Hunt punches Chris Tuchscherer at UFC 127 on Sunday, Feb. 27, 2011 at the Acer Arena in Sydney, Australia.
Mark Hunt drills Chris Tuchscherer at UFC 127 on Sunday, Feb. 27, 2011 at the Acer Arena in Sydney, Australia.
Mark Hunt drills Chris Tuchscherer at UFC 127 on Sunday, Feb. 27, 2011 at the Acer Arena in Sydney, Australia.
Chris Tuchscherer leaves the Octagon bloody at UFC 127 on Sunday, Feb. 27, 2011 at the Acer Arena in Sydney, Australia.
Curt Warburton ground and pounds Maciej Jewtuszko at UFC 127 on Sunday, Feb. 27, 2011 at the Acer Arena in Sydney, Australia.
Curt Warburton ground and pounds Maciej Jewtuszko at UFC 127 on Sunday, Feb. 27, 2011 at the Acer Arena in Sydney, Australia.
Bisping admitted to losing his cool and apologized for his conduct, but took offense at Team Rivera's suggestion that he should be suspended.
"It doesn't surprise me really," he said. "It's just one classless move after another."
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February 27 2011 Last updated at 03:15 PM ET
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Justin Upton knows what it's like to be the No. 1 pick in the country, to reach the majors and struggle, to put the pieces together and be an All-Star, to then step back and have a disappointing season and to be on the trading block.And he's still younger than Buster Posey.
Because Upton's name has been in headlines for five years -- and his family's name for longer than that, thanks to his brother, B.J. -- it's easy to forget Justin is still just 23 years old, five months younger than last year's NL Rookie of the Year.
As the Diamondbacks try to snap their streak of two consecutive last-place finishes, they are trying to walk the fine line between hanging the hopes of the franchise on Upton and being patient with their young star's normal growing pains.
"J-Up has the ability to carry us for stretches," manager Kirk Gibson said, "but I wouldn't expect him to or want him to think he has to."
The expectations, natural as they were, created part of the problem for Upton last year. After hitting .300 with 26 homers in an All-Star season in 2009, he dropped to .273 with 17 homers and he struck out a career-high 152 times.
"I've had one good season and the others have been kind of mediocre," Upton said. "I had a good season in 2009 and I got greedy and wanted more, but it was in a negative light. Like I didn't feel like I did enough."
Upton's new approach is to work hard, in the gym and the batting cage, but not to "grind on myself." He spent his entire winter coming to the ballpark in Phoenix, making his body stronger, particularly the left shoulder that caused him trouble last year.
Upton's swing has been slightly re-tooled, Gibson said, to help him stay on the ball better (read: not strike out so much.)
"He's been outstanding," Gibson said. "I like the way he went about his business. I like the way he's swinging the bat. He put a lot of thought into it."
"I think he's (Upton) going to have an incredible season. I really do."
-- Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers General manager Kevin Towers, who took over last September, said the key for Upton is simply to stay healthy. He hasn't played more than 138 games in any of his three full big league season. Towers also said that Upton appears to be in the right frame of mind this spring.
"I think there's been a maturation process this spring versus what I've seen in the past," Towers said. "I think he's feeling less pressure. I think the last couple years there has been a lot of pressure on him to be the superstar. If you try to live up to those expectations at a very young age, it's very difficult. He's more comfortable in his body and where he's at. Let the game come to you and do what you do well. I think he's going to have an incredible season. I really do."
And this is from a guy who spent part of his winter considering trading Upton.
The Diamondacks didn't exactly hang a "For Sale" sign around Upton's neck, but Towers did not dispute the fact that he was listening to offers for Upton. Upton's name was the center of baseball's hot-stove world for a few weeks in December, before it eventually became clear that no one was willing to meet the high price Towers was asking.
"I tried not to look at it as much as possible," Upton said. "I was getting all these texts. What do you think? What have you heard? I took it in stride. I had fun with it. I was always answering questions (from friends). It became more of a light situation."
Towers said he never had a formal conversation with Upton about the trade situation when it was ongoing or since.
"He understood where the team was at the last couple years, and my job was to make the ballclub better," Towers said. "If we were able to get multiple pieces back (for Upton) that could make the club better, we'd do that. If not, he'd be here. I think part of the maturation process is understanding that this is a business and your name could be out there."
Said Upton: "If I was the piece that had to go to make the team better, that's what he had to do. Looking at it from a business side, I understand. Now I'm here. I'm a D-back and I want to put it all on the table for them."
Jeff covered the A's and the Giants at the Santa Rosa Press Democrat for 11 years and was a sports reporter at the Los Angeles Times. He is a Baseball Hall of Fame voter, Baseball Writers Association of America member, Baseball America contributor and APSE award winner.
AVONDALE, Ariz. (AP) -- Phoenix International Raceway is filled with bumps and cracks and has patches on top of patches trying to hold it together for one last race.
It may be falling apart, but one thing it has never lost is speed.
Carl Edwards had the fastest lap on one of the fastest days ever at Phoenix, setting the last in a slew of track records on Saturday during the final qualifying session before the surface undergoes a makeover.
"This track is great," Edwards said. "I talked to (track president Bryan) Sperber earlier and I think the question I asked him seems a lot of people have asked was: 'Why would you even mess with this?"
Raceway officials don't have a lot of choice with the track nearly crumbling.
It's at least going out with flourish.
On a cloudy, relatively cool day in the desert, 15 drivers eclipsed the old qualifying record of 136.389 mph, set by Edwards on his way to winning at Phoenix last fall.
Coming off a second-place finish at the Daytona 500, Edwards had the fastest of them all, running a lap of 137.279 mph to barely edge Kurt Busch on the final qualifying session before the track's repaving project starts.
Kasey Kahne qualified third and Kyle Busch will start next to him for Sunday's 500-mile race around the crack-filled mile oval.
"It's the same track I've been coming to since 1995," said Kevin Harvick, who qualified 17th. "It makes me almost want to cry that they're going to tear it all up.
The track is just a few days away from the start of a $10 million repaving project that's supposed to be done before the fall NASCAR Chase race.
Maybe they should leave it alone with all the records falling this weekend.
Clint Bowyer got it started in the trucks on Friday, setting a record in qualifying, and Kyle Busch did the same thing in Nationwide on Saturday morning.
Denny Hamlin didn't take long to set the record for Sprint Cup cars, knocking off the mark before the session was even a quarter of the way through.
A few drivers later, Brad Keselowski knocked Hamlin off, bettering his record by two-tenths of a second. Kasey Kahne took that mark down a few more drivers later, lopping nearly seventh-tenths off Keselowski's record. Edwards had the record-topping run late in the session, finishing 0.167 ahead of Kurt Busch, one of the last drivers to qualify.
"I was expecting ninth or tenth just with the way the lap felt, but I came over and they said we were second place," said Kurt Busch, who had the fastest time in Friday's practice session. "I was relieved to hear that."
Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne was one of the few drivers who couldn't generate much speed on the record-setting day. The 20-year-old wrecked after his brakes locked up on the first lap of Friday's opening practice session and ended up qualifying 33rd in his backup car.
"I know I needed more," Bayne said. "I just didn't have enough grip. I couldn't get much more out of the tire out there. I think it's going to be good on the long run, but for the qualifying it just wasn't there. We'll get it -- plus I'm learning, too."
Edwards had a breakthrough his last time at Phoenix in November, ending a 70-race winless streak by saving just enough fuel to cross the checkers and circle back for his patented celebratory backflip in front of the grandstand.
Edwards said at the time he hoped the win would jump-start his career again. He won at Homestead the following week, opened this season with a second at Daytona - he was unable to get around Bayne at the end - and will start up front again this weekend for one last go-round before PIR gets its makeover.
"I love this race track," Edwards said. "I know all the drivers love to drive on it. It's really fun to drive."On a cloudy, relatively cool day in the desert, 15 drivers eclipsed the old qualifying record of 136.389 mph, set by Edwards on his way to winning at Phoenix last fall.
Coming off a second-place finish at the Daytona 500, Edwards had the fastest of 'em all, running a lap of 137.279 mph to barely edge Kurt Busch on the final qualifying session before the track's repaving project starts.
Kasey Kahne qualified third and Kyle Busch will start next to him for Sunday's 500-mile race around the crack-filled mile oval.
"It's the same track I've been coming to since 1995," said Kevin Harvick, who qualified 17th. "It makes me almost want to cry that they're going to tear it all up.
The track is just a few days away from the start of a $10 million repaving project that's supposed to be done before the fall NASCAR Chase race.
Maybe they should leave it alone with all the records falling this weekend.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. Active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.
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Charlie Davies is ready to be a grown-up. He's ready to be a role model.The man whose life changed forever when he skipped out on national team curfew (less than 48 hours before a World Cup qualifier) and got into an SUV with a woman who'd been drinking now wants to be the player to whom others turn for guidance.
He's hoping to get that chance with D.C. United, which is trialing the 24-year-old striker in Florida. If Davies can demonstrate that he's able to contribute, the MLS club will acquire him on a year-long loan from Sochaux.
Naturally, he hopes those contributions show up on the scoreboard.
"I think as far as on the field just to show that I'm back, as far as being physically able to contribute and be the player that I was before," he said during a Friday conference call when FanHouse asked what he hoped to show United during his tryout.
"Whether that's using my speed, creating chances, scoring goals -- all of the above -- that I do. That's just being out there and and being the player that I am."
But Davies also wants to make an impact that can't be quantified.
It's certainly fair to say that he's engaged in some impetuous behavior over the past 16 months. From that fateful and fatal night in Washington, to the comments and tweets that created rifts with both Sochaux and U.S. coach Bob Bradley last spring, and to the October incident where he lied to French traffic cops in order to protect a speeding teammate, Davies hasn't always taken the mature and professional path.
He implied Friday that he's ready to do that now, telling FanHouse that he wants to offer his leadership and new-found wisdom to his teammates.
"It's just being the guy (who) guys can go to with questions, and obviously helping out guys on the field and off the field."
Davies is an unknown quantity in both places. Obviously, no one is sure whether he can perform consistently at a professional level.
He was "out of favor" at Sochaux, D.C. coach Ben Olsen told MLS's ExtraTime Radio, and Davies acknowledged during the Friday call that, "Do I need to improve on different things? Of course. I haven't played in a year at a high level, in a competitive match, so I still have to progress."
Olsen and his staff will have a sense by the end of next week how far Davies has come as a soccer player.
Should he stick with United, we'll all have the chance to see his evolution as a person.
He admitted his culpability in the events leading to the October 2009 accident that left one woman dead and Davies' body shattered, and expressed his appreciation for the memorable show of support from Washington fans two nights later as the U.S. took on Costa Rica.
"It's not the city that made the mistake that night, it was me. It was a bad decision, but the fans there are unbelievable ... and I'd love to have the chance and the opportunity to play in front of them and make things happen," he said.
Taking responsibility for your actions -- that shows some genuine adult perspective.
Davies offered some more toward the end of the call, responding to a question from FanHouse about how he has trained and behaved differently since the accident.
"Of course when you go through something like I went through, extra training is normal. Every day, if there's doubles, you're doing triples. If (there's) singles, you're doing double. I've put in the work to get to where I am now. I know it's not going to stop," he said.
"You can't take things for granted anymore. I think it's one of the biggest things I've learned. I wake up every day and I'm so thankful I can go out and put on my boots and play with the ball and play with my teammates. I look at it, if you can go out and do it, you go out and do it to the fullest. I think in that sense, there's no limit to where I can work and where I can get to."
Olsen said he's going to hold Davies to a high standard, that he needs a striker who can contribute immediately, and that he hasn't been in touch with anyone at Sochaux regarding the player's health. It's all on the line for Davies over the course of the next week.
The coach did say, however, that Davies' "intangibles are very good."
He's needed them to get over the trauma of the crash, and through the disappointment of missing the World Cup and the rigorous rehabilitation and training that's brought him to the verge of an MLS contract.
He'll need them going forward as well, to make good on his Friday promise to be team leader and to prove that he's become a person who can make the right decisions. That sort of player is far easier to cheer for.
Here are highlights from United's Friday intra-squad scrimmage:
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Or it might not.
That's the tricky thing about match play. When competition begins Wednesday with 64 of the top ranked players in the world, there will be all sorts of intriguing possibilities. A few times over the years, promise has even delivered. In 2000, Darren Clarke beat Tiger Woods in the final. Woods won in 2003 by taking down David Toms in the final and won again in 2004 over Davis Love III. Woods defeated Stewart Cink in 2008. Even last year, although an all-England final, Ian Poulter's victory over Paul Casey had its viewing strengths.
But then there was 2001 when Steve Stricker beat Pierre Fulke in the Sunday final. Or 2007 when Henrik Stenson beat Geoff Ogilvy. And who doesn't remember Kevin Sutherland's 1-up decision over Scott McCarron in 2002?
Because players are eliminated as the week wears on, it is always possible that by the time Sunday's final match arrives, there is the possibility of a "Who's He?" taking on "Who Cares?"
That makes match play events fascinating in that much of the intrigue often occurs early in the week, and the final days can drag.
FORMAT
The top 64 players on the World Rankings after the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am qualified. Among those eligible, only Japan's Toru Taniguchi is missing, because of a neck injury. He was replaced by Stenson.
Wednesday will have 32 matches, and by Friday only 16 players will remain.
The quarterfinals will take place on Saturday, and the semifinals will go off Sunday morning. An 18-hole final will be played Sunday afternoon, along with a match to determine third and fourth place.
EARLY FUN
There's no shortage of potential upset matches. Englishman and World No. 1 Lee Westwood comes out of the blocks against Sweden's Stenson. Two No. 1 seeds have been eliminated in the event's 13-year history. Peter O'Malley beat Tiger Woods 2 & 1 in 2002 and last year Steve Stricker went down to defeat in the hands of Ross McGowan.
Poulter, the defending champion, will open with Stewart Cink. Two-time camp Geoff Ogilvy will face Padraig Harrington; Tiger meets Thomas Bjorn; Phil Mickelson starts with Brenden Jones; Stricker meets 17-year-old Italian Matteo Manassero, Luke Donald plays Charley Hoffman, Louis Oosthuizen draw Bo Van Pelt, Rory McIlroy goes against Jonathan Byrd, and Bubba Watson meets Bill Haas.
THE COURSE
The Ritz Carlton Golf Club at Dove Mountain was designed by Jack Nicklaus and opened in November of 2008. The resort offers 27 holes with tournament play scheduled for the Saguaro and Tortolita nines. The third nine, the Wild Burro, is Nicklaus' favorite of the three, but it was judged fan-unfriendly.
The course will be a par 72 and measure 7,849 yards but at an elevation of 3,500 feet. The greens and fairways are large.
FLASHBACK
Poulter didn't just beat United Kingdom countryman and close friend Paul Casey for the 2010 Accenture Match Play Championship, he became golf significant, advancing from his past role as an occasional background distraction to legitimate attraction.
And while the well-played 4 & 2 decision over Casey that went 34 holes may not have been a jolly-good attention getter in the colonies, at the least it provides something for golf to talk about other than Tiger Woods -- who earlier in the week make his first public appearance after an offseason of issues.
The victory was Poulter's first on American soil in addition to being his first World Golf Championship title. It also moved him to No. 5 on the World Golf Rankings, a career high.
"Feels just amazing," Poulter said. "Five or six years of hard work, coming over to change my residency, to be living in America, to finally win over here just means everything.
"I moved my family across. It's just so pleasing to be able to finally say now I'm a winner on the PGA Tour."
Casey, who needed one hole early Sunday to eliminate Camilo Villegas in 24-hole semifinal match that had was halted Saturday night by darkness, went 1 up with a birdie on the second hole, but never led again.
Poulter birdied the next hole to square the match and took the lead on No. 8. From there, he was 2 up after 18, 4 up through 26, and after Casey closed within two, came back with a birdie on the 33rd hole, hitting the day's best shot, to slam the door.
After missing the fairway badly to the right on the short par-4 and with mud caked on his ball, Poulter hit wedge to two feet for birdie.
"Probably one of the toughest shots I had," he said. "The ball had a lot of mud on it. It was quite a bare lie, because it was quite close to where the drain was. I hit that shot absolutely perfect."
BY THE NUMBERS
14: Years tournament has been played at four different courses.
9 & 8: Largest margin of victory in tournament history, by Tiger Woods over Stephen Ames, in 2006 opening round.
38: Holes played in longest championship match -- Jeff Maggert and Andrew Magee in 1999.
23: Players entered under age 30.
16: Wins in 33 career starts by Tiger Woods in WGC events.
AND OUR WINNER IS ...
Graeme McDowell.
What's the biggest stage in match play? That's right, the Ryder Cup.
Who played better the entire week of last year's European victory?
Graeme McDowell.
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February 27 2011 Last updated at 09:41 AM ET
One of the busiest trade deadlines in recent memory resulted in general managers going on a shopping spree like no other with seemingly half the league exchanging players, draft picks and cold hard cash. The Miami Heat already made their big moves during the offseason and while they were indeed poking around for anyone useful in the clearance section, rival teams in the Eastern Conference such as the New York Knicks and Boston Celtics exchanged major players integral to their system deep into the regular season.The Heat can attest to the difficulties of trying to mesh players in a short amount of time under the spotlight. Before facing the new-look New York Knicks on Sunday, the team encountered a Washington Wizards team that has been in constant change each time they've played against them with Gilbert Arenas, Rashard Lewis, Mike Bibby, Kirk Hinrich and others shuffled in and out of the roster.
"These are the challenges in this league," said Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, who's had to face plenty of criticism this season while trying to manage a new team with big personalities as one of the youngest coaches in the NBA. "We have ultimate respect for every opponent. Even the Wizards coming in here, they've been through a lot of injuries and a lot of change but now you can see what they're building around. They have a lot of interesting young talent."
For the Knicks, the goal of adding superstar talent after disciplining themselves to refrain from wildly spending has paid off in surprisingly quick fashion after losing out to LeBron James, their No. 1 target last summer, to the Heat. Nevertheless, the acquisition of Carmelo Anthony came at a huge cost and the glacial pace in which trade talks progressed so late into the season has robbed the team of precious time to jell together. With two All-Stars who must now learn to share the spotlight in New York, Dwyane Wade had the benefit of already having gone through the experience after Shaquille O'Neal was brought in early into his career. Even still, growing pains are still evident as he continues to get accustomed to playing with LeBron James and Chris Bosh.
"They're going to face some ups and downs throughout this year," Wade said. "They have to get used to playing with each other. At the same time, you have to keep both of them happy and get them in their comfort zones. That's going to be the toughest part for coach (Mike) D'Antoni. Melo is going to shoot his shots. No one's going to stop Melo from shooting his shots. But (D'Antoni) is one of the best offensive minds that we have in this game."
Spoelstra also gave his peer a vote of confidence that the Knicks can sort themselves out in quick fashion, especially on the offensive side of the court.
"If any coach can handle that, he's proven that he's done it before," he said. "In Phoenix they had multiple scorers and were able to find enough balance. It was never an issue really and they scored a lot of points. I anticipate they'll do the same. When you're on the other side of it, you see the talent they have and the ability they have to score and put pressure on the defense."
Perhaps no player has endured as much as criticism, right or wrong, as Bosh has after leaving the Toronto Raptors as their leader in virtually every major statistical category. With the Heat struggling against the top teams in the league, Bosh's words serve as a reminder that his own team still has a lot of questions about themselves that remain unresolved to this day.
"Things are going to be a little different," he said. "I'm sure (the Knicks) are going to have some chemistry kinks to work out. They're still a dangerous team and they have a lot of talent.
"But you never know a team's true potential until they're put in different situations or if they go on a streak or if it's going to work at all. They have their work cut out for them."
Follow Surya Fernandez on Twitter at @SuryaHeatNBA. For more news, exclusive content, and detailed analysis on the Miami Heat please visit www.HotHotHoops.com
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New D.C. United striker Charlie Davies says US coach Bob Bradley?s advice weighed heavily on his decision to join MLS, and that earning minutes in his new league is essential for his return to the national team limelight.
Davies joined ExtraTime Radio on Thursday for a lengthy interview discussing his plans in 2011 and his hopes for recovering the form that made him a superstar before suffering serious injuries in an Oct. 2009 car accident.
LISTEN: Charlie Davies on ExtraTime Radio
?(Bradley) told me, ?Charlie, the bottom line is, you need to play,? Davies said on ET Radio. ?'Would I say to play 20 minutes every game at your club now or 90 minutes in MLS, what would be better for you? That?s an obvious answer ? the 90 minutes every game.?
?After he told me that,? Davies said, ?it was a no-brainer. My decision was made right when coach Bradley told me that.?
Davies joined D.C. United on trial earlier this month with hopes of landing a loan deal and eventually regaining his form after not starting a first-team match with the French side Sochaux since the accident.
He landed the loan deal, but he won?t make his debut until March 19 against the Columbus Crew at RFK Stadium. His future with the US team and a potential roster spot on the CONCACAF Gold Cup roster this summer is contingent on how he plays from here.
?I need minutes, I need games, and that?s the only way I?m going to get back to my previous form, especially as soon as possible,? Davies said. ?My ultimate goal, of course, is to play with the national team again, and that?s what I?m striving for.
?They want me, I know they?re all rooting for me,? Davies added. ?So that means a lot to me. I gotta do whatever I can to make that happen.?
Davies also spoke about his emotions surrounding the upcoming season, admitting that he?s ?battled? with the question of how he?ll feel when he actually takes the field once again.
?I?m always wondering exactly how I?ll feel,? Davies said. ?I really don?t know exactly how I?ll feel until I?m there. I think I?ll be really excited and anxious to get it over with, and to show everyone I?m back. Maybe after the game it?ll be pretty emotional, but we?ll see.?
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February 27 2011 Last updated at 01:45 PM ET
PEORIA, Ariz. -- Outfielder Jody Gerut, who came up with the Indians in 2003 and played with five different Major League teams, retired in the camp of a sixth Sunday.Gerut, who was given a 50-50 chance to make the opening day roster of the Seattle Mariners at age 33, said that his energy to play the game as well as he could was gone.
"I can no longer in good conscience play the game in a manner that reflects the positive example for the younger generation of baseball players,'' Gerut said. "Physically, I'm fine. But mentally my reasons for wanting to be in uniform have become so thing and narrow that I refuse to disrespect the game that has provided so generously for my family by playing it in a halfhearted way.''
Both general manager Jack Zduriencik and manager Eric Wedge signed off on Gerut's plans, albeit with some reluctance. They told Gerut that should he ever reconsider getting back in uniform to call.
"Jody had a legitimate shot to make this team,'' Zduriencik said. "But we understand there comes a time when players need to make decisions that are in the best interests of their families.''
Gerut, who played for the Cubs, the Pirates, the Padres and the Brewers, finishes up with a career .262 batting average with 59 homers and 26 RBIs in 305 games. He hit .197 for the Brewers in 32 games last year.
John is a National Baseball Writer for AOL FanHouse. He covered the Seattle Mariners from 2000-2009 for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, and seattlepostglobe.org and the Oakland A's for two decades at the Oakland Tribune and The Daily Review (Hayward, CA). He is a multiple Associated Press Sports Editors award winner for his baseball coverage. A member of the Baseball Writers Association of America, he is a Hall of Fame voter.
NEW YORK ? Major League Soccer unveiled its long-awaited revamped postseason structure for the 2011 season on Wednesday, giving 10 teams the chance to vie for MLS Cup in a unique twist on the league?s format from the last two seasons.
The league?s new structure will include the top three seeds from each conference and four wild card berths ? regardless of conference affiliation ? but the postseason will now include two play-in games for those wild card teams.
The expanded system now allows for more teams to be included in the postseason chase, driving more interest throughout the league as two additional teams vie for a spot in the MLS Cup Playoffs.
?While there will be some who say that expanding the playoff field dilutes the regular season, we believe that in a certain way, it actually enhances it,? said Nelson Rodriguez, MLS executive vice president of competition and game operations.
?It will mean that the battle and the race for the playoffs will have added intensity and last longer through the regular season. And that, on balance, should be a good thing for the play on the field, and for the fans in the stands and at home.?
The seventh seed will host the 10th seed while the eighth seed hosts the ninth seed in a one-off playoff game to reach the final eight. The lowest remaining team will then meet the regular-season Supporters? Shield winner and the second-lowest remaining seed will meet the other conference champion in the Conference Semifinals.
This system ensures that the Supporters? Shield winner will play the lowest-seeded team available in the Conference Semifinals, a luxury not necessarily awarded to the regular season?s top team in the past.
Getty Images
The Conference Semifinals will consist of a two-game, aggregate-goal series, a structure unchanged from previous postseasons.
The second and third seeds from each conference will play each other in the two-game, aggregate-goal series, with the winners advancing to the one-game conference final at the host site of the higher-seeded team.
The location of the MLS Cup will be determined at a later date.
Conference Championships will still be awarded in 2011, and the new system allows for less conference crossover in the postseason. In fact, the new system will not allow for a situation where two teams from the Western Conference to play in the Eastern Conference championship, as the San Jose Earthquakes and Colorado Rapids did in 2010.
Rodriguez said keeping conference consistency was crucial for the league in the new postseason format.
?We?ve eliminated the possibility of having two out-of-conference teams competing for a conference championship,? Rodriguez said. ?And we?ve decreased the likelihood of an out-of-conference team winning an out-of-conference championship.
Getty Images
Rodriguez admitted that there are factors beyond the league?s control that could create criticism with the new structure, including the Supporters? Shield winner facing a long travel haul while playing a cross-conference game in the opening leg of the conference semifinals .
?There are so many variables that any system is imperfect in that regard,? Rodriguez said. ?You could be facing the lowest-remaining seed who?s on a 10-game winning streak to close the season and they?re the hottest team in the league. ? Any playoff system has within it, some fault or a flaw that could easily be pointed to.?
He also stated that as the league expands to 19 teams in 2012 and eventually to 20 in the near future, both the balanced schedule and the current playoff structure could be altered in the future to accommodate a more conference-specific playoff qualification.
?At the end of the day, you try to create a playoff system that is fair and relatable to the regular season,? Rodriguez said. ?And also one that is a compelling format in and of itself. We think this iteration is an improvement over the last and we will spend the next bit of time trying to finalize a long-term playoff situation that can take us into the future.?
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