As usual, Anze Kopitar excels in the middle

Through all the negotiations between the Kings and Drew Doughty’s representatives, through the tense moments and final happy moments when Doughty agreed to an eight-year, $56-million deal  Thursday, one person remained above the fray.

That was center Anze Kopitar, who was thrust into the middle of an uncomfortable situation after Kings General Manager Dean Lombardi declared he would not pay Doughty more than the $6.8-million average annual value of Kopitar’s contract, then the highest on the team.

Kopitar became a benchmark in the talks, a role he didn’t want and didn’t enjoy. He also became part of the back story because he used to employ Doughty’s agent, Don Meehan, before switching to another high-powered agent, Pat Brisson.

Meehan seemed determined in these negotiations to get more money for Doughty, his current client, than the amount earned by his former client, Kopitar. To complicate matters even more, Meehan and Lombardi had a history of battles while Lombardi was general manager of the San Jose Sharks.

Stokley Is Both Out and Mum

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Giants receiver Brandon Stokley left practice on Wednesday with what was described as a strained quadriceps, which will sideline him for at least Sunday’s game against the Cardinals in Arizona.

Now the question is whether Stokley, who was signed Sept. 15 to shore up the receiving corps, will be out for longer than that.

Like most N.F.L. coaches, Tom Coughlin is not forthcoming about his players’ injuries, but he has been particularly circumspect in relaying information to reporters about the nature of Stokley’s injury. He said the injury happened while Stokley was running a route.

As for Stokley, he spoke cryptically about the injury when he met with reporters on Friday, saying he did not know if he was allow to publicly discuss his injury. Stokley declined to describe the play on which it occurred, to address whether he went to the hospital to have his leg examined or to speculate about when he might be able to return.

“I’ve had a bunch of things before; I’ve had pretty much everything before,” the veteran Stokley said of his injury history. “Not exactly like this. I’ve had a hamstring. But nothing quite like this.”

There was perhaps a small sign of promise: Stokley rode on a stationary bicycle during the portion of practice open to reporters on Friday.

The Giants added Stokley to fill the void in the slot left by the departed Steve Smith. Another candidate, Victor Cruz, had a breakout game in a win over the Philadelphia Eagles last Sunday, when he caught two touchdowns.

NBA, players end lengthy session, to resume labor talks Saturday

A nearly five-hour-long labor meeting between NBA owners and players, including superstars LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Kevin Durant and Carmelo Anthony, ended Friday without a breakthrough and uncertainty remained about whether the regular season will start on time.

Union president and Lakers point guard Derek Fisher told reporters at a New York hotel that no new proposals were exchanged during a sometimes contentious but “engaging” session that included NBA Commissioner David Stern. Talks are set to resume at 7 a.m. Pacific time Saturday.

"Today was about expressing ourselves," Fisher said.

Stern had warned earlier this week that “enormous consequences” would follow if the sides failed to make significant progress in talks this weekend. At the end of Friday’s session, Stern slightly softened, saying: “There’s no bad news. … Both sides expressed a willingness to make a deal.”

Asked if a deal to end the three-month-old lockout of players can be completed by the end of this weekend -- Fisher told reporters, “I can’t answer that.”

The NBA's regular season is scheduled to begin Nov. 1.

Bruce Bowen, Brent Mayne to be honored by Cal State Fullerton

Cal State Fullerton will induct six people into the Titan Hall of Fame Saturday night, including former NBA guard Bruce Bowen and former major league catcher Brent Mayne.

Bowen played at Fullerton from 1989 to 1993. He spent 13 seasons in the NBA, eight with the San Antonio Spurs, where he was part of three NBA championship teams. Bowen was named to the NBA’s all-defensive team eight times.

During his NBA career, Bowen was known for this and for that.

Mayne played 15 major league seasons with eight teams, including the Dodgers in 2004. He played at Fullerton in 1988 and 1989, where he was named an All-American. Mayne was taken by the Kansas City Royals as the 13th player overall in the major league draft.

Also being inducted:

Sue Lewis-Newton, who played softball at Fullerton from 1981 to 1984 and was a three-time All-American. Fullerton finished second nationally once and third twice during her career.

Lynn Rogers, who was the women’s gymnastics coach from 1976 to 2000. Fullerton won the 1979 national title and finished second three times and third five times.

Boosters Jerry and Merilyn Goodwin, who donated the lead gift to expand Fullerton’s baseball stadium, now named Goodwin Field.

-- Chris Foster

Tony Reagins resigns as Angels general manager

 

A day after saying the Angels would have to be creative this off-season to address their roster deficiencies, General Manager Tony Reagins abruptly resigned Friday.

He will remain with the ballclub as a special assistant to club chairman Dennis Kuhl.

“In moving forward, we felt a change was needed," said owner Arte Moreno, whose team has missed the playoffs in consecutive seasons for the first time since 2000-2001.

Reagins, a 20-year Angel employee, was named the 10th general manager in club history following the 2007 season. In his four years as GM the Angels won two American League West titles and compiled a record of 363-285 (.560). But the Angels finished two games under .500 last year and missed the postseason again this fall, going 86-76 and finishing 10 games behind the Texas Rangers in the American League West.

Before being named general manager, Reagins served in a variety of roles, including six seasons as director of player development from 2002-2007. Under his guidance, the Angels’ affiliates reached the playoffs 18 times while capturing 15 division titles and three league championships.

RELATED:

Kendrys Morales making big progress toward returning to Angels

Mike Napoli's success in Texas makes Angels fans fume

Bill Dwyre: Angels' hopes end, despite Boston's help

-- Kevin Baxter

Photo: Tony Reagins. Credit: Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times.

Boxing notes: Lou DiBella defends Sergio Martinez, Andre Berto

Lou DiBella is a tough talker, and when boxing's giant promoters backed him into a corner Friday, the former architect of HBO boxing matches came out swinging.

First, DiBella heard that veteran promoter Bob Arum was telling people in the sport's inner circle that DiBella's star fighter, world middleweight champion Sergio Martinez, was having trouble gathering a crowd at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City for Saturday's title defense against England's Darren Barker (23-0, 14 knockouts).

"I got a thousand people here at the weigh-in, and that's with the [nearby Philadelphia] Phillies in the playoffs," DiBella said. "I don't need to hear what this bitter old man [Arum] thinks."

The grapevine also reached DiBella with Arum allegedly saying that if Arum fighter Antonio Margarito defeats super-welterweight champion Miguel Cotto Dec. 3, Margarito would only fight Martinez if he was paid 60% of the purse compared to Martinez's 40%.

"You have to be kidding me," DiBella said. "Why even say that? My fighter's the better fighter."

While he was at it, DiBella blew off an offer by Golden Boy Promotions Chief Executive Richard Schaefer to have his former welterweight champion Andre Berto participate in a welterweight tournament Schaefer is shopping to HBO and Showtime.

Schaefer said he plans to consider former champion Victor Ortiz, ex-junior welterweight champ Devon Alexander, Marcos Maidana, Paulie Malignaggi, Kermit Cintron and Luis Colazzo as participants, hopeful that "the winner will emerge by the second half of next year as a challenger to the biggest names in the division."

Berto lost a decision to Ortiz in April, but DiBella scoffed at the list.

"You think people are clamoring to see Victor Ortiz again? Or Devon Alexander?" DiBella said. "I'm not interested in Maidana or the other various losers. If they want to offer Bert [Amir] Khan, we'll take it. Or a straight rematch with Ortiz."

Said Schaefer, who promotes Khan: "We don't need Berto. He doesn't want to be in the tournament, let him go do other stuff."

OTHER DATES: Schaefer has finalized a Khan junior-welterweight title defense against Lamont Peterson Dec. 10 in Washington, D.C., but he's waiting for a site to open after Georgetown's basketball team failed to reschedule its game that day at the Verizon Center. Now Schaefer's exploring the capital's Convention Center.

A week earlier, on Dec. 3 at Anaheim's Honda Center, Golden Boy's bantamweight champion Abner Mares will defend his new belt in a mandatory rematch against Joseph "King Kong" Agbeko.

Agbeko was deprived of points by referee Russell Mora in his August fight against Mares when Agbeko was struck by a low blow and Mora scored it a 12th-round knockdown for Hawaiian Gardens' Mares.

MORE:

Photos: Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Victor Ortiz

Bill Dwyre: Jeers justified for outcome of Mayweather-Ortiz

Manny Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather Jr. and boxing's age-old issue

-- Lance Pugmire  

Photo: Sergio Martinez. Credit: Al Bello / Getty Images.

Report: Terry Francona is out as Boston Red Sox manager

Terry Francona met with Boston Red Sox management on Friday to discuss his future as manager, but the team said a decision has not been reached.

Despite the statement, Francona told staff members on Thursday that he will not be returning as manager, a club source told ESPNBoston.com's Gordon Edes on Friday.

Several other media outlets reported Friday that Francona would not return for a ninth season. He led the Red Sox to World Series titles in 2004 and 2007.

Red Sox General Manager Theo Epstein released a statement Friday afternoon.

"John Henry, Tom Werner, Larry Lucchino, Ben Cherington and I met with Terry Francona this morning at Fenway Park to exchange thoughts and information on the 2011 season and discuss areas for improvement going forward," he said. "We all plan on taking some time to process the thoughts expressed in the meeting. There are no immediate plans for an announcement."

The team has 10 days from the end of the season to decide whether to keep Francona, whose contract has two option years. Boston missed the playoffs despite leading the AL wild-card race by nine games on Sept. 4.

Red Sox slugger David Ortiz said Friday he was "fine with Tito," meaning Francona, but he did hint that the clubhouse had issues, something Francona acknowledged on Thursday.

"I worry about playing baseball more than anything else," Ortiz said. "I know we have some players that [the organization thought were] worried about some other [things] and sometimes there were certain things that no one in the clubhouse can control. I was trying and I have no issues. My only problem was when I started being benched [in 2010] and that was my only issue with Tito. Other than that we're cool."

Ortiz wasn't expecting Francona to leave. "I am surprised," he said. "I'm surprised because I'm hearing things right now that I didn't know were going on."

MORE:

Bill Dwyre: Angels' hopes end, despite Boston's help

Bill Plaschke: Baseball has its greatest regular-season finish

Rays, Cardinals are up, Red Sox, Braves down in wild wild-card

-- Houston Mitchell

Photo: Boston Red Sox manager Terry Francona departs Fenway Park on Friday after meeting with Red Sox management. Credit: Steven Senne / Associated Press

Kings morning skate: All-Drew Doughty edition

If there was any doubt the Kings would be taking a slow approach with Drew Doughty, their $56-million defenseman, that notion was immediately dismissed by Coach Terry Murray.

“Gas pedal right to the floorboards out there in practice,” Murray said on Friday in El Segundo after the Kings’ morning skate.

Sound like a sports car approach?

“Lamborghini approach,’’ Murray said, smiling.

It was duly noted that the kid could afford one. Several, in fact, after reaching an eight-year agreement with the team on Thursday night.

“I’m sure he can,” Murray said. “I’m sure he’ll be paying for the first team dinner whenever the guys get out together.”

Times colleague Helene Elliott reported that the Doughty deal does not have a no-trade clause, and the breakdown of the agreement is $6 million, $6.5 million, $6.7 million, $7.0 million, $7.1 million, $7.45 million, $7.6 million and $7.65 million.

“He’s a young man, a very gifted young man,” Murray said. “He’s blessed with a lot of skill, a lot of talent. A critical part of our organization. We’re all very happy he’s back on board with an extended contract. To me that shows the commitment that [owner] Mr. [Philip] Anschutz  is making to this team.

“…Now it’s our job as a coaching staff and a team to say, ‘Thank you’ by being a good team.”

Doughty will not play for the Kings in their exhibition on Saturday in Las Vegas but could get a few minutes of playing time in their final preseason game, on Tuesday in Hamburg, Germany.

He became the NHL’s third-highest-paid defenseman –- in terms of average salary -– and Murray did not think there would be any lingering animosity from the fans because of Doughty’s holdout.

“There shouldn’t be any animosity whatsoever,” Murray said. “This is just business in pro sports today. Players and the agent doing what they feel they feel they need to do in order to get a contract resolved. It happens. He was not [saying,] ‘I don’t want to play.’ He wants to be an L.A. King. That was always his priority to stay here and be a player for this hockey team. He didn’t miss time or any games.”

 -- Lisa Dillman

Tailgating Recipes: Crab Gumbo

The Quad, the Times’s college sports blog, is running recipes submitted by readers for football tailgating parties. So far this season, we’ve offered up a Brat Stew and a Cheddar, Bacon and Ranch appetizer from college fans. This week, it’s an N.F.L. fan who submitted a southern crab gumbo. It’s not too late to submit your own recipe for barbecue or chowder, or whatever makes your pregame feast tasty.

NBA lockout: Delonte West gets another job

During the NBA lockout, Delonte West is taking a different route than many of his co-workers. He's decided to sell furniture.

The extended respite from the game has inspired various reactions from the tall, highly athletic men of the NBA. Metta World Peace is attempting to sing, dance and make people laugh -- this time purposely. Kobe Bryant is continually embroiled in rumors about playing abroad for copious amounts of money. West is going another way.

The guard, who played for the Boston Celtics last season, tweeted Wednesday that he had been hired by Regency Furniture Showrooms, a furniture chain with stores in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C. He even tweeted pictures of his first day at work, though if you try and click on one you might see a floating astronaut and a bubble that says "Epic fail! Our servers are experiencing critical mass."

According to Regency's official website, the store sells "living room, dining room, kitchen, office and bedroom furniture," along with mattresses and accessories.

While applying for the gig, West had to check "Yes" when asked if he's ever been committed of a crime. He was arrested in 2009 after police found guns in a guitar case on his motorcycle.

The seven-year NBA veteran has career averages of 9.7 points and 3.7 assists per game. West appeared in 24 games for the Celtics last season.

He's not the first NBA player to take a retail job. World Peace applied for a job at Circuit City during his rookie season with Chicago so he could get a discount on home electronics. On the application, he wrote "NBA player" and he used Bulls president Jerry Krause as a reference.

MORE:

Bryant reportedly to play for Virtus Bologna

Kobe Bryant on playing in Italy: It's 'very possible'

Kobe Bryant criticizes Shaquille O'Neal's work ethic again

-- Melissa Rohlin

Photo: Delonte West, right, dives for the ball during a game when he was with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Credit: Mark Duncan / Associated Press

Mercedes GP add some more big names as they scrabble to catch up

Interesting news this morning that Mercedes GP have signed two of Formula One's technical big-hitters in Geoff Willis and Aldo Costa.

Big hitters, yes, but also with major points to prove. Costa, formerly Ferrari's technical director, left Maranello in May following their poor start to the season. Willis, meanwhile, has most recently been working with the struggling HRT team as a consultant.

Both will want to remind their old teams as well as their new bosses at Brackley that they are still at the top of their game.

Costa, remember, was a key member of the Ferrari design office under technical director Ross Brawn and chief designer Rory Byrne when they were dominating F1 in the early 2000s. So he is rejoining both Brawn and Michael Schumacher at Mercedes.

Willis is one of the sport's most respected aerodynamicists having worked under Adrian Newey at Red Bull and also at Williams during their successful years in the mid-1990s. Willis was also technical director of the BAR and Honda teams in the early 2000s.

It all adds up to some major restructuring at Mercedes GP where Brawn is adamant that – with Bob Bell having arrived from Renault as technical director – he now has the correct team in place and can begin to add to the head count to bring it up to the RRA limit. The Brackley team had shrunk massively in the wake of Honda's departure from F1.

The big teams, Brawn has pointed out, are still on a glide path  of reduction in line with the RRA so his hope is that they will soon be on an even keel. After a second disappointing season in a row in 2011, Mercedes' bosses at Daimler and the team's backers in the Middle East will hope likewise.

Week 4 N.F.L. Matchups

Jets (2-1) at Ravens (2-1)
Sunday, 8:20 p.m.
Line: Ravens by 3.5.
Any team coached by a member of the Ryan family does not so much play a 16-game schedule as careen from bitter rivalry to bitter rivalry, each game becoming the kind of over-boiled grudge match usually settled with suplexes and folding chairs at ringside. It happened to Buddy Ryan’s Eagles, and it has happened to Rex Ryan’s Jets.
Jets-Cowboys becomes Rex Ryan against Rob Ryan. Jets-Patriots becomes Rex Ryan against Bill Belichick. Jets-Ravens devolves into Rex Ryan against the team that declined to promote him to head coach when he was its defensive coordinator. Next time the Jets face the Raiders, it will be Rex Ryan against the team that broke his quarterback’s nose. Even Rex Ryan could not muster a feud with the Jaguars, but Joe Namath got into the act this week, so if you play the current Jets against the 1968 version in a video game, that is now a grudge match, too.
Granted, the presence of the ex-Ravens Bart Scott, Jim Leonhard and Derrick Mason on the Jets roster does give the game a familiarity-breeds-contempt angle. “This is a family game, but it’s also a heated rivalry,” said Ravens defensive end Terrell Suggs, perhaps not realizing that Jets charity softball tournaments are also heated rivalries. “You’ve got to go beat up on the ones you love.” In other words, this time it’s personal. Just like all the other times. Pick: Jets.

Steelers (2-1) at Texans (2-1)
Sunday, 1 p.m.
Line: Texans by 4.
The season often starts this way for the Steelers. They grind out a couple of seemingly difficult wins against bad teams. They lose to the Ravens, or someone Ravens-like. We question their offensive line and remark that the team is not deploying the classic Steelers running game, because in Pittsburgh it is always 1978 and the only way to win is to hand off 40 times.
The Steelers have had a suspect offensive line for the entire Ben Roethlisberger era, made worse by Roethlisberger’s belief that getting rid of the ball on time causes back pimples. Bruce Arians has been the offensive coordinator for five years, and he has always been more pass-oriented than the guys with Franco Harris collector’s edition beer steins would like. The Steelers have reached two Super Bowls in four years through a succession of ugly wins. It is time to stop being surprised. Pick: Steelers.

Lions (3-0)  at Cowboys (2-1)
Sunday, 1 p.m.
Line: Cowboys by 1.
The Cowboys botched several center snaps on Monday night, and Tony Romo knows why: the Redskins were imitating his pre-snap cadence. That’s right: there is a Romo voice impersonator on the Redskins, or perhaps the team purchased one of those “Romo Calls” from a sporting goods store (“Blow into it, and American Idol runners-up flock to your position!”) The Romo Karaoke did not stop the Cowboys’ six field goals because no one knows what kicker Dan Bailey sounds like. (The holder Mat McBriar actually calls for the snap, but his voice was a mystery, too.)
Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson scored two touchdowns in each of his first three games, in part because opponents have an illogical impulse to leave him single-covered in clutch situations. The Cowboys will not make that mistake. “You always have to account for Calvin,” safety Gerald Sensabaugh said. Maybe he should tell the Vikings and the Chiefs. Pick: Cowboys.

Panthers (1-2) at Bears (1-2)
Sunday, 1 p.m.
Line: Bears by 6.5.
It’s time for advanced algebra with Mike Martz. Let x represent the amount of control Martz has over an offensive gameplan. Let f(x) represent running plays and g(x) represent passing plays. As x increases, the ratio of f(x) to g(x) is an asymptote approaching zero. Meanwhile, h(x), Lovie Smith’s blood pressure, and p(x), Jay Cutler’s health insurance premiums, increase exponentially. We would compute the rate of change in the Bears’ playoff hopes as Martz’s influence increases, but this is no place for derivative humor. For the Bears, Martz and his 4-to-1 pass-run ratios will always be an x-factor. Pick: Panthers.

Bills (3-0) at Bengals (1-2)
Sunday, 1 p.m.
Line: Bills by 3.
“The fandemonium is running high in Buffalo,” began a WIVB television segment about the Bills early last week. The nearly three-minute segment revealed that Bills merchandise is flying off the shelves, that Ryan Fitzgerald jerseys are on back order, that Bills fans are hanging out at the bar more but drinking less (“They don’t have to drink away their sorrows,” said the tavern manager Jill Vecchio, after wiping a bar top that looked perfectly clean in the first place) and that there is precious little else to talk about in greater Buffalo besides a three-game winning streak. One fan was said to be heading to an “exclusive Bills-only watering hole in Florida,” which makes you wonder how some business models survive the recession while other, saner ones fail. Pick: Bills.

Patriots (2-1) at Raiders (2-1)
Sunday, 4:15 p.m.
Line: Patriots by 4.
Raiders linebacker Rolando McClain said during the week that the Patriots were “just a finesse team.” Tom Brady, perhaps realizing that the criticism hit too close to home, immediately consented to the most famous buzzcut since Elvis Presley was drafted in 1957. The high ‘n’ tight Brady can take solace in the fact that only successful teams are accused of being “finesse,” often by grumbling opponents who fail to notice that their own offenses consist largely of end-arounds and cutesy option plays. Pick: Patriots.

Redskins (2-1) at Rams (0-3)
Sunday, 1 p.m.
Line: Redskins by 1.5.
Like the first frost of autumn, the first unhinged DeAngelo Hall rant was late to arrive this year. But once it came, it delivered everything we have come to expect in a Redskins player interview: frustration, profanity and more than a hint of insubordination. Hall criticized the coordinator Jim Haslett’s blitz packages, saying “you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure it out after a while.” Rocket scientists could not track a 6.5-ton satellite as it crashed to the earth last week, so they might find Haslett’s defense rather befuddling. Rams quarterback Sam Bradford has a degree in that most reliably predictive of all disciplines (finance), which may explain why he so often looks surprised. Pick: Redskins

49ers (2-1) at Eagles (1-2)
Sunday, 1 p.m.
Line: Eagles by 8.5.
X-rays on Michael Vick’s right hand revealed that the Eagles’ linebackers are terrible. The Eagles took eventual action, benching Casey Matthews in favor of Brian Rolle in a panic-scented move. Vick says that there is a “100 percent chance” he will play despite a tender nonthrowing hand. Speaking of percentages, the folks at FootballOutsiders.com have determined that the 49ers have a 74.7 percent chance of reaching the postseason; only the Packers and the Lions have better odds. The percentages are determined by feeding statistics and schedules to a computer, watching as the computer gains sentience and weeps at the fate of the Seahawks, the Cardinals and the Rams, then drawing the obvious conclusion. Pick: Eagles.

Vikings (0-3) at Chiefs (0-3)
Sunday, 1 p.m.
Line: Vikings by 1.5.
The Vikings have now blown halftime leads of 17-7, 17-0, and 20-0, and have been outscored, 67-6, in second halves and overtime. Coach Leslie Frazier and the offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave have made plenty of questionable decisions late in games. Why leave Calvin Johnson single-covered in overtime? Why work Adrian Peterson into the ground, then hand off to Toby Gerhart on fourth-and-1? The Vikings can defeat the Chiefs without solving these riddles. After that, their fans are advised to tape the games and watch them backward so they can enjoy the spirited comebacks. Pick: Vikings.

Saints (2-1) at Jaguars (1-2)
Sunday, 1 p.m.
Line: Saints by 7.
The Jaguars defensive coordinator Mel Tucker tore a quadriceps muscle while goofing off with other coaches after practice. Coach Jack Del Rio talked Tucker and the offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter into fielding punts from a JUGS machine, and things went horribly awry. Thank heavens they did not opt for skeet shooting instead. Del Rio was later seen grabbing the JUGS machine by the collar, getting up in its grill and shouting “You fool! That ball was meant for Koetter!” Tucker will miss this week’s game, but defensive coordinators do not do much against the Saints anyway, except stand around and contemplate futility. Pick: Saints.

Titans (2-1) at Browns (2-1)
Sunday, 1 p.m.
Line: Browns by 1.
The Titans’ passing attack has been surprisingly efficient in the early weeks, but that may change now that Kenny Britt has torn an anterior cruciate ligament. Britt had 17 receptions for 289 yards and 3 touchdowns, picking up much of the offensive slack left by Chris Johnson, who is still struggling to average more than one body length per carry. “It’s not like we can magically create another Kenny Britt,” quarterback Matt Hasselbeck said during the week. If they could, the Titans would win the first-ever Nobel Prize in Traffic Violations. Pick: Browns.

Falcons (1-2) at Seahawks (1-2)
Sunday, 4:05 p.m.
Line: Falcons by 4.5.
The Falcons have surrendered 13 sacks in three games, prompting Coach Mike Smith to consider personnel changes: left tackle Sam Baker is a leading candidate to be benched if there is trouble Sunday. Meanwhile, on the police blotter, kicker Matt Bryant got his stolen golf clubs back. A Chinese food deliveryman swiped the clubs from Bryant’s garage, then traded the clubs for drugs — who knew there was even an exchange rate? The police eventually tracked the stolen clubs by their serial numbers on the Internet, untangling one of the most pathetic webs of crime ever spun. Bryant’s prized Scotty Cameron putter, like the Falcons’ pass protection, was still missing at press time. Pick: Falcons.

Giants (2-1) at Cardinals (1-2)
Sunday, 4:05 p.m.
Line: Giants by 1.
The Giants’ injury report arrived in the in-box this week, and it did not crash the server, there was no “low memory” error and there was no need to change toner cartridges twice while printing it up. Those are positive signs: Mario Manningham and Osi Umenyiora are back at practice, and additions are finally starting to outnumber subtractions. Eli Manning is fifth in the league in quarterback rating, and the Giants host the Seahawks after Sunday’s journey to Arizona, where Kevin Kolb is fading a little every week, running back Beanie Wells is banged up and the local fans are distracted by the Diamondbacks. At this rate, Tom Coughlin may be almost cheerful by November. Pick: Giants.

Dolphins (0-3) at Chargers (2-1)
Sunday, 4:15 p.m.
Line: Chargers by 7.
Reggie Bush Rationalization Season is upon us, a time to examine all of the underlying reasons for Bush’s slow start while missing the main reason: he simply is not very good. “This last game, I got caught pressing. I’ve got to be patient,” Bush said Wednesday. And the Wednesday before that. And most Wednesdays in 2009 and 2010. Tony Sparano wants his staff to “do a better job of getting Reggie in space, try to get Reggie touches early.” Bush fumbled twice in the first half against the Browns, once on a pitch to the outside that gave him plenty of space in which to bobble. The Dolphins signed running back Steve Slaton this week. He’s a small, shifty back who has had some brushes with greatness but has reliability issues. They must be trying to complete the set. Pick: Chargers.

Broncos (1-2) at Packers (3-0)
Sunday, 4:15 p.m.
Line: Packers by 12.5.
The Packers’ midweek injury list was long. Running back Ryan Grant (kidneys) and tackle Bryan Bulaga (knee) are unlikely to play. Tight end Jermichael Finley and three key players in the secondary (Nick Collins, Charles Woodson and Tramon Williams) were all either out or limited in practice as of Wednesday. The Packers had a similar injury rash last season, and they won the Super Bowl by replacing their starters with other team’s castoffs. Any general manager who releases a practice squad player right now is simply playing into Ted Thompson’s hands. Pick: Packers.

Colts (0-3) at Buccaneers (2-1)
Monday, 8:30 p.m.
Line: Buccaneers by 10.
The two franchises that Tony Dungy helped to build are going in different directions. The Buccaneers are an up-and-coming team with lots of quality players but few superstars. The Colts are scotch-taping Kerry Collins together in what is becoming an increasingly depressing farce of an effort to survive without Peyton Manning. Dungy has become a best-selling author since leaving the Colts back when Manning was healthy and the supporting cast was capable. Dungy’s next inspirational book should be titled “Distancing Yourself from Disaster.” Pick: Buccaneers.

Rangers Set Lines in Prague; Staal Resumes Skating

In a game far, far away from Manhattan, and not even available to the faithful via Web stream in North America, Rangers Coach John Tortorella decided to play his projected top forward lines together for the first time in training camp. Well, almost.

The Rangers defeated Sparta Prague HC, 2-0, on Thursday at Tesla Arena in the Czech Republic. They did so playing three and two-thirds of the four lines Tortorella would like to have when the regular season opens Oct. 7 with a game against the Los Angeles Kings in Stockholm. The trios:

Wojtek Wolski – Brad Richards – Marian Gaborik

Brandon Dubinsky – Artem Anisimov – Ryan Callahan

Ruslan Fedotenko – Derek Stepan – Mats Zuccarello

Mike Rupp – Erik Christensen – Brandon Prust

Eleven of the 12 forwards in Prague figure to be the Rangers’ regulars at forward. The lone exception is Christensen, a slippery puck-handler who is money in the shootout but not as consistent when six players from each team are on the ice. The 6-foot-7 center Brian Boyle, who scored 21 goals in a breakthrough season in 2010-11, is much more likely to be in Christensen’s place.

In the victory over Sparta Prague, Anisimov and Fedotenko scored second-period goals and Martin Biron stopped 23 shots for the shutout.

Progress for Staal: The Rangers said that defenseman Marc Staal (concussion symptoms) would practice on Friday with the Connecticut Whale, the club’s American Hockey League affiliate in Hartford. The Rangers hope Staal can rejoin them in Europe for the start of the regular season. “We’ll see how he reacts,” Tortorella said. “If it’s positive results, we’ll get him here.”

THE GAMES

The Rangers will play Friday against Frolunda, Henrik Lundqvist’s former Swedish Elite League team. The goalie is expected to start the game, which will be broadcast live at 1 p.m. Eastern on MSG Network. The Rangers will complete their preseason schedule with games Sunday in Slovakia against HC Slovan and Monday in Switzerland against EV Zug.

*

The Devils lost, 2-1, in Philadelphia on Thursday on a game-winning power-play goal by Jaromir Jagr with just over 7 minutes left in the third period. The good news for the Devils was the strong play of Martin Brodeur, the 39-year-old goaltender for three Stanley Cup champions in New Jersey. Watch Brodeur slide post-to-post on this save on Jagr off a feed from Braydon Coburn.

New Jersey closes out its exhibition schedule this weekend with a pair of games at the Prudential Center in Newark, Friday against the Islanders and Saturday against the Flyers. Coach Pete DeBoer will likely make his final roster decisions on Monday so he can put the chosen 22 players through a full week of practice. The Devils open the regular season Oct. 8 at home against Philadelphia.

*

After the matchup in New Jersey on Friday, the Islanders play their final exhibition game on Saturday in Bridgeport, Conn., against the Boston Bruins. Coach Jack Capuano has his top two lines virtually set:

Matt Moulson – John Tavares – P.A. Parenteau

Michael Grabner – Frans Nielsen – Kyle Okposo

Capuano is still giving 19-year-old Nino Niederreiter a look in Parenteau’s place on the third line. With the exceptional puck-moving defenseman Mark Streit back after missing all of last season with a shoulder injury, the Islanders should have no problem scoring goals at even strength and on the power play. The challenge will be keeping opponents from scoring. Veteran defenseman Milan Jurcina, a 6-4 stalwart in his team’s end who played only 46 games last season because of an assortment of ailments, is sidelined with a groin strain suffered in the Islanders’ 2-0 loss in Calgary on Tuesday.

Timothy Bradley signs with Top Rank; will be on Nov. 12 Pacquiao card

Unbeaten Coachella Valley boxer Timothy Bradley signed a new promotional contract Thursday and was assigned a prominent semi-main event fight, most likely against former champion Joel Casamayor, on the Nov. 12 Manny Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez card at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Bradley (27-0, 11 knockouts) hasn't fought since January following a split with former promoters Gary Shaw and Ken Thompson, who've sued the fighter claiming he owes them one more fight after walking away from an estimated $1.25-million pay day in July against junior-welterweight world champion Amir Khan of England.

Bradley hasn't settled with Shaw and Thompson, the boxer's manager Cameron Dunkin said, but he's been legally advised he can sign with veteran fight promoter Bob Arum's Top Rank company.

Arum confirmed the signing Thursday night.

"He hasn't been promoted correctly," Arum said. "We'll figure out a way, and showing him to the audience we're most dependent upon -- the pay-per-view fans -- is a great way to get this moving along."

Should Pacquiao and Bradley win Nov. 12 and promoters remain unable to stage the Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather Jr. super-fight, Bradley is strongly positioned to have a shot at the Filipino superstar.

Arum said he hasn't promised a bout against Pacquiao to Bradley.

Dunkin agreed, adding, "But fights like that can happen for him now. It opens the door for him to great shows, big exposure. He's ecstatic."

--Lance Pugmire

Photo: Timothy Bradley during a training session at the Indio Boys and Girls Club earlier this year. Credit: Christina House / For The Times

Kings, Drew Doughty agree on new contract [Updated]

The Kings and defenseman Drew Doughty verbally agreed on a new contract Thursday night, meaning the restricted free agent could join the team in time for its upcoming trip to Germany and Sweden for its final exhibition game and first two regular-season games.

Financial terms were not immediately available. However, after weeks of frustration and stalled negotiations, General Manager Dean Lombardi planned to sweeten the average annual value of the club's offer to exceed $6.8 million, the current team-leading average annual value of Anze Kopitar's contract.

[Updated, 8:30 p.m.: The deal Doughty agreed to is worth $56 million over eight years.]

Although Lombardi had said several times that he would not go above $6.8 million per year for Doughty, the stalemate and Doughty's apparent willingness to accept a long-term deal led Lombardi to bend.

It's not clear how long the deal will be for, but the Kings' last offers to Doughty gave him choices between a seven-year term and an eight-year term.

Doughty, 21, was a finalist for the Norris trophy as the NHL's top defenseman in his second season, 2009-10, but he struggled at times last season after suffering a concussion.

More coverage soon at latimes.com/sports

RELATED:

Kings defeat Avalanche, 6-0

Tim Leiweke eager for Drew Doughty's return to the Kings

Young defensemen making an impression for Kings

-- Helene Elliott

Photo: Kings defenseman Drew Doughty. Credit: Kirby Lee / U.S. Presswire

Rugby World Cup 2011: Predictions – Too little too late for Scotland, Samoa and Italy in battle of bonus points

Take your pick of headlines for this weekend’s rugby… Sweet and sour success for Scotland; Big hits but little luck for Samoa; Pasta and basta for Italy.

All three are tantalisingly close to the play-offs, but for different reasons they’ll all fall short of a quarter-final place.

Welcome to the start of the real world cup, a newspaper headline in Auckland read today, and they’re right. Come Sunday night and there will be elation and depression in almost equal measure. It’s the weekend of the bonus points.

Amazingly at this late stage in the pool games, only New Zealand are absolutely guaranteed a quarter-final berth irrespective of what happens in Pool A. Canada could still pip France to the runners-up place, but only a double-deluded dunce would see them beat the All Blacks with a bonus point in the process and France lose heavily to Tonga. So that’s settled.

Then it becomes interesting. Pools B and D will require bonus points to upset the current standings. Argentina will no doubt smash Georgia, so Scotland need not only beat old foe England at Eden Park on Saturday, but do so with four tries and deny England a losing bonus point.

A haggis or two too far? Absolutely – as Scottish fans here in Auckland readily admit. And yet, will this required hell-for-leather approach liberate the Scots for once and see them throw all caution to the wind?

I’ll predict Scotland to actually score a try or two – despite their lame duck performances at RWC 2011 so far – but to fall short in the end (and possibly even get beaten by England at the death as the clock ticks down and the dream dies fast). Scotland 21 England 19.

Likewise in Pool D, where the current table topper could still depart home on Monday. On most days I’d say smash-and-run Samoa have four tries in them, but they’ve looked hesitant at RWC2011 while South Africa are showing sharp and ruthless signs. Wales will do the business comfortably against Fiji on Sunday, so it’s goodbye Samoa at North Harbour on Friday. South Africa 37 Samoa 22.

The biggest and most intriguing battle looms in Pool C, where unbeaten Ireland could still exit early. And Italy don’t even need to score four tries to make that happen – though they’ll have to deny Declan Kidney’s team a losing bonus point.

But that’s poppycock. Italy's forwards are mostly awesome, but their backs often make a plate of spaghetti look orderly and organised. So Ireland 28 Italy 13.

Fair calls or ramblings of a madman as we start this weekend of shock and awe? Your calls please…

This blog is supported by Maximuscle, suppliers of Creatine to Courtney Lawes, Joe Simpson and the Welsh Rugby Team.

UFC: Dana White on Dominick Cruz versus Demetrius Johnson

Telegraph Sport asks UFC President Dana White if Demetrius Johnson deserves the UFC bantamweight title shot against champion Dominick Cruz this weekend in Washington DC ? Did Johnson rightfully get the decision over Miguel Torres in his last fight ?

Here's what Dana White had to say…

UCLA basketball: Freshman Norman Powell suffers concussion

UCLA freshman guard Norman Powell sustained a concussion Tuesday when he was struck by a teammate's stray elbow during basketball workouts. Three staples were needed to close a small cut on his forehead. Powell is being monitored daily and is listed as day to day.

The 6-foot-5 sharpshooter is a candidate to back up starting point guard Lazeric Jones in the Bruins' season opener against Loyola Marymount on Nov. 11 with regular backup Jerime Anderson suspended after he was accused of stealing a laptop computer in July. He pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor charge this month.

Concussions can be tricky things to put a timetable on. Matt Carlino suffered a concussion last November and was held out of three consecutive games before he was cleared to return. He then sat out the next two games because of limited practice time and eventually transferred to Brigham Young. 

-- Ben Bolch

Chargers safety Bob Sanders will miss another season

 

Chargers safety Bob Sanders was placed on the season-ending injured reserve list Thursday after sustaining a knee injury during the second game of the season against the New England Patriots on Sept. 18.

Sanders, who began his NFL career in 2004, had missed the equivalent of four seasons because of injuries before signing with the Chargers this off-season.

When healthy, he's an impact player. He was the 2007 NFL Defensive Player of the Year with Indianapolis and was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2005 and 2007.

“From the standpoint of where his knee is, it was a decision that was the right one,” Coach Norv Turner told reporters. “When you make a decision like this, it's based on medical facts first and included our feelings and his.

"I know that it was going to be difficult for him to continue. I've had a number of conversations with Bob over the last few days. This is difficult for him. I'm very respectful of what he tried to do for us and I wish his impact would've lasted longer. It's not something anyone could've anticipated. It's something that just happens.”

MORE:

With fast start, Lions finally join the club

Jets' Mark Sanchez not limited by broken nose

Plaschke-Simers video: Are the Chargers the best NFL team for L.A.?

 -- Melissa Rohlin

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

 Photo: Bob Sanders. Credit: Donald Miralle / Getty Images.

UFC: Dominick Cruz sets No 1 pound for pound target, Rampage looks to boxing switch

Dominick Cruz told Telegraph Sport this week that he will not rest easy until he is regarded as "the No 1 pound for pound fighter in the world". Cruz is currently ranked in the top 10, 9 by Sherdog, 7 by Telegraph Sport, but he insisted in an exclusive interview with your correspondent that he "wants to go on a run of victories" which will put him at the head of the list.

"I'd like to be up there with GSP, Anderson Silva and those guys, thought of as the dominant guy in the division, but also as one of the most valuable pound for pound fighters in the world. But that means defending the belt several times, and wiping out my rivals," said Cruz.

Cruz faces Demetrius Johnson in a second defence of the UFC bantamweight title (having defended the title twice in the WEC before it merged with the UFC) in Washington DC this weekend. The 135lb fighter with dancing feet and an elusive, off-balance style believes Johnson may struggle given the reach advantage the champion enjoys. But Cruz is taking nothing for granted.

"I've analysed him. He has a very good striking base, and is is very well-rounded. He moves well, and is light on his feet<" Cruz told Telegraph Sport. "He has a very good defence, and he's hard to get hold of, hard to hit. But he's also 5ft 2ins tall, which is favourable to me. He has a 6inch reach advantage to deal with. I know how to wrestle well."

"He's won a lot of his fights by being a better athlete than a lot of his opponents. He won't have that advantage with me. I'm going to fight a smart fight. I'll use my skill set to give him a hard time. Everyone has holes in their game. The key is to make your opponent fight your fight, and I'm good at doing that."

Paul Sass, the only British fighter on the card and a submission expert, meets American Michael Johnson in a lightweight bout. Sass, unbeaten in 11 MMA fights, has not fought in the UFC since the last event held in London, 11 months ago.

Anthony Johnson, who many believe could be a contender for the welterweight belt seemingly etched with the name GSP on it, faces Charlie Brenemman in an intriguing 170lb contest.

There are interviews with Cruz and Rampage Jackson in this week's ESPN UFC Podcast.

Listen here to this week's ESPN UFC Podcast

RAMPAGE TELLS TELEGRAPH BOXING SWITCH IS POSSIBLE, BUT BOXING COACH SAYS STICK TO MMA

"I hate fighting people who are scared," Rampage Jackson told me less than an hour after losing to Jon Jones for the UFC light-heavyweight title in Denver last weekend. "When you fight somebody who is scared you never know what they're going to do. They turn and run.

"That's why I'm gonna go to boxing. I'm gonna try boxing because they've got to stand with you. If I get knocked out I don't care because at least it's a fight.

"I've tried a lot of boxing, I'm falling in love with boxing and I know I can put butts on seats over there." However, Mark Kinney, Jackson's boxing coach, told Telegraph Sport that the UFC light-heavyweight should finish his career in mixed martial arts before making the switch.

Jackson is likely to fight on the UFC event in Japan in February next year.

Chris Foster previews the UCLA-Stanford game [video]

Times UCLA reporter Chris Foster discuss UCLA's ground game and secondary against Stanford, and the Bruins' upcoming schedule.

 

 

Week 4 in Fantasy Football: Favorable and Unfavorable Matchups

Jason and Justin Sablich are here to help you with your fantasy football team. The Sablich brothers will provide fantasy football advice throughout the season on this blog and on Twitter (@5thDownFantasy).

If you submit one of the 50 most accurate responses this week, you can win a prize from FantasyPros.com.

How do you know it’s been a bad week for your team’s ground game? One clue is your punter and your lead running back gaining the same number of rushing yards. Yes, the finger is slowly inching toward the panic button for Chris Johnson owners, and losing Kenny Britt for the season is not going to make things any easier on Tennessee’s offense. Yet, despite his incredibly disappointing start to the season, you’ll find him on our favorable matchups list for Week 4. Continue reading to find out why.

Do you have a “start or sit” question? We are taking questions on Twitter. Follow us at @5thDownFantasy.

Favorable/Unfavorable Quarterback Matchups

Favorable

Eli Manning (NYG) vs. Arizona – 
While playing with a patchwork receiving corps against the talented Eagles secondary, Manning tossed four touchdowns in the Giants’ upset win over the Eagles. Raise your hand if you saw this one coming. Put your hand down because you’re lying. Manning gets his WR2 back (Mario Manningham) this week against the N.F.L.’s 8th worst passing defense, a much more favorable situation if you need to use him. 



Matt Ryan (ATL) vs. Seattle –- This is not a great matchup on paper, as the Seahawks have been respectable against the pass so far. But their numbers might be a bit padded considering they played the 49ers in Week 1 and an inexperienced Kevin Kolb and the Cardinals in Week 3. With the Falcons at 1-2, they’re going to need a big game from Ryan this week, and we expect him to meet that challenge. Sure, his offensive line has been terrible, but Seattle hasn’t exactly been scaring quarterbacks with just five sacks. Ryan should still be considered a QB1 option in Week 4. 



Jason Campbell (OAK) vs. New England
 – Need a spot start this week? Campbell might be your guy. No team has allowed more fantasy points to quarterbacks through the first three weeks than New England. His supporting cast is starting to gel as well, with Denarius Moore quickly becoming a dangerous weapon in the passing game and tight end Kevin Boss returning to action last week. He may even get Jacoby Ford back for this one.

Unfavorable

Colt McCoy (CLE) vs. Tennessee 
– McCoy was shaky against Miami last week and hasn’t thrown for more than 213 yards in a game yet. He’s unlikely to top that mark against a stingy Titans defense allowing quarterbacks just 13 fantasy points per game, which is the second-lowest average after to Pittsburgh. 



Joe Flacco (BAL) vs. Jets
 – The Ravens’ passing game surprised everyone last week, including the Rams secondary, which was caught off guard by speedster Torrey Smith. Surely Darrelle Revis and the Jets will take note of Flacco’s big day and we think that his pass-happy, Brady-esque outing was more of a fluke than a sign of things to come. Don’t forget that Ray Rice is still the best thing this offense has to offer. The Jets have allowed just 13.6 fantasy points a game to guys like Flacco. 



Tony Romo (DAL) vs. Detroit
 – His weak fantasy numbers aside, Romo deserves a lot of respect for his gutsy Monday night performance. Playing with a broken rib is one thing, but leading your team to victory despite the horrible play of your offensive line and receivers is another. He’ll need to pull another rabbit out of his hat if his supporting cast doesn’t get it together in a hurry, with Ndamukong Suh (1 sack, 6 hurries, 1 deflected pass vs. MIN) and the rest of the Lions’ emerging defense coming to town (14 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks). 



Matt Hasselbeck (TEN) vs. Cleveland 
– Losing a talent like Britt is going to have negative implications on Hasselbeck’s numbers. As John Glennon from the Tennessean points out, Hasselbeck was 14-of-15 passing for 163 yards with Britt on the field last week. His percentage went down considerably without him, going 12-of-22 for 148 yards. A road game against the Browns third-ranked secondary presents a tough challenge for this reeling offense. 



Favorable/Unfavorable Running Back Matchups

Favorable

Matt Forte vs. Carolina – 
Matt Forte ran for a career-low 2 yards on 9 carries against the Packers last Sunday. Give credit to the league’s best run defense, and put some blame on Mike Martz for completely abandoning the run in the second half. At least his hands kept his Week 3 outing from being a total fantasy disaster (7 receptions, 80 yards). He gets a great Week 4 matchup against a depleted Panthers defense that surrenders 19 fantasy points per game to running backs this season.

Chris Johnson (TEN) vs. Cleveland
 – Johnson was expected to break out against a weak Denver run defense in Week 3 but managed just 21 yards on 13 carries. But there are a few good reasons to keep Johnson in your lineup this week: Cleveland has yielded 20 points a game to the position in 2011; he was active in the passing game last week (7 targets) and the Steelers are on deck for Week 5, meaning the Browns will be his last good matchup before the Titans Week 6 bye.

Tim Hightower (WASH) vs. St. Louis – 
Giving up 174 yards a game on the ground makes the Rams the league’s worst run defense, which makes Hightower, who has averaged 13 fantasy points a game so far this season, a high-end RB2 start this week.



James Starks (GB) vs. Denver 
– It was a Week 3 to forget for Starks and his owners, but things may be already looking up as Packers Coach Mike McCarthy told the media Wednesday that he doesn’t expect Ryan Grant to play Sunday. The matchup here is pretty inviting as well, with Denver giving up an even 100 yards a game through the first three weeks. 



Unfavorable

Jahvid Best (DET) vs. Dallas – 
Averaging just 2.9 yards per carry through three weeks, Best has certainly struggled carrying the ball. While importance in the Lions’ passing game has made him worth a weekly start in your lineup, expect more of the same on the ground against the N.F.L.’s second-ranked run defense.



Peyton Hillis (CLE) vs. Tennessee
 – Hillis is expected to return this week against a Titans unit that has been tough on the run, giving up just 3 yards a carry through the first three games. His backup, Montario Hardesty, is also expected to steal more carries going forward, but that might actually be a good thing considering the heavy workload Hillis has already endured. 



Daniel Thomas (MIA) vs. San Diego — 
Thomas has been outstanding since taking over in the Dolphins’ backfield and needs to be in your lineup despite his tough matchup with the Chargers this week (4th worst RB matchup, 13 points per game). 



Maurice Jones-Drew (JAX) vs. New Orleans 
– This is another guy too good to bench, but there is concern that the Saints could blow this one wide open, leaving Jaguars rookie quarterback Blaine Gabbert and Co. playing catch-up for most of the day. It’s a situation that doesn’t generally favor running backs.

Favorable/Unfavorable Wide Receiver Matchups

Favorable

Hakeem Nicks (NYG) vs. Arizona – 
Philadelphia did a fine job containing Nicks last Sunday, but with Manningham set to return this week, the Cardinals (9th best WR matchup) will have a much tougher time shutting him down. The Cardinals just allowed Sidney Rice to grab 8 balls for 109 yards in his Seahawks debut, and have yielded 25 fantasy points a game to wideouts on average. 



Santonio Holmes (NYJ) vs. Baltimore – 
Holmes saw just two targets in the Jets’ frustrating loss to the Raiders and was quick to criticize Brian Schottenheimer’s offensive game plan. But the Jets’ receivers didn’t exactly follow through on their eagerness to take on the Raiders’ struggling man-to-man coverage. Holmes will have to be much more involved this week if the Jets expect to win Sunday night in Baltimore, and we expect him to be. 



Brandon Lloyd (DEN) vs. Green Bay – 
Denver doesn’t figure to get much going on the ground against the league’s best run defense, but the Green Bay secondary has been beaten up badly the first three weeks, allowing the second most fantasy points to the position. Lloyd should see plenty of opportunities trying to keep up with the Packers’ explosive offense.



Percy Harvin (MIN) vs. Kansas City – 
Harvin having played in nearly 75 percent of Minnesota’s offensive snaps against the Lions means somebody was listening to all the negative criticism last week about the Vikings’ best receiver not being on the field enough. The Chiefs allow plenty of fantasy points to receivers (24 points per game), and may be missing their best cornerback Brandon Flowers after he suffered a right leg injury against San Diego.



Unfavorable

Nate Washington (TEN) vs. Cleveland
 — The Browns cornerback Joe Haden has quickly developed into an unfriendly matchup for wideouts, shutting down A.J. Green, Reggie Wayne and Brandon Marshall through the first three weeks. With Britt missing from the Titans’ passing attack, the Browns secondary (5th worst matchup) will be able to focus its attention on stopping Washington.



Andre Johnson (HOU) vs. Pittsburgh
 – Johnson gets his worst receiver matchup so far this season as the Steelers have coughed up just 12 fantasy points a game to the position. We couldn’t bench him if we tried, though. 



Steve Johnson (BUF) vs. Cincinnati – Johnson has been dealing with a groin injury, although you wouldn’t know it based on his excellent play (8th ranked fantasy receiver, 43 points). The Bengals represent the third worst matchup a receiver can have, but Johnson is too good to sit. 



Torrey Smith (BAL) vs. Jets – 
Smith had an amazing game last week and you might have grabbed him off the wire because of it, but it probably would be wise to sit him against a Jets’ secondary allowing just 14 points a game to opposing receivers.



Favorable/Unfavorable Tight End Matchups

Favorable

Greg Olsen (CAR) vs. Chicago – 
Olsen beat out Jeremy Shockey in the targets (10 to 7) and turned in a nice fantasy day against Jacksonville with 7 catches for 57 yards and a touchdown. Sharing Cam Newton with Shockey doesn’t do Olsen’s fantasy value any favors, but he’ll still get his looks and his former team, the Bears, is allowing the third most fantasy points to opposing tight ends. 



Randy McMichael (SD) vs. Miami – 
Antonio Gates’s status is up in the air and there is talk that he is considering resting his ever-troublesome foot for several weeks. McMichael would still be a desperation start, even though the Dolphins have been the friendliest matchup to the position so far this season (16 points per game). 



Unfavorable

Dustin Keller (NYJ) vs. Baltimore – 
Speaking of the Jets, this one is off to a great start, ranking in as the third best fantasy tight end behind Rob Gronkowski and Jermichael Finley heading into Week 4. His meeting with the Ravens will be tough, as they have allowed just 115 yards and 0 TDs so far this season, but sitting him isn’t an option unless you have the luxury of a Jason Witten or Jimmy Graham on your roster. 



Favorable/Unfavorable Defense/Special Teams Matchups

Favorable

Buccaneers vs. Colts, Redskins vs. Rams, Saints vs. Jacksonville, Falcons vs. Seahawks, Bills vs. Bengals



Unfavorable

Dallas vs. Detroit, Pittsburgh vs. Houston, New England vs. Oakland, Cincinnati vs. Buffalo, San Fransisco vs. Philadelphia

Do you have a “start or sit” question? We are taking questions on Twitter. Follow us at @5thDownFantasy.

Rays, Cardinals are up, Red Sox, Braves down in wild wild-card

 

After one of the most thrilling regular-season conclusions in baseball history, the web is abuzz with scenes of champagne-filled euphoria in some clubhouses and demoralized agony in others.

The St. Louis Cardinals and Tampa Bay Rays won the National and American league wild-card playoff berths, while the Atlanta Braves and Boston Red Sox were eliminated.

Let's take a look at what the teams' hometown papers are saying.

The Tampa Bay Rays:

TBO.com describes how the Rays became the first team in MLB history to be nine games out of a postseason spot in September and still reach the playoffs.

Tampabay.com details the champagne-filled celebration in the locker room following what Ben Zobrist said "just doesn't happen in baseball. This is what you would dream about happening."

St. Louis Cardinals:

Bryan Burwell of stltoday.com struggles to find an accurate word to describe the Cardinals, who were left for dead a little more than month ago yet have miraculously made the playoffs. Here are the words that he's considering: Lucky? Bold? Relentless? Unpredictable? Frustrating? Resilient? Flawed? Fabulous?

Bernie Bytes of stltoday.com discusses the top 10 reasons for the Cards' comeback. No. 1, he says, is the Braves' collapse.

The Atlanta Braves:

Jeff Schultz of the Atlanta Journal Constitution calls the Braves' woeful 10-20 record down the stretch "one of the worst collapses in sports history" and suggests that the problem is larger than a few roster tweaks.

Mark Bradley of the Atlanta Journal Constitution says that Braves did some major mismanaging. He doesn't think Manager Fredi Gonzalez should be fired, but he thinks he needs to become far more assertive.

The Red Sox:

Baseball Prospectus had given the Red Sox a 99.6% chance of making the playoffs. Boston Globe columnist Chad Finn describes what 0.4% looks like.

A Boston Globe reporter is shocked to be heading to a news conference with the demoralized Red Sox. For much of the season, he was sure he would be off to Fenway Park on this date to watch the team work out before Game 1 of the AL division series. Sitting at the airport, he recalls that the Red Sox haven't won two games in a row since August.

--Melissa Rohlin

Photo: The Tampa Bay Rays swarm Evan Longoria. Credit: Brian Blanco / European Pressphoto Agency

Baseball: What the hometown papers are saying

 

After one of the most thrilling regular-season conclusions in baseball history, the web is abuzz with scenes of champagne-filled euphoria in some clubhouses and demoralized agony in others.

The St. Louis Cardinals and Tampa Bay Rays won the National and American league wild-card playoff berths, while the Atlanta Braves and Boston Red Sox were eliminated.

Let's take a look at what the teams' hometown papers are saying.

The Tampa Bay Rays:

TBO.com describes how the Rays became the first team in MLB history to be nine games out of a postseason spot in September and still reach the playoffs.

Tampabay.com details the champagne-filled celebration in the locker room following what Ben Zobrist said "just doesn't happen in baseball. This is what you would dream about happening."

St. Louis Cardinals:

Bryan Burwell of stltoday.com struggles to find an accurate word to describe the Cardinals, who were left for dead a little more than month ago yet have miraculously made the playoffs. Here are the words that he's considering: Lucky? Bold? Relentless? Unpredictable? Frustrating? Resilient? Flawed? Fabulous?

Bernie Bytes of stltoday.com discusses the top 10 reasons for the Cards' comeback. No. 1, he says, is the Braves' collapse.

The Atlanta Braves:

Jeff Schultz of the Atlanta Journal Constitution calls the Braves' woeful 10-20 record down the stretch "one of the worst collapses in sports history" and suggests that the problem is larger than a few roster tweaks.

Mark Bradley of the Atlanta Journal Constitution says that Braves did some major mismanaging. He doesn't think Manager Fredi Gonzalez should be fired, but he thinks he needs to become far more assertive.

The Red Sox:

Baseball Prospectus had given the Red Sox a 99.6% chance of making the playoffs. Boston Globe columnist Chad Finn describes what 0.4% looks like.

A Boston Globe reporter is shocked to be heading to a news conference with the demoralized Red Sox. For much of the season, he was sure he would be off to Fenway Park on this date to watch the team work out before Game 1 of the AL division series. Sitting at the airport, he recalls that the Red Sox haven't won two games in a row since August.

--Melissa Rohlin

Photo: The Tampa Bay Rays swarm Evan Longoria. Credit: Brian Blanco / European Pressphoto Agency

London 2012 Olympics diary: athletes help Mark Ronson find his rhythm

Duet: Mark Ronson with Russian 400m runner Kseniya Vdovina

DJ and producer Mark Ronson,  famed for producing Amy Winehouse and Lily Allen, has collaborated with Katy B for Coca Cola's Olympic campaign.

Ronson recorded sounds athletes make, including the click clack of the ball hit by British table tennis player Darius Knight.

"But the sounds Darius creates, his grunts squeals and stuff are unusual and great," said Ronson, who has just one athlete left to record, the US hurdler David Oliver.

Ronson said he tempted Russian 400m runner Kseniya Vdovina onto a treadmill so he could accurately record her heartbeat at 120 beats per minute, the speed of the soundtrack.

Ronson said interesting sounds emanated from Mexican taekwondo athlete Maria Espinoza "when she kicks the crap out of people".

Coke erected a huge stage in the carpark of Forman's Fish Island, with the Olympic stadium as a backdrop, for the filming of a documentary about the ad. But no dieters here. Coke bottles and cans were everywhere, with the Diet Coke hidden out of sight.

Secret swim

Next Friday the British swim team members will have a swim in the Olympic Aquaticc Centre. But don't tell anybody. London olympic officials have told the swimmers the event is "top secret".

Televised? To who?

I'm just wondering what the Transport for London managing director Leon Daniels was doing during the Olympic road cycling test event.

Daniels has told the London Assembly that the event "was also a large,televised international event… it provided a number of benfits, not least of which was highlighting London as a cycling city to the world".

As Telegraph Sport readers know, the event wasn't televised anywhere except a few highlights a week later on the BBC.

Sky TV was specifically refused permission to film the race. Daniels also claimed "there was some very localised congestion".. but said it was "managed and minimised".

Hmm, some Surrey drivers stuck in five mile queues for five hours might beg to differ.

Drug cheats airbrushed from Games

LaShawn Merritt, the American runner infamous for use a 'male enhancement product' and testing positive to drugs will discover next Thursday if his appeal against the IOC's mandatory four year ban to the Court of Arbitration for Sport is successful.

If so, Britain's own drug users like David Millar and Dwain Chambers could stage their own legal battle to have the British Olympic Association's life ban similarly disregarded.

Still, that won't help Linford Christie's persona non grata status around Olympic circles. Locog chairman Sebastian Coe has a strict drug-free association for anyone working on the Games.

TV rules OK

What are the chances distance running great Haile Gebrselassie will force a re-think on the start time of the London 2012 Olympic marathon? Gebrselassie wants it two hours earlier at 9am, but broadcasters say that's way too early for the prime US audience.

What TV wants, TV gets: remember the bizarre morning finals for the swimming at the Beijing Olympics?

England's green and pleasant land

Fields In Trust, the authority that oversees the 471 King George's Fields across the country, is looking to expand the numbers of protected national playing fields, trails, play areas and gardens to a total of 2012 to honour the Queen Elizabeth II's diamond jubilee and the London Olympics.

Olympic legal sponsor Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer is helping to formalise the deals.

Day of destiny for 2017 bid

The world athletics body IAAF will be in London next week, running their eye over the city's bid to host the 2017 world track and field championships and signing off the red-coloured athletics track that has been laid at the Olympic stadium.

No surprise the Mayor of London Boris Johnson wanted an immediate response from Tottenham Hotspur to accept a £17 million funding package and drop their legal action against the Olympic Park Legacy Company.

The continual court threats are weighing heavily against the athletics bid.

Bill Plaschke: Baseball has its greatest regular-season finish

 

It was 180 days boiled into 180 seconds.

It gurgled with drama and popped with passion and when it ended, folks were wiping the steam from their eyes and wondering, really, truly, did that just happen?

The last night of the 2011 baseball regular season Wednesday may have been the greatest single night of any baseball regular season. It was two playoff wild-card spots won in final at-bats that cemented the two greatest collapses in baseball history. It was one of those spots won and lost by two separate teams in two separate games in a span of three minutes.

It was a night of gasping and groaning and frantic texting and nutty tweeting and shouting out loud in front of giant televisions all across America. It was a night filled with the sort of riveting emotion that only baseball at its best can still provide and when it ended, Evan Longoria, home-run hitting hero of the playoff-bound Tampa Bay Rays, stood dazed in front of a camera and spoke about the perfect storm that encapsulated an ancient culture.

"It was like we were out there for five hours ... then everything happened in a matter of seconds,"  he said.

How did it end? How do we start?

It was one of baseball’s most historically choking franchises gagging again, in the ninth inning, with two out and nobody on base and their veteran closer protecting a one-run lead against the Baltimore Orioles. The Boston Red Sox were 77-0 in those situations this season before Wednesday, then Jonathan Papelbon lost it and Carl Crawford blew it and the whole lot of them crumbled into history.

Three minutes later and about 1,000 miles away -- yeah, just three minutes -- it was one of baseball’s most delightful franchises stunning again, overcoming a 7-0 deficit to the best team in baseball. The Tampa Bay Rays tied the New York Yankees with a two-strike, two-out homer in the ninth by a guy who had not hit one in five months -- Dan Johnson, I believe -- then they won  three innings later and danced into October.

Wait. It was more. It was much more. It was screaming-in-the-dugout, hands-buried-in-faces more.
In the other league, it was a young and exhausted Atlanta Braves team finishing baseball’s second-biggest collapse by also blowing not only an 8 ½-game wild-card lead in September, but completing the dive by blowing a one-run lead in the ninth inning to the Philadelphia Phillies with star rookie Craig Kimbrel on the mound. The game was so overwhelming for the young Braves, their veteran Chipper Jones actually gave them a football-style pep talk in the dugout before the game. He then grew even grayer watching them run themselves out of big innings and pitch their way into a long winter.

Finally, earlier in the night, about 800 miles away, it was the St. Louis Cardinals racking up their biggest first inning of the season with five runs that pushed them into the sneakiest October entry in recent memory. I thought Tony LaRussa had retired. I thought Albert Pujols had left town. How do they keep doing it?

Walter Payton battled drugs, suicidal thoughts, new book says

 
Hall of Fame running back Walter Payton abused painkillers after he retired, contemplated suicide and struggled with depression, according to "Sweetness: The Enigmatic Life of Walter Payton," a new book by longtime sportswriter Jeff Pearlman.

Pearlman says Payton used a cocktail of Tylenol and Vicodin, mainly for the physical pain that he felt after retiring from the NFL in 1987 as the league’s leading rusher.

Without football, he became deeply depressed.

‘‘Payton found himself burdened by a realization that had struck thousands of ex-athletes before him: I am bored out of my mind,’’ Pearlman writes. ‘‘When strangers asked, he talked about how thrilled he was to be free of the burdens of football.... The words were pure fantasy. He would miss it desperately. ‘He went from an abnormal existence as an athlete to a normal one,’ says [daughter] Brittney, now 26. ‘How does anyone do that?’’’

The book says he kept tanks of nitrous oxide in his garage. His longtime agent, Bud Holmes, and his executive assistant, Ginny Quirk, said they received suicide calls at all hours of the night in the mid-'90s.

At the 1993 Hall of Fame induction, Quirk said Payton brought both his wife, Connie, and his mistress.

"The introduction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame is supposed to be the greatest moment in his life," Quirk says. "And in truth, it was probably the worst. Four full days, and Lita and Connie were like two ships passing in the night. If Connie was scheduled to come late, I'd make sure Lita was there early. If Connie was there early, Lita would be there late. I can't describe the horror of that trip."

According to the Chicago Sun-Times, Mike Ditka, Payton’s former coach, was upset by the revelations.

‘‘It’s pathetic, and I don’t want to talk about it,’’ he said.

 Payton died from a rare liver disease and bile duct cancer in 1999. The book goes on sale Oct. 4.

MORE:

With fast start, Lions finally join the club

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 -- Melissa Rohlin

Photo: Walter Payton. Credit: Mike Eliason / Associated Press

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Carlos Tevez – a day in the life …

Man on fire: Carlos Tevez ain't gonna take it no more. Photo: AFP/Getty

(A day in the life of Manchester City's rebel without a clue, as mistranslated by an evil journalist)

I am wake early, and am having nice afternoon sitting in the kitchen designing a new range of snoods and talking to butler. I like butler; sometimes I think he is only one that understand me.

The wife comes in; she look angry. This could be trouble – I don’t want her to make me move countries again. She say to butler that someone is ringing at the front door bell for many minutes and why can butler not go answer the door like he is paid to do?

I look at butler. Butler look at me.

I know I have to take a stands. I put down my snood-designing crayon.

“No way,” I say. “It’s not your place to tell butler where to come and go. I like him here in kitchen with me. We are drawing picture of snood and deciding which watch to buy today.”

I show her design of latest snood: the Tévez Freedom Fighter snood. Is picture of me and Eva Peron fighting together against injustice (represented by Mancini dressed up as the forces of oppression in a dirty scarf).

She look at picture with sneer of disgust; like Sir Ferguson when I tell him I need more pay-rise to pay for fashionable clothes and fleet of cars befitting a man of my position.

My wife says this is ridiculous and that we pay butler so we can tell him to go and do things. She says it is bad enough that she cannot get a decent empanada for love nor money in Alderley Edge, and now she cannot tell the servants what to do?

I will prove her that I am the boss around here. To make my point, I start crying until she says butler can stay.

When I am stop crying, she say: “Okay Carlos. You go answer the door yourself then.”

No way. I am not warmed up properly for that. I go to sit over by breakfast bar and avoid her gazes. This is the time for me to say “No más”. Her request is totally unreasonable.

LATER Wife is still angry and she has been on phone to Mancini. I am been exiled to sit in garden with gardener. I do not like gardener; he has little interest in snoods. I expect we shall have to move to Italy.

N.F.L. Game Probabilities Are Back, With One Adjustment

Game predictions are back for 2011. As always, the probability model is based on passing, running, turnovers and penalty efficiency. But now, running is represented by Success Rate (SR) rather than Yards Per Carry (YPC). SR is the percentage of runs in which the a team’s point expectancy (based on down, distance and yard line) has improved.

SR correlates far better than YPC with winning games. YPC is too susceptible to a handful of relatively rare breakaway runs. I think of running as a jab and passing as a cross or uppercut. The jab is a low-risk punch that doesn’t expose your defenses, keeps your opponent off balance and guessing, and keeps him from purely defending against your cross. A good jab is a prerequisite, but the cross is what scores points and wins bouts.

Running can be more than that, of course. It’s essential in short yardage and inside the red zone. And when team has a lead, it burns clock and helps keep the ball out of an opponent’s hands in the fourth quarter. I believe the revised model captures this aspect of the running game and better reflects the true inner workings of the sport.

For new readers, here is refresher on how the model works. A logistic regression is fed net Yards Per Attempt (YPA), run SR, and interception rates on both offense and defense, plus offensive fumble rate. Team penalty rates (penalty yards per play) and home field advantage are also included. These particular statistics are selected because they are predictive of future outcomes, not because they explain past wins. This is a distinction overlooked by nearly all experts. Sometimes less really is more when it comes to predictions.

For example, turnover rates explain past outcomes very well, but a relatively small part of turnover rates carry forward and predict future outcomes. If a team has a very low interception rate of 1.2 percent, how likely are they to continue the season with so few interceptions? Chances are they will remain better than average, but not nearly as low as 1.2 percent. This concept is known as regression to the mean, and it’s essential for good predictions.

“Logistic regression” might sound like just mathy mumbo-jumbo, but don’t let it scare you off. The regression uses data from recent N.F.L. seasons to tell us how each facet of team performance is best weighted to predict which team will win a game. Each team variable is regressed again to account for how reliable each particular facet is throughout a season. In other words, the stats vary in terms of how consistent they are from game to game. For example, offensive passing efficiency is most consistent, and turnover rates are least consistent.

Lastly, the model adjusts for each team’s previous opponent strength. This is an especially important consideration early in the season, when some teams have only played weaker teams, and some have had to struggle against solid opponents. As the season wears on, strength of schedule will tend to even out, but never completely.

The predictions sometimes challenge our preconceived intuitions about games. If you knew nothing else about N.F.L. teams except for how well they’ve played so far this season, this is how you would want to handicap the games. Of course, we do know more than what we’ve seen the past three weeks. Sometimes that’s helpful, but at least as often it clouds our minds with bias.

For instance, this week it says Oakland should be favored to beat New England. Do I personally believe the perennial laughing stock Raiders are really better than the perennial A.F.C. East champion Patriots? Maybe not. But the model is telling us something to pay attention to. It’s saying: “Look deeper at the numbers that really matter. The Raiders might just be for real. The Patriots’ defense is just as vulnerable as they say.” So if you’re in an office pick ’em league and have to pick an upset, maybe this is the week to put your chips on Oakland.

An explanation of the principles behind the model and a detailed example of how it is calculated can be found here.

And now here are the game probabilities for Week 4:

Brian Burke, a former Navy pilot who has taken up the less dangerous hobby of N.F.L. statistical analysis, operates Advanced NFL Stats, a blog about football, math and human behavior.