Rugby World Cup 2011: New Zealand v France … the All Blacks to shake off their French choking syndrome

New Zealand v France, it’s probably fair to say it’s all Kiwis versus the rest of the world, such has the fascination become with the All Blacks’ famous ‘choking’ at World Cups.

And it's comforting to see that there appear to be tens of thousands of Frenchies in town, kitted out in berets and yelling 'Allez Bleus' at anyone who cares to listen.

So, to ease my own anxieties I turned to the stats guru  to see if facts and figures can provide some comfort – and yes, they do (at least regarding the overall picture)

First the good stuff. Consider that over the years New Zealand and France have faced each other 49 times, the All Blacks winning 36, losing only 12 with one draw.

Consider too the ‘fortress’ that’s Eden Park. Played 67, won an impressive 55, with 10 defeats and two draws.

And break that down to these two teams playing at Eden Park, and New Zealand lead 6-2 from their eight encounters.

But then comes the sobering stuff… In RWC clashes they’ve both won two matches – who could forget France reducing the All Blacks to quivering wrecks in 1999 and 2007, .while NZ emerged on top in 1987 and 2003.

And then there’s the Eden Park omen. While NZ have been unbeaten there in the last 24 tests (23 victories, one draw), their last defeat – in July 1994 – was against, well, none other than the French. Who then, just for good measure, proved they like facing the ABs in New Zealand by beating them in Dunedin in 2009.

Thankfully, much as stats can be interesting, they can also be lies and damn lies. And Saturday night will all come down to what makes rugby the spectacular game it is… Mighty collisions upfront, clever running lines at the back, heroic defence, the odd lucky bounce of that strangely shaped ball, the passion, the grit (and hopefully not a single contentious decision by a match official).

Time to stick my neck out again. The All Blacks to rip that RWC hand from around their throats and deal to the French true and proper. Something like 34-14.

What do you make of it? And predictions please.

This blog is supported by Maximuscle, the sports nutrition choice of Courtney Lawes, Joe Simpson and the Welsh team. For more information on how Maximuscle is the Team Behind the Team go to www.maximuscle.com/tbtt

Former King Wayne Simmonds is target of racist gesture

You see the words, but you don't want to believe them.

Frank Seravalli, who writes about the Flyers for the Philadelphia Daily News, said via Twitter that he saw someone throw a banana at Wayne Simmonds as the former Kings winger was taking a shot during the  shootout in an exhibition game at London, Canada.

Simmonds ignored the distraction and scored; Seravalli said he would check with Simmonds -- one of the NHL's few black players -- when he got to the locker room.

Sad to say, it was true. And another fan who said he was at the game said another banana was launched toward Simmonds before that but landed short of the ice.

Simmonds reacted with class, downplaying the incident. But it's not the first time he has experienced racism in the rink and it would be idealistic to think it will be the last.

Angels lose a game and some ground in Toronto

The Angels, chasing teams in two separate playoffs races, had a chance to pick up ground in each Thursday in Toronto.

The Boston Red Sox, who lead the wild-card race, were idle Thursday. And the Texas Rangers, who lead the American League West, had already lost in Oakland by the time the Angels took the field.

But instead of gaining, the Angels lost twice -- dropping a game to Toronto Blue Jays, 4-3, in 12 innings and a losing half a game in the standings to the Red Sox. As a result they'll begin their final homestand of the season Friday trailing the Red Sox by three games and the Rangers by five with six to play.

That leaves little room for error for a team that looked anything but sharp in a game they had to win Thursday, giving up the tying run on a wild pitch and losing on Edwin Encarnacion's walk-off homer to start the 12th inning.

The homer, Encarnacion's 17th, came off rookie Garrett Richards, who came on to face big league home run leader Jose Bautista with one out in the 11th inning and got him. But he couldn't get Encarnacion an inning later. 

Kings update: New off-season approach helps Thomas Hickey

Keeping it simple, unfortunately, isn’t always so simple.

Just ask any young defenseman trying to make an NHL roster or navigating the league for the first time. Thomas Hickey, a first-round draft pick (fourth overall) in 2007, opted for a new approach to prepare for what could be a make-or-break Kings’ training camp.

He stayed home in Calgary and decompressed with family and friends, taking his skate off the all-hockey-all-the-time pedal.

“I was down here all last summer [in 2010]; the strength coach here is very good,” Hickey said after practice in El Segundo on Thursday. “He knows what he is doing. But, for me, I felt I needed to be home and refresh the mind. The work load was the same, but it’s just a different style of doing it.

“I love playing hockey and being at the rink. But to really appreciate it, you’ve got to take time away. Before too long, you’re hungry to get back to the rink and you wish training camp was a week away. I felt that way quite early in the summer.”

Angels look to end regular-season road campaign on an upbeat

The Rogers Centre's retractible roof with be open Thursday night when the Angels take the field in Toronto for their final road game of the season.

The regular season, that is. Because the Angels begin play just 2 1/2 games behind Boston in the American League wild-card race with seven games to play.

The division race is pretty much over. The Angels trail the Texas Rangers by five games and would have to go unbeaten the rest of the way while hoping Texas loses twice just to force a tie atop the American League West. That's not likely to happen.

But the Red Sox have been coming back to the Angels for quite some time. While Mike Scioscia's team was winning 12 of 19 in September, Boston was losing 15 of 21. The Tampa Bay Rays are also tied with the Angels, 2 1/2 games behind the idle Red Sox, with seven to play. Tampa Bay plays the Yankees on Thursday in New York.

The Angels will be glad to get home no matter how Thursday's road finale goes. That's because they have gone 11-15 in their last 26 road games and are just two games over .500 on the road overall. At Angel Stadium, however, they've gone 44-31.

Ervin Santana will take the ball for the Angels hoping to snap a personal three-game losing streak. He's gone 19 innings, giving up 13 runs -- 10 earned -- in those three starts.

The lineups:

Angels

SS -- Erick Aybar

2B -- Howie Kendrick

DH -- Bobby Abreu

RF -- Torii Hunter

1B -- Mark Trumbo

3B -- Alberto Callaspo

LF-- Vernon Wells

CF -- Peter Bourjos

C -- Bobby Wilson

P -- Ervin Santana

Toronto Blue Jays

SS -- Mike McCoy

LF -- Eric Thames

DH -- Jose Bautista

1B -- Adam Lind

3B -- Edwin Encarnacion

2B -- Kelly Johnson

CF -- Colby Rasmus

C -- Jose Molina

RF -- Adam Loewen

P -- Henderson Alvarez

MORE:

RELATED:

Angels-Blue Jays box score

Torii Hunter says Angels have exceeded expectations

Angels keep playoff hopes alive with victory over Toronto

Rays would have edge over Angels, Red Sox in three-way tie

 

-- Kevin Baxter in Toronto

Photo: Manager Mike Scioscia celebrates an Angels victory on September 18. Credit: Steve Ruark / Getty Images.

No breakthroughs in NBA contract talks; sides to meet again

NBA Commissioner David Stern told reporters "the calendar is not our friend," at the close of a Thursday meeting in New York with the National Basketball Players Assn. that ended with no significant announcement other than the promise to meet again next week.

Stern didn't discuss the tone of a reported five-hour bargaining session that came nearly three months into the owners' lockout of players and less than two weeks before the scheduled start of training camp.

"My only concern is trying to make a deal that's fair to both sides," Stern told reporters.

Lakers guard Derek Fisher, the president of the union, said the parties were not closer to a deal than they were after last week's meeting.

"Obviously, we're not walking out of here with a deal right now," Fisher told reporters. "We'll keep working at it until we figure this out, but right now there isn't anything to report."

The union last week strongly hinted that it had agreed to take 4% less in basketball-related income after the league claimed that 23 of 30 teams were losing money.

The players are resistant to a hard salary cap. Owners have most recently proposed $2-billion salary cap for five years, after they spent $2.15 billion last season.

"We need an economic system and a system where teams can compete, and fans know their teams can compete," Stern told reporters. "That's where we're at."

MORE:

NBA labor negotiations to continue next week

Poll: Which side do you agree with more in the NBA lockout?

-- Lance Pugmire

Twitter.com/latimespugmire

 Photo: David Stern. Credit: LM Otero / Associated Press.

Miguel Cotto embraces cash for Antonio Margarito rematch

 

Miguel Cotto once said he'd never let Antonio Margarito earn another penny off him.

For more than two years, Cotto has harbored resentment that Margarito handed the Puerto Rican his first loss in July 2008 by wearing "loaded" gloves into the ring -- a claim strengthened by the fact California boxing regulators in January 2009 secured plaster-hardened pads from inside Margarito's hand wraps before his scheduled Staples Center fight against Shane Mosley.

Even on Thursday, Cotto pulled out his iPhone and showed reporters a photo showing a joyous Margarito celebrating the Cotto victory with the gauze over his hand wraps torn in the knuckle area.

"You ever see a hand wrap like that?" Cotto asked. "Gauze is not supposed to break. You be the judge."

(Perhaps more sinister, the hand wraps pulled off Margarito before the Mosley fight appeared to be stained with blood in the same spot they were when photographed in the Cotto fight aftermath.)

Yet, Cotto, 30, has decided to give Margarito, 33, another bout -- a 153-pound catchweight fight for Cotto's World Boxing Assn. light-middleweight belt.

"What other names are out there for me to make money against?" Cotto asked. "Floyd [Mayweather, who just fought Saturday], Manny [Pacquiao, who defeated Cotto in 2009], and Antonio."

Someone mentioned middleweight champion Sergio Martinez's name.

"You think Sergio Martinez will make me this kind of money?" Cotto asked.

Promoter Bob Arum revealed Cotto (36-2, 29 KOs) will be paid $5 million plus a larger percentage of the $54.95 pay-per-view sales for fighting Margarito (38-7, 27 KOs) on Dec. 3 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, where Cotto is 6-0 and will draw a heavy crowd of supporters.

Margarito, said Arum, will be paid $2.5 million plus a smaller pay-per-view percentage than Cotto.

"I've accepted my defeat like a man, and kept walking with it," said Cotto, who will begin training camp in Orlando, Fla., under trainer Emanuel Steward next week. "I'm going to put clear a lot of things people won't have to hear anymore once I win.... I'm a more mature, more focused boxer than I was three years ago."

Margarito will train in the mountains above Mexico City for the bout with his Oxnard-based trainer Robert Garcia.

The former world welterweight champion from Tijuana was knocked out by Mosley in the 2009 bout, then suspended from the sport before returning to a prominent bout in November 2010, and getting battered in Texas by Manny Pacquiao.

Margarito's career was jeopardized by an eye injury in the bout but he underwent cataract surgery this year and declared "everything good" Thursday at the Wilshire Grand Hotel, where the fighters conducted a news conference.

Arum said 65% of the tickets at Madison Square Garden were sold out during the first day of sales.

Arum said the sides have agreed to minimize the hand-wrapping discussions by turning in to the New York State Athletic Commission all tape, gauze and bandages to be used in the fight one day before the bout in a sealed envelope.

"When Cotto feels my first punch, he can say, 'Man, I take my words back,' " Margarito said.

The fighters have been icy toward each other throughout the press tour, publicist Lee Samuels said.

"The key to my victory is preparation," Margarito said, a nod to his insistence that Cotto was worn down by Margarito's power punching in the first bout. "Fights like this are won in the gym."

Cotto embraced the challenge.

"Last time, I left the ring without my belt," he said. "This time, I will climb out of that ring with my belt."

RELATED:

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

twitter.com/latimespugmire

Photo: Miguel Cotto, left, Antonio Margarito. Credit: Reed Saxon / Associated Press.

Does Kobe Bryant have too much time on his hands during lockout?

 

The NBA lockout is affecting players differently.

Metta World Peace (Ron Artest) did "Dancing With the Stars." Now is Kobe Bryant tuning up for a run on "American Idol"?

Bryant pops up in a "welcome back" video for UC Irvine athletics, produced by the university's sports information department. Bryant has scenes singing and dancing -- at least it was reported to be dancing -- during the five-minute video.

If nothing else the Anteaters found a way to get Kobe to say, "Love Shaq, er, Shack."

MORE:

Metta World Peace donates $285,000 to charities

After 'DWTS,' Metta World Peace on which Lakers are good dancers

-- Chris Foster

 

Shawn Johnson still looking toward 2012 Olympics

USA Gymnastics women’s coordinator Martha Karolyi said Thursday she expects the three 2008 Olympians who didn’t make the 2011 team that will represent the U.S. at the world championships next month in Tokyo to shine at their assignment to the Pan-Am Games instead. She also is expecting good things from the relatively inexperienced group that will go to Tokyo and try to earn the U.S. team a spot at the 2012 Olympics.

The top eight teams in Tokyo will earn places for the London Games; the U.S. will be led by another 2008 Olympian, Alicia Sacramone.

Shawn Johnson, Chellsie Memmel and Bridget Sloan, also members of the 2008 team who are in various stages of returning from retirements, are still strong candidates for London, Karolyi said, even though they were named to the Pan-Am team on Wednesday night.

“Bridget, with another month to reach her potential, can win Pan-Ams,” Karolyi said. “Memmel had to stop in the middle of her bar routine at nationals because of shoulder problems -- and those problems kept her from her potential and [led to] her not being selected. She’s had to deal with this injury.

“Shawn, nice effort but same thing. She wasn’t in maximum shape on her preparation. She’s had to deal with a knee injury and couldn’t train 100 percent all these months leading up. For next year I think she’ll be a fantastic competitor for the Olympic team.”

Johnson, who won a gold medal on the balance beam in Beijing and silver medals in all-around, floor exercise and team competition,  was designated the “non-traveling” alternate for the world team, and if there is an injury before the team leaves for Tokyo, Johnson might still compete.

“It’s not a disappointment at all,” she said. “I’ve made a lot of progress in the last year. I’m here for the team and right now I’m not the best pick for the team. I think there’s always room for improvement. I’ll go home, work hard, put in the hours.”

Johnson said she isn’t certain she will do all four events at the Pan-Am Games. She may skip the floor exercise, which is most difficult on her knee.

Karolyi said that putting together the world team was made more difficult by recent injuries to former U.S. all-around champion Rebecca Bross, who dislocated her knee at nationals in August, and Mackenzie Caquatto, who severely sprained an ankle at the final selection camp in Texas this week.

Joining Sacramone on the world team are 15-year-old McKayla Maroney from Laguna Niguel, who finished second in the all-around at the 2011 nationals; former UCLA standout and uneven bars specialist Anna Li; 2011 U.S. all-around champion Jordyn Wieber; Alexandra Raisman, who was part of the 2010 U.S. world silver medalist team; and newcomers Gabrielle Douglas, who trains with Johnson in Iowa, and Sabrina Vega of Carmel, N.Y.

-- Diane Pucin

Photo: Shawn Johnson. Credit: Ronald Martinez / Getty Images.

Tailgating Recipes: Cheddar, Bacon and Ranch Dressing

The Quad, the Times’s college sports blog, is running back recipes submitted by readers for football tailgating parties. Last week we offered up a Brat Stew. This week, it’s Cheddar Bacon Ranch Pulls from an Auburn fan. It’s not too late to submit your own recipe for barbecue or chowder, or whatever makes your pregame feast tasty.

How can UCLA fix its defense? [video]

Times UCLA reporter Chris Foster talks about UCLA trying to fix its defense ahead of Saturday's trip to Oregon State:

 

 

 

 

Rays would have edge over Angels, Red Sox in three-way tie

The Tampa Bay Rays would have a slight edge over the Angels and the Boston Red Sox if the three teams, separated by 2 1/2 games in the standings entering play Thursday, finish in a three-way tie for the American League wild-card spot.

Under baseball's intricate tie-breaking formula, if three clubs tie for a division title or wild card with identical winning percentages, the tie is broken by designating the clubs as "A," "B" and "C," with selection of those designations based on the clubs' records against one another, and playing tie-breaking games as follows:

Club A would host Club B on Thursday, Sept. 29. The winner of the A/B game would then host Club C on a date to be determined, most likely on Friday, Sept. 30. The winner of the A/B-vs.-C game would be declared the division champion or wild-card winner.

The Rays are a combined 16-10 against the Red Sox and Angels, so they would choose whether they wanted to be team A, B or C. The Red Sox are a combined 12-14 against the Rays and Angels, so they would get the second pick, and the Angels are a combined 6-10 against the Red Sox and Rays, so they would get the third pick. 

It would seem logical that the Rays would choose to be team C; that way, they would only have to win one game against the Red Sox/Angels winner to gain the wild card. However, by choosing to be team C, they would give up home-field advantage for that one game.

Such a scenario could create a bizarre four-day travel odyssey for the Angels, who close the regular season against the Rangers in Anaheim next Wednesday night. They could travel to Boston to play the Red Sox on Thursday and, if they win, return to Anaheim to play the Rays on Friday. If they win that game, they would fly to New York to open the division series against the Yankees on Saturday.

A two-team tie for the wild card would force a one-game playoff on Thursday, Sept. 29, with home field determined by head-to-head records. The Red Sox won the season series against the Angels, 6-2, so they would have home field for a one-game playoff.

Because the Rays and Angels tied their season series, 4-4, home field would go to the team with the better intra-division record. Tampa Bay (36-29 vs. AL East) currently holds that edge over the Angels (26-25 vs. AL West). Since the teams have identical 85-70 records today and close the season against division opponents, the Rays would have home-field advantage over the Angels in a one-game playoff.

-- Mike DiGiovanna

Week 3 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).

Dear Minnesota Vikings: Your quarterback, Donovon McNabb, needs all the help he can get. So why are you limiting the role of your best receiver, Percy Harvin?

While we wait for a hand-written letter from the Vikings’ coaching staff explaining this madness, you should probably avoid starting both players in Week 3. Their opponents this week, the Detroit Lions, have proved to be a tough matchup for quarterbacks in the first two weeks, allowing the second fewest points to the position. You know you can find a better matchup, and we’re here to help.

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

Favorable/Unfavorable Quarterback Matchups

Favorable

Matt Hasselbeck (TEN) vs. Denver – If you’re in a bind at quarterback, Hasselbeck may offer some relief, at least this week. The Ravens dared the Titans to beat them through the air in Week 2 by keying in on Chris Johnson. Hasselbeck responded with great poise and accuracy, going 30 of 42 for 358 yards and a touchdown. The Bengals rookie Andy Dalton, who was playing through an injured wrist, took advantage of a Champ Bailey-less Denver secondary to the tune of 332 yards and 2 touchdowns, and the star cornerback could be missing again in Week 3.

Ryan Fitzpatrick (BUF) vs. New England – The Amish Rifle is off to a hot start, having thrown just as many touchdown passes as Mathew Stafford and Tom Brady (7) through the first two weeks. Odds are favorable that he stays sharp, as New England’s secondary has looked a lot like it did last season, allowing an eye-opening 35 fantasy points a game on average to the position.

Cam Newton (CAR) vs. Jacksonville – O.K., we didn’t see 400-plus yards coming against the Packers last week, but neither did you, so we’re off the hook for now. Play Newton against a Jacksonville defense allowing 21 fantasy points a game to quarterbacks.

Rex Grossman (WAS) vs. Dallas — A third straight week for Grossman on our favorable matchups list. We know, it’s getting predictable, but Dallas has given up 22 points to the position on average and the Redskins’ ground game will have a tough go against the second best run defense in the league.

Unfavorable

Eli Manning (NYG) vs. Philadelphia – The Giants’ passing game woes were in full effect early Monday night, until a no-huddle touchdown drive before the end of the first half finally gave Manning something to smile about. Of course, it seems you can’t have the good without the bad with this team, as the recipient of that touchdown pass, Domenik Hixon, was injured while making that spectacular catch and will miss the rest of the season with a torn A.C.L. Mario Manningham also left the game with a concussion, meaning Manning might have to face the Eagles’ sixth ranked secondary with Hakeem Nicks as his only reliable option. There are safer plays than Manning this week.

Kyle Orton (DEN) vs. Tennessee – The Titans’ defense played extremely well against the Ravens last week, sacking Joe Flacco three times and picking him off twice. He managed to complete just 46 percent of his attempts and was held to under 200 passing yards. The Titans have allowed the fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks in the league so far this season.

Donovan McNabb (MIN) vs. Detroit – Just how bad has McNabb been this season? Tavaris Jackson and Kerry Collins have actually produced more fantasy points. It would be hard to imagine him getting it together against the Lions, who have allowed the second fewest points to the position through two weeks. Consider him a QB3 this week.

Joe Flacco (BAL) vs. St. Louis – This matchup isn’t particularly challenging, but the way the entire Ravens passing game performed last week, you should certainly explore other options, especially with news that the team may shut down Lee Evans for a while.

Favorable/Unfavorable Running Back Matchups

Favorable

Maurice Jones-Drew (JAX) vs. Carolina – Things keep getting worse for Carolina’s defense with linebacker Thomas Davis joining Jon Beason on the season-ending I.R. with a torn A.C.L. The Jaguars would be wise to keep this one on the ground, and they most likely will with the rookie quarterback Blaine Gabbert starting. Carolina is allowing nearly 5 yards a carry.

Felix Jones (DAL) vs. Washington – Jones has been a brutal fantasy play so far this year, but you have to take into consideration that his matchups with the Jets and 49ers were equally unfriendly. If he can play with a separated shoulder this week, and he is expected to, the going may be a little easier. The Redskins had no answer for Beanie Wells in the second half last Sunday, allowing 87 yards and a touchdown on just 11 carries.

Frank Gore (SF) vs. Cincinnati – Like Jones, Gore is off to a rough start, he gets his first favorable contest of 2011 in Week 3. The Bengals allowed the declining Willis McGahee to run for 101 yards and a touchdown in Week 2.

Ryan Mathews (SD) vs. Kansas City – The Chiefs have allowed the fourth most fantasy points to running backs in 2011, and with the likelihood that the Chargers end up blowing this one wide open, Mathews could be seeing plenty of action in a clock-killing, mercy-giving kind of way for much of the second half.

Unfavorable

Cedric Benson (CIN) vs. San Francisco – Benson was a major disappointment in a favorable matchup with Denver’s shaky run defense last Sunday (59 yards on 16 carries). The 49ers are allowing just 2.5 yards a carry and did a great job shutting down Dallas’s Jones last week.

Tim Hightower (DEN) vs. Dallas – The Dallas run defense was stout for the second straight week, allowing San Francisco’s Gore just 47 yards on 20 carries. Hightower had a big first half against his former team last Sunday (83 yards, 15 carries) but, oddly enough, Coach Mike Shannahan decided to go with the rookie Roy Helu for most of the second half. Helu was electric, totaling 112 yards on 13 touches. Fatigue might have been at play here, but Hightower owners will have more company than they’d like from here on out as Helu has certainly earned more playing time.

Steven Jackson (STL) vs. Baltimore – Jackson is likely to return this week, but you might want to leave him on your bench considering the Ravens’ formidable defensive line limited Rashard Mendenhall and Chris Johnson to just 3.1 yards per carry through the first two weeks.

Beanie Wells (ARZ) vs. Seattle – It wasn’t looking good early on against Washington, as Wells managed just 6 yards on 3 carries in first-half action. Luckily for you, he saw more work in the second half, finishing with 93 yards and a touchdown on just 14 attempts. He’ll take on Seattle’s underrated run defense, which has allowed only 3.1 yards a carry to Gore and Mendenhall. Don’t bench him, but keep expectations in check.

Favorable/Unfavorable Wide Receiver Matchups

Favorable

A.J. Green (CIN) vs. San Francisco – Green and Dalton are starting to build a nice rapport. Denver was missing its pro bowl corner back Bailey and the two Bengals rookies took advantage. Green compiled 124 yards on 10 catches, including an unbelievable touchdown grab. This week, Green gets the best receiver matchup through the first two weeks. The bumbling San Francisco secondary was all sorts of bad against Dallas last week, allowing a monster 143-yard, 3-touchdown game to Miles Austin.

Dez Bryant (DAL) vs. Washington – A lot of uncertainty surrounds this one, as we can’t be sure if Bryant will even play (as of Wednesday). But with Miles Austin a scratch, you’d definitely want to play him against a banged-up Redskins secondary that allows 23 fantasy points a game to receivers. Kevin Ogletree would most likely get the start if Bryant can’t go and would be a sneaky spot play if you’re desperate.

Kenny Britt (TEN) vs. Denver – Britt has played like a top-10 option over the first two weeks and is a must-start regardless of whether Denver’s Bailey suits up. According to The Denver Post, Bailey looks nowhere near returning to the lineup on Sunday. Britt could be in for a beastly day considering what Green just did to them in Week 2.

David Nelson (BUF) vs. New England – Congratulations on claiming this week’s top waiver wire add, now make sure he’s in your lineup against a Patriots secondary that is giving up the second most fantasy points to guys like Nelson (34 PPG).

Unfavorable

Brandon Lloyd (DEN) vs. Tennessee – Lloyd is expected to be a go this week, but he’ll have his hands full with a Titans secondary that has surrendered just 199 yards and 0 touchdowns through the first two weeks (worst matchup).

Reggie Wayne (IND) vs. Pittsburgh — Consider him more of a WR3 in his meeting with the nasty Steelers defense (11 fantasy PPG, 2nd worst matchup).

Hakeem Nicks (NYG) vs. Philadelphia – You can never bench a talent like Nicks, but with Manningham dealing with a concussion this week, he could end up seeing plenty of double teams as the only threatening Giants receiver. Philadelphia has been tough on wideouts as it is, allowing them just 12 fantasy PPG.

Percy Harvin (MIN) vs. Detroit – For reasons we can’t understand, Minnesota’s most talented receiver is not being used as an every down option right now, having played in just 38 of the offense’s 68 plays last week against Tampa Bay. We aren’t saying you should bench him this week, but you might want to consider him more of a flex option until things change.

Favorable/Unfavorable Tight End Matchups

Favorable

Evan Moore (CLE) vs. Miami – Moore has scored two touchdowns in as many games, and now he gets the best tight end matchup in fantasy for Week 3 (20 PPG).

Antonio Gates (SD) vs. Kansas City – Normally we don’t list must-start guys like this in our posts, but we will make an exception for those owners who are bummed out by his lack of production and are thinking of benching him this week. Gates should have a field day against a Kansas City defense that has major issues covering the position (14 PPG).

Unfavorable

Jared Cook (TEN) vs. Denver – Hasselbeck has not called Cook’s number much through the first two weeks (3 receptions, 44 yards) and Denver has done an excellent job covering the position so far, allowing just four receptions for 18 yards.

Favorable/Unfavorable Defense/Special Teams Matchups

Titans vs. Denver, San Diego vs. Kansas City, Cardinals vs. Seattle, Ravens vs. St. Louis

Unfavorable

Texans vs. New Orleans, Bears vs. Green Bay, Vikings vs. Detroit, Patriots vs. Buffalo

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

UFC 135: David Haye works out at UFC gym and comments on Jon Jones versus Rampage Jackson

David Haye, the former WBA heavyweight champion, has long been a fan and an admirer of the UFC. Last week, he trained at the UFC gym in Las Vegas. Haye has been Octagonside for some events.

Here, he gives his take on the main event at UFC 135, in Denver, Colorado. The Telegraph will be reporting live from the event on Saturday night.

Listen here for this week's ESPN UFC Podcast. I join the boys in the studio on the phone from Denver, Online: http://es.pn/kRAf1o iTunes: http://bit.ly/eRhWHQ

London 2012 Olympics diary: Pamela Anderson coming to the Games?

Pamela Anderson could be lighting up London during the Games (Photo: REX FEATURES)

Pamela Anderson was brought up to date with all things Boris Johnson – and Olympics – when she attended the Vivienne Westwood catwalk show at London Fashion Week on Saturday night.

Her date for the evening was the Mayor of London's head of marketing Daniel Ritterband, who was overheard convincing her the athletic action at Stratford would be well worth returning for.

The breakdancing Business secretary

Boris was so upbeat about the economic impact of the London 2012 Olympics he said Business Secretary Vince Cable would not only be smiling, he would be breakdancing down Whitehall.

Johnson didn't give any hint as to which sectors would boom, but noted of previous Games: "In Beijing people made money out of the vast types of beers and in Sydney, I am told, they made money out of flat screen televisions and sales of condoms".

GREAT competition for Games sponsors

The government is looking to add four million tourists and £1 billion to the economy on the back of the Olympics, with Prime Minister David Cameron launching the GREAT Britain campaign this week.

But curiously no one has told the Government of their own strict Olympic advertising restrictions, banning non-Olympic sponsors from making an association of the Games to their business.

Technically the taxpayer is the biggest sponsor of all, with £9.3 billion spent on construction and Games activities, and of course the Government is going to promote the Games, but among the GREAT Britain campaign's supporters were five companies in direct competition to Olympic sponsors.

The ambush marketing people have raised their eyebrows.

From flat water to frozen water

While 11 sailors were the first of 570 Team GB athletes officially named this week, the Olympic sailing team manager Stephen Park has a few non-nautical duties, like barreling headfirst down a skeleton track in Austria later this month.

Park is consulting to the bob-skeleton winter Olympic team and he has insisted on at least one death-defying run.

Party starts now for modern pentathlon

A spiritual home of modern pentathlon – the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst – has started a 12-month celebration until the Olympic Games, with General Sir Peter Wall, head of the British Army, hosting Olympic champions, Jim Fox, Stephanie Cook and Heather Fell last week.

Wall was a former national junior champion, but the most famous modern pentathlete was George S Patton, the US army general who competed at the 1912 Stockholm Olympics.

Sandhurst will host a display of modern pentathlon artefacts, including the  King Helenos Shield, a priceless bronze shield weighing 30kg, which was first presented to the winning team at those Stockholm Games.

Crisis? What transport crisis?

Transport for London chief executive Peter Hendy has identified five critical hotspots of potential conmmuter chaos during the Olympic Games if 30 per cent of people don't change their travel habits, travel earlier, later or not at all, and has warned the gates to the stations of Canary Wharf, Canada Water, London Bridge, Bank and Monument could be closed at peak times during the Games.

Transport minister Theresa Villiers said the Olympic demands on transport would be "significant and severe" but an experiment at the Department of Transport showed 69 per cent of staff could still maintain their normal workloads despite changing their travel habits or working at home.

England v West Indies: Will Allen Stanford be watching?

Lapping it up: Allen Stanford was shown on television flirting with the England team's partners. Emily Prior, wife of wicketkeeper Matt, sat on his knee.

England play West Indies at Lord's tomorrow, in the first of two Twenty20s that make up the Allen Stanford Memorial Series, or the Contractual Obligation Series, or whatever. But while the two teams who once luxuriated in his largesse have a hit and giggle, the man himself will be a long way from London. So what will he be doing?

September 23, 2011.

Woke up in my cell at the Larry Hagman-Karl Rove Detention Center, Houston feeling blue as hell. A Stanford Cricketball Twenty20 double-header rubber starting in The Oval Bowl, London, England and me here in the pokey for a crime I didn’t commit? Not that I can remember if I did it or not: like my lawyer says, I got the amnesia real bad. And seeing as I’m paying Finkleberg or whatever the hell his damn name is a hundred thousand dollars an hour, I told myself: “Take his advice.” To tell the truth, I can’t remember if I told myself that or not. I gots me a serious illness here.

The thought of those cricketeering varmits playing a match-up without my say-so hurts bad enough; but not as bad as Emily Prior refusing my repeated requests for a conjugal visit. I goddamm loved that girl: I said to her “If that no-good catcher husband of yours drops you like he keeps on dropping all them cricketeer balls, you give me a call honey.” She says: “Please leave me alone and don’t make me sit on your knee again.” I love that cute British sense of humour.

To stop me from feeling too lonesome about not being at the cricketball, I organised me a Twenty20 in the prison yard at exercise time. I got me two teams of legends – on the one team, the Stanford Aryan Warriors, on the other side, the Stanford Ghetto Boyz – and I says to them: “Gentlemen, let’s have a good clean game of cricketeering and the winning team will get 20 cigarettes per player. Play ball!”

After the riot had calmed down, and I was recovering in the prison hospital wing, I had a whole bunch of time to think. You get that in the jail: aside from converting to the Nation of Islam and changing my name to Tariq Al Stanford, I’ve had a lot of time to read my mail.

A package just arrived from my old business associate Giles Clarke: it had a cake with a file in it and a note saying: “Get yourself out of there, Shawshank style, and come see me to talk about new mutually rewarding opportunities.”

I know things are bad in Texas jails right now, but if it’s a choice between having any more meetings with that goddamm asshat Clarke and staying in the joint, I’ll take my chances with ole Governor ‘Itchy Fingers’ Perry any day of the week.

Yours in cricketball, and in jail,

Sir Tariq Al Stanford III Junior

Political prisoner and lover of cricketeering

London 2012 Olympics: politicians attempting to muscle in on Games already

Direction: David Cameron and Boris Johnson are likely to become more involved in the Olympics as the Games gets closer (Photo: REUTERS)

On Wednesday night it was Prime Minister David Cameron's turn. Tomorrow Mayor of London Boris Johnson and the Minister of State for Transport Theresa Villiers will weigh in.

Yesterday the former sports minister Richard Caborn had a shot. Treasury chief secretary Danny Alexander has been vocal too. Suddenly, and seemingly without any warning, the politicians have realised the country is hosting the Olympics next year.

Having outlayed £9.3 billion, exposed taxpayers to a further £2 billion in counter-intelligence and security for the Games, and sneakily allowed the London organisers to assail us with Olympic memorabilia that even includes corgis on Olympic pin badges so Locog can raise its £2.15 billion operating budget, government officials and politicians are muscling in on the act.

History has shown increasingly this will be the case.

As we approach the business end of the Games run-in – when the world's focus is suddenly upon the country in an alarmingly frank and microscopic way, the Government is quite rightly determined to capitalise on any Olympic opportunities and leverage them to the max.

But the political will won't stop at business boosts and how many visitors arrive to stare at Buckingham Palace.

Increasingly our elected leaders will want to be more hands on, have more direct lines of communication, more forensic control of what is underpinning the extravaganza that will see 120 heads of state, royalty and scores of global business leaders arrive to enjoy the sporting party.

Johnson has convinced Villiers  to help London's small businesses get ready for the Games, Caborn is concerned about the failure of a sporting legacy, Alexander wants the "Olympic spirit" to infuse other parts of the flailing economy. Cameron is in New York and gave a Games-related speech.

At previous Games, the Government's role has been more intrusive and inflicted earlier, than the London experience.

Before the Athens 2004 Olympics, Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki, a Greek ambassador at large, was recalled by the Greek government to take control of the organising committee when preparations were faltering.

And during the scandal-riddled Salt Lake City 2002 lead up, the current US presidential hopeful Mitt Romney took over from disgraced leaders at the behest of George W Bush in 1999.

At the Sydney 2000 Olympics fears about getting things right prompted a state government coup of the organising committee six months before the Games.

The Olympics Minister Michael Knight put his man, David Richmond in as the deputy – but that second in charge reference was in name only. After the Games, Richmond, who had earlier been in charge of the Sydney equivalent of the Olympic Delivery Authority as well as Knight got the "gold" Olympic order.

The head of the Sydney organising committee Sandy Hollway had to settle for the silver order. Such was the vicious political scene at that time in New South Wales.

The London organising committee, led by the highly respected chief executive Paul Deighton and widely lauded chairman Seb Coe have advantages over other organising committees, in that the major Government agencies are currently politically aligned.

At the moment there is a Coalition government with a liberal Mayor of London.

During the planning stages there has been cross party support and a generous budget.

But now that all of those plans are starting to be put into operation, the numbers of political figures standing alongside the gloss of the Olympic Games is escalating.

How do we know? Culture secretary Jeremy Hunt has already had his first two Olympic related briefings in the past fortnight.

Paula Radcliffe should not be stripped of her marathon world record

World's best: this is no longer considered a world record

Having plumbed the depths of incompetence with its botched elections at last month’s Congress in Daegu, the International Association of Athletics Federations has not exactly covered itself in glory with its ill-considered decision to strip Paula Radcliffe of the marathon world record she set in London in 2003.

In its wisdom, the world governing body has decreed that only times set in women-only road races will now be counted as world records and that world marks set in mixed races will be downgraded to the less prestigious classification of ‘world best’.

Because the 2003 London Marathon was mixed, Radcliffe’s remarkable time of 2hr 15min 25sec will no longer be recognised as the world record.

Instead, the time of 2hr 17min 42sec she set in winning the women-only 2005 London Marathon is now the official world mark.

Radcliffe has described the decision to apply the new rule retrospectively as “unfair”, and she has every right to feel aggrieved.

It is a classic case of fixing something that ain’t broken – in a sport where there are plenty of things crying out for repair.

The strangeness of the IAAF’s decision is underlined by a glance at the current list of women’s world records.

Many were set in to the drug-tainted 1980s, perhaps never to be broken without pharmaceutical help, yet the record-breakers remain honoured in the history books in indelible ink.

The governing body has stubbornly resisted calls to sweep away the old, suspicious records and start afresh with a clean slate.

But, presented with statistical evidence that mixed races tend to produce faster women’s times than women-only races, the IAAF rushed to judgment with a knee-jerk response that has erased arguably the greatest women’s world record of them all.

Why, you may well wonder, has the issue suddenly reared its head more than eight years after Radcliffe set her world record on the streets of London?

The reason is that IAAF’s road-running commission has for some time been agitating for the creation of separate world records for mixed and women-only road races to recognise the performance advantage women can gain from being paced by male runners in a mixed race.

The proposal to establish two records of equal weight and prestige was formally proposed by commission member David Bedford, the race director of the London Marathon, at the IAAF’s Congress.

But the idea has proved to be an own goal. Congress delegates accepted the argument about performance differentials but rather than creating two world records, they went along with a recommendation from the IAAF’s ruling council to downgrade records set in mixed races and recognise only women-only races for world record purposes.

The decision has caused consternation in the road-running world and both World Marathon Majors, who represent the five biggest city marathons, and the Association of International Marathons have stated that they will defy the IAAF and recognise two separate world records for women’s road-running performances.

The two quickest marathon times of Radcliffe’s career were both set in mixed races – in London in 2003 and in Chicago the previous year – but she rejects the idea that she was helped by the presence of male runners in the field.

“In my two mixed races it was not my decision, rather the race organisers', to have male runners with me, and in each case I very consciously ran alongside them rather than ever behind,” she said.

“Indeed, in London, I was actively racing the two guys. Furthermore, I fully believe that I would have run pretty much the same time that day alone with the crowds and motorbikes.”

But even if Radcliffe did derive an advantage, so what? The IAAF had no problem with Haile Gebrselassie running with a coterie of pace-makers when he established the men’s world record in the 2008 Berlin Marathon.

But in 2002-03, when Radcliffe was at her peak, there was not a woman in the world who could have paced her in a 26.2-mile race, such was her domination of women’s marathon running. Only male runners could have done the job.

The point is that, during that golden period, Radcliffe ran out of her gender, and her time in London in 2003 was that fastest marathon by a British athlete, male or female, in the entire year.

It was one of the greatest athletics performances of all time and it deserves far better than to be downgraded by a governing body that should have known better.

Why Passing Totals Can Be Deceiving

We’ve seen monstrous passing numbers in this young  N.F.L. season. With the rule changes and proliferation of spread offenses, those numbers will only climb in the coming years.

But how much do the numbers really mean?

Cam Newton is second in the league in passing yards (854). His Panthers are 0-2. The next four passing yards leaders – Philip Rivers, Drew Brees, Tony Romo and Matt Hasselbeck – are on teams that are 1-1. It’s too early to read much into the numbers, but it’s not too early to understand why the numbers are climbing and why it may not matter.

The N.F.L. is undergoing a defensive revolution. Ten years ago, the idea of “good defense” was to stop the other team from moving the ball. The 2000 Ravens were a brick wall that yielded just 970 yards on the ground (fewest for a 16-game schedule in league history). But today, teams don’t sustain offense with the traditional run-run-pass approach. New rules and improved athletes have led to an explosion in the passing game, making it too much to ask for a defense to hang in there and continuously stop an offense.

The idea of “good defense” has morphed from stopping the opponent to making big plays. The best way to do this is to trick an offense into making a mistake. This is why we’ve seen rapid growth in versatile and confounding 3-4 schemes that are predicated on disguise concepts and blitzes (especially out of sub-packages). This has been the defensive approach of the past two Super Bowl champions (the ’09 Saints were second in the N.F.C. in forced turnovers and the ’10 Packers were fifth; ahead of the Packers were the Steelers, Patriots, Giants, Bears and Eagles – all playoff teams save for the 10-6 Giants).

Creating big plays requires taking risks (which often means blitzing). Those risks are contributing to more passing yards. But passing yards don’t always lead to points. Defenses know that with space being limited, offenses can’t spread out and dictate terms of engagement in the red zone the same way they can between the 20s. Thus, in taking risks, defenses have embraced more of a “bend but don’t break” mentality.

A great illustration of how this revolution is playing out can be found in Cam Newton. In Week 1, he went up against a Cardinals defense that’s run by the first-year coordinator Ray Horton, who came over from the Steelers. Horton has installed myriad blitz packages and is a proponent of taking risks to force offensive mistakes. His Cardinals D gave up 422 passing yards to Newton … but only 21 points. Late in the fourth quarter, on Carolina’s final drive, the Cardinals repeatedly blitzed Newton from inside the red zone. On fourth-and-five in that final drive, the Cardinals blitzed again and gave up four yards. Bending, not breaking.

The next week, Newton torched the Packers through the air. But Dom Capers also confused Newton with coverage changeups in the third quarter, resulting in two interceptions (Newton had also been baited into a pick by Charles Woodson late in the second quarter). Green Bay also capitalized when space became limited, holding the Panthers to two red zone field goals in the first half.  In the end, Newton had played well for 90 percent of the snaps and posted 432 yards through the air. But the Packers were able to make big plays on the other 10 percent and, consequently, Carolina finished with only 16 points.

Quarterbacks are playing well these days. But defenses are more willing than ever to let quarterbacks play well. They just don’t want quarterbacks playing mistake-free. Thus, one of the reasons passing statistics are destined to inflate.

Andy Benoit is the founder of NFLTouchdown.com and an analyst for CBSsports.com. He can be reached at andy.benoit@NFLtouchdown.com or @Andy_Benoit.

Rex vs. Hue, and Other Topics

Rex Ryan and Hue Jackson. Two tough guys, two hard-nosed coaches. Both were assistants on the 2008 Baltimore Ravens team that lost the A.F.C. championship game to Pittsburgh. Theirs is just one of the story lines going into Sunday’s game between two franchises — the Jets and the Raiders — that have a long and rich history together.

Join the discussion with George Bretherton and Bret Leuthner tonight from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. by clicking on the box below. Listen in or call us at 480-409-3547.

Video streaming by Ustream

TOPICS OF DISCUSSION

1) Is Hue Jackson taking the Raiders in the right direction? Jackson, who admits to being influenced by Ryan, is talking a big game. (Listen for yourself below) In Rex-ian fashion, he announces that the Raiders will get it done this Sunday against the Jets. The Raiders, who may have been slowed last week against Buffalo because of quirky scheduling (traveling cross-country on short rest), figure to be fired up for their home opener. The Jets were 8-3 on the road last season, including the playoffs.

2) Is the Giants’ defense rounding into form? It didn’t look good early against the Rams on Monday. But maybe it wasn’t as bad as it seemed. The defense finished the game with three straight 3-and-outs in the fourth quarter. Rams quarterback Sam Bradford finished with a completion percentage of less than 50 percent (22 of 46, 47.8%) and the Rams’ rushing game averaged only 3.1 yards per rush. On offense, Eli Manning bounced back after throwing an early interception to throw for 2 TDs.

The Eagles’ offense, with or without Michael Vick, will be a supreme test for the Giants’ defense.

3) Other issues from around the league

– Can the Bills end their 15-game losing streak to the Patriots? Buffalo’s last victory came on Sept. 7, 2003, by 31-0 in Orchard Park.

– Is it Carolina vs. Jacksonville or Cam Newton vs. Blaine Gabbert? Newton, the heralded No. 1 pick over all, has had a head start over Gabbert, the No. 10 over all pick, who got his first N.F.L. action in the fourth quarter of the Jaguars’ 32-3 loss to the Jets last Sunday.

– In division rivalry games, can 0-2 Minnesota make a stand at home against the beastly 2-0 Lions? Other key division games include Atlanta (1-1) at Tampa Bay (1-1), Green Bay (2-0) at Chicago (1-1), Washington (2-0) at Dallas (1-1), Kansas City (0-2) at San Diego (1-1) and Arizona (1-1) at Seattle (0-2).

Extra Point If you can’t join the discussion, leave a topic to discuss in the comments section and we will bring it up on the air.

Kings after deadline: Power play moves, Voynov and Hickey earn praise

The Kings figured out something that almost anyone watching their power play most of last season could have told them:

When they stand around and become predictable, they’re not going to score.

They had more moving parts Wednesday and capitalized on a man advantage for their only goal in a 2-1 shootout loss in a split-squad game against the Phoenix Coyotes at Staples Center.

Mike Richards flicked the puck toward Dustin Brown in front, and the gritty right wing battled for it while it was at his feet. Defenseman Viatcheslav (Slava) Voynov had come deep into the zone and was able to poke it past goalie Justin Pogge at 5:53 of the second period.

“I think from the power play standpoint we need more of that,” Brown said.

He also said that while it’s tough to maintain movement on the power play it’s worth the effort because it confuses opponents’ penalty killers.

“When you have a moving power play with people at the net at the same time it’s pretty tough to defend. You can get mixed up in your assignments,” he said. “Tonight we had good movement. We weren’t stationary. I think looking back at last year we were too stationary. We had their half-wall guy, we had a low guy and we had a net-front guy. That was it.

“I prefer in front of the net but there were a couple of times I’m on the half-wall and just kind of slide out and give it to a guy and go to the net and that creates movement, which is tough for a [penalty killer].”