Pac-12 basketball media day: Arizona looks to move on from shocking loss

Arizona Coach Sean Miller showed up to Pacific 12 Conference media day Friday already behind.  

"I guess I'm the only coach up here who is 0-1," he said as he sat down on a stage about to address reporters, "and it happened really quickly."

Miller's team suffered a shocking upset Thursday night to Seattle Pacific, a Division II school, losing 69-68 in an exhibition game at Tucson.

How shocking was the loss for a team that won the league and was a missed three-point shot away from advancing to the Final Four last season? 

Quite. It was the Wildcats' first exhibition loss since 1984, when former Arizona coach Lute Olson's second team lost to Athletes in Action, 81-80.  

"Sometimes a lesson like we learned last night is the greatest lesson you can learn, and that really segues into this year's team," Miller said.

"That is, we're not the team that was in the Elite Eight. We're a brand-new team."

The Wildcats return three starters from last season's 30-8 squad, but they lost Derrick Williams, the Pac-10 player of the year and a first-round NBA draft pick of Minnesota. 

Pac-12 Basketball Media Day: What to expect from Utah? Intensity

As a former men's basketball coach at Portland State, Ken Bone has experience dealing with Larry Krystkowiak. The two coached against each other when Krystkowiak ran the show at Montana. 

The two went their separate ways, eventually.

Bone went to Washington State, and Krystkowiak landed in the NBA.  

But now, with Krystkowiak taking over for the fired Jim Boylen at Utah, which joined the Pacific 12 Conference this year, they're back coaching in the same league, again. 

At Pac-12 media day Friday, Bone was asked what the conference should expect of Krystkowiak's Utes, since he's one of few Pac-12 coaches with experience against Krystkowiak's coaching style.

In a word, intensity.

"Larry is intense," Bone said. "He gets his kids to be extremely intense, and they play relentless basketball. I mean, they bring it."   

Still, there's a learning curve for Utah, which was picked to finish last in the Pac-12 by a preseason media poll. 

"The players don't know a lot of my terminology," said Krystkowiak, who coached Montana to the NCAA tournament five seasons ago. "We don't know a lot of the players' strengths and weaknesses from having limited time with them. 

"I do believe we'd be -- of the 12 teams in the Pac-12, I'd be really surprised if a team made more progress than we have in the last 10 days."

Utah finished 13-18 overall last season and 6-10 in conference play.

There should be some optimism in Salt Lake City -- down the line, at least, when transfers Aaron Dotson (LSU) and Glen Dean (Eastern Washington) are eligible in 2012-13.  

ALSO:

NBA cancels remaining games in November

UCLA picked to win Pac-12 basketball title, but vote is close

California basketball Coach Mike Montgomery reveals he had cancer

-- Baxter Holmes

Photo: Larry Krystkowiak addressing the media last spring upon his hiring as coach at Utah. Credit: Scott Sommerdorf / Associated Press

UFC 137: Telegraph Video Dana White on the BJ Penn – Nick Diaz main event

Cal basketball Coach Mike Montgomery reveals he had cancer

A month ago, Cal Coach Mike Montgomery was diagnosed with bladder cancer.

But he showed up at the Pacific 12 Conference's men's basketball media day at L.A. Live on Friday, when he revealed his illness, cancer free.

"So that's good news," the 64-year-old said with his trademark dry humor.

Still, it was a gloomy time when he found out. 

"Yeah, we didn't have a lot of parties around the house," he said. "It wasn't a real exciting time. I mean, it's scary. It's scary. Anybody that's been through it or had something, you go from being relatively on top of your game to being in charge of everything, to no longer being in charge. It could have gone the other way."

He said the timing of when doctors discovered his illness was extrmely fortunate.  

"[The doctor] said, 'Three months ago, we wouldn't have found this. Six months from now, you'd be done,' " Montgomery said.

UFC video: Dana White on UFC 138 and commitment to next year in the UK is there

Dana White answers questions about UFC 138 in Birmingham next week… and explains that the UFC will be looking to increase projection in the UK next year.

NBA cancels remaining November games

Talks to end the NBA lockout Friday failed again to generate an agreement, and the league will cancel the rest of November's regular season games, basketball officials said.

[update at 3:30 p.m.: NBA Commissioner David Stern has officially canceled the rest of November's games]

[update at 3:40 p.m.: Stern said Friday's talks ended when players union Executive Director Billy Hunter said he was not willing to go "one penny" below taking 52% of basketball-related income (BRI) with the league asking players to accept a 50-50 split. The players last season earned 57% of BRI, or $2.17 billion.

"He [Hunter] closed up his book and walked out of the room," Stern said.

The commissioner added it's "not practical, possible or prudent to have a full NBA season under any circumstances. I say that with apologies to the muncipalities" that have NBA franchises.]

"We made a lot of concessions, but this time, unfortunately, it's not enough," Hunter told reporters after a five-hour-plus meeting with NBA leaders in New York.

Hunter said he felt "snookered," by Stern, who promised Thursday to make a financial move Friday.

Hunter said the NBA wanted the players to move to 50% while accepting concessions on the salary cap/luxury tax arrangement that the union deemed prohibitive.

[update at 3:40 p.m.: Stern said he pitched a more favorable arrangement for mid-level exception players and sign-and-trade deals for teams -- like the Lakers -- that would pay a luxury tax for exceeding the league's tightened salary cap.

"We made a fair number of concessions," Stern said, noting that he was willing to extend by one year contracts length to five and four years for teams that would sign their own and other teams' free agents, respectively.]

"We did what [Stern] said [he] needed, and it was like their eyes got bigger," union President Derek Fisher of the Lakers said. "They just wanted more and more."

[update at 3:40 p.m.: Stern would not promise a 50% BRI offer in the next negotations after calculating an estimated $200 million in losses by canceling the preseason and all of the regular season games in November. "The next offer will include extraordinary losses," Stern said. "Both sides are very, very damaged. The amount of dollars lost ... is extraordinary.

"You can make computations [about] who's going to make it back. I know the owners will make it back. I'm not sure the players will."]

When talks will resume is uncertain. Fisher told reporters Friday he's boarding a flight home to Los Angeles.

ALSO:

NBA lockout negotiations stall again

Greatest L.A. sports figures, No. 8: Kobe Bryant

Tim Tebow loves Tebowing

-- Lance Pugmire

Photo: Billy Hunter. Credit: Patrick McDermott / Getty Images.

 

World Series: Cardinals find another way to say thanks

The Cardinals' Tony La Russa is an old-school manager, and as such he doesn't believe in conceding anything until the last out has been made.

Still, even La Russa figured St. Louis was done late in Thursday's Game 6 of the World Series. Before the game Cardinals' management had told La Russa that, should the team lose, it wanted his players to go on the field and thank the fans before Major League Baseball presented the Texas Rangers with the World Series trophy.

And while La Russa considered such talk negative before such a big game, in both the ninth and 10th innings Thursday he found himself reminding the team of its postgame obligations. The players, obviously, found another way to give thanks, staging improbable rallies each time before winning the game in the 11th, 10-9, on David Freese's leadoff home run.

"There was a couple of times, in the ninth and 10th with two outs, I told some of the guys, 'We've got to do the fans right,'" La Russa said. "So we went from that to celebrating. That's a big emotional change.

"Once it got started it's much more fun to think, 'Hey, we can do this' [than]  'Oh, it's not going to work.'"

MORE:

World Series: Oh what a night (for Cardinal fans)

Cardinals' David Freese gets to live every child's dream

Cardinals and Rangers World Series: Superstitions abound

-- Kevin Baxter in St. Louis

Photo: Tony La Russa. Credit: Jamie Squire / Getty Images.

Pac-12 Basketball Media Day: Bruins picked to win league

According to a poll of media who cover Pacific 12 Conference basketball, UCLA is going to win the league in 2011-12. That's according to the poll, which was released Friday.

Media have correctly picked the league winner 12 times in 19 tries -- a decent record, no doubt. The media have also been on the money five of the last seven times when UCLA did win the league crown.

So, that said, you can trust in us, always. (Full dislocure: The Times didn't vote in this poll.)

It also helps that UCLA returns three starters, including one of the only two returning first-team all-league selections from last season in forward Reeves Nelson (13.9 points per game, 9.1 rebounds per game). 

But it was a narrow vote.

UCLA, ranked No. 17 in the Associated Press poll, earned 14 first-place votes while California, picked second and ranked 24th, had 13 and Arizona, picked third and ranked 16th, had 11. 

Following up those three were Washington, Oregon, Stanford, USC, Oregon State, Arizona State, Colorado and Washington State (which were both tied for 10th place) and, finally, Utah.

Here's the poll itself, with first-place votes in parentheses: 

1. UCLA (14)              421
2. Cal (13)                 405
3. Arizona (11)          404
4. Washington           355
5. Oregon                  282
6. Stanford                255
7. USC                       194
8. Oregon State          188
9. Arizona State         148
10. Colorado              119
      Washington State 119
12. Utah                     74  

-- Baxter Holmes 

Photo: UCLA logo.

World Series: Fox broadcast draws huge audience

Thursday's dramatic World Series game drew more than 21 million viewers, Major League Baseball said Friday. At its peak nearly one-third of all U.S. houses using televisions were tuned in to the Fox network broadcast of the St. Louis Cardinals' 11-inning win over the Texas Rangers.

More than 8 of every 10 TVs in operation in Dallas and St. Louis were tuned in to the game.

Overall, Fox averaged an estimated 19.72 million viewers and a 12.0 rating and 19 share nationally, according to Nielsen Media Research, which tracks TV viewership. That swamped second-place CBS, which had a 12 share and 12.09 million viewers.

MORE:

Freese frame: Man of the hour

Hey, neither side is willing to give in

Rangers run through their pitchers in Game 6

-- Kevin Baxter in St. Louis

 Photo: Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, Texas. Credit:  Rob Carr / Getty Images.

NBA lockout: Negotiations stall again

Negotiations between the NBA and its players union stopped Friday, with multiple reports pointing to disagreement over how to split basketball-related income  as the cause.

Representatives from both sides are due to explain their positions to reporters soon in New York, and the NBA could very well cancel more games after previously canceling 100 regular-season games from Nov. 1-14.

Owners want the players to take a 7% cut of BRI after contending that 22 of 30 teams lost money last season, with the league losing $300 million.

The players haven't moved lower than 52%, according to basketball officials. It is not immediately clear when the sides will gather again.

We'll have more later on latimes.com/sports.

-- Lance Pugmire 

Chris Dufresne empties out the college football mailbag

Times college football columnist Chris Dufresne empties out the L.A. Times mailbag.

This week, Dufresne discusses a variety of topics, including:

Penn State.

Kansas State.

Utah.

You can watch Dufresne discuss all these topics in the video below:

 

 

Tim Tebow is a fan of Tebowing

Tim Tebow loves Tebowing.

No, that's not the name of his dog or a new model airplane. It's the name for a pose he struck after beating the Miami Dolphins on Sunday. Tebow, overcome with glee, fell to one knee and prayed.

A verb was born.

A few young Broncos fans mimicked his stance and created a website, tebowing.com, to display their photos. It went viral.

Tebow's reaction? Hallelujah!

On Thursday, he Tweeted: "#Tebowing - to get down on a knee and start praying, even if everyone else around you is doing something completely different. Love it!"

He even selected a favorite photo. It's of a little boy "tebowing" while receiving chemotherapy. He tweeted: "Praying for you and God bless you big man!"

One of the founders of this craze, Jared Kleinstein, who works for an online real estate website and is in his 20s, said the idea for "tebowing.com" stemmed from his desire to honor the quarterback.

"We obviously all went through the same emotions that the entire city did on Sunday," Kleinstein said. "We were chanting Tebow to start the game, scared for 55 minutes, and then we had the most exhilarating five minutes of our lives.

"We were cheering, jumping up and down. I looked up at the screen and noticed everyone on the sidelines doing the same thing, and Tebow had quickly kneeled. And so, as we walked out of the bar, I said, 'You know what? Let's pay tribute and pull a Tebow and start Tebowing.' So we kneeled for a photo and thought it would be fun and posted it Facebook. A couple people started liking it and that was how Tebowing was born." 

ALSO:

'Tebowing' becomes a new phenomenon

Would you want Terrell Owens on your NFL team? [Poll]

Jaguars' Blaine Gabbert does just enough against Ravens

 -- Melissa Rohlin

 Photo: Some adherents demonstrate Tebowing at a high school football game Colorado. Credit: Aaron Ontiveroz / Associated Press

Greatest sports figures in L.A. history, No. 8: Kobe Bryant

Continuing our countdown of the 20 greatest figures in L.A. sports history, as chosen in voting by our online readers, with No. 8, Kobe Bryant.

No. 8 Kobe Bryant (12 first-place votes, 2,657 points)

Arguably the greatest player of his generation, Kobe Bryant has played a leading role in helping the Lakers carry their winning tradition into the 21st century. Regarded as a fierce competitor who is capable on excelling both offensively and defensively, Bryant transformed from high school phenomenon to NBA superstar while wearing the purple and gold, helping lead the team to five NBA titles.

Bryant excelled at Lower Merion High in Ardmore, Pa., near Philadelphia, winning numerous national awards as a senior before announcing his intention to skip college and enter the NBA draft. He was selected 13th overall by Charlotte in 1996, but the Lakers had already worked out a deal with the Hornets to acquire Bryant prior to his selection. Bryant impressed Lakers General Manager Jerry West during a pre-draft workout session in Los Angeles. Less three weeks later, the Lakers traded starting center Vlade Divac to the Hornets in exchange for Bryant’s rights. Bryant, whose favorite team growing up was the Lakers, had to have his parents co-sign his NBA contract because he was 17 years old.

The 6-foot-6 guard made his pro debut in the 1996-97 season opener against Minnesota; at the time he was the youngest player ever to appear in an NBA game. He started in only a handful of games during his rookie season, coming off the bench in support of Nick Van Exel and Eddie Jones. However, Coach Del Harris played him more as the season progressed, allowing Bryant to showcase the skills that made him a top candidate for rookie of the year. Those skills were also on display when Bryant won the 1997 NBA slam dunk competition.

World Series: Strategy backfires for Ron Washington, Rangers

The St. Louis Cardinals went from elimination to elation by rallying to win Game 6 of the World Series in 11 innings Thursday, forcing a seventh game to decide baseball's championship Friday.

But across the field the Texas Rangers were riding the emotional roller-coaster in the other direction. Twice they were one strike away from the first title in franchise history, only to see the Cardinals come back both times, setting the stage for David Freese's walkoff home run leading off Mark Lowe leading off the 11th.

"I understand that it's not over until you get the last out," a dejected Ranger Manager Ron Washington said. "And I was just sitting there praying that we'd get the last out and we didn't get it."

Washington may have inadvertently aided the Cardinal comeback by twice walking batters, having closer Neftali Feliz pitch around Lance Berkman with first base open and one out in the ninth and ordering Scott Feldman to pass Albert Pujols intentionally in the 10th. It's a strategy Washington has used repeatedly in the Series, with generally good results. But his luck ran out Thursday.

Free-agent-to-be Pujols, who looked as if he may be hitting in a Cardinal uniform for the last time, started the ninth-inning rally with a double to left-center, his first hit since a record-setting performance in Game 3. Berkman, a switch-hitter who already had two hits including a first-inning home run, then walked. That gave Feliz and the Rangers good matchups with right-hand-hitters Allen Craig and David Freese to follow.

And Feliz struck out Craig for the second out before Freese drove a two-strike pitch to the wall in the right-field corner to tie the game.

The Rangers regained the lead in the 10th on Josh Hamilton's two-run homer but the Cardinals came back again in the 10th. In the bottom of the inning Washington again intentionally walked a hitter -- this time it was Pujols -- and Berkman made him pay, tying the game again with a run-scoring single.

Afterward Washington was doing little second-guessing.

"We had the right people in the right spot and they beat us," he said. "You've got to give them credit. They fought. They came back and they won the ballgame."

MORE:

World Series: Oh what a night (for Cardinal fans)

Cardinals' David Freese gets to live every child's dream

Cardinals and Rangers World Series: Superstitions abound

-- Kevin Baxter in St. Louis

Photo: Manager Ron Washington of the Texas Rangers stands on the mound during Game Six of the World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium on October 27. Credit: Rob Carr / Getty Images.

World Series: Cardinals replace Holliday on roster

The St. Louis Cardinals will be without outfielder Matt Holliday in Friday night's decisive seventh game of the World Series after he was replaced on the roster by Adron Chambers.

Holliday, who hit just .158 in the Series, was injured in the sixth inning of Thursday's game when he hurt his hand diving back to third base on a pickoff attempt.

MLB Postseason rules provide that injured players can be replaced during the World Series if the severity of the injury, as determined by Major League Baseball, is such that it would require a disabled list assignment during the regular season.

On the play, Ranger third baseman Adrian Beltre placed his foot in front of the bag, preventing Holliday from reaching the base and tagging him out. But Holliday also jammed his hand against Beltre's foot and that turned out to be a key turning point in the game because Holliday was replaced by Allen Craig, who homered two innings later.

Craig will likely start in Holliday's spot in Game 7.

The Cardinals originally thought Holliday had a fracture but the medical staff said early Friday morning that it was a bad bruise with significant swelling.

The speedy Chambers had three hits in eight at-bats during the regular season and went 1 for 5 in the first two rounds of the playoffs, striking out the other four times. The Cardinals have mainly used him as a pinch-runner and defensive replacement.

-- Kevin Baxter in St. Louis

Angels to hire Jerry Dipoto as general manager

The Angels will hold a news conference Saturday to announce the hiring of Jerry Dipoto as their new general manager, according to people familiar with the search process but who are not authorized to speak publicly about the matter. The hiring was first reported Friday morning by Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports.

Angels vice president of communications Tim Mead, citing Major League Baseball's desire for teams to refrain from making announcements during the World Series, would neither confirm nor deny the news. Game 7 between the Texas Rangers and St. Louis Cardinals is scheduled for Friday night.

"We will be having a press conference Saturday regarding the GM position," Mead said. "But today and tonight, our attention and focus is directed toward the World Series."

Dipoto, who spent the past six seasons in the Arizona Diamondbacks' front office, replaces Tony Reagins, who resigned two days after a season in which the Angels finished 10 games behind the Texas Rangers in the American League West and out of the playoffs for the second straight year.

In being named the Angels’ 11^th GM in franchise history, Dipoto, 43, beat out a list of finalists that included former Dodgers GM Dan Evans, former New York Mets GM Omar Minaya, former Dodgers assistant GM Kim Ng, assistant GMs Rick Hahn (Chicago White Sox) and Thad Levine (Texas) and New York Yankees professional scouting director Billy Eppler.

Dipoto, who also interviewed for the Baltimore Orioles’ GM job, was Arizona’s senior vice president of scouting and player development, a position in which he oversaw all of the club’s scouting efforts, including the evaluation of players at all levels.

After an eight-year big league pitching career that ended in 2001 because of a bulging disc in his neck, Dipoto served two seasons (2003-2004) as a scout for the Boston Red Sox and one (2005) as the Colorado Rockies’ director of player personnel.

Dipoto joined the Diamondbacks as their vice president of player personnel in 2006 and took over as interim GM when Josh Byrnes was fired in 2010.

It was Dipoto's call to trade pitcher Dan Haren to the Angels in July 2010 for a package that included pitcher Joe Saunders and highly regarded pitching prospect Tyler Skaggs.

He also dealt pitcher Edwin Jackson to the Chicago White Sox for pitcher Daniel Hudson, who played a prominent role in Arizona’s surprise run to the National League West title in 2011.

Dipoto interviewed for the permanent GM job and remained with the Diamondbacks even though Kevin Towers was hired instead.

As a pitcher, DiPoto, a right-hander, went 27-24 with a 4.05 earned run average and 49 saves in 390 appearances with the Cleveland Indians, New York Mets and Rockies from 1993-2000.

He was a third-round pick of the Indians out of Virginia Commonwealth University in 1989.

MORE:

T.J. Simers: Is Arte Moreno the Angels' problem?

Bill Plaschke: Should Mike Scioscia catch hell for trading Mike Napoli?

Photo: Jerry Dipoto. Credit: Ross D. Franklin /Associated Press.

-- Mike DiGiovanna 

World Series: Did Cards win or did Texas lose?

What came first, the chicken or the egg? If a tree falls in an empty forest, does it make a sound? To these timeless conundrums we add this one:

Did the St. Louis Cardinals win Game 6 of the World Series on Thursday or did the Texas Rangers lose it?

Regardless of the answer, the teams will meet again Friday for a decisive Game 7. And what happened in Game 6 will no doubt carry over in both clubhouses.

The Cardinals, who rallied from deficits five times before winning the game on David Freese's two-strike home run leading off the 11th inning, will come to the ballpark riding a massive wave of momentum. Despite making three errors, managing just three hits through the first seven innings, stranding 11 men on base and going 3 for 12 with runners in scoring position, St. Louis won, staving off elimination.

"There's a lot of reasons I'm really pleased," Cardinal Manager Tony La Russa said. "For one thing even though it didn't look good, we competed better than to get bounced out in six [games]. It's been an even series and now it's winner-take-all.

"It's just as exciting as it's supposed to be."

The Rangers, meanwhile, come to the park knowing they were one out -- one strike! -- away from their first World Series title in both the 9th and 10th innings, yet let it get away. And that happened despite the fact they got 15 hits; had go-ahead home runs from Adrian Beltre in the seventh and Josh Hamilton in the 10th; and received a gutsy performance from catcher Mike Napoli, who reached base five times and picked the go-ahead run off third base in the sixth inning while playing with a severely turned ankle.

Napoli had the World Series MVP sewn up if the Rangers had won. Now it's an open debate again.

But Texas also burned through its bullpen, using eight pitchers, which could leave them shorthanded in Game 7. Left-hander Matt Harrison is scheduled to start and he hasn't lasted longer than five innings in three postseason starts.

"We battled," Texas Manager Ron Washington said. "It's not that easy to win a world championship, as we found out tonight. We had the right people in the right spot and they beat us.

"We've been in tough situations before. We've always responded. I expect us to respond [Friday]."

RELATED:

World Series: Oh what a night (for Cardinal fans)

Cardinals' David Freese gets to live every child's dream

Cardinals and Rangers World Series: Superstitions abound

-- Kevin Baxter, reporting from St. Louis

Photo: Yadier Molina reacts after drawing a walk to push Lance Berkman home for the tying run during Game 6 of the World Series between the Texas Rangers and St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri, on Thursday. Credit: Steve Nagy / MCT.

UFC 137: Hobo chic from Roy Nelson; presenter Jon Anik joins UFC from ESPN

Roy Nelson – (or was it a man imitating Willie Nelson or Grizzly Adams ?) – showed a fine line in what he referred to as "hobo chic" when I spoke to him backstage after the press conference for UFC 137 on Las Vegas Boulevard this week. The thinking behind the grey suit, shirt and tie ? "My wife said that having grown the beard, I needed to smarten up, so here we are…" explained a thinned-down Nelson, who meets a determined-looking Mirko Cro Cop in a heavyweight bout at the Mandalay Bay on Saturday night.

Have just finished recording the last episode of ESPN's MMA Live show with Jon Anik as anchor. Anik joins the UFC as a presenter, and will alternate with Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg with the UFC having upped the number of events it will be staging next year. Anik flew down from Bristol, Connecticut on Wednesday for the UFC press conference, then back up to CT for MMA Live on Thursday night. "Man, I actually felt nervous getting up there on the dais," said Anik. He won't ne, though, when it comes to covering fights blow by blow. Knowing him well, he's a perfectionist.

Anik, well known in the MMA world for his excellent anchorage of ground breaking show MMA Live on ESPN, joins the UFC as a play by play commentator on the FX shows from January. Anik will also anchor a newly-revamped version of The Ultimate Fighter, and present a weekly show for the fight organization.

“It was a great opportunity and it is the only place I would have left ESPN for. The sport is on the up and up and it will be great to be a part of it.”

UFC President Dana White joked: “We needed extra talent for the roles Jon will take on. Our schedule over the next few years is going to be so busy let me tell you now, Jon’s going to wonder whether he should be back at ESPN.”

Big day for NBA lockout discussions

Is Day 120 the lucky one?

NBA players and owners seem more likely than ever to end the lockout, though there are still obstacles in the way of a deal Friday in New York.

The two sides will continue to debate the luxury tax before turning to the biggest item of all, the split of basketball-related income. Optimism has been a large part of the last two days, but...

"They're still kind of far apart," said a person who gets daily briefings on the discussions.

Players don't want a high luxury tax because they think it will deter owners from amassing large payrolls. Owners, perhaps in fear of none other than themselves, want a high punitive tax for free-spending teams that are often the big-city ones.

As for the basketball-related income split, the owners have demanded a well-publicized 50-50 split while the players have previously come down as far as 52.5% of the take.

"Big Day today," was how players' union vice president Roger Mason summed it up on his Twitter feed.

A lot still needs to be done. Maybe there will be a resolution, finally.

Shortened season would help young players.

 Can players and owners agree on basketball-related income?

--Mike Bresnahan

Photo: Union head Billy Hunter, left, and NBA Commissioner David Stern at a meeting before the start of labor negotiations. Credit: Ed Kosmicki / EPA.

Week 8 Matchups: Nothing Left to Count On

Patriots (5-1) at Steelers (5-2)
Sunday, 4:15 p.m.
Line: Patriots by 3.

In a world where the Colts lose by 55 points, the Jaguars can beat the Ravens without scoring a touchdown and games are becoming so boring that they have become upstaged by the postgame handshakes, it is heartening to know that we can still count on the Steelers’ defense. Unfortunately, we cannot still count on the Steelers’ defense.
The Steelers have intercepted just two passes this season, an amazingly low figure when you run down the quarterbacks they have faced: Tarvaris Jackson, Blaine Gabbert, Kevin Kolb, Kerry Collins, Curtis Painter. Ten of the Steelers’ 17 sacks came against Gabbert and Jackson, the standard-bearers in that cavalcade of regret. While Warren Sapp’s “old and slow” estimation of the Steelers’ defense after Week 1 was premature and slightly exaggerated, the Steel Curtain now has a higher-than-advertised aluminum content.
The Steelers compensate for their declining defense with one of the best passing attacks in the league: they rank fifth in net passing yards per game and eighth in yards per attempt. And while the Patriots’ offense is better than Pittsburgh’s, their defense is far worse, allowing a league-high 423 yards per game. So get ready for a back-and-forth, high-scoring offensive battle. After last week’s games, you deserve it. Pick: Steelers.

Cowboys (3-3) at Eagles (2-4)
Sunday, 8:20 p.m.
Line: Eagles by 3.5.

Asante Samuel said this week that the Eagle front office was “playing fantasy football.” What gave it away? When they showed up at the start of free agency with a container of buffalo dip and a magazine tucked under their arm? When Andy Reid started leaking starting lineups over the Internet? Samuel was angry that the Eagles tried to trade him during their bye week. He should be thrilled that he did not end up with the Rams.
Despite Samuel’s complaints, these bitter rivals are experiencing renewed optimism: the Eagles after a bye week, the Cowboys after facing the Rams. Jason Peters and Trent Cole returned to practice after the bye, bringing the Eagles up to full strength so they can infuriate their fans with maximum potency. The Cowboys discovered that everything looks better after a hearty Rams stomping: the youngsters on the offensive line look better, the new running back DeMarco Murray is the talk of the league and there is no need to question Tony Romo’s decision making when the Cowboys lead by 24 points.
Romo did make a questionable decision during the week, however. He announced his wife’s pregnancy, not through the usual channels (press release, Twitter, nosy neighbor telling hairdresser), but to an auditorium full of high school students. A student at a rally against drugs asked Romo if he had any children — boy, is that kid out of the loop — and Romo said that he soon would. Word to the wise: never share personal information with teenagers. In fairness, it was the last 15 minutes of the rally, so Romo probably felt it was safe. Pick: Cowboys.

Lions (5-2) at Broncos (2-4)
Sunday, 4:05 p.m.
Line: Lions by 3.

Young quarterbacks have been winning “bottom-line” games since the dawn of N.F.L. history. In a “bottom-line” game, the youngster stumbles haplessly through the afternoon, then gets bailed out by his teammates in a low-scoring victory. Coaches, television analysts, writers and fans then give empirical evidence and common sense several compound fractures in an effort to credit the quarterback for some intangible contribution. “Bottom line: he’s a winner,” we often say, write or injure ourselves trying to believe.
Any inexperienced passer can have a bottom-line game, but only Tim Tebow possesses the unique talents to produce the greatest, most bottom-worthy bottom-line game in history. Few quarterbacks have looked worse for 54 minutes, then gotten more support from diving catches, onside kicks or opponent incompetence, causing as much cognitive dissonance among those who automatically equate victory with quarterbacking achievement. To top Sunday’s 18-15 overtime effort, Tebow must take the snap and simply roll the ball to Lions defenders this week, then wait for a meteor shower to force the Lions to evacuate their bench and forfeit the game. With Tebow, anything is possible (except possibly three consecutive accurate passes), and after their actions in the last two weeks, the Lions may have it coming. Pick: Lions.

Redskins (3-3) at Bills (4-2) in Toronto
Sunday, 4:05 p.m.
Line: Bills by 6.

A radio station in Ontario held a ticket giveaway in which six contestants had to dig through a kiddie pool filled with buffalo manure to find a canister containing passes to this game at the Rogers Centre. (“Best seats in the hoose,” the radio host claimed.) The exact amount of humiliation a person will endure for the opportunity to watch John Beck hand off to Roy Helu has finally been scientifically ascertained, and it sheds horrifying light upon human nature. All recognizable Redskins offensive starters are injured for this game except for Rex Grossman, whose football future was hidden in one of the nonwinning canisters. Pick: Bills.

Cardinals (1-5) at Ravens (4-2)
Sunday, 1 p.m.
Line: Ravens by 13.

The Ravens are experiencing one of their periodic offensive brownouts during which the bombs stop falling and Joe Flacco demonstrates his inability to complete passes that do not travel across multiple Congressional districts. Everyone involved in the offense is lining up to take the blame, almost as though they have done this before. “Heat on me, heat on Joe,” the offensive coordinator Cam Cameron said. “The coordinators, quarterbacks, we can all do better.” Added Coach John Harbaugh, “I think we all deserve to have fingers pointed at us when the offense plays like that.” These slumps typically end when the Ravens face a defense that allowed 30 points per game over the last three games, or a turnover-prone, injury-plagued offense with pass protection issues. The Cardinals meet both criteria. Pick: Ravens.

Vikings (1-6) at Panthers (2-5)
Sunday, 1 p.m.
Line: Panthers by 3.5.
Cam Newton is a great looking quarterback,. Whether in the pocket, on the run or on the sideline, he is a photogenic young man. Newton may have met his match in the matinee idol department in his fellow rookie Christian Ponder. Not only did Ponder’s passing in a near comeback against the Packers look beautiful after weeks of Donovan McNabb’s pumpkin chunking, but he also has attracted fans of the attractive. Ponder beat the Twins’  catcher/heartthrob Joe Mauer in a Minneapolis radio contest to determine the region’s hunkiest athlete. “QB really does stand for Quality Beef,” the radio host Jason Matheson told The Minneapolis Star Tribune, providing us with our most awkward quote ever. Looks aside, Ponder is no match for Newton, and if he goes a few weeks without a win, “QB” could also stand for “quietly backpedaling.” Pick: Panthers.

Jaguars (2-5) at Texans (4-3)
Sunday, 1 p.m.
Line: Texans by 9.5.

The Jaguars are index patients spreading a plague of awful football. They win Monday night games, 12-7. They bring torrential rains to wash out the fascinating Panthers offense. They cannot beat the Steelers or the Saints, but they can render them sloppy and unwatchable. The Jaguars’ defense is almost as good as their offense is bad, but good defense can take only partial credit for opponents’ ability to become listless and penalty prone the moment they see the teal jerseys. If you see the Jaguars on television, change the channel quickly, before you become contaminated, too. Pick: Texans.

Dolphins (0-6) at Giants (4-2)
Sunday, 1 p.m.
Line: Giants by 10.

Tom Coughlin called the Dolphins a very “clean” team with regards to penalties this week. The Dolphins have incurred just 27 fouls, so there is something spotless about their record, unblemished as it is by victory. As polite compliments go, “clean” is rock bottom: if you want to not praise someone or something, praise its hygene. A pre-owned 1991 Corolla with 253,000 miles on it and a Pat Benatar “Get Nervous” cassette melted inside the tape deck is “clean.” You know, Coughlin was on to something: that was the best metaphor for the current Dolphins organization that anyone has come up with this year. Pick: Giants.

Saints (5-2) at Rams (0-6)
Sunday, 1 p.m.
Line: Saints by 13.5.

The Saints outscored the Seahawks, the Browns, the Raiders, the Titans, the Rams, the Jaguars, the Ravens and the Browns combined last week, and still had 2 points left over in case one of those eight teams (three of which won their games) attempted a 2-point conversion. This week they face a team with an average margin of defeat of 28-9. If that spread seems a little low, it is because the supercomputer that calculates Las Vegas odds (Deep Blue Velour) was last seen at a Fremont Street bar drinking gin and mumbling about being overworked. Pick: Saints.

Colts (0-7) at Titans (3-3)
Sunday, 1 p.m.
Line: Titans by 8.5.

When the Colts need their pride challenged, they need only load up the team chairman Jim Irsay’s Twitter feed, wade through all of the old Jackson Browne lyrics, and find something suitably motivational/loopy: “We have 2turn n2that junkyard animal no creature EVER wants 2face,jaws of furry with nothin2lose!” Irsay will keep that junkyard animal handy in case Peyton Manning tries to interfere with the team’s plan to draft Andrew Luck. Pick: Titans.

Browns (3-3) at 49ers (5-1)
Sunday, 4:15 p.m.
Line: 49ers by 8.5.

Frank Gore is 110 yards away from passing Roger Craig for second place on the 49ers career rushing list, and Craig is more excited about it than Gore. “It just shows how mentally he’s just involved in winning and doing his job every day,” Craig told The San Francisco Chronicle. Craig added that Gore has overlooked other personal accomplishments: “I texted him and said congratulations on being the FedEx player of the week. He said, ‘When did that happen?’ That shows how focused he is, and I like that.” Shouldn’t FedEx tell players when they are named FedEx player of the week? They have an international information distribution network at their disposal, after all. If Gore passes Craig, the game ball will be shipped to Gore’s home via U.P.S. Pick: 49ers.

Bengals (4-2) at Seahawks (2-4)
Sunday, 4:15 p.m.
Line: Bengals by 3.

Teams in the A.F.C. North get to play opponents from both the A.F.C. South and the N.F.C. West this season, the two worst divisions in the N.F.L. Assuming the Texans and the 49ers remain capable of putting up a fight, it means that teams like the Bengals get six guaranteed wins just for properly buckling their chin straps. It also makes their nonconference schedules a minefield full of trap games: one slip, like the Ravens had against the Jaguars on Monday night, and a team can fall behind a division foe with an equally cushy schedule. The Giants tripped over the Seahawks two weeks ago, and the returns of Marshawn Lynch and Tarvaris Jackson will give the Seahawks’ offense a major boost, which provides terrifying insight into the state of their offense. Pick: Bengals.

Chargers (4-2) at Chiefs (3-3)
Monday, 8:30 p.m.
Line: Chargers by 3.5.
The Chiefs’ defense has not allowed a touchdown in the last six quarters. It usually performs that well only when up against the Chiefs’ offense, though facing Curtis Painter, Kyle Boller and a fresh-from-the-man-cave Carson Palmer has a similar effect. Philip Rivers is far better than that group, but he is slumping: he threw two interceptions in a narrow victory over the Chiefs in Week 3 and two more in a loss to the Jets on Sunday. “Am I playing my best ball right now? Absolutely not,” he told The San Diego Union Tribune. “We’re 4-2. We’re just battling through it. All I’m saying is, I could be playing like this and we could be 1-5. It’d be ugly.” Rivers should come around, and if he does not, we have at least grown accustomed to ugly Monday night games. Pick: Chargers.

Times are Eastern. Picks do not reflect the betting line.

India should not be singled out for criticism for putting on a grand prix

While the F1 community is clearly enjoying its stay in India thus far – exploring Delhi, tweeting about tuk tuks, and marvelling at the lawlessness on the roads out here – there is an elephant in the paddock. The poverty which is so apparent when out and about has led some to question the wisdom/taste of laying on such a feast of excess while millions live in squalor just miles away.

It certainly makes one feel uncomfortable, when out and about, knowing that only the extremely privileged will attend the race this weekend while it is beyond the means (and, let's face it, the interest) of everyone else.

But should that mean India is denied the chance to host a grand prix? Should that mean it is criticised for hosting one? I mean, isn't this the case in every country F1 visits to a greater or lesser degree? From China to Britain?

Surely it is hypocritical to dictate who can and cannot stage a race, and what is or isn't tasteful, based on how exclusive it is. F1 is exclusive, that much we already knew. The difference is that Delhi probably has the greatest disparity in wealth of any city F1 has yet visited, with the possible exception of Sao Paulo where slums border the Interlagos race track. So the elephant in the room seems bigger.

The charges against the Indian GP, of course, run deeper than tastelessness; that the organisers are only out to line their own pockets through the development of the land around the track and to dress the grand prix up as a boost for India and an example of the country being able to put on a great show one year after the chaotic Commonwealth Games is just marketing spiel; that it is not helping the local villager who has no electricity and has to walk for hours every day to get fresh water; that the $400million would have been better spent on education or inner city projects.

These arguments are flawed. The truth is the Jaypee Group is a privately-owned company and is out to make money. That is the way of business. It paid that sum as an investment in order to make a return on real estate, by building a city around the track which will house one million. Whether it has done anything shady with regard to the purchase of land out here is a matter for the Indian authorities. If it has, it would clearly be a black mark against it.

I asked Vicky Chandhok, the president of the Indian motor sports federation, about it on Monday and he claimed that the land on which Jaypee Sports City is being built is not in dispute; it was bought way before F1 was even a possibility and that "the problems with the land are over 20km away in a small town" and that the farmers are simply piggybacking on the GP in an attempt to leverage more money from future sales or ones that are already in motion. Maybe he would say that, I don't know.

But as for not helping the poorest, I can't see how this race isn't benefiting the local economy – hotels, restaurants, taxis, shops, construction etc - however trifling that benefit might seem when weighed against the scale of poverty in India. As Chandhok pointed out: "The race is privately funded so it is no sweat off anyone’s back. It is Jaypee’s risk. The government has not contributed anything.

“There were 10,000 people working on site during the construction. 7000 from day one. There will be over 1400 staff employed here. Their families will get a better education and a better living. So when all is said and done I can’t see a negative from this."

India may be the most gratuitous example yet of sport's skewed economic benefit, it may seem tasteless to some, but that's not a good enough reason to deny it to the many millions who will enjoy it, or criticise India for attempting to put on a good show with all the razzmatazz that other countries enjoy. Maybe it will inspire in a new an improved motorsport infrastructure nationwide which could help thousands.

The fact is that both Bernie and the race organisers are out to make money. We must accept that. The hope is that the wider economy will benefit and enough of it will trickle down to help all Indians.

It was no surprise England lost 5-0

So England lost 5-0 in India. If you’d read my blog after the first match, you’ll know it was little surprise. That’s because England are not a top one-day side. Even the series victory over India at the end of last summer was never as convincing as many people wanted it to be. England won 3-0, but it could easily have been 3-2, either way.

This is nothing new. England have been like this for a long, long time. They have their moments, but consistency has always been elusive. It always will be while we consider one-day cricket the poor relation of our game.

England didn’t lose in India because the counties only play 40-over cricket, but such mutton-headed decisions play their part in a mindset that eventually leads to frustration, and sometimes embarrassment, at international level.

For once this was actually a series for which England were well-prepared. Forget the nonsense talk about tiredness. India had far more cause to complain in that department. England went to India early and had plenty of time. All the more reason then for Andy Flower to be so miffed that his team feel so short in the simple disciplines of fielding and running between the wickets. He has built his regime on improvement in those areas, and it was unfathomable as to why England were so poor in executing them in India.

England’s batsmen simply did not score off enough balls. They have improved their boundary hitting enormously, and it often showed when they outscored India in that department. But to use a very modern term, they used up too many ‘dot balls’.

It is my main criticism of Jonathan Trott. Not that he struggles to hit hard at the end of an innings (although he does because he struggles to secure a solid hitting base with his always-moving-forward trigger movement), but that he does not find enough singles at the start. He would take an awful lot of pressure off himself if he could only do that.

Playing spin in India is mightily difficult, but the truth is that, contrary to the incessant squeals from many commentators, you have to sweep. Yes, maybe England need to sweep better, but they sure need to sweep. Talk of moving your feet more is anachronistic, especially against a ball that you are unsure of which way it is turning. To try to play a turning ball with a straight bat is to play across the line. If anything on such slow pitches England’s batsmen need to play off the back foot more. Tim Bresnan did that to good effect in one innings.

I disagree, though, with my esteemed Telegraph colleague Michael Vaughan on the subject of pitches. We should not prepare turners at home. We should use home advantage like everyone else. You don’t see green tops in India. And the next World Cup is in Australia and New Zealand anyway.

What would be nice is if there was some 50-over county cricket played in the height of the summer when spinners might be able to play a part. At the moment spinners succeed in domestic short-form cricket (especially Twenty20), not because they spin the ball, but because they bowl slowly and batsmen struggle without pace for hitting. That is often not good enough at international level.

Should we panic now? I don’t think so. Selection after Christmas will certainly be interesting, especially as regards the wicketkeeping position. I see the knives are out for Craig Kieswetter. He has certainly had a disappointing series, but isn’t it time we backed a batsman/wicketkeeper? That revolving door we so love has to stop some time.

Maybe it is just that, as Flower alluded to, it is that this same group of players, with Eoin Morgan and Stuart Broad back (and possibly James Anderson), have to execute their skills more adeptly?

What do you think?