NBA bans Donald Sterling for life, fines him $2.5 million for racial comments

NBA bans Donald Sterling for life, fines him $2.5 million for racial comments

The NBA has banned Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling for life and fined him $2.5 million for racial comments he made to his reported girlfriend. The NBA will immediately begin working to try to force him to sell the team.

"The hateful opinions voiced by that of the man [on the tape] are those of Donald Sterling," NBA commissioner Adam Silver said. "… I'm personally distraught the views expressed by Mr. Sterling came from within an institution that has historically taken such a leadership role in matters of race relations."

As part of the ban, Sterling is not allowed "to attend any NBA games or practices, be present at any Clippers office or facility, or participate in any business or player personnel decisions involving the team." 

Sterling also will be barred from attending any Board of Governors meetings and participating in any other league activity.

The fine is the maximum the NBA can issue under the NBA constitution, Silver said. Seventy-five percent of the NBA's owners must vote to oust Sterling to force him to sell.

"I fully expect to get the support I need from the other NBA owners to remove him," Silver said.

"Adam has the votes – all of them, I believe," a league source told Yahoo Sports.

Several groups hoping to purchase the Clippers are already stepping forward with a bidding war expected to exceed $1 billion for the franchise, league sources told Yahoo Sports. Among those groups, Magic Johnson and Guggenheim Partners will be front and center in pursuit of the Clippers.

"Magic Johnson knows he's always welcome as an owner in this league," Silver said.

Silver said Sterling admitted the voice on the recordings was his, but Sterling "has not expressed to me directly any other views." Sterling violated league rules, Stern said, through his "expressions of offensive and hurtful views, the impact of which has been widely felt throughout the league."

NBA owners will attempt to try to force Donald Sterling to sell the team.

Members of the players union, including Los Angeles Lakers guard Steve Nash, gathered with Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti and Sacramento mayor and former NBA player Kevin Johnson at Los Angeles' City Hall after Silver's announcement was made.

"The players spoke, acted and they were listened to," said Kevin Johnson, who has been assisting the National Basketball Players Association in its investigation. Kevin Johnson called the sanctions "a defining moment in our history."

"I want to thank the commissioner for bringing down the hammer," Garcetti said.

Sacramento Kings guard Roger Mason, who is part of the union's governing board, said the players had considered boycotting games and will not be satisfied until Sterling is ousted.

The NBA's announcement comes a little more than three days after TMZ released the first audio recording of Sterling telling his reported girlfriend – identified as V. Stiviano – he didn't want her bringing African-Americans to Clippers games. 

In the recording, he also said he wanted her to remove photos of African-Americans – including one of former Los Angeles Lakers guard and NBA Hall of Famer Magic Johnson – from social media.

Among the more inflammatory quotes attributed to Sterling:

• "It bothers me a lot that you want to broadcast that you're associating with black people. Do you have to?"

• "You can sleep with them. You can bring them in, you can do whatever you want. The little I ask you is not to promote it on that … and not to bring them to my games."

• "Don't put him [Magic Johnson] on an Instagram for the world to have to see so they have to call me. And don't bring him to my games."

Deadspin later released an extended version of the audio recording in which Sterling tells the woman that blacks are treated "like dogs" in Israel. 

When reminded that most of the players on the Clippers are black, Sterling goes on to say, "I support them and give them food and clothes and cars and houses. Who gives it to them? Does someone else give it to them? Do I know that I have – who makes the game? Do I make the game, or do they make the game? Is there 30 owners that created the league?"

Clippers players staged their own subtle protest during Sunday's playoff loss to the Warriors by wearing their warm-up shirts inside-out to hide the "Clippers" name. They also wore black socks and wristbands.

Many of Sterling's fellow NBA owners, including Michael Jordan of the Charlotte Bobcats, condemned the comments in recent days. They continued to distance themselves from Sterling after Tuesday's announcement.

"We applaud the firm punishment handed out today by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and appreciate the swiftness with which the NBA conducted its investigation," Warriors owner Joe Lacob said in a statement. 

"Similarly, we anticipate that the NBA Board of Governors will act promptly to put this chapter behind us."

The controversy ranks as the NBA's greatest since the Tim Donaghy scandal and comes less than three months after Silver replaced David Stern as NBA commissioner. 

Sterling had been sued multiple times in the past for racial discrimination, including a 2009 case in which he paid $2.7 million to settle allegations his companies targeted and discriminated against blacks, Hispanics and families with children in renting apartments in greater Los Angeles.

Under Stern, the NBA never publicly punished Sterling after the settlements. Silver said the league did not punish Sterling in the past because there was no finding of guilt in the case.

"In meting out this punishment we did not take into account his past behavior," Silver said. "When the board ultimately considers his overall fitness to be an owner in the NBA, they will take into account a lifetime of behavior. "

Flyers Look To Avoid Elimination

Flyers Look To Avoid Elimination

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) –  The cliches were abundant in the Flyers locker room.  Do or die.  Win or go home.  Backs against the wall.  All were appropriate for the moment.

After losing to the Rangers in Game 5 of their playoff series on Sunday, the Flyers must win Game 6 tomorrow in South Philadelphia or their season will come to an end.  A victory would force a seventh and deciding game in New York on Wednesday, but Claude Giroux says they first have to take care of business in Game 6.

For full story go to:  http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/

Clippers' Sterling has long history of trouble

Clippers' Sterling has long history of trouble 

In this photo taken on Friday, Oct. 25, 2013, Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling, center, and V. Stiviano, right, watch the Clippers play the Sacramento Kings during the first half of an NBA basketball game, in Los Angeles. The NBA is investigating a report of an audio recording in which a man purported to be Sterling makes racist remarks while speaking to Stiviano. NBA spokesman Mike Bass said in a statement Saturday, April 26, 2014, that the league is in the process of authenticating the validity of the recording posted on TMZ's website. Bass called the comments "disturbing and offensive."

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Donald Sterling has been known to heckle his own team from the center-court seat where he has sat for decades, whether with his now-estranged wife or women young enough to be his granddaughters.

Former Los Angeles Clippers say the owner would barge into the locker room to berate players, offer awkward praise or - according to testimony in a lawsuit filed by his fired general manager - tell guests to check out his players' "beautiful black bodies."

The NBA's longest-tenured owner is among the least successful in basketball history. He has watched the Clippers became a profitable punch line, compiling the worst record in North American pro sports during his first quarter-century in charge.

He has fired loyal coaches, waged court battles with long-serving executives and publicly seethed when players didn't want to stay with the team.

And that's only what Sterling does when the world can see him.

Opponents say the racially incendiary remarks attributed to Sterling and leaked to TMZ last weekend publicly show a side of the 80-year-old real-estate mogul that has been ignored and rationalized for years.

"It put a smile on my face that finally he would be unable to deny the racist allegations against him," said Carl Douglas, a lawyer who represented former Clippers general manager Elgin Baylor in a lawsuit against Sterling.

"This is a guy who, as the owner, sits courtside at the half-court line," Douglas added. "No other owner sits like that. He has an ego the size of the Grand Canyon."

Sterling has faced extensive federal charges of civil rights violations and racial discrimination in business, making shocking race-related statements in sworn testimony before reaching multimillion-dollar settlements. 

He has also been sued for sexual harassment by former employees, and the court proceedings detailed an outlandish list of Sterling's personal proclivities.

Baylor, the former NBA great who served as the Clippers' GM for 22 years, left the franchise with rancor and an unsuccessful lawsuit alleging race and age discrimination. Baylor claimed Sterling has a "plantation mentality" about the Clippers, envisioning a team of "poor black boys from the South playing for a white coach."

"When I heard that voice (on the TMZ recordings), there was a visceral reaction," said Douglas, who deposed Sterling during Baylor's lawsuit. "I recognized the venom in that voice."

Sterling's new embarrassment might lead to his long-term banishment from the NBA. Several major Clippers sponsors dropped or re-evaluated their association with the team Monday, including State Farm, CarMax, Kia Motors America, Virgin America and Red Bull.

But amid the national outrage over the Clippers owner's apparent comments last weekend, former NBA star Kevin Johnson asked the question that must be addressed by Commissioner Adam Silver and the owners who control the league.

"We wanted (Silver) to give us a full accounting of the prior accusations of racism made against Mr. Sterling and why those were never sanctioned by the NBA," said Johnson, who was asked by Clippers guard Chris Paul to speak for the players' union membership. "It's our responsibility to find out the history of Mr. Sterling, and why sanctions did not occur."

Anyone with even a passing knowledge of Sterling's history of discrimination charges and outlandish statements wasn't surprised by the latest revelations.

The son of a produce dealer, Sterling grew up in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles. Donny Tokowitz eventually changed his last name, earned a law degree and began practicing in divorce and personal injury in 1961. He spent his earnings methodically buying up real estate all across Los Angeles, becoming famous for almost never selling any property.

With encouragement from Lakers owner Jerry Buss, Sterling paid just over $12 million in 1981 for the beleaguered San Diego Clippers, who had moved out from Buffalo three years earlier.

Sterling was eccentric from the start, plastering his face on billboards and publicly hoping for a last-place finish so he could draft Ralph Sampson. During the 1980s, players claimed they would receive their paychecks on Fridays after the banks closed, likely to prevent them from bouncing.

Sterling abruptly moved his franchise to Los Angeles in 1984, receiving a $25 million fine from the NBA before countersuing and getting the penalty sharply reduced. He put the team in the decrepit Los Angeles Sports Arena and turned a tidy profit thanks to a sweetheart lease deal.

Despite their location in a glamorous major media market, the Clippers were a destination of last resort for most free agents and an unfortunate detour in their players' careers. When Ron Harper compared his time with the Clippers to a jail sentence in 1994, Sterling suspended him for a game without pay.

Along the way, Sterling and his insurance company paid $2.75 million to settle a federal housing discrimination lawsuit after court proceedings packed with scandalous testimony about Sterling's opinions of minority tenants in his properties. More salacious tales came out of Baylor's wrongful termination lawsuit, which was ultimately unsuccessful.

Sterling's alleged recorded comments included a personal attack on Magic Johnson, which came as a shock to the Dodgers owner and retired Lakers superstar.

"I had a friendship with him, so for him to then make these alleged comments about myself ... there's no place in our society for it," Johnson said of ABC's pregame show Sunday.

After three decades of nearly unrelenting misery and controversy, the strangest thing happened a few years ago: The Clippers got good.

Led by Paul and high-flying forward Blake Griffin, Los Angeles has won two straight Pacific Division titles while winning 113 games over the last two regular seasons, easily the two best campaigns in franchise history.

Until now, most of the NBA's displeasure had been rooted in Sterling's performance as an owner, not any perceived racist beliefs or actions. When the Clippers became a contender - largely thanks to the acquisition of Paul in a trade overtly orchestrated by Stern - the league's concerns about Sterling's stewardship of the team started to subside.

A large segment of basketball-loving Los Angeles had always embraced the Clippers out of sheer contrarianism, not wanting to jump on the Lakers bandwagon. When the Clippers' fortunes changed, they became the fashionable favorite team for Hollywood's hipsters, transplants and basketball purists who wanted to be part of history on the ground floor - never mind the reputation of the owner.

And now that the Clippers are worth watching, Sterling might never be allowed to watch them from courtside again. Fan protests and boycotts are expected at Staples Center on Tuesday night when the Clippers resume their playoff series against the Golden State Warriors.

Douglas, who had Clippers season tickets for 10 years, has called for an extensive fan boycott. He hopes a public outcry will force the NBA's other 29 ownership groups to leverage Sterling out of the league.

"They have to be so embarrassed by the spectacle of his ownership that they band together and influence him into selling the team," Douglas said. "I am hopeful that some corporation will buy the team, probably at a premium, and once and for all rid Los Angeles of this man."

Clippers wear warm-up shirts inside-out to protest alleged comments by team's owner

Clippers wear warm-up shirts inside-out to protest alleged comments by team's owner

OAKLAND, Calif. – The Los Angeles Clippers wore their shooting shirts and practice jerseys inside-out before their playoff game against the Golden State Warriors Sunday afternoon in a protest against the alleged racial comments attributed to Clippers owner Donald Sterling.

The Clippers discussed the possibility of boycotting Game 4 of their first-round playoff series with the Warriors in a team meeting Saturday after the alleged comments were made public, but opted to play. 

The players haven't commented much on the controversy, allowing coach Doc Rivers to speak for the team.

As the Clippers players took the court before Sunday's game, they all tossed their warm-up jackets with the Clippers name on the front to midcourt and then warmed up with their shooting shirts inside out.

 The players also wore black wristbands on their left arms and black socks as part of the protest. Sterling did not attend the game, but his wife Shelly sat across from the bench wearing black.

The Clippers players are contemplating making a bigger statement during Game 5 of the series against the Warriors on Tuesday in Los Angeles, a source told Yahoo Sports. The source said the players needed more time to decide what they wanted to do and would prefer a stronger statement on their home floor at Staples Center.

Rivers admitted before the game he was a little worried about how his players were doing in the aftermath of the report.

"You know, from a coaching standpoint, you're concerned," Rivers said. "They've been pulled in a million directions over the last 24 hours, and so that's a fact."

Rivers said the Clippers had tried to prepare for the game as normal as possible, but admitted the controversy had become a distraction.

"The mental preparation, on the other hand, I just – honestly, I don't know," Rivers said. "Because, listen, as much as this is basketball, this is life. And our guys, they have family. They have friends. And they have cell phones. And I can't imagine how much they've been pulled on and talked to and what you should do and what you shouldn't do and what you should say. And that's abnormal to a normal playoff game."

NBA commissioner Adam Silver was at Sunday's game and expected to meet with Sacramento mayor and ex-NBA player Kevin Johnson, who is representing the National Basketball Player's Association.

Silver said Saturday the NBA hoped to complete its investigation of the alleged comments within a few days. He would not specify any possible sanctions or punishment.

Mason Back In Net For Critical Game 4

Mason Back In Net For Critical Game 4

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — It was the worst kept secret in the Flyers locker room. Steve Mason will start in goal Friday night.

“You guys didn’t figure that out?” Joked Coach Craig Berube.

Berube confirmed Mason will start in Game 4 of the Flyers playoff series with the Rangers. Mason has missed most of the team’s first three games in this series as he recovered from an injury suffered at the end of the regular season.

For full story go to:  http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/

120th Penn Relays Underway In University City

120th Penn Relays Underway In University City

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — It’s a sure sign of Spring in Philadelphia: School buses lining up by the dozens outside of Franklin Field for the Penn Relays. The relays got underway, Thursday, with thousands of high school girls, taking their turn at passing the baton.

KYW’s Pat Loeb was watching in the stands.

More than a thousand high schools are competing in the three-day meet. Girls events dominate the first day, giving athletes like Mecca Harris and Cindy George of New Jersey’s Petty School the opportunity of a lifetime.

For full story go to:  http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/

Report: Evan Turner Gets In Fistfight With Teammate Before Playoffs

BOSTON, MA – MARCH 1: Lance Stephenson #1,Evan Turner #12 and Paul George #24 of the Indiana Pacers listen to the anthem against the Boston Celtics during the game at the TD Garden on March 1, 2014 in Washington, DC.

 

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Report: Evan Turner Gets In Fistfight With Teammate Before Playoffs

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BOSTON, MA – MARCH 1: Lance Stephenson #1,Evan Turner #12 and Paul George #24 of the Indiana Pacers listen to the anthem against the Boston Celtics during the game at the TD Garden on March 1, 2014 in Washington, DC.
 
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - When Evan Turner got traded from the Sixers to the Indiana Pacers just before the NBA trade deadline, it seemed like he was moving up in the world.

He went from the second worst team in the Eastern Conference to the best, and would get an opportunity to show he can perform for a good team, rather than just putting up numbers on a bad one.
It hasn’t worked out quite as expected.

For full story go to:  http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/

Prizefighter Rubin 'Hurricane' Carter dies at 76

Prizefighter Rubin 'Hurricane' Carter dies at 76 
 

FILE - In this June 8, 2001 file photo, former middleweight boxer Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, left, is escorted by an unidentified security guard into the venue where Laila Ali and Jacqui Frazier-Lyde will box each other in Verona, NY. Carter, who spent almost 20 years in jail after twice being convicted of a triple murder he denied committing, died at his home in Toronto, Sunday, April 20, 2014, according to long-time friend and co-accused John Artis. He was 76.

 

Rubin "Hurricane" Carter never surrendered hope of regaining his freedom, not even after he was convicted of a triple murder, then convicted again and abandoned by many prominent supporters.

For 19 long years, the prizefighter was locked in a prison cell far away from the spotlight and the adulation of the boxing ring. But when he at last won his biggest fight - for exoneration - he betrayed little bitterness. 

Instead, Carter dedicated much of his remaining life to helping other prisoners and exposing other injustices.

The middleweight title contender, whose murder convictions became an international symbol of racial injustice and inspired a Bob Dylan song and a Hollywood film, died Sunday. He was 76.

The New Jersey native, who had suffered from prostate cancer, died in his sleep at his home in Toronto, John Artis, his former co-defendant and longtime friend and caregiver, told The Canadian Press.

Carter "didn't have any bitterness or anger - he kind of got above it all. That was his great strength," said Thom Kidrin, who became friends with Carter after visiting him several times in prison.

The boxer, a former petty criminal, became an undersized 160-pound contender and earned his nickname largely on his ferocity and punching power.

Although never a world champion, Carter went 27-12-1 with 19 knockouts, memorably stopping two-division champ Emile Griffith in the first round in 1963. He also fought for a middleweight title in 1964, losing a unanimous decision to Joey Giardello.

But his boxing career came to an abrupt end when he was imprisoned for three 1966 murders committed at a tavern in Paterson, N.J. He was convicted in 1967 and again in 1976 before being freed in 1985, when his convictions were thrown out after years of appeals. He then became a prominent public advocate for the wrongfully convicted from his new home in Canada.

His ordeal and its racial overtones were publicized in Dylan's 1975 song "Hurricane," several books and a 1999 film starring Denzel Washington, who received an Academy Award nomination for his portrayal.

In a statement issued Sunday, Washington praised Carter's "tireless fight to ensure justice for all."

Carter and Artis had been driving around Carter's hometown on the night that three white people were shot by two black men at the Lafayette Bar and Grill. They were convicted by an all-white jury largely on the testimony of two thieves who later recanted their stories.

Carter was granted a new trial and briefly freed in 1976, but he was sent back for nine more years after being convicted in a second trial.

"I wouldn't give up," Carter said in an interview in 2011 on PBS. "No matter that they sentenced me to three life terms in prison. I wouldn't give up. Just because a jury of 12 misinformed people ... found me guilty did not make me guilty. And because I was not guilty, I refused to act like a guilty person."

Dylan, a boxing aficionado, became aware of Carter's plight after reading the fighter's autobiography. He met Carter and co-wrote "Hurricane," which he performed on his Rolling Thunder Revue tour in 1975. The song concludes: "That's the story of the Hurricane/But it won't be over till they clear his name/And give him back the time he's done/Put him in a prison cell but one time he could-a been/The champion of the world."

Muhammad Ali and Coretta Scott King spoke out on Carter's behalf. Other celebrities also worked toward his release, joined by a network of friends and volunteers.

Carter eventually won his freedom from U.S. District Judge H. Lee Sarokin, who wrote that the boxer's prosecution had been "predicated upon an appeal to racism rather than reason, and concealment rather than disclosure."

Born on May 6, 1937, into a family of seven children, Carter struggled with a hereditary speech impediment and was sent to a juvenile reform center at 12 after an assault. He escaped and joined the Army in 1954 and learned to box while in West Germany.

After returning home, he committed a series of muggings and spent four years in various state prisons. Upon his release, he began his pro boxing career, winning 20 of his first 24 fights mostly by knockout.

At 5-foot-8, Carter was fairly short for a middleweight, but he was aggressive and threw waves of punches. His shaved head and menacing glower gave him an imposing ring presence but also contributed to a forbidding aura outside the ring. He was quoted as joking about killing police officers in a 1964 story in the Saturday Evening Post, which was later cited by Carter as a cause of his troubles with law enforcement.

Carter boxed regularly on television at Madison Square Garden and overseas in London, Paris and Johannesburg. Although his career appeared to be on a downswing before he was implicated in the murders, the 29-year-old fighter was hoping for a second middleweight title shot.

Carter defied his prison guards from the first day of his incarceration and spent time in solitary confinement because of it.

"When I walked into prison, I refused to wear their stripes," Carter said. "I refused to eat their food. I refused to work their jobs, and I would have refused to breathe the prison's air if I could have done so."

Carter eventually wrote and spoke eloquently about his plight, publishing his autobiography, "The Sixteenth Round," in 1974. Benefit concerts were held for his legal defense featuring Dylan, Joni Mitchell and Roberta Flack.

Although many of his celebrity friends abandoned the cause after his second conviction and an allegation of assault during his brief release, other advocates worked tirelessly on his behalf, culminating in Sarokin's ruling and two subsequent failed prosecutorial appeals to have the convictions reinstated. Each year on the anniversary Sarokin's decision, Carter called the judge to thank him.

After his release, Carter moved to Toronto, where he served as the executive director of the Association in Defence of the Wrongly Convicted from 1993 to 2005. He received two honorary doctorates for his work.

Canadian director Norman Jewison made Carter's story into a biographical film. Washington worked closely with Carter to capture the boxer's transformation and redemption.

"He's all love," Washington said while onstage with Carter at the 2000 ceremony where he won a Golden Globe. "He lost about 7,300 days of his life, and he's love."

The makers of "The Hurricane," however, were widely criticized for factual inaccuracies and glossing over other parts of Carter's story, including his criminal past and a reputation for a violent temper. Giardello sued the film's producers for its depiction of a racist fix in his victory over Carter, who had long acknowledged that Giardello deserved the win.

Kidrin spoke with Carter on Wednesday.

"He said, `You know, look, death's coming. I'm ready for it. But it's really going to have to take me because I'm positive to the end.'"

Bernard Hopkins wins split decision, unifies titles

Bernard Hopkins wins split decision, unifies titles

Bernard Hopkins celebrates after his split decision victory over Beibut Shumenov at D.C. Armory.
 
Judges Dave Moretti and Jerry Roth scored it 116-111 for Hopkins.

"That is complete (B.S.)," Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer, who promoted the card, said of Padilla's scoring after the fight. "That's another judge that should be retired."

Hopkins (55-6-2, 32 KOs) used a hard right hand -- "my hardest punch in years" -- to drop Shumenov in the 11th round as the crowd chanted "B-Hop, B-Hop, B-Hop." He said he tried hard for his first knockout since stopping Oscar De La Hoya in 2004, but Shumenov stood his ground and last the rest of the way.

Looking as relaxed as could be in his 63rd professional fight, the only time Hopkins showed his age all night was when he referenced a '70s TV character in talking about his calm demeanor in the ring. "I was so in my living room watching Archie Bunker," he cracked.

Hopkins, playing to the Washington crowd by wearing the colors of the Redskins, burgundy and gold, started slowly, throwing little in the first two rounds. But he came alive in the third round and connected with several rights against Shumenov, who fell to 14-2 with 9 KOs.

Hopkins connected on several hard rights again in the fourth round, mixing it up with hard jabs and using the type of counterpunching that the wily veteran has perfected in 26 years in the ring.

After that, it was all Hopkins as the Philadelphian, now known as "The Alien," schooled Shumenov throughout the fight, getting the partisan crowd of 6,823 worked up into a frenzy.

Shumenov landed just 20% of his punches while Hopkins landed an amazing 49% of his 383 punches thrown.

"I didn't do that when I was 30," he said. "He was really surprised the way I could stand there and let him miss.

"Boxing is a science. If you don't have to get hit, don't. You don't want someone else counting your money."

Hopkins said he will let the historians decide where he belongs in the history of the sport, but said, just nine months before he turns 50, that he should be among the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world.

"The pound-for-pound best fighter in the world right now is Floyd Mayweather," Hopkins said. "I'll tell you, behind Andre Ward, who I believe is second and should be, I'm not that far from the top three. My age and the way I'm doing it.

"I'm just telling you, I'm not done yet."

Flyers Rally To Beat Rangers 4-2, Even Series

Flyers Rally To Beat Rangers 4-2, Even Series

Jakub Voracek shoots the puck past goalie Henrik Lundqvist during the first period in Game Two of the First Round of the 2014 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
 
NEW YORK (AP) — This win was three years in the making for backup goalie Ray Emery and the rest of thePhiladelphia Flyers.

Emery stood in again for injured No. 1 netminder Steve Mason and made 31 saves to help the Flyers rally from an early two-goal deficit and beat the New York Rangers 4-2 on Sunday to even the first-round playoff series.

The Flyers had lost nine straight at Madison Square Garden, including 4-1 in the series opener on Thursday, since their last win there on Feb. 20, 2011. Emery hadn’t won a postseason game anywhere in exactly three years for Anaheim at Nashville.

For full story go to:  http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/

Donovan McNabb Serves 1 Day In Jail After December DUI Arrest

Donovan McNabb Serves 1 Day In Jail After December DUI Arrest

 

 

 

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Word broke today that former Eagles’ QB Donovan McNabb was arrested recently for driving under the influence in Arizona.

McNabb was pulled over for speeding on December 15th, 2013 in Maricopa County, Arizona, and subsequently charged with DUI.

For full story go to: http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/

Bernard Hopkins Not Overlooked Anymore

Bernard Hopkins Not Overlooked Anymore

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ – OCTOBER 26: Bernard Hopkins in action during his light heavyweight fight against Karo Murat in Boardwalk Hall Arena on October 26, 2013 in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Philadelphia, PA (CBS) — He chops at the heavybag in rhythmic, measured punches. Even something so instinctive, so natural, Bernard Hopkins has to put thought into. His meticulous attention to detail is just one of many reasons why the future Hall of Famer has lasted this long in this rugged, harsh sport.

Boxing has a way of eating everything around it. It deflates bodies, bank accounts, fan interest, but it never had a chance to sink its teeth into Hopkins’ marrow.

For full story go to:  http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/

Flyers’ Emery To Start For Injured Mason In Game 1

Flyers’ Emery To Start For Injured Mason In Game 1

Ray Emery #29 of the Philadelphia Flyers makes a save against the Chicago Blackhawks at the United Center on December 11, 2013 in Chicago, Illinois.








PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — The Flyers announced that Steve Mason will miss game one of the Stanley Cup Playoffs on Thursday night against the Rangers.

Mason will not make the trip to New York after suffering an “upper-body” injury on Saturday.
Ray Emery will get the start in net for the Flyers. Emery is 7-2 in 10 career games against the Rangers, with a 1.87 GAA and a .936 save percentage. In his only game against the Rangers this season, Emery allowed four goals in a 4-1 Flyers loss on January 12th.

Cal Heeter, who allowed five goals in his NHL debut on Sunday, will backup Emery.

For full story go to:  http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/

Carter-Williams Leads Sixers Past Celtics, 113-108

Carter-Williams Leads Sixers Past Celtics, 113-108 

Michael Carter-Williams #1 of the Philadelphia 76ers handles the ball
against the Boston Celtics at the Wells Fargo Center on April 14, 2014
in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
 
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Michael Carter-Williams had 21 points and 14 rebounds, Tony Wroten scored 20 points, and the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Boston Celtics 113-108 Monday night.

Chris Johnson appeared to hit the game-tying 3-pointer with 0.9 seconds remaining but stepped out of bounds before attempting the desperation shot. James Anderson made two free throws a half-second later to seal Philadelphia’s win.

Kelly Olynyk scored 28 points to lead the Celtics. Jeff Green had 27 points and Avery Bradley added 23. Rajon Rondo finished with eight points, 14 assists and 11 rebounds.

For full story go to:  http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/

3rd Annual Center City Jazz Festival Set For Saturday

3rd Annual Center City Jazz Festival Set For Saturday

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — The Center City Jazz Festival kicks off next weekend. It’s part of Jazz Appreciation month festivities throughout April.

Jazzheads and newbies alike can see 16 bands at four Center City venues over the course of six hours.
“It’s about getting people who weren’t already interested in Jazz just interested and give them a reason to come out,” says Ernest Stuart, a trombonist who founded the Center City Jazz Festival three years ago with $17,200 in crowd funding.

For full story go to:  http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/

Manny Pacquiao gets well-earned decision win over Timothy Bradley in rematch

Manny Pacquiao gets well-earned decision win over Timothy Bradley in rematch

LAS VEGAS – Manny Pacquiao once again outboxed Timothy Bradley Jr., but this time, the Filipino superstar got the decision he so richly deserved.

In a solid though not spectacular performance, Pacquiao outboxed Bradley to reclaim the WBO welterweight championship before 15,601 partisan fans at the MGM Grand Garden.

Pacquiao was masterful in giving angles and beating Bradley to the punch. Judges had it 116-112, 118-110 and 116-112 for Pacquiao, who lost a highly disputed decision to Bradley in the same ring nearly two years ago. Yahoo Sports had it 117-111 for Pacquiao.

Bradley, who suffered his first defeat, said he injured his right calf in the first round. But he congratulated Pacquiao after the bout.

"You deserved it," Bradley said to Pacquiao. "You won the fight."

This was most definitely not the 2008-09 vintage Pacquiao, who stopped a series of the greatest fighters in the world in devastating fashion. But Pacquiao boxed smartly, catching Bradley and then spinning away out of danger.

Promoter Bob Arum was so giddy that he went on a bizarre rant ripping Floyd Mayweather Jr. and reporters who he said are afraid to lose access for not ripping Mayweather and his team.

"Write all you want about 15-1 fights with no hopers and all this thuggery where, when I'm doing a promotion, they make the MGM put up signs for their stupid fight," Arum said. "You guys continue to do that. We'll give you quality fights. HBO will give you quality fights. But you want to close your eye to thuggery in this sport."

.

Timothy Bradley, right, loses his footing in front of

Manny Pacquiao.

It was impossible for reporters at ringside to get Arum to speak about Pacquiao's performance. He went on and on about the May 3 Mayweather fight with Marcos Maidana, insisting it is a bad fight, and he blasted Mayweather's team for strong-arming the MGM.

Pacquiao said Bradley fought significantly better than he did on June 9, 2012, and said Bradley hurt him with shots on the chin.

But Pacquiao outlanded Bradley 198-141 and connected on more power punches than Bradley had total punches (148-141).

"He threw a lot of punches," Pacquiao said of Bradley, who threw 627 but landed just 22 percent. "I didn't want to get careless. I picked up more steam in the second half. I made the adjustments Freddie gave me in the corner."

Bradley trainer Joel Diaz said the right calf injury limited Bradley the rest of the fight.

"I didn't have much to work with," Diaz said.

Instead of using the magnificent boxing skills he showed against Juan Manuel Marquez in October, Bradley elected to try to get into a slugfest with Pacquiao.

Pacquiao clearly wasn't on his A-game – "Manny was a little sloppy," trainer Freddie Roach admitted – but Bradley never really threatened him with much.

Bradley frequently winged a wild right that Pacquiao was easily able to dance away from. And with Bradley firing crazily, Pacquiao got into the pocket where he was in less danger.

"Bradley was wild on the outside, so I went on the inside," Pacquiao said. "I knew I had to do more in this fight than I did in the last fight."

He did what he had to do and this time, the judges cooperated and did their jobs.

Arum was highly distasteful with the gloating and the nasty comments about Mayweather, a bizarre end to an otherwise quality fight.

Asked if he were disappointed that Pacquiao didn't get a finish, Arum sneered.

"He was fighting Timothy Bradley, who nobody had not only never knocked out but who nobody had ever beaten," Arum said. "Manny was fighting one of the great welterweights in the world, not a guy with cement in his shoes."

Markeiff and Marcus Morris Twin Playmakers Help Keep The Suns Brightening In A Suns 94, Pelicans 88 Win As Forwarded By Van Stone frontpagenews1@yahoo.com

Markeiff and Marcus Morris Twin Playmakers Help Keep The Suns Brightening In As Forwarded By Suns 94, Pelicans 88 Win By Van Stone frontpagenews1@yahoo.com

It was not pretty. It was not very entertaining. But the Suns’ 94-88 win over the New Orleans Pelicans was still a win. And that is all that matters at this point in the season.

We’ll start with the bad. The Suns gave up 44 points in the paint to a Pelicans team that was missing Anthony Davis.

Davis sat out the game with back spasms, but that didn’t stop New Orleans from dominating around the rim. Rookie Jeff Withey led the Pelicans with 17 points, nearly all of which came on uncontested dunks and layups.

The Suns’ defense was so lacking that in the second quarter, New Orleans shot 78% from the floor. Miles Plumlee was totally absent as a rim protector, recording no blocks and grabbing only six rebounds.

New Orleans was missing all but one of their opening day starters, yet Phoenix’s porous defense allowed the Pelicans’ reserves to score 53 of the team’s 88 points and made guys like Anthony Morrow and Luke Babbitt look like All Stars. Tonight’s game was just another example of the Suns playing down to the level of their competition. Luckily the Suns have three tough opponents coming up, so Coach Hornacek won’t need to worry about his team’s nasty habit for another week.

Offensively, Phoenix played well aside from some poor shot selection by the Morris twins and continued hesitancy from Channing Frye. Goran Dragic captained the ship well throughout the game, keeping the team afloat with 20 points and nine assists and steadying the ship every time the home team threatened to put the Suns in a hole.

P.J. Tucker was a rock, as usual, scoring 15 points on just nine shots and grabbing a team-high nine boards.

Overall, the Suns shots nearly 49% from the floor, hit nine of their 19 attempts from downtown, and turned the ball over just 12 times.

But it was not an offensive performance they’ll be rushing to watch on film anytime soon.


The Morris’ were a combined 7-of-20 and struggled with indecisiveness all game.  (But you have to be on the court to actually know what indecisiveness is).

The Morris Twins made the right plays when the team needed them to do so most. That's why they are the forward playmakers of the NBA 2014 year. Every player has their ups and downs. But, when you put Markeiff or Marcus on the clock and on the basketball court floor usually, they eat up the opponent and not the other way around.

If there was a six man recognition award for two people who play the game of hoop as if they are one man, Markeiff and Marcus Morris Twins would get it this year. Hands down.  

Markieff and Marcus are at their best when they pull up for jumpers with confidence or drive strong to the rim seeking contact. Neither brother did much of either in this game. Instead they forced awkward, off-balance drives and took contested jumpers. And as for Channing Frye, his cold streak continues.

Channing was very hesitant offensively. Aside from a nice jump hook in the first quarter, he did not look confident on a single shot. Frye has struggled at various points this year, but his current slump has kept him below 50% shooting for seven straight games. He has hit only six threes over that stretch, with four of them coming in the loss to the Clippers. The Suns will need Frye to figure it out soon if they want to hold onto a playoff spot.

MARKEIFF & MARCUS MORRIS TWINS PLAYMAKERS OF THE YEAR!

Markieff and Marcus Morris Twins- Suns: The Ready-Made Forward Playmakers.

Flyers Clinch Playoff Spot With 5-2 Win Over Panthers

Flyers Clinch Playoff Spot With 5-2 Win Over Panthers

SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Claude Giroux scored two goals and the Philadelphia Flyers clinched a Stanley Cup playoff berth by beating the Florida Panthers 5-2 on Tuesday.

Tye McGinn, Sean Couturier and Vincent Lecavalier also scored for the Flyers and Steve Mason made 38 saves.

The Flyers won their second consecutive game after losing the four previous games.

For full story go to:  http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/

Connecticut wins fourth NCAA title, beating Kentucky Connecticut 60, Kentucky

Connecticut wins fourth NCAA title, beating Kentucky Connecticut 60, Kentucky

Connecticut celebrates its national championship.

 ARLINGTON, Texas — The University of Connecticut, a basketball program left behind in conference realignment and ineligible for the NCAA tournament just one year ago due to academic sanctions, won its fourth and most improbable national title on Monday, beating Kentucky 60-54 at AT&T Stadium.

Getting a clutch performance from senior guard Shabazz Napier and a lot of help from the Wildcats at the free-throw line, the Huskies were left standing at the end of a physical, ugly game and secured a number of historic markers, including becoming the first No. 7 seed to win it all.

"You're looking at the hungry Huskies," Napier told the crowd and TV audience. "Ladies and gentlemen, this is what happens when you ban us."
 
Kevin Ollie, who took over the program from Jim Calhoun right before the 2012-13 season, became the first coach to win a national title in his first NCAA tournament since Steve Fisher in 1989.

And in doing so, Connecticut gave the American Athletic Conference, which was forced to split from the Big East in a messy divorce 15 months ago, a national title in its first year of existence.

"I thought this conference was good and if it held together, we could do great things," said AAC commissioner Mike Aresco. "It helps you attract kids, helps you attract coaches."
 
Asked whether he felt like the AAC got the last laugh this season, Aresco said, "No, not all all. What I have is a feeling of quiet satisfaction.​"

Ollie became the 13th coach to win a title at his alma mater and the fourth African-American coach to lead a team to an NCAA Division I men's basketball championship, joining Georgetown's John Thompson, Arkansas' Nolan Richardson and Kentucky's Tubby Smith. "We always did it together and always played as a group," Ollie said.

About missing the tournament last year, Ollie said: "I told you the last will be the first. Last year we couldn't get in the tournament. But we kept believing."
 
Though Connecticut never trailed, Kentucky threatened to come back a number of times. Ultimately, though, the Wildcats — who made their own improbable journey to the championship game as a No. 8 seed — couldn't overcome shooting 13-of-24 from the foul line.

Napier, who scored 22 points on 8-of-16 shooting, made a three-pointer with 6:50 left from the top of the key that seemed to halt Kentucky's momentum. Then DeAndre Daniels, who struggled all game and made just 4-of-14 field goals, gave Connecticut a 58-52 lead with 2:45 left on a hesitation move under the basket that put the Huskies in position to close out the title.

"We had our chances to win," Kentucky coach John Calipari said. "We just didn't have enough."
 
Connecticut scored 30 points in the first 14 minutes of the game but just 11 over the next 14, starting the second half 1-for-10 from the field and giving Kentucky reason to believe it could come back one final time.

"Til the horn blows, I was thinking, 'We are winning this game,' " Calipari said. "If I'm going to get my team to believe that, I have to believe that. We missed some shots that we needed to make.We missed some free throws. But these kids are not machines, they're not robots or computers.

"I wish I had an answer for them later in the game."

Connecticut built the lead back to 48-39 with 10:50 left until Kentucky scored the next eight points. But the Wildcats couldn't get over the hump, even as fouls mounted against Connecticut's frontcourt and Huskies guard Ryan Boatright dealt with a sore left ankle that he turned with nine minutes left.
 
"There aren't many words you can use to describe this," said Jim Calhoun, who coached Ollie and led the Huskies to three national titles. "It's so fun to watch five assistants who played for us and seven guys we recruited do this. I think the hope and prayer I had was the hardest thing Kevin faced was transitioning to be the UConn people know. We are the best championship team in the last 20 years. That's not an easy mantle to inherit and he's handled it exceptionally well."

The first half followed a familiar script for Kentucky, which trailed early by at least nine points for a fifth straight game in the NCAA tournament. Only this time, Connecticut was able to push the lead to 30-15 after 14 minutes, the Wildcats' largest deficit of the tournament.

But once again, Kentucky's resilience — and Connecticut's foul trouble — came to the surface before the end of the half. With Boatright and Daniels going to the bench with two fouls each and the Wildcats switching to a zone defense, the Huskies scored just five more points over the final six minutes of the half, allowing Kentucky to close within 35-31.​

One of the biggest differences of the game was free throw efficiency. Though Kentucky made more and shot more, it missed 11. Connecticut went 10-for-10, becoming the first team to be perfect from the line in a men's championship game. For the tournament, the Huskies were 101 for 115, or 87.8%.

Phillies Lose To Brewers, 10-4, in Home Opener

Phillies Lose To Brewers, 10-4, in Home Opener

Starting pitcher Kyle Kendrick #38 of the Philadelphia Phillies talks with Carlos Ruiz #51, pitching coach Bob McClure #22 and Ryan Howard #6 of the Philadelphia Phillies in the third inning against the Milwaukee Brewers during the home opener at Citizens Bank Park on April 8, 2014 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Ryan Braun hit three home runs and tied a franchise record with seven RBIs to lead the Milwaukee Brewers over Philadelphia 10-4 Tuesday, spoiling the Phillies’ home opener.

Coming off a three-game sweep of the World Series champion Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park, the Brewers won their fourth straight game and improved to 5-2.

Kyle Lohse (1-1) allowed three runs and seven hits in five innings, walking five.

For full story go to:  http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/

Markieff and Marcus Morris Twins Are Solid Helping Suns Win Against Thunder As Forwarded by Van Stone frontpagenews1@yahoo.com

Markieff and Marcus Morris Twins Are Solid Helping Suns Win Against Thunder As Forwarded by Van Stone frontpagenews1@yahoo.com

PHOENIX -- Guard Goran Dragic scored 26 points and forward P.J. Tucker had 11 of his career-high 21 in the fourth quarter as the Phoenix Suns outscored Oklahoma City 11-3 over the final 2:20 and scored a huge 122-115 win over the Thunder.

Forwards Markieff Morris and Marcus Morris both contributed for scores that help the Suns take the game away from the Thunder.

Guard Gerald Green added 24 points and was 5-for-7 from 3-point range for the Suns (46-31), who moved past the Memphis Grizzlies and into sole possession of the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. The Grizzlies lost to the Spurs in San Antonio and slipped to 45-32.

Forward Kevin Durant scored 38 points and set a modern-day NBA record with his 41st consecutive game scoring 25 points or more, one more than Michael Jordan had during the 1991-92 season. Guard Russell Westbrook added 33 for the Thunder, who are 23-14 on the road this season but dropped both games in

Phoenix. Durant put the Thunder up for the last time at 113-112 on two free throws with 2:39 left.

But the Suns scored the next 10 points, with forward Markieff Morris' driving layup with 2:20 left putting them up for good. Guard Eric Bledsoe had a key blocked shot and steal from Durant in the final minute and sealed the game with four free throws to give him 18 points for the night.

The Suns shot 59 percent from the field over the first three quarters but led by 94-91 after Durant led Oklahoma City to a 38-point third quarter.

Westbrook and Durant combined for 17 of 25 first-quarter points for the Thunder, who led by as many as five early. But after missing nine of their first 13 shots, the Suns made 23 of 33 for the rest of the first half -- taking a 28-25 lead to the second quarter when Dragic took over during a 34-point Phoenix eruption.

Forward Marcus Morris had six of eight points early in the quarter before Dragic scored 13 straight -- mixing in 3-pointers with off-balance drives to the hoop. His 3-pointer with 2:23 left gave the Suns their biggest lead.

Westbrook had 19 in the first half and kept the Thunder close with slashing drives before feeding Durant for a dunk to cut the Phoenix lead to four points. But Dragic drained another 3-pointer and Marcus Morris added a 17-footer to give the Suns a 62-53 lead at intermission.

Green had 11 points for the Suns in the third quarter and expanded Phoenix's lead to 14 at 85-71.

That happened on a turnaround jumper with 6:10 left. But the Thunder outscored the Suns 20-9 the rest of the way and Durant reached the 25-point mark on a driving dunk with 13.9 seconds left to pull the Thunder to within 94-91.

Durant had 12 of his team's 38 points in the quarter. NOTES: Suns F Gerald Green scored 32 points in 29 minutes in Friday's win over Portland, the fourth time this season he's scored 30 or more points in 30 minutes or less.

That's the first time a player has accomplished the feat since Michael Jordan had five for the Chicago Bulls during the 1990-91 season. Last time the Suns played the Thunder on March 6, Green had a career-high 41 points in 40 minutes. ... The two longest streaks of players scoring 25 or more points belong to Oscar Robertson (46 straight during the 1963-64 season for the Cincinnati Royals) and Wilt Chamberlain, who did it in all 80 games of the 1961-62 season with the Philadelphia Warriors. ... Suns G Goran Dragic is averaging 20.4 points a game and shooting 50.7 percent from the field and 41.7 percent from 3-point range.

The last guard to average 20 points while shooting 50 percent from the field and 40 percent from 3-point range over an entire season was the late Drazen Petrovic for the New Jersey Nets in 1992-93.