Bedlam game has Big 12 championship feel
November 28, 2011
There is no longer a Large 12 championship game considering that there are only 10 teamsand a round-robin schedule.
There is still a championship-like finale coming this Saturday whenthird-ranked Oklahoma State (ten-1, 7-1 Major 12) and 13th-ranked Oklahoma (9-two,6-2) play their annual Bedlam game for an automatic BCS berth.
No. 16 Kansas State (9-two, 6-2) plays its typical season finale Saturdayagainst Iowa State.
If the Wildcats and Oklahoma win, they and Oklahoma State would have thesame records. Oklahoma would get the BCS berth on head-to-head record.
Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops says he wouldn’t view it as a three-way tie forthe Large 12 title if that takes place. He says the theme of the round-robin play wasthat there would be “one accurate champion due to the fact everybody’s playing each other.”
Rays sign C Jose Molina to $1.8M deal
November 28, 2011
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP)—Catcher Jose Molina(notes) and the Tampa Bay Rays haveagreed to a $1.8 million, one-year contract.
Molina gets a $1.five million salary for subsequent season under Monday’s agreement,and the Rays hold a $1.8 million alternative for 2013 with a $300,000 buyout.
The 36-year-old hit a career-finest .281 this year with three homers and 15RBIs in 55 games. He is keeping up his tour of the AL East following stints withthe New York Yankees (2007-09) and Toronto (2010-11). He has thrown of 62 of 170runners attempting to steal in the last 4 seasons, at 36.5 the top percentagein the huge leagues.
The brother of Bengie and Yadier Molina(notes), he also has played for the ChicagoCubs (1999) and the Angels (2001-07).
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Kentucky makes return to No. 1 in Top 25
November 28, 2011
Kentucky is back at No. 1 in The Related Press’ college basketball pollfor the first time given that the 2009-10 season. Saint Louis is back in the Top 25for the very first time since 1993-94.
The Wildcats (6-) replaced North Carolina, which had been No. 1 due to the fact thepreseason poll, on Monday, receiving 46 first-location votes from the 65-membernational media panel. The Tar Heels (5-1) dropped to fifth following their 90-80loss to UNLV in the championship game of the Las Vegas Invitational.
Ohio State (6-) moved up from third to second and had 17 very first-location votes,whilst Duke (7-), which won the EA Sports Maui Invitational, jumped from sixthto third and had the other two No. 1 votes.
Syracuse, North Carolina, Louisville, Baylor, Connecticut, Wisconsin andFlorida rounded out the best ten.
UNLV (7-) utilized the win more than North Carolina to move in at 18th. The Runnin’Rebels were ranked for 4 weeks last season.
Saint Louis (6-), which beat Boston College, Villanova and Oklahoma to winthe 76 Classic, moves in at No. 23, the Billikens’ very first time in the poll inalmost two decades.
North Carolina is at Kentucky on Saturday, a matchup that would have had No.1 facing No. two.
This is Kentucky’s 90th week at No. 1, fourth on the all-time list behindUCLA (134), Duke (122) and North Carolina (108).
Before the 1-week appearance at No. 1 in 2009-ten, the Wildcats’ last timeon leading of the rankings was the final poll of 2002-03.
Xavier moved up 1 place to 11th and was followed by Alabama, Missouri,Michigan, Kansas, Marquette, Pittsburgh, UNLV, Gonzaga and Vanderbilt. The lastfive ranked teams were Mississippi State, Memphis, Saint Louis, California andTexas A&M.
Florida State (five-two) dropped out from 22nd following losses to Harvard andConnecticut in the Battle four Atlantis.
Arizona (four-two) fell from No. 23 after a house loss to San Diego State.
Missouri had the week’s biggest jump, using easy wins more than Notre Dame,California and Binghamton to move from 21st to No. 13. Memphis, which lost toMichigan and Georgetown in the Maui Invitational, had the biggest fall, droppingfrom No. 8 to 22nd.
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Ohio St. set to introduce Meyer as coach
November 28, 2011
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP)—Urban Meyer is returning to coaching—and to hisroots.
The former Florida coach and Ohio native will take more than at Ohio State, aprogram with a glittering past that has suffered by means of a difficult year ofNCAA violations, suspensions and a 6-6 record.
The university scheduled a five:15 p.m. news conference to introduce its newcoach. But it did not mention Meyer, even although there are many reports thatMeyer has already agreed on a multiyear contract that could pay him nearly $6million a year.
Much more on Meyer Forde: Coachs credibility takes hit Wetzel: OSU-Michigan about to heat up 
Urban Meyer will take more than an Ohio State plan that has gone 6-6 in 2011.(US Presswire)
Right after wild speculation for weeks about Meyer and Ohio State, ESPN reportedon Monday morning that the two sides had reached an agreement. Meyer has been agame analyst for the network for the past year.
Meyer won two national championships in six years as the coach at Florida.He left the Gators a year ago, citing well being concerns and a desire to invest moretime with his household. Now, the 47-year-old will return to the place exactly where hiscollege coaching profession began in 1986.
Earle Bruce, who was the head coach at Ohio State when Meyer was a graduateassistant, has remained a close friend and confidant of Meyer through the years.He said he had no concerns about Meyer’s wellness troubles.
“Well, if he’d had a heart attack and his heart was negative, I’d be worriedabout that,” the 70-year-old Bruce stated on Monday. “I’m not worried that hewas stressed out over the game of football because he was thinking too considerably andnot undertaking some points (exercising) that would have kept him straight. I feel hegot everything back under control by sitting out a year. I feel he missedfootball. And he’s good at it.”
Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith and other university officials didnot respond to requests for comment. There are reports a team meeting set forSunday night was moved to Monday afternoon before the news conference.
Meyer takes more than a program that has been hit by several suspensions and theforced resignation of coach Jim Tressel. The Buckeyes completed a 6-6 seasonunder interim Luke Fickell with a 40-34 loss to rival Michigan on Saturday.
In ten seasons as a head coach—two at Bowling Green, two at Utah and six atFlorida—Meyer has a 104-23 record, winning 3 national coach of the yearawards. His teams are 7-1 in bowl games, including the Gators’ 41-14 victoryover unbeaten and top-ranked Ohio State in the 2007 Bowl Championship Seriestitle game. They are also 4- in BCS bowl games.
Meyer had persistently denied all the speak surrounding him and Ohio State.Soon following Tressel was pressured to resign, Meyer mentioned he wasn’t interested inleaving ESPN, exactly where he was a college football analyst.
“I am committed to ESPN and will not pursue any coaching opportunities thisfall,” he mentioned in a statement released the day after Tressel lost his job. Justlast week he mentioned no job had been offered to him nor was he pursuing one.
His comments came amid weeks of speculation he was Ohio State’s 1st choiceto take more than at Ohio State.
He inherits a plan nonetheless facing NCAA sanctions. But he also inherits ayoung team led by a freshman quarterback, Braxton Miller, who would appear to be aperfect fit for his spread offense.
A native of Ashtabula, Ohio, Meyer becomes the 24th head coach at OhioState. He succeeds Fickell, who took more than last spring when Tressel’s 10-yearreign came crashing down. Tressel was forced out for realizing but not telling hissuperiors that Buckeyes players had most likely broken NCAA guidelines by taking cashand no cost or discounted tattoos from the subject of a federal drug-traffickinginvestigation.
Tressel was forced to resign on May well 30. Missing many leading players becauseof NCAA suspensions stemming from the tattoo mess, the Buckeyes were hit withmore suspensions when 3 players accepted $200 in cash for attending acharity event and others had been forced to sit out or had their existingsuspensions extended for getting overpaid for summer jobs.
Ohio State’s .500 record marked the most losses at Ohio State considering that JohnCooper’s 1999 team also went 6-6 overall and 3-five in the Big Ten.
The Buckeyes had already lost their string of six Big Ten titles when theschool was forced to vacate the 2010 season for the NCAA violations. The schoolhas also self-imposed two years of NCAA probation, supplied to return $339,000 inbowl revenue from 2010 and to give up five scholarships over the next threeseasons.
Ohio State is awaiting final word from the NCAA’s committee on infractions.The committee tagged Ohio State with a “failure to monitor” label—secondonly to a lack of institutional manage on the list of most egregious chargesagainst a university. The school could nonetheless be hit with a bowl ban, a loss ofmore scholarships, or other penalties.
At the time of his retirement—after getting taken to a hospital, dehydratedand complaining of chest pains—Meyer mentioned, “After spending much more than twodecades motivating and celebrating the young guys I’ve been so proud to coach, Irelish the chance to cheer for my 3 terrific children as they compete intheir own respective sports. I know how fortunate I am to be in a position tomake this selection.”
He and his family—wife Shelley, college-age daughters Nicki and Gigi andyounger son Nate—celebrated Thanksgiving at their Florida home.
Horschel one of many chasing future at q-school (PGATOUR.com)
November 28, 2011
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla.—A year ago at q-school, Billy Horschel had to wait till the final hole of the final round to see if he would get a PGA TOUR card. Thanks to a bogey by Will Strickler—a former teammate of Horschel’s at the University of Florida—Horschel produced it on the number and got his card.
Quick forward to the final month of the 2011 season and Horschel was in a similar predicament, this time needing to play his way up from the depths of the dollars list to secure his playing privileges for subsequent season.
In his 1st 19 begins this year, Horschel had missed 13 cuts and earned just under $200,000. Over his next five begins, on the other hand, he didn’t finish outside the best 30, which included a tie for 10th at the Reno-Tahoe Open and a tie for seventh at the Frys.com Open, where he shot a final-round 65.
He followed that with a pair of 64s the first two rounds of The McGladrey Classic, where he went into the final day trailing by a shot and seemingly destined to keep away from a return trip to what many look at golf’s toughest tournament.
Instead, he shot 75 to tumble into a tie for 20th.
“I was a lot more nervous about playing properly,” Horschel mentioned. “I didn’t want to mess up at all. It wasn’t my day.”
Or his week.
A couple of days later Horschel missed the cut at the Young children’s Miracle Network Hospitals Classic to finish outside the top 125 on the final cash list. As a result he’s headed back to q-school, which begins Wednesday at PGA West.
“I wish I would’ve had a week or a couple additional days [right after McGladrey] to deflate,” Horschel said. “I practiced [at Disney] Tuesday and Wednesday and you get out there and absolutely nothing’s seriously happening. You’re attempting not to think ‘God, I need to have to play nicely.’
“I was just worn out from the week prior to. I didn’t deal with [McGladrey] the way I wanted coming in.”
As a result, Horschel, who had spent significantly of his rookie season in 2010 on his couch following season-ending wrist surgery in February, will be generating his third trip to q-school in as several years.
He was prosperous every of the last two trips, but it’s not a location quite a few imagined the former Gator would be.
In 2006, Horschel won individual medalist honors at the U.S. Amateur, exactly where he posted an opening-round 60 prior to becoming a four-time All-American at the University of Florida. He was twice named the Southeastern Conference Player of the Year and in 2007 posted a three-1 record in the Walker Cup.
Horschel turned pro in 2009 and later that year finished seventh at q-school, seemingly destined for a permanent spot on the TOUR.
But just 4 begins into the 2010 season, Horschel tore a tendon in his left wrist. He didn’t play once more until August on the Nationwide Tour, where he missed four of 5 cuts.
“You may possibly be wholesome, but your confidence and the way you believe and really feel out there isn’t the same, and the trust take a small bit longer,” Horschel stated. “You make compensations for having a bum wrist and when you come back wholesome you try to get out of those poor habits.
“It took me longer than I thought and I possibly stood in my own way.”
The only factor standing in the way of a now healthy Horschel is six days of q-school.
If there’s a positive for Horschel, it’s that by finishing 140th on the dollars list he will at least have conditional status on TOUR subsequent year—meaning he would likely get a thing in the neighborhood of 15 or a lot more begins.
That of course is not the case for most in the field this week at PGA West, where Horschel thinks his encounter will be a benefit.
“I’m not in a dreadful place exactly where I’m attempting to figure out what I’m going to do subsequent,” Horschel said. “If I do what I did the last couple of months I’ll be fine.”
Report: Meyer hired as Ohio State coach
November 28, 2011
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP)—Urban Meyer is coming back to coaching and joiningbeleaguered Ohio State, ESPN reported Monday.
The sports network did not cite a source for its report, but Meyer workedfor ESPN the past year. There are unconfirmed reports he has agreed to amultiyear contract that will pay him virtually $6 million a year.
Meyer won two national championships in six years as the coach at Florida.He left the Gators a year ago, citing wellness issues and a want to spend moretime with his family. Now, the 47-year-old Ohioan will be returning to his rootsby becoming coach of a Buckeyes team facing NCAA troubles.
Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith did not immediately respond to arequest for comment. No announcement has been set by Ohio State, despite the fact that therewere reports a team meeting set for Sunday night has been moved to Mondayafternoon.
Meyer takes more than a plan that has been hit by many suspensions and theforced resignation of coach Jim Tressel. The Buckeyes completed a 6-6 seasonunder interim Luke Fickell with a 40-34 loss to rival Michigan on Saturday.
In ten seasons as a head coach—two at Bowling Green, two at Utah and six atFlorida—Meyer has a 104-23 record, winning three national coach of the yearawards. His teams are 7-1 in bowl games, including the Gators’ 41-14 victoryover unbeaten and top-ranked Ohio State in the 2007 Bowl Championship Seriestitle game. They are also 4- in BCS bowl games.
Meyer had persistently denied all the speak surrounding him and Ohio State.Soon soon after Tressel was pressured to resign, Meyer said he wasn’t interested inleaving ESPN, exactly where he was a college football analyst.
“I am committed to ESPN and will not pursue any coaching opportunities thisfall,” he mentioned in a statement released the day soon after Tressel lost his job. Justlast week he stated no job had been offered to him nor was he pursuing 1.
His comments came amid weeks of speculation he was Ohio State’s initially choiceto take more than a program that has a glittering past but has faltered more than atroublesome last 12 months.
He inherits a program still facing NCAA sanctions. But he also inherits ayoung team led by a freshman quarterback, Braxton Miller, who would appear to be aperfect fit for his spread offense.
A native of Ashtabula, Ohio, Meyer becomes the 24th head coach at OhioState. He succeeds Fickell, who took more than last spring when Tressel’s 10-yearreign came crashing down. Tressel was forced out for figuring out but not telling hissuperiors that Buckeyes players had most most likely broken NCAA guidelines by taking cashand free or discounted tattoos from the topic of a federal drug-traffickinginvestigation.
Tressel was forced to resign on May 30. Missing various top players becauseof NCAA suspensions stemming from the tattoo mess, the Buckeyes had been hit withmore suspensions when three players accepted $200 in cash for attending acharity event and others were forced to sit out or had their existingsuspensions extended for becoming overpaid for summer jobs.
Ohio State’s .500 record marked the most losses at Ohio State given that JohnCooper’s 1999 team also went 6-6 overall and three-five in the Big Ten.
The Buckeyes had already lost their string of six Major Ten titles when theschool was forced to vacate the 2010 season for the NCAA violations. The schoolhas also self-imposed two years of NCAA probation, supplied to return $339,000 inbowl income from 2010 and to give up five scholarships over the subsequent threeseasons.
Ohio State is awaiting final word from the NCAA’s committee on infractions.The committee tagged Ohio State with a “failure to monitor” label—secondonly to a lack of institutional control on the list of most egregious chargesagainst a university. The school could still be hit with a bowl ban, a loss ofmore scholarships, or other penalties.
At the time of his retirement—after getting taken to a hospital, dehydratedand complaining of chest pains—Meyer stated, “After spending more than twodecades motivating and celebrating the young men I’ve been so proud to coach, Irelish the chance to cheer for my three terrific children as they compete intheir own respective sports. I know how fortunate I am to be in a position tomake this choice.”
He and his household—wife Shelley, college-age daughters Nicki and Gigi andyounger son Nate—celebrated Thanksgiving at their Florida household.
Pic to drive for F1 team Marussia next year
November 28, 2011
PARIS (AP)—Charles Pic will drive for Marussia in Formula One next year,replacing Belgian driver Jerome d’Ambrosio.
Virgin Racing, which will re-brand as Marussia Virgin Racing subsequent season,announced on its web site that the 21-year-old Frenchman will drive alongsideTimo Glock of Germany in their new-appear team.
D’Ambrosio drove with Glock at last weekend’s Brazilian Grand Prix in thefinal race of the season. Neither managed to score a point throughout the whole F1season.
Pic impressed in the course of the young drivers’ test held in the course of the Abu Dhabi GP,and spent the past two seasons competing in the GP2 Series.
Moscow-based sports car manufacturer Marussia Motoring became VirginRacing’s controlling stake-holder last February.
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Golf-World Cup winner Woodland dreaming of Ryder debut (Reuters)
November 28, 2011
By Bernie McGuire
HAIKOU, China, Nov 28 (Reuters) – Gary Woodland istargeting a United States Ryder Cup debut in Illinois nextSeptember after combining with Matt Kuchar to win the World Cupteam competition.
“The Ryder Cup has generally been a big objective of mine and thatgoal is now considerably additional crucial immediately after Matt and I won the WorldCup,” Woodland told Reuters in an interview.
“Ever considering that I turned specialist I have dreamt about beingin a U.S. Ryder Cup team and it now appears a major step closer.
“I had the aim at the start out of the year to make thePresidents Cup. That didn’t pan out but then Matt chose me topartner him in the World Cup and I could not have been happier.”
Sunday’s victory in China indicates the U.S. now hold thePresidents Cup and Globe Cup trophies and the only professionalteam title no longer in their possession is the Ryder Cup.
Woodland, who landed his first U.S. PGA Tour victory at theTransitions Championship in Florida in March, said hisexperiences at the Mission Hills resort last week would assist himin his quest to qualify for the team that will be captained byDavis Love III subsequent year.
House TURF
“Europe has kind of had the States’s number in most of therecent Ryder Cups but it would be nice to be in the team thatwin back the trophy on household turf,” mentioned the 27-year-old.
“It’s been a extended whilst given that the States had the Ryder Cup,Globe Cup and Presidents Cup in the same trophy cabinet but forme winning the Globe Cup is going to be a large inspiration tomake the Ryder Cup team.
“Any time you can prove you can play foursomes and fourballsin a team format it surely helps. It assists my confidence andit further boosts Matt’s confidence given that he was also onthe winning Presidents Cup side the week before,” addedWoodland.
“Hopefully each he and I can play properly adequate in 2012 tomake Davis’s side. I grew up watching the Ryder Cup and it wouldbe an honour for me to play.”
He said the fatherly method that the likes of PhilMickelson and Jim Furyk adopted at the Presidents Cup inAustralia could only bolster the probabilities of the American team.
“There are now a lot of younger players who could qualifyfor the next Ryder Cup side,” Woodland explained.
“The robust aspect of the U.S. team is there are guys likePhil Mickelson and Jim Furyk, who I heard had been superb in thePresidents Cup and had been acting quite a lot like coaches down therein Australia.
“They were extremely useful to the younger members of the teamand that’s some thing Matt undertook with me this week. He wasalways quite positive, extremely encouraging and constantly really helpfulin putting me at ease.
“Now the likelihood the next Ryder Cup team is going to bemuch younger than we’ve seen in a long time, it’s great thatplayers like Phil, Jim and Matt are taking on this father-likerole.”
Woodland, who is ranked 48th in the world, mentioned he benefitedhugely from combining with number 11 Kuchar at the World Cup.
“I’ve learned so much from playing alongside Matt and that’sgoing to be a wonderful springboard for me to take into 2012,” hesaid.
“I also hope Davis has taken some notes since I hope I’veproved I can handle myself capably in a team format.” (Editing by Tony Jimenez. To comment on this story:sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)
OneAsia plans more tournaments, prizemoney
November 28, 2011
HONG KONG (AP)—The OneAsia golf tour says it expects an expansion in itsschedule for next year and elevated prizemoney regardless of an organizationalrestructuring and the resignation of chief executive Ben Sellenger.
OneAsia mentioned Monday that its Singapore workplace will close as component of acentralization of operations in Hong Kong.
Chairman Sang Y. Chun stated the move “will facilitate our plans fordevelopment and further expansion.”
He stated the 2012 schedule will be released soon, with an expansion on the2011 calendar of ten tournaments, of which all but 3 were co-sanctioned withother tours.
Sellenger, who had been chief executive since the formation of OneAsia in2008, had left to “pursue other challenges.”
Astros fire GM Wade, president Smith
November 28, 2011
HOUSTON (AP)—The Houston Astros fired general manager Ed Wade and teampresident Tal Smith on Sunday night in the initial of the adjustments promised by newowner Jim Crane.
The moves come much less than a week soon after the sale of the team from DraytonMcLane to Crane was officially completed last Tuesday, a transaction thatrequires the franchise to move from the NL Central to the AL West in 2013.
In a news conference on the day owners approved the sale on Nov. 17, Cranevowed to meet with all the executives and “make some incredibly, very quickadjustments.”
And he did, with the Astros announcing the moves late Sunday night in astatement from new team president and chief executive officer George Postolos.
“With the modify in ownership, we would like a fresh start in baseballoperations,” Postolos said. “We have told Ed Wade and Tal Smith that we aremaking a alter.”
The search for a new common manager will start instantly. Assistantgeneral manager Dave Gottfried will serve as interim GM, but will not beconsidered for the permanent job.
Postolos mentioned the Astros want a candidate who has a powerful commitment toplayer development essential for lengthy-term success.
“Our objective is to consistently compete for a championship, and we know thefirst step towards that objective is to create one of the leading farm systems inbaseball,” Postolos said. “We will employ the greatest candidate obtainable toachieve our goal.”
Wade was hired in September 2007 following spending the previous two years as aprofessional scout for the San Diego Padres. He was the general manager of thePhiladelphia Phillies from 1998 till he was fired following the 2005 season.
The Astros produced a 13-game improvement in Wade’s initially season as generalmanager and finished 86-75. But that would be their only winning season underWade as they won 74 games in 2009 and 76 in 2010 prior to posting this year’sfranchise-worst mark of 56-106.
In the last two years Wade traded away stars such Lance Berkman(notes), MichaelBourn(notes), Roy Oswalt(notes) and Hunter Pence(notes) for mainly young prospects, saying he had“inherited a fairly barren farm program” that he had to replenish.
Smith, who has been team president since 1994, has spent additional than 50 yearsas a baseball executive and additional than 30 of those years have been with theAstros. He worked for the franchise in its very first season in 1962 when the teamwas identified as the Houston Colt .45s and remained in Houston until 1972.
He spent some time operating for the Yankees just before returning as generalmanager of the Astros from 1975-80.
Smith’s input was important in the development of both the Astrodome and MinuteMaid Park. A tiny hill in center field at Minute Maid Park is known as Tal’sHill as a nod to his work on the project.
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