Mickelson Moves Up in Scotland: A Fan’s Take

By Dwight Crisp | Yahoo! Contributor Network

Just when you thought Phil Mickelson was going to miss yet another cut prior to the British Open he comes up with a stellar round. Mickelson came out on day one of the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open at Inverness, Scotland and shot a lackluster 1-over par 73. This put Mickelson in a tie for 123rd position after the first round. In my mind I thought Mickelson would likely miss the cut and have some extra practice time ahead of the Open Championship at Royal Lytham and St Annes that begins on July 19. It also occurred to me that Mickelson wasted his time jumping through hoops in order to get a late invite to the field and play at the Scottish Open.
However, Mickelson had a surprise for me and for others. Round two was a very different day. Phil came out of the gates ready to play and posted an 8-under par 64. Gone were the bogeys and the double bogey from the first round. In their place came only birdies and an eagle as Mickelson carded a clean round. This was Phil Mickelson's best round of competitive golf since the final round of the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. You remember, that was the one for which Tiger Woods had a front row seat. That round, also a 64, capped Mickelson's lone PGA Tour victory in 2012. In case you have forgotten, you may read my take on that round here.

This latest round at the Scottish Open could not have come at a more opportune time. Now Mickelson has the opportunity to hang around in Inverness and play the weekend at the Scottish Open to try to fine tune his game for the Open Championship. Golf is a game of confidence and a little confidence would surely help Mickelson. He will be in a position to try to make a run at the leaders as Mickelson will begin the third round five strokes behind Francesco Molinari and Alexander Noren.
Looking ahead to the Open Championship, few expected Mickelson to finish as well in the 2011 Open Championship as he did (he was one of the runners-up to Darren Clarke). Likewise, I do not think very many people expect much from Mickelson in 2012. However, he may yet have a surprise for them as well.

FA could act against Terry despite acquittal

By Julian Guyer | AFP 

John Terry could yet face disciplinary action from the Football Association (FA) despite his acquittal on a racism charge, analysts said.

Chelsea captain Terry was found not guilty of racially abusing rival player Anton Ferdinand at the end of a five-day trial at Westminster Magistrates Court in London on Friday
But Simon Boyes, senior lecturer at Nottingham Law School, said the FA still had "wiggle room" to act against Terry and that, far from hindering them, a criminal trial could help their deliberations.
The trial related to an incident involving Terry and Queens Park Rangers defender Ferdinand during a Premier League match on October 23 last year.
Terry was stripped of the England captaincy in February over the allegations. As a consequence, Fabio Capello resigned as England manager, just months before England, defender Terry included, competed in the 2012 European Championships.
Meanwhile the FA put their own disciplinary process on hold so as not to prejudice the trial.
But English football's governing body reacted to Friday's verdict by saying: "The FA notes the decision in the John Terry case and will now seek to conclude its own enquiries. The FA will make no further comment at this time."
Boyes, author of the textbook Sports Law, said the FA needn't be constrained by the court ruling.
"The FA have got quite a bit of wiggle room," he told AFP in a telephone call after Friday's verdict had been announced.
"They have different charges -- such as bringing the game into disrepute -- which require a different standard of proof.
"It may well be the criminal trial is helpful to them as they can use the evidence from that," Boyes added.
With the court ruling in Terry's favour, many of his supporters believe that should be the end of the matter.
But Boyes was not so sure.
"I would be surprised if there was no disciplinary action forthcoming. That's not necessarily due to the racial element. There are other aspects the FA could look at, such as the manner of the players' conduct."
Meanwhile Lord Herman Ouseley, chairman of the Kick it Out campaign which seeks to eradicate racism from football, urged the FA to take its own, independent, action.
"There is only one regulatory body for football and it's not the courts," Ouseley told Sky Sports.
He added: "The Football Association would have already concluded its investigations and its processes had the courts not intervened through the police and the Crown Prosecution Service.
"Their prosecution and evidence was inadequate and John Terry has been cleared of what he was charged on."
Asked if the verdict could deter players who had been racially abused coming forward in future, Ouseley said: "There is clear evidence we know that players are reluctant to come forward and raise this issue.
"It impacts on their own performance on the field, it impacts on their relationship within the club. There is a culture in the dressing room which has to be tackled, people are very fearful and do not come forward.
"We've got to work hard now to try and establish some credibility about the complaints' processes to ensure they are dealt with properly.
"That means that in future the Football Association will have to carry out its own investigations, conclude its deliberations, irrespective of whether the police get involved.
"And I am afraid the police involvement in this case has not helped it whatsoever."

First Place Sporting KC Visits Columbus Crew Saturday LIVE On WIBW

(July 13, 2012) - Eastern Conference counterparts Sporting Kansas City and Columbus Crew will meet at 6:30 p.m. CT on Saturday for the first of three match-ups in the second half of the 2012 season. The game will air live on KSMO-TV (Kansas City), KMTW (Wichita) and WIBW (Topeka), with radio coverage also available for Spanish listeners on La Gran D 1340 AM.
Sporting Kansas City supporters are invited to attend the team's official Watch Party at the LIVESTRONG Sporting Park Members' Club, with parking available in Lot D and doors opening at 5:30 p.m. CT on Saturday. Food and drink will be available to purchase, including the $3 pick special which comes with chips and the choice of a hamburger, hot dog or bratwurst. Additionally, all home Sporting Kansas City jerseys will be discounted 25% off and there will be a limited number of Jimmy Nielsen goalkeeper gloves and autographed captain flags on sale.
Sporting Kansas City, tied with D.C. United atop the East, will play the team's ninth game in less than a month and are coming off a 2-0 victory in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup semifinals at Philadelphia on Wednesday. Midfielder Roger Espinoza will play his last match with the club on Saturday before departing to join Honduras at the London 2012 Olympic Games and he returns to Columbus after attending Ohio State University.
Both teams have allowed a League-low 17 goals this season with Nielsen earning the MLS All-Star First XI nod over Crew keeper and Overland Park, Kan. native Andy Gruenebaum.
The Crew fell 2-1 at Montreal in their last outing, but welcomed the return of two-time MLS Defender of the Year Chad Marshall, who had missed the club's eight previous matches while recovering from a concussion. The Crew could also be lifted on Saturday by the debut of discovery signing and Costa Rican international Jairo Arrieta. The 28-year-old striker was acquired from Saprissa and has been with the club since early June, but did not become eligible to play until earlier this month.
Columbus holds the edge in the all-time regular season series with a 20-18-5 record, including a 12-8-3 mark at home. Sporting Kansas City has only won once in their last seven trips to Columbus in MLS competition, a 1-0 win that came exactly two years from Saturday on Teal Bunbury's first career MLS goal.
Sporting Kansas City supporters can also follow the game online via @SKCGameday on Twitter and the MLSSoccer.com MatchCenter, or on mobile devices with Sporting Explore and MLS MatchDay apps.

Sluggish Serena advances in Stanford

By Matt Cronin | Reuters – Thu, Jul 12, 2012 2:25 AM EDT

• Serena Williams returns a shot against Nicole Gibbs during the Bank of the West Classic women's tennis tournament on the Stanford University campus in …

STANFORD, California (Reuters) - Sluggish Serena Williams struggled through her jet lag to complete a 6-2 6-1 victory over collegiate champion Nicole Gibbs in the second round of the Stanford Classic on Wednesday.

Williams, who picked up the Wimbledon singles and doubles titles at the weekend, was not at her best but served and returned well enough to defeat the 19-year-old American.
"I couldn't quite believe I was playing today," Williams said. "But I'm healthy and I have a heartbeat so I didn't have a reason not to.
"I definitely felt sluggish and it was good to get the win over with, I'm still waking up at 2 A.M."
Gibbs said she had been nervous playing against someone she admired so much.
"“She is such a hero to me and I had her so built up in my mind I thought she was going to do no wrong," Gibbs said. "I collected a lot of experience points out there, if not physical points."
Williams will meet sixth seed Channelle Scheepers in the quarter-finals after the South African earned a 6-3 6-4 victory over Michelle Larcher De Brito of Portugal.
Former world number one Jelena Jankovic continued her sub par 2012 when she was defeated by Coco Vandeweghe 6-4 6-2. It was the Serb's third consecutive first round defeat.
The 20-year-old Vandeweghe scored her third win over a top 20 player. She had lost to the Serbian four years ago, but felt much more comfortable on Wednesday.
"“Her pace isn't as intimidating when I was a little slow and not making that many balls in the court," Vandeweghe said.
"“Having that confidence against someone who moves as well as she does and to keep going for my shots, I thought I did really well today."
Fifth seed Yanina Wickmayer struggled to a 5-7 6-1 6-4 win over Britain's Heather Watson.
"“It was long and really tough," Wickmayer said. “"She didn't make a lot of mistakes. In the second set I told myself to be more aggressive.
"In the third set we were even and it was just a few points between us. Maybe it was experience and a little bit of luck."
(Editing by Peter Rutherford)

Russia talks to Capello about manager post

By Dmitry Zaks | AFP – 12 hours ago

Russia's football bosses talked to ex-England manager Fabio Capello on Thursday in the hope of convincing one of the sport's biggest names to revive the flagging fortunes of the national squad.

Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko gave no details of the negotiations amid reports that the globetrotting 66-year-old Italian was asking for the whopping annual sum of seven million euros ($8.5 million).
"From here, we move on to the next candidate," Mutko was quoted as saying by the RIA Novosti news agency.
"I think that over the course of a week -- certainly by next Tuesday -- all the consultations with the managers on our list... will be held."
Capello's name was one of 13 to feature in an extraordinary list of possible managerial targets that Russia was forced to release to dispel rumours that it had already secretly hired a coach.
The wish list includes such giants as ex-Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola and one-time Liverpool chief Rafael Benitez as well as former Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp.
The Englishman for one wasted no time brushing off the Russian approaches but telling The Sun that "I haven't been contacted but I'm sure it's a fantastic job for someone."
But Capello's name has clearly interested suffering fans the most. The ex-England manager was rumoured to be the Russian Football Union's first choice and reportedly eager to accept the lucrative and high-profile assignment.
One football union official told the Lifesports.ru website that Capello had given "an agreement in principle to head the Russian team" as long as his pay request was met.
An unnamed Italian official told the Sport Express daily's website that both sides came away satisfied with the talks.
The Russian sports minister added to the speculation by putting Capello on a par with Guus Hiddink -- a legend in Russia who showed flashes of coaching brilliance while guiding the unfancied side to the Euro 2008 semi-finals.
The Italian "would be a good option for Russia. He knows how to win," Mutko earlier told reporters.
"You only have to look at his record," Mutko said of a man who won five title trophies in Italy's Serie A -- seven save for two that were stripped from Juventus -- and who twice led Real Madrid to the top of La Liga.
The post became vacant when Dick Advocaat left for the Dutch league after the much-vaunted team's meek first round exit from Euro 2012.
Russia's shock failure to qualify out of what many though was the event's weakest group left the team low on morale and limited in choices as it assumes the challenge of making it to the 2014 World Cup.
But the bigger prize will come in 2018 when Russia becomes the first Eastern European country to host the world's most watched event.
Russian football is now torn between picking a coach with a long-term horizon or someone like Capello who can help make a more immediate impact while bringing the team big name recognition as well.
Some of the country's most respected sport commentators are actually rooting against Capello because they would prefer the more long-term approach.
"He is one of the world's top five managers. But his candidacy is not a good fit," television analyst presenter Vasily Utkin told the Sports.ru website.
"He cannot do what is needed most -- reload the team and do more teaching," said Utkin. "He will set the goal of making the 2014 World Cup finals and then forget about the whole thing."
The new coach is expected to be announced by the time the 2012-2013 season kicks off at the end of next week.

The Chicago 13

Friday the 13th a good time to go over local lore

By Shannon Ryan, Chicago Tribune reporter

10:12 p.m. CDT, July 12, 2012

Few cities believe their sports fields, arenas and stadiums have a dark cloud of bad karma on them like Chicago.
From black cats to billy goats, hexing cheerleaders to angry coaches, the sports Bears, Blackhawks, Cubs and White Sox have a storied history when it comes to superstitions.
On Friday the 13th, Chicago fans can cross their fingers, avoid walking under ladders, close umbrellas indoors and celebrate some of their most superstitious athletes and cursed sports franchises.
1. Has to be the shorts. Michael Jordan and the Bulls didn't run into much negative karma during his days with the Bulls. Maybe it's because he was one of the most superstitious players ever to compete in the city, wearing his North Carolina Tar Heels college shorts under his uniform every game.
2. Fire and ice. Stan Mikita, the Hall-of-Fame Blackhawks center, flicked a lit cigarette butt over his left shoulder as he took the ice as a pregame ritual. That probably would break a few fire code laws today but it worked for Mikita in the 1960s.
3. Who smells now? Don't call yourself a Chicagoan unless you can recite to out-of-town visitors the tale of the Billy Goat Curse. Tavern owner William Sianis was asked to leave the fourth game of the World Series between the Cubs and Tigers in 1945 because of the smelly pet billy goat he brought into Wrigley Field. Outraged, Sianis left putting a hex on the team, stating the World Series never would be played in Wrigley Field again. Obviously, his curse lives on.
4. Mr. Clean. All-Star Minnie Minoso found a cure for going hitless in a game for the White Sox. He blamed his uniform and decided the best way to achieve a clean slate was to shower with it on. The next day, he had three hits and his teammates jumped in the shower with their uniforms on as well after the game.
5. Bad News Bears. The Curse of the Honey Bears sounds like a Disney movie but Bears fans might consider it a serious curse on their team. The club hired a cheerleading squad in 1977 that became known as the Honey Bears. While there was talk of disbanding them earlier, their contract ran through 1985 — the season the Bears suffered only one loss and won the Super Bowl. Their contract was not renewed and the Bears have not won a Super Bowl since.
6. No. 13. Ozzie Guillen doesn't care what anyone thinks about what he has to say. Why would he care what implications come with wearing supposedly unlucky uniform No. 13? The former White Sox player and manager has worn the cursed number throughout his career, but it wasn't meant to thumb his nose at luck. He wore it to honor another Venezuelan shortstop, Dave Concepcion. When Omar Vizquel joined the White Sox, he deferred to Guillen and switched to No. 11.
7. Don't touch. The Blackhawks honored tradition and avoided touching the Campbell Cup after winning the Western Conference finals in 2010. Captain Jonathan Toews would barely look at it. The Flyers, however, defied superstition and embraced the Prince of Wales Trophy. Did it wind up costing the Flyers and helping the Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup in six games?
8. Nine lives. The Cubs' 1969 collapse is pinned on the most cursed creature. At Shea Stadium on Sept. 9, a black cat sauntered behind the Cubs on-deck circle where Ron Santo was taking swings. The Cubs lost 7-1 to complete a two-game losing streak to the Mets, who pulled to within a half game of the division lead. The Cubs soon fell out of first place and lost 17 of their last 25 games as the Mets went on to win the World Series.
9. Cookie Monster of the Midway. Bears middle linebacker Brian Urlacher defines the team's old-school toughness. But his pregame ritual is more like that of a preschooler. He eats two chocolate chip cookies before every game.
10. Do crime, do time. The White Sox went 86 years without a World Series and some blame the 1919 Black Sox scandal. Shoeless Joe Jackson and teammates allegedly threw games for money, prompting speculation the team was under a bad spell until 2005's championship season.
11. Bad luck Bartman. As famous as the Billy Goat Curse is now, the legend of Steve Bartman has grown. The unsuspecting Cubs fan in a green turtleneck and headphones who unwittingly reached out for a foul ball in the 2003 playoff game against the Marlins is considered a pariah to some. If Moises Alou had caught the deflected ball, the Cubs would have been four outs away from winning the National League pennant. Instead, they lost the game and were eliminated in the next game. It confirmed to many that the Cubs are indeed still a cursed organization.
12. Another Chicago curse. The Curse of Muldoon is considered one of the earliest and most publicized hexes in sports and was blamed for the Blackhawks not finishing in first place in league play from 1938 to 1967. After losing in the first round of the 1927 playoffs, owner Frederic McLaughlin fired coach Pete Muldoon, who was written to have said, "Fire me, Major, and you'll never finish first. I'll put a curse on this team that will hoodoo it until the end of time." Despite winning the Stanley Cup in 1934, '38 and '61, the Hawks did not finish first in the standings.
13. Cover jinx. Before the Bears faced the Packers in the NFC championship game in 2011, quarterback Jay Cutler appeared on the Sports Illustrated cover. That decided the outcome for many superstitious Bears fans. Cutler injured his knee, left the game and the Packers won.

 

Chris Neil a Senator for life

By DON BRENNAN, QMI Agency 

OTTAWA - Moments after the Senators officially locked up their toughest player for four more seasons, GM Bryan Murray declared he is in the marketplace for a reasonable facsimile.

Chris Neil signed a three-year contract extension on Thursday with the Senators. (Tony Caldwell, Ottawa Sun)

 
And yes, the sigh of relief you may have just heard probably came from Chris Neil.
If the season started today, nobody would feel the loss of departed free agents Matt Carkner and Zenon Konopka more than Neil, the Senators’ 33-year-old right winger who will be paid $5.75 million after the expiration of his current deal next season to not just produce, but also protect his teammates until 2016.
Neil, the franchise’s all-time penalty minutes leader, had plenty of assistance in the enforcer role before Carkner and Konopka were allowed to bolt.
Murray stated Thursday he’ll soon have more.
“There’s pressure (on Neil), no question,” said Murray. “We hope to help him. Now, we have to address that vacancy somehow, and we’ll try to do that.”
However, Murray doesn’t see anything on the list of remaining unrestricted free agents that tickles his fancy. So he’s turning to Plan B.
“I think that at some point here in the near future, I have to address it in another form, whether it be by trade or whatever,” said Murray. “But it’s probably a trade.”
Neil’s annual salary will actually drop slightly from the $2 million he’ll earn in 2012-13. Not that he minds, as the Senators will now pay him $1,916,667 a year until he’s 37.
The Senators’ sixth-round pick in 1998 readily accepted that option rather than test the open market next July 1.
“I love the city, love the organization, and to be able to have the opportunity to play here another four years, it’s unbelievable,” said Neil, who relishes his off-season role as honorary chairman of Roger’s House. “I talked to Bryan after the season about trying to get something done before (next) season started, just so free agency wasn’t weighing on my mind through the season, so I could just show up and play hockey, do what I do best. Just go out and play.
“So to be able to get something done, obviously I’m excited about it and I hope the team is excited about it, too.”
Neil will become the third player to suit up for 1,000 games as a Senator if he averages 67 appearances a year over the length of his contract. Given the way he recklessly throws his body around and fights all comers, the feat would be nothing short of remarkable.
Daniel Alfredsson and Chris Phillips are the only Senators to reach the 1,000-game plateau.
“To be able to give myself the opportunity to do that, it’s going to be awesome,” said Neil. “I’ve been very fortunate with injuries and stuff, that I’ve been able to play through some stuff and get a ton of games under my belt. So another four years gives me a lot more games, and hopefully pushes me over that mark. That would be an unbelievable milestone.”
While Neil says he came into the league as a fighter, he has developed into a defensively responsible player who has hit the double-digit mark in goals five times, including last season, when he scored 13 times and added 15 assists. His bread and butter, however, is the physical game.
“The time I’ve been in Ottawa, Chris has become a better hockey player,” said Murray. “He’s understanding of the role, and he’s second to none in the league, in my opinion.”
Indeed, Neil is regularly among the league leaders in hits, and if there was a category strictly for devastating bodychecks he would likely sit at the top of it year after year. He also remains one of the best pugilists in the NHL.
“Fighting, for me, is part of the game,” said Neil. “There’s nothing better than going out to a hockey game and seeing a good tilt on the ice. I think it always will be part of the game.
“Obviously the day of staged fighting is coming to an end, but I’m all for two guys battling in front of the net, and if they don’t like the way one another hit each other, or they hit the goalie or whatever, instincts take over. That’s where you see some really good fights.
“Carks and Zee were big parts of the team last year. Great guys that fit in well. You hate to see guys like that go. But we’ve got guys that can step in. We’ve still got lots of toughness here.
“Obviously it adds a little more pressure on me, but I look at last year and most of my fights were against heavyweights, anyway,” Neil added. o. But we’ve got guys that can step in. We’ve still got lots of toughness here. “Obviously it adds a little more pressure on me, but I look at last year and most of my fights were against heavyweights anyway,” Neil added. “That’s what kind of makes me a unique player. I can dabble in the middleweight and I can step up in the heavyweight. I can do both. I think with my size, middleweights think they can hang in there, and you’re able to catch some heavyweights off guard.”
ICE CHIPS: How popular is Neil in Ottawa? Whether it’s an accurate indication or not, when a photo of him signing his extension was placed on the team’s Facebook page, it generated 2501 “likes” in the first four hours ... As it currently stands, the Senators have four players eligible to become UFAs next summer: Alfredsson, Sergei Gonchar, Peter Regin and Mike Lundin.