Giants win, the Giants win

DETROIT >> Finally pressed in the World Series, the San Francisco Giants finished off a most unexpected and stunning sweep.

Marco Scutaro delivered one more key hit this October, hitting a go-ahead single with two outs in the 10th inning that lifted the Giants over the Detroit Tigers 4-3 in Game 4 on Sunday night.

Nearly eliminated over and over earlier in the playoffs, the Giants sealed their second title in three seasons when Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera looked at strike three right down the middle for the final out.

On a night of biting cold, stiff breezes and some rain, the Giants combined the most important elements of championship baseball — great pitching, timely hitting and sharp defense.

Series MVP Pablo Sandoval and the underdog Giants celebrated in the center of the diamond at Comerica Park after winning six elimination games this postseason.

NBA season previews

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Atlantic
Boston Celtics
Brooklyn Nets
New York Knicks
Philadelphia 76ers
Toronto Raptors

Central
Chicago Bulls
Cleveland Cavaliers
Detroit Pistons
Indiana Pacers
Milwaukee Bucks

Southeast
Atlanta Hawks
Charlotte Bobcats
Miami Heat
Orlando Magic
Washington Wizards

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Southwest
Dallas Mavericks
Houston Rockets
Memphis Grizzlies
New Orleans Hornets
San Antonio Spurs

Northwest
Denver Nuggets
Minnesota Timberwolves
Oklahoma City Thunder
Portland Trailblazers
Utah Jazz

Pacific
Golden State Warriors
Los Angeles Clippers
Los Angeles Lakers
Phoenix Suns
Sacramento Kings

***

Hardwood Paroxysm (can't believe this is free)

***

[10/30/12] BDL, AP, NBA.com, PBT, hoopshype, theguardian, grantland,
SI.com: burning questions, crystal ball, 5-minute guide, best case, worst case, scout's analysis, Chris Mannix

***

50 Most Worthless Players
25 Worst Draft Picks of the last decade
25 Biggest Draft Steals of the last 10 years

NBA deals 2012

2012 free agent tracker


2/21/13 - The five dullest deadlines since 1987

2/21/13 - The big names stay put

2/21/13 - Knicks sign Kenyon Martin, send Ronnie Brewer to Oklahoma City for second round pick.  Oklahoma City sends Eric Maynor to Portland.

2/21/13 - J.J. Redick, Gustavo Ayon, Ishmael Smith traded from Orlando to Milwaukee for Doron Lamb, Tobias Harris, Beno Udrih

2/21/13 - Marcus Morris traded from Houston to Phoenix for second round pick

2/21/13 - Jordan Crawford traded by Washington to Boston for Leandro Barbosa and Jason Collins

2/21/13 - Houston acquires Thomas Robinson, Francisco Garcia, Tyler Honeycutt from Sacramento for Patrick Patterson, Cole Aldrich, Toney Douglas.

1/30/13 - Rudy Gay and Hamed Haddadi traded from Memphis to Toronto for Jose Calderon and Ed Davis.  Jose Calderon traded from Memphis to Detroit for Tayshaun Prince and Austin Daye.

10/27/12 - James Harden, Cole Aldrich, Lazar Hayward, Daequan Cook traded for Oklahoma City to Houston for Kevin Martin, Jeremy Lamb, two first-round draft picks and a second-round pick

10/3/12 - Rasheed Wallaces comes out of retirement to join Knicks

9/14/12 - Matt Barnes signs with Clippers

9/12/12 - Andre Blatche signs with the Nets

8/29/12 - Don't crown the Lakers just yet.  Remember Gary Payton and Karl Malone?  (Of course it didn't help that Malone got injured.)

8/13/12 - Carlos Delfino to sign with Houston

8/10/12 - Dwight Howard (and Earl Clark and Chris Duhon) to be traded from Orlando to Lakers.  Andrew Bynum will go from Lakers to Philadelphia.  Andre Iguodala will be sent from Philadelphia to Denver.  Denver will send Arron Afflalo, Al Harrington, Nikola Vucevic, rookie Moe Harkless, three first round picks and 2013 second-round pick to Orlando.  Jason Richardson will go from Orlando to Philadelphia.

Wait the first rounders are supposed to be from each of the three teams.

So Orlando gets Afflalo, Harrington, Vucevic, Harkless, three first rounders, one second rounder and gives up Howard and Richardson.

Lakers gets Howard, Duhon, Clark and gives up Bynum and a first rounder.

Philadelphia gets Bynum and Richardson and gives up Iguodala and a first rounder.

Denver gets Iguodala and gives up Afflalo, Harrington, Vucevic, Harkless, a first rounder and a second rounder.

8/7/12 - Terry Stotts hired as Portland head coach
8/7/12 - Dan Roundfield drowns in Aruba

7/30/12 - Nate Robinson signs with Bulls
7/30/12 - Willie Green traded from Hawks to Clippers for rights to Sofoklis Schortsanitis

7/28/12 - Jacque Vaughn named new head coach of Orlando
7/28/12 - Andrei Kirilenko signs with Minnesota for two years, $20 million

7/27/12 - Robin Lopez and Hakim Warrick traded from Phoenix to New Orleans; Wes Johnson and future first round pick goes from Minnesota to Phoenix; New Orleans sends contracts of Jerome Dyson and Brad Miller to Phoenix; Minnesota also receives three second-round picks (and gets to sign Andrei Kirilenko)

7/24/12 - Minnesota trades Wayne Ellington to Memphis for Daunte Cunningham
7/24/12 - Houston signs Omer Asik for three years $25 million after Chicago fails to match

7/20/12 - Denver signs Anthony Randolph

7/19/12 - Courtney Lee to be sign-and-traded from Houston to Boston for JaJuan Johnson, Sean Williams, E'Twaun Moore, and second-round pick

7/18/12 - Antawn Jamison to sign with Lakers
7/18/12 - Portland matches Minnesota's offer for Batum
7/18/12 - Denver re-signs JaVale McGee
7/18/12 - Denver amnesties Chris Anderson
7/18/12 - Clippers amnesties Ryan Gomes

7/17/12 - Knicks decline to match Rockets offer for Jeremy Lin (surprise, anticipation)
7/17/12 - Kris Humphries re-signs with Nets for two years, $24 million
7/17/12 - Grant Hill to sign with Clippers
7/17/12 - Wizard amnesties Andray Blatche

7/16/12 - O.J. Mayo to sign with Dallas
7/16/12 - Aaron Brooks signs with Sacramento
7/16/12 - Kyle Korver traded from Chicago to Atlanta for trade exception and cash
7/16/12 - Phoenix puts in the winning bid for Luis Scola, amnesties Josh Childress
7/16/12 - Nets sign Jerry Stackhouse
7/16/12 - James Johnson traded from Toronto to Sacramento for second round pick

7/15/12 - Knicks unlikely to match Houston's offer to Jeremy Lin

7/14/12 - New Orleans matches Phoenix's offer and retains Eric Gordon
7/14/12 - Raymond Felton to be signed and traded from Portland to New York with Kurt Thomas for Jared Jefferies, Dan Gadzuric, draft rights to Kostas Papanikolaou and Giorgos Printezis and second round pick
7/14/12 - Knicks decline to match Toronto's offer to Landry Fields
7/14/12 - Brendan Haywood awarded to Charlotte
7/14/12 - C.J. Watson agrees to contract with Nets

7/13/12 - Mavericks claim Elton Brand off amnesty waivers
7/13/12 - Kwame Brown agrees to deal with Philadelphia for 2 years, $6 million
7/13/12 - Pablo Prigioni signed by Knicks

7/12/12 - Pacers trade Darren Collison and Dahntay Jones to Dallas for Ian Mahinmi
7/12/12 - Pacers sign Gerald Green
7/12/12 - Mavericks anmesty Brendan Haywood, may bid for Brand
7/12/12 - Minnesota amnesties Darko Milicic
7/12/12 - Pacers agree to deal with D. J. Augustin
7/12/12 - Charlotte agrees to contract with Ramon Sessions, release D.J. Augustin
7/12/12 - Bucks re-sign Ersan Ilyasova
7/12/12 - Jeremy Lin to return to Knicks
7/12/12 - Boris Diaw will return to Spurs
7/12/12 - Roy Hibbert re-signs with Pacers, George Hill too
7/12/12 - J.J. Hickson re-signs with Portland
7/12/12 - Houston amnesties Luis Scola

7/11/12 - Dallas reaches agreement with Chris Kaman for 1 year $8 million
7/11/12 - Nets reach deal with Brook Lopez for four years $61 million
7/11/12 - Gerald Wallace re-signs with Nets
7/11/12 - Tim Duncan re-signs with Spurs for three years, $36 million

7/10/12 - Lou Williams agrees to deal with Hawks
7/10/12 - Rashard Lewis to sign with Miami
7/10/12 - Dorell Wright traded from Golden State to Philadelphia for Edin Bavcic who goes to Charlotte for Jarrett Jack who goes to Golden State
7/10/12 - J.R. Smith re-signs with Knicks

7/9/12 - Marcus Camby traded from Houston to Knicks for Toney Douglas, Josh Harrelson, Jerome Jordan, second round picks in 2014 and 2015 and cash
7/9/12 - Danny Green re-signs with Knicks for three years, $12 million
7/9/12 - Steve Novak will stay with Knicks for four years, $15 million

7/8/12 - Kirk Heinrich returning to Chicago for mini mid-level exception
7/8/12 - Ryan Anderson sign-and-traded from Orlando to New Orleans for Gustavo Ayon

7/6/12 - Ray Allen headed to Miami
7/6/12 - Philadelphia signs Nick Young, amnesties Elton Brand

7/5/12 - Brandon Roy signs with Minnesota for two years $10.4 million
7/5/12 - Jeremy Lin agrees to four year, $28.8 million offer sheet from Houston
7/5/12 - Jason Kidd to sign with Knicks for 3 years, $9 million
7/5/12 - Kyle Lowry traded from Rockets to Raptors for Gary Forbes and a future first-round pick
7/5/12 - Jamal Crawford signs with Clippers for four years, $25 million, Billups re-signs

7/4/12 - Phoenix agree to terms with Goran Dragic for four years, $30 million
7/4/12 - Phoenix trades Steve Nash to Lakers for two first round picks, two second round picks, and $3.1 million.
7/4/12 - Eric Gordon agrees to max deal offer sheet with Suns
7/4/12 - Oklahoma City signs Hasheem Thabeet
7/4/12 - Michael Beasley agrees to deal with Suns for 3 years, $18 million
7/4/12 - Deron Williams re-signs with Nets for five years, $98.75 million

7/3/12 - Jason Terry to sign with Celtics (from Dallas)
7/3/12 - Joe Johnson traded from Atlanta to Brooklyn for Anthony Morrow, Jordan Farmar, DeShawn Stevenson, Jordan Williams, Johan Petro, and a draft pick
7/3/12 - Marvin Williams traded from Atlanta to Utah for Devin Harris

6/29/12 - Mo Williams traded from Clippers to Utah, Utah sends trade exception to Dallas, Lamar Odom traded from Dallas to Clippers.  Houston receives rights to Clippers 53rd pick (Furkan Aldemir), give cash considerations to Dallas.

6/29/12 - draft day trades:
Tyler Zeller (no. 17 pick) and Kelenna Azubuike traded from Dallas to Cleveland for Jared Cunningham (no.  24 pick), Bernard James (no. 33 pick), Jae Crowder (no. 34 pick)

Arnett Moultrie (no. 27) traded from Miami to Philadelphia for Justin Hamilton (no. 45) and future first round pick


2011-2012 Transactions

6/27/12 - Houston trades Samuel Dalembert, 14th pick in the draft [John Henson], future second round pick, cash to Milwaukee for Jon Brockman, Jon Leuer, Shaun Livingston and the 12th pick [Jeremy Lamb]

6/26/12 - Chase Budinger traded from Houston to Minnesota for 18th pick [Terrence Jones]

6/26/12 - Ben Gordon and future first-round pick traded from Detroit to Charlotte for Corey Maggette

6/20/12 - Emeka Okafor and Trevor Ariza traded from New Orleans to Washington for Rashard Lewis [waived] and a second round pick

6/18/12 - Mike Dunlap hired as new head coach of Charlotte Bobcats

nba.com fantasy draft

Tonight: The stars from TNT and NBA TV will take place in the NBA.com Fantasy Draft on NBA TV.

and the results

Funny that Shaq (and 3D) took Horford and not Andrew Bynum (Dwight Howard was the first center taken, Horford was seventh, Bynum was eighth).

Emanuel Steward

Hall of Fame trainer Emanuel Steward, a genius in the ring and a goodwill ambassador for boxing outside of it, died Thursday at 68 in a Chicago hospital following a lengthy illness.

A 1996 International Boxing Hall of Fame inductee, Steward was best known as the trainer who developed Thomas Hearns into one of the most fearsome fighters of his generation.

Considered the greatest trainer of his era, he worked with dozens of world champions and was instrumental in the success of not only Hearns, but elite fighters like heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko, ex-heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis, Oscar De La Hoya and many others.

In addition to being a great trainer, he developed a reputation as an outstanding analyst on HBO. Steward's excitement about a good fight was palpable – boxing pundits will recall his famous exclamation at the end of the ninth round of the May 18, 2002, fight between Arturo Gatti and Micky Ward, "This should be the Round of the Century!"

Though he trained fighters of all sizes and styles, ultimately he became something of a heavyweight expert. He took over as Lewis' lead trainer in 1995, not long after Lewis was knocked out by Oliver McCall. Steward had coincidentally trained McCall to the win over Lewis on Sept. 24, 1994.

Under Steward's tutelage, Lewis went 16-1-1, with wins over Mike Tyson, Vitali Klitschko and Evander Holyfield, among others. In 2004, he took over as Wladimir Klitschko's trainer and Klitschko was promptly beaten by Lamon Brewster in a massive upset.

But, just as he had done with Lewis, he slowly turned Klitschko around and helped him become the top heavyweight in the world. Klitschko won 16 fights in a row under Steward.

Steward also got heavyweight title wins with McCall and Evander Holyfield, which put his record as the trainer of heavyweights at 34-2-1.

In a sport marked by infighting and bitter personal conflicts, Steward had no known enemies and was almost universally revered in the industry. He frequently reached into his own pocket to help the fighters he trained, and was always a friendly, accessible expert for journalists looking for help on a story.

David Stern to retire in 2014

David Stern will step down as NBA commissioner on Feb. 1, 2014.  Deputy commissioner Adam Silver will replace Stern.

Stern sent an email to key NBA executives that he's retiring, and that the Board of Governors has picked Silver to replace him.

"The Board has selected Adam Silver to succeed me as NBA Commissioner, and I am very pleased with their choice," Stern said in the email. "As you know, Adam is a world-class business executive who has influenced so many areas of our business during his 20-year tenure with the league, from television, to digital, to international, to merchandising, to sponsorships, to team business, to, of course, labor negotiations. I know that the organization will be in very good hands when Adam becomes Commissioner.

"What we have achieved together and will continue to achieve is extraordinary – and we will have 15 months to talk about it."

Stern, 70, became NBA commissioner on Feb. 1, 1984. His resignation date will mark his 30th anniversary leading the league.

***

[1/30/14] David Stern oral history

Duke Kahanamoku, true hero

This week marks the 87th anniversary of a life-saving effort by Hawaii’s greatest athlete that happened in an ocean far away from Duke’s Oahu home. It was June 14, 1925, along the shores of Corona Del Mar in Newport Beach, Calif., where the 34-year-old Olympian gathered with a few of his actor and actress friends from Hollywood for a day of surfing. Just a few years before, Duke had helped popularize the sport in Southern California as he lugged the giant boards that often weighed between 100 and 200 pounds to the southland’s sandy beaches. Corona Del Mar was one of his favorite surf spots as the waves often built up along a sand-bar that was then offshore.

Duke just happened to have his surfboard in hand when the waves became in his words “building up to barnlike heights.” In an interview described by biographer Malcom Gault Williams, Duke says, “From shore, we suddenly saw the charter fishing boat, the Thelma, wallowing in the water, trying to get to safe water and it was a losing battle.”

The boat was filled with more than two dozen fishermen, and when it suddenly capsized and its passengers were tossed into the water, Duke jumped into action.

“Fully clothed persons have little chance in a wild sea like that,” he was quoted as saying. “Neither me nor my pals were thinking about heroics, we were simply running – me with my board and the others to get their boards – hoping to save lives. Don’t ask me how I made it, for it was just one long nightmare of trying to shove through what looked like a low Niagara Falls.”

Duke furiously paddled through the gigantic waves, oblivious to his own safety. Miraculously, he made one trip after another into the churning surf, pulling as many to safety as he could.

In all, 17 people drowned that day, but incredibly Duke and his friends were able to save 12 potential drowning victims. Duke was credited with saving eight of those himself. Befitting his humble personality, he didn’t stick around to try to grab headlines. He left the scene before reporters even arrived.

The Newport Beach chief of police, Capt. James Porter, was quoted in the local newspapers: “Kahanamoku’s performance was the most superhuman rescue act and the finest display of surfboard riding that has ever been seen in the world.”

a new/old rivalry at Kalani and Kaiser

Rich Miano won’t be a Cal Lee supporter on Thursday evening. But he will on election day.

“For sure I’ll vote for him,” Miano said of Lee, who was one of his high school football coaches and a colleague on the University of Hawaii staff until last year. Lee is running for Office of Hawaiian Affairs trustee.

“He will do a great job on behalf of the Hawaiian people,” Miano continued. “I’ll contribute financially. I’ll even hold signs for Cal.”

The admiration is reciprocated by Lee, as well as by his brother, Ron, who was also a Warriors staff member. And Ron was the head coach at Kaiser High School, where Miano starred as the Cougars won the 1979 Prep Bowl. That was an early highlight in the legendary coaching careers of the Lees. It was a springboard for Miano, a former diver, to college football at UH and then a long NFL career.

“We’re close,” Cal Lee said. “And we’ve remained close.”

Not quite as physically close as they were at UH. Now they’re a school apart, separated by a couple of miles of Kalanianaole Highway and Lunalilo Home Road.

The Lees, now coaching at Kalani High (where Cal was a star linebacker in the ’60s), and Miano, head coach at his alma mater, collide Thursday night when the Falcons — who don’t have their own stadium — play their homecoming game at Kaiser against the Cougars.

It’s the greatest thing to happen to public high school football in East Honolulu since … well, since Kaiser won the Prep Bowl 33 years ago.

These aren’t the best teams in the state. Neither is in the state’s Top 10. Both are feisty members of the OIA White Division, small enrollment schools that actually belong there.

But they’re up and coming. Kalani (4-3, 4-4 overall) has steadily improved since Ron Lee joined Greg Taguchi’s staff in 2010 as offensive coordinator and got another boost when Cal came on board to run the defense last spring. Meanwhile, Kaiser (6-1, 6-2) has won six in a row in Miano’s first season of coaching in the prep ranks.

The Falcons are playing Thursday for a shot at the White playoffs, and the Cougars for top seed. But there’s much more at stake. There’s that formerly nasty R word that we’re not supposed to acknowledge exists in high school sports. Recruiting. There, I wrote it.

The Interscholastic League of Honolulu powerhouses and other public schools used to mine the talent in this area without having to worry about Kaiser or Kalani. Now, with their big-name coaches, they have the ability to stand up to them — and each other. Miano said the outcome of Thursday’s televised game could determine where some future stars end up going.

“As much as I like the Lee brothers, it’s a recruiting war,” Miano said. “To me, it’s probably more intense than when I was at the University of Hawaii, because we have our rivals right down the street.”

Since before the turn of the millennium, football was all but dead at Kalani and critically ill at Kaiser.

“I’d drive by Kalani and they used to have these small little pods of players,” Miano said. “I always wondered if these (football programs) could survive on their own, maybe they’d have to combine. Now this whole area is revitalized with the Lee brothers and what’s happened at Kaiser. You have to give (the players) a reason to stay. We have the reasons now.”

Now, with the big-name coaches on board, Kalani and Kaiser both keep more of the athletes from their districts. And whatever you want to call it, they’re already attracting others from outside the borders.

“Actually, it’s more that they’re staying home. Especially this year, we had a great turnout for JV, about 50 kids,” Ron Lee said. “The other real noticeable thing is I’ve been going to the same places for everything for years and years. Now all of a sudden the people who work at Zippy’s, Longs, the bank, they all tell me they’re Kalani grads and they follow the team.”

There’s something new about this rivalry, but there’s something traditional about it. It’s great to see these coaches who weren’t retained at UH are still in the game, at their old schools (Ron Lee, a Saint Louis graduate, started his coaching career at Kalani), and for the right reasons. Hawaii high school football coaching was already very good, and it’s now this much better.

“When you go to your alma mater, it’s special,” Cal Lee said. “I’ve come full circle in the sense I started here and coming back to where I started my football career. I have a lot of aloha for the school.”

Miano is too busy and too happy to worry about not getting the UH head coaching job he applied for last year.

“I have so much respect for (the Lee brothers). I wouldn’t be sitting in this chair if it weren’t for them, because I wouldn’t have played football,” he said. “I’m really content and I find myself at peace.

Finally being a head coach. Having great kids who work tremendously hard and a great staff. My goal was to never leave Hawaii.”

- Dave Reardon, Star-Advertiser, 10/10/12

Kaiser rolls over Kalani

Alex Karras

Alex Karras was one of the NFL's most feared defensive tackles throughout the 1960s, a player who hounded quarterbacks and bulled past opposing linemen.

And yet, to many people he will always be the lovable dad from the 1980s sitcom ''Webster'' or the big cowboy who famously punched out a horse in ''Blazing Saddles.''

The rugged player, who anchored the Detroit Lions' defense and then made a successful transition to an acting career, with a stint along the way as a commentator on ''Monday Night Football,'' died Wednesday. He was 77.

Karras had recently suffered kidney failure and been diagnosed with dementia. The Lions also said he had suffered from heart disease and, for the last two years, stomach cancer. He died at home in Los Angeles surrounded by family members, said Craig Mitnick, Karras' attorney.

''Perhaps no player in Lions history attained as much success and notoriety for what he did after his playing days as did Alex,'' Lions president Tom Lewand said.

Time Warner Sports Net

Time Warner Sports Net is the new "Lakers Channel" which debuted at the beginning of the month.  They took over the rights to telecast the Lakers games from Fox Sports.

I was licking my chops figuring I was going to be able to see all the Lakers games this season.  But they blacked out the first game!

Which makes about as much sense as blacking out the San Francisco Giants (and Sacramento Kings) games in Hawaii.

Apparently they will show the games in areas designated as Lakers territory.  According to nba.com

Home and away Lakers games will be on Time Warner Cable SportsNet and Time Warner Cable Deportes in the Lakers territory. The Lakers territory, designated by the NBA, includes all of Southern California, Nevada and Hawaii.

[That kind of doesn't make sense.  I would think they would black out the games IN Lakers territory.  But the games are sold out anyway.  So I guess so.  It makes sense to black out the games in other territories to encourage fans to support their own team.]

So what gives?  I emailed Oceanic and I expect a canned response.

OK, here's their response..

There is a current issue with TWC Sports Net channel and unfortunately there is no estimated time of when the service will be back up. Our technicians are working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.

Thank you for your patience.

[Oh boy, it's worse than I thought.]

I wrote a follow-up email saying the channel is fine, but it's just the game that's blacked out.  And got this reply.

Unfortunately you are correct and it is an issue with just the basketball games. Our technicians are working on the issue and hope to have it up and running soon.

So maybe there's hope.

[10/11/12] Hey, I saw the Lakers vs. Portland game was on yesterday.  So I guess it's working now.  [Thanks]

Jim Donovan placed on indefinite leave

[7/11/12] University of Hawaii officials have placed athletic director Jim Donovan and Sheriff Center manager Rich Sheriff on an indefinite paid administrative leave while an investigation of the canceled Stevie Wonder concert takes place.

UH vice president Rockne Freitas, a former UH assistant athletic director in the 1980s, was named acting athletic director until the investigation is complete, UH-Manoa Chancellor Tom Apple said at a news conference this afternoon.

Apple said the school has contacted the FBI about the missing money from the concert fiasco.

UH said it put down a $200,000 deposit from athletic department funds on the planned Aug. 18 concert. The event was to have been a benefit for UH athletics.

It was cancelled Tuesday after UH said it learned that the event was planned without Wonder's knowledge.

[7/14/12]  The mystery continues

[8/12/12] University of Hawaii officials said today that athletic director Jim Donovan has been cleared of wrongdoing in the Stevie Wonder concert debacle and will return to the school in a new position Monday.

They did not specify the title of his new position but said he “will have significant responsibilities in designing, creating, articulating, marketing and communicating to the community, including assisting with the evolving land grant mission of the university,” according to a press release issued today.

"I am very pleased that I have been cleared of any wrongdoing as I have always acted in the best interests of the university,” Donovan said in the release.

[Dave Reardon] Sunday's release also quotes the new Manoa chancellor, Tom Apple, as saying, "Jim served the University well as our Athletics Director."

But if UH truly feels good about the job Donovan has done as AD, why is it moving him to a different position? That makes no sense at all.

[8/22/12] On the eve of a Board of Regents session to discuss the Stevie Wonder concert fiasco, University of Hawaii President M.R.C. Greenwood said Tuesday that athletic director Jim Dono­van was on his way out before the ill-fated venture.

In her first public statement on the issue since Dono­van was removed as AD on July 11, Greenwood maintained "at the same time and almost coincidentally, (the) UH administration had determined that after 41⁄2 years of a five-year agreement, it was time to search for a new director of athletics."

Greenwood ended five weeks of public silence on the issue with a mass email to the "University ‘ohana" Tuesday afternoon, much of which dealt with Dono­van's employment and the Wonder controversy.

Greenwood wrote, "Plans for the process and timetable for this action (removing Dono­van) would have commenced regardless of the concert cancellation and ensuing investigation. The discussions regarding this personnel decision were in the early stages and not yet public, but the attention of campus leadership had already turned to the recruitment process."

She did not address why Dono­van, who has been reassigned to an as-yet-unnamed position, will be retained with a $211,200-a-year, three-year contract when his AD contract expires March 23. She did not say why Manoa Chancellor Tom Apple had effusively described Dono­van's job performance as "fantastic" and lauded his "incredible talents" at an Aug. 13 news conference.

[9/20/12] UH hires law firm to prepare for Senate hearing.  I wonder how much money they'll wind up spending to investigate the loss of $200,000?

[10/2/12] State senate panel puts costs of non-concert at $1,135,200.

[10/5/12] Attorney Bert T. Kobayashi Jr., a longtime key supporter of the University of Hawaii athletic department, has resigned from the ‘Ahahui Koa Anuenue booster club, citing a lack of respect for embattled Manoa chancellor Tom Apple.

In a letter to members of the Koa Anuenue board of directors dated Thursday and obtained by the Star-Advertiser, Kobayashi wrote, “... I strongly believe in AKA and its mission; however, I find myself in a situation where if I stay with AKA that I would have to work with chancellor Tom Apple, for whom I have no respect.”

[10/11/12] the Thank your for the leadership letter mystery / Apple clarifies, more

[11/8/12] A federal grand jury in Honolulu has indicted two mainland promoters on charges related to the bungled Stevie Wonder concert that cost the University of Hawaii $200,000.

The U.S. attorney's office and the FBI officials said this morning that the grand jury returned indictments Wednesday against Marc Hubbard, 44, of North Carolina, for wire fraud, and Sean Barriero, 44, of Miami, for related offenses of transporting $200,000 taken by fraud. FBI officials said the UH cash appears to be unrecoverable at this time.

Hubbard turned himself to authorities at the federal court house in Charlotte, N.C. today and will be extradited later, officials said.

Barriero, who is a British citizen, will be in Honolulu district court this afternoon to enter a plea before U.S. Magistrate Kevin Chang. The FBI would not say if Barriero testified before the grand jury earlier this week as part of any plea agreement.

If convicted, Hubbard faces up to 20 years in prison and Barriero up to 10 years.

TSN ranks the college coaches

Sporting News has ranked the 124 FBS head coaches by conference. Now it’s time to see how they rate overall.

First, some notes about our list:
 
— The Big 12 coaches have by far the best average ranking: 27.2, which crushes the second-best SEC’s average ranking of 43.3. Next in line: the Pac-12 (43.8), ACC (45.6) and Big Ten (46.8).

— In our top 25 are five coaches apiece from the SEC and Big 12, four apiece from the Big Ten and Pac-12, and two apiece from the ACC and Mountain West. College football’s Independents outrank any other conference, with BYU’s Bronco Mendenhall and Notre Dame’s Brian Kelly (in that order) also making the top 25.

June Jones is 22nd and first in Conference USA

Norm Chow is 98th and 7th in the Mountain West 

Miguel Cabrera wins triple crown

Tigers slugger Miguel Cabrera became the first player in 45 years to win baseball's Triple Crown on Wednesday night, joining an elite list that includes Mickey Mantle, Ted Williams and Lou Gehrig.

Cabrera's milestone wasn't official until the Yankees pinch hit for Curtis Granderson in their game against the Boston Red Sox. Granderson had homered twice to reach 43 for the year, tied with the Rangers' Josh Hamilton and one shy of Cabrera.

Cabrera went 0 for 2 against the Royals before leaving in the fourth inning to a standing ovation. He finished the regular season with a .330 average, four points better the Angels' Mike Trout, his biggest competition for MVP. Cabrera was the runaway leader with 139 RBI.

Boston's Carl Yastrzemski was the previous player to achieve the Triple Crown in 1967.

NFL referees are back

So long, replacement refs. The NFL's regular crews will be back on the field starting Thursday night.

After two days of marathon negotiations -- and mounting frustration among coaches, players and fans -- the NFL and the referees' union announced at midnight Thursday that a tentative agreement had been reached to end a lockout that began in June.

Commissioner Roger Goodell, who was at the bargaining table Tuesday and Wednesday, said the regular officials would work the Browns-Ravens game at Baltimore.

"Welcome back REFS," Buffalo Bills running back C.J. Spiller tweeted shortly after the news broke.

The replacements worked the first three weeks of games, triggering a wave of outrage that threatened to disrupt the rest of the season. After a missed call cost the Green Bay Packers a win on a chaotic final play at Seattle on Monday night, the two sides really got serious.

"We are glad to be getting back on the field for this week's games," referees' union president Scott Green said.

The tentative eight-year deal is the longest involving on-field officials in NHL history and was reached with the assistance of two federal mediators. It must be ratified by 51 percent of the union's 121 members, who plan to vote Friday and Saturday in Dallas.

The agreement hinged on working out salary, pension and retirement benefits for the officials, who are part-time employees of the league. Tentatively, it calls for their salaries to increase from an average of $149,000 a year in 2011 to $173,000 in 2013, rising to $205,000 by 2019.

Under the proposal, the current defined benefit pension plan will remain in place for current officials through the 2016 season or until the official earns 20 years' service. The defined benefit plan will then be frozen.

Retirement benefits will be provided for new hires, and for all officials beginning in 2017, through a defined contribution arrangement. The annual league contribution made on behalf of each game official will begin with an average of more than $18,000 per official and increase to more than $23,000 per official in 2019.

LeBron and the Dream

Imagine if Martin Scorsese had stopped making his own films 10 or 15 years ago and instead had signed on as Paul Thomas Anderson’s second-unit director. Or say Warren Buffet dropped Berkshire Hathaway to serve exclusively as Mark Zuckerberg’s financial advisor. Think of Kate Upton, tutored in the kitchen by Rachel Ray.

Unfair, right? Overkill. The rich, the gifted and the awesome don’t need to get that much richer, more gifted or awesomer, do they? Yet that is what happened in the NBA when LeBron James enlisted the help of no less than Hakeem Olajuwon as his post-moves coach.

As described in the fine feature story by Mike Berardino of the Sun-Sentinel, the teacher-pupil relationship between arguably the NBA’s most swift and elusive Hall of Fame center ever and its most dominant active player began during the lockout. Stinging from Miami’s loss in the 2011 Finals, his ears burning from ceaseless criticism, James sought out Olajuwon to add a new wrinkle to his game: Balance, footwork, deception and scoring tricks in the low post.

It was like Eric Clapton making a pilgrimage to Les Paul.

The Lakers Network

The Lakers' partnership with Time Warner Cable (let's call it TWC from here on out; we all know I'm not referring to The Weather Channel, right?) that will debut two Lakers-centric regional sports networks -- one in English, one in Spanish -- on Oct. 1 is not just a game-changer. It's an industry changer.

TWC is paying the Lakers somewhere between $2-$5 billion over the next 20 to 25 years -- there have been different estimates bandied about -- in the new endeavor. Whatever the actual amount is, it will dwarf anything that any other NBA team receives for its games. And that only increases the huge financial edge the Lakers have to acquire and keep players.
Luxury tax, schmuxury tax.

All-A-Twitter in Seattle

SEATTLE -- Golden Tate shoved a Green Bay defender out of the way, wrestled another for the ball and was awarded a disputed touchdown on the final play. But it was another 10 minutes before the game actually ended, when the Seattle Seahawks and the stunned Packers were called back on the field for the extra point.

Replacement ref rage may have peaked Monday night.

Just when it seemed that NFL coaches, players and fans couldn't get any angrier, along came a fiasco that trumped any of the complaints from the weekend. The Seahawks' 14-12 victory featured one of the most bizarre finishes in recent memory, and was certain to reignite frustrations over the locked-out officials."Don't ask me a question about the officials," Green Bay coach Mike McCarthy said. "I've never seen anything like that in all my years in football."

Russell Wilson threw the 24-yard touchdown pass to Tate. The crew of replacement officials agreed that Tate caught the pass.

"We both had possession of it. I don't even know the rule but I guess the tie goes to the receiver," Tate said.

Asked later if he got his hands on Wilson's pass first, Tate wasn't so sure.

"I think so. ... Oh, well maybe he did. But I took it from him," Tate said.

Wilson scrambled from the pocket and threw to the corner of the end zone as the clock expired. Tate shoved Green Bay's Sam Shields out of the way, then wrestled with M.D. Jennings for possession. It was ruled on the field as a touchdown and after a lengthy review, referee Wayne Elliott came out from under the hood and announced "the ruling on the field stands" and CenturyLink Field erupted in celebration.

Elliott told a pool reporter after the game that the play was ruled as simultaneous possession that was confirmed by the replay official.

"They both possessed it," Elliott said.

The Packers were far from convinced that Tate had possession. Jennings said he had the ball pinned to his chest the entire time. A handful of Packers players began venting on their Twitter accounts right after the game, posting protest messages to their followers -- many of them too profane to print. Offensive lineman T.J. Lang even challenged the NFL to "fine me and use the money to pay the regular refs."

***

Twitters / more twitters

Nevada 69 Hawaii 24

Hawaii's defense denied Nevada on its first possession of the game, forcing a three and out.

After that, it was a dire evening in Halawa as the Wolf Pack and Stefphon Jefferson ran roughshod on the Warriors in a 69-24 rout.

Jefferson scored a UH opponent record six rushing touchdowns and Nevada rolled up the most points by a Warriors foe at Aloha Stadium. Jefferson's seven total scores tied a major-college record.

In its first two games, UH did not allow a 100-yard rusher. It ranked 11th nationally in rushing defense at 62.5 per game. Nevada arrived with two key players — running back Jefferson (176.3) and quarterback Cody Fajardo (116.3) — averaging triple digits on the ground through its pistol offense.

Something had to give, and by halftime it was clearly the overwhelmed hosts.

Jefferson netted 170 yards on 31 carries. When he wasn't going off, Fajardo did the damage himself, either on the ground or through the air. [Brian McInnis]

***

When the University of Nevada cheerleaders paraded through the north end zone at Aloha Stadium waving their blue-and-white Wolf Pack flags after a first-quarter touchdown Saturday night, the display drew a robust round of boos from the Hawaii partisans in the stands.

So did a repeat after the second, third and fourth touchdowns.

But by the time the sixth, seventh and eighth scores were registered in the third quarter, amid a run of 42 unanswered points, there was nary a futile peep to be heard in Halawa.

By the time the ninth and 10th touchdowns were rung up in the fourth quarter of a 69-24 thumping of the Warriors, there were too few resigned remnants of the original 29,002 to matter.

It was the most points given up by UH at home since a 74-20 loss to Stanford on Jan. 2, 1950. To put it in perspective, UH coach Norm Chow was 3 years old then.

Andy Roddick announces retirement

The man who has defined American tennis, for better and worse, over the last decade or so, announced on Thursday, his 30th birthday, that this year's U.S. Open will be his last tournament.

He's calling it quits at the scene of his biggest triumph, the 2003 U.S. Open, and at the place where his name was virtually always on the marquee, even as his days as the world's top-ranked player faded further into the rearview mirror.

[9/5/12] Andy Roddick loses to Del Potro in his retirement match

Lance Armstrong to be stripped of titles

[8/23/12] AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- With stunning swiftness, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency said Thursday night it will strip Lance Armstrong of his unprecedented seven Tour de France titles after he dropped his fight against drug charges that threatened his legacy as one of the greatest cyclists of all time.

Travis Tygart, USADA's chief executive, said Armstrong would also be hit with a lifetime ban on Friday. And under the World Anti-Doping Code, he would lose the bronze medal from the 2000 Olympics as well as any awards, event titles and cash earnings.

Armstrong, who retired last year, effectively dropped his fight by declining to enter USADA's arbitration process - his last option - because he said he was weary of fighting accusations that have dogged him for years. He has consistently pointed to the hundreds of drug tests he passed as proof of his innocence while piling up Tour titles from 1999 to 2005.

''There comes a point in every man's life when he has to say, 'Enough is enough.' For me, that time is now,'' Armstrong said. He called the USADA investigation an ''unconstitutional witch hunt.''
''I have been dealing with claims that I cheated and had an unfair advantage in winning my seven Tours since 1999,'' he said. ''The toll this has taken on my family and my work for our foundation and on me leads me to where I am today - finished with this nonsense.''

USADA reacted quickly and treated Armstrong's decision as an admission of guilt, hanging the label of drug cheat on an athlete who was a hero to thousands for overcoming life-threatening testicular cancer and for his foundation's support for cancer research.

[10/21/12] GENEVA >> Forget the seven Tour de France victories. Forget the yellow jersey celebrations on the Champs Elysees. Forget the name that dominated the sport of cycling for so many years.

As far as cycling’s governing body is concerned, Lance Armstrong is out of the record books.

Once considered the greatest rider in Tour history, the American was cast out today by his sport, formally stripped of his seven titles and banned for life for his involvement in what U.S. sports authorities describe as a massive doping program that tainted all of his greatest triumphs.

“Lance Armstrong has no place in cycling and he deserves to be forgotten in cycling,” said Pat McQuaid, the president said of the International Cycling Union. “This is a landmark day for cycling.”

McQuaid announced that his group, known as UCI, accepted sanctions imposed by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency and would not appeal them to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. McQuaid said he was “sickened” by some of the evidence detailed by USADA in its 200-page report and hundreds of pages of supporting testimony and documents.

Tour director Christian Prudhomme said he no longer considers Armstrong to be a champion from 1999-2005 and wants him to pay back his prize money.

“We wish that there is no winner for this period,” he said in Paris. “For us, very clearly, the titles should remain blank. Effectively, we wish for these years to remain without winners.”

NBA Legends: George Gervin, Pete Maravich, etc.

George Gervin's playing record speaks volumes. Only Wilt Chamberlain and Michael Jordan have won more league scoring championships than Gervin's four, and he was the first guard ever to win three titles in a row. His career scoring average of 26.2 points per game is among the game's best as is his combined NBA/ABA total of 26,595 points.

During his career, Gervin recorded a remarkable streak of scoring double figures in 407 consecutive games. He played in 12 straight All-Star Games, including nine in the NBA, and he averaged at least 21 points in each of those dozen years. In his nine NBA seasons with San Antonio, the Spurs won five division titles. He won an All-Star Game MVP Award and twice placed second in voting for the regular-season MVP Award.

But these numbers only begin to tell the story of Gervin's phenomenal pro career, which stretched from the early 1970s through the mid-1980s.

*** [8/27/12]

NBA Legend: Pete Maravich

and the rest of the Legends, Gail Goodrich and Jamaal Wilkes are legends?

[9/4/12: with my rating]

Greatest PGs ever: Oscar Robertson, Magic Johnson, John Stockton
Greatest SGs ever: Michael Jordan, Jerry West, Kobe Bryant
Greatest SFs ever: LeBron (eventually), Larry Bird, Dr. J
Greatest PFs ever: Kevin Garnett, Karl Malone, Tim Duncan
Greatest Cs ever: Kareem, Wilt, Bill Russell

[9/17/12] Q&A with Bill Russell

WAC to drop football

The commissioner of the Western Athletic Conference said Monday that it has become apparent the league won't have enough football members to compete after this season, and his focus now is on trying to keep the conference together for other sports.

The 50-year-old WAC would be the first Division I conference to give up on football since the Southwest Conference dissolved in 1995, and it might go the way of the SWC, too, and cease to exist altogether.

"It doesn't mean we've given up on the idea of football for the future, but it's apparent we don't have enough members in 2013 to play football," Jeff Hurd told The Associated Press.

That means New Mexico State would have to join Idaho and play as an FBS independent next year. The WAC's five other football members — Louisiana Tech, San Jose State, Texas State, Utah State and Texas-San Antonio — leave the league after this year.

San Jose State and Utah State are joining the Mountain West. Louisiana Tech and Texas-San Antonio will join Conference USA, and Texas State will go to the Sun Belt in 2013.

So, the WAC would have to add six FBS programs to continue playing football.

"The bottom line is those numbers are not out there," Hurd said. "So, my goal is to add enough schools to maintain the conference in all other sports, but football would not be one of them."

The league must still add two or three members to maintain its Division I status as a non-football league, and there is no guarantees that will happen.

The WAC has been around for half a century but found itself irrelevant in the rapidly changing landscape of conference realignment. It has recently lost Boise State, Nevada, Fresno State and Hawaii while adding Denver and Seattle as non-football playing members.

The league was formed in 1962 with six schools — Arizona, Arizona State, BYU, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming — that jumped ship long ago. Colorado State and Texas-El Paso were also long-time members that left, leaving the league with a hodgepodge of smaller schools.

The high mark of the WAC's football existence was BYU's national title in 1984 under coach LaVell Edwards. Cougars quarterback Ty Detmer won the league's only Heisman Trophy winner six years later, and Boise State had two unbeaten seasons (2006, '09) in its nine-year stint as the league's heavyweight.

Roger Clemens to take the mound again

The last time he attempted a pitching comeback, Roger Clemens was amply compensated monetarily but found little reward on the field.

Now he's seeking that satisfaction with little immediate financial incentive.

Clemens, 50, who last pitched in the majors with the New York Yankees in 2007, will return to the mound Saturday night when he starts for the Sugar Land (Texas) Skeeters of the independent Atlantic League against the Bridgeport Bluefish.

Clemens scored a major legal victory in June when he was acquitted of charges he had lied to Congress under oath when he denied using performance-enhancing drugs.

Brock Lesnar, back in the WWE

[8/20/12] Following a three-year run as one of the biggest draws in UFC history, Brock Lesnar finally returned to his roots with WWE. And similar to his days in the Octagon, Lesnar was the main event Sunday night at WWE’s SummerSlam pay-per-view.

Flanked with his promoter and real-life friend Paul Heyman, Lesnar stepped inside the squared circle in front of 17,482 fans at Staples Center donning not a traditional wrestling outfit but MMA attire – custom red and black Jimmy John shorts, MMA gloves and a mouthpiece.

In what can be best described as a slobberknocker (a term coined by WWE Hall of Fame broadcaster Jim Ross), Lesnar and his opponent, Triple H, brawled inside and outside the ring in an intense nearly 20-minute brawl, with the former MMA star repeatedly attempting to apply the MMA-influenced kimura lock. After several attempts throughout the match, Lesnar was able to slap the armlock submission move that was named after judoka legend Masahiko Kimura in the middle of the ring, forcing Triple H to tap.

“Brock reached out to us when his UFC contract was done and I think he was just sticking his toe in the water to see if there was any interest,” Paul Levesque (aka Triple H), WWE executive vice president, talent and live events, told Y! Sports prior to SummerSlam. “We spoke and the rest is history.”

*** [3/25/15]  Brock Lesnar will stay with WWE over the UFC.

Felix Hernandez throws perfect game

SEATTLE (AP) — As he rode down in the crowded elevator wearing a wide grin after watching Felix Hernandez twirl baseball history, Seattle general manager Jack Zduriencik felt like having a little fun.

He pulled out his cellphone, held it to his ear and listened for a moment.

"No, we're not trading Felix Hernandez," Zduriencik jokingly said into his phone.

Not after Wednesday. Not anytime soon.

Hernandez pitched the Seattle Mariners' first perfect game and the 23rd in baseball history, overpowering the Tampa Bay Rays in a brilliant 1-0 victory Wednesday.

The 2010 AL Cy Young Award winner has never hid his desire for pitching perfection. For a franchise on its way to an 11th straight season without a playoff appearance, Hernandez is the one constant keeping fans interested in Mariners baseball.

Hernandez (11-5) rewarded those fans with a 12-strikeout gem on Wednesday afternoon. He baffled the Rays using his sharp curve and blistering fastball to keep the Rays guessing all day.

It finally culminated in the ninth inning when Hernandez struck out pinch-hitter Desmond Jennings, got pinch-hitter Jeff Keppinger to ground out and closed out the perfecto by falling behind Sean Rodriguez 2-0 and then throwing three perfect pitches.

His teammates had spent most of the game leaving Hernandez to himself, but after the right-hander was done pointing at the sky, he was engulfed in celebration.

"It was always in my mind, every game. 'I need to throw a perfect game.' For every pitcher I think it's in their mind," Hernandez said. "Today it happened and it's something special. I don't have any words to explain this. This is pretty amazing. It doesn't happen every day."

It was the third perfect game in baseball this season — a first — joining gems by Chicago's Philip Humber against the Mariners in April and San Francisco's Matt Cain versus Houston in June. More than half of all perfectos — 12 — have come in the last 25 seasons.

Galleries

This also was the sixth no-hitter in the majors this season, three of them at Safeco Field. Humber threw his gem in Seattle, then six Mariners pitchers combined to hold the Los Angeles Dodgers hitless at the park on June 8. There have been seven no-hitters in a season twice since 1900. It happened in 1990 and again in 1991, with Nolan Ryan throwing one in each of those years.

Melky Cabrera brings back memories of Barry Bonds

SAN FRANCISCO – Five years on, the specter of Barry Bonds lingers in this clubhouse. Performance-enhancing drugs were pervasive in baseball throughout the 1990s and early 2000s because the interminable Steroid Era started and ended with the hulking, prodigious Bonds. The Giants of Bonds were a grand success. They were also Team BALCO.

The ugliness of the era repackaged itself in the form of another Giants star left fielder, not nearly as hulking but guiltier in baseball's eyes than Bonds ever was. Melky Cabrera was suspended 50 games Wednesday for testing positive for testosterone. Cabrera, second in the National League with a .346 batting average and a pleasant surprise for a team starved for offense, is gone for the rest of the regular season.

***

(Reuters) - The San Francisco Giants' postseason ambitions suffered a jolt on Wednesday when All-Star outfielder Melky Cabrera was suspended for 50 games for failing a doping test.

The 28-year-old from the Dominican Republic, the most valuable player in this year's All-Star game, had tested positive for testosterone and admitted to using a substance banned by Major League Baseball's drug prevention program.

"My positive test was the result of my use of a substance I should not have used," Cabrera, who will become a free agent after this season, said in a statement.

"I accept my suspension under the joint drug program and I will try to move on with my life.

"I am deeply sorry for my mistake and I apologize to my team mates, to the San Francisco Giants organization and to the fans for letting them down."

Cabrera's suspension was effective immediately, the baseball commissioner's office said in a statement on Wednesday.

The eight-year big-league veteran is batting .346 -- second in the National League -- with 11 home runs, 84 runs scored and 60 runs batted this season.