Rotoworld: Oregon RB LaMichael James and Oklahoma State WR Justin Blackmon among top 10 players who are being overhyped for the 2012 draft.
SportsTalk: Albert Pujols signs with the Angels and Prince Fielder joins the Tigers. Which team is better now?
The Detroit Red Wings equaled an NHL record with their 20th straight win at home, beating the Philadelphia Flyers 4-3 Sunday night on the strength of Johan Franzen's tiebreaking goal early in the third period.
PBT: Boston's Rajon Rondo continues to be named in trade talks, which is madness. The Celtics guard creates offense and makes everyone around him better, which was evident in Sunday's win over the Bulls.
Arc's five up, five down: After No. 11 Michigan State's 58-48 upset of No. 3 Ohio State, you'd be a fool to discount the Spartans' national title chances now.
Miami coach Al Golden says the worst is behind him, but his headaches figure to continue now that former booster Nevin Shapiro, now in jail, says his involvement with the Hurricanes program will result in stiff penalties.
Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods both greeted Sunday with unbridled optimism. But the day would end happily only for Mickelson.
The United States completed a 5-0 rout of Switzerland in the Davis Cup on Sunday, with 19-year-old Ryan Harrison and John Isner winning closing singles matches.
Zambia has won the African Cup of Nations, beating pre-tournament favorite Ivory Coast 8-7 on penalties in a dramatic final at Stade de l'Amitie.
Tessa Worley of France fought off gusting winds to win a second consecutive World Cup giant slalom Sunday in the Andorran Pyrenees. Overall leader Lindsey Vonn was more than a second behind and finished eighth.
Robins: It’s the Year of the Dragon on the Lunar calendar, and this Chinese influence could extend to it also being the year of the Pekingese on the green carpet at the 136th Westminster Dog Show on Tuesday.
COLUMBUS, Ohio - The NCAA on Wednesday reduced the penalty period against former Ohio State basketball coach Jim O’Brien from five years to two, limiting his ability to seek athletic employment at another NCAA school during that time.
The reduction follows the NCAA’s decision last month to throw out violations that included accusations O’Brien improperly gave $6,000 to a recruit. The group dismissed three violations and part of a fourth because NCAA enforcement staff missed by two days a 2005 deadline for filing the charges.
The appeals committee upheld other violations involving O’Brien, including improper benefits awarded to Boban Savovic, a member of the Buckeyes’ Final Four team in 1999.
Ohio State has said his firing in 2004 after he revealed the loan to recruit Aleksandar Radojevic was valid because O’Brien violated his contract.
O’Brien still could seek work as a university basketball coach during the penalty period, which lasts until May 8, 2009. But he would first have to appear before the NCAA infractions committee, which set the penalty, to allow it “to consider whether the coach’s athletically related duties should be limited,” an NCAA statement said.
O’Brien’s lawyers have already filed an appeal to the NCAA’s appeals committee, attorney Brian Murphy said Wednesday. O’Brien had hoped the infractions committee would completely drop the penalty period, he said.
“I’m confident that this mistake of theirs will be fixed once again by the appeals committee,” Murphy said.
O’Brien has always contended that his $6,000 payment to Radojevic was a minor violation, if a violation at all, because Radojevic was subsequently found to be a professional and never enrolled at or played for Ohio State.
O’Brien sued Ohio State for his firing and won $2.2 million plus interest from the university in August. The case has been appealed and the university has not paid him any money.
Ohio State received three years’ NCAA probation for the violations and was forced to take down its 1999 Final Four banner from Value City Arena and repay the NCAA around $800,000, the money it received for its NCAA tournament appearances while Savovic was on the team.
Ohio State (35-4) set a school record for victories this season while advancing to the national championship game where it lost to defending champion Florida. Only one player from that team, Ivan Harris, played for O’Brien; neither he nor any of the current players or coaches were involved in the violations.
Arc's five up, five down: After No. 11 Michigan State's 58-48 upset of No. 3 Ohio State, you'd be a fool to discount the Spartans' national title chances now.
Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 15 points and Evan Smotrycz added 13, helping No. 22 Michigan remain unbeaten at home with a 70-61 win over Illinois on Sunday.
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Zambia has won the African Cup of Nations, beating pre-tournament favorite Ivory Coast 8-7 on penalties in a dramatic final at Stade de l'Amitie.
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Paul Pierce has been around long enough to know what Rajon Rondo's performance can mean for the aging Boston Celtics.