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NBA: Phoenix Suns to make former player Jeff Hornacek head coach

by JT

Jeff Hornacek new Phoenix Suns coach. Photo credit DeseretNews.com

The Suns have offered Jeff Hornacek a 3 year deal to became their new head coach. Hornacek has been an assistant coach for the Utah Jazz.

NFL Draft Player Profile: Marcus Mariota of Oregon

by Derrik Klassen

(Mariota #8) Photo Credit: zimbio.com

Despite being a Freshman, Mariota made a name for himself in the 2012-2013 season. Now, while he is talented and flashes many valuable traits, he still needs refinement, like any young QB. Few QBs can dominate like Mariota did, let alone doing it as a Freshman. Manziel, who is criminally over-rated as an NFL prospect and shouldn't even be considered a top 10 QB, is over-shadowing Mariota and could end up making Mariota a steal come draft day.

NBA: David Robinson Named for 2013 FIBA Hall of Fame Class; 12 Inductees

courtesy of FIBA.com

David Robinson among new inductees to FIBA Hall of Fame. Photo credit NBA

MIES (FIBA Hall of Fame) - Twelve world class basketball personalities from 10 different countries make up the 2013 Class that will be enshrined into the FIBA Hall of Fame on 19 June.

Six former players, three coaches, two technical officials and a contributor will be honoured at theHouse of Basketball - FIBA's headquarters in Mies, on the outskirts of Geneva - next month.

National icons Jean-Jacques Conceiçao of Angola, Australia's Andrew Gaze, Paula Gonçalves of Brazil, Serbia's Zoran Slavnic and the USA pair of David Robinson andTeresa Edwards make up the contingent of players.

Nascar: 10 Fans Hurt at Coca-Cola 600 Race

by Rodney Fisher

Fans injured at Nascar race. Photo credit Yahoo!

Another fan accident this Nascar season, however the cars are not to blame. A falling Fox Sports cable from a floating tracking camera fell injuring 10 spectators and causing damage to a few cars. Fox Sports and Nascar has issued an apology to all fans. They have also suspended use of this type of camera until after an investigation into the occurrence to prevent further accidents.

Miami Heat take 2-1 series lead over Pacers. Photo credit NBA

Miami Heat bounce back to win big in Game 3 over the Indiana Pacers 114-96. Here are some of the highlights...

NFL Draft Player Profile: Aaron Murray of Georgia

by Derrik Klassen

(Murray #11) Photo credit: OnlineAthens.com

Big time school equals big time talent, right? Wrong! None of the SEC QBs, yes, that includes Manziel, are worth more than a 4th round pick. The notion of Murray, McCarron, Manziel, etc. are worth even a 2nd round pick, let alone a 1st round choice, is absolutely absurd. All of the SEC QBs are products of the system as the talent that surrounds them makes them look good and enables them to put up solid stats, but raw stats are a deceiving and flawed system. Every SEC QB is over-rated and Murray is not an exception.

NHL Playoffs: James Neal, The Real Deal

by Hunter Hodies

James Neal "The Real Deal". Photo credit NHL

Pittsburgh has a own unique name for James Neal. They call him “The Real Deal.” That’s exactly what he has been these last 2 games for the Penguins. He has 5 goals to along with a few assists as well.

After a slow start to the series, James Neal has shown the Hockey Gods that he wants a Stanley Cup. He has been performing the last 2 games better than star players Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. He had a Hat trick last night against the Senators in Game 5 when they clinched the series and advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since they won their 4^th Stanley Cup in 2009.

NFL: Are Sunday Pregame Shows Still Worth Watching?

by Chad Jones

What NFL pregame show are you watching? Photo credit Vimeo

NFL pregame shows are losing viewership. The entrenched networks ESPN, Fox & CBS face new rivals- NFL Network & 'New Media'. Some of the attributes for the decline is fans having other priorities before kickoff like religious obligations, kid's sports games, brunch with friends, etc. Attending Church or cheering at your kids soccer games are not new American ideals. So let's address the major pregame shows for their substance.

NFL: IDP Sleeper Nigel Bradham

by Arif Hasan

Nigel Bradham of Buffalo Bills. Photo credit NFL

When selecting a player in IDP, fans often forget that the quality of the player matters a lot less than their box score. In an ideal fantasy league, that’s not the case, but there isn’t an ideal fantasy league. One way to get the jump on your friends in these leagues is to identify players who have the system rigged in their favor.
A study by Pro Football Focus found that six teams are much more likely to award a pass defensed on a particular play when at home (Baltimore, Buffalo, Cincinnati, Detroit, New York (Jets), Philadelphia, San Francisco and Seattle), and of those six teams, Buffalo also awards more solo tackles and assisted tackles.
Baltimore, Philadelphia and San Francisco are also more likely to award a solo tackle instead of an assist.
Buffalo also has an opportunity to play against fantasy friendly teams like the Patriots, the Jets and the Browns.

NCAA: Everett Golson No Longer at Notre Dame

by Rodney Fisher

Everett Golson no longer at Notre Dame. Photo credit ESPN

It has now been confirmed by Television station WNDU and the South Bend Tribune that Notre Dame quarterback Everett Golson is no longer enrolled at the institution.

Rumors began to circulate Saturday night no Twitter, but now the school has hinted it is related to a resident life incident.

School official Dennis Brown stated to a local news station, "Federal and school privacy laws preclude us from issuing any further comment at this time."

More details to follow...

Follow Rodney Fisher on Twitter @RodneyRFisher

NBA Playoffs: Paul George Superstar?

by Rodney Fisher

Paul George dunks on Birdman. Photo credit NBA

As the old saying goes, "the playoffs are were stars are born", Paul George of the Indiana Pacers may be this year's breakout NBA star.

George was selected 10th overall in the 2010 NBA draft from Fresno State. That year the draft was saturated with small forwards causing Paul to be selected after Wesley Johnson, Al-Farouq Aminu, and Gordon Hayward. The Indiana Pacers did there homework before drafting him. In his freshman year he was named one of the top 15 freshman scorers in the NCAA. His sophomore season, he became Fresno State's second most effiecent free throw shooter in history, but it was Paul's defense that caught the attention of the organization.

NFL: Jason Babin, IDP Sleeper?

by Arif Hasan

Justin Babin, IDP Sleeper? Photo credit NFL

IDP scouting and advice is always hairy. Defensive players accumulate statistics sporadically and without a lot of reliability. Offensive players have dozens of statistics by which to measure their performance and become fantasy mavens, while defending players can accumulate good statistics regardless of their overall ability. As an example, Roman Harper and Dawan Landry both scored highly in tackle-heavy leagues, while Kerry Rhodes was not a starter in many leagues.

NFL: The Shrinking Middle Class

by Chad Jones

Kam Chancellor, part of a shrinking NFL Middle Class. Photo credit NFL

Agents, Executives & Veterans are quietly discussing the shrinking middle class in the NFL. Elite players still land lucrative deals, but $ 3-4 million per year players are endangered species.

Accumulating Talent comes from two markets- The Draft (Wholesale) & Free Agency (Retail).

General Managers have stopped looking at what position money is spent, focusing on accumulating elite players. The draft is used to supplement, where under the rookie wage scale, talent is landed on 4 year affordable contracts. At the drafts conclusion, GMs assert each selection was the highest ranked player on their board. In reality, managing a salary cap requires a deviation from this approach, albeit marginally.

Marc-Audre Fleury. Photo credit NHL

When Dan Byslma announced that Tomas Vokoun, the backup for Marc-Audre Fleury would start in a must win game 5 against the Islanders, no one knew what was going to happen. Would people see a Fleury like Vokoun or will we see the Vokoun that allows very few goals during games? People have so far seen the Vokoun that has shut down lots and lots of shots.

(Zac Dysert #7) Photo Credit: zimbio.com

We will conclude the series in the realm of Mr. Irrelevant; the 7th round. There is no way any of these next 4 QBs win the starting job in their rookie season, but who's to say they won't have a bright future? Is Rivers on his way out? Have the Broncos found Manning's replacement? Do the 49ers plan on running the same offense even with a back-up QB? Should Matty Ice be feeling pressured to win? Let's find out.

Another classic game from this years NBA Playoffs...

NFL: Geno Smith Next To Join Roc Nation with Jay-Z

Geno Smith signs with Jay-Z's Roc Nation Sports

Geno Smith joins RocNation, where he will be represented by NFLPA Certified Agent Kimberly Miale. From her profile at Madison Avenue Sports, Ms. Miale is, "A certified NFLPA contract advisor for Madison Avenue Sports and Entertainment in the football division. She represents, advises, counsels and assists players in the negotiation, execution and enforcement of player contracts with the NFL."

Are the Yankees the biggest surprise of 2013? Photo credit MLB

The Success of the Yankees and the Red Sox

Before the 2013 season began many experts predicted a tough season ahead for the New York Yankees. Who could blame them? A series of injuries left a depleted Yankees squad without stars, but as the first stage of the season has proved, lack of stars doesn't necessarily equal lack of quality. For the batters consistency has been the key to their success. Other than possibly Robinson Cano, nobody has really stood out with the bat, but at the same time they don't have a starter who is struggling, its a strange situation that seems to be working with a strong rotation to keep the opponent's run totals low. Hiroki Kuroda has had an incredible start, in 9 starts the 38 year old has a 1.99 ERA and a 6-2 record. C.C. Sabathia and Andy Pettite are performing to a high level as usual, and outside of his last 2 starts

2013 NBA Draft Lottery Order. Photo credit NBA

The Cleveland Cavaliers get the 1st pick in the upcoming draft...again. They way the lottery works, only the first three picks are selected. The rest of the picks follow in order by worst to best regular season record.

Cavs owner Dan Gilbert said via twitter: "On plane back from NYC. Did that just happen? Again! @Cavs will be force in east for years to come. Happy for best fans in world: Cavs fans!"

Here is the official order:

Join 5G Sports Talk as they discuss the hot topics in sports...

Tonight's podcast on RFSN will focus on the Knicks demise in 6 to the Pacers, Spurs manhandling the Grizz, recapping the NHL playoffs and we will get into the ever evolving Mario Williams drama.

Be sure to follow Moose of the Dogg Pound on twitter: @MooseDPS

Dogg Pound Sports: Where Real Sports Talk Lives

NFL: New York Giants Justin Pugh

by Chad Jones

Justin Pugh. Photo credit NFL

When Tom Coughlin was hired in 2004, he drafted future son-in-law Chris Snee 34th in the Manning Draft. San Diego demanded this selection, but the Giants refused to surrender it. Snee has been a stalwart for the past Decade.

Jim Fassell was fired because the Team lost toughness. While fantasy leagues pay attention to wide receivers, the foundation is the Offensive Line. Coughlin molded a Super Bowl caliber Line by 2007, and the unit combined with pass rushers became Road Warriors. Remember- the high octane Patriots entered XLII 18-0, but the Giants came out victorious by sheer will, unity & physical play. Eli gets the credit, but it was the Line Groups.

NFL: Dallas Cowboys Offseason- Tom Condon Wins

by Chad Jones

Photo credit CBS

Entering the offseason $ 25 Million over the salary cap, contract restructuring was critical. Transitioning to a 4-3 Under Defense, comprehensively addressing the cap dilemma was the preeminent concern.

Taking a broad overview, the major cap figures consisted of predominantly guaranteed money. Cuts wouldn't open cap room, but rather would result in predominantly Dead Money.

(Tyler Wilson) Photo credit: silverandblackpride.com

Despite the next four QBs that I will break down were selected in the 4th round, there is still a future starting QB among them. That being said, there are still other questions. Why did Chip Kelly draft Matt Barkley? Why did Nassib slip so far? Will Tyler Wilson start over Matt Flynn? Have the Steelers lost faith in Big Ben? Well, let's dive in.

NFL: Breaking Down the Future Impact of the QB Class of 2013 - Part One

By Derrik Klassen

2013 NFL Rookie Draft Class. Photo credit NFL

This past NFL Draft's QB class was widely proclaimed to be "weak", but, contrary to common belief, they will have an impact next season. Geno Smith was almost unanimously said to be the top QB, so why wasn't he the first QB taken? Why would the Bills take EJ Manuel instead? Will Glennon take over for Josh Freeman? I am going to break down the first three QBs selected in part one of this three part series.

Sidney Crosby's hat trick gives Penguins 2-0 series lead. Photo credit NHL

Sidney Crosby is back everyone. He is now the hottest player on the planet for the NHL and the favorite to win the Hart Trophy. He showed that last night by having a hat trick in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Crosby now has 6 goals in these playoffs.

The New York Knicks live to fight another day as they extend their series after winning at home over the Indiana Pacers.

The ageless San Antonio Spurs end their series with the Golden State Warriors and advance to the Western Conference Finals, where the Memphis Grizzlies are waiting.

NFL: Rebuilding the Oakland Raiders - Blueprint

by Chad Jones

Reggie McKenzie leads the charge to rebuild the Oakland Raiders. Photo credit NFL

Reggie McKenzie enters year two as General Manager, a pivotal season for the future of the Franchise. Looking at the players cut this offseason, what remains is a roster of unknown commodities. No players were protected, it was a methodical process that took into account performance in correlation to compensation. Overpaid veterans were released (Tommy Kelly & Richard Seymour) and former top draft picks were kicked to the curb (Darrius Heyward-Bey, Rolando McClain & Michael Huff).

All five players were overpaid relative to performance. Salary cap wise, 5 of the largest 7 2013 figures will be dead money from Cuts. It's a complete overhaul that consists of drafting, developing and retaining core players. Herein lies the process of the Raiders contending for AFC West Titles in the seasons forthcoming.

Zack Greinke Returns

On April 11 in a game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres, Padres outfielder Carlos Quentin was hit by a pitch thrown by Dodgers pitcher Zack Greinke. In retaliation to what he thought was an intentional attack, Quentin bull-rushed the mound, leading to a benches-clearing brawl between the teams that left Greinke with a broken left collarbone.

Miami Heat advance to Eastern Conference Finals

The Chicago Bulls did not go without a fight. They overcame an 18 point defecit in the first half to go into halftime ahead 53-47. The Miami Heat would return to form to beat the Bulls and officially end there season 94-91.

Josh Cribbs was passed up by a few teams this off-season due to his knee not being fully healthy. Considering the Raiders are desperate, they jumped on the opportunity to land the specialist. Cribbs isn't a huge WR threat anymore, technically he never truly was, but will Oakland give him plenty of snaps at WR? With the atrociously weak WR corps that the Raiders have, Cribbs may end up with 70+ touches in that offense. Since the only 2 decent WRs returning to the Raiders are Jacoby Ford and Denarius Moore, Cribbs' only other major competition will be rookie WRs such as Connor Vernon and Sam McGuffie.

Don't miss the LIVE broadcast of RFSportsRadio at 9pm CST/ 10pm EST

Ex-NBA Referee Tim Donaghy
Pro Boxer LaDell Williams
NFL talk with Scott King of FootballExtraPoints.com
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Plus your live calls at 646-915-9130

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN LIVE

NFL Draft Player Profile: Tajh Boyd of Clemson

Tajh Boyd of Clemson

Tajh Boyd's performance in the bowl game against LSU was one of the most memorable and outstanding outings by any player last season. Then again, how many of us remember his performance against Duke? It was definitely one of his more disappointing performances. The Boyd that we saw tear up LSU is certainly not the same Boyd we see every week and he will not live up to his hype next season.

Victor Cruz making the most of opportunities. Photo credit NFL

Victor Cruz was like many undrafted players, an unknown commodity with huge ambitions. The Patterson, New Jersey product initially signed with Abu Toppin of Reliance Sports Management (RSM). As an Undrafted Free Agent (UDFA) with the hometown club, Cruz burst onto the scene in his first preseason, but was relegated to Injured Reserve.

After a breakout 82 catch 2011 campaign, Cruz hired Malik Shareef for representation, and heralded marketing firm IMG Worldwide for off the field opportunities. Cruz delivered another strong 2012 season, becoming Eli Manning's goto wideout. Earning $ 540,000 in base salary, Cruz's production exceeded his compensation significantly.

NBA Playoffs: Spurs Dominate Warriors at Home, Series 3-2

After allowing the young Golden State Warriors outrun them in Oakland, the San Antonio Spurs bounce back with their most convincing win in the series 109-91. The Spurs now have a 3-2 series lead.

Spurs take 3-2 series lead over Warriors. Photo credit NBA

The key to the Spurs win: Energy and Effort

Tony Parker: "Our energy was good. We got the 50-50 ball [and] that was huge for us tonight. It was a tough turnaround for us in game 4. We missed an opportunity at the end and we realize that. Tonight we played for 48 minutes."

Pacers take a 3-1 Series Lead over NY Knicks

The second round of the NBA playoffs rolls on as the Indiana Pacers now find themselves one victory away from advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals.

Carmelo Anthony continued his poor shooting, 9-26, from the floor and Jason Kidd as yet to make a point since before the NFL draft. Iman Shumpert, who was questionable to play, did not score in the 16 minutes he played. The Knicks have not been able to get any offense going since game 2.

Penguins Need Power Plays to Win. Photo credit NHL

The Pittsburgh Penguins have had one of the top Power Plays in the NHL all season long. They proved that in the first round series against the Islanders. The biggest test is awaiting them, as they play the Senators who have one of the best Penalty Kills in the NHL.

Jose Fernandez

March 20, 2008. That was the day Jose Fernandez's life changed forever.

Three unsuccessful attempts at fleeing Cuba had left Fernandez, his mother and his sister without much hope of joining their father in the United States.

"The first time I couldn't get [To America]." Fernandez said, not long after he'd been drafted. "The second time, they caught me 10 miles away from Miami. When they sent me back, they took me out of school and didn't let me play baseball."

NFL Draft Player Profile: Brett Hundley of UCLA

We are all aware that the 2014 class of QBs is absolutely loaded. Brett Hundley is a big time contributor as to why this specific class is being hyped up. Last season, Hundley lead UCLA to the PAC-12 Championship game as a True Freshman.If I had to select one of last season's Freshman QBs to be the future of my franchise, I'd take Hundley in a heart beat and never look back.

(Hundley #17) Photo credit: CitySyllabus

Hundley measures in at a solid 6'3" and about 220 Lbs. While 6'3" isn't amazing height, it's certainly not a liability and 220 Lbs. is a perfect weight matched with his height. In terms of his mechanics, his throwing motion is a bit wide and when he goes to throw the deep ball, he has to wind up for it. That wind up time will allow the DB to catch up almost every time. Although, Hundley assesses the entire field before making throws and waits for plays to develop correctly, as opposed to pre-maturely forcing passes. Although, when under pressure, he doesn't have quick reactions to evade an oncoming pass rusher. Hundley won't evade the immediate pass rush threats, but if he notices the pocket collapsing, he is a threat to run for a huge gain.

Another podcast from the 5G Sports Team...

Listen to The Greg DeMarco Show, featuring Arena Chicks CEO Amber O’Neal and DeMarcette Lucky #7 Allie Parker!

Listen to The Greg DeMarco Show, featuring Arena Chicks CEO Amber O’Neal and DeMarcette Lucky #7 Allie Parker!

Arena Chicks CEO Amber O’Neal spent over 45 minutes with Greg DeMarco & Patrick O’Dowd, discussing a wide range of topics. Amber’s candid and honest nature shines during this interview, and you can guarantee that she’ll be back on the program in the near future!

Topics covered:

-Amber founding Arena Chicks and her vision for the future of her product

-Las Vegas’s WOW Wrestling and Amber’s role as one half of the tag team champions with Santana Garrett

-Amber’s thoughts on Shine Wrestling and her upcoming debut with the promotion

-Premiere Wrestling Xperience’s relationship with Ring of Honor and her upcoming appearances

-Her main goal of becoming a Woman of Honor in ROH

-Her thoughts on Reby Sky

(Sutton #90) Photo credit to independentmail.com

Chaz Sutton wreaks havoc from all points on the defensive front. Sutton has lined up, and dominated, from the 1-Tech through 5-tech positions as well as Outside Line Backer. Being able to disrupt the offensive line from all different angles and positions adds a phenomenal amount of versatility to his skill-set. A player of his versatility would fit well into a Hybrid Multiple-Front defense such as the Ravens. He would play similarly to Haloti Ngata as he is moved around between the 3-tech, 5-tech, and sometimes even the 1-tech.

Justin Grimm having great rookie season. Photo credit TexasRangers

The baseball season is now in full swing. There have been some shocks, but generally the season has panned out how most thought it would. One of the surprises has been the performances of the rookie pitchers who are showing a glimpse of the future of pitching in the big leagues. This isn't even including Matt Harvey, who only just missed out on being classified as a rookie.

Is Peyton Manning all you need?

Two years ago, Denver had its season end in a 45-10 beat down at Foxboro, Massachusetts and Denver entered the offseason with the much-maligned Tim Tebow as their starting quarterback. However, after a very intense courting period, Denver’s Executive VP of Football Operations, John Elway, announced that Denver would be bringing in free agent Peyton Manning, signaling in a new era in Denver. Manning rewarded Elway, and the fans, with one of his best seasons ever, passing for over 4600 yards and 37 touchdowns, leading the Broncos to the playoffs where they lost to Baltimore. Though last season did not end as planned, the Broncos, and their fans, have plenty reason for optimism this season.

CLICK HERE FOR FULL ARTICLE

Push or Flop: Nazr Mohammed Ejected for Fouling LeBron James in Wild Game 3

Nazr Mohammed ejected after pushing Lebron James, Game 3

We can all agree it was a technical foul. This morning in most barbershops across the United States the debate heats up on whether LeBron James flopped in order to get the refs to eject Nazr Mohammed.

Chicago Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeaux added fuel to the flame in his postgame comments saying, "from my angle, I just say a guy basically flop, you know, and I'm going to leave it at that."

Check the latest podcast from 5G Sports Talk as they get into the NBA playoffs and some NFL news.

Full Coverage of the 2013 NBA Combine. Photo Credit HOOPSWORLD.com

RFSN is proud to announce that we will be in Chicago May 16-17 for the 2013 NBA Draft Combine. Stay tuned as will be broadcasting LIVE and bringing you interviews from the some of the top picks in the upcoming draft.

List of 2013 Participants:

Photo Credit to SBNation.coml

Barr has a quick twitch and explodes from the line off scrimmage. Offensive Lineman struggle to hold him at bay due to his ability to utilize his hands well and shed blocks. Most Offensive Lineman also have a problem with him around the edge. Not only does Barr burst off the line of scrimmage, he is also rather fast. Barr dominates when he bends the edge due to his graceful balance and quickness.

Which would you rather have, Dwight Howard or Chris Paul?

Just in case you missed our heated Sports Debate this week, here is the podcast. We debate Chris Paul vs Dwight Howard and what four sports figures would be on the Mt. Rushmore for the Dallas Cowboys...

How good with Fighting Irish be in 2013. Photo credit UHND.com

Football Extra Points: Fighting Irish will not lose a step in 2013: Virtually no one outside of the Fighting Irish predicted that Notre Dame would have the season that they did last year. They finished with ...

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