Fisher has eyes for Bears, but Rams still probably destination

Bill Cowher and Jon Gruden were the headline candidates fueling the training market rumor mill through the fall.

But Shaun Fisher may be the one holding all of the cards if this counts.

The previous Leaders coach is offseason's energy broker while Cowher and Gruden watch in the sideline. Miami already has questioned Fisher, who had been spotted in the Buccaneers team hotel over the past weekend. Had Bill Polian made it in Indiana, and Jim Caldwell hadn't, it is a near certainty that Fisher could have been presents itself that list too. North Park had been as likely a landing place every until Dean Spanos made the decision to help keep Norv Turner.

But here's all that you should learn about Fisher's likely destination: Atop his listing of focal points is the existence of a franchise quarterback. Regardless of the Rams' lethargic 2011 season, I am told that's precisely how he sees Mike Bradford, who Fisher questioned and loved a great deal in the 2010 National football league Scouting Mix.

This is exactly why, hooking up the dots, St. Louis is towards the top of Fisher's list. The truth that Fisher is symbolized by Marvin Demoff, who boy Kevin may be the Rams' COO, only causes it to be much more likely that he'll land in Missouri.

There's, though, another factor at play here. This is the shakeup in Chicago.

Fisher performed safety for that Bears (1981-85) and it has maintained rapport with possession. Like a bonus, he transpires with like quarterback Jay Cutler a great deal. Cutler and former Leaders offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger, who died last September, labored together in Colorado in 2006-07 and were very close. The Leaders were split over Matt Leinart and Vince Youthful in 2006, with Bud Adams tugging rank and pointing the choice to take Youthful. The Leaders handed down Cutler, who visited college within their backyard at Vanderbilt.

Fisher understands the ball player Cutler is becoming since that time.

The Bears insist Lovie Cruz will stay the coach in Chicago for 2012, and that he warrants a mulligan for 2011, getting lost Cutler and Matt Forte for that stretch run. If your more youthful executive type for example Eric DeCosta or L'ensemble des Snead makes its way into the fold the training situation likely will not change. But when the Bears swing for that fences for any bigger title like Bill Polian, it's tough to rule anything out. Polian and Fisher are close, getting taken part within the AFC South for several years.

The end result is that Fisher will keep close track of Halas Hall. As you source with understanding of his thinking stated, "This is the one he's always wanted."

The much more likely result remains that Cruz will remain put and Fisher lands in St. Louis. But until tips over with Fisher, the training slide carousel will probably spend time at a dead stop.

Once he makes his move, pieces elsewhere will begin to fall under place.

Time drained to election for 2011 GIBBYs

This Year's GIBBYs is going to be revealed 12 ,. 16 at 9 p.m. ET inside a prime-time show on Major league baseball Network, and because the final say on honours season, you've until 11:59 p.m. ET on Sunday to election solely at Major league baseball.com which are more deserving candidates inside a record 19 groups.

A banner year of online balloting at Major league baseball.com concludes using the GIBBYs, and don't forget that you could election as much as 25 occasions per category, much like with all of-Star starters last summer time. Just like that-Star balloting program, this honours presentation is exclusive from others for the reason that it features nominees all 30 Mlb clubs.

Individual honors is going to be introduced on Major league baseball Network and Major league baseball.com for that top everyday player, beginning pitcher, closer, setup guy, rookie, breakout player, comeback player, opponent, wow factor, manager, executive and postseason artist.

GIBBYs (Greatness In Baseball Yearly) trophies also visit the year's best play, moment, performance, oddity, walk-off, fan moment and postseason moment from Major league baseball.com's Must C highlight reels.

Fundamental essentials ultimate honours following a great regular season as well as an memorable postseason concluding having a Cardinals World Series championship. They derive from votes by fans at Major league baseball.com, media, front-office personnel and Major league baseball alumni. It's a diverse mix-section of people that passionately stick to the national pastime every single day.

The Baseball Writers' Association of America just had their say and gave probably the most Valuable Player honours to Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander within the American League and also to Machines left fielder Ryan Braun within the National League.

There's one Player of the season (unlike MVP) and something Beginning Pitcher of the season (unlike Cy Youthful) to become made the decision here, and it'll be interesting to ascertain if Verlander usually takes both, or whether a situation player is going to be recognized within this situation. Will Dodgers center fielder Matt Kemp be seen through the diverse panel like a better NL candidate compared to writers' choice in Braun?

Unlike BBWAA balloting, the GIBBYs don't have any agreement of thinking about nominees only with the last day's the standard season. Does which means that Tony La Russa goes off into retirement using the Manager of the season award, given simply to one league skipper? You've some tough choices there.

Closer of the season seems to become a wide-open race. Jose Valverde was perfect in save conversions throughout the standard season for Detroit, Braves closer Craig Kimbrel broke the rookie saves record and Machines closer John Axford emerged like a pressure in Milwaukee. Options likewise incorporate J.J. Putz from the D-backs, Came Storen from the Excellent and Joel Hanrahan from the Pirates. Additionally, Mariano Rivera was his usual make of excellent and recorded all-time save No. 602.

There's one Rookie of the season across Major league baseball in your ballot. Who could it be? Buster Posey got the Rookie jerk this past year following a dream season, including a World Series title. Kimbrel, the BBWAA's unanimous NL pick, is out there here, too, out of the box Mark Trumbo from the Angels, Ivan Nova from the Yankees, Jeremy Hellickson from the Sun rays (BBWAA's AL pick) and eight others.

Comeback Player of the season is totally new for 2011. The state Major league baseball version of this hardware visited All-Star outfielders Jacoby Ellsbury from the Red-colored Sox and Lance Berkman from the Cardinals. They are some of the options around the GIBBYs ballot, additionally to Orioles shortstop J.J. Sturdy, Yankees catcher Russell Martin and Sun rays pitcher James Shields.

Cardinals third baseman David Freese might be a lock for Postseason MVP, but Postseason Moment may well be more suspenseful. His game-tying triple and walk-off homer within the classic World Series Game 6 are generally strong candidates, but same with the 3rd homer Albert Pujols hit at Texas to tie the planet Series record in Game 3, while setting an autumn Classic record of 14 total bases in one game.

Remember this past year when Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus was snubbed within the AL Gold Glove choices but won the GIBBYS trophy for Opponent of the season? Which was an emphatic statement by voters. Maybe it's a similar setup this year with Indians shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera.

There's an acceptable chance that Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter is a double champion. Jeter expires for Moment of the season and gratifaction of the season due to his 5-for-5 day that incorporated a house run for career hit No. 3,000. Jeter could win Moment for that third amount of time in 4 years, getting done this in 2008 for praising fans following the final game at Yankee Stadium, then in '09 for passing Lou Gehrig because the Yankees' all-time hits leader.

Performance is definitely among the most difficult options around the GIBBYs ballot. You might also need three no-players: Verlander, Ervin Santana from the Angels and Francisco Liriano from the Twins.

All voters are urged to look at the Must C clips and help decide individuals those who win, as only Major league baseball.com might have video-based Major league baseball honours. It's area of the fun for voting on these, out of the box knowing your preferred team includes a stake within the drama. Experience again the thrill of individuals days, place yourself back to that point, click your preferred after which get ready for the large unveiling on 12 ,. 16.

The GIBBYs go as far back to 2002, when there have been five groups. One of these was Bloopers, also it progressively grew to become referred to as "Oddity." That's always probably the most fun options. Remember when Miguel Olivo hit a drive to left in April also it returned off Ryan Raburn's glove and also over the wall?

You will find lots of great options like that certain, and also the clock is ticking should you haven't consumed all 25 ballots yet to create your voice heard.

Mets Begin Key Stretch With a Step Back

The Mets play 32 of their remaining 53 games at home. For most teams on the fringes of a playoff chase, that would be a blessing. For the Mets, it seems more like a curse.

Their .550 winning percentage on the road entering their game against the Florida Marlins on Monday night was the fifth best in the majors. Their .458 mark at home was fifth worst.

Settling in at Citi Field after rough weekend in Washington, the Mets played down to that trend.

The Mets’ offense slumbered against Marlins starter Javier Vazquez for most of the game, until Lucas Duda, the rookie tasked with replacing the departed superstar Carlos Beltran, hit a two-run homer with two outs in the ninth to tie the score.

But in the top of the 10th, Jason Isringhausen, who replaced the traded Francisco Rodriguez as closer, allowed three straight one-out singles. Then, with the bases loaded, Mike Stanton ripped a home run into the left field seats to give the Marlins a 7-3 victory.

The loss was the Mets’ third straight, and the second in a row in which they tied the score with a ninth-inning home run only to lose it in their opponents’ next time at bat.

“Very unfortunately, we’ve been here before,” Manager Terry Collins said. “And we’ve bounced back from before and we’ll bounce back again.”

Stanton’s grand slam could have been avoided had first baseman Daniel Murphy made a headier play when Dewayne Wise, who advanced runners to second and third with a single, overran first base. Murphy cut off the throw from Duda, but instead of throwing it to Justin Turner covering first, he tried chasing Wise back to the bag. He made a belated flip to Turner, but it was too late.

“I was trying to make sure the run didn’t score, and I got caught in no man’s land,” Murphy said. “It changed the whole inning. It was a bad play on my part.”

Getting Wise would have left Isringhausen with two outs and first base open, and after the game Collins said he probably would have walked Stanton, one of the more dangerous power hitters in baseball this season.

“He makes mistakes,” Collins said of Murphy. “But I bet you that never happens again.”

Hours earlier, the first day of August had offered a symbolic demarcation of sorts, a chance for the Mets to step back and consider the state of their affairs as they enter the final two months of the season.

To be sure, they are long shots to make the playoffs. They are seven and a half games behind the Atlanta Braves in the National League wild-card race, but with the Braves visiting New York for a three-game series this weekend, along with another set later this month, the Mets on Monday could not help portraying their current 10-game homestand as vital.

The actions, or lack thereof, of the Mets’ front office last weekend as well seemed to underscore the team’s hopeful outlook.

General Manager Sandy Alderson disclosed some of his thought processes from the past week. The Mets’ two big trades, which sent away Rodriguez and Beltran, were interpreted by some as a clear signal of surrender. But Alderson said he refrained from dealing other players to give his team a chance to win this year.

“We could have done something with one or two other players,” Alderson said. “But we decided on balance that we were better off keeping those players and giving the remaining group as good of an opportunity as possible to see how far they could go.”

He said that as the nonwaiver trade deadline approached on Sunday, the Mets looked for a middle reliever to bolster their floundering bullpen. Alderson said it was not uncommon for teams to morph from sellers to buyers in the trade market in a matter of weeks. The Mets still have time to make that switch, he said.

But on Monday, they showed that their needs may extend beyond the bullpen.

The Marlins nagged Mike Pelfrey from the start, piecing together a three-run lead through the first three and a half innings. Pelfrey left the game after six innings, having given up only three runs. But he battled hard to get there, throwing 119 pitches.

The Mets got a run back in the fourth, when Jason Bay smashed a 1-2 fastball that drifted up in the strike zone into the bullpen in right-center field, making the score 3-1.

Duda’s blast in the ninth — 425 feet into the center-field seats — sent the fans into frenzy. The Mets players urged Duda, a soft-spoken 25-year-old, out of the dugout for a curtain call.

“It was really loud,” Duda said of the crowd of 28,862. “I went out there, and gave them a little fist pump, and that was it. It was pretty cool.”

But they were booing soon enough, after Stanton’s homer settled into the seats in left.

Seabrook blindsided by Torres: Primeau

Former NHL star Keith Primeau says the violent hit by Vancouver Canucks forward Raffi Torres on Chicago Blackhawks defenceman Brent Seabrook exposes a "grey area" in the league rule designed to limit concussions.

"It was 100 per cent my definition of a blindside hit," Primeau said in a telephone interview with CBC News. "Not a blindside hit to the head but still a blindside hit to a player in a very vulnerable position."

The collision occurred in the second period of Sunday night's 3-2 Canucks' win over the Blackhawks in Chicago.

Seabrook was skating behind his own net and looking back for the puck when Torres slammed into him. Torres received a two-minute minor penalty for interference.

Under the NHL's Rule 48, had it been ruled an illegal blindside hit to the head, Torres would have been assessed a five-minute major penalty and a game misconduct.

And there's the rub.

Seabrook was clearly dazed by the body check, lying face down on the ice momentarily before getting up and skating to the bench.

Primeau thinks Seabrook suffered a head injury on the play.

"In my opinion he [Seabrook] suffered a concussion."

And that, Primeau says, exposes a second grey area in the league rules.

"He should not have returned to play. It's extremely dangerous. He's going to need time to recover."

The NHL's revised Protocol for Concussions Evaluation, which went into effect in March, states: "a player who is suspected of having a concussion will be removed from the game and sent to a quiet place free of distraction so they can be examined by an on-site physician."

Seabrook spoke briefly with the trainer on the bench but returned to the ice and was then hit into the boards again by Torres. Seabrook went to the dressing room after the second hit.

Primeau — whose own career ended after multiple concussions and who is still suffering from post-concussion syndrome five years later — says it was difficult to watch.

"I was watching the highlights and I saw the hit and my head just dropped because it was so upsetting. And then to see him get hit again … it was just so frustrating," he says.

"You can't trust the player to say he's OK. He's not OK, trust me. It was the same as [NHL superstar Sidney] Crosby, the same as [Toronto forward Mikhail] Grabovski. It takes far less contact to get hurt the second time."

Crosby hasn't played since suffering a concussion when he was slammed into the boards by Tampa Bay's Victor Hedman in January. Some suspect Crosby was actually hurt prior to that hit when he was knocked off his skates by Washington's David Steckel during the Winter Classic on New Year's Day.

Grabovski was hit twice during a game with Boston in February and appeared to be dazed and disoriented but remained in the game, eventually returning to score the winning goal.

Primeau says it can take days to notice the symptoms of a concussion.

"With my numbers three and four [concussions] I didn't feel the true effects until 48 hours after the hit. Extreme headaches, head pressure, dizziness and disorientation, sensitivity to light."

Primeau also says the Seabrook situation makes it harder for him to sell his message of the dangers of blindside hits and subsequent concussions.

Primeau has been an outspoken advocate for more awareness of head injuries.

"Don't get me wrong, I don't want to see hitting removed from the game," he says. "I don't want to see the nature of the game changed."

"I just want to see the rules clearly defined and enforced."

It's not known if Seabrook, who reportedly suffered two concussions last year, will miss any time.

The Canucks lead the best of seven series 3-0.

Lamb proves to be productive sidekick to Walker

ANAHEIM, CALIF.—The skinny, long-armed teenager from Norcross, Ga., showcased himself brilliantly in the shadow of a bigger star.http://beautifulweddingdress.webblogg.se

Connecticut’s 6-foot-5, 185-pound freshman guard, Jeremy Lamb, and the rest of his teammates have been playing just outside the spotlight of do-everything point guard Kemba Walker this season. But when the lights were at about their brightest, Lamb stepped into it alongside Walker.

Lamb tied a career-high with 24 points on 9-of-11 shooting in the West region semifinal against San Diego State on Thursday, including a critical 3-pointer off an offensive rebound that swished through to give Connecticut a 68-64 lead with just more than a minute to play. Lamb found himself wide open on the left wing as the Aztecs scrambled for the rebound and to locate Walker.

“I get easy shots playing off Kemba because if they don’t throw two or three people at him, he’s going to make them pay,” Lamb said. “So I get open shots and all I can do is try to knock them down and I was able to do that.”

Lamb followed that with a defensive gem, leaping to snatch a post-entry pass with his long arms, starting the break and then getting the ball back for an emphatic two-handed dunk to seal the victory.

Back at the hotel, Lamb fell asleep early but noted, “of course I watched highlights first.”

“It was real cool,” said Lamb, who also had 24 against Marquette in January. “Just growing up watching the NCAA Tournament and then playing in it, it feels real good to excel in it.”

Lamb is the son of Rolando Lamb, the man who drained a buzzer-beating shot for Virginia Commonwealth and sent Jim Calhoun and Northeastern packing out of the 1984 NCAA Tournament.

Now Calhoun is coaching the younger Lamb to the brink of a Final Four berth.

“There is something ironic about this whole situation,” Calhoun said, “and I couldn’t be more thrilled as a coach.”

While Walker outshined his younger teammate, he knows Lamb’s ceiling is high. And now he knows Lamb is a capable sidekick on the biggest of stages.

“Jeremy has been playing some great basketball for a long time now,” Walker said. “I know it’s a big stage but he’s had 24 before. He had one stretch in the beginning of the season where he was unstoppable.

“I’m happy he had a big game because we definitely needed it from him.”

Players standing strong -- and better stay that way

MARCO ISLAND, Fla. -- For those who think the NFL and its players will settle their differences soon -- or soon enough so that mini-camps, offseason workouts or training camps won't be affected -- there was a sobering message Thursday from San Francisco player representative Takeo Spikes.

"The mindset," he said, "is not to show up until August. That's the mindset we have to take for now. As players, we want to play. We didn't lock ourselves out."

Spikes is right on two counts. They did not lock themselves out, and, yes, they should prepare for the worst -- even though a court decision in early April could bring relief. Ten players signed on as plaintiffs in an antitrust lawsuit scheduled to be heard in a federal court April 6.

If the players win, the lockout is broken and players can return -- though it would be under rules imposed by the league and almost surely rules for the 2010 season.
But if they lose? Well, that's why Spikes and others are here. Their message to players is to stay united, stay strong and stay together -- and for now they are. But it's March, and no game checks have been missed, and bills aren't accumulating. But if it's August, and there's still no football ... well, then we have a potential problem.
Correction: The players have a potential problem.
Because the last time there was a work stoppage in the NFL striking players couldn't wait to jump the picket line. Granted, the scenario was different. It was a strike, not a lockout, so players can't cross a picket line that doesn't exist.
But they can cross their leadership. The unity on display at this weekend's meetings will be tested if nothing is resolved in the coming months, which is why player representatives are here. Like Spikes, they're preparing themselves -- and teammates -- for worst-case scenarios, hoping they don't happen but prepared if they do.
”You have to continue to feed guys information," said the Jets' Tony Richardson. "I know some guys can get isolated and bury themselves in that deep corner, but those are the guys I have to keep reaching out to. A lot of our young players ... I have to keep them engaged because this thing could go for a long time."
As I said, the courts will have something to say about that, but, in the end, so will NFL owners. The last time we saw them they were preaching negotiation, not litigation, so you have to believe they'll return to the bargaining table. The question, of course, is: When?
For the moment, players don't seem concerned, content to let the federal courts weigh in first. Eventually, however, they'll have to deal with owners again, and they made it clear again Thursday that they cannot and will not strike a deal without gaining detailed financial statements.
That's not exactly a revelation. But this is: Players acknowledged that they don't need 10 years of audited statements, as they demanded, or even five, as owners proposed. What they do want are detailed audits, and they said they would be willing to have them submitted to a neutral party agreeable to both sides.
Thus far, they said they've seen nothing of the sort -- getting "snapshots, an aggregate of a few teams," as Richardson put it -- and that won't cut it.
"How far apart are you?" Sean Morey, a former player and member of the players' executive committee, was asked.
He shrugged.
"How do we know?" he said. "If the owners are incapable of providing audited financial statements. We can't sit back and just trust them at their word."
That's understandable, particularly in light of this month's court decision that ruled the NFL acted against the players' interests when it negotiated its last TV contracts. But the more players press, the more, they say, management resists.
Once upon a time, I thought the problem was the disclosure process itself -- basically, that players wanted financial statements that owners were unwilling to provide. But then owners offered five years of team-by-team statements to be reviewed by a neutral party, and when that didn't fly I thought the neutral party was the problem.
Wrong again. It turns out the players want line-by-line itemizing, and they don't care who sees it -- just so long as they're viewed. Good luck. I don't see that happening soon, another reason Spikes and his colleagues better stay strong.
"The numbers they're willing to provide," said Morey, "don't give us any sort of definitive ability to analyze data and reach a conclusion as to what we can negotiate and what's a fair deal.
"I mean, they say they have decreasing profitability. But if you think of the significance of profitability -- with all the other line items unavailable -- how do we get a real clear picture of what their potential costs are, what their revenue is and what their decreasing profitability is?"
"But when you ask for those statements," he was asked, "what is their response?"
"We wouldn't be able to understand it" Morey said, quoting a management source. "They said, 'We provided that information, and you wouldn’t be able to understand. (We said) 'You know what? We're players, and we're coachable."
Morey went to Brown University, so he knows he would be able to understand. So would Richardson, who has an MBA. So there must be another reason, and Morey thinks there is.
"(So we don't) see how much money they're going to make down the road," he said. "They understand. They totally comprehend it. (Dallas owner) Jerry Jones sat across from us and said he's a professional optimist. Damn right he is. He understands the league now is more profitable than ever and the amount of money they're able to make down the road is something I personally believe they don't want to share."
Maybe. All I know is that talk is cheap, and this lockout is not. And it could be months before it's resolved. Players keep telling us they stand for what's right and what's fair, and maybe they do. But they also tell us this is a business negotiation, and what's right and what's fair don't always win.
"I think we're stronger than ever," said Richardson.
They may have to be.

STAR PLAYERS FILE ANTITRUST LAWSUIT IN MINNEAPOLIS

MINNEAPOLIS -- MVP Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Drew Breesare among the players who filed an antitrust lawsuit against the NFL on Friday to prevent a lockout.

Just after the players' union decertified, the star quarterbacks and seven other players filed suit against the NFL in U.S. District Court, seeking class-action against the league. They also filed a request for an injunction that would keep the NFL and the teams from engaging in a lockout.

The collective bargaining agreement with the league expires at the end of Friday.

Also involved in bringing the lawsuit: San Diego receiverVincent Jackson, Minnesota linebacker Ben Leber and defensive endBrian Robison, New England guard Logan Mankins, New York Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora, Kansas City linebacker Mike Vrabel, and Texas A&M linebacker Von Miller, who is entered in this year's draft.

"The torch has been passed to a young Aggie who has decided to put his name on a lawsuit," Smith said.

Manning, Jackson and Mankins are free agents. The Colts tagged Manning as a franchise player, while the Chargers did the same with Jackson and the Patriots with Mankins. The union is disputing the validity of those tags.

The players allege that the NFL conspired to deny the players' ability to market their services.