On the surface, the similarities are eerie: the Bruins lead an Eastern Conference semifinal series 3-0 with Tuukka Rask (7-3, 2.19 GAA, .930 save percentage) in net.

Yes, three long years ago Boston became only the third team in NHL history to blow a 3-0 series lead when they lost to the Philadelphia Flyers. Who could ever forget that? However, the franchise was able to pick up the pieces quickly as it won its first Stanley Cup in 39 years the very next season, which included a sweep of Philadelphia in the Eastern semis.

Rask would never say it publicly, but Thursday’s Game 4 (7 p.m., CNBC) at Madison Square Garden represents a big moment in his promising young career. He has the chance to further bury the painful memories of 2010 with a sweep of the Rangers and the B’s can reach their second Eastern Conference Finals in three years with a victory Thursday.

Rask and the club obviously have big goals in mind (namely a Stanley Cup) but for a guy that had to toil in Tim Thomas’ long shadow all season and answer numerous questions about that whole situation, one would think that winning Game 4 would certainly provide a big lift mentally and emotionally going forward.

Follow Metro Boston Bruins beat writer Richard Slate on Twitter @RichSlate

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Some of the more cynical NFL fans out there will say that it “pays to cheat.”

According to Forbes, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and New Orleans Saints boss Sean Payton are the two highest paid coaches in sports. Belichick routinely draws the ire of opposing fan bases for his role in the 2007 “SpyGate” scandal and Payton was suspended for the entire 2012 season for his role in the Saints’ “BountyGate” saga.

Payton has actually surpassed Belichick on the list as he makes, roughly, $8 million per year while Belichick is reportedly tied for second with new Chiefs coach Andy Reid at $7.5 million per. Belichick has not publically discussed his contract status in years, last addressing the issue in 2007.
“I don’t talk about contracts but I would say I like working here, I like the organization; ownership, coaches, scouts, players and the guys I work with,” Belichick said in July of that year. “I appreciate the opportunity to work here and it’s a good situation. I don’t see that changing anytime soon.”

Celtics head coach Doc Rivers was also on the list, in the top 10, as he makes $7 million per year.

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Chase Utley is the latest Phillie bitten by the injury bug.

The second baseman was scratched from Tuesday night’s lineup after experiencing pain in his right rib cage during batting practice. He’ll undergo an MRI Thursday in Philadelphia.

Utley spoke briefly with reporters Wednesday and admitted to feeling “scared.” Some are speculating he could be headed to the DL.

“It definitely scared me a little bit,” Utley told reporters. “My first swing, I felt something. My second swing, I felt it again. My third swing, I felt it again. After the fourth swing, I realized something wasn’t right.”

Freddy Galvis has been filling in at second base as the team awaits Utley’s test results. Utley, who has been known to hide injuries in the past, was open and honest about it with skipper Charlie Manuel. Both player and coach are preaching patience.

“You want to be careful with these things because they could linger and get worse if you try to play through it,” Utley said. “I think we caught it early enough, but it’s hard to know until we have some imaging on it.”

The post Philllies Notebook: Utley sits out, waiting for MRI results appeared first on Metro.us.

Darroll Powe sat at his stall yesterday and regaled the media with memories of the Flyers’ 2010 run to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Philadelphia trailed the Bruins 0-3 after the first three games of their second-round series and were down 3-0 after the first 14:10 of the first period of Game 7 before rallying to win the deciding game 4-3. Powe compared the task to climbing a mountain.

The symbolism could not be more appropriate for the Rangers, who enter tonight’s Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals best-of-seven-series in a similar 0-3 hole.

The Rangers have trailed 0-3 in a best-of-seven series nine times in their history. Six times they have been swept.

The 2010 Flyers, 1975 Islanders and 1942 Maple Leafs are the only three teams in NHL history to win a playoff series after falling behind 0-3.

“You win that one game and things start to change,” Powe said. “After that you worry about the next game, and you realize as you keep going that your confidence builds and grows, and you see the other side kind of go the other way. You can’t do any of that without a big next game.”

But the overriding question is whether the Rangers, facing an opponent that is bigger, stronger, faster and deeper than the Capitals, is able to generate the kind of complete game effort needed to win Game 4.

Boston has more shots on goal (114-96), won more faceoffs (99-81), more hits (115-114) and one more power-play goal (1-0) than the Rangers.

At even strength, the Bruins have outscored the Rangers 9-5. Eleven Bruins have recorded at least one point in the series. Boston’s top line of Nathan Horton, David Krejci and Milan Lucic has combined for four points (a goal and three assists) and a plus-4 rating in the three games. Their fourth line of Gregory Campbell, Shawn Thornton and Daniel Paille has six points (two goals and four assists) and a plus-9 rating.

In comparison, only three Rangers — Brian Boyle, Ryan McDonagh and Derek Stepan — have a plus rating in the series. All three are plus-1. Nine Rangers have recorded a point in the series, led by the trio of Ryan Callahan, McDonagh and Rick Nash, who have two points (a goal and an assist for all three) apiece in the series.

“I think having the puck more starts with getting the puck from the other team — that’s where we have struggled a little bit with our coverages, in our end zone as far as them sustaining battles there,” head coach John Tortorella said. “Again, not to enhance Boston but they’re a pretty good team, too. That’s a big part of their game. So at times we’re good at it but we’re just not consistent enough.

“We’re trying to forecheck. But you have to play good defense to get anywhere in [the] playoffs and to even think of winning a championship, you have to play good defense. It’s not being this defensive-oriented team; it’s playing good, strong defense and I don’t think we’ve done that consistently enough.”

Follow Rangers beat writer Denis Gorman on Twitter @DenisGorman.

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Four of the biggest names in Philly sports — or at least four of the biggest wallets — gathered Wednesday morning to speak on a panel discussing “The Impact of Sports.” The panel included Eagles GM Howie Roseman, Flyers president Peter Luukko, Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. and Sixers CEO Adam Aron.

They talked on a variety of topics, most notably how sick of losing they are, and they seemed to answer questions as if they cared about the fans. Aron joked that they have the most enjoyable jobs on the planet “when our teams are winning.”

Luukko drew criticism from 94 WIP’s Angelo Cataldi when he admitted that giving out detailed, up-to-date medical updates to the public isn’t a top priority. Remember, the NHL is the only league that doesn’t require teams to disclose the exact locations of injuries on a player’s body.

“I know it frustrates the media,” Luukko said, “but we really don’t care.”

The sports executives were joined on stage by various media personalities, team physicians and Gov. Tom Corbett.

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Paine’s Park, a public skate park adjacent to the art museum, officially opened to the public on Wednesday. Wedged between the Schuylkill River and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, the park stretches across about three acres set on the Schuylkill Trail. The park is intended for pedestrians and not just skaters with the inclusion of green space, benches and cobblestone paths.

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Cole Hamels had an easy out last season. He could have passed on $144 million last July and opted to test the waters of free agency.

It wasn’t just cash Hamels left behind. He also might have passed on a life preserver that would have brought him to a winning team.

Hamels could have said that he loved his time in Philadelphia during his departing press conference, but it was time to leave an aging core. But Hamels has always enjoyed playing for the Phillies, just like Jimmy Rollins. King Cole and J-Roll are a pair of native Californians that reside in the Delaware Valley year round.

Philadelphia is home to Hamels but, after posting a 1-7 record with little run support, does the proud lefty have any regrets about staying?

Will Hamels become the first major leaguer since Mike Maroth in 2003 to lose 20 games? If the Phillies’ offense doesn’t find an elixir, which somehow enables the team to become more selective and find a way to get on base more often, Hamels could hit 20 losses. It would be ironic since many pundits thought he could win 20 games.

Hamels failed to answer questions after an inexplicable loss to the wretched Marlins, who only have nine wins against teams not named the Phillies. Hamels was exceptional Monday night in a 2-1 defeat. Great fastball, outstanding changeup.

What could Hamels say?

“I’ll be fine this season if I pitch like I’m capable,” Hamels said during spring training. “Our offense will be better now that Ryan Howard and Chase Utley will start the season and we have Michael Young.”

The offense is somehow worse this season making it harder on the starters.

“Hamels has been uneven, but he doesn’t deserve this record,” a NL scout said. “How can they be that bad in games he starts [1-9]? You have to wonder if he wishes he went elsewhere in the offseason.”

Can Hamels lose 20 in 2013?

“Absolutely,” the NL scout said. “If he doesn’t get injured. They’ll continue to throw him out there and if the offense doesn’t get better, I don’t know why it would get better, he should continue to lose since he gets no support.”

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The Giants officially kicked off the 2013-14 season with organized team activities (OTAs) Wednesday as veterans joined the minicamp participants who were lucky enough to earn a spot on the camp roster.

Conspicuous by their absences, however, was the Giants’ starting pair of wideouts, Victor Cruz and Hakeem Nicks. Cruz’s contract saga is well-publicized, so it wasn’t a huge surprise he didn’t attend. But Nicks’s absence was met with a testy response from head coach Tom Coughlin, who expected his veteran receiver to be front and center when the first unit was on the field.

“He should be here,” Coughlin said when asked about Nicks’s no-show.

It’s unknown the reason for Nicks’s absence, but perhaps it had to do with safety precautions, since the former first-round pick endured an injury-riddled 2012-13 season. Nicks broke the fifth metatarsal bone in his foot during last year’s OTAs, and judging by the many slips on the slick outdoor practice field and an apparent knee injury to fullback Henry Hynoski, perhaps Nicks was clairvoyant in avoiding the session.

Coughlin wouldn’t allow for Nicks perhaps using last season’s foot injury as a reason to skip the workouts, saying that even if that was the case, the Giants would’ve taken the necessary precautions with their prized wideout.

“He would have some kind of limitations, I’m sure,” said Coughlin. “But that’s not the reason [he's not here].”

Eli Manning, ever one to shy away from controversy, wanted no part of the sagas that currently plague his wideouts, but did allow he was shocked to find out Nicks no-showed.

“I had no reason to think he wasn’t going to be here,” Manning said.

Ever the optimist, though, Manning used Cruz’s and Nicks’s absences as a teachable moment for the other wideouts in attendance and said he still used the session as a way to bond with them and get them important repetitions.

“Right now, I’m just worrying about myself, and executing. The guys that are here, we’re just trying to make sure that everybody gets better and up to speed, especially the young guys getting involved,” Manning said. “It was good getting everybody who was here a lot of reps and involved, and having time with them. So whoever is on the field, we expect them to play and perform at a high level. … The more guys you have who are experienced and ready to go and play different positions, the better off you’re going to be.”

About the only thing Manning said about Nicks’s absence that hinted at disappointed was when he was asked if he could understand guys missing time for health reasons – should that ultimately be the case for Nicks.

“You want to make sure guys are healthy at the start of the year, but there’s also a time to get work in also and improve,” Manning allowed. “You have to rep things and make sure you’re playing at our best. That involves being healthy, but also involves practicing and getting reps.”

One guy who certainly doesn’t mind the extra reps is third-year wideout Jerrel Jernigan. The former Troy star has been mostly used as a return specialist, but with the absences of the star wideouts, Jernigan ran with the first unit, alongside newcomer Louis Murphy.

Jernigan has taken incremental steps during his time in New York, so he’s looking forward to really taking advantage of the newfound playing time.

“It’s wide open and we’re all competing. I’m putting in a lot of work,” said Jernigan. “This year, going into my third season, it’s time to go out there and make plays and prove myself. Until [Cruz] comes back I’ll be the ‘Z’ [the wideout closest to the tight end] and try to make plays.”

Jernigan has only registered three catches for 22 yards in his career — all coming last season — so he’s a longshot to steal any playing time from the veterans when they finally report. But the speedy 5-foot-9 wideout doesn’t lack confidence when expressing his desire to do more on the offensive end, so he doesn’t get typecast as merely a return specialist.

“My confidence is always high. I never get down on myself. I know what I can do, and been playing this game since I was 7 years old. I go out there every day and put in work, no matter if I’m a starter or whatever,” Jernigan said. “The first year was the playbook, because [in college] we were running four-wides [four wide receiver offense], and then I came here into a pro-style offense. Last year I learned a little bit more, and now this year, my third year, I know the whole offense. … There’s no excuses now. I just need to go out and perform.”

Big Blue notes …

» Hynoski was carted off the field on the second play from scrimmage with an apparent knee injury and will undergo an MRI to see the extent of the damage.

» Former first-round pick Aaron Curry was very enthusiastic during Wednesday’s session. The former No. 4 pick rotated with the second unit and had a “just happy to be here” view on being a part of Big Blue. Curry noted that as a blue-chip middle linebacker, who was selected by the Seahawks in the 2009 draft, he took things for granted, but has rededicated himself with a new lease on his football life.

“In Seattle, football wasn’t a priority and I just lacked maturity,” Curry said. “[Being labeled a bust] was definitely about the mental aspect. The physical part about football is all NFL guys got [ability], but the guys that separate themselves do it because of the mental, and that all starts on the Monday after the previous Sunday game. I’m looking forward to applying my new way of studying and attention to detail, and challenging myself to emptying the tank every day.”

Curry also credited former Cowboys linebacker and current linebacker coach for the Seahawks, Ken Norton, Jr., for setting him straight.

“Ken Norton challenged me every day. He’s a great coach who said a lot of things that made me change the way I did a lot of stuff about the NFL, about life and about the business,” Curry said. “Every now and then I’ll text him and thank him for all the wisdom and knowledge he passed down to me. … When I got to Oakland, I wore No. 51 because he once wore No. 51. A lot of days I still think about how he taught me how to handle things on the field or off the field.”

» Don’t count defensive end Justin Tuck as someone who’s particularly concerned about the absence of his starting wideouts.

“No matter how much time they miss, if they come out on Sunday and ball, this will be forgotten,” he said, adding about Cruz, “We’ve got a lot of things to worry about, but I don’t think Victor Cruz is one of them.”

» Guard Chris Snee was not participating, as he’s still recovering from an offseason procedure to his hip. James Brewer filled in for him.

» Mathias Kiwanuka, who was the starting strongside linebacker last season, was seen working with the defensive linemen in drills.

» Mark Herzlich was seen calling the shots at middle linebacker for the first unit, in between outside linebackers Spencer Paysinger and Keith Rivers.

» Cornerback Terrell Thomas said he hopes to start individual drills soon, adding he’s “not scared” of competing despite tearing his ACL for the third time last season.

“If it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be,” Thomas said.

Thomas then quipped he’ll play wherever the coaching staff needs him, as it’s rumored that he may move from cornerback to safety.

“If they tell me I’m going to play kicker, I’ll play kicker,” Thomas said.

Follow Giants beat writer Tony Williams on Twitter @TBone8.

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If Mark Sanchez is a better quarterback this year, it might be because he doesn’t have Tony Sparano to kick around any longer.

Sparano, the Jets’ offensive coordinator for last year’s 6-10 season, oversaw Sanchez’s nosedive in performance. The quarterback had his worst statistical season since his rookie year, throwing more interceptions than touchdowns.

Now with Marty Mornhinweg calling the plays, Sanchez is hopeful he can bounce back. The experienced offensive coordinator has a reputation for maximizing a quarterback’s potential and he will be charged with rebuilding a fledgling career now at an all-time low.

“I just feel like this coaching staff is going to get the best out of me — just rededicating yourself to the game, rededicating yourself to your preparation and just being excited about this system and what it can do for a quarterback,” Sanchez said. “I think just in these early stages we strung together a couple good days of OTAs. We just got to keep it rolling, stay positive and keep on improving. But I like our attitude and I like the coaching we’ve received so far. I think it’s only going to continue to grow and get better.”

A season ago, the Jets were going to return to the ground game under Sparano and the acquisition of quarterback Tim Tebow to run the Wildcat only underscored that Sanchez’s arm was on the outs in a run-heavy offense. But the ground game sputtered and was inconsistent and injuries beset the wide receivers, leaving Sanchez without a running game or bona fide targets.

It also didn’t help that Sanchez struggled with his progression and regressed to a one-read quarterback as a result of an unimaginative offense lacking playmakers.

Sanchez wouldn’t blame an offense that under Sparano was No. 30 in total offense last season or last year’s coaching staff.

“I don’t know about that. Each system has its own pros and cons. A lot of that stuff is timing and there’s a million things that come into play,” Sanchez said. “At the end of the day, I just have to worry about what I can control.”

What may not be a good sign is that he continues to lose the turnover battle. On Wednesday, Sanchez threw three interceptions, one of which was picked off by nose tackle Damon Harrison.

Sanchez laughed off being intercepted by a player who has been nicknamed by the coaching staff as “Big Snacks” due to his size, but Ryan sounded concerned even if it is only May.

“Yeah it is, absolutely [concerning]. It was a good thing the defense made some plays but I’d rather him not turn the ball over once,” Ryan said. “He did some great things but at the end of the day those are the things that get you beat.”

There is, of course, extra pressure on Sanchez this year as he not only has to improve but he’s engaged in the first true quarterback competition of his professional career.

Geno Smith took the second-most reps in practice after Sanchez and felt he showed “subtle improvement” this week. After a strong rookie minicamp two weeks ago, he struggled with his accuracy and timing.

Part of it is the adjustment to an offense where he is under center, unlike last year at West Virginia where he operated primarily out of the shotgun.

“It just takes reps. Overall, I feel that I’ve been able to pick up on my reads, figure out my depth and drops and how it should be done,” Smith said. “As I said, there’s a total difference in the systems and it’s just a process I have to go through.”

Jets notes …

» The Jets lined up first round pick Sheldon Richardson in the 3-technique today, which he told Metro during rookie minicamp was their ideal spot for him. In college, Richardson primarily played on the edge.

» Smith announced he will be represented by Roc Nation Sports, the agency started by rapper Jay-Z. Head coach Rex Ryan didn’t seem too concerned about his second-round pick going with such a high-profile agency.

“He knows he has to focus on the job at hand here. I’m confident that will happen,” Ryan said. “I don’t even think about who he hired.”

» Second-year wide receiver Stephen Hill was held out of OTAs on Wednesday due to swelling in his knee. He rode the stationary bicycle along with wide receiver Santonio Holmes, who did not practice as he continues to recover from last year’s foot surgery that ended his season.

A team source told Metro New York on Wednesday morning that Holmes “is not expected to be able to run till training camp. His injury is coming along fine but don’t expect him for OTAs or minicamp next month.”

Follow Jets beat writer Kristian Dyer on Twitter @KristianRDyer.

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There has been a perception with the Red Sox this season that they have only beat average-to-bad teams and not any of the top teams that baseball has to offer. In reality, this is a misconception as 10 of the first 15 series’ Boston has played this season have been against teams with winning records. In fact, in those games against teams with below-.500 records they are only 10-7, compared to 17-12 against teams with above-.500 records.

In 12 games against first or second place teams in the American League, the Red Sox are 6-6, being outscored 55-58 in those games, but those numbers include a three-game sweep at the hands of the Texas Rangers, in which they were outscored 16-4. Things haven’t been much different at the plate for the Sox against top competition when compared to cellar-dwellars as in those 12 games they are hitting .256, compared to .262 overall this year.

Boston has a chance to further its campaign as an AL buzz saw beginning Thursday when it welcomes the AL Central leading Cleveland Indians to Fenway Park for a four-game set. Although much of the talk will be surrounding the return of Indians manager Terry Francona to Boston, this is a big series for the teams on the field. With the start of the Red Sox series the Indians begin a brutal stretch with eight of their next nine series’ against first or second place teams.

The series will provide Sox hurlers with a chance to prove themselves against one of the best hitting teams in the American League. Going into Wednesday the Indians are second in the AL in runs per game with 4.98 and lead all of baseball with 60 home runs. It will be a good test for the backend of the Sox’ rotation as aside from Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz starters have a combined 5.40 ERA in their last six outings.

Follow Metro Red Sox writer Ryan Hannable on Twitter @hannable84

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Considering the numbers and his stature, it was surprising witnessing the short lines to collect Michael Young’s autograph at the Phillies’ ALS festival last week.

Young’s 44 hits lead the team and he is on pace to finish the season with more than 2,300 career hits.

“I can’t believe we don’t have to wait long for a Michael Young [signature],” a young fan said. “He could get in the Hall of Fame.”

Indeed. The classy third baseman has a chance for enshrinement in the Hall of Fame if his 36-year old body remains intact and he continues to be productive.

However, there’s not as much love as you would expect for Young in Philly. Could it have something to do with his lack of extra-base hits? Could it have something to do with Young grounding into 11 double plays by mid-May?

“I don’t think people in Philadelphia understand and appreciate Michael Young yet,” a NL scout said. “He’s a solid player, who hits everything on the nose.”

Young hits the ball so hard that double plays are part of the deal, just like strikeouts for Ryan Howard.

In 2006, Young grounded into a career-high 27 double plays with the Texas Rangers. But there were no complaints from Rangers fans since Young hit. 314 with 103 RBIs and an .814 OPS.

The guy who appreciates Young the most is arguably the most popular athlete in Philadelphia.

“I can’t tell you how much I love it that Michael Young is on this team,” Cliff Lee said. “The guy is the epitome of what you want in a ballplayer. He plays hard. He hits the ball hard. He’s smart and he understands the game as well as anybody. I don’t know how you can’t appreciate a guy like that.”

Especially when you compare Young’s stats to last season’s third baseman, Placido Polanco, who was oft-injured and ineffective.

“That’s a huge upgrade at third for Philly,” the NL scout said. “Polanco killed them last year and now you have a guy, who very well could hit .300 and have 200 hits. He might not hit a lot of homers and he may ground into double plays but he is a helluva player, who is a winner. You want guys like that on your team.”

By the numbers

Michael Young: .294 average, .392 OBP Phillies 2013

Placido Polanco: .257 average, .302 OBP Phillies 2012

Pedro Feliz: .266 average .308 OBP, Phillies 2009

David Bell: .278 average, .345 OBP Phillies 2006

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The Phillies have announced the inductees to their annual Wall of Fame ceremony. It will take place Aug. 1-4 at Citizens Bank Park during Toyota Alumni Weekend.

Curt Schilling is the lone inductee into the 2013 Wall of Fame class. Schilling is scheduled to attend the event on Aug. 2 as the Phillies will add a 14×20 cast bronze plaque of the retired pitcher to the Memory Lane section of Ashburn Alley. All fans in attendance will receive a commemorative print of Schilling.

The Phillies will also honor the 1993 National League championship team on Aug. 4. Jim Fregosi, the skipper of that rambunctious crew, will be at the ballpark, along with a handful of players.

The team also announced that former closer Brad Lidge will ceremoniously retire as a Philadelphia Phillie on Aug. 1 and will throw out the first pitch. You may recall Lidge was the one that struck out Eric Hinske, with his trademark slider, to clinch the 2008 World Series title.

“I had my greatest moment at Citizens Bank Park and I would like to officially retire as a member of the Phillies organization,” said Lidge.

Lidge joins Doug Glanville, Mike Lieberthal and Pat Burrell as alumni who have chosen to retire as a Phillie.

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There will be no treetop adventure coming to Wissahickon Valley Park, officials said.

The city terminated the project after community resistance became too big an obstacle to overcome.

Bob Allen, director of property and concessions management for the city’s parks and recreation department, said the city didn’t want to ruin any partnerships with community organizations.

“There was actually a small but vocal group that I think misrepresented the project to the community and got the community to sign petitions against it, and we’re not about getting into adversarial relationships with folks from the community and park users, so we withdrew the project,” Allen said.

In late March, city officials discussed the proposal to build an outdoor adventure course, which included a zip line, on five acres in the Roxborough park.

Neighbors and community groups voiced concerns at a public meeting, pointing to environmental, traffic and vandalism concerns.

He “doubts very much” the project could be resurrected.

Friends of the Wissahickon were not immediately available for comment.

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You never want to see a peer get laid off. Unless, of course, you can’t stand the sumbitch. In that case, watching a professional nemesis pack their bags can be one of the more joyful days in any person’s life.

It’s highly unlikely, however, that there will be any wry grins in Bristol, Conn. today. Yes, ESPN is picking on the “little people” today. Instead of wiping Chris Berman’s Chris Berman in 1992-sized contract from its sheets, the Worldwide Leader is dumping 300-400 of its “non-talent.”

“We are implementing changes across the company to enhance our continued growth while smartly managing costs,” ESPN said in a statement Tuesday. “While difficult, we are confident that it will make us more competitive, innovative and productive.”

As of noon Tuesday, no “big names” were let go and it’s doubtful that that certain SportsCenter host you despise (ahem, Stan Verett) will be dumped this afternoon. Nope, expect the tech guys, the guys that run the cameras and the guys that talk NHL on SportsCenter (oh, sorry, they were let go four years ago?) to be let go today. All in time to make a big push to bring back Keith Olbermann this summer.

If you’re wondering, last fall Forbes called ESPN the most valuable media property on earth and estimated its worth at $40 billion.

Sergio Garcia wishes he ate the bones, so he would just shutup

Sergio Garcia pulled a Fuzzy Zoeller (boy, that’s fun to say) this week. The Spanish golf star was on stage at the European Tour’s gala players awards dinner when he was asked if he would have Tiger Woods “round” for dinner during the upcoming U.S. Open.

“We will have him round every night,” Garcia said. “We will serve fried chicken.”

For those unfamiliar with that latter phrase, it is, indeed, racist.

Garcia later half-heartedly apologized for the comment.

“I apologize for any offense that may have been caused by my comment on stage during the European Tour players awards dinner. I answered a question that was clearly made towards me as a joke with a silly remark, but in no way was the comment meant in a racist manner.”

Garcia and Woods had a much-discussed public spat just a couple of weeks ago and, shockingly enough, the much-maligned Woods seems to be winning this feud by basically doing nothing. Just another obvious step on the road to recovery for Tiger: “let peer golfer make moronic comments about you in the media while you sit back and act classy.” Check.

By the way, for those unaware of the “Fuzzy Zoeller” reference above, here is all you need to know. This is golfing veteran Fuzzy Zoeller talking about how well a young Tiger Woods is playing at the 1997 Masters. WARNING: It’s blatantly racist:

• 
  View Video

  VIDEO: Golfer Fuzzy Zoeller’s racist comments about Tiger Woods in 1997

Follow Metro Boston sports editor and columnist Matt Burke on Twitter @BurkeMetroBOS

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Lanier Coleman is a 26-year-old rookie trying to make the Jets after more than three years out of football. It is a second chance for the massive defensive lineman after he thought his playing days were done.

Coleman was invited to Vikings minicamp in 2009 after a solid career at Louisiana-Lafayette. He did well in minicamp but not enough to earn an invite to their training camp a month later so Coleman packed his bags and returned to Louisiana to coach high school football. The following spring he played in the Arena Football League, but figured he had hung up the helmet and pads for good when he took an intern position at Louisiana-Lafayette in their weight room.

He stocked protein, racked the weights and cleaned the weight benches. In short, he did the grunt work around the weight room, but he ended up falling in love with the job. He always pictured himself as a coach “but I really got into the intensity and passion of the weight room.”

His thankless efforts did not go unnoticed and in the spring of 2010, Coleman went to Rice University in Houston where he served as assistant strength coach for baseball, football, golf, tennis and swimming. He began to learn more about handling athletes and training them in addition to the administrative side of things. When an opportunity came along a year later to take a similar position at Cal, Coleman hopped on board.

It was there that Chris DiSanto, the Golden Bears’ assistant strength and conditioning coach who is now with the Browns, noticed Coleman’s passion for the game.

“I was at practice, getting excited about practice, jumping around and one of my coworkers, Mr. DiSanto, said that ‘I can tell you still have a fire for this game.’ My thing was, I didn’t have any connections,” Coleman said.

It had been three years since Coleman had played in the Arena Football League and four years since he stepped foot on a football field at the NFL level in Minnesota’s minicamp. His defensive line coach at the Vikings was Karl Dunbar, who became the Jets’ defensive line coach last year. DiSanto pushed Coleman to reach out and see if any opportunities existed.

Coleman felt if he had made an impression on Dunbar four years ago he would have heard from the respected position coach already. He hadn’t, so he assumed Dunbar wouldn’t be interested.

“I felt like if coach Dunbar wanted me, he’d seek me out. But Mr. DiSanto said that I should reach out, show him that I want it,” Coleman said. “So I reached out to him and he reached out to me and we talked. I was shocked because I figured he’d be swamped with people wanting to get to him and he wouldn’t have the time for me. He told me he might have an opportunity for me but that I’d have to bring my A game.

“He was very honest with me. That’s the great thing about him. He’s not only a great coach, he’s a great man as well.”

So Coleman packed his bags and headed to New Jersey as a tryout player in the Jets’ rookie minicamp. Nothing was guaranteed but it was an opportunity he had to take.

It was a worthwhile gamble as he impressed the Jets, especially on the second and third day of minicamp. He played inside at the 3-technique but showed great pursuit and chased down the ball from sideline-to-sideline. Not surprisingly, conditioning wasn’t an issue for him. After the morning workout he looked like he wanted to go out for an afternoon session as well.

That Sunday, the Jets called Coleman up to their office and based off his performance he was offered a contract. It was the contract that had eluded him four years earlier and had led him down this path, from high school football coach to college intern to assistant strength coach.

And now, maybe he will have a spot as an NFL player.

“The huge thing was my effort, my effort and learning the defense as quick as I did; that’s what they liked. The first day was a struggle but the thing was my effort. It stuck out. That’s one thing I’ve always hung my hat on is my work ethic,” Coleman said. “Now I need to make them believe that I’m a great football player as well. It’s been a long way to get here. I just want to help them win games however I can.”

Follow Jets beat writer Kristian Dyer on Twitter @KristianRDyer for live updates and photos from Jets minicamp this week.

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Ryan Howard drove in three runs in the Phillies’ 7-3 win over the Miami Marlins Tuesday night.

Howard returned to the cleanup spot in the Phillies’ lineup after missing two games with a knee injury. He went 3 for 5 with three singles.

The big first baseman drove in two runs in the seventh and knocked in an insurance run in the eighth.

Right fielder Delmon Young got the Phillies’ offense going with a deep solo home run to left in the fourth inning off Marlins phenom Jose Fernandez, who had pitched 13 scoreless innings against Philadelphia (22-24) so far this season heading into Tuesday’s game in Miami.

Tyler Cloyd picked up his first win of the season after being called up from the minors on Tuesday. He pitched seven innings, allowing two runs on eight hits while striking out five.

Chase Utley was a late scratch with a rib injury the team said he sustained during batting practice.

Former Phillie Placido Polanco was 2 for 4 with two runs for the Marlins (13-33).

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After taking their five-game winning streak to Chicago, the Red Sox have now lost two straight as the White Sox defeated the Red Sox 3-1 Tuesday night. The Red Sox are now 5-3 on their nine-game road trip.

White Sox starter Jose Quintana shut down the Red Sox, throwing 6 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing just three hits, none until the seventh inning. The Red Sox scored their lone run in the eighth on an RBI ground out from Dustin Pedroia.

Red Sox starter Felix Doubront tossed arguably his best game of the season, but it wasn’t good enough as he suffered his second loss of the season. The left-hander went six innings, allowing two runs on five hits while walking two. He had very good command, something he’s struggled with this season. His one big mistake came in the fifth inning when he allowed a two-run home run to Jeff Keppinger. Alex Wilson allowed one run in 1 2/3 innings of relief, while Andrew Miller came on for one out in the eighth.

Jacoby Ellsbury, David Ortiz, Mike Napoli and Daniel Nava all hit safely for the Red Sox, while Pedroia’s 12-game hit streak was snapped as he went 0-for-4.

The teams will close out their three-game set Wednesday night (8:10, NESN) as Clay Buchholz will take to the mound for the Red Sox and be opposed by Hector Santiago, as right-hander Chris Sale was scratched with a mild case of tendinitis in his left shoulder.

What they’ll be saying: The Red Sox offense couldn’t get anything going, which seems to be the case of late, particularly when the team dropped nine of 11 games. They didn’t record a hit until Ortiz’s broken bat single in the seventh. The team has struggled with runners in scoring position, but didn’t really get many opportunities Tuesday, going just 1-for-6 … The lack of offense spoiled a good outing from Doubront, who had been struggling of late. He needed just 85 pitches in the six innings, which was an encouraging sign as pitch count has been something he’s been battling all year.

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For two periods, Henrik Lundqvist (32 saves) stood on his head and it looked like the Rangers might win 1-0 to climb back in the Eastern Conference semifinals. However, Boston found a way to beat him twice in the third period as Johnny Boychuk and Daniel Paille each found the net and the Bruins edged the Rangers, 2-1, Tuesday  in Game 3 at Madison Square Garden. The B’s have a chance to close it out and reach the Eastern Conference Finals Thursday (7 p.m., CNBC) back at MSG.

Tuukka Rask (23 saves) wasn’t nearly as busy as Lundqvist but he did make a key stop late in regulation on Rick Nash to preserved the Boston victory.

Offensively, Boston had four great chances in the first period as Chris Kelly and Tyler Seguin (who both haven’t scored in postseason) were stopped on breakaways. Jaromir Jagr and Patrice Bergeron also had close range shots stuffed by Lundqvist. New York scored its lone goal totally against the run of play at 3:53 in the second as Taylor Pyatt tipped in Ryan McDonagh’s shot from the point. Bergeron had a chance to clear the puck but his turnover led to the goal. Still, the B’s outshot the Rangers 14-5 in the frame including Nathan Horton’s shot off the post.

Torey Krug continued to make things happen for the B’s and it felt like, at some point, that Boston would break through.

Boychuk tied it at 3:10 in the third with his fourth goal of the postseason (second in as many games). Paille and Shawn Thornton assisted on Boychuk’s wrister which was screened by the latter. Shortly after that, Boychuk hit the post (like in Game 1) so the Bruins continued to buzz the Rangers. Boston’s fourth line was credited with the game-winner as Paille banged in a loose puck with 3:31 left in regulation after a crazy bounce went behind Lundqvist but not in the net. Thornton and Gregory Campbell had the assists on Paille’s second goal of the playoffs.

Boston has won its last four games after the unforgettable comeback in Game 7 of the quarterfinals against the Maple Leafs.

What they’ll be saying: We should all be happy that the Bruins won if only for the fact that we don’t have to examine all the shady non-calls and unexplainable power play discrepancy for the Rangers. NY was 0-for-2 on the power play (0-for-10 in this series, 2-for-38 in postseason) while Boston didn’t have any and New York received the last 11 calls in their own building (eight periods) going back to the first round vs. Washington. The referees didn’t cover themselves in glory, missing penalties on both sides including what should have been a four-minute major for the Bruins after Zdeno Chara got a high stick in the face in the first period (drawing blood) from Ryan Callahan.

This looked like an ECW wrestling match with Patrice Bergeron and Carl Hagelin, among others, also dripping blood at one point or another. One of the more underrated parts of Boston’s success so far has been the scoring from its defensemen: they’ve scored an NHL-best 11 goals led by Boychuk (four goals), who has the most of any defensemen.

Plenty of people get annoyed when Bruins head coach Claude Julien rolls four lines so much during the regular season, but tonight’s victory was a perfect example of their immense value. They were on the ice for both goals with Paille (one goal, one assist) and Thornton (two assists) getting multiple points. Rangers head coach John Tortorella seemed like a defeated man in his postgame press conference, lacking his usual piss and vinegar. He appears to be a guy that has lost his team, and barring a miraculous comeback by New York, his job is probably on the line too. The Rangers have scored five goals in three games, the same amount that the Bruins had in Game 2, so it’s not hard to figure out why they’re down 3-0 in the series.

Follow Metro Boston Bruins beat writer Richard Slate on Twitter @RichSlate

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The Rangers’ best effort in the Eastern Conference semifinals simply wasn’t good enough.

As a result, a season which began with expectations of playing meaningful games in June is one loss away from ending.

The Rangers trail the Bruins in the best-of-seven series 3-0 after dropping a 2-1 decision in Game 3 Tuesday night at the Garden. Game 4 is Thursday night.

At least one Ranger took it personally.

“I feel a lot of areas that I could have contributed more and that’s infuriating,” Brian Boyle said. “The biggest game of the year, [and] it just wasn’t enough.”

Daniel Paille’s goalmouth tap-in at 16:29 of the third was the game-winning goal. The sequence which led to Paille’s goal began with a Shawn Thornton shot that hit Henrik Lundqvist and popped behind the goaltender. The puck never crossed the goal line, but Lundqvist could not find it and Paille pounced on the loose rebound.

As the Bruins celebrated, Lundqvist stared up at the pinwheel ceiling, frustration etched on his face.

“We were in our own zone way too long, because I couldn’t win a freakin’ draw,” Boyle said. “We want to put them in their zone, get some offensive zone time that way. And it’s a lot of pressure for our [defense], and it’s a lot of zone time for them to try to create offense. Because I can’t win a freakin’ draw. Again, there’s another opportunity on Thursday to do a better job.”

Boyle was 4-for-21 in the faceoff circle during 19:41 of ice time last night.

The only reason the Rangers were in the game was due to the reigning Vezina winner. Lundqvist made 31 saves in the loss, including spectacular stops in the first period when he stoned Tyler Seguin on a breakaway after Anton Stralman was unable to keep the puck in at the Bruins’ blueline, and consecutive door-step saves on Jaromir Jagr.

“The season is on the line,” Lundqvist said. “You have to leave everything out there. Preparation and the effort have to be there, and we will see if it’s going to be enough. We definitely have to give everything right now, mentally and physically, and put it out there on Thursday.”

Both of Boston’s goals came in the third period and both were directly attributable to the Bruins’ fourth line.

Johnny Boychuk tied the game at 1-1 3:10 into the period with his fourth goal of the playoffs following a shift in which grinding forwards Thornton, Paille and Gregory Campbell were able to keep the puck below the goal line. Paille and Campbell were credited with assists on the goal, while Thornton was part of a two-man screen, along with Campbell, which obstructed Lundqvist’s vision.

“It’s just the little things that we’re making mistakes on,” Dan Girardi said. “They are a very opportunistic team and they have really good players. They are making us pay.”

Taylor Pyatt opened the scoring 3:53 into the second by tipping Ryan McDonagh’s point shot past Tuukka Rask. Pyatt tied up Dougie Hamilton and Zdeno Chara in front of Rask as McDonagh ripped a shot from inside the blue line.

Pyatt’s goal marked the first time since the 2:55 mark of the third period of Game 1 the Rangers had a lead in the series.

They would get no more. The Rangers did not score on either of their two power plays and are 2-for-38 in the playoffs. The Rangers generated just 24 shots on goal, and attempted 60 shots. By comparison, Boston had 75 shot attempts.

“That’s where you establish all of your offense, off the forecheck,” Rick Nash said. “We haven’t been getting it consistently enough for a full 60 [minutes]. I think [the lack of offense] is a combination of the forecheck, special teams and not bearing down on our opportunities. The last game we had a bunch. Tonight we had a couple and we just didn’t bear down enough.”

Follow Rangers beat writer Denis Gorman on Twitter @DenisGorman.

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The NFL announced Tuesday that the 49ers, who are constructing a new stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., will host the 2016 Super Bowl, while Houston was awarded the 2017 game. Both cities edged Miami for host honors.

The 2014 and 2015 title games are scheduled to be played in New Jersey and Arizona, respectively.

Two months ago, Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie openly lobbied to get the Super Bowl in Philadelphia. Lurie said he would wait to see how this year’s Bowl — the first one being played in cold weather — turns out.

“I will, yes. I will, if it’s a success,” Lurie said. “New York will help us.”

The Eagles also got backing from the NFL to renovate Lincoln Financial Field. The team plans to add high-definition to video boards, expand luxury boxes and possibly add seats. The stadium currently fits 69,000 at full capacity.

“We are excited to have received league support today for our stadium revitalization project at Lincoln Financial Field,” team president Don Smolenski said. “We will share the details of this project with our fans in the coming weeks.”

Bring us a Super Bowl, Jeff!

The post San Francisco earns 2016 Super Bowl; Philadelphia next? appeared first on Metro.us.

Growing up in the Andretti household, the first family of IndyCar racing, could have taken its toll on a less mature driver. The pressure to win at Indy was unavoidable, like seeing an impromptu mud-wrestling match in the famed Snake Pit.

For Marco Andretti, the youngest driver in the legendary Andretti clan, it was a motivator. He remembers seeing the flash of the cameras when he was only 9-years-old cruising around go-kart tracks.

“It’s added pressure, but it’s something I’ve had since I’ve driven these things,” said Andretti, pointing to go-karts during a recent media day event at the Lehigh Valley Grand Prix indoor karting venue in Allentown. “At 9-years-old you’re not mature enough to wrap your head around how that can be a positive for you. It’s all, ‘What are all these cameras doing? I just want to go race.’ At the same time, you grow up and you mature, and you’re blessed with good sponsors and you realize you wouldn’t be able to do what you love to do without the pressure, and without the sponsors, and without the media.”

It wasn’t that long ago that a 19-year-old Andretti was preparing for his first Indianapolis 500, a race that saw him take second in the second-closest Indy 500 in history.

“It’s crazy,” he said. “I’m going into my eighth Indianapolis 500 already.”

Now, a seasoned vet at just 26, he enters this weekend’s Indianapolis 500 brimming with confidence. He posted the third-fastest qualifying time last weekend and ranks second in the points standings (123).

“I’ve always said I wanted the championship and I wanted Indy, and I always knew since my rookie year [2006] that Indy was a reality,” Andretti said. “This is the first time in my career where I truly believe that I can win the championship. It would be huge [to win it]. I would look at last year as a horrible season, having said that, I was the car to beat last year at Indianapolis.”

He’s right. Andretti led for 59 laps there in 2012 before wrecking with 12 laps to go. The biggest thing he’s learned this past offseason is patience.

“You can be on top of the world one day and nowhere the next, and I think you need to be mentally prepared for that,” he said. “And just take it in strides and learn to fight until the end — even if I’m in 16th with two stints to go, you know, I’ll be watching our cars for sure.”

The Andretti Curse
There’s been some heartbreak at Indy for the entire Andretti family. In fact, it has its own Wikipedia entry titled, “The Andretti Curse.”

Family patriarch Mario Andretti won the Indy 500 in 1969 — and no one in his lineage has won the race since. Marco Andretti (Mario’s grandson) has had many close calls, including a second-place finish in 2006. In 2007, he led most of the way before crashing out on the backstretch. Marco finished in third twice (2008, 2010); and probably should have won last year after leading for 59 laps. Again, he crashed with 12 laps to go and was disqualified.

“I’ve been close three times,” Marco said. “Patience is something I’ve learned.”

As much as Marco wants to win at Indianapolis — and he wants to win the “Super Bowl” badly — he also wants to win the overall IndyCar points championship. While he is still searching for his first win of the season, he enters the weekend off to the best start of his career, with two top-5 finishes in four starts.

“I’m hungry for a win, I mean, having my teammates win three of the first four races its kind of frustrating,” Marco said. “I worked hard on consistency in the offseason and we’re right on target with that. I’m quite pleased. This used to be the toughest part of the schedule for me, and it’s nice to see results on the part of the schedule where I’ve been lacking.”

Racing Marco Andretti
Marco Andretti invited the media to join him on the kart track May 8 for a very friendly racing competition. It was part of media day festivities promoting the upcoming Pocono IndyCar 400 at Pocono Speedway (July 6-7 in Long Pond, Pa.) There will more on the event very soon.

» Anyway, Metro sports editor Mike Greger gladly accepted the challenge — and promptly got dusted on the track.
» Andretti beat a field of eight media members, recording a best-lap time of 30.947 seconds.
» Greger was lapped quite a few times by Andretti before turning in a best-lap time of 40.257, good enough for dead last.

Marco Andretti, left, made Metro sports editor Mike Greger, right, eat his dust.
Paige Ozaroski/Metro

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1. Texas Rangers (29-16) – Winners of nine of their last 11 before their loss Monday, and in complete control of the AL West, the Rangers find themselves as the best team in all of baseball. The Rangers bats have been hot to open the year as they are tied for the most home runs (58) and second in average (.274). They have also received great pitching led by Yu Darvish (7-1) and his major league leading 86 strikeouts. A five-game road trip awaits them this weekend following their mid-week series against the Athletics.

2. St. Louis Cardinals (28-16) – Pitching has been the key for the Cardinals and their tremendous start. Going into Monday they led all of baseball with a 3.18 ERA and their staff has combined for seven shutouts, and four complete game shutouts. The team is in the middle of an eight-game road trip against the Padres, Dodgers and Royals, which should give them a chance to extend their lead even more in the NL Central.

3. New York Yankees (28-16) – Few predicted the start the Yankees would get off to considering all the players they have missing to open the season. Neither the pitching or offense stands out in any particular category, but the team has just found ways to grab Ws. If they can put together a start like they have despite their injuries they should be at the top of these rankings all season, but they will be tested immediately with an eight-game road trip, including a weekend series with the Rays.

4. Boston Red Sox (27-18) – It’s been an up-and-down season (mostly ups) for the Red Sox so far, but they are in the middle of one of their hot streaks, winning five in a row before Monday’s loss in Chicago. Led by their aces Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz, the team has found themselves in second place in the AL East, trailing the first place Yankees. The team will return to Fenway for a six-game homestand beginning Thursday with the surging Indians and former manager Terry Francona coming to town.

5. Cleveland Indians (26-17) – After Monday’s win the Indians have now won five in a row and are in first place in the AL Central. This, after starting the year 8-13. They were third in all of baseball in home runs with 57 and fifth in RBIs with 200 as of Monday. Their pitching staff has also picked it up of late as they are third in the league in hits allowed per nine innings with 7.9. Cleveland will be tested with a four-game series at Fenway against the Red Sox beginning Thursday.

6. Atlanta Braves (26-18) – Despite playing 27 of their first 46 games on the road to start the year the Braves find themselves in first place in the NL East. Pitching has been key for Atlanta as it owns the sixth best ERA (3.43) in all of baseball. That has made up for a struggling offense that sports a .242 team average, well below the league average. The Braves will continue their trend of playing road games as beginning Friday they will play six straight away from home.

7. Cincinnati Reds (27-18) – Solid hitting and pitching has guided the Reds to an impressive start to open the season. The team is fourth in the league in ERA (3.37) and eighth in runs scored per game (4.77), both going into play Monday. Cincinnati will welcome the Cubs and Indians to town beginning this weekend for a five-game homestand.

8. Detroit Tigers (23-19) – Going into play Monday the Tigers led the league in runs scored per game with 5.29 and that has played a major role in their start to the season sitting in second place in the AL Central. They also lead the league in team average, hitting at a .280 clip. Detroit, and their powerful offense will host the Minnesota Twins for a four-game weekend series.

9. Arizona Diamondbacks (26-19) – The Diamondbacks have opened the year strong and sit in first place in the NL West. Pitching has been the key as going into Monday Arizona has the second-best ERA in baseball at 3.35, making up for their below average hitting, averaging just over four runs a game. The Diamondbacks are in the middle of a six game stretch against NL West opponents where they can prove they belong at the top of the division.

10. Baltimore Orioles (23-21) – After being the biggest surprise in all of baseball by making the playoffs last year, the Orioles have continued to play well, sitting in third place in a tough AL East. The offense has played a significant role in their success, averaging just under five runs a game, good for fourth in baseball going into Monday. Baltimore is in the midst of a 10-game stretch against AL East opponents, which will be a good indication of whether or not the Orioles are again, indeed, for real this year.

11. San Francisco Giants (25-20) – It has been a roller coaster of a ride so far this season for the Giants as they just cannot seem to find any consistency. They will roll off a four or five-game winning streak, only to lose three or four immediately following. Their pitching will need to get better as they are below the league average in ERA, posting a 4.21 mark going into Monday. A six-game homestand could provide the boost the Giants need to get back on top in the NL West.

12. Colorado Rockies (24-21) – Colorado’s offense has guided them so far this season as they are second in all of baseball, averaging 5.02 runs per game. They currently sit in third place in a competitive NL West, and will need their pitching to come alive if they expect to make a run at the division title. The team is in the middle of a six game stretch against NL West teams, which gives them a good chance to get back in the race and prove they belong.

13. Washington Nationals (23-22) – As expected, the Nationals’ pitching staff has led the way this year as they sit in second place in the NL East. The staff is fifth in baseball going into Monday with a 3.43 ERA, but the offense is on the other end of the spectrum as they are third to last in the league in runs scored per game with 3.52. The team will return home for a five-game weekend homestand following a 10-game West Coast trip.

14. Oakland Athletics (23-22) – Despite a rash of injuries, the Athletics have been able to stay afloat and remain in second place in the AL West. Their offense was extremely hot to open the year, leading the league in runs for awhile, but they have cooled off of late averaging 4.60 runs per game, which is tenth in the league. They will get some players back and look to get their offense back on track as they are in the middle of a six out of eight game stretch away from home.

15. Kansas City Royals (20-21) – Although they have a .500 record, the Royals have been a bit of a surprise to open the year. They are going through a tough stretch of late, losing seven of their last nine before Monday’s series with Houston. The Royals will look to get above .500 with a six-game homestand with the Angels and Cardinals beginning Thursday.

17. Seattle Mariners (20-25) – Seattle is reeling of late after being swept by the Indians over the weekend. The Mariners are now in third place in the AL West and need to get it back on track fairly soon if they want to make any type of run at the playoffs. A five-game homestand beginning Thursday could help the cause.

18. Minnesota Twins (18-23) – The Twins are off to an average start and it hasn’t been good enough as they are fourth in the AL Central standings after being swept by the Red Sox over the weekend. Things don’t get any easier, as they are in the midst of a nine-game road trip against the Braves, Tigers and Brewers.

19. San Diego Padres (21-23) – San Diego has came back to life after a tough start to the season, but still sit in fourth place in the NL West standings. The team is just below the league average, scoring 4.09 runs per game as of Monday and are in the same boat in pitching with a 4.13 ERA.

20. Chicago White Sox (20-23) – The White Sox have been playing better ball of late, but still are in fourth in the AL Central. Lack of offense has been a cause for concern as going into Monday they are in the bottom third of the league in hitting, averaging just 3.69 runs per game. The White Sox could get back on track with home games against the Marlins and Cubs coming up.

*Stats through Monday, May 20

Follow Metro MLB writer Ryan Hannable on Twitter @hannable84

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The Knicks wrapped up their season-ending media obligations by ushering head coach Mike Woodson and team president Glen Grunwald in front of the masses at their facilities Tuesday.

Neither wanted to discuss personnel decisions going forward but were eager to effuse praise on a team not many pegged to even go this deep into the postseason. Grunwald, specifically, refused to get into the specifics of what he plans on doing with the roster this summer, but he did allow that changes will likely be made.

“[The team’s salary cap] probably is not likely to get under the [luxury]-tax thresholds, but sign-and-trades are available, although you just can’t acquire a player that way if you’re over the threshold,” said Grunwald. “I think there are some opportunities. We’ll see how it all plays out. Free agency is always a little unpredictable. … But I think we can be creative. I think we got some ideas in what we can do, but we have to be aggressive and creative in terms of our approach to this offseason.”

Grunwald went on to explain that while the Knicks appear to be hamstrung with the tax, he feels confident minor maneuvers can be made to tinker with the roster’s depth, while maintaining the core of Woodson’s group.

“You can trade players, but I don’t think that’s our focus. Our focus is to continue to build this core team. I think some continuity, some familiarization, further growth as individuals and a team, I think that’s what we have to do,” Grunwald said. “We have to continue to buy in as a group to what coach Woodson’s trying to do here. It’s what we all need to do to play a role to be successful.”

According to Woodson, his players all bought in this past season and he’s looking forward to stacking on another training camp to further emphasize his schemes.

“For the most part, I still say that based on where we started and how we assembled our team, this was, to me, a wonderful season and it was a major step in the right direction,” said Woodson. “To win our division, [and] to secure the second seed, people didn’t think we could do none of those things. Some of our goals were met, so all wasn’t bad. I think we made a major step. I think we were able to win some of our fan base back and to me, that’s what’s most important.”

Woodson did have a few complaints, though, about the state of the team — specifically on offense. The long-time coach has never really led a team with great inside presence, as both his former Hawks teams and this current batch of Knicks played inside-out.

“For the most part, we were a jump-shooting team this year, except when we did post Melo [Carmelo Anthony],” said Woodson. “Rasheed [Wallace] helped us early on the block, but we just didn’t have a major low-post game and that might be an area that we might look at as well.”

Overall, Grunwald said, the 2012-13 season was a success for a Knicks team that became relevant again — a feat that hadn’t been accomplished since the early 2000s.

“I thought we could have played better, but we didn’t, so we have to look at that and find out why we didn’t play as well as we could,” said Grunwald. “I’m disappointed in the [ending of the] season, but I’m not at all discouraged in this team. I’m very excited about the future. Obviously we have some work to do. We’re not where we want to be, but we’re going to do all we can to get where we want to go.”

Knicks notes …

» Woodson was asked about Amar’e Stoudemire’s minutes restrictions going into next year, as well as his role in the foreseeable future, and was rather vague.

“We’ll have to play that by ear,” Woodson said. “We’ll obviously wait for the doctors and see where things wind up next year. … We’re hopeful [that Stoudemire comes back next season 100 percent], but there’s no guarantees.”

“That will be for us to determine where our roster winds up next year and where everyone else is,” Grunwald said on Stoudemire’s status going forward. “I thought he had a great role in terms of where Woody put him to be successful in terms of coming off the bench. And whether that continues next year or not will be determined, but there is no grand plan to say that he’ll start or not start.”

» Jason Kidd sounded like he was one guy that’s definitely coming back, according to both Grunwald and Woodson:

“We had a great meeting, Woody and I had with Jason yesterday,” said Grunwald. “He was a big part of our success and we look forward to having him back next year.”

“Not yesterday [any discussion of retirement]. It sounded like he was coming back,” said Woodson. “I thought he made it sound like, yeah, he’s coming back, but that can change, you never know.”

» Grunwald tried hard to not tip his hand on J.R. Smith’s status, but it sounded as if he’s leaning towards finding a way to keep the Sixth Man of the Year.

“Like I said before, I think it’s best for us to maintain some continuity,” said Grunwald. “The same group, the same core group together, but I’m not going to comment on any individual player because were not finished with our evaluation. … I think for now we’re just going to go through the evaluation. I’m very happy for J.R. He had a great year, obviously. He’s disappointed in how it finished for himself as it is for our team. But I think that’s going to make us stronger and more committed to next season.”

Woodson said he thinks Smith still has to improve in many ways if he wants to take the leap next year from sixth man to trusted team star.

“He’s got to grow as a player. He’s got to grow on and off the court if he plans on being a better player in this league moving forward,” said Woodson. “As a coach, if he’s back here, it’s going to be my job to be sure to continue to push him in the right directions and make sure that he does everything possible to make sure he wins basketball games.”

Follow Knicks beat writer Tony Williams on Twitter @TBone8.

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San Francisco and Houston were chosen on Tuesday as the host cities for the 2016 and 2017 Super Bowls.

National Football League (NFL) team owners voted for the cities ahead of Miami, which had already hosted the sport’s championship game a record-tying 10 times.

San Francisco will host the 50th Super Bowl in early 2016 at Levi’s Stadium, the brand new home of the 49ers.

The stadium is currently being constructed in Santa Clara, just south of San Francisco. The only previous time the Super Bowl was played in the Bay Area was in 1985, when the 49ers beat the Miami Dolphins at Stanford Stadium.

Houston will be hosting the game for the third time after 1974 and 2004.

The 2014 Super Bowl had already awarded to East Rutherford in New Jersey, the home of the New York Giants and New York Jets, while the 2015 game will be held in Arizona.

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Sometimes, the best lessons are the ones that are self-taught.

Following an uncharacteristically subpar performance in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, in which Dan Girardi was on the ice for all five goals in the Rangers’ 5-2 loss, head coach John Tortorella opted not to have a meeting with the top pair defenseman.

“I didn’t even talk to him,” Tortorella said in his Tuesday morning press conference at the Garden in the hours prior to Game 3. “He’s going to play his best game.”

Long one of the Rangers’ leaders, Girardi has earned Tortorella’s confidence with his play and reliability.

“It depends on the person,” Tortorella said. “It depends where he is as a player, experience-wise. I don’t have to say one word to Dan Girardi. If that’s a John Moore, certainly we will try to help him along the way – maybe show him so tape, whatever it may be.

“With [Girardi], he’s one of the better defensemen in the National Hockey League that had a tough night. He knows it. He doesn’t need to hear it from any coach at all as far as what needs to be done.”

No need to hold serve?

The popular thinking is that the Rangers need to win the next two games at home to get back into the series.

Unsurprisingly, Tortorella dismissed the notion.

“I’m looking at this as one game,” Tortorella said, when asked about the prospects of the Rangers coming back from an 0-2 deficit for the second straight series. “We just want to win a game and crawl back in to make it a series. So all of the stuff as far as the history and what we did the last time, we’re not paying attention to it.

“We made corrections [at Monday’s practice in Greenburgh, N.Y.]. We felt we played a pretty good hockey game [Sunday afternoon]. It certainly wasn’t a 5-2 game. We want to win a game and we’ll see where we go.”

Powe, Staal updates

Darroll Powe and Marc Staal were part of a group of players that participated in the optional skate at the Garden Tuesday morning. Both Powe and Staal have not played since Game 3 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinal series against the Capitals.

As per organizational policy, the Rangers have not announced the reasons for their absence. Powe was elbowed in the head by Washington’s Joel Ward during Game 3 of that series when the Rangers center checked the Capitals right wing into the boards.

Staal has been sidelined with a potential reoccurrence of symptoms from the eye injury he suffered in the 4-2 win over the Flyers on March 5. The defenseman was struck near the eye by a Kimmo Timonen shot.

“Feel good. It’s good to be back on the ice, skating with the guys,” Powe said. “It’s a few days of skating. I felt pretty good. I’m just skating, working out and try to get back in the lineup. The goal is to get back as soon as I can.”

Staal was unavailable for comment.

Follow Rangers beat writer Denis Gorman on Twitter @DenisGorman.

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Larry Holmes, the former heavyweight boxing champion, won a legal fight regarding a towing company and his Easton, Pa. restaurant.

Holmes, 63, who owns Champ’s Corner on a stretch of road through the eastern Pennsylvania town named in his honor, sued a neighboring business in January that he said would regularly and wrongfully tow vehicles from a parking lot the two businesses shared.

According to The Express-Times of Easton, a Northampton County judge ruled that Riverstar Properties must stop towing vehicles until the lawsuit concludes.

Holmes said he and the restaurant have an agreement, and the towing is hurting business.

Holmes, an Easton native and current resident, reigned as world heavyweight champion for seven years from 1978 to 1985.

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How big is the NFL?

So big that it’s quite possible  many American cities would rather host a Super Bowl than the friggin’ Olympics.

Think about it. With the Super Bowl, you don’t have to build any new stadiums. Your bill for security will be substantially lower. You don’t have to change your city around to accommodate the ego-maniacs at the IOC (but where are we going to create our own VILLAGE!?). You deal with a lot of media requests, but substantially less than the Olympics. And you deal with a lot of athletes, but substantially less than the Olympics.

The best part? The Super Bowl game itself is over after one day. The Olympics lasts two weeks! After two weeks of anything in ADD America it’s a safe bet that you’ll get sick of it – sprinting, swimming and speed-walking nonetheless.

Tuesday at 2 p.m., the NFL will select which city will host Super Bowl L (the 50th Super Bowl – a big deal) as well as Super Bowl LI (no it will not be held in Long Island’s Nassau Coliseum – but that magical building would certainly get my vote if it was on any ballot). Here are a few other cities on my wish list to host a Super Bowl:

1. Pasadena, Calif. – It’s a shame that Roger Goodell won’t bring the big game back to the Rose Bowl, THE nostalgic Super Bowl site of a vast majority of this country’s former youth. It is without question the most picture-perfect location for a football game in the middle of an American winter. The Rose Bowl hosted five Super Bowls, but the last one came in 1993, so I’m not gonna hold my breath on this one. The stadium itself is a little too far removed from Los Angeles to get people excited, plus it’s an old building (which Goodell hates).

2. San Diego, Calif. – Another picture-perfect spot for winter football, ruined by politics. San Diego hasn’t hosted the Super Bowl since 2003, simply because Qualcomm Stadium is a dump in the NFL’s ridiculous terms. Of course, those in the know wouldn’t even go to the game on Sunday and just enjoy San Diego for what it’s worth (i.e. day drinking and hanging out at its amazing beaches). What’s the problem here?

3. Seattle, Wash. – Another great city but this one, unlike San Diego, has a state-of-the-art stadium. Guessing the threat of rain is the only thing scaring off NFL suits.

4. Boston, Mass. – The Super Bowl is in New York next year, so we in Boston are automatically in “what about us?” mode. No, the La Quinta Inn in Milford does not scream luxury and there are few roads in the world less equipped to host Super Bowl traffic than Route 1, but give us a couple of days and we could come up with a plan. The city of Boston could host all the pregame activities and then we could shuttle everyone down to Gillette Stadium a half hour before kickoff on Sharon, Mass. public school buses. Boom. Done.

5. Buffalo, N.Y. – Who else is going to put Buffalo on a list like this? Can we at least throw this franchise (and city) a bone once in a while? I mean their greatest player of all-time now has ‘The Girls,’ a gay prison posse that reportedly adores ex-football playing-accused murderers blocking for him right now (this, according to the always reliable National Enquirer – but it’s O.J., so you get the ultimate point. It’s ugly in prison and in Orchard Park).

Still, Buffalo Wings. Football. Hand in hand. Forever.

Follow Metro Boston sports editor and columnist Matt Burke on Twitter @BurkeMetroBOS

The post Playing the Field: List of cities that should host the Super Bowl appeared first on Metro.us.

Long putters beware.

The United States Golf Association (USGA) announced Tuesday that it was amending the official Rules of Golf. Starting on Jan. 1, 2016, it will be illegal to anchor the club to make a stroke.

The new rule, 14-1b, says that a player using a long putter cannot hold the end of the club against his body while putting. The long putters are still legal clubs, as long as the rule is adhered to.

“Rule 14-1b protects one of the important challenges in the game, the free swing of the entire club,” said USGA president Glen Nager. “The traditional stroke involves swinging the club with both the club and gripping hands held away from the body, requiring the player to direct and control the movement of the entire club.”

You might be thinking to yourself, ‘Nice story on a slow news day.’ However, four of the last six major winners used an anchored stroke, including Adam Scott as last month’s Masters tournament.

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The Yankees are branching off into the beautiful game.

The baseball franchise announced Tuesday morning they will be forming a new MLS team, named the New York City Football Club, which will join the league in 2015. The Yankees are forming the team in conjunction with Manchester City, one of the most powerful clubs in the world.

Manchester City will be the majority owner of the new club.

Manchester City was purchased by the Abu Dhabi United Group in 2008, which has poured massive amounts of money into the club. The club brought in international stars such as Yaya Toure and David Silva. They won the English Premier League title in 2012 for the first time since 1968. They were shocked by Wigan in the FA Cup final just two weeks ago, with a 1-0 loss. They fired manager Roberto Mancini days later.

“We proudly welcome two of the most prestigious professional global sports organizations to Major League Soccer,” MLS Commissioner Don Garber said in a statement. “This is a transformational development that will elevate the league to new heights in this country. The New York area is home to more than 19 million people­, and we look forward to an intense crosstown rivalry between New York City Football Club and the New York Red Bulls that will captivate this great city.”

The franchise will be the 20th in MLS.

“We are pleased to be associated with this major move by MLS to increase its presence in the New York market and to enhance the opportunity for New York soccer fans to enjoy high-level play in their own city,” Yankees managing partner Hal Steinbrenner said in a statement. “We look forward to the opportunity to work with Manchester City to create something very special for the soccer fans of New York.”

The team has not yet announced where in the city they will play, but promised a permanent stadium will be built. The city has discussed building a new stadium in Queens at Flushing Meadows Corona Park. The owners of New York City FC said they would “continue these discussions.”

Follow Metro New York Sports Editor Mark Osborne on Twitter @MetroNYSports.

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