NBey6's Blog

Updated: May 3, 2010, 6:13 PM ET

Pacquiao-Mayweather still possibility

By Dan Rafael
ESPN.com
Archive

Now that Floyd Mayweather Jr. has dispatched Shane Mosley, talk immediately turned to the potential showdown with Manny Pacquiao, who has apparently softened his stance on the drug testing procedures that derailed their negotiations in January.

Pacquiao and Mayweather, universally regarded as the top two fighters in boxing, tried to make the mega fight in December and January.

The camps had agreed on all terms except for the way to handle drug testing for what many believe would be the biggest money fight in boxing history. The all-time pay-per-view record of 2.45 million was set in Mayweather's victory against Oscar De La Hoya in 2007.

When Pacquiao and Mayweather reached an impasse, Pacquiao went on to easily defeat Joshua Clottey on March 13 and Mayweather took a lopsided unanimous decision against Mosley in their welterweight super fight on Saturday night.

Mayweather, who accused Pacquiao of using performance enhancing drugs despite having no evidence, had insisted on strict blood and urine testing, which was employed during the lead up and immediate aftermath of his fight with Mosley.

Pacquiao, who has a defamation lawsuit pending against Mayweather and his team over the accusations, agreed to unlimited urine testing -- but with limits on how many blood tests he would take and how close to the fight he would agree to be tested.

Now, less than 48 hours after Mayweather's victory, Pacquiao seems to be in a compromising mood in order to make a fight for which official negotiations have not yet begun.

"I am willing to help the sport for the future of the sport. I do not want to see anyone cheat or cheat this sport. For that reason I am willing to consider taking blood [tests] as close as 14 days prior to the fight, as long as my opponent does the same, and it is not a lot of blood, just enough to test," Pacquiao is quoted as saying on his official website.

Mayweather has no issue undergoing the same kind of testing as his opponent.

During the previous negotiation, Pacquiao had insisted on a cut off of blood testing 30 days before the fight and eventually moved to 24 days when it came to light that he had taken a blood test during that time frame before his second-round knockout of Ricky Hatton in May 2009.

Pacquiao had agreed all along to take a blood test immediately after the fight.

"I do not want anyone having an unfair advantage where someone may get hurt," said Pacquiao, who is in the final days of his congressional campaign in the Philippines. "I am willing to do my part to help this sport out."

Pacquiao had said previously he did not want to have blood drawn too close to the fight because he feels like it weakens him.

"Mayweather is the furthest thing on our mind," Michael Koncz, Pacquiao's adviser, said in a statement to Pacquiao's website. "Our focus has been and continues to be Manny's desire to become congressman."

Following the election, Pacquiao and his family are expected to go on vacation and the fighter will discuss his next bout upon his return. "As Manny has stated many times, we are willing to fight anyone, anytime, anywhere in accordance with the athletic commission's rules and regulations in which ever state we fight in. We will not be bullied into or entertain any additional rules or regulations to be imposed by our opponent."

Top Rank's Bob Arum, Pacquiao's promoter is headed to the Philippines to support Pacquiao in the final days of his campaign. He told ESPN.com on Monday that during the trip he will not talk to Pacquiao about Mayweather, drug testing or any boxing business.

"As far as I am concerned, I am not even going to raise anything," Arum said. "We're not even going to talk about future plans until after election and that's the truth.

"I have no thoughts about the other stuff but I have an open mind to everything. Obviously, he's my fighter and I will do what he asks me to do, but there's a time for everything. And the time is not now."

Mayweather said after the fight Saturday night that he would fight Pacquiao under the same kind of Olympic-style testing used for the fight with Mosley.

"If he wants to fight it's not that hard to find me," Mayweather said. "We tried to fight before and it didn't work, and we moved on. Mosley did what I asked him to do and if every athlete in the sport would do that, we know we would have a clean sport. Everyone should take the test. I am willing to take the tests. If Manny takes the test we can make the fight happen. If he doesn't we don't have a fight."

Updated: May 3, 2010, 5:20 PM ET

Mettenberger sentenced to probation

By Mark Schlabach
ESPN.com
Archive

Former Georgia quarterback Zach Mettenberger, who was dismissed from the team by Bulldogs coach Mark Richt last month, pled guilty to two misdemeanor counts of sexual battery Monday.

 

In an e-mail to ESPN.com, Lowndes County (Ga.) district attorney J. David Miller said Mettenberger was sentenced to two concurrent 12-month periods of probation under the state's first-offender act. Miller said Mettenberger also was ordered to pay $2,000 in fines and perform 40 hours of community service, was banished from the city of Valdosta and is to have no contact with the victim.

 

Miller said the sexual battery counts were the result of Mettenberger grabbing the breasts and touching the buttocks of a woman at a bar in Remerton, Ga., on March 7.

 

 Miller said misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct, obstruction, providing false ID and underage possession of alcohol against Mettenberger were dismissed.

 

Mettenberger, a redshirt freshman from Watkinsville, Ga., was battling Aaron Murray for Georgia's starting quarterback job during spring practice.

 

One of the more highly recruited quarterbacks as a senior at Oconee County (Ga.) High School in 2008, Mettenberger is expected to visit Cincinnati and Louisville later this month, according to people close to the situation. After sitting out one season under NCAA transfer rules, Mettenberger would have three years of NCAA eligibility remaining.

 

Mettenberger's dismissal leaves the Bulldogs with only two scholarship quarterbacks for this coming season: Murray and junior Logan Gray. But Gray, who played in 12 games last season as a backup to departed starter Joe Cox, is considering transferring to another school after he was named Murray's backup in a post-spring depth chart.

 

Gray, who attempted 12 passes last season, met with Richt last week. Gray might move to wide receiver this coming season or transfer to another school. Freshman Hutson Mason, from Lassiter High School in Marietta, Ga., will join the competition this fall.

 

In a statement released by Mettenberger's attorney, Zachary Cowart, the former Georgia quarterback wrote:

 

"Today I took full responsibility for my actions and entered a plea to two counts of misdemeanor sexual battery for the incident that occurred in Remerton, Georgia on March 7. I first want to apologize to the young lady my actions most directly affected and I hope that by me accepting responsibility for my actions that she can move on with her life.

 

"I would also like to apologize to my family, friends, teammates, the coaching staff, and the University of Georgia. Though it was very uncharacteristic of me to act the way I did I still accept full responsibility for this event. I deeply regret my actions of that night and can assure that these actions will never happen again. I intend to do everything in my power to restore my image and rebuild the trust people had in me before."

Monday, May 3, 2010
Report: Shinn has deal to sell Hornets

---

ESPN.com news services

NEW ORLEANS -- New Orleans Hornets majority owner George Shinn has reached a deal to sell his shares of the team to minority owner Gary Chouest, according to a person familiar with the negotiations.

 

The club is planning to formally introduce Chouest as early as Thursday, the person told The Associated Press on Monday, speaking on the condition of anonymity because no official announcement has been made. The person said the club hoped to introduce Chouest on Wednesday but had to delay it because of scheduling matters unrelated to the sale.

 

A call to Chouest was not immediately returned.

 

Chouest is a Louisiana native and owner of Edison Chouest Offshore, a company that builds and operates marine vessels for the offshore oil and gas industries.

 

In 2007, when the team returned from a two-year stay in Oklahoma City because of Hurricane Katrina, Chouest bought 25 percent of the club for $62 million, saying at the time his goal was to keep the Hornets in Louisiana.

 

Shinn, who was treated for prostate cancer in recent months, decided to sell his remaining shares during the season.

 

His goal all along was to sell to Chouest, but nearly two weeks ago, Shinn became frustrated with the pace of negotiations and started looking for other potential buyers.

 

Chouest remained the leading candidate to buy the club, however, and a deal was finally reached for an undisclosed amount.

 

In its regular survey of professional franchise values, Forbes Magazine estimated last December that the Hornets were worth $285 million.

 

However, the magazine also listed the Charlotte Bobcats at $284 million, a higher figure than the $275 million Michael Jordan recently paid for the club.

 

Because Chouest's primary source of wealth is a thriving business in the energy industry, his ownership of the Hornets is likely to stabilize a franchise which has had a tenuous stay in New Orleans since moving from Charlotte in 2002.

 

By the time the club came to New Orleans, it was the primary source of income for Shinn, who divested of other business interests after founding the team in North Carolina in 1988.

 

This past season, the team traded one starter, Rasual Butler, and several veteran role players in order to reduce payroll enough to avoid paying the NBA's punitive luxury tax on teams that spent more than $69.9 million on player payroll this season. Depth then became a problem for the Hornets because of injuries to Chris Paul and Peja Stojakovic down the stretch, and New Orleans fell out of the playoff race after being has high as sixth place in the Western Conference in late January.

 

Shinn has said he expects now to turn his attention to charity work that will focus on cancer treatment and his faith.

 

Chouest's purchase of the club also is likely to alleviate concerns coaching candidates may have about joining a club with an uncertain ownership situation.

 

The Hornets announced after the season that general manager Jeff Bower, who stepped in as coach when Byron Scott was fired nine games into last season, was going back to the front office full time. The Hornets are looking at a number of candidates and are scheduled to interview former Dallas Mavericks coach and ESPN NBA analyst Avery Johnson on Tuesday in Texas.

 

Bower and Hornets president Hugh Weber also are interested in talking to former NBA head coaches Doug Collins, Jeff Van Gundy, Lawrence Frank and Larry Brown; assistant coaches Tom Thibodeau, Monty Williams, Dwane Casey and Mike Budenholzer; and former player and TV analyst Mark Jackson.

Midday 5-3-10 Evening

** until 5-7-10 **

017 071 107 170 701 710 024 042 204 240 402 420 025 052 205 250 502 520 026 062 206 260 602 620 027 072 207 270 702 720 034 043 304 340 403 430 035 053 305 350 503 530 036 063 306 360 603 630 045 054 405 450 504 540 046 064 406 460 604 640 047 074 407 470 704 740 048 084 408 480 804 840 049 094 409 490 904 940 056 065 506 560 605 650 057 075 507 570 705 750 058 085 508 580 805 850 059 095 509 590 905 950 067 076 607 670 706 760 068 086 608 680 806 860 069 096 609 690 906 960 123 132 213 231 312 321 124 142 214 241 412 421 125 152 215 251 512 521 126 162 216 261 612 621 127 172 217 271 712 721 128 182 218 281 812 821 129 192 219 291 912 921 136 163 316 361 613 631 137 173 317 371 713 731 145 154 415 451 514 541 146 164 416 461 614 641 147 174 417 471 714 741 156 165 516 561 615 651 157 175 517 571 715 751 167 176 617 671 716 761 168 186 618 681 816 861 169 196 619 691 916 961 178 187 718 781 817 871 179 197 719 791 917 971 236 263 326 362 623 632 237 273 327 372 723 732 245 254 425 452 524 542 246 264 426 462 624 642 247 274 427 472 724 742 256 265 526 562 625 652 257 275 527 572 725 752 267 276 627 672 726 762 268 286 628 682 826 862 269 296 629 692 926 962 278 287 728 782 827 872 279 297 729 792 927 972 345 354 435 453 534 543 346 364 436 463 634 643 356 365 536 563 635 653 367 376 637 673 736 763 456 465 546 564 645 654 457 475 547 574 745 754 458 485 548 584 845 854 459 495 549 594 945 954 467 476 647 674 746 764 468 486 648 684 846 864 469 496 649 694 946 964 567 576 657 675 756 765 568 586 658 685 856 865 569 596 659 695 956 965

"The universe is full of magical things, patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper."

- Eden Phillpotts -

Midday 5-3-10 Evening

** until 5-9-10 **

7120 7121 7122 7123 7124 7125 7126 7127 7128 7129 5700 5701 5702 5703 5704 5705 5706 5707 5708 5709 9120 9121 9122 9123 9124 9125 9126 9127 9128 9129 6900 6901 6902 6903 6904 6905 6906 6907 6908 6909

As of May 3, 2010

1    Federer, Roger (SUI) 10,340 0 18

2    Djokovic, Novak (SRB) 6,970 0 21

3    Nadal, Rafael (ESP) 6,480 0 17

4    Murray, Andy (GBR) 5,565 1 17

5    Del Potro, Juan Martin (ARG) 5,545 -1 18

6    Davydenko, Nikolay (RUS) 5,235 0 25

7    Soderling, Robin (SWE) 4,805 0 25

8    Roddick, Andy (USA) 4,780 0 20

9    Verdasco, Fernando (ESP) 3,735 0 26

10  Tsonga, Jo-Wilfried (FRA) 3,220 0 25

*** Singles ***

As of May 3, 2010

1  (1)      WILLIAMS, SERENA USA 7946.00

2  (2)      WOZNIACKI, CAROLINE DEN 6255.00

3  (3)      SAFINA, DINARA RUS 5950.00

4  (4)      WILLIAMS, VENUS USA 5816.00

5  (5)      KUZNETSOVA, SVETLANA RUS 5210.00

6  (6)      DEMENTIEVA, ELENA RUS 4825.00

7  (7)      JANKOVIC, JELENA SRB 4740.00

8  (10)    STOSUR, SAMANTHA AUS 4235.00

9  (8)      RADWANSKA, AGNIESZKA POL 4190.00

10  (9)    AZARENKA, VICTORIA BLR 4080.00

Midday 5-2-10 Evening

** until 5-6-10 **

0126 0135 0139 0148 0149 0157 0158 0167 0189 0234 0238 0239 0247 0248 0256 0257 0279 0346 0347 0356 0369 0378 0459 0468 0567 0589 0679 0689 1237 1238 1246 1247 1256 1269 1278 1345 1346 1359 1368 1458 1467 1489 1579 1589 1678 1679 2345 2349 2358 2367 2389 2457 2479 2489 2569 2578 2579 2678 3469 3478 3479 3568 3569 3578 3789 4568 4689 5679 0013 0014 0018 0023 0027 0036 0045 0049 0058 0059 0067 0068 1102 1103 1107 1125 1129 1134 1138 1139 1147 1148 1156 1157 1179 2201 2205 2209 2214 2218 2219 2236 2237 2245 2246 2259 2268 3307 3308 3312 3316 3317 3325 3326 3348 3379 3389 4401 4405 4406 4415 4419 4423 4428 4459 4468 4469 4478 5503 5504 5508 5512 5513 5517 5526 5539 5548 5549 5589 6601 6602 6615 6619 6624 6628 6629 6638 6678 7704 7708 7709 7713 7718 7726 7749 7758 7789 8802 8806 8807 8815 8816 8824 8825 8829 8834 8847 8856 8869 8879 9904 9905 9913 9914 9918 9923 9927 9936 9945 9958 9967 9968

Midday & Evening

** until 5-6-10 **

0124 0125 0128 0129 0134 0137 0138 0146 0147 0156 0169 0178 0179 0236 0237 0245 0246 0259 0268 0269 0278 0345 0349 0358 0359 0367 0368 0389 0457 0458 0467 0479 0489 0569 0578 0579 0678 1235 1236 1245 1249 1258 1259 1267 1268 1289 1348 1349 1357 1358 1367 1379 1389 1456 1457 1469 1478 1479 1568 1569 1578 1789 2347 2348 2356 2357 2369 2378 2379 2456 2459 2468 2469 2478 2567 2568 2689 2789 3458 3459 3468 3589 3679 3689 4579 4589 4678 4679 5678 5789 6789 1124 1127 1128 1136 1137 1145 1146 1159 1168 1169 1178 2203 2204 2207 2208 2213 2216 2217 2234 2235 2239 2248 2249 2257 2258 2267 2279 2289 3301 3302 3305 3306 3314 3315 3319 3324 3328 3329 3359 3368 3369 3378 4403 4408 4409 4412 4413 4417 4418 4426 4427 4439 4458 4489 5501 5502 5506 5507 5516 5519 5524 5528 5529 5538 5569 5578 5579 6604 6605 6608 6609 6613 6614 6617 6618 6623 6627 6649 6658 6659 6689 7702 7703 7706 7712 7715 7716 7724 7725 7729 7738 7739 7748 7769

TIW 5-1-10 NC Evening

Winning Numbers: 243 & 9370

736, 843, 087, 039, 064, 698, 125, 479
4862, 5483, 6105, 3218, 3795, 2549, 2369
7146, 7043, 7052, 7568, 1409, 8069, 9187

 

843, 954, 065, 176, 287, 398, 409, 510, 621, 732

698, 709, 810, 921, 032, 143, 254, 365, 476, 587

0483, 1483, 2483, 3483, 4483, 5483, 6483, 7483, 8483, 9483

5480, 5481, 5482, 5483, 5484, 5485, 5486, 5487, 5488, 5489

0069, 1069, 2069, 3069, 4069, 5069, 6069, 7069, 8069, 9069

8060, 8061, 8062, 8063, 8064, 8065, 8066, 8067, 8068, 8069

 

14, 69, 39, 98, 48, 83, 43 pairs

Since the Golden Gate Bridge opened in 1937, more than 1,200 people have jumped to their deaths, making it the number one spot in the world for suicides.

- Provided by The World Almanac 2010 -

"A belief is not merely an idea the mind possesses; it is an idea that possesses the mind."

- Robert Bolton -

Updated: May 2, 2010, 3:14 PM ET

Nadal beats Ferrer for Rome title

Associated Press

ROME -- Rafael Nadal has won his fifth Rome Masters title in six years, withstanding two rain delays to beat fellow Spaniard David Ferrer 7-5, 6-2 on Sunday.

Nadal improved to 10-0 on clay this year and signaled he's back to dominating on his preferred surface after a series of injuries. He won the Monte Carlo Masters two weeks ago to end an 11-month title drought. 

Nadal showed no signs of fatigue after pulling out a long three-set win over Ernests Gulbis in the semifinals a day earlier.

With the 17th Masters Series title of his career, Nadal matched Andre Agassi's record. Agassi achieved the feat at age 34, while Nadal is only 23.

Top-ranked Roger Federer, who was upset by Gulbis in the second round, is second with 16 Masters Series titles.

In contrast to his emotional celebration in Monte Carlo, Nadal was comparatively subdued upon winning, simply raising his hands over his head and letting out a big smile before calmly walking to the net to shake hands with Ferrer.

This tournament is an important warmup for the French Open, which starts May 23. Nadal won four consecutive titles at Roland Garros before being stunned by Robin Soderling in the fourth round last year in Paris.

Nadal's only loss in Rome came against fellow Spaniard Juan Carlos Ferrero in the opening round two years ago, when he was slowed by a foot blister. No other player has won more than three titles at the Foro Italico.

Nadal has won his last seven meetings with Ferrer, who was playing the first Masters Series final of his career.

Before a bundled up crowd of 10,500 inside the tournament's new stadium, both players had to deal with a slippery court and swirling winds.

Nadal applied pressure from the start and at 2-2 in the first set Ferrer had to save five break points with some uncharacteristic attacking play, going for outright winners to the corners.

Midway through the first set, Nadal won a spectacular point that included a behind-the-back shot from Ferrer.

The match was suspended for an hour because of rain with Ferrer serving at 4-4 in the first set. Ferrer maintained his concentration when the players came back out and held serve to take a 5-4 lead, but Nadal broke Ferrer's next service game when Ferrer's forehand clipped the top of the net to end a long rally.

Nadal didn't face a break point until he served for the first set and saved it with a well-positioned serve out wide that Ferrer returned long. On the next point, Nadal moved Ferrer from corner to corner and then rushed forward for an easy volley put away.

On his first set point, Nadal hit another solid first serve and Ferrer's reply sailed long.

Nadal broke again in the third game of the second set, and the match was suspended again for 1 hour, 45 minutes -- prompting many fans to head home. When the players came out again, Ferrer hit a costly double-fault and followed that with a loose forehand wide to hand Nadal another break and let him serve out the match.

Nadal finished with 24 winners to Ferrer's 15, and had 13 fewer unforced errors.

Ferrer had five double-faults, while Nadal had none. He won only 39 percent of the points on his second serve to Nadal's 67 percent.

Nadal collected the winner's check of $578,000.

Coverage: ABC

 

1:00 PM ET, May 2, 2010

Philips Arena, Atlanta, GA

Hawks advance to face Magic in East semifinals after routing Bucks in Game 7

  Hawks Close Out Bucks In Game 7, 95-74 

Photo Wire

ATLANTA - MAY 2: Josh Smith #5 of the Atlanta Hawks puts up a shot against the Milwaukee Bucks in Game Seven of...

 

(Photo by Scott Cunningham/NBAE via Getty Images)

 

ATLANTA -- The Atlanta Hawks weren't going to let another game slip away on their home court.

 

After keeping their season alive with a gutty win in Milwaukee, the Hawks made sure the Bucks were in no position to duplicate their improbable Game 5 upset. Jamal Crawford scored 22 points, Al Horford put up a double-double and Atlanta pulled away for a 95-74 win Sunday that gave the Hawks a 4-3 triumph in the tougher-than-expected series.

 

It was the only series to go the distance in the opening round.

 

The third-seeded Hawks advanced to face No. 2 Orlando in the Eastern Conference semifinals. The Magic, who have been resting since wrapping up a sweep of Charlotte last Monday, will host the first two games of the series beginning Tuesday night.

 

Crawford, appearing in the playoffs for the first time in his 10-year career, looked like a rookie through the first five games of the series. He was at his lowest after a 4-for-18 shooting performance in Game 5, when the Hawks squandered a nine-point lead in the final four minutes to put the Bucks in control of the series.

 

But Crawford scored 24 points in Game 6, and the Hawks clamped down defensively for an 83-69 win that sent the series back to Atlanta for Game 7.

 

This one was no contest.

 

The Hawks led by as many 24 late in the game and got a chance to pull their starters so they could receive a proper ovation from the sellout crowd of 19,241.

 

"We going to Disney World," the public address announcer screamed as the final seconds ticked off.

 

Crawford hit 8 of 16 shots, including a pair of 3-pointers. Horford worked hard at both ends of the court, finishing with 16 points and 15 rebounds. Mike Bibby scored 15 points and hit several big shots, including an off-balance, one-handed fling from 20 feet that just beat the shot clock. Josh Smith also had 15 for Atlanta, which won even though star Joe Johnson was held to 8 points on 4-for-14 shooting.

 

The short-handed Bucks made less than a third of their shots (28 of 86) and simply didn't have enough weapons to cope with an Atlanta team that was into the game. Brandon Jennings led the way with just 15 points, and he needed 18 shots to score that many.

 

Still, it was a promising season for the Bucks, who made the playoffs for the first time since 2006 with a promising nucleus of Jennings, John Salmons and Andrew Bogut.

 

Milwaukee was essentially undone with less than two weeks to go in the regular season when Bogut tumbled to the court and ripped apart his right arm. He was actually in uniform for the final game, but that was a mere formality -- he was done for the year, watching with a large cast on his hand.

 

The Hawks took over with a 20-3 spurt at the end of the first quarter that carried over to the second.

 

After Kurt Thomas' jumper gave Milwaukee its final lead at 13-11, Atlanta ripped off nine straight points to close the period. The Hawks kept it up after the break, outscoring the Bucks 11-3 in the first three minutes to stretch the margin to 31-16.

 

Crawford knocked down back-to-back jumpers -- including a 3-pointer from well behind the arc -- and Horford sparked the Hawks with his end-to-end hustle. He swatted away a shot by Luc Mbah a Moute, grabbed the loose ball to start a fast break, then ran the length of the court to take a pass from Crawford for an easy basket.

 

The Hawks had plenty of Game 7 experience, having gone the distance in the opening round each of the last two years. For the second year in a row, they got to play the decisive game on their home court.

 

The result was the same.

 

After cruising past Miami 91-78 in last year's Game 7, the Hawks were even more dominant against a Milwaukee team that wasn't expected to do much in the playoffs. In reality, this series was decided Friday night -- Atlanta's Game 6 win in Wisconsin.

 

Breathing a sigh of relief, the Hawks can now hope for a better second-round showing than 2009, when they were swept in four straight games by LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

 

Game notes
Bogut got a chance to dress when G Charlie Bell was ruled inactive for disciplinary reasons. Coach Scott Skiles did not reveal the reason for sitting out Bell, who played only eight minutes in three games during the series. ... Thomas kept up his verbal feud with a fan sitting near the Atlanta bench. Thomas blew a kiss toward the heckling man earlier in the series, and he fired back in Game 7 when the person screamed, "Keep shooting, Kurt!" after he made a jumper. "Oh, I will," Thomas shot back on his way down the court. ... Hawks 12th man Jason Collins got on the court for the first time in the series.