Mark Martin and Jillian Michaels work out at Fontana

Mark Martin's fitness routine is legendary in NASCAR circles, so it was obviously fate that brought he and Jillian Michaels together.

Well, OK, GoDaddy.com is close enough, isn't it?

Martin and Michaels, who's on NBC's "The Biggest Loser" -- we'll let you make the Martin jokes on that one -- worked out on Friday at Auto Club Speeway. (Given the rain and the weepers on the track, it's not like Martin had to actually drive the car at any point, so what else was he going to do?)

We'll also let you caption the photo above in the comments, but from our vantage point, it looks like Martin may have faced the wrath of Jillian during that workout. Why wasn't Danica Patrick involved? Did she get to skip the workout because it's her 29th birthday?

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NCAA Hockey: Notre Dame advances, can anyone stop Sioux?

In which we recap the day's events in the NCAA tournament, via Puck Daddy columnist Ryan Lambert.

Jason Zucker's goal could have made the game interesting. Instead, it just made the Sioux angry.

Zucker had been Denver's double-overtime hero the night before, and his timely goalscoring seemed once again to rear its head. He scored from behind the net with just 0.2 seconds on the clock, pulling his Pioneers even with North Dakota. Prior to that, the Sioux had kind of lazily pushed their way through the first period, with a Mario Lamoureux shorthanded snipe having been the only difference.

But what Sioux coach Dave Hakstol said during the intermission, after what must have been seen as an unforgivable lapse in so-called compete level, clearly put a scare into his club.

They came out in the second period flying, hitting everything that moved, and exhibiting the lethal touch around the net that has become the hallmark of the greatest squads to ever pull on North Dakota sweaters. What had been a tie game stayed that way for another 7:06 until Evan Trupp's sticktoitiveness around the net resulted in the last goal the Sioux would need -- not that this was in any way a deterrent to their scoring more.

By the time the game was over, North Dakota had pumped six goals into the Denver net, just as it had the night before against RPI, and it seemed the considerably heightened quality in opponent mattered not at all.

The Sioux got goals from all four of their lines and one of their pairings; and netminder Aaron Dell, who made 26 saves and set a school record with his 30th win of the year, had ample time to think about what he would do on the off day in St. Paul in two weeks. Even despite the increase in physical play, the Sioux rarely took penalties, giving the Pios just four power play opportunities all night, none of which came to much of anything except a Lamoureux's shortie.

Plus, all its goals were timely, and crushed what should have otherwise been shifts in momentum to the Pios' benefit.

Dispatching their bitter conference rivals with shocking ease ? including the ignominious but always hurtful goal-scored-on-the-goalie-after-an-empty-netter ? just as it had against the far inferior RPI Engineers the night before gives the Sioux enough cachet to officially be the scariest team remaining in the tournament. Not only do they seem to have the overwhelming skill and cavernous depth needed to handle any opponent they face, but they also have what the best teams in any competitive sport have: a strong killer instinct and a notable lack of compunction in using it frequently.

The Sioux piled in three goals during the harrowing final five minutes of the third period, twisting the knife after toying with the Pioneers for the opening 15. When Denver should have been playing at its most desperate, it was instead feckless, and was outshot 12-6 in the final frame of its season.

NoDak's naysayers could point to the fact that prior to the 6-1 loss, Denver had just competed in a multiple-overtime game the night before as a reason for the tired legs and minds of the opponents ?�certainly, Denver coach George Gwozdecky laid the blame for the loss there ?�but that ignores the Sioux's seeming refusal to lose.

Since Jan. 29, North Dakota is 14-0-1, having outscored opponents 78-20, never scoring less than three goals in a single game, and only conceding three twice. That includes outscoring opponents 12-1 this weekend.

No one else left in the field has that kind of consistency, lethality or defensive wherewithal.

As far as the Frozen Four goes, the road to the title pretty much runs through the grim and mighty Sioux until they give people a reason to believe otherwise. Problem is, their first misstep in more than two months would be their last.

Three stars

1. Mike Johnson, Notre Dame

Making 38 saves and allowing just one goal is usually plenty to win you a hockey game, but the team in front of Johnson really seemed to intent on keeping the game interesting. The Irish held a two-goal lead on UNH through more than 46 minutes, but gave up a goal to UNH's Mike Sislo at 13:37 of the third, then took a penalty 2:20 after that. But Johnson and the Notre Dame PK stood up to that challenge as they had the rest of the night to pick up a tighter-than-it-needed-to-be 2-1 victory over the host Wildcats, and advance to the Frozen Four.

2. Aaron Dell, North Dakota

When your goaltender is your best player, things are generally pretty easy to deal with. When he allows one goal on 48 shots in the NCAA tournament, he's making it really easy to go the other way. Though they outscored their opponents by 11 over that frightening two-day scorched earth campaign, Dell was undoubtedly the finest player on the ice in Green Bay and, perhaps, anywhere in the country.

3. Chay Genoway, North Dakota

The senior defenseman set up three of North Dakota's six goals, including a shortie, and was generally a menace to Denver forwards all night. The kid would probably have a Hobey Baker on his shelf from last season had it not been derailed by an injury that limited him to just nine games. And while his offense hasn't exactly come back as many expected it would, last night he showed the type of overwhelming skill and all-encompassing presence that typifies pretty much all of NoDak's defensemen. Taking them on will be a tall task for Michigan in two weeks' time.

Ryan Lambert covers the NCAA hockey tournament for Puck Daddy. You can e-mail him here if you want, but you should definitely follow him on Twitter.

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Scandal-plagued Fiesta Bowl forced to justify its BCS existence

Based on its initial response, the Fiesta Bowl's Board of Directors was clearly hoping the only major casualty of the burgeoning scandal over the bowl's finances would be newly fired CEO John Junker, who got the boot Tuesday for allegedly using nonprofit Fiesta Bowl funds to underwrite thousands of dollars in campaign contributions by employees, an employee wedding, a visit to a Phoenix strip club and a 50th birthday party for himself, to cherry-pick from the bowl's official report. But the BCS isn't letting them off the hook quite that easily. From the Arizona Republic:

Bill Hancock, executive director of the Bowl Championship Series, said the Fiesta Bowl could be removed from the elite group that hosts a national championship game every four years.

"The BCS group takes this matter very seriously and will consider whether they keep a BCS bowl game, and we will consider other appropriate sanctions," Hancock told The Arizona Republic. "If the bowl does remain a BCS bowl its handling of thing will be closely monitored going forward."

Make that very closely monitored. After Hancock's statement to the Republic, the BCS issued a separate statement of its own asking the Fiesta Bowl to "demonstrate why it should remain a BCS bowl game" in light of the 276-page report. Its response will be judged by a "task force," composed of two conference commissioners, two university presidents and two athletic directors, which ? once the panel gets to read for itself the fairly unbelievable excesses in the report, implicating far more than just Junker ?�is certain to greet the appeal with six sets of folded arms. The bowl enlisted a high-powered defense attorney last month to deal with the ongoing interest of the Arizona Attorney General's office, not the BCS, but it looks like it may need him to show a little versatility with this one.

The BCS has never acted in an oversight or enforcement capacity in its 13-year existence, mainly because there was no one to oversee or enforce; Hancock has only been on board as the Series' first executive director for a little over a year, and it's still basically just him aside from annual meetings with conference commissioners. But the prospect of being ejected from the most exclusive club in college football is a sufficiently existential threat for the Fiesta Bowl to take it very, very seriously. Outside of the BCS, the TV money starts to dry up, ticket prices start to fall, and the once-every-four-year cash cow of the national championship game is out of reach. It becomes, officially, a second-tier bowl.

The Cotton Bowl knows the feeling, having been hopped in the pecking order by the upstart Fiesta when the heavy-hitting games formed their first alliance in the mid-'90s. The Cotton was already on a mission to make itself over as an "unofficial" BCS bowl game, moving from its traditional venue into a state-of-the-art pro stadium two years ago and last year pushing the game a full week beyond the traditional kickoff on New Year's Day. It has to feel like the sun is rising on a new day and it suddenly finds itself occupying the high ground while smoke and a few sustained moans begin to waft out of its nemesis' camp. There's not going to be a better time to make a move.

- - -
Matt Hinton is on Twitter: Follow him @DrSaturday.

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If it’s March 25, Marc-Andre Fleury is shutting someone out

The New Jersey Devils visited Pittsburgh on Friday night to take on the Penguins, but they should have saved everyone's precious time and just forfeited the game. It was March 25 and Marc-Andre Fleury was in goal for the home team -- their shutout loss was predestined.

Sure enough, Fleury backstopped the Pittsburgh Penguins to a 1-0 win in the shootout to continue one of the NHL's quirkiest and impressive streaks: He's never lost a game or given up a goal on March 25 during his pro career.

Four games, four different years, 112 shots faced and not a single goal allowed on March 25.

Did he know about this nearly annual success going into last night's game?

"No, no clue. It just happened I guess," said Fleury in the dressing room. "It's a good sign, I guess. Playoffs coming up, we're still battling for a spot to get on top of the standings. Definitely a good two points."

After being drafted first overall in 2003, Fleury didn't play on March 25 in his first two seasons. In 2010, he didn't play on the 25th, but faced the Washington Capitals on March 24 -- a 4-3 shootout loss. Otherwise, he's ruled the day:

March 25, 2007: Pittsburgh 5, Boston Bruins 0. Fleury made 29 saves as Sidney Crosby had 2 goals and an assist. Prior to that date, Fleury had give up three or more goals in eight of his last nine games.

March 25, 2008: Pittsburgh 2, New Jersey Devils 0. Fleury made 31 saves, including 16 in the third period to protect a one-goal lead. He nearly lost the shutout on a Sheldon Brookbank shot in the second period, but the refs waived it off on account of goalie interference by then-Devil and current Penguin Arron Asham.

March 25, 2009: Pittsburgh 2, Calgary Flames 0. Fleury outdueled Miikka Kiprusoff with a 31-save performance for his only shutout of March 2009.

March 25, 2011: Pittsburgh 1, New Jersey Devils 0 (SO). An odd one, as the Devils managed just one shot on goal in the first period. But Fleury outdid his childhood idol, goalie Marty Brodeur, for the 19th shutout of his career.

Why so dominant on this particular date? Well, Fleury's traditionally owned the month, as he and the Penguins prep for the postseason. He's a stellar 38-9-8 since 2006 in March. Other than that … who knows? Maybe it's his own special way of celebrating Danica Patrick's birthday? Or, perhaps, International Waffle Day?

Now that he's 4-for-4 in wins and shutouts on March 25, will this odd streak be on Fleury's mind if the Penguins play on 3/25/12?

The Penguins goalie knocked on the wooden bench he was sitting on, before saying, "I hope I forget. Because I never thought about it [before] and it went well."

Stick-tap to the Penguins for postgame video and to Pensburgh for bringing the streak to our attention.

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Green jacket vs. diapers: Ross Fisher may face a choice

We generally don't pry into the personal lives of golf superstars*, but we'd like to offer Ross Fisher a bit of advice: perhaps he and his wife could invest in a calendar?

Back in 2009, Fisher was playing the British Open at Turnberry while wondering whether his wife was going to give birth to their first child. He went into the final round just one shot off the lead, but his manager was under orders to yank him off the course if his wife went into labor. As it turned out, he finished the tourney before the birth of his daughter Eve. (Stewart Cink would win that tournament over Tom Watson, as you may recall.)

Now Fisher's facing the same issue with another kid-en-route and another major. This time it's Augusta and a child due April 12. Hmmm...cutting it a bit close there, aren't we, Ross?

"To be perfectly honest I don't know what I'll do if the baby comes early," Fisher told Reuters. "I'll just have to wait and see when the baby comes. I'll have to cross that bridge if and when we come to it." Fisher is now preparing for the Shell-Houston Open before heading to Augusta, which is a bit of an issue seeing that his wife is in England.

Our recommendation for Ross: skip Houston (it'll be full of Kentucky fans), make some meals for your bride, and make 'em extra-spicy. She'll think you're a great husband, and that young'un will head for the exit. Win-win.

* - Gotcha. You just about broke your fingers trying to bang out your outraged comment, didn't you?

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What you need to know from the TUF debut

"I ain't here to make friends. I ain't here to win new fans. This is strictly business for me."

The first words out of Brock Lesnar's mouth in the debut of the 13th season of "The Ultimate Fighter" were in form of the most cliche of reality TV cliches. This bodes well for the season. Read on for a recap and spoilers from the first episode of ... "The Ultimate Fighter."

Good news of the day: The fighters were pleased to find out that they did not have to win a fight to make it into the house, as was the custom in the past few seasons. What has returned is the wildcard. Less than two minutes into the show, Dana White drops his first f-bomb, saying that the UFC wants guys who are bleepin' fighters.

Instead of the fights, the fighters are put through workouts to show off their skills for Lesnar and Junior dos Santos. Lesnar has his strength and conditioning guru check on the cardio of each fighter, while dos Santos explores the "international language of fight." Dos Santos points out that he is more concerned about the fight style of each competitor, while Lesnar is more concerned about cardio.

Standouts of the day: Brock is most impressed with Len Bentley, while Shamar Bailey and Ryan McGillivray catch Junior's eye.

Ugh, that sucks of the day: Myles Jury, who also stood out, hurt his knee in practice. While he says it's fine, I've been watching this show long enough to realize that this is a bad sign.

Picks of the day: Lesnar and dos Santos head to the office to make their picks, meaning that it won't be like gym class, where each fighter will go and stand with their team. I hope it's more like cheerleading tryouts, where you read from a list that's posted outside the gym. Some cry with happiness, some cry with sadness.

Nah, Dana White just reads the fighters name from a list. Lesnar gets first pick by virtue of a coin toss. In order of how they were picked, the teams are:

Lesnar:
Len Bentley
Charles Rader
Tony Ferguson
Clay Harvison
Myles Jury
Chris Cope
Nordin Asrih

Dos Santos:
Shamar Bailey
Ryan McGillivray
Javier Torres
Ramsey Nijem
Zach Davis
Mick Bowman
Keon Caldwell

Second biggest reality TV show cliche of the day: Let's explore the house and claim rooms! The teams break up by floor, with Lesnar's team upstairs and Team dos Santos downstairs. Somehow, I still have faith that hijinx will ensue.

Saw that coming from a mile away of the day: Myles Jury has a torn ACL, and the doctor won't let him fight. Lesnar is surprisingly supportive. Jury thinks he's going to stay around and learn from the coaches while he heals. Dana White bursts that bubble and sends him home, to be replaced by Chuck O'Neil and his fantastic Boston accent.

Fight pick of the week: Dos Santos gets first fight pick, and he puts his first pick, Shemar Bailey, against Lesnar's last, Nordin Asrih.

Finding religion of the day: In an interesting oddity of matchmaking, both fighters are deeply religious. Bailey is a preacher's son, while Asrih is a German Muslim who adheres to his religion's pillar of praying five times daily. Asrih says that he feels more focused after prayer.

Fight of the Day: Nordin Asrih (Team Lesnar) vs. Shamar Bailey (Team dos Santos)

Round 1: Bailey quickly uses his strength, wrestling. He takes Asrih down and moves to side control. Asrih gets back to his feet for a second, but Bailey brings it right back down. Bailey's wrestling is fantastic, but he seems content to get the pin. It takes him much too long to figure out that it's OK. He can throw punches. Near the end of the round, he lands some big elbows, but for as long as he had control, Bailey should have done much more damage.

Round 2: Asrih starts the round with a kick, slips and falls on the ground. Bailey jumps on top of him, gets full mount and pins Asrih. However, this not being a wrestling match, no one slaps the mat and he has to continue fighting. Asrih shows some flashes when he reverses Bailey and tries for a guillotine. But the round was Bailey's. In the final minute, he gets full mount and throws strikes.

All three judges score it for Bailey, and he says after the fight that his strategy worked because he didn't want to show off everything that he could do in his first bout on the show. In his parting shot to his team, Lesnar says, "Wrestling is powerful in this sport."

Darn straight, Brock. What did you think of the first episode?

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Elin Nordegren one-ups Tiger Woods, buys 17,000 sq. ft. mansion

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If you wanted to know what Tiger Woods' ex-wife Elin Nordgren would buy with her rumored $100 million-plus divorce settlement, here's the answer to your question: Nordegren has decided to buy a $12.2 million mansion. I know, I'm just as shocked as you are.

As Page2Live's Josie Lambiet reported on Friday, Nordegren new digs in North Palm Beach, Fla., are just 10 miles away from Woods' new place on Jupiter Island, meaning the two will be seeing a lot of each other in the future. Can you say awkward moments? The best part about Nordegren's mansion is that it reportedly "dwarfs" Woods' home by more than 7,000 square feet. Take that, Tiger!

The new 17,000 square foot home boasts eight bedrooms and, get this, a 4,700-square-foot basement. I actually heard she bought the house because the basement was big enough to house every sports blogger on the planet. So get ready, gentleman, we're going to be moving to a swankier crib in the coming months.

But that's not all ... the house also has something else to match her ex.

Like Woods' mansion, Nordgren's place is right on the beach, meaning she can go out and recreate the opening scene from Baywatch whenever she wants. I mean, that's the only reason you buy a place on the beach in the first place, right?

So congrats on the new home, Elin. Just remember to send me a invitation to your house warming party.

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Tomas Vokoun is (again) not enjoying life outside of playoffs

Without the benefit of a glance at his stats page, guess how many career playoff victories Tomas Vokoun of the Florida Panthers has?

The answer: Three in the 11 playoff games he's played, the last of which was in 2007. His playoff game wins to games in which a teammate slashed him in the head is 3-to-1. That's not very good.

So Vokoun is understandably dismayed about the Florida Panthers finishing out of the money for an NHL record 10th consecutive season, even if he's trying to also say the right things about the direction of the franchise.

Via Harvey Fialkov of the Sun Sentinel, Vokoun thinks GM Dale Tallon can bring this franchise closer to success, but isn't a happy goalie:

"Dale has done it before and he knows what to do,'' Vokoun said. "At the same time I like to tell the truth. Nobody can tell me they enjoy doing this or being out of the playoffs again. You don't like to lose and you don't like to be in this position for this many years."

What makes this year special for Vokoun, of course, is that he can leave if he doesn't like to lose, as an unrestricted free agent this summer. There was mutual interest in having him remain a Panther back in January; has another season eliminated from the playoffs, and staring at a bottomed-out rebuild for the team, changed that?

Those reports about his desire to stay always struck us as odd. On the Panthers' side, going with Scott Clemmensen and top prospect Jacob Markstrom next season seemed like a natural progression.

On Vokoun's side … well, he's 35 and has played in 11 postseason games. Why toil in South Florida during a rebuild when the clock's ticking, right?

Well, what if the grass isn't greener? Fialkov reports that only one "contender" showed interest in Vokoun at the deadline, and speculates why:

Perhaps, it was Vokoun's age or his gaudy prorated contract that would've cost teams approximately $1.5 million for a 25-game lease. Or, it could be the perception that although Vokoun is right around his career stats - including eighth in save percentage (.921) and 2.60 goals-against-average - he allows too many soft goals on rebounds that should be controlled.

There's no way in hell he's making $6.3 million in the NHL next season. The goaltending jobs with contenders aren't exactly bountiful; of the 16 current playoff teams ? hell of the NHL's Top 20 teams ? how many will be in the market for a goalie of Vokoun's stature, salary and presumed workload?

Prediction: Vokoun leaves Florida, sees his price tag drop dramatically and latches on with a contender for shared duty (45-50 starts) rather than as the workhorse.

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Corey Perry’s dramatic entrance into the Hart Trophy race

When you think of Corey Perry, what's the first thing that comes to your mind?

It's probably "uber-pest", "solid forward" or if you're Evgeni Nabokov, something of the four-letter variety.

But while Perry is all of those things, this season he's making it incredibly hard to not add "valuable" to that list.

As in, "Most Valuable."

Currently on a tear that has seen him pot 11 goals in eight games and lead Anaheim to six wins in their last eight games, Perry has played himself into the Hart Trophy conversation with a career season of 42 goals (2nd in the NHL), 83 points (6th), 12 power play goals (4th), and nine game-winning goals (T-2nd).

Would Perry be in your top three right now for MVP?

Along with Perry's increased production, he's also been given more responsibility on the ice by Anaheim Ducks head coach Randy Carlyle.�Merely a spectator (or in the penalty box) while the Ducks have been shorthanded in the past, Perry is third among Ducks' forwards in time on the penalty kill (1:33).

His Hart detractors may say that he benefits from playing on arguably the NHL's best line with Ryan Getzlaf and Bobby Ryan, but if Henrik and Daniel Sedin can pile up the points playing with each other and likely win consecutive MVPs, that argument can't be held against Perry's case.

And while Perry has breached the 100 PIMs mark for the fourth season in a row, like Ryan Kesler, he's learned to calm down a bit and not put his team in a tough spot by spending two minutes in the penalty box as he told�Mark Whicker of the Orange Counter Register:

Gone, for the most part, are the petulant cross-checks in the offensive zone that change a game's vibe and disrupt Carlyle's rotations.

"It was too much," Perry said. "We as a team were in the box a little too much early in the season. I just had to make a conscious effort to relax and play my style of game."

Now that he has scaled that obstacle Perry is free to go anywhere.

Maybe even Las Vegas for the postseason awards ceremony.

Even with his 100 PIMs, Perry has played much more disciplined hockey than earlier in the season. Since Jan. 1, Perry has compiled just 26 of his 100 PIMs on the season. And if you were wondering, there have been Hart Trophy winners that have broken the century mark in penalty minutes, with the last two players being Bobby Clarke (1974 and 1976) and Bobby Orr (1970 and 1972).

So can Corey Perry actually win the Hart Trophy? Given the attention already hoisted upon Daniel Sedin, Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Toews and Nicklas Lidstrom, Perry's late entrance into the discussion may be too little too late to ensure a trip to Las Vegas in June.

Chandra West Kasey Chambers Megan Ewing Kristanna Loken Aubrey ODay

Create-a-caption: There’s an odd Kyle Busch story here

This looks like a story in two acts here, don't you think? Break it down, or pick one photo or the other from Kyle Busch's big win Sunday at Bristol.

After the jump, Jamie McMurray's crew is goin' fishin'.

LikeaPhoenixrising:
Tire Guy: "No Martinez, I told you a thousand times, it's FLICK then DIP. Look, now you done gone and hooked Bob in the hand."
Martinez: "Sorry boss, he looked like a trout to me."
McMurray: "How's my hair?"

Troy J:
Martinez: "I whip my hose back and forth, I whip my hose back and forth, I whip my hose back and forth....."

KimRN:
Michael McDowell in the 66: "@#$%, how did Jamie rate a whip in the pits?"

Liz Phair Aaliyah Katherine Heigl Lorri Bagley Leslie Bega

Headlinin’: Henderson, five other Hurricanes could sit for season opener

Making the morning rounds.

? Song of Seantrel. Citing two anonymous sources "close to the team," a Miami television station has confirmed last week's report that starting left tackle/ex-mega recruit/350-pound man-mountain Seantrel Henderson has been suspended for Miami's Sept. 3 opener at Maryland, and adds that five other Hurricanes will be joining him on the bench for an undisclosed violation of team rules. (Previous reports speculated Henderson's issue was in the classroom.) Henderson followed his overheated recruitment last year by starting 10 games and earning freshman All-America nods, but only two of the other five —�running back Storm Johnson and cornerback Keion Payne —�were listed on the 'Canes' initial spring depth chart, both as backups. (Henderson was also listed a backup, which seemed primarily motivational at the time.)

Coach Al Golden is on vacation this week for spring break, along with the rest of the team, but was conspicuously silent on Henderson's status for the Maryland game when stridently denying the big man had any plans to transfer last week. [NBC Miami, via South Florida Sun-Sentinel]

? I can take it or leave it. Penn State opens its spring session Saturday with a three-man quarterback battle — and with one of those men, sophomore-to-be Robert Bolden, still threatening to transfer after losing the starting job to Mike McGloin last October. Bolden has already had to be coaxed back into the fold once, after watching the entirety of McGloin's five-interception debacle in the Capital One Bowl from the bench, and is obviously not interested in another year as an observer. "I'm just here to see how it goes, to see what I can learn, see how I feel about my coaches," Bolden said Wednesday. "Obviously, the bond between me and my teammates, that's not going to change during the spring. I'm just here to see how the spring goes, see what I can learn from these guys and see if I stay or if I decide to go." Translation: I'm the starter, or I'm outta here. [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]

? RIP. Ancient Minneapolis Star-Tribune columnist Sid Hartman fondly remembers former Minnesota coach Murray Warmath, who died Wednesday night at age 98, as "the coach nobody wanted" when Warmath was hired in 1954. That's ironic, because the Gophers have never had it better in the postwar era: Warmath led Minnesota to the last of its four national championships in 1960 and to its last Rose Bowl in 1961. He was fired a decade later on the heels of back-to-back losing seasons, but the Gophers' Rose Bowl drought now stretches to 50 years, the longest in the Big Ten. [Minneapolis Star-Tribune]

? But we had such a great thing going here. Memphis quarterback Ryan Williams, a returning starter, has left the team, apparently in response to coach Larry Porter's decision to install a more spread-oriented attack in place of the pro-style scheme that finished at the bottom of Conference USA in total and scoring offense last year. Williams passed for 13 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in his first season as a starter, and the Tigers failed to reach 20 points in any of their nine consecutive losses to close the year. [Memphis Commercial Appeal]

Quickly… Rivals' week-long countdown of the first five-star prospects of 2012 continues with the next D'Brickashaw Ferguson and the next Darren Sharper. … John Brantley calls Charlie Weis "a genius." … Nebraska may consider a few players from Nebraska-Omaha's recently defunct program as walk-ons. … For now, Bo Pelini is more interested in his players not getting fat over spring break. ... And Urban Meyer goes back to Utah.

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Matt Hinton is on Twitter: Follow him @DrSaturday.

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Vegas Watch Top 16: February (2011)

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Back to 1990: Christian Slater, Richard Marx at Cali race

So there's this: at this weekend's Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway in California, Christian Slater will be Grand Marshal and Richard Marx will sing the National Anthem. In related news, Joe Montana recently led the San Francisco 49ers to a Super Bowl victory; a sprightly young Arkansas governor named Bill Clinton has his eye on the White House; and there's a cartoon on in prime time called "The Simpsons." (Yeah, like that'll last.)

Anyway, yeah, Slater and Marx. Why? I don't know. Well, I do know, but I don't really want to give voice to the answer. At least Sugar Ray Leonard will also be there to serve as Honorary Starter. But that's about as good as it gets. Because this time, there's no Nirvana around to stomp out these vestiges of the 1980s.

Jamie Chung Alicia Witt Radha Mitchell Melissa Rycroft Chloë Sevigny

Who is Gary Woodland, and what’s he doing going to Augusta?

Another week, another newcomer winning a PGA Tour tourney and punching a ticket to The Masters. This week it was Gary Woodland, who won the Transitions Championship in dramatic, final-hole fashion.

Much is being made of the fact that Woodland once played college basketball and, you know, there's some kind of big college basketball tourney going on right now. Woodland did play hoop, for D-II Washburn, but as he said on Sunday, that wasn't his first love. No, he wanted to be a Kansas Jayhawk.

"KU was the only school that recruited me out of high school [for golf], Division I wise, and I kind of took that negatively," Woodland said. "I thought, maybe I'm not that good ... So I decided I wanted to still play basketball. My first game was in Allen Fieldhouse, we got smoked by Kansas, and I realized maybe I need to do something different; this isn't going to work." He scored three points on one-of-seven shooting, and decided that perhaps there were other options out there.

"The coach at Kansas told me when I decided I was going to play basketball, he said, 'you're going to change your mind, you have a future in this game,'" Woodland added. "I called him a year later, and here we stand."

He put together some solid-but-unspectacular years after turning pro in 2007, but this year has marked a turnaround. He lost in a playoff to Jhonattan Vegas at the Bob Hope Classic earlier this year, and Sunday he outlasted the horrifically slow play of Webb Simpson to take down the win. And as he told it, his hoops background helped steady him down the back nine.

"I really wasn't nervous," he said. "I think it was the adrenaline I was trying to control. When I started making putts, the crowd started getting loud. [It] kind of took me back to basketball days. I was getting pretty pumped up, so I was trying to control that."

He did, just enough to go birdie-par on the final two holes to hold off Simpson. Coming up for Woodland is Augusta, where the sound of the fans and the azaleas will pound in his ears in a way that no college basketball arena ever could.

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Coker interview: Strikeforce boss uncertain about Daley, Fedor and Barnett in the UFC

Scott Coker, the other guy in the UFC's purchase of Strikeforce, sat down for a lengthy interview with HDNet's Bas Rutten. Coker was grilled on many of the hot button issues that last Monday's� conference call never hit on.

Rutten asked the Strikeforce CEO if he thinks fans will ever see Josh Barnett, Paul Daley or Fedor Emelianenko in the UFC. Coker said he didn't know (11:35 mark), but added that he hoped all three continued to fight with Strikeforce.

Other interesting points included:

Coker confirmed that the deal between Zuffa and SVSE came together quickly. He only informed Showtime of the sale one day before the news leaked on Mar. 12.

He denied the rumors that Josh Barnett will be removed from the Strikeforce heavyweight Grand Prix and replaced by Shane Carwin.

The Strikeforce boss joked about his first meetings with the UFC brass talking about Zuffa's 25-person marketing and P.R. staff. He brought along his two employees in those positions (4:40 mark).

Coker is excited about the new resources behind Strikeforce and growth possibilities which include a goal of pay-per-view by the end of 2011.

Surprisingly, even with a roster of 150-plus fighters, Coker says "business as usual" also includes signing new fighters in the future (9:00 mark).

Read into it anyway you'd like - Coker was asked if the purchase by UFC was a good or bad day, he answered by it's a reality (9:30 mark).

Showtime got the call the day before the news leaked 11 days ago, but Coker still hasn't had a chance to speak with M-1 promotions, Fedor's management team (13:25 mark).

Hopefully, Coker is involved in the MMA business at the highest level for years to come. He's definitely an asset, who puts the fans first. He did an amazing job turning a regional promotion, which held its first big fight in Apr. of 2009, into something worth buying for an estimated $40 million less than two years later.

Tip via MMAConvert

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AL East preview: Can raided Rays hold off the Yanks and Red Sox?

Rejoice, rejoice, the baseball season is almost here! In an attempt to quickly get some of you slackers up to speed on the year ahead, Big League Stewards Kevin Kaduk and David Brown look at a division, hold a conversation about the issues therein and then issue some predictions on standings and award-winners. Today we move eastward with a look at a loaded American League East.

David Brown: Mr. 'Duk, we've come to the division that's first among equals, especially if you report for a certain worldwide leader, the AL East. It's the division that only the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox are "supposed" to win, because of money and divine right and so forth. And yet, for two of the past three seasons, the Tampa Bay Rays have wrecked just about everything by finishing first.

This season, you would be hard-pressed to find any Rays optimist so bold as to predict another division crown for Joe Maddon's cool kids. Carl Crawford jumped to the Red Sox, who also added Adrian Gonzalez. Tampa Bay traded right-hander Matt Garza and shortstop Jason Bartlett. It let Carlos Pe�a, closer Rafael Soriano and set-up man Joaquin Benoit leave via free agency. It's probably not uncommon to believe that these losses would cost the Rays 10 wins, perhaps more. Certainly enough to knock them from their perch.

I think, however, that this is selling them a little short.�

The additions of Johnny Damon and Manny Ramirez might be able to help lead an attack that gives the Rays an improved offense in 2011. If they see reasonable improvements by Ben Zobrist and B.J. Upton, and assuming that Sean Rodriguez and Reid Brignac aren't too weak, they could easily score more runs than they did last year.

Toss in a full season of Wade Davis pitching as he did down the stretch in '10, and Jeremy Hellickson starting 30 games, and there's plenty of reason to expect the starting pitching to be better than it was in '10.

Now, I look in the bullpen and I don't see the reflection of an optimistic person staring back. The settling force that Soriano provided -- there's nobody who can pitch that well. Kyle Farnsworth? They're seriously relying on Kyle Farnsworth? Rookie Jake McGee is looking good, and J.P. Howell will get some outs, but it's going to be white knuckle time in the final three innings. The Rays look like a contender -- until you get to the bullpen.

'Duk: Thanks for the vine, Jonah Keri, err, Dave Brown!� While I definitely appreciate ? and possibly even share ? your optimism about Tampa Bay's starting rotation, I can't possibly get behind any scenario that has Manny Ramirez staying healthy, B.J. Upton staging that full All-Star season we've been waiting for since 2005 or Ben Zobrist justifying that contract he signed last year after that crazy-good 2009 season. (Why yes, I am a bitter 2010 fantasy owner of Zobrist, why do you ask?) If you threw the Rays in any other division and I'd name 'em the favorite, but not in the AL East, where 27 outs is exactly that.

What I do find interesting, though, is that after all that money the Red Sox and Yankees spent on their lineups and bullpens, they end up having the opposite problem of the Rays and have no idea what they're going to get from their starting pitching (though they certainly have a few more dollars sunk into their rotations).� The money the Red Sox committed to Josh Beckett and John Lackey last season was supposed to prevent this situation, instead they're a big part of the problem. (Thank God for Jon Lester and Beckett pitching while hurt last season.) As for the Yankees, it's CC Sabathia (the C's stand for consistently consistent!) and then anybody's guess. Does the strength of their lineups and 'pens really allow us the luxury of overlooking what they've got cooking on the mound?

DB: Well, who's mainlining poutine now, Mr. Extra 2 percent? It's odd, isn't it, that a team like the Yankees has all of the resources a boy could want and they're still holding open auditions in spring training -- with Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia the leading contenders -- for TWO starting pitching spots? It just goes to show you that you can't throw money at a problem and expect it to go away. Or that money doesn't always buy happiness. Or something money something.

They're seriously relying on competence from A.J. Burnett, so it was a keen move on the part of Joe Girardi to name him the No. 2 starter. There will be no skipping him in the regular season like they did in the playoffs and every little stroke to his ego can't hurt. Phil Hughes is money and will only get better. They'll be fiddling with Nos. 4 and 5 all season. Colon will break down, or be bad, or both. Freddy Garcia will be OK, as long as the Yankees offense can keep ahead of him. And the Yankees offense seems loaded enough to me. They were pretty good last year and didn't even maximize production from Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira and the center fielder of the future, Derek Jeter. They ought to score a bazillion runs. And if they have a lead with six or seven outs to go, Sori-Mo would seem to be a lock. The end of the bullpen, there's one area where the Yankees would seem to have the upper hand on Boston, no?

'Duk: Well, the Yankees brass would certainly hope so with the way they strong-armed Brian Cashman into giving Soriano almost $40 million. Quite an expensive cheer-up present for themselves after missing out on Cliff Lee, wouldn't you say? Pair Soriano with Mo and the Yanks have another year of the ultimate luxury: Not having to answer any questions about their bullpen. I do like Boston's triumvirate of Bard/Jenks/Papelbon more than some, but there's no way you're giving anyone the nod over a pen with Rivera in it.

The one issue I have to raise with your Yankees yapping, though, is age and injury. Robinson Cano,� Jesus Montero, Phil Hughes and Brett Gardner might be the core of future, but they're currently the only Bombers on the right side of 30. The sheer depth of their roster makes one injury here or there easy to overcome, but an epidemic that even approaches something like the Red Sox experienced in 2010 is going to mean lights out.

DB: The Yankees might be aging, but they're not going to be sent to the old folks home by September, 'Duk. They'll be able to hang just fine with Boston. You know, it's funny how Theo Epstein tried to rely on run prevention for one season, and things went horribly wrong and they only won 89 games, so he just had to go out and pick up a couple of superstars. Must be nice!� But Kevin Youkilis back at his original third base -- how is that going to work out? They're throwing a little caution to the wind, I'd say. The Marco Scutaro-Jed Lowrie combination had better be able to move to their right. And Adrian Gonzalez better be the greatest picker ever at first base. Ah, rich team problems. Not that I want to sound too much like that Buck Showalter.

Speaking of which, have we talked about the Yankees and Red Sox enough yet? Does Showalter have anything to get excited about in Baltimore, or is he just going to have the Red Sox and Yankees games to look forward to? Could the Orioles actually win 80 games? And would they be taking a step in the right direction, or would it just be running in place more efficiently? With the addition of Mark Reynolds, Derrek Lee and Vladimir Guerrero, they've got a lot of sluggers. Maybe this can be a team Earl Weaver would be proud of? Lots of three-run homers at Camden Yards? Eh, eh?

'Duk: Baseball Prospectus has the O's pegged for 81-81 and I guess that would be just enough to end our mentions of Orioles Magic actually defining a losing tradition for the last 13 seasons. But they're going to have to slug plenty of those three-run dingers to get there, because I don't have much faith in that young pitching staff yet. Yeah, Jeremy Guthrie is a known commodity and maybe this is the year that Brian Matusz steps up and joins the group of elite AL starters, but you're also going to have to ask Justin Duchscherer to stay healthy (something that's already not happening) and that young crop of� Jake Arrieta, Brad Bergesen, Chris Tillman and Zach Britton to make a jump in not only success, but innings. There's a bright future here, but it's hard to see it arriving this season.

What the fans in Baltimore should do ? and perhaps I've proposed this before ? is give our old friend Bud Selig a call and float the idea of creating a team of the AL East birds ? the, uh O'Jays. Not only would you have the most harmonic lineup in the division, you'd have a competitive rotation once you throw in Matusz and Guthrie in with Ricky Romero, Brandon Morrow and Brett Cecil. Whaddya think?

DB: Wait, you're proposing some kind of ornithological contraction/bird gene splicing? Are you mad, 'Duktor? Baseball Prospectus really has the O's pegged for 81 victories, though? Does that mean they have the entire division being above .500? Because the Jays ? at least until Brandon Morrow and Frank Francisco came up with sore arms ? looked like 88-74 to me. Their top-three starting pitchers are gold, Jerry! Four, if Kyle Drabek progresses ahead of the curve. And they got a bunch of decent middle relief types in the pen. So they should be competitive on that end.

Their o-fence was surprisingly robust in 2010, but I'm not sure if they'll have enough for a repeat performance. The Vernon Wells trade did clear enough salary to buy Quebec a new hockey team ? good job, GM Alex Anthopoulos! ? but it also kinda left a gaping hole in the middle of the order. Juan Rivera and Rajai Davis in the outfield, eh? There's not a lot there. I'm confident that Travis Snider's bat will blossom at least twice as impressively as his Bugsy Malone Moustache, and I'm also a believer that J-Bau can follow up with at least ... 30 homers? And Aaron Hill will return to form, right? He's not a .205 hitter. I can't believe the Lyle Overbay era is over, but it sure seems like Adam Lind is ready to hit just as meekly. I'm just not seeing a Willie Upshaw-kind of guy over at first base/DH. A Fred McGriff. They need Fred McGriff, Kevin.

'Duk: Yup, the BP computers are tracking the Jays' flight at 76-86, so they obviously know that the Crime Dog is not walking through that door. But whatever the spreadsheets spit out, Blue Jays fans have to know that Anthopoulos has this team going in the right direction with the young arms that are about to blossom (Drabek, Zach Stewart) and prospects like Brett Lawrie waiting in the minor league system. No, this won't be the Blue Jays' or the Orioles' year for the umpteenth time in a row, but at least they're stocked enough to make things interesting while waiting for more.

OK, so I may or may not have said that last year as well. If there's anything this division always provides, it's a ready-made storyline.

* * *

Predicted order of finish:
'Duk: 1. Red Sox, 2. Yankees, 3. Rays, 4. Jays, 5. Orioles
DB:1. Yankees 2. Rays 3. Red Sox 4. Jays 5. Orioles

AL East Cy Young
'Duk: CC Sabathia, Yankees
DB: David Price, Rays

AL East MVP
'Duk: Alex Rodriguez, Yankees
DB: Robinson Cano, Yankees

AL East ROY
'Duk: Zach Britton, Orioles
DB: Jake McGee, Rays

Previously: NL West, AL West

Note: We'll complete the rest of our previews starting next Monday.

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Brit writer says ‘biased’ American media is out to lynch Bisping

Following his resounding victory at UFC 127, Michael Bisping got himself in hot water by spitting at the corner of Jorge Rivera. The British middleweight was vilified by most of the MMA media and fans. That's sent The Telegraph's MMA expert Gareth Davies into a tizzy.

Davies suggests the American media is out to get Bisping, saying there was no balance to the stories written when both Chael Sonnen and Nate Marquardt called him out.

First we had Chael Sonnen, hardly a Saint himself, allowed to attack the Manchester middleweight with impunity. Where was the balance here from the US mainstream media covering MMA? Sonnen wrote UFC matchmaker Joe Silva an open letter, asking for a fight with Bisping. Fair enough.��How did the�US MMA media respond ? They wrote it up ignoring any of Sonnen's�misdemeanours in the sport. Balance ? None of it. But don't let the facts get in the way of a witchhunt.

From atop of his high horse, 'Nate the Great' added that Bisping's actions are unbecoming of a martial artist and were unsportsmanlike. No argument there, the spitting was utterly wrong, but am I really the only one who sees the irony here ?

Am I the only member of the media who can recall this same Marquardt�bringing home his own illegal knee to a downed opponent just two years ago ?�It was against�Wilson Gouveia [CORRECTION: It was Thales Leites at UFC 85].� Am I also the only one to recall�Marquardt followed that foul up with an illegal strike to the back of the head later in the fight? I know. I was there watching it live. Didn't�Marquardt himself bring�the sport into disrepute ? by testing positive for steroids on his UFC debut…

Davies calls me out for Cagewriter's Marquardt story.

Frankly that's no big deal. Davies and I have differing opinions on what to write in story that's simply reporting one fighter's quote about another. I don't believe the story needed to analyze whether Marquardt had the right to rip another fighter.

GAD assumes there's some anti-Bisping agenda. Funny things is, I may have the softest stance in the entire MMA media with regards to Bisping's future.

During Iole's appearance on ESPNRadio1100 following the incident on Mar. 1, I argued that the Bisping knee wasn't intentional and the spitting is something happens in the heat of the moment. I outright scoffed at the possibility of the middleweight being fired, but if some of the British media and Bisping want to believe it's them against the world - good deal, it makes for a fun storyline for the future.

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Ask Alex: What can we expect from a healthy A-Rod?

We all have questions about the 2011 season and Alex Remington luckily has some answers. The Stew's resident stats guru will address the big questions as opening day approaches.

The Situation: Alex Rodriguez has been one of the best players in baseball for a decade and a half. But the last few years have seen a bit of a decline. He's averaged just 133 games a year since 2008, with DL trips for injuries to his calf, quadricep and hip. The hip injury was so serious that he had preseason surgery to fix it in 2009, costing him the first month of the season. He's still averaged 32 HRs, 109 RBIs and a .914 OPS over the last three years, which would be spectacular numbers for anyone not named Alex Rodriguez. But this spring he's been turning heads around the New York Yankees camp, inspiring "best shape of his career" stories, and he's been devastatingly effective even by his own standards, starting the spring with a 13-game hitting streak and batting a cool .410/.459/.949 with five homers through his first 39 at-bats.

The Question: Is this just a March mirage, or does Alex Rodriguez still have the old magic in his bat?

The Analysis: In the last three years, injuries and age have reduced Rodriguez from best player in the American League to simply being one of the four-best third basemen in baseball. In other words, even in decline, Rodriguez is still plenty good -- a star, just no longer the brightest in the galaxy. His defense isn't what it once was, as he's gone from being one of the better defensive players in baseball in his 20s to being a slight liability in his 30s. Nothing serious, and his bat more than makes up for it, but it's still� a component in his decline.

A-Rod won't be hitting 50 home runs again, though, and probably won't hit 40. His power is still formidable, but it has been declining too. In each of the past three years, his groundball percentage has increased, and his homer per flyball percentage and slugging percentage have declined. Since he slugged .645 in his 2007 MVP season, he has slugged .573, .532, and .506 in the past three years. None of that is too shabby ? he still led the league in 2008 with that .573 mark ? but it marks a real trend. In other words, he isn't lofting the ball as much and it isn't going quite as far as it used to.

But the power decline might not be aging so much as the lingering aftereffects of injury and surgery. All those lower body injuries have a way of taking a toll on power production, because power hitters generate their power from their legs. So if he's truly healthy ? and he's been saying things like, "This is as healthy as I've felt over the last several years," though of course a lot of players say that during spring training ? it would make it even easier to believe that he will be able to tap into more of his power than he has the last three years. He claims that he finally feels healthy following the 2009 hip surgery, and improved health could partly offset the effects of aging, including his 36th birthday in July.

Of course, injuries come more rapidly as players get older, and there's just no denying the effects of age. Fangraphs' Howard Bender simply doubts that Alex will really be able to stay healthy at this stage of his career:

Over the past three seasons we've seen a fairly dramatic decline across the board ? HR, SB, BA, OBP, SLG and, everyone's favorite, wOBA. The injuries aren't going to cease as his body is slowly breaking down from the general wear and tear of 15 full seasons in the majors (ok fine, the steroid use obviously doesn't help).

Bender cites Rodriguez as the fourth-best third baseman in baseball, so it's not like he thinks Rodriguez is headed off a cliff. Not only is his power likely to improve (even if other nagging injuries conspire to keep him off the field for parts of the season), but his batting average is likely to improve from his career-worst .270, which was due in turn to a career-worst .274 Batting Average on Balls in Play. That BABIP is almost certain to rise by 20 and possibly 30 or 40 points, and it will bring his BA, OBP and SLG up with it. (He has hit below .270, but it was during two teenage cups of coffee in 1994 and 1995. In his first full season in 1996, the 20-year-old Rodriguez won the batting title by hitting .358.)

The Forecast for 2011: Expect a modest bounceback, but not a major one. He has a healthier hip, but he's also a year older. ZiPS projects .277/.369/.527, with 30 HR and 103 RBIs in just 124 games; Bill James projects .284/.381/.530, with 35 HR and 116 RBIs in 144 games. Very similar, except for the games played, and obviously, the home run production mostly depends on the number of games he manages to play. He hasn't played 140 games since his 2007 MVP campaign, when he played 158; he won't do that again, but he can probably manage more than 140, and as long as that happens, he's as sure a lock for 30-35 home runs as any player in the game.

The new Yankee Stadium is a great place for a power hitter ? batters slugged .442 there, compared to .402 at all other stadiums ? and Alex still has plenty enough juice left in his bat to take advantage. I'll predict .280/.380/.530, with 35 homers and 110 RBIs in 145 games.

However, as Mike Axisa of River Ave. Blues writes:

For most players, an MVP caliber season represents their best case scenario. For A-Rod, it seems like he's capable of so much more; you know he has the talent to put up a year that re-writes the record books. The chances of him doing so are far less likely now than they were five or ten years ago, of course, but I'll never put anything beyond Rodriguez.

Alex Rodriguez is no longer in his prime, but he's still one of the better players in the major leagues. This year, he'll be somewhere between good and amazing. I don't expect amazing, but I also wouldn't be too surprised if it happens.

Previous questions: Can the Red Sox win 100 games? ? How many games will the Astros win? ? Will the Phillies miss Jayson Werth? ? Will Buster Posey experience a sophomore slump? ? Will Trevor Cahill be a Cy Young contender? ? Will Justin Upton solve his strikeout problem? ? Will Neil Walker be a top 10 second baseman? ? Can Zack Greinke win the NL Cy Young award? ? Can Manny still be Manny at 39? ? Is this a breakout season for Jay Bruce's power? ? Can the Mariners offense rebound? ? Will Carlos Gonzalez take a step back in 2011?

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Maddon sticks up for everybody by having racist fan ejected

Pity the poor Baltimore Orioles. They are having a lousy offseason when it comes to persons either figuratively or literally wearing their team's jersey and saying ignorant comments.

First, slugger Luke Scott insisted at the winter meetings that Barack Obama was illegally president and is otherwise unrepresentative of America.

Now this: On Sunday, Tampa Bay Rays manager Joe Maddon called for security at the Rays spring ballpark to eject a fan who had shouted racist comments directed at B.J. Upton as he sat in the dugout.

The offending fan happened to be wearing an Orioles jersey.

O's collective facepalm in 3... 2... 1.

Here's what Marc Topkin wrote in the St. Pete Times:

"He said something racial and I didn't like it,'' Maddon said. "He can say whatever he wants, but don't go there. And I didn't want B.J. to go up into the stands or do anything at that point. So I just wanted to make sure he was taken out of there. There is no room for that at all.''

A man who said he was the ejected fan went on Twitter later Sunday, claiming Maddon lied and he said nothing racial.

Maddon later told the Times what was said, and it would be considered racial. Upton also heard the comments, as did several of the coaches.

It should be noted: A man claiming to be the ejected fan says he is innocent and Maddon is lying.

With so many earwitnesses, it's hard to buy the guy's story that Maddon is not only mistaken, but he also is undertaking a great lie to cover up the mistake. Sounds to me more like a guy who is upset he got caught.

Not only was Maddon sticking up for Upton and the other ballplayers of color on the Rays (and Orioles), he was sticking up for anyone who heard the comments and was offended. If I'm at a hypothetical baseball park with my hypothetical kid, I don't want to hear player criticisms include trash such as racial slurs.

I'd like to think that others ? fans, I mean ? within earshot of what was said also would have involved security. Hopefully this will encourage zero tolerance from others in the future when someone goes above and beyond their free speech. Most of us, probably, have heard it happen at least once.

Now, the racist comments from Sunday and what Scott said at the winter meetings are not the same thing.� You can believe lots of false things about Barack Obama and not necessarily be racist. Regardless, the Orioles put distance between the organization and Luke Scott after he opened his mouth.

I don't know if they have to do likewise this time. What should they say? "The Orioles aren't racist"?

Well, maybe it's not the worst thing you could say.

Follow Dave on Twitter ? @AnswerDave ? and check out the Stew on Facebook for more coverage.

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Edwards clearly hasn’t evened the score with Kyle yet

In the closing laps of Sunday's Jeff Byrd 500 at Bristol, Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards dueled bumper-to-bumper, trading the lead back and forth and raising memories of August 2008, when Edwards bumper-tapped Busch to take the victory. Unfortunately for Edwards, this year's Kyle was far superior, getting and holding the lead right on through the checkers.

After the race, Edwards was smiling but dropped a hint of a possible season-long storyline. Asked about the possibility of spinning Kyle for the win, Carl replied, "He's still got one coming from Phoenix."

That, of course, is a reference to the second race of this season, when Edwards had what he considered a race-winning car. But Busch took him out early in the race in what was, by most accounts, just one of them racin' deals.

Busch apologized after getting out of the car in Phoenix, but that apparently wasn't enough to soothe Edwards, who added that he still had "one in his pocket" for Busch. When that one will be meted out remains to be seen; it looks like both drivers will make the Chase, barring disaster, so would Edwards wait until the Chase to give payback? Or would he take away a certain win for Busch earlier in the season? Whenever it comes, it'll be a surprise for Busch.

"I have no idea what I'm owed from," Kyle deadpanned after the race. "You'll have to ask Edwards. Normally when it's against you, you'll remember it forever."

Maybe this won't go down as one of the most exciting races of the season, but if it perpetuates the chess match/boxing match between two of NASCAR's best, it'll be worthwhile.

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If Florida bill passes, you can rest forever at Daytona

Can't stand to think of losing the ability to watch NASCAR after you pass away? Fear not. If a bill passes in the Florida House and Senate, you may be able to make Daytona International Speedway and Homestead Miami Speedway your final resting place.

Just don't expect to rest in peace on race weekends.

From the Daytona Beach News Journal:

Legislation making its way through the Florida House and Senate would allow construction of an on-site columbarium -- a building or structure that houses urns -- at both Daytona International Speedway and Homestead Miami Speedway.

International Speedway Corp. spokesman Lenny Santiago said many NASCAR fans have inquired over the years about having their ashes laid to rest at Daytona International Speedway.

"We have a lot of fans that are very, very loyal to NASCAR races and to Daytona in general," Santiago said. "This opens that door, this bill, and we're hopeful that this will get passed."

If passed, the bill could become a law on July 1. However, the University of Florida, which supported the university columbarium law in 2009, hasn't built its columbarium or determined a pricing structure for potential spaces yet, so if it's allowed, don't expect Daytona and Homestead to have columbariums for their 2012 race weekends.

Would you want your ashes stored at a racetrack? And if so, would you want your urn painted in the colors of your favorite driver? Drop us a line in the comments.

(Thanks to Dustin Long for the heads up)

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David Feherty unloads on the Tavistock Cup golfers

This is a bit o' fun: David Feherty knocking the pins out from under some of your favorite golfers as they tee off at the Tavistock. We'll be calling Ian Poulter "madam" from here on out:

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