Knicks' Mason: Owners, players still far apart

NEW YORK -- Knicks shooting guard and NBA Players' Association vice president Roger Mason considers himself an optimist. But he is not certain that a new collective bargaining agreement with the league will be in place by July 1.

"I'm hopeful," Mason said, "but right now the gap is pretty wide as far as the league and the latest proposal that they gave us, and what we're willing to do as players."

Talks between the owners and the players' union were to resume Thursday in Dallas.

“

We understand the landscape has changed since the last deal, so we're willing to make concessions, but I think what the owners are asking right now is just way too much, and it's above and beyond [the money] they're losing.

” -- Players' union VP Roger Mason

Mason pointed to two major disagreements that the players' union has with the owners' recent proposal: The owners' desire for a hard salary cap and their proposed split of the league's basketball-related income between owners and players.

The two sides are so far apart, Mason said, that cap numbers and revenue sharing percentages aren't being considered. He said the league and the union are only talking through the two main issues and haven't yet addressed other concerns, including health benefits and the possibility of contraction.

Mason acknowledged that at the end of the day, the players' union will have to loosen its grip on the proceedings in order for a new CBA to be finalized.

"We've got to understand we're going to have to take some skin of the game, just because the forecast in America right now is not great," Mason said. "We understand the landscape has changed since the last deal, so we're willing to make concessions, but I think what the owners are asking right now is just way too much, and it's above and beyond [the money] they're losing.

"Obviously they claim a [financial] loss and we have sympathy for that and are willing as players to sacrifice something. But right now that gap is pretty wide as far as what that something is," he said.

Mason was a high school senior during the 1998-99 NBA lockout. While he didn't understand the NBA's inner workings at the time, he remembers feeling very disappointed that a deal couldn't be worked out sooner.

Not only does he feel the same way now, but he's now fully aware of the league's business side -- and doesn't want history to repeat itself.

"Sometimes there are circumstances where you just can't make decisions that are going to harm the future for our league," Mason said. "I wouldn't feel good about leaving the league five, six, seven years from now and youngsters coming in with this type of agreement. I would feel horrible if I left the game that way myself."

 

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Sources: Cheeks candidate for Raptors' opening

Lawrence Frank and Dwane Casey are on the Toronto Raptors' list of coaching candidates, but sources say there is a strong third candidate: Oklahoma City Thunder assistant coach Maurice Cheeks.

The Raptors are not expected to make a decision on their coach until GM Bryan Colangelo returns from a scouting trip in Europe. They are also expected to wait until they can interview Mavericks assistant coach Casey, after the NBA Finals.

Cheeks, 54, has a career record of 284-286 as a head coach over six-plus seasons, splitting time between the Portland Trail Blazers and Philadelphia 76ers. He last coached the Sixers in 2008 before joining the Thunder under coach Scottie Brooks.

Cheeks also played 15 seasons, winning a championship with the Sixers in 1983 as their starting point guard.

Ric Bucher reports on the NBA for ESPN The Magazine.

 

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Iverson eyes comeback, end to career in NBA

PHILADELPHIA -- Allen Iverson wants to keep his passport at home.

Ten years after he became an MVP who led the Philadelphia 76ers to the Finals, Iverson has his eyes on a comeback. He is determined to end a career in the NBA, a career that is possibly destined for the Hall of Fame, and not in some faraway country where brief YouTube clips are the only way to stay updated on the four-time scoring champion.

Iverson, who turned 36 this week, played only 10 games in an injury-filled stint in Turkey after a lack of NBA interest forced him to seek employment elsewhere. In his most recent NBA season, in 2009-10, Iverson left the Sixers in February.

That's not a lot of basketball for an aging veteran.

AP Photo/Ibrahim UstaAllen Iverson, who played only 10 games in Turkey last season, hopes to return to the NBA.

So what gives Iverson confidence he can still play anywhere near his former elite level next season?

"It's me," he said, laughing. "That's what gives me confidence. I know what I can do. Everybody in the world knows what I can do. Everybody knows what I can do on the basketball court."

Every fan knows how the 25-year-old Iverson could dazzle on the court. Like in the 2001 NBA Finals, when he buried a jumper over Tyronn Lue, then highstepped over the fallen Los Angeles Lakers defender in Game 1. The iconic moment ranked slightly behind his rookie year crossover vs. Michael Jordan as the most memorable of his 14-year career.

Iverson's added few plays to that list the past few years. He played for four teams in his last two NBA seasons, then left the Turkish club Besiktas with a leg injury.

A painful calcium mass developed on his right calf and he returned home opting for rest instead of surgery. Iverson's manager, Gary Moore, said Iverson has yet to receive the green light from Dr. James Andrews to resume contact drills. Iverson was not expected to get cleared until mid-July.

"Just give me a training camp," he said. "Maybe I've rubbed people the wrong way as far as saying the things I've said in my life and in my career. But if any team needs me to help try and win a championship in any capacity, I'm waiting."

He might have a long wait. Throw in a possible work stoppage with NBA owners and players far apart on a new labor deal, and Iverson might again be forced to look outside the NBA for a team. He signed a $4 million, two-year contract with Besiktas. But Iverson, who also has played for Denver, Detroit and Memphis, made it clear in a phone interview late Wednesday night, his first priority is the NBA.

"If that doesn't happen, I just want to play basketball, so I've got to weigh my options and do what's best for me and my career," he said. "If that doesn't happen, I don't want to not play basketball. I don't have any more years to be wasting."

Iverson has been dogged by rumors of personal problems -- his wife filed for divorce and a daughter battled serious health problems -- but he said his life these days is great.

All that's missing is basketball.

"The only thing that I give a damn about is that the people that care about me know that I'm all right," he said. "All I want is my real fans to know I'm fine, my wife is fine, my kids are fine. I'm fine and I'm looking forward to getting back on a team and being productive like I have been my whole career."

Iverson insisted he enjoyed his stay in Turkey.

"It was one of the greatest experiences I've ever had in my life," he said. "They were great to me. They embraced me like I would never think. Everything was great as far as that experiment."

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

 

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Lions' Suh attends his 1st player-organized drills

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LA stadium planner: Talks had with 5 NFL teams

Updated: June 10, 2011, 9:01 PM

LOS ANGELES -- The head of the sports and entertainment firm that wants to build an NFL stadium in downtown Los Angeles has been in talks with officials from five teams about the proposed venue, a company official said Friday.

Anschutz Entertainment Group President and CEO Tim Leiweke has spoken with representatives from the Minnesota Vikings, San Diego Chargers, Oakland Raiders, St. Louis Rams and Jacksonville Jaguars, company spokesman Michael Roth told The Associated Press.

Leiweke said all those teams are "in the mix," but conceded, "We're not packing any (moving) vans right now," according to the Orange County Register, which was first to report on the talks.

The most recent discussion took place a week ago, said Leiweke, who didn't specify which team was involved.

Leiweke also told the Register that AEG owner Philip Anschutz was prepared to acquire a majority stake in an NFL team that would play at the proposed venue and that the company was willing to pay for a team to get out of its current lease.

AEG's $1 billion plan for a 72,000-seat stadium on part of the city's convention center campus is one of two competing proposals that aim to bring pro football back to Los Angeles 15 years after the Rams and Raiders left the nation's second-largest market within months of one another.

Warehouse magnate Ed Roski has permits in place to build a separate 75,000-seat stadium about 15 miles east of Los Angeles, in the city of Industry, but has also not secured a team.

Chargers spokesman Mark Fabiani told the AP that the team is in frequent contact with Leiweke concerning unrelated business, but that a move to Los Angeles has not been discussed.

He stressed that Chargers owner Alex Spanos and his family were not interested in relinquishing a majority stake of the team.

The family recently terminated an agreement with Goldman Sachs Group Inc. to shop around a stake in the team they considered selling to reduce the 87-year-old Spanos' estate tax liability upon his death, Fabiani said.

"So if AEG is seeking a majority stake in a team, it would probably be best for AEG to cross the Chargers off its wish list," he said.

Raiders CEO Amy Trask said in a statement through spokesman John Herrera that the franchise would remain with the family of owner Al Davis.

"The team is not for sale," Trask said.

Herrera had no comment on whether a move would be contemplated if Davis retained ownership.

Vikings spokesman Lester Bagley acknowledged that the franchise had been approached by AEG and Roski's group about the possibility of becoming a Southern California team, but said the franchise had no immediate interest in a move.

He said the Vikings hoped state legislators would approve funding to subsidize a new stadium in the Twin Cities when they convene a special session to hash out a budget resolution.

"We believe we're in a position to resolve our stadium issue in Minnesota this year," he said.

Messages left with the Rams and Jaguars were not returned.

NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy declined to comment on whether the league was aware of team discussions with AEG.

"Teams are permitted to talk to third parties," McCarthy said in a statement.

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press

 

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Ex-Clips GM Dunleavy gets $13.5M from arbiter

Updated: June 11, 2011, 1:29 AM ETBy Ramona Shelburne
ESPNLosAngeles.com
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An arbitrator has ruled that the Los Angeles Clippers must pay former coach and general manager Mike Dunleavy $13,517,000 in compensation.

Although the case was heard several months ago before the Arbitration and Mediation Services in Santa Monica, the parties in the case were formally notified Friday.

The Los Angeles Times first reported the decision on its website Friday afternoon.

The Clippers, through their general counsel Robert Platt, indicated they did not agree with the decision and intended to "review the decision carefully and explore the team's various options."

Dunleavy's lawyer, Miles Clements, hailed it as a long-expected victory over the franchise, which had ceased paying Dunleavy in March 2010 after firing him as general manager. Clements added that since it was a binding arbitration case, there is no room for the team to challenge the ruling.

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"They've got no place to run," Clements said in a telephone interview with ESPNLosAngeles.com. "This was a binding arbitration. Any lawyer who litigates will tell you that the grounds for challenging an arbitration award are exceedingly narrow and would not apply here.

"An attack on the award would really be an attack on the arbitrator and there's nothing at all to justify such an attack. That doesn't mean they might not make it, they might see it as a free shot. But there's nothing that would justify it."

The key issue in the case was whether Dunleavy breached his contract by resigning as coach of the Clippers in February 2010.

At the time, it was announced as a mutual decision. But in testimony presented to the arbitrator, several witnesses said Dunleavy had been forced to resign, Clements said.

"Their position was that Mike resigned from his coaching duties and refused to coach and therefore was in material breach of his contract," Clements said.

"Mike always wanted to coach the Clippers and never wanted to give up the duties. They gave him no option."

The witnesses who testified before the arbitrator included owner Donald Sterling, Dunleavy, Clippers president Andy Roeser, current general manager Neil Olshey and Michael Goldberg of the NBA Coaches Association.

Clements also argued since the Clippers paid Dunleavy in full during the month he was acting only as the team's general manager, it signified the team did not regard him as breaching his contract by resigning as coach.

"There's a principle of law that intent of the parties to a contract are determined by their conduct before a dispute," Clements said.

"They continued to pay Mike a full salary due under the contract for a month, then out of the blue they fired him, never gave him any explanation and didn't pay him a penny.

"If he had resigned as they said, then why did they continue to pay him if they didn't owe him? It was just nonsensical."

In the release announcing Dunleavy was relinquishing his duties as coach, a statement attributed to Dunleavy reads: "I've had several conversations with our owner (Sterling) concerning what we think is best for the team overall. We have discussed the possibility of my concentrating only on basketball operations. That option has always been available to me.

"I've come to the conclusion that this is the ideal time for me to direct my efforts toward the many personnel opportunities that lie before us, such as the trade market, the draft and the free-agent process. We fully expect to be active and productive on all those fronts."

However in sworn testimony before the arbitrator, Dunleavy and several other witnesses said he had been given no choice but to resign as coach.

When asked why Dunleavy would issue a public statement indicating the decision was mutual, Clements said, "That was a media spin to try and put the cloak of professionalism on this and suggest mutuality. It was in everyone's interest. Mike was going to be the general manager, it would undermine his position if they said, we're not going to let him be coach anymore.

"It was what made sense for everybody. But it came out in the testimony that they did not give Mike the option to continue to coach."

Dunleavy was fired in the fourth year of a five-year, $22-million contract. The award reflects both the money that remained due on the contract, money that had been deferred, and interest on the money Dunleavy would've collected had the Clippers been paying him since March 2010. The arbitrator ordered that it be paid immediately.

Ramona Shelburne is a reporter and columnist for ESPNLosAngeles.com.

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Two-hit day puts Jeter within 7 hits of 3K mark

NEW YORK -- Seven hundred feet of outs later, Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter was still stuck on 2,991 hits.

But with another one of his classic Jeterian swings, Jeter moved closer to baseball immortality.

The 36-year-old Captain, who will turn 37 exactly two weeks from now (June 26), inside-outed a 2-1 fastball from Cleveland Indians starter Josh Tomlin into right field in the bottom of the fifth inning, driving in Brett Gardner from second and giving the Yankees a 2-0 lead. He later delivered a seeing-eye RBI single up the middle past a drawn-in infield off reliever Chad Durbin in the eighth to make it 7-1, and now stands just seven hits away from becoming the 28th player in baseball history to reach the illustrious 3,000-hit club.

"It's impossible for it not be in your head, because I get asked that question all the time," said Jeter, who recorded his 2,992nd and 2,993rd hits in the Yankees' 9-1 rout of the Indians on Sunday afternoon in front of 46,791 onlookers at Yankee Stadium. "I'd love to do it here (at home), but all I can control is having good at-bats and trying to hit the ball hard and find some holes. We have a few more games left, so we'll see what happens."

Jeter, who is batting just .259 and in the midst of the worst offensive season of his 16-year career, has four games left on the Yankees' homestand to make it happen, and according to baseball-reference.com, he's only had as many as seven hits over a four-game stretch eight times this season. But based on how impeccable his timing has been throughout his future Hall of Fame career, it wouldn't surprise anyone if "Captain Clutch" is able to pull it off.

"Derek's meant championships to this organization and he's meant professionalism," manager Joe Girardi said before Sunday's game. "He plays the game the right way. He's meant a lot to this franchise. ... Derek's got a lot of heart and plays the game to win. I think it comes down to his heart, the way he plays the game. Derek's got a lot of heart and he plays the game to win."

Jeter has five championship rings and a World Series MVP award to show for it. But he's just as well-known for his intangibles, the little things he does that don't show up in the box score. And his afternoon at the plate on Sunday was just the latest example of that.

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After driving a ball to deep center that Michael Brantley caught just in front of the warning track to lead off the game, Jeter advanced Gardner to third with a line drive to right in his second at-bat. Gardner later scored.

The Yankees were leading just 1-0 when Jeter stepped in against Tomlin in the fifth with Gardner at second. Jeter's goal in his third at-bat was just to hit the ball to the right side and get Gardner over -- another productive out.

Instead, he managed to dunk the ball in front of right fielder Shin-Soo Choo to plate Gardner and give his team a two-run edge.

"My second and third at-bats my job was to move the guy over, so I was just trying to get a pitch that I could hit the other way," said Jeter, who has a chance to become one of the fastest to ever reach the 3,000-hit club. Ty Cobb was the youngest (34 years, 244 days), while Hank Aaron (36 years, 101 days) and Robin Yount (36 years, 359 days) also reached the milestone before their 37th birthdays. "We're still trying to win games here, that's first and foremost."

Still, his teammates want to see him accomplish the feat -- and become just the 11th player in history to get all 3,000 of his career hits with the same team -- at home.

"I hope he gets on a roll and gets it at home. I really want him to do it here," said designated hitter Jorge Posada, who has been Jeter's Yankee teammate since 1995 when they came up from the minors together.

Added first baseman Mark Teixeira: "We'd love to have him get it done here, and I know the fans would love it as well. But Derek's not going to put too much pressure on himself. He knows exactly what he's doing."

Jeter is already the franchise's all-time hits leader. He broke Lou Gehrig's record of 2,771 hits when he drilled his 2,772 career hit on Sept. 11, 2009.

But this -- becoming the first Yankee to ever reach 3,000 -- is a different animal.

"Everyone's talking about it when I'm on deck," Jeter, who went 2-for-5 on Sunday afternoon with two RBIs and a run scored, said. "So I'd be lying to you if I said I wasn't thinking about it."

Mike Mazzeo is a regular contributor to ESPNNewYork.com.

 

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Villanueva: New coach must communicate well

ROYAL OAK, Mich. -- Charlie Villanueva and Ben Wallace agree on the most important task for the next coach of the Detroit Pistons.

"Communication," Villanueva said. "Have somebody who can communicate with their players."

Villanueva

Villanueva teamed up with Detroit Lions wide receiver Derrick Williams to host a celebrity softball game Saturday, with the proceeds benefiting foundations the two have worked with. It's been about a week since the Pistons fired John Kuester, and as the team searches for a replacement, both Villanueva and Wallace took brief breaks from softball to offer thoughts on the next coach.

"Just somebody who can relate and communicate with the guys -- can make his point and stick to it," Wallace said.

The 36-year-old Wallace, who has been considering retirement, said he might in fact keep playing.

"I'm leaning more towards coming back," Wallace said. "It's just a matter of getting myself healthy and getting ready to play."

Aside from the possibility of an NBA lockout, the Pistons face more uncertainty than most teams. New owner Tom Gores officially took over less than two weeks ago and left team president Joe Dumars in place to head the rebuilding effort. Detroit went 30-52 last season amid feuding between coaches and players.

Villanueva was asked about a few potential candidates to replace Kuester, such as Milwaukee Bucks assistant Kelvin Sampson, former Atlanta Hawks coach Mike Woodson, Boston Celtics assistant Lawrence Frank and Minnesota Timberwolves assistant Bill Laimbeer, the former Detroit player.

"Those are all good guys, good candidates," Villanueva said. "I think Joe and Gores are going to make a good decision. We leave it up to them."

The low point last season was probably Feb. 25 in Philadelphia. Seven players missed at least part of a team shootaround, and Kuester played only the remaining six that night in a blowout loss to the 76ers. Villanueva -- one of the six who played that night -- said Saturday there was plenty of blame to go around last season.

"It's all of our faults. A lot of things went wrong," Villanueva said. "It's over now. That's behind us. I want to wish Kuester well, and now we're looking forward."

Sampson has been an assistant to Bucks coach Scott Skiles since May 2008. Sampson joined Skiles' staff after his tenure as the head coach at Indiana University ended in scandal. Sampson resigned as the Hoosiers' coach in February 2008 after an NCAA report accused him of major rules violations.

Woodson was an assistant for Larry Brown when the Pistons won the 2004 NBA title -- on a staff that also included Kuester. Wallace played for that team.

"I think Mike would do a great job. I think he did a great job with Atlanta," Wallace said. "I think he took those guys as far as they were ready to go. I think he'd be a great fit for us."

Frank has also been a head coach in the NBA before, with the New Jersey Nets. Laimbeer, who won NBA titles as a player in 1989 and 1990 with the Pistons, coached the WNBA's Detroit Shock to three championships before joining the Timberwolves.

Former Piston Rick Mahorn, who played with Laimbeer and was an assistant for him with the Shock, was at the softball game. He didn't want to discuss the Pistons' search specifically, but he had nothing but good things to say about his former teammate.

"I think Bill is an excellent coach. I had the pleasure of working with him," Mahorn said. "He's one of those guys that will prepare you and get the best out of the players."

 

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MLB talks switching NL team to AL, sources say

A simple form of realignment being seriously considered has been raised in the labor talks between Major League Baseball and the players' association, according to four sources: two leagues of 15 teams, rather than the current structure of 16 teams in the National League and 14 in the American League.

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As the realignment discussion goes forward, it's the union that is viewed as the driving force behind the idea of two 15-team leagues, writes ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney. Blog

According to a highly ranked executive, one consideration that has been raised in ownership committee meetings is eliminating the divisions altogether, so that 15 AL and 15 NL teams would vie for five playoff spots within each league. Currently, Major League Baseball has six divisions.

A source who has been briefed on the specifics of the labor discussions says that the players' union has indicated that it is open to the idea of two 15-team leagues, but that the whole plan still hasn't been talked through or presented to the owners.

Sources say the talks are serious, and while one executive believes the odds of change are less than 50-50, another says this is the type of discussion that can gather momentum and become a reality.

A sticking point involves interleague play. Because of the odd number of teams in each league, it is possible that a team in contention late in the season will have to be playing its final games in interleague play.

One of the biggest issues that would have to be resolved in any realignment resulting in two 15-team leagues is which of the National League teams would switch to the American League.

Two highly ranked executives believe the Houston Astros would be a possibility, because a switch to the AL for Houston would foster a rivalry between the Astros and the Texas Rangers.

The Marlins could be another candidate, a source suggested.

"There are still a lot of details that would have to be discussed," one source said.

Buster Olney is a senior MLB writer for ESPN The Magazine.

 

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Validated: Nowitzki named MVP of NBA Finals

Dirk Nowitzki was named the most valuable player of the NBA Finals for his huge role in leading the Dallas Mavericks to their first championship on Sunday. He also joins a short list of players born outside the U.S. to win Finals MVP.

  -- ESPN Stats & Information

MIAMI -- Dirk Nowitzki was named MVP of the NBA Finals for his huge role in leading the Dallas Mavericks to their first championship.

"I really still can't believe it," Nowitzki said after the Mavs wrapped up the crown with a 105-95 win in Sunday's Game 6.

Although Nowitzki struggled in the Game 6 clincher, he certainly put them in position to win it all, overcoming injury and illness to power fourth-quarter comebacks from deficits of 12, nine and four points in Dallas' previous wins.

The 2007 league MVP won Game 2 with a left-handed layup despite having torn a tendon in the tip of his left middle finger in Game 1.

He scored 10 of his 21 points in the final period of Game 4 despite playing with a 101-degree fever because of a sinus infection.

In Game 5, his driving dunk in the final minutes put Dallas ahead for good.

"We worked so hard and so long for it," Nowitzki said. "The team has had an unbelievable ride."

Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said: "I'm so happy for him. I'm so happy for Dirk."

Nowitzki and Jason Terry, who led the Mavs with 27 points on Sunday, are the two remaining players from the Dallas team that lost to Miami in the 2006 Finals.

"This feeling, to be on the best team in the world, it's just undescribable," Nowitzki said.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

 

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Giants wrap workouts, get football 'on the brain'

ORADELL, N.J. -- They might not have started five minutes early every day like coach Tom Coughlin would've mandated.

But the New York Giants' weeklong, player-organized workouts came to a successful end on Friday.

No one got hurt.

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"Our number one priority was safety," center Shaun O'Hara said at the conclusion of the workout at Bergen Catholic High School (N.J.). "It's great to just kind of get football back on the brain. We have a very veteran group and the veterans were able to teach some of the younger guys, I think that is invaluable. It is great to refresh our offense, we had some defensive guys come out, that was great. For all of us, it was a good week's worth of work."

The Giants had 27 players show up for the last day as veterans like quarterback Eli Manning, guard Chris Snee, wide receiver Domenik Hixon and tackle David Diehl worked on their technique and some offensive plays.

Earlier this week, 39 players showed up on Tuesday in what was the largest player-organized workout by the Giants this offseason.

For the most part, the Giants have been working out on their own. Many players are scattered around the country during the offseason. Others chose not to risk injury during the lockout when teams are not covering players during the labor strife.

"There are a lot of guys that weren't here that wanted to be here but had prior commitments," O'Hara said. "There were some guys that said, 'Look, I'm not under contract, I'm not going to come out.' And you know what? I don't blame them. That is a scary situation, you are talking about a career, I would hate for somebody to risk a week's worth of practice for a career. That is not worth it in my eyes."

Conditions were much more tolerable on Friday when temperatures cooled off. On Wednesday and Thursday, the Giants players practiced in the sun during a heat wave that saw temperatures soar to the mid-90's.

O'Hara said the Giants had a physical trainer and Bergen Catholic High School's medical trainer on the field to make sure players maintained safety to avoid any injuries.

While some defensive players, like end Mathias Kiwanuka, who will be either a restricted or unrestricted free agent this season, showed up this week, the workouts mostly benefited the offensive players and rookies. Manning and his receivers were able to go over some plays, work on passing drills, timing and some two-minute drills.

Meanwhile, rookies like linebacker Greg Jones, cornerback Prince Amukamara, wide receiver Jerrel Jernigan and tackle James Brewer gained invaluable access to veteran players during a time when they have not been allowed to have any contact with teams.

Deprived of a playbook, rookie camp and team offseason training activities, the rookies leaned on veterans for their knowledge of schemes and advice on technique.

"These workouts were more mental than they were physical," O'Hara said. "It was more about getting football on the brain, kind of dusting off some of the play-calling."

It has also been hard for players coming off injuries. Hixon tore his ACL almost a year ago and was looking forward to the offseason workouts and a minicamp to get the reps he missed out on last year while injured.

Hixon said he is fully recovered and has been trying to work on punt returns in his offseason home in Ohio.

This week, he was able to field punt and kickoff returns from Giants punter Matt Dodge and kicker Lawrence Tynes.

"I've been catching punts from anybody who will kick it to me," Hixon said. "I have a young man who just graduated high school in Columbus, a real good punter, I am catching punts from him every day."

The biggest message O'Hara wanted to send to his teammates was to stay in shape. He has told Giants players to train as if they will report to training camp around July 27.

The Giants have no further plans to organize any more workouts for now.

While there were a few like O'Hara, guard Rich Seubert and Ramses Barden who were limited on the field since they are coming off offseason surgeries, the Giants looked as if they are in shape.

"I am working just as hard as I normally do," Snee said. "Looks like everyone else is too. We have done conditioning a couple of days and guys appear to be in shape. Our team is taking necessary steps to be ready."

O'Hara hopes there will be an agreement made soon to resume football.

"Personally, I didn't think we would get this far," O'Hara said of the lockout lasting until June. "I thought there would be some give from both sides really to get it done."

"As players we are really in limbo. It is really toughest on us because we are going to have to be the ones that have to go out there and show up whenever this deal gets done. We have to be ready to go. We are going to be the ones that are suffering injuries if we are short on training camp and have to come in late so it is important that we are in shape and ready to go."

Ohm Youngmisuk covers the Giants for ESPNNewYork.com.

 

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Thomas: Focus on ice, not Luongo comments

BOSTON -- Boston Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas has a message for Vancouver Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo and it's not in the form of flattery.

Luongo has taken a few digs at his counterpart, and fellow Vezina Trophy finalist, the last couple of days, and when asked to respond after the Bruins' practice Sunday at TD Garden, Thomas took a different route.

"I did hear about what he said, but I don't really want to go into that," Thomas said. "My focus is on what I can do to help my team win going into Game 6. It's obviously a must-win game and I think it's important for our whole team to focus on that game and what we can do on the ice."

The Canucks lead the best-of-seven Stanley Cup final 3-2 with Game 6 Monday night.

"I know we're in the Stanley Cup final and everything is under the microscope and going to get blown out of proportion, obviously my whole comment I don't think was a negative comment, if you take the whole comment," Luongo said Sunday. "But at the end of the day you know what? I'm one win away from winning the Stanley Cup and that's all I really care about right now. All the other stuff is noise to me."

Canucks coach Alain Vigneault backed up his goalie in French.

"If you look at the comment as a whole, what he said was flattering toward Thomas. But you guys (media) took only the part that made it a headline," Vigneault said.

Prior to the Canucks flying to Boston on Saturday, Luongo suggested that he hasn't been getting enough respect from Thomas in this series.

"I have been pumping his tires ever since the series started," Luongo said. "I haven't heard one nice thing he had to say about me. That's the way it is."

After Vancouver's 1-0 victory in Game 5 on Friday, Luongo made it a point to criticize and critique Thomas on the game-winning goal.

"It's not hard if you're playing in the paint," Luongo said. "It's an easy save for me, but if you're wandering out and aggressive like he does, that's going to happen. He might make some saves that I won't, but in a case like that, we want to take advantage of a bounce like that and make sure we're in good position to bury those."

The Canucks' Max Lapierre capitalized on Thomas being out of position early in the third period in Game 5 and snuck in the game-winning goal.

Bruins coach Claude Julien defended his goalie on Saturday.

"I don't think Timmy is going to make much of that comment (by Luongo). I think you guys (reporters) are making more out of it than Timmy will. Either way, his stats, you know, are proof itself. He's given up six goals in five games.

"The guy that made the comment, I'm not quite sure how many he let in. I think you guys have a good idea, so I don't think he (Thomas) is going to lose sleep over that."

Thomas isn't about to get into a war of words at this point of the season.

"I guess I didn't realize it was my job to pump his tires," Thomas said Sunday with a laugh. "I guess I have to apologize for that.

"Nobody on our team talks specifically about guys on the other team in that way. We've done a good job of focusing on the important things, which is what you can do on the ice and I think that's what helped us to get this far.

"There is obviously going to be talk in the media and they're going to talk about a whole bunch of different topics and that's fine. When I watched playoffs in the past, sometimes it's fun to listen to what is said, but when you're playing, I think the best course is to remain focused on what you can control and that's on the ice."

Patrice Bergeron said the trash talk was something he's seen before.

"We've seen it before, even in previous series, sometimes guys are trying to play the head games and you just can't worry about that and it's part of the sport," he said. "You just have to worry about what you can control."

Joe McDonald covers the Bruins for ESPNBoston.com.

Follow Joe McDonald on Twitter: @espnJoeyMac

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Mavs beat Heat to claim first NBA championship

LeBron James struggled during "crunch time" - the last five minutes of the fourth quarter/overtime with the score within five points - during the NBA Finals. In crunch time during the 2011 NBA Finals, James did not score. Dirk Nowitzki had no trouble scoring.

The Heat made just four of their final 25 field goal attempts from 10+ feet during the fourth quarter of the 2011 NBA Finals. The Big 3 was a combined 4-17 over this stretch.

Miami scored eight transition points in Game 6 against the Mavericks, including four transition points off turnovers. The Heat's inability to create transition points off turnovers was a major factor in their demise. --On the other hand in Game 6, the Mavericks scored 20 points off 12 turnovers committed by Miami's Big 3, including 11 of their 15 transition points.

In eight minutes with LeBron James on the bench in Game 6, the Heat scored 21 points and outscored the Mavericks by 14 points. When James was on the court Miami was outscored by 24 points. It was James' worst plus/minus in a postseason game since April 24, 2008 against the Wizards when he was also minus 24.

Nowitzki was able to excel in one-on-one situations in the fourth quarter during the 2011 NBA Finals, making half of his field goal attempts on isolation and post-up plays in the final period.

Jason Terry entered Game 5 shooting under 40 percent from 15+ feet in the 2011 NBA Finals. In Games 5 and 6, Terry found his stroke, making more field goals from 15+ feet than in the previous four games combined. Terry made a series-high seven such field goals in Game 6 to close out the Heat, the most by any player in one game in the 2011 Finals.

Before Cuban bought the team in January of 2000, the Mavs had only 6 playoff appearances in 19 seasons, only four series wins and had never been to the NBA Finals. My, how much has changed: in addition to the two Finals appearances, the Mavs have now made the playoffs for 11 straight seasons - only the Spurs have a longer active streak. And now, of course, they've got their first title in franchise history.

The Mavs bench came up huge in Game 6, scoring 43 points. In fact this season, Dallas was 36-9 in games in which its bench scored at least 40 or more points. So for Dallas... the more its bench scores, the more it wins.

LeBron James averaged 26.7 points per game in the regular season. He averaged just 17.8 points per game in the 2011 NBA Finals. That discrepency between regular season scoring average and Finals scoring average was the largest in NBA history, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

The Heat missed 13 free throws and lost by 10 points. The 13 missed free throws are the most misses from the charity stripe by a team eliminated in the NBA Finals over the last 15 seasons.

The Mavericks finished 4-0 this postseason in potential series-clinching games and have now won seven straight overall. that is one shy of the Lakers for the longest active streak.

Rick Carlisle is now 11-3 all-time in potential series-clinching games. Among coaches with at least 10 such games, his .786 win pct ranks 1st in NBA history, ahead of Tom Heinsohn, Gregg Popovich and Phil Jackson.

When you are out-numbered 3-1 in All-Stars, its imperative your supporting cast shows up... Lucky for Dirk, that's exactly what happened. In the four wins, Nowitzki's supporting cast combined to score over 75 points while shooting over 52 percent from the field. They were dangerous from downtown as well, including a 10-19 effort in Game 6

Since Mark Cuban purchased the Mavericks on January 4, 2000, the only team with a higher win percentage than his team is the Spurs (including playoffs).

From Elias: Dirk Nowitzki had 22,792 career points in the regular season entering the 2011 postseason. It's the 4th-most points by a player at the time of his 1st NBA title in NBA history, behind only Oscar Robertson (23,578), Wilt Chamberlain (23,442) and Jerry West (22,988).

It was five years ago that Jason Terry had a woeful Game 6 against the Heat in the 2006 NBA Finals, scoring 16 points on 7-of-25 shooting. But Terry helped fuel the Mavs offense this time around, hitting 19 of his 27 points in the first half.

Dwyane Wade and LeBron James combined to score 62 points in the fourth quarter of the 2011 NBA Finals. By comparison, Dirk Nowitzki scored 62 points all by himself in the fourth quarter during the Finals.

When you are outnumbered 3-1 in All-Stars, its crucial your supporting cast shows up. Luckily for Dirk Nowitzki, that's exactly what happened. In the Mavericks' four wins, Dirk's supporting cast combined to score over 75 points, shooting over 52 percent from the field.

The Heat scored 22 transition points on Sunday marking the first time in the 2011 playoffs the Heat scored at least 20 transition points in a game. The Heat are 21-2 this season (including playoffs) when they score 20+ transition points.

MIAMI -- For Dirk Nowitzki, the resume is complete. He's an NBA champion.

For LeBron James, the agonizing wait continues for at least one more year.

A season that began with Miami celebrating the signings of James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh -- along with the promise of championships -- ended on the very same floor, with the Dallas Mavericks hoisting the title trophy for the first time in their franchise history after beating the Heat 105-95 on Sunday night. The Mavericks won four of the series' last five games, a turnabout that could not have been sweeter.

"I really still can't believe it," said Nowitzki, who had 21 points and took home Finals MVP honors.

He and Jason Terry, who led the Mavs with 27 points, were the two remaining players from the Dallas team that lost to Miami in the 2006 Finals.

"Tonight," Terry said, "we got vindication."

James did not. Not even close, and a year unlike any other ended they way they all have so far -- with him still waiting for an NBA title.

He scored 21 points for Miami, shook a few hands afterward, and departed before most of the Mavs tugged on their championship hats and T-shirts. Bosh had 19, Mario Chalmers 18 and Wade 17 for the Heat.

"We worked so hard and so long for it," Nowitzki said. "The team has had an unbelievable ride."

So did the Heat. Unlike Dallas, theirs wasn't a joyride.

"It goes without saying," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "You're never really prepared for a moment like this. ... Neither team deserved this championship more than the other, but Dallas earned it."

When you are outnumbered 3-1 in All-Stars, its crucial your supporting cast shows up. Luckily for Dirk Nowitzki, that's exactly what happened. In the Mavericks' four wins, Dirk's supporting cast combined to score over 75 points, shooting over 52 percent from the field.

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Make no mistake: Miami lost the Finals, but the blame will be directed at James. Even he knew that after the way he left Cleveland with "The Decision" and all the animus that generated not just in Ohio but around the entire league, the only way he could silence some critics was with a title.

"It doesn't weigh on me," James said. "At all."

Still, he got even more criticism -- and a thinly veiled jab from his former owner with the Cavaliers, Dan Gilbert, who reveled in the moment on Twitter.

"Mavs NEVER stopped & now entire franchise gets rings," Gilbert wrote. "Old Lesson for all: There are NO SHORTCUTS. NONE."

And the winning owner, Mark Cuban, took what may be perceived as a jab as well: "I could care less about the Heat," he said.

Mavs coach Rick Carlisle joined a highly elite group, those with NBA titles as both a player and a head coach. Only 10 other men are on that list, including the presumably retired-for-good Phil Jackson, one of Carlisle's mentors in K.C. Jones, and Heat President Pat Riley -- who led Miami past Dallas in 2006, and was the mastermind of what the Heat did last summer by getting James, Wade and Bosh on the same team with an eye on becoming a dynasty.

It might still happen, of course.

But even after 72 wins this season, including playoffs, the Heat lost the last game. And that means this year was a disappointment -- except to just about everyone else in the NBA, or so it would seem.

It was five years ago that Jason Terry had a woeful Game 6 against the Heat in the 2006 NBA Finals, scoring 16 points on 7-of-25 shooting. But Terry helped fuel the Mavs offense this time around, hitting 19 of his 27 points in the first half.

*Heat the opponent in both gamespowered by

"This is a true team," Carlisle said. "This is an old bunch. We don't run fast or jump high. These guys had each other's backs. We played the right way. We trusted the pass. This is a phenomenal thing for the city of Dallas."

Hating the Heat became the NBA's craze this season, and the team knew it had no shortage of critics, everyone from Cleveland (where "Cavs for Mavs" shirts were popular during these Finals) to Chicago (the city James and Wade both flirted with last summer) and just about every place in between lining up to take shots at Miami.

"We could feel it," Carlisle said, noting he was repeatedly told during the Finals that "billions" of people wanted to see Dallas topple Miami.

Given their newfound popularity, meet the new America's Team.

Sorry, Cowboys -- your long-held moniker might have to be ceded to your city's NBA club. When it was over, Cuban ran onto the court to hug Carlisle, then punched the air and whooped.

"I'm so happy for him. I'm so happy for Dirk," Carlisle said.

Carlisle said Riley came down to congratulate the Mavericks after the game, showing "unbelievable class." Nowitzki and Wade exchanged texts at night's end, after Wade couldn't find him during the on-court celebration to shake his hand.

"Their time will come," Carlisle said. "But now, it's our time."

When the Mavericks took a 2-0 lead in Dallas during the '06 Finals, plans for their victory parade were announced. The Mavs didn't win another game in that series.

Now, that parade will finally happen. And when it's over, then the league's uncertainty will truly begin. Labor strife likely awaits, and although more talks geared toward movement on a new deal are scheduled for this week, both owners and players are bracing for a lockout to begin once the current collective bargaining agreement expires June 30.

Late Sunday night, the CBA was the last thing on the mind of the new champions of the NBA, whom Carlisle called "the most special team I've ever been around."

Jason Kidd, at 38 years old, got his first championship. Nowitzki got his at 32, Terry at 33. They were featured on the video screen in their building in Dallas during this series on what seemed like a constant loop, each posing with the NBA trophy and looking longingly at it, standing mere inches from it, as if to say "so close, yet so far away."

No more.

Dwyane Wade and LeBron James combined to score 62 points in the fourth quarter of the 2011 NBA Finals. By comparison, Dirk Nowitzki scored 62 points all by himself in the fourth quarter during the Finals.

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It's theirs. And for the second time, James went to the Finals, only to see the other team celebrate. San Antonio won in Cleveland in 2007, and four years later, he saw the Mavs party on his new floor.

"It was a failure in '07 when we lost to the Spurs when I was in Cleveland," James said. "It's a failure now."

Nowitzki sealed it with 2:27 left, hitting a jumper near the Miami bench to put Dallas up 99-89, and some fans actually began leaving. Nowitzki walked to the Mavs' side slowly, right fist clenched and aloft.

He knew it. Everyone did.

"We feel it," Wade said. "We'll feel it even more tomorrow."

Spoelstra implored his team to foul in the final minute, and even then, they couldn't catch the Mavericks.

"All I remember is telling those guys that they deserved it," Bosh said. "Hands down, they were the better team in this series. ... All we can do is just admit it and move forward."

What happens with the next deal may affect the Heat more than anyone. Some owners will insist on a hard cap, rolled-back salaries and, potentially, trying to bust some current deals -- which could break up the Big 3 before get another chance to win a title together.

A gloomy end to the season may bring an even gloomier offseason for Miami.

"Every situation has felt like it was an our-back-against-the-wall situation," James said Sunday morning, hours before Game 6 began. "We've been able to figure it out and find our way through and scratch our way through. This is the last test. This is the last pop quiz for us that we need to pass in order to make it all worth it."

They didn't pass.

So therefore, it wasn't all worth it.

"We give credit to the Dallas Mavericks," Wade said. "They're a helluva team. ... We ran into a team that at this time is obviously better than us."

Miami had chances to take command and wasted them all. The Heat missed 13 of their 33 free throws, let the Mavericks score 27 points off turnovers and simply could not get a rebound in the final minutes.

Nowitzki finished 9 for 27, and the Mavs still won. He was 1 for 12 in the first half, and they were still ahead, 53-51, thanks largely to Terry's 19 points on 8-of-10 shooting.

"Was he unbelievable tonight or what?" marveled Nowitzki.

Down the stretch, Terry made another contribution. He grabbed Nowitzki during a time-out, telling him, "Remember '06." The final minutes belonged to Dirk and the Mavs, and a few German flags waved in Miami's arena during the postgame celebration.

"This feeling, to be on the best team in the world, it's just undescribable," Nowitzki said.

After James got off to such a fast start, he had two points in the final 19-plus minutes of the half.

James didn't score in the second half until a layup with 1:49 remained in the third -- his first field-goal attempt since 1:05 remained in the half. Kidd made a 3-pointer late in the period, pushing the Dallas lead to 79-71, and it seemed like the only people standing in the arena were the players, referees, Cuban and a few guys around the Dallas bench.

Dallas took control in the second half after some wild back-and-forths in the opening two quarters. Miami took its last lead of the game -- the season -- just 64 seconds into the second half, lost it 16 seconds later and chased the Mavericks the rest of the way.

They never caught them.

"I can't believe the journey," said Kidd, who lost two previous Finals trips with the New Jersey Nets. "The journey, the character of my teammates telling me they wanted to get me a championship. Tonight they came out and played well. I came here twice, this being my third time so third time was the lucky charm."

It was 81-72 entering the fourth, after Ian Mahinmi made a foul-line jumper as time expired in the third, just his third basket of the entire series.

None were bigger. The Mavs could taste a title.

"We had no champions on this team," Mavs center Tyson Chandler said. "And we walked away with a team full of champions."

Of the principal characters from the 2006 series, only Cuban, Nowitzki and Terry remain from the Mavericks' side, and for them, the beginning of this championship celebration seemed sweeter than even they could have imagined. Terry won't have to get his tattoo -- the one of the NBA championship trophy -- removed, which he vowed to have done if Miami won this series. Nowitzki will never be in the conversation of 'Best player without a title' again.

James is clearly the one with that most-unwanted label now.

As the night wore on, the smell of champagne permeated from the Dallas locker room, while Miami's was cleaned and vacuumed quickly, towels picked up, shower shoes stacked neatly before each player's locker. Nearby, in the team's usual postgame interview room, the Mavericks posed with the championship trophy, whooping in joy as Miami players filed out in stunned disbelief.

The offseason started earlier than the Heat ever imagined.

"The Greater Man upstairs know when it's my time," James tweeted. "Right now isn't the time."

Game notes
Carlisle improved to 11-3 as a coach with a chance to close out an opponent. ... James got a 21-minute rest in the second quarter in real time, thanks to a midcourt dustup and the referees taking several minutes to look at replays before doling out the technicals. ... Marc Anthony sang the national anthem, then took a courtside seat near the Heat bench.

 

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Vick speaks to grads, gives college scholarships

PHILADELPHIA -- In the minutes before giving his first commencement speech, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick professed to be more nervous than before a football game.

He had nothing to worry about. A lovingly raucous crowd of several hundred cheered Vick throughout his remarks Friday to graduates of the alternative Camelot high schools at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia.

“

I had all the fame and fortune; I thought I was unstoppable. I lost my freedom, I lost my money, I lost my family.

” -- Michael Vick

The fact that he surprised a pair of students with $5,000 college scholarships didn't hurt either.

The theme of redemption proved to be the heart of the connection between the ex-con NFL superstar and the 450 graduates. Camelot's six campuses in Philadelphia serve about 1,800 students with emotional, disciplinary or academic problems.

In speeches during Friday's ceremony and in a private meeting with Vick before the big event, several graduates spoke of rebounding from previous troubles or poor choices to earn a diploma with the second chance they were given at Camelot.

Radames Quinones, 17, who met with Vick, said he ran with a gang, ditched class, assaulted someone and got kicked out of several schools before finding a home at Camelot's Shallcross Academy in northeast Philadelphia. He hopes to attend culinary school in the fall.

"It was like a family I never had," Quinones said of the Shallcross staff. "They treat you like their own kids."

Vick, of course, is the poster child for second chances. The former Falcon has rebuilt his career with the Eagles after serving 18 months in prison on dogfighting charges. And the Hampton, Va., native is rebuilding his image by speaking regularly against animal cruelty to schools and community groups.

"I had all the fame and fortune; I thought I was unstoppable," Vick told the students. But after his conviction, he said, "I lost my freedom, I lost my money, I lost my family."

ESPN has dedicated 2011 to examining one of the most crucial positions in all of sports -- the quarterback.
Year of the QB ?

He challenged the students to make thoughtful decisions, pursue their goals and make the most of their second chances.

"I stand before you today a changed man," Vick said. "Use me as an example at how to become an instrument of change ... you can do it as well."

Vick then announced that grads Monique Joseph and Rickey Savage would each be receiving a scholarship. Joseph plans to attend Penn State in the fall while Savage will go to Virginia Union University in Richmond, Va.

Neither the students nor their families -- not even school staff -- knew they would be receiving the funds, said Camelot CEO Todd Bock.

"I heard a little bit about it yesterday, but I had no idea how generous he was going to be to our students," Bock said after the ceremony. "I think our kids, our schools and our story really resonated with him."

Savage, 19, said he is grateful to Vick for the financial aid, which will help him study business technology, and for the motivational speech.

Savage said his own second chance came five years ago after being arrested for robbery and assault. A stern talking-to from a judge made him realize he was on a dead-end path, he said.

"Michael Vick, really, he put everything in perspective," Savage said. "He said it's not your journey, it's your destination."

Vick spokesman Andrew Stroth said the scholarship recipients were chosen based on academic achievement, attendance and participation in student government. He said Vick plans to give out the $5,000 awards annually.

 

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Cuban defers praise in accepting Mavs' title

MIAMI -- Mark Cuban zipped his lips and won a championship.

And when it was time for his old nemesis David Stern to hand him the shiny gold trophy, this was his big chance to say anything he wanted, with everyone watching.

So, what did he do?

He stood behind a 78-year-old man and let him take center stage, a reward for Donald Carter having founded the team 31 long years ago. He brought his wife and three kids on the podium to enjoy the moment. He even realized how corny he was being when he told his toddler son, "This could be yours."

[+] Enlarge Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE/Getty ImagesMark Cuban has owned the Mavs since buying the team in 2000.

Then, out came the Mark Cuban most sports fans remember.

He swore in multiple TV interviews to emphasize how proud he was of his fans. He walked into a postgame news conference talking on the phone, hung up and hollered, "Did anybody inform you guys, we're the world champions?!" On his way out, he took the trophy with him and declared it was spending the night in his room.

Meet Mark Cuban 2.0 -- an NBA champion who can be humble one moment, back to his raucous roots the next.

"You know, I probably won't even shower for six months," Cuban said, laughing. "My biggest fear is that I can't remember every little part of it, every emotion, every feeling that I went through as the clock was winding down. ... I was just hoping I could just do an emotional videotape of myself and just keep it. So that's my biggest hope and fear that I'll be able to feel this forever."

Cuban hadn't spoken publicly since winning the Western Conference championship, when he proclaimed "We ain't done yet!"

On Sunday night, he spoke into the microphone with a voice scratchy from screaming and choked with emotion. He talked about being happy for his players, complimenting them for having "so much heart, so much determination and so much more than that."

"I love every one of them," he said.

A pivotal moment in getting to this point came last summer, at Cuban's house. Dirk Nowitzki was a free agent and he wanted Cuban's vow that if he re-signed, the owner would keep the core of the team intact and do all he could to find the pieces needed to make them champions.

“

You know, I probably won't even shower for six months. My biggest fear is that I can't remember every little part of it, every emotion, every feeling that I went through as the clock was winding down. ... I was just hoping I could just do an emotional videotape of myself and just keep it. So that's my biggest hope and fear that I'll be able to feel this forever.

” -- Mavs owner Mark Cuban

He did, and they did.

"I give Mark a lot of credit," Nowitzki said. "He stuck with me through thick and thin. He brought all the right players always in, always trying to spend money and make this organization better and this team better. So Mark is the best."

Nowitzki was among those who appreciated Cuban censoring himself the past six weeks. It started after the Mavs won their first-round series against Portland.

Cuban held his tongue throughout a sweep of the Lakers, which had to be tough considering his past verbal jabs with Phil Jackson and Ron Artest. He remained silent again through the conference finals against Oklahoma City, even refusing to answer questions about why he'd stopped doing interviews.

He kept it up during the Finals, all the more remarkable considering he was front and center during Dallas' 2006 trip to the Finals against Miami, causing such a ruckus he was fined $250,000 -- part of a tab that's well over $1 million.

Sitting next to the Larry O'Brien Trophy, wearing his favorite new hat, he finally explained why his silence.

"The big mystery, huh?" he said. "It didn't make any sense to say anything," he said, reciting the litany of questions he knew would surround each series. "The quieter I got, the more we won. I didn't want to break the karma."

Not that he thought there was a correlation between his silence and the team's success.

"Do you really think these guys are going to play any harder or less hard because of what I say?" he said. "That's disrespectful. They put it on the line. They didn't care if I was naked at every game. They were going to go out there and play as hard as they could."

In a corner of the jubilant locker room Sunday night, coach Rick Carlisle acknowledged that he helped convince Cuban to let the players and their performance on the court do all the talking.

"We kind of mutually talked about it," Carlisle said. "He was great about it. He understood and he knew it was the right thing. ... Mark's a much more humble person than a lot of people want to believe. His heart is always in the right place. It gives us the tools to succeed. He was extremely disciplined during this run and it helped us."

During the trophy presentation, and again at the start of his postgame interview, Carlisle used the line, "Our owner is now available for interviews." It was his way of saying the muzzle was off.

"Look, he's a smart guy," Carlisle said. "He understands that certain things are sacred."

Carter started the Mavericks in 1980 after a long, hard fight for an expansion team. He sold the club to Ross Perot Jr. in 1996, and in 2000 he sold it to Cuban. Mr. C, as he's fondly known, has remained a part of the organization and a constant presence in courtside seats directly across from the Mavs bench -- always wearing the white cowboy hat that was part of the club's original logo.

Cuban approached Carter at game's end and asked him to accept the trophy from Stern. It was a classy move and, by Carter's estimation, the continuation of a run of great moves by Cuban this postseason.

"There wasn't a script written for him that I know of, but he played it down exactly on when to say something, when not to," Carter said. "He was everything I would ask an owner to be."

With his voice cracking, Carter added: "I'll just say he has become the owner I've always wanted because of his love of the game. I'd put him up against any of the owners and I've been around for 31 years."

 

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Dodgers' De La Rosa exits with forearm cramp

DENVER -- Rubby De La Rosa, the Los Angeles Dodgers' highly touted rookie right-hander, left Sunday's game with the Colorado Rockies because of what later was diagnosed as a cramp in his right forearm after throwing one pitch in the bottom of the fifth inning.

For more news, notes and analysis of the Dodgers, check out Dodger Thoughts from Jon Weisman. Blog

"It was right in here," De La Rosa said, pointing at an area on the underside of his right arm, just above his wrist. De La Rosa went on to say, with Kenji Nimura interpreting, that his right index finger curled up against his palm and he was unable to straighten it.

De La Rosa said he was told by the team's medical staff that the condition resulted from dehydration and that he should drink more water when he pitches. He is expected to make his next scheduled start on Saturday night against the Houston Astros.

De La Rosa had thrown 83 pitches to that point in his second major league start, and all three of the runs he had allowed had come on a home run by Rockies right fielder Seth Smith with two outs in the first inning. Since then, De La Rosa had given up just one hit and struck out six batters.

Tony Jackson covers the Dodgers for ESPNLosAngeles.com.

 

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Fielder HR pushes Brewers past Cards, into 1st

Derryl Cousins, Second Base - Ron Kulpa, Third Base - Angel Campos

When games finished on May 8, the Brewers were a season high 6 games under .500 and were only one game out of last place in the NL Central. Since then, the Brewers have gone 24-and-8, the most wins in the majors in that span and their win Sunday puts them in 1st place for the first time this season.

MILWAUKEE -- Prince Fielder cautioned against making too much out of the Milwaukee Brewers' sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals.

Fielder's go-ahead homer in the sixth rallied the Milwaukee Brewers to a 4-3 victory over St. Louis on Sunday as the Brewers knocked the Cardinals out of first place in the NL Central. "I don't know about a statement," Fielder said of taking three from the Cardinals and gaining the top spot in the division. "It's just good right now. We're playing good baseball. Like I said we haven't been in first place for about a year or two now." Fielder's 19th home run chased Jake Westbrook (6-4) who carried a shutout into the sixth. "I'm just happy I'm coming through," Fielder said. "It's always fun." His blast prompted a curtain call which he reluctantly did. "I'm shy, man. It's cool though," he said. "I appreciate it from the fans. It's kind of cool, especially in the moment." Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa didn't want to assign a whole lot of anguish toward the three losses. "I don't want to be melodramatic," he said. "This is June and we have to be ready for Washington on Tuesday. We came in here to win a series and they outmanaged us and outplayed us." Rickie Weeks started the rally with a single and then scored on Mark Kotsay's double. Ryan Braun drove in Kotsay with a single before Fielder smashed the first pitch 440 feet into the second deck in right field for a two-run homer. Fielder, who went 2 for 3 with a walk and two RBIs, now has 58 RBIs to extend his lead in the NL. With the victory, the Brewers (38-28) took sole possession of first place for the first time since July 9, 2009. It moved them 10 games over .500 for the first time since they were 33-23 on June 6, 2009. Brewers manager Ron Roenicke was happy with the team's progress, especially after starting the season poorly. "It's way too early, but I like how we're playing," he said. The Cardinals (38-29) had been in first since May 19, but have now lost four of the last five and were swept at Miller Park for the first time since April 30-May 2, 2007. Fielder's eighth home run over the last 10 games helped Milwaukee improve its major-league best home record to 25-9. It also set a franchise record for the best start at home. Shaun Marcum (7-2) won for the first time since May 21, a span of three starts that included a loss and then consecutive no decisions. He had never faced the Cardinals. He allowed three runs on five hits with eight strikeouts and a walk over seven innings. Kameron Loe pitched a scoreless eighth. John Axford converted his 15th straight save opportunity and 18th out of 20 overall in the ninth. He got a huge lift when Carlos Gomez, a ninth-inning defensive replacement for Kotsay in center, made a spectacular catch in the ninth. Gomez raced back at full speed and turned to catch Rasmus' fly ball just before crashing into the wall. "When I see it, then my instincts going to tell me what I have to do," Gomez said. The Cardinals looked as if they might avoid being swept when Skip Schumaker hit a two-out, two-run single with the bases loaded for the first runs. Yadier Molina running from first had to duck as Schumaker's liner sailed over him and into right field. St. Louis tacked on another run on Rasmus' double in the sixth. Westbrook went five innings, allowing four runs and eight hits. Game notes
The Cardinals expect RHP Kyle McClellan (left hip flexor) and OF Matt Holliday (left quadriceps) to come off the disabled list this week. McClellan (6-2, 3.86 ERA) is scheduled to start on Wednesday against Washington. Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa said Holliday went through a full workout before the game and should be activated on Thursday. ... Cardinals 1B Albert Pujols went 0 for 3 with a walk and had his nine-game hitting streak snapped. ... Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said that when Milwaukee plays the Red Sox in Boston next weekend, Prince Fielder, Ryan Braun and Rickie Weeks might each take a turn at DHing. Copyright by STATS LLC and The Associated Press

 

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Wife of Dolphins receiver Marshall back in jail

ESPN.com's Tim Graham writes about all things AFC East in his division blog.

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Game 5 rating up 25 percent from 2006 series

NEW YORK -- The preliminary television rating for Game 5 of the NBA Finals was up 25 percent from the last time the same teams met in the championship series.

The Dallas Mavericks' 112-103 win over the Miami Heat on Thursday on ABC drew a 12.6 overnight rating. Game 5 in 2006 earned a 10.1.

The rating was down slightly from the 12.8 for the fifth game of last season's Celtics-Lakers series, the only higher Game 5 rating for the last seven years.

Ratings represent the percentage of all homes with televisions tuned into a program. Overnight ratings measure the country's largest markets.

 

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Jackson introduced, eyes playoffs for Warriors

SAN FRANCISCO -- Mark Jackson was every bit the bold and boisterous personality on his first day as coach of the Golden State Warriors that he was as a player and a broadcast analyst.

Only time will tell if he can be equally successful.

Declaring that "the Bay Area will never be the same," Jackson promised sweeping changes Friday to the perennially underachieving franchise. He was introduced by the Warriors at a swanky San Francisco hotel across the bay from where the team plays in Oakland that had all the flair of the area's new coach.

The Brooklyn native and former New York Knicks point guard said the Warriors will make the area "New York City West" in NBA circles, attracting the coveted free agents the franchise has always struggled to sign. He even predicted championship banners would follow.

"When you look at the success of the teams in this area, the A's have had theirs. The Niners have had theirs. The Giants have had theirs. The Raiders have had theirs. And now we're looking forward to ours," Jackson said. "So, therefore, it's about time. Sorry it took so long, but now we're at the party."

Well, not quite.

The Warriors have made the playoffs just once since 1994 and haven't won an NBA title since 1975. About the only success the franchise has enjoyed is that fans in the basketball-crazy Bay Area regularly sell out Oracle Arena and can be as vocal as any in a market saturated with sports teams.

Jackson agreed to a $6 million, three-year deal to take over a team that went 36-46 last season. That was a 10-game improvement from the previous season but not enough to save Keith Smart's job.

"We're not going to accept mediocrity," Jackson said, slipping into his Brooklyn accent and friendly slang that made him a broadcasting favorite. "You might as well hitch onto the bandwagon because things gone be a changing."

Jackson was adamant that the team's backcourt duo of Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry can be as successful defensively as it has been offensively. He said he looks forward to coaching Ellis -- always the subject of trade talk -- and wouldn't move the team's star guard for anything less than one of the league's top players.

There's still no telling what Jackson values most on the floor or what his coaching style will be. For all of Jackson's accolades, he has never been a coach.

Not in college. Not in high school. Not even as an assistant or an understudy anywhere. He admits there are day-to-day things about being a coach that he'll have to learn on the job, and that's why his first order of business was to lure top assistant and friend Mike Malone to his staff.

The closest experience Jackson has to coaching is being a point guard for 17 seasons in the NBA and the on-court leader for five Hall of Famers -- Lou Carnesecca, Lenny Wilkens, Jerry Sloan, Pat Riley and Larry Brown -- among others.

That still makes him a risky hire and a complete unknown.

Yet that's just what new Warriors owners Joe Lacob and Peter Guber relish about Jackson and the kind of chances they predicted when they bought the franchise last fall for a record $450 million. They have also hired Jerry West as a consultant and sports agent Bob Myers as assistant general manager and future GM.

All of them were part of Jackson's interviews.

"He's the most experienced guy, frankly, we met in the entire process," Lacob said. "I know that's a funny line to say given some of the comments out there. He hasn't been in the seat and been a head coach in the NBA. But if you look at experience, it's the whole thing that counts. Can he be a leader? Will the players respect him? Can he handle the media in a big market like the Bay Area? I can go through any number of things.

"And Mark, to me, was the most experienced guy on that list of people we met. And it wasn't even close."

Becoming an NBA head coach was years in the making.

Jackson spent the past few seasons as the lead analyst for ESPN and ABC, and he will cross the country back to Miami to finish his duties at the NBA Finals. He spent that time picking the brains of coaches around the league during exclusive meetings the network has before games.

Jackson interviewed for so many coaching vacancies he can't even recall the exact number but said he was a finalist in Atlanta, New York and Minnesota. He emerged from a field of about a dozen candidates, Lacob said, and the years of frustration of being turned down were visible.

Jackson, who is also an ordained pastor in the Los Angeles area, started to tear up when speaking about the opportunity to be a first-time coach and completing his lifelong basketball dream. He used to listen to Knicks games on the radio as a kid, envisioning himself as the star player, broadcaster and coach.

"I became that player. I became that broadcaster," he said. "And the last thing in line for me was coach."

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press

 

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Titans WR Britt arrested again in New Jersey

NEWARK, N.J. -- Tennessee Titans wide receiver Kenny Britt was arrested again in New Jersey, a day after appearing in court for a previous arrest on traffic charges.

Police said the former Rutgers star was charged with resisting arrest after two plainclothes officers suspected he was carrying a marijuana cigar and attempted to handcuff him at a Hoboken car wash Wednesday evening.

Britt

Hoboken Detective Sgt. Sam Williams said the detectives from the city's vice squad, Det. Steven Aguiar and Det. David DiMartino, were in line to pay at the car wash when they detected an odor of marijuana, and Aguiar noticed Britt allegedly holding a brown, rolled cigar they believed to be the source.

Both detectives identified themselves as police, Williams said, and attempted to handcuff Britt, who allegedly tried to wrestle free and push away while attempting to crush the cigar in his fist. Williams said police believe a man who was with Britt may have disposed of the cigar in the scuffle as police wrestled Britt to the floor and handcuffed him; the other man has not been charged.

Britt is charged with obstructing the administration of the law, resisting arrest and tampering with or fabricating evidence. Police did not recover the cigar or find any drugs on Britt, and he has not been charged with any drug-related offenses. Britt was released on his own recognizance, according to police, and has a June 16 court date.

The Associated Press left a message for Britt's attorney Thursday afternoon.

New Titans coach Mike Munchak said he didn't know much about Britt's latest arrest when asked by reporters after an event at the team's headquarters with Special Olympics athletes and others. Coaches can't contact players during the NFL lockout, and Munchak said they are trying to find out details on what he called probably a case of "making some bad decisions."

As an offensive weapon, Kenny Britt ranks as high as second on the Titans behind Chris Johnson. If he doesn't wake up soon, he's going to sink down the list, ESPN.com's Paul Kuharsky writes. Blog.

"Unfortunately, he's had a few things that've come up for him in the offseason," Munchak said in video posted on the team's website. "That's something we'll deal with when he comes in."

Britt pleaded guilty Tuesday to separate motor vehicle violations related to an April arrest on speeding charges in his hometown of Bayonne. He must pay a fine of more than $400 as part of that plea deal on careless driving charges. He was not present when the plea was entered Tuesday during a municipal court hearing, and Britt will have to sign a court affidavit before the plea can become official.

Britt initially faced felony charges in the April 12 incident. Bayonne police said Britt drove his Porsche at 71 mph in a 55 mph zone and then led police on a chase. Those charges were dropped last week by Hudson County prosecutors, who cited Britt's lack of a criminal record.

Hudson County Prosecutor Edward DeFazio said Thursday he was reviewing Britt's Hoboken arrest and would determine which jurisdiction would handle the matter.

Britt has had several other run-ins with authorities. He was arrested last year for three outstanding traffic tickets and is accused of not paying a bail bond he helped secure for a friend.

Nashville police stopped him in August during training camp, ticketing him for driving without a license because he obtained a photo ID after misplacing his license.

He was also accused of being involved in a bar fight Oct. 22 in Nashville, but authorities later decided not to charge him.

Former Titans coach Jeff Fisher benched Britt after repeated mistakes during a preseason game.

Britt left Rutgers after his junior season and was the Titans' first-round draft pick in 2009. He tied for second on the Titans with 42 catches in 2010 and led all Tennessee receivers with nine touchdowns and a per-catch average of 18.5 yards.

 

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Canucks' Rome unhappy with ban for Horton hit

BOSTON -- Vancouver defenseman Aaron Rome wouldn't change much about the hit on Boston's Nathan Horton that got him suspended for the rest of the Stanley Cup finals.

Rome spoke Sunday for the first time about his finals-record four-game suspension after skating with the Canucks in practice heading into Game 6 on Monday.

"I've got to play on the edge, and I guess that was a little bit over the edge," Rome said.

While Rome has sympathy for Horton, who's out for the series with a concussion, he doesn't feel he did anything extraordinarily dangerous in their fast, hard-hitting sport when he flattened Horton early in Game 3 last week. Rome said he sent a text message to Horton, but hasn't heard back.

“

If I could go back, obviously you don't want anybody to get hurt, but I don't think I'd change the decision.

” -- Aaron Rome

"It's a split-second decision," Rome said. "There's no intent to hurt anybody. If I could go back, obviously you don't want anybody to get hurt, but I don't think I'd change the decision."

Rome delivered his hit after Horton made a pass near the blue line, leaving the Boston forward unconscious on the ice. Horton left the building on a stretcher, and the Bruins rode a wave of emotion to consecutive victories at home.

While Rome was vilified in Boston, his teammates jumped to his defense, claiming a four-game ban was excessive and unprecedented. Vancouver coach Alain Vigneault thought the hit was late, but remained supportive of Rome.

Although Rome's ban is four times longer than any suspension handed out in finals history, he hasn't appealed it, hinting that he feels such a move would be pointless. Rome said the NHL's suspension criteria are "arbitrary," and he doesn't understand why the league ended his chance to skate for the Stanley Cup after a hit he believes was barely illegal.

"I've got to step up. I've got to be physical," Rome said. "That's just part of my game. ... If I had been a half-second, a quarter-second earlier, I probably wouldn't be in this position."

Rome understands why Horton might not be returning his texts, noting he felt similar emotions after San Jose's Jamie McGinn boarded him from behind during the Western Conference finals, giving Rome an apparent concussion that forced him to sit out two games.

Rome had no significant history as a dirty player before this hit. The journeyman defenseman has played in 131 NHL games with three clubs over the past five seasons, bouncing up and down from the AHL before earning a full-time job in Vancouver this year.

Yet his hit inspired the Bruins, who acknowledged rallying in Horton's honor. Before Game 4, Hall of Famer Bobby Orr waved a flag with Horton's name and No. 18 on it during a stirring pregame tribute.

Horton's injury was the most serious development in an uncommonly bad-tempered finals, which began with Vancouver forward Alex Burrows' apparent bite of Patrice Bergeron's finger, followed by related taunts from both teams. Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo also made headlines after Game 5 with comments deemed to be disrespectful of Boston goalie Tim Thomas.

Vancouver leads the series 3-2 going into Monday's game.

Rome's absence has forced the Canucks to use every bit of their deep defensive corps. After veteran Keith Ballard replaced Rome in Game 4, Vancouver rookie Chris Tanev played splendidly in Game 5 as the Canucks pushed Boston to the brink of elimination.

Rome will be a spectator for the rest of June, but he's still working up a sweat in the Canucks' practices.

"You want to be a part of it," Rome said. "Just because I'm not playing, I'm not going to hide in a cave and mope. It's a way to relieve some stress. ... This is nothing that you want to go through, but it makes you stronger and makes you look on the bright side of things."

 

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Hanson strikes out career-high 14 in Braves win

Braves starter Tommy Hanson is the first Braves starter to strike out at least 14 in a game since John Smoltz in 2005.

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Guillen: Konerko will make Hall the 'right way'

Updated: June 12, 2011, 5:39 PM ETBy Sahadev Sharma
ESPNChicago.com
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CHICAGO -- White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko has never won an MVP, home run or RBI crown or led the league in batting average, but that didn't stop his manager from stumping for his place among the greatest to ever play the game.

"He will be in the Hall of Fame," White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said Sunday. "And by the way, PK did it clean, there's no doubt he did it the right way."

The latest news and notes on the White Sox. Blog

Konerko is coming off a 2010 campaign that was the best of his career. At age 34, he posted career highs in on-base percentage (.393), slugging percentage (.584), and total bases (320). So far this season, Konerko is backing up his amazing 2010 -- he had 20 home runs, 51 RBIs, a .320 average and a .953 OPS entering Sunday. He is a strong candidate to make his fifth All-Star Game.

The Hall of Fame will have to change the way it evaluates players, Guillen said, since the previously accepted standards of excellence may not be reached as often.

"The Hall of Fame can be too picky, there's not that many good players out there anymore," Guillen said. "You're not going to see the 3,000 hits, the 500 home runs and 300 wins."

With a few more years, Konerko could get well over 400 home runs and possibly make a push for 500. Konerko, who is signed through the 2013 season, currently sits at 381 home runs, good for 60th all-time.

For his part, Konerko doesn't concern himself with Hall of Fame talk or the fact that he's rarely mentioned in the same breath as other great American League first basemen such as the Red Sox's Adrian Gonzalez and the Tigers' Miguel Cabrera.

"If it's outside the lines, it's meaningless to me," Konerko said.

Guillen said that Konerko is a rare breed in today's game.

"This man represents the game in different ways, the right way," Guillen said. "With the media, with his teammates, with the organization, on the field and with the community; that's a lot."

On the topic of future Hall of Famers, Guillen had a few thoughts on a sure-fire entrant -- New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter.

"You're talking about God now, you're not talking about a baseball player, you're talking about God," Guillen said. "Besides Jim Thome, he represents this game better than anybody. That guy is a baseball icon, great player, a winner, never been in trouble, and dates beautiful women."

Jeter moved within seven hits of 3,000 with a multihit game Sunday. Guillen said he hoped Jeter would accomplish the rare feat at Wrigley Field because it would be great to have such a historic moment at a historic park. Jeter would be the 28th player to join the 3,000 hit club. The Yankees play a three-game set with the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley starting Friday.

Sahadev Sharma covers the White Sox and Cubs for ESPNChicago.com.

 

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Five HRs push Florida by Miss. St. and into CWS

Florida earns back-to-back College World Series appearances for the first time in school history, ESPN.com's Edward Aschoff writes. Story

 

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Ewing: I should give Knicks a call, talk coaching

Updated: June 12, 2011, 8:45 AM ETBy Jane McManus
ESPNNewYork.com

NEW YORK -- Patrick Ewing said he doesn't know New York Knicks owner James Dolan very well, but given his aspirations to be a head coach some day in the NBA, the former Knicks center said that could change.

"I should probably pick up the phone and give him a call," said Ewing, in New York to tape a July 1 episode of the YES Network's CenterStage with Michael Kay.

[+] Enlarge Ellen Wallop/YES NetworkPatrick Ewing wants to be a head coach -- could the Knicks have interest?

Now an assistant coach with Orlando, the Hall of Fame player congratulated former teammate Mark Jackson for being named Golden State's new coach, touched upon LeBron James' struggles in the NBA Finals and lamented the lack of a title in his 15 seasons in New York.

"I would have loved to have a second superstar," Ewing said. "Maybe we could have won a championship."

Right now, Ewing seems to have little connecting him to the Knicks' owners. He still spends the offseason in the area, and his children still attend New Jersey schools. Despite considering this home, he is rarely at Madison Square Garden these days and doesn't talk with Dolan.

"I really don't know him very well," said Ewing, drafted by the Knicks with the first pick of the 1985 draft. "I think it'd be great if I got to know him."

Ewing said he is happy in Orlando, where he coached Dwight Howard, but he doesn't want to be pigeonholed as being a big man's coach only. He hasn't had any formal interviews for head coaching jobs, but that's where he'd like to wind up.

"It's disappointing that I haven't moved to the next step to get a head coaching job, but all I can do is keep going and move on," Ewing said.

For the CenterStage episode, Ewing recalled his days at Georgetown, and coming up to New York to play Big East rival St. John's. He said that Jackson and Chris Mullin are now good friends, but he couldn't resist another dig.

"Definitely I loved coming up here and beating up on St. John's," Ewing said with a laugh.

In 2000, Ewing left the Knicks for Seattle, a move he said he shouldn't have made. He got tired of hearing how the Knicks would have been better off without him, but even in Washington state he was reminded of New York every night he played.

"Every time when they would call my name I kept hearing 'New York Knicks' instead of 'Seattle SuperSonics,'" Ewing said.

Looking for more information on your Knicks? ESPNNewYork.com has you covered. Blog

As for the present-day NBA, Ewing had a few opinions. Given the uncertainty of the labor situation in the league, Ewing said he doubted that Miami's star power will be duplicated by another team, which might be a good thing.

"It's not great for the NBA to have all the stars on one team," Ewing said.

He compared it to playing on a team with Hakeem Olajuwon, and one of them would have been forced to take a backseat. Ewing did make one guarantee -- not about one of his own teams -- but about the Heat.

"Believe ... me, with that team they're gonna win a title," he said.

James does not yet compare to Michael Jordan -- Kobe Bryant is closer, said Ewing -- but it's too soon to come down so hard on James. Ewing said he was still young, and takes a lot of unfair criticism.

Kay asked the Jamaican-born Ewing his favorite food (curried goat), music (Bob Marley) and the greatest player he ever faced (Jordan). He then asked who Ewing would choose to have as his partner in the proverbial foxhole.

John Starks.

"He's crazy, he's emotional," said Ewing. "But he's got my back."

Jane McManus is a columnist and reporter for ESPNNewYork.com.

 

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NFLPA's Smith yet to talk to NFL Alumni leader

SECAUCUS, N.J. -- George Martin spent the weekend catching up with his former New York Giants teammates from the 1986 Super Bowl team.

But he also had his current job on his mind as well, as he checked on how many of his old teammates are feeling these days. Martin is the president of the NFL Alumni and he is frustrated that he has not been able to sit down with DeMaurice Smith, executive director of the decertified NFL Players Association, to talk about issues and concerns relating to retired players.

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"There's strength in unity," Martin told reporters at the 25th anniversary celebration of the 1986 Giants Super Bowl team at the Meadowlands Expo Center on Sunday. "Apparently Mr. DeMaurice Smith feels that there isn't. I think it's an absolute shame when you have a person with my accomplishments and my commitment to not only active players but retired players, the fact that we can't sit down and at least discuss not only our similarities but our differences if there are any. I think that's a travesty."

Martin says he has reached out to Smith "on countless occasions to sit down."

"It's been either no response or no," Martin said. "That's really unacceptable. He has a very difficult challenge, I understand. But there should not be any prohibitions why we shouldn't sit down and talk about some of the things we have in common."

Martin was asked what degree of confidence he has concerning Smith having the best interests of NFL retired players in mind.

"I would have to say it is questionable at this point," Martin said. "When you do not have a conversation at this point with the recognized leader of NFL Alumni, how can you say you have the best interest of retired players at heart when you won't even sit down and talk to their leadership. That to me flies in the face of rationale."

Martin and teammate Harry Carson both said that some of their teammates are suffering from injuries suffered during their careers. Some retired players are feeling the lingering effects of concussions suffered during their playing days with loss of memory or, in some cases, depression.

"I thought the health of guys on the surface was pretty good," Carson said of the '86 Giants. "I do know, personally, that there are a couple of guys that have some issues. There are a couple of guys who have reached out to me in the past with these issues. There are some issues there and there are some issues with guys that probably don't know there are issues."

Martin praised NFL commissioner Roger Goodell for being proactive about addressing the concussion situation and helping retired players deal with any issues they may have.

"It seems as if though in the past we have been treated like second-class citizens," Martin said. "We refuse to have that label placed upon us now. Thank goodness that we have had some welcome embrace by Roger Goodell and the current owners. We like the fact that that we are part of the overall discussion and I'm very optimistic we will obtain some significant quality of life issues relative to retired players -- most significant is the pension.

"I think eventually the vast majority of retired ball players will be pleasantly surprised by what will come out of this (new) CBA."

Ohm Youngmisuk covers the Giants for ESPNNewYork.com.

 

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