Nolan to start opener; Jerry to build new stadium: What is today?


Hicks to buy Cats

Outgoing Texas Rangers owner Tom Hicks has agreed to purchase the Fort Worth Cats. Cats owner Carl Bell, who brought the Cats back to Fort Worth in 2001 after an almost four-decade absence, has been attempting to sell the team for almost a year.

Hicks has agreed to sell the Texas Rangers, and while technically still the team's owner, he said he had already started to miss owning a baseball team during the sale process.

Ryan gets Opening Day nod

Nolan Ryan will throw out the first pitch for the Texas Rangers' home opener Monday.

Not the ceremonial first pitch -- the game's first pitch.

The 63-year-old Ryan, who last pitched in 1993, will be the Rangers' Opening Day starter in a surprise announcement from the team.

Although the ownership transfer of the Rangers from Tom Hicks to a group headed by Chuck Greenberg and Ryan appears a few weeks from taking place, the decision reflects the incoming owners' pledge to listen to Rangers fans and give them the baseball experience they want.

"I don't know who wouldn't want to see Nolan Ryan pitch again," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. "I'm just not sure if I'm going to be able to walk out to the mound to pull my boss from the game."

General manager Jon Daniels said everyone in the organization was in agreement to give the starting nod to Ryan.

"Nolan gives us that veteran presence every team wants to see on the mound to start a new season," Daniels said. "This is not a gimmick. Nolan can still bring it."

TMS to host Super Bowl in 2014

The Super Bowl appears to be returning to North Texas sooner than expected.

Although the NFL will not announce the host site for its next available Super Bowl -- in 2014 -- until next year's Super Bowl in Arlington, multiple sources say that it is all but a done deal that Super Bowl XLVIII will be played at Texas Motor Speedway.

"You know I rarely decline to comment on things," TMS president Eddie Gossage said in a statement, "but this is one report I cannot comment on."

"However, I have said many times that hosting one NASCAR race is like hosting several Super Bowls in one day. And you could fit four Cowboys Stadiums inside Texas Motor Speedway, so I know that the Great American Speedway certainly is capable of hosting a Super Bowl."

Jerry ready to build new, updated stadium

The question of which NFL team would attempt to build a stadium bigger and better than Cowboys Stadium has been answered: the Dallas Cowboys.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said he plans to build a new Cowboys stadium at a site to be determined to replace the $1.25 billion Cowboys Stadium that opened last year in Arlington.

"In Cowboys Stadium's short and successful history," Jones said, "we have been able to attract every type of sporting event we could ever hope to host. Those who know me know that I am not one to become content and rest on laurels.

"For that reason, I believe now is the time to begin the process of building a new stadium so that we can bring to our fans the first-time, bigger-and-better events that they have enjoyed over the past year and deserve to experience again."

Jones declined to say what type of budget he expects to have for the new project or in which city he anticipates the stadium will be built, but said it definitely would improve upon the current facility.

"We are only in the preliminary stages at this point," Jones said, "so any speculation in those regards would be premature."

Jones did say, however, his list of events he would like to bring to the new stadium will look familiar to area fans: Super Bowl, NCAA Final Four, NBA All-Star Game, Professional Bull Riding, college basketball and football games, international soccer matches and concerts, plus either a Winter or Summer Olympics.

"We raised the bar with Cowboys Stadium," Jones said. "Now we're going to raise it again."

The 2009 TCU Horned Frogs did, in fact, complete the program's first undefeated football season since 1938, but the news comes too late to boost the team's claims to a national championship.

Boise State has been ordered to forfeit its 17-10 Fiesta Bowl victory over TCU because of an ineligible player.



Read more: http://www.star-telegram.com/2010/03/31/2081667/nolan-to-pitch-opener-jerry-to.html#ixzz0jpUS4I5Y

Follow Through On Every Play

As teams across the country work their way through spring training, coaches across the country will be yelling follow through, don't give up on the play.

That is sage advice and certainly worth practicing as the video below will illustrate better than any words I can post here. The scene is Bulldog Stadium, Fresno, California. The season is 2009.



As you can see Boise State's Titus Young reaped the rewards of following the play all the way to its conclusion.

Oregon's Mike Bellotti Resigns

Yesterday Oregon's Athletic Director Mike Bellotti has resigned the position he held since July of 2009. Bellotti will be joining ESPN as a football sports analyst.

Bellotti began his career as in Duck as an offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 1989 and during a 14 year run as HC became Oregon's winningest coach in Duck history with a record of 116-55. The 2001 seaon would be the crown jewel in a long and illustrious career, the Ducks won 11 games and finished off the season with a 38-16 win over Colorado in the Fiesta Bowl leaving them ranked #2 at seasons end.

Bellotti's tenure as Oregon AD has been a tough year marred by many player mis conduct issues dating back to the 2009 football season opener against Boise State with infamous LaGarette Blount punch thrown at Boise State's Byron Hout after the game was over.

These last two months have been very challenging ofr Oregon. Bellottti has had to dismiss the basketball coach for a less than stellar hoops performance and falling attendance.

Adding to the AD's headaches is incidents involving 9 football players of which 5 were removed from the team. Topping the list is Oregon's starting quarterback Jeremiah Masoli suspended for the 2010 season for his participation in stealing lap top computers from a frat house and star freshman running back LaMichael James 1 game suspension for harassment.

It is no wonder the Coach/AD has decided to make a change and joined ESPN. As an analyst he calls the game and goes home. ESPN is excited about their newest addition and rightly so. Bellotti brings alot to the table, insights into the college game that many others do not possess. We will be able to see Bellottti April 17th when he helps announce the Auburn Spring Game.

Football Practice Drills: Wide Receivers

Football Practice Drills: Wide Receivers

During the off season and the upcoming summer is the opportunity for wide receivers to improve their football skills by developing better pass catching skills. However many wide receiver practice drills require a training partner.

This article will list 4 wide receiver practice drills that athletes can practice at home and provide a link to a video demonstrating these 4 and other football practice drills for wide receivers.

4 Stationary Drills

1.The Side to Side Drill:

The stationary side to side drill is done with the hands belt high. The athlete rolls the ball from hand to hand using only the fingers touching the ball. This is an excellent drill for developing finger tip ball control. The repetition of this exercise will strengthen the fingers.

2.Behind the Back Drill:

The behind the back drill is a more advanced form of the Side to Side drill. The hands are waist high behind the back and like the Side to Side the athlete rolls the ball hand to hand avoiding using the palms of the hands. The advantage of this exercise is it helps the athlete practice finger tip ball control will fully extended arms.

3.Drop Drill:

Like the Side by Side this drill is done with the hands in front of the athlete and again the hands are about waist level. The athlete alternates hands dropping the ball with one hand and catching it with the other. The focus is to make the catches on the fat part of the ball, avoiding palm contact to strengthen the fingers and improve ball control.

4.Toss Up Drill:

This practice drill is designed to help the athlete practice the catching the ball by the finger tips while having the head and arms in the proper catching position. The player tosses the ball straight up about 4 feet above the head. Reaching up to make the catches by reaching up extending their arms, positioning the head to see the ball come in and catch the ball with their finger tips by the fat part of the football.

These are all repetition drills wide receivers can practice on their own. You can see these and other drills in a short Great Catch video, these wide receiver practice drills start about 1:54 minutes into the video.

Use this link, wide receiver practice drills, to see the video.

See all of our receiver training DVDs and training equipment at: http://www.scoretouchdowns.com/page/399246586

Oregon, Who Is In Charge?

Oregon Ducks met the Boise State Broncos in Bronco Stadium last season, things have been on a downward spiral.

It all started for the Ducks after the Boise game with LaGarette Blount's punch seen around the world.

In the last 45 days or so Oregon Duck football players have been charged or accused of various crimes 5 or more times. Just in the last 48 hours another Oregon player has been accused of drunk driving and breaking into a car.

Last month a starter and back up player were accused of crashing a frat house party and stealing. The two are alleged to have stolen Mac Laptop computers.

Following that fiasco another starter has been accused of assault and choking a female victim.

The list of criminal activities by Duck football players goes on and on and makes me wonder, who is charge over there.

Playing college football is a privilege, not a right. These guys were mostly on scholarship, some one else paying their bills and way through college while other students have to work and take out loans.

Its a darn shame these guys dont realize how good they have it compared to most students. Instead of walking around like they are special, they should treat their situation as something special.

More importantly the Athletic Director and Coach Kelly need to make their players see how special they are being treated and how that adds accountability to their actions.

I don't know who is in charge at Oregon but they better appoint some one quickly. The way things are going in Eugene, one has to wonder, will they have enough players that are not under some type of criminal investigation to field a team.

Until The Ducks get a handle on their athletes they will suffer more pictures like this that are making the rounds of all the PAC 10 Message Boards.




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