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06/05/2010 -
MIAMI (AP) -Heat coach Erik Spoelstra says he's not worried about his job, not even after team president and Hall of Fame coach Pat Riley recently raised the idea that he might one day return to the sideline.
Spoelstra, addressing the issue for the first time Saturday, said he's been assured of his future by both Riley and Heat owner Micky Arison. Spoelstra, who has won 90 games in his two seasons as Miami's coach, insisted ``it's been business as usual'' as the team preps for free agency and the draft.
Riley said last month he might want to coach again. Spoelstra added that he didn't take Riley's suggestion personally, noting he and his boss talk daily about team matters.Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
<< Report: Hornets to make Monty Williams next head coach
New Orleans, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New Orleans Hornets have reportedly
reached an agreement with Monty Williams to be their next head coach.
According to The Times-Picayune, the two sides have agreed in principle on a
three-year co
<< John Wooden Coaching Record
Year Team W L1946-47 Indiana St. 17 81947-48 Indiana St. 27 71948-49 UCLA 22 71949-50 UCLA 24 71950-51 UCLA 19 101951-52 UCLA 19 121952-53 UCL
<< D'Backs rally in ninth to down Rockies, snap 10-game skid
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Back-to-back RBI singles from Gerardo Parra and
Ryan Roberts in the bottom of the ninth gave the Diamondbacks a thrilling 7-6
victory over Colorado in the opener of a three-game set at Chase Field.
Holding a
<< Young send Twins past A's in 11
Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Delmon Young drove in the game-winning run in
the 11th inning as the Minnesota Twins downed the Oakland Athletics, 5-4,
in the opener of a three-game set.
Justin Morneau went 2-for-4 with a two-run ho
Buddle's brace helps USA top Australia >>
Roodepoort, South Africa (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of first-half goals from
Edson Buddle helped the United States to a 3-1 win over Australia in a
friendly on Saturday.
Buddle scored four minutes into the game before Austral
Schiavone beats Stosur for French Open crown >>
Paris, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Italian Francesca Schiavone was a 6-4, 7-6
(7-2) winner over Australian Samantha Stosur on Saturday to take the French
Open title.
The 17th-seeded Schiavone became the first Italian woman to win a Gra
Pettitte goes for history-making win in Yanks-Jays tilt >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With his next win, Andy Pettitte will reach a milestone
achieved by only two other players in the storied history of the New York
Yankees. His team hopes that next victory comes in this afternoon's showdown
with a Toronto Blu
Niese to make return as Mets continue set with Marlins >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lefty Nate Robertson looks for a second straight defeat of
the New York Mets when the Florida Marlins visit Citi Field today for the
middle test of a three-game weekend series with their National League East
Division rivals.
NEW YORK (AP) -By staying away from the cupcakes, Southern California earned itself a slim new ranking.
No. 1 always seems to fit USC.
Southern California jumped two spots to No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 on Tuesday, rewarded by voters for opening the season with a dominant performance on the road against a BCS conference opponent.
Georgia and Ohio State, the preseason Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, started their seasons with glorified scrimmages at home against FCS (formerly I-AA) teams. USC, however, traveled across country to face Virginia and could not have been more impressive in a 52-7 victory.
Georgia fell to No. 2 and Ohio State to No 3.
"We realize that rankings so early in a season are certainly fluid. But rankings do help establish a pecking order for things later in the season," USC coach Pete Carroll said in a statement. "As for moving into the No. 1 spot, it's nice to know that people think highly of our team."
Since reaching No. 1 on Dec. 7, 2003, the final-regular season AP poll of that season, USC has been No. 1 in 39 polls, by far the most of any team during that time.
"Some have said the voters are taking our schedule into consideration," Carroll said. "Our philosophy has always been to schedule outstanding opponents. We need to play challenging games like we just did, traveling across the country to open the season at Virginia. Games like that bring out our best and make us stronger as a team."
The latest voting was close. USC received 21 first-place votes and 1,539 points from the 65-member media panel. Georgia had 20 first-place votes and 1,506 points. Ohio State got 15 first-place votes and 1,497 points.
"I'd say we've evolved as pollsters," said Stewart Mandel of SI.com, who moved USC up to No. 1. "In the past, voters just kind of automatically moved teams up and kept teams where they were if they won."
Georgia beat Georgia Southern 45-21 on Saturday and Ohio State opened with a 43-0 win over Youngstown State.
"There's a bit of a growing backlash for the amount of teams that open with I-AA cupcakes," said Mandel, whose book "Bowls, Polls and Tattered Souls" chronicles college football's controversies. "To see a team [USC] go on the road and play a New Year's Day bowl team from last season, and not only play them but destroy them, how could you not reward that team?"
USC also jumped past Georgia to No. 1 in the USA Today coaches' poll, which has the same top five as the AP poll.
"It's definitely a privilege to be No. 1. But it's not heartbreaking to me if we drop," Georgia offensive lineman Josh Davis said. "It doesn't matter right now what we're ranked. What matters is our next game and right now, that's Central Michigan. The only time the polls matter is in December. That's when the polls matter."
While the Bulldogs opened easy, their schedule ultimately should be as difficult as any team's. Georgia's big nonconference test is at No. 15 Arizona State on Sept. 20. The Bulldogs also face six Southeastern Conference rivals that've been ranked in the first two polls.
As for Ohio State, the Buckeyes play at USC on Sept. 13 before getting into the Big Ten schedule.
But of the teams in this week's top 10, USC and Texas are the only ones that don't play an FCS opponent, and the Trojans are the only team that doesn't play a team from a non-BCS conference.
Get the latest 2009 BCS Championship odds at MySportsbook.com.
The last team to drop from No. 1 after a victory was USC last season. LSU jumped from No. 2 to No. 1 when it beat Tulane 34-9, the same week the Trojans edged Washington 27-24 on the road.
The last preseason No. 1 team to lose the top spot after winning its opening game was Florida in 2001. The Gators beat Marshall 49-14, but preseason No. 2 Miami opened with a 33-7 victory over Penn State and the Hurricanes jumped to No. 1 with Florida slipping to second.
The next four teams in the new Top 25 stayed the same: No. 4 Oklahoma (two first-place votes), No. 5 Florida (five first-place votes), No. 6 Missouri (one first-place vote), No. 7 LSU (one first-place vote) and No. 8 West Virginia.
No. 9 Auburn and No. 10 Texas each moved up a spot, taking advantage of Clemson's big drop. Clemson, ninth in the preseason, fell out after losing 34-10 to Alabama on Saturday.
Also falling out after losses were Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh and Tennessee.
Moving into the rankings were No. 21 Fresno State, No. 22 Utah, No. 23 UCLA and No. 24 South Carolina.
Alabama moved up 11 spots after its big victory over Clemson.
The second 10 started with No. 11 Wisconsin, followed by Texas Tech, Alabama and Kansas. BYU and Arizona State were tied for 15th. Rivals BYU and Utah are both ranked for the first time since 1996.
South Florida was No. 17, ahead of Oregon, Penn State and Wake Forest at No. 20.
The final five were all the teams to move into the ranking, except for Illinois, which dropped four spots and tied South Carolina for No. 24.
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El Duque expected to throw Tuesday
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- New York Mets pitcher Orlando Hernandez, sidelined at spring training because of arthritis in his neck, is expected to resume throwing on Tuesday.
Hernandez received a cortisone shot Thursday after leaving camp and returning to New York to have his neck examined. The 41-year-old right-hander is penciled in as the team's No. 2 starter behind Tom Glavine.
El Duque's health is a major issue for the Mets, who won the NL East in 2007 and came within one victory of the World Series. Their aging and unsettled rotation is a big question mark this year.
MySportsbook.com has the Mets as -110 favorites to repeat as NL East champions odds.
Hernandez went 11-11 with a 4.66 ERA last season, including 9-7 with a 4.09 ERA in 20 starts after the Mets acquired him from Arizona in late May. But he missed the playoffs because of a torn calf muscle.
New York already is without Pedro Martinez, out until at least midseason following rotator cuff surgery. Among those competing for starting jobs are prospects Mike Pelfrey, Philip Humber and Jason Vargas, plus veterans Chan Ho Park, Jorge Sosa and Aaron Sele.
Notes: Mets manager Willie Randolph is excited about two new utility players he could have on his bench: Damion Easley and David Newhan. ''Their value is really all over the place,'' Randolph said. Easley can play anywhere in the infield and could be used as an emergency outfielder, though Randolph said he would prefer to keep the veteran in the infield. Newhan, meanwhile, can play second base, third or any outfield position for the Mets. ''I love versatility,'' Randolph said. ''I love guys that can give me options when I need them to step in.''
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