Posts

Here we take a look at five things you need to know before the action gets underway Thursday. MORE: U.S. Open schedules, tee times for Thursday | U.S. Open odds | Rory likes Chambers Bay HOME ADVANTAGE A SIGNIFICANT FACTOR? This week will see the 115th staging of the U.S. Open — with 80 of the previous 114 editions (70 percent) having been won by American players. Webb Simpson, the 2012 champion at San Francisco’s Olympic Club, is the most recent man to have triumphed on home soil in the event, while Tiger Woods alone has three titles — secured in 2000, 2002 and 2008....

It starts at the top, where Rob Gronkowski has become a first-round pick every year now. That fact alone is historical in fantasy football circles. Tight ends just didn’t get picked in Round 1 until this legendary “Gronk of Ages” came along. But the TE renaissance extends well past the elite tiers of the top 10 tight end rankings. 2016 Fantasy Football Rankings:Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker...

It’s not just that both Carr and Rodgers are Northern California QBs who have notable brothers with lesser pro careers and current TV gigs. Take a look at Carr’s 2016 Pro Bowl numbers vs. what Rodgers posted in ‘08. 2016 FANTASY FOOTBALL RANKINGS: Quarterbacks | Running backs | Wide receivers | Tight ends Carr: 350 completions on 573 attempts, 3,987 yards, 32 TDs, 13 INTs, 31 sacks, 91.1 passer rating, 7-9 team record....

Despite Kentucky surely losing multiple players to the NBA Draft, the Wildcats open as the favorites to win next season’s national championship. Duke’s chances to repeat as national champions are listed as 15-to-1. Wisconsin and Michigan State are listed at 30-to-1 and 15-to-1, respectively. ODDS TO WIN 2016 NCAA TOURNAMENT KENTUCKY 8/1 N CAROLINA 9/1 VIRGINIA 10/1 MARYLAND 15/1 IOWA ST 15/1 DUKE 15/1 KANSAS 15/1 MICH ST 15/1 VILLANOVA 25/1 GONZAGA 25/1 ARIZONA 25/ 1 NC STATE 30/1 BAYLOR 30/1 WISCONSIN 30/1 UCLA 30/1 WICHITA ST 40/1 OKLAHOMA 40/1 LOUISVILLE 40/1 NOTRE DAME 40/1 INDIANA 50/1 TEXAS A&M 50/1 SMU 50/1 UTAH 50/1 BUTLER 50/1 MIAMI FLA 50/1 TEXAS 60/1 VA COMM 60/1 GEORGETOWN 60/1 FLORIDA 60/1 OREGON 60/1 MICHIGAN 60/1 OHIO ST 60/1 GEORGIA 60/1 FLA STATE 75/1 NO IOWA 75/1 L....

A couple of days later, he was spotted playing for Belgavi Panthers in the Karnataka Premier League. This made the BCCI set up an inquiry and as a result of it, the all-rounder was dropped from the India A squad for the two four-day fixtures against the visiting New Zealand A side and was temporarily suspended for disciplinary reasons. Later, he apologized for what happened and clarified the BCCI on what exactly happened....

Since the list of 2017 games will be a living list with regular updates, we highly recommend gamers take a moment to bookmark this page and check back often to check out the latest developments in gaming. The list will cover the biggest and most anticipated titles on PC, consoles, and handhelds. As a quick note, if games have been announced for 2017 but don’t currently have a confirmed date, they’ll be located at the bottom of the list for reference....

After a cagey first 10 minutes, South United FC started gaining some ground in the game. They began to threaten through Rizwan Ali and Aaron on the wings. In the 14th minute, Aaron found Rizwan in the box with a looping cross which took the attacker slightly wider than he would have hoped, but he cut back in and skipped past a challenge before making some space for himself to register the first goal of the game....

The visitors have brought a youthful side to compete in the four-nation tournament and the head coach of the losing side, Gary White, instead of pondering on the scoreline, has looked at the aspect to his team’s development. “I think everything went right for us in terms of future as six U-23 players and two U-18 players played tonight. The tournament is about development and experience for us as we couldn’t bring the first team here,” he told reporters after their defeat....

Now, Jon Gruden and the Oakland Raiders will benefit from ending that slide with the No. 140 overall pick in the fifth round on Saturday. Hurst is a lot better than a lot of the 139 players taken before him. Hurst’s slide will be attributed to the fact he left the NFL Combine because of a heart condition. However Harvard doctors cleared Hurst and appeared to be confident heading into draft weekend....

Bush’s latest ad uses a female narrator, which Hispanic advertisers say conveys warmth and reflects the important role of mothers; a man provides Kerry’s voice-overs to indicate authority. The narrators for both camps utilize the neutral-dialect “universal Spanish,” which, while speaking to everyone, speaks to no one in particular. Using regional dialects “adds that layer of intimacy,” says Rochelle Newman-Carrasco of Enlace Communications Inc., an L.A. Hispanic ad agency. And customizing TV spots–for instance, by addressing immigration in ads for Mexican-Americans–would also help....

At the start of 2008, it seemed possible that Federer would become the first player to win a Calendar Grand Slam and Olympic gold in the same year. But what happened in the months to follow was like a horror movie for Federer and his fans. Federer failed to reach his first Major final since 2005, losing in the Australian Open semi-final to Novak Djokovic. Later he was annihilated in the French Open final by Nadal, after which he lost a heart-breaking five-setter in the Wimbledon final....

The 2012 London Olympic Games will generate more than one billion pounds of additional revenue for British businesses, said the British prime minister. Britain believes the Olympic Games are the greatest business networking event in the global calendar where companies from all over the world will come to London to meet, interact and do business. To take full advantage of this unique opportunity to deliver a worthwhile and lasting business legacy across Britain, the government will be hosting the biggest ever investment conference the country has ever seen, Xinhua reported....

India lost their third and final game against South Korea 95-54 in the second round of the 2013 FIBA Asia Championship held at Manila, Philippines. India were crushed 102-58 against Iran in game one of the second round and lost their second game 79-45 to China last evening. Korea were quick out of the blocks in this one and raced to an early 12-5 lead that led to Scott Flemming calling for an Indian timeout....

I’m here to tell you that there is a third way – a less expensive and a less-injurious-to-your-health way of enjoying the Cup De Monde. And it’s interactive, too. (To get the full viewing experience, read How to watch the World Cup online.) Because inbetween dodging allegations of corruption in the World Cup-bidding process, the game’s governing body FIFA has brought out a brand new soccer SIM for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3....

Benjamin is a huge physical specimen (6-foot-5, 240 pounds) and is fast enough (4.61 in the 40), but the comparisons to Calvin Johnson are presumptuous at best. Benjamin is more of a raw talent now, and it might take time for that game to translate on the outside. That said, he put up numbers at Florida State (18.7 yards per catch, 15 TDs last season). He also had seven TDs in the red zone....

The Jets aren't sold on second-year second-rounder Geno Smith as their short-term starter. Their offensive coordinator, Marty Mornhinweg, also helped Vick resurrect his career with the Philadelphia Eagles. With Eagles coach Chip Kelly rolling with Nick Foles, it was clear Vick, 33, wouldn't be re-signed. For the Jets, he could be a stopgap as they decide whether to stick with Smith or move on with another young quarterback soon. With Mark Sanchez on his way out this offseason, Vick's mobile skill set would make sense as an alternative to Smith's....

Nashville coach Barry Trotz says the two-time Norris Trophy finalist is having his best season yet — by far. "It's not even close," Trotz said Tuesday after practice. "His consistency and his play this year is unparalleled compared to the other years. I could even say those years that he was a finalist he had some stretches where he was a little inconsistent. This year he's been pretty darn good....

Celski dominated the 500 meters at the U.S. trials on Saturday, winning both of the finals. Jessica Smith led all the way in winning the women's sprint, ensuring she'll skate at least two events in Russia. Alvarez, a former inline skater from Miami, became the first Cuban-American man to make an Olympicspeedskating team after finishing second to Celski in both 500 'A' finals. "I had a moment in the locker room," Alvarez said, his eyes still red....

Quickly, his choice became clear: Time to step away from the danger, and give himself a better chance in the event he knows he can win. MORE: Meet the U.S. Olympic team | U.S. TV schedule | Olympics news | Images White, the world's most famous snowboarder, pulled out of the new Olympic event Wednesday, saying that after much deliberation, he decided to bypass a chance at winning two gold medals at these games and instead concentrate on the halfpipe, where he'll have a chance to win his third consecutive title next week....

The No. 1 seed Patriots reached the AFC championship for the fourth straight season by defeating the Ravens, 35-31, in the divisional round. The visiting Packers got to this year’s conference title game by defeating the Bengals, 26-10, in the wild card round and the Broncos, 24-13, last Sunday. MORE: Top 10 active NFL coach-QB combos | SN’s picks | Take the championship week quiz 2015 AFC Championship Game: Kickoff time and TV Records: Colts (13-5), Patriots (13-4)...