Brazil club Portuguesa leaves field on court order

Welcome to São Paulo

The city of São Paulo, the largest in Brazil and seventh largest in the world by population, will be the welcoming door for 2014 World Cup.

Welcome to São Paulo

SAO PAULO -- Brazilian club Portuguesa abandoned its second-division match against Joinville in the 16th minute on Friday, saying it had a court order allowing it to play in the top flight that begins on Saturday.

Portuguesa players left the field with the scored tied 0-0 after a court official showed up during its match and presented the ruling to team officials and referees. The match official said the team had to keep playing, but the club said it had to abide by the court order.

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Portuguesa and its fans have been filing lawsuits in civil courts trying to get reinstated to the top division of the Brazilian league. The club was relegated last year after a sports tribunal stripped it of four points for using a suspended player in the final round. Officials claim the Brazilian federation did not properly advise the club of the suspension.

The new court ruling gives the points back to Portuguesa and voids its relegation, putting in jeopardy the start of the first division on Saturday. The federation has reversed similar rulings recently, but it remains unclear how the weekend matches will be affected if it can't overturn this court order.

The league turmoil comes as Brazilian football is under increased scrutiny with the World Cup less than two months away. The country's image has already been tarnished by significant problems with its World Cup preparations.

Portuguesa already knew of the legal victory but had decided to play on Friday to avoid disrupting the tournament. However, officials said that they could not go against the court order after the official showed up at the stadium in the southern city of Joinville.

"I'm just an employee," Portuguesa coach Argel said. "I have to follow the club's orders. It's a decision by the president."

Joinville players remained on the pitch and the referee waited 30 minutes before officially ending the match.

"This is not our problem," Joinville president Nereu Martinelli told local media. "Now it's up to the federation to solve this."

The Brazilian football federation said the match official and the referees did not have to accept the court order because the judge who issued the ruling did not have jurisdiction. It said Portuguesa was clearly advised to continue playing and because it opted not to, it is in danger of losing points.

A day earlier, the federation had overturned a ruling from another club trying to play in the top flight. Icasa filed civil court lawsuits because one of the four teams promoted from the second division last year, Figueirense, used a player who was incorrectly registered. Icasa finished fifth and wanted to take Figueirense's spot, but a sports tribunal court dismissed its case because the club allegedly took too long to appeal.

The federation has already been warned by FIFA that the lawsuits could be a breach of the governing body's statutes and lead to sanctions for clubs and the federation itself. FIFA told the federation it is responsible for "prohibiting" members from going to civil courts over sports issues.

Portuguesa's demotion last year kept traditional Rio de Janeiro club Fluminense from becoming the first defending champion from being relegated in the Brazilian league.

Soccer Hot News

Rangers legend Jardine dies

Rangers legend Sandy Jardine has died aged 65, after an 18-month battle with cancer.

Jardine passed away on Thursday evening, with the club confirming the news on their official website.

“Sandy had been battling bravely against cancer for the past 18 months and was a regular visitor to Ibrox until a short time ago but he sadly passed away peacefully tonight surrounded by his family,” a Rangers statement read.

“Rangers has lost a man of dignity, class and honour tonight and the thoughts of everyone at the Club are with his wife Shona, children Steven and Nicola, his grandchildren and friends.”

Sir Alex Ferguson, a former team-mate of Jardine’s, passed on his sympathies to Jardine’s family.

“From Cathy and I, this is some of the worst news we have heard,” Ferguson said.

“Sandy was a noble and courageous man. The respect he is held in at Rangers is immense.

“He was one of the greatest players ever to wear the jersey.

“To Shona and family, we express our sympathy and sadness.”

Rangers manager Ally McCoist said he grew up watching Jardine ply his trade, and paid his respects to the club legend.

“There have been many great names associated with Rangers Football Club in our 142 year history and Sandy is a Rangers legend in every sense of the word,” McCoist said.

“We are all devastated by the news he has passed away, we have lost a great man today.

“I had the privilege of watching Sandy playing for Rangers when I was a young boy, I had enjoyed the pleasure of working with him closely since I returned to the club in 2007 and he was a truly remarkable human being.”

Jardine played 451 league matches for the Scottish powerhouse, before adding another 184 Premier League games – plus a two-year coaching stint – at Hearts.

The Edinburgh-born right-back also made 38 appearances for Scotland’s national team from 1970-79.

He helped Rangers to three Scottish top flight titles and 10 cup wins across the Scottish Cup and Scottish League Cup tournaments.

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Bobcats’ Jefferson aggravates foot injury in Game 2

Update 7:49 p.m.: Jefferson checks back in, because he's tough as nails, apparently. We'll see how many minutes he can play.

Bobcats center Al Jefferson left Game 2 vs. Miami in the first quarter, limping badly as he struggled with his torn plantar fascia he suffered in Game 1. Jefferson started 1-for-5, and was clearly struggling to get up the floor. Doctors have informed Jefferson that there's no further damage that can be done to his foot from playing on it, but the condition is exceptionally painful; he's running on torn connective tissue on the bottom of his foot. That's not fun.

Steve Clifford told TNT at the quarter interview that Jefferson came out and said "he thought it ripped a little bit more."

The Heat finished the quarter on a massive run, going up by 10, 29-19 in the first quarter. The Bobcats were already at a huge disadvantage offensively in this series. Without Jefferson, this series could be over quickly.

Topics: Al Jefferson, 2014 NBA Playoffs, Charlotte Bobcats, Miami Heat, NBA

Basketball Hot News

Jason Collins makes the Time 100

Jason Collins – the first openly gay current athlete in North American team sports – inspired a road crowd to applaud a benchwarmer. He inspired a college football player and a college basketball player to come out. And he inspired countless young athletes to be comfortable in their own skin and accepting of others.

That’s why Collins became a member of the Time 100, a list of the world’s most-influential people.

Chelsea Clinton wrote the short essay on Collins:

I met Jason Collins when we were freshmen at Stanford. Not surprisingly, the first thing I noticed was his height. The second thing I noticed was his kindness off the court — and his fierceness on it. Kindness to his friends, his family and fans. Fierceness in his drive to win. Jason has always been focused on others, on what’s right for those he loves, and on helping those whose jersey is the same as his.

Jason’s kindness and fierceness alike derive from that word too often bandied about and too rarely true: integrity. Jason has always maintained he’s first a basketball player. He is. But he’s also a leader and an inspiration.

Collins was the only basketball player on the list, making him – in Time’s judgment – the most influential person in the NBA. And I’d agree. His news transcended sports in ways the happenings of the league’s top players don’t.

Though Collins was the only NBA player to make the 100, Dwyane Wade also appeared as the writer of the Serena Williams essay:

I first met Serena over a decade ago in Miami when I joined the Heat. Since then, I’ve watched her grow and dominate in her sport, overcoming adversity to win title after title. There is no doubt that she has made an incredible impact on the world of tennis, but it’s her determination to never give up that has always resonated with me.

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Pierce: Nets were ‘soft’ in Game 2 setback at Toronto

Paul Pierce says his team played soft in Game 2. (USATSI)

More postseason coverage: Playoff schedule, results | Court Vision

The Nets missed an opportunity to go up 2-0 on the Raptors, so Paul Pierce is saying his team was soft. Wow, OK.

“We were a soft team tonight,” Pierce said, via the New York Post.



“[That's] frustrating, especially when you have an opportunity [to win]. That is where the game is won — in the trenches. We can't give up [19] offensive rebounds, especially. That is tough to overcome."

Despite what Pierce described, the Nets had a tremendous opportunity to win the game, starting with a great look from 3 that he missed with 24 seconds left.

But like Pierce said, the Raptors did crank their physicality and intensity, really putting their work in on the glass as well as the defensive end. The Raptors scored 36 points on the Nets in the fourth quarter, overcoming deficits to even the series up.

With his old Boston buddy Kevin Garnett alongside, Pierce obviously is used to a certain toughness in the postseason for his team. But the Nets apparently didn't bring that in Game 2. Still, mission accomplished in stealing home court advantage and taking a 1-1 series back to Brooklyn. Soft or not, that's pretty important.

Topics: Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Brooklyn Nets, Toronto Raptors, NBA

Basketball Hot News

PBT Extra: How ’bout them Wizards?

The biggest story of the young playoffs so far is the play of the Washington Wizards — they are now up 2-0 on the Chicago Bulls and heading home for games three and four.

J. Michael of CSNWashington.com joins Kay Adams to talk all things Wizards: what the come-from-behind wins say about the team, what John Wall has been able to do not just as an offensive lynchpin but as a game manager, and of course the fantastic play of Nene.

You have to be pumped if you’re a Wizards fan who now looks ahead and sees the Pacers (or maybe Hawks, but probably Pacers) in the second round and think you have a chance to win more than one series this postseason.

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Eli Manning on ankle: I should be 100 percent by camp

Eli Manning expects to be back by training camp. (USATSI)

More NFL offseason: Mock Drafts | Prospect Rankings | Pro Days | Top free agents

Giants quarterback Eli Manning underwent a surprising ankle surgery earlier this month, stemming from a late-season injury that never quite healed on its own. The recovery time is supposed to take six weeks, meaning Manning probably won't be fully prepared for OTAs and mini-camps.

But as for training camp, Manning is pretty sure he'll be ready to go.

"You know, I think I could be safe to say I should be 100 percent by training camp," Manning said Tuesday, via the NY Daily News. "I would hope so. I would think for sure I'd be ready to go for training camp."

Manning was wearing a walking boot on his left foot, and he also addressed the question of why he would wait four months into the offseason before finally getting the arthroscopic surgery.

"We just felt this was the safest bet to go ahead and do the scope at this point, rather than waiting and seeing how it felt, going through OTAs and mini-camp," he said. "Then all of a sudden its June or July and then you might be missing training camp. We felt this was the safest bet. This will insure that I'm back 100 percent by training camp."

All of which, I suppose, is good news for Ryan Nassib and/or the newly-signed Josh Freeman, both of whom likely will get plenty of more reps without Manning around to practice. Conversely and unfortunately for the Giants, it's probably not great news for new offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo that his franchise quarterback won't be practicing the team's new scheme.

NFL Hot News

Cowboys QB Tony Romo expected to participate in offseason workout program this week



A wide majority of NFL teams begin their offseason program this week. One of those teams is the Dallas Cowboys, who actually start today. According to ESPN Dallas, they will have a very important player around from the open of the program. Quarterback Tony Romo, who underwent back surgery in December, is expected to participate.In this first phase of offseason workouts, players can lift weights, run sprints, and conduct football activities without the supervision of coaches and scouts.



It's just nice to know that Romo hasn't suffered any setbacks in his rehab after undergoing a procedure to take some stress off of a herniated disc in his back. Once again, Romo has a high fantasy ceiling this season, even as he turns 34 years old today. Pass-happy play-caller Scott Linehan will give Romo plenty of chances to put up boatloads of points.

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Suns’ Dragic named league’s most improved player

Goran Dragic has been named the NBA's most improved player. (USATSI)

More Playoffs: Schedule | Threat Matrix | Previews: East | West | Picks

Goran Dragic of the Phoenix Suns has been named the 2013-14 Most Improved Player, the league announced on Wednesday.

Dragic, who enjoyed his best season in the NBA, nearly led the Suns to an improbable postseason berth with 48 wins. He pulled in 65 first-place votes and 408 total points, topping runner-up Lance Stephenson who had 13 first-place votes and 158 total points.

The top nine (in order) was Dragic, Stephenson, Anthony Davis, Gerald Green, DeAndre Jordan, Kyle Lowry, Blake Griffin, DeMar DeRozan and Patty Mills.

Dragic, 27, averaged a career-best 20.3 points on 50.5 percent shooting plus 5.9 assists and 3.2 rebounds in 76 games. He really exploded for the Suns when backcourt mate Eric Bledsoe went down for two months with an injury and Dragic assumed the bulk of the offensive responsibilities for Phoenix. He scored a career-high 40 against the Pelicans on Feb. 28 in a 116-104 win.

Dragic was drafted 45th overall in 2006 by the Spurs.

Remember, for transparency, you can see how the entire media voted here.

Topics: Anthony Davis, Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan, DeMar DeRozan, Eric Bledsoe, Gerald Green, Goran Dragic, Kyle Lowry, Lance Stephenson, Patty Mills, Phoenix Suns, NBA

Basketball Hot News

Gerald Henderson rejects Udonis Haslem at the rim (VIDEO)

As we watch Game 2 between the Heat and the Bobcats unfold live, Miami isn’t exactly putting things away, but doesn’t appear to be in all that much danger of losing at the same time.

Nevertheless, Charlotte keeps putting runs together and making comeback attempts to keep the deficit manageable, and Gerald Henderson is more than doing his part.

This rejection at the rim of a Udonis Haslem dunk attempt was just one of Henderson’s highlight plays, from a night where he had a least a couple of others worth revisiting.

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NFL releasing schedule Wed. night

We live in a world where the release of the NFL schedule is big news. (USATSI)

More NFL offseason: Mock Drafts | Prospect Rankings | Pro days | Top free agents

Because the NFL has fashioned itself into a year-round spectacle, every event, no matter how seemingly meaningless, now takes on the same importance usually reserved for high-profile get-togethers (like, say, the NBA playoffs).

BEHOLD:

NFL announces that it will announce it's 2014 schedule on its TV network tomorrow at 8pm. Yeah, it's their world. We're just livin' in it

— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) April 22, 2014

That's right: The NFL will announce the 2014 schedule Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET on the NFL Network because, well, they can.

If you thought Day 3 of the NFL Draft was boring (seriously, the league has made watching an old guy in a suit read names off a card for eight hours must-see TV), this is worse.

NFL player in text to me: "I think you writers would rather talk about the NFL schedule than be with a girl." Um…well…ah…no comment?

— mike freeman (@mikefreemanNFL) April 22, 2014

Then again, that's the NFL's plan: Remain a storyline, even when the season is four months off.

NFL Hot News

Rams QB Sam Bradford is 'realistically way ahead of schedule' in ACL rehab



Rams head coach Jeff Fisher said Sunday that quarterback Sam Bradford is doing really well as he rehabs from reconstructive left knee surgery in November. And he wants you to know that he really means it."You're not gonna hear a head coach say he has a player on his team that's not ahead of schedule coming off an ACL," Fisher said. "Everybody says they're all ahead of schedule. But [Bradford] is realistically way ahead of schedule. He's working hard."Bradford won't do much at the start of the Rams' offseason workout program this week. Fisher said Bradford will be throwing at some point in mid-June during OTAs. He is expected to be healthy by the beginning of training camp.



This season is yet another critical one of Bradford. He gets a pass because of last year's injury, but he needs to pick up where he left off as he was on track to have a career year. The Rams have found a running game in Zac Stacy and have an excess of high-upside receivers surrounding Bradford. The Rams could still use another proven veteran in that group and should make offensive line a high priority in the draft. The point being is that the Rams have done a lot to give Bradford what he needs to succeed. Now it's on him.Bradford is a QB2 for fantasy purposes, but he's only 26, and his stock definitely has room for growth.

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Pacers bounce back, rally past Hawks to tie series

Basketball Hot News

Report: James Dolan meddles into Phil Jackson’s attempts to fire Knicks employees

“Willingly and gratefully.”

That’s how Knicks owner James Dolan chortled he’d cede control to Phil Jackson when the Zen Master was introduced as the team’s new president.

I believe Dolan meant it – or at least wanted to mean it. He wasn’t paying Jackson $60 million to preserve the status quo, and if that meant changing how Dolan himself did things, he probably believed he was up to it.

But like the scorpion who hitched a ride across the river on a frog and then stung the frog, drowning them both, Dolan is meddling again despite his best intentions. It’s in his nature.

Frank Isola of the New York Daily News:

Just one month into his role as Knicks president, Jackson has already clashed with Dolan, the chairman of Madison Square Garden, over personnel decisions, the Daily News has learned. According to a team source, Jackson is looking to remove several staff members, which is commonplace when a new administration takes over, but Dolan opposes removing certain employees.

According to the source, Dolan’s reaction to Jackson’s request was to tell the 11-time NBA championship coach to simply focus his attention on building a winning team. To say that “minor friction,” as one Garden source called it, can be classified as Jackson’s honeymoon with Dolan being over may be stretching it a bit.

Howard Beck of Bleacher Report:

CAA represents two key members of the front office, Allan Houston and Mark Warkentien, and has close ties to general manager Steve Mills. All three are likely to be cut loose or pushed into new roles.

Jackson, inexperienced as an executive, needs a seasoned general manager who shares his vision. That probably means a reassignment for Mills, who did little in his one season as the Knicks’ president and GM.

The same goes for Houston, a favorite of owner James L. Dolan who has been serving a front-office apprenticeship for six years but has gained little traction in NBA circles as a viable executive.

It would be easy enough to move Mills back to the business side, where he began his Garden career, and to leave Houston in charge of the Knicks’ D-League affiliate, a role he already has.

Warkentien is the Knicks’ most experienced (and most networked) basketball official. But with Jackson pursuing a thorough housecleaning, Warkentien is surely on his way out, too.

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This was really inevitable. Dolan, over the years, has stocked the organization full of people he likes and forced out those he didn’t. It’s going to be painful to see those people lose jobs.

Among Dolan’s faults or virtues, depending on your perspective, is an incredible amount of loyalty to his friends/employees. Just look how long a leash Isiah Thomas got, and Dolan still occasionally vouches for him.

You think Dolan going to let Allan Houston get shown the door much more easily?

Here’s the thing, though: Jackson shouldn’t have full autonomy, and if he was promised it, that was a mistake. Dolan controls the franchise, and he should have some say in what happens. The buck ultimately stops with him, and he shouldn’t give Jackson – or anyone – free reign to operate unilaterally.

There’s a line somewhere, and from the outside, it’s difficult to see where this falls. Ultimately, it’s up to Jackson – like anyone who works for a boss – to convince Dolan why these firings are justified. That’s part of Jackson’s job, though one of the less-glamorous aspects of it.

There are surely comprises available, including giving the employees Jackson wants to fire reduced roles or Jackson using his contacts around the league to help them find soft landings. Or maybe the best move is to leak it to reporters in hopes of applying pressure to Dolan to back off, but given Dolan’s history with the media, that might cause a bigger rift. (To be clear, there’s no telling Jackson or his people leaked the information. It could have come from many possible sources.)

Really, this could all blow over quickly and harmlessly. If this is the worst meddling Dolan does, that wouldn’t be so bad.

But does anyone really believe this isn’t just the beginning?

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