Jacoby Jones dances his way onto network television with DWTS

They pulled Jacoby Jones all over Hollywood this week: Photo shoots, interviews, introductions, famous people. All those handshakes. Smile here, look there. He met Karina Smirnoff, who will be his partner on Dancing With The Stars, and after a few minutes he realized she was a female version of him – so full of life. Then he went on Good Morning America. And could you believe it, Jacoby Jones on Good Morning America? It wasn't all that long ago he was thrilled just to be on the Cox 10 channel back home in New Orleans. "I haven't been getting a lot of sleep lately," he said Thursday morning after finally returning to the Baltimore Ravens' practice facility. Jacoby Jones awaits a pass from Joe Flacco that resulted in a 70-yard TD against the Broncos. (AP)But this is his new life, the one born in a 2013 that has been like nothing he has known before. There was that catch in Denver, the 70-yard touchdown just seconds from defeat that instead sent the Ravens into overtime of a playoff game they would eventually win. Then came those two touchdowns in Super Bowl XLVII, the second a 108-yard kickoff return. If the catch in Denver didn't make him famous the Super Bowl did. It's funny how life works sometimes. It was slightly more than a year ago – Jan. 15, 2012 to be exact – when Jones' Houston Texans lost a playoff game in Baltimore. Jones mishandled a punt, which some Texans fans decided was the reason their team lost. They egged his house. They burned his jersey. A few months later, the Texans released him. He signed a contract with the Ravens, of all teams. Most NFL fans barely noticed. Then came Denver. Then came the Super Bowl. And now Dancing With The Stars. The thing is, his mother, Emily London-Jones, saw this coming. Back home in her living room at the house in New Orleans East – the one she rebuilt a year after Hurricane Katrina – she heard what she calls "a spiritual voice," and the voice told her that her son's "ladder will be greater than his past." She believed this voice and she told Jacoby he had to believe, too. She told him to believe in the positive. She told him to push past the pain of that bright, chilly afternoon when the punt didn't roll right into his hands. And so he signed with the Ravens and he smiled. And on the field as he stretched for practice or waited to catch passes or took a break between drills, he did what he always does when he feels happy: he danced. And the Ravens players watched him shaking and sliding his arms and they laughed. "You should be on Dancing With The Stars," they said. Jacoby Jones liked that idea. He watched Dancing With The Stars. He knew well that football players like Hines Ward and Donald Driver and Jason Taylor had danced on the show. He knew, too, they had done very well. Why couldn't he? If only someone would notice. But Hollywood didn't seem to have much interest in the third receiver on a team in Baltimore who just months before had his house egged for muffing a punt. Jacoby Jones kept dancing. He danced before games. He started to score touchdowns with the Ravens and when he did, he danced in the end zone. People asked about the dances. And when they did, he always said the same thing. "I'm trying to be on Dancing With The Stars." This was something his mother told him, too. "If you speak it in the name of Jesus and believe it, then it will come true," she said. And the more he spoke about Dancing With The Stars, the more people agreed with him. He would be perfect. As 2012 and the regular season ended, his quotes about Dancing With The Stars sprinkled into stories. Maybe his mother was right: Maybe if he did talk about something it really would come true. Then after the Ravens' Super Bowl win over the San Francisco 49ers, he was on Jimmy Kimmel Live. Kimmel asked him if he would like to be on Dancing With The Stars. Jones replied: "Do polar bears poo on ice?" Which apparently meant yes. Given Kimmel's show was on ABC, which carries Dancing With The Stars and the question seemed as much a setup as anything, he figured his dream might finally be about to come true. After a few days of negotiation with the network, it was. The show was making him a part of this season's cast. And back home in the house in New Orleans East, Emily London-Jones watched the announcement of this year's cast during the Academy Awards broadcast and screamed so loud that she later said: "You'd have thought I was going to be on the show." Jacoby Jones gives the ball to his mother Emily after he scored a TD in 2008. (AP)They always loved to dance, Emily and Jacoby. She divorced not long after Jacoby was born and surrounded him with a group of women in their 70s that included her grandmother and her great aunt. "Strong women and seasoned women," she called them. They called him "Coby." They spoiled him. They pacified him. They nurtured him. And they told him everything they had learned in life. "Be a kid as long as you can be and enjoy life because as an adult life gets serious," Emily's grandmother, the one Jacoby called "Maw Maw," said. Somehow they always believed he was destined to be a star. When Jacoby was born, it was Emily's sister – Jeanette Larkins – who named him. She called him Jacoby Rashad Jones in a combination of two of her favorite football players at the time: Redskins offensive tackle Joe Jacoby and Vikings receiver Ahmad Rashad. They believed he would be something big even after he transferred from Southeastern Louisiana to Lane College in Jackson, Tenn. And when pro scouts found him and the Texans made him their third-round pick in the 2007 draft they did what they always did: they danced. Larkins pulled her car out in front of her house on East Adams Court in New Orleans East, rolled down the windows and played the Cupid Shuffle on her car radio. Then everyone spilled from the house and began to dance on the asphalt. And as the neighbors heard the noise and ran from their houses, too, they asked in true New Orleans fashion: "What are we celebrating?" "My son just got drafted by the NFL!" Emily shouted. Soon everybody who lived on East Adams Court was in the middle of the street dancing to the Cupid Shuffle blaring from Jeanette Larkins' car. With a family like that, how could Jacoby Jones not love to dance? On Thursday morning, he sat in an office at the Ravens' headquarters and laughed. It was the 410th day since the muffed punt but it felt like 10 years. The 59 days of 2013 have been such a blur. The worst part is that it came early in the first quarter of a game the Texans would lose by a touchdown – a game in which Houston quarterback T.J. Yates was intercepted three times. To blame Jones for the defeat seems silly, but a big group of Texans fans did. He didn't even really fumble. The ball took a strange bounce on the turf and rolled slowly toward the end zone. Not wanting the Texans to be pinned along the goal line, he tried to pick up the rolling ball, when Baltimore's Cary Williams roared in and knocked the ball from his hands. Jones said he was shocked when he learned that people had burned his jersey. Emily says she was "hurt" by the egging and the jersey burning. But then came the release, which he and his agent requested, and the new start in Baltimore with the dancing and the winning and the Super Bowl night in the Superdome when he made everyone forget that fumbled punt.

Big East breakup picks up speed

The breakup of the Big East's football and basketball schools appears to be on the fast track. The major college football members will meet in Atlanta on Friday to discuss the departure of the seven basketball schools that are planning to leave the conference and create a new league. According to media reports Thursday, the basketball schools plan to have their new conference up and running for the 2013-14 school year and will pay the football schools to keep the Big East name and play its conference tournament at Madison Square Garden in New York. Big East Commissioner Mike Aresco told the AP in a phone interview no deal has been completed between the two groups but ''some of this stuff is clearly coming down to the wire.'' Aresco will be meeting with the presidents and athletic directors from the football members. The members that do not have FBS football programs will not be part of the meeting. The seven Catholic schools that are breaking away from the football part of the rebuilt Big East include some of its founding members and signature schools, such as Georgetown, St. John's and Villanova. The other departing schools are Seton Hall, Providence, DePaul and Marquette. Big East football is in the midst of a major makeover, with 2013 scheduled to be another season with lame duck members. Next year, Big East football will have holdovers Connecticut, Cincinnati, South Florida, Temple, Rutgers and Louisville, along with newcomers Central Florida, Memphis, Houston and SMU. In 2014, Louisville and Rutgers are likely on the way out - the Cardinals to the Atlantic Coast Conference and the Scarlet Knights to the Big Ten - and Tulane and East Carolina will join. Navy is schedule to join the Big East for football in 2015, and the conference is looking to add another member - Tulsa is the front-runner - to get to an even 12. The Big East is also putting the finishing touches on a new TV deal with ESPN. The network last week matched an offer made by NBC for the TV rights to the conference. The deal will be for seven years and pay the league about $130 million, though that figure would come down if the seven Catholic schools are not in the league next season. It had been presumed that the seven basketball schools would stay in the current Big East for another year, because time is getting tight to start a new conference. But with a TV deal reportedly waiting for them, it seems they're ready to ramp up the process. The seven basketball schools reportedly have an offer from Fox to broadcast its games that could earn the schools about $3 million per year, depending on how many more members they bring on. Butler, Xavier and Creighton are being talked about as potential targets. A faster-than-expected divorce between Big East football and basketball puts Notre Dame in an uncertain situation. The Fighting Irish have announced they will leave the Big East and join the ACC in everything but football and hockey, but no timetable has been set for their departure. Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick has said that he expected the Irish to stay in the Big East through next season. But what does that mean if the Big East is now the basketball-only schools? A phone message left for Swarbrick was not immediately returned Thursday night.

THIS DAY IN SPORTS HISTORY - FEBRUARY 28TH

1903 - Barney Dreyfuss & James Potter buy the Philadelphia Phillies for $170,000.

1925 - Longest win streak in Toronto Maple Leaf history (9 games).
1929 - Chicago Blackhawks lose record NHL 15th straight game at home.

1940 - Mario Andretti, Italian American race-car driver 

(1969 Indianapolis 500, 1978 Formula One World Champion) is born.

1953 - Jim Thorpe, versatile American athlete (Olympics-gold-1912), dies at 64.

1957 - Jockey Johnny Longden's 5,000th career victory.

1959 - NFL trade, Chicago Cardinals trade Ollie Matson to LA Rams for 9 players.

1966 - Sandy Koufax & Don Drysdale begin a joint holdout against Dodgers.
1967 - Wilt Chamberlain sinks NBA record 35th consecutive field goal.
1970 - Bicycles permitted to cross Golden Gate Bridge.

1971 - 53rd PGA Championship: Jack Nicklaus shoots a 281 at PGA National, Florida.

Jack Nicklaus wins his 2nd golf grand slam.

1986 - Peter Uberroth suspends baseball players; Joaquin Andujar, Dale Berra, Enos Cabell, 

Keith Hernandez, Jeffrey Leonard, Dave Parker & Lonnie Smith for 1 year, 

after they admitted in Curtis Strong's trial in September, they used drugs

1989 - Red Schoendienst & Al Barlick elected to baseball's Hall of Fame.
1991 - Don Mattingly named 10th NY Yankee Captain.

1998 - Vancouver Canucks Mark Messier is 4th NHLer to get 1,600 points.

San Francisco 49ers send Alex Smith to Kansas City

Alex Smith quietly stayed behind the scenes after losing his job and watched from the sideline as San Francisco returned to the Super Bowl for the first time in 18 years. Yet the No. 1 overall draft pick from 2005 did make one thing known: The veteran quarterback still considers himself a starter. And he hoped to get that chance again. Now, he appears to have it. The Kansas City Chiefs have agreed to acquire Smith from the 49ers in the first major acquisition since Andy Reid took over as the team's new coach in early January, a person with knowledge of the trade told The Associated Press on Wednesday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal cannot become official until March 12, when the NFL's new business year begins. Another person familiar with the swap said the 49ers will get a second-round pick in April's draft, No. 34 overall, and a conditional pick in the 2014 draft. After spending his first eight up-and-down years with the 49ers, Smith will get a welcome new start. The Chiefs will get the proven play-caller they hope can help turn things around under a new coach much the way Smith did under Jim Harbaugh in San Francisco. ''You never know when your opportunity's going to come,'' Smith said late in the season. ''The good ones are ready when they do come.'' The Chiefs have gone this route before, acquiring Joe Montana from the 49ers nearly 20 years ago, in April 1993, after he won four Super Bowls but gave way to Steve Young - San Francisco's quarterback of the future. Not so different from Smith's situation last season behind second-year QB Colin Kaepernick. Moving Smith was hardly unexpected. He realized it once Kaepernick emerged as a capable starter over the season's final two months, and Smith all but said goodbye with his first pro team when he played briefly in the regular-season finale against Arizona to cheers of ''Let's Go, Alex!'' and ''Alex! Alex!'' from the Candlestick Park crowd. With Smith now headed for Kansas City, Matt Cassel is likely headed out of town. And Reid will enter his first draft as Chiefs coach in April no longer needing to search for a quarterback. The Chiefs' problems at quarterback are the single biggest reason they went 2-14 last season and secured the No. 1 pick in the draft for the first time in franchise history. It's been a long-running problem for a franchise that has tried Steve Bono and Elvis Grbac (two more one-time 49ers), and more recently Damon Huard, Tyler Thigpen and Tyler Palko at quarterback. And then there's Cassel. He was acquired by recently fired general manager Scott Pioli, and has two years left on a $63 million, six-year deal. He will likely be cut once Smith is acquired. Cassel was benched last season in favor of Brady Quinn, who also is a free agent after going 1-7 as the starter. If Smith can bring the steady form that defined his last two years, the Chiefs might be able to establish a much-needed consistency under center. They also found themselves a team-first player who led the 49ers through workouts during the 2011 lockout. Under the three-year contract he signed last March, Smith is guaranteed $8.5 million in base salary for the 2013 season. Smith thrived under 49ers coach and former NFL quarterback Harbaugh in one-plus season as the starter. Then, just like that, it all changed after he sustained a concussion. Last week at the NFL combine, Harbaugh praised Smith and reiterated just how strong San Francisco was with Colin Kaepernick as the starter and someone with Smith's credentials at backup. Yet everyone knew it was likely the 49ers would do their best to improve Smith's situation considering all he did for the franchise for nearly the past decade. ''Alex is really playing the best football of his career the last two years,'' Harbaugh said. ''We think we got the best quarterback situation in the National Football League, feel strongly about that. Again, that'll be a process that plays out. Alex Smith continuing to be a 49er or if a trade occurs in the next weeks or months. Those are the two possibilities, most likely possibilities.'' Smith acknowledged when he lost the job to Kaepernick back in November that he had done nothing wrong but get hurt. Not only had he completed 26 of his previous 28 passes - 18 of 19 for 232 yards and three touchdowns without an interception and a 157.1 passer rating in a Monday Night Football win at Arizona on Oct. 29 - Smith had just earned NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors after that victory in the desert. He then sustained a concussion in the second quarter of a 24-24 tie against St. Louis on Nov. 11 - saying later he threw a touchdown pass with blurry vision. Smith sat out the next game as Kaepernick dazzled in his debut as an NFL starter, beating the Bears handily at home on Monday Night Football. After that, Harbaugh vowed to stick with the ''hot hand,'' as he regularly put it, while complicating matters by still referring to Smith as a starter. Smith's most poignant response to the situation was, ''I feel like the only thing I did to lose my job was get a concussion.'' Kaepernick led the 49ers to the NFC championship and a 34-31 loss to Baltimore in the Super Bowl in his second season. Now the 49ers are looking for his backup. The 28-year-old Smith struggled for most of his career in San Francisco, plagued as much by coaching and constant coordinator changes as by his own indecisiveness. But when Harbaugh became coach in January 2011, Smith blossomed under the former QB's guidance. He was among the league leaders in passer rating (104.1) with a 70.2 completion percentage when he got hurt last season. Fox Sports first reported the deal Wednesday.

THIS DAY IN SPORTS HISTORY - FEBRUARY 27TH

1874 - Baseball first played in England, at Lord's Cricket Grounds.

1927 - For second Sunday in a row golfers in South Carolina arrested for violating Sabbath.

1959 - Chicago Cardinals trade running back Ollie Matson to LA Rams for 9 players.

1959 - Boston Celtic Bob Cousy sets NBA record with 28 assists 

as the Celtics score 173 points against Minneapolis Lakers.
1960 - US Olympic Ice Hockey Team beats USSR 3-2 en route to a gold medal.
1963 - Mickey Mantle of the NY Yankees signs a baseball contract worth $100,000.
1973 - Dick Allen signs a record $675,000 3-year contract with the White Sox.

1987 - NCAA cancels SMU's entire 1987 football schedule 

for gross violations of NCAA rules regarding athletic corruption.

1988 - Bonnie Blair (US) wins Olympic 500m speed skating in record 39.1.

1992 - Tiger Woods, 16, becomes youngest PGA golfer in 35 years.

John Harbaugh inducted into Miami's Cradle of Coaches

Ravens coach John Harbaugh will be inducted into the ''Cradle of Coaches'' association at his alma mater Miami University next year. Harbaugh's team won the Super Bowl, beating his brother Jim's San Francisco 49ers 34-31 for the Ravens' second NFL title. He graduated from the southwest Ohio school in 1984. A bronze, life-size statue of Harbaugh will be added to the Cradle of Coaches display on a plaza outside Yager Stadium early next year, joining the statues of Paul Brown, Bo Schembechler, Weeb Ewbank, Ara Parseghian, Earl ''Red'' Blaik, Carm Cozza, Paul Dietzel, and John Pont. The statues honor Miami graduates who have been named a coach of the year at the college or professional level, won a national college or NFL title, or been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame or the Pro Football Hall of Fame. ''To me, there is no greater recognition in coaching,'' Harbaugh said in a statement. ''To be included with these great men is something only dreamed about.'' When the Ravens won the Super Bowl, Harbaugh joined Ewbank and Brown as Miami alumni who have taken their teams to NFL titles. Ewbank won NFL titles with the Baltimore Colts and a Super Bowl title with the New York Jets. Paul Brown won NFL titles with the Cleveland Browns before the Super Bowl era.

THIS DAY IN SPORTS HISTORY - FEBRUARY 26TH

1839 - Jem Mason on Lottery wins 1st Grand National Steeplechase (Britain).

1887 - Grover Cleveland Alexander, HOF baseball pitcher (Phillies, Cubs) is born.

1918 - Stands at Hong Kong Jockey Club collapse & burn, killing 604.

1935 - NY Yankees release Babe Ruth, he signs with the Boston Braves.

1962 - Wilt Chamberlain of the NBA Philadelphia Warriors scores 67 points vs NY.

1981 - 84 penalties (406 mins) assessed for a brawl between NHL Minnesota & Boston.

1987 - NBA's Michael Jordan's 58 points is a Chicago Bull record.
1987 - Washington blocks 20 Indiana shots tying NBA regulation game record.

1989 - NY Yankees announce that Tom Seaver is their new TV sportscaster.
1989 - California court throws out most of Margo Adams's $12 million 

breach-of- contract suit against Red Sox third baseman Wade Boggs.

1991 - Bill Veeck & Tony Lazzeri elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

2009 - Norm Van Lier, Basketball player and broadcaster (b. 1947) dies.
2009 - Johnny Kerr, Basketball player and Chicago Bulls broadcaster (b. 1932) dies.

Tom Brady gets 3-year extension

Tom Brady will be a Patriot until he is 40 years old. Brady agreed to a three-year contract extension with New England on Monday, a person familiar with the contract told The Associated Press. The extension is worth about $27 million and will free up nearly $15 million in salary cap room for the team, which has several younger players it needs to re-sign or negotiate new deals with. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the extension has not been announced. Sports Illustrated first reported the extension. The 35-year-old two-time league MVP was signed through 2014, and has said he wants to play at least five more years. A three-time Super Bowl champion, Brady will make far less in those three seasons than the going rate for star quarterbacks. Brady currently has a four-year, $72 million deal with $48 million guaranteed. Drew Brees and Peyton Manning are the NFL's highest-paid quarterbacks, at an average of $20 million and $18 million a year, respectively. Brady has made it clear he wants to finish his career with the Patriots, whom he led to Super Bowl wins for the 2001, 2003 and 2004 seasons, and losses in the big game after the 2007 and 2011 seasons. By taking less money in the extension and redoing his current contract, he's hopeful New England can surround him with the parts to win more titles. Among the Patriots' free agents are top receiver Wes Welker and his backup, Julian Edelman; right tackle Sebastian Vollmer; cornerback Aqib Talib; and running back Danny Woodhead. Brady has been the most successful quarterback of his era, of course, as well as one of the NFL's best leaders. His skill at running the no-huddle offense is unsurpassed, and he's easily adapted to the different offensive schemes New England has concentrated on through his 13 pro seasons. The Patriots have gone from run-oriented in Brady's early days to a deep passing team with Randy Moss to an offense dominated by throws to tight ends, running backs and slot receivers. Brady holds the NFL record for touchdown passes in a season with 50 in 2007, when the Patriots went 18-0 before losing the Super Bowl to the Giants. He has thrown for at least 28 touchdowns seven times and led the league three times. Last season, Brady had 34 TD passes and eight interceptions as the Patriots went 12-4, leading the league with 557 points, 76 more than runner-up Denver.

THIS DAY IN SPORTS HISTORY - FEBRUARY 25TH

1933 - Major NFL rule changes (hash mark 10 yds in, posts on goal line).
1933 - Thomas Yawkey purchases Boston Red Sox.
1941 - Boston Bruins set NHL record of 23-game unbeaten streak (15-0-8).
1951 - Babe Didrikson-Zaharias wins Orlando Florida 2 Ball Golf Tournament.

1957 - Supreme Court decides 6-3, baseball is only antitrust exempt pro sport.
1961 - Niagara ends St Bonaventura's 99-game home basketball win streak.

1964 - Muhammad Ali (Cassius Clay) TKOs Sonny Liston in 7 rounds for Heavyweight boxing title.
1969 - Pension plan for baseball is agreed to.
1972 - Lopsided trade, Cardinals trade Steve Carlton to Phillies for Rick Wise.
1974 - Veronica & Colin Scargill (England) begin tandem bicycle ride 

a record 18,020 miles around the world, completed on August 27, 1975.
1977 - New Orleans' Pete Maravich sets NBA record for a guard with 68 points.

1987 - LaMarr Hoyt is banned from baseball for 1987, due to drug abuse.
1987 - Michael Jordan, scores Chicago Bull record 58 points in a game.
1989 - Dallas Cowboys' new owner fire coach Tom Landry after a 29-year career.

1994 - Phil Rizzuto elected to Baseball Hall of Fame.

Matt Kuchar wins Match Play Championship

Even in the most stressful form of golf, Matt Kuchar and his easy smile made the Match Play Championship look like a weekend game with his buddies. It was fun when he built a 4-up lead at the turn. And when Hunter Mahan threw his best golf at him during a wild back nine Sunday at Dove Mountain, Kuchar never looked rattled, never felt as if the match belonged to anyone but him, and never lost the lead. Kuchar kept momentum on his side with four birdies on the back nine, the last conceded on the 17th hole for a 2-and-1 victory. He captured his first World Golf Championship and put his name in the conversation as among the most lethal players in match play. In his case, looks are deceiving. ''Match play I find to be such an amazing, unique format, so much fun to play and so much pressure,'' Kuchar said. ''It seems like each hole there's so much momentum riding and so much pressure on every hole. To come out on top after six matches of playing the top 64 guys in the world, it's an incredible feeling.'' Mahan, trying to join Tiger Woods as the only back-to-back winners of the Match Play Championship, had gone 169 holes without trailing dating to the opening round last year until Kuchar won the fourth hole of the championship with a par. Mahan never caught up, though it wasn't from a lack of effort. Every time he cut into the deficit, Kuchar answered the challenge - a 15-foot birdie putt on the 12th hole with Mahan in tight, and a 10-foot birdie putt on the 15th with Mahan poised to cut the lead to one hole. And he did it all with that warm smile on a day so frigid they traded golf hats for ski caps. ''He does it differently,'' said Mahan, who had to get past the ultra-intense Ian Poulter in the semifinals earlier Sunday. ''He's more like a fuzzier, Peter Jacobsen kind of guy who likes to talk. He's super competitive, there's no doubt about it. He plays golf to win, and he works hard at it. I think he really enjoys playing. When you play against him, you know what you're going to get. You're going to get a competitive guy who's probably not going to make mistakes.'' This time, it was Mahan who made the mistakes. He allowed Kuchar to win consecutive holes with pars, and Mahan fell further behind when Kuchar hit pitching wedge to 3 feet for birdie on the par-3 sixth and Mahan hit a poor second shot that kept him from matching birdies with Kuchar on the par-5 eighth. But even 4 down at the turn, there was never a dull moment on the back nine. For all the great shots in a 25 mph wind that felt harsh with the cool, desert air, the match ended with a thud. Kuchar was 1 up on the 17th hole when both drove into the bunker. Their golf balls were only a few feet apart, but Mahan's had sunk slightly in the sand, making it difficult for him to get a clean hit. He came up woefully short, the ball rambling through the desert until it landed in a bush. It took him four shots to reach the green, and with Kuchar only about 4 feet away, Mahan conceded the birdie and the match. ''Just had a bad stretch against Matt on the front nine there that put me just a little bit too far behind,'' Mahan said. Kuchar became the second player in the last three years to win the Match Play Championship without ever playing the 18th hole. Mahan nearly forced him to the final tee. He made a long two-putt par to win the 10th, and played a tough chip from the mound of a bunker to about 6 feet for a birdie on the next hole, cutting the lead in half. Mahan followed with a tee shot into about 10 feet on the par-3 12th, the momentum squarely on his side. Kuchar, however, followed with an 8-iron to just inside 15 feet and made the birdie putt. ''The shot was certainly good, but the putt was really crucial, and when that went in, I felt like I was still in control of the match,'' Kuchar said. ''Had that putt not gone in, it would have been only a 1-up lead, and I think the match was in anybody's hands at that point.'' On the par-5 13th, Mahan hit a poor approach from the fairway and Kuchar got up-and-down to restore his lead to 3 up. Kuchar came up with one more clutch shot. With a 2-up lead on the 304-yard 15th hole, the breeze at his back, Kuchar chipped about 10 feet past the hole with Mahan only 6 feet away for birdie. Kuchar holed the putt and escaped with a halve. Mahan won the 16th with a two-putt par when Kuchar's tee shot bounced off the corporate tents behind the green, and it looked as though the match would go down the 18th for the first time in nine matches for Kuchar. Both hit into the fairway bunker on 17, but Mahan's ball was slightly sunk in the sand, and his approach never came close to reaching the green. Instead, it rolled through a patch of desert until it lodged in a bush. Kuchar's record in this event improved to 15-3, the highest winning percentage of anyone who has played at least 10 matches. He has reached the quarterfinals each of the last three years, and this time went all the way. In the semifinals Sunday morning, when the wind chill hit a low of 37 degrees with the wind, Kuchar had no trouble against Jason Day in a 4-and-3 win. Mahan hit a series of remarkable wedge shots in beating Poulter, 4 and 3, in his semifinal. He twice hit difficult chips inside 5 feet to win holes, and then seized control with a chip-in from about 70 feet on the 12th hole to take command. Day defeated Poulter in the consolation match, 1 up. It was the first all-American final in five years at the Match Play Championship, and Kuchar's win gave the Americans a clean sweep of the PGA Tour's West Coast Swing for the second straight year. He moves to No. 8 in the world and picked up $1.5 million, and now has earned just over $3.2 million from his last two wins. Kuchar and Woods are the only former U.S. Amateur champions to win the Match Play Championship. Kuchar won the Amateur in 1997, the year after Woods turned pro. He recalls being in the semifinals with three Walker Cup players and feeling out of his league. That wasn't the case this year, even against Mahan. Collectively, they have a 27-4 record at this event the last three years. ''The difference today I think is just all that experience now,'' Kuchar said. ''I step up to a first tee and I feel confident and I feel like I belong out here. Back in '97, I was so new to it, I wasn't sure I belonged. I loved being out there, but it was ... I was way more nervous than I am today. ''

Yankees OF Curtis Granderson breaks arm, out 10 weeks

Curtis Granderson jogged to first base after being hit on his right forearm as if it was a minor annoyance. Back at the ballpark in a brace a couple of hours later, it was clear the New York Yankees had a pretty big power problem on their hands. In his first at-bat of spring training, the slugger broke his arm when he hit by a pitch from Toronto's J.A. Happ in the bottom of the first inning Sunday, and is expected to be out until the first week of May. ''Grandy is not a bat you say is easy to replace, but we're going to have to find a way,'' Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. ''No one is going to feel sorry for you.'' The Yankees, who were beat 2-0 by a Blue Jays' split squad, first called it a bruise but X-rays revealed the break. ''Five pitches in we got a little setback,'' Granderson said. ''Now we rest, recovery, get it back, and get ready to play whenever that day comes.'' The team said Granderson could be out 10 weeks, which means he'll miss about a month of the regular season. ''Mentally, you understand this is part of it, but at the same time now there's not much I can do about it except do the best things I can to not make it worse,'' Granderson said. ''Keep myself ready to go.'' It's a major blow for the Yankees, who are already without Alex Rodriguez until at least the All-Star break. The Yankees also lost Nick Swisher to free agency. Granderson led New York with 43 homers last season. The Yankees hit 245 homers last year and had five players with at least 20. This year they could open the season with just two players, Mark Teixeira and Robinson Cano, who topped 20. Granderson was examined near first base before leaving the game. ''It didn't sound good,'' said Yankees third baseman Kevin Youkilis, who was in the on-deck circle when Granderson got hit. The Yankees were planning to experiment during exhibition games to see if they would move Granderson from center to left, with Brett Gardner going from left to center. That potential alignment is on hold. Girardi said that Gardner will likely start the season in center. Matt Diaz and Juan Rivera, in the competition for the fourth outfielder spot, could see increased playing time. ''We'll be forced to take a look at a short-term option,'' Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said. ''Obviously, we'll being get Curtis back. It's very early. We're still evaluating what we actually have in camp. The first month there will be a vacancy that we need to fill. Is that internal, external, I couldn't even tell you.'' Cashman said he is not in favor of giving infielder Eduardo Nunez a look in left field. Happ, coming back from foot surgery, went two scoreless innings, giving up three hits. ''The first inning, I was rushing a little bit, and not quite getting the extension I needed,'' Happ said. ''Going out for that second inning I felt much better. I was taking my body toward home instead of first there.'' Happ reached out to Granderson before the ourfielder left the stadium for X-rays. ''Definitely not throwing on purpose, he's trying to work on coming inside,'' Granderson said. ''It's a part of the game. Sometime you get hit. You just hope you get hit in a better spot.'' Projected as the team's sixth starter, Happ had a 10-11 record with a 4.79 ERA in 24 starts and four relief appearances last season. Yankees starter Adam Warren threw two hitless innings. The right-hander hit Brett Lawrie with a pitch in the second, which he said got away from him. ''Tried to go in with a fastball,'' Warren said.

Jimmie Johnson wins 2nd Daytona 500; Danica Patrick finishes 8th

A big first for Danica Patrick, but an even bigger second for Jimmie Johnson. Patrick made history up front at the Daytona 500 Sunday, only to see Johnson make a late push ahead of her and reclaim his spot at the top of his sport. It was the second Daytona 500 victory for Johnson, a five-time NASCAR champion who first won ''The Great American Race'' in 2006. ''There is no other way to start the season than to win the Daytona 500. I'm a very lucky man to have won it twice,'' said Johnson, who won in his 400th career start. ''I'm very honored to be on that trophy with all the greats that have ever been in our sport.'' It comes a year after Johnson completed only one lap in the race because of a wreck that also collected Patrick, and just three months after Johnson lost his bid for a sixth Sprint Cup title to go two years without a championship after winning five straight. Although he didn't think he needed to send a message to his competitors - ''I don't think we went anywhere; anybody in the garage area, they're wise to all that,'' Johnson said - the win showed the No. 48 team is tired of coming up short after all those years of dominance. ''Definitely a great start for the team. When we were sitting discussing things before the season started, we felt good about the 500,'' Johnson said, ''but we're really excited for everything after the 500. I think it's going to be a very strong year for us.'' Patrick is hoping for her own success after a history-making race. The first woman to win the pole, Patrick also became the first woman to lead the race. She ran inside the top 10 almost the entire race, kept pace with the field and never panicked on the track. Her only mistakes were on pit road, where she got beat on the race back to the track, and on the final lap, when she was running third but got snookered by the veterans and faded to eighth. That's going to stick with Patrick for some time. ''I would imagine pretty much anyone would be kicking themselves about what they coulda, shoulda have done to give themselves an opportunity to win,'' she said. ''I think that's what I was feeling today, was uncertainty as to how I was going to accomplish that.'' There were several multicar crashes, but no one was hurt and none of them approached the magnitude of the wreck that injured more than two dozen fans in the grandstand at the end of the second-tier Nationwide Series race on the same track a day earlier. Daytona International Speedway workers were up until 2 a.m repairing the fence that was damaged in the accident, and track officials offered Sunday morning to move any fans who felt uneasy sitting too close to the track. Several drivers said the accident and concern for the fans stuck with them overnight and into Sunday morning, and Johnson was quick to send his thoughts from Victory Lane. ''I just want to give a big shout-out to all the fans, and I also want to send my thoughts and prayers out to everybody that was injured in the grandstands,'' Johnson said. Dale Earnhardt Jr., whose father was killed in this race 12 years ago, was involved in Saturday's accident but refocused and finished second to Johnson, his Hendrick Motorsports teammate. ''Me personally, I was just really waiting to get the news on how everybody was, how all the fans were overnight, just hoping that things were going to improve,'' Earnhardt said, adding that he ''wasn't really ready to proceed until you had some confirmation that things were looking more positive.'' The race itself, the debut for NASCAR's new Gen-6 car, was quite similar to all the other Cup races during Speedweeks in that the cars seemed to line up in a single-file parade along the top groove of the track. It made the 55th running of the Daytona 500 relatively uneventful. When the race was on the line, Johnson took off. The driver known as ''Five-Time'' raced past defending NASCAR champion Brad Keselowski on the final restart and pulled out to a sizable lead that nobody challenged over the final six laps. Johnson and Keselowski went down to the wire last season in their race for the Sprint Cup title, with Johnson faltering in the final two races as Keselowski won his first Cup championship. Although it was a bit of an upset that stuck with Johnson into the offseason, it gave him no extra motivation when he found himself racing with Keselowski late Sunday for the Daytona 500. ''As far as racing with Brad out there, you really lose sight of who is in what car,'' Johnson said. ''It's just somebody between you and the trophy. It could have been anybody.'' Once Johnson cleared Keselowski on the last restart he had a breakaway lead with Greg Biffle and Patrick behind him. But as the field closed in on the checkered flag, Earnhardt finally made his move, just too late and too far behind to get close enough to the lead. Earnhardt wound up second for the third time in the last four years. But with all the crashes the Hendrick cars have endured in restrictor-plate races - teammate Kasey Kahne was in the first accident Sunday - team owner Rick Hendrick was just fine with the finish. ''We have a hard time finishing these races. Boy, to run 1-2, man, what a day,'' Hendrick said. Jeff Gordon, who was a contender early, faded late to 20th. And Johnson considered himself lucky to be the one holding the trophy at the end. ''Man, it's like playing the lottery; everybody's got a ticket,'' he said. ''I've struck out a lot at these tracks, left with torn-up race cars. Today we had a clean day.'' Mark Martin was third in a Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota. Keselowski, who overcame two accidents earlier in the race, wound up fourth in Penske Racing's new Ford. Ryan Newman was fifth in a Chevy for Stewart-Haas Racing and was followed by Roush-Fenway Racing's Greg Biffle, who was second on the last lap but was shuffled back with Patrick to finish sixth. Regan Smith was seventh for Phoenix Racing, while Patrick, Michael McDowell and JJ Yeley rounded out the top 10. Patrick was clearly disappointed with her finish. When the race was on the line, she was schooled by Earnhardt, who made his last move and blocked any chance she had. Still, Patrick became the first woman in history to lead laps in the 500 when she passed Michael Waltrip on a restart on Lap 90. She stayed on the point for two laps, then was shuffled back to third. She ended up leading five laps, another groundbreaking moment for Patrick, who as a rookie in 2005 became the first woman to lead the Indianapolis 500 and now is the 13th driver to lead laps in both the Daytona 500 and the Indy 500. ''Dale did a nice job and showed what happens when you plan it out, you drop back and get that momentum. You are able to go to the front,'' Patrick said. ''I think he taught me something. I'm sure I'll watch the race and there will be other scenarios I see that can teach me, too.'' Earnhardt was impressed, nonetheless. ''She's going to make a lot of history all year long. It's going to be a lot of fun to watch her progress,'' said Earnhardt Jr. ''Every time I've seen her in a pretty hectic situation, she always really remained calm. She's got a great level head. She's a racer. She knows what's coming. She's smart about her decisions. She knew what to do today as far as track position and not taking risks. I enjoy racing with her.'' Johnson, one of three heavyweight drivers who took their young daughters to meet Patrick - ''the girl in the bright green car'' - after she won the pole in qualifications, tipped his cap, too. ''I didn't think about it being Danica in the car,'' Johnson said. ''It was just another car on the track that was fast. That's a credit to her and the job she's doing.'' The field was weakened by an early nine-car accident that knocked out race favorite Kevin Harvick and sentimental favorite Tony Stewart. Harvick had won two support races coming into the 500 to cement himself as the driver to beat, but the accident sent him home with a 42nd place finish. Stewart, meanwhile, dropped to 0-for-15 in one of the few races the three-time NASCAR champion has never won. ''If I didn't tell you I was heartbroken and disappointed, I'd be lying to you,'' Stewart said. That accident also took former winner Jamie McMurray, his Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Juan Pablo Montoya, and Kasey Kahne out of contention. The next accident - involving nine cars - came 105 laps later and brought a thankful end to Speedweeks for Carl Edwards. He was caught in his fifth accident since testing last month, and this wreck collected six other Ford drivers. The field suddenly had six Toyota drivers at the front as Joe Gibbs Racing and Michael Waltrip Racing drivers took control of the race. But JGR's day blew up - literally - when the team was running 1-2-3 with Matt Kenseth, Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch setting the pace. Kenseth, who led a race-high 86 laps, went to pit road first with an engine problem, and Busch was right behind him with a blown engine. Busch was already in street clothes watching as Hamlin led the field. ''It's a little devastating when you are running 1-2-3 like that,'' Busch said. Hamlin's shot disappeared when he found himself in the wrong lane on the final restart. He tried to hook up with Keselowski to get them back to Johnson, but blamed former teammate Joey Logano for ruining the momentum of the bottom lane. Hamlin offered a backhanded apology to Keselowski on Twitter, posting that he couldn't get close enough because ''your genius teammate was too busy messing up the inside line 1 move at a time.''

THIS DAY IN SPORTS HISTORY - FEBRUARY 24TH

1874 - Honus Wagner, HOF shortstop (Pittsburgh Pirates, 1900-17) is born.

1917 - Red Sox sell Smokey Joe Wood, his arm dead at 26, to Cleveland for $15,000.

1960 - US beats Germany in Olympic hockey finals round, 9-1.

1968 - Gary Unger begins NHL consecutive game record of 914 games.

1977 - Floyd Mayweather, Grand Rapids Michigan, featherweight boxer (Oly-Br-96) is born.
1978 - Kevin Porter, NJ, sets NBA record with 29 assists in a game.

1980 - USA Olympic hockey team defeats Finland, 4-2, to win the gold medal.
1981 - Boston Celtics begin 18 NBA game win streak.
1982 - Wayne Gretzky scores NHL-record 78th goal of season en route to 92.

1987 - LA Laker Kareem Abdul-Jabbar scores his 36,000th NBA point.
1988 - Matti Nykanen becomes Winter Olympics first triple gold medalist.

1990 - Tony Conigliaro, baseball player (Red Sox), dies of pneumonia at 45.

At least 30 NASCAR fans injured when car sails into fence at Daytona

At least 30 NASCAR fans were injured Saturday when a car sailed into the fence at Daytona International Speedway, and large chunks of debris - including a tire - flew into the grandstands. No fatalities were reported from the accident on the last lap of the Nationwide Series race. The crash began as the field closed in on the finish line, and rookie Kyle Larson's car came upon the wreck and went airborne into the fence that separates the track from the seats. Large chunks of Larson's car landed in the grandstands, and one of his tires appeared to fly over the fence and land midway up the lower section. The car itself had its entire front end sheared off, with the burning engine wedged through a gaping hole in the fence. Speedway President Joie Chitwood said 14 fans were treated on site, and 14 others were taken to hospitals. Chitwood didn't give any updates on their conditions. The number of those transported given by Chitwood was slightly lower than that given by local officials. Halifax Health spokesman Byron Cogdell said 12 people were transported to Halifax Health Medical Center in Daytona Beach and six others were taken to Halifax Health Medical Center of Port Orange. All were in stable condition, Cogdell said. Lindsay Rew, a spokeswoman for Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center, said its Daytona Beach hospital had one fan there who was in good condition. She said three others they had been expecting were diverted to another hospital. No fatalities were reported at either hospital. Cogdell said two people taken to the Halifax in Daytona Beach arrived in critical condition, and one of those had life-threatening injuries, both were upgraded to stable condition. The accident happened the day before the Sprint Cup Series season-opening Daytona 500 - NASCAR's version of the Super Bowl. Daytona workers could be seen repairing the large section of fence where Larson hit, as well as the wall that was damaged in the accident. ''First and foremost our thoughts and prayers are with our race fans,'' Chitwood said. ''Following the incident we responded appropriately according to our safety protocols, and had emergency medical personnel at the incident immediately. ''We're in the process of repairing the facility and will be ready to go racing tomorrow.'' As emergency workers tended to injured fans and ambulance sirens wailed in the background, a somber Tony Stewart skipped the traditional post-race victory celebration. Stewart, who won for the 19th time at Daytona and seventh time in the last nine season-opening Nationwide races, was in no mood to celebrate. ''The important thing is what going on on the frontstretch right now,'' said Stewart, the three-time NASCAR champion. ''We've always known, and since racing started, this is a dangerous sport. But it's hard. We assume that risk, but it's hard when the fans get caught up in it. ''So as much as we want to celebrate right now and as much as this is a big deal to us, I'm more worried about the drivers and the fans that are in the stands right now because that was ... I could see it all in my mirror, and it didn't look good from where I was at.'' The accident spread into the upper deck and emergency crews treated fans on both levels. There were five stretchers that appeared to be carrying fans out, and a helicopter flew overhead. A forklift was used to pluck Larson's engine out of the fence. Chitwood waited by steps as emergency workers attended to those in the stands. Across the track, fans pressed against a fence and used binoculars trying to watch. Wrecked cars and busted parts were strewn across the garage. ''It's a violent wreck. Just seeing the carnage on the racetrack, it's truly unbelievable,'' driver Justin Allgaier said. It was a chaotic finish to a race that was stopped for nearly 20 minutes five laps from the finish by a 13-car accident that sent driver Michael Annett to a hospital, where his Richard Petty Motorsports team said he would be held overnight with bruising to his chest. The race resumed with three laps to go, and the final accident occurred with Regan Smith leading as he headed out of the final turn to the checkered flag. He admittedly tried to block Brad Keselowski to preserve the win. ''I tried to throw a block. It's Daytona, you want to go for the win here,'' Smith said. ''I don't know how you can play it any different other than concede second place, and I wasn't willing to do that today. Our job is to put them in position to win, and it was, and it didn't work out.'' As the cars began wrecking all around Smith and Keselowski, Stewart slid through for the win, but Larson plowed into Keselowski and his car was sent airborne into the stands. When Larson's car came to a stop, it was missing its entire front end. The 20-year-old, who made his Daytona debut this week, stood apparently stunned, hands on his hips, several feet away from his car, before finally making the mandatory trip to the care center. He said his first thought was with the fans. ''I hope all the fans are OK and all the drivers are all right,'' Larson said. ''I took a couple big hits there and saw my engine was gone. Just hope everybody's all right.'' He said he was along for the ride in the last-lap accident. ''I was getting pushed from behind, I felt like, and by the time my spotter said lift or go low, it was too late,'' Larson said. ''I was in the wreck and then felt like it was slowing down and I looked like I could see the ground. Had some flames come in the cockpit, but luckily I was all right and could get out of the car quick.'' It appeared fans were lined right along the fence when Larson's car sailed up and into it, but Chitwood indicated there was a buffer. He said there would be no changes to the seating before the Daytona 500. ''We don't anticipate moving any of our fans,'' Chitwood said. ''We had our safety protocols in place. Our security maintained a buffer that separates the fans from the fencing area. With the fencing being prepared tonight to our safety protocols, we expect to go racing tomorrow with no changes.'' Larson's car appeared to hit where the cross-over gate - a section that can be opened for people to travel back and forth from the infield to the grandstands - is located in the fence. Previous accidents in which drivers hit crossover gates were severe, but the gates were in the wall and not the fence for Mike Harmon's accident at Bristol in 2002 and Michael Waltrip's at the same track in 1990. Still, NASCAR senior vice president Steve O'Donnell said it would be studied. ''I think we look at this after every incident,'' O'Donnell said. ''We've learned in the past certain protocols put in place today are a result of prior incidents. Again, our initial evaluation is still ongoing. But it's certainly something we'll look at. If we can improve upon it, we'll certainly put that in play as soon as we can.'' Larson had been scheduled to race his sprint car later Saturday night in Ocala, Fla., and even seemed restless to get there during the late stages of the Nationwide race. He pulled out of the event following the accident. ''Honestly, the race itself pales in comparison to the injuries sustained by the fans,'' said Chip Ganassi, the team owner who has Larson in his driver development program. ''Our thoughts and prayers go out to all the fans that were injured as a result of the crash. As for Kyle, I am very happy that he is OK.'' Keselowski watched a replay of the final accident, and said his first thoughts were with the fans. As for the accident, he agreed he tried to make a winning move and Smith tried to block. ''He felt like that's what he had to do, and that's his right. The chaos comes with it,'' Keselowski said. ''I made the move and he blocked it, and the two of us got together and started the chain events that caused that wreck. First and foremost, just want to make sure everyone in the stands is OK and we're thinking about them.'' Keselowski said the incident could cast a pall on the Daytona 500. ''I think until we know exactly the statuses of everyone involved, it's hard to lock yourself into the 500,'' Keselowski said. ''Hopefully, we'll know soon and hopefully everyone's OK. And if that's the case, we'll staring focusing on Sunday.''

Blackhawks set NHL record with 2-1 win over Sharks

For 17 games, nobody has been able to beat the Chicago Blackhawks in regulation. Now they own the best start in NHL history all to themselves. The Blackhawks set an NHL record for the best start to a season, beating the San Jose Sharks 2-1 on Friday night to give them at least one point in their first 17 games. Rookie Brandon Saad's short-handed goal early in the third period - and with 3 seconds left on a San Jose power play - snapped a 1-all tie and stood up as the game-winner. Chicago (14-0-3) won its fourth straight game to break a mark set by the 2006-07 Anaheim Ducks, who earned points in their first 16 games. The Blackhawks equaled that run Tuesday with a shootout win over Vancouver. ''It's nice to get another win and make history,'' the 20-year-old Saad said. ''Our group's had a great year so far, so we never expect anything less. ''We're celebrating the win now. I'm sure it will sink in a little bit more tomorrow, but it's awesome to be part of history.'' Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville also reflected on the record, but not for long. ''The guys should be proud of the achievement, the accomplishment,'' he said.'' I just think we shouldn't be happy with where we're at. We just want to keep trying to get better.'' Saad scored the go-ahead goal after closing in on the left wing one-on-one with San Jose defenseman Brent Burns. After a quick fake, Saad fired a shot from the circle that beat San Jose's Antti Niemi just under the glove 2:24 into the period. ''I just took him (Burns) wide and tried to get a shot off,'' Saad said. ''Luckily, I beat (Niemi) glove side. Sometimes power-play guys drop back a little, and I took advantage of it.'' Burns gave Saad too much room on the play, however, according to San Jose coach Todd McLellan. ''I thought that we let a player that wasn't very dangerous - not because he's not talented or anything - but a player in a situation that wasn't very dangerous skate into a primary scoring spot without even challenging him,'' McLellan said. ''I'm not sure if our goalie was on the angle or not,'' he added, ''but I'm disappointed we didn't challenge him earlier.'' Viktor Stalberg also scored for league-leading Chicago, which has earned a total of 31 of 34 possible points. Blackhawks goalie Ray Emery made 26 saves to win his fourth straight start and improve to 7-0. Chicago killed all four San Jose power plays, all of which occurred in a span of under 14 minutes late in the second and early in the third periods. ''(The record) is a notch in your belt, Emery said. ''It's special to do something as a group. ''The start of the year is the worst time to do it, I think,'' he added. ''You'd rather do it at the end, but it's great.'' Patrick Marleau scored for the Sharks, getting only his second goal in 11 games after getting nine in San Jose's first five games. Both Emery and Niemi were sharp throughout most of the game. But a misplay by Niemi led to Stalberg's goal at 16:40 of the second period, and he seemed fooled on Saad's score. Niemi stopped 32 shots. Niemi, who was the goalie when the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup in 2010, also let in a couple of soft goals in a 4-1 loss to the Blackhawks at the United Center last Friday. Chicago and San Jose faced each other for the third time in 17 days. The Blackhawks defeated the Sharks 4-1 last Friday and 5-3 in San Jose on Feb. 5. The Blackhawks had a full lineup for the first time since their season opener at Los Angeles. Chicago defenseman Brent Seabrook, forward Daniel Carcillo and goalie Corey Crawford returned from injuries. Seabrook missed Tuesday's game with a lower-body injury and Carcillo sat out 15 games since suffering a knee injury in the season opener. Crawford, who sat out three games with a upper-body injury, backed up Emery. Chicago forward Marian Hossa was back after being hit in the back of the head by Vancouver forward Jannik Hansen on Tuesday and leaving early in the third period. Hansen was suspended for one game by the NHL. Marleau broke the scoreless tie late in the first period. He connected with 14.2 seconds left to give San Jose a 1-0 lead. Emery made a point-blank pad save on Joe Pavelski's tip of Joe Thornton's shot from left wing, then Marleau pounced on the rebound in the slot. Emery got his left pad on Marleau's attempt, but the puck barely slid over the goal line. Stalberg tied it at 1 at 16:40 of the second on a play from the left corner. From a sharp angle and with traffic in front, Stalberg whipped the puck toward Niemi. It struck the inside of Niemi's left pad near the knee and deflected in. Saad's goal 2:24 into the third made it 2-1. Then Chicago's penalty killing and alert work by Emery helped preserve the lead. ''I thought we got better as the game went on, each and every shift, Quenneville said. ''We certainly got some energy off the penalty kill tonight, none more than getting the shortie in the third.'' Niemi was pulled for an extra attacker with 1:10 left, but Chicago kept the Sharks off the puck and off balance. Hossa missed an empty net in the final seconds.

THIS DAY IN SPORTS HISTORY - FEBRUARY 23RD

1874 - Major Walter Winfield patents game called "sphairistike" (lawn tennis).

1929 - Elston Howard, Yankee catcher (1st black NY Yankee/1963 AL MVP) is born.

1934 - Casey Stengel becomes manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers.
1938 - Joe Louis KOs Nathan Mann in 3rd Round for the Heavyweight boxing title.

1968 - Wilt Chamberlain becomes first NBAer to score 25,000 points.
1971 - Boston Bruins begin their 13 NHL game win streak.

1980 - Eric Heiden wins all 5 speed skating gold medals at Lake Placid Olympics.
1985 - Indiana basketball coach Bobby Knight throws a chair during a game.
1986 - Despite losing, Red Sox Wade Boggs gets largest arbitration ($1.35M).

1988 - Chicago gives Cubs rights to install lights & play up to 18 night games.
1991 - North Carolina is the first NCAA basketball team to win 1,500 games.

1994 - Indians owner Richard Jacobs announces he will pay $10 million 

to name baseball field (Jacobs Field) at Gateway (becomes official 3/23).

Oscar Pistorius gets bail as murder trial looms

Oscar Pistorius walked out of court Friday - free at least for now - after a South African magistrate released him on bail, capping four days of often startling testimony that foreshadowed a dramatic trial in the Valentine's Day slaying of his girlfriend. But as he was driven away, chased by photographers and cameramen, questions continued to hound the double-amputee Olympian about what actually happened the night he gunned down Reeva Steenkamp inside a locked bathroom in his home. Pistorius is charged with premeditated murder, and even Chief Magistrate Desmond Nair expressed doubts about his story that he mistook the 29-year-old model for an intruder and fired out of fear. ''Why would (Pistorius) venture further into danger'' by going into the bathroom at all, Nair asked. Cries of ''Yes!'' went up from Pistorius' supporters when Nair announced his decision to a packed courtroom after a nearly two-hour explanation of the ruling. Nair set bail at 1 million rand ($113,000), with $11,300 in cash up front and proof that the rest is available. The 26-year-old track star was also ordered to hand over his passports, turn in any guns he owns and keep away from his upscale home in a gated community in Pretoria, which is now a crime scene. He cannot leave the district of Pretoria without his probation officer's permission and is not allowed to consume drugs or alcohol, the magistrate said. His next court appearance was set for June 4. Earlier, Pistorius alternately wept and appeared solemn and composed, especially as Nair criticized police procedures in the case and as a judgment in the track star's favor appeared imminent. He showed no reaction as he was granted bail. Pistorius left the courthouse in a silver Land Rover just over an hour after the bail conditions were set. The vehicle, tailed by motorcycles carrying television cameramen, later pulled into the home of Pistorius' uncle. ''We are relieved at the fact that Oscar got bail today, but at the same time we are in mourning for the death of Reeva, with her family,'' said Pistorius' uncle, Arnold Pistorius. ''As a family, we know Oscar's version of what happened on that tragic night and we know that that is the truth and that will prevail in the coming court case.'' Dozens of journalists and international and local television crews had converged on the red-brick courthouse to hear the decision - a sign of the global fascination with a case involving a once-inspirational athlete and his beautiful girlfriend, a law school graduate and budding reality TV show contestant. Nair said Pistorius' sworn statement, an unusual written account of what happened during the pre-dawn hours of Feb. 14, had helped his application for bail. ''I come to the conclusion that the accused has made a case to be released on bail,'' Nair said. Pistorius said he shot Steenkamp accidentally, believing she was an intruder in his house. He described ''a sense of terror rushing over'' him and feeling vulnerable because he stood only on his stumps before opening fire. Prosecutors say he intended to kill Steenkamp as she cowered in fear behind the locked bathroom door after a loud argument between the two. Yet despite poking holes in Pistorius' version of events and bringing up incidents they say highlight his temper, the state's case started to unravel during testimony by the lead investigator, Detective Warrant Officer Hilton Botha. Botha, who faces seven charges of attempted murder in an unrelated incident, was removed from the case Thursday. His replacement, the nation's top detective, Vinesh Moonoo, stopped by the hearing briefly Friday. While Nair leveled harsh criticism at Botha for ''errors'' and ''blunders,'' he said one man does not represent an investigation and that the state could not be expected to put all ''the pieces of the puzzle'' together in such a short time. The prosecution accepted the judge's decision without protest. ''We're still confident in our case,'' prosecution spokesman Medupe Simasiku said. Pistorius faced the sternest bail requirements in South Africa because of the seriousness of the charge, which carries a life sentence if convicted. His defense attorneys had to prove that he would not flee the country, would not interfere with witnesses or the case, and his release would not cause public unrest. Nair questioned whether Pistorius would be a flight risk when he stood to lose a fortune in cash, cars, property and other assets. Nair also said that while it had been shown that Pistorius had aggressive tendencies, he did not have a prior record of offenses for violent acts. Anticipating the shape of the state's case at trial, he said he had serious questions about Pistorius' account: Why didn't he try to locate his girlfriend if he feared an intruder was in the house? Why didn't he try to determine who was in the bathroom before opening fire? And why did he venture into perceived ''danger'' in the bathroom when he could have taken other steps to ensure his safety? ''There are improbabilities which need to be explored,'' Nair said, adding that Pistorius could clarify these matters by testifying under oath at trial. Sharon Steenkamp, Reeva's cousin, said the model's family would not be watching the bail decision and had not been following the hearing. ''It doesn't make any difference to the fact that we are without Reeva,'' she told The Associated Press. Before the hearing, Pistorius' longtime coach, Ampie Louw, said he hoped to put the runner back into his training routine if he got bail. ''The sooner he can start working the better,'' said Louw, who persuaded the double-amputee to take up track as a teenager a decade ago. But he acknowledged Pistorius could be ''heartbroken'' and unwilling to immediately pull on the carbon-fiber running blades that earned him the nickname ''Blade Runner.''

THIS DAY IN SPORTS HISTORY - FEBRUARY 22ND

1860 - Organized baseball played in San Francisco for first time.

1888 - John Reid of Scotland demonstrates golf to Americans (Yonkers NY).

1918 - Charles O Finley, baseball team owner of the Oakland A's is born (d. 1996).

1956 - First British soccer match at Kunstlicht: Portsmouth vs Newcastle United.
1957 - Jockey Ted Atkinson, 3,500th win.
1957 - Walter O'Malley says Dodgers may play 10 exhibitions in California in 1958.
1959 - First Daytona 500 auto race-Lee Petty wins (135.521 MPH).
1962 - Wilt Chamberlain sets NBA record with 34 free throw attempts.

1980 - USA beats USSR in Olympic hockey 4-3 en route to a gold medal.

1984 - Brothers Anton & Peter Stastny score 8 points each for NHL Quebec.

1996 - Actress Halle Berry files for divorce from David Justice.
1997 - Annika Sorenstam wins LPGA Cup Noodles Hawaiian Ladies Open.

Bears hire Mike Groh as receivers coach

After spending two seasons and winning two national championships as Alabama's wide receivers coach, Mike Groh is heading to the pros. Groh will join the Chicago Bears as wide receivers coach, multiple media outlets reported Thursday. Groh, 41, is the last addition to the staff of new Bears coach Marc Trestman, according to the Chicago Tribune. A quarterback for the University of Virginia in the early 1990s, Groh went on to serve as wide receivers coach and quarterbacks coach for his alma mater. He worked his way up to being the Cavaliers' offensive coordinator from 2006-08. Groh served as a graduate assistant for national champion Alabama in 2009 before spending a year as Louisville's quarterbacks coach. He returned to the Crimson Tide for the past two championship seasons. Groh's father, Al, was the head coach of the New York Jets in 2000. Al Groh also had stints as the head coach at Wake Forest and Virginia, plus numerous stops as an assistant at the college and pro levels.

THIS DAY IN SPORTS HISTORY - FEBRUARY 21ST

1931 - Chicago White Sox & NY Giants play the first exhibition night game.
1948 - NASCAR is incorporated..
1952 - Dick Button performs first figure skating Triple Jump in competition.
1953 - Longest collegiate basketball game (6 OTs) Niagara beats Siena 88-81.
1957 - Dodgers (Fort Worth) & Cubs (LA) "trade" Minor League franchises.

1968 - Baseball announces a minimum annual salary of $10,000.
1969 - Ted Williams signs 5-year contract to manage the Washington Senators.

1973 - Chicago Blackhawks, record 262nd NHL game without being shut-out.
1979 - Two Iowa girls HS basketball teams play 4 scoreless 

quarters game was won 4-2 in 4th overtime period.

1985 - Tim Raines is awarded a $12 million salary for 1985 by arbitrator.
1986 - Tennis star Jimmy Connors fined $20,000 & suspended for 10 weeks.

1992 - Kristi Yamaguchi of US wins Olympic gold medal in women's figure skating.