Boston Bruins game postponed In Wake Of Explosion

BOSTON (AP)

The NHL says Monday night's game between the Ottawa Senators and Boston Bruins at TD Garden has been postponed in the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombings.

No makeup date has been scheduled.
The league says it ''wishes to express its sympathy to all affected by the tragic events that took place in Boston earlier this afternoon.''

Two bombs exploded near the finish line of the marathon on Monday, killing two people, injuring 23 others, and sending authorities rushing to aid wounded spectators. A senior U.S. intelligence official said two other explosive devices were found nearby.

Jennings leaves Packers to sign with Vikings

After more than a day of courting, Minnesota signed Green Bay Packers receiver Greg Jennings on Friday to a five-year contract. ESPN's Josina Anderson is reporting that Jennings' five-year deal is for $47.5 million with $18.5 million guaranteed. Jennings, 29, was the biggest-name receiver still available in free agency, and the Vikings were perilously thin at the position after the trade of Percy Harvin to the Seattle Seahawks earlier in the week.

"To me, he was a unique situation," Minnesota general manager Rick Spielman said of being aggressive in free agency with Jennings. "And I tell you guys all the time, if there's something unique out there that you have an opportunity to go get a player, we're very, very fortunate to have the ownership we have to give us the resources we need to go do a move like we did today. So, again, I'm a very strong believer in building through the draft, but every once in a while something unique will come about that you just want to make sure that you can try and get accomplished to get that player here."

Jennings, who was limited to a career-low eight games for the Packers last year, finished with only 36 catches for 366 yards and four touchdowns. He continues the border-state crossover in recent years that has seen former Packers Brett Favre, Ryan Longwell, Darren Sharper, Robert Ferguson and others head to Minnesota.brian hall

Robbie Rogers comes out as gay, retires

Former Columbus Crew and United States midfielder Robbie Rogers has come out as gay and announced his retirement effective immediately.

The 25-year-old American, who played for Leeds United and left League One side Stevenage last month, wrote on his blog that he had been afraid of revealing his sexuality - but that he is now leaving football.

Rogers, who won 18 caps for the United States men's national team, wrote: "Secrets can cause so much internal damage. People love to preach about honesty, how honesty is so plain and simple. Try explaining to your loved ones after 25 years you are gay.

"Try convincing yourself that your creator has the most wonderful purpose for you even though you were taught differently.''

He added: "Now is my time to step away. It's time to discover myself away from football.''.sky sports

Francisco Liriano Breaks Arm Scaring Kids?

Francisco Liriano was set to sign a two-year contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates this offseason, but the deal nearly fell apart when the left-hander suffered a broken arm. Fortunately the injury is to Liriano’s right arm, so he ended up agreeing to a one-year deal with the Pirates with a team option for 2014.
What makes Liriano’s broken arm so bizarre are the stories that have come along with it. A few weeks ago, a Dominican newspaper reported that Liriano fractured his right arm after he slipped and fell in a bathroom. The 29-year-old said that is not what happened at all, but that doesn’t make the injury any less of a fluke.
According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Liriano said he broke his arm while intentionally slamming it into a door on Christmas Day in an attempt to scare his children, who were in the room next door. The left-hander said he felt little pain at first but decided he needed to go to the hospital after about 20 minutes.
“I was surprised when I got to the hospital and they told me it was broken,” he explained.
Liriano said that his agent, Greg Genske, couldn’t believe it when he told him what had happened and that he would not be able to make the trip to Pittsburgh for his physical with the Pirates. He also said that he never spoke with anyone in the Dominican Republic about the injury, so he has no idea where the report from El Caribe came from.larry brown sports

Kaepernick tough on himself After Loss

Kaepernick said Tuesday that he'll be training in the Atlanta area within a week, and the strong-armed and fleet-footed quarterback will bring some of his receivers along with him. All of it is part of Kaepernick's quick evolution from backup to starter that will continue when he enters training camp as the unquestioned franchise star.

After losing 34-31 to the Baltimore Ravens in New Orleans on Sunday, Kaepernick summed up his breakout second season ''as not being good enough.'' He said the Super Bowl loss will stick with him ''for the rest of my life.'
'
''It's good to get the experience,'' Kaepernick said. ''We should have won that game regardless, though.''
A man of few words and a lot of yards, Kaepernick's potential might give 49ers fans reason to be optimistic more than anything following the first Super Bowl loss in the franchise's storied history.
Kaepernick threw for 1,814 yards and 10 touchdowns with three interceptions in the regular season, starting seven games after taking over for Alex Smith, who will likely be traded or released in the coming months to clear salary-cap space. He also ran for 415 yards and five touchdowns.
Kaepernick really ran away with his new role in the playoffs.

As San Francisco started utilizing more of the Pistol offense he made famous at Nevada, Kaepernick threw for 798 yards and four touchdowns in three postseason games. He also ran for 264 yards and three scores, including a quarterback-playoff record 181 yards rushing in a divisional-round victory over Green Bay.

''He was fantastic the entire season,'' 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh said. ''The stage was not too big for him. He competed at the highest level and played extremely well. He showed a lot of poise, a lot of leadership the entire game. I can't say enough, really. With Colin, it's always just appropriate.A/P

Super Bowl 2013 sets ratings record

Nielsen ratings reported the game scored a 48.1 rating and 71 share in its select measurement of big cities. That's 1 percent over a similar measurement in last year's game.
For three years in a row, the Super Bowl has set a new record for most-watched event in U.S. television history. Nielsen is expected to have an estimate of how many people watched the game later on Monday.

One ratings point represents 1,147,000 households, or 1 percent of the nation's estimated 114.7 million TV homes. The share means that 71 percent of TVs that were on at the time were tuned to the Super Bowl.

At CBS' request, that ratings figure did not include a 30-minute period when there was a partial power outage in the Superdome. During that period, the metered market rating was 46.5, nearly two full points behind the 45-minute period directly before it.
The network also drew criticism by the Parents Television Council for not moving quickly enough to edit out a profanity said by Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco shortly after the game. Flacco was caught by microphones describing his team's victory as ''f------ awesome.''

The game also illustrated the explosive growth of second screen activity. The company Trendrr TV, which tracks activity on Twitter, Facebook and other social networks, estimated there were 47.7 million social media posts during the game. That compares to 17 million during the 2012 Super Bowl and 3 million the year before that.a/p

X GAMES Caleb Moore, 25, Dies After Crash

The innovative freestyle snowmobile rider, who was hurt in a crash at the Winter X Games in Colorado, died Thursday morning. He was 25.

Moore had been undergoing care at a hospital in Grand Junction since the Jan. 24 crash. Family spokeswoman Chelsea Lawson confirmed his death, the first in the 18-year history of the X Games.
''He lived his life to the fullest. He was an inspiration,'' Lawson said.

A former all-terrain vehicle racer, Moore switched over to snowmobiles as a teenager and quickly rose to the top of the sport. He won four Winter X Games medals, including a bronze last season when his younger brother, Colten, captured gold.

Caleb Moore was attempting a backflip in the freestyle event in Aspen last week when the skis on his 450-pound snowmobile caught the lip of the landing area, sending him flying over the handlebars. Moore landed face first into the snow with his snowmobile rolling over him.
Moore stayed down for quite some time, before walking off with help and going to a hospital to treat a concussion. Moore developed bleeding around his heart and was flown to a hospital in Grand Junction for surgery. The family later said that Moore, of Krum, Texas, also had a complication involving his brain.A/P

Jerry Rice to Moss: Check the stats

''This is not about Randy and Jerry,'' Rice said Thursday. ''It's OK. I don't need to talk about being the best receiver. I don't need to do that. I don't need to pat myself on the back.''
Rice has a strong opinion on the matter, yet insists he won't come out and say he is the best ever. The former San Francisco 49ers star turned television man will offer one thought to Moss: Check the stats.
''I know he says you can't bring the stats into the scenario, but I think that's part of being the best receiver to play the game,'' Rice said Thursday. ''I'm just having fun with it right now. I think the thing is, I never took any plays off and I always gave 100 percent. Also, you put my numbers up against Randy's and my body of work compared to his, and there's a big difference.''

During media day Tuesday at the Superdome, Moss declared himself ''the greatest receiver ever to play this game.'' The 35-year-old Moss, who returned to the league this season after a year off, Moss made 28 catches for 434 yards and three touchdowns this season. In 2007, he broke Rice's single-season record for touchdown catches with 23. Rice had 22 in 1987.
Rice had 14 1,000-yard seasons. Moss is second with 10.

Rice, who played the first 16 of his 21 NFL seasons with San Francisco from 1985-2000, holds virtually every significant receiving mark. That includes most career receptions (1,549); yards receiving (22,895); total touchdowns (208); and combined net yards (23,546) in his career with San Francisco, Oakland and Seattle.

Rice gives Moss the nod for pure talent and athletic ability, but that's not all it takes.
''The thing about me guys - and I still say this today - I think Randy Moss was the most talented,'' Rice said. ''But along with being the most talented, you have to work hard - every season, every play. I was not the most talented, but I was going to outwork you. He probably could have been the greatest player ever to play the game. He's 6-5, could run a 4.3. Could outjump you. Struck fear in the heart of the defense. But you have to have it here, in your heart.''

Rice later pointed out that he wasn't questioning Moss' heart, just emphasizing his own and the passion for the game.
''This is how I impacted the game,'' Rice said, holding up the sparkly 1988-89 championship ring on his middle right finger, ''with Super Bowl rings. I'm hoping he can go out there and win his first one and be a big factor.''

Azarenka repeats as Aussie champ

Victoria Azarenka overcome an often hostile crowd to win back-to-back Australian Open titles, beating Li Na 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 in a dramatic final on Saturday that contained a break for fireworks, two medical timeouts and a nasty fall that caused Li to black out momentarily.
The Chinese star first tumbled to the court after twisting her left ankle, and had it taped after falling in the fifth game of the second set.

On the first point after a 10-minute pause in the third set while fireworks crackled overhead from nearby Australia Day celebrations, Li fell over again and slammed the back of her head into the court

The 2011 French Open champion was treated immediately by a tournament doctor and had another time out before being allowed to resume the match. The second incident didn't appear to affect Li's movement, but she later said it was a serious fall.
''I think I was a little bit worried when I was falling down,'' she said. ''The head was touching the floor. Because two seconds I couldn't really see anything. It was totally black.
''So when the physio come, she was like, `Focus on my finger.' I was laughing. I was thinking, `This is tennis court, not like hospital.''

Azarenka, who broke down in tears and sobbed into her towel when the match ended, won four of the next six games to claim her second major title and retain the No. 1 ranking.
''Unfortunately, you have to go through some rough patches to achieve great things. That's what makes it so special for me,'' she said. ''I went through that, and I'm still able to kiss that beautiful trophy.''

The win meant that Azarenka will maintain top spot and Serena Williams, who lost in the quarterfinals, will become the new No. 2 in the rankings.
On a crisp Saturday night, Azarenka won the coin toss and elected to receive, a ploy that seemed to work when a nervous Li was broken to start the match. After a double fault on the first point, Li's forehand long gave Azarenka the early lead.
The 2-hour, 40-minute match featured 16 service breaks, with Li losing her service nine times.A/P

NY JETS SHOPING REVIS AROUND?

The team has already put in place a new general manager in Jeff Idzik, and one of the new head man’s first actions may be dealing the team’s top defensive asset, cornerback Darrelle Revis.
CBSSports.com’s Jason La Canfora reported that Jets owner Woody Johnson doubts the team’s ability to re-sign Revis, whose contract voids after the 2014 season, and will explore trade options for the six-year pro to avoid losing him to free agency.

Contract talks have been turbulent between Revis and Jets ownership in the past, with the defensive back engaging in a high-profile holdout in 2010 that cost him the first three weeks of the season.
Acquiring the nickname “Revis Island,” the former first-round draft pick was among the NFL’s best defensive players from 2008 to 2011, earning Pro Bowl nods all four seasons. His 2012 campaign was nearly nonexistent, however, as Revis played just two games before tearing his ACL and being placed on injured reserve.

Despite the injury, Johnson reportedly has said that there are several teams with extra cap space open to bringing in Revis.nesn source

NCAA: Issue Found in Miami probe Case

The NCAA has found what it calls "a very severe issue of improper conduct" committed by former members of its own enforcement program during the Miami investigation, and will not deliver the long-awaited notice of allegations against the Hurricanes until an external review is completed.

NCAA President Mark Emmert announced the findings Wednesday. The sports governing body said former enforcement staff members worked with the criminal defense attorney for former Miami booster and convicted Ponzi scheme architect Nevin Shapiro "to improperly obtain information ... through a bankruptcy proceeding that did not involve the NCAA."
"I am deeply disappointed and frustrated and even angry about these circumstances," said Emmert, who also described it as "a shocking affair."

The NCAA would not reveal the name of the attorney involved. Shapiro has been represented by Maria Elena Perez, a Miami graduate. Perez did not immediately return a request for comment from The Associated Press on Wednesday. A person in Perez's office told the AP that the attorney was working in New York and would forward a message left at her office.

One key person in the investigation has been former Miami equipment-room staffer Sean Allen, who was deposed by Perez as part of Shapiro's bankruptcy proceedings. If the NCAA found it could not use the information gleaned in that particular deposition, that would be a development figuring to favor the Hurricanes

Miami President Donna Shalala in a statement released through the university that she is "frustrated, disappointed and concerned" that the NCAA may have compromised the investigation.
"As we have done since the beginning, we will continue to work with the NCAA and now with their outside investigator hoping for a swift resolution of the investigation and our case," Shalala said.
Shalala's statement also said Miami first informed the NCAA of possible violations more than two years ago.A/P
 

FAMILY OF JUNIOR SEAU'S FAMILY SUES NFL

The family of Junior Seau has sued the NFL, claiming the former linebacker's suicide was the result of brain disease caused by violent hits he sustained while playing football.

The wrongful death lawsuit, filed Wednesday in California Superior Court in San Diego, blames the NFL for its ''acts or omissions'' that hid the dangers of repetitive blows to the head. It says Seau developed chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) from those hits, and accuses the NFL of deliberately ignoring and concealing evidence of the risks associated with traumatic brain injuries.
Seau died at age 43 of a self-inflicted gunshot in May. He was diagnosed with CTE, based on posthumous tests, earlier this month.

An Associated Press review in November found that more than 3,800 players have sued the NFL over head injuries in at least 175 cases as the concussion issue has gained attention in recent years. More than 100 of the concussion lawsuits have been brought together before US District Judge Anita B. Brody in Philadelphia.

''Our attorneys will review it and respond to the claims appropriately through the court,'' the NFL said in a statement Wednesday.

Helmet manufacturer Riddell Inc., also is being sued by the Seaus, who say Riddell was ''negligent in their design, testing, assembly, manufacture, marketing, and engineering of the helmets'' used by NFL players. The suit says the helmets were unreasonably dangerous and unsafe.
Seau was one of the best linebackers during his 20 seasons in the NFL. He retired in 2009.A/P

Autopsy: Cowboys' Jerry Brown Jr was sober

DALLAS (AP)

An autopsy has found that Dallas Cowboys practice squad player Jerry Brown Jr. was sober when he was killed in a crash that led to an intoxication manslaughter charge against the teammate at the wheel.
The Dallas County Medical Examiner's Office reported Thursday that Brown died of head and neck trauma when their vehicle overturned. He had a dislocated neck, a severely bruised spine and a blood alcohol content of 0.056 percent. That's well below the Texas drunken driving standard of 0.08 percent.
Police have said Cowboys nose guard Josh Brent, who was driving, had a blood alcohol level twice the legal limit when after the Dec. 8 crash in Irving, a Dallas suburb. He remains free on $100,000 bond.
Police say neither man was wearing a seatbelt.A/P