Bowyer, Gordon going opposite ways

Jeff Gordon was a huge surprise at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Saturday night.

He qualified 13th, and he and his Hendrick Motorsports team seemed fairly happy with their car in the two practices Saturday at the track.

Then in the race, he really searched and struggled most of the night. He ended up with an 18th-place finish. That kind of just wiped out, points-wise, those three awesome finishes he had in a row since that bad finish at Chicagoland Speedway.

Now with five down and five to go, he finds himself 50 points out of the lead, ninth in the points. That's way too big of a mountain to climb.

Clint Bowyer is the inspiration for drivers deeper in the Chase for the Sprint Cup because he headed into the Charlotte race 40 points out and he chopped 12 points off with his win Saturday night. He's now 28 back and in fourth place. But, for example, look right now at Martin Truex Jr., who is seventh and 49 points out. That's more than a full race.

So not only is he more than a full race out, he

Source: http://network.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/bowyer_gordon_going_opposite_ways/11968717

Dallas Cowboys Denver Nuggets

Vijay Singh admits to using banned deer-antler spray

PGA Tour golfer Vijay Singh admitted that he used the same deer-antler spray that Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis used in his recovery from a torn right triceps. Singh's use of the spray was first revealed in a report by�

Source: http://network.yardbarker.com/golf/article_external/vijay_singh_admits_to_using_banned_deer_antler_spray/12801208

Cleveland Browns Dallas Cowboys

Drogba leaves African Cup without title again

Didier Drogba came up short again at the African Cup of Nations in what was likely his last chance to win the title with Ivory Coast.

The Elephants were eliminated after a 2-1 loss to Nigeria on Sunday.

It was a lackluster tournament for the 34-year-old Drogba, who was dropped to the bench after the opener and scored his only goal after returning to the lineup in the team's final group match.

Drogba didn't play poorly Sunday, but was not able to prevent his team's defeat at Royal Bafokeng Stadium, adding to the disappointment of last year's loss to Zambia in the final.

It isn't clear if Drogba will be back with the national team at the next African Cup in two years, when he will be almost 37.

''We had only one goal coming into the tournament and that was to win the African Cup of Nations,'' Ivory Coast coach Sabri Lamouchi said through a translator. ''For some of us, it might have been a last chance.''

After the final whistle, Drogba got a hug from for

Source: http://network.yardbarker.com/soccer/article_external/drogba_leaves_african_cup_without_title_again/12827515

Houston Texans Detroit Lions

Indiana's Victor Oladipo has epic missed dunk (Video)

Yesterday, the #3-ranked Indiana Hoosiers knocked off the #1-ranked Michigan Wolverines in the world of men's college hoops.

One of the reasons why the Hoosiers were able to claim the victory was the play of junior guard Victor Oladipo who scored 15 points in the victory.

In the second half of play, Victor had a shot to make the highlight reels across the nation with a high-flying alley-oop slam but he was unable to come up with it:

Source: http://network.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/article_external/indianas_victor_oladipo_has_epic_missed_dunk_video/12826198

Milwaukee Bucks Houston Rockets

Blackhawks gave Luongo a scare

Roberto Luongo almost had some nerve-induced bowel movements Friday night, and surprisingly it had nothing to do with the Bruins. Just as surprising, was the fact that he was a good 3,000 miles away from TD Garden. Luongo was simply fantastic Friday against a red-hot Chicago Blackhawks team. The backup Vancouver Canucks goalie stopped 27 of 28 shots before standing tall in the shootout in a big win for Vancouver. However, it wasn?t easy, as Luongo had to face a murderers? row of shooters in the shootout. The Blackhawks feature one of the best sets of forwards in the game, and they rolled out a trio of playmakers for the shootout. Luongo had to deal with Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and Patrick Sharp in the shootout. The Vancouver goalie stopped all three (and then Nick Leddy to boot) to help the Canucks pull off the important win. Even though he was successful in protecting his net, that doesn?t mean he wasn?t at least a little nervous. Jason Botchford of the Vancouver Province twee...

Source: http://network.yardbarker.com/nhl/article_external/robert_luongo_says_he_pooped_himself_a_little_after_seeing_blackhawks_shootout_lineup/12821467

New Orleans Saints New Orleans Hornets

Mashinter Watch: Scores In Whale Loss Last Night

Yesterday, I posted about how the newly acquired CT Whale player Brandon Mashinter could be someone who sparks this Rangers team. While they obviously didn't need him last night, the fact that John Tortorella doesn't feel comfortable giving Mike Rupp (4:28) or Stu Bickel (3:27) more than five minutes of ice time, means there's still a need for a fourth line energy guy on this team.

So I decided I'm going to do a "Mashinter Watch" on the blog to follow along with his performances with the Whale. And it got off to a great start last night, as Mashinter scored in the Whale's 3-2 loss to Springfield. The goal was Mashinter's third in the eight games since joining Connecticut. He also has four assists and two fights.

Watch Mashinter's goal (4:40 mark)...



...loving Mashinter's speed for a big guy. If he can keep this play going, the Rangers are going to have no choice but to call him up very soon.

Also in the game, J.T. Miller...

Source: http://network.yardbarker.com/nhl/article_external/mashinter_watch_scores_in_whale_loss_last_night/12826234

Boston Celtics Denver Broncos

Are Alabama QB AJ McCarron and Katherine Webb engaged?

Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron and Katherine Webb have only been dating since December. But are they now engaged?�Media mogul and TV personality Martha Stewart sparked Internet rumors with this tweet Saturday night from Emeril Lagasse?s restaurant in New Orleans where the young couple had dinner. Stewart referred to Webb as McCarron?s fianc�.�
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Source: http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/are_alabama_qb_aj_mccarron_and_katherine_webb_engaged/12825346

Jacksonville Jaguars Baltimore Ravens