First female basketball coach in Japan eyes NBA

Just 157 centimetres tall, Natalie Nakase has never let her size stand in the way of her big dreams on the basketball court.

PREVIEW-Soccer-Prospect of Kagawa's return boosts Dortmund

The expected return of Borussia Dortmund offensive midfielder Shinji Kagawa against Hanover 96 on Sunday less than 10 days after tearing a ligament will boost the German champions' confidence as they defend their three-point lead in the Bundesliga.

Fowler pessimistic over Indian football league

Former England and Liverpool striker Robbie Fowler has cast doubt on a new football tournament in India, dealing a further blow to the postponed event.

Stanford leads by 2 at HSBC Women's Champions (AP)

AP - Angela Stanford shot a 6-under 66 to take a two-stroke lead after the opening round of the HSBC Women's Champions on Thursday.

PREVIEW-Soccer-Montpellier hope to take lead over PSG

PARIS, Feb 23 - Montpellier, the surprise package of Ligue 1, could take the lead in France on Saturday when they entertain Girondins Bordeaux (1800 GMT) while leaders Paris St Germain face a tricky trip to Olympique Lyon.

PREVIEW-Soccer-Messi targeting favourite victims at Atletico

Lionel Messi will have his favourite victims in his sights when Barcelona play at Atletico Madrid on Sunday and the Argentina forward comes into the game in a rich vein of form even by his high standards.

LAWRENCE: Professional football had humble beginnings

With football mania nearing its peak in time for Sundayâs 46th Super Bowl game or Super Bowl XLVI, in football-speak there was a time when professional football and its players were neither respected, prized nor paid millions of dollars.

COMMITMENT FROM ALL STAKEHOLDERS NEEDED TO HELP TENNIS GROW - LTAM

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 23 (Bernama) -- The development of tennis in the countryneeds the concerted efforts of all stakeholders involved, including parents andindividuals. Such an effort was needed for tennis to be listed among the high performancesports by the National Sports Council (NSC) which currently has athletics,aquatics, badminton, tenpin bowling, football, gymnastics, hockey and squash. Lawn ...

BASEBALL: Dodgers' Belisario acknowledges positive cocaine test

Ronald Belisario spent last season in Venezuela instead of with the Dodgers because of visa problems. But his problems went much deeper than that.

No evidence of medical problem in Ark. plane crash (AP)

AP - A medical examiner who performed an autopsy on an 82-year-old pilot was not able to find any medical conditions that could have contributed to the crash that killed all four people aboard, including Oklahoma State University women's basketball coach Kurt Budke last year in central Arkansas.

Donald's early departure a surprise at Match Play (AP)

AP - The good Tiger Woods knocked in a 50-foot birdie putt and drove onto the par-4 15th green, both times to erase a deficit. The bad Tiger Woods took three trips into the desert to lose the hole, once having to hit a shot left-handed.

Fantasy Basketball Deep League Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 9

In deeper fantasy basketball leagues, finding useful players on the waiver wire can be a very difficult task. With most popular free agent choices already owned, owners of deeper leagues often have to dig at even less popular names for fantasy production.

Football: Kosmina slams attitudes

Adelaide United coach John Kosmina has added his name to a growing list of critics fed up with the state of football in Australia despite the A-League experiencing one of its most competitive seasons to date.

USTA helps young players discover the fun of tennis

Florida tennis facilities ready to March Into Tennis.

Baseball. No. 20 Cal Baseball Invades Long Beach State

No. 20 Cal takes its first extended road trip of the 2012 season as the Golden Bears travel to Long Beach State for a three-game series at Blair Field. Cal opened the year by sweeping Pacific in a home-away-home series last weekend.

Clippers' Paul torches ailing Nuggets (Reuters)

Reuters - Chris Paul poured salt into the wounds of the ailing Denver Nuggets with 36 points and nine assists to carry the Los Angeles Clippers to a much-needed 103-95 home win Wednesday.

Wyoming loses 67-58 in OT to No. 24 SDSU (AP)

AP - Wyoming seemed every bit capable of beating San Diego State, which would have been a devastating fourth straight loss for the Aztecs.

Football Focus International Fields Full Team With Women’s Football Prodigy Caitlin Foord

Football Focus International fields full team with women’s football prodigy Caitlin FoordSydney, New South Wales (PRWEB) February 23, 2012 Football Focus International (FFI) - an Australian management company dedicated to the sport and business of football is undergoing a sustained period of growth with an expanded client portfolio and rising womens’ football star Caitlin Foord signed up as the ...

Lakers hit midway mark with 96-91 win over Dallas (AP)

AP - Andrew Bynum had a huge smile on his face after he grabbed a rebound of his own miss and got fouled on an attempted putback.

Golf board makes recommendations

The Rowlett Golf Advisory Board addressed the city council during its regular work session on Tuesday, Feb. 7, to discuss the golf course's performance and some recommended changes they would like to see at the golf course.

Lin, Knicks rout Hawks 99-82, head to Miami (AP)

AP - Not much heat from the Hawks for Jeremy Lin and the New York Knicks.

Lin may change face of Chinese basketball: Yao

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Chinese basketball icon Yao Ming has been taken aback by Jeremy Lin's rise at the New York Knicks and thinks his style and size could make China's state sports system rethink how it selects and grooms its athletes. Yao, who opened up the world's most populous country to the NBA, retired from the game last year. In 2002, the seven foot, six inch (2.30m) former Houston Rockets ...

Thunder hand Celtics 5th straight loss, 119-104 (AP)

AP - The Boston Celtics can only hope their game against the Oklahoma City Thunder is a microcosm of their season: a dreadful first half and a gutsy second half.

Move south pays off for Pittsburgh area tennis players

Tennis players Jon Ho, 18, of Franklin Park, and his sister Jessica, 15, now train year-round at Brandon, Fla., which has provided them with a broader range of competition, an improved game and higher rankings in the tennis world.

Tennis fans will see top-level pros at Irving tournament

Field could be filled with pros in world's top 88.

Stastny scores twice as Avs rout Kings, 4-1 (AP)

AP - Paul Stastny scored two goals, Semyon Varlamov stopped 32 shots and the Colorado Avalanche beat Los Angeles 4-1 on Wednesday night for their first season sweep of the Kings in nearly two decades.

No. 2 Syracuse beats South Florida 56-48 (AP)

AP - Scoop Jardine scored 15 points to help No. 2 Syracuse overcome a 13-point first-half deficit and beat South Florida 56-48 on Wednesday night.

Wake Forest transplant recipient returns to field (AP)

AP - The Wake Forest baseball player who received a kidney from his coach has returned to the field a year after the transplant saved him from a disease that could have resulted in kidney failure.

Tennis trip? Try 'fifth slam' Indian Wells

The BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells is once again upon us, and the good news is, there are still tickets to be had.The tournament, which runs March 5-18 this year, is a two-hour drive from Orange...

Johnson Wagner excited about Mayakoba Golf Classic title defence

PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Mexico - Johnson Wagner is having too much fun defending his title in the Mayakoba Golf Classic to worry about missing out on the World Golf Championships event this week in Arizona.

Huntington Prep’s after-school special: Basketball players attend classes at St. Joseph’s Central Catholic, then play ...

One of the top high school basketball teams in the country calls this industrial city of 50,000 on the banks of the Ohio River home. Huntington Prep has many of the trappings of other top high school basketball teams — a fancy Web site , international players, sponsorship by a major shoe brand. Read full article >>

PREVIEW-Soccer-Spurs relish favourites tag against Arsenal

One of the most fiercely contested Premier League fixtures of the season will take on even more importance than usual on Sunday when Arsenal play Tottenham Hotspur in the 150th north London league derby at the Emirates Stadium.

Golf calendar: Feb. 22

Golf calendar: Feb. 22 Golf calendar: HOTEL & LODGING March 1; BlackHorse Golf Club. PROM PROJECT When/where: 8 a.m. March 3; Jersey Meadow Golf Course. Benefits: JVHS Project Prom. When/where: 12:30 p.m. March 7; Bay Forest Golf Club. When/where: 1:30 p.m. March 14; Tour 18, Humble. When/where: 1 p.m. March 17; Southwyck Golf Club. March 24; Gleannloch Pines Golf Club. March 26; Pecan Grove ...

Baseball. UNM Baseball Set for First Road Series of 2012

The New Mexico Lobo baseball team will travel to San Antonio, Texas, for its first road series of the 2012 season against Texas-San Antonio.

Golf-WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship first round results

(updates)

Israel Tennis Centers Foundation to Kickoff Two Hot Weeks of Tennis in Miami with Celebrity ProAm

Bryan Brothers headline Celebrity ProAm for Israel Tennis Centers in MiamiNew York City, NY (PRWEB) February 21, 2012 Pending outcomes at Indian Wells, a formidable line-up of tennis celebrities are scheduled to turn up at the Westin Diplomat Hotel in Hollywood, FL on March 17 and 18, to play tennis for the Israel Tennis Centers, a not-for-profit children’s charity, and the largest tennis school ...

Steelers' Hines Ward in plea deal as DUI charge dropped (Reuters)

Reuters - U.S. prosecutors on Wednesday dropped a drunken driving charge against Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward, who instead pleaded guilty to reckless driving and was sentenced to probation.

Junior's confidence on the rise at Daytona (AP)

AP - Dale Earnhardt Jr. left Daytona frustrated and furious last July.

Golf-McDowell singing Match Play blues despite six birdies

MARANA, Arizona, Feb 22 (Reuters) - Former U.S. Openwinner Graeme McDowell once again found himself on the wrongside of the vagaries of golf at the WGC-Accenture Match PlayChampionship when he lost to Yang Yong-eun 2&1 on Wednesday. Northern Irishman McDowell recorded six birdies in dazzlingsunshine at Dove Mountain's Ritz-Carlton Golf Club but he raninto a human buzz-saw as he was trumped by a ...

Gildan Becomes Official National Sponsor of Triple-A Baseball

CHARLESTON, S.C. -- Gildan and Triple-A Baseball have inked a multi-year agreement to make the leading supplier of t-shirts, activewear, underwear and socks an official national sponsor of Triple-A Baseball....

Nike+ steps up its game with basketball, training apps

Basketball players and athletes looking for a way to track their performance and stats will have two new tools to do so, starting this summer from Nike. Originally posted at Crave

Baseball. Gross Comes Home to Finish Degree

Gabe Gross could talk about his glory days of professional baseball all day long. Only that's not why the former All-American baseball player came back to Auburn and agreed to help Coach John Pawlowski .

Build a fitness foundation to have a healthy soccer season

The calendar says it’s February, but outdoor soccer fields throughout the area already are teeming with athletes gearing up for the spring season.

PM to 'crush' racism in football

The Prime Minister, David Cameron, pledges to "crush" racism in football at the launch of an anti-discrimination summit at Downing Street.

Dawson eager to finish business in Hopkins rematch (Reuters)

Reuters - Evergreen boxing champion Bernard Hopkins will return to the ring in April for a rematch against Chad "Bad" Dawson, who vowed on Wednesday to finish the job he started in their controversial title fight last year.

British PM Cameron wants soccer anti-racism plan

British Prime Minister David Cameron asked England's soccer leaders Wednesday to provide a plan against racism in the sport after a series of high-profile cases involving the Premier League. Cameron addressed soccer officials, former players and anti-racism campaigners at a summit on Downing Street, warning that abusive behavior by soccer stars is imitated by youngsters and must be stopped.

Tennis Star is Born in Essex-Haiti Outreach

If you are at a tennis tournament a decade from now, look out for Germinal James Adler. Or maybe you should be watching for Adler Germinal James. Jenifer Grant says that names are listed...

UK emergency services hold big Olympics test (AP)

AP - Police escorted bloodied passengers up to ambulances, cordoned off the street near a stricken London subway station and rushed off to find an half-exploded knapsack.

To Palm Beach Atlantic Baseball Team, Carter Was Simply Skip

The players of the Palm Beach Atlantic University baseball team, and their fathers, recalled their relationship with the team’s coach, Gary Carter, who died last week.

Football must 'crush' racism - Cameron

British Prime Minister David Cameron has called on football to crush "racism" within the game before the impact of recent incidents had a negative effect on society at large.