Former Pro Bowler and Heisman Trophy winner Ricky Williams has landed a college coaching job at the University of the Incarnate Word. He will work with the running backs at UIW, which is located in San Antonio.
UIW Football is a Division I program that will compete in the Southland Conference this year.
Williams should be psyched to be doing something related to football. He retired from the Baltimore Ravens last year, after an 11-year career that was marked by extreme highs and lows.
In 2002, Williams was the league’s leading rusher and was named Pro Bowl MVP, and many considered him the best running back in the game. This success was quickly derailed, however, after a suspension and an early retirement in 2004, a retirement that Williams later admitted in a60 Minutes interview came about as a result of several violations of the NFL’s substance abuse policy.
Williams will continue to live in Austin but will commute to UIW to work with the running backs in the fall.
Porto are ready to sell Liverpool and Tottenham transfer target Christian Atsu this summer.
The Portuguese club have been locked in contract talks with the Ghanaian international for the past few months as they looked to bump up his release clause and see off interest from Spurs and Liverpool.
But the report claims they've now given up having failed to make a breakthrough, and are ready to offload the winger to the highest bidder.
Liverpool and Spurs are thought to be among the main suitors, although Merseyside rivals Everton have also been credited with an interest.
A Sky Sports source said: "Porto have indicated they would be willing to sell Christian now as he will not sign a new deal.
"Christian has always said he would like to play in the Premier League and a number of clubs are interested in him."
Atsu hasn't travelled with the Porto squad on their pre-season tour of Holland as he looks to sort out his future.
The Portuguese champions are now open to offers for the skilful winger, which could attract Premier League bids.
Liverpool and Spurs are both thought to be looking to add to their attacking options - especially out wide.
But Roberto Martinez - the recently appointed Everton manager - is keen to add to his squad this summer, and the report claims the Toffees - along with Tottenham - are one of two clubs monitoring developments closely at this stage
That’s Orioles third baseman Manny Machado knocking down a baseball, chasing it into foul territory and firing an off-balance throw basically from the stands. Somehow, this becomes an out!
You are going to see this highlight for the rest of the season. But watch it again right now.
He has helped resurrect the team, turning the Dodgers from a laughingstock into a contender since joining the lineup.
I just can't believe shortstop Hanley Ramirez isn't an All-Star.
Oh, you mean you were talking about Yasiel Puig?
Well, Ramirez has a higher batting average, just one fewer homer, one more RBI, and a higher OPS in the same number of games.
So how come we aren't up in arms over Ramirez's slight?
It's time for everyone to pump their breaks, take a deep breath and calm down.
Does Puig, or even Ramirez, deserve to be an All-Star after playing just 31 games? Absolutely not.
They haven't even played in half of the Dodgers' games this season, going through the daily grind, the aches and pains, and, yes, that exasperating, mentally draining slump.
Then again, Puig will almost certainly be wearing a National League uniform at Citi Field next week, as he's a heavy favorite to win the online voting for the final roster spot for the NL team. You can be sure Fox-TV executives are rooting for the kid, refreshing their browsers until their fingers are raw.
"I can see both sides, so I don't get aggravated about it," St. Louis Cardinals veteran starter Chris Carpenter says. "There's no question a young guy like that brings excitement to the game. But does three good weeks or a month make you an All-Star? Does that mean you're deserving to be an All-Star? No."
The beauty of baseball is in the six-month season, which produces hot streaks and slumps. Puig can have the most hits in a month since Joe DiMaggio, and then strike out five consecutive times, as he did this weekend.
We have no idea how Puig will perform in the next week, let alone in a three-month stretch. But we do know there are players such as Josh Donaldson of the Oakland A's, Ian Desmond of the Washington Nationals and Gerardo Parra of the Arizona Diamondbacks who have had fabulous first halves, and are scheduled to be sitting home during the All-Star Game.
And no one is screaming about it.
They don't have comedian George Lopez or singer Josh Groban persuading their Twitter followers to vote for them, or have viewing and voting parties scheduled like the Dodgers do for Puig.
"There are too many guys that are grinding it out, putting up numbers all year that deserve to be there more than a guy that's come up and hasn't really been around the league," Carpenter says. "Give him a chance to get scouted, give a team a chance to see him a few times, and let's see what happens."
The Nationals know that Desmond doesn't stand a prayer of beating out Puig in the MLB.com final vote, even though he's been their All-Star caliber shortstop all season. Parra, the Diamondbacks' most consistent performer, couldn't even crack the final fan balloting.
"We understand the politics of the game as far as Puig being a young star and watching to see him play," says Nationals center fielder Denard Span, "but I think you need to look at the whole picture. Ian's been here working his tail off. If you want to talk about someone who deserves it, it's Ian more so than a kid who's been up here, for what, a month or so."
It's no different than a year ago when there was an outcry over Bryce Harper not making the All-Star team — only for him to be selected as an injury replacement. And it was just three years ago when everyone wanted rookie Stephen Strasburg on the All-Star team after four June starts.
"It's just the generation we live in," says Miami Marlins outfielder Juan Pierre, a 14-year-veteran who didn't missed a game for five consecutive seasons but never made the All-Star team. "Before you were called up, you were only in Baseball America. You had to be a man to get on SportsCenter, and had to be really spectacular. Now, there's so much exposure, you're hearing about guys in Double-A, and even Fall League games are on TV.
"But if you get hot at the right moment, you're going to get blown up. That's what's happening now."
If you have a great three months, by all means, veteran players and managers say, you deserve All-Star consideration. If you have a great month, get back to us next year.
"If he's not an All-Star this year, he's going to be an All-Star for years to come," says San Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy, who passed on selecting Puig in his role as the NL manager. "But I do think you have to play enough to earn a spot on the All-Star team."
And it's a viewpoint shared by most managers, if not all of them.
"The All-Star Game should represent guys who have had a strong full season," Cardinals manager Mike Matheny says, "Guys who have been there day in and day out. I'm a big fan of that. Is there anything wrong with that?"
Well, not unless you happen to have a great month like Ramirez.
Yasiel Puig is one of five candidates for the National League All-Star Final Vote. Cary Edmondson, USA TODAY Sports
SAN FRANCISCO – Yasiel Puig was not picked for the All-Star Game either by the fan balloting, the player vote or by National League manager Bruce Bochy.
That doesn't necessarily mean the Los Angeles Dodgers' rookie sensation won't participate.
Carlos Beltran of the St. Louis Cardinals, Carlos Gonzalez of the Colorado Rockies and Bryce Harper of the Washington Nationals earned the starting outfield spots as chosen by the fans. The outfield reserves are the Milwaukee Brewers' Carlos Gomez, the Pittsburgh Pirates' Andrew McCutchen, the Colorado Rockies' Michael Cuddyer and the Philadelphia Phillies' Domonic Brown.
Puig, who has energized the fast-charging Dodgers with his .420 batting average, 1.155 OPS and all-out hustle, still has a couple of avenues that could lead him to the showcase game July 16 at Citi Field.
He could be chosen in online-voting by the fansamong five candidates for the final spot, or he could get tabbed as an injury replacement, a common occurrence in recent years.
In the Final Vote, Puig faces competition from Washington's Ian Desmond, Atlanta's Frddie Freeman, San Francisco's Hunter Pence and Dodgers teammate Adrian Gonzalez.
GALLERY: PUIG-MANIA
Yasiel Puig ended his sensational first month in the major leagues with his first four-hit game. He also finished June with 44 hits, surpassing the 42 by Pittsburgh's Bob Elliott in September 1939 for the second-most in a player's first full calendar month in the major leagues. Joe DiMaggio had 48 in May 1936. Gary A. Vasquez, USA TODAY Sports
Márquez second, Crutchlow third and injured Lorenzo fifth at a phenomenal Dutch Grand Prix.
Valentino Rossi took the 80th MotoGP victory of his career and his first since the Malaysian GP in October 2010 at a pulsating Dutch Grand Prix at Assen.
In a race packed with stories the Yamaha Factory Racing rider hit the front on the sixth of 26 laps and looked smooth and in control as he rode to a win that delighted the crowd and also had an impact on the World Championship standings.
In a race packed with thrills pole man Crutchlow took a poor start and dropped to fifth, with Pedrosa shooting into first and holding the lead for the first few laps. Rossi, who started from the second row of the grid, slotted into third but before long had passed Márquez and then Pedrosa to assume top spot.
Lorenzo, who returned to Assen late on Friday afternoon after having surgery in Barcelona earlier that day, had climbed to sixth from 12th on the grid by the end of the first lap in a pain-defying display. At one stage of the race he ran in fourth and looked to be closing on the top three, but as the race wore on Crutchlow was able to take him back.
Towards the end Repsol Honda team-mates Pedrosa and Márquez started dicing for second position and after Márquez made a pass stick with around six laps to go Crutchlow then came through on Pedrosa too. The British rider tried to pass Márquez on the last lap and clipped the Spaniard's rear wheel, running off and thus ending his challenge but maintaining third.
All of this made little difference out front where Rossi was clear, and The Doctor crossed the finish line 2.2s ahead of Márquez for an emotional win, with the rookie and Crutchlow completing the podium.
With Pedrosa and Lorenzo rounding out the top five Stefan Bradl took sixth after starting from the front row for the first time in MotoGP.
After seven rounds Pedrosa has 136 points, Lorenzo 127 and Márquez 113.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Denny Hamlin, who led 20 laps earlier in the race, limped to the ambulance Saturday night after a second crash in the Coke Zero 400, this one 10 laps from the finish.
Hamlin's No. 11 Toyota suddenly turned to the right after he'd tried to avoid slowing traffic in front of him on Lap 150. It was the fifth caution of the race, and led to a red flag that lasted just under nine minutes as crews worked to remove Hamlin's car and other debris from the track.
Matt Kenseth spun out himself while trying to avoid Hamlin's spin. The wreck claimed six cars in all.
Hamlin's car eventually was struck in the rear by A.J. Allmendinger and Dave Blaney and bounced in the air before spinning to a stop in the grass. Hamlin, who is recovering from a broken back suffered in a crash March 24 and has battled back injuries throughout his career, walked gingerly to the ambulance and was taken to the infield medical center, where he was cleared and released.
Hamlin left the medical center without answering reporters' questions. He also was shaken up last week after a hard crash at Kentucky Speedway, complaining of a headache and knee pain. He was cleared at the speedway, and cleared again on Monday by a doctor at Indianapolis Motor Speedway before beginning a two-day test there.
Jeff Gordon and David Reutimann were also caught up in the wreck when Kenseth turned down the track. The contact lifted Kenseth's tires off the ground briefly.
"I saw the wreck and tried to slow down and miss it, but just not much I could do," Kenseth said.
Hamlin's crew chief, Darian Grubb, radioed him to see if he was OK.
"10-4," Hamlin replied.
Allmendinger also appeared shaken when he climbed from his car. He also was cleared and released from the infield care center.
"It's kind of like Days of Thunder," Allmendinger said after the wreck. "Everybody moved down and Denny appeared right in front of me, so I just hit him as hard as I could, unfortunately."
Jimmie Johnson was leading the race at the time of the wreck, the biggest one of the night so far.
Just a few laps after the big wreck, on Lap 155 of a scheduled 160, Kasey Kahne was bumped out of line on the backstretch by Marcos Ambrose and struck the inside wall hard while running second to teammate Johnson. Kahne climbed from the car unassisted but was visibly frustrated with the result.
Ambrose's car was pushed to the left by Johnson, but with Kahne already holding the position there was nowhere for Ambrose to go. Ambrose came to the pits for repairs and returned to the race.
"I got slammed and shot to the left," Kahne said. "It's kind of how these races go. You don't have a lot of control over what happens."
WASHINGTON — Bryce Harper has had enough ups and downs for a full season, and it isn't even the All-Star Break yet.
Never was this more evident than in the Washington Nationals clubhouse after their 5-4 win over the San Diego Padres on Saturday. Harper had just gone 1-for-2 with three RBIs.
But the clubhouse television, tuned to MLB Network, told another tale.
"Bryce Harper has been so bad since coming off the disabled list," the TV resonated throughout the otherwise silent room.
A few feet away from the TV sat Harper, who moments earlier found out he would be playing in the July 16 All-Star Game — the beneficiary of a late rally to surpass Justin Upton of the Atlanta Braves and win the last outfield starting spot.
"You can't win, man," said teammate Jayson Werth, who, like Harper, overheard.
It's true. He can't.
He went through a career-long 0-for-19 hitless streak after hitting a home run in his first at-bat back from the disabled list. Harper missed 31 games with left knee bursitis after trying and failing to convince himself and the Washington higher-ups that he could remain in the lineup.
If he hadn't gotten injured, Nationals shortstop Ian Desmond said Harper would be "breaking records" this year. Instead, he has to hear television anchors say how bad he has been recently, despite the All-Star invitation.
Friday night, after manager Davey Johnson had said he planned on sitting Harper for the remaining two games of the Padres series, Harper sent Johnson a text message containing an ultimatum: Play me or trade me. Johnson said he had no choice but to put him in the lineup — he couldn't do without his 20-year-old slugger. After Saturday's win, Harper said he was "pretty serious" about what he had texted Johnson.
That's how badly Harper wants to be on the field helping a Nationals team that desperately needs him. Washington has struggled to score runs this season. Third baseman Ryan Zimmerman said, sounding like a broken record, that they've needed to get healthy before gaining ground on the first-place Braves. The Nationals have had other injuries too, but none more key than the one to Harper.
But despite the injury and the slump, Harper is an All-Star once again.
"I'm very blessed to be part of that, and I'm just very excited," Harper said of his selection. "I've got to thank the fans of D.C. and (his hometown of) Las Vegas and everywhere else that voted me in."
He'll become the first player to ever play in two mid-summer classics before his 21stbirthday. The only players younger than Harper to have started an All-Star Game are Hall of Famer Al Kaline in 1955 and Ken Griffey Jr. in 1990.
Last season, Harper's rookie campaign, he made the team as a reserve and went 0-for-1 with a walk. This year, he'll get to trot out with the starters, no longer the hot rookie simply tapped for a bench spot.
PHOTOS: 2013 MLB All-Star Game starters
American League SS: J.J. Hardy, Orioles Joy R. Absalon, USA TODAY Sports
WASHINGTON — Washington Nationals manager Davey Johnson had said he'd be giving slugger Bryce Harper the rest of the team's series with the San Diego Padres off.
Harper is mired in an 0-for-18 slump since hitting a home run in his first at-bat after being activated from the disabled list last week.
But Harper had other plans and they didn't involve time away from the lineup. Johnson said he received a text message from the young star after the Nationals' 8-5 win over the Padres on Friday night that said, in Johnson's words, "Play me or trade me."
"Since trading him is out of the question, I guess he's playing," Johnson said before Saturday's game.
Harper missed over a month of action with a knee injury after several run-ins with outfield fences, the most famous of which was in Los Angeles when he ran full speed into the wall. But he has a four-game hitless streak going, and Johnson thought some additional time for Harper to rest the knee could do the 20-year-old some good.
Harper, according to Johnson, feels differently.
Last year's National League Rookie of the Year is hitting .260 with a .362 on-base percentage and is slugging at a .544 clip this season. He has 13 home runs and has knocked in 25 runs.
NEW YORK (AP) — The captain is ready to test his twice broken ankle.
Derek Jeter will start a rehabilitation assignment Saturday with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, the first step toward returning to the New York Yankees. He is scheduled to play at least five innings at shortstop.
Whether he will be able to don his pinstripes before the All-Star break is to be seen.
"I think he has to feel comfortable playing," manager Joe Girardi said Friday. "He really hasn't had a whole lot of at-bats. He has not played a whole lot of infield. So (we need to see him) being able to go back-to-back days, back-to-back-to-back days that sort of thing."
Jeter joins third baseman Alex Rodriguez in the minor leagues. Jeter is starting with the Yankees' top minor league club because he appears to be further along than A-Rod, who has played two games for Class A Charleston and is is hitless in his first four at-bats.
Rodriguez's game Friday with the Tampa Yankees, a high-A club, was postponed by rain. He has said he thinks he will need the full 20 days allowed for a rehab assignment to prepare to play after having left hip surgery in January.
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman would not commit to seeing either player back before the break that begins July 15.
"Those guys will be ready when they're ready," Cashman said. "That's it."
Jeter broke his ankle in the opener of the AL championship series on Oct. 13 and had surgery soon after. The player who rarely concedes he's injured vowed to return for opening day but he only played five spring training games because of soreness in the foot. A new break was discovered on April 18.
On Friday at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Fla., Jeter took six simulated at-bats against minor league pitchers and ran the bases after putting the ball in play. He also did one of his signature jump throws to first after fielding a grounder in the hole during defensive drills.
Five players have started at shortstop in Jeter's absence, and Robinson Cano is looking forward to some stability there with the return of the 13-time All-Star.
"We all know what kind of guy he is and what energy he brings to the team," Cano said. "Not only that — also young players to myself the way he gives good advice, and everybody just looks to him. That's all we want. We want our guy here and he's our shortstop."
The Yankees infielder who might be closest to a return is Eduardo Nunez. He started 26 games at shortstop before going out with a left oblique strain June 6. Nunez played for Double-A Trenton on Thursday and was 0 for 5. In five rehab games, he is 3 for 13 with two runs and two stolen bases.
"He's played this year and he's has spring training," Girardi said, comparing Nunez to Jeter and Rodriguez.
Also, Yankees starter Hiroki Kuroda said his hip flexor feels OK and that he was cleared to throw a bullpen session Friday.
USA TODAY Sports explores who's trending up and down after another week of Major League Baseball:
5 up
Ironic names for pitchers: Cincinnati Reds pitcher Homer Bailey threw his second career no-hitter and now has thrown MLB's last two no-nos. He allowed only one man to reach base, via walk, in shutting down the slumping defending champion San Francisco Giants. Though Bailey's birth certificate reads David, perhaps parents hoping to raise a future ace should name their kid 'Dinger' or 'Four-bagger.'
Boston Red Sox: Nobody in baseball is hotter than the Beantown boys right now. The Red Sox just wrapped up a homestand over which they went 8-1. That has helped Boston seize control of the American League East.
Comeback bids: We imagine Texas is a little bit different from Taiwan, where 41-year-old Manny Ramirez most recently played. But the Rangers hope he adjusts quickly back to life in the United States — they offered him a minor league deal this week.
Confidence boosters: If players are ever in need of a little ego spike, head down on the farm. Alex Rodriguez spent a few days with the Class A Charleston Riverdogs andwas treated like a God. Fans flocked to the park to see the New York Yankees third baseman go hitless in consecutive nights of a rehab assignment.
Anti-Jinxes: Often, with a pitcher working on a special performance on the mound, team social media accounts are reluctant to acknowledge them, fearing they'll jinx it. On Bailey's near-perfect night, the Reds' Twitter account threw caution to the wind, commenting on the no-hitter as early as the third inning.
5 down
Jonathan Papelbon: Apparently, Papelbon feels quite strongly about who represents the National League in this month's mid-summer classic. The Philadelphia Phillies reliever said it would be an "absolute joke" if Los Angeles Dodgers rookie Yasiel Puig was named to the All-Star team. Hilarious, right?
Starlin Castro: It wasn't so long ago that the Chicago Cubs shortstop became the youngest player ever to lead the National League in hits. But now, Castro has fallen off the map. That spells worry for the Cubs, again in full rebuild mode.
Agent feuds: Bench-clearing brawls are for wimps. The real fights are between baseball agents, one new and one old, using rap as an outlet. Scott Boras will likely not be showing Jay-Z the ropes in his new baseball ventures.
Bryce Harper: The young Washington Nationals slugger announced his return from the disabled list as only he could: with a home run in his first at-bat back. After the homer, Harper went on an 0-for-18 drought with seven strikeouts resulting in manager Davey Johnson giving him a few games off.
Deadline deals: Baseball fans might not have to wait until the day of the non-waiver trade deadline to see if their team is involved in any blockbusters. It appears the general managers are picking up their phones a little earlier this year. The Baltimore Orioles and Chicago Cubs
Busch Stadium, St. Louis Cardinals. Opened in 2006. Elsa, Getty Images
