Hockey is a booming business right now. After an attention-grabbing Olympic trip and an exciting postseason for the scandal-free NHL, revenue and television ratings have risen to record levels across a largely healthy, happy league.

Yet the NHL ice is tilted decidedly to the West, and the continental divide might even grow this season.

A few months after Chicago and Los Angeles staged an epic conference finals won by the Stanley Cup champion Kings, nearly every team on the Western side of hockeys unbalanced standings made significant offseason additions to chase the leagues twin postseason powers.

PHOTOS: A Western tilt stands out for healthy, happy NHL

Anaheim added Ryan Kesler. Dallas snared Jason Spezza and Ales Hemsky. St. Louis signed Paul Stastny. Minnesota snagged Thomas Vanek. Colorado got Jarome Iginla and Daniel Briere.

Even Chicago picked up Brad Richards. Only the champs essentially stood pat, daring the West to catch them.

It seems like the West is loading up again, Kings center Anze Kopitar said. But at the end of the day, I dont think its going to matter too much what the other teams do. Its going to matter what we do.

The Blackhawks and the Kings each have two titles in the last five years, and theyre both the widely considered favorites to play for the Stanley Cup again. But when Los Angeles beat the New York Rangers in five games in the Stanley Cup finals last year, many prognosticators scoffed that five West teams could have beaten any East representative - and the theoretical math appears much the same this fall.

The West is such a grind, Ducks defenseman Ben Lovejoy said. Theres so much talent. All these huge, physical teams that skate very well. We can have another great regular season, and it wont matter if we dont have the toughness to win in the playoffs.

The Western Conference has won six of the last eight Cups, and the two East winners were stretched to a full seven games in the finals. Although Boston, Pittsburgh, Montreal and Tampa Bay return strong clubs, league MVP Sidney Crosby and the rest of the Easts stars realize theyll have to go West to win a title.

Link:
A Western tilt stands out for healthy, happy NHL

October 1, 2014 - NBA Development League (D-League) Austin Toros Austin, TX (Oct. 1, 2014) - The Austin Toros today announced that Earl Watson and Jason Fraser have been hired as assistant coaches. Watson and Fraser join current head coach Ken McDonald and assistant coach Mike Miller on the Toros bench.

"I'm thrilled with the addition of Earl and Jason to our staff," said head coach Ken McDonald. "Both have valuable basketball backgrounds and will bring depth and experience to our group."

Watson enjoyed a 13-year NBA career that included time with seven teams (Seattle, Memphis, Denver, Oklahoma City, Indiana, Utah and Portland). Watson was selected in the second round (40th overall) by the Seattle SuperSonics in the 2001 NBA draft. In 890 games, he averaged 6.4 points, 4.4 assists and 2.3 rebounds in 22.2 minutes. Watson, a four-year starter at UCLA, was named to the All Pac-10 First Team as a senior in 2001.

Fraser most recently served as Villanova's director of student-athlete development. The McDonald's All-American (2002) played four years at Villanova averaging 6.1 points and 5.9 rebounds. He helped the team advance to the 2005 NCAA Sweet 16 and the 2006 NCAA Elite Eight, and ranks fifth on the school's all-time blocked shots list (172). After college, Fraser played professionally overseas and for the Harlem Globetrotters.

The Austin Toros tipoff their home schedule on Sunday, Nov. 23rd at 3 p.m. against the Santa Cruz Warriors at Cedar Park Center. For ticket information, please visit austintoros.com or call (512) 236-8333. Season and group tickets are available now and start at just $5.

Discuss this story on the NBA Development League message board... Digg this story Add to Del.icio.us

More:
Toros Announce Coaching Staff Additions

"We know what you expect of us, and we expect the same thing of ourselves, and we certainly did what we thought we could do in the offseason to field a pretty good team come April 1, but it didn't work out."

Despite a major spending spree that included the additions of Brian McCann, Jacoby Ellsbury, Carlos Beltran and Masahiro Tanaka, the Yankees finished with 84 victories, down from last season's total of 85. The Yankees had not missed the playoffs in consecutive years during non-strike seasons since 1992-93.

"I would hold me responsible before anybody else," Steinbrenner said. "That's the way it is. I approved every one of these signings. But I think they were good signings, and I think they'll turn out to be good signings."

Steinbrenner acknowledged that underperformance from the middle of the batting order was a prominent issue for the '14 squad, and said that he believes McCann and Beltran will have better performances in 2015, also mentioning first baseman Mark Teixeira in that group.

Steinbrenner said that the team and Cashman are in discussions about a new deal, and it appears that Cashman is on track to return to the GM position he has held since replacing Bob Watson in February 1998. Cashman's three-year, $9 million contract expires on Oct. 31.

"Brian and I are talking," Steinbrenner said. "We look at the overall responsibilities of a general manager, and especially being one in New York. Brian, I believe, is a good one. I always have believed that. He does a good job.

"Every general manager has signings. Some work out better than others, but everything he did in July, for the most part -- bringing in [Chase] Headley, bringing in [Brandon] McCarthy, [Martin] Prado -- I think they all helped the team stay in it."

Asked specifically about the job security of hitting coach Kevin Long, Steinbrenner said that no decisions have been made regarding manager Joe Girardi's coaching staff.

"Rest assured, we're going to get to the bottom of it," Steinbrenner said. "And if I do deem that somebody is liable, or if I do deem that somebody is responsible, that things could have been better, I will act."

Steinbrenner agreed that he handles such situations more methodically than his late father, George, was known to do.

Continue reading here:
Steinbrenner, Cashman working on new deal

Its been a few months since we released our second Indiegogo-funded DLC character, Big Band. Im happy to announce that Eliza, our third character, will be released today in Skullgirls Encore.

Eliza is a diva with a dark secret, and our most ambitious character to date. Eliza fights by manipulating her own blood to attack her enemies, constantly shape-shifting into a variety of Egyptian mythological symbols and cultural icons. Our creative director, Alex Ahad, has meticulously researched Egypts lore and packed nearly every one of Elizas 1,548 frames with references.

Eliza can also summon her bodyguards, Albus and Horace, as well as dislodge her skeletal Parasite, Sekhmet, making her one of our most varied and dynamic characters to date.

Elizas story mode is our most comprehensive yet. With more than 80 pieces of art, it dives deep into Skullgirls lore and reveals a lot of the inner workings of the Skullgirls universe. Definitely not to be missed!

And finally, as we always do with our DLC characters, Eliza will be completely free for a period of 3 months! Download her during that time and youll never pay a cent.

Beowulf, our argyle sweater-wearing pro wrestler inspired by the epic poem of the same name, is coming along nicely.

Beowulf will feature a ton of pro wrestling references, and also be able to use his signature folding chair, The Hurting, in a variety of ways. He can hurl it at his opponent and stand it up on the stage, with the goal that performing slam moves onto it will increase their damage.

Similar to Ms. Fortune, Beowulf will also have different attacks depending on whether or not he has his chair with him. And, finally, Beowulf will be able to power himself up by exciting the crowd. Respect the ring!

Read more:
Skullgirls Encore: Eliza, PSN Avatars Out Today

September 30, 2014 - Frontier League (FL) Southern Illinois Miners Marion, Ill. (September 30, 2014) - The Southern Illinois Miners have announced their first new additions for their spring training roster, signing outfielder Jon Minucci and pitcher Bryan Bierlein.

Minucci joins the Miners after spending his debut professional season with the Frontier Greys, turning in a solid year. The Madison, Conn. native hit .265 in 82 games played with eight home runs and 33 RBIs while also hitting 14 doubles and stealing 15 bases in 19 attempts. He was a standout in college at Southern New Hampshire University, hitting a school-record 21 homers in his career, 17 of which were in his final two seasons. He also amassed 84 RBIs in 110 combined contests in his junior and senior campaigns for SNHU.

"We really liked the way Jon swung the bat against us this past season," Miners manager Mike Pinto said. "Jon continued to improve with each month and we believe he will only get better. He has some power in his bat that we think will develop even further next season. I am very happy to add him to our spring roster."

Bierlein comes to the Miners following an outstanding career at Christopher Newport University (NCAA Division III) in Newport News, Virginia. In four seasons, the right-hander went a combined 21-10 with a 2.15 ERA in 44 appearances, 37 of which were starts. In 255 1/3 innings pitched, Bierlein struck out 208 while walking only 56. He earned All-South Region honors in both of his last two seasons while posting two of the top seven single-season ERAs in school history- 1.99 in 2013 and 1.40 (the second-highest mark in school history) last season. He struck out 137 while walking just 32 in 154 innings in those seasons combined. The younger brother of Miners reliever James Beirlein, he graduated as the all-time leader in career ERA at CNU.

"Bryan came in and threw a simulated game against some of our hitters and we saw good potential for him as a professional pitcher," Pinto added. "He commands the strike zone and has the pitchability we look for. Bryan will be a great addition to our spring training roster."

Discuss this story on the Frontier League message board... Digg this story Add to Del.icio.us

See the original post here:
Miners Add Two to 2015 Spring Roster

September 30, 2014 - Major League Soccer (MLS) Columbus Crew On Tuesday afternoon, the Black & Gold faced-off with North American Soccer League side Indy Eleven for a scrimmage at the club's training facility in Obetz. The contest was an opportunity for several Crew players to battle for a spot in the 18, for Academy players to get additional experience and for veterans like Josh Williams and Emanuel Pogatetz to boost their match fitness with four regular-season contests remaining.

Midfielder Kevan George got the Crew off to a fast start as he found the back of the net in just the second minute of play, volleying home after a scramble following a Ben Speas corner kick. Indy Eleven, however, managed to even up the match in the 25th minute and eventually scored the winning goal in the 74th minute of the exhibition.

Despite the score, the Black & Gold were able to create a number of opportunities. In the 57th minute, a beautiful through ball from Romain Gall appeared to land Adam Bedell on the scoresheet, but the forward was ruled offside.

The two newest additions to the roster, Pogatetz and Gall, saw 63 and 90 minutes of action, respectively. Williams returned from rib surgery to play the entire second half, seeing his first game action since the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup match against the Indy Eleven on June 17th.

Discuss this story on the Major League Soccer message board... Digg this story Add to Del.icio.us

View post:
Crew Falls to Indy Eleven in Scrimmage

Curator Mark ONeill at the Little Museum of Dublin on St Stephens Green with pupils from St Pius X Girls National School. Photograph: Simon OConnor

We are working with Dublin Theatre Festival on a temporary exhibition in the Little Museum. Everything has been lent by a bunch of generous theatre junkies, and today is the first time all of the material is together in one place. Now begins the fun: taking this disparate collection of memorabilia and using it to tell a story. The delivery man almost walks straight into a door with a plate of glass from one of the display cases. Thank heavens for bubble-wrap.

Our education programme, I Love Dublin, offers free civic classes to schoolchildren every morning. Thanks to the law firm Matheson, more than 3,000 kids will receive free classes this year. The programme is just starting up again this week. I start calling schools to invite them to participate. As the programme enters its third year, its getting easier to convince teachers to come back, and we get a few bookings for the end of the week.

One of the most fun things Im working on is a collaborative exhibition with Clerys heritage gallery and Luas Cross City on the history of Dublins trams. The demise of Dublins tramways in the 1940s was one of the most unfortunate consequences of our reckless and haphazard approach to civic planning, and Im glad were celebrating them at the museum. In the morning, I speak to Michael Corcoran, who literally wrote the book on the subject (Through Streets Broad and Narrow). I could study the trams for a week and learn less than I do in half an hour with him.

Two transition-year groups join us in the afternoon. The format of our classes is different for primary and secondary groups, but in both we discuss the conditions of tenement dwellers in Dublin a century ago. Henrietta Street was once the grandest address in the capital, but by 1911 it was effectively a shanty town. Most of the students gasp when I tell them that one of the houses had more than 100 residents. A lad at the back gets the gravity of the situation. Jaysis, he says, and theyd no wifi.

We have a few last-minute additions to our theatre festival exhibition courtesy of the Gate Theatre, so I cycle there, and then on to the framers, where I pick up some beautiful old posters that will soon find their way into our permanent collection.

In the morning the fifth-class pupils from Catherine McAuley School come in for I Love Dublin. Catherine McAuley is a school for dyslexic children, and one of my favourite groups; theyve participated in the programme since it began. We welcome them with a blast of our second World War air-raid siren one of the most effective ways of getting 25 10-year-olds to stay quiet long enough to tell them your name and ask them to sit around the fireplace in the museum. We talk about the tenements and the 1916 Rising. Any educator will tell you that teaching requires patience, but not too much patience, and, as the kids get more comfortable at the museum, they become more excitable too. Four teachers and I struggle to get a word in edgeways.

See the article here:
My Education Week: I feel like the Pied Piper

September 29, 2014 - Pacific Coast League (PCL) Reno Aces RENO, Nev.- The Reno Aces Baseball Club has announced promotions and additions to their front office staff today. The franchise recently concluded its sixth season of Pacific Coast League play and welcomed over 400,000 fans to Aces Ballpark in 2014.

Promotions were named for Rick Parr, Emily Jaenson, Kris Morrow and Niko Saladis, while the Aces added Malcolm Chapman, Edgar Montoya and David Woodard to their front office staff.

"After a terrific 2014 season, we're thrilled to announce new promotions and additions to the team," said Eric Edelstein, Aces Executive Vice President/Chief Operating Officer. "While we have 200 days until Opening Day, our team is working hard to make 2015 even better."

Parr is entering his seventh season with the Aces, following seven years with the Tucson Sidewinders and transitions from General Manager to Vice President of Corporate and Community Impact. Parr will concentrate on identifying strategic ways for the Aces to continually make a positive impact in the lives of the children and families throughout Reno/Sparks and all of Northern Nevada.

Jaenson is entering her second season with the Aces and moves from Account Executive of Marketing Partnerships to Manager of Marketing Partnerships. After helping the Aces achieve record partnerships in 2014, Jaenson will take a greater leadership role in this department.

The 2015 season will be Morrow's third with the Aces following a stint with the Indianapolis Indians of the International League. The Knoxville, Illinois native moves from Account Executive to Group Sales Manager. He graduated from Illinois State University with a bachelor's degree in Communication Studies and a master's degree in Sports Management from Western Illinois University.

A Minden native, Saladis started with the Aces in October of 2013 as a Ticket Sales Account Executive and will now serve as the Marketing Partnerships Account Executive. Saladis graduated with a bachelor's degree in Sport Management from Southwest Baptist University.

The Aces added three members to the sales team in Chapman, Woodard and Montoya.

Chapman was named to an Account Executive in Outside Sales role after spending time in the sales department of the Oklahoma City RedHawks. The Houston native graduated from the University of Missouri with a bachelor's degree in Sport Management.

Woodard joined the Aces in August as an Account Executive in Group Sales after serving in a similar role with the Myrtle Beach Pelicans of the Carolina League. A native of Lebanon, Virginia, Woodard graduated from Old Dominion University with a bachelor's degree in Business Administration-Finance.

Read the original here:
Aces Announce Front Office Promotions & Additions

"That needs to be addressed, whether it's a combination of those guys coming back after disappointing years and really performing the way we know they're able to next year, or us addressing the needs in free agency," Luhnow said. "We're going to look long and hard on that."

The Astros' $45 million payroll figures to jump because of the additions they'll have to make to keep some of their nine arbitration-eligible players, including Fowler ($7.85 million in '14), Carter ($510,000) and catcher Jason Castro ($2.45 million). All will get significant raises.

Having Springer in the lineup daily will be a huge boost to the offense, but they'll be looking to add some power in the outfield, which becomes a must when the corner infielders aren't producing it.

"We feel good about the starting pitching, but we need to improve our offense," Luhnow said. "We cut down on the strikeouts and I think our guys are getting better with their approach."

Another area the club will address in free agency or trades is the bullpen. Houston tried to shore up its bullpen a year ago by signing Chad Qualls, Matt Albers, Jesse Crain and Jerome Williams, but Albers pitched in only eight games and Crain never got on the mound. Williams was cut loose in June.

With club on the cusp of finally sorting out its television stalemate, Luhnow said there's "going to be substantial resources" to keep the arbitration-eligible players, as well as having some money to spend in free agency.

Arbitration-eligible: RHP Anthony Bass, DH Chris Carter, C Jason Castro, C Carlos Corporan, CF Dexter Fowler, IF Marwin Gonzalez, OF/IF Jesus Guzman, OF Alex Presley, LHP Tony Sipp.

Free agents: RHP Matt Albers ($3 million club option for 2015), RHP Jesse Crain, RHP Jose Veras.

Rotation: The top three in the rotation are set with veteran Scott Feldman, left-hander Dallas Keuchel and rookie revelation Collin McHugh all coming off solid seasons, with Keuchel emerging as an ace. Lefty Brett Oberholtzer did an admirable job as the fourth starter and figures to remain in the mix for the final two spots entering 2015 with Brad Peacock, who was inconsistent this year, and youngsters Jake Buchanan, Mike Foltynewicz and Nick Tropeano

Bullpen: This will be near the top of Luhnow's offseason to-do list. Last winter's signings of veterans Albers and Crain were a whiff as both were injured all season. Qualls did a nice job at closer (with the exception of facing the A's), but the Astros could use another proven arm or two to lock down more games. Lefty Tony Sipp was a solid pickup and should return. Josh Fields emerged as a solid option, while fellow youngsters Josh Zeid and Kevin Chapman were a mixed bag. Luhnow hinted he wants Veras to return as well.

Visit link:
Astros hope to boost offense, look to youth next season

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) - Texas Rangers general manager Jon Daniels never intended to have a managerial search on his to-do list after a lost season.

That instead became the top priority, something to get done even before looking for a starting pitcher in free agency or finding another bat for the middle of the lineup.

For the first time in five seasons, the Rangers played only 162 games, with not even a wild-card tiebreaker like last season. For the third year in a row, there was a champagne celebration in the other clubhouse at their ballpark as another team clinched a postseason berth.

But the club that went to back-to-back World Series in 2010 and 11 had known since mid-summer that there would be no extra games. The plan was for Ron Washington to return in 2015 for his ninth season in Texas until his sudden resignation Sept. 5 for personal reasons - not because of the results of a miserable season that ended Sunday with the 95th loss, the most since 1985.

There is a strong candidate in Tim Bogar, the first-year Rangers bench coach who as interim manager went 14-8.

Daniels plans to also interview two other internal candidates (pitching coach Mike Maddux and Triple-A manager Steve Buechele) and probably four or five others from outside the organization. The hope is to have that hire done before the World Series starts Oct. 21.

Were going through a process I think is ultimately in everybodys best interest, Daniels said. As I told Tim, at the end of the day, if hes announced as our full-time manager its going to be with a lot more behind it.

Daniels said Bogar made the most of an opportunity in a 22-game stretch in which the young Rangers won four consecutive series and gave the Oakland Athletics fits.

Texas swept a three-game series in Oakland, then took two of the first three games in the closing weekend series. The As then won 4-0 on Sunday to finally clinch their third consecutive playoff berth on the last day of the regular season.

Next for Bogar is the formal interview process, knowing that there are more factors than his record over the past three-plus weeks.

See the original post:
Rangers 1st offseason priority is hiring manager