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After earning a 23-13 victory over the Miami Dolphins, the Texans are 2-0 for the second consecutive season.

What a difference a year can make.

"This one feels different," offensive tackle Eric Winston said about the unbeaten start. "We're not having to outscore teams and win shootouts like last season."

At this time last season, the Texans had beaten Indianapolis 34-24 and Washington 30-27. They had allowed 884 yards, including 822 passing, and six touchdowns.

In victories over Indianapolis and Miami this season, the Texans have surrendered 542 yards, including 342 passing, and two touchdowns.

"We only gave up 13 points today, and you're going to win a lot of games doing that," coach Gary Kubiak said.

Hiring Wade Phillips, who installed a 3-4 defense, is paying quick dividends.

After the Dolphins scored a touchdown and kicked a field goal to trail 16-13 with 12:53 remaining, the Texans' defense took over. On their last two series, the Dolphins couldn't get beyond their 13- and 20-yard lines.

"I've got to be honest with you," Winston said. "In that situation last year, I would have been a little anxious. But with the defense we've got this year, when they went out there today, I knew it was closing time."

For the second week in succession, the Texans did what they were supposed to do. They were favored by three over the Dolphins, who have won just one of their last 12 games at Sun Life Stadium, and they won by 10.

The Texans overcame a bad third-quarter performance on both sides of the ball to increase their record against the Dolphins to 6-0, including 3-0 at Miami. They did it with Arian Foster on the bench in the second half and cornerback Johnathan Joseph playing despite a sprained ankle that caused him to limp.

"We really struggled in the third quarter, but we came alive in the fourth," tight end Joel Dreessen said. "We got a big kickoff return (43 yards by Danieal Manning) to get us started."

Matt Schaub's 23-yard touchdown pass to Andre Johnson gave the Texans a 10-point lead and sent many of the fans for the exits.

"The defense got us the ball back, and it felt good to ram it down their throats and use up so much time," Dreessen said.

Ben Tate did the heavy-duty work in the second half. Kubiak said it was his decision not to play Foster in the second half. He said Foster was fatigued. Foster said he took himself out because his hamstring felt tight.

Either way, the Texans were fortunate to have Tate, who has come off the bench to rush for 116 and 103 yards in his first two NFL games. When they needed him the most in the fourth quarter, Tate was money.

Tate carried eight consecutive times to use up more than five minutes off the clock. On their last series, he carried three times to run out the clock.

"Ben was exceptional reading his blocks, making that one cut and getting the yards," said Schaub, who was 21-of-29 for 230 yards and two touchdowns. "Our offensive line did a great job. We're built for a game like that. Their energy and consistency really wore down (Miami's defensive line)."

The line didn't play well for some of the game, especially in the third quarter, when Schaub was sacked three times.

"A lot of us up front don't feel like we played well," Winston said.

The Texans didn't commit a turnover, and they forced two — a Joseph interception and a fumble recovery by Glover Quin.

The special teams were even better than the offense and defense. Manning and Jacoby Jones, who averaged 18 yards on punt returns, gave the offense excellent field position. Neil Rackers connected on three field goals. Brett Hartmann's punts and kickoffs were tremendous. The Texans also blocked a 22-yard field goal.

The only thing they didn't do well was stop the run. Rookie Daniel Thomas got 107 of the Dolphins' 153 rushing yards.

Quarterback Chad Henne threw for 416 yards against New England. He had 170 against the Texans.

Now the Texans are 2-0 and headed for New Orleans.

"This is nothing new," Winston said. "We've all been here (2-0). I don't think the city feels like this is anything new. I don't think anybody in Houston's going to (order) playoff tickets."

By NFL standards, the interest in quarterbacks during the 2011 draft wasn't out of the stratosphere, but of the six taken in the first 36 picks, the desire for someone to assume a starting role right away was sky high.

When the season starts, only two of the six - Carolina's Cam Newton and Cincinnati's Andy Dalton - will carry the hopes of their franchises on their shoulders. But by the end of the season, don't be surprised if all six are running their team's offenses.

The challenge for all the rookies is they had no time during the off-season to study their respective offenses. As the No. 1 pick in the draft, Newton will be scrutinized like none of the others. The multi-talented quarterback from Auburn gets the task of turning around a 2-14 Panthers team.

"We are looking forward to him being our starter," coach Ron Rivera said. "He's going to grow as our starter and we're going to grow as a football team. The thing that has to happen is that we as a football team have to grow and it's not just about him. I want to make this clear again: We didn't draft Cam to be our savior; we drafted him to help lead this football team. He will be our starter on opening day."

Here's a look at the six rookies and how they fared in the preseason:

Cam Newton, Panthers: 1st overall; 24 of 57 (42.1%) for 300 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT, 64.9 rating. Expected starter: Newton.

Andy Dalton, Bengals: 35th; 36 of 60 (60%) for 328 yards, 1 TD, 3 INT, 59.6 rating. Expected starter: Dalton.

Blaine Gabbert, Jaguars: 10th; 35 of 70 (50%) for 365 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 64.3 rating. Expected starter: David Garrard.

Jake Locker, Titans: 8th; 32 of 49 (65.3%) for 316 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT, 88.5 rating. Expected starter: Matt Hasselbeck.

Christian Ponder, Vikings: 12th; 27 of 49 (55.1%) for 290 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT, 79.5 rating. Expected starter: Donovan McNabb.

Colin Kaepernick, 49ers: 36th; 24 of 50 (48%) for 257 yards, 0 TD, 5 INT, 23.9 rating. Expected starter: Alex Smith.

THE BEST OF THE BEST

If you want to know who's going to be the most valuable player this season, you need to figure out which teams are going to have the best seasons. Over the last 10 seasons, the NFL MVP's team has won 13 or more regular-season games six times, 12 or more nine times and never fewer than 11.

So who can we eliminate?

Well, it's going to be hard for Minnesota's Adrian Peterson or Tennessee's Chris Johnson to win it unless they rush for 2,000 yards. Neither one of their teams is expected to win more than a handful of games.

Besides, quarterbacks dominate the voting. They've won four straight and eight of the last 10. Those four straight, by the way, were split between New England's Tom Brady and Indianapolis' Peyton Manning.

With all of that in mind, here are seven players who should shine both personally and collectively:

QB PHILIP RIVERS, San Diego Chargers

Rivers threw for 4,710 yards and 30 touchdowns last year and that was for a team that wasn't all that good. This may be the year the Chargers put it all together and make a serious run at the Super Bowl. Rivers has his ace receiver, Vincent Jackson, back, a healthy Antonio Gates and a double-barreled backfield that should take some pressure off him.

QB MICHAEL VICK, Philadelphia Eagles

We've heard all the "Dream Team" stuff, but Vick has to get all the new parts working in concert. Vick could be running for his life early on as the Eagles get their offensive line in order, but if he can play 16 games with such offensive threats as DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, LeShon McCoy, Ronnie Brown and Jason Avant, he could easily win the award in a runaway.

QB AARON RODGERS, Green Bay Packers.

It's been 14 years since a Packers quarterback won an MVP, but Rodgers certainly has the tools to do it. His offense is loaded with talent and if he plays anywhere near the way he did in the playoffs, he'll win it going away. Rodgers needs to reduce his interceptions, but you know he's going to throw for 4,000 yards and about 30 touchdowns. And the Packers should be contenders.

QB TOM BRADY, New England Patriots

Brady could win back-to-back awards for the first time. Last year, his 36 touchdowns to four interceptions were phenomenal and he became the first player to receive all 50 votes for the MVP award. The Packers opened some doors with the way they blitzed Brady late in the year, but only a handful of teams can do that without getting scorched. The addition of Chad Ochocinco gives Brady another option, at least until Ochocinco talks his way out of New England.

QB DREW BREES, New Orleans Saints

Brees turned the ball over way too many times last year (22 interceptions) but still managed to throw for 4,620 yards and 32 touchdowns. The lack of a running game and injuries to some of his targets affected his numbers. This year, the Saints have a bona fide backfield with Pierre Thomas, Darren Sproles and first-round pick Mark Ingram, and that should take a lot of pressure off Brees.

RB ARIAN FOSTER, Houston Texans

In order for Foster to have a shot, he's going to have to will his team to the playoffs. The Texans always seem on the verge of something big and then they just flat-out disappoint. The return of tight end Owen Daniels will help Foster a lot and there should be plenty of points scored offensively. The question is whether the defense can hold up and allow Foster to show his stuff in the postseason.

QB PEYTON MANNING, Indianapolis Colts

How can you leave him out? Yeah, he's got a neck injury that could affect him all year. Yeah, there are some issues on the offensive line. Receiver Austin Collie can't stay healthy. But Manning still has Reggie Wayne, Pierre Garcon and Dallas Clark, and that's enough for him to tear up opposing defenses. If the Colts win the division, Manning might get the award just on guts alone.

Other candidates: Atlanta QB Matt Ryan, Houston QB Matt Schaub, Jacksonville RB Maurice Jones- Drew, Kansas City RB Jamaal Charles and Atlanta WR Roddy White.

IT'S ALL ABOUT RATINGS

Of the 20 quarterbacks with the highest all-time passer ratings (minimum of 1,500 attempts), 10 are still active. And of the top 10, seven will be under center when the season kicks off.

Who's No. 1?

It's the Green Bay Packers' Aaron Rodgers, whose 98.41 rating is more than a full point ahead of second-place Philip Rivers of the San Diego Chargers. In his three seasons as a starter, Rodgers has posted ratings of 93.8, 103.2 and 101.2.

Hall of Famer Steve Young holds the record for most 100-plus seasons with six and most consecutive seasons with four. Indianapolis' Peyton Manning holds the record for highest single-season passer rating with 121.1 in 2004.

One thing that is clear is that the more years you play the harder it is to stay on top as the leader in passer rating. The top spot is often held by a quarterback in his prime such as Rodgers. The true measure is whether he can keep his rating from dropping precipitously as he gets older.

Cincinnati running back Cedric Benson has begun serving a 20-day jail term in Texas to settle two misdemeanor assault cases.

The former University of Texas star was sentenced Monday in Austin and had planned to surrender Oct. 17, during Cincinnati's bye week. Travis County Jail records show Benson was booked late Tuesday.

Benson's jail time could be shortened with possible credit for time served when arrested.

Benson was arrested in 2010 for allegedly punching a bar employee in Austin, an incident that earned him a meeting with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell but resulted in no punishment. He pleaded no contest to a charge of assault with injury in that case.

He also was arrested last month for allegedly punching a former roommate in downtown Austin. He pleaded no contest to a charge of assault with bodily injury with family violence, and that will be dismissed if he performs 30 hours of community service and pays an undisclosed amount of restitution to the victim.

Benson, 28, was Chicago's first-round pick in 2005. He had two alcohol-related arrests with the Bears, who let him go in 2008.

He signed as a free agent with the Bengals and has led them in rushing each of the past three years — 747 yards in 2008, 1,251 yards in 2009 and 1,111 yards in 2010.

Benson also must pay a $4,000 fine within 30 days.

Gore makes it official

Frank Gore signed his three-year contract extension with the San Francisco 49ers, keeping the two-time Pro Bowl running back with the team through 2014.

Gore agreed Tuesday to the $21 million deal, with $13.5 million in guaranteed money. In what was to be the final year of his contract, Gore had hoped to land a new deal before the Niners' Sept. 11 season opener at home against the defending NFC West champion Seattle Seahawks — and he got it.

Gore, 28, missed the final five games of 2010 after fracturing his right hip in a Monday night game at Arizona on Nov. 29. He is fully healthy and begins the year third on San Francisco's all-time rushing list, needing 931 yards to become No. 1.

Texas, Aug. 25, 2011 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Hastings Entertainment, Inc. HAST -0.03%  , a leading multimedia entertainment superstore retailer, has announced its plans for chain-wide Midnight release parties for the new Madden NFL 12 video game. Fans are encouraged to join their local Hastings for a midnight release party on Monday, August 29, 2011. Festivities for the night will begin at 9:00 P.M. and will end after the video game goes on sale at Midnight.

Fans enjoying the festivities and awaiting the release of the game will be able to take advantage of special promotions during the release party including 30% off all used books, CDs, video games and video game accessories, and 50% off select Blu-rays. Customers who purchase the game at the party will also receive a free video game rental coupon and $5 off the Madden NFL 12 strategy guide.

To find out more about the Madden NFL 12 midnight release party in your area, visit or contact your local Hastings superstore or visit us online at www.goHastings.com .

About Hastings

Founded in 1968, Hastings Entertainment, Inc. is a leading multimedia entertainment retailer that combines the sale of new and used books, videos, video games and CDs, and trends and consumer electronics merchandise, with the rental of videos and video games in a superstore format. We currently operate 143 superstores, averaging approximately 24,000 square feet, primarily in medium-sized markets throughout the United States. We also operate two concept stores, Sun Adventure Sports, in Amarillo, Texas and TRADESMART, in Littleton, Colorado.

We operate www.goHastings.com , an e-commerce Internet web site that makes available to our customers new and used entertainment products and unique, contemporary gifts and toys. The site features exceptional product and pricing offers. The Investor Relations section of our web site contains press releases, a link to request financial and other literature and access to our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

SOURCE Hastings Entertainment, Inc.

The season-ending disappointment for the Indiana Pacers is different this year.The previous four years ended the same way: The Pacers missed the playoffs, and the immediate future was dim because the franchise was handcuffed financially.This season, Indiana finally had a breakthrough. With one of the league’s youngest starting lineups, it made the playoffs for the first time since 2006 and tested the top-seeded Chicago Bulls before dropping the first-round series 4-1.”I feel terrible right now,” Pacers forward Danny Granger said after his team’s 116-89 loss in Game 5.This time, the feeling wasn’t about an unpleasant locker room atmosphere, an under-achieving roster, another off-the-court disaster or any of the other problems that plagued the franchise the past five years.It was about an opportunity lost. The first four games were decided by six points or fewer, and the Pacers won Game 4 at home, spoiling the Bulls’ bid for a sweep.”We let games get away,” Granger said. “It’s a learning experience.”The Pacers were within four points in the third quarter of Game 5 before Chicago’s Derrick Rose scored 10 points in the final six minutes of the period to put them away.”It was the time where you’re going to make it or break it,” Pacers guard Paul George said. “They were hitting their shots and they rose their intensity.”The Pacers made up for their lack of playoff experience with intensity and confidence.”Our young guys have a lot of guts,” interim coach Frank Vogel said after Game 3. “It’s very, very encouraging to the future of this franchise to see these guys compete like they’re competing when it’s on the line.”Along the way, the Pacers earned Chicago’s respect.”They didn’t play us like an eighth seed,” Chicago guard Keith Bogans said. “It was toe to toe.”The franchise still has to figure out whether Vogel deserves to lose the interim tag from his job title, and team president Larry Bird is in the final year of his contract. But the Pacers enter the off-season with young talent, playoff experience and significant salary cap space.The 28-year-old Granger is the elder statesman among the starters. Centre Roy Hibbert just finished his third year, point guard Darren Collison and power forward Tyler Hansbrough were second-year players, and George was a rookie. All five are under contract for next season.Vogel took over for Jim O’Brien at midseason, and the 37-year-old guided the team to a 20-18 record and a spot in the post-season. The team got off to a 7-3 start under him before the all-star break, hit a skid, then closed the regular season by winning 10-of-15 games.Granger was steady again. He averaged a team-best 20.5 points, plus 5.4 rebounds per game. He bumped his scoring average up to 21.6 in the playoffs.Collison was the key off-season acquisition. The ultra-quick point guard finished second on the team with 13.2 points per game and led the way with 5.1 assists per contest. He played his best basketball of the season early in the series against Chicago before going down with an ankle injury.Hibbert had his moments early in the season, but he fell out of favour with O’Brien. He was revived under Vogel and averaged 15.3 points in February as the new coach tried to restore his confidence and establish him as an offensive centrepiece. He finished the season averaging 12.7 points and a team-best 7.5 rebounds.Hansbrough was basically a rookie after missing much of last season with health problems. He couldn’t crack O’Brien’s rotation, but Vogel gave him a chance and he responded.George broke into the starting lineup late in the season under Vogel. The team’s first-round pick in 2010 added length, athletic ability and some scoring punch to the team.”He can be great,” Vogel said. “He’s a special talent. When he puts it all together, it’s going to be impressive.”Brandon Rush led the team by shooting 42 per cent from three-point range. Dahntay Jones returned to the rotation under Vogel and played solid defence against Rose in the playoffs.Mike Dunleavy, Jeff Foster, T.J. Ford and Josh McRoberts are the key free agents.Foster was the team’s No. 2 rebounder this season. The 34-year old has spent his entire 12-year career with the Pacers, and proved his value in the playoffs with physical play that made him a target for booing Bulls fans. McRoberts opened the season as the starting power forward, but eventually lost that spot to Hansbrough. His high-flying dunks made the Indiana native a crowd favourite.Now the Pacers finally have tangible success to carry into the off-season.”Hopefully we’ll take this into next season and build on it and be in the playoffs next season,” Granger said.

As part of my acclaimed “No More Stadiums, With or Without Tax Subsidies” Tour, let me explain the current situation in my current home of Los Angeles:
The Stadium Fairy apparently is going to drop a $1 billion building on downtown L.A.To which I would tell the city lords, for the umpteenth time:
We don’t need a new stadium.
We don’t need an NFL team.
We do need more left-turn signals.
But someone in town must’ve just seen “Field of Dreams” for the first time and said, “Hey, if we build it, the NFL will come.”
To which I would tell the city lords, for the umpteenth time:
Nobody around here is going to sleep every night, thinking, “Woe is us without a professional football franchise.” Not as long as it’s 72 degrees with sunny skies, and our cable and satellite systems pick up NFL games every weekend.
Yet billionaire Philip Anschutz’s mega Anschutz Entertainment Group is trying to convince the city to let it build a downtown stadium to lure the NFL back to town — and here’s the too-good-to-be-true catch — at absolutely no cost to taxpayers.
“It will not cost taxpayers a dime,” said L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.
“The city’s never going to have to pay a penny — and we’re going to guarantee it,” said AEG chief Tim Leiweke.
Wow.
Next thing you know, AEG will foot the bill for my next honeymoon and throw in some “We’re No. 1” foam fingers.
Leiweke — pronounced “LIE-wick-ee,” I believe — is the modern-day Music Man. If he’s selling you band instruments, you’d better make sure you have a band.
No cost to taxpayers?
For starters, AEG wants a special exemption from the state’s environmental quality act. Okay, California is $26 billion in the hole — we don’t even have a budget in place this year — and we’re already spending legislative time and money to roll out the red carpet for a billionaire investor.
Further, for this stadium deal, AEG wants to lease prime downtown property for $1 a year. Uh, wouldn’t that fall under the umbrella of “unrealized municipal revenue”? (Note: I made up that term – it sounds very authoritative.)
Finally, the city would lease land to AEG and float a $350 million bond to tear down part of L.A. Convention Center and rebuild it as part of the new stadium.
I now turn over the column briefly to L.A. City Councilman Bill Rosendahl, who, according to the Los Angeles Times, recently posed a couple of questions about this $350 million bond:
“How is it possible to contend that no public money will be used while at the same time ask the city to sell bonds?”
“Since taxes on tickets normally would flow into the general fund to help pay for services such as police officers, wouldn’t the use of ticket taxes to pay off the bonds be defined as a public subsidy?”
Of course, these questions generally are minor annoyances to AEG, which already got millions in tax breaks for two hotels at its downtown L.A. Live project.
(I invite out-of-towners to take in L.A. Live on your next trip. It’s another only-in-L.A. signature: Create an artificial urban environment because there is a no real urban environment here. L.A. Live essentially is a sound stage – it’s a fake city inside of a fake city.)
But, subsidies aside, the question remains if America should continue on this course of manifest stadium destiny. AEG just wants to drop this monstrosity on downtown. You know what should be downtown? A downtown – a living, breathing, working space where people live, breathe and work; not some massive structure that sucks the air out of the region most days and nights.
Here’s another question for America: Can’t we start building libraries instead of stadiums? Isn’t that a better investment in our future? Do you know how many library shelves you could line with how many books for a billion dollars? And here’s a 2008 book I’d start with – “Field of Schemes: How the Great Stadium Swindle Turns Public Money into Private Profit,” by Neil deMause and Joanna Cagan. It’s a pretty good read, and I guarantee you it will save the city money.

On Saturday afternoon, we will find out exactly how much the Washington Capitals learned from last spring’s first-round ouster.
Now is the time for the Capitals to eliminate the New York Rangers, accomplish something they haven’t done in 13 years and prove that allowing the Montreal Canadiens to stagger back to their feet a year ago was a hard lesson learned, not just another premature exit for a franchise whose postseason history is defined by them.Henrik Lundqvist and his teammates are exhausted, flustered and, judging from the vibe in the downcast home dressing room after Wednesday’s double-overtime 4-3 loss in Game 4 at Madison Square Garden, doubts have begun creeping into the Rangers’ collective psyche.
With one more win, the Capitals can wrap up a series in five games for the first time since beating Ottawa in the semifinals in 1998. They lost Game 3, but won the next two, closing out the Senators on home ice. Later that spring, they made the club’s only Stanley Cup finals appearance.
“I remember with [Muhammad] Ali, they would always say he had a great killer instinct when he got you in trouble,” Coach Bruce Boudreau said. “Other guys would let you off the hook.”
Twelve months ago, the Capitals were the “other guys.” The similarities between the series, in fact, are striking.
Against the Canadiens, the Capitals seized a three-games-to-one lead with a 6-3 victory at Bell Centre and could have clinched two nights later on F Street. Instead, by the time Game 5 was seven minutes old, the visitors were ahead 2-0, Verizon Center had fallen silent and the momentum of the series had swung for good. The Capitals did not win another game and became the first top-seeded team to blow a 3-1 series lead to an eighth-seeded team.
It was an inexcusable collapse, despite the rationalizations offered afterward.
One excuse was that the Capitals got caught looking ahead while the determined Canadiens stayed in the moment. Another was that a lengthy delay on their return flight from Montreal following Game 4 caused a flat first period two days later.
I’m not buying either. The inexperienced Capitals simply didn’t know how to close out an opponent desperate to keep its season alive.
After that loss, Boudreau delivered a scathing rebuke of his team’s effort, saying famously that the Capitals “had five or six passengers” along for the ride.
The same thing could have been said after the first 40 minutes in New York on Wednesday.
Then, something unexpected happened in the third period. Instead of crumbling beneath the chorus of derisive chants directed at Boudreau and a 3-0 deficit that had started to resemble a 7-0 pasting they had absorbed in the same building on Dec. 12, the Capitals did something “out of character,” as their coach often implores them to do in times of turmoil.
Alexander Semin raced to the net with abandon and followed up his own shot while jamming away at a loose puck from the side of the crease. Rookie Marcus Johansson morphed into a veteran, notching the first and second playoff goals of his career, the first on a tap-in and the second on a redirection in front. Then Jason Chimera, a 10-goal scorer in the regular season and a healthy scratch only three weeks ago, notched the biggest goal of the season 32 minutes 36 seconds into extra time.
The Capitals went from looking like a team in trouble to the contender many believed them to be. The Rangers, meantime, took a devastating uppercut on the chin.
Those who lived last year’s collapse said Thursday they are confident there won’t be a repeat.
“It’s a different team, a different era,” Chimera said. “We have a different kind of resolve here this year. [The Montreal series] is always in the back of your mind. But we have a whole new leadership in here.”
Mike Knuble, who missed Wednesday’s game with a suspected right hand injury, said last season’s flameout humbled the Capitals in a good way.
“As a group, we were a little more high on ourselves than this group,” he said.
Added Eric Fehr: “Obviously, we have to prove it on the ice, that we learned our lesson. We had a real tough summer, and I think a lot of guys are bringing different stuff to the table this year.”
Wednesday’s comeback showed the Capitals are capable of closing this series in five games, but to do it they’ll also need to show they have the “killer instinct” required to pull it off.

Arizona Wildcats sophomore forward Derrick Williams didn’t make a quick decision about his basketball future, mulling it over for a few weeks after the season.
But, really, it wasn’t complicated.
All the other stuff — the potential of an NBA lockout, the tantalizing thought of Arizona being a national championship contender next season if he stayed, the potential of injury — was just background noise.
“I’m supposed to be a top five pick,” Williams said Wednesday at a press conference, speaking publicly about his decision for the first time. “You can’t really turn that down.”
No, you can’t.

And Williams doesn’t have just internet speculation about his draft status; he has the real inside scoop from NBA men. Which teams end up at the top of the draft lottery could affect exactly where he goes, but Williams doesn’t expect a big slide, no matter the final order of teams.
“If I drop out of the top five … I don’t think that’s going to happen,” Williams said. “I don’t think anybody else believes that’s going to happen.”
Williams said he still is in the process of hiring an agent.
Since he announced his decision, he said response from Arizona fans has been positive.
“Obviously, they wished I stayed, but everybody is happy for me,” Williams said.
“Nothing but, ‘Thank you for everything, Derrick, and for putting us back in the national spotlight. UA fans have been great since I’ve been here. …
“If you have a chance to make money doing something you love … I think they all understand.”
Williams is still in school this semester and said he vowed to his mother to get his degree.
“I promised her that I was going to get it down if I choose to go this route (to the NBA),” Williams said. “So I have work to do on the court and in the classroom.”

If I were to ask you what time of year it is right now, what would you say? Maybe you would say spring, or drawing near to the end of the semester, or a variety of other things.
But if I were to ask you what time of year it was in the sports world, you would refine your answer. There’s a decently good chance you would answer baseball season or NBA playoff season.
But for some of us — even those of us who follow baseball and basketball — this time of year is something more: NHL Playoff season.
For fans from 16 lucky cities, the battle for Le Cupe de Stanley has begun once again.
While hockey may not be ESPN’s most popular, those who do profess themselves hockey lovers are not kidding around.
Just take a look around campus and if you notice some of your guy friends looking hairier than usual, it could be because they are growing the ever-prominent playoff beard. Even my brother, who at 15 barely has facial hair, has declared he is not shaving until the Rangers lose (and another few months of mourning ensue).
Now while I may not be the most qualified to talk on this subject, my daringly handsome editor has practically begged me to write a column … so here it is.
Coming from New York, people are quick to write me off as a spoiled Yankee fan — too familiar with championship victories to really know how special it is to win. As soon as I mention that I am also a Rangers fan, they usually apologize and change their minds.
It’s not that the Rangers are a bad team. It’s just that they are not the Yankees. I have heard people say, “The Yankees never disappoint.” And although I love the Rangers and always will, the same can’t be said for them. Ask any Ranger fan just a few years older than me, who had to wait 54 long years for the Rangers’ fourth championship. I was only two years old at the time, but the 1994 Stanley Cup Finals are such a big deal in my family that I have seen the highlights enough times to practically quote the announcers. Messier, Graves, Leech and Richter are names tossed around my house so frequently you would think they are related to us.
Before getting too far off track … the point is, unless you’re the Canadiens (or maybe the Leafs or the Red Wings), when you win a cup, you remember. The road to the Holy Grail is never an easy one, and even if you are a Canadiens fan, you remember the last time your team got there like it was yesterday.
*Remember Canadiens spelled with an ‘E’ not an ‘A’.
So every year, fans get excited and nervous all over again, thinking this could be the year because anything can happen, but that goes both ways as a friend of mine so kindly reminded me the other day.
“Remember, this could be the last time the Rangers make it to the playoffs for a while,” he said to me — probably just bitter that his Colorado team did not make the cut this year.
But his point is valid, as I remember the acidic disappointment I felt last year when the Rangers fell just a few points short of a playoff spot. And unfortunately, the disappointment does not end there. Not that I feel any sympathy, but I can imagine that Capitals fans feel that the Alexander Ovechkin Era should bring the franchise’s first Cup to D.C. So far, it has not, and I am praying as hard as I can that it won’t this year either.
Even the Blackhawks, last year’s championship team, are struggling to stay alive as they go into game four without a win so far. (That was my obligatory Blackhawks reference for my favorite girl at Cornell to chat hockey with — don’t count ’em out yet!).
For seven out of sixteen teams in the playoffs this year, this could be the first time in franchise history that they etch their name into Lord Stanley’s Cup.
Even as someone who was reluctant to write a column, I can go on all day because for my 10-15 friends that care, this is the time of year we have been waiting for. And while the rest of my fellow Yankee fans have already started tweeting about happenings in The Bronx or the easily irritated start to count the Rangers out for being down in the series 2-1, the 15 of us will keep Facebooking, emailing, bbming, texting and screaming about the NHL, doing anything we can to share our passion.
#NHLPlayoffs may never be a trending topic, but for us it’s a way of life.
So every year, we continue to hope and pray and scream and cry, and despite the outcome, we still love it.
To quote the commissoner of the NHL: “Don’t give up on the game. It’s too good.”
Hey, give Gary Bettman some credit, if for no other reason than that he is a Cornell alum. (Yeahhhh ILR)

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First, an admission: This took entirely too long. The Professional Hockey Writers Association votes on some of the major NHL awards, including the Hart Trophy, Norris Trophy and Calder Trophy (unfortunately no Vezina) and its ballot was due before the start of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Some picks were easy. Others were really tough — like the Norris, which goes to the top defenseman. That meant conversations with people smarter than me, use of fantastic stats websites like BehindtheNet.ca and, believe it or not, no dartboards.
So, in the spirit of transparency, here’s the final ballot I sent to the NHL:
Hart Trophy
“To the player adjudged to be the most valuable to his team.”
1. Corey Perry, Anaheim Ducks. Perry cemented this nomination with his huge finish, in which he carried the Ducks from a playoff bubble team to the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference. After the All-Star break, he had 25 goals in 30 games. He also had 11 game-winning goals and was the only player to score at least 50 goals.
But even before that run, Perry was instrumental in keeping the Ducks afloat while Ryan Getzlaf was injured. General manager Bob Murray said that stretch — Anaheim went 10-4-0 while Getzlaf recovered from broken facial bones — inspired him to be aggressive in the trade market, adding defenseman Francois Beauchemin and later goalie Dan Ellis.
Take Perry away from the Ducks this season and they’re not playing right now.
2. Daniel Sedin, Vancouver Canucks. The only player with more than 100 points, Sedin made a serious bid to follow his brother Henrik as the league’s MVP.
3. Pekka Rinne, Nashville Predators. Quietly becoming one of the NHL:’s most dominant goalies. Hard to see Nashville in the playoffs without Rinne.
4. Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay Lightning. His body of work throughout the season makes up for a rough finish. He kept his team in the mix while the Lightning fought through injuries up front in the season’s first half.
5. Henrik Lundqvist, New York Rangers. If the Hart should truly go to the player most valuable to his team, it might be hard to find a player more deserving than Lundqvist.
Norris Trophy
“To the defense player who demonstrates who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest all-around ability in the position.”

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1. Nicklas Lidstrom, Detroit Red Wings. This isn’t a lifetime achievement award. This isn’t a nomination because he’s still kickin’ at 40. On a night-to-night basis, there’s still not a better defenseman than Lidstrom.
Nobody played against tougher competition this season (per BehindtheNet.ca), and Lidstrom constantly makes plays against high-end competition that win games. His offensive production tailed at season’s end, but he finished second among NHL defensemen with 62 points.
Consider these words from Keith Yandle, a Norris contender himself: “Obviously Lidstrom is in a class of his own,” Yandle said. “Even with the guys up for Norris, he’s still ways ahead of everybody.”
2. Zdeno Chara, Boston Bruins. Nobody exemplifies “all-around ability” like Chara. He’s physical, he’s mean, he’s got the NHL’s hardest shot and he consistently plays against the best.
3. Shea Weber, Nashville Predators. His game suffered when Ryan Suter was injured and out of the lineup, but there’s a strong case to be made for Weber.
4. Lubomir Visnovsky, Anaheim Ducks. Impossible to ignore his production. He led all defensemen with 68 points and trailed only Dustin Byfuglien in goals with 18.
5. Keith Yandle, Phoenix Coyotes. Still working out the kinks defensively, but he’s already a star offensively. Kris Letang could have easily gone in this spot as well.
Calder Trophy
“To the player selected as the most proficient in his first year of competition.”
1. Jeff Skinner, Carolina Hurricanes. He had this award all but sealed at the All-Star break, when we all learned that he’s an incredible person as well as player. Then his production dropped as Logan Couture and Michael Grabner surged. But Skinner’s production when the Hurricanes needed him most reclaimed this Calder vote. He had 16 points in Carolina’s final 19 games, led all rookies with 63 points and was one of three rookies with more than 30 goals.
2. Logan Couture, San Jose Sharks. His emergence gave the Sharks the offensive depth they lacked. Dan Boyle called Couture the Sharks’ best player for the sason’s first half while his teammates got off to a slow start. Of his 32 goals, eight were game-winners.
3. Corey Crawford, Chicago Blackhawks. He led rookie goalies with 33 wins, and his 2.30 goals-against average was the best of any rookie who started at least 30 games.
4. Sergei Bobrovsky, Philadelphia Flyers. A revelation, from the moment he arrived at training camp. Nothing seems to rattle Bobrovsky, which is crucial for a Flyers goalie.
5. Michael Grabner, New York Islanders. He led rookies with 34 goals and was a weapon on the penalty kill. Only teammate Frans Nielsen had more shorthanded goals than Grabner’s six.