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The Baltimore Ravens signed defensive tackle Haloti Ngata to a five-year, $61-million contract Tuesday.

His agent, Mike McCartney, said Ngata will get $40 million in the first two years of the deal. The All-Pro defensive tackle has 10 tackles, six solos, one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries.

"Haloti's re-signing is significant as we push to win consistently and battle for championships," general manager Ozzie Newsome said. "His leadership is not only integral to our defense, but also the entire team."

There are many Americans who are facing budget problems in these difficult times that we are living through at the moment, and this can have an effect on all our lives in many ways.  Sadly, when times are tough, one of the first things that gets cut is entertainment, even though it can provide the light relief to help get through the days and weeks until things begin to take a turn for the better.

One of the first things to have its wires cut is cable TV. After all, cable TV is not getting cheaper and families who have been forced to make sacrifices to put food on the table or keep a roof over their heads see watching NFL games as a bit of a luxury.

However, thanks to a major breakthrough in software technology it is now possible to cut costs and still enjoy watching football, and we can be grateful to the power of the internet for that privilege.  

Thanks to a simple, low cost and user friendly piece of software wizardry, it is now a very attractive financial proposition to watch NFL games on your computer and at just a fraction of the costs of cable TV.

This breakthrough means that followers of the NFL, whatever their financial situation, will never have to dig too deep to watch their favorite teams play.

In order to get the maximum out of this new and exciting software development, and watch American football games at the highest viewing standard, the computer should have a powerful broadband connection. Broad band access is getting increasingly less expensive, and it is now possible to download at the rate of 24 megabytes per second!  Having a large size computer screen with high density resolution will also go a long way to making your NFL viewing experience complete. Although it sounds that this little piece of software will mean spending a lot of money, the truth is that computer hardware these days is becoming cheaper all the time, and it will rapidly repay itself in viewing pleasure. Not only that, but once this piece of software has been installed in your computer and you become experienced in navigating around the various and many TV channels that it opens up for you, and not only NFL football and sports, you will come to the conclusion that you can do away with cable TV altogether.

Interested in investing to save money and watch NFL on your computer? Take the time to discover what you need to know to watch American football on your computer screen.

As the NBA’s first round of the 2011 playoffs winds down, there have been plenty of great games for basketball fans to savor. The first overtime game of the 2011 playoffs saw the San Antonio Spurs keep their playoff hopes alive in Game 5 over the eight seed Memphis Grizzlies, 110-103. Had Memphis won instead, it would have been an eight seed over a one seed in the Western Conference. The Grizzlies still have three chances to win just one game against the west’s best team.
Other great games have occurred in the opening round of the 2011 playoffs. Here’s my pick for the top five.
Boston over New York, Game 2The New York Knicks got what they wanted with a huge trade with Denver to get Carmelo Anthony(notes). He scored 42 points in Game 2 of the Knicks’ opening round series against the Boston Celtics. It still wasn’t enough as Kevin Garnett(notes) had a key basket in the waning moments and then a defensive stop as time was winding down. Despite a career high in the playoffs from Anthony, the Celtics had a more complete game when they defeated the Knicks 96-93.
Chicago over Indiana, Game 2
Derrick Rose(notes) scored 36 points for the Chicago Bulls and Carlos Boozer(notes) had 17 points and 16 rebounds as the top-seeded Bulls came from behind to beat the Indiana Pacers. Finally, it looks like the Bulls of the Michael Jordan era have returned to the United Center when they won 96-90.
Los Angeles Lakers over New Orleans, Game 5
Despite playing with a sprained ankle, Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant(notes) scored 19 points to help his team defeat the New Orleans Hornets to go up 3-2 in the series. The Lakers looked vulnerable after losing the first game but have since turned into the defending champions fans have come to expect as they won 106-90.
Miami over Philadelphia, Game 2
The Miami Heat were led by LeBron James(notes) and Dwayne Wade in Game 2 against the Philadelphia 76ers. The Heat didn’t need to come back to win as they dominated from start to finish when they won 94-73. James, Wade and Chris Bosh(notes) outscored the starters of Philadelphia in the first half.
Dallas over Portland, Game 1
Dirk Nowitzki(notes) of the Dallas Mavericks took control and scored 18 of his 28 points in the final quarter of the Game 1, including 12 in a row to defeat the Portland Trail Blazers 89-81. Despite a back-and-forth series, Dallas are still favored to win.

The New York Jets may not necessarily need a linebacker, but UCLA’s Akeem Ayers is too good to fall out of the first round.
I like Ayers with any team, but I love the idea of Ayers going to the Jets.  He is, in the 2011 NFL Draft class, the very definition of a playmaking linebacker.  It’s rare that you will find a linebacker as fundamentally-solid as Ayers that also boasts ballhawking abilities, and it’s especially rare that you would find that guy with the 30th pick of the draft.  But Ayers is here, will almost certainly be here, and should be Rex Ryan’s pick.
Again, I don’t know that Ayers would necessarily start for the Jets, and I don’t think he would be — initially, anyway – quite the pass-rushing force Ryan is looking for.  But he has time to develop that area of his game, and until then, he gives the Jets another option in defending the pass.  Though he doesn’t boast impressive straight-line speed, Ayers has terrific game speed and can stick with most coverage assignments.
If the Jets eschew Ayers, look for them to perhaps make a play for Stephen Paea.  On most boards, Paea has fallen out of the first round, but is just the kind of strong, physically-imposing defensive line presence that could really help out a Jets defense that tends to lose its strongest defensive tackle in Kris Jenkins every season.

It certainly appeared to the casual observer that the Nuggets missed out on an opportunity to steal Game 1 of their opening round playoff series with the host Thunder when they ultimately fell short, 107-103.
But to the slightly more educated viewer and follower of Denver basketball, it was clear that with the game on the line in end of the game that the Nuggets didn’t have the basketball in the right guy’s hands.
This is not a knock against Raymond Felton as it is a compliment to Ty Lawson, who has been the Nuggets go-to guy for several weeks now.
And since the February 22nd trade that send former Nugget stars Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups to New York, Denver followers have wondered who is going to take on the clutch go-to guy role.
For a while, it appeared that guy was going to be forward Aaron Afflalo.
But Afflalo injured his hamstring on March 5th, and has been in and out of the lineup ever since.
“It is frustrating because I want to get out and help my team, but they’ll be fine,” Afflalo told John Rohde of NewsOK.com. “I can perhaps run around and shoot, but can I play a competitive playoff game, be effective for my team for the type of minutes I play and not re- aggravate (the injury)? That’s a different story.”
Most of Afflalo’s minutes have been absorbed by Wilson Chandler, who along with Felton, Danilo Gallinari and Timofey Mozgof came to Denver in the Anthony deal, and he has played well.
But the clutch, game-on-the-line moment that used to be almost exclusively the property of the traded superstar duo, has not latched onto anyone currently on the Nuggets roster.
And with a tough pair of Thunder scorers in Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, who combined to drop 72 against the Nuggets by themselves, Denver’s going to need for someone to step into that star role.
Perhaps tonight a guy like Lawson or J.R. Smith can rescue the underdogs on the road and even the series at one game apiece.

When Montreal Canadiens defenseman P.K. Subban arrived on the scene in the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs, his presence was instantly felt.
Immediately there was an aura surrounding Subban that few NHL players possess, never mind a rookie.
Blessed with great hockey instincts, Subban brings a number of other attributes to the rink on a nightly basis, none more important than his confidence, which judging by his play thus far, has served him very well.
Subban took a lot of criticism from the media and opposing players for his loud, sometimes brash comments on the ice. While those days do not seem to be completely behind the soon-to-be 22-year-old, it appears as if he has learned a measure of respect for his peers and the ability to turn the other cheek when challenged by his opponent.
In listening to Subban’s post-game comments last night, I was impressed he said all the right things. Simply put, Subban’s comments were pure class, hardly the thing you would expect from a guy who has enraged so many veteran foes over the course of his career.
When asked about the mood of the group, Subban said, “It’s not over, we’ve got more hockey left to play.”
It’s not really what Subban said here, but what he didn’t say that makes his comments so impressive. He could have fallen into the trap of boasting about taking two games at the TD Garden, all but icing the series for the Canadiens.Fact is though, Subban took the high road, and that shows a lot of maturity.
When asked about being a target and the one-on-one battles he and Bruins forward Milan Lucic had been involved in during Saturday night’s game, Subban again responded with confidence and class saying, “(Lucic)’s a world class player. I’m just trying to do my job.”
Just trying to do your job?
Is this the same guy who had Philadelphia Flyers forward Mike Richards chomping at the bit over whether or not he was being disrespectful to veteran players?
Is this the same guy who was benched by his coach early in the season for being a little too overzealous?
While I was one of the fans out there who appreciated what Subban was doing, his latest actions serve notice that perhaps young Subban has matured over the course of the season.
Not afraid to address his own shortcomings (if there have been any for him during the series with the Bruins) when asked if he felt he was doing his job to perfection, Subban once again said all the right things by responding, “Nope, I still got room for improvement. I took a stupid penalty today, so I gotta stay out of the box and not cost my team.”
Clearly, this is a player who has bought into his coach’s plan 150 percent. Gone is the controversial Subban, the irresponsible kid who six months ago, may very well have been spewing out stupid comments both on and off the ice.Don’t get me wrong, Subban is still getting under the collar of a few Bruins players, but he is doing it in the right way by making his point and quickly excusing himself from the situation.
Through two playoff games against the Bruins, Subban leads the Canadiens in shifts per game with 33 and in ice time, averaging 27:06 per contest. He is an “even” player, has only two penalty minutes to his name and by all accounts, looks to have emerged as a budding superstar in this league.
Yes, young rookies and sophomores take notice; P.K. Subban is setting the bar for professionalism and performance in these playoffs.
Who would have thunk it

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/default.htm

Four series will resume on Friday night, including the first round series between the Vancouver Canucks and Chicago Blackhawks. Times and TV details.

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The action promises to be intense as Friday games in the 2011 NHL playoffs approach.
Thursday night saw two goalies stand on their heads for their underdog teams as the sixth seeded Montreal Canadiens got a brick wall performance from Carey Price while Ryan Miller blanked the Philadelphia Flyers 1-0 to give the Buffalo Sabres a series lead.
There was only one other game on Thursday night and it went into overtime on the west coast as the San Jose Sharks denied the Los Angeles Kings 3-2.
Friday’s NHL schedule is as follows:
Tampa Bay Lightning at Pittsburgh Penguins, 7pm ET, CBC/RDSPittsburgh lead series 1-0
New York Rangers at Washington Capitals, 7:30pm ET, TSN, VersusWashington lead series 1-0
Chicago Blackhawks at Vancouver Canucks, 10pm ET, Versus, CBC/RDSVancouver lead series 1-0
Nashville Predators at Anaheim Ducks, 10:30pm ET, TSNNashville lead series 1-0
The Phoenix and Detroit series opened on Wednesday but it will not resume on Saturday afternoon.

http://www.highschoolsports.net/

Let’s get crazy. Let’s let our hair down, and really let loose here. I want to take the best and brightest teams in the NBA playoffs, and I will pick the team that nobody is talking about.
The Oklahoma City Thunder have been lost in the shuffle for far too long.
We have heard about the Lakers, Spurs, Heat, Bulls and Celtics. Where is the love for the Thunder? This is the same team that gave Kobe Bryant heart palpitations in the playoffs last season.
Their post season match-up was so close that Phil Jackson actually looked awake for ten minutes of it. The Thunder were ousted. They had the speed to give the eventual champions fits, but they just couldn’t contend with the size of the Lakers.

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They now have the man power to get past defending champs. The trade that sent Jeff Green packing and Kendrick Perkins to Oklahoma City will prove very fruitful.
They have speed that not many teams can contend with. Now they have the rare big man that can be counted on to change shots down low. Really, there is no sensible reason for Danny Ainge to have dumped Perkins.
Injury issues aside, big men like this do not grow on trees. The late trade outs them at the very least on equal footing with the Lakers.
Given the Lakers recent struggles, I don’t see why they can’t make it to the Finals for the first time in franchise history.

1. Analysts often say it takes three years to effectively judge a draft. So that puts 2008 under the spotlight and when it comes to the Patriots, it wasn’t their best work. Four of seven picks are no longer with the club – Terrence Wheatley (2nd round), Shawn Crable (3rd round), Kevin O’Connell (3rd round) and Bo Ruud (6th round). The Patriots did hit nicely with Jerod Mayo (1st round) and BenJarvus Green-Ellis (free agent), while Jonathan Wilhite (4th round), Matthew Slater (5th round) and Gary Guyton (free agent) have contributed in niche- or situational-type roles. Overall, a fair grade seems to be in the “C” range or below.
2. Spending time with Patriots running back Danny Woodhead last week at ESPN reinforced that while he’s experienced NFL success, he remains grounded and still approaches his work like an undrafted free agent.
3. Last year’s preseason schedule was announced March 31. This year’s preseason schedule, which could be altered if the lockout continues deep into the summer, has yet to be announced. As for the regular-season schedule, NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said no date has been set to release it.
4. Florida center/guard Mike Pouncey said that he’d be shocked if the Cowboys didn’t pick him with the ninth overall selection. He is probably going to be disappointed, because interior linemen just don’t go that high. The first guard selected last year was Mike Iupati, at No. 17 to the 49ers. Two years ago, center Alex Mack (2009, No. 21, Browns) was the top interior lineman. In 2008, none went in the first round. In 2007, it was Ben Grubbs (No. 29, Ravens) and in 2006, it was Davin Joseph (No. 23, Buccaneers).
5. Patriots safety Jarrad Page has turned to mixed martial arts as part of his offseason regimen, working with Jay Glazer in Los Angeles. Glazer tweeted this picture of Page last week. Patriots defensive lineman Ty Warren is also trying mixed martial arts, as Karen Guregian of the Boston Herald details today.
6. Wisconsin defensive lineman J.J. Watt, who some analysts project as a great fit for the Patriots if available at No. 17, was football-less and delivering for Pizza Hut just a few years ago. I learned that from reading Jeffri Chadiha’s piece on ESPN.com.
7. The Ravens have been awarded 31 compensatory draft picks since 1994, the most of any team. One might say that reflects a team that loses some top talent on a yearly basis, but finds a way to replenish the supply through solid drafting and development.
8. This is Bill Belichick’s 12th draft with the Patriots. Of the past 11, there was only one year in which he didn’t make a draft-day trade – 2004.
9. Colts president Bill Polian remarks on considering the possibility of grooming Peyton Manning’s successor reminded me that Manning’s current backup is Curtis Painter, a sixth-round pick in 2009. I thought the Patriots’ Brian Hoyer, a rookie free agent from 2009, has looked more game-ready than Painter when both have had the chance to play.
10. Patriots director of player personnel Nick Caserio is scheduled to hold a pre-draft news conference with reporters Thursday at 1 p.m. ET. Hard to believe this is already the third draft that Caserio has played a leading role, since Scott Pioli’s departure to Kansas City.

Kansas City police officers will take their best shots at former NBA basketball players in a benefit game April 30 at William Jewell College’s Mabee Center in Liberty.
The 7:30 p.m. game includes a free, pre-game youth clinic taught by the NBA player and an autograph session afterward. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased online at www.sportsfantasytours.com or at the door. Proceeds benefit the Kansas City Fraternal Order of Police.
Former professional players include Hall of Famer Calvin Murphy, former Boston Celtic Todd Day, former Kansas City King Joe C. Meriweather, former Los Angeles Laker Clay Johnson and former New York Knick Michael Ray Richardson. Their coach will be former Kansas City Kings star Otis Birdsong.