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Monday's A.M. Hot Clicks

Get Well, Craig Sager

Benny the Bull hopes to see Craig Sager back at NBA arenas soon. (Getty Images)

Benny the Bull hopes to see Craig Sager back on the sideline soon. (Getty Images)

Craig Sager got some bad news last week when his son was revealed that TNT sideline reporter (and fashion maven) was suffering from acute leukemia and would miss the playoffs to begin treatment. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, who has developed quite the bond with Sager over the years, was supposed to sit with Sager's son for a pre-recorded interview but insisted the interview be done during the game. The crew at TNT also paid tribute to Sager by wearing ugly custom suits, while Chicago mascot Benny the Bull wished his friend a speedy recovery too.

Happy Easter

Yesterday was Easter Sunday and it was celebrated in a variety of ways throughout the sports world. In Boston, a man attended the Bruins-Red Wings game dressed up as Jesus Christ and was booed by fans before being ejected by security. Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen handed out autographed eggs to Pirates fans before their game against the Brewers while this Rockies fan had the greatest Easter-inspired mohawk you'll ever see. And then there's Mark Mangino, who took this memorable photo.

Interesting Career Choice

Iowa assistant football coach Eric Johnson has been with the Hawkeyes football program for 15 years but tendered his resignation so he could open aCulver’s franchise in Hendersonville, Tenn., near Nashville.

Lovely Lady Of The Day

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It's a great time of year at the SI office as potential swimsuit models come in to meet with the editors. We have profiles of all these girls at SwimDaily if you want to conduct some research. A couple weeks ago, I met Hailey Clauson (a.k.a. - "Claw") and was obviously impressed. So was the staff at Beach Bunny, which has Hailey featured in one of its campaigns.

Two Important Johnny Manziel Items

The former Texas A&M quarterback worked on his game by completing a pass to some dude riding full speed on a jet ski. Meanwhile, his newest squeeze, Kyndal Kyaire, spent part of Easter weekend squeezing into a lingerie bunny costume. 

Blazers Beat Rockets (on Twitter)

Portland beat Houston in Game 1 of their playoff series on Sunday as well as on Twitter. The Rockets account sent out this great dig at Blazers center Robin Lopez, but the Portland Police Department  got the last laugh with this memorable tweet.

From the SI Vault

Rubin 'Hurricane' Carter (right) and George Benton (1963) :: Getty Images

Rubin 'Hurricane' Carter (right) and George Benton (1963) :: Getty Images

Rubin "Hurricane" Carter passed away on Sunday. The former middleweight boxer is best known for having been wrongfully convicted for murder and eventually freed after 19 years in prison. In 1992, SI's William Nack profiled Carter and his extraordinary journey to freedom:

"Carter lost his only shot at the middleweight title on Dec. 14, 1964—a 15-round split decision to champion Joey Giardello. Nearly two years later he was training for his second chance, against champion Dick Tiger, when he and a former high school track star named John Artis, a college-bound 19-year-old who had never been in trouble with the law, were arrested in Paterson, N.J., for the June 17, 1966, slaying of three whites in Paterson's Lafayette Bar & Grill.

For all the years that Carter would spend in prison for that crime—from 1967 to '85, from the first day of his confinement at Trenton State through his extraordinary metamorphosis at Rahway, through two demonstrably tainted trials to his final vindication and walk to freedom—he would proclaim his innocence by living in contempt and defiance of his keepers. On first entering Trenton he refused to surrender his wristwatch and ring; to shave his goatee, as prison rules required; to work at any of the prison jobs. As punishment he spent three months in The Hole, his first of many descents into that airless, sepulchral dungeon. When they finally raised him up out of The Hole, he refused to wear prison clothes. He refused to undergo psychiatric evaluations. An angry recluse, he ate his meals alone in his cell, heating up cans of soup with a small copper coil. Late into the night prisoners could hear him tapping at his antediluvian typewriter, a manual Underwood left to him by a parolee, pecking out his story in the long, impassioned cadences of his rage."

Odds and Ends

MLS reporter Kelli Tennant got drilled in the head with a soccer ball during a live shot ... LeBron James will star in China-focused McDonald's commercials later this year ... Tracy McGrady treated his Sugar Land Skeeters teammates to a tasty meal at a P.F. Chang's ... San Francisco 49er fans are upset that the BART trains are now painted with Seahawks colors ... Chandler Parsons and Dwight Howardhave an interesting pregame routine ... Russell Westbrook is not afraid to dress in red ... A minor league hockey team was forced to play its final home game at a practice rink ... Steven Spielberg is on board for the Goonies sequel.

LeBron Mic'd Up

LeBron James and Kemba Walker were mic'd up during yesterday's Heat-Bobcats game.

Yasiel Puig and His Cannon

Miguel Montero should know better than to try to take an extra base on Yasiel Puig.

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Why You Don't Fight Zdeno Chara

Brendan Smith tried unsuccessfully to pick a fight with 6-foot-9 Zdeno Chara during Sunday's Bruins-Red Wings game. Smith was lucky no punches were thrown. As David Koci learned in this 2007 fight, you should think twice before dropping the gloves against Chara. 

How to Take Care of Your Cast

A rapping doctor gives a comprehensive lesson on how to take care of a cast. This is tremendous.