Morning Jolt
Wednesday, March 30
Today's must-see content delivered straight to you.
McCarver on Mets: 'It's deplorable'
Tim McCarver thinks there's only one way for Mets ownership to extricate themselves from the financial squeeze they are in. "It's agonizing. I personally feel the Wilpons have to sell the ballclub," McCarver, Fox's No. 1 baseball analyst, said Tuesday during a conference call. "I don't see how they can escape by selling a minority position, particularly when they don't allow any control." McCarver, who worked behind a Mets TV microphone for 15 seasons (1983-1998), said the financial plight of the team is something that will weigh on the players until it's resolved. "It's deplorable, I would not want to be a player on the Mets right now," McCarver said. (New York Daily News)Comment
Secret to Philly turnaround? Hugs
Doug Collins is a hugger. After Thaddeus Young came toward the bench at the end of the first half in which he had scored 17 points and lifted the Sixers to a 16-point lead [Monday], Collins grabbed him around the back of the neck and pulled him in. When Jrue Holiday had trouble executing a play in the first half that resulted in a poor offensive possession, Collins called him over for a one-on-one chat during a timeout, explained what he was looking for from his starting point guard, flashed that knowing, grandfatherly smile and followed it up with, that's right, a hug. ... [And after Spencer] Hawes fouled out late in the fourth quarter with the game pretty much decided, there was Collins at the bench, arms extended. Corny? Maybe, if the players were not buying into it. But that is Collins. (Philadelphia Daily News)Comment
Pats thinking bigger than Ingram?
The Patriots may be thinking big when it comes to a running back. [Folks] have been tying Alabama's Mark Ingram to the Patriots for months. Measuring 5-foot-9, 215 pounds at the Combine, Ingram is a strong runner between the tackles, which is also where [BenJarvus] Green-Ellis excels. ... According to various reports, the Patriots have also had private workouts with UConn's Jordan Todman (a Massachusetts native), Virginia Tech's Ryan Williams and Kentucky's Derrick Locke. Williams is the biggest of those three players at 5-9 1/2, 211 pounds, and is considered a solid runner between the tackles. If/when there's a new CBA and teams are allowed to sign free agents, keep Baltimore's Willis McGahee (slated to be released by the Ravens) in mind. McGahee is 6-0, 235, and though he's 29, he's averaged just over 100 carries per season the last two years due to Ray Rice's emergence. (The Boston Globe)Comment
Must-See Photo
Cavaliers fans weren't exactly welcoming in LeBron James' second game back in Cleveland but they got what they wanted: a Cavs win. (AP)
Must-See Video
Seth Davis previews the Final Four
Game To Watch
Orlando Magic at Atlanta Hawks, 7 p.m., Sun Sports and SPSO
- Orlando Magic
- Atlanta Hawks
SI Vault: More Kobe Bryant
This Day in Sports
- 1987 -- Keith Smart's last-second jumper gives Indiana a 74-73 win over Syracuse in the NCAA Tournament championship game.
- 1995 -- Maine beats Michigan in triple OT at the Frozen Four, the longest hockey game in NCAA Tournament history.
- 2007 -- Kobe Bryant scores 53 points, his eighth 50-point performance of the season but the Lakers lose to the Rockets.
