Morning Jolt: Newton says, 'I refuse to be a statistic'
Tuesday, April 26
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Newton: 'I refuse to be a statistic'
On this much, Cam Newton is clear. He sounds dead serious. "I refuse to be a statistic," declares the quarterback expected to be drafted No. 1 overall by the Carolina Panthers. "When I get to the NFL, I never want it to be, 'Cam got around the wrong people.' Or, 'Cam didn't know how to handle his money.' Or, 'Cam didn't learn the system.' I refuse to do anything that's going to be detrimental to me making the most of this opportunity." ... "Man, on one hand, I'm somewhat nervous," he says of his draft fate. "But on the other, I'm at peace. I have no control over where I go. That's for someone else to decide. I hate to have my destiny in another man's hands, but I accept that as something I've got to deal with." (USA Today)Comment
Amar'e wants D'Antoni back, but what about Melo?
Amar'e Stoudemire is on the record in his clear support of Mike D'Antoni. [Carmelo] Anthony also said he wouldn't mind giving D'Antoni another try, pointing to the fact that the coach had only a few months to mold the new-look Knicks into a contender. He said D'Antoni was "patient" during that process. "We came a long way, especially when I first got here, with the expectations being so high so quickly," Anthony said. But when asked if possible front office changes would hurt the team, he didn't exactly say no. "As far as that goes, I really don't know if it would set things back," he said. "What it would bring, I really don't know how to answer that question. If we can keep everybody here that'd be great, something that we can build on with the guys that we have here," he added. (New York Daily News)Comment
New book exposes Cashman-Jeter tensions
Derek Jeter only wants you to know he had nothing to do with the upcoming biography. The book, "The Captain: The Journey of Derek Jeter," details a Nov. 30 sit-down in which Jeter, his agent Casey Close and Creative Artists Agency attorney Terry Prince met with [Brian] Cashman, team president Randy Levine and co-owner Hal Steinbrenner to iron out their differences. The Tampa summit lasted four hours, but Jeter stayed for only the first 45 minutes, telling his employers -- especially Cashman -- how angry he was that they had made details of the negotiations public. When Jeter got up to leave the room, Cashman asked the shortstop to sit back down and hear him out. "You said all you wanted was what was fair," the GM told the shortstop. "How much higher do we have to be than the highest offer for it to be fair?" (ESPNNewYork.com)Comment
Must-See Photo
Spain's Sara Hurtado and Adria Diaz perform their preliminary free dance at the World Figure Skating Championships in Moscow.(YURI KADOBNOV/AFP/Getty Images)
Must-See Video
The Tampa Bay Lightning forced a Game 7 with the Pittsburgh Penguins after a stunning 4-2 victory at home. The two face off for a chance to move into the second round of the playoffs Wednesday.
Game To Watch
Hornets at Lakers (10:30 p.m., ET, TNT)
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SI Vault: Ozzie Smith
This Day in Sports
- 1992 -- Cardinals legend Ozzie Smith steals his 500th base.
- 1991 -- Soccer star Diego Maradona was suspended for cocaine use and arrested in his native Argentina for possession and distribution of illegal narcotics.
- 1982 -- Gene Michael becomes the New York Yankees' manager for second time.
