Romney opens new front vs Obama: schools are failing – Yahoo! News

 

WASHINGTON/REDWOOD CITY, California (Reuters) – Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney opened a new front on Wednesday in his fight against President Barack Obama, accusing him of presiding over a failing U.S. education system in the grip of union bosses who refuse to accept reforms. In a rare diversion from his campaign focus on the weak economy, Romney laid out an education plan in a speech that represented his most overt appeal to date to Hispanic voters who have largely sided with the Democratic incumbent. Although he trails Obama by a huge margin among Hispanics, Romney’s address to a Hispanic business group avoided mentioning a top priority for them: how to overhaul the country’s immigration system. Romney said millions of American children are getting a “third-world education” and offered proposals that he said would reward teachers for their results instead of their seniority. And he would give parents greater choice of where to send their children to school and take other steps to reduce the influence of powerful teachers’ unions. “I believe the president must be troubled by the lack of progress since he took office. Most likely, he would have liked to do more. But the teachers unions are one of the Democrats’ biggest donors – and one of the president’s biggest campaign supporters. So, President Obama has been unable to stand up to union bosses – and unwilling to stand up for kids,” Romney said. Meanwhile, at a series of fundraisers , Obama kept hitting at his opponent’s record as a job-cutting private equity executive – a prime target for his re-election campaign – and touted his own economic plans to “move the country forward.” “I think he has learned the wrong lessons,” Obama told 550 supporters in a hotel ballroom in Denver, taking aim at what he called Romney’s bad ideas for the U.S. economy while anti-Obama protesters outside held signs reading “Out of Hope, Ready for Change” and “Bye Bye on November 6th.” “His working assumption is: if CEOs and wealthy investors like him get rich, the rest of us automatically will too,” he said, later presenting a similar message to 1,100 supporters in Redwood City, California, near the tech hub Palo Alto. “We believe in the free market, we believe in risk-taking and innovation. This whole area is built on risk-taking and innovation. But we also understand that it doesn’t happen in a vacuum,” Obama told the event which featured singer Ben Harper. “It happens because of outstanding schools and universities, it happens because of a well-regulated financial market, it happens because we have extraordinary infrastructure. It happens for a whole host of reasons. Governor Romney doesn’t seem to understand that.” MIDDLE CLASS CONCERNS Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, is neck-and-neck with Obama in polls, a prelude to what could be a close vote for the White House in November. His pivot to education comes during a battle in Washington over student loan programs, with Obama’s Democrats pushing for extending low interest rates for federal loans and Republicans calling for careful spending at a time of high deficits. Wednesday’s speech also let him challenge a key pillar of the Obama re-election campaign: that the president is more tuned into middle class concerns, like education, than Romney is. Focusing on school quality could also resonate well with Hispanic voters who are expected to be critical in the November election, especially in swing states like New Mexico, Florida, Colorado, Virginia and North Carolina. A Wall Street Journal/NBC/Telemundo poll shows Obama leading Romney with Hispanic voters 61 percent to 27 percent, a possible hangover from the Republican primary battle when Romney and other candidates adopted hard-line immigration positions. Hispanic Republican strategists said Romney was wise to keep his focus on education and the economy on Wednesday, noting that in several polls, Hispanic voters rate those issues well ahead of immigration as the themes they care about most. “Clearly, it appears that Governor Romney has chosen to focus on what the vast majority of U.S. Hispanics and Latinos feel is of highest priority,” said Daniel Garza, from The Libre Initiative non-profit group. Standing before a banner that read “A Chance for Every Child,” Romney laid out an education plan that relies heavily on bolstering and improving the No Child Left Behind education law engineered by Obama’s Republican predecessor, George W. Bush. Romney made more money and more access to charter schools the centerpiece of his platform, but he launched a strong attack on teachers’ unions. “The teachers’ unions are the clearest example of a group that has lost its way,” Romney said. WELCOME BREAK On the first day of his Wednesday-Thursday swing through Colorado, California and Iowa, Obama stressed his efforts to improve education and enhance ties between community colleges and businesses. He told the Denver fundraiser his goal was that “by the end of this decade more of our citizens hold a college degree than any other nation on Earth.” At a private home in Atherton, California, where guests paid $35,800 each to dine with Obama in a Hawaiian-themed tent with a clear roof, he said he “could not be prouder” of his administration’s education reform record. “A lot of it has to do with making sure that higher education is not a luxury,” Obama said. “We need more engineers, we need more scientists, we need more Stanford grads, but we also need folks who are going to community colleges and are able to get the skills and the training that they need in order to compete for jobs in the 21st century.” Wednesday’s education speech was a welcome break for Romney, who has faced a barrage of accusations from Democrats that he killed blue-collar jobs when he headed Bain Capital, a firm that bought and restructured companies. But Romney says the company more than made up for job losses by helping to establish companies that became big employers, like the office supplies store Staples. He told Time magazine business experience gave him savvy to fix the economy and he welcomed scrutiny of his record. “The fact is that I spent 25 years in the private sector. And that obviously teaches you something that you don’t learn if you haven’t spent any time in the private sector,” he said. While Romney often polls ahead of Obama on the economy, the president’s foreign policy credentials weigh in his favor compared to the ex-governor, who has little foreign experience. Former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell criticized Romney for taking advice from foreign policy advisers who are “quite far to the right,” in a sign of lingering strains from his tenure under President George W. Bush. He also took exception to a recent comment by Romney that Russia is the top U.S. geopolitical threat. “Come on Mitt, think! That isn’t the case,” Powell said. (Additional reporting by Matt Spetalnick in Washington; Writing by Steve Holland; Editing by Philip Barbara, Xavier Briand, Tim Pearce)

WVU: Ex-Football Coach Bill Stewart Dies

 

Former West Virginia football coach Bill Stewart, who was hailed as Rich Rodriguez’s successor but wound up leaving the school in a messy split, died Monday of what athletic department officials said was an apparent heart attack. He was 59. Stewart’s family notified the university and said Stewart had been out golfing with the longtime friend who hired him as head coach, former athletic director Ed Pastilong. West Virginia spokesman Michael Fragale said he had no further details, and Pastilong couldn’t immediately be reached for comment. “Coach Stewart was a rock-solid West Virginian and a true Mountaineer,” athletic director Oliver Luck said in a statement released by the university. “His enthusiasm and passion for his state’s flagship university was infectious. We join all Mountaineers in mourning his passing.” U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, who was governor at the time Stewart became head coach, said Stewart was a longtime friend who “leaves behind a lifetime of memories and love for our state.” “Bill was a proud West Virginian in every sense of the word,” Manchin said, “and he was the best cheerleader this state ever had.” The West Virginia Hospitality and Travel Association held its annual golf tournament Monday at Stonewall Jackson Resort in Roanoke. Ryan Crook of Beckley said he was playing in the tournament behind a group that included Stewart and Pastilong. Crook said he saw Stewart collapse on the 16th hole. Members of Crook’s group drove their carts to Stewart’s side, and ambulances were called, Crook said. Calls to the resort and to tournament organizers weren’t immediately returned. Stewart went 28-12 in three seasons after taking over when Rodriguez left for Michigan after the 2007 regular season, but resigned last summer and was replaced by Dana Holgorsen the same night. In December 2007, Mountaineer fans unleashed their fury on Rodriguez for breaking his contract early and taking the Michigan job. He left the Mountaineers not long after a painful loss to rival Pittsburgh cost them a shot at the national championship and two weeks before the Fiesta Bowl game against Oklahoma, taking recruits and assistants with him. It was Stewart, a deeply religious family man, who stepped in and guided the team to a surprising 48-28 victory over the Sooners. In the euphoric aftermath, he was given the job full-time – to the surprise of many – but the Mountaineers didn’t go to another BCS bowl under his leadership and Stewart couldn’t match the production of Rodriguez. In Stewart’s three seasons, West Virginia averaged at least 79 fewer yards per game than the 2007 team. In December 2010, Luck – then just months into his tenure – decided to hire Holgorsen as offensive coordinator and coach-in-waiting for the 2011 season. Holgorsen would run West Virginia’s offense while Stewart would coach the team one final season before moving into an administrative job. Wins and losses weren’t the only issue for the coaching change. Luck said season-ticket sales had declined in the year after Stewart became head coach. Luck said he’d modeled the transition after those done when Bret Bielema took over at Wisconsin and Chip Kelly assumed control at Oregon. Luck said he had no doubt it would be handled professionally, noting both coaches said they supported the idea. And Stewart was diplomatic about the hire, saying the team would let Holgorsen “implement ideas and schemes in preparation of getting the finest offensive staff we can compile.” Six months later, the arrangement had fallen apart, and Stewart’s departure became difficult. Both he and Holgorsen made unwanted headlines in the weeks leading up to the shake-up. An intoxicated Holgorsen was escorted out of a casino, then a former newspaper reporter said that Stewart had approached him shortly after Holgorsen’s hiring to “dig up dirt” on his eventual successor. “At the time I thought it made a lot of sense, I thought it was good management practice,” Luck said last June. “With hindsight, folks could certainly disagree.” In Holgorsen’s first season, the Mountaineers went 10-3, were Big East co-champions and beat Clemson 70-33 in the Orange Bowl. “The State of West Virginia, our University and our football program has lost a true Mountaineer who gave his native state university a decade of coaching service and a lifetime of guidance and inspiration to thousands of young men over a 33-year career,” Holgorsen said Monday. “Though Coach Stewart achieved many great milestones on the field, we will most remember his kindness and compassion.” Former West Virginia running back Steve Slaton, who entered the NFL draft after his junior season in 2007, said he was at a loss for words. “I am honored to have had him as a friend and coach,” Slaton said. “I know every player that has had the opportunity to be around him would say the same.” Stewart, a native of New Martinsville, attended Fairmont State and earned a master’s degree in health and physical education from WVU in 1977. He had assistant coaching stints at seven colleges before becoming head coach at VMI in 1994, going 8-25 in three seasons. After a two-year stint in the Canadian Football League, Stewart was hired by Don Nehlen as an assistant at West Virginia. “Bill was such a great Mountaineer and a great addition to our staff,” Nehlen said. “It was a terrific hire – he did a great job not only for me, but for Rich and as a head coach. Bill was such a great husband and a great father. Bill Stewart was a great Mountaineer.” Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin got his first coaching job when Stewart hired him as an assistant at VMI, and Tomlin was elated when Stewart got the West Virginia job. “We are saddened by the passing of Coach Stew,” Tomlin said in a statement released by the Steelers. “He was a great coach and a tremendous person. We not only lost a good football person, we lost an even better family man.” Stewart and his wife, Karen, have one son, Blaine.

Now with Thunder, longtime Laker Derek Fisher closing in on eliminating former team – The Washington Post

 

OKLAHOMA CITY — After chasing championships for so many years with the Los Angeles Lakers, Derek Fisher now finds himself standing squarely in their way. Fisher joined up with the Oklahoma City Thunder after getting traded away by the Lakers during the season, choosing to buy out of his own contract with the Houston Rockets and sign with a team he thought had a chance of winning the NBA title. 1 Comments Weigh InCorrections? Personal Post Fisher has already won five championship rings with the Lakers, but now his new team is a victory away from knocking Los Angeles out of the playoffs. The Thunder get their first chance in Game 5 Monday night in Oklahoma City. Fisher has had to put his personal friendship with Kobe Bryant on hold during the series. The two greeted each other the first time Fisher came off the bench and checked in during Game 1 but otherwise are adversaries as long as the Western Conference semifinals go on. “As much history as we have, there’s no holding back in terms of trying to advance to win the championship,” Fisher said. “Personal friends or brothers or however close you are to somebody, it’s about winning. He knows that better than anybody. “I learned that and accomplished that right alongside with him, and so we feel the same way.” Fisher played with Los Angeles for 12½ of his 16 NBA seasons, and the only other time he made the playoffs with another team was in 2007 with Utah. But the Jazz didn’t face the Lakers. Los Angeles sent Fisher away at the trade deadline in March, when they added a first-round draft pick, point guard Ramon Sessions and backup forward Jordan Hill to try and improve for the stretch run. The 37-year-old Fisher chose his age as his jersey number with the Thunder, trying to make a statement that he could still play. Statistically, Fisher has struggled in the series. He has averaged just over four points and one assist per game and his playing time has been cut back. Fisher’s plus-minus is the worst of any Oklahoma City player, with the Lakers outscoring the Thunder by 12 points while he’s on the court. Yet coach Scott Brooks believes there’s another way to measure the impact of Fisher, who has never put up big numbers — averaging 8.6 points and 3.1 assists — over his career. “He loves the game, he has passion for the game and he’s a winner,” Brooks said Sunday after Oklahoma City flew back home, landing after 5 a.m. because of thunderstorms. “I can never emphasize that enough: He’s a winner, and you can never have enough of those on your team. He has won before. He has won at a high level and many championships.” Before the series started, Fisher informed Oklahoma City of the Lakers’ tendencies. During games, he has regularly pulled aside teammates for a few words of guidance. One of L.A.’s locker room leaders is now working for the enemy. “Leadership, you can’t put a win total on it but you know the effect that it’s having on our guys,” Brooks said. “He talks, he communicates, he’s a great leader. He’s going to be a great leader in whatever profession he chooses after basketball.” Perhaps his biggest contribution yet that has counted in the box score was a 3-pointer that sparked the Thunder’s comeback from a 13-point, fourth-quarter deficit in Game 4. Oklahoma City was down 91-78 with 8 minutes left before Fisher hit only his second basket of the game. “It was huge. It cut it to 10. That’s just kind of like that magical number. It always seems to be in reach if you can get it to 10 or under,” Brooks said. “That shot was big.” Lakers coach Mike Brown said he thought at the time of the trade that his team might miss Fisher’s leadership, experience, toughness and intelligence. But he never envisioned Sessions, who is 11 years younger, simply replacing Fisher. “The roles are different,” Brown said. “Derek Fisher was our starter. Derek Fisher for these guys is a backup. I don’t think you compare the two situations because we were relying on him for a completely different role than what Oklahoma City is relying on him for. “I don’t know if anybody would disagree the combination of starting (All-Star Russell) Westbrook and Derek Fisher as a backup is a pretty good combination because you’re young plus you’re experienced.” Bryant poked fun at Fisher, calling him a “midget” after he was able to hit shots over him when they ended up matched up against each other briefly in the fourth quarter. Bryant says Fisher never beat him at one-on-one in nearly 13 years together with the Lakers. But team against team, Fisher may finally get some bragging rights on Bryant for they get back to being friends. “At some point, we’ll reconnect and be what we always will be,” Fisher said, “and that’s brothers.” Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Kellen Winslow Won’t Be Happy with Seattle Seahawks: Fan Opinion – Yahoo! Sports

 

f the Tampa Bay Buccaneers wanted to stick it to Kellen Winslow Jr. for missing a week’s worth of organized team activities, they certainly succeeded in doing so by trading him to the Seattle Seahawks. As former Seahawks and Buffalo Bills tight end Pete Metzelaars once said, “The tight end can go an entire season in Seattle and the only thing he’ll catch is a cold.” That’s how it’s always been with the Seahawks. Name one single noteworthy tight end in the history of the Seahawks. Go ahead. Give it a try. I was hard-pressed to come with any, and I’ve been a diehard fan of the blue and green since their inception in 1976. That’s because no Seattle tight end has done anything of significance in a Seahawks uniform. Sure, NFL fans likely know of Metzelaars, but it’s not for his three seasons in the Pacific Northwest. I remember Jerramy Stevens, but mostly because he dropped four passes in Super Bowl XL after running his mouth and getting Joey Porter and the Pittsburgh Steelers all riled up the week before the big game. Stevens made more headlines off the field with his arrests than he ever made on the field. Itula Mili and Christian Fauria were around for awhile, but neither of them did anything remarkable. After those two, I’m drawing a blank. Welcome to tight end hell, Kellen. The Buccaneers, meanwhile, are laughing all the way to the bank, having somehow secured a draft pick for a player that seemed destined to simply be released earlier in the day. I’m not even the least little bit optimistic that Winslow is going to amount to anything in Seattle. No tight end ever has, and not a thing has changed during the Pete Carroll era. In 2011, 36 other tight ends in the NFL had more receptions than the Seahawks’ leader at that position. In 2010, 33 other tight ends had more receptions than Seattle’s leader. The team will give fans some sort of song and dance about how Winslow is the pass-catching tight end that the team has been searching for, and he’ll be the perfect complement to Zach Miller in the two tight end set that the Seahawks favor, and blah blah blah. I won’t believe it until I see it because we heard the same tune in August when the ‘Hawks signed Miller for some crazy deal that was for something like five years and $34 million, with $17 million guaranteed. After four productive years with the Oakland Raiders, Miller turned into an afterthought in Seattle: 25 receptions, 233 yards and no touchdowns. Not a terribly impressive return on investment there. It’s not like any other tight end was taking receptions away from Miller. Anthony McCoy had 13 receptions for 146 yards and no touchdowns in nine games. Cameron Morrah only played in four games: 6 receptions, 74 yards, no touchdowns. John Carlson was lost for the year to injury before the season even began (and now he’s with the Minnesota Vikings). Seattle is a run-first team. There’s no question about it. Tight ends are used as blockers there, not as pass catchers. Surrendering a seventh round pick next year–one that may turn into a sixth rounder–isn’t nearly as insane as what the Seahawks paid to get Miller, but I’m left wondering why they even bothered messing with Winslow. With his history of behavioral issues and the Seahawks’ lack of a history of using tight ends to catch passes, this is a bomb just waiting to go off. The author grew up in Washington State and is a lifelong fan of the Seahawks. He’s also a Featured Contributor in Sports with the Yahoo! Contributor Network. You can follow him on Twitter at @RedZoneWriting and on Facebook. Also by this Author: Tampa Bay Buccaneers to dump Kellen Winslow for Dallas Clark? Russell Wilson is not Drew Brees

OKC Thunder T-shirt thanks Seattle for Sonics, Seattle flips out | Seattle PI Sports Blog – seattlepi.com

 

On Sunday, OKC-based T-shirt company Warpaint Clothing tweeted a photo of a shirt design that immediately rattled Seattle basketball fans. On the front, there’s a blue logo reminiscent of the old Sonics insignia: a skyline silhouette inside a basketball. But it’s not the Seattle skyline, it’s the Oklahoma City skyline. Below the logo it says “OKC Thunder.” On the back of the shirt, it says, “Thank you Seattle — OKC.” Here is the shirt listed on Warpaint’s website. I would love to embed an image here of the shirt, but something about this Warpaint tweet is giving me second thoughts: KING 5 News @KING5Seattle 21 May 12 @warpaintrags What led you to come up with the t-shirt? warpaint clothing co@warpaintrags @KING5Seattle no comment and DO NOT USE OUR PICTURE OF THE SHIRT . 21 May 12 ReplyRetweetFavorite Warpaint wrote that tweet to KING-5 TV during a massive onslaught of responses — some positive, but mostly negative — after the company first tweeted the design. The controversy was sparked, it seems, by New York Times reporter Howard Beck when he tweeted about seeing the shirts on Sunday. “That shirt has really stirred up some s**t,” Warpaint eventually tweeted Monday. “Got hate mail from sonics nation. Hahahahahaha.” warpaint clothing co@warpaintrags So much hate in the world. No disrespect meant. We appreciate where our team came from actually. Put your energy into something positive. 21 May 12 ReplyRetweetFavorite Clearly, the tension is a bit high in Seattle as the Thunder roll through the NBA Playoffs. On Monday, OKC surged past Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers 106-90 to advance to the Western Conference finals for the second year in a row. Even as Seattle works to nail down a new sports arena and NBA team, local basketball fans are obviously still very bitter. If you have a little time, reading through some of the conversations on Twitter is fairly entertaining. It seems that, at some point, Warpaint took the T-shirts offline after receiving a lot of threats. But by Tuesday morning, the shirts were back online and available to buy for $32. Matching tank tops also are available for $32. Warpaint is not affiliated with the Thunder NBA team.

Bar Refaeli, Naya Rivera and Stephen Colbert make Maxim’s ‘Hot 100’ list – Celebritology 2.0 – The Washington Post

 

Bar Refaeli, supermodel, occasional actress and former girlfriend of Leonardo DiCaprio, has topped Maxim magazine’s annual “Hot 100” list. For the first year, readers determined what the magazine calls “the definitive list of the world’s most beautiful women” by voting. Maxim readers gave spots to Jennifer Lawrence (14), Rihanna (32) and “Downton Abbey’s” Michelle Dockery (70), as well as to “Glee’s” Lea Michele (14) and Naya Rivera (27.) After “a massive write-in vote campaign,” Comedy Central host Stephen Colbert became the first man to secure a spot on the list, landing at No. 69. Last year’s top spot holder Rosie Huntington-Whiteley fell to No. 11 this year. In the past, the list has been criticized for its lack of diversity. Russell Simmons’s Web site Global Grind today declared that, although the magazine “nailed the top spot,” “the complete set lacks women of color.” Indeed, this year the most diversity in the top 20 seems to be be brunettes over the usual blondes. See Maxim’s full list here.

‘Anchorman 2’ teaser trailer: Will Ferrell’s Ron Burgundy is back breaking news all over again – NY Daily News

 

Overwhelming the Internet like the reek of Sex Panther cologne, fans got a chance to see an “Anchorman 2” teaser trailer that’s significantly different than the one that ran over the weekend in front of “The Dictator.” Like the clip that ran in movie theaters, the teaser trailer that debuted on Will Ferrell’s Funny or Die site starts with the four members of Channel Four’s News Team silhouetted by a bank of stage lighting. Ferrell, who returns as the titular mustached newsman in the sequel to “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy”, and his sidekicks Steve Carell, Paul Rudd and David Koechner then go completely off a different script — or possibly off script entirely. “In the age when the dinosaurs’ roar greeted the dawn and apes rode the winged horse across the valley of Eli, there was a lone stranger who offered comfort, wisdom and overly sexual neck massages,” the clip begins in voice-over as the four members of Channel Four’s crack news team walk forward. “It was said he would one day return. That day has come.” Considering the movie isn’t scheduled to start filming until February for a release later in 2013, there’s absolutely nothing substantial revealed about plot, scenes or meaningful dialogue. Koechner’s Champ Kind though does promise, “There’s going to submachine guns and boobies.” “In this movie, we play witches,” adds Carell’s Brick Tamland. That, however, seems dubious. For fans of the 2004 original,which earned $85.3 million at the box office, but stayed classy as a cult hit on DVD — it was good just seeing the team back together. “It’s time to do it again, but this time, I’m on top,” says Ferrell’s Burgundy.

Llance Berkman out until July with knee injury – MLB – SI.com

 

eneral manager John Mozeliak said Monday that Berkman will be sidelined at least six to eight weeks with significant cartilage damage on both sides of the knee, but an MRI did not appear to show ligament damage. Because he was hurt making a routine play, Berkman suspects a ligament injury that would require more significant surgery and end his season — and perhaps his career. Berkman will undergo an arthroscopic procedure later this week in Vail, Colo. “At a minimum, it’s a scope to repair it,” Mozeliak said. “We’re hopeful, we’re optimistic that’s what it is. But we’ll need a few days before we determine anything. Certainly, he knows there are uncertain times ahead of him.” Berkman spoke with reporters after crossing the clubhouse on crutches. “We can all agree you shouldn’t get hurt just stretching for a ball at first base,” he said. “Fearful is the wrong word, but I’m certainly concerned — not just what the injury is but why did it happen? “It’s pretty simple: Best-case scenario, it’s probably after the All-Star break, worst-case scenario is I’m done for the year.” Berkman was placed on the 15-day disabled list Sunday. The NL comeback player of the year in 2011 realizes he may have to make another comeback, or call it a career. “You certainly think, if I have to get my ACL repaired, I might be done playing,” he said. “And the doctor kind of said that. He’s like, ‘Well, you’re not a young man anymore.’ “You just don’t know where you’re going to be mentally. Am I willing to make the commitment? Those are questions I’m trying not to speculate on too much.” Even if the ligament is not torn, Berkman believes there’s damage given he felt a sliding sensation when he was injured. “They could see it on the MRI — it’s not gone. But its effectiveness is debatable considering the way I got hurt. They’re not going to know about that until I go under the knife,” he said. Berkman said he had the sensation of the joint slipping during the playoffs last season but had no pain. “It never was to the point where I felt, oh man, I’m about to blow out here,” Berkman said. “It was just a weird little sensation that you could play with and it wasn’t a problem.” The fact that the ligament appears to be intact, Berkman said, does give a “glimmer of hope.” Berkman has played just 13 games this season, also missing significant time with a pulled left calf muscle. He said he’s had torn cartilage in the knee since spring training but it wasn’t enough to affect his play. He was batting .333 with a home run and four RBIs. Last season, Berkman hit .301 with 31 homers and 94 RBIs in 145 games to help the Cardinals win the World Series. He had a .412 on-base percentage and a .547 slugging percentage, both of which ranked among the NL leaders. His injury is a major blow to the middle of the lineup for the slumping Cardinals, who had dropped four straight and eight of 10. St. Louis also lost longtime slugger Albert Pujols in the offseason when he signed a $240 million, 10-year contract with the Los Angeles Angels. Still, the Cardinals began the day with a half-game lead in the NL Central. Rookie Matt Adams, the franchise’s minor league player of the year in 2011, and Matt Carpenter will see time at first base for now and utility man Allen Craig could also man that position when he returns from a hamstring injury sustained last week that landed him on the disabled list. Adams, recalled from Triple-A Memphis when Berkman was hurt, started for the second straight game Monday after getting two hits in his major league debut. Carpenter was batting .280 with three homers and 19 RBIs in 37 games. “We’ll be feeling our way through it. We brought Matt Adams here to play, so we’ll get a good look at him,” manager Mike Matheny said. Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

‘The Master’: Paul Thomas Anderson Reaches Out to Scientologist Tom Cruise (Exclusive) | The Wrap Movies

 

The film is set to be released in October. When reached by TheWrap, a spokeswoman for Cruise had no immediate comment. A spokesman for the Church of Scientology told TheWrap they had not seen the film and could not comment on it. The Church of Scientology, which vigorously defends itself from outside critics, has many followers among Hollywood stars, including actor John Travolta. One of the individuals close to the movie told TheWrap that the Weinstein Company also intended to show the film to Travolta. The movie has not yet been screened, so its full plot and tone is not yet known. Weinstein released the trailer from the Cannes Film Festival on Monday. The church, long criticized for some of its practices, was the subject of an investigative article in the New Yorker last year that accused some leaders of physically abusing adolescent members and beating adults. The article included interviews with director Paul Haggis, a former Scientologist who has come out as one of the religion’s fiercest critics.  Anderson, who is still completing the film starring Joaquin Phoenix and Philip Seymour Hoffman, wrote and directed the story about a charismatic leader Lancaster Dodd (Hoffman) – referred to as The Master – who creates a cult-like movement called The Cause. The similarities to Hubbard include the post-World War II time frame and Dodd’s taking a trip on a boat during which he arrives at a new philosophy and creates a faith-based movement. Phoenix plays a troubled drifter seeking a path who becomes Dodd’s right-hand man. Both the director and movie distributor, the Weinstein Company, are debating how to approach the similarities with Scientology –  whether to acknowledge them openly or keep the matter at arm’s length. The reaction of the group’s most prominent members will likely be a part of that decision. The $42 million budget film was fully financed by producer Megan Ellison, daughter of Silicon Valley billionaire Larry Ellison, who took on the project after she learned that Anderson could not get financing anywhere.

Andrew Bynum Leaves Lakers Return Up In The Air – SBNation.com

 

he video and quotes, courtesy of CBS Sports’ Eye on Basketball blog, are going to be interesting to Lakers fans, considering there have been numerous reports over the years that Bynum is all but untradeable — showing a loyalty that might not go both ways. Bynum decided to give a more PR-friendly answer to Sager’s next question, however, being a bit more definitive. “I definitely want to stay,” he said. “You kind of asked an open-ended question. Obviously things are going to be different come next year. I’m going to be ready.” It will be interesting to see what happens this offseason as Bynum’s $16.1 team option might not look all that appeasing when considering Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol are already being paid nearly $47 million for the 2012-13 season. For more on the Lakers, head over to Silver Screen And Roll and SB Nation Los Angeles. For more on the Thunder, head over to Welcome To Loud City.