California starting forward Omondi Amoke has been suspended indefinitely by coach Mike Montgomery for a violation of team rules, a blow for the eighth-seeded Golden Bears heading into their NCAA opener against No. 7 Louisville on Friday in Jacksonville, Fla.

The school provided no further details about what the 6-foot-7 sophomore did to be suspended. Cal is coming off its first Pac-10 regular-season title in 50 years.

Amoke moved into the starting lineup late in the season and had started 14 games total. He was averaging 4.8 points and 4.6 rebounds.

Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of ESPN.com

Hall of Famers Willie Mays, Willie McCovey and Orlando Cepeda are regular visitors around the San Francisco Giants.

But when Muhammad Ali showed up in the clubhouse Tuesday to tout his Athletes for Hope charity campaign, players, coaches, clubbies and even the general manager and owner stood in line for photos with the 68-year-old former heavyweight champion.

“I thought he was going to react and give me a right hand in the chin,” catcher Bengie Molina said jokingly. “I was afraid.”

Right-hander Matt Cain put his pitching fist up to Ali’s left fist. Mays greeted Ali in an adjacent conference room before leaving the ballpark following the closed-door meeting.

“I know Ali,” Mays said afterward, refusing to speak further about their friendship.

Ali, who lives in Scottsdale, suffers from Parkinson’s disease. He rarely talks in public and speaks in a barely audible whisper.

Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of ESPN.com

Evgeni Nabokov, above and below, had a game to forget, yielding six goals to Canada.

Yeah, sure he did. In the comfortable one-thing-always-leads-to-another world of the modern conspiracy theorist, whatever failings he might demonstrate in the Stanley Cup playoffs will be directly attributable to Nabokov’s six-goal pummeling by the Canadians in the quarterfinals.

In his world, well, let’s put it this way: The Sharks’ first goaltender was polite when asked if he worries about any lingering hangover from the Russian Olympic flameout, as the 7-3 loss to Canada can be fairly termed, because his answer was always, “I hope not.”

In fact, what he would have said if he weren’t measuring his words was, “Are you kidding? I’m 34 years old. I’m not a kid. I’m not fragile. I’ve been through this dozens of times. Calm the hell down, will you?”

This is the tale to tell as the Sharks begin the final sprint to the postseason – what the Olympics did for, and to, their chances to do more than what they usually do, which is underachieve. And though Joe Thornton, Dany Heatley, Dan Boyle and Patrick Marleau hit it big, and Joe Pavelski hit it almost big, Nabokov’s last memory of the Olympics was getting mauled by the Canadians on Wednesday.

Click here to read the full article – By San Francisco Chronicle

San Jose Sharks Sports Memorabilia
and other San Jose Sharks Autographs
Below are links to memorabilia available for popular San Jose Sharks players.

The Kings have salary-cap space and, for the first time in years, have won enough games to be considered buyers as Wednesday’s NHL trade deadline approaches.

“Everything we’ve done the last three, four years has been methodical,” Lombardi said. “I had to make some adjustments – but there’s clearly been a sense of direction. It makes no sense for me to go this far and do something out of character.”

So what kind of a trade would be in character for a team that sits in fifth place in the conference standings, and has won eight of its past 10 games?

Probably not a blockbuster.

The only trade rumor linked to the Kings at all this season happened to be the biggest name on the market – high-scoring forward Ilya Kovalchuk, an impending free agent whom the Atlanta Thrashers eventually traded to the New Jersey Devils.

Lombardi said he wasn’t close to making a deal for Kovalchuk, which he called an “easy” decision.

“I didn’t want to give up the two players out of my lineup,” he said. “I made that clear from day one. The players they wanted out of my lineup were non-negotiable.”

With few glaring weaknesses in their NHL roster, any trade with the Kings is more likely to involve their trove of prospects and draft picks.

Click here to read the full article – By Los Angeles Daily News

Los Angeles Kings Sports Memorabilia
and other Los Angeles Kings Autographs
Below are links to memorabilia available for popular Los Angeles Kings players.

It won’t fully sink in for days or months or perhaps even decades in quiet moments or at a reunion of men forever bonded by one of the greatest afternoons in their sport’s and nation’s history.

A golden afternoon they created.

Yet even with Team Canada’s 3-2 sudden death overtime victory Sunday against the United States in the 2010 Olympic Games gold medal final still only minutes and the nationwide celebration just beginning to pick up steam, Canada forward Corey Perry already sensed that he and his teammates had assured themselves of a place in hockey and Canada’s history.

“Just to be a part of it is special and it’s a great feeling right now,” Perry said, gold medal around the neck.

Perry and his Anaheim teammate Ryan Getzlaf, who will be in Ducks uniforms again on Wednesday night, were more than just a part of Team Canada’s dramatic and record-setting victory.

“That was a great hockey game out there,” Getzlaf said.

Click here to read the full article – By Orange County Register

Anaheim Mighty Ducks Sports Memorabilia
and other Anaheim Mighty Ducks Autographs
Below are links to memorabilia available for popular Anaheim Mighty Ducks players.