Baseball Nation: All Posts by Louis Bien

Dee Milliner drops agent after NFL draft fall

2013-05-17T00:15:12Z

Dee Milliner has parted ways with Impact Sports after falling out of the top five picks of the 2013 NFL Draft, according to NFL.com's Ian Rapoport. Like his soon-to-be New York Jets teammate Geno Smith, who also fired his agents, Milliner apparently was unhappy about his slip in the draft. Milliner's fall was less extreme, however. He still went in the top 10, coming in at No. 9 overall.

Per NFL rules, Milliner will have to wait at least five days before signing with new representation. According to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News, however, Milliner has already reached an agreement with Pat Dye Jr., who has a history of handling former Alabama players. Dye and his agency, ProFiles Sports, have also represented linebacker Rolando McClain and tight end Colin Peek in the past.

As many expected, Milliner was the first cornerback taken in the NFL Draft. He was named a unanimous All-American selection, and a finalist for the Bronko Nagurski and Jim Thorpe awards after recording 20 pass breakups, two interceptions and a forced fumble for the Crimson Tide last season. He is expected to help fill the void left after Darrelle Revis' trade to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

More from SB Nation:

• QB situations for all 32 teams

• Denard Robinson lines up at QB?

• Tim Tebow's (fake) CFL chronicles

• Joe Webb moves to WR

• Chris Kluwe signs with Raiders

• The rise of "Generation Jaguar"

Byron Nelson Championship 2013 scores: Keegan Bradley sets course record Thursday

2013-05-16T23:18:14Z

Keegan Bradley shot a 10-under 60 to set a course record at TPC Four Seasons Resort in Irving, Texas, on Day 1 of the 2013 Byron Nelson Championship. He made 10 birdies and an eagle on the par-5 16th hole. Afterwards he said that the "holes looked huge."

More: SB Nation's full coverage of the Byron Nelson Championship

Bradley broke the course record by one stroke. His 60 topped his former career best by three strokes and tied Arron Oberholser (2006) and Sam Snead (1957) for the lowest score in the history of the Byron Nelson Championship.

Bradley's score arguably could have even been better. He hit bogey on his first and last holes of the day -- technically pins 10 and 9, respectively. The bogey on No. 10 irked him in particular. Bradley called it "probably one of the easiest holes on the course."

Going into Friday, Bradley holds a three-stroke lead over second-place Charl Schwartzel and a four-stroke lead over Ted Potter Jr., Harris English, and Robert Karlsson. Schwartzel's day was particularly clean. He hit seven birdies -- four on the front nine and three on the back -- and no bogeys.

Last year's Byron Nelson champion Jason Dufner finds himself in some early trouble. He began making eagle and birdie on his first and fourth holes of the day, but then proceeded to shoot 4-over for his next 10 holes. Dufner saved face with a birdie on No. 18, his last hole of the day, but finds himself in a tie for 78th-place at even-par going into the second round.

Full standings can be found at PGATour.com. Here's the current top 10:

1. Keegan Bradley: 10-under
2. Charl Schwartzel: 7-under
t3. Ted Potter Jr.: 6-under
t3. Harris English: 6-under
t3. Robert Karlsson: 6-under
t6. Ryan Palmer: 5-under
t6. Angel Cabrera: 5-under
t6.Camilo Villegas: 5-under
t9: Five players at 4-under

Kyle Love claimed by Jaguars, per report

2013-05-16T21:08:38Z

Defensive tackle Kyle Love was claimed by the Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday, according to ESPN Boston's Mike Reiss. Love was released by the New England Patriots on Wednesday after being diagnosed with Type-2 diabetes. He was given the option to retire for a year and return to the Pats in 2014, but chose to be released in hopes of playing this season.

More: Big Cat Country Pats Pulpit

The Jaguars also claimed defensive tackle Brandon Deaderick this week. Deaderick was released by the Patriots on Monday, giving the Jags two New England castoffs in a span of days. Both players could factor heavily into the Jaguars' rotation next season. The two took turns playing next to Vince Wilfork last season, combining for 43 tackle, 2.5 sacks and two forced fumbles.

The Jaguars revamped their interior defensive line in the offseason, also bringing in Sen'Derrick Marks from the Tennessee Titans and Roy Miller from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Love graded out as a better player than both according to Pro Football Focus, and should expect a regular role. Though lacking in star power, the Jaguars appear to have solid depth along their defensive interior wall heading into 2013.

Hopefully for Love, his health condition won't be an issue going forward. The Pats were apparently spooked enough to commit a potential violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Love won't be pressing charges, though that doesn't necessarily stop a third-party from taking action against the organization.

More from SB Nation:

• QB situations for all 32 teams

• Denard Robinson lines up at QB?

• Tim Tebow's (fake) CFL chronicles

• Joe Webb moves to WR

• Chris Kluwe signs with Raiders

• The rise of "Generation Jaguar"

Badger Bits: Barry Alvarez won't miss Michigan State

2013-05-16T14:07:02Z

Mike mentioned yesterday that Barry Alvarez has been at the forefront of newsmaking recently, something that journalists have come to appreciate. The man says what he feels whenever he feels it should be said, then lets things fall where they may.

Alvarez is the best source of offseason fodder, pulling back the curtain on the machinations that other athletic directors may be wary to reveal. Will Wisconsin and LSU meet at Lambeau Field? Maybe! Perhaps not! At least we we'll see the negotiation process unfold, rather than be left in the dark forever. And in the mean time, it spurred Rosin to make this handy guide.

Alvarez spoke candidly again on the topic of Michigan State. Spartans athletic director Mark Hollis lamented the loss of the rivalry with the Badgers this upcoming season and beyond with the hub-bub of division realignment and a nine-game conference schedule. Alvarez responded with an 'eh.'

"I was more concerned losing Iowa than Michigan State, and we have had great games with Michigan State,'' Badgers athletic director Barry Alvarez said at Tuesday's Big Ten athletic director spring meetings at the Sofitel Hotel.

"The proximity, a three-hour drive to Iowa City for our fans and their fans, was very convenient,'' he said. "Even Northwestern, more so than Michigan State; and I think about our fans first."

The comment wasn't incredibly damning at its face, though it is the second comment made by a rival this week that could be perceived as a backhanded slap. The comment is also correct. The Michigan State series has been great in recent years, but there is longer history with Iowa, and that series may have also been great if the Hawkeyes had remained on the schedule the last two seasons.

Great series come and great series go, but one team can only have so many rivals. Just prod and Alvarez will quickly let you know where things stand.

LINKS:

BadgerBlitz breaks down the Billy Hirschfield commitment. Nice things are said about the rangy defensive end, and about the big picture:

This is a big get for Wisconsin for a few reasons. The Badgers made Hirschfeld a priority early in the 2014 class, and would have had some proverbial egg on their face if he elected to opt for another Big Ten program.

This commitment also helps keep the fence up around Wisconsin, which is vital to the school's success, especially during Gary Andersen's first full year on the recruiting front in Madison. They are building a strong in-state foundation on both sides of the line, which is a great way to start a class.

Men's basketball is set to play Ohio State and Michigan State just once each next season.

Sports Illustrated called into question Penn State's care for its athletes, and holy heck did Penn State fire back. Bill O'Brien went off on reporters for a shade over 20 minutes.

O'Brien: "We are at 65 scholarships. You think for one second I would jeaopardize the health of a player?"
— Anna Orso (@anna_orso) May 15, 2013

Good point.

ACC coaches want to include the coaches poll as part of the selection criteria for the College Football Playoff because ... they like athletic department interns making major decisions? Barry Alvarez is throwing his full weight behind an informed selection committee.

Jermaine Marshall will forego his senior season at Penn State to go pro.

I suppose I don't know a lot about rap, but methinks Jay Harris should have taken that scholarship.

2013 Byron Nelson Championship: Tee times, TV schedule for Thursday

2013-05-16T12:14:25Z

The 2013 Byron Nelson Championship won't feature many of the big names from last week's Players Championship, but there should still be plenty of intrigue. The winner at TPC Four Seasons Resort in Irving, Texas, will take home $1.17 million out of a $6.7 million purse. Jason Day, Charl Schwartzel, Keegan Bradley, Louis Oosthuizen, and Matt Kuchar are among this year's favorites.

Also returning is defending champion Jason Dufner, who sank a 25-foot putt on the final hole Sunday to win by one stroke over Dicky Pride last year.

Coverage of the first round will be shown on the Golf Channel from 3 to 6 p.m. ET, and then replayed from 8:30 to 11:30. Radio coverage can be found on the Sirius XM PGA Tour network from noon to 6 p.m. ET.

Below is the full tee sheet for Thursday's opening round (all times ET):

Morning wave off No. 1

Time	Players
8:00 a.m.	Howell III, Charles	DeLaet, Graham	Owen, Greg
8:10 a.m.	Bettencourt, Matt	Green, Nathan	Bae, Sang-Moon
8:20 a.m.	Stuard, Brian	Hicks, Justin	Langley, Scott
8:30 a.m.	Potter, Jr., Ted	Curtis, Ben	Jacobson, Freddie
8:40 a.m.	Beljan, Charlie	Piercy, Scott	Singh, Vijay
8:50 a.m.	Woodland, Gary	Yang, Y.E.	Perry, Kenny
9:00 a.m.	Henry, J.J.	Sabbatini, Rory	Verplank, Scott
9:10 a.m.	Villegas, Camilo	Flores, Martin	Karlsson, Robert
9:20 a.m.	Driscoll, James	Letzig, Michael	Noh, Seung-Yul
9:30 a.m.	Taylor, Vaughn	Waldorf, Duffy	Duke, Ken
9:40 a.m.	Knox, Russell	Fritsch, Brad	Lee, D.H.
9:50 a.m.	Christian, Gary	Williams, Lee	Fischer, Zack
10:00 a.m.	LaBelle II, Doug	Norlander, Henrik	Schultz, Jason

Morning wave off No. 10

Time	Players
8:00 a.m.	Parnevik, Jesper	O'Hern, Nick	Claxton, Will
8:10 a.m.	Palmer, Ryan	Daly, John	Pride, Dicky
8:20 a.m.	Durant, Joe	Petrovic, Tim	Wi, Charlie
8:30 a.m.	Kaymer, Martin	Schwartzel, Charl	Cabrera, Angel
8:40 a.m.	Kuchar, Matt	Bradley, Keegan	Dufner, Jason
8:50 a.m.	O'Hair, Sean	Appleby, Stuart	Immelman, Trevor
9:00 a.m.	Imada, Ryuji	Flesch, Steve	English, Harris
9:10 a.m.	Bohn, Jason	Mathis, David	Thompson, Nicholas
9:20 a.m.	Rollins, John	Sutherland, Kevin	Knost, Colt
9:30 a.m.	Perez, Pat	Every, Matt	Gomez, Fabian
9:40 a.m.	Todd, Brendon	Hoffmann, Morgan	Barber, Blayne
9:50 a.m.	Gates, Bobby	Rocha, Alexandre	List, Luke
10:00 a.m.	Park, Jin	Gonzales, Andres	Quinney, Jeff

Afternoon wave off No. 1

Time	Players
1:00 p.m.	Ogilvie, Joe	Herron, Tim	Gillis, Tom
1:10 p.m.	Day, Jason	Jobe, Brandt	Compton, Erik
1:20 p.m.	Hoffman, Charley	Lunde, Bill	Mayfair, Billy
1:30 p.m.	Points, D.A.	Gay, Brian	Oosthuizen, Louis
1:40 p.m.	Leishman, Marc	Harrington, Padraig	Leonard, Justin
1:50 p.m.	Bradley, Michael	Weir, Mike	Short, Jr., Wes
2:00 p.m.	Overton, Jeff	Spieth, Jordan	Ishikawa, Ryo
2:10 p.m.	Davis, Brian	McGirt, William	Stiles, Darron
2:20 p.m.	Matteson, Troy	Trahan, D.J.	Janzen, Lee
2:30 p.m.	Reavie, Chez	Kuehne, Hank	Wittenberg, Casey
2:40 p.m.	Svoboda, Andrew	Constable, Donald	Tianlang, Guan
2:50 p.m.	Bowditch, Steven	Bolli, Justin	Tomasulo, Peter
3:00 p.m.	Watkins, Aaron	Presnell, Alistair	Holland, Charlie

Afternoon wave of No. 10

Time	Players
1:00 p.m.	Slocum, Heath	Gove, Jeff	Barnes, Ricky
1:10 p.m.	Romero, Andres	Pampling, Rod	Harman, Brian
1:20 p.m.	Maggert, Jeff	Reed, Patrick	Kohles, Ben
1:30 p.m.	Gainey, Tommy	Molder, Bryce	Kelly, Jerry
1:40 p.m.	McNeill, George	Huh, John	Crane, Ben
1:50 p.m.	Garrigus, Robert	Ames, Stephen	Senden, John
2:00 p.m.	DiMarco, Chris	McCarron, Scott	Chalmers, Greg
2:10 p.m.	Campbell, Chad	Ridings, Tag	Streb, Robert
2:20 p.m.	Weekley, Boo	Walker, Jimmy	Marino, Steve
2:30 p.m.	Herman, Jim	LeBrun, Steve	Siem, Marcel
2:40 p.m.	Percy, Cameron	Meierdierks, Eric	Gangluff, Stephen
2:50 p.m.	Stefani, Shawn	Purdy, Ted	Massa, Bobby
3:00 p.m.	Haley II, Paul	Gardiner, Scott	Ricketts, Brian

2013 Preakness odds: Morning line released

2013-05-15T22:45:27Z

Orb remained a steady 1/1 favorite to win the 2013 Preakness Stakes, despite drawing a seemingly unfavorable post position out of Gate 1 on Wednesday. The Kentucky Derby winner will need to best Mylute (5/1 odds out of Gate 5) and newcomer Departing (6/1 odds out of Gate 4) to continue his Triple Crown run.

Here are the odds for the full field at the Preakness:

1. Orb - 1/1
2. Goldencents - 8/1
3. Titletown Five - 30/1
4. Departing - 6/1
5. Mylute - 5/1
6. Oxbow - 16/1
7. Will Take Charge - 12/1
8. Govenor Charlie - 12/1
9. Itsmyluckyday - 10/1

Goldencents was a distant 17th-place finisher at Churchill Downs, but he remains one of Orb's top challengers at 8/1 odds. The Preakness is the shortest of the Triple Crown races, which could be a benefit for Goldencents, considering his fade down the stretch at the Kentucky Derby.

Oxbow drew the seemingly favorable No. 6 post, from which 15 Preakness winners have gone on to win. Surprisingly, however, his odds dropped from 14/1 to 16/1 following the draw.

More Triple Crown coverage:

• Complete 2013 Preakness Stakes coverage

• Normandy Invasion skipping Preakness

• Orb wins the Kentucky Derby | Video: Orb storms down the stretch

• No Finish Line: Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens returns

• SB Nation's horse racing blog: And Down The Stretch They Come

Kyle Love released by Patriots after being diagnosed with Type-2 diabetes

2013-05-15T21:52:52Z

Defensive tackle Kyle Love has been released by the New England Patriots, after recently being diagnosed with Type-2 diabetes. Love was released with a non-football injury designation. His agent, Richard Koppelman, released a statement following the news:

"Prior to the diagnosis, Kyle recently experienced unexplained weight loss, but since being diagnosed and having altered his diet, Kyle has regained most of the weight he lost, is in good health, and was not limited in any way during offseason workouts in which he was engaged up until being told he would be released.

"Having consulted with leading authorities on the effects of Type-2 diabetes, we have every reason to believe that Kyle will, in the immediate future, be at 100 percent, and will be prepared to participate in training camp in a couple of months. As Kyle said, 'there is no way something like this is going to stand between me and a long and successful NFL career.'"

Love started 11 games next to Vince Wilfork last season. He often rotated with Brandon Deaderick, who was also released this week. Whether the Patriots released Love as a direct result of his diagnosis is unclear. The team was already in the process of revamping its defensive line, having brought in Tommy Kelly and CFL product Armond Armstead.

The Patriots now have two open roster spots, one of which they may use on a free-agent defensive tackle, according to ESPN's Mike Reiss. Between Love and Deaderick, they have a fair amount of production to replace. The two combined for 43 tackles, 2.5 sacks and two forced fumbles last season.

More from SB Nation:

• QB situations for all 32 teams

• The rise of "Generation Jaguar"

• Uffsides: Chip Kelly's war on tacos

• Who is Doug Whaley?

• Brian Urlacher "leaning toward" Vikings?

• Why does the NFL make for such bad media?

Bernard Pollard won't accompany Ravens to White House

2013-05-15T21:28:46Z

Bernard Pollard will not be joining the Baltimore Ravens on their ceremonial trip to the White House for winning the Super Bowl. The reason has nothing to do with politics, a la Tim Thomas. Instead, Pollard is apparently upset with the organization for reasons that aren't entirely clear to anyone:

"It's not my teammates," Pollard said. "It's not my teammates at all. I would celebrate with them any time, any day of the week I would celebrate with them. But at the end of the day, I know what happened, I know what took place. I'm sorry, I just don't want to be in the room with certain people."

Pollard will be on vacation with his family instead, though he said that even if he didn't have an excuse he would not join his former teammates. His beef doesn't have anything to do with general manager Ozzie Newsome or owner Steve Bisciotti. Pollard credited both men for giving him an opportunity to play in Baltimore.

That leaves head coach John Harbaugh. Pollard referenced an incident where Harbaugh solicited opinions from his players during a team meeting following a 30-point loss to the Houston Texans last season. As Pollard tells it, Harbaugh didn't like what the safety had to say, and may have urged Pollard's release as a result:

"I'm just a player where you ask me my opinion, I'm gonna tell you. And for you to get upset or whatever afterwards, you know, you asked me. That's that. We were just asked our opinion about something. And we let the coach know our opinion. It was us as players. We were asked, the floor was open. And we responded, and let the coaches know how we felt, and that's how it has to be as a football team. We can't walk around on eggshells as a football team."

Pollard has a reputation for being perhaps too outspoken in locker rooms. He hasn't spent more than three seasons in any one place, perhaps for good reason. That said, until anyone is able to address what happened directly, it is difficult to say who is in the wrong.

More from SB Nation:

• QB situations for all 32 teams

• The rise of "Generation Jaguar"

• Uffsides: Chip Kelly's war on tacos

• Who is Doug Whaley?

• Brian Urlacher "leaning toward" Vikings?

• Why does the NFL make for such bad media?