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INDYCAR: New More Front Wing podcast (Episode 47)

MoreFrontWing.com co-editor Steph Wallcraft is joined this week by MFW contributor Bash Beard and by the INDYCAR columnist for the Indianapolis Star and co-host of Trackside on AM 1070 The Fan in Indianapolis, Curt Cavin. The trio review this past weekend’s event at Iowa Speedway and touch on topics such as Marco Andretti’s potential, the likelihood of a resurgence by Andretti Autosport, Takuma Sato’s first pole, the bump in turn 2, the discussion of making this event a double-header weekend in 2012, and much more. They also touch on a few other topics such as Randy Bernard’s comments that he’ll “quit on the spot” if Vegas doesn’t pull good TV ratings, the announcement that Bryan Herta Autosport and Dan Wheldon will be the test team for the 2012 car, the continuing improvements to the Versus broadcast, and the controversy in Firestone Indy Lights that led to the suspension of O2 Racing Technology and that team’s owner, Mark Olson.

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Komets resign netminder Nick Boucher

Fort Wayne, IN -- The Komets announced Wednesday that veteran goaltender Nick Boucher has agreed to terms for the upcoming 2011-12 season.  Boucher will be starting his fifth consecutive season with the Komets when the puck drops in October.  Boucher backstopped the Komets to three straight International Hockey League Turner Cup Championships in 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10.  The netminder snagged the IHL Goaltender of the Year Award for 2008-09 and was voted by his teammates as the Komets' Most Valuable Player that year.   

"Nick has already been working out at Spiece Fieldhouse in anticipation of the upcoming season," Komet general manager David Franke said.  "Nick was not totally happy with his performance last year and wants to get back to championship form.  This signing should be good news to all Komet fans.  Nick is a fierce competitor and a winner, perfect traits to bring back to the Komets this year."

Boucher, 30, will be entering his ninth season as a pro since being drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft and making his pro debut in 2003-04 with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in the AHL.

Buckeye's add Chris Jent to Men's Basketball Staff

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Chris Jent is returning to his alma mater as an assistant men’s basketball coach, Thad Matta, head coach of the Buckeyes, announced Wednesday. Jent fills the spot previously held by Brandon Miller, who recently resigned to spend more time with his family.

Jent left the Cleveland Cavaliers where he was most recently an assistant coach after first joining the organization as the director of player development in November of 2006. He was promoted to assistant coach in 2009.

As a member of the Cavaliers coaching staff, Jent was instrumental in the Cavaliers success. In 2008-09, the Cavaliers notched a franchise and NBA-best 66 wins as Cleveland finished the regular season as the league’s best defensive team, allowing an NBA-low 91.4 points per game.

INDYCAR: Toronto pre-race track walk

With two weeks to go until the Honda Indy Toronto, MoreFrontWing.com's Steph Wallcraft takes a tour of the grounds at Exhibition Place to see how the track build is going.

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INDYCAR: Thank you, INDYCAR and Iowa

MoreFrontWing.com co-editor Steph Wallcraft offers her thanks and congratulations to INDYCAR and Iowa's fans for a job well done this weekend.

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Andretti wins for first time in 78 races

NEWTON, Iowa -- The last time Marco Andretti won an IZOD IndyCar Series race he was a 19-year-old rookie who shaved about once a week.

That was August 27, 2006, at Infineon Raceway. Under the lights at Iowa Speedway on a chilly summer night, the 24-year-old Andretti's 78-race drought came to an end. He probably shaved in the morning, too.

Andretti overtook former Andretti Autosport teammate Tony Kanaan on Lap 232 for the lead and went on to record a 0.7932-of-a-second victory in the Iowa Corn Indy 250 presented by Pioneer at Iowa Speedway.

Continue reading Andretti wins for first time in 78 races - Dave Lewandowski | Indycar.com

Former Irish player, Andre Jones, dies at 42

NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Andre Jones, a starter on the 1988 University of Notre Dame national championship football team and father of current Irish wide receiver TJ Jones, died this morning in Atlanta after suffering a brain aneurysm yesterday. He was 42.

A four-time monogram-winner, Jones played outside linebacker for former Irish coach Lou Holtz from 1987-90. He played in 42 games overall, starting once as a rookie in ’87, four times during the ’88 championship run and nine times each in both 1989 and 1990. A 6-4, 225-pounder, he made 147 career tackles to go with 12 tackles for loss and three caused fumbles. His top season came as a senior in ’90 when he recorded 58 tackles (second on the squad behind team leader Michael Stonebreaker), after making 49 as ajunior in ’89.

Ants’ Kramer joins team in Puerto Rico

Chris Kramer got the call directly.

“We want you,” said Edwin Loubriel, the father of one of Kramer’s classmates at Purdue and the owner of the Guaynabo Mets, a member of the 10-team Baloncesto Superior Nacional league in Puerto Rico.

So Kramer is going.

He’s flying from Fort Wayne to Chicago to Puerto Rico today and will join the team for its final regular-season game Wednesday and staying with it throughout the duration of the playoffs. Kramer, who signed a contract to be the team’s point guard, didn’t know the playoff schedule but said if the Mets make the championship, his stay in Puerto Rico could last seven weeks.

Continue reading Ants’ Kramer joins team in Puerto Rico - Stacy Clardie | The Journal Gazette

McIlroy buries Masters meltdown and wins US Open

BETHESDA, Maryland (AP)—The proof of Rory McIlroy’s remarkable resiliency was the U.S. Open trophy at his side on Sunday and the pages of a record book that he rewrote over four mind-boggling days.

For his father, it was a phone call right after a crushing collapse at Augusta National two months earlier, when McIlroy shot an 80 in the final round to blow a big lead.

Gerry McIlroy, who worked three jobs to support his son’s junior golf, was home in Northern Ireland when the phone rang some 20 minutes after it was over.

Continue reading McIlroy buries Masters meltdown and wins US Open - DOUG FERGUSON, AP | YahooSports.com

A tie for Father's Day -- Franchitti and Power

WEST ALLIS, Wis. -- Sometimes, Dario Franchitti knows all too well, a competitor's  misfortune can be your biggest ally. This time, it worked to his advantage.

Franchitti inherited the race lead on Lap 200 when Helio Castroneves had to guide the No. 3 Guidepoint Systems Team Penske car into the pits for a quick change of a left-rear tire losing pressure and went on to 1.4271-second victory in the Milwaukee 225 at the Milwaukee Mile.

Five laps earlier, both drivers were given a reprieve from the unrelenting pressure of Tony Kanaan when his No. 82 GEICO KV Racing Technology-Lotus car spun exiting Turn 4 and made rear end contact with the SAFER Barrier. Kanaan, who led 33 laps, was running 0.7531 of a second behind Castroneves at the time.

Continue reading A tie for Father's Day -- Franchitti and Power - By Dave Lewandowski | IndyCar.com

Notre Dame's Kerry Cooks Invited To 2011 NCAA Champion Forum

INDIANAPOLIS - University of Notre Dame cornerbacks coach Kerry Cooks was selected to attend the 2011NCAA Champion Forum June 16-17 in Orlando, Fla., in conjunction with the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) convention.

The Champion Forum features a select group of footballcoaches who have been identified as potential candidates for head football coaching positions at NCAA colleges or universities. The coaches, who were selected by athletics administrators, are generally ethnic minorities who have completed the NCAA Expert program.

The NCAA invited football coaches, athletics directors and several speakers from the membership and the NFL to its Champion Forum, the top tier of the NCAA’s coaching academy programs.

Brian Kelly To Participate In Healthy Cooking Seminar At Meijer

NOTRE DAME, Ind. - University of Notre Dame head football coach Brian Kelly will appear from 6-7 pm ET today at Meijer located at 5020 Grape Road in Mishawaka, Ind., with Kristen Johnson, Meijer’s healthy living advisor.

Kelly will help Johnson cook healthy items for fans inattendance and discuss the importance of having a good diet and exercising.Kelly will also talk about the emphasis he places on proper nutrition with Notre Dame’s football players.

Following Kelly’s hiring, Notre Dame implemented a training table program in January 2010 so it could monitor the dinner its football team was consuming each night. This program was hugely successful as players were able to maintain their weight, strength and energy throughout the 2010 season and helped the Irish to an undefeated November and four-game winning streak to close the season.

CBS agrees to multi-year contract extension with Big 10

CBS Sports has agreed to a multi-year agreement with the Big Ten Conference extending its broadcast rights to the conference's basketball games through the 2016-17 season. The announcement was made today by Mike Aresco, Executive Vice President, Programming, CBS Sports and James E. Delany, Big Ten Commissioner.

“We are delighted to extend our Big Ten basketball agreement, which has been a cornerstone of our regular-season NCAA basketball coverage,” said Aresco. “We have an outstanding and longstanding relationship with the Big Ten and Commissioner Jim Delany, and look forward to many more seasons of broadcasting the rivalries, pageantry and high quality competition of the Big Ten.” 

INDYCAR: New More Front Wing podcast (Episode 46)

Paul is away for a couple of weeks, so Steph takes the opportunity to host Ladies' Night on the More Front Wing podcast! She's joined by MFW contributor Bash Beard, who attended the Firestone Twin 275s at Texas Motor Speedway, as well as Michele-Marie Beer, the North American Editor of OpenWheelWorld.net. Together, they review in detail the events of the past weekend and discuss what to expect at the upcoming event at the Milwaukee Mile. They also take some time to discuss the women's perspective of how female drivers are being treated in today's IZOD IndyCar Series.

In addition, Steph spoke with Alex Tagliani at the Honda Indy Toronto launch party. Alex spoke about what led to his eventual early retirement from this year's Indianapolis 500, what it was like to lose Allen McDonald as his race engineer, why his team has been seeing so much success on oval tracks this season, the rumored instability of his seat at Sam Schmidt Motorsports, and what his goals are for the upcoming Canadian stint this season.

Steph also spoke with Kevin Savoree of Green Savoree Promotions. Kevin shared some details of what fans can expect from the 25th anniversary running of the Honda Indy Toronto, and he also talked about this year's 50th anniversary season for GSP's latest acquisition, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. He offered some information of the planned improvements for Mid-Ohio for this season and beyond, and he also discussed how his organization plans to attract fans to these two events with very different characteristics and target audiences.

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Boston Bruins win Stanley Cup, beat Vancouver 4-0

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP)—While the Boston Bruins beelined across the ice to mob him at the buzzer, Tim Thomas tapped both goalposts, sank to his knees and rubbed the ice in front of his empty goal.

Thomas drew a virtual line in his crease throughout these crazy, contentious Stanley Cup finals, and Boston’s brilliant goalie just wouldn’t allow the Vancouver Canucks to cross it whenever it really mattered.

After 39 years without a championship, the Bruins ripped the Cup—and several thousand hearts—out of a Canadian city that has waited four decades itself for one sip.

Continue reading Boston Bruins win Stanley Cup, beat Vancouver 4-0 - Greg Beacham (AP) | YahooSports.com