From Fox Sports -
Phil Jackson & Jeanie Buss Get Together for Rare Joint Interview on FOXSports.com
Jackson: Impending Labor Dispute Influenced My Decision to Retire
#SATURDAYNIGHTFEVER Returns to MLB on FOX for Week 2 of Primetime Baseball
Rosenthal: Players Are Human and Need Time to Regroup
Waltrip Bros Call NASCAR All-Star Race on SPEED Saturday Night
PHIL JACKSON TELLS FOXSPORTS.COM: IMPENDING LABOR DISPUTE ‘TOTALLY’ INFLUENECED MY DECISION TO RETIRE – Hall of Fame head coach Phil Jackson and executive vice president of the Lakers Jeanie Buss sat down together for a rare joint interview with FOXSports.com’s Mark Kriegel. The two-part conversation with Los Angeles’ No. 1 sports power couple premiered on FOXSports.com’s BARFLY this week.
Jackson on whether the impending labor dispute in the NBA influenced his decision to continue coaching: “Yes, totally. Dr. Buss and I went out to lunch during the Phoenix series last year [May 2010] and he told me ‘with the impeding labor disagreement coming up, there are some things that we have to do as owners that make sense.’ And I said well, I’m really thinking about retiring now [after 2009/2010 season] but if there is going to be a lockout that would change the complexity. I would consider coming back and coaching another year to carry the team forward to that particular point. Everyone has been talking about the labor disagreement lasting a whole year and I didn’t want the organization to have to pay a salary for a coach doing nothing. The Lakers have been really good to me salary-wise but if I signed a two-year contract, then they’d have to pay me.”
Jackson on why the Lakers were swept in the Western Conference semifinals against Mavericks: “There is nothing I can say can that could convey my dismay. Losing a game we should have won in Game 1 set the table for things going wrong…There was something chemistry-wise that was wrong. I don’t know what…They couldn’t bring themselves to that nth degree to get themselves through the playoffs.”
Buss on Jackson’s coaching legacy: “I am very proud of the fact that he coached the Lakers longer than he coached the Bulls. When we started dating and we’d walk down the street, people would yell ‘Michael Jordan’ this. But as time went on and he brought more success to the Lakers they ask him about Kobe, Shaq and the Lakers.”
Jackson on the caliber of player Shaquille O’Neal is: “I told Shaq when I took over the Lakers in the first team meeting that the MVP trophy should be named after him when he retired. This is a guy who could have been the most valuable player in the league 10 years in a row. When he went in to have a toe operation in 2003 that changed some of the mechanics that he had to play with but he’s still played seven years since that happened.”
To watch the entire two-part interview, log onto http://msn.foxsports.com/video/shows/barfly
A SUBWAY SERIES & A BATTLE OF THE BAY HITS SATURDAY NIGHT MARQUEE ON FOX – On Saturday, May 21, the FOX SATURDAY BASEBALL GAME OF THE WEEK returns to primetime with four high-profile matchups (7:00 PM ET). Another chapter of the Subway Series is written as Jose Reyes and the Mets head to the Bronx to take on Derek Jeter and the Yankees. In Boston, two of the most historical franchises in baseball meet as the surging Red Sox welcome the Cubs to Fenway. A battle of teams with World Series aspiration takes place in Philadelphia as Cliff Lee aims to shut down the potent Rangers offense. Out West, Bay Area rivals faceoff as the champs welcome the A’s to AT&T Park. The MLB on FOX pregame originates live from the FOX Network studio in Los Angeles, with host Chris Rose.
For instant updates throughout the week and during games from the entire MLB on FOX crew, follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/MLBONFOX. Fans can gain more access to exclusive FOX Sports content by logging on to www.facebook.com/foxsports and www.myspace.com/foxsports.
ROSENTHAL: PLAYERS NEED SPACE TO REGROUP AWAY FROM PUBLIC EYE – MLB on FOX reporter and FOXSports.com senior MLB columnist Ken Rosenthal points out that professional athletes sometimes face personal issues that make it difficult to be in the right frame of mind to perform. “A general manager told me recently that two to three players on each club experience mental-health crises each season. Most, of course, are never revealed. With Red Sox right-hander John Lackey and Yankees designated hitter Jorge Posada, we at least have clues, if not the entire story. Lackey is not just a pitcher, he's a husband. Posada is not just a hitter, he's a father. These guys aren't robots. They're human beings.”
Click here to read Rosenthal’s complete column: http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/jorge-posada-john-lackey-have-personal-problems-too-051711
ROSENTHAL JOINS CHILDREN’S CIRCLE OF CARE – FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal continues his weekly support of “The Bow Tie Cause” during Saturday’s Texas Rangers at Philadelphia Phillies game. Rosenthal’s bow tie will represent the Children’s Circle of Care, which sets out to advance philanthropy that supports patient care, teaching, research and advocacy through educating and recognizing leading benefactors of participating children’s hospitals. Look for Ken’s bow tie this Saturday at Citizens Bank Park and for more information and to keep track of all of the bow ties Rosenthal wears throughout the season click here: www.bowtiecause.org. For more information on the Children’s Circle of Care, please visit www.childrenscircleofcare.com.
New York Mets at New York Yankees (36% of nation)
Joe Buck, Tim McCarver
Yankee Stadium – Bronx, NY
MARKETS INCLUDE: Atlanta, Baltimore, Birmingham, Buffalo, Charlotte, Cleveland, Columbus, Denver, Detroit, Greensboro, Greenville, Hartford, Jacksonville, Miami, New York, Norfolk, Orlando, Raleigh, Richmond, Tampa, Washington, West Palm Beach
Probable Pitchers: Chris Capuano, LHP (3-4, 4.78 ERA) vs. TBA
Chicago Cubs at Boston Red Sox (32% of nation)
Kenny Albert & Eric Karros
Fenway Park – Boston, MA
MARKETS INCLUDE: Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Dayton, Fort Myers, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Knoxville, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Louisville, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Nashville, Providence, Salt Lake City, San Diego, St. Louis
Probable Pitchers: Carlos Zambrano. RHP (4-2, 4.89 ERA) vs. Alfredo Aceves, RHP (1-0, 2.60 ERA)
Texas Rangers at Philadelphia Phillies (19% of nation)
Matt Vasgersian & Tom Grieve & Ken Rosenthal
Citizens Bank Park – Philadelphia, PA
MARKETS INCLUDE: Albuquerque, Austin, Dallas, Houston, Memphis, New Orleans, Oklahoma City, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, San Antonio, Tulsa
Probable Pitchers: TBA vs. Cliff Lee, LHP (2-4, 3.84 ERA)
Oakland Athletics at San Francisco Giants (12% of nation)
Dick Stockton & Mark Grace
AT&T Park – San Francisco, CA
MARKETS INCLUDE: Phoenix, Portland, Sacramento, San Francisco, Seattle
Probable Pitchers: Brett Anderson, LHP (2-3, 3.30 ERA) vs. TBA
NASCAR ALL-STARS VIE FOR $1 MILLION PRIZE THIS SATURDAY ON SPEED – This Saturday night, one Cup driver will be sitting on a pile of cash - $1 million to be exact - for winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup All-Star Race airing live on SPEED (7:00 PM ET) from Charlotte Motor Speedway. Relatively unknown drivers Trevor Bayne and Regan Smith set the bar high for Cup drivers without that first victory and qualified themselves for the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race by winning at Daytona and Darlington, respectively. NASCAR analyst Darrell Waltrip weighed in on the most likely driver to become the next first-time winner. “Given the way he has run lately and how fast his cars have been, I think we’ll be celebrating David Ragan in Victory Lane very soon,” said Waltrip. “His organization is strong and his performance has picked up this year.” DW calls Saturday night’s race alongside his brother Michael Waltrip and race announcer Mike Joy.
TEAMS BATTLE FOR BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE SURVIVAL IN SEASON’S FINAL WEEK ON FOX SOCCER – Fox Soccer’s coverage of the Barclays Premier League wraps up the 2010-2011 season this Sunday with three games – two of which hold major relegation implications for one of the participants. Coverage begins with Birmingham City visiting Tottenham Hotspur, live (11:00 AM ET) on Fox Soccer as Birmingham City battles for its Premier League existence. BC holds that precious 17th-place spot that ensures survival in England’s top division. Matchups continue on a delayed basis as Stoke City plays host to Wigan (1:00 PM ET) airing on Fox Soccer Plus followed by a delayed airing of Fulham versus Arsenal (5:00 PM ET) on Fox Soccer. Arsenal, which has lost its last two games, has found itself in fourth place and in danger of not making the UEFA Champions League qualifying round. To do that, the visiting Gunners will need to win this London derby and have Manchester City lose to Bolton which would vault Arsenal back to third place and an automatic berth in the 2011-2012 Champions League.
The Super Sunday + crew of Christian Miles, former England International and Newcastle defender Warren Barton, Keith Costigan and former MLS standout Kyle Martino provide the pregame analysis (10:00 AM ET). For the latest BPL news, information and FOX Soccer’s 2011 telecast schedule, visit http://msn.foxsports.com/foxsoccer/premierleague.
Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championships: 2011 Season Wide Open - FUEL TV airs the first stop of the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championships – the Rockstar Energy Hangtown National - live from Sacramento, CA on Saturday, May 21 (4:00 PM ET). According to Jason Weigandt, FUEL TV personality, this will be the most exciting season ever: “For 2011, the 450 Class is stacked with past champions including Ryan Dungey (2010), Chad Reed (2009), and James Stewart (2008), and numerous former race winners,” said Weigandt. However, one rider definitely has an edge according to Weigandt. “Ryan Villopoto has had an amazing year so far winning the AMA Supercross title. He’s coming in as the favorite, and every year he’s competed in the AMA Pro Motocross Championship in the 250 Class, he’s won the title.”
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