Rafael Nadal snags the fourth-seeding for Roland Garros 2013

With an impressive win over rival Roger Federer at the Rome Masters final on Sunday, Rafael Nadal moves to world number four, overtaking compatriot David Ferrer. This means that Nadal will become fourth seed at the Roland Garros tournament. However, there's still a chance that his seeding will increase to number three should world number two Andy Murray decide to skip this claycourt Slam due to a lower back problem.

Nadal will enter the Paris tournament with a 15-match winning streak which included three consecutive title wins in Barcelona, Madrid and Rome. The Spaniard is aiming for his eighth Roland Garros title.

Manuel Pellegrini Looks Set to Join Manchester City On Two-Year Deal Beginning July 1

Manuel Pellegrini is free to leave Malaga on July 1 and to become Manchester City manager without having to pay the Spanish side a penalty clause, according to a report in the Spanish media today.

For cash-strapped Malaga, Pellegrini's departure on July 1 means that the club won't have to pay his hefty salary. At the same time, Pellegrini won't have to pay his penalty clause to break his contract.

That paves the way for Manchester City to scoop Pellegrini away from Spain, to manage their club as a replacement for sacked manager Roberto Mancini.

Meanwhile, Manchester City are still interested in signing attacking-midfielder Isco from Malaga. The club would reportedly like to sign him on a four-year deal.

Link: Pirelli says tyre changes will be "less than expected"

Power Ranking the Toughest Lives in College Football around 2013.

I'm not certain how much Mark Stoops' brothers can help him against this tough lineup. Even Bob Stoops at Oklahoma has never faced such a murder's row as this schedule.

The Wildcats have to face a rising Louisville power team who, in case you've been living under your rock, just beat Florida inside Sugar Bowl. Also, they have Western Kentucky to accommodate.

Remember that former Arkansas head coach Bobby Petrino currently is the head coach at this time there. Plus, Western Kentucky beat the Wildcats in overtime very last season.

Via: The PSG President: "I think that Ancelotti has a pre-contract with Madrid"

The way in which Did Real Madrid Not Score Within this Frantic Scramble Before the Atletico Goal?

It's 1-1 late inside the second half of a Copa Del Rey very last between Real Madrid together with Atletico, and the next goal may be the game-winner — which is why is this frantic few no time of soccer combat between the two so fantastic.

You can't say enough concerning effort by Atletico truth be told there. Will it be more than enough to secure them the cup of the king? The next few minutes will tell.

[UPDATE: Atletico has scored inside first leg of extra time to move up 2-1. It never may have happened without the earlier effort. ]

Jimmy Traina Thx to be able to @themantz for Hot Fastens Weekend Playlist (http: //t. co/9ttJ1fFnex) & sending this item on Angry Men's Bob Benson http: //t. co/HJUiiafg0K

Kevin Kernan To be able to answer your question Chelsea, I know, I just don't just want to say because I don't find that getting into it with some people @Chris_Carelli

Kevin Kernan RT @Chris_Carelli: @WheresKernan wonder when fundamentals drop? At my son's game now & everything is going learning game. Of study course, he's 6.

Link: Marquez Biaggi in the historical best debutant in MotoGP classification matches

ESPN President John Skipper Isn’t Scared Of Fox Sports 1… Should He Be?

Richard Deitsch's weekly media column is up, and you should read the whole thing (as you should every week), if you are interested in the fascinating sports media circlejerk, as we are. If not, you probably don't like our site outside of our fishy features of Paulina Gretzky and Kate Upton (but they've dated athletes!), and we apologize. Among this week's topics, as is the case every week, is ESPN. ESPN is the Worldwide Leader in Sports on TV, which requires that it is the Worldwide Leader in Snark Received and Deserved, and Competitors Gunning For. Fox Sports 1 launches on August 17, and it seems like a legit threat to ESPN. But Deitsch interviewed ESPN president John Skipper, and he asserted his lack of fear. The message: we are ESPN and we control your lives. We are not scared of this "fox." Doesn't it have a hound to go befriend?

"The guys at Fox are smart and we are respectful of what they do but you heard from us a significant level of confidence," Skipper said. "We like what we have and we like our ability to compete. Two things matter at the end of the day: What is your level of distribution and what subscription fees are you getting from that, and what is the live content that you have to put on that fans want? I would ask everybody writing all of these stories about competition to look at what we actually have and what they actually have before there's any discussion about a head-to-head competition."

Well, he's right. While I think that Fox Sports Live, the show, will seriously challenge SportsCenter, that doesn't necessarily mean Fox Sports 1, the channel, will challenge ESPN, the behemoth mind-controller.

Also: he (in)directly called me out! I am writing about this competition, so I will "look at what they actually have before there's any discussion about a head-to-head competition." Then, I will discuss the head-to-head competition (alright, I discussed it before, just leave me alone).

MLB: 26 Saturday afternoon games; All-Star Game; one League Championship Series; World Series Lots of NFL NASCAR F1 Men's/Women's Soccer World Cup's, 2015-2022

NBC Sports Some NFL Ivy League Football! Colonial Athletic Association Football!!!! (wanna see Shaka Smart run it in for six?!?!?) Notre Dame Football U.S. Open, Ryder Cup, The Players Championship, other golfy stuffs NHL The Triple Crown F1 Olympics MLS English Premier League, starting in 2013 French Open (on tape delay! yay!)

MLB: Sunday, Monday, and Wednesday Night Games; Opening Day games NBA: A lot of stuff. They will continue to have a lot of stuff, according to Deitsch. WNBA College Basketball: A good amount (but no NCAA tourney, as you know) Monday Night Football NCAA Football National Championship Game (the finale of… the "College Football Playoff" Lots of regular season College Football The Masters, British Open and Ryder Cup NCAA Hockey Tourney Major League Lacrosse F1 2014 World Cup USMNT Soccer MLS Mexican Soccer Bundesliga (ESPN Deportes) All four tennis majors NASCAR

So, ESPN=Russia, Other Channels=North Korea. They talk a big game and may have some powerful weapons, but they are not huge threats. There are other sports that exist that you can watch, too (many on ESPN3), and guess what: ESPN has most of them! They've got Sri Lanka Premier League Cricket, CFL, KHL (read with best Russian accent: if Russia is ally, company is invincible).

Many of Fox Sports' rights are utilized on Fox, not their sports channels, too. They're not switching NFL to Fox Sports 1, so that doesn't help as much as it seems. Basically, ESPN wins. People will always watch ESPN, because people will always watch the NBA, NASCAR — all of these 17 million sports that they broadcast.

If ESPN shows a naked Skip Bayless fornicating with a naked Tim Tebow while Chris Broussard analyzes, horrified, with LZ Granderson crying in the background, people will (justifiably, obviously) freak out, but basketball fans will still watch the NBA, and stupid people (I'm kidding, I swear) will still watch NASCAR. To do so, they will turn on ESPN.

Again, I think Fox Sports Live will cut significantly into SportsCenter's viewership. There's no way to be sure, but I think/hope it will be a better product, and force SportsCenter to change. But that will be a tiny dent in ESPN's Iron Man suit, and Iron Man does not care about the tiny dent in his suit, beyond aesthetic reasons. For now, Fox Sports 1 is a minor annoyance, a little kid running in front of Iron Man while he is trying to kill someone.

How committed is Skipper to the ESPN2 afternoon lineup of Highly Questionable and SportsNation? "We are committed to those shows," Skipper said. "We are in the process of looking at a different studio for Questionable — we think more of a live environment, one with a studio environment might work. As for SportsNation, it was very revolutionary when it came on. The graphics, the look, the feel of it. Michelle Beadle and Colin Cowherd did a great job. We moved it to LA and we liked the live feel of it. We have to think about what is next. It has been reported that Charissa Thompson is going to leave so we don't have decisions yet. Nothing [on talent] has been decided but we are working on it. But this I can guarantee: It is on the air this year. It is on the air next year. And the year after that. We have the ability to keep things on, have consistency and be patient."

There you go. SportsCenter could lose its entire viewership (it won't), and ESPN could still afford to produce it. That is an exaggeration, but it's true. ESPN truly is the Russia of the sports media landscape. King Dictator "President" of a massive and potent country in which flaws abound, Putin will end every day feasting on a wild boar he killed by only using his thumbs, and then he will bathe in a pile of rubles, unconcerned about the public's major problems, because they are insignificant to him. Then he will kill a hippopotamus with a spork.

Ben Golliver Dooris: 2 Men Allege They Were Victims Of Late-Night Beating By Blazers G Damian Lillard's Entourage http://t.co/Nvg9si1oHJ

Bill Simmons Hey @lenovo - why sell 3-yr "warranties" for new laptops that secretly don't cover software issues (more $$$ to fix). You are extortionists.

Beckley Mason The big point is that MEM screwed things up in all different ways, suggesting a general lack of preparation: http://t.co/srfaeTLq8i

Beckley Mason Why was Matt Bonner so open? @BKoremenos shows systemic flaws in MEM's defense are to blame: http://t.co/TubQfrc9Uo

South Carolina Football: Gamecocks Land 2015 Wide Receiver Recruit Dexter Neal

The South Carolina Gamecocks are gradually picking up the pace in 2014 recruiting, yet they have already made a splash in the 2015 recruiting class by landing wide receiver Dexter Neal.

Neal provided South Carolina with a verbal commitment Thursday, which gives the Gamecocks a potential big-time wide receiver for the future.

The recruitment of Neal also continues the established trend of Spurrier and his staff landing players from Stephenson High School in Stone Mountain, Ga.

The 6-foot-2, 195-pound wideout is the fifth player to commit to the Gamecocks from Stephenson in the past three years. The Gamecocks landed Kadetrix Marcus, also known as J.J., in the 2011 recruiting cycle. Kyle Fleetwood and Mike Davis signed with the USC in 2012, and in a few months class of 2013 cornerback Ali Groves is expected to enroll in summer classes.

Continued success with established recruiting grounds has been a staple of Spurrier's tenure at USC, and Neal is no exception.

At 6'2", 195 pounds as just a sophomore, Neal still has time to get even bigger. He has a solid wide receiver frame as is, but this kid's ceiling is high.

When William Gunter of TheBigSpur.com asked Neal about "what he brings to the table," Neal claimed "I just work hard, I work my hardest whenever I can."

The combination of an early offer at a school that makes Neal feel at home and South Carolina already landing multiple teammates and friends of Neal definitely led to Neal's quick decision.

Neal's teammate and 2014 recruit Bryson Allen-Williams have been friends for a long time and Allen-Williams may have played a role in the recruitment of Neal. Allen-Williams stood alongside Neal during his interview and fielded some questions with William Gunter of TheBigSpur.com, as seen in this video.

Defensive coordinator Lorenzo Ward and wide receivers coach Steve Spurrier Jr. headed the recruiting effort to land Neal. Neal developed a strong relationship with Ward and recognized that Spurrier Jr. understands how to coach receivers all the way down to the minor details.

Neal told Will Ayers of TheBigSpur.com, "Coach Ward, he is a pretty cool guy, funny. He gets along with people, [...] Coach Jr., he is a good coach. From what we saw when I went up to my visit he likes to work you, and he works on the small stuff to get your technique better."

These coach-player relationships were key for Neal's decision and also learning about the South Carolina football environment.

The Gamecocks are still a couple years away from seeing Neal don the garnet and black uniform and he could pull his verbal commitment, though that seems rather unlikely.  Neal has so many connections with the players and staff at USC and likes the feel of the Gamecocks program.

Neal is a great recruit for 2015 and has huge potential as a big-bodied wide receiver who could emerge as a top receiver in the future.

Via: War between Madrid and Rome by a new tennis tournament

Creating an excellent Offseason Plan for your Portland Trail Blazers.

Although they're all in the house watching the NBA Playoffs through the comfort of their areas, it isn't all unhealthy for the Portland Trail Blazers.

With an aspiring legend at point guard and some other solid pieces on the roster, the Blazers are already very close to appearing fringe playoff team. With a few tweaks every now and then, there's no question we'll be contemplating yet another youthful upstart squad inside Western Conference a la the Golden State Enthusiast.

Free agency is great at any given time, but nothing beats adding prospects you'll be able to build around for the future. Portland will have three picks to partner with, and while no you might confuse this collection of talent while using the 2003 NBA draft, the inventors available in the earliest round aren't exactly scrubs.

The NBA draft lottery has yet to happen, but there are already whispers about the Blazers, wherever they may fall into the draft order, using their eyes set at UCLA prospect Shabazz Muhammad. After striking gold with Damian Lillard not too long ago, the Blazers would wish to have yet another impact rookie in their backcourt.

In terms associated with scoring, Portland needs assistance. Adding an offensive weapon like Shabazz, who averaged 19 points per game inside his one season in UCLA, could improve their particular mediocre production. The hope for your Blazers is that Muhammad would construct a chemistry with Lillard and the two could be the foundation for a dependable future.

As far as their remaining picks? Some draft analysts have them targeting Nate Wolters in addition to Alex Abrines—two guards would you further bolster their backcourt in the future but probably will spend their rookie seasons with the D-League.

All in just about all, Portland's primary impact out of this draft will hinge on how patient they are by using Muhammad. He has all the talent on the globe, but it largely is dependent upon how he fits in with companies LaMarcus Aldridge, Damian Lillard while others.

In addition to the team's increased exposure of getting younger, the Blazers have a few contracts that need selecting out. With numerous expired contracts, trimming some fat would provide some much-needed cap flexibility.

With regards to their expired contracts, L. J. Hickson absolutely needs to be a priority as considerably as re-signing.

Hickson was the team's leading rebounder, mostly thanks to his incredibly high car. Portland cannot afford to lose Hickson, so again, inking him to another one deal is priority number 1.

On the other give, guys like Elliot Williams, Sasha Pavlovic (team option) and Nolan Smith will not really be retained. It would also make sense for the Blazers to generate a qualifying offer to Eric Maynor, who's a compelling reserve player and a good complement to Lillard. Apart from Maynor and Hickson, the majority of these empty contracts are meant for players making questionable contributions to the team.

The Blazers would be better off going out and trying to try a Jarrett Jack or Nate Robinson while using freed up cap space or room. Yes, you'll have fewer bodies in the rotation, but Portland could really work with a gunner like a Jack port or Robinson coming off the bench—guards or wings competent at playing isolation offense. This team really lacked a punch when the first unit sat off, but an electrifying save scorer who knows his role has to be nice pick-up. However, which might mean you'd have to just ignore matching Maynor's contract.

It's still a touch too early to project that this upcoming offseason will engage in out, but Portland's primary ambitions should be letting one particular lesser contracts walk and signing an essential reserve.

Most people would take a look at a bad record, and they'd stop wasting time to blame the head coach with the team's failures.

Yes, they down season, but face coach Terry Stotts, who just finished his first year in the helm, did a good job with the pieces with which he to work.

Names such as Stan Van Gundy, Brian Shaw and Phil Jackson are most likely being mentioned in just about every front office in need associated with a coach, but this franchise isn't at least one. Stotts should be given a lot more time to work with this squad, as it appeared to respond to his easy-going, teacher-like solution. The Blazers are teen, and they still need be chiseled into form.

As opposed to a team with organized veterans, this unit isn't in need of a Zen Master to help mentally manipulate them towards contenders overnight; this can be a team that just requires a teacher like Stotts, who can correct their own errors and build these young players for the future.

Would the playoffs be a realistic goal for this team? Yes, absolutely. The Western Conference—especially the seventh and eighth seeds—is completely sports book odds. Anything can happen inside the NBA, and although you'll be able, this team shouldn't be too hung standing on missing or making the postseason at this moment and time.

Stotts need this team shooting for any. 500 record—or at least a significant improvement on last year's file. For Stotts, being your teacher means being patient.

Right now, they're somewhere between the crawling and wandering phase, but when Lillard along with the rest of these young guns eventually get more NBA experience and assurance under their belts, you can rest assured they you will need to run way past the expectations that folks will have set on their behalf.

Via: Pique: "Neymar would fit perfectly on this computer"