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8.14am: Good morning and welcome to our daily sports news blog. Throughout the day we'll update this page with news, links and what's expected to happen in the hours ahead. Time permitting, we'll try to wade in below the line, answering your questions and comments.

We'll let you know what's coming up after our morning meeting shortly. In the meantime, Donald McRae has been talking to Usain Bolt in Jamaica, who believes he can run the 100m in 9.4 seconds. Elsewhere Sir Alex Ferguson is in positive mood ahead of Manchester United's Champions League tie with Bayern Munich and Michel Platini has backed the the government's proposals for fan-backed clubs. TB

8.45am: Good news for the New Jersey Nets: their 90-84 win over the San Antonio Spurs last night in the NBA has allowed them to dodge a particularly unwelcome bullet - the tag of worst ever NBA team. Their victory was the tenth of the season, meaning they have bettered the Philadelphia 76ers 1972-73 season record of 9-73. "It's a big relief," said Nets point guard Devin Harris. "Guys really wanted to get this off our back. Nobody wants to be the worst team in history." Well done. Sort of. TB

9.35am: porrig: Our understanding on Ribéry/Robben is that Bayern won't make a decision on their fitness until a few hours before tonight's game. Ribéry though looks more likely to make it than Robben. We'll let you know if we hear any more ... KM

10am Here's what is coming up today:
* Bayern v Man Utd and Lyon v Bordeaux (7.45pm)
* Gianfranco Zola returns from Sardinia
* Championship: Cardiff v Leicester and Watford v Palace
* Rob Halsey returns to refereeing at Accrington v Barnet
* SPL: St Johnstone v Rangers
* David Haye press conference between 7-8pm
* The Miami Masters tennis continues

Meanwhile on the site we will have:
* Live mbm reports on both Champions League games
* Paul Doyle on Lyon v Bordeaux
* Andy Bull's cricket email, The Spin
* Louise Taylor on Millwall
* Lots of Arsenal v Barcelona preview pieces, including Sid Lowe on Cesc Fábregas
* There's also this very popular Iain Dowie gallery

11.02am: The sounds coming out of Mark Hughes's camp are that he would be interested in taking over at Celtic. His assistant at both Manchester City and Blackburn, Mark Bowen, has had this to say to the Daily Record:

"Mark has always said it has to be the right vehicle, the right situation .... It seems to be the natural thing at the moment that Mark is linked with any vacant manager's position. His talents are widely recognised and since City we've been waiting for the right opportunity. In that sense, I suppose we were expecting this speculation and it's a pleasant expectation to see that he's been linked with the Celtic post. Mark's credentials are there for all to see."

Also, for anyone wanting to reminisce about United's victory over Bayern in 1999, you might be interested in Paul Wilson's blog on Ferguson's three survivors from that treble-winning season who could feature tonight at the Allianz Arena. KM

11.32am: Marcello Lippi has announced that he will step down as Italy's coach after the World Cup - a decision that has already encouraged speculation that Carlo Ancelotti could be lined up as a replacement should he lose his job at Chelsea. Another in the frame could be Cagliari's Massimiliano Allegri.

Lippi said in today's Gazzetta dello Sport that the Italian football federation president Giancarlo Abete "already knows what I will do after the World Cup", and there are rumours he wants to return to troubled Juventus, a club he has already managed before. TB

12.12pm: Didier Drogba has been given a two-match European ban for his - now traditional - auto-destruct during Chelsea's Champions League exit. The striker was already on a two-year probation after his referee-bating antics after Chelsea's defeat against Barcelona last year and the red card he received this year against Inter means that probation has now been extended. Here's the Uefa statement:

Chelsea FC striker Didier Drogba has been suspended by UEFA's Control and Disciplinary Body for two European club competition matches after being sent off in the UEFA Champions League round of 16 second leg against FC Internazionale Milano in London on 16 March.

The suspension applies to the next two club competition matches for which Drogba would be eligible. The player's existing period of probation, which began on 15 July 2009 and was originally intended to run for two years, has also been extended to 15 July 2013. An appeal may be lodged within three days of the sending of the reasoned decision.

TB

12.37pm: Today's Talking Horses is up and running - with today's best bets and the latest on David Reynolds lamping Kieren Fallon.

1.17pm: Couple of pieces of lunchtime news for you: Cesc Fábregas remains a doubt for Arsenal's clash with Barcelona tomorrow after sitting out training earlier. And the FA is looking into Roberto Martínez's outburst last night, when he appeared to accuse referee Stuart Atwell of "lying" following Wigan's defeat to Manchester City. KM

1.37pm: Sir Alex Ferguson warns Bayern Munich that Manchester United are hitting their best form before hailing the recent contributions of Wayne Rooney and Nemanja Vidic ahead of tonight's Champions League quarter-final. TB

1.41pm: The news from Arsenal is that Cesc Fábregas will face a late fitness test before the game against Barcelona. Arsène Wenger confirmed that the midfielder's knee injury would, if the game were tonight, rule him out. Here's what the manager said:

"He did not train this morning and at moment he is not fit to play. We will give him 24 hours more, but I don't know if he will be available. If the game were today, he would not play. If he is not capable to play, I would not take a gamble and put him on the bench."

Meanwhile, in news lower down the divisions, Louise Taylor has filed her blog on the football league - and Millwall could be the side to back for automatic promotion. TB

2.05pm: Amid all the noise about Manchester United facing Bayern Munich, the game between Lyon and Bordeaux has slipped somewhat under the radar. Here's Paul Doyle on why both teams will be desperate to win - but will know defeat might hasten the end of an era. TB

2.15pm: If it's pictures of sporting things that have happened in the last 24 hours that you want, then click here and watch as your entire computer screen magically fills with just such images. TB

2.28pm: Andy Bull's weekly cricket round-up, The Spin, points its steely gaze at Pakistan and their startling decision to suspend Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan, then asks WTF. TB

3.09pm: If you've ever wondered who would win in a fight between Diego Maradona and a dog then the answer has finally been revealed. It is the dog. Read here how Maradona has undergone surgery after being attacked by one of his canine companions. If it is clashes of a different kind you are interested in then read David Pleat's guide to the key head-to-head battles in tonight's game between Bayern Munich and Manchester United. EF

4.08pm: As many of you have mentioned below the line, rumours have been swirling around the airwaves and internet this afternoon that Martin O'Neill had quit as Aston Villa manager. Not so according to sources at the club, who while refusing to comment officially, have dismissed the speculation as "pure nonsense." As far as we understand, it looks like it stemmed from a Twitter hoax, though if we hear any more we'll let you know. KM

4.28pm: Jens Lehmann has announced that this season will be his last. Following consultations with his family he will retire in May. Presumably his family are looking forward to having him asround the house a bit more starting arguments over nothing and making outrageous comments. EF

5.00pm: That's all for today's folks. We'll be back tomorrow morning about 9am, but in the meantime why not occupy yourselves with today's Fiver. If it takes you less that 16 hours to read you can always enjoy the minute-by-minutes of both Bayern Munich v Manchester United and Lyon v Bordeaux which are coming up at 7pm. Thanks for all your comments. EF

Slick, relevant and pacy, Blood and Oil is that rare thing – an utterly thrilling thriller, says Sam Wollaston

I'm not sure the Nigerian Tourist Board had much to do with the political thriller Blood and Oil (BBC2). It looks like a terrifying country. Foreign oil-workers live in gated, air-conditioned compounds and are ferried around in 4x4s with police escorts. Their companies, meanwhile, drain the Niger Delta of oil, while being fiercely resisted by militant groups such as Mend. Corruption runs so deep, it's part of the national fabric: everyone, from the government down, takes a cut – except that, when it reaches the man and woman on the street, there's nothing left. And scary-looking guys in suits with sunglasses and guns hang around on every corner – even in hotel corridors – looking menacing. Hmmm, Wales again this year, I think.

A British electronics worker is called out to fix something. It's a trap, though: Mend show up in their canoes, bullets fly. The Brit and a couple of other foreigners are taken hostage. No matter, it happens all the time, the company will pay the ransom, they'll be released. The Brit's wife, played by Jodhi May, flies out, along with Naomie Harris as a PR executive for the oil company.

May is very good at being hysterical, which she is throughout. Well, it's not surprising; her husband's been kidnapped in the middle of Africa. Then, when she goes along for the happy reunion, he's unable to throw his arms around her, on account of being dead. Hanging like a weasel left by a gamekeeper as a warning to other weasels. Oops, that wasn't meant to happen.

And Harris is very good at being in the shower, which she is often. Well, twice, but that's twice more than anyone else. Get the pretty lady's kit off. To be honest, I'm finding it hard to disapprove, but at least I know I should. Boo. And when she gets her kit on, sometimes it's the wrong kit. When she goes along, by boat, to the hostage-handover-turned-hanging-husband episode in the delta, she's wearing an immaculate, crisp white trouser suit. Somehow, in spite of the unfortunate events that unfold, it remains unstained by either blood or oil.

Who cares, though? She's wonderful. And she does an excellent comedy Nigerian accent, which she's allowed to because her character's father is a Nigerian immigrant to Britain, and she's imitating him, in a fond, daughterly way. Less easy for the rest of us to get away with; probably best not even to try. Stick to Welsh (and then only with caution).

Guy Hibbert's drama grabs you by the cojones and drags you along at 100mph. The tension leading up to the discovery of the dead husband is almost unbearable. A river bend is slowly rounded, distant figures come in to view, it becomes clear they're not standing but hanging, then comes May's horror as she realises who one of them is. It leaves your stomach in knots. It's also contemporary, relevant, slick, and utterly thrilling. No bad thing in a thriller. Can't wait for part two tonight.

CCTV – normally a way of solving crime or an affront to civil liberties, depending on your point of view – gets a whole new purpose in Panorama: Passports to Kill (BBC1). It becomes a window on to Mossad. We're in Dubai, for the killing of Hamas military commander Mahmoud al-Mabhouh earlier this year. Once Dubai police established that he hadn't died of natural causes in his hotel room, but had been injected with a muscle relaxant before being suffocated with a pillow, they were able to piece together the events leading up to the murder, using footage from cameras around the city.

It's extraordinary to watch it all: the staggered arrivals of the assassination team at the airport; meetings; the hotel being staked out; even the moment a tourist almost disrupts it all. Sometimes it's almost comedic – as when a suspect goes to the loo and comes out wearing different clothes and a wig. Is this really Mossad? Or Clouseau?

It must have been an incredible task, going through the footage of so many cameras, to piece it all together. And a job that's only really of use in documenting the event, rather than in bringing anyone to justice. Because the other thing that everyone seems sure of, apart from the fact that it was Israeli intelligence agents whodunnit, is that none of the assassins will ever be caught. Oh well, at least one Israeli diplomat was expelled from London, in response to the passport cloning. Maybe he got sent to Nigeria.

I'm so excited to have the awesome wife and husband team, Diana and Martin of Yan Photography stop by the cafe.....their work is beyond gorgeous....ALWAYS "picture perfect"...I love their style and I'm happy to share their work with you....this is Yan Photography's first visit at the cafe...so, let's make them feel right at home....Diana sent over the images of the cutest couple, Kelsey & Parker...what a fun session.....Enjoy! 















Diana and Martin...thanks SO much for stopping by today and sharing your beautiful work with us...we look forward to your next visit.....guys, make certain you head over to Yan Photography's blog site to see so much more of their gorgeous work!

Check back a little later for more beautiful inspiration at the cafe....xoxo

Welcome back to the afternoon feature at the cafe.....Meet Jill & Matt....they are such a cute couple and their engagment session is truly adorable....I love it.....and I hope you will to.....capturing all the fun of their "e-session is the oh-so-talented and beautifu, Erica Velasco of Vision Photographs! Erica's work is always so beautiful and it's always fun to have her stop by the cafe.....let's check out all the magic of Jill & Matt's fun day.....Enjoy!





Don't you just love this image of Jill...she is SO beautiful!

Matt has on the coolest socks and Jill has on some "killer" shoes...I love this image...too cute!

Thanks SO much for stopping by Erica....your work is simply beautiful....guys, make certain you head over to Vision Photography's blog site to see more of Erica's beautiful work and to Jill & Matt...we look forward to seeing your gorgeous wedding story.....xoxo 

At this moment there are a few handbag sample sales going on, that you’re not going to want to pass. So take a break from whatever your doing and check out the savings. Keep in mind that these are “sample sale” bags, so they’re not going to be available for much longer.

Bags by Michael Kors, Chanel, Gustto, Fendi, Costume National and more!

Chanel Bags – oohilove
Only at oohilove can you score an authentic Chanel handbag for under $5.

Only 2 hours left and the “Chanel Wallet with Chain” purse is currently at only $3!!!! madness!

Michael Kors Shoulder Bag – RueLaLa
I don’t think that I’ve ever seen a Michael Kors bag that I didn’t like. His designs are so simple and clean, perfect for the everyday girl.

And amazing news, right now over at the Rue there’s a sample sale in progress. My favorite – the bag pictured above is just amazing. The soft beige-pink-ish color with gold hardware is so in right now for spring/summer. Available for only $179 – which is a fraction of the $448 price tag.

Betseyville Be Mine Travel – Ideeli
If you’re not into boring cosmetic cases, then you’re going to love Betsey’s “Be Mine” 3 piece pouch set. It’s made from a heart print nylon – what all cosmetic cases should be made from, because it allows for cleaning to be a breeze.

This would make a cute little travel cosmetic case. And you can’t beat the $22 price anywhere else online. (regularly retails for $50)

Gail DeLoach Summer Clutches – Gilt Groupe
Over in the “Gift” section of Gilt Groupe you’re going to find such a huge selection of adorable summer clutches. Amazing pieces by designer Gail DeLoach that can be found marked for 50%+ off retail.

Both the clutches pictured above are priced at $129 each and regularly retail in the $260 range – The Coral Silk Clutch comes dressed in a purple silk dress with gold lacquered wood branch detailing, and the Eva rectangular clutch comes in a Rattan wicker body with crocodile embossed patent leather on sides and a Palm tree detail plopped on the front.

Now I just can’t decide which of the two that I want..

Fendi Zucca Floral Handbag – Beyond the Rack
Total killer deal on Fendi handbags happening now over at Beyond the Rack. For a limited time over at the Rack you’ll find Fendi (as well as Jil Sander) handbags for 50%+ off – beyond amazing deal!

I’m totally in love with the Fendi beauty pictured above. It’s dressed in the classic black Zucca print but with a splash of orange-red-pink-ish floral print. So gorgeous.

Going for $439 – originally priced at $675.

Costume National Distressed Satchel – Gilt Groupe
I was trying to just feature one bag from each sample sale site, but I couldn’t resist telling you guys about the Costume National sale. Also, not only will you find handbags at the sale, but there’s so many clothing pieces and attention stealing shoes.

My favorite bag pick from the sale is the Distressed Satchel. On sale for $679 – originally retails for $1,600 – a steal! I love this bag because the ring-around handles and design would really stand out in the sea of handbags.

Clara Kasavina Jenny Clutch – HauteLook
Whenever the warmer season rolls around I get a weird craving for bright neon accessories. Jenny by Clara Kasavina satisfies those cravings, and beautifully I must add.. and call me crazy, but I love the eel skin. The texture is definitely not for everyone – from people I’ve asked in the past, I would say that the vote is divided down the middle. Pro of eel skin is that it’s such a durable material and will last forever.

The Jenny is pretty dazzling. The purse features a classic metal frame with Swarovski crystals along each side, and is topped off with a couple jumbo sized crystals.

Find it at HL for only $275!! Everywhere else, this cutie retails for $500.

Heys USA Luggage – RowNine
It’s the traveling season! Check out the Hey Luggage sale, going on now over at RowNine. Find carry-ons and the classic super durable, expandable, and TSA approved lockable suitcases for 51% off retail

The sleek suitcases featuring 100% polycarbonate frameless construction, a dual spinner wheel system that provides ultra-smooth and effortless movement and a modern aluminum telescopic handle. The suitcases are even expandable, for up to 25% of additional packing capacity. Also features a built in TSA-approved locking system.

Gustto Handbags – Enviius
Enviius is throwing a Gustto handbag event! The sample sale started today and will end Sunday March 28th, or whenever the bags sell out – whichever comes first.
There you’ll find a small selection of Gustto handbags, like the Andrea embossed floral Bag ($399 / reg $800), Roma City tote in Navy ($235 / reg $470) and the summer-chic Roma in creamy beige ($255 / reg $510)

Happy sample saling!

With the return of Mike D'Antoni's New York Knicks coming to town and the playoffs just on the horizon, today's practice was a bit more intense than usual.  Practice ran about thirty minutes later than it normally does, so you knew Gentry was pushing them.  However, once we got in and were watching the end of practice, it was clear that the guys were still very lighthearted and having a good time.  A few notable things from practice:

 

• Robin Lopez sat out for practice again.  When asked about Robin's status, Coach Gentry said, "He's doing well.  He had a little tweak in the back, so we just had him sit out today.  I think he'll be fine to go tomorrow, but we just didn't want to risk anything.  Had a really good practice today, a really good, hard practice, so I was happy with the way we practiced, but I didn't see any reason to put him out there and risk anything."  I think at this point, it's safe to say he's questionable, leaning toward the "hopeful" side for tomorrow's game.
• Earl Clark got some pretty good run during practice and looked pretty good.  At one point during one of the scrimmages, Gentry stopped the play because Clark was where LB was supposed to be and vice versa.  Aside from that, he was looking loose and comfortable out there, even if he doesn't show a lot of emotion and kind of looks a little lost.
• Barbosa's shooting touch was back.  He was hitting shots from all over the floor, driving toward the rim and making plays in the paint, and though he looked like he was shying away from contact on his right wrist, he was still being the LB we know.
• It's still unsure as to what LB's role is going to be on the team once he fully recuperates.  Gentry had a lot of good things to say about him, but still remained unsure: "I think he's beginning to get his legs under him again and feel a little more confident on getting hit on that hand, driving into the basket, and becoming the guy that he was.  Obviously, we've got to find a way to get him more time on the floor, and we'll try to do that in the next five, six games and see where he is for when the playoffs start.
• I think he's fine, all he wants to do is win.  He understands that we feel like he's a really important part that's got to be worked back into the system.  That'll get done, I'm not worried about that.  We'll find a way to get that done."

 

At the end of practice today, the Suns ran two scrimmages with a 6:00 game clock.  The team ahead at the end of "regulation", well, they were the winners.  As far as I could tell, there was no incentive for who won or lost.  Or maybe it was a win-win situation, because everyone is still on an NBA team.  I'd consider that a win in my books.  Here were the teams:

Black: Steve Nash, Amare Stoudemire, Grant Hill, Channing Frye, Leandro Barbosa, Jason Richardson, Jarron Collins

White: Goran Dragic, Leandro Barbosa, Jared Dudley, Lou Amundson, Earl Clark, Taylor Griffin, Robin Lopez (DNP)

For the first scrimmage, the black team was down by 3 with 1.1 seconds left on the clock.  Coach Gentry drew up a play that was obviously intended for Nash to get a 3 at the top of the arc, but Lou broke it up.  Somehow, instead of time winding off the clock, the clock was back at 1.4.  I don't think anyone really cared.  They finally get the ball inbounds to Nash, Dudley closes out on him, and his shot clangs off the back of the rim.  Game over.

For the second scrimmage, Coach Gentry was having each team run a play called something involving the words "double fists" when they brought the ball up the court.  The white team led for almost the whole game, with LB hitting two threes to start the game and getting a nice drive and dish to Lou for the finish.  Amare and Nash then start hooking up for some easy points, and with around 8 seconds left on the clock, the black team is down three.  They inbound the ball to JRich, swing it to Frye, who then swings it to a wide open Steve Nash.  Boom.  Game tied with 1.8 seconds left.

The white team then draws up a play with Coach Gentry, and before the play starts, Grant Hill yelled "Watch out for a Dudley lob!"  Everyone laughed.  The white team then inbounds the ball to Dragic, who hands it off to Dudley, who I believe was supposed to hand it back off to Goran.  The pass back to Goran was fumbled, and time expired, but Gentry and Dan Majerle called a (ghost) foul on Jason Richardson that put Goran at the line.  He hit the free throw, but Jared Dudley came swooping in and faked like he jammed it home, and everyone called offensive basket interference as Dudley ran down the sidelines giving high fives.   They said the basket didn't count, but it didn't matter.  They gathered up at half court, had a few words, and ended with a "1, 2, 3...SUNS".

The Return of the D'Antoni and His Knicks

A lot of the questions today were revolving around Mike D'Antoni's return to the desert (as it always was, and probably will be for the next few years).  There were a lot of questions about Gentry's style vs. D'Antoni's style, if the Suns could better prepare defensively for the Knicks due to the style similarities and vice versa, etc.  So, here are some of the notable quotes from today:

Steve Nash

When asked if the Suns could do things defensively to disrupt the Knicks, due to the similarities of the systems and the fact that he played with D'Antoni for so long:

Well, I think that's overblown.  No matter how well you know something, there are always ways to read, react and counter, so I don't think that's a big factor.

On whether or not the team would have to key in on Gallinari and Douglas, who essentially won the Knicks the game against Denver:

Well, we have to really play well as a unit, defensively.  If we stick to our game plan, and we play with energy and intelligence, we feel like we can beat anybody.  But, if we don't do that, we can get beat by anybody.  New York has got a bunch of guys who are capable, as they proved when we played them in the Garden.

More on Alvin's system vs. D'Antoni's system:

Alvin's a confident guy, and he doesn't need to be insecure about it.  He liked the way we played under Mike and he wants us to keep playing that way.  He's got the confidence enough to admit that, and I think that shows the sign of a good coach.  He doesn't have to claim that he's reinvented the wheel.  I mean, the personnel is different, so you can't do some of the same things with different people, but I think he's found a nice balance.  It's really suiting us.

Alvin Gentry

On the general state of the Knicks:

They're a real dangerous team because they have the capability of beating anyone.  They're playing so loose right now that you've got to do a good job, and they just kind of mess with the game, and do a lot of things that aren't conventional, but you've got to be able to handle all of that stuff.

His take on his system vs. D'Antoni's system and what he's taken from Mike:

Just the style of play that we have now.  I mean, he's the one that kind of initiated this whole thing here, and as long as we have Steve Nash and Amare and guys like that in the program, we'll continue to play that way.  It's what we've had the most success with.  We took about 80 or 90% of it and we added a couple things here and there, but for the most part, it's what we've been doing here for the last 5 or 6 years.

When asked what the other 10% he's added is:

 

Well, we run a lot more continuity stuff, some stuff we didn't have when Mike was here.  You know, just to give us a little more ball movement and stuff like that, trying to relieve some of the pressure on Steve, the guy making the play every single time.  We did that to help Steve more than anything else.  And then, you know, we try to do a couple of things defensively a little differently.  We try to simplify everything and see if we can be consistent on what we do on that end, but other than that, we play just like we played 5 years ago.

Grant Hill

On Amare's continued domination:

We all get excited and enjoy going to Amare.  We played Portland the other day, and in the 3rd and 4th quarter, they were really doing a good job of trying to prevent him from getting the ball.  They were double teaming him, and just making it really difficult.  But it was like, every time he got the ball, we were excited, 'cause we knew we were going to score or get the foul.  So it was almost like, 'Let's get him the ball!'  And no one was like, 'What about me?' or 'What about my shots?'.  It was just just what was working and what they were having a difficult time stopping, so we went with it, and he came through like he's been doing.  So that's kind of the mindset of the team.

On the playoff picture and who he'd like to see the Suns matched up with:

I would say Minnesota, but we've got to play them, so I don't want to get them mad.  Or Golden State, but...they're tough. (Laughs) But you know, we're not thinking about that.  We're just thinking about getting better, continuing to play well, and trying to get home court.  So, until we have that star next to our name and we're locked up, but it's a lot of work to do.  So that's our mindset.  Alvin's kind of emphasized that it's not about anybody else.  Last year, we were all 'We hope this team loses' or 'We hope that team does this', but what we really realized from that was hey, let's just focus on us.  We control our destiny, so forget about all that and take care of business and whatever happens, happens.

Links

Stinkface Chronicles: Amar'e-geddon -- NBA FanHouse

Why hasn't anyone else used Amar'e-geddon yet?  That's just awesome.

NBA Power Rankings (March 24): Cavs, Lakers Riding Hot Streaks | Bleacher Report

The Suns made the jump from 11th to 5th in this week's Power Rankings.  "Phoenix is surging, and are just two games behind the Nuggets and Mavericks for the No. 2 seed in the West. Amar'e Stoudemire has been going off during the Suns' five-game winning streak, averaging 32 points and 9 rebounds on ridiculous 52-78 shooting."  'Nuff said.

Tom linked to it earlier today, but Kevin Pelton over at Basketball Prostpectus had a great article on the options for a team that wasn't able to land one of LeBron, Wade or Bosh this season.  I know that as much as we as fans love to think about the possibility of one of those three possibly wearing a Sacramento Kings uniform next season, the rational part of us tells us that its very, very unlikely that we manage to sign one of them. So then, what are our other options?

According to Pelton:

Option 1: Signing Cheaper Free Agents

Option 2: Trade Using Cap Space

Option 3: Patience

Option 1: Signing Cheaper Free-Agents

Now there are a few tiers of free agents that could be available this summer. The first tier is obviously LeBron/Wade/Bosh. Now this is a little subjective, but here are my next 3 tiers:

Tier 2: Joe Johnson (UFA), Amar'e Stoudemire (UFA), Manu Ginobili (UFA), David Lee (UFA), Rudy Gay (RFA), Carlos Boozer (UFA).  Additionally, Nowitzki and Paul Pierce can become UFA if they exercise their Early Termination Clauses, but we will ignore them for now, because they likely won't.

Tier 3: Tyrus Thomas (RFA), Nate Robinson (UFA), Raymond Felton (UFA), Ronnie Brewer (RFA), Ray Allen (UFA), Brendan Haywood (UFA), Will Bynum (RFA), Anthony Morrow (RFA), Kyle Lowry (RFA), Luis Scola (RFA), Drew Gooden (UFA), Jermaine O'Neal (UFA), Luke Ridnour (UFA), Al Harrington (UFA), J.J. Reddick (RFA), Marcus Camby (UFA), Roger Mason (UFA), Randy Foye (RFA), Josh Howard (UFA), Mike Miller (UFA)

Tier 4: Everyone else

Now if you look at Tier 2 (the best players available) a young team like the Kings probably doesn't want to sign Manu, who will be 33 next season.  Joe Johnson could fulfill the extra scorer the Kings need, but he seems to be on the downside of his career.  David Lee is intriguing because of his ability to score, pass and rebound, although his defense isn't anything special.  Amar'e can score with the best, isn't the greatest rebounder, and rarely plays defense.  He also has a bad injury history.  Boozer has been playing phenomenal as of late, is an excellent rebounder and scorer, as well as a better defender than Amar'e or Lee, but he likely doesn't want to join a young team like the Kings.  Rudy Gay is intriguing because of his athleticism and potential, and because he's still young (24 next year), but a team would likely have to overpay to get him, as he's a RFA.

Tier 3 is where it gets a bit more interesting.  This tier has some young players with potential (Tyrus Thomas, Ronnie Brewer, Anthony Morrow), as well as veterans who have done well in this league (Luis Scola, Brendan Haywood, Josh Howard).  The Kings biggest needs at the moment are defense, rebounding, and another guard that can handle the ball.  The draft could solve one or two of these problems, but it can't solve all.  Luke Ridnour is an intriguing option to me as a 3rd guard, as he can shoot the ball very well and get his teammates involved while taking care of the ball.  I've explained what I like about Tyrus Thomas before so I won't repeat myself on that front.  Morrow is probably the best shooter in the league, although he needs to work on creating his own shot and playing defense. As for the veterans, most would likely want to sign with better teams, closer to or already contending, but if any were able to be swayed to join the Kings, I would go after Brendan Haywood, who would provide a presence in the middle and give us consistency where we need it most.  Other options like Kyle Lowry and Luis Scola could be good fits for Sacramento, but their restricted status complicates things. 

Option 2: Trade using Cap Space

Memphis was a prime example of this strategy last year, grabbing Zach Randolph and his huge contract, and it has worked out very well for them. Okhlahoma City uses this strategy to a smaller extent, preferring to stay away from big contracts like Randolph unless they're expiring, and nabbing young players as a reward for helping other teams avoid the luxury tax (Eric Maynor).

The Kings have plenty of space to do both, so let's take a look at teams with big contracts that might want to shed them for relief:

Charlotte Bobcats: Tyson Chandler ($12.6 million left, expires next year)

Chicago Bulls: Luol Deng ($51.4 million left, expires after 2013/14)

Detroit Pistons: Rip Hamilton ($37.5 million left, but last year of 2012/13 unguaranteed), Tayshaun Prince ($11.2 million left, expires next year)

Golden State Warriors: Monta Ellis ($44 million left, expires after 2013/14), Andris Biedrins ($36 million left, expires after 2013/14), Corey Maggete ($21.8 million left, expires after 2012/13)

Indiana Pacers: Troy Murphy ($12 million left, expires next year), Mike Dunleavy ($10.6 million left, expires next year)

Los Angeles Clippers: Donald Sterling would trade anyone for anyone for less money.  Sort of joking, but not really.

Milwaukee Bucks: Michael Redd ($18.3 million left, expires next year)

New Orleans Hornets: Peja Stojakovic ($14.3 million left, expires next year), James Posey ($13.5 million left, expires 2011/12), Emeka Okafor ($53.1 million left, expires after 2013/14)

New York Knicks: Eddy Curry ($11.3 million left, expires next year),

Orlando Magic: Rashard Lewis ($63.4 million left, but last year of 2012/13 unguaranteed), Vince Carter ($36.4 million left, but last year of 2011/12 unguaranteed), Marcin Gortat ($28.1 million left, expires after 2013/14)

Philadelphia 76ers: Elton Brand ($51.2 million left, expires after 2012/13), Andre Iguodala ($56.4 million left, expires after 2013/14), Samuel Dalembert ($12.9 million left, expires next year)

Phoenix Suns: Jason Richardson ($14.4 million left, expires next year), Leandro Barbosa ($14.7million left, expires after 2011/12)

San Antonio Spurs: Richard Jefferson ($15.2 million left, expires next year)

Toronto Raptors: Hedo Turkoglu ($43.8 million left, expires after 2013/14), Jose Calderon ($29.4 million, expires after 2012/13)

Utah Jazz: Andrei Kirilenko ($17.8 million left, expires after next year)

Washington Wizards: Gilbert Arenas ($80.1 million left, expires after 2013/14)

Now the one thing to remember when you want to focus on taking back big contracts is the new CBA that will likely come into effect after next year.  So big contracts that last a bit longer than that, you should probably stay away from.  The biggest stay-the-hell-away-from contracts are Gilbert Arenas, Elton Brand, and Hedo Turkoglu.  My personal opinion as to which players the Kings might trade for are Andrei Kirilenko (who the Jazz might try to trade in order to re-sign Boozer), Marcin Gortat (a likely starter on most teams with a reasonable contract), and Samuel Dalembert (elite rebounder and defender).

It also could be worth it to see about taking a big contract like Michael Redd's and seeing if you could get a young player or picks in return.  The Kings obviously might not think thats worth 18 million dollars, but we'll see.

Option 3: Patience

Pelton's 3rd option is to be patient and roll over your cap space for 2011.  The Kings could afford to do this because they're so young and have so many guys on rookie contracts.  This is what the Thunder have been doing for the last couple years.

Some of the names in 2011 include Al Horford (RFA), Paul Pierce (UFA), Joakim Noah (RFA), Caron Butler (UFA), Carmelo Anthony (if he doesn't sign extension and exercises his ETO), Aaron Brooks (RFA), Shane Battier (UFA), Mike Conley (RFA), Marc Gasol (RFA), Zach Randolph (UFA), Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (RFA), Marcus Thornton (RFA), Wilson Chandler (RFA), Kevin Durant (RFA), Jeff Green (RFA), Thaddeus Young (RFA), Greg Oden (RFA), Tony Parker (UFA), and the players I mentioned above as expiring next year.

So the Kings have a lot of options when it comes to this free agency, and the final decision on what they do will be critical for this Franchise's future.

Q. What would your considered thought be after an elapsed period of time after Indian Wells? How do you feel that the intervening period has gone for you?
ANDY MURRAY: Well, I mean obviously I would have liked to have done a bit better at Indian Wells. But, you know, it was you know, I wasn't going in I guess expecting to win the tournament.
I think, you know, I've got to kind of look forward to this week. Had a good chat with Miles and Alex after I finished there about what I wanted to do, you know, in the week that I had to get ready, you know, and what my goals and stuff were for this week.
I feel good.

Q. Do you feel like this is like a home court for you, considering what you did here last year?
ANDY MURRAY: Um, no, I mean, the whole feel of the tournament is nice for me, because I live like eight, ten minutes away. Don't live here, but spend a lot of time here training and stuff, and I practiced here in December.
So, you know, I've played a lot on the courts, so it just, you know, feels it doesn't take me that long to get used to the conditions and stuff because I spend so much time here.
But in terms of it being a home court, not necessarily. You know, I have not played here too many years, and last year was obviously the best I played. Hopefully I can do well again this year.


Q. Is the court worth a few points to you?
ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, I think so, yeah. I mean, I think you know, it does make a difference if you, you know, practice at the place where you're gonna be playing.
It just you know, it's a little bit, like I say, just I don't know if you train in the same you know, if you train in the same gym and lift the same weights all the time, and then you if you go to a different gym, even though the weights say the same, they always feel a little bit heavier, a little bit different.
Always takes you a little bit to get used to it psychologically maybe.

Q. Has anybody asked you about your take on what happened in Parliament yesterday?
ANDY MURRAY: In what?

Q. The question of tennis in the UK was brought up in Parliament.
ANDY MURRAY: Oh, okay. No, I haven't spoken to anyone about it. I heard it was gonna happen, but I didn't hear what happened.

Q. Do you think it's in any sort of crisis, or is that not so?
ANDY MURRAY: Um, I mean, that's a difficult one. I think on the men's side things have been going well, you could say, you know, in terms of the results that we've been having, and obviously the level that we're in in Davis Cup and whatnot.
On the women's side, it's actually way better than it has been in quite a few years. So the women's side, I think, is doing good; could be better always.
But the men's side, yeah, needs to get way, way better, you know. Because I think the amount of money that's invested and spent in the game we, as a nation, deserve better results.

Q. At Indian Wells, did you sort of feel like you were waking up at the end of the match, or a couple more points you might have won?
ANDY MURRAY: I nearly managed to turn it around. It just, yeah, wasn't a great match up until that point from my side. And then, yeah, just about I had kind of had the momentum with me going into a tiebreak.
You know, I just wasn't playing well enough to win it, and Robin was hitting a big ball and serving good.
You know, I didn't really help myself out too much. Made a few mistakes in the tiebreak that I shouldn't have. Yeah, I almost managed to turn it around, so hopefully I can kind of play like I was till the last few games of that match here.

Q. You mentioned your base of your training maybe gives you an edge playing here. How about for the rest of the field, do you feel it gives you an edge training in Miami?
ANDY MURRAY: Training here, I mean a lot of the players train in hot climates. Unfortunately, the weather where we're from isn't particularly good.
So I think it does make a difference if you are from a country where the weather is cold. It's good to get out in hot, humid conditions. Like after Wimbledon I come out here and train and it's pretty brutal weather.
If you can get used to playing in that heat, most places feel relatively easy. So that definitely helps me.
But whether it gives it...

Q. Will you do another training block in the summer here before the hardcourt season?
ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, for sure. Yeah.

Q. You said that you've spoke to Miles about change of emphasis in your game. Is that how you phrased that?
ANDY MURRAY: No, not change of emphasis, just, you know, we talked about what happened in Indian Wells and what I need to do to get better and what to do to get ready for here.
You know, it wasn't changing the way I was trying to play or whatever. I was just making sure I go in with a clear mind of what I want to do, you know, not only in the match but in the tournament that I'm playing in.
You know, that should help me. But Alex was there, as well. It was good for me, and, you know, hopefully it will help this week.

Q. Did you know that your name was bandied around quite a bit in a critical fashion for not playing in the Davis Cup in Lithuania?
ANDY MURRAY: Yeah.

Q. And John Lloyd was one who mentioned it, and others. Could you tell us your take on that?
ANDY MURRAY: I mean, I can I understand, I guess, to a certain extent that, you know, everyone would, you know, like me to play in the Davis Cup, because obviously we've got a better chance of winning.
You know, I mean, it's kind of difficult. But like the last, you know, last tie I played in Davis Cup, you know, I was injured. I played through the match when I was injured, and it set me back probably double the amount of time that it would have done if I hadn't played.
You know, you don't you know, no one kind of talks about that side when you're playing through matches when you're hurt, and then, you know, sets you back from you drop ranking points. You know, you don't have the opportunity to win tournaments.
You know, I need to make a decision what's best, you know, not only just for the team but also my own career as well.
You know, you hear football managers and stuff all of the time get annoyed when their players get injured playing for their countries. You know, it's just one of those things where you have to weigh what's best for your career.
I don't see, you know, John, you know, coming out and having a go at Federer or Rafa or Roddick, you know, Del Potro or whoever, the guys that, you know, don't play Davis Cup all of the time, either.
I think there needs to be a bit of perspective there that it's just not me missing the Davis Cup tie. There are some guys that play very, very few matches that are a lot better players than me.

Q. On a lighter note, as the field continues to expand with international players, do you sometimes need a pronunciation guide to even know the guys that you may be facing, or heard of? They may be obscure names.
ANDY MURRAY: Well, I mean, I follow tennis pretty well, so I know most of the guys and know kind of who's going through.
To me, I think it's something that makes tennis pretty cool in that in a draw you can have, you know, whatever there is, 96 players or something here, and you can have 70 some different countries being represented.
I think it's good for sport, and I think that's why tennis will always do well, because you have people interested from all over the world.

Q. Would you like to consider playing a tournament in South America in the future?
ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, I actually just got asked that. I was doing an interview out there. I played there as a junior. I played five tournaments there in the, I think it was the COSAT, the ITF tournaments. Actually, I really, really enjoyed it.
Yeah, it would be nice to go back. I've never been to Argentina or Brazil before, and I would like to go there sometime.


(via Sony Ericsson Open, photo/Getty Images)

Chris Jericho is the WWE's World Heavyweight Champion -- at running his mouth.

Sure, he's a great in-ring performer, but Jericho does some of his best work on the mic, where he cuts down opponents with some of the best heel promos since the heyday of The Rock.

In NHL terms, the 5-foot, 10-inch Jericho is a chirper and a grinder -- much like his father, former NHL left-winger Ted Irvine. Dubbed the Baby-Faced Assassin when he played for the Los Angeles Kings (1967-70), Irvine was a tough, hard-checking forward with good hands who found his greatest success during the five and half seasons he played with the New York Rangers (1970-75). He spent his final two seasons with the St. Louis Blues before retiring and moving his family back to his native Winnipeg, Manitoba.

As Jericho recalled in his hilarious autobiography, "A Lion's Tale," his family would go to his grandparents' place every Saturday night to watch the "Holy Trinity of Childhood Television": "Bugs Bunny/Roadrunner Hour," followed by "AWA All-Star Wrestling," then "Hockey Night in Canada." While Jericho played puck growing up, his fate was all but sealed the first time 7-year-old Chris watched the AWA on TV with his chain-smoking grandma.

Father Ted took his 8-year-old son to his first pro match at Winnipeg Arena, and 11 years later the man now known as Jericho started training at the legendary Hart Brothers School of Wrestling where he learned to give bumps, take bumps and stretch opponents with brutal submission holds. After wrestling in Canada, Japan, Mexico (where he became an actual heartthrob), ECW and WCW, Jericho joined the pinnacle of sports-entertainment, WWE, in 1999.

All of Jericho's hard work has paid off not only in the ring -- where he'll defend his World Heavyweight title against Edge on March 28 at WrestleMania 26 -- but also as the lead singer of the hard-rock band Fozzy, whose recent "Chasing the Grail" has received the best reviews of the band's decade-long career.

We spoke to Jericho about his dad, hockey in the wrestling locker room, the potential return of the Jets to Winnipeg, his connection with the Tampa Bay Lightning, Sidney Crosby(notes) ... and whether or not he'll use Edge's spear move to finish off his challenger at what amounts to the WWE's Stanley Cup finals.

Q. You were six and a half years old when your dad left the NHL. Do you remember going to any of his games?

JERICHO: I don't remember going to a lot, but I remember going to a few in Madison Square Garden. More specifically. I remember I didn't like it because it was so loud. I also didn't like the fact that when he was skating on the ice playing that he wasn't looking at me and waving. I remember just thinking, "Why won't he look up at me and wave? It's just rude." For me, it was just my dad -- I didn't really notice the difference. Now I realize how special and cool it was that he played in the NHL for 10 years. At the time, I just didn't really realize it. You know, your dad's your dad; you don't realize how cool it is he played in the NHL.

Do you remember meeting any of his teammates?

I remember Gilles Marotte stuffed me in a garage can once. Bob Plager gave me a cigarette when I was 5 -- I was brought up the right way.

I remember all those guys from the '70s; more so from the St. Louis Blues because I was a little bit older: Garry Unger, Ed Staniowski, Brian Sutter when he first came in, Bernie Federko. All those type of guys I remember being around or playing with their kids, stuff like that.

In "A Lion's Tale" you write, "Even though I'd been playing hockey since I was four, I really wasn't very good. Of course I was a hockey fanatic; there wasn't much to do in the Peg in the winter other than play hockey, drink beer, and fight, and at four years old I was too young to fight." When did you finally hang up the skates?

I played all the way until I was 18, in high school. ... I played right wing.

I made the high school hockey team when I was 16, but I wasn't really good enough to hang. I wasn't really into it. I was more into wanting to train and get into wrestling, more than anything, and play in my band.

When did you move back to Canada?

I moved to Canada when I was 7. When my dad retired from the NHL, I moved to Canada full time.

You grew up as a Winnipeg Jets fan and your dad was a radio commentator for their games. Were you sad when they left town?

Yeah, it was terrible, man. It was terrible.

It's funny, because they left in [1996] and every single year since then there's been rumors, "The Jets are coming back! The Jets are coming back!" It's always -- c'mon, it's just a big fantasy. I know everything about the Jets, and the bottom line is I think out of 20 seasons they played there, they made money two of them.

When they left, I think the average fan attendance was 11,500. As anything, when something is taken from you, you tend to glorify it and remember it being something much bigger and much better than it really was.

After the Jets left, did you follow the Phoenix Coyotes at all?

No, there's no connection. When your ex-girlfriend leaves town and moves to a different city, you don't follow her there. When it's done, it's done. There's no connection to the Jets and there never really was except for a few guys who still played.

Who knows, maybe the Coyotes will return to Winnipeg.

I've heard the Thrashers, too. Every year you hear something -- Pittsburgh, Nashville. I think it's just somebody sitting around wishing the Jets would come to Winnipeg. The bottom line is, they built a new arena there and it's not big enough to house an NHL team, so it's not going to happen. I'm not saying it's never going to happen, but it's not going to happen anytime soon.

I've seen you tweet photos from Tampa Bay Lightning games. Are you a fan of that team now?

I go to Lightning games because I live in Tampa, and my son's playing hockey now, so he likes to go to the games sometimes. But Calgary's more my team. But when you live in Florida, when you live in Tampa, there's just not a lot of focus on the NHL here. When you go to Calgary or Edmonton or wherever, it's on the front cover of the newspaper, it's all over the place, it's on the newscasts. When you move down to southern Florida, it's not quite the same.

I kind of lost touch with hockey over the past couple of years. It's bad, because I still enjoy watching the games. I loved watching the [gold medal] Olympic game -- I thought it was the best game I might have ever seen. It was amazing. I still follow a little bit, but it's not quite the same.

I've seen [WWE wrestler] Dolph Ziggler tweet about hockey -- specifically the Olympics and the AHL's Lake Erie Monsters. Any other WWE guys follow hockey?

He's from [Cleveland], so that's probably why. Christian's a big hockey fan and Edge as well -- most of the Canadian guys. But Christian still follows it quite closely; he's a big Leafs fan. And Tony Chimel, the ring announcer, is a huge Flyers fan. So, there's a few hockey fans here and there.

Any predictions about who will win the Stanley Cup this year?

No, like I said I really don't know much about what's going on. It's a shame; it's just hard to follow. The Flames are fighting for a playoff spot; they're the only team I'll check out when I read the paper. But it would be good for the game for Pittsburgh to win again because Crosby's obviously the keeper of the keys now.

If that's the case, I think I know the answer to this next question: Ovie or Sid?

Crosby, because he's Canadian.

Sorry, my inner Don Cherry is coming out.

Is there a hockey equivalent to a jobber?

There's no such thing as a jobber in wrestling. That's just a stupid term that somebody made up.

I mean, [in hockey] you got journeymen that come in and out, maybe just a guy who plays in the minors and gets called up for a few games and goes back down again. Somebody who's worthy enough to be in the league and good enough to do what every kid dreams of doing but isn't quite skilled enough to stay there. Kinda [like] the wrestling enhancement guys are guys that were there to make other guys look good. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don't, they drift in and out of the system, and get hired and fired and rehired. There's a lot of similarities.

You have your franchise players, you have your supporting players, you have the guys who drift in and out of the show -- it's kinda the same thing.

In WrestleMania 19, you mocked Shawn Michaels by using all his signature moves. Think you'll turn the tables on Edge and try a spear on him?

Probably not. I don't think I could do it properly; I'd probably hurt myself.

Every match has to have some kind of selling point, some kind of angle to it. Ours is the most basic of basic: He has a move that he wants to use on me, and if he uses it, it's going to be very effective. Can he do it? People enjoy that -- sometimes basic is best. ... It's become one of the good selling points of the match, and it's definitely one of the most anticipated matches on the show, I'd have to say.

Since a spear is basically a tackle, that means you didn't play football growing up?

I didn't play football.

So, maybe a two-handed slash across Edge's surgically repaired left Achilles tendon?

Maybe something along those lines, for sure.

Christopher Porter is a journalist living in Silver Spring, Md. Follow him on Twitter @ChrisPorter and read his interview with Shawn Michaels.

*
Special Blogger Edition...

Palin Twibe:

"Sarah Palin consistently speaks to the liberty and freedom our founding fathers fought and died for. Like the great Ronald Reagan before her, Sarah brings optimism and a can do spirit that is sorely lacking in others. Sarah Palin sees America as 'that shining city on a hill' that Reagan often spoke of. Sarah also brings her competitive, never say die, spirit to the fight. No road is too long, no mountain is too high. Sarah inspires us all with her grit and determination. Watching her, a woman who grew up in a simple log cabin in the Alaskan wilderness, and rose to the highest levels of power and achievement, inspires us all to do our best each and every day, to work hard toward our goals, and to enjoy life to the fullest while we do it. She reminds us we all have the power to succeed."

Laptop of the United States:

"Madame is quite the shooter, whether she's on the basketball court or out hunting. Well, it became quite apparent that she has a whole slew of new targets for November: all of the softy southpaws who voted for Obamacare who represented districts that Senator McAnonymous and Madame won in 2008. Madame may have been re-loading after she resigned, but let me tell you, she is unloading now!"

US for Palin:

"Governor Palin is a savvy business woman. She absolutely loves Alaska and quite obviously wants to share it with those of us down here in the lower 48 and around the world for that matter. Combine that with the talent of Mark Burnett and you have the ingredients to make a great documentary. Nothing trashy, nothing trite, nothing like the image the media is trying to portray. Sarah Palin is much classier, more talented, and a far better person than those in the press could ever hope to be. She is a strong leader, a true patriot, and someone the media cannot tear down no matter how badly they try."

My Two Cents Worth:

"Geoffrey Dunn, writing a nice little hit piece on Sarah at The Huffington Post, cited the unanimous passage of legislation that would protect the military and our veterans from any changes ObamaCare would've brought as proof of the Governor being 'duplicitous' as well as 'disingenuous'... There is, however, one little problem... Roughly twenty-four hours (if not more or less) after Sarah tweeted about the military's health care plan, legislation was passed to protect the military from ObamaCare. The way Mr. Dunn wrote his hit piece, it sounded like an implication that Sarah tweeted her entries yesterday, and not the day before... Nice try, Mr. Dunn, in your failed attempt to smear Sarah Palin as clueless and as a liar. You and The Huffington Post are made for each other."

Conservatives 4 Palin:

"I am a Palinista, and if Sarah Palin chooses to run, she is who I will support. I consider her intelligent, capable, and among a very small circle who can defeat Pres. Obama in ’12... We want a GOP POTUS nominee who is Pro-Gun, Pro-Property, Pro-Israel, Pro-Life, Pro-Business, largely anti-tax, and anti-Obama. We don’t want to hear about bipartisanship, reaching across the aisle or how important legislation was crafted with my respected late colleague from the state of Massachusetts. This is my plea, as I make my walk to remember to the Tag Agency to change my registration from Independent to Republican."

Republican Catholics:

"I have three threads I am holding on to: Repeal the UnConstitutiional Death Care Bill/Law; then, involk the Tenth Amendment, the States Rights one; Elect only Conservatives (probably Republicans because we can't trust so called 'blue dogs, like Massa and Stupak), and finally Vote in November 2010... Those were the three STRONG Threads Sarah Palin... laid out last night on the Hannity Show on Monday after the Pelosi, Reid,Obama orgy on Sunday... Write the three threads on your PALM. Read them when you feel like there is a no hope to straighten out the Dope. I have to go now. I found a credit card with $40 on it to add to the million dollar FIRE PELOSI Campaign."

Sarah Palin 2012:

"Comparing Mitt Romney's first statement yesterday with Palin's is like night and day... She takes the lead on the repeal by giving us information on how to do it. She spells out a goal. She tells us we can throw out the corrupt Democrats and elect true patriots who will vote according to the will of the people. It starts with us, the voters. She firmly believes a repeal can be achieved. She states that we can't be discouraged because it would be too easy to feel that way. Romney is reveling in the misery, Palin is telling us to buck up. Palin stirs passion and hope with her words, Romney puts readers to sleep. It's crystal clear that Palin will be more effective than Romney in getting a repeal done."

Conservative American:

"Sarah Palin is critical of President Obama’s recent foreign policy failures when it comes to dealing with our longtime friend and ally, Israel... Palin is, of course, right… again. If she’s supposed to the dumb one and Obama is supposed to be the brilliant Messiah, why is he the one making all the mistakes and why is she the one getting it right? Hmmmmmmmm?"

Governor Palin for President 2012:

"Still, of the crowd, only Palin generates the excitement needed to sustain a national political campaign. The juxtaposition of her laughter inducing stand-up routine on the Tonight show with Romney's yawn inducing snoozefest with Dave Letterman tells you all you need to know about how people will react to the dueling campaigns."

Motivation Truth:

"Contrast [Katie Couric's] treatment of Governor Palin to her treatment Sunday of Rahm Emanuel, President Obama's Chief of Staff. Couric could barely keep from smiling, and might as well have put him on her lap, rocked him back and forth, and told him to blow while she wiped his nose. Was this an interview or was this Mommy taking care of Baby? I know spring is here, but it's a bit early still for softball."

Moms for Sarah Palin:

"I admire Sarah Palin and I thought if she can take the shots she did… I’m not going to be a wimp. I pray everyday for strength. I’m not going to sit down and shut up! I have five children and I’ll be damned if I’m going to let all this go without doing all I can to save the best place on earth, America!"

Generational Dysfunction:

"I remember going hunting and fishing with my father before he died. Those memories have never left me, even though he died when I was only 16... In reading Sarah Palin's book Going Rogue, I was immediately transported back to those times with my father. My absolute favorite part of the book was in her describing the trips with her father into the 'us against nature' environment. Perhaps that is why I am so intrigued with her. Her experiences with nature and her ability to recount it as a positive life's experience are telling to me. It is something we are inspired to provide to our own sons and daughters. I have no doubt that Sarah Palin has already captured her children's hearts with multiple trips into the 'us against nature' environment... I can only hope that the future contains some huntin', fishin' and campin'. That may be the thing that connects my son to me forever, as it did with me and my father."

The Palination:

"President Obama apologizes for America abroad, bows to foreign leaders (and sometimes Floridian mayors), and chastises our allies. Governor Palin, on the other hand, wants America to stand with her allies and to not appease to our enemies... She didn't even shake the hand of a Hollywood producer who supported Hugo Chavez and referred to President Bush as the devil. President Monroe had his Monroe Doctrine... President Bush had his nebulous Bush Doctrine... The Obama Doctrine could be verbalized as be a citizen of the world, appease your enemies, and lecture your allies... The Palin Doctrine very well could be simply stand with your allies and don't sit with your enemies. That sounds like common sense to me."

Conservative Men 4 Palin:

"I'm amazed that [Sarah Palin] and Michele Bachmann seem to be the most aggressive republican spokes persons condemning the Obama administration. Where are all the republican men? Why are these two little women doing more to hold this administration and the democrats to account than all the republican men in congress have done combined? God's speed to both of them, and I know they will be appearing together at several events this year..."

Motor City Times:

"Think about it, the most visible conservative leaders today are Sarah Palin, Liz Cheny, Michele Bachman… The Conservative guys need to step it up."

Palin 2012:

"The truth is that this President promised change in Washington, yet shows what he said to get elected is not how he governs. So yes it was "Just Words, Just Speeches". I can promise you one thing, in November we will not forget. A couple days ago Governor Palin shared a link to a petition on her Facebook Notes, that serves as a reminder to Congress of that fact, we will not forget in November. I suggest you drop by and add your name to the over 300,000 Outraged Freedom Loving Americans that say ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!"

GOP Thinker:

"In The Dunce-Filled World Of Liberal Land... a successful AK Gov. with a 12-year political career isn't fit for office, but a guy who can sing 'Jack & Diane' is."

Michiganders4Palin:

"CBS makes note of the the fact that Mystic Lubricants was owned by Citgo, a company that is run by state of Venezuela. And the latter is run by the dictator Chavez, whom Sarah Palin has not had kind words for. Therefore, they conclude, Chavez has somehow endorsed Todd Palin and Sarah Palin. This is asinine thinking. It is sort of like saying that because I pay taxes, and our tax money is used to fund (insert wasteful government program), therefore I support government waste. That's just bad logic."

The Spyglass:

"It's interesting, watching liberals try to find some sort of caricature for Sarah Palin that will really stick. They've gone through several versions over the last year and a half, but while they've managed to give a lot of people a negative impression of her, they haven't had anything like the sort of success they had in destroying George W. Bush's public image, and she's shown a disconcerting ability to blow their efforts away whenever she speaks in public or shows up on camera."

Inspiration Sarah:

"Sarah received our gift and was gracious enough to take a picture with it! I couldn't believe it! Getting the email with this photo put a huge smile on my face. Rachelle and I weren't expecting anything in return. We just wanted to send a gift to Sarah for her birthday because she deserved it! Sarah, thank you for all that you do! You have inspired me to be the best I can possibly be! I have learned from you to never let anyone change who you are and to always stand by what you truly believe in no matter what others may think."

- JP

XX Sports Radio: Jed Hoyer Interview (MP3) with Darren Smith

• The last week of Spring Training is always the busiest. It's time to get serious about making trades.  The Padres may not trade but have to be prepared.
• The 13 position players are pretty much set in stone, unless there is a trade.
• Aaron Cunningham has hit everywhere.  Hoyer isn't ruling him out for Opening Day, but he expects him to get some playing time this Summer.
• It's hard to look at player numbers in Arizona because the parks favor hitting.  The Padres look at guys who are throwing strikes.
• Clayton Richard's last start probably did a lot for his confidence.  "It's exceptionally likely that he'll be our 4th starter this year."
• Jon Garland's shoulder is doing good.  He threw a bullpen yesterday.  Garland doesn't seem to concerned with it and he is scheduled to start on Friday.
• The Padres aren't ready to name the #1 starting pitcher yet.  Buddy and Jed will talk about it in the next couple of days.
• The Padres have the option to go with 4 starters through April, but they will probably go with 5 starters and give guys more rest.
• Hoyer isn't ready to make a decision on Mat Latos making the rotation.  Latos has done everything the Padres have asked of him.  "Mat has been excellent in every area this Spring." The Padres will limit Latos to 150 innings this season depending how difficult the innings are.
  
• Wade LeBlanc and Tim Stauffer are throwing really well also.
  
• The Twins have not reached out to the Padres about Heath Bell.  Hoyer hopes that every time a closer gets hurt that people don't automatically assume Heath Bell will be traded.

Poll

Who should the Padres pick as their 5th starter?

• Mat Latos
• Wade LeBlanc
• Tim Stauffer

  160 votes | Results

TOP PICKS

NEW MELONES RESERVOIR - Big news was an 18.11-pound largemouth bass, a new lake record, caught by Kyle Gentry at a tournament on Saturday on a brown jig with trailer. The fish boosted Gentry and his partner to the top place in a tournament on the lake, and of course, caught him big fish money and honors. "We've had some great fishing," said Matt Summers at Glory Hole Sports. "Three of our lake records have been broken just recently, brown trout, spotted bass and now, largemouth bass." Trout fishing has been decent for trollers fishing 45 feet down. The shore bite has been slower.

SACRAMENTO RIVER, Sacramento - The big news is that the first of the spring striper run finally showed up here, smaller schoolie males that began picking up ghost shrimp, bloodworms and pileworms intended for sturgeon. The first fish were caught Thursday and Friday, right on schedule. Look for the main run to start the first part of April. Sturgeon action is farther upriver, but if you want catfish, try the Port of Sacramento.

LAKE BERRYESSA - The koke season has begun, and with some larger than usual fish, taken from 20 to 30 feet down, from Skier's Cove to the Big Island on the main lake. Many setups produced limits of kokes up to 17.5 inches (early for the season) but corn with herring or prawn scents from Pro-Cure and a speed of 1.5 to 1.7 on the GPS were common denominators. The salmon are also larger than usual for this early, measuring from 14 to 22 inches long. Bass are moving up with the nice warm weather, too. There are some smaller bucks running the banks that will eat rip baits like Lucky Craft Pointer 78s. To target the bigger females, work jigs and drop-shot gear 10-20 feet off main lake points. These are spawner females though, so put them back when you can.

COLLINS LAKE - The first of 12 pens of 3- to 4-pound rainbows was released this past week and the lake received another trophy plant. Trout action is wide open for trollers and shore anglers with fish 8 1/2 to 9 pounds weighed in recently. Trophy plants and pen releases will continue weekly until late April or May. Bass action is picking up as the water warms and the bass begin to move up to the banks to spawn. Special junior season turkey hunter, Robert McCrary of Fairfield, killed his bird in the Daugherty Hills Wldlife Area adjacent to the lake this past Saturday.

SILVER LAKE - Two Carson City regulars had a banner day this past week landing a 22 1/2-pound Mackinaw through 14 inches of ice. The big fish was photographed and released along with an 8 pounder and a 3 pounder. All the fish were caught on worms.

NORTH COAST RIVERS

CHETCO RIVER, Ore. - The curtain is dropping, and March marks the seasons end for the Chetco River and with it usually comes a good shot of bluebacks. Has not been a stellar season, according to some, although there have been good time periods. Most are now heading towards the Rogue for the spring king salmon run. The few anglers still fishing here are finding some downrunners and bluebacks.

EEL RIVER - Running a lot of water and high, but the color was actually coming into shape, according to guide Mark Nimitz of Pipe Creek Outfitters. He said the main will be holding a bigger number of fish, both fresh, downrunners and bluebacks. A few guys were even going to try it Monday.

EEL RIVER, South Fork - The river has been fishing all week long, and boaters are averaging three to five steelhead a boat, a mix of fresh bluebacks, downrunners and a very few fresh fish. Fishable from top to bottom, and the rain on Sunday wasn't expected to do much damage. Drifting roe is the way to go. Nimitz fished it Thursday from Myers Flat to the forks and they caught five steelies, seeing only three other boats, and they did well, too.

GARCIA, GUALALA rivers - Those with pontoon boats floating the top of the Gualala River were finding nice pockets of steelhead and doing well on them, but it's very tough access. Both rivers close March 31.

NAVARRO, NOYO rivers - Running low and clear and no reports on the fishing. Set to close on March 31.

ROGUE RIVER, Lower, Ore. - Spring king season is underway, but currently rated slow to fair, but improving each day. Look towards early April for it to become consistent. Some anchored up anglers are finding the occasional chromer.

ROGUE RIVER, Grant's Pass - Winter steelhead are still bending rods up here, but the river is low and continues to clear.

RUSSIAN RIVER - Steve Jackson, owner of Kings Sport and tackle, said the river was flowing at 3000 cfs at Guerneville on Friday and blown out, but by Sunday it had dropped to 1700 cfs and was fishable-a "nice green color", according to Jackson. Anglers were out, but no reports as of press time. The hatchery got 200 fresh new fish last week, so things are looking good for anglers this week. The use of bait ends on March 31, but the river remains open to fishing with artificial lures.

SMITH RIVER - Fishing on the Smith River has been fair, according to guide Phil Desautel of Phil's Smiling Salmon Guide Service. Everybody is gone and the river is void of fishermen. It is a downrunner here and a downrunner there. Desautel fished twice this past week, one day they got three and the next two, including a nice 13-pound hatchery buck. The water is low and clear and the fish are sitting in the one-shot slots. Last weekend was the Oakland Raider Derby which had pretty good results considering the horrible conditions. The Smith came up four feet and the Chetco came up five feet on the first day The winning teams were from Mondavi Winery and Willie Boats and they were fishing with Gary Early and John Klar. There were a total of 38 fish caught between 12 teams and every fish was released.

UMPQUA RIVER, North Fork, Ore. - Guide Curtis Palmer of River Secrets Guide Service said this river appears to be the most consistently productive in the state. The last of the winter steelhead are passing over the Winchester Dam at an average of a couple hundred fish a day. He expects the river to fish well into the second week of April. When the river becomes this full of fresh steelhead, just about any good offering will produce a fish. He said more fish are spawning, so well- cured roe and a Fish Pill or Puffball while sidedrifting is best.

UMPQUA RIVER, South Fork, Ore. - Darryl Grove and Larry Mercer of River Wolf boats fished most of the day Thursday after launching the boat in downtown Roseburg. They landed six of the seven steelhead they hooked up. Darryl said half of there fish were post-spawn.

VANDUZEN RIVER - No direct reports, but should have been in shape and fishing this past week.

NORTH SALTWATER

BENICIA - Tony Lopez at Benicia Bait reported much improved action with some big stripers caught at Middle Grounds on live bait and bullheads. The shoreline striper action has also increased for anglers using anchovies, although most of the bass are small keepers. Sturgeon also started showing near Middle Grounds in deeper water, and two keeper were weighed, one from the Glomar and one from the Mothball Fleet.

BERKELEY - Captain Jim Smith on the Happy Hooker has one more weekend in Martinez before heading here to start his spring/summer season targeting salmon, halibut and striped bass, and just about anything else that swims via live bait potluck trips.

BODEGA BAY - The harbor has been very quiet since squid left town. Not much on the horizon here until salmon opens.

CROCKETT - Captain Mike Shimel had a good couple of trips on the weekend on the Morning Star, finding a total of four keeper sturgeon, some keeper stripers, flounder and some shaker action as well. Most of the action came from the far northwest corner of San Pablo Bay on grass shrimp. One of the stripers went 12.5 pounds, and the biggest sturgeon measured 58 inches.

EMERYVILLE - The Tigerfish ran the landing's first halibut trolling trip, finding four keepers to 12 pounds. The boat started on the south side off of Oyster Point, then found most of the fish between Paradise and Southampton. "We'll be scheduling halibut trips regularly until salmon opens," said Craig Stone at the landing.

EUREKA - Ben Williams at the Pro Sport Center said the calm seas triggered a surfperch explosion for anglers fishing at the docks by the PG&E; station, at Elk River Beach and on the outside at Centerville Beach and the mouth of the Eel River. Small raw shrimp from the grocery store has been top bait. Night fish should be running also, but he hasn't had any reports yet.

FORT BRAGG - The landing has been very quiet since the squid evaporated, but Captain Randy Thornton on the Telstar is prepping for the April 1 abalone opener as well as the April 3 salmon opener.

HALF MOON BAY - Captain Tom Mattusch on the Huli Cat continued to run crab trips finding limits although the numbers have dropped off some.

MARTINEZ - Captain Steve Talmadge on Flash Fishing reported two days fishing with good action, and while Friday's trip didn't produce any keeper sturgeon, his anglers released four shakers, and boxed two quality bass to 12 pounds. On Saturday, anglers fishing on Flash during the Deaf Sturgeon Challenge found two keeper sturgeon to 53 inches. "My crew took some of the money, congratulations!" said Talmadge.

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO BAY - John Akina at Oyster Point Bait and Tackle reported good action on halibut with five fish weighed on Sunday, and six on Saturday. Most anglers used herring or anchovies, some with straight bait, some behind dodgers, at 25 feet. "We had three stripers from the pier last night, all keepers," said Akina. Also- rans on the pier were jacksmelt and perch.

TRINITY/KLAMATH RIVERS

KLAMATH RIVER, Klamath Glen - Hardly anyone is fishing down here despite good river conditions, but the few who are, find some pretty decent halfpounder fishing. Nothing fantastic, and no adults at all, but they are catching fish, according to guide Rich Mossholder of Rivers West Guide Service. Look for springer salmon to begin the end of April.

KLAMATH RIVER, upper - Scott Cauldwell of SC Guide Service said the river has been slow fishing. Flows are up and cold due to snowmelt and rain. Weather has been going from 30 to 70 degrees, sunny one day and windy and rainy the next.

TRINITY RIVER, Lewiston - Excellent weather earlier in the week, with some rain sweeping through over the weekend, and the afternoon hatch has been "the best part" according to guide Steve Huber. All their fish were taking topwater flies in the p.m., and they're getting one to three steelies per trip. Mostly downrunners. Huber will be switching gears and heading to the Sacramento River for trout and stripers soon.

MOTHER LODE

AMADOR LAKE - A couple 2-pound crappie caught by boaters is signaling the start of spring here, along with better bass action. Still plenty of big trout coming in thanks to the weekly plants. Shore anglers are using Power Bait or worms, and boaters are drifting Power Bait for the best trout action.

CAMANCHE LAKE - Big bass action is on here with one angler catching a pair weighing 7 and nearly 9 pounds on RoboWorms and topwater lures. A recent tournament with 23 boats produced many limits and a nearly 18-pound limit won, big fish went 5.77 pounds. The South Shore Trout Pond produced a lunker rainbow weighing 9.07 pound, a Kastmaster enticed the fish. Main lake trout fishing is solid for trollers, and Captain Steve Talmadge of Flash Fishing sampled the bite, reporting a slow bite, but big fish. The best action was before 10 a.m., and his group caught fish weighing up to 7 pounds, 10 ounces.

DON PEDRO RESERVOIR - WON staffer Bill Karr joined Monte Smith of Gold Country Sportfishing for some trolling action finding both kings and rainbows. The salmon were smallish, so the pair focused on the big holdover 'bows they found hit a fast trolled homemade spoon. Bass fishing is getting hot as the fish move shallow for the spring spawnfest. Most anglers are covering water early with ripbaits, crankbaits and spinnerbaits, then switch to plastic worms when the sun gets high.

LAKE McCLURE - Jim Nudo at the Barretts Cove Marina got in on the trout action, trolling up a three pounder that hit a Kastmaster while he and a friend fished from a pontoon boat. Once boated, the fish flipped and managed an escape. Bass fishing has been improving steadily, with even shore anglers catching fish around the marina, most using live minnows under a bobber for 2-pound class fish.

LAKE McSWAIN - Marilyn Kemper at the marina reported good action following Tuesday's plant by Calaveras Trout Farm. Several anglers caught fish, top bait bets marshmallows and worms for shore anglers, while boaters did well using Rapalas in brook trout, firetiger and rainbow trout.

LAKE PARDEE - Bank fishing was best at Blue Heron Point, the parking lot bank behind Tom Sawyer Island, and the launch ramp. Power Bait, nightcrawlers and Kastmasters topped the offerings. Trollers are finding the best bite up river from Columbia Gulch to Indian Rock. Some nice holdovers up to 6 pounds reported. Top bet are small spoons in pink or fluorescent orange fished behind dodgers or flashers, and tipped with a piece of nightcrawler.

NEW HOGAN RESERVOIR - Outdoor writer William Heinselman reported much improved black bass action for anglers fishing three to 25 feet with curly-tail grubs, creature baits, Senkos, worms and jigs. He said pre- spawn stage is close for this lake.

TULLOCH RESERVOIR - A good bet for trout trollers fishing from Green Creek's mouth upriver. Shad and small spoons imitating shad worked best for planters and some nice 2- to 3-pound holdovers. Bass action should fire up at this lake over the next few weeks, with Green Springs and Black Creek top spots for anglers casting plastic worms, jigs and tube baits.

NORTHERN FOOTHILLS

BULLARDS BAR - The lake is at 67-percent capacity. Brett Brady at Bare Bones Guide Service hit the lake this past week and landed 20 rainbows to 17 inches while trolling up in the North Fork arm. The fish were more active from 9 a.m. to noon with the surface temp running 48 to 50 degrees. Troll dodgers and nightcrawlers or lures 15 to 20 feet deep 100 feet behind the boat. There were some schools of small kokanee, 4 to 6 inches, seen on the meter and they were hitting the baits but not getting hooked due to their size. The bass bite is wide open as the spots move into shallow water more frequently to prepare for the spawn.

CAMP FAR WEST - The top teams in the North Shore Resort bass tournament this past weekend all weighed in around 11 pounds. The water is rising onto the grassy banks triggering a good spinnerbait bite. Big fish for the event was a 3.6 pounder.

ENGLEBRIGHT RESERVOIR - The lake is at 91-percent capacity. The water is getting clearer and trout action is picking up in the marina for trollers. One boat picked up five rainbows, 14 to 16 inches, in the marina on flasher/worm combos. Trollers are still working the upper lake from Buck's Beach to the inlets for a mix of browns and rainbows.

LAKE OROVILLE - The lake is up to 43-percent capacity. Bass and coho action is still steady as the lake rises and the water warms up. The bass are in the top 20 feet and hitting Senkos and other plastics. The spots are running 1 1/2 to 3 3/4 pounds. Coho, 13 to 14 inches, are hitting minnows, nightcrawlers and Sling Blade combos all over the lake.

ROLLINS LAKE - The DFG has been making regular plants the last few weeks and shore anglers and trollers are catching lots of rainbows.

SCOTT'S FLAT LAKE - This lake was planted last week by the DFG. The plant included mostly 12 to 14 inchers with some fish to 24 inches. Shore anglers are limiting out in short order with Power Bait, nightcrawlers, Panther Martin spinners and Kastmaster spoons. Trollers are using flasher/worm combos and Rapalas for their share of the planters near the marina and the dam.

SUGAR PINE RESERVOIR - The lake finally received its first plant by the DFG. The roads and lake accesses are clear due to all the warm weather seen this past week and it's finally time to plan a visit.

STUMPY MEADOWS RESERVOIR - The warm weather has cleared the road to the lake and into the parking area and boat ramp. Some anglers are catching some holdover trout and with DFG beginning to plant other lakes in the area, hopefully this place will be next on the list.

THERMOLITO AFTERBAY - Bass action has kicked into high gear with the high lake levels and warmer water temps. The fish are hitting jigs and Senkos along the tule banks in the backs of the coves.

SIERRA LAKES/RIVERS

BOCA LAKE - Ice fishing is DONE for the season. The lake is about half open and now anglers are just shore fishing off the dam and the inlet with salmon eggs and worms.

CAPLES LAKE - There's still one to four feet of snow to dig through to get to the ice. 50 anglers were on the lake this last weekend, and most of them were at the dam and spillway catching limits of pan- sized rainbows and browns on Power Bait and worms.

CARSON RIVER (East) - All reports coming into the Carson River Resort indicate that the water is too cold for decent fishing. The warm weather has started some snowmelt and the flows are up.

DAVIS LAKE - The lake is at 51-percent capacity. Ed Dillard and friends tried the area at the boat ramp at Honker and caught some 1 1/2 to 2 pounders on Power Bait through 18 inches of ice. The bite has been better earlier in the morning. Snowmobilers are getting more cautious about being out on the main body of the lake due to some soft spots.

DONNER LAKE - The lake is pretty much ice-free, but too low to launch a big boat. Boats under 16 feet can probably be launched without too much trouble but there's no dock. Shore anglers are doing pretty well on rainbows and a few smaller Macks off the west end beaches on Power Bait, worms and salmon eggs.

FRENCHMAN LAKE - The lake is up to 40-percent capacity. The ice is still thick with no apparent cracks. The only open water is at Spring Creek and only a very little at that. Fishing is still good at the dam where the access is very good. To get past the dam, 4- wheel drive is recommended. Rainbows are eating Power Bait and Crystal Bullet jigs.

ICE HOUSE RESERVOIR - This lake was finally planted by the DFG this last week. Shore anglers were fishing with inflated nightcrawlers at the dam and catching some browns up to 3 1/2 pounds this past Saturday, according to Ken Mathis at Ken's Custom Tackle and Guide Service. Dale Daneman was trolling brown Sep's grub here on a side planer and caught 26 rainbows, 12 to 16 inches, in 6 hours. The best bite was mid-day.

INDIAN CREEK RESERVOIR - The road from Hwy 89 is open so now the lake can be reached easily from either end. The trophy trout plant of a couple of weeks back paid off for one angler who caught an 8 1/2 pounder while fishing off the shore with Power Bait. The west end of the lake produced limits of 2 1/2 to 4 pounders for locals throwing small Rapalas, according to Dave Kirby at Woodfords Station.

JENKINSON LAKE (Sly Park) - The DFG planters are having the biggest impact on the anglers coming to the lake. The back side of the lake where the water is running in is the best area for shore fishermen using Power Bait. The rainbows are running 10 to 14 inches. A couple of 20-inch Mackinaws were checked in at Sly Park Resort this past week.

LAKE TAHOE - Fishing is still good on the north end from Tahoe City to Crystal Bay Point. Both Mickey Daniels and Chuck Self caught limits over the weekend working Sling Blades and minnows, spoons and plugs from 100 to 300 feet deep. The keepers are running 3 to 7 pounds with smaller fish being tagged and/or released. The morning bite is best.

PROSSER LAKE - Lots of open water here, so ice fishing is done for the season. Shore anglers are doing well at the dam on Power Bait Nightcrawlers and salmon eggs.

PYRAMID LAKE - Crosby's Lodge reports that fishing is best in March and April and two fish weighed in this past week seemed to confirm this. 13 3/4- and 11 3/4-pound cutthroats were weighed in by fly fishermen. The South Nets and Indian Head were mentioned as good places to try for the shallower fish. Trollers have been doing pretty well on Flatfish and Apex. Joe Mendes at Eagle Eye Charters caught 18 fish on Sunday with one over 24 inches. He was using a frog Flatfish.

RED LAKE - The ice is turning a little too blue for some fishermen and Dave Kirby at Woodfords Station warned that the ice may break this week if it stays warm and windy. Use extreme caution if contemplating a trip here.

STAMPEDE RESERVOIR - A snowmobiler towed a small aluminum boat to the lake this past week and caught a 23-pound Mackinaw. Lots of open water here but a snowmobile is the only way to get here for awhile.

TOPAZ LAKE - The spring-like weather brought out plenty of fishermen over this past weekend and some nice limits were checked in at Topaz Landing Marina. Carl Hendshot of Tracy picked up a limit topped by a 2 1/4 pounder trolling a No. 5 CD Rapala on two colors of leadcore. Shore anglers have been doing best on the east side and south end using Power Bait.

TRUCKEE RIVER - Fly fishermen are doing well on rainbows, 15 to 20 inches, and browns, 22 to 23 inches, on BWO's, small black stones, midges and streamers. Mid-day is best after the water has had a chance to warm up a bit.

UNION VALLEY RESERVOIR - This lake was finally planted by the DFG this past week. Ken Mathis at Ken's Custom Tackle was guiding here all this past week and client Jim Erskine of Pollack Pines landed a 17- pound Mackinaw. They were trolling 80 feet deep over the top of sandy ledges with his Double Flutter spoons mid-day, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Mathis said they lost another big fish that they couldn't turn that he estimated was over 20 pounds. Debris is floating on the surface so boaters need to use caution.

SACRAMENTO VALLEY

AMERICAN RIVER - Slow fishing for everything. Not much action on the steelhead, although dedicated anglers can still get one if they put in the time and work. Nothing on stripers until you get down to the mouth, where a few schoolie male stripers finally began showing in the Sacramento on Thursday of this past week.

FEATHER RIVER - Boaters are finding a few catch-and-release local stripers throwing plugs down near Bear River, but nothing big going on here, and no steelhead in the upper part of the river to speak of.

FOLSOM LAKE - Ongoing action on king salmon and rainbow trout, about a 50/50 split between the two, and guide Jerry Lampkin of T.N.G. Motorsports Guide Service put his clients onto 16 nice fish on Friday, caught at 20 feet on a rainbow Speedy Shiner and some on Rapalas. Troll at 3 mph, unless you use Sling Blades and hoochies, then slow to 1.5 mph. Boaters beware around the wind sock, there's a safety buoy about two feet under the surface. Dennis Pfanner of Sacramento Pro Tackle confirmed the report, adding that bassers should use minnows or crawdad, or shad-patterned jigs and spoon around drop-offs and point.

RANCHO SECO LAKE - A huge crowd was out there this past weekend working over the leftover trout, and those from a recent plant. "Some are catching them and some are not" was the report. Usually those in non- motorized floating devices are doing best, because they can cover more of the lake.

SACRAMENTO RIVER, Knights Landing - Dennis Pfanner of Sac. Pro Tackle said that sturgeon action remains good up here, from about here up to Meridian, including spots like El Dorado Bend, China Bend and Tisdale. Of course, pileworms, bloodworms, or ghost shrimp are the best bet. Bob Bradbury of Johnson's Bait and Tackle confirmed the report and said they weighed one in on Saturday and two on Sunday, from Meridian, Colusa and Tisdale Weir. No stripers here at all yet.

SACRAMENTO RIVER, Redding/Red Bluff - The rainbow trout bite here is "on fire" said Jeremiah Houle of The Fly Shop in Redding. "There's a lot of caddis starting", he said. Go for birdnest, olive fox pupae, zug bugs, poxy back pmds, micro may flies in brown or black and the "usual" cheesebrain egg. He said the regular angler would get half a dozen wild rainbows a day, while one guide put his two guys on 80 hookups in one boat! Most guides are getting 20 to 30 fish a day. Bigger fish coming from the Posse Grounds to Bonneview, bigger numbers and smaller fish from Benneview all the down to the Barge Hole. The river is flowing at 3250 and clarity is perfect.

SACRAMENTO RIVER, Upper - Night time temperatures haven't been freezing so there's snowmelt coming into the river, bringing it up and keeping it cold. Fishing has been "okay" but closer to "fair", but it's only seeing minimal fishing pressure.

YUBA RIVER - One report from guide Dave Barbieri, provided by Johnson's Bait & Tackle, was that the fly fishing action was great above the Park's Bar Bridge, where both rainbows and halfpounder steelies to two pounds were being caught on March browns in good numbers.

NORTH COAST LAKES

CLEAR LAKE - Most anglers were found at the north end fishing the tules with worms, jigs, ripbaits, swimbaits, and a few crankbaits. Overall, the fishing has still not hit its stride, but all that can change quickly now that the waters are getting warmer. When it does both the bass and anglers will spread out. Best colors for baits include green pumpkin and watermelon variations, purple and browns, and craw colors. Water color varies around the lake with some areas having a visibility of a foot or so to other areas having at least seven feet of clear water. The surface temperature is running about 57 to 58 degrees in the afternoon and 52 to 53 in the morning.

UPPER BLUE LAKE - The bass bite is starting to pick up along the Highway 20 shoreline now with warmer waters, but it is the trout most are targeting. The lake was stocked with trout last week and the fishing pressure has been very low.

INDIAN VALLEY RESERVIOR - Bass fishing as well as catfishing should be excellent here with all the recently added rainfall waters and the waters are clearing now. The dam area has always been a favorite area to target them both. A few holdover trout have also been taken.

LAKE SONOMA - The waters have cleared but the algae blooms have started. Robo Worms and Carolina-rigged worms have been producing.

DELTA, SACRAMENTO RIVER side - Get ready for some striper action as it appears the bite is starting up. Although still a little murky, Sandy Beach, the Old Dairy, Cache Slough and the mouth of the Deep Water Channel have been producing for both trollers and those tossing swim baits in the same general vicinity. The incoming tides were better in these areas, as well as on Mokelumne River as it cleared and brought fresher water in.

DELTA, SAN JOAQUIN RIVER side - Sturgeon fishing improved with the outgoing tides for sturgeon here, soaking baits off the bottom for stripers and sturgeon. Eel, grass shrimp, ghost shrimp and salmon roe all produces some fish but roe was preferred. Bass are getting fat bellies and ready to spawn. Staging and moving up found most of these fish close to the bank in around 9 feet of water but the bite was still tough. Broken pile, punching mats, you'll just have to move around and try different things until they settle. The waters are warming and that should get things going soon.

NORTHEASTERN AREA

LAKE ALMANOR - The fish have scattered and are no longer all by the dam but with waters improving, so is the fishing, although still not consistent. The fish are still feeding on the pond smelt but it's an early bite and can shut down once the sun hits the water. Add some fog or clouds and the bite will hold a little longer. Sunny days and light winds should keep the warming trend going. The mornings are still pretty chilly but the ramps and roads are dry and open.

BAUM LAKE - Woolly buggers, scuds, micro mayflies, copper Johns and pheasant tails were doing best for fly fishermen. Bait fishermen did well on nightcrawlers and garlic flavored marshmallows. Lure fishermen continue to do well with Trout Magnets and Kastmasters. Lots of browns in the 17-inch range are coming in now, with some fishermen finding limits in three hours.

BRITTON LAKE - Watch for crappie bite to start with warmer weather.

KESWICK RESERVOIR - This lake fishes the same all year unless the water is dirty from recent storms. The best way to fish it is from a jet boat, nymphing the seams and drop-offs, and stripping streamers on sinking lines. Depth is the key to success here, once you find where fish are feeding, success is likely.

IRON CANYON - You can work this lake one of two ways, with an indicator and nymphs or sinking lines and streamers. The midge hatches are usually strong and fishing a blood midge with a black midge pupa dropper is deadly. For those who want to cast and retrieve, flies, leech and bugger style flies work great. You can usually get some larger fish usually this method.

PIT RIVER - The pocket waters can provide some good dry fly action midday on warm days in caddis and March browns. This area is open to catch and release only, barbless hooks, and artificials only from Lake Britton dam downstream. With all of the PG&E; road closures though, it's hard to get here and few reports are coming in.

LAKE SHASTA - The McCloud arm was good for brown trout and salmon. Top lining and also fishing 5 to 25 feet down with the downriggers with UV shad patterned Cripplures, a shad patterned Glo Cripplure with UV Sling blades, a Matrix Kazi Mino in blue, as well as watermelon and silver/black Apex's. Salmon were marked from 90 to 150 feet, with the better bite on a Sling Blade Wiggle hoochie in white, or a shad patterned Cripplure at 120 feet. Bass fishing was solid finding spots on a mixed bag of drop-shot gear, jigs, Senko's and the occasional rip bait. The main lake body continues to be the best producer.

WHISKEYTOWN RESERVOIR - Although still early, a few kokes from 11 to 13.5 inches were taken by the 295 Bridge with pink Apex behind a UV Sling Blade or a UV pink Apex behind the UV Sling Blade. The good news was they were all clean, healthy and free of copepods.

- Western Outdoor News

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