Tom Penders resigned as coach at Houston on Monday, ending a six-year tenure that culminated in the Cougars’ first trip to the NCAA tournament since 1992.

The Cougars qualified after winning the Conference USA tournament, but lost to Maryland 89-77 in the first round Friday night.

“I came to the University of Houston in 2004 with the goal of getting UH back to the NCAA tournament,” he said. “We achieved this goal and now it is time for me to move on.”

The 64-year-old Penders became just the eighth coach to take four different schools to the NCAA tournament. He had also led George Washington, Rhode Island and Texas there.

Penders has won 648 games in his more than 30-year head coaching career. He went 121-77 at Houston.

Penders has spent the majority of his career turning around struggling programs, including those at Tufts, Columbia, Fordham and Rhode Island. He took great pleasure in leading the once-proud Houston program back to the tournament for the first time in almost two decades.

Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of ESPN.com

Picture courtesy of ESPN.com

From ESPN.com

“Both sides, no trash talking,” said Pacquiao, who will defend his WBO welterweight title. “We can be a good example to everybody.”

Not only is Manny Pacquiao afraid of getting blood drawn, he has found a new passion in the serenade. While bettors are busy waging on whether Pacquiao or Joshua Clottey will be the WBO welterweight champion, Pacquiao is working on a new hit single to woo his audience after the fight. While the Pac Man doesn’t want to trash talk, preemptively filling a stadium for your own post-fight concert crosses the line of presumptuous pontification.

The fight has already sold most of the 45,000 seats required to teeter on the edge of profitability. Will Pacquiao’s promise to be both the WBO welterweight champion and newest American Idol stoke Joshua Clottey’s fire, or will Pacquiao sing his way to victory?

Perhaps if Jerry Jones spent more time managing the Cowboys than arranging concerts at the new arena, the Cowboys could make it to the Super Bowl. Either way, this just made a good fight even more interesting.

-Zach Superior

Top scorer Dirk Nowitzki was struggling, and the Dallas Mavericks needed points from other sources.

Jason Kidd, Caron Butler, rookie Roddy Beaubois and Shawn Marion picked up the slack.

Kidd had 20 points and nine assists, hitting 5 of 8 from 3-point range, and the Mavericks recovered from a lethargic start to match the NBA’s longest winning streak this season with their 13th straight victory, 96-87 over the New Jersey Nets on Wednesday night.
Butler and Beaubois each added 16 points and Marion had 14 points and 13 rebounds, helping the Mavericks equal Cleveland’s winning streak from Jan. 10-Feb. 11.
Nowitzki, who’s had 16 games this season with 30 or more points and two with 40-plus, went 3 for 16 from the field and finished with 12 points.

Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of ESPN.com

The Texas Rangers acquired right-handed pitcher Edwar Ramirez on Tuesday from the New York Yankees for cash considerations. Ramirez, who turns 29 later this month, was designated for assignment by the Yankees on Feb. 28. He takes up the Rangers’ final spot on the 40-man roster.

Ramirez had a 5.73 ERA with 22 strikeouts in 22 innings of work (20 relief appearances) with New York in 2009. He had two stints with the Yankees last season, pitching the rest of the time at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre, where he went 1-5 with a 3.19 ERA in 29 games.

Ramirez was a regular in the Yankees’ bullpen in 2008 with a 5-1 record and a 3.55 ERA with 63 strikeouts in 55 1/3 innings. Opposing batters hit .215 against him.

Click here to read the full article – By Richard Durrett of ESPNDallas.com