The winless New Jersey Nets have fired coach Lawrence Frank with immediate effect.

The Nets announced the move Sunday shortly after ESPN.com’s report that Frank would not coach the Nets in Sunday night’s road game against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Despite playing hard for assistant coach Tom Barrise, the Nets matched the worst start to an NBA season with their 17th straight loss as the Lakers overwhelmed New Jersey 106-87.

The Nets’ announcement said that Frank’s permanent replacement has not yet been chosen.

Click here to read the full article – By Marc Stein of ESPN.com

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After the Rangers were routed in Tampa on Friday but before they were routed in Pittsburgh on Saturday, John Tortorella suggested that it was past time for the locker room to “take ownership” of the inconsistency that has marked the past six weeks.

Fair enough. But when is the head coach going to take similar ownership of a team that is adrift without an identity, attack or defensive posture?

When is Tortorella, whose club gets back on the horse tonight when the Penguins come to the Garden 48 hours after inflicting an 8-3 punishment on the Blueshirts, going to imprint some sort of a stamp on this collection of players he had influence in selecting?

First things first, though: The Rangers need better from Henrik Lundqvist, who presumably will not be bumped from his start tonight by Steve Valiquette, Chad Johnson, Jussi Markkanen, Vitali Yeremeyev or Doug Soetaert, though following this weekend’s goaltending rotation, one never quite knows.

Click here to read the full article – By New York Post

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Scott Gordon said the Islanders’ three-game stretch against the Flyers, Penguins and Devils would show his young team where it was.

The verdict: While the Isles are improved, they are very much a work in progress.

That was clear during the final two periods of yesterday’s 6-1 loss in Newark. The Devils battered hard-luck goalie Martin Biron with 42 shots one day after the Islanders (10-10-7) limited the Penguins to 21 shots.

The latter part of the defeat resembled the Isles’ loss to the Flyers on Wednesday, when they generated just one shot in a dismal third period.

“Philly was a completely different animal,” Gordon said. “It didn’t matter what we did in the third period [yesterday] because it was the same thing we did in the second.”

Click here to read the full article – By New York Post

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The comebacks are coming.

It also means the temps who helped the Devs work that miracle will soon have their stalwart efforts repaid by diminished roles or downright demotions.

And, too, it means the Devils will have full shelves of credible youngsters for trading when it comes time to rent playoff help.

Johnny Oduya (hip/groin) and Jay Pandolfo (dislocated shoulder) are likely to join the team in practice today, while Rob Niedermayer (shoulder separation) already is practicing with the varsity.

Click here to read the full article – By New York Post

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Mohamed Sanu ran for 148 yards and two touchdowns to lead Rutgers past Louisville 34-14 on Friday.

Joe Martinek added 90 yards and a touchdown, while quarterback Tom Savage threw for a score and ran for another as the Scarlet Knights (8-3, 3-3 Big East) bounced back from an ugly loss to Syracuse last week.

Adam Froman passed for 254 yards and a touchdown for Louisville (4-8, 1-6), which has posted consecutive losing seasons for the first time since 1996-97.

The Scarlet Knights were held to 130 yards during the loss to the Orange, but bettered that total by the end of the first quarter against injury-depleted Louisville.


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

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New York Jets safety Jim Leonhard is questionable for the team’s game at New England after being limited in practice with a broken right thumb.

Leonhard, injured in last Sunday’s loss to Jacksonville, returned to practice Friday and participated in individual drills as well as some team activities while wearing a cast on his hand.

Coach Rex Ryan said he’d consult with Leonhard and the team’s trainers to see how he feels leading up to the game Sunday. Eric Smith would get the start opposite Kerry Rhodes if Leonhard can’t play.

Ryan also ruled out linebacker Vernon Gholston for the second straight week with a hamstring injury. Gholston was injured in practice last Monday in the team’s first workout off the bye-week break.

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

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Unless he’s told otherwise, Joba Chamberlain anticipates being in the Yankees’ starting rotation in 2010.

Sure, he knows there’s never any guarantees. At least as a member of the World Series champions, Chamberlain has a shorter off-season – meaning less time to consider the winter what-ifs.

He’s already been receiving text messages and calls about the Hot Stove League.

“[It's] not so much the rumors part of things [I pay attention to], just kind of the way things are going to shape up, what’s going to happen and just the overall feel of [it],” Chamberlain said Tuesday afternoon.


Click here to read the full article – By PETE CALDERA of northjersey.com

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I believe Wally Backman will end up managing at Citi Field eventually, and when it happens it will be a very good day for the Mets. But for the moment he is no more a threat to Jerry Manuel’s job than Jay Horwitz, PR man to the stars.

There is some history between Backman and Manuel that dates back to their days together in the White Sox organization a decade ago, and it seems fairly clear they weren’t trusting allies. Depending on who you talk to, it was either because Manuel saw Backman, then an acclaimed minor-league manager, as a threat to his job, or their personalities merely clashed.

Either way it’s irrelevant, at least for now.

The Mets did the right thing in bringing Backman back to the organization after all these years, giving him a chance to make everyone forget the off-field indiscretions that got him fired as Diamondbacks manager before he ever signed the contract.

Click here to read the full article – By John Harper of NY Daily News

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