By BRIAN MAHONEY
AP Basketball Writer
NEW ORLEANS – David Stern is going from the NBA commissioner’s office to the Hall of Fame.
The recently retired Stern was elected Friday to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and will be enshrined with the class of 2014 on Aug. 8 in Springfield, Mass.
Stern was on a ski trip to Colorado on Friday with his wife while the NBA was holding its first All-Star weekend without him in charge since 1983. New Commissioner Adam Silver and many other league employees who worked under Stern attended the press conference.
“I wanted to be here for David because I knew he wasn’t in New Orleans this weekend. Just to be here to share the experience and then relay it back to him what the feel in the room was,” said Silver, who worked under Stern since 1992.
“As I said earlier, while David is a modest guy, I know he was moved by the fact this was all happening so quickly, and he has always told me he doesn’t like to reflect back sort of on his life or his career, but this will certainly force him to. And I know this is an emotional moment for him and it’s an emotional moment for everybody who has worked with him over these years.”
Alonzo Mourning, Tim Hardaway, Mitch Richmond, Kevin Johnson and Spencer Haywood are hoping to be part of the class. They were chosen as finalists, with the full class to be unveiled April 7 during the NCAA Final Four.
Hardaway and Richmond were teammates in Golden State and made up the Warriors’ “Run TMC” trio along with Chris Mullin, who was elected to the Hall in 2011.
Stern retired on Feb. 1 after exactly 30 years as commissioner, during which he brought the league to its greatest success. Jerry Colangelo, chairman of the Hall of Fame board, said the Hall hopes to have a special spot to display a tribute to Stern.
“He deserves to be recognized in a huge way,” Colangelo said.
Stern was elected by the contributors committee. Also directly elected to the Hall of Fame were Lithuania star Sarunas Marciulionis by the international committee, former Indiana Pacers coach Bob “Slick” Leonard by the ABA committee, former New York Knicks player Nat “Sweetwater” Clifton by the early African-American pioneers committee, and former Temple star Guy Rodgers by the veterans committee.
College coaches Eddie Sutton, Nolan Richardson and Gary Williams were also finalists, as were former women’s coach Harley Redin and the women’s team from Immaculata College, which won three straight national championships.

History Making Second Win at Daytona 500

By: Gwen DeRu

Dale Earnhardt, Jr. won a spirited and emotional Daytona 500 this past Sunday.  It  marked his second victory at the track – his first was in 2004.

MRN’s Dustin Long said…. ‘the Son Always Rises.’   (Can you imagine?)

Dale, Sr. helped make NASCAR what it is today so the sport was focused on the return of the No. 3 Car – a number that had not been used since Dale Earnhardt, Sr.’s fatal crash in the 2001 Daytona 500.

But, Sunday night, after hours of delayed racing due to rainy weather, Dale Jr. drove his car to victory after blocking competitors, squeezing teammates and racing to the finish.

He has had three runner-up finishes at the past four Daytona 500s.  This time he said I am going to win this race…. and he did.

Here is a little from NASCAR’s interview with Dale Earnhardt, Jr. after the race:
QUESTION: Have you had much of a sense of the reaction from your fans?

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: Not really.  Seeing the videos was really the first bit of reaction I’ve seen.  It’s been hectic as far as the schedule that we’ve had.  So when I sit down to all those videos, especially the kid crying, it gets me emotional seeing their emotions because I know what the win means to me.  To see what it means for someone else, how it affects someone else is such a reward.  It is a really awesome thing when you can do something that brings joy to someone else.  There is no greater feeling for me anyway.  So I did like that obviously.

QUESTION: Your excitement on Sunday night was a lot of fun to watch as you came into the media center.  It struck me even like your session on Thursday, you had this upbeat feel compared to the way you were a couple, three years ago.  Certainly how you’re up right now is easy to understand.  Can you describe where you were in life that had you looking so glum a couple years ago and what has really perked you up even before obviously Sunday?

DALE EARNHARDT JR.:  We weren’t running good.  We were struggling.  I think people underestimated how much I care about performance.  I don’t think people realized how much winning mattered to me.
When you look at the critics and you look at their comments, aside from people saying I was overrated, they would always say I didn’t have killer instinct, I didn’t have the stuff that I needed to drive to win a championship, I didn’t want it bad enough.
I never was bothered by being called ‘overrated’ because it’s such a broad term.  When people really pick at your determination, your drive, your hunger, that bothered me more than anything else did, because I grew up around the sport and I love it to death.  I would do anything for NASCAR.  I’d do anything for the health of the sport.  I’d sacrifice anything for it.
When you don’t run good, it makes you upset, it disappoints you.  If you look at how happy I was Sunday after winning that race, you’ll know how bad I want to win, you’ll know how much winning means to me, and you’ll know from now on that there’s no questioning my killer instinct or drive, whatever term you want to use.
When you don’t run good, I don’t know why, in ’09, ’10, we were 20th, 25th every week.  I look at that now, I can’t even imagine it.  But I know I went through it.
It’s such a long ways from where we are now.  Ran so good when we first came into the sport.  Then to go through that, get so far away from being competitive, then to come all the way back to where we are now, I can’t even begin to tell you how grateful I am and thankful I am that (indiscernible) didn’t give up on me, that Rick Hendrick didn’t give up on me, that they believed in me, were trying to find ways to make the chemistry work, regardless of what anybody said, regardless of what the critics were saying, when everybody was saying I was finished, whether I was going to do anything ever again.
I’ve been pretty vindicated, but I’m in a good place now.  I got my priorities in better shape.  I feel, like I said, we’re embarking on a season that could be something really special for me.
Whether we win the championship or not remains to be seen obviously.  But I had one of my greatest years last year, and I think we can top that this season.

QUESTION:  Dale, even with your huge volume of fans, you probably added even more new fans with the 500 win.  What would you share with your fans?  What would you say about what your fans mean to you?

DALE EARNHARDT JR.:  I just hope they’re enjoying this win as much as I am.  They should celebrate it, celebrate it long.  If you’re a fan of a sports team, fan of the Washington Redskins, right?  They have won Super Bowls in the past.  They’re another storied franchise.  They haven’t won a Super Bowl since 1991.
You face the trials and tribulations in the tough years.  Every off-season you look at changes they made.  You hope they’re going to turn it around.  You hope they will, regardless if they will.  Even if you don’t know about the new coach, even if you question the changes they made, but you still put that belief and faith in them because you want them to win.
When that finally happens, like when they finally do win games and go to the playoffs, you love to celebrate it.  I hope they do.  I hope they celebrate that victory.  I hope they’re enjoying themselves this week.  I hope they enjoy the coverage.  I hope they think I’m doing a good job representing Junior Nation.  I hope they appreciate the coverage.
The new fans, I heard a couple people tell me they’re fans now.  Never watched a race.  Now they’re a NASCAR fan.  The race was fun and crazy to watch, now they’re fans.  I think we turned on a lot of people Sunday.  I think that race was destined to do that for some reason.  It had kind of that feel, that ’79 Daytona that was first live flag-to-flag broadcast that really turned the world on to what we were doing through network television.
My race might not have had that kind of impact, but it’s comparable I think in ways.  Yeah, hopefully this is going to be a solid year.  NASCAR made some changes to try to kick start some energy and boost awareness and excitement in what our series can do.  I think we got a great start to the year, for sure.

NASCAR returns to Talladega Superspeedway in 2014 with the Aaron’s Dream Weekend, which is set for May 2-4.  The NASCAR Nationwide Series and ARCA Racing Series will take to the track on Saturday, May 3 while NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series machines take the green flag on Sunday, May 4. For ticket information, log onto www.talladegasuperspeedway.com.

(Talladega Superspeedway races are May 2-4, 2014 and October 18-19, 2014.)

Here we come Talladega Superspeedway!
This is more than a Race!    THIS IS TALLADEGA!
(Some taken from NASCAR and MRN’s Dustin Long)

LOS ANGELES (AP) – History? Pressure? Jason Collins would have none of it after becoming the NBA’s first openly gay player.
After all, there was a game to play.
“Right now I’m focusing on trying to learn the plays, learning the coverages and the game plan and the assignments. So I didn’t have time to really think about history,” Collins said at a crowded press conference less than an hour before his Brooklyn Nets faced the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday night.
Collins signed a 10-day contract with the Nets earlier Sunday and played 10 scoreless minutes with two rebounds and five fouls in the Nets’ 108-102 victory.
“I know that I can play in the NBA and it felt good to be out there tonight,” he said afterward.
The 35-year-old center revealed at the end of last season he is gay, but he was a free agent and had remained unsigned.
Collins said he was aware of the magnitude of his signing, which made him the first openly gay player in the four major U.S. professional sports leagues, but repeatedly said he was most concerned with learning the Nets’ schemes.
“The pressure is playing in an NBA game tonight and last time I played in an NBA game was last April,” Collins said. “So I think that’s enough pressure right there.”
With a need for another big man, the Nets turned to the 7-foot Collins, who helped them reach two NBA Finals in the early 2000s.
“The decision to sign Jason was a basketball decision,” general manager Billy King said in a statement. “We needed to increase our depth inside, and with his experience and size, we felt he was the right choice for a 10-day contract.”
Collins entered the game with 10:28 left in the second quarter and the Nets leading 35-26 after Nick Young made the first of his two free throws. The crowd welcomed him with a nice ovation when public address announcer Lawrence Tanter announced his name.
Walking to the scorer’s table to check into the game for the first time, “It felt like, `I’ve done this a thousand times before,’ `’ Collins said. `’You go to the scorer’s table, you hear what the play’s going to be for the next offensive play and you go out there. Once you’re out on the court, it’s basketball. It’s what I’ve been doing for almost three decades.”
Collins has played 12 NBA seasons, including his first seven with the Nets, when they were in New Jersey and Jason Kidd was their point guard. Kidd is now the Nets’ coach and Collins has been a teammate of several other current Nets.
“Jason told us that his goal was to earn another contract with an NBA team. Today, I want to commend him on achieving his goal. I know everyone in the NBA family is excited for him and proud that our league fosters an inclusive and respectful environment,” Commissioner Adam Silver said.
The Collins news comes as Michael Sam, the SEC co-defensive player of the year from Missouri who recently revealed he is gay, is taking part in the NFL draft combine. Sam’s on-field workouts in Indianapolis are scheduled for Monday.
Collins was asked if he felt the tide is turning regarding gay players coming out, including Sam.
“I hope so. What Michael said was it was about him being a football player and me being a basketball player, and going out there and trying to help our respective teams win,” Collins said.
He played 38 games last season with Boston and Washington and averaged 1.1 points and 1.6 rebounds in limited minutes. For his career, the 7-foot Collins averages 3.6 points and 3.8 rebounds.
Collins’ announcement last spring was followed by numerous NBA players insisting he would be welcomed in the locker room. Collins has played for five other teams and is well respected inside and outside the league – he attended the State of the Union as a guest of first lady Michelle Obama.
“I just know Jason as a person and as a player. That’s what I’m happy about. He has earned it. He’s a great guy. It’s good for the league. The important thing is to judge him as a person and a basketball player,” Chicago coach Tom Thibodeau said.
“I know people who have coached him, and I know how highly thought of he is.”
Former Suns player Kevin Johnson, now Sacramento’s mayor, said he saw Collins two weeks ago at the White House “and I thanked him for his courage and being strong and wished him well and to keep fighting hard.
“I think it’s incredible for him. I think it’s incredible for the league. If I’m on the Nets, my commitment is I want to get in the playoffs and I want to go far. All that is fine but I need him to win games and I think he’s up for that challenge.”
The Nets had an opening for a big man after trading Reggie Evans along with Jason Terry to Sacramento on Wednesday for guard Marcus Thornton. King said Thursday that Collins would be among the players they would look at, insisting they wouldn’t be concerned about any extra attention the signing of Collins would provide.
“We’re going to bring in a basketball player,” King said. “It’s not about marketing or anything like that.”
The Nets posted a photo on their Twitter account of Kidd watching Collins sign his contract, encouraging followers to retweet it to welcome Collins to Brooklyn.
Collins is third in Nets’ history with 511 games played, and also ranks in their top 10 in minutes played, and offensive rebounds and total rebounds. A limited offensive player, the Nets hope he still provides a presence defensively and on the boards.
“I know Jason Collins is a competitor. One thing I know about him is he fouls very hard,” Miami’s Dwayne Wade said with a laugh. “He’s one of those tough veterans. I’m sure he’s happy to be back playing in the league. Welcome back.”
Since making his announcement last year, “Life is more exciting for me,” Collins said. “I mean, I don’t have to hide who I am and I can be my normal self. The past 10 months have been incredible. I’m making new friends, hearing different people’s stories, sharing experiences. It’s just been an overall positive.”
Collins grew up in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles and has a house here, so there was some normalcy to his day.
“It was pretty easy for me just to come to the game tonight,” Collins said, “drive down the 405, take the 10 and get here in 20 minutes.”

Organizations mark Classic by renewing partnership

BIRMINGHAM – Alabama Power and B.A.S.S. signed a conservation partnership agreement at the Bassmaster Classic’s media day at Regions Field.
The agreement – or memorandum of understanding (MOU) – provides a partnership framework to enhance and maintain productivity of sport-fishing resources on the 11 lakes managed by Alabama Power. The company, B.A.S.S. and local B.A.S.S. Nation clubs are working to improve fish survival rates at local tournaments that will be announced this summer.
“We have earmarked more than $20,000 for in-state stewardship this year,” said Bruce Akin, B.A.S.S. CEO. “We again look forward to working with Alabama Power to enhance and protect water resources and fish habitat in our home state.”
Since the two organizations signed their first MOU in 1992, B.A.S.S. Nation members across the state have been heavily involved in protecting warm-water resources through Alabama Power’s Renew Our Rivers and Fish Habitat programs.
“A common interest in Alabama’s waterways led to our first partnership more than two decades ago,” said Mike Godfrey, Alabama Power environmental affairs manager. “Since it was signed, that partnership has helped grow two of our state’s largest stewardship programs. Today, we look toward new partnerships to benefit Alabama waterways.”
Since 1993, Alabama Power employees, B.A.S.S. Nation members and community volunteers have partnered to build and install more than 56,000 fish attraction devices on 10 lakes managed by Alabama Power. The devices provide bedding and cover for fish, and GPS coordinates on the company’s website allow anglers to return and fish these spots.
In 2000, B.A.S.S. Nation members again joined with Alabama Power employees and community volunteers to help grow Renew Our Rivers. Marking its 15th year in 2014, the program has made a remarkable impact in protecting state waterways – drawing more than 56,000 participants and removing more than 13.5 million pounds of trash across the Southeast.
The partnership agreement is one of many ways the company is working to improve Alabama. As an event sponsor, Alabama Power supports the expected $20 million economic impact of the Bassmaster Classic event to the state.

For more information on Renew Our Rivers and the 11 lakes managed by Alabama Power, visit AlabamaPower.com<http://www.alabamapower.com/> and click “Lake Conditions” on the left.