losing to the U.S. in the preliminary round of the

SMU is expected to give new head coach Tim Jankovich a contract of at least five years in length with a salary that would put him in the top tier of the American Athletic Conference, once negotiations are complete, according to a source.Jankovich wouldnt comment on the negotiations on Tuesday. But he did discuss Larry Browns abrupt decision on Friday to step down as the Mustangs head coach after four seasons in Dallas.I didnt know in advance, Jankovich said Tuesday night of Browns decision.SMU athletic director Rick Hart said Friday that the school had offered Brown a contract to coach until 2020, but Brown chose instead to resign. Jankovich said Brown told him by phone that he was resigning. Jankovich didnt want to discuss Browns contract issues with the school.Jankovich said he never discussed with Brown the timing of succeeding him. But he said it was predetermined that he would be the successor when he left his head-coaching job at Illinois State to join Brown four years ago.Jankovich said it wasnt a handshake deal or he would never have left what he said was a top-25 team with the Redbirds. He said there was an agreement in place that he would receive a contract to replace Brown when he left.Jankovich had been the head coach at Illinois State from 2007-12. He was also a head coach at North Texas from 1993-97.Jankovich said the timing of Browns departure wasnt ideal. Summer recruiting began last week. SMU is also coming off an NCAA postseason ban in 2016 (violations included academic fraud and unethical conduct) after winning the regular-season and conference tournament titles in 2015.The Mustangs, Jankovich said, would have 11 players on scholarship for the 2016-17 season, and likely 11 in 2017-18, as sanctions continue for the next two years. The Mustangs had to lose nine scholarships over three years, but since they used only 11 of 13 in the year of the sanctions, the actual reduction of scholarships was seven over the next three seasons.We suffered some big losses, but I still think we will be in competition for the top of the AAC, said Jankovich of losing Nic Moore (whom he brought with him from Illinois State), Markus Kennedy and Jordan Tolbert. We wont be big on numbers, but we still have opportunities for good things this upcoming year.Jankovich said the decision to leave Illinois State was still one of the toughest he had to make. But he said he believed in SMU and was convinced the program could be a national power.I believed in Coach Brown, said Jankovich. It played out. This is what I thought would happen.Jankovich wasnt referring to the NCAA violations that led to a postseason ban and a nine-game suspension for Brown last season -- Jankovich coached the team to a 9-0 record during that time -- under the coachs control penalty. Instead, he was referencing the Mustangs 94-39 record over the past four years, the revival of Moody Coliseum and putting SMU basketball back on the national map.Jankovich said the Mustangs could have played in three NCAA tournaments, instead of just one. SMU was considered one of the final snubs in year two of the Brown-Jankovich tenure and would have likely been an NCAA tournament team in year four had it not been for a postseason ban. SMU went to the NCAA tournament in year three.Im at a program that is competing at the highest level, said Jankovich. I left a team that was going to be in the top 25. I know it was. But I love Dallas. I love SMU. I always thought it would be a sleeping giant. But its not sleeping anymore. 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Kurt Rambis Lakers Jersey . - The Washington Redskins have cut defensive lineman Adam Carriker and punter Sav Rocca. GOLFArnold Palmer brought a country club sport to the masses with a hard-charging style, charisma and a commoners touch. At ease with both presidents and the golfing public, and on a first-name basis with both, The King died Sunday in Pittsburgh. He was 87.Alastair Johnston, CEO of Arnold Palmer Enterprises, confirmed that Palmer died Sunday afternoon of complications from heart problems. Johnston said Palmer was admitted to the UPMC Hospital on Thursday for some cardiovascular work and weakened over the last few days.Palmer ranked among the most important figures in golf history , and it went well beyond his seven major championships and 62 PGA Tour wins. His good looks, devilish grin and go-for-broke manner made the elite sport appealing to one and all. And it helped that he arrived about the same time as television moved into most households, a perfect fit that sent golf to unprecedented popularity.ATLANTA -- Rory McIlroy holed two shots on the 16th hole at East Lake that made him a most unlikely FedEx Cup champion on Sunday.The first one he didnt even see go in.Three shots behind with three holes to play at the Tour Championship, McIlroy holed a pitching wedge from 137 yards for eagle that gave him the spark he needed to close with a 6-under 64 and join a three-way playoff with the FedEx Cup title riding on the outcome.Four playoff holes later on the 16th, after Ryan Moore made a par putt from just outside 15 feet, McIlroy knocked in his 15-foot birdie putt to win two trophies that he desperately wanted -- the Tour Championship and the FedEx Cup.ATLANTA -- Ryan Moore lost his bid to win the Tour Championship finale in extra holes, but picked up an important consolation prize: the fourth captains pick and the last slot on the 12-man U.S. Ryder Cup team.The matches tee off in five days in Minnesota. U.S. captain Davis Love planned to make the announcement during halftime of Sunday Night Football, -- just hours after Moore was beaten by a birdie from European Ryder Cup star Rory McIlroy on the fourth extra hole at East Lake Golf Club. But after the death of golfing great Arnold Palmer, he released the selection in a news release.BASEBALLMIAMI -- Jose Fernandez escaped from Cuba by boat on his fourth try as a teenager, and when his mother fell into the Yucatan Channel during the journey, he jumped in and pulled her out.Fernandezs heroic backstory made his death early Sunday that much more heart-wrenching. The charismatic Miami Marlins ace was killed in a boating accident at age 24.Fernandez and two other people died when their 32-foot vessel slammed into a jetty off Miami Beach, authorities said.Authorities didnt know the time of the crash. The capsized boat was found shortly after 3 a.m.LOS ANGELES -- Sprayed champagne and beer flooded the blue carpet in the Dodgers clubhouse. The stench of alcohol hung in the damp air. Wives, kids and a puppy were in on the party with music blaring.The Los Angeles Dodgers celebrated clinching their fourth straight NL West title with the kind of storybook ending this city was built on: winning the crown in Vin Scullys final home game when Charlie Culberson homered with two outs in the 10th inning to beat the Coloraado Rockies 4-3 Sunday.ddddddddddddCOLLEGE FOOTBALLBATON ROUGE, La. -- Les Miles has finally been done in by one of the frantic finishes that came to define the Mad Hatters tenure at LSU.LSU fired Miles and offensive coordinator Cam Cameron on Sunday, and promoted defensive line coach Ed Orgeron to interim head coach.The moves came less than 24 hours after Miles briefly watched his players wildly celebrate what they thought was a game-winning touchdown pass at Auburn, only to walk off the field with a stunning, 18-13 upset loss after officials determined on video replay that time had expired before the ball was snapped.NEW YORK -- Wisconsin moved up to No. 8 in The Associated Press college football poll and LSU became the second preseason top-10 team to drop out of the rankings in the first month of the season.There were few changes in the Top 25 as the only four ranked teams that lost did so to other ranked teams.The top teams held their spots, led by No. 1 Alabama. The Crimson Tide received 50 first-place votes. No. 2 Ohio State was followed by Louisville, Michigan, Clemson, Houston and Stanford.Wisconsin moved up three spot after dominating Michigan State 30-6. Texas A&M moved up a spot to No. 9.LSU (2-2), which started the season No. 5, joined Notre Dame as preseason top-10 teams to fall out of the poll.SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Hours after an embarrassing 38-35 home loss to Duke, Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly fired defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder following a 1/3 start.The school tweeted a new release saying VanGorder was being replaced by defensive analyst Greg Hudson. Hudson previously served as defensive coordinator at Purdue, East Carolina and Minnesota, as well as assistant head coach and linebackers coach at Florida State.HOCKEYTORONTO -- Sidney Crosby and the Canadians look as if they cant be stopped.Canada has won 14 straight games in best-on-best hockey tournaments since losing to the U.S. in the preliminary round of the Vancouver Games in 2010. Like the Americans in Olympic basketball, the Canadians simply seem as if theyre on another level against the rest of the world.Team Europe, though, hopes to spoil Canadas plans to celebrate a World Cup of Hockey title on home ice.The eight-nation European team and the one country that everyone else is trying to catch will face off Tuesday night in Game 1 of a best-of-three series.Europe advanced to the finals by beating Sweden 3-2 in overtime Sunday.The Canadians earned a spot in the finals by beating Russia 5-3 on Saturday night.AUTO RACINGLOUDON, N.H. -- Kevin Harvick has thrived as NASCARs version of a Game 7 master, steeling his nerves and flourishing in those win-or-else races that kept a championship push alive.His Chase off to a rocky start, Harvick injected the Chase again with a rousing finish that eliminated a must-win race for him and parked him in the next playoff round.Harvick won Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway to earn a spot in the second round of the NASCAR Sprint Cup playoffs, pulling away off a restart a year after a late loss at the track. 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