Coach

Bryant's men's lacrosse team is one step closer to winning the Northeast Conference's first automatic qualifier to the NCAA tournament after knocking off Sacred Heart, 11-9, on Thursday in Providence, R.I. For the Bulldogs, one of the more impressive turnarounds is nearly complete after the preseason NEC favorite started 0-7, losing six of those games by one or two goals, including two near misses vs. likely tournament teams Bucknell and Albany....

On Wednesday at Churchill Downs, a crowd clad mainly in Louisville basketball shirts gathered at Barn 45 to watch Louisville basketball coach Rick Pitino as he visited a horse of which he owns five percent. Pitino, a month removed from becoming the first coach in NCAA history to win Division I basketball national championship tournaments with two different schools, appeared at trainer Doug O'Neill 's barn shortly after 8 a.m. and joined an entourage following Goldencents.

There is no set criterion for a great dive bar. A dingy bar can have character. An unassuming exterior could hide a spectacular interior. Sometimes, the right jukebox is all it takes. But all great dives are unified by one factor: They possess an instantly comfortable atmosphere. That can come from a warm bartender, cheap drinks or an overall lack of pretension. The really good ones have it all. Coach's Rendezvous (which was called Rendezvous Lounge before new owner Ray Harcum took over)

Football McKinnie, Dolphins meet; Vellano to Pats Ravens veteran free agent offensive tackle Bryant McKinnie visited the Miami Dolphins on Monday and underwent a physical, according to a source. There was no deal immediately with the former Pro Bowl lineman, with the source saying: "Nothing more than [a] visit right now. " Another NFL source familiar with Dolphins general manager Jeff Ireland 's thinking on McKinnie described this as a "look-see meeting. " McKinnie got a preliminary inquiry before the NFL draft from the San Diego Chargers, and they talked to him Monday.

After Maryland's 11-8 win against Navy on April 5, the team improved to 8-1 and was an early favorite to earn the top seed in the NCAA tournament. Since then, the team has dropped two of its last three contests - including a 13-6 loss to Virginia as the No. 1 seed in a semifinal of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament. But as analysts suggest that the No. 11 Terps are beginning to lose their grip on one of the tournament's eight seeds and a home game in the first round, coach John Tillman said he's not concerned about his team's position.

When the calendar turns to April and May, the postseason becomes a pressing matter for those teams jockeying for a position in the NCAA tournament. For Stevenson, which is ranked No. 4 in the latest United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association poll, the road to the Division III NCAA tournament appears to be a one-lane thoroughfare as the Mustangs went 8-0 in the Middle Atlantic Conference and is poised to win the league tournament and the accompanying automatic qualifier. But where the team might land in the NCAA tournament is nearly as significant.

Jeremy Mattoon, who guided Hood's men's lacrosse team for the past two seasons, will not be back for a third. Adrienne Mullikin, the college's sports information director, said Monday afternoon that Mattoon did not coach in the Blazers' regular-season finale against Widener on Saturday. The team's assistant coaches shared the head-coaching duties in a17-7 loss. Mattoon's name and bio are no longer on the team's website. Citing privacy laws, Mullikin declined to discuss the reason for Mattoon's departure.

OAKLAND, Calif. - When Orioles center fielder Adam Jones came off the Oakland Coliseum field after the bottom of second inning Thursday, he threw his glove dejectedly into the dugout and then made a pronouncement: "I'm going to pick us up. I got it. " A few batters later, Jones doubled to give the Orioles a 3-2 lead in a game in which they won 10-2. It was important for Jones, who was hitting .359 heading into Friday, to come up big with the bat. Because the two-time Gold Glove outfielder has been uncharacteristically shaky in the field since the season started.

Rutgers men's lacrosse players and parents expressed loyalty to suspended coach Brian Brecht at a meeting with university President Robert L. Barchi on Tuesday. A large group of players - dressed in khakis and suit jackets - and their parents met with Barchi on Tuesday. At the meeting, the group presented Barchi with a petition that contained between 800 and 1,000 signatures in support of Brecht, a former Loyola University assistant, a source at the meeting said. The source also said there were an estimated 50-plus people in attendance at Tuesday's meeting.

North Carroll announced the hiring of Rob Vaughn as boys basketball coach on Tuesday. Vaughn, a graduate of the school, previously coached the Panthers from 2003 to 2006, and he takes over the program from his brother, Chris, according to the school. Vaughn was an assistant coach at McDaniel College under Bob Flynn, and he currently teaches physical education at Shiloh Middle School in Carroll County.