Bay and the Athletics, Balfour

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SAN ANTONIO -- North Carolina had 1. Eli Manning Youth Jersey .6 seconds to score and avoid another early NCAA tournament exit, but instead spent that precious time trying to call timeout. A fittingly frustrating end to a frustrating Tar Heels season. With coach Roy Williams jumping and gesticulating for a timeout, the No. 6 seed Tar Heels inbounded the ball to Nate Britt who dribbled past midcourt as time expired, ousting them in the third round for a second consecutive season in a 85-83 loss to Iowa State on Sunday. Officials huddled for several minutes reviewing the clock on replays before confirming that the game was over. Williams -- who collapsed his hands on his knees as Britt surged toward him -- then shook Iowa State coach Fred Hoibergs hand as North Carolina began absorbing the heartbreaker. "We made some mistakes. We practice all the time that situation for five guys to be calling timeout, and Im supposed to be calling timeout, and I was calling timeout," Williams said. "Referees didnt recognize it. We practice those scenarios, so we made mistakes. " Iowa States DeAndre Kane did exactly as his coach had instructed, driving for a layup with 1.6 seconds left that gave the Cyclones the lead. His twisting shot put Iowa State in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2000. "Hes been our Mariano Rivera. Hes been our closer all throughout this season," Iowa State coach Fred Hoiberg said. Now the No. 3 seed Cyclones (28-7) are headed to the home of the former Yankees star, New York City, where they will play No. 7 seed Connecticut in the East Regional semifinals next week. The No. 6 seed Tar Heels (24-10) are gone in the NCAA tournaments opening weekend for the first time in consecutive seasons under Williams, who choked back tears following the end of his 10th season in Chapel Hill. "Lets not anybody lay it on the officials or anything like that. We didnt call the timeout with 1.6 seconds to play," Williams said. Britt said he thought North Carolina got the timeout before the buzzer. "When I looked up at the clock I saw one-point-something time left," he said. "I saw staff screaming and trying to call timeout." Kane finished with 24 points and 10 rebounds. It was just the kind of big game the Cyclones needed without forward Georges Niang, who broke his foot in Fridays win against North Carolina Central. The 6-foot-7 sophomore sat on the bench wearing a bulky boot while the Cyclones tried their best without their third-leading scorer and tallest starter. Kane said the last possession called for him to attack the basket, unless North Carolina defenders swarmed him as he penetrated. "But nobody helped, and I made an acrobatic shot and it went in," Kane said. Marcus Paige led North Carolina with 19 points and Kennedy Meeks had 15 points and 13 rebounds. But North Carolina played nearly the entire game without forward Brice Johnson, who sprained ankle in the opening minutes. The team said X-rays were negative, but the Tar Heels third-leading scorer never returned. The Tar Heels crave a fast pace, and -- after dealing with the grind-it-out style of recent opponents -- Williams and Paige had spoken of relishing the chance to finally hit the gas against the similarly up-tempo Cyclones. But this was no track meet. Undersized Iowa State bottled up the Tar Heels before they could run and bombarded them with 3-pointers (12 of 26) instead of quick baskets. The first dunk came from Kane, not the high-flying Tar Heels, and not until 12 minutes into the game after a handful of bungled North Carolina fast breaks. Niangs injury left Hoiberg with a tough choice: go small with his best remaining five or a put a little-used big man in place of his star sophomore. He opted for size over another shooter, giving 6-foot-8 forward Daniel Edozie his first career start. Edozie missed the only two shots he tried and grabbed four rebounds. But Johnsons bum ankle reduced North Carolinas size advantage. Johnson, who came in averaging 10.6 points and is the Tar Heels second-leading rebounder, tumbled to the floor with North Carolina up 12-7. He sat on the bench before hobbling to the locker room. Coincidental or not, the Cyclones got .... the moment Johnson left the game. They shook off a 1-for-10 start from the floor and erased a seven-point deficit in less than 1 1/2 minutes. After that, neither team led by more than single digits. "Once Georges got injured people didnt think that we had enough to pull out this win," forward Dustin Hogue said. "This goes to show that we have depth and we have heart. With enough heart you can beat anybody." Phil Simms Giants Jersey . FLIP SAUNDERS (Timberwolves): Im not the least bit surprised that he appointed himself as head coach after his search concluded. Olivier Vernon Giants Jersey . CNN and Gazzetta dello Sport reporter Tancredi Palmeri broke the news via Twitter Tuesday afternoon. Italian Football Association President Giancarlo Abete has also resigned, according to Palmeri. http://www.giantsapparelsshop.com/odell-beckham-jr-giants-jersey-c-8/ . - The New York Rangers have momentum, a unified locker room and Henrik Lundqvist.BALTIMORE -- Two weeks after trading their closer to Oakland, the Baltimore Orioles agreed to a two-year, $15 million contract with former Athletics closer Grant Balfour on Tuesday, according to a person familiar with the deal. Balfours contract will not be completed until the right-hander passes a physical, the person told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity because the transaction had not been announced by the Orioles. Balfour fills the vacancy left by the trade of closer Jim Johnson, who was dealt to Oakland because Baltimore didnt want to pay him about $10 million a season. Johnson had 50 saves in each of the past two seasons but was in line for a huge raise. "Its really about the allocation of resources and to have a competitive team," Orioles executive vice-president of baseball opeerations Dan Duquette said at the time. Lawrence Taylor Womens Jersey. "You have to have proper balance." Balfour is the first significant addition this off-season by the Orioles, who went 85-77 in 2013 but came up short in their bid to reach the post-season for a second straight year. Balfour, who turns 36 on Dec. 30, went 1-3 with 38 saves in 41 opportunities with Oakland last season. He made $4.5 million with the Athletics in 2013. He had a 2.59 ERA and 72 strikeouts, with 27 walks in 62 2-3 innings. In 2012, he had 24 saves in 26 chances. In 10 seasons with Minnesota, Milwaukee, Tampa Bay and the Athletics, Balfour is 28-17 with 72 saves and a 3.27 ERA. The addition of Balfour means the Orioles wont have to try Tommy Hunter or Darren ODay at closer. 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