England cricketer Graeme Swann on the mental side of the game

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VIDEO: Five Minutes With: Graeme Swann

Mark Messier set the standard for guaranteeing victories with his Game 6 prediction against the Devils in 1994. Since then, promises by athletes have meant little.

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Stanley Cup Playoffs: Eastern Conference Finals: Mark Messier’s Vow Set the Bar for Sports Guarantees

Baseball guarantees bad days even for its greats, the afternoons when fastballs zip six inches too high, when rain makes the ball hard to grip, when popups fall to the turf and when, in some odd cases, even ointment becomes an enemy . Stephen Strasburg had a bad day Tuesday afternoon, the kind of day that reminds you the game sometimes makes even its most talented players miserable. Read full article > >

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Nationals vs. Padres: A bad day for Stephen Strasburg as Washington falls, 6-1

NEW YORK — In a game the Washington Capitals could ill afford to lose, it seems counterintuitive that Alex Ovechkin would record a new career low for ice time in a postseason contest. But when the Capitals needed someone to step up and break a tie in the third period of Game 2, it was Ovechkin who came through against the New York Rangers . Ovechkin’s tally on a booming point shot with 7 minutes 27 seconds remaining stood as the game-winner in a 3-2 victory , sending this Eastern Conference semifinal series back to Washington with the teams tied with one game apiece. Read full article > >

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2012 NHL playoffs: Alex Ovechkin helps Capitals get even with Rangers

Marian Hossa of the Blackhawks left the game on a stretcher Tuesday night after a shot by Raffi Torres, the latest incident in a parade of N.H.L. thuggery that the league seems content to shrug off.

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Slap Shot | Leading Off: Leading Off: What Will It Take to Stop the Carnage?

If the new romantic comedy “ Think Like a Man ” seems ultra-clear about its message — don’t hate the player, change the game — that’s because it’s based on the hugely popular self-help relationship book “ Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man .” Read full article > >

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Steve Harvey discusses what men and women think about love

Tickets go on sale for a League Two football match between Gillingham and Swindon Town in spite of all fans being banned from the game.

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Tickets for banned football match

From the Shahs of Sunset to the Mullahs of Qom, Iran stands a Catch-22 waddling to find its way between Bravo and Basij, Marxist and Muslim, youth and establishment, sincerity and tar’ruf. Sound confusing? Welcome to Irani irony, a culture where expectations are implied but never stated, perhaps the only one where you’ll find yourself politely chastised. To navigate in it is an improvisational act of its own, an interplay where actions depend on relational anticipation. This is the game of Persian life.

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Jazz Mirrors Iran, Part III: Isn’t It Iranic?

Cue the “Mission: Impossible” music. “Your mission, Mr. Lendon, should you accept it, is to attend one of the world’s foremost sporting events and eat from the concessions all day for under $15.” This is crazy, I say to myself. Can’t be done. For the 2011 Super Bowl, a single beer was $10 , a soda $6.  At a regular season L.A. Dodgers game, a hot dog sets you back $5. And this is Augusta National Golf Club , the best of the best for golf. Nevertheless, I set off on my mission. Mission log follows. 0910 hours: In the gates of Augusta National and heading up the first fairway. Map shows concessions back by Hole No. 3. 0920 hours: Stand sighted. No lines. And breakfast served until 1000 hours. I move in. 0921 hours: I’ve secured a chicken biscuit and a coffee. Cost, $1.50 for the biscuit, $1 for the java. But now I have to eat it. 0928 hours: Consumed. Ravenously. The biscuit was good sized, seemed a bit bigger than Chick-fil-A. The biscuit itself is good, not too doughy. The chicken still juicy despite spending time in the foil bag. Coffee is hot, dark and strong. I usually drink it black, but I need two half-and-halfs on this one. Guy next to meet at the condiment bar says he should’ve asked for half coffee, half hot water. 0930-1230 hours: Watching golf’s best knock it around. I’ve had tougher assignments. 1232 hours: Lunch. Down near the end of Hole No. 10. I’ve been told when at the Masters the pimento cheese sandwich is a must. I’ve never had one, but orders are orders. And the $1.50 price tag fits the parameters of the mission. I add on the Masters kettle-cooked potato chips , $1, and a light blue concoction labeled “sport drink,” $1.50. Wanted the Diet Coke, but figured I should avoid any more caffeine in the hot sun. Total hit: $4. 1234 hours: The concession area is crowded, but a nice couple from Houston offers me a spot at their table. They’ve earned my trust so I confide my mission to them – they express amazement that I live in Atlanta and have never had pimento cheese before. But they assure me I’ll like it. 1236 hours: First bite. Hmmm. I chew slowly. The woman senses my trepidation. “You’ll love it by the end,” she says. “It gets better as it goes along.” 1240 hours: The lady is right. Yummy! The couple from Houston has moved on, so I share my excitement with three guys from Omaha who’ve replaced them. They find my assignment amusing, but they doubt my chances for success. “I just spent $8 for two egg salad sandwiches and this beer,” one says. My point exactly. And his math is off. Even if he got the import beer, at $3.75, he’d have only spent $6.75 as the egg salad sandwiches are $1.50 each. 1440 hours: Watching the Par 3 tournament and stomach rumbling. Must make a move. I’m thinking white chocolate, macadamia nut cookie, just like the one I thought about tacking on to lunch. 1443 hours: In line. 1445 hours: Served. And thrown a curveball. (Sorry to mix sports metaphors. I’m time pressed.) No cookies on the Par 3 course. And no beer either. Curious, that. I get the Snickers bar as the commercials say they really satisfy. 1447 hours: Snickers really does satisfy. Especially at $1. 1450-1529 hours: Par 3 action, including watching three of the game’s greats, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer. Watching Palmer makes me want one of those half lemonade, half ice tea drinks. Thanks for coming up with that one, Arnie. 1530 hours: Thunderstorms rolling in to Augusta. Play is stopped and the course is cleared. 1620 hours: Play is canceled for the day and the course closes all concessions. I’ll need to tap other resources to complete my three-meal mission. 1621 hours: I check the concession price board. I can get the same things in the press area, which is still open. And they are the same. I go with the ham and cheese on rye, $2.50, the $1 kettle chips again (I really do like those) and a domestic beer., $3. Assessment: Nods to the Houston couple. The ham and cheese was not as good and the pimento cheese, really kind of bland and the bread was mushy. Maybe it was sitting in the cooler too long. Glad I had the beer to wash it down. 1638 hours: Mission complete. Total cost for three meals and a snack: $14. Which should also look good on the expense account. Make pimento cheese at home and catch up on the controversy over Augusta not allowing women to join .

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Snack master – devouring the menu at Augusta National Golf Club

The computer games retailer GAME, which employs 160 people in Northern Ireland, enters administration.

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160 jobs could go at GAME Group

Omgpop’s popular game Draw Something attracted the attention of the game maker Zynga, which bought the company for $180 million.

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Draw Something Changes the Game Quickly for Omgpop

The big idea: Often, brands are positioned not by their actions but by lack thereof. Once-successful brands may find themselves repositioned by competitors’ actions or changing consumer tastes. A good hard look at the brand’s roots and relevance may reveal sufficient muscle to get back in the game, not by expensive and risky repositioning, but by reinvigorating what made it great at the start. Read full article > >

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Case in Point: Preventing your brand from being defined by what it doesn’t do

Zynga has added Slingo, the old-school online game launched in 1996, to its social gaming lineup. Slingo has been around for about 15 years, said Slingo general manager Eric Lamendola in an interview with The Post on Wednesday, but combining the game’s brand with the social networking options that Zynga offers through Facebook made a lot of sense to the company. Read full article > >

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Zynga adds Slingo to its stable of games

Advertisers placed many Super Bowl spots on YouTube or social media well ahead of the game, hoping to start a conversation and generate follow-up interest.

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Advertising: Some Super Bowl Ads Being Seen Long Before the Game – Advertising

Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, a candidate for most valuable player, was 26 of 46 for 264 yards, and he looked increasingly ineffective as the game went on.

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On Pro Football: Giants’ Defense Delivers in Playoffs Again