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2B Daily News ��� Thursday, February 21, 2013 Dramatic 1st Daytona 500 practice with Gen-6 Car DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) ��� It took all of 15 minutes for NASCAR���s new Gen-6 race car to throw drivers a few curves of its own at the first practice for the Daytona 500. Ryan Newman lost control of his Chevrolet right in front of Carl Edwards and Mark Martin, and all three cars sustained damage. It���s the third time in a week that a wreck has collected Martin, who also suffered damaged cars in a crash started by Matt Kenseth last week and another triggered by Tony Stewart in Saturday night���s exhibition race. Newman had no idea what caused him to spin. ������My car came around, I don���t know if it was the air off of Carl���s car or what,������ he said. ������Carl came over and said ���Hey man.��� I said, ���I don���t even know what to tell you yet.��������� The accident happened as drivers are still adjusting to the new car, a process that has been bumpy so far. Dale Earnhardt Jr. triggered a multi-car accident in January testing, Kenseth started an accident last Friday and the wreck in the exhibition race cut the 19-car field to 12. Edwards was just as vexed as Newman. ������I was up close to Ryan and then all of a sudden his car just got a little loose and there was no space,������ Edwards said. ������I could have given him more space, but I don���t think either VALDEZ (Continued from page 1B) ������I think I was liked there even before I pitched,������ Valdez said. ������Afterward, people would stop me on the street and ask about the pitching.������ On May 25, 2011, against the Cincinnati Reds, he relieved in the top of the 19th inning, getting Joey Votto to fly out deep to center, hitting Scott Rolen with a pitch and then retiring Jay Bruce and Carlos Fisher on fly balls. LANCE (Continued from page 1B) For more than a decade, Armstrong denied using performance-enhancing drugs. But last year, USADA released a report that detailed extensive doping on his Tour de France-winning teams and stripped him of those victories. Armstrong then admitted last month in an TRADES (Continued from page 1B) for it ever since play resumed on Christmas Day in 2011, and the reckoning is just around the corner. Owners are keeping one eye on the court and the other on their wallets. ������Every team is watching what it can do and how it can improve its team in connection with the much higher luxury tax,������ Commissioner David Stern said just before the All-Star break. The new CBA may not be responsible just for slowing down the amount of activity around the trade deadline. The total number of players traded in the week leading up to the deadline was 45 in 2010 and 49 in 2011, according to STATS LLC. Last year, that number dipped to 27. Not one player has been dealt yet this week. When owners and players agreed to a new deal that ended the most recent lockout, the players insisted on not having a hard salary cap ��� like in the NFL ��� that teams could not exceed under any circumstance. In the name of leveling the playing field for big and small-market teams, the owners responded by getting new restrictions put in place to make it as painful as possible for teams who go over the cap to continue doing business that way for any length of time. Under the previous agreement, if a team exceeded the luxury tax level by $4 million, it paid an additional $4 million in tax penalties. If it went over by $14 million, it paid $14 million in penalties. Next season, because one of us really understands why his car got so loose. It was just all of a sudden and he was turned sideways. It���s really interesting and something I���m going to be careful of during the race.������ Edwards said he believes the finicky cars could contribute to an entertaining season-opening Daytona 500 on Sunday. ������Race cars are supposed to be hard to drive, it���s supposed to be on the edge, you are supposed to be sliding around,������ Edwards said. ������We as drivers, it is our responsibility to learn how to drive them. If this (warm) weather stays like this, and we can run cars sideways down the corner and give each other a little bit of room, it���s going to be an awesome 500.������ Meanwhile, Earnhardt and defending Sprint Cup champion Brad Keselowski also had issues in the first practice session, which was paced by two-time Daytona 500 winner Michael Waltrip. Earnhardt blew an engine, and Keselowski had a fuel system problem that limited his track time. ������Something went wrong with the fuel system in the car,������ Keselowski said. ������That���s not what you want when you���re in front of the pack because when your car slows down, they���ve got nowhere to go and it could cause a wreck. So we���re going to spend a little extra time to make sure we���ve got whatever it is figured out.������ Tyson sues Live Nation for embezzlement Raul Ibanez hit a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the inning, and Valdez was mobbed. ������They asked me if the team ran of pitchers, could I help them,������ he said. ������I said ���I���ll be ready when you need me.��� I was just letting it go. Since I���m not a pitcher nothing really bothered me. I���m just glad I got those guys out.������ According to Elias Sports Bureau, Valdez became the first player since Babe Ruth in 1921 to start in the field and end up with a pitching decision. The next year, when Valdez was with the Reds, Philadelphia fans were disappointed when he was not in the starting lineup in his return. They booed Dusty Baker. Valdez has played six positions at one time or another, and he���d consider right field, first base and catcher too. Was he ever a catcher? ������I was before,������ Valdez said. ������I could be the last chance there, anything to help the team. All I can do is be ready if they need me.������ Notes: RHP Tim Lince- cum���s first scheduled session pitching to batters was rained out and he threw off a mound in a batting cage, with hitters standing in the box. ... Hitters were sent to the minor league facility for batting practice. ... RHP Boof Bonser is scheduled to throw a bullpen session Thursday, his first action of spring training. ... Giants manager Bruce Bochy hoped to schedule a five-inning intersquad game before opening the exhibition schedule at home Saturday against the Los Angeles Angels. LOS ANGELES (AP) ��� Mike Tyson sued a financial services firm owned by Live Nation Entertainment on Wednesday, claiming one of its advisers embezzled more than $300,000 from the former heavyweight champ and cost him millions more in lost earnings. The lawsuit claims that Live Nation and its company SFX Financial Advisory Management Enterprises haven���t given the boxer and his wife, Lakiha, a full accounting of their losses. The company returned some of the embezzled money but wanted the Tysons to sign a nondisclosure agreement, which they refused, the suit states. The lawsuit seeks more than $5 million in damages for breach of fiduciary duty, negligent hiring, unjust enrichment and other claims. A spokeswoman for Live Nation Entertainment Inc. said the company had not been served with the lawsuit and could not comment on it. The lawsuit claims the embezzlement prevented the Tysons from emerging from bankruptcy, and forced them to hire new advisers and turn down lucrative contracts. The couple trusted Brian Ourand, their adviser at SFX, so much that he attended their wedding, the case states. Ourand, who could not be reached for comment, has since left SFX, according to the lawsuit. The filings claim his conduct has not been reported to regulators. ������Defendants did not secure, protect, safeguard and appropriately apply the Tysons��� finances for their intended purposes,������ the case states, ������but instead misappropriated said funds for the benefit and enrichment of SFX/Live Nation. The former boxer has broadened his career in recent years, including appearing in ������The Hangover������ and leading a one-man autobiographical show, ������Undisputed Truth.������ interview with Oprah Winfrey that he doped to win those races. Tygart has accused Armstrong of lying in portions of that interview, most notably Armstrong���s claim that he raced clean when he came out of retirement in 20092010. USADA���s report says blood evidence shows Armstrong cheated during his comeback. USADA also wants to question Armstrong under oath about whether cycling officials helped him cover up positive drug tests during his career, charges he continues to deny. Beyond his problems with USADA, Armstrong still faces several legal challenges. Armstrong was the subject of a two-year federal grand jury investigation that was dropped a year ago with- out an indictment, but the Department of Justice is still considering whether to join a federal whistle-blower lawsuit filed by former Armstrong teammate Floyd Landis. Armstrong also has been sued by a Dallas-based SCA Promotions to recover more than $12 million in bonuses. And he has been sued by The Sunday Times in London to recover a libel judgment that the cyclist won against the paper. Armstrong���s latest decision means he won���t risk the legal exposure a sworn interview with USADA might create for those cases or new ones yet to come. The possibility of reducing his ban likely carried little incentive for the 41-year-old Armstrong, who had moved his athletic career into running and competing in triathlons. of various increases in penalties, that $4 million will cost a team $6 million. And the team that goes over by $14 million will be hit with a $26.25 million bill. To make matters worse, any team that exceeds the cap ������apron������ ��� which is $4 million over the existing luxury tax level ��� is not allowed to bring in a player in a sign-andtrade deal. That team also will only be able to offer a three-year midlevel exception deal to a free agent rather than the four-year exception that teams under the apron can offer, putting them at a bargaining disadvantage on the open market. And to top it all off, any team that has exceeded the cap in three of the previous four seasons starting in 2014-15 will be subject to ������repeater rates,������ which increase the penalties even further. ������Any well-managed team is going to think about the future consequences of their roster management,������ Stern said. Many already have been, in markets big and small. The Oklahoma City Thunder traded star guard James Harden to Houston rather than make him the third maxmoney player on the team and the Memphis Grizzlies dumped leading scorer Rudy Gay and valuable reserve Marreese Speights in separate deals earlier this season to start getting their financial house in order. New Grizzlies owner Robert Pera disputed the notion that sending Gay to Toronto was a salary dump, but also pointed out that teams have to spend their money wisely. ������Whether I���m worth a billion dollars or 10 billion dollars, I don���t think throwing money is the way to get a best result,������ he said. ������You look at the Lakers. They threw together all these stars and a huge payroll, and it���s not working out so far. You can���t be cheap, and I don���t think we are cheap.������ Before fans in small markets start complaining that the game is still rigged against them, don���t forget that Dallas let Tyson Chandler, the lynchpin of their title team from 2010-11, leave to team up with Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire in New York. Chicago did not match Houston���s offer for up-and-coming center Omer Asik and the Knicks let Jeremy Lin leave for Houston. The Associated Press spoke with three team officials and two agents about the effect the new agreement will have on trades this week, and on roster construction going forward. Several said it could be the end of the teams like the current Miami Heat, where three marquee free agents teamed up to chase titles. Next season, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh are scheduled to earn about $62 million, an enormous percentage of a luxury tax level that figures to be in the $72 million range. ������I just don���t see how teams are going to be able to afford to do that anymore,������ one league executive said. ������Not only are there financial penalties to think about, but operational penalties as well that will make it very difficult.������ Still, some teams might take the tax hit. Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak has said repeatedly they intend to keep center Dwight Howard, and re-sign him to an extension this summer that will pay him more than $20 million annually. With Kobe Bryant due more than $30 million and Pau Gasol another $19 million-plus next season, that would likely put the Lakers at the luxury tax level with just those three players. And Brooklyn���s mega-billionaire owner Mikhail Prokhorov has said repeatedly that money is no object for him in chasing a title. And if superstars want to continue teaming up in trios to tackle the rest of the league, they may have to take bigger discounts to do it. ������It���s not all about money,������ James, who could be a free agent after next season, said earlier this year. ������It���s about winning. I know that and I don���t mind.������ NHL NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE Pacific GP W Anaheim 15 12 San Jose 15 8 Phoenix 16 8 Dallas 16 8 Los Angeles14 6 Central GP W Chicago 16 13 Nashville 17 8 St. Louis 16 9 Detroit 16 7 Columbus 16 4 Northwest GP W Vancouver 15 8 Minnesota 15 7 Edmonton 15 6 Calgary 14 5 Colorado 14 6 WESTERN CONFERENCE Pacific L OT Pts 2 1 25 4 3 19 6 2 18 7 1 17 6 2 14 GF 53 39 44 41 33 GA 39 34 41 43 37 L OT Pts 0 3 29 4 5 21 6 1 19 6 3 17 10 2 10 GF 55 39 53 43 36 GA 34 38 50 48 51 L OT Pts 3 4 20 6 2 16 6 3 15 6 3 13 7 1 13 GF 44 33 36 39 37 GA 37 38 41 51 43 L.A. Clippers WARRIORS L.A. Lakers KINGS Phoenix Southwest San Antonio Memphis Houston Dallas New Orleans Northwest Oklahoma City Denver Utah Portland Minnesota W 39 30 25 19 18 L 17 23 29 36 36 Pct GB .696 ��� .566 7.5 .463 13 .345 19.5 .333 20 W 43 35 30 23 19 L 12 18 26 29 36 Pct GB .782 ��� .660 7 .536 13.5 .442 18.5 .345 24 W 39 34 31 25 20 L 15 21 24 29 31 Pct GB .722 ��� .618 5.5 .564 8.5 .463 14 .392 17.5 EASTERN CONFERENCE EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Atlantic GP W L OT Pts GF GA New Jersey 16 9 3 4 22 42 38 Pittsburgh 17 11 6 0 22 57 44 Rangers 15 8 6 1 17 39 38 Philadelphia18 8 9 1 17 51 54 Islanders 16 6 9 1 13 46 57 Northeast GP W L OT Pts GF GA Montreal 16 11 4 1 23 46 35 Boston 13 9 2 2 20 37 31 Ottawa 17 9 6 2 20 40 32 Toronto 17 10 7 0 20 48 40 Buffalo 17 6 10 1 13 47 56 Southeast GP W L OT Pts GF GA Carolina 14 8 5 1 17 41 40 Tampa Bay 15 8 6 1 17 59 47 Winnipeg 15 6 8 1 13 37 47 Florida 15 4 7 4 12 35 56 Washington 15 5 9 1 11 41 51 ������������������������������������������������������ Wednesday���s Results Philadelphia 6, Pittsburgh 5 St. Louis at Colorado, late Los Angeles at Calgary, late Today���s Games Buffalo at Toronto, 4 p.m. Florida at Philadelphia, 4 p.m. New Jersey at Washington, 4 p.m. Winnipeg at Carolina, 4 p.m. N.Y. Islanders at Montreal, 4:30 p.m. N.Y. Rangers at Ottawa, 4:30 p.m. Boston at Tampa Bay, 4:30 p.m. Columbus at Detroit, 4:30 p.m. Vancouver at Dallas, 5:30 p.m. Minnesota at Edmonton, 6:30 p.m. New York Brooklyn Boston Philadelphia Toronto Central Indiana Chicago Milwaukee Detroit Cleveland Southeast W 32 33 28 22 22 L 19 22 25 30 33 Pct GB .627 ��� .600 1 .528 5 .423 10.5 .400 12 W 33 31 26 22 17 L 21 22 27 34 37 Pct .611 .585 .491 .393 .315 GB ��� 1.5 6.5 12 16 W L Pct GB Miami 37 14 .725 ��� Atlanta 29 23 .558 8.5 Washington 15 37 .288 22.5 Orlando 15 38 .283 23 Charlotte 13 41 .241 25.5 ������������������������������������������������������ Wednesday���s Results Phoenix at Golden State, late Detroit 105, Charlotte 99 Memphis 88, Toronto 82 Indiana 125, New York 91 Houston 122, Oklahoma City 119 Minnesota 94, Philadelphia 87 Brooklyn 97, Milwaukee 94 Miami 103, Atlanta 90 Cleveland 105, New Orleans 100 Orlando at Dallas, late Boston at L.A. Lakers, late Today���s Games Miami at Chicago, 5 p.m. San Antonio at L.A. Clippers, 7:30 p.m. MLB SPRING TRAINING AMERICAN LEAGUE Baltimore Boston Chicago Cleveland Detroit Houston Kansas City Los Angeles Minnesota New York Oakland Seattle Tampa Bay Texas Toronto W 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 L 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Pct .000 .000 .000 .000 .000 .000 .000 .000 .000 .000 .000 .000 .000 .000 .000 NATIONAL LEAGUE W L Pct Arizona 0 0 .000 Atlanta 0 0 .000 Chicago 0 0 .000 Cincinnati 0 0 .000 Colorado 0 0 .000 Los Angeles 0 0 .000 Miami 0 0 .000 Milwaukee 0 0 .000 New York 0 0 .000 Philadelphia 0 0 .000 Pittsburgh 0 0 .000 San Diego 0 0 .000 San Francisco 0 0 .000 St. Louis 0 0 .000 Washington 0 0 .000 ������������������������������������������������������ Today���s Game Northeastern University vs. Boston at Fort Myers, Fla., 10:35 a.m. Friday���s Games Detroit vs. Atlanta at Kissimmee, Fla., 10:05 a.m. Cincinnati vs. Cleveland at Goodyear, Ariz., 12:05 p.m. Kansas City vs. Texas at Surprise, Ariz., 12:05 p.m. San Diego vs. Seattle at Peoria, Ariz., 12:05 p.m. Saturday���s Games Washington vs. N.Y. Mets at Port St. Lucie, Fla., 9:10 a.m. St. Louis vs. Miami at Jupiter, Fla., 10:05 a.m. N.Y. Yankees vs. Atlanta at Kissimmee, Fla., 10:05 a.m. Toronto vs. Detroit at Lakeland, Fla., 10:05 a.m. Houston vs. Philadelphia at Clearwater, Fla., 10:05 a.m. Minnesota vs. Baltimore at Sarasota, Fla., 10:05 a.m. Pittsburgh vs. Tampa Bay (ss) at Port Charlotte, Fla., 10:05 a.m. Tampa Bay (ss) vs. Boston at Fort Myers, Fla., 10:35 a.m. Chicago Cubs vs. L.A. Angels (ss) at Tempe, Ariz., 12:05 p.m. L.A. Angels (ss) vs. San Francisco at Scottsdale, Ariz., 12:05 p.m. Oakland vs. Milwaukee at Phoenix, 12:05 p.m. Cleveland vs. Cincinnati at Goodyear, Ariz., 12:05 p.m. Chicago White Sox vs. L.A. Dodgers at Glendale, Ariz., 12:05 p.m. Seattle vs. San Diego at Peoria, Ariz., 12:05 p.m. Texas vs. Kansas City at Surprise, Ariz., 12:05 p.m. Colorado vs. Arizona at Scottsdale, Ariz., 12:10 p.m. Sunday���s Games University of Michigan vs. N.Y. Mets (ss) at Port St. Lucie, Fla., 9:10 a.m. Boston vs. St. Louis at Jupiter, Fla., 10:05 a.m. Miami vs. Washington at Viera, Fla., 10:05 a.m. N.Y. Mets (ss) vs. Houston at Kissimmee, Fla., 10:05 a.m. Philadelphia vs. Detroit at Lakeland, Fla., 10:05 a.m. Toronto (ss) vs. N.Y. Yankees at Tampa, Fla., 10:05 a.m. Baltimore vs. Toronto (ss) at Dunedin, Fla., 10:05 a.m. Atlanta vs. Pittsburgh at Bradenton, Fla., 10:05 a.m. Tampa Bay vs. Minnesota at Fort Myers, Fla., 10:05 a.m. Oakland vs. L.A. Angels at Tempe, Ariz., 12:05 p.m. San Francisco vs. Chicago Cubs at Mesa, Ariz., 12:05 p.m. Cleveland (ss) vs. Milwaukee at Phoenix, 12:05 p.m. Cincinnati vs. Cleveland (ss) at Goodyear, Ariz., 12:05 p.m. L.A. Dodgers vs. Chicago White Sox at Glendale, Ariz., 12:05 p.m. San Diego vs. Seattle at Peoria, Ariz., 12:05 p.m. Kansas City vs. Texas at Surprise, Ariz., 12:05 p.m. Arizona vs. Colorado at Scottsdale, Ariz., 12:10 p.m.