CHANDLER, Ariz. - Those bad guys from New England finally made it out West, and it didnt take long for them to begin circling the wagons.An angry Robert Kraft led the way on a rainy Monday night in the desert, reading from a defiant speech crafted at 35,000 feet on the way out. It came straight from the heart, the owner of the New England Patriots said, because someone other than Bill Belichick and Tom Brady had to stand up for truth, justice and the American way.Actually, someone just had to explain what happened to those deflated balls in the AFC championship final, but that wasnt going to happen. Not here and certainly not now, with the Super Bowl just days away and the Patriots desperate for a way to turn the controversy over deflated balls to their advantage.That, really, was what all this was about. If Belichick was struggling to rally his players around their collective wounded pride, their owner wasnt going to let any more time pass before taking his shot.Kraft was nothing but all in, declaring that his coach and players had way too much integrity to engage in any kind of shenanigans. To even suggest so, he said, was so offensive that someone really ought to be apologizing, and he wasnt just talking about Seattle cornerback Richard Sherman.If the (Ted) Wells investigation is not able to definitively determine that our organization tampered with the air pressure in the footballs, I would expect and hope the league would apologize to our entire team, and in particular to coach Belichick and Tom Brady, for what theyve had to endure this week, Kraft said.If his righteous anger was a bit overboard, Kraft certainly had his reasons for taking the podium at the team hotel before Belichick and Brady faced the assembled media for the first time since arriving a few hours earlier.Clearly, he was looking to take some heat off of Belichick and Brady, who by now have already claimed ignorance about the deflated balls in so many ways that even the media seems tired of asking the questions. But ask they do, because its Super Bowl week and even the slightest hint of controversy is like raw meat to the insatiable appetite of television and the Internet.So Kraft tried to turn it to an advantage by declaring his love for both Belichick and Brady, rallying the troops with the classic us against them mentality that coaches love to use to motivate their teams.Tom, Bill and I have been together for 15 years. They are my guys, Kraft said. They are part of my family. Bill, Tom and I have had many difficult discussions over the years. Ive never known them to lie to me. Thats why Im confident in saying what I just said.It didnt take long for Belichick to get on the podium and pay his owner back. Dressed for success in coat and tie instead of the traditional hoodie, he said he was forever indebted to Kraft for working out a trade to get him from the New York Jets, had a great personal and professional relationship with the owner, and loved everything about the organization.Oh, and he wished Patriots fans well in the massive snowstorm hitting the New England area, saying they have the kind of toughness and teamwork to get through it just like the football team they cheer for would get through its own ordeals.As for those deflated balls? Well, the owner had already had his say, so there was nothing left to add.I appreciate the questions, but Ive covered everything that I can cover in the previous week and my attention is focused on the Seattle Seahawks, he said. Our job is to get ready to play this game Sunday and thats where its going to be from here on out.Brady followed in lockstep, proving if nothing else that the Patriots had a game plan for the media this week and are sticking to it. By then, the assembled media seemed exhausted and barely brought up the controversy in a passing reference to one of the greatest passers ever.Brady did manage to mention, though, how much he loves his owner, too.Ive been fortunate to play 15 years and its a privilege to play for this team, he said. Mr. Kraft, Jonathan (son of Robert Kraft), theyre family to me and Id love to go out and play my tail off and play as best as I possibly can and try to go win a Super Bowl for him.On Sunday, the Patriots just may do that, and with properly inflated balls, to boot.Then maybe the talk will not be about deflated balls or cheating coaches. Instead, it will be about how the guys who are supposed to be so bad can be so good.____Tim Dahlberg is a national sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at
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Obi Melifonwu Jersey . The Canadian tennis players first full season on the WTA Tour was a strong one. She has risen to No. 32 in the world rankings and will likely be seeded at the first Grand Slam event of the 2014 season.CALGARY -- Jamie Gregg went blade-to-blade with the reigning world and Olympic champion at the opening World Cup speedskating event of the season. And while the Edmonton skater earned bronze in the mens 500 metres, he was agonizingly close to standing higher on the podium. Gregg was paired with Tae-Bum Mo of South Korea, this years world champion in the distance. The two men played cat-and-mouse to start the race. Mos opening strides were quicker, but Gregg caught him at 100 metres. Their finish seemed a dead heat, but Mo actually edged Gregg by three thousandths of a second. Ronald Mulder of the Netherlands knocked Mo out of gold-medal position two pairings later in a time of 34.41 seconds. Mos time was 34.52.3 ahead of Greggs 34.52.6. Gregg will race another 500 on Sunday at the Oval and aims for a medal upgrade. "Every World Cup, including this one, in Calgary Ive won a medal so Im happy with that," Gregg said. "Theyve all been bronze so I want to make it a little better than that. Im always getting beat out by the thousandths in Calgary." Greggs bronze was Canadas lone medal on the first day of racing. He lost speed to the South Korean on the turn coming into the home stretch at the Olympic Oval. "You go into the year not really knowing who is going to go fast," Gregg said. "You see some times, but now everyone is at the World Cup and everyone has peaked, so you get to see where you are in the world a little bit. "To know that Im up there with even a less-than-ideal race, it gives me lots of confidence going forward." Sang-Hwa Lee of South Korea won the womens 500 in 39.91 seconds, which was .11 off her world record. Claudia Pechstein of Germany was the winner of the womens 3,000 metres in three minutes 59.04. Koen Verweij of the Netherlands took the mens 1,500 metres in one minute 42.78 seconds ahead of runner-up and world-record holder Shani Davis of the U.S. in 1:43.11. Denny Morrison of Fort St. John, B.C., was the world champion in the 1,500 two years ago, but broke his leg cross-country skiing midway through last season. Morrison says his leg his fully healed, but hes race rusty and finished 11th in a time of 1:44.42. "If you would have talked to me after a race like this in 2009, I would probably hardly have talked to you guys and probably would be freaking out throwing things around the change room," Morrison told reporters. "That doesnt help anything. All I can do is be motivated by what happened and use that to help me focus on what I need to do next. I dont think its discouraging. I know I have a few things to work on. Im pretty sure I can identify what they are already." The Essent ISU World Cup continues Saturday with another womens 500 metres, the mens 1,000 metres and the womens 1,500 metres. Olympic 1,000-metre champion Christine Nesbitt of London, Ont., will race that distance Sunday. The speedskaters can gain Olympic berths for their countries at the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, during the first four World Cups of the 2013-14 season.dddddddddddd Canada could take a maximum of 20 skaters to Sochi in February, but has to earn those spots through World Cup results. Nesbitt was 13th and Marsha Hudey of Regina 19th in the womens 500. Winnipegs Brittany Schussler and Ottawas Ivanie Blondin finished 13th and 16th respectively in the womens 3,000. Saskatoons Lucas Makowsky was 17th in the mens 1,500. William Dutton of Regina was 15th in the mens 500. Gregg is the son of former Edmonton Oilers defenceman Randy Gregg and two-time Olympic speed skater Kathy (Vogt) Gregg. His sister Jessica is a short-track speedskater who won Olympic silver in the relay in 2010. Jamie Gregg was eighth in the 500 in 2010. The 28-year-old captured his first World Cup gold medal in 2012 in Berlin. Hes Canadas heir-apparent to Jeremy Wotherspoon in the 500 metres, although Wotherspoon is attempting a comeback and intends to race at Olympic trials this winter. "Ill step into that role," Gregg said. "We have a lot of young guys coming up and Jeremy is also coming back to try and take it back from me so Ive got to fight him off as well. I love the competition. We have some really fast guys." Wotherspoon and Gregg are in-laws, as Gregg is married to Jeremys sister Danielle Wotherspoon. Speed Skating Canada will hold Olympic trials in late December and early January in Calgary, but some countries will choose their Olympic speedskaters based on their results at World Cups. Pechstein says shes qualified for her sixth Winter Games because of her victory in the 3,000. The 41-year-old wants a 10th Olympic medal in Sochi. Shes won five gold, two silver and a pair of bronze in an Olympic career that started in 1992 in Albertville, France. Pechstein did not race in Vancouver. The International Skating Union banned her for two years in 2009 based on irregularities in her blood, although she hadnt tested positive for illegal substances. The most successful German Olympian fought her sanction in both the Court of Arbitration for Sport and in Swiss federal court, but was not allowed to race in Vancouver. Pechstein was the 5,000 metre champion in 2002 and would have competed against Canadas Clara Hughes, the 2006 Olympic champion. Hughes won bronze in Vancouver. Pechstein resumed winning world championship medals in 2011 after serving her suspension. She is currently suing the ISU for loss of income. "When I get a victory, its good for me and I think the ISU doesnt like it," Pechstein said. "Its also good motivation for me. "For me, I can go so relaxed. I never used doping, never used any illegal things. This I know. This is a nice comeback with this today and last season and two years ago too. For me, I can stand up every morning and look in the mirror and Im clear. This is the important thing."
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