SAN FRANCISCO - A high school basketball tournament on the Northern California coast has become the latest flashpoint in the ongoing protests over police killings of unarmed black men after a school was disinvited because of concerns its players would wear T-shirts printed with the words I Cant Breathe during warmups.The athletic director at Fort Bragg High School informed his counterpart at Mendocino High School this week that neither the boys nor girls team would be allowed to participate in the three-day tournament hosted by Fort Bragg High starting Monday, Mendocino Unified School District Superintendent Jason Morse said.The boys were reinstated after all but one player agreed not to wear the shirts inspired by the last words of Eric Garner, the New York man who died after an officer put him in a chokehold, while on the Fort Bragg campus during the Vern Piver Holiday Classic tournament, Morse said. Too few girl players accepted the condition for the team to field a tournament squad, he said.Mendocino varsity teams first wore the I Cant Breathe T-shirts before a game with Fort Bragg on Dec. 16, according to the girls coach, Caedyn Feehan. The girls also wore them before games at two other tournaments and didnt receive any blowback, Feehan said.I didnt even know what it meant. I thought it was a joke about how I had conditioned them so hard, Feehan said. None of the administrators knew what it was or that any of them were doing it in advance. This was entirely for their cause that they had strong feelings about.Professional basketball players such as LeBron James, Derrick Rose and Kyrie Irving wore I Cant Breathe shirts during warmups this month without repercussions from the NBA. After Kobe Bryant and other Los Angeles Lakers players wore them before a game and on the bench on Dec. 9, coach Byron Scott said he viewed it as a matter of freedom of choice and freedom of speech.Thats how Marc Woods, whose 16-year-old son Connor plans to sit out the tournament, sees it. Connor wore the T-shirt at the Dec. 16 game in the name of team solidarity, but the shirt has now taken a constitutional angle, the father said.Marc Woods said he brought the issue to the American Civil Liberties Union, and hopes to hear back after the holidays. He referred to a 1969 U.S. Supreme Court ruling, Tinker v. Des Moines, which found high school students wearing black armbands to protest the Vietnam War were protected by the Free Speech Clause of the First Amendment.This is completely a First Amendment issue, Marc Woods said. Thats why Im offended.Bruce Triplett, the athletic director at Fort Bragg High, did not return a call and email seeking comment. Principal Rebecca Walker issued a written statement Friday saying school administrators respected the Mendocino teams for paying attention to what is going on in the world around them and that the T-shirts were being prohibited as a security precaution.To protect the safety and well-being of all tournament participants it is necessary to ensure that all political statements and or protests are kept away from this tournament, wrote Walker, who said she was speaking on behalf of the athletic director and the Fort Bragg school superintendent. We are a small school district that simply does not have the resources to ensure the safety and well-being of our staff, students and guests at the tournament should someone get upset and choose to act out.Marc Woods, whose father was a California Highway Patrol officer, said he is outraged by what he sees as using intimidation to silence players and fans. Fort Bragg administrators have warned spectators who plan to protest the T-shirt ban that they will be asked to leave, he said.It doesnt take a lot to suppress the exchange of ideas when you put fear into it, Marc Woods said.Both schools are located in Mendocino County, known for redwood forests, rugged coastline and marijuana-growing, located 120 miles north of San Francisco. The student bodies at the two schools are 1 per cent black and 50 per cent white and 41 per cent Hispanic at Fort Bragg, 75 per cent white and 9 per cent Hispanic at Mendocino._____Associated Press Fresno Correspondent Scott Smith contributed to this report. Rashaan Evans Jersey . They were expecting him there all along. The Pacers announced Friday night that George has been cleared "to return to normal basketball activity," a decision made three days after he was concussed in Game 2 of the Indiana-Miami series. Harold Landry Jersey . But sometimes the way you lose takes precedence over the final score. And how the Jets lost the 5-4 game to the New York Islanders on Thursday is what had Coach Claude Noel hot after the game. http://www.titansauthenticofficialonline...ker-jersey.html. -- The Denver Broncos retired John Elways No. Malcolm Butler Titans Jersey . Chris Heisey connected for his first grand slam and Devin Mesoraco homered and drove in a career high-tying four runs as Cincinnati took advantage of Tampa Bays depleted pitching staff for a 12-4 victory on Sunday. Blaine Gabbert Jersey . Interestingly, the culprits were not rookies, but well paid, experienced pros. The first gaffe came in the 24th minute of arguably the biggest early season MLS game in history between Seattle and Toronto. Sounder newcomer Marco Pappa, (with over 100 MLS games, and 39 Guatemalan Caps to his name) attempted a back pass to one of his central defenders.(SportsNetwork.com) - The second round of the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship begins this weekend at Kansas Speedway. The Nationwide Series is joining the Sprint Cup Series at Kansas. Formula One is in Suzuka, Japan for the Japanese Grand Prix. NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Hollywood Casino 400 - Kansas Speedway - Kansas City, Kansas The first race in the Contender Round -- the second round of the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship -- takes place on Sunday at Kansas Speedway, and each of the 12 drivers who remain in the Chase have their points total reset to 3,000. After last weekends race at Dover, A.J. Allmendinger, Kurt Busch, Greg Biffle and Aric Almirola were eliminated from the playoffs in NASCARs premier series. Those drivers who advanced from the opening round in the Chase, known as the Challenger Round, are: Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Matt Kenseth, Ryan Newman, Carl Edwards, Denny Hamlin and Kasey Kahne. The Contender Round includes the races at Kansas, Charlotte (Oct. 11) and Talladega (Oct. 19). After Talladega, the Chase field will be trimmed to eight drivers for the Eliminator Round, which has the events at Martinsville (Oct. 26), Texas (Nov. 2) and Phoenix (Nov. 9). The Nov. 16 season-finale at Homestead will feature just four drivers contending for the championship. The highest finishing driver among the final four in that race will win the title. If a driver currently in the Chase field wins at either Kansas, Charlotte or Talladega, that person will automatically advance to the Eliminator Round. The remaining available positions 1-8 that have not been filled based upon wins will be determined by points following Talladega. Talladega, the only restrictor-plate track in the Chase, is considered as a wild card race, but many drivers think of Kansas as a wild card event as well. Kansas, a 1.5-mile track, underwent a repave and had variable banking added in the turns in 2012. I think you look at this round, the Contender Round, with Kansas, and youve got Talladega at the end, Charlotte probably not so much, but two of the three races are as much of a wild card as you can get in NASCAR racing these days, Keselowski said. I think when we get all said and done, and it comes to Homestead and the championships crown, whoever wins it will have earned it. But one of the great teams that has a shot at winning this will probably be less at home after this series of events, because you dont control your destiny as much as you do the other races of the season. Keselowski concluded the Challenger Round as the points leader. He won the Chase-opener at Chicagoland and then finished seventh at New Hampshire and second at Dover. Logano, who is Keselowskis teammate at Team Penske, has done very well in the Chase as well. He won at New Hampshire and finished fourth at both Chicagoland and Dover. We have confidence in not just myself but the road crew, the pit crew, everyone is feeling good about what weve done, Logano said. Last week (at Dover), we didnt have the strongest car, but we were able to execute and get a nice, solid top-five out of it. Thats what we have to do the next round, get us some top-fives and get us into the next one. Hopefully, well get a win in these first two races and not have to worry about Talladega. Gordon claimed his fourth win of the season at Dover. His first victory in 2014 occurred in the spring race at Kansas. This is the fourth year that Kansas has hosted two Sprint Cup events in a season. No driver has yet to score a season-sweep here. We won at Kansas earlier this year, so were excited about this weekend, Gordon said. Wed like to get another win to go ahead and clinch a spot in the Eliminator Round, but if we dont solid finishes this weekend and at Charlotte hopefully put us in a good position before Talladega. Gordon leads all drivers with three victories at Kansas. He won the first two Cup races at this track (2001-02). Tony Stewart, Biffle, Johnson and Kenseth have two wins each at Kansas. Johnson is attempting to win his record-tying seventh championship in the series. He started the Chase with a 12th-place run at Chicagoland before finishing fifth at New Hampshire and third at Dover. Im ready to get going, Johnson said. These three tracks should be a lot of fun. We feel like we have a really good chance of winning at all three tracks, but the first two would make the experience of the third race of the Contender Round that much more enjoyable. Johnson has three wins this season but has not been to victory lane since June 15 at Michigan (14 races ago). Forty-three teams are on the entry list for the Hollywood Casino 400. Nationwide Series Kansas Lottery 300 - Kansas Speedway - Kansas City, Kansas Time is running out for Regan Smith to catch his JR Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott in the Nationwide Series championship point standings. With just five races remaining, Elliott, a rookie in the series this season, holds a 26-point lead over Smith. Nationwide is running at Kansas on Saturday and then Charlotte next week. The series will take a two-week break before the season concludes with Texas (Nov. 1), Phoenix (Nov. 8) and Homestead (Nov. 15). Four of the final five races will be contested on 1.5-mile racetracks, including Kansas.dddddddddddd On Friday, Smith confirmed that he has signed a one-year contract extension with JR Motorsports, a Nationwide team co-owned by Sprint Cup Series driver Dale Earnhardt Jr., his sister, Kelley Earnhardt Miller, and NASCAR team owner Rick Hendrick. Earnhardt had announced Smiths new agreement earlier this week on Twitter. @ReganSmith and @JRMotorsports just finished the paperwork that keeps him in the 7 car for 2015. Couldnt be more pleased about this, Earnhardt tweeted on Wednesday. Smith, the driver of the No. 7 Chevrolet, made his Nationwide debut with JRM in the 2012 season-finale at Homestead, a race in which he scored his first career victory in the series. Last year, Smith finished third in Nationwide points. He has scored one win and a series-best 24 top-10 finishes this season. Excited to be back, Smith said of his contract renewal with JRM. Ive been fortunate to have a great place to call home and a great place to race at with good people, good sponsors and fast race cars. As a driver, thats something you always look for and its important. You want to have an opportunity to go out there and showcase what you can do every week, and Im fortunate enough to have that. As bosses, Dale, Kelley and Mr. H. (Hendrick) have been absolutely amazing to me. Ive learned a lot over the past two years. And Im sure I will learn a lot more next year. One year ago at Kansas, Smith led a race-high 81 laps but ended up finishing third after he was on pit road just before a caution came out and had to rally late in the race. The season is really starting to wind down, and now is the time we have to be making gains in the points, he said. At this point, we have to be finishing better than our competition. There isnt any room left for mistakes or poor finishes. Elliott will compete in a NASCAR national touring series race at Kansas for the first time. Two of his three wins in Nationwide this season have occurred on a 1.5-mile track (Texas and Chicagoland). Forty-three teams are on the entry list for the Kansas Lottery 300. Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, Matt Kenseth, Matt Kenseth and Paul Menard are those Sprint Cup regulars scheduled to compete in this race. Kenseth is the race defending winner. FORMULA ONE Japanese Grand Prix - Suzuka Circuit - Suzuka City, Japan The 15th round on the 2014 Formula One calendar, the Japanese Grand Prix, is scheduled for Sunday, but it could be a rather wet and windy affair, thanks to Typhoon Phanfone. Heavy rain and strong winds associated with the typhoon is in the forecast for Suzuka on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Qualifying for the Japanese GP is scheduled for Saturday. The race at the 3.608-mile (5.807-kilometer), 18-turn Suzuka Circuit is 53 laps in distance. At this time, F1s governing body, the FIA, has no plans of canceling or changing the start time of the Japanese GP; however, the FIA will continue to monitor weather conditions in the area throughout the weekend. F1 is in Sochi, Russia next week for the inaugural running of the Russian Grand Prix. On Friday, Mercedes drivers and championship rivals Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg were once again the fastest in practice. Rosberg led the way in the opening session with a lap in 1 minute, 35.461 seconds, while Hamilton was just 0.151 seconds behind. In P2, Hamilton posted the quickest lap of the day in 1:35.078. Rosberg was second in 1:35.318. Qualifying is going to be very important, as it is quite difficult to overtake here (at Suzuka), Hamilton said. We dont know whats going to happen with the weather this weekend. Its such a challenging circuit, but we always come to the weekend prepared for everything. I just want to race. Hamilton currently holds a three-point lead over Rosberg in the world championship standings. Rosberg relinquished the top spot in the rankings after his retirement in the Sept. 21 Singapore GP. He experienced an electrical problem before the race started, and after completing just 13 laps, the issue had forced him out of the event. I had said before that Singapore was probably the toughest moment of my year so far, and looking back on it, I still think that is true, said Rosberg, who held a 22-point lead over Hamilton prior to Singapore. To have the chance for a top result basically taken away before you even reach the grid is hard to swallow, and of course, it was a lot of points lost in the championship battle. Hamilton started on the pole and won both the Italian Grand Prix (Sept. 7) and the Singapore GP. He scored a victory in the Japanese GP during his 2007 F1 rookie season, but that race was contested at Fuji Speedway. Suzuka is one of the races on the calendar that drivers love the most, and its arguably one of the greatest tracks in the world, Hamilton said. Theres so much history, and there have been so many defining moments there - like those unforgettable battles between Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost. Ive never won at this circuit and have only made the podium once, on my first visit way back in 2009. In last years race here, Hamilton, in his first season with Mercedes, started third but suffered a puncture in his right-rear tire on the first lap. It caused significant damage to his car, forcing him out of the race after seven laps. 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