iro Olympics. It was the most at a non-boycotted Olympics sin

In two games under new head coach Tom Thibodeau, the Minnesota Timberwolves held early double-digit leads only to watch those leads turn into losses.The first such instance came against the Memphis Grizzlies, who come to Target Center on Tuesday for Minnesotas home opener. The Timberwolves held an early 17-point lead in the first game of the season at Memphis. The Grizzlies, however, fought back to give David Fizdale his first NBA head coaching win.Minnesota also squandered a big lead Saturday in Sacramento, falling to the Kings after being up by 18 in the first half. Its been a bumpy start to the Thibodeau era as his young team figures out how to close out games.The third quarter was a problem, a big problem, Thibodeau told the Minneapolis Star Tribune after the loss to Sacramento. We have to get a lot tougher. Thats what I see.Memphis is 2-1 entering Tuesdays game, and its season-opening win over Minnesota was sparked by a 24-point effort from guard Mike Conley.After falling behind big early, Memphis outscored the young Wolves 52-39 in the second half to help Fizdale earn his first win.I was squirming on the inside, Fizdale told the Memphis Commercial Appeal. But I knew our team had big-time jitters. Our energy was really good.Now those same two teams face off for the second time in less than one week after also meeting in the preseason -- a matchup Minnesota won.Last weeks season opener came down to the final minute, with the Grizzlies making their free throws down the stretch to fend off the Timberwolves. Making shots from the free throw line is an issue for Minnesota in its first two games; the Wolves shot 69 percent at the line against Memphis and 71 percent in a three-point loss to Sacramento.Since that win over the Wolves, the Grizzlies lost to the Knicks on the road, 111-104, before beating the Wizards by nine at home. Conley was the steady hand in Memphis two wins. He scored a team-high 24 against Washington in the overtime win.That win came after Fizdale tweaked his starting lineup, giving James Ennis and Jarell Martin the start. That new look helped the Grizzlies get out to a fast start, something they didnt do in their previous two games.It remains to be seen which lineup Fizdale will go with against Minnesota on Tuesday.The Timberwolves, meanwhile, hope to have a large lead once again -- as long as theyre able to hold onto it for Thibodeaus first win in Minnesota.We lost two games already. We just try to win, Timberwolves fourth-year guard Zach LaVine told the Star Tribune. Thats all that matters to me right now. We invest a lot of stuff this summer to try and get better. The time is now. Pavel Datsyuk Red Wings Jersey . Instead of dwelling on the negative, Oates focused on what was good about the clubs recent play. It worked. Frans Nielsen Red Wings Jersey . -- The Bishops Gaiters are showing they belong among the countrys top varsity football teams. http://www.redwingshockeyauthentic.com/chris-chelios-jersey/ . Reassurance came from Paul Tesori, his caddie and close friend whose newborn son is in intensive care in a Florida hospital. "Paul sent me a text this morning, just told me he loved me and wanted to go out and fight as hard as I would any other day," Simpson said Sunday after doing just that. Tyler Bertuzzi Jersey . -- Catcher Brett Hayes has agreed to a $630,000, one-year contract with the Kansas City Royals, avoiding salary arbitration. Alex Delvecchio Jersey . SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. USA Track and Field has cut an eight-year deal for NBC to present the federations key events on its main broadcast network, cable and digital platforms.The deal is considered groundbreaking for Olympic sports, many of which pay the networks production costs in exchange for the air time.The arrangement greatly reduces USATFs costs, which have reached nearly $2 million a year, according to a person familiar with the negotiations. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because financial details of the agreement were not public.The agreement calls for at least 18 hours of live coverage of USATF events, including national championships and the Prefontaine Classic, with at least eight of those hours on NBC. These events are in addition to the 2020 and 2024 Olympic Trials and Olympics.This is the latest in a series of moves that have dramatically increased NBCs presence in presenting Olympic sports. In 2010, the last year NBC presented Olympic sports only on weekends and on its main broadcast channel, it televised about 75 hours of Olympic sports, not counting the Games and trials. In 2016, NBC will exceed 1,300 hours on all its platforms.NBC has the contract to televise the Olympic Games in the United States through 2032.USATF CEO Max Siegel announced the NBC contract at his State of the Sport speech Thursday evening duriing a meeting in Orlando, Florida.ddddddddddddThis years biggest highlight: The 32 medals the U.S. team won at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics. It was the most at a non-boycotted Olympics since 1932.On its Twitter feed, USATF said the federation provided more than $14 million in support to more than 700 elite athletes. From that amount, 28 athletes earned more than $100,000 and 111 athletes earned more than $38,000.Siegel also said the federation has brought in four new corporate partners in 2016 and 12 since 2013.I believe weve just scratched the surface as to where we can go, Siegel said during his presentation. We have grown equity in the sports marketplace.The new NBC contract also could free up money that could presumably trickle down to athletes.A big portion of the CEOs deal-making acumen will likely be determined over the long term, as the market determines whether Siegel made a good bet in 2014 when he signed a sponsorship contract with Nike that lasts through 2040 and is believed to be worth between $450 million and $500 million. Thats about four times annually what the USATF had been getting from Nike, though its hard to determine how those sponsorship deals might look in two decades. ' ' '