Willkommen » speed, Newtons goal as he prepares for this third NFL seaso

LOS ANGELES -- Candace Parker watched video of herself in every game the Sparks played against Minnesota this season.She didnt like what she saw.Parker brought a different mentality into Game 3 of the WNBA Finals, leading an aggressive charge from the opening tip in the Sparks 92-75 victory Friday night that put the franchise on the brink of its first championship since 2002.That was a product of me being non-existent in every game we played Minnesota this year, Parker said.She scored 24 points, Nneka Ogwumike added 21 and the Sparks took a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five series.Weve worked too hard to get to this point and just be there, Parker said. We had a game plan of just going to the basket and being aggressive.The Sparks can close out the Lynx with a victory in Game 4 on Sunday.Los Angeles built a 22-point advantage in the opening quarter when it shot 60 percent in the game played at Galen Center on the Southern California campus, down the street from their home court at Staples Center.Its all on the want to of Nneka Ogwumike and Candace Parker to start the game. Their want-to was on `10, Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said. Im not sure what we were expecting when we started the game but it wasnt that.Parker and Ogwumike were especially devastating in a 2 1/2-minute sequence in the first. They combined to score 12 straight points with Ogwumike hitting consecutive 3-pointers and Los Angeles taking a 21-6 lead.I didnt see it coming, a clearly peeved Reeve said. They won the persistency battle. We didnt rise to the occasion. We were soft, we were feeble.Rebekkah Brunson and Sylvia Fowles led Minnesota with 14 points each. Lindsay Whalen added 11, and Maya Moore had nine points and seven rebounds. The Lynx had 13 turnovers.Theyre extremely good converting those turnovers into points, Moore said. If you give that much of a lead to a great team, its going to be really hard to come back.The Lynx cut the deficit to 48-40 at halftime, outscoring the Sparks 10-0 to end the second.Youre not going to sustain that, Sparks coach Brian Agler said about his teams initial intensity, but I also think a lot of that had to do with Minnesota. They experimented there for a while and finally got a group that was working.It didnt last long.With their former and current league MVPs leading the way, the Sparks dominated inside. Parker and Ogwumike helped Los Angeles to a 52-32 advantage in the paint.Parker and Ogwumike had nine rebounds each, helping the Sparks to a 29-24 edge on the boards.Essence Carson added 16 points, and Alana Beard finished with 15 for Los Angeles.The Lynx made a run in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Sparks 11-2 to close to 81-71. Los Angeles answered with eight straight points to go up 89-71. Parker hit a layup and fed Ogwumike on a fast-break sandwiched around baskets by Beard.We just didnt have enough consecutive possessions on both sides of the ball to create enough of a run, Moore said.Minnesota is seeking its fourth title in six years. The Lynx evened the series with a 19-point victory in Game 2 on their home court.ALL-WNBALeague MVP Ogwumike was the only unanimous pick for the all-WNBA first team, receiving 39 first-place votes and 195 points from the media panel.New York center Tina Charles was second with 38 first-team votes and 193 points. Guards Maya Moore of Minnesota and Sue Bird of Seattle, and forward Elena Delle Donne completed the first team.Forwards Angel McCoughtry of Atlanta and Breanna Stewart of Seattle were selected to the second team along with guards Diana Taurasi of Phoenix and Jewell Loyd of Seattle, and center Fowles.PURPLE ONELynx F Natasha Howard scored six points, but made a bigger statement with footwear. She sported the purple symbol associated with the late singer Prince on her white shoes.McCARVILLE INJURYLynx F-C Janel McCarville hurt her back and didnt return.UP NEXTGame 4 is Sunday night at Staples Center.Thurman Thomas Bills Jersey .500 on the season. The Jets are now 0-5-1 in the second game of back-to-backs. The game started the same way the Vancouver game started the night before, with the Jets taking the first two penalties of the game and killing off the first, but the Oilers getting on the board first, scoring on the second man-advantage. Ed Oliver Womens Jersey . -- Ryan Getzlaf grabbed the three pucks wrapped in tape and held them up to his chest in the Anaheim Ducks dressing room for a celebration nine seasons in the making. http://www.authenticbillsfanaticfootball.com/authentic-bruce-smith-bills-jersey/ . -- Arizona raced out to a big lead and did not back off, hitting the accelerator instead. Doug Flutie Womens Jersey . Catch all the action on TSN2 at 11pm et/8pm pt. The nine-time Big 12 champion Jayhawks are positioning themselves for another title, as they have run out to a flawless 6-0 mark in conference play thus far. O. J. Simpson Jersey . Soukalova missed only one target and completed the 15-kilometre course in 40 minutes, 32.6 seconds for both victories in this seasons individual discipline. Darya Domracheva of Belarus was second, 34.CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Cam Newton isnt worried about whether hes the fastest quarterback in the NFL. His focus this year is on being smarter with the football. A smiling Newton wasnt about to disagree with Michael Vick, when asked about the Philadelphia quarterbacks comments Friday on The Dan Patrick Show that, even at age 32, hes still the fastest QB in the league. "I dont want to be the fastest quarterback; I want to be the guy that cant be caught," Newton said after Wednesdays practice. "If you get caught in the open field that means youre not doing something right and you will be talked about in the locker room." Newton doesnt feel like he belongs in the same category with burners like with Vick, Colin Kaepernick and Robert Griffin III, even after setting an NFL quarterback record with 14 rushing touchdowns as a rookie in 2012. Newton said Vick was probably just joking around, but added "I know hes unbelievably fast and I wont challenge him on that." Newton is pretty fast, too. He might be even faster this year after dropping a dozen pounds to get down to 243. Newton said it was something he wanted to do, but wouldnt say why. But more than proving he has great speed, Newtons goal as he prepares for this third NFL season is making more right decisions, and not forcing things or being "overly aggressive." Thats been a problem at times in the past that has led too often to fourth downs and punting situations. "I feel like I need to be more mature in plays, meaning that if its third-and-short, lets go get a first down," Newton said. "If a chunk play is called downfield, I have to be mindful to know that if its not there I have to take a check down. A second-and-7 or second-and-5 sounds a lot better than a second-and-10." Although the Panthers failed to make the playoffs in 2012 finishing 7-9, Newton said he learned a lot in his second season in Carolina and felt like he improved as the year went along. The numbers bear that out. Over the first seven games Newton had four touchdown passes and eight interceptions. In his final nine games he had 14 TDs and four picks, while his completion percentage and yards passing per game also improved. The Panthers finished the season on an uptick winning five of their laast six games, including their final four.dddddddddddd "I have to be smart and execute the offence and manage the football game," Newton said. Newton wont have as much to remember when he hits the huddle this season. Hell be working with a new offensive co-ordinator in Mike Shula, who was promoted from quarterbacks coach after Rob Chudzinski left to become the Cleveland Browns head coach. Newton said Shula has placed an emphasis this year on simplifying the verbiage in the playbook. But schematically Newton doesnt foresee many changes to Carolinas offensive approach. The Panthers finished in the top 10 in the league in offence in both of his seasons after finishing last in the league in 2011 under then-starting QB Jimmy Clausen. Yet, wins havent been there as often as hed like. After winning national championships at Blinn Junior College and Auburn in back-to-back seasons, Newton said he still detests losing more than he enjoys winning. "I hate the feeling of being defeated," he said. The Panthers are just 13-19 in his two seasons as a starter and havent been to the playoffs since 2008. Newton wants to change that. He stopped short of making any predictions for this year, but feels confident in an offence that has added wide receivers Domenik Hixon and Ted Ginn Jr. to the receiving corps to go along with starters Steve Smith and Brandon LaFell. The Panthers also boast a solid backfield that includes running backs DeAngelo Williams, Jonathan Stewart and Mike Tolbert. "This town, this city, this state has been dreaming for a winning season and as a player you owe that to the fans and you owe that to yourself," Newton said. Newton traded in his playbook for school books earlier this off-season. He spent a better portion of the spring at Auburn working on his degree in sociology. He said he still needs 15 more credit hours to graduate. He said Its important for him to have that degree because he talks so often to young students about the importance of staying in school. Newton said returning to Auburn was fun. But he said at times it was a distraction with students coming up to ask for autographs before and after class. Still, he said felt at home at Auburn. "I was welcomed me back with open arms," he said. ' ' '