Mats Zuccarello, Shootout Hero

A New York Rangers rookie has found the net more times in shootouts than during regular play.

Mats Zuccarello, the 5-foot-7 Norwegian who debuted for the Blueshirts less than two months ago, has three goals and 11 assists in 24 games. But in shootouts, he morphs into the second coming of Sidney Crosby. Or, more precisely, better than Crosby. Zuccarello is five for six in shootouts this season — and his lone miss came in a game two weeks ago in which New York and Pittsburgh were successful just once, combined, in seven rounds. Crosby, meanwhile, started the year on a torrid overall scoring pace but is one for four in shootouts (where he’s been stuck since being sidelined with a concussion last month, which also kept him out of that dud of a shootout against the Rangers). None of the top eight goal scorers this season has more than two shootout goals this season, and as a group they’ve combined to make nine of 39 shots. That’s even below the overall NHL shootout percentage of 31.8%.

What to Do With Miguel Cabrera?

Since he helped the Florida Marlins win the 2003 World Series as a 20-year-old slugging prodigy, Miguel Cabrera has been one of the most consistently brilliant hitters in baseball. In the seven full seasons since split between the Marlins and Detroit Tigers, Cabrera has posted a batting average above .320 five times, hit 33 or more homers six times and never driven in fewer than 103 runs.

But for all that consistency, Cabrera has also fallen well short of reliability off the field. In October 2009, Cabrera blew a 0.26 on a Breathalyzer and spent a night in jail after a spat with his wife at his home in Michigan. Cabrera apologized to his teammates and underwent counseling after that incident, then bounced back with a notably warmer disposition and one of the best seasons of his career in 2010. Late Wednesday night, Cabrera was arrested in Florida more than 100 miles from the Tigers’ spring training facility, on suspicion of driving under the influence and two counts of resisting an officer without violence. (Attempts to reach Cabrera through the Tigers were unsuccessful.)

Death by a Thousand Threes

In a mostly bitter season, the Cleveland Cavaliers tasted sweet revenge on Wednesday.

Barely a month after losing to the Los Angeles Lakers by 55 in L.A., Cleveland bounced back to beat the Lakers at home, 104-99. Just eight times in NBA history has a team lost by more points and gone on to beat the team that embarrassed it, according to STATS Inc. No team has lost by more and gotten revenge since a dreadful Philadelphia team in 1993 turned the tables on an equally horrid Sacramento team. These Cavs, like those 76ers, have the special honor of getting the last word on their Californian conquerors. Cleveland isn’t going to the playoffs, and has no more regular-season games scheduled against the Lakers, so L.A. won’t get a chance to avenge the revenge game.

NFL, Players Turn to Federal Mediator

A federal mediator will oversee negotiations between the National Football League and the NFL Players Association beginning Friday, renewing hope that a deal might be reached before the league’s current collective bargaining agreement expires March 4. NFL owners have threatened to lock the players out if no deal is reached by that date.

Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service Director George H. Cohen said in a statement Thursday that he had held discussions with each side and offered to try to mediate a settlement. His offer was accepted and talks will begin Friday in Washington, D.C.

Poison in Auburn’s Hallowed Ground

“Is that against the law to … poison a tree?”

“You think I care?”

And with that, the Auburn-Alabama rivalry was taken to a new level. On Jan. 27, a man identifying himself only as “Al from Dadeville” called the Paul Finebaum radio show and said that a week after the Iron Bowl, he had driven to Auburn and poisoned the trees at Toomer’s Corner—where Auburn fans routinely celebrate victories by toilet papering the 130-year old trees—with Spike 80DF, a herbicide that inhibits photosynthesis and is used mainly for clearing brush from fencerows.

Kobe Bryant’s Selective Passing

Kobe Bryant may not pass very often, as a couple of recent statistical analyses suggest. But when he does, he often chooses his passes wisely.

Bryant led all guards in a dubious distinction of proximity to a basketball black hole, in an analysis by Tom Ziller at SB Nation. That’s because the Lakers guard had both a high usage rate — meaning he uses many possessions, either with shots or turnovers — and a low assist rate, or assists per shot. “If any guard in the NBA is a black hole, it’s Kobe,” Ziller writes.

Late Arsenal Comeback Stuns Barcelona

• • 4:57 pm
  • Pregame

  Psychologists are just starting to understand the scope of flashbacks and how easily they can be triggered. What does this have to do with Champions League soccer, you ask? Well, about this time last year, Lionel Messi waltzed onto the pitch at Camp Nou and netted a phenomenal four goals. If ever an athletic event could cause those symptoms, that was it.

  This afternoon, Arsenal gets a chance at revenge as the two teams face off in the first leg of the knockout phase of UEFA's Champions League. Arsenal loyalists will argue their side was weakened in last year's defensive collapse, missing many of their usual attacking options like Samir Nasri and Cesc Fabregas. This time around, Arsenal will be playing at full strength.

  Unfortunately for the Gunners, so will Barcelona. The Catalans have been playing astonishingly good and consistent soccer this year, notching 20 victories out of 23 matches in La Liga. Over the weekend they picked up a blemish when held to a draw by Sporting Gijon. That result aside, expect Lionel Messi to work his magic yet again – in some fashion – since the Champions League is where the miniature Argentine seems to thrive most.

  Both teams play fluid, almost ballet-like soccer. We know Barcelona will come out charging for the valuable away goals. The unknown is whether Arsenal will sit in a holding pattern or risk being more aggressive.

  There is a touch of political drama in this game as well, involving Fabregas, Arsenal's captain. The Spaniard was draped in a Barcelona jersey after winning the World Cup last summer. And Barcelona made very public and very aggressive bids to bring the player back to his home. Arsenal refused Barcelona's advances for the star player, but Fabregas made several statements at the time hinting at his desire to play for Barcelona. When the deal fell through it was unclear if there was any residual fallout between the player and club.

Deadline Day for Pujols

Shortly after the Daily Fix goes live, clocks in the Eastern time zone will strike noon and the St. Louis Cardinals and first baseman Albert Pujols will or won’t strike a deal on a new contract. The early odds are against a deal being made by then, despite the fact that Wednesday’s deadline has already been pushed back, and despite the fact that the Cardinals clearly want to pay Pujols a lot of money, and that Pujols wants to be paid a lot of money. [UPDATE: Indeed, the deadline passed with no deal.]

In recent days, the sticking point has become the length of the contract – Pujols and agent Dan Lozano seek a 10-year deal on the order of the mammoth $275 million extension Alex Rodriguez signed with the Yankees three years ago. Such a contract would end when Pujols is 42 years old. The Cardinals reportedly countered with an eight-year deal worth in excess of $200 million. It’s all a recrimination-soaked mess, as these sorts of things tend to be. But the long story short, for Cardinals fans and everyone else, is that it’s likely Pujols won’t begin negotiating with the team again until after the World Series once today’s deadline passes. In numerous ways, though, this story is more complicated than a simple, ill-tempered race toward doomed deadline.

Westminster Dog Show Second-Night Diary

• • 10:13 pm
  • Jonah Keri

  Night 2 of the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show kicks off tonight at 8 p.m. ET (USA Network) with the Terrier, Sporting, and Working groups.
  
  Last night, a Scottish Deerhound named Hickory claimed the Hound Group; the great Bearded Collie, Mister Bagging, won the Herding Group; GCH Vaje’s Miss Jayne Hathaway won the Non-Sporting Group (the first time a Chinese Shar-Pei has claimed that prize; and Malachy, the crowd-pleasing Pekingese, nabbed top spot in the Toy Group.
  
  Several Terriers are considered among the favorites to not only win their group but also emerge as leading contenders for Best in Show -- led by the Smooth Fox Terrier, getting a 6-to-1 odds from the Wynn Las Vegas casino. But despite Terriers' historical dominance, trends have shifted in recent years, and Terriers are no longer anything close to a sure thing.
  
  Come follow along for three hours of ring strutting and "Best in Show" quotes, as the 135th annual Westminster extravaganza comes to a close.

Ray Allen Came by His Record Honestly

Ray Allen broke Reggie Miller’s NBA record for career three-pointers in the Celtics’ 92-86 loss to the Lakers last week. But Allen’s biggest competitor for best three-point shooter in league history is still firing away in Phoenix.

Allen has hit four more three-pointers than Miller, but done it in 47 fewer attempts. That’s significant because each attempted field goal represents a used possession, and therefore an opportunity cost. That possession might also have been spent on a two-point attempt, which has a higher chance of going in and also a better chance of drawing a foul and yielding a pair of free throws. So the best three-point shooters not only have hit a lot of them, but have hit them at a high percentage.