Scouts drooling over raw, superathletic star

Is the answer to the NFL's present trend of run-option quarterbacks a guy with almost no football past?

That is the daunting question revolving around BYU defensive lineman Ezekial "Ziggy" Ansah. In so many ways, Ansah is the latest version of Jason Pierre-Paul, a tall, fast and uber-athletic defensive end who didn't have much experience with the game. The difference is that Ansah not only has even less football experience than Pierre-Paul, but also Ansah has less experience with this country and its growing fascination with the game.

Ezekiel Ansah has the size and speed NFL teams crave. (Getty Images)"It is crazy, to go from where I was a year ago to how much people are paying attention to me," Ansah said in his slightly halting English that reverberates through his kettle-drum voice. Ansah is viewed much like Pierre-Paul in 2010, a mid-first-round pick (Pierre, from South Florida, went No. 15 overall to the New York Giants) with high upside and lots of risk.

To hear Senior Bowl Executive Director and former longtime NFL scout and executive Phil Savage talk about Ansah, the top 10 appears to be a sure thing heading into the NFL Scouting Combine, which starts this week in Indianapolis.

"I'm thinking that maybe even the top five with the way that teams are so desperate to adjust what they're doing for all these read-option quarterbacks," said Savage, who watched Ansah take over the Senior Bowl last month as if he were already a level better than the competition. "You're going to need guys on the defensive line who can chase those guys down. Ansah is that guy."

Ansah finished the Senior Bowl with seven tackles, including 3 ½ for losses (1 ½ were sacks), and forced a fumble from Syracuse quarterback Ryan Nassib. Savage and many other observers said he was clearly the best player in the game.

Katherine Webb's weird pic with NBA legend

Following the All-Star weekend, just about all of the NBA's news-makers and news-gatherers are in transit, taking advantage of the lone day off between now and the end of the regular season. Because of that, and because we've already gone over some the league's bigger storylines in 3300-word detail, we now present to you a picture of Basketball Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar posing with Katherine Webb (whom you might know from Brent Musberger's leering portrayal of her over a month ago), while Kareem wears a Darth Vader mask:

(Courtesy twitter.com/kaj33)

College player gives up football game for love

(USA Today Sports Images)On this Valentine's Day, the Cleveland Plain Dealer delivered a touching story of true, unconditional love.

'Blade Runner' arrested in fatal shooting

Oscar Pistorius, the South African double amputee "Blade Runner" who inspired the world by competing as a sprinter in the London Olympics, is under police custody Thursday after allegedly shooting and killing his girlfriend, who he may have mistaken for an intruder, according to the South African news agency News24.

Oscar Pistorius competed in the London Olympics and Paralympics. (Reuters)A Pretoria police captain confirmed to News24 that the woman, Pistorius’ girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, was shot in both the head and arm and died at the scene. It is believed four shots were fired, and police say a 9mm pistol was recovered from the home in the suburban Silverwoods Country Estate's area of Pretoria, the nation’s capital.

Pistorius was brought into custody soon after for additional questioning over the circumstances of the death. He is expected to appear in Pretoria Magistrate court on Thursday according to News24.
Additional details were not immediately available.
Pistorius, 26, was born without fibula in both legs, yet was determined to lead a normal life despite having his legs amputated below the knee.

Monster blizzard blasts into the Northeast

Residents across the Northeastern U.S. are bracing this weekend for what forecasters are calling adangerous and potentially historic snowstorm . The blizzard, which the Weather Channel has dubbed "Nemo," is expected to dump 10 to 15 inches of snow in New York City and two to three feet in Boston.

Yahoo News is tracking the storm with live updates from our reporters, editors and readers. Please join the conversation with details and photos from your neighborhood. We will also be publishing select tweets from forecasters, elected officials, storm chasers and first responders.

Critical problem for Iditarod dogsled race

As mushers prepare for the Iditarod, Alaska's world-famous,1,000-plus-mile dogsled race, they are finding that one key ingredient is missing: snow.

In Fairbanks, Alaska, where many mushers train, the snowpack is 21 percent of average, and a number of Iditarod qualifying races have been postponed, rerouted, or canceled due to a lack of snow, according to The New York Times.

"It's raining and not snowing," musher Luan Marques told the Times during a training run that involved avoiding puddles on the trail. "That's not good."

Player who inspired famous character dies

The classic baseball film "A League of Their Own" immortalized the life of Lavonne "Pepper" Paire-Davis, though you might not have made the connection at first. Paire-Davis, the inspiration for the character played by Geena Davis, died Saturday of natural causes at age 88.

AC Milan 2-1 Udinese: Balloteli's 2 changes League Table's trendings

Mario Balotelli scored twice on his debut to edge AC Milan to a 2-1 victory over Udinese at San Siro in Saturday's Serie A encounter.

All eyes were set firmly on the 20 million pound signing from Manchester City, who was thrust into the starting lineup at the last possible moment. He broke the deadlock with a close range volley to mark a dominant first half for the Rossoneri. 

Rule change: MLB bans annoying move

(AP)Like a professional wrestler hitting his opponent with brass knuckles behind the referee‘s back, the surest way to draw an angry reaction from baseball fans is to break out the old fake-to-third, throw-to-first pickoff move.

Of course, the difference is the pitcher’s intent isn’t to draw a reaction from the crowd. Often times there is real sound strategy involved, whether it's attempting to dupe a base runner into making a mistake, a hitter into showing his hand too early, or even just buying some extra time to collect his thoughts or allow a reliever to warm up.

It really has served a purpose other than to annoy. But I guess that doesn’t change the fact the play rarely worked — you can count the successful attempts every season on one hand — and often killed the flow of

Baseball legend Stan Musial Dies at 92

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- No last name necessary.

A slew of batting titles. Corkscrew stance. Humble. A gentleman. All-around good guy.

Stan the Man.

Stanley Frank Musial, the St. Louis Cardinals star who was one of the greatest players in the history of baseball, died Saturday. He was 92.

''I never heard anybody say a bad word about him - ever,'' Willie Mays said in a statement released by the Hall of Fame.

Is this the greatest basketball shot ever?

I'm not sure who this kid is or what team he plays for, or even whether this is real, but if it is, this might be the greatest shot in the history of basketball.

Last week, we featured an Indiana high school sophomore's amazing no-look 3-pointer while saving the

Marley's grandson skilled in another way

For Nico Marley, his last name brings two very different set of expectations. On one hand, he is the grandson of Bob Marley, reggae’s greatest legend. On the other he is the son of Rohan Marley, a former star linebacker at the University of Miami during one of the Hurricanes’ past glory periods.

For the youngest of the three Marleys, there is little doubt about where he gets his guidance. He is his father’s son, with even more leadership qualities.

“He’s really impressive. When I see him, I see myself as a better player. He plays like I played in college. He’s everywhere,” Rohan Marley told the Miami Herald. “I remember when he was a little boy in Jamaica and I was still training, playing football in the [Canadian Football League] I took him to the beach with me when he was 2. I ran full speed down the beach holding his hand. He ran with me all the way. That’s when I knew he was a tough boy.”

Cypress Bay senior Nico Marley — Rivals.com

It turns out that Nico Marley has developed into something more than a tough boy. At an undersized 5-foot-7 and 182 pounds, Marley eventually committed to play linebacker at Tulane after failing to receive a scholarship offer from Miami or any other Florida Division I school. Tulane was also seen as an ideal fit for the linebacker because of his outstanding academic track record; he is on pace to graduate from Weston (Fla.) Cypress Bay High with a 3.75 GPA.

Still, Marley is driven mostly by an insatiable desire to achieve on the field. He concluded his career at Cypress Bay as a three-year starter and the team leader in tackles during all three of his seasons with a

Louis Smith Gymnast Fashion Labels Hope

Picture credit: Rex Features

OLYMPIC gymnast Louis Smith wants to launch a fashion line.
"I have a lot of clothes in my head that I'd like to wear, but that I don't see out there; so I'm really interested about trying to get into fashion and perhaps starting my own range," he said.
He isn't the only British Olympian with design aspirations - Jessica Ennis revealed her hopes to collaborate

MLB team to release controversial new hat

The Braves' new batting practice cap for 2013 (Uni Watch)

Paul Lukas of Uni Watch has an exclusive look at all 30 new batting practice caps for 2013. It's more or

NBA teammates' ugly Christmas sweaters

Blake Griffin and Chris Paul dabble in ironic clothing (via @MadelynBurke).

With the possible exception of Independence Day, Christmas has the most celebration-specific clothing of any holiday. There are Santa-themed pants, shorts, and the sort of sexy outfits usually only seen on Halloween.
However, the Christmas sweater is the king of them all. During the holiday season, you're likely to see someone in a goofy jumper depicting reindeer, snowflakes, Santa, the Baby Jesus, or snowmen. It is a tradition of the holiday, just like eating figgy pudding, trimming the tree, and arguing with your extended family.
[Related: Lakers starting to find form with Christmas victory over Knicks]
On Tuesday, the Los Angeles Clippers celebrated their high-profile home game against the Denver Nuggets by breaking out their finest Yuletide sweaters. Above, check out stars Chris Paul and Blake Griffin at their postgame press conference. After the jump, take a look at more photos of those players and their teammates (all via @MadelynBurke).
Ronny Turiaf expresses joy on all days, not just Christmas (via @MadelynBurke).
Reserve center Ronny Turiaf came strong with a sweater full of Christmas mascots, including trees and even hearts. Given the bears near the bottom, I assume it's a vintage Polo Ralph Lauren number. Who knew Turiaf was a 'Lo Head?