said. "Josh throws the ball good. Hes been a quality pitch

Washington, DC (SportsNetwork.com) - San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich is well known to rest his aging players without consideration of the strength of his opponent or the size of the stage. So when the Spurs visited the White House on Monday to celebrate last years NBA title, President Barack Obama couldnt help opening with a joke. I was considering having the vice president cover these remarks so I could stay fresh for the State of the Union, Obama said to laughter. But I decided I actually wanted to meet them. Said Popovich later: What I want to remind the president about, if I might, with all due respect -- when I sit stars, I get fined. He doesnt. Obama poked fun at Popovichs reputation for being curt with the press, saying, I want the coach to know that he is not contractually obligated to take questions after the first quarter of my remarks. The president, a famous fan of the Chicago Bulls, said its never easy celebrating another team at the White House, but admitted its hard to dislike the Spurs. He poked fun of their age, singling out star Tim Duncans graying hair and saying theres a reason why the uniform is black and silver, and he praised their roster, calling them the U.N. of basketball teams. Obama said the Spurs -- who have won five titles in the past 16 years, all under Popovich -- always find a way to put together the best teams, finding players from all over the globe. They want everybody on the court, he said. They think everybody has worth. They find folks who didnt have a chance someplace else and suddenly they figure out a way to make them shine as part of a team. And in that sense, theyre a great metaphor for what America should be all about. The Spurs posed for pictures with the president and gave him a No. 1 jersey with POTUS (President of the United States) written on the back. They are in town to play the Wizards on Tuesday. Mahmoud Dahoud Jersey . Behind the talents of rookie Johnny Gaudreau, the Flames will look to keep pace Thursday night when they face the Minnesota Wild in the second of a six-game homestand. Borussia Dortmund Jerseys . Wayne and Cindy Tuck of Ilderton, Ont., closed out round-robin play earlier in the day with a 7-3 win over Finland but needed a win over Austria to reach the final eight. http://www.footballdortmundpro.com/Kids-Paco-Alcacer-Jersey/ . "I had a pretty good year," the soft-spoken Granberg told TSN.ca with a grin from the teams annual rookie tournament in London. A fourth-round selection in 2010, Granberg is worth keeping an eye on with NHL training camps rolling around in less than a week. The six-foot-two, 200-pound defender may not possess the wow-inspiring theatrics of fellow prospect Morgan Rielly, but nonetheless has a chance to contribute with the Leafs when all is said and done this season. Jacob Bruun Larsen Jersey .com) - Oregon wasnt going to let Arizona ruin its national title dreams for a second straight season. Achraf Hakimi Jersey . The Nuggets leading scorer, Lawson is characterized as day to day by the team. Hes averaging 17.9 points and 8.9 assists. Lawson suffered the injury late in Denvers win Sunday at Sacramento.GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Josh Beckett said he will be ready for the start of the Dodgers season after having a rib removed last July in a surgery to alleviate a nerve condition that was affecting his right arm "I dont have numbness and tingling, anymore," Beckett said Monday. No doubts, either. The right-hander is expected to battle newly acquired Paul Maholm for the fifth spot in the Dodgers starting rotation this spring. Beckett, the fifth starter before last years mid-season surgery, breezed through his first bullpen session Monday in Arizona. He threw 30 pitches with no sign of trouble. "Im not tentative," said Beckett, who reported to camp a day late so he could attend a wedding. "Im going to throw as hard as I can and see what happens. Right now, I feel great. Ill throw the ball until I blow out and Im hoping thats not for a few more years." The Dodgers signing of Maholm on Saturday is considered a hedge against the possibility of further injury to Beckett, a three-time All-Star whom the Dodgers acquired from Boston along with Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford and Nick Punto in a 2012 trade. "Josh is doing really well, but hes coming off tough surgery and theres not a lot of history with that surgery, so well see where things go," Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said. Beckett underwent the same surgical procedure that former St. Louis Cardinals ace Chris Carpenter underwent in July 2012. Carpenter went on to pitch in six more games in 2012 -- three in the regular season and three in the playoffs. But Carpenter did not pitch in 2013. He announced his retirement in November. Beckett said he has spoken to Carpenter. He said he was told Carpenters nerve condition was more severe than his own. Beckett also said the surgery was more complicated. Dr. Greg Pearl of Dallas performed both procedures. Carpenters experience and advice helped, he said. "It got me through the mental part," said Beckett, who was 0-5 with a 5.19 ERA when he landed on the disabled list on May 14. Neck problems and numbnness in his right hand had troubled Beckett for the last few years.dddddddddddd It got to the point where he learned how to drive with only his left hand. There were times, he said, when he couldnt feel the steering wheel with his right. "Its crazy how simple things become difficult to do," he said. The surgery, which also includes removal of some connective tissue, alleviated pressure on a nerve in his neck, he said. He never felt any pain. But there were moments when he had no control of his pitches. "I didnt know if I was going to throw it over the backstop," he said. "I had no idea where it was going to go." Beckett arrived in camp with his confidence bolstered by three workouts during the last couple of weeks in Texas. He threw off a mound twice, on Jan. 31 and again on Feb 3. Cold weather forced him inside on Feb. 6 where he threw 38 pitches off a flat surface. Beckett has no illusions about the competition he faces in camp. "Its just if hes healthy," Mattingly said. "Josh throws the ball good. Hes been a quality pitcher for a long time and he still has good stuff. How he bounces back, well see. Weve had nothing but positive reports all winter. Josh has never been in the bullpen. Obviously, its a competitive situation. Were not handing anything out for anybody. If hes healthy, well see." Beckett expects to have more time to prepare than the Dodgers calendar might indicate. They break camp in Arizona after a March 16 game and travel to Australia for a pair of regular-season games in Sydney against the Arizona Diamondbacks on March 22 and 23. "Im probably not going to start opening day in Australia," Beckett said. "Theyre paying a guy a lot of money to do that. Not all of us are getting ready for those days. Some of us have a little more time than it appears we do." NOTES: Outfielder Yasiel Puig is already in camp. Mattingly might open the season with the versatile Puig at the top of the Dodgers batting order. .The rest of the team is scheduled to report on Thursday. ' ' '