All Madrid do is damage football, says ex-Barca president

Real Madrid are detrimental to football, according to former Barcelona president Joan Gaspart.

Gaspart was hitting back at claims that Barca have tried to bribe Granada players and officials ahead of their crucial La Liga clash on Sunday.

Barca travel to Granada on the final day of the season leading rivals Madrid in the standings by one point, meaning a win will confirm back-to-back titles for the Catalans.

Gaspart was furious with the claims and suggested Granada players should be offended they would even be made.

"The only thing Real Madrid do is harm football," the 71-year-old told Spanish newspaper Ara.

"If I was a Granada player I'd be offended, because it insinuates that I could be bought, it's an indecent campaign.

"I believe in football and its honesty. If such things are discovered, though - through secure investigations - then the clubs involved will have to be punished."

Gaspart - who is vice president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation - was also asked about a scandal in the 1990s involving Barca and Madrid.

Barca are alleged to have paid Tenerife €7million after they beat Madrid on the final day of the season to hand the club the title two seasons in a row.

"Whoever says that is a liar," he exclaimed.

"All Barcelona did was invite Tenerife to [pre-season trophy] the Gamper, not a euro was paid."

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All Madrid do is damage football, says ex-Barca president

Real Madrid are detrimental to football, according to former Barcelona president Joan Gaspart.

Gaspart was hitting back at claims that Barca have tried to bribe Granada players and officials ahead of their crucial La Liga clash on Sunday.

Barca travel to Granada on the final day of the season leading rivals Madrid in the standings by one point, meaning a win will confirm back-to-back titles for the Catalans.

Gaspart was furious with the claims and suggested Granada players should be offended they would even be made.

"The only thing Real Madrid do is harm football," the 71-year-old told Spanish newspaper Ara.

"If I was a Granada player I'd be offended, because it insinuates that I could be bought, it's an indecent campaign.

"I believe in football and its honesty. If such things are discovered, though - through secure investigations - then the clubs involved will have to be punished."

Gaspart - who is vice president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation - was also asked about a scandal in the 1990s involving Barca and Madrid.

Barca are alleged to have paid Tenerife €7million after they beat Madrid on the final day of the season to hand the club the title two seasons in a row.

"Whoever says that is a liar," he exclaimed.

"All Barcelona did was invite Tenerife to [pre-season trophy] the Gamper, not a euro was paid."

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'This is impossible:' New York man wins his 2nd $1M lottery

WEST BABYLON, N.Y. (AP) — A construction worker who won $1 million in a lottery scratch-off game four years ago has defied enormous odds by hitting a $1 million jackpot again.

But don't call him lucky.

After Bruce Magistro hit the jackpot the first time in 2012, his wife, Yvonne, lost a three-year battle with cancer. Much of the prize money went to pay for her medical bills.

"She passed away two years ago today," Magistro's son, Nick Mayers, said Wednesday. He said he was sure the second jackpot was her way of sending help back to the family.

"This is definitely a gift, from her to him," Mayers said.

State lottery officials introduced Magistro at a news conference at the Long Island gas station where he bought the second winning ticket April 11.

View galleryBruce Magistro talks to reporters and lottery representative …
Bruce Magistro talks to reporters and lottery representative Yolanda Vega, right, during a news conf …
Magistro said he plays the lottery every day and plunked down $20 at Mike's Super Citgo in West Babylon for a set of 10 Win for Life scratch-offs.

"This is impossible," Magistro said he thought as he scratched off a lottery ticket and realized he won $1 million. "I just couldn't believe I hit it two times."

He now plans to share his winnings with his three children and his fiancee.

Magistro won $1 million on a different lottery scratch-off game he played at the same gas station in 2012.

The latest win came the first time he had played the Win for Life game, which will pay him $1,000 each week — with a minimum of $1 million — for the rest of his life.

View galleryBruce Magistro holds up a check while talking to reporters …
Bruce Magistro holds up a check while talking to reporters about winning $1 million in the New York  …
Lottery representative Yolanda Vega, who had presented Magistro with a ceremonial check for his first win, said even then she felt he could win a second time.

"He was so positive and outgoing that I knew he'd win again," she said. "There was something about Bruce that I felt. There was this energy coming from his core."

State gaming officials said the odds Magistro beat to get the Win for Life grand prize were 1 in 7,745,600, and they were 1 in 2,520,000 when he won the Extreme Cash scratch-off in 2012.

But beating those kinds of odds twice aren't unheard of. A North Carolina woman with breast cancer won $1 million in a lottery game in February and then scored a $250,000 prize last month. In 2012, a man in suburban Chicago won $1 million from a "Merry Millionaire" scratch-off game after winning the same amount nine years earlier.

Magistro said he plans to use the money to pay his bills and go on a vacation, though he hasn't decided where just yet.

"Hopefully I'll win again," he joked. "Third time's a charm."

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Running back Derrick Henry already turning Titans' heads

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Veteran Tennessee Titans tight end Delanie Walker usually ignores rookies until they make the roster. Heisman Trophy winner Derrick Henry is proving to be the exception.

Tennessee's rookies reported for work Monday, and the 6-foot-3, 247-pound running back out of Alabama has been turning heads around the building. Walker said Henry may be the biggest running back he's ever seen.

''I have been sizing up Henry, man. He's a big dude ...,'' Walker said. ''He's a good dude. I'm just messing with him, giving him a hard time because I feel like he's going to be a monster for this team. I usually don't talk to the rookies until they make the team, but he's one of the guys I think can help this team out.''

Coach Mike Mularkey has made it very clear he wants the Titans to run the ball to help out Marcus Mariota, and general manager Jon Robinson has been busy this offseason trying to surround the quarterback with a better supporting cast going into his second NFL season.

DeMarco Murray, picked up in a trade with Philadelphia in March, is the Titans' starter at running back. Tennessee is hoping the veteran regains his form of 2014 when he led the NFL in rushing with 1,845 yards. The 6-foot Murray, who weighs 217 pounds, has averaged 4.6 yards per carry in his five seasons.

Then there's Henry, who gives Tennessee what Robinson called ''thunder and thunder.'' Henry followed Mariota as the Heisman winner after setting both Alabama and Southeastern Conference records with 2,219 yards rushing. He also set an SEC record with 28 touchdowns.

View galleryRunning back Derrick Henry already turning Titans' …
Tennessee Titans tight end Delanie Walker answers questions during a news conference Wednesday, May  …
If those numbers aren't impressive enough, the space Henry takes up simply walking down the hallway is eye-catching.

''Oh, he's a big dude,'' new cornerback Brice McCain said. ''Man, he's big, so straight ahead he's going to be a problem. ... He's a good addition to this team. I think he'll really help us out.''

Linebacker Kevin Dodd already got his own close look at Henry in the national championship game in January. Henry ran for 158 yards and three touchdowns in helping Alabama beat Dodd and Clemson for the national title. Dodd had three sacks himself in that game and wasn't sure how that might affect their relationship.

But Henry and Dodd have been working out together, and Dodd says they get along pretty well. He's glad Henry is his teammate now if only because he doesn't have to worry about trying to tackle the big running back.

''He is a big back and you have to wrap that man up by his legs to take him down,'' Dodd said. ''He is a really good back, and I am glad he's on my team.''

View galleryRunning back Derrick Henry already turning Titans' …
Tennessee Titans tight end Delanie Walker answers questions during a news conference Wednesday, May  …
Walker just signed a two-year extension after the best season of his career with 94 catches for 1,088 yards and six touchdowns. The veteran tight end also couldn't be happier with the additions to the offense, including wide receiver Rishard Matthews signed away from Miami, veteran center Ben Jones and the top draft pick offensive tackle Jack Conklin.

''That's why I'm excited,'' Walker said. ''People say, 'Oh you might not get as many catches as you did last year. I felt the total opposite. If our running game is big, I think I'll have more catches than I did last year.''

Notes: The Titans also agreed to terms Wednesday with sixth-round draft pick, offensive guard Sebastian Tretola of Arkansas. That puts seven of the Titans' 10 draft picks under contract, leaving only Dodd, right tackle Jack Conklin of Michigan State, and safety Kevin Byard unsigned.

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Running back Derrick Henry already turning Titans' heads

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Veteran Tennessee Titans tight end Delanie Walker usually ignores rookies until they make the roster. Heisman Trophy winner Derrick Henry is proving to be the exception.

Tennessee's rookies reported for work Monday, and the 6-foot-3, 247-pound running back out of Alabama has been turning heads around the building. Walker said Henry may be the biggest running back he's ever seen.

''I have been sizing up Henry, man. He's a big dude ...,'' Walker said. ''He's a good dude. I'm just messing with him, giving him a hard time because I feel like he's going to be a monster for this team. I usually don't talk to the rookies until they make the team, but he's one of the guys I think can help this team out.''

Coach Mike Mularkey has made it very clear he wants the Titans to run the ball to help out Marcus Mariota, and general manager Jon Robinson has been busy this offseason trying to surround the quarterback with a better supporting cast going into his second NFL season.

DeMarco Murray, picked up in a trade with Philadelphia in March, is the Titans' starter at running back. Tennessee is hoping the veteran regains his form of 2014 when he led the NFL in rushing with 1,845 yards. The 6-foot Murray, who weighs 217 pounds, has averaged 4.6 yards per carry in his five seasons.

Then there's Henry, who gives Tennessee what Robinson called ''thunder and thunder.'' Henry followed Mariota as the Heisman winner after setting both Alabama and Southeastern Conference records with 2,219 yards rushing. He also set an SEC record with 28 touchdowns.

View galleryRunning back Derrick Henry already turning Titans' …
Tennessee Titans tight end Delanie Walker answers questions during a news conference Wednesday, May  …
If those numbers aren't impressive enough, the space Henry takes up simply walking down the hallway is eye-catching.

''Oh, he's a big dude,'' new cornerback Brice McCain said. ''Man, he's big, so straight ahead he's going to be a problem. ... He's a good addition to this team. I think he'll really help us out.''

Linebacker Kevin Dodd already got his own close look at Henry in the national championship game in January. Henry ran for 158 yards and three touchdowns in helping Alabama beat Dodd and Clemson for the national title. Dodd had three sacks himself in that game and wasn't sure how that might affect their relationship.

But Henry and Dodd have been working out together, and Dodd says they get along pretty well. He's glad Henry is his teammate now if only because he doesn't have to worry about trying to tackle the big running back.

''He is a big back and you have to wrap that man up by his legs to take him down,'' Dodd said. ''He is a really good back, and I am glad he's on my team.''

View galleryRunning back Derrick Henry already turning Titans' …
Tennessee Titans tight end Delanie Walker answers questions during a news conference Wednesday, May  …
Walker just signed a two-year extension after the best season of his career with 94 catches for 1,088 yards and six touchdowns. The veteran tight end also couldn't be happier with the additions to the offense, including wide receiver Rishard Matthews signed away from Miami, veteran center Ben Jones and the top draft pick offensive tackle Jack Conklin.

''That's why I'm excited,'' Walker said. ''People say, 'Oh you might not get as many catches as you did last year. I felt the total opposite. If our running game is big, I think I'll have more catches than I did last year.''

Notes: The Titans also agreed to terms Wednesday with sixth-round draft pick, offensive guard Sebastian Tretola of Arkansas. That puts seven of the Titans' 10 draft picks under contract, leaving only Dodd, right tackle Jack Conklin of Michigan State, and safety Kevin Byard unsigned.

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'This is impossible:' New York man wins his 2nd $1M lottery

WEST BABYLON, N.Y. (AP) — A construction worker who won $1 million in a lottery scratch-off game four years ago has defied enormous odds by hitting a $1 million jackpot again.

But don't call him lucky.

After Bruce Magistro hit the jackpot the first time in 2012, his wife, Yvonne, lost a three-year battle with cancer. Much of the prize money went to pay for her medical bills.

"She passed away two years ago today," Magistro's son, Nick Mayers, said Wednesday. He said he was sure the second jackpot was her way of sending help back to the family.

"This is definitely a gift, from her to him," Mayers said.

State lottery officials introduced Magistro at a news conference at the Long Island gas station where he bought the second winning ticket April 11.

View galleryBruce Magistro talks to reporters and lottery representative …
Bruce Magistro talks to reporters and lottery representative Yolanda Vega, right, during a news conf …
Magistro said he plays the lottery every day and plunked down $20 at Mike's Super Citgo in West Babylon for a set of 10 Win for Life scratch-offs.

"This is impossible," Magistro said he thought as he scratched off a lottery ticket and realized he won $1 million. "I just couldn't believe I hit it two times."

He now plans to share his winnings with his three children and his fiancee.

Magistro won $1 million on a different lottery scratch-off game he played at the same gas station in 2012.

The latest win came the first time he had played the Win for Life game, which will pay him $1,000 each week — with a minimum of $1 million — for the rest of his life.

View galleryBruce Magistro holds up a check while talking to reporters …
Bruce Magistro holds up a check while talking to reporters about winning $1 million in the New York  …
Lottery representative Yolanda Vega, who had presented Magistro with a ceremonial check for his first win, said even then she felt he could win a second time.

"He was so positive and outgoing that I knew he'd win again," she said. "There was something about Bruce that I felt. There was this energy coming from his core."

State gaming officials said the odds Magistro beat to get the Win for Life grand prize were 1 in 7,745,600, and they were 1 in 2,520,000 when he won the Extreme Cash scratch-off in 2012.

But beating those kinds of odds twice aren't unheard of. A North Carolina woman with breast cancer won $1 million in a lottery game in February and then scored a $250,000 prize last month. In 2012, a man in suburban Chicago won $1 million from a "Merry Millionaire" scratch-off game after winning the same amount nine years earlier.

Magistro said he plans to use the money to pay his bills and go on a vacation, though he hasn't decided where just yet.

"Hopefully I'll win again," he joked. "Third time's a charm."

Continue Reading →

Running back Derrick Henry already turning Titans' heads

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Veteran Tennessee Titans tight end Delanie Walker usually ignores rookies until they make the roster. Heisman Trophy winner Derrick Henry is proving to be the exception.

Tennessee's rookies reported for work Monday, and the 6-foot-3, 247-pound running back out of Alabama has been turning heads around the building. Walker said Henry may be the biggest running back he's ever seen.

''I have been sizing up Henry, man. He's a big dude ...,'' Walker said. ''He's a good dude. I'm just messing with him, giving him a hard time because I feel like he's going to be a monster for this team. I usually don't talk to the rookies until they make the team, but he's one of the guys I think can help this team out.''

Coach Mike Mularkey has made it very clear he wants the Titans to run the ball to help out Marcus Mariota, and general manager Jon Robinson has been busy this offseason trying to surround the quarterback with a better supporting cast going into his second NFL season.

DeMarco Murray, picked up in a trade with Philadelphia in March, is the Titans' starter at running back. Tennessee is hoping the veteran regains his form of 2014 when he led the NFL in rushing with 1,845 yards. The 6-foot Murray, who weighs 217 pounds, has averaged 4.6 yards per carry in his five seasons.

Then there's Henry, who gives Tennessee what Robinson called ''thunder and thunder.'' Henry followed Mariota as the Heisman winner after setting both Alabama and Southeastern Conference records with 2,219 yards rushing. He also set an SEC record with 28 touchdowns.

View galleryRunning back Derrick Henry already turning Titans' …
Tennessee Titans tight end Delanie Walker answers questions during a news conference Wednesday, May  …
If those numbers aren't impressive enough, the space Henry takes up simply walking down the hallway is eye-catching.

''Oh, he's a big dude,'' new cornerback Brice McCain said. ''Man, he's big, so straight ahead he's going to be a problem. ... He's a good addition to this team. I think he'll really help us out.''

Linebacker Kevin Dodd already got his own close look at Henry in the national championship game in January. Henry ran for 158 yards and three touchdowns in helping Alabama beat Dodd and Clemson for the national title. Dodd had three sacks himself in that game and wasn't sure how that might affect their relationship.

But Henry and Dodd have been working out together, and Dodd says they get along pretty well. He's glad Henry is his teammate now if only because he doesn't have to worry about trying to tackle the big running back.

''He is a big back and you have to wrap that man up by his legs to take him down,'' Dodd said. ''He is a really good back, and I am glad he's on my team.''

View galleryRunning back Derrick Henry already turning Titans' …
Tennessee Titans tight end Delanie Walker answers questions during a news conference Wednesday, May  …
Walker just signed a two-year extension after the best season of his career with 94 catches for 1,088 yards and six touchdowns. The veteran tight end also couldn't be happier with the additions to the offense, including wide receiver Rishard Matthews signed away from Miami, veteran center Ben Jones and the top draft pick offensive tackle Jack Conklin.

''That's why I'm excited,'' Walker said. ''People say, 'Oh you might not get as many catches as you did last year. I felt the total opposite. If our running game is big, I think I'll have more catches than I did last year.''

Notes: The Titans also agreed to terms Wednesday with sixth-round draft pick, offensive guard Sebastian Tretola of Arkansas. That puts seven of the Titans' 10 draft picks under contract, leaving only Dodd, right tackle Jack Conklin of Michigan State, and safety Kevin Byard unsigned.

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