R.G.'s Weekly Sports ReCap: Saturday 2/22 - Friday 2/28

My 'notable' happenings and keynotes from this past week in the sports world:

 

NBA: Players of the Week (Monday 2/18 - Sunday 2/23)....Eastern Conference - G Kemba Walker, Charlotte Bobcats; Western Conference - F Kevin Love, Minnesota Timberwolves....35-year-old veteran center Jason Collins signed a 10-day contract with the Brooklyn Nets, and became the first-ever openly gay male athlete to compete in a pro game amongst the four major sports here in the States against the Lakers in Los Angeles on Sunday 2/23. The Nets will keep Collins for the remainder of the season, and his #98 jersey was the top-selling NBA jersey this past week....New Orleans Pelicans point guard Jrue Holiday will miss the rest of the season after having surgery for a stress fracture in his right tibia....Veteran forward Danny Granger was bought out by the Philadelphia 76ers after being traded by the Indiana Pacers, and is widely expected to sign on with the contending Los Angeles Clippers once he clears waivers.

MLB: Spring training exhibition games got underway for all teams....22-year-old All-Star Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim outfielder Mike Trout signed a one-year, $1M deal - the largest ever for a pre-arbitration player....The New York Yankees re-sign outfielder Brett Gardner to a four-year, $52M extension.

**The 2K14 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia came to a close with the host country winning 33 total medals (13 gold) - the most tallied by any nation. Team USA had a nice showing in Sochi, finishing runner-up in the medal count with 28. (9 gold)

Auto Racing: Dale Ernhardt, Jr. won the Daytona 500 championship for the second time of his career.

 

Pro Tennis: 29th-ranked Venus Williams defeated Frenchwoman Alize Cornet in straight sets to win the Dubai Championships - her first title in two years and the 45th singles championship of her illustrious career.

NFL: The Scouting Combine for the top draft prospects took place at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana....The Philadelphia Eagles re-signed three of their key cogs on offense - wide receiver Riley Cooper (five-years, $25M; $10M guaranteed), offensive tackle Jason Peters (four-years, $41.3M) and center Jason Kelce. (six-years, $37.5M; $13M guaranteed)

Men's College Basketball: (Associated Press top 10) - 1. Florida  2. Wichita State  3. Arizona  4. Syracuse  5. Kansas  6. Duke  7. Louisville  8. Villanova  9. Creighton  10. Saint Louis....Second-ranked Wichita State made history by becoming the first Divison I men's program to start a season 30-0 when they defeated Bradley 69-49.

Women's College Basketball: (Associated Press Top 10) - 1. U.Conn  2. Notre Dame  3. Louisville  4. South Carolina  5. Stanford  6. Baylor  7. Duke  8. Penn State  9. Maryland  10. Tennessee

NHL: The regular season resumed after 2 1/2-week Winter Olympic break. As of Friday 2/28, the Anaheim Ducks continue to pace atop the West standings with 89 points, while in the East, the Pittsburgh Penguins lead the pack with 84 total points.