Classic. He was in town for the start of ooff-season workout

Sao Paulo, Brazil - The World Cup kicks off in style today as host nation Brazil battles Croatia in the opening match of Group A play at the Arena de Sao Paulo. Follow all the action live on TSN Radio 1050 in Toronto, 690 in Montreal, 1260 in Edmonton and on TEAM 1410 beginning at 4pm et/1pm pt. As the host country, the pressure is squarely on the shoulder of the Brazilian squad to make good on their status as pre-tournament favorites and win their sixth World Cup title. The key for Brazil will be how manager Luiz Felipe Scolari does with keeping his young team on an even keel in front of their home crowd. Leading the star-studded Brazilian team is 22-year-old Neymar, who figures to be one of the faces of the tournament. The Barcelona man is viewed as the future of the Brazilian national team, and he made quite an introduction for himself at last summers Confederations Cup, scoring four goals in the tournament and helping Brazil to a 3-0 win over Spain in the final, which earned him recognition as the best player in the competition. Experienced players such as Ronaldinho, Kaka and Robinho were left off the Confederations Cup roster, and were replaced by youngsters Fred and Hulk, who will help Neymar with the scoring onus. Scolari has a plethora of options in midfield with creative players like Chelsea trio Ramires, Oscar and Willian, while Inter Milans Hernanes is another offensive option. Defensively, experienced goalkeeper Julio Cesar will anchor a group that includes David Luiz, Thiago Silva and Dante as options in the middle, while full backs Dani Alves and Marcelo give the team plenty going forward in two- way roles. Croatia, meanwhile, returns to the worlds biggest footballing stage after missing the 2010 event in South Africa. Croatian head coach Niko Kovac is armed with a talented roster that certainly has a fighting chance to reach the knockout stage, despite a difficult draw. Kovacs club is led by a strong midfield which contains Real Madrids Luka Modric and Sevillas Ivan Rakitic. The former Tottenham man, Modric, will be responsible for generating offense from his midfield position and feeding the ball forward to players like Mario Mandzukic and Ivica Olic. The presence of Rakitic will help Modric in the middle of the field, while both Mandzukic and Olic will be responsible for putting away the chances. Olic will have to carry the offensive load against Brazil, however, as Mandzukic will be unavailable after he was sent off in the clubs qualifying victory over Iceland. Croatia will have one big miss in midfield as Niko Kranjcar will not feature in the tournament due to a hamstring injury. Kranjcar has totaled 16 goals in 81 international appearances, and his experience will be missed in a midfield short on depth. Captain Darijo Srna anchors the back line with considerable international experience, having been capped 110 times for his country. Hell need to keep his defenders organized and clam on the ball against the likes of Brazil and Mexico if the side is to reach the knockout round for the first time since 1998. Brazil hosted the World Cup once before, in 1950, and that team was also expected to hoist the trophy, but were upset by Uruguay in the final. That defeat is still talked about in Brazil today, so the current team will aim to make sure they get off to a winning start. Chris Webber Jersey . Not to be outdone, Atletico Madrid bettered its title rivals by demolishing 10-man Getafe 7-0 with Diego Costa returning from injury to score with a brilliant bicycle kick. "It was an almost perfect night," Atletico coach Diego Simeone said. Nemanja Bjelica Jersey . PETERSBURG, Fla. http://www.nbakingsonline.com/Authentic-Mike-Bibby-Kings-Jersey/ . The Boston Celtics hadnt played since the All-Star break. So the Suns 100-94 victory over Boston Wednesday night was an uphill affair, with Phoenix relying on balance rather than its trademark high energy. Bogdan Bogdanovic Kings Jersey .Inter Milan and Napoli also advanced to ensure there will be at least three Italian clubs in the last 32 of Europes secondary competition.Spurs victory, secured by Benjamin Stamboulis 49th-minute winner, was overshadowed by a succession of pitch invasions that forced the referee to halt the game after 41 minutes. Peja Stojakovic Jersey . The light-heavyweight champion and number one ranked pound-for-pound fighter in the world is on an 11-fight UFC winning streak, the longest in the history of the weight class.AVONDALE, La. - The New Orleans Saints have not decided whether to exercise a 2015 team option on running back Mark Ingrams contract, coach Sean Payton said Wednesday. New Orleans already has exercised a similar option on defensive end Cameron Jordan worth $6.97 million in base salary. The club has until May 3 to do so for Ingram, who like Jordan was a 2011 first-round draft choice. The 2009 Heisman Trophy winner said this week he isnt sure what New Orleans will do. "Weve got time to do all of that. So theres nothing weve decided permanently," Payton said before teeing off at the pro-am for the PGA Tours Zurich Classic. "I know we made the transaction with Cam. But its pretty common with the new CBA at least to have that flexibility." Hampered by a toe injury that caused him to sit out five games, Ingram rushed for 386 yards and one touchdown last season, averaging 4.9 yards per carry. His best performance came against Dallas, which he rushed for 145 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed for 97 yards and a score in a playoff victory at Philadelphia. Ingram also participated in several events surrounding the Zurich Classic. He was in town for the start of ooff-season workouts at Saints headquarters.dddddddddddd. So far, star tight end Jimmy Graham has skipped those workouts while his agent, Jimmy Sexton, and the Saints continue protracted negotiations over a long-term extension. "I think its pretty normal," Payton said. The Saints have virtually locked Graham in for 2014 by placing a franchise tag worth $7.04 million on the 6-foot-7 tight end. However, Graham is seeking a long-term extension with pay commensurate to that of a top-tier receiver. Last season, Graham led New Orleans in yards receiving with 1,215 and in touchdown catches with 16. In 2012, quarterback Drew Brees held out until reaching a five-year, $100 million deal in early July, just weeks before training camp. Saints general manager Mickey Loomis said during LSUs pro day this month that it would not be unreasonable to expect negotiations with Graham to follow a similar timeline, and that there is no immediate deadline. "All of us would rather have things done sooner than later, but it doesnt always happen that way," Loomis said then. "Obviously we want to have Jimmy Graham on our team when training camp begins." ' ' '