02:54 PM ET 05.24 | The Minnesota VIkings are entering an interesting period in terms of where the franchise is headed, but there's a massive, mulleted question mark standing in the way of fans fully embracing the change. Jared Allen told the Star Tribune earlier this week that he would leave the Vikings if they asked him to take a pay cut and he hasn't backed off that claim. In fact Allen is continuing to question his future with the Vikings and has said he's not sure if he'll be with the Vikings in 2014 after his contract expires. Allen is entitled to a decent chunk of coin for living through the terrible teams Minnesota has produced the last few years since 2009 but you can't complain about not having good talent and then lock the safe when it comes time to chip in and put your money where your mouth is. Vikings fans are growing increasingly displeased with Allen and this lashing out at the team he has been so much a part of is a really bad look for Allen -- worse than the mullet which is increasingly becoming uncool with each hostile remark he makes.

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04:16 PM ET 05.24 | Former defensive tech defensive tackle Delvon Simmons, who was a five-star prospect out of high school, visited Southern Cal last week and will be in Miami this weekend. Originally a North Carolina signee, former Red Raiders head coach Tommy Tuberville convinced Simmons to move to Lubbock as part of the Class of 2011. Tuberville, a defensive-minded coach, left Texas Tech for Cincinnati in December, and with Kliff Kingsbury, who is thoroughly focused on offense, running the show, Simmons decided to move on from Tech. He has two years of eligibility remaining and will have to sit out the 2013 season if he transfers to another FBS program.

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07:11 AM ET 05.24 | Good news, Cards fans -- well, better news, anyway. The pair of February news conferences took on a tone of solemnity and reflection as general manager John Mozeliak and, a week later, Chris Carpenter, painted a picture void of optimism. Carpenter refused to utter the "R" word, but the idea of career finality was certainly palpable as he spoke. ... A little more than three months later, Carpenter is now beginning to believe he can do even better than that. An April game of catch with his son started a comeback trail that, if finished, would be as remarkable as any in Carpenter's career. He has come back from injuries several times before, but he has never made a return as unexpected as this.

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02:54 PM ET 05.24 | The NBA Draft is a wide open race when it comes to who will be the No. 1 overall pick for the Cleveland Cavaliers when they go on the clock this year. Unlike years past, there isn't a clear cut prospect that stands out above the rest of the field, as Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving did the past two seasons. Right now most of the talk is centering on Kentucky center Nerlens Noel but the Cleveland Cavaliers are wisely avoiding locking him in as the pick and he may end up falling out of the top slot so many have him pegged in. Noel simply isn't the best fit for the Cavaliers system at the moment and they won't be adjusting it to fit him in. Yes, he's an extremely talented big that can come in and be a major defensive factor but the Cavs do not need another offensively challenged player in their frontcourt and they don't need to be spending No. 1 picks on them. What the Cavaliers need is not far from the top, but who would it be?

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02:54 PM ET 05.24 | When it comes down to why they're losing, look no further than captain Jonathan Toews, who is currently playing in a very un-captain-like manner at the moment. What the Red Wings have done is successfully gotten inside the head of the Blackhawks captain and it's showing during games. Toews is not only the captain of the Hawks, he's captain of cool and he's lost his more than once this series. That's the main reason the Blackhawks are in the funk they're in as Toews is setting the wrong tone for the team. Chicago should be cool and collected and they're coming out panicked and gasping for air which is a great way to lose a hockey game and end a season in the playoffs. If Chicago wants to get back into this series, they first need to allow Jonathan Toews to screw his head on right and kick the Red Wings out of the kitchen. Toews cannot be barking at the refs, hacking at the legs of Wings defenders or wasting his time sitting in the penalty box. Once Toews gets it together, the offense will start flowing again and things will get back to normal.

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03:17 PM ET 05.24 | UFC President Dana White addressed the media at Thursday's UFC 160 media day. Among a number of other topics, White addressed the issue of what's next for Vitor Belfort now that he's knocked out Luke Rockhold at UFC on FX 8. In particular, White answered the question of whether Belfort would be eligible to even fight in America given his use of testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) and past history testing positive in 2006 for elevated levels of testosterone. "Why wouldn't [the athletic commission] give him an exemption? That's up to them," White said. "The times he's done it, he's followed [the rules]. We're not keeping Vitor out of fighting anywhere. We've had Vitor fight in Brazil because Vitor sells out in Brazil," White claimed. "It's all a bunch of conspiracy f---ing crock of s--t, is what it is," he continued. "Whether it's reporters or fans or whatever that want to go after Vitor. Vitor's on TRT. Everybody knows it. I dislike TRT, and we are testing guys that are on TRT, to make sure they're within the limits and they're not cheating."

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05:07 PM ET 05.20 | Jennifer Johnson was able to pick up her first LPGA victory yesterday. Other than bogeys on the first two holes in the first two days, she played very steady golf. Jennifer Johnson came out of nowhere on Sunday, and picked up her first win on the tour. She fired a seven-under par 65 in the final round, and picked up a much-needed $180,000 for her effort. She had a problem with the par-four fifth hole during the weekend, but back-to-back 65s will most generally win you a golf tournament.

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06:20 PM ET 04.24 | NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Kurt Busch climbed into a ride of a different kind on Tuesday as part of a media event to promote the V8 Supercars Series race May 17-19 at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. As part of the promotion, Busch made a 20-minute run around the road course in a V8 Supercar, while Supercar driver James Courtney took Busch's No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet NASCAR Sprint Cup car for a spin. "It was sure a thrill to get into a car that I have watched and admired for many years during all those Supercar road races," Busch said. "It was also a little weird driving the Supercar and watching my car stretch its legs down the straightaway." Before getting into the Supercar, though, Busch acclimated himself with the track by driving his familiar ride, his Sprint Cup car. "I had a blast driving my car on the road course and even more of a blast in the V8 Supercar," Busch said. "The Circuit of The Americas is an awesome track with a lot of interesting and fun turns." When it came time to climb into the V8 Supercar, Busch had a few things to get used to. Opening a door to get into the car, as opposed to climbing in the window, was the easy part. Busch had to get used to a car with the steering wheel on the right side and the shifter to his left.

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07:57 AM ET 05.24 | This weekend's UEFA Champions League final will take place at Wembley Stadium with two German squads -- Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich. While the German clubs will face off in England, they could have the chance to play for the Champions League final in their home country a couple of years from now. It was just a year ago that Bayern competed for the title in Germany. This afternoon it was announced by UEFA that Berlin will host their first-ever Champions League final. The final will be held at Olympiastadion in 2015. German hosted the Champions League final in 2012 at Allianz Arena in Munich, when Chelsea took down Bayern Munich. It was the third time that Munich had hosted a final. Gelsenkirchen was the only other German city to host a final back in 2004.

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10:02 AM ET 05.23 | FOX Sports is trying to put together an impressive staff to fill up the shows on their 24/7 sports network FOX Sports 1, hoping to compete with ESPN, and on Wednesday we learned a big name that will be joining the network. According to a SportsIllustrated.com report, FOX Sports has agreed to hire former tennis star Andy Roddick as a co-host for the three-hour show FOX Sports Live. The show feature Roddick and Charissa Thompson, who will be leaving ESPN, as the co-hosts. Roddick's big personality could do well in the co-hosting gig, but it will be interesting to see if he has a wide grasp of sports.

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