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    Jonathan Wall

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    Jonathan Wall is a blogger for Yahoo! Sports.

    • High school football player with cerebral palsy fulfills lifelong dream

      Will Fahey spent the last six years on the bench for the Wellesley (Mass.) High wondering if he'd ever get the opportunity to take the field and fulfill a lifelong dream. On Saturday, that dream came true, after Fahey, who has cerebral palsy, suited up for the team and took the field for a play early in the first half.

      As the Wellesley Townsman reported, the strong bond between Fahey and the Wellesley High football team started six years ago when then starting quarterback Brendan Brooks, who was a family friend, invited Fahey to come watch the team play. But according to Fahey's mother, Liz, Will passed on the opportunity because it would've been tough to watch the game and not be able to play.

      Brooks, knowing how much Will loved football, wanted to find some way to get him involved so he felt like a part of the team. After talking it over with Wellesley's coach, the team offered Fahey the chance to sit on the sidelines for games. Since the offer was extended, he's been on the bench for almost every game over the past six years.

      "He became their 'superfan,'" Liz Fahey told the Wellesley Townsman. "He went to team dinners, the banquet, had a jacket...but Will wanted to be on the roster - he wanted to be a player. That was a struggle for him."

      While the chance to cheer the team on from the sidelines was nice, Will still had aspirations of suiting up for a game. Wellesley made his dream possible on Saturday during a game against Brookline (Mass.) High, as Fahey put on pads, helmet and a Wellesley jersey and took the field to a standing ovation from the fans in attendance.

      But Fahey's dream day wasn't done. Early in the first half, the team put Fahey in the game at running back, handed him the ball and watched as he ran to the sideline for a first down. It was a moment Fahey said he'll remember for the rest of his life.

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    • Johny Daly fined by European Tour for chucking putter into woods

      This photo sums up John Daly's week in Hong Kong. — Getty Images

      John Daly is good for at least one memorable on-course blowup per year. Last season, Daly stormed off the course at the Australian Masters after depositing every ball in his bag into the lake on the par-5 11th in a Tin Cup-esque moment that left one tournament saying, "I would say this is the last time we will see John Daly."

      Daly likely won't be barred from playing in Hong Kong after his most recent on-course blowup -- it was actually almost a year to the day of his meltdown in Australia -- but fans may want to keep their distance in the future.

      According to reports, Daly reportedly lost his cool after having his picture taken multiple times during the second rounds and hurled his putter into the woods. After hearing of the incident, officials fined Daly an undisclosed amount for the incident.

      Tournament director Michael Ericsson tried to justify the fine by telling reporters that, "Yes, the circumstances regarding crowd manners and behavior will be considered, but when it all boils

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    • Video: Long-drive champion Jamie Sadlowski breaks swing simulator on first shot

      Jamie Sadlowski will likely be invited back to Golf Channel's studios in the future, but there's a really good chance the network will shy away from letting the long-drive champ tee it up on the in-house golf simulator.

      Take a look as Gary Williams challenges Sadlowski -- who bombs the ball over 400 yards -- to a "friendly" long drive contest. No big deal, right? Well Sadlowski didn't even give Williams a chance to hit a single drive, after his one and only shot went through the screen. That's what you call insane ball speed, folks.

    • Blayne Barber picks up mini-tour win just eight days after Q-School DQ

      Blayne Barber / Getty Images

      Blayne Barber doesn't believe in karma. Whether you agree with him or not doesn't really matter. What does matter, however, is that this wonderful, crazy game we call golf has been known to produce storybook finishes on the heels of gut-wrenching defeats.

      Case in point: Blayne Barber's decision to DQ himself from Q-School six days after he advanced to the second stage. After spending nearly a week contemplating a questionable rules decision, the former Auburn Tiger decided he was the in wrong and needed to submit the disqualification so he could go to sleep with a clear conscience.

      It was a huge blow to Barber's chances of making the PGA Tour -- especially with the tour going to a new Q-School format starting next year. But just eight days after the incident, Barber appears to be back on track, after he picked up his fourth win in six tournaments on the NGA Hooters Tour.

      Sure, it's only a mini-tour win, but considering everything Barber's been through over the last week, recording

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    • EA Sports puts Arnold Palmer on the cover of Tiger Woods 14 video game

      Arnold Palmer joins Tiger Woods on the cover of his golf video game. -- EA Sports

      Have you ever wondered how Arnold Palmer, in the prime of his career, of course, would've stacked up against Tiger Woods or Rory McIlroy? Well, EA Sports is giving you the opportunity to find out in the latest edition of Tiger Woods PGA Tour 14.

      EA Sports announced on Thursday that Palmer would join Woods on the cover of the upcoming game. However, that wasn't the best news from the announcement.

      The best news of all is that you'll be able to take Palmer and his incredible talent and see how he stacks up against the best players in the game on a virtual course. Sure, it's not exactly the same thing as seeing golf titans on the actual course, but it's the closet thing you'll get to a match between all-time greats. Give EA Sports credit for coming up with the idea.

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    • Denver Broncos LB Von Miller donates brand new helmets to his alma mater

      If you've ever had the pleasure of meeting Von Miller or listening to him speak off the field, you'd have known the Denver Broncos linebacker is one of the good guys. The former Texas A&M (and DeSoto (Texas) High) football player may play with a mean streak on the field, but off it, he's quite possibly one of the nicest around -- a humble guy who gives back to his community whenever he can.

      DeSoto's new helmets, compliments of former alum Von Miller. — RIddell

      With concussions on the rise in prep football, Miller figured it made sense to ensure DeSoto (Texas) High, his alma mater, had one of the safest helmets on the market for the season. So he teamed up with Riddell to donate brand new Riddell 360 helmets to the entire squad.

      "I wanted [DeSoto] to have the same protection I got, the Riddell helmet" Miller said in a video message to the team. "I got a couple coming out to you all. You can thank the guys at Riddell."

      Von Miller talking to DeSoto football players before the unveiling. — Riddell

      Miller was unable to make it back for the unveiling, but his parents were there on his behalf for the extremely generous donation. As you can see from the video, the players enjoyed trying on the new helmets, which happen to be the exact same version Miller uses every Sunday when he's on the field playing for the Broncos.

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    • Devil Ball Proving Ground: Bushnell Tour Z6 Rangefinder

      Bushnell Tour Z6 — BushnellWelcome to Devil Ball's Proving Ground, where we put the latest golf gear through its paces. Today, we take Bushnell's compact Tour Z6 rangefinder for a spin around the course.

      Tester — Jonathan Wall — Handicap: 2.1

      Target Golf Audience — All players

      Initial thoughts

      Like the Pro1M -- which we reviewed earlier this year -- the Tour Z6 has a number of great features that are worth pointing out. For one, there's the great white/black color scheme that gives this rangefinder a classy look. Obviously, having a pretty rangefinder won't help you play better, but it's nice to see Bushnell maintaing the black/white/red look from the Pro1M on down to the slimmer Z6.

      As far as features are concerned, here's a look at what you get with the Z6:

      • Tour Certified
      • PinSeeker Technology to zero in on the flag
      • Up to 1/2 yard accuracy
      • 5 yards-1,300 yards ranging performance (450+ yards to a flag)
      • Vivid Display Technology (VDT) for all lighting conditions
      • E.S.P. (Extreme. Speed. Precision.)
      • 6x Magnification (objects appear 6x closer)
      • Premium lens coatings for superb optical quality
      • Adjustable diopter setting
      • Rubber armored metal housing
      • Posi-Thread™ Battery Door
      • Waterproof (IPX7) and RainGuard HD lens coating
      • 3-Volt Battery and Premium Carry Case are also included
      • 2 Year Warranty

      If you're wondering why I'm listing every feature, it's because I want you to notice that with the exception of getting an extra 100 yards to the flag, the Pro1M and Tour Z6 are almost identical in the almost every way.

      Why is this important? I think some people would probably look at the Tour Z6 and automatically assume that just because it's smaller it likely doesn't have the same technology (especially since it comes with a cheaper price tag).

      Wrong. Unless you need that additional "x" in magnification (7x vs. 6x), there's no reason why you can't pick up the Z6 and feel confident it'll give you the right yardage the first time you hit the target.

      The slimmed-down look allows this rangerfinder to fit easily in your hand and fire. Now here's the one drawback to the Tour Z6. If you're the guy who enjoys shooting with the rangefinder in the horizontal position, the Tour Z6 may not be for you. Unlike the Pro1M, which allows you to shoot vertically or horizontally, the Tour Z6 only shoots from a vertical position.

      On-course thoughts

      I rarely take a golf cart when I go out and play, so the Tour Z6 was a nice change from the bulkier Pro1M, which used to hang on my bag and bounce around. With the Z6, it's compact enough to put in my pocket if I'm walking up to a shot with a couple clubs. I never felt like I had to keep a hand free just for the rangefinder.

      Another nice addition? How about the addition of a decimal point when you get close to the flag. Sure, most of us likely couldn't tell the difference between 121 yards and 121.4 yards, but it's nice to know Bushnell is trying its best to give golfers the most accurate rangefinder on the market.

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    • Florida hoops stars throw throws down two highlight-reel dunks in one game

      The first game of the high school basketball season is usually reserved for knocking the offseason rust off and getting acclimated to playing against someone other than the guys on your own team.

      But for Arlington Country Day (Fla.) forward Dante Buford, his first game of the season wasn't about getting back to full speed. Nope, his first game was all about putting on an impressive show for the fans that showed up for Arlington Country Day's season opener against Faith Baptist Christian (Fla.).

      Normally one highlight-reel dunk per game is enough to get you noticed. Buford, however, prefers his in pairs, after he pulled off two of the best dunks of the early season with a reverse alley-oop and an eye-popping windmill putback that looked like something you'd see in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest.

      The 6-foot-6 junior clearly has some impressive hops, and based on the way he's been playing over the last couple of seasons, it's no surprise that N.C. State, South Carolina, Clemson, Illinois and Virginia Commonwealth are chasing his signature.

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    • Video: Rickie Fowler joins other Red Bull athletes for an insane video

      There was a board game I absolutely loved to play when I was a kid called "Mouse Trap." If you don't know the game, the goal was to build this incredible Rube Goldberg-esque contraption before trapping your opponent's mouse in the trap.

      I'm not sure if the folks at Red Bull played the game growing up, but this right here, friends, is a real life Rub Goldberg machine that happens to have some of the best athletes in the world playing the role of the kicking shoe or the metal ball.

      Rickie Fowler plays a role in the video, holing out a chip shot. But honestly, the shot pales in comparison to some of the stunts guys like Danny MacAskill pull off.

      Normally I'd jump ahead to the Fowler shot and tell you that's the best part, but seriously, do yourself a favor and watch the entire thing. You'll be glad you did.

    • Chasing the card: Charlie Beljan, Tim Herron retain PGA Tour cards for 2013

      Charlie Beljan / Getty ImagesThe 2012 PGA Tour season is in the books, and for a number of players, Sunday's final round was likely one of the most nerve-wracking of their career.

      For players inside the top 125 on the PGA Tour money list, last week was all about playing well enough to cash a check that allowed you to retain your card.

      A select few managed to do just that, going from a potential Web.com schedule to another year of multi-million-dollar purses with four brilliant rounds of golf.

      For others ... well, Sunday will likely turn into a day they'll want to forget. Here's a look a who did (and didn't do) enough to retain their PGA Tour card for 2013.

      Who's in

      Charlie Beljan (Started week at No. 139): Beljan was the clear winner this week. The rookie not only secured his first win at the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals Classic, he also moved up a whopping 76 spots on the PGA Tour's money list. Here's hoping a two-year exemption puts an end to the panic attacks.

      Tim Herron (No. 136): If you want to know what staying inside the top 125 means to every player on the PGA Tour, take a look at how Tim Herron -- a former PGA Tour winner no less -- reacted to making double-bogey on the 17th to finish the tournament at 11-under. After his leaving his putt short on the last hole, Herron kicked his bag ... and then walked on it.

      Herron, who weighs 250 pounds and goes by the nickname "Lumpy," said after his round: "Usually when I walk on something, it breaks." Thankfully, Herron's clubs, and full-time status, remained intact after the round. He finished the year No. 124 on the money list and will be around for another season.

      Kevin Chappell (No. 123): Ladies and gentleman, Mr. 125! Chappell finished T-34 but had to wait and see if a couple other players would knock him from the coveted spot.

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