(Getty)

NASCAR CEO Brian France met with the media on Saturday morning at Charlotte Motor Speedway and was asked if NASCAR had learned anything in the wake of the discussion surrounding the sanctioning body's decision to fine Denny Hamlin after the Phoenix race.

As you have undoubtedly read numerous times before, Hamlin said "I don't want to be the pessimist, but it did not race as good as our Generation 5 cars."

"This is more like what the Generation 5 was at the beginning," he continued. "The teams hadn't figured out how to get the aero balance right. Right now, you just run single-file and you cannot get around the guy in front of you. You would have placed me in 20th-place with 30 (laps) to go, I would have stayed there — I wouldn't have moved up. It's just one of those things where track position is everything."

(Getty)Hamlin, who is on the pole for Sunday night's race, was fined $25,000 days later, as NASCAR said his comments denigrated the racing product. Did NASCAR learn anything from the

A wild Friday night in Major League Baseball wouldn’t have been complete without an appearance from Heath Bell. Right on cue, the newly anointed Arizona Diamondbacks closer delivered a moment that managed to stand out amongst the weirdness as he finished out his old team, the San Diego Padres.

Naturally, the play happened in the ninth inning. With one out, Padres outfielder Will Venable dragged a bunt that slowly bounced into no man’s land between the pitcher’s mound, first base, and the second baseman’s position. You know what that play usually looks like. Three fielders converging on the ball looking like they’ve never prepared for the scenario a single time in their professional career.

Sometimes you’ll see a second baseman bail the team out with a nifty glove flip (only if the first baseman reads it correctly). Other times you’ll see the pitcher scoop it up and run to the bag himself. But most of the time it’s a frustrating base hit.

I’m not completely sure what Heath Bell was trying to do on his attempt to field the ball from his pitching position. Maybe he initially thought he’d scoop it up and somehow win the footrace with the speedy Venable. If so, he was sadly mistaken, because the result was an awkward and fruitless belly flop dive that we’re surprised didn’t knock the wind out of him.

A long, long time ago, in the halcyon days of 2010 (when the planet Jupiter was destroyed due to international tensions, according to the film, 2010, which I assume is a historical documentary), the Boston Bruins took a commanding 3-0 series lead over the Philadelphia Flyers in Round 2 of the NHL playoffs.

But then they lost Game 4. And Game 5. Game 6? Oh, you'd better believe they lost it.

And then, just when the Bruins thought they couldn't lose any more games, they remembered there was a Game 7 -- but by then it was too late, and they had lost it. With that, the Bruins became just the third team to drop a series after winning the first three games.

You probably remember this story, either because it was just three years ago or because it's been coming up a lot this week, what with Boston having taken another commanding 3-0 series lead, this time over the New York Rangers, and then losing Game 4.

Frankly, with 2010 in mind, losing this series seems even more impossible now. These collapses happen about once every 30 years. I think of it like being hit by lightning or bird poop. It's unlikely to happen a first time, let alone a second time so soon after, at that. Once you've been struck, be it by bird excrement or a massive electrical discharge from the sky, that has to be it, no? Consider yourself scratched off the universe's hit list.

But on the other hand, as unlikely as it is to happen, this one time, it happened. And now, every time the Bruins take a 3-0 series lead, they'll be haunted by the ghosts of 2010, at least in media reports, until they close this thing out.

Considering the Rangers are the ones with their backs against the wall, you'd have to think they're going to be the more motivated team in Game 5, and Game 6, if it comes to that. But the Bruins have only to look to 2010 for extra motivation, and really, they don't have to look at all, since reporters will bring 2010 to them. The longer they let the Rangers hang around in this series, the longer they'll have to hear about that unfortunate event.

The Stanley Cup is motivation enough, of course, but if they need any more, it's this: a loss in Game 5 means two extra days and perhaps more, of talking about a moment they'd rather not relive.

Want everyone to shut up about it? Win on Saturday.

Will Smith and his son Jaden are in London to promote their new film (and hold a mini Fresh Prince reunion), and their trip happens to coincide with the city hosting this year's Champions League final between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund. So before the match, the Smiths stopped by the UEFA Champions Festival on the International Quarter to attempt a few penalty kicks against former Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar.

After a big stretch, Will stepped up to the spot first. He took a smooth run up, a big kick and then weakly scuffed the ball to the top corner of the miniature penalty box. A penalty so bad that the cameraman couldn't even keep it in frame. The crowd laughed and Smith had Van der Sar get rid of the offending ball.

Jaden was up and he was able to score, in part because his father physically restrained Van der Sar. Sadly, DJ Jazzy Jeff and Alfonso Ribeiro (who was also there) did not take penalty kicks of their own.

With three days off between games, Mike Conley should be limber (Getty Images)

The Memphis Grizzlies don’t lack for direction. They’re not adrift, attempting to figure out a way to keep up with a San Antonio Spurs team that boasted the best record in the Western Conference. After two games in San Antonio, including a close Game 2 overtime defeat, the Grizzlies are rightfully and (to some) expectedly down 0-2.

The team could stand to streamline things, though, against an impressive Spurs outfit that is championship-worthy but still quite beatable. And while most might look toward former All-Star forward Zach Randolph’s return to form as the quickest way between overcoming a tough deficit and creating a best of three series following the team’s return to Memphis, there’s another potential shaker that could put this team over the top. He’s actually been that guy for years, if you think about it, and he answers to the name “Mike Conley.” Unless his dad is in the room.

[Related: Memphis guard Tony Allen fined $5K under flopping guidelines]

(Ed. Note: As the Stanley Cup Playoffs continue, we're bound to lose some friends along the journey. We've asked for these losers, gone but not forgotten, to be eulogized by the people who knew the teams best: The bloggers who hated them the most. Here’s Andrew Berkshire of Habs Eyes On The Prize and Mike Obrand. Again, this was not written by us. Also: This is a roast and you will be offended by it, so don't take it so seriously.)

By Andrew Berkshire and Mike Obrand

Hello and welcome as we bid adieu to the most blissfully unaware and naval-gazing organization in pro sports, the 2012-13 Ottawa Shenatorsh.

The reaction around most of the NHL when the news came out that the Sens were eliminated was a mildly confused “There’s a team in Ottawa?”

Yes, my friends, there is a team there, although Canada’s Phoenix Coyotes aren’t really located in Ottawa, they play in Kanata, which is actually quite far away from Ottawa.

When awarded an expansion NHL franchise on Dec. 6, 1990, the Senators faced an extreme uphill battle to create a fanbase in an area dominated by both Leafs and Habs fans. 20 years after their first NHL season in 1992-93, Ottawa remains a city dominated by Habs and Leafs fans. Perhaps that’s why the franchise and fanbase has such a hilarious inferiority complex.

To make matters worse for the desperately reaching fanbase, the Senators have completely failed to create a team identity outside of being generally boring to watch for their entire history. This is especially troublesome when their division has four other teams with strong identities.

The Montreal Canadiens: Small and skilled

The Boston Bruins: Big and physical

The Toronto Maple Leafs: Terrible at hockey

The Buffalo Sabres: Annoying cheap shot artists

The Senators had an opportunity to give themselves an identity early on in their history, with five straight top-three picks, which netted them the most hated player in franchise history, the most well-known bust in NHL history, another huge bust with a mullet, a player who’s best known for having his eye carved out by another Ottawa Senator, and Chris Phillips.

Not exactly a glorious start to a franchise, and probably why one of the most notable players in the team’s history is Chris Neil.

Flying J (USAT)

One unavoidable fact about middle infield this year: it's not deep for fantasy purposes. The fears of the preseason appear justified at the quarter pole.

The prices that follow below are how I'd attack this area (2B/SS) if redrafting right now. The games played to this point are an audition, not a ranking mandate. Expect to disagree with a lot of stuff, that's why we have a game. You know the preamble by now.

We'll use a 5x5 scoring assumption, as most reasonable people do. Don't worry about prices in a vacuum: what matters is how the players relate to one another. Assume similar-ranked commodities are equal.

I'll add comments later in the day and perhaps move a few ranks around. Share your suggestions in the comments but remember the golden rule: no one gains (or loses) 15-20 percent of bonus value simply because you roster them.

The wind can do some tricky things with a baseball when it decides to gust at just the right (or wrong) time. For a good example, check out this crazy play in Friday night's Phillies-Nationals game at Nationals Park in Washington.

It happened in the fifth inning with Adam LaRoche at the plate. LaRoche absolutely crushed the ball to straightaway center field, but the strong breeze ended up catching it and pushing it more towards right center. This wreaked all sorts of havoc for Phillies center fielder Ben Revere, who ended up overcompensating towards right and overrunning the ball. He then leaped awkwardly and watched as it hit three feet to his left.

Here's how Revere himself described the play courtesy of MLB.com's Todd Zolecki:

"It tipped my glove," Revere said. "Because I was playing a couple steps in, the ball kind of got ahead of me. I'm pretty sure I make that play next time. I thought because the wind was blowing to right, that ball kind of went backward."

All things considered, Revere didn't miss making the play by a whole lot. However, the same can't be said for Nationals play-by-play man Bob Carpenter, who mistakenly went into his home run call before quickly realizing the ball was still in play.