alf his age, got her a job on the staff and gave

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Mike Miller had several teams interested in his 3-point shooting as a possible missing link for a long playoff run. It didnt take him long to figure out where he wanted to be: Memphis. The sharp-shooting Miller said Tuesday that the Grizzlies are "right there" when it comes to winning a championship with what he calls the NBAs two best big men in Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph, an underrated point guard in Mike Conley and a lockdown defender in Tony Allen. So one of Millers first calls after the Miami Heat decided to amnesty him was to the Grizzlies chief executive officer Jason Levien. Miller said the two had same idea, "It was a perfect fit and how can we make this work to get back here." The two got it done. The Grizzlies announced Tuesday morning that they had signed the best 3-point shooter in franchise history as part of their efforts to improve a team coming off its first Western Conference final. Memphis did not disclose details of the contract. Miller was introduced at a midday news conference at the FedExForum, where Miller drew applause from backers as he walked out with new head coach Dave Joerger and a standing ovation after the event. "We are extraordinarily pleased to welcome Mike Miller back to Memphis," Levien said in a statement announcing the signing. "Mike is a special figure in our community both on and off the court. Mike is an elite 3-point shooter, as Grizzlies fans know firsthand, and we expect his shooting, play-making, hustle and leadership to be a key component in our team competing with the best in the NBA next season." Miller still holds eight franchise records with the Grizzlies, including 3-point shooting percentage and the most 3s made and attempted. He spent parts of six seasons with the Grizzlies from 2003 through 2008. He helped the Heat win the past two NBA titles, and has shot 41 per cent from 3-point range in his 13 NBA seasons. He will collect more than $12 million in salary from the Heat over the next two seasons. For Miller, money was a consideration along with the opportunity to return to a familiar place with the added bonus of trying put the Grizzlies into the NBA Finals. "We missed yall," Miller told fans at the news conference. "I am so happy to be back. Ten years ago, when I came here, me and my family fell in love with this community and these people. ... You guys made the decision real easy to come back here." In his previous tenure with the Grizzlies, Miller averaged 14.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists. He shot 47.7 per cent from the field, including 41.5 per cent from outside the arc. The 6-foot-8 guard, will be entering his 14th season after being selected out of Florida by Orlando with the fifth overall pick in the 2000 draft. He earned Rookie of the Year honours in his first season with the Magic and also was voted Sixth Man of the Year while with the Grizzlies. The theme of Tuesdays announcement was steps to a championship -- a different approach from Millers first stop in Memphis where the goal was simply to make the playoffs. Miller was part of those Grizzlies teams that set the NBA record for most playoff games lost at 12 straight. Miller now knows what it takes to make the Finals and win a title. "The difference between making the playoffs and making the Western Conference finals and making the Finals is a huge step," Miller said. "For this team to make that step ... is big. The next step is even harder, and its got to be commitment." The Grizzlies took nothing for granted pursuing Miller. Levien said he was willing to throw in "the kitchen sink" to secure him. Joerger even went to South Dakota where Miller was attending a charity event. Levien said he told Joerger "dont come back until you bring Mike with you." Joerger said Miller provides not only leadership, but the ability to stretch the floor with his long-range shooting. That should loosen up the inside for the Grizzlies low post tandem of Randolph and Gasol. "Maybe for other teams in the NBA, hes a hired gun," Joerger said. "For us, hes not a hired gun. Hes a part of the fabric of our organization for a long time. Hes part of the community for a long, long time, and it runs a lot deeper than standing out there making some 3-point shots." Miller, who has a history of back problems, said he feels better now than he has in years. He went through last season with no problems at all, and will do whatever necessary to help the team win "whether its to fill up (Joergers) glass of water or make shots." "After being a part of a championship team and seeing how hard it is to win, it takes all of that," Miller said. Miller held up his Grizzlies jersey without a number. He wore 33 when he was in Memphis before, but Gasol -- the defensive player of the year -- will be keeping that number. Miller said Gasol is too good to give up a number, and buying it from Gasol doesnt seem to be an option either. "I cant afford Marcs number," Miller said.Cheap Basketball Shoes China . Ouellette, from Montreal, already has three Olympic gold medals since joining the team in 1999. Cheap Basketball Shoes Free Shipping .Y. - Rob Manfred was promoted Monday to Major League Baseballs chief operating officer, which may make him a candidate to succeed Bud Selig as commissioner. http://www.wholesalebasketballshoes.us/ . Klitschkos management company says the bout will be the Ukrainian fighters 25th world championship fight. The 1.83-meter (6-foot) Leapai defeated the previously unbeaten Denis Boytsov in November to become the WBOs mandatory challenger. Wholesale Basketball Shoes . Brad Jacobs and his Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., team took control of the game early. Cheap Basketball Shoes Online .com) - The Montreal Canadiens embark on their first road trip of the season as they head out west to battle the Calgary Flames on Wednesday night.Bobby Petrino is supposedly a changed man.Sorry, not buying it.There are too many selfish missteps along the way to suddenly believe Petrino wont be thinking about himself -- and only himself -- the next time he reaches an ethical fork in the road.Rest assured, theres always a next time with this guy.During his first tenure at Louisville, he was constantly on the prowl for better jobs even while insisting how happy he was. Then he bailed on the Atlanta Falcons with three games to go in his lone season with the NFL team. Finally, he hired his mistress over better-qualified applicants at Arkansas, and then tried to cover up his horrific lapses in judgment after an infamous motorcycle crash.As with most people who arent bothered by their conscience, and taking advantage of a college athletics system thats always willing to sell its soul in pursuit of a championship, Petrino managed to slither his way back into the national spotlight with a Louisville redux.The Cardinals surged to No. 3 in the national rankings with a 63-20 drubbing of powerhouse Florida State a couple of weeks ago, and now theyre heading into a Saturday night showdown with fifth-ranked Clemson.Not surprisingly, Petrinos enablers insist hes finally learned from all his mistakes.History says otherwise.And theres a LOT of history.Lets go back to 2003, when a private jet landed at a small airport near Louisville, and Petrino climbed aboard to secretly interview for a head coaching job at Auburn that didnt actually exist, because the Tigers already had a coach. He didnt bother giving his employers the courtesy of a heads-up to his wandering eye, and didnt seem the least bit concerned that Auburn officials hadnt bothered to go through proper protocols, either.With Petrino, its always about me, me, me.When the sordid affair came to light, the coach and his Auburn suiters were forced to abandon their clandestine courtship. Well let Petrinos own words take it from here: Im going to stay here at the University of Louisville. Its the place I want to be and the job I want.Yeah, right.Petrino kept right on winning -- lets face it, the guy is a hell of a coach -- which led to an annual flirtation with better, higher-paying jobs. Louisville kept bending over backward to keep him happy and finally doled out a 10-year, $25.6 million contract in the summer of 2006. Again, well let Petrino speak for himself: This is where my family wants to be and where I want to be.Exactly 178 days later, Petrino left for the Falcons.He quickly made an impression on his new team -- and not the kind most people would want. He imposed absurd rules on his players, such as ordering ggrown men not to talk on flights or at team meals.dddddddddddd He treated other team employees with disdain, not even bothering to speak to them when they passed in the hall.Jimmy Cribb, the longtime official photographer of the Falcons, details it all in his new book, Youll Never Get In The Game.I dont think Ive ever seen another person like him, Cribb writes. Ive never had another coach treat me that way, and not just me, anybody.Petrinos brief tenure in Atlanta was a debacle, though in fairness it wasnt entirely his fault. Franchise quarterback Michael Vick went to prison for dogfighting and never took a snap for his new coach. The Falcons went 3-10 before Petrino bolted for the door again -- not long after assuring team owner Arthur Blank he wasnt going anywhere.Less than 24 hours after coaching the Falcons for the final time, he was in Fayetteville chanting, Woooo, Pig! Sooie!Well let his epitaph in Atlanta be a form letter to the players, left at each of their lockers after he was gone and containing all the warmth of a Wells Fargo salesman trying to sign you up for another credit card you dont need:This decision was not easy but was made in the best interest of me and my family. While my desire would have been to finish out what has been a difficult season for us all, circumstances did not allow me to do so. I appreciate your hard work and wish you the best.Yuk.Of course, Petrino would engineer an even greater flop in basic human decency as Arkansas coach.He had an affair with a woman half his age, got her a job on the staff and gave her $20,000. Then came a motorcycle crash that left him all beat up and wearing a neck brace. At first, Petrino said he was alone. Then, after dodging multiple chances to tell the truth, he admitted being with his mistress. He only came clean after being tipped off that his lies were going to be exposed in a police report.Petrino was fired after what athletic director Jeff Long described as a pattern of misleading and manipulative behavior designed to deceive me and members of the athletic staff, both before and after the motorcycle accident.Now, the coach is riding high again.Well, enjoy it while you can, Louisville.Chances are, another bump in the road is right around the corner.---Paul Newberry is a sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at pnewberry(at)ap.org or at www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963 . His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/paul-newberry .---AP College Football website: www.collegefootball.ap.org ' ' '