Vanhelg

AUGUSTA, Ga. – There were so many ways this most thrilling of Masters could have ended.

What if Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson had carried their duel into a playoff? Now that would have turned Augusta National upside down.

Or how about Kenny Perry, the ultimate grinder, winning his first major at an age when most players are prepping for the senior tour? Boy, that would have been something.

Instead, it was a burly man from Argentina who crafted an ending no one could have envisioned. Down at the 10th green, long after Woods and Mickelson had headed for exits and dragged many of the patrons with them, Angel Cabrera barely beat the setting sun with a gimme of a putt as Perry looked on helplessly.

OK, it wasn't Hollywood.

But Cabrera sure earned it.

When his swing got loose and produced two straight bogeys on the front side, he hung in there. When he faced a two-stroke deficit with two holes to play, he didn't give up. And, most impressively, when his first tee shot of the sudden-death playoff rolled to a stop behind a big tree on the first playoff hole, he never lost hope.

"I only had a spot like this big" — meaning tiny — "and only trees, so I've got to put it through there, that's it," Cabrera said, a translator relaying his words. "Easy as that."

Cabrera hooked his ball around one tree but struck another, and was fortunate to see it carom to the left and out into the fairway, a sand wedge away from the green. He knocked it up to 8 feet behind the hole, and made the putt to save a remarkable par. Perry messed up his approach and had to settle for par, too. The third member of the playoff, Chad Campbell, missed his 6-footer and the race was down to two.

Only one more hole was needed. Perry found mud on his ball in the middle of the 10th fairway, and his shot veered left of the green. Cabrera knocked his below the hole and — for perhaps the first time all day — he was finally the one in command. Perry's chip raced past the flag, and he missed the putt coming back.

Perry didn't even get a chance to finish. Cabrera's putt stopped next to the hole. He marked it, took a quick look to make sure there was nothing on it, and calmly delivered the winning stroke on his second career major.

At Oakmont two years ago, Cabrera stared down Woods and Jim Furyk to win the U.S. Open. Now he has joined the green jacket club and wiped out any perception that his first major title was a fluke.

"I was happy with my game and I had confidence," Cabrera said after a closing 71 left him at 12-under 276. "I was just trying to enjoy the moment."

LAKE FOREST, Ill. – Jay Cutler grew up rooting for the Chicago Bears in Santa Claus, Ind. Now, after a stormy exit from Denver, he's the franchise quarterback for his once-favorite team.

One thing, though. Don't call him a savior.

"I don't see myself as that," Cutler said Friday.

The Bears dealt quarterback Kyle Orton along with two first-round draft picks and a third-rounder to the Broncos for Cutler and a fifth-rounder on Thursday. They also agreed to a three-year contract with free-agent Orlando Pace, filling a hole on the offensive line with a seven-time Pro Bowler for St. Louis.

Two big moves. One big statement.

The Bears showed they're serious about contending in the NFC after missing the playoffs the past two years, and in Cutler, they finally have a top-tier passer after a decades-long search.

"Time will tell if he's going to be a franchise player," general manager Jerry Angelo said. "We're certainly hoping that's the case. But what we do know is we got a winning quarterback and we feel very good about that."

The Bears are getting a Pro Bowl quarterback who threw for 4,526 yards, 25 touchdowns with 18 interceptions, yet got traded after a major blowup with management and new coach Josh McDaniels. Cutler wasn't happy when Mike Shanahan got fired or when his position coach, Jeremy Bates, left for Southern California.

And just when things were starting to smooth out, Cutler found out in late February that the Broncos were trying to trade him to Tampa Bay in a three-way deal that would have sent Matt Cassel from New England to Denver.

Cutler and his agent didn't think McDaniels was up front with them about the trade talks and asked to be dealt; McDaniels, however, insisted he informed Cutler the morning of those discussions. Cutler declined to discuss the timeline on Friday, saying, "This is kind of a new chapter for me and I'm excited to be here."

Either way, two meetings that were supposed to ease the tension in Denver only escalated the ill will, even though McDaniels insisted Cutler was his quarterback.

Cutler even said earlier this week that he didn't want to leave Denver, yet that's exactly what happened.

He initially figured he'd wind up with the Washington Redskins, but he got sent to Chicago, with a chance to repair his reputation.

"I think in time, everyone will get a clearer picture of what I'm about on and off the field," Cutler said. "Whenever you make this decision, you either have to go at it full speed or not at all because there's going to be some stuff out there that's said that might not be true."

If he performs as advertised, the Bears will finally have a mobile quarterback with a rocket arm who will bring an end to the long line of mediocrity at the position.

"He does for us what Ben Roethlisberger does for the Steelers," said tackle Chris Williams, Cutler's teammate at Vanderbilt.

In Denver, Cutler had to live up to the legacy of John Elway. In Chicago, he can create one of his own.

Twenty-three quarterbacks have started for the Bears since Jim McMahon in the mid-1980s, but the quarterback problems date back about six decades, since the days of Hall of Famer Sid Luckman.

"This is like my second draft day," Cutler said.

When he arrived in Denver, he couldn't escape the comparisons to Elway.

"It was, 'How are you going to fill his shoes? What are you going to do to be like John Elway?'" Cutler said.

In Chicago?

"I'm going to have to do some research on Sid," Cutler said, grinning.

He will certainly miss throwing to Brandon Marshall and Eddie Royal and setting up behind a line that allowed him to be sacked just 11 times while throwing 616 passes. Cutler figures to be well-protected if Pace stays healthy and Williams performs as expected in his second season.

He also has a solid running back in Matt Forte — something the Broncos lacked — and two good tight ends, Greg Olsen and Desmond Clark. But the wide receivers? Well, Angelo is looking for help.

Devin Hester struggled with a bigger role on offense and saw his production on special teams drop after two record-setting seasons returning kicks. Rashied Davis struggled to hang onto the ball, and Earl Bennett didn't catch a pass as a rookie after being drafted in the third round out of Vanderbilt.

"I'm excited about what we have here," Cutler said.

NEW YORK – Gary Sheffield plans to go for No. 500 with the New York Mets.

One home run shy of the milestone, Sheffield reached a contract agreement with New York on Friday, three days after he was released by the Detroit Tigers in a surprising move.

Just hours before opening their beaming new ballpark Friday night with an exhibition game against Boston, the Mets made another splash by acquiring the outspoken Sheffield. He is expected to be in New York on Saturday and the deal is contingent on him passing a physical, general manager Omar Minaya said.

"Gary gives us another element in the lineup and he gives us a different intensity, just because of the competitive guy that he is," Minaya said at Citi Field.

The 40-year-old slugger provides the Mets with a right-handed power bat, something they need to help balance the batting order. But his role on the team will be tricky: New York was already set at the corner outfield spots with Ryan Church in right and Daniel Murphy in left — both left-handed hitters.

Mets manager Jerry Manuel said the team would give Sheffield time to get in shape to play the outfield, which he hasn't done regularly since getting hurt in 2006. Once he shows he's ready, Sheffield will probably see action in right, Manuel said.

"What this does for us, it really creates some depth in the team," Manuel said. "I believe that in the course of 162 regular-season games, depth is the one thing that is normally overlooked."

Manuel spoke to Sheffield and explained exactly what sort of role he envisions for the nine-time All-Star.

"If he can be close to something that he's been, that could be a tremendous, tremendous help," Manuel said. "He lengthens us out a bit with presence."

Church seemed comfortable with the move, too.

"He's more than welcome. He's a great player. He's just another piece for us," Church said. "I can't control what they do."

Sheffield is one big swing from becoming the 25th player to reach 500 home runs. The Tigers will have to pay $13.6 million of his $14 million contract this year while the Mets get him for the major league minimum of $400,000.

Minaya said Sheffield has always wanted to play for the Mets ever since his uncle, Dwight Gooden, was a star pitcher for them in the 1980s and 90s. Sheffield played across town with the Yankees from 2004-06, putting up two big seasons followed by an injury-shortened one before he was traded to the Tigers.

Sheffield was Detroit's designated hitter before he was released. Shoulder injuries and other problems limited him to 114 games and a .225 average with 19 homers and 57 RBIs last season. He hit .178 with five homers in 45 spring training at-bats this year.

When the Tigers released him, they said it was because they wanted to be a more versatile team. Now back in the National League, Sheffield will have to readjust to playing the field. How well he can do that remains to be seen.

"It's good. I hope he comes in with a good attitude," Mets first baseman Carlos Delgado said. "I'm sure he wants to prove to people that he can play."

Philadelphia, the Mets' biggest rival in the NL East, expressed interest in Sheffield soon after he was cut. The Phillies also could use a right-handed bat.

Cincinnati manager Dusty Baker, a longtime friend, called Sheffield to offer a part-time role with the Reds.

"Sheff just called me, too, left me a message," Baker said Friday in Zebulon, N.C., before the Reds' exhibition game against a collection of their top minor leaguers. "He told me he was going to sign with the Mets because he has a home in New York. He thought that was the best situation for him. I'm glad for him, and sad for us because I know him personally."

The addition of Sheffield could mean Marlon Anderson's days with the Mets are numbered. A pinch-hitting specialist, he batted .210 with a homer and 10 RBIs last year.

Sheffield has also played for Milwaukee, San Diego, Florida, the Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta. He is a .292 lifetime hitter and ranks 27th on the career list with 1,633 RBIs.

"He'll be a great asset. He plays hard every day," Delgado said.

INDIANAPOLIS – Terrence Williams spent part of Saturday restating the lessons Louisville learned from its last regional final.

Play harder. Be yourselves. Play like a team devoted to winning the national title, and accept nothing less.

On Sunday, Williams and his teammates will finally get a chance to exorcise those demons from last year and deliver on a pact they made to themselves by claiming the school's first Final Four bid since 2005.

"Losing last year, we kind of know what it takes to lose. Meaning that, last year we didn't play 40 minutes," Williams said. "This year, we know that coming out, to get to the Final Four, you have to play all 40 minutes. You have to play your game."

Clearly, these aren't the same Cardinals that ran out of steam against top-seeded North Carolina in Charlotte.

They won the Big East regular-season and tournament titles, earned the school's first No. 1 ranking, the top overall seed in the NCAA tournament and just delivered the most crushing rout since the expansion of the NCAA field in the 1970s, 103-64 over Arizona in Friday night's semifinals. Louisville has won 13 straight and 23 of 25.

Now the season really kicks into gear.

After going 31-5 and earning all those accolades, the Cardinals' season comes down to this: Win and go to Detroit, lose and go home again.

"We don't want to be in the locker room feeling the same way," Williams said. "Especially myself, because I'll be done. What you take from that (loss) is do everything in your power in 40 minutes to not feel that way again."

But in Sunday's Midwest final, they face Michigan State, one of the most successful tournament teams over the last decade.

Coach Tom Izzo has led the Spartans (29-6) to four Final Fours in 10 years, the most of any team in the nation, and he won the national championship in 2000 across the street from Lucas Oil Stadium.

For second-seeded Michigan State, the emotions are just as high.

After winning the Big Ten regular-season title, the Spartans lost in the Big Ten tournament semifinals two weeks ago in Indy and now they're back playing for a chance to go to nearby Detroit.

"It will be the biggest game I've probably ever played in because of what you just said," Izzo said. "For a guy like me, who just loves the state, I've lived there all my life, to have that opportunity to play there is just special. You know, I'm no different than a player."

The contrasts Sunday will be intriguing, too.

Izzo and Louisville's Rick Pitino both have tournament winning percentages that rank among the top four of active coaches. Both have one national championship ring.

Yet they've been successful with vastly different styles.

Pitino has always preferred relentless defensive pressure and an up-tempo pace to take advantage of his usually strong 3-point shooters. The good news is he's 9-0 in regional semifinal games.

The question is whether that style wears down his team.

Louisville has been eliminated on the second day of an NCAA tournament weekend in three of its previous five appearances and has been eliminated on the second day of a conference tournament two other times since 2002, though the Cardinals have shown no signs of weariness in either the Big East tourney or their first three NCAA games.

"I believe sometimes during this time of year, teams can get out of shape because they lay around hotels, they don't work real hard," Pitino said. "We're in very good shape right now. We haven't lost our conditioning."

Another problem for Izzo is the status of forward Raymar Morgan, one of the Spartans' most athletic players.

Morgan, who is second on the team in scoring (10.5) and rebounding (5.4), broke his nose in Friday night's 67-62 semifinal win over Kansas. He'll wear a protective face mask in the final but acknowledges that it may affect his vision.

Still, Izzo will rely on his traditional approach. He prefers to employ half-court offense, an opportunistic defense and tries to overpower teams with strong rebounders and a deep rotation. Michigan State led the nation in rebounding margin this season (plus-9.7) and grabbed a staggering 40.9 percent of its missed shots.

But players don't believe that style is the reason Izzo is 13-2 on the second day of NCAA weekends.

"One thing coach says is if we get through Friday, he'll get us through Sunday," Big Ten player of the year Kalin Lucas said.

It has worked in the past.