September 25th 2010
Sports Bites

Michael Vick earned himself a starting job by being - of all things - a pocket passer. Vick will take over as the Philadelphia Eagles' No. 1 quarterback, coach Andy Reid said Tuesday, a day after he announced he would go back to Kevin Kolb. ''When someone is playing at the level Michael Vick is playing, you have to give him an opportunity,'' Reid said. ''This isn't about Kevin Kolb's play. You're talking about Michael Vick as one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL right now.'

Harry Redknapp has accused Samir Nasri of diving to win Arsenal their first penalty in Tuesday's 4-1 Carling Cup victory at Tottenham. The Frenchman went down under pressure from Sebastien Bassong and then picked himself up to give the Gunners a 2-1 lead early in extra-time after the north London derby finished 1-1 after 90 minutes. Nasri then scored a second penalty - after Steven Caulker pulled down Marouane Chamakh - and Andrey Arshavin completed the scoring in a 4-1 victory for Arsene Wenger's men. Redknapp said: "I thought the first penalty was harsh. He fell over. Really, I think he dived for the first penalty. "The second was blatant."

England hope to stick to their plans of sending their first group of athletes to the Commonwealth Games on Thursday despite concerns over facilities. England chairman Sir Andrew Foster said the team still needed assurances over the athletes' village and games arenas. Foster added the team remained "intent on going" to Delhi and a team statement confirmed that plans had not changed. It said: "Our team in Delhi continues to prepare for the arrival of the first 22 athletes who leave on Thursday."

LeBron James will take his talents to a different beach when the Miami Heat open camp. He'll get to South Beach eventually. But first - Fort Walton Beach. The Miami Heat announced Wednesday night that they'll hold their first camp with James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh at Hurlburt Field and Eglin Air Force Base in Florida's Panhandle from Sept. 28 to Oct. 3. Miami has typically held training camp at its home arena, but in an effort to limit distractions going into this much-hyped season, the Heat wanted a different locale.

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