But as Winston said last Friday

The NBA suspended Sacramento Kings centre DeMarcus Cousins for one game and fined him $20,000 on Thursday for punching an opposing player and verbally abusing an official in a game earlier this week. The league suspended Cousins for punching Houston Rockets guard Patrick Beverley in the stomach with 9:44 remaining in the first quarter of the Kings 129-103 loss on Tuesday night in Sacramento. Cousins was fined for verbally abusing official Courtney Kirkland and failing to leave the court in a timely manner following an ejection with 8:21 remaining in the third quarter. Cousins will serve his suspension when the Kings visit the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night. New Kings owner Vivek Ranadive had hoped Cousins could clean up his act when he signed the centre to a four-year, $62 million contract extension before the season. Instead, Cousins leads the NBA with 15 technical fouls this season and will be suspended one game by the NBA if he gets another one. The last two seasons Cousins has needed to have a technical foul rescinded by the league to avoid the automatic suspension that comes when a player reaches 16 technicals. In the Houston game, Cousins was called for a technical after getting whistled for a foul against Dwight Howard and arguing against it. Cousins picked up his fifth personal foul moments later, then got called for another technical foul -- earning an automatic ejection -- after screaming in the face of Kirkland during a timeout. Cousins had to be held back by coaches and teammates, pointing his finger and screaming at Kirkland. He flicked his headband into the stands on his way to the locker room. Cousins has since apologized for his behaviour, which has become a troubling trend through his career, even going back to high school and his one season at Kentucky. The 23-year-old centre has mixed in dramatic and astonishing plays with outbursts against players, coaches and referees. He has dazzled at times during his first four NBA seasons, and at other times struggled with defence and discipline. Last season alone, Cousins drew multiple reprimands for his behaviour. He was suspended one game without pay by the NBA for striking O.J. Mayo in the groin during a loss at Dallas. Following a defeat at San Antonio, the league suspended Cousins two games without pay for confronting Spurs announcer Sean Elliott in a "hostile manner." Finally, the Kings suspended Cousins for one game for "unprofessional behaviour and conduct detrimental to the team" after he shouted at Kings coach Keith Smart in the locker room during halftime of a loss at the Los Angeles Clippers. His behaviour aside, Cousins is having the best season of his career and is blossoming into one of the NBAs best big men. Hes averaging career highs of 22.3 points, 11.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.6 steals per game. Hes also shooting a career-best 48.3 per cent. Jeremy Hellickson Jersey . The club announced Friday that Mauro Biello will be kept on as an assistant to coach Jesse Marsch when the Impact join the MLS in 2012. Adam Eaton Jersey . Doug Fister allowed two runs over seven innings and Washington hit three solo homers in a 6-2 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday night. https://www.cheapnationals.com/1537r-jon...nals.html.Inter Milan and Napoli also advanced to ensure there will be at least three Italian clubs in the last 32 of Europes secondary competition.Spurs victory, secured by Benjamin Stamboulis 49th-minute winner, was overshadowed by a succession of pitch invasions that forced the referee to halt the game after 41 minutes. Juan Soto Jersey . -- Atlanta Braves pitcher Tommy Hanson is being checked for a possible concussion after blowing a tire on his way to the first workout of spring training. James Bourque Jersey .com) - The Vancouver Canucks hope an upcoming stretch of home games will be enough to get the club into the postseason.NEW YORK -- The 32 player representatives to the union have delayed a vote on the NFLs proposal for changes to the drug policy that potentially could implement HGH testing. After a conference call of about one hour Tuesday night during which the proposal was discussed, the player reps opted to take no action. The proposal was not delivered to the union until midday. "There was no vote tonight by NFLPA player representatives," Union spokesman George Atallah said. "We will continue to work towards a comprehensive agreement." The union has insisted that a satisfactory proposal to them is the only one that will be voted on. Atallah said last week that a "piecemeal" agreement did not interest the players. The sides have discussed changes to the policy on substance abuse and driving under the influence of drugs/alcohol. A potential hang-up on that issue was the leagues desire to immediately discipline players -- as well as NFL owners, executives, officials, coaches and league office personnel -- arrested for DUIs. NFLPA President Eric Winston told The Associated Press last week that ignoring a players rights to due process would not be considered by the union. The NFLPA also is ppushing for neutral arbitration in the appeals process and is seeking higher thresholds for positive marijuana tests.dddddddddddd But the key element could be a test for human growth hormone. HGH testing was agreed upon in the 2011 collective bargaining agreement that ended the lockout of the players. But the union has been uncomfortable with the science and the procedures for the testing, as well as how appeals would be handled. The league did agree to an appeal process several years ago. In marijuana testing, the union feels the leagues threshold for a positive test of 15 nanograms per millilitre is too demanding, citing the IOCs threshold of 150 nanograms, 10 times as high. The NFL threshold was collectively bargained. But as Winston said last Friday, anyone within the vicinity of people smoking marijuana without partaking themselves could wind up testing positive at such a low number. "The (potency) level is so much greater in marijuana now, the secondhand smoke can get a positive test," Winston said. "Just a guy who is around it second hand, then to have to go into the program? We dont want false positive. We have to move up the minimum to normal workplace standards." ' ' '