Washington appears to be bringing the whole gang back, and embracing the stasis

If we’re honest, it really shouldn’t be a surprise that Washington Wizards coach Randy Wittman is in line to receive a contract extension from the team he’s coached for two and a half seasons. Washington’s young’ish core has been mentioned as a stealth potential destination for trading chips and free agent fodder to come and surround its emerging backcourt of John Wall and Bradley Beal, and on top of that Wittman did well enough to steer Washington in the right direction as it made the second round of the playoffs for just the second time in 32 years.

United owner Malcolm Glazer dies

Malcolm Glazer, the controversial American owner of English Premier League giants Manchester United, died on Wednesday. He was 85.

Glazer – the son of a Lithuanian immigrant who went on to build a diverse business empire – gained a global profile through his ownership of United, one of the world's biggest and best supported football clubs.

He was deeply unpopular with hardcore United fans after loading the club with hundreds of millions of dollars in debt following a 2005 buyout.

His death was announced on the website of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers American football team, one of his other sports franchises.

"The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are saddened to announce the passing of Owner/President Malcolm Glazer earlier this morning at the age of 85," the statement said.

Prediction: Brazil, Argentina final

Rivals Brazil and Argentina are set to meet in the World Cup final in July, with the host country winning the title for a record sixth time, US investment bank Goldman Sachs have predicted in a report.

Goldman sees a 48.5 per cent probability that Brazil will win the 13 July final, with Argentina and Germany the next most likely teams to succeed with a 14.1 per cent and 11.4 per cent chance respectively.

The predictions were based on a statistical model that analysed about 14 000 competitive international matches since 1960.

"Of course, it is hardly surprising that the most successful team in football history is favoured to win a World Cup at home," the Goldman report, written by Chief Economist Jan Hatzius, Sven Jari Stehn and Donnie Millar, said.

"But the extent of the Brazilian advantage in our model is nevertheless striking."

Power Rankings: Jimmie Johnson is creeping in on the top spot

Our Power Rankings are far from a scientific formula. In fact, it's the perfect blend of analytics and bias against your favorite driver. And you think we dislike your favorite driver, so it makes sense, right? Direct all your complaints to us at happyhourmailbag@yahoo.com.