spurt, which gave NC State its first lead of the game late i

PHOENIX - Marshawn Lynch smiled politely, waved at the crowd and answered every question the same.Im here so I dont get fined, the Seattle Seahawks star running back constantly repeated for five minutes before leaving the podium at Media Day on Tuesday. Its not clear if his plan will work.About 200 reporters crowded around Lynchs podium for at least 15 minutes before he arrived. But the media-shy Lynch made it clear right from the start he wasnt saying anything except variations of his scripted answer.Lynch set a timer on his phone and told everyone he showed up just to avoid a fine. Lynch caught a bag of Skittles tossed from Olympic gold medal gymnast Shawn Johnson and stopped to pick up a reporters recorder off the floor before he walked away.Lynch later spoke to Entertainment Tonight about his foundation, the Fam 1st Family Foundation.The Professional Football Writers of America was talking to the league about the session and Lynch had been apprised of a potential fine. He is also required to be at media sessions Wednesday and Thursday.In November, the NFL fined Lynch $50,000 for violations of the leagues media policy in addition to collecting the $50,000 fine that was imposed against Lynch for violations last season. The fine from 2013 was held in anticipation of future co-operation from Lynch.Im fine sitting up here, but not everybody is comfortable with it so I dont think he should be forced to do it, All-Pro cornerback Richard Sherman said.Lynch has much more to say when the price is right. Insurance company Progressive and candy maker Skittles released commercials featuring Lynch saying a bit more than his usual: Yeah and Nope and Thanks for asking.At Media Day last year, Lynchs reclusiveness became a major story. Lynch appeared for 6 1/2 minutes, left the arena, and then returned to a mixed zone the NFL created for players not on podiums or in microphone-equipped speaking areas at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.With the exception of briefly speaking with the NFL Networks Deion Sanders, to the Seahawks website, and to Armed Forces Network, he did not deal with reporters that day.Sanders, the Hall of Fame cornerback, tried again to interview Lynch, but got nowhere this time and left laughing.Teammates defended Lynchs behaviour.This is who he is. I dont nitpick or judge, so I just accept a person for who they are, All-Pro safety Earl Thomas said. I just love who he is. He is so random.Sherman even continued answering questions after the 60-minute session ended.I dont think (players) should be obligated any more than the commissioner is obligated to speak to the media, Sherman said. I think that if players are going to be obligated to speak to the media then every one of the NFL personnel should be obligated to speak to the media weekly, and thats not the case.Its unfortunate, but I think that every team should be forced to present certain players, obviously a few of them. Obviously, if someone is uncomfortable in front of the media and uncomfortable answering questions, then you have to find a way to accommodate the NFL. This is a game; you find a way to accommodate everyone else whos uncomfortable.Lynch was fined $20,000 for making an obscene gesture during Seattles overtime win over Green Bay in the NFC championship game. The league did not specify what the gesture was, but Lynch grabbed his crotch after scoring a go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter. Lynch was fined $11,000 for a similar gesture in Seattles win over Arizona on Dec. 21.Lynch also was told before the last game he could not wear gold shoes because they were a violation of the NFLs on-field dress code, and that he could be ejected from the game if he wore them.Hes a guy that cares about everyone in that locker room, assistant head coach and offensive line coach Tom Cable said. Anytime you hand it to him, hes carrying them. Hes not carrying the football, hes carrying his team. Thats who he is. Thats what he does.___AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org___Follow Rob Maaddi on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_RobMaaddi Seattle Mariners Store .C. United on Wednesday night. Forward Bright Dike scored the games only goal in the 85th minute on a foggy night in Bradenton, Fla. Cheap Mariners Jerseys . Hall had a goal and three assists in a 5-4 loss to San Jose on Tuesday, had an assist in each of Edmontons next two games the capped the week with a goal and two assists in the Oilers 4-2 win over Anaheim on Sunday. https://www.cheapmariners.com/ . LOUIS -- The Tampa Bay Rays have placed right-handed pitcher Joel Peralta on the 15-day disabled list with an undisclosed illness. Fake Mariners Jerseys . Smith has spent the last three seasons with the Rockies, playing both left and right field, and has a .275 batting average with 51 homers and 181 RBIs in 487 major league games. Seattle Mariners Gear . They find themselves trying to knock each other out in the Western Conference finals for the second straight year. The Blackhawks prevailed last year on their way to the Stanley Cup, and they have the early lead this time after taking the opener, 3-1.Raleigh, NC (SportsNetwork.com) - PNC Arena hasnt been kind to Duke since 2010. The Blue Devils were 1-3 in their past four games at North Carolina States homecourt entering Sundays ACC clash, including two losses to the Wolfpack and an untimely defeat in the second round of the 2014 NCAA Tournament against Mercer. Trevor Lacey scored 21 points and NC State upset No. 2 Duke, continuing its streak of strong play at home against the Blue Devils. Ralston Turner added 16 points on nine shots and BeeJay Anya gave 14 with four blocks off the bench for the Wolfpack (12-5, 3-1 ACC), who picked up a crucial win in their most grueling stretch of the season. They either play on the road or against a ranked team, or both, for six straight games. Duke won its first true road game of the season by 10 points against Wisconsin on Dec. 3, but couldnt duplicate that success in its second more than a month later. The Blue Devils (14-1, 2-1) got 23 points and 12 rebounds from Jahlil Okafor and 18 points from Quinn Cook in their first loss of the season. Okafor scored eight quick points, hitting four of his first five shots in 5 1/2 minutes to boost Duke to an early lead. His putback dunk at 14:29 made it 13-8. But constant double teams of the star freshman held him without a field goal attempt for the rest of the first half. Okafor managed just two free throws off an offenssive rebound over the final 15:31 of the first half, and the Wolfpack capitalized.dddddddddddd Cody Martins layup sparked an 11-0 flurry, which Okafor finally ended with his two free throws. Kyle Washington scored seven straight during the spurt, which gave NC State its first lead of the game late in the half, which ended with the Wolfpack in front 37-33. Turner came alive after halftime, canning three 3s in five minutes to keep NC State in front. Justise Winslow hit from deep nearly eight minutes into the second half to draw Duke within two. The Wolfpack then embarked on a 12-1 run, taking advantage of turnovers and poor decisions in climbing out to a double-digit lead. Lacey and Anya both scored five points during the run, which made it 62-49. The spread grew to 19 points -- Dukes biggest deficit of the season -- following Laceys triple with 5:43 to play. Dukes fullcourt pressure late in the contest made things interesting, with a Cook 3-ball trimming the gap to 84-72. Anyas putback slam at the other end, and a fastbreak slam by Desmond Lee, were the daggers. Game Notes Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski remains three wins shy of 1,000 for his career ... Okafor had three steals and three blocks on top of his fourth double-double of the season ... NC State outscored Duke 40-26 in the paint. ' ' '