of that wonderful school and all the things that we were doing," Carroll said. "But I knew there was another challen

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Ben Crane has waited so long to contend for another PGA Tour title that being patient through weather delays is no problem at all. Staying atop the leaderboard into the third round helps. Crane went more than 28 hours between competitive shots due to weather delays, and he was at 13 under with a four-stroke lead through six holes Saturday when another storm stopped play again at the St. Jude Classic. "What an opportunity I have," Crane said. "Certainly at the beginning of the week I never thought I would have been here, so Ill just try to go home relax, get some food in me and sleep as fast as I can because we got to come back out at 7 a.m. and restart tomorrow." Troy Merritt, a group ahead of Crane, was at 9 under, with playing partner Peter Malnati at 8 under. Billy Horschel, Retief Goosen and Camilo Villegas were 7 under on their front nines. Phil Mickelson, who hasnt won in 19 straight events dating to the British Open, had pars on each of his first nine holes and was at 5 under. Hes one of many players using the event to tune up for the U.S. Open next week at Pinehurst. Play stopped at 6:49 p.m. with officials hoping to have the leaders tee off for the final round by 9:10 a.m. Sunday, if they can avoid a fog delay like the one that delayed the start of play for an hour Saturday morning. A storm Thursday forced 60 players to wrap up the first round Friday, and only 32 finished the second before two delays, the second for a thunderstorm that left water standing in fairways, bunkers and cart paths. The third round finally started at 3 p.m. with threesomes going off both tees. At least fans got to stick around all of Saturday afternoon after being sent home early the past two days. Crane didnt tee off until 4:50 p.m. Saturday after finishing up his second round at 12:18 p.m. Friday. But this is Cranes 300th career PGA Tour start, even though his last win was in 2011 at the McGladrey Classic. Crane said he cant remember playing with a lead this late in a tournament its been so long. He is putting well here this week, and he birdied his first hole to go to 13 under for the tournament as he rolled in a nearly 19-footer on the par-4 first. After hitting his approach into the rough behind the green on No. 2, Crane made a 12-footer to save par. "Those are kind of critical putts right now, kind of keep the momentum going," Crane said. Merritt, who did not make a start on tour in 2012 or 2013 and missed his first six cuts this year, is the closest to Crane. "Anything can happen on the final day when weve seen six-shot leads falter on the last day," Merritt said. "If you can stay within a couple shots, that would be great. Anything can happen on Sunday on the PGA Tour." Mickelson tied for 49th last week in the Memorial following a visit from FBI agents and lingering questions about an insider-trading investigation. He never teed off at all Friday with the horn blowing for the second time with him at the No. 1 tee. He said he couldnt hit his irons close enough or his putts in his second round. He started bogey-birdie-bogey-birdie, though he birdied Nos. 14 and 15 to get to 5 under. He rolled in a 16-footer to save par on the par-5 16th and wasnt happy at missing a birdie opportunity with the pin at the front of the green. "I had a chance to get up and down," Mickelson said. "I think if I had birdied 16 I might have gotten one more with a little bit of momentum. ... Im certainly not that far back, but I do need to get off to a quick start. I got to get a good front nine here this third round and get off to a fast start." Divots: Local favourite John Daly was among 71 making the cut at even par. Defending champ Harris English missed the cut along with Patrick Reed, Lee Westwood and David Toms, a two-time champ here. ... David Duval withdrew after seven holes in his second round. He was at 7 over for the tournament. He was the 10th to withdraw since this event started. Nike Free Australia . You can watch the game on TSN at 7pm et/4pm pt and listen to the game on TSN Radio 690 in Montreal. After starting the month of November on an 0-3-1 slide, the Canadiens have recorded wins in three of their last five outings (3-1-1). Nike Free Sale Australia .C. - Phoenix Suns coach Jeff Hornacek says guard Goran Dragic will return to the starting lineup against the Charlotte Hornets after missing the last two games with a strained back. http://www.nikefreecheapaustralia.com/ . Keenum will make his first appearance in a regular-season game against the rugged defence of the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium, where the fans just set a Guinness record as the noisiest outdoor stadium in the world. Nike Free Shoes Australia .com) - Tonight will go a long way in determining the two wild card spots in the Eastern Conference. Nike Free Australia Online . Jeff Carter had two goals and an assist as the Kings stretched their streak to seven wins in a row with a 4-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday.SEATTLE -- The first major contract extension finalized by the Seattle Seahawks following their Super Bowl title was a commitment to coach Pete Carroll -- and to an ideology that finally proved successful at the professional level. While getting stars such as Earl Thomas and Richard Sherman locked up remains important, the focus for the Seahawks was making sure Carroll was sticking around. "This was a huge priority for us coming into the off-season," Seattle general manager John Schneider said Friday. "We knew it was around the corner and it was, quite honestly, were trying to take care of our own people and keep our young players together. But where do you start? You start at the top." The Seahawks locked up Carroll through the 2016 season with a three-year extension announced Friday. The new contract rips up the final year of the original five-year deal Carroll signed in January 2010, and cleared up any uncertainty whether the 62-year-old coach wanted to stick around after his original deal expired. Carroll is staying. So are the ideas and beliefs he brought with him when he arrived from Southern California. Back then, there was skepticism whether his style and attitude would work in the NFL. Now, theres no question. "Whether this came about or not I was going to keep busting it and going for it. It wasnt going to matter in that regard. But I think the statement, that they wanted to validate the commitment to what were doing and how were doing it, was extraordinary," Carroll said. "It was an extraordinary effort on their part and Im just humbled and thrilled they see it that way." Carroll is 38-26 in four regular seasons with Seattle and 5-2 in the playoffs. Hes the second-oldest head coach in the NFL -- yet rarely acts his age -- and one of seven current coaches with a Super Bowl title. The championship was a crowning achievement for Carroll after struggles in his two previous stints as an NFL head coach with thhe New York Jets and New England.dddddddddddd Carroll was lured to Seattle because of something he didnt have in his previous NFL stops: control. Seattle gave him the reins to the franchise, and hired him before adding Schneider to the mix, and creating a relationship that has been marked by stability and success. After nearly a decade of winning with the Trojans and having say over a program, that level of control was crucial if he was going back to the professional ranks. The Seahawks were willing. "I loved my time at USC and I was having the time of my life being part of that wonderful school and all the things that we were doing," Carroll said. "But I knew there was another challenge out there and that was coming to the league." The challenge Carroll inherited included tearing down and rebuilding the Seahawks roster and treading water through a pair of 7-9 seasons his first two years. The breakthrough came in Year 3 when Seattle drafted Russell Wilson, who gave them stability at quarterback. Seattle went 11-5 in Carrolls third season and reached the divisional round of the playoffs. Carroll followed that by guiding the Seahawks to 13 regular-season wins, the 2013 NFC West title and home-field advantage in the playoffs. Seattle knocked off New Orleans in the divisional round then edged San Francisco in the NFC title game before routing Denver 43-8 in the Super Bowl in February. Part of the allure for Carroll now is Seattles potential. The Seahawks are still young and have the likes of Wilson, Sherman, Thomas, Kam Chancellor, Percy Harvin and Michael Bennett, among others, returning from the title team. "Fortunately weve had a pretty good little run and were in the middle of something pretty special," Carroll said. "Theres no reason that either one of us think, OK, we did this one time and that was it and that was our shot. We think were right in the middle of a great opportunity here." ' ' '