ow.He said his priority is to put a winning product on the field and get a better TV deal.We dont have to have four or five teams in the Top 25 every year, he said. But weve

RIO DE JANEIRO -- Abby Johnston set her alarm for 5:45 a.m. Friday, intent on getting in an early morning warm-up before the first individual diving event of the Rio Olympics.When she arrived at the pool, it was closed.I was a little frustrated, to say the least, the American diver said. A little cranky, because it was early too.In another embarrassment for the Maria Lenk Aquatics Center, a planned practice session had to be called off to give officials more time to clean the green-tinged water -- a four-days-and-counting scenario that prompted Johnson to dub it the Swamp.Its always changing, she said.At least the pool appears to be heading in the right direction. After reopening in the early afternoon, the pool was a lighter shade of green and appeared to be much closer to its normal color.Its not as green, Johnston said. But its a little murkier. Underwater, I just try to keep my eyes closed.The water suddenly changed color Tuesday, midway through the synchronized diving events. Officials insisted the water was safe for competing, even after a larger, adjacent pool used for water polo and synchronized swimming also turned green.Mario Andrada, chief spokesman for the local organizing committee, stressed that the pool was safe for competition, clearing the way for the preliminaries of womens 3-meter springboard.He conceded that some athletes had been bothered by the water, but said that was a result of efforts to clean the pool.We reiterate what we have been saying all along -- the water does not offer any threat to the health of the athletes, he said. In the first day of this water situation, one or two athletes complained about their eyes being itchy. This was a result that the first reaction when we saw the water turning green was to use one of the chemicals -- chlorine -- that is very common in swimming pools. We reduced immediately the quantity. We retested the water and it was totally within the parameters.Andrada said officials were caught off guard by the pools deteriorating condition.Chemistry is not an exact science, he said. Some things, as you can see, went longer than expected.Rain the past couple of days made it even tougher to get the water color back to normal.The rain doesnt help, Andrada said. He added that athletes had access to dry-land training in the morning, but conceded that was not ideal.He explained that the changing color of the pool was the result of increased alkaline levels, much like aquarium water can turn green when not monitored properly.When we went to fix the green, there was a discussion about the best chemicals. We cant use too much chemicals in the water because athletes are training in it, Andrada said. We certainly could have done better in the beginning to prevent the water from turning green. Once it turned green, we again made another bit of a mistake.The second American diver, Kassidy Cook, said the water wasnt a problem during the competition.Its just a different color. It doesnt really change anything, she said. I actually kind of like it because it makes spotting easier. When the skys blue and the waters blue, you can get them confused.Johnston, who still managed to qualify for Saturdays semifinals with the sixth-highest score, wasnt concerned about competing in green water.Well, except for one little matter.Im worried about my hair, she said, smiling as she brushed back her locks. If my hair turns green, I will send my hair-dye bill to the Olympics. Y.A. Tittle Super Bowl Jersey . "Jeff is a hard worker who was an important special-teams contributor for us last season," said Stamps GM John Hufnagel. Jerry Rice Super Bowl Jersey . Terms of the deal were not immediately available. The 26-year-old finished last season with Clevelands Triple-A affiliate in Columbus after signing with the Indians in August. http://www.49ersofficialfanshop.com/customized.html . -- Stanfords Kevin Danser knelt on one knee and hardly moved on the sideline as Michigan State celebrated its Rose Bowl victory and his Cardinal teammates made their way to the locker room. Dwight Clark Super Bowl Jersey .25 million option on reliever Jose Veras. Frank Gore Super Bowl Jersey .ca NHL Power Rankings for the second straight week, ahead of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Colorado Avalanche. EAST HARTFORD, Conn. -- American Athletic Conference Commissioner Mike Aresco says that his conference would not necessarily replace schools that leave for another league.Several American programs have been mentioned as prime candidates for the expansion of the Big 12, which is considering adding two, or perhaps as many as four schools.Aresco, speaking before Saturdays football game between Virginia and UConn, said the American has been making contingency plans and would be ready to react to whatever the Big 12 decides to do.Weve got our checklist, he said. We know what we need to do should something happen.But, he also said the conference could survive with 10 member schools and still hold a football championship game, and therefore would not be forced to add teams just for the sake keeping the conference at 12 members.I dont want to insult any schools that might want to be in our league...but, I dont want to dilute the brand in any way, he said.dddddddddddd. I think we have a good brand now.He said his priority is to put a winning product on the field and get a better TV deal.We dont have to have four or five teams in the Top 25 every year, he said. But weve got to be competitive.Aresco also said the conference has made no decision about whether to move its softball championship tournament this spring from North Carolina. But he noted that it is not at a neutral site and East Carolina is hosting the event as part of a rotation, not because of any bid for the tournament.The NCAA and ACC have pulled championship events from North Carolina over a law, known as HB2, which excludes gender identity and sexual orientation from statewide antidiscrimination protections. ' ' '