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5376. wabbit - 2/4/2007 8:16:02 PM  Josh Howard didn't let an All-Star snub and missing two games affect him. As for his slight lapse of judgment at the very end, that's easily forgiven by the Dallas Mavericks. Holding the ball after a wild scramble under Minnesota's basket in the closing seconds, Howard threw the ball to the other end of the court. Randy Foye had enough time to track it down and hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer, but Dallas still won 94-93 for its 15th straight home victory Saturday night.
Mehmet Okur and the Utah Jazz apparently know something about the Phoenix Suns that the rest of the NBA does not. Okur scored 19 of his 29 points in the second half, including a decisive 19-footer with 5.1 seconds remaining, and the Jazz beat Phoenix 108-105 Saturday night for their third win over the Suns this season. Deron Williams added 28 points and 10 assists for the Jazz, who have handed Phoenix three of its 10 losses this season and have won four straight against the Suns overall.
The big rematch with Kobe Bryant turned out to be too big for Gilbert Arenas, who psyched himself out before the game even started. Departing from his usual happy-go-lucky routine, Arenas donned his headphones 90 minutes before tipoff and had the edgy nervousness of a kid waiting in a lobby for a job interview. That's no way to approach a game against the Los Angeles Lakers, especially when Bryant is seeking to settle a score. Round 2 went to Bryant on Saturday night as two of the NBA's most riveting playmakers tried to outdo each other, point for point, flashy move for flashy move. The Los Angeles star scored 39 points in the Lakers' 118-102 victory over Arenas and the Washington Wizards.
NBA scores
5377. wabbit - 2/4/2007 8:16:22 PM  The Nashville Predators and the Anaheim Ducks have been fighting for supremacy in the Western Conference for most of the season. The Predators continued to pad their lead in the West, shutting down the Ducks 3-0 Saturday night. It was the Predators' second straight win over Anaheim and their first regulation win against the Ducks since Oct. 9, 2003.
I still think it would be easier to take ice hockey seriously if they didn't name teams after Disney movies.
The Boston Bruins found an effective way to end their lengthy losing streak by facing a team that's stuck in a similar slump. Zdeno Chara scored a power-play goal with 3:11 left in overtime and the Bruins snapped a five-game slide with a 4-3 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday night. Chara took a pass from Marc Savard behind the right circle and one-timed the puck past Cam Ward , sending the defending Stanley Cup champions to their fourth straight loss, their third straight on home ice and their sixth in seven games.
Mats Sundin steered coach Paul Maurice in the right direction as the Toronto Maple Leafs started to go deep in their shootout list. John Pohl scored on Toronto's fifth attempt and the Maple Leafs matched their longest winning streak of the season with a 3-2 victory over the Ottawa Senators on Saturday night. Andrew Raycroft , who made 30 saves, stopped Jason Spezza 's shot after Pohl scored on his first career shootout attempt with a backhand over Ray Emery 's right pad. Pohl scored on a penalty shot against Minnesota's Manny Fernandez in a 4-3 win over the Wild on Dec. 26.
NHL scores
5378. wabbit - 2/4/2007 8:16:35 PM I love Rick Reilly. 5379. wabbit - 2/5/2007 5:33:32 PM  The game - The 12th man was definitely the rain. While it looked like there was potential for a competitive game (the first quarter was great), by the end of the first half yesterday's Super Bowl XLI became another in a long line of forgettable mismatches. Indianapolis 29 - Chicago 17. It was surprising that the Bears were that close. I am sick and tired of Peyton Manning, but I'm very happy for Tony Dungy. Congratulations to Bears coach Lovie Smith, he was a class act in a tough game.
Despite the game itself, there were some interesting firsts. The obvious first is that both head coaches are African-American. Personally, I like that they are both soft-spoken men who lead by example rather than intimidation. It was the first time in Super Bowl history that the opening kick was returned for a touchdown, a 92-yard return by Devin Hester that was also the fastest score in Super Bowl history (14 seconds). This was the first Super Bowl with brothers officiating, Umpire Carl Paganelli and Back Judge Perry Paganelli. Hard to believe this was the first time the Super Bowl was played in the rain.
 The halftime show - It's getting rave reviews from most people, but I just don't see it. Prince was fine, but nothing that would keep me from going to the bathroom or getting something to snack on. Still, he was an improvement over the last few halftime shows (Paul McCartney?). It must look better from the seats in the stadium, and the pouring rain didn't help. One thing I thought was a nice touch and a throwback to the old style halftime shows was the marching band. Updated, but still looking like a marching band, and it made me think of Arky's Message # 3608 in thread 140 about the movie Drumline in the Movie thread. Overall, halftime was ok, not great. Oh, and Billy Joel sucked. He last sang the National Anthem at Super Bowl XXIII in 1989 and he was surprisingly good, but yesterday was painful.
The commercials - Disappointing overall. The fan-made Doritos ad was good, as were the feel-good ads by Coke (GTA video game), GM (anthropomorphic robot) and Budweiser (wannabe Dalmatian), but what were the folks at M&M/Mars thinking with that Snickers ad? And the heart getting beat up? I get the point, but that was just dumb. GoDaddy's mediocre commercial was promoted as the most salacious ad that would been seen during the game. I did like the quick cameo appearance of the Orange County Motorcycle guys. Revlon, we women who watch football aren't buying hair coloring based on ads seen during the Super Bowl. Allocate your advertising budget more wisely and spend it elsewhere. Congratulations to CareerBuilder.com for getting rid of the chimps. Budweiser had a couple losers, too - does anyone believe Jay-Z drinks Bud? Taco Bell's lions rolling their R's was cute, but I'm not sure what it has to do with Mexican food. Letterman and Oprah was clever, short, and a nice surprise. And honestly, didn't everyone laugh at the K-Fed ad for Nationwide? Finally, the NFL "Goodbye" commercial was well done, and also submitted through a contest. Can we all see the future for commercial advertising coming from YouTube? The Super Bowl ads can be seen at MSNBC.
5380. alistairconnor - 2/5/2007 6:54:57 PM Well, it has occurred to me that the next generation of genius film directors are currently making cute kitten videos with their cell phones and posting them on YouTube.
But you're right. For every one of those, there will be a hundred who will make money out of advertising. 5381. wabbit - 2/13/2007 2:31:15 AM 
Even while the star-studded AFC cruised to a comfortable lead in the Pro Bowl, Carson Palmer could sense a wacky finish lurking just beyond everybody's control. Palmer's hunch proved correct in the improbable final minutes -- but thanks to Palmer's poise and a costly NFC penalty, the AFC's Hawaiian vacation ended with another win. Nate Kaeding kicked a 21-yard field goal as time expired to cap another strong drive led by Palmer, the MVP of the AFC's 31-28 victory in the 57th edition of the NFL's all-star game. The NFC trailed 28-14 with 3 minutes to play before injecting a little drama into this normally mellow exhibition. Steven Jackson scored on a fourth-down TD run, and Ronde Barber recovered an onside kick to set up Anquan Boldin 's 47-yard TD catch from Tony Romo with 1:48 left -- followed by a tying 2-point conversion catch by Carolina's Steve Smith.
5382. wabbit - 2/13/2007 2:31:33 AM  Who cares about the Pro Bowl, the Westminster Kennel Club dog show begins today.
Bill Cosby’s terrier bounced into the show ring, wagging his tail a mile a minute. Harry walked onto the green carpet at Madison Square Garden as if he had no competition — in fact, he didn’t. Of the 2,628 entries at the Westminster Kennel Club dog show, little Harry was the only Dandie Dinmont. So he merely needed to take a leisurely stroll to win best of breed Monday. The 6-year-old Harry is royalty in the show world and fittingly, he’s named for Prince Harry. He’s playful and a bit of a mischief maker — much like his namesake. He’s also the No. 1 show dog in America, winning 57 events last year. And that makes him a top favorite at the No. 1 dog show in the country.
5383. wabbit - 2/14/2007 4:35:36 PM  Virginia Tech topped North Carolina for the second time, after previously upsetting Duke. Maybe the Hokies should push for an extension of Tobacco Road. The Atlantic Coast Conference newcomers are making a habit of upsetting the league's traditional powers, with Zabian Dowdell scoring a career-high 33 points Tuesday night in an 81-80 overtime victory over No. 4 North Carolina which sealed an improbable season sweep of the Tar Heels.
Bob Knight chose not to take a timeout with 6 seconds left, the game tied and his Red Raiders with the ball. Jarrius Jackson hit a jumper at the buzzer to give Texas Tech a 77-75 win over No. 6 Texas A&M on Tuesday night, ending a five-game losing streak. Acie Law tied the game with a 3-pointer from the top of the key with 6 seconds left, before Jackson drove the length of the court and pulled up for the winning score. The crowd sat in stunned silence for a few seconds while officials looked at a replay of the basket before declaring it good.
The police officers who arrested Gonzaga basketball players Josh Heytvelt and Theo Davis smelled marijuana and spotted a bag of dried mushrooms in the back seat of a vehicle Heytvelt was driving, according to court documents. The Chevy Trailblazer was stopped shortly before midnight last Friday because the tail lights were not on, a dead giveaway that stoners were behind the wheel. Two Cheney police officers could smell a strong odor of burnt marijuana coming from Davis, the passenger, the document said. The baggie of dried mushrooms was protruding from the top of a gym bag that had Heytvelt's name and jersey number embroidered on the front, the court papers said...The players have both been suspended from the team indefinitely. Heytvelt has been Gonzaga's second-leading scorer and top rebounder this season. Davis is a freshman who has not played because of injuries. Heytvelt, 20, is from Clarkston. Davis, 21, is from Brampton, Ontario.
NCAA Basketball
5384. wabbit - 2/14/2007 4:36:33 PM  A 6-year-old certified therapy dog, English springer spaniel Diamond Jim, was picked for best in show Tuesday night at the Westminster Kennel Club. Diamond Jim beat out a Dandie Dinmont terrier called Harry, co-owned by Bill Cosby, as he did at the big AKC/Eukanuba event in December. The springer was the nation's No. 2 show dog last year behind Cosby's entry -- handler Kellie Fitzgerald also repeated, having gone best in show at Westminster in 2000. This was his 51st best in show victory, and his last. Commonly called James, he's retiring from the show world to live the life of a therapy and obedience dog.
Judge Robert Indeglia said he wished he had seven ribbons to present to the final contenders at Madison Square Garden. Given only a purple-and-gold one, he pointed to Diamond Jim. Diamond Jim beat out the Dandie Dinmont, a pair of white poodles and a petit basset griffon vendeen, plus an Akita and a Bouviers des Flandres that pitted a husband and wife against each other. Larry Fenner handled the Bouviers and Laurie Jordan-Fenner guided the Akita.
With a few dogs barking and baying backstage, Diamond Jim was judged the best of the overall 2,628 entries in 165 breeds and varieties. This was the 100th time that best in show was presented at Westminster, and the sixth time that an English springer spaniel won.
For those who cannot get enough dog news, the Iditarod starts in less than three weeks, and the Crufts dog show begins the following week on March 8.
5385. wonkers2 - 2/18/2007 4:31:49 PM Tim Hardaway is a homophobe! Mitch Albom on gays in the locker room 5386. JayAckroyd - 2/19/2007 3:59:15 AM Steve Gilliard says it's a black (male) thing. 5387. arkymalarky - 2/19/2007 4:09:34 AM 'Ol Frank Broyles is finally retiring--
at the end of the calendar year, he says. 5388. JayAckroyd - 2/19/2007 4:10:56 AM Clark's gonna be in the neighborhood end of the month. What should I ask him, Arky? 5389. arkymalarky - 2/19/2007 4:17:55 AM Hmmm. Is he running for president is the first one that comes to mind. I get his email alerts, and he's obviously very opposed to Bush's Iraq plan. Personally, as one Arky to another, I'd like to know what he thinks Huckabee's chances are of getting the Republican nomination. ;-)
But for the rest of the country I would wonder what his domestic agenda and any specifics wrt it are, especially health care. I haven't read much in the email alerts, so he may have already outlined it. I wish he'd get more out front and let people know what his political plan is. 5390. iiibbb - 2/23/2007 8:07:29 PM Another riffle in the Floyd Landis case. 5391. alistairConnor - 2/23/2007 9:21:05 PM There is a second reason why they will probably leave the Tour de France title to Floyd (as I think they should)...
Pereiro, who came second, narrowly escaped disqualification the other day... he had a positive control for salbutamol, the asthmatic's drug (it increases your lung capacity... sort of useful for a cyclist), and hadn't bothered to supply a medical justification. It was looking, for a while, like the Tour was actually cracking down on the whole field of phony medical justifications for dope... But they let him off the hook.
Personally I think chronically ill riders should get another job. 5392. iiibbb - 2/23/2007 9:30:12 PM I am reminded of the SNL skit, the all-drug olympics 5393. wabbit - 2/24/2007 1:25:21 AM Reminiscent of the Upper Class Twit of the Year competition. 5394. wabbit - 2/24/2007 1:26:18 AM Back to gays in basketball for a moment:
5395. wabbit - 2/24/2007 1:50:38 AM  Busy news week here in Beantown. Sadly, Dennis Johnson has died at age 52. He was a star NBA guard who was part of three championships and teamed with Larry Bird on one of the great postseason plays, died Thursday, collapsing after his developmental team's practice. Johnson, coach of the Austin Toros, was unconscious and in cardiac arrest when paramedics arrived at Austin Convention Center, said Warren Hassinger, spokesman for Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services. DJ was a five-time All-Star, one of the top defensive guards and part of the last Boston dynasty. He spent 14 seasons in the league and retired after the 1989-90 season. He played on title teams with the Celtics in 1984 and 1986 and with the Seattle SuperSonics in 1979, when he was the NBA finals MVP. RIP, DJ.
Curt Schilling will become a free agent after this season with the Red Sox. Child genius Red Sox manager Theo Epstein has declined to resign the ancient 41-year-old Schilling, who showed up for Spring training overweight and out of shape. Alright, we can't find much fault with this decision. Hey Theo, how about getting rid of Manny this year while you're at it?
In football news, running back Corey Dillon wants to leave the game on his own terms, saying yesterday he will ask the Patriots for his release and is prepared to retire. "I think more of my health, how I envision myself 5-10 years down the road," Dillon said via cellphone from California. "I don't want to be broken down, not able to play with my kids. I've been blessed and fortunate enough to play 10 years. I can get up and walk around and be comfortable. That's one of the big determining factors." Good luck, Corey.
Former Patriot's offensive coach Charlie Weiss is suing two Boston doctors for allegedly botching his gastric bypass surgery. Weis claims in the lawsuit that physicians Charles Ferguson and Richard Hodin acted negligently by failing to recognize life-threatening internal bleeding and infection after the surgery. He was in the hospital for more than a month and claims he still suffers from nerve damage in his feet. Weis is seeking unspecified damages. He's a bright guy, doesn't pretty much every senscient being know the risks of this surgery by now? Sorry, Charlie. Even having Tom Brady testify for you isn't helping.
Speaking of the Tom, we heard earlier this week that Tom Brady's ex-paramour, Bridget Moynahan, is preggers. The Brady clan has their game face on and says they are very excited about the pregnancy. Brady and Moynahan split up late last year after a three-year relationship. Brady, a two-time Super Bowl MVP, has since been seen with Leo DiCaprio's ex, lingerie model Gisele Bundchen, and media outlets have reported the two are dating. Moynahan, 35, has appeared in films such as "Coyote Ugly," "I, Robot" and the ABC television series "Six Degrees." Brady, 29, led the Patriots to three NFL titles, and twice was the Super Bowl MVP. He was named one of People magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People" in 2002. Moynahan will no doubt get some kind of hottie award for her make-out scene with Heather Graham in Gray Matters.
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