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6268. wabbit - 2/3/2009 2:56:36 AM  I didn't expect Super Bowl XLIII to be a good as it was. I thought Pittsburgh was a lock to win over Arizona. They did win, but by the skin of their teeth. Santonio Holmes caught a six-yard touchdown pass with 35 seconds to play to give the Steelers a thrilling 27-23 victory over the Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII. This was the sixth Super Bowl win for the Steelers out of seven appearances.
With only 29 seconds to play, the Cardinals were unable to make another march, the game ending on a fumble by Kurt Warner, who became the first quarterback to surpass 300 yards passing in three Super Bowls. That the Cardinals were even in the game was a minor miracle considering they committed 11 penalties for a Super Bowl-record 106 yards, faced two goal-to-go situations and got only one catch from Fitzgerald through the first three-plus quarters. Fitzgerald finished as the first player with seven touchdown catches in a single postseason and the first to surpass 100 yards receiving in four-consecutive playoff games.
Bruce Springsteen did a fine halftime show, clocking in at exactly his alloted twelve minutes. Faith Hill and Jennifer Hudson were ok singing America the Beautiful and the National Anthem, respectively.
6269. wabbit - 2/3/2009 2:58:34 AM
Now for the important stuff - commercials. The network must have lost a bundle this year — it seemed like every third commercial was a promo for one of their new shows. At $3 million for a 30 second spot, that's a lot of money for promos. It was clever to get Budweiser to pick up half the tab on one of them. And when did 2D become 1D??
Some of the commercials were educational. We all know how to pronouce Hyundai now. Matt Light isn't a half bad dancer for a big guy. Ed McMahon and MC Hammer have a good sense of humor, in spite of their circumstances. Who knew Alec Baldwin was so funny? Talking babies are still cute. Danica Patrick should stick to driving.
Without question, my favorite commercial was aired early in the first quarter - the Dorito's Snow Globe commercial:
Too bad PETA didn't get to run their Veggie Love ad:
6270. wabbit - 2/3/2009 7:42:27 PM [ ... ] Michael Phelps acknowledged "regrettable" behavior and "bad judgment" after a photo in a British newspaper Sunday showed him inhaling from a marijuana pipe. In a statement to The Associated Press, the swimmer who won a record eight gold medals at the Beijing Games did not dispute the authenticity of the exclusive picture published Sunday by the tabloid News of the World.
"I engaged in behavior which was regrettable and demonstrated bad judgment," Phelps said in the statement released by one of his agents. "I'm 23 years old and despite the successes I've had in the pool, I acted in a youthful and inappropriate way, not in a manner people have come to expect from me. For this, I am sorry. I promise my fans and the public it will not happen again."
News of the World said the picture was taken during a November house party while Phelps was visiting the University of South Carolina. During that trip, he attended one of the school's football games and received a big ovation when he was introduced to the crowd. While the newspaper did not specifically allege that Phelps was smoking pot, it did say the pipe is generally used for that purpose and anonymously quoted a partygoer who said the Olympic champion was "out of control from the moment he got there."
The U.S. Olympic Committee said it was "disappointed in the behavior recently exhibited by Michael Phelps," who was selected the group's sportsman of the year. He also was honored as AP male athlete of the year, and his feat in Beijing -- breaking Mark Spitz's 36-year-old record for most gold medals in an Olympics -- was chosen as the top story of 2008. "Michael is a role model, and he is well aware of the responsibilities and accountability that come with setting a positive example for others, particularly young people," the USOC said in a statement. "In this instance, regrettably, he failed to fulfill those responsibilities."
The party occurred nearly three months after the Olympics while Phelps was taking a long break from training, and this apparently would have no impact on the eight golds he won at Beijing. He has never tested positive for banned substances and even agreed to extra testing before the games. Marijuana is viewed differently from performance-enhancing drugs, according to David Howman, executive director of the World Anti-Doping Agency. An athlete is subject to WADA sanctions only for a positive test that occurs during competition periods… 6271. wabbit - 2/3/2009 7:43:10 PM "We should grab this teachable moment," said Lisa Bain, executive editor of Parenting magazine. "It's a good opportunity to talk to your kids about role models. They're human. They're not gods. Any conversation you can have with your kids about the choices people make, especially those they hold up as role models, is a good thing."
I'm happy to see Parenting Magazine come out on the side of reason over hysteria. And the thing that bothers me most about this whole thing isn't Phelps, it's the weasel who sold that photo for a quick buck. Sadly, the most important lesson Phelps will learn isn't not to smoke pot, it's to be more careful about who he hangs with. Phelps' punishment will be lost endorsements, but that might not be enough for Richland County sheriff's investigators. 6272. wabbit - 2/8/2009 1:38:09 AM I would be shocked, shocked, if this turned out to be true.
In 2003, when he won the American League home run title and the AL Most Valuable Player award as a shortstop for the Texas Rangers, Alex Rodriguez tested positive for two anabolic steroids, four sources have independently told Sports Illustrated.
Rodriguez's name appears on a list of 104 players who tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs in Major League Baseball's '03 survey testing, SI's sources say. As part of a joint agreement with the MLB Players Association, the testing was conducted to determine if it was necessary to impose mandatory random drug testing across the major leagues in 2004…
MLB may as well just build an asterisk room.6273. wabbit - 2/9/2009 2:56:28 AM  Jennifer Figge pressed her toes into the Caribbean sand, exhilarated and exhausted as she touched land this week for the first time in almost a month.
Reaching a beach in Trinidad, she became the first woman on record to swim across the Atlantic Ocean -- a dream she'd had since the early 1960s, when a stormy trans-Atlantic flight got her thinking she could don a life vest and swim the rest of the way if needed.
The 56-year-old left the Cape Verde Islands off Africa's western coast on Jan. 12, swimming 19 out of 25 days and battling waves of up to 30 feet. The distance from Cape Verde to Trinidad is roughly 700 miles. Crew members are still computing exactly how many miles she swam.
The original plan was for her to swim to the Bahamas but inclement forced them to change their plans and she arrived at Trinidad on Thursday. She now plans to swim from Trinidad to the British Virgin Islands, ending her odyssey at the Bitter End Yacht Club in late February.
Then it's home to Aspen, Colo. -- where she trained for months in an outdoor pool amid snowy blizzards -- to reunite with her Alaskan Malamute…
I wonder why she chose to swim west to east — wouldn't swimming west be more difficult that swimming east?
6274. wabbit - 2/10/2009 8:30:47 PM Even playing short-handed during a key third-period stretch wasn't going to stop Boston University from winning another Beanpot championship. Jason Lawrence scored the go-ahead goal for the second straight week, and BU sealed it with two late short-handed goals as the Terriers beat Northeastern 5-2 in the tournament's 57th annual event Monday. It was 29th Beanpot title for Boston University, who entered its second consecutive week ranked No. 1 in the country. Nick Bonino, Zach Cohen, David Warsofsky, and Colin Wilson also scored for Boston University (22-5-1). Bonino, Warsofsky and Wilson's goals were all short-handed.
"The three short-handed goals was hard to imagine," BU coach Jack Parker said. "It was the difference."
Mike McLaughlin and Tyler McNeely had Northeastern's goals. The Huskies (19-7-2), who lead Hockey East over second-place BU and are ranked third in the nation, were seeking only their fifth Beanpot title. Northeastern last won the Beanpot in 1988. 6275. wabbit - 2/10/2009 8:31:55 PM  It's a bit slower this year at Westminster. There are 170 breeds and varieties at this 133rd edition of Westminster, with a perky Brussels griffon and a monkey-faced affenpinscher among the favorites. Best in show judge Sari Tietjen will point to her choice Tuesday night.
The first four groups have been decided. A 7-year-old Scottish deerhound named Tiger Woods -- his owner is a huge golfer -- won the hound group Monday night, then a Scottish terrier took the terrier group. The standard poodle called Yes was best among the nonsporting dogs and a puli took the herding group.
I picked the deerhound, but thought the 3rd place Norwich might win the terrier group. In the non-sporting group, I was surprised that the dalmatian didn't even make the cut, he was a gorgeous dog. Still, the frenchie got 2nd and the bichon was 4th. In the herding group, I picked the Belgian Malinois and was surprised again that he didn't place at all.
Tonight will be the sporting group, toy group and working group, then best in show. I have no hope whatsoever for the Mastiff in the working group, they are such big lumbering dogs, they don't show well, especially when competing in a group with dobermans and boxers.
6276. robertjayb - 2/11/2009 4:06:01 AM Ken Hoffman says what needed to be said about Michael Phelps
If I were Michael Phelps, this is how I would have handled his bong-toking photo scandal.
First, I would have told USA Swimming, quietly, using my indoor voice, “Stuff it. You want to suspend me for three months? Go ahead, embarrass me. I’ll quit swimming. No more gold medals. Olympic TV ratings in the toilet. Then you’ll be the governing body of a sport that nobody cares about, and nobody can name one other swimmer.
“Now get out of my way, you tired old judgmental hypocrites.”
Phelps won eight gold medals at the last Olympics. He has 14 career golds. He is the reigning Sports Illustrated “Sportsman of the Year.” He just hosted Saturday Night Live. He endorses products. He is swimming’s brightest star — its only star.
Come on, name some other swimmers.
Flipper and Aquaman don’t count.
If any one athlete is bigger than his sport, it’s Phelps. He means more to swimming than Tiger Woods means to golf.
6277. wabbit - 2/11/2009 5:56:56 PM Ken Hoffman has a point. Without Phelps, swimming will lose what little media draw it has. I'm glad he took the high (sorry) road anyway, he comes out looking like a young man with questionable taste in friends who needed a reminder that he is paparazzi fodder now.
And Kellogg's is getting an earful, at least for now. The leader of one of the biggest legalize-pot organizations, the Marijuana Policy Project, called Kellogg's action "hypocritical and disgusting," and said he'd never seen his membership so angry, with more than 2,300 of them signing an online petition.
"Kellogg's had no problem signing up Phelps when he had a conviction for drunk driving, an illegal act that could actually have killed someone," said Rob Kampia, the group's executive director. "To drop him for choosing to relax with a substance that's safer than beer is an outrage, and it sends a dangerous message to young people." 6278. wabbit - 2/11/2009 5:57:48 PM Can we just get over this obsession with trying to legislate truthfulness? If you don't place somebody under oath, don't turn around and charge them with "liar liar pants on fire" later. If you expect people to turn in their friends for being stupid, then give them a deal at the outset and put them under oath, or stfu about the whole thing. How much time must someone have to kill to go back and charge someone for lying to Congress about his friend while NOT under oath? Don't we have bigger problems to solve right now? The economy, Iraq, Iran, peanut butter anyone??
Brett Favre is retiring. Again.6279. wabbit - 2/11/2009 6:02:36 PM  I did better picking winners at Westminster last night, I got all three groups. The Sporting group was first and there were many fine dogs. I like the English setter and the Clumber spaniel, but was thrilled to see the old man win. The Toy group was supposed to be a showdown between the affenpinsher and the Brussels griffon, but it was no contest, the Brussels was spot on. In the Working group I had the top two: the giant schnauzer and the boxer. And the mastiff, a breed that I am very fond of, showed very well last night. He didn't get picked, but he had a lot of personality.
For Best in Show, I was certain that the winner was going to be one of the three dogs from the second night. Beautiful as the other four dogs were (Scottish deerhound, Scottish terrier, standard poodle and puli), they were not going to beat any one of the other three. Spirit and Lincoln were at their best, but I hoped against hope that Stump would pull it off. Stump proved impossible to resist.
Judge Sari Brewster Tietjen said she made her decision at the last minute.
"I didn’t know who he was or how old he was," Tietjen said. "He’s just everything that you’d want in the breed, and I couldn’t say no to him." Stump won't have the same hectic schedule for the next year that last year's winner, Uno the beagle, had. Stump will go back to Texas where he lives with handler/part-owner Scott Sommer and 2001 Westminster Best in Show winner J.R., a bichon frisé. I think he'll be a popular winner anyway.
During the working group competition, the rottweiler's leash came off during the trot down and back. Unless you saw the handler keeping his hand in place, you wouldn't have noticed. That's a good dog.
6280. wabbit - 2/11/2009 7:02:58 PM I was just reminiscing about my favorite Westminster Best in Show night from 2003 and I came across Message # 2193 Stump's last group win in 2004, right before he got sick. Josh, a newfie, won that year in what I thought was a foregone conclusion as soon as the BiS judge was announced - Burt Yamata had picked Josh for the Working group winner in 2003.
What I loved about that 2003 Best in Show, and what I haven't seen the last few years, is the free stack. The handlers take the dogs out and they have to assume the classic breed pose, whatever that is, without the handlers placing their legs. I remember 2003 clearly because dog after dog hit their pose. The stack varies; most breeds stack with their weight over their front legs and their hind legs stretched out behind, and their feet form a rectangle. German Shepherds stack with their hindquarters low and one leg in front of the other. Some breeds stand square. And let's face it, who can even tell where Les, the Pekingese, has his feet. But that night in 2003 the judge had all the dogs free stack, and one after the other, Jester, Miki, Josh, Dallas, Bunny, Les, Mick, every dog hit their pose perfectly and froze. I don't know why recent judges have skipped it, unless it's a time constraint, but I'd gladly delay the 11pm news to see the BiS competitors free stack. 6281. wabbit - 2/11/2009 7:21:28 PM  Jack Johnson scored the only goal of the shootout in the final round as the Los Angeles Kings beat the New York Islanders 4-3 on Tuesday night. Johnson faked a forehand and got Yann Danis to move before he slipped in a backhander net to give the Kings their fourth straight win. The Islanders got regulation goals from Doug Weight, Tim Jackman and Andy Hilbert. Danis stopped 36 shots for the Islanders, who lost their third straight after a four-game winning streak. Wayne Simmonds, Anze Kopitar and Alexander Frolov scored for the Kings. Jonathan Quick, who started his eight straight game, turned aside 22 shots…
Mats Sundin scored twice and Jannik Hansen's rebound goal with 4:42 to go capped the Vancouver Canucks' rally from a pair of two-goal deficits in a 6-4 victory over the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday night. Andy McDonald had a goal and an assist in his first game back after missing 36 due to a broken left ankle for the Blues, who also got three assists from Patrik Berglund. St. Louis, which had been 6-1-3 in their previous 10 games, missed a chance to escape the Western Conference cellar for the first time since Dec. 13. The Canucks have won three in a row, outscoring their opponents 17-10, after losing eight straight. Vancouver capitalized on three power plays in a four-goal third period, scoring on one and getting the go-ahead goal six seconds after a tripping call on Barret Jackman expired…
The Boston Bruins waited for the San Jose Sharks to come to town, wanting the opportunity to show they were the best team in the NHL. They carried a lead into the third period and then watched the Sharks show just how they rose to the top of the Western Conference. Patrick Marleau, Milan Michalek and former Boston captain Joe Thornton scored in a 6:16 span of the third period to rally the Sharks to a 5-2 victory over the Boston Bruins in a matchup of the NHL's top two teams on Tuesday night. The Eastern Conference-leading Bruins, leading the league with 85 points, led 2-1 heading into the third period behind two first-period goals by Milan Lucic. Boston had been 26-0-2 when leading after 40 minutes…
NHL scores
6282. wabbit - 2/11/2009 7:22:03 PM  Kobe Bryant bounced back quickly from the flu and became the youngest player in NBA history to reach the 23,000-point plateau. Bryant showed no lingering effects from being sick two days earlier, scoring 34 points in the Los Angeles Lakers' surprisingly narrow 105-98 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night. With fans chanting "MVP," Bryant - 30 years, 171 days old - made a free throw with 5:13 left in the second quarter, bouncing the ball off the front of the rim, then the backboard and in. He joined 20 others in league history who've reached that lofty mark. Wilt Chamberlain was formerly the youngest at 30 years, 176 days. He still ranks as the fastest to 23,000, reaching it in 606 games, while Bryant, who came straight from high school to the NBA, reached it in his 917th game…
The San Antonio Spurs suddenly have a fifth option. As if Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Roger Mason weren't enough, now it's time to add Matt Bonner. Bonner scored 13 of his 22 points in the opening 5 minutes of the third quarter to help break the game open and the Spurs posted a 108-93 victory over New Jersey on Tuesday night, beating the Nets for the 13th straight time. Bonner, who had his second best game as a pro Sunday by scoring 23 against Boston, was just as good against the Nets, going 8-for-10 from the field in helping San Antonio win for the 15th time in 19 games since the start of 2009. He was at his best in the opening minutes of the third quarter, hitting his first four shots, including three 3-pointers, in transforming a 54-51 halftime lead into a 73-59 edge…
Shut up, Mike Brown and LeBron.
NBA scores
6284. wabbit - 2/16/2009 9:30:17 PM  2009 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue is available now.
6285. wabbit - 2/16/2009 9:30:49 PM 
Long ago broken apart, Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant were together again Sunday. Just like the good ol' days, they were winners - and the only sign of any feuding was when they playfully fought over the MVP trophy they shared. Bryant led all scorers with 27 points, O'Neal partied his way back onto the All-Star stage with 17 in just 11 minutes, and the Western Conference beat the East 146-119. Back on the same team for the first time in nearly five years, they helped the West get untracked after an awful start, then teamed up for a few buckets that helped blow it open in the third quarter. [ … ] It was their first time on the floor as teammates since the 2004 NBA finals. O'Neal was traded to Miami that summer, breaking apart a duo that produced three straight titles but was perhaps better known for the bickering that made the breakup inevitable. They joined Bob Pettit, who won four times, and Michael Jordan and Oscar Robertson as the only three-time All-Star MVPs.
Amare Stoudemire scored 19 for the West, which bounced back from its loss last year in New Orleans, when Bryant was limited to just a few minutes of action while resting a dislocated pinkie finger. LeBron James led the East with 20 points. Paul Pierce and Dwyane Wade each scored 18.
The weekend festivities were a welcome distraction for Phoenix basketball fans, whose disappointing Suns were apparently in the process of dismantling their team while the fun was going on around them. Phoenix coach Terry Porter was fired Monday and replaced by assistant Alvin Gentry. Stoudemire, who started for the West, is the biggest name involved in trade rumors ahead of next week's deadline. Just in case he won't be seen again for a while, Stoudemire earned a pair of loud ovations before the game from the celebrity-filled crowd that included Muhammad Ali, plus Sen. John McCain sitting four seats away from director Spike Lee.
O'Neal also could be moved, and he showed he's still got plenty of game left if somebody wants him.
6286. wabbit - 2/20/2009 2:53:14 AM [ ... ] It was a Saturday night in February, and the Barbs were playing a non-conference game on the road against Milwaukee Madison. It was the third meeting between the two schools, who were developing a friendly rivalry that spanned two states.
The teams planned to get together after the game and share some pizzas and soda. But the game itself almost never took place.
Hours earlier, the mother of Milwaukee Madison senior captain Johntel Franklin died at a local hospital. Carlitha Franklin had been in remission after a five-year fight with cervical cancer, but she began to hemorrhage that morning while Johntel was taking his college ACT exam.
Her son and several of his teammates were at the hospital late that afternoon when the decision was made to turn off the life-support system. Carlitha Franklin was just 39.
"She was young and they were real close," said Milwaukee coach Aaron Womack Jr., who was at the hospital. "He was very distraught and it happened so suddenly he didn't have time to grieve."
Womack was going to cancel the game, but Franklin told him he wanted the team to play. And play they did, even though the game started late and Milwaukee Madison dressed only eight players.
Early in the second quarter, Womack saw someone out of the corner of his eye. It was Franklin, who came there directly from the hospital to root his teammates on.
The Knights had possession, so Womack called a time out. His players went over and hugged their grieving teammate. Fans came out of the stands to do the same.
"We got back to playing the game and I asked if he wanted to come and sit on the bench," Womack said during a telephone interview.
"No," Franklin replied. "I want to play."
There was just one problem. Since Franklin wasn't on the pre-game roster, putting him in meant drawing a technical foul that would give DeKalb two free throws.
Though it was a tight game, Womack was willing to give up the two points. It was more important to help his senior guard and co-captain deal with his grief by playing.
Over on the other bench, though, Rohlman wasn't so willing to take them. He told the referees to forget the technical and just let Franklin play.
"I could hear them arguing for five to seven minutes, saying, `We're not taking it, we're not taking it," Womack said. "The refs told them, no, that's the rule. You have to take them."
That's when Rohlman asked for volunteers, and McNeal's hand went up.
He went alone to the free throw line, dribbled the ball a couple of times, and looked at the rim.
His first attempt went about two feet, bouncing a couple of times as it rolled toward the end line. The second barely left his hand… Coach Rohlman was right when he said, "They may not remember our record 20 years from now, but they'll remember what happened in that gym that night."6287. wabbit - 3/1/2009 6:01:14 PM I figured the Patriots would trade Matt Cassel if they thought Tom Brady was going to be 100% in September, but I was surprised to see Mike Vrabel as part of the deal. Especially for what the Pats got from KC — a second-round draft pick? Is Belichick just doing Scott Pioli and Cassel a favor by going so low? Brady better get that honeymoon out of the way and get down to business.
So Michael Vick gets to go home because there is no room at the halfway house, no doubt filled with those crazy, violent pot smokers. [ … ] Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff said earlier this month that the Falcons will try to trade the contract rights on Vick to another team. Vick, once the highest-paid player in the NFL and among its most popular, has a contract that runs to 2013 and calls for him to receive a base salary of $9 million and a bonus of $6.43 million in 2009. The remainder of the contract is worth $45.11 million, with an additional possible $3 million in Pro Bowl bonuses.
Officials of some other NFL teams have said they are not interested in Vick… When are sports teams going to learn how to write a contract? If you dog it to get out of your contract (think Manny Ramirez), you are in violation and can be let go with no further obligation on the part of the franchise. If you get caught fighting and killing dogs, you are in violation and can be let go with no further obligation on the part of the franchise.
Is it really so difficult? Why must athletes be coddled? If I'm hired to do a job and I don't do it, or I'm out sick 20% of the time, or I'm caught stealing or convicted of a felony, I'm history with no multi-year contract to fall back on. Why not apply the same rules to athletes and corporate honchos that the rest of us are subject to? These folks are long overdue for a reality check.6288. wabbit - 3/1/2009 6:01:46 PM Speaking of Manny, the Dodgers' latest offer is like their original offer in that it's for $45 million over two years, but the new twist is that Ramirez could opt out after one year. Ramirez would be paid $25 million in 2009 and $20 million next season if he exercises his player option. This proposal may be more enticing for Ramirez because it would give him the ability to become a free agent next winter while allowing him the option of staying two years. It is believed the opt-out was added at Ramirez's reqest. There's another upgrade to this offer, as well. In the Dodgers' original $45 million proposal, he was to be paid $15 million the first year and $22.5 million the second year, with a team option for $22.5 million with a $7.5 million buyout for the third year. Ramirez was initially thought to be seeking a four- or five-year deal, starting at $25 million per season. Ramirez rejected a one-year, $25 million proposal from Los Angeles three weeks ago. Uh, how about you don't play ball with him and let him see if some other team is willing to knuckle under? Sheesh, people, grow a friggin' backbone, huh??
In other former-Red Sox player-news, free-agent pitcher Pedro Martinez is staying busy. The three-time Cy Young Award winner threw a simulated game on Tuesday in the Dominican Republic and is on track to start for the country's World Baseball Classic squad in the team's first exhibition game on March 3, according to the Dominican newspaper Hoy. According to the report, Martinez's velocity ranged from 88-92 mph in the 43-pitch outing at Baseball City, a sports complex near Boca Chica. The Dodgers, Pirates and Indians are interested in signing Martinez, but the right-hander has not received an official offer… I love Theo Epstein.
Thank god baseball is back. Ok, it's the preseason, but it's baseball. The month or so between football and baseball seems very long.
A-Rod has a cousin problem on top of the steroid thing. Rodriguez homered and walked twice in his first pre-season game, then got into a car driven by Yuri Sucart, identified as the cousin who provided Rodriguez with performance-enhancing drugs obtained in the Dominican Republic. Rodriguez admitted using steroids while playing for Texas from 2001-03, though to date nobody has figured out why. Rodriguez acknowledged to the Yankees that having the cousin meet him at the ballpark in Dunedin was a mistake, the person who told The Associated Press about the situation said. All together now ... what a maroon.
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