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5309. wabbit - 11/19/2006 8:44:05 PM  A contest billed as a game for the ages lived up to the hype. But after No. 1 Ohio State held off No. 2 Michigan, 42-39, only one prominent questioned lingered: Will these two storied rivals meet again this season? The first meeting between the rivals as No. 1 and No. 2 gave this game an almost surreal feel. The game had a bit of everything — electric performances by big stars, a controversial penalty that swung the game, and a postseason cliffhanger that will not be resolved for two weeks. If Michigan (11-1) ends up No. 2 in the Bowl Championship Series standings, a realistic possibility considering the lack of another dominant undefeated team, then college football could end up feeling déjà vu.
Bo Schembechler, who took the University of Michigan to 13 Big Ten championships and a host of bowl appearances in becoming one of college football’s most renowned coaches, died Friday after collapsing while preparing to tape a television show. He was 77.
By the time it ended, Rutgers had vindicated every skeptic and disappointed every believer. The perfect season is over, and so is college football’s sweetest little story. For a week and a half, the Scarlet Knights sure livened up the local conversation. But they also might have been victims of their own hype. Their 30-11 loss to Cincinnati on Saturday night looked like something out of Rutgers’s past. The Scarlet Knights (9-1, 4-1 Big East) have endured many other lopsided losses in their history, but few more painful, mainly because of the rising stakes. All the heightened expectations crashed down in a heap of dropped passes, errant passes and intercepted passes.
Trailing by 9-6 at halftime, and looking lethargic offensively for long stretches, the Trojans rallied for 14 fourth-quarter points to defeat California, 23-9, and keep their Bowl Championship Series title game hopes alive. The host Trojans (9-1, 7-1 Pac-10) entered the game ranked third in the B.C.S. standings, and they have two regular-season games remaining, against Notre Dame and U.C.L.A. It remains to be seen if U.S.C. can vault over No. 2 Michigan.
NCAA Football
5310. wabbit - 11/20/2006 3:19:08 AM  Two days after her 20th birthday, Paraguayan rookie Julieta Granada became an instant millionaire by upsetting several bigger-name players to win the ADT Championship. Player of the Year Lorena Ochoa finished second in the one-day shootout to end the 2006 LPGA Tour season. Granada shot a bogey-free round of 68, topping an eight-player final-round field to win the ADT Championship at Trump International and claim most of the $1.55 million purse. The win pushed her season's earnings to $1,633,586 -- not bad for someone who finished outside the top-10 finishers in 23 of 30 events this year.
 Tiger Woods lost for the second time in 16 official tournament playoffs, falling to Padraig Harrington on the second extra hole Sunday at the Dunlop Phoenix. Woods squandered a three-stroke lead with six holes left to set up the playoff against Harrington, who tapped in a birdie on the second hole in sudden death to prevent Woods from winning the $1.69 million tournament for the third straight year. The Irishman played the back nine in 4 under. He then birdied both extra holes at Phoenix Country Club. Harrington and Woods shot 3-under-par 67s to finish at 9-under 271, one shot ahead of Japan's Keiichiro Fukabori, whose 30-foot eagle putt at the final hole lipped out, depriving him of a playoff spot. Woods' only other playoff defeat came against Billy Mayfair at the 1998 Nissan Open. Woods also lost a playoff to Nick Price in the 1998 Million Dollar Challenge, an unofficial event in South Africa.
5311. wabbit - 11/20/2006 3:20:08 AM  The Indianapolis Colts are perfect no more. And as flawed as the Dallas Cowboys are, they're starting to look like contenders again. A week after becoming the first team to start 9-0 in consecutive seasons, Indianapolis fell shy in its bid to match last year's 13-0 run, much less the perfect season by the 1972 Miami Dolphins. Tony Romo managed an efficient game in his first career start at home, Marion Barber III ran for two fourth-quarter touchdowns and the Cowboys handed Peyton Manning and the Colts their first loss of the season 21-14 Sunday. Dallas (6-4) is two games over .500 for the first time all season. With four of the remaining six games at home and with the rest of the division ailing, the Cowboys are in prime position to make a run at the division title. It's a stunning turnaround considering how badly they looked in their last home game, a lopsided loss to the New York Giants. But a halftime quarterback change that game, from Drew Bledsoe to Romo, has transformed the club. The Cowboys have won two in a row and three of four. And it's a two-fer for Bledsoe.
Brett Favre wasn't around to finish the game. Vinny Testaverde was. The New England Patriots forced the Green Bay Packers' three-time MVP off the field with an elbow injury near the end of the first half, then snapped their first losing streak in nearly four years with a 35-0 victory at Lambeau Field on Sunday. Tom Brady threw for 244 yards and four touchdowns before he was replaced by backup Matt Cassel late in the fourth quarter. Testaverde, who was signed by New England earlier this week, then came in to run out the clock. New England (7-3) had lost two straight games at home -- its first losing streak since the end of the 2002 season -- but is 5-0 on the road this year.
Donovan McNabb's season is over early - again. The Philadelphia Eagles lost their star quarterback for the rest of the year with a torn knee ligament in a 31-13 loss to the Tennessee Titans on Sunday. Without McNabb, the Eagles were no match for the lowly Titans. Travis Henry had a 70-yard touchdown run, Adam "Pacman" Jones returned a punt 90 yards for a score and Vince Young was efficient. McNabb will have surgery to repair the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee and is expected to be sidelined from eight months to one year. It's the third time in five years McNabb has gone down with six or more games remaining in the regular season.
NFL scores
5312. jexster - 11/25/2006 9:24:46 PM Geaux Tigers!!!
LSU defense steps up to deny Hogs late
The Hogs were doomed from the opening whistle. With the Delectable Mitch Mustain sidelined.....
 5313. arkymalarky - 11/25/2006 11:34:33 PM Damn. I was hoping you hadn't noticed. 5314. jexster - 11/26/2006 2:12:12 AM Hadn't NOTICED?
Sheesh. I thought Mitch was playing and was all prepared to root for the Pigs!
I am nothing if not faithful in lust - for better or worse etc
But he wasn't
 5315. alistairConnor - 11/27/2006 10:26:16 PM Don't mess with the haka, punks.
 Welsh rugby officials tried to change the protocol, sandwiching the haka between the NZ and Welsh national hymns. Psychological warfare : by tradition, the haka comes after the hymns, leaving the opposing team shitting their shorts just before kick-off. But the Welsh wanted to finish with fifty thousand Celtic patriots belting out their national song.
So what did cousin Ritchie do?
He told them to take a walk. And they did the haka in the changing rooms.
All Blacks captain Richie McCaw said the team acted to protect the tradition of Haka that is integral to New Zealand culture and the All Blacks' heritage.
"The tradition needs to be honoured properly if we're going to do it," said McCaw.
"If the other team wants to mess around, we'll just do the Haka in the shed. At the end of the day, the Haka is about spiritual preparation and we do it for ourselves. Traditionally fans can share the experience too and it's sad that they couldn't see it today."
Bottom line : 45-10, the final score. 5316. wabbit - 12/4/2006 2:02:23 AM  Making their pitch for a trip to the desert, the Florida Gators got an unexpected assist from the West Coast, held on for a topsy-turvy win over Arkansas and quickly deemed themselves the most worthy opponent to face top-ranked Ohio State in the BCS championship game.
Riley Swanson intercepted a pass from Reggie Ball on the next play, sparking a comeback that gave Wake Forest its first Atlantic Coast Conference championship in 36 years and sent the Demon Deacons to their biggest bowl game in school history. Riley Skinner followed Swanson's pick with long completions on consecutive drives, setting up Sam Swank's final two field goals that gave No. 16 Wake Forest a 9-6 victory over 23rd-ranked Georgia Tech in the ACC title game on a soggy Saturday.
UCLA knocked No. 2 USC out of the Bowl Championship Series title game with a stunning 13-9 victory over its crosstown rival Saturday. The Bruins did it with a vastly improved defense and a quarterback starting on three days' notice.
No. 15 West Virginia knocked down Mike Teel's 2-point conversion pass in the end zone to preserve the Mountaineers' 41-39 triple-overtime win over No. 13 Rutgers on Saturday night, denying the Scarlet Knights their first BCS berth and handing Louisville the Big East's automatic bid as conference champion.
NCAA Football
5317. wabbit - 12/4/2006 2:02:41 AM  The Los Angeles Clippers were supposed to be shoving the Los Angeles Lakers out of the limelight. So far this season, Kobe Bryant and his Lakers teammates are still taking the bows. Bryant had a relatively quiet game with 29 points, and the Lakers beat the Clippers 97-88 Saturday night to defeat their arena co-tenants for the second time in less than two weeks... The Lakers' Lamar Odom had 18 points and eight rebounds before fouling out in the final minute. Smush Parker added 11 points. Cuttino Mobley and Elton Brand had 17 points apiece in the loss. Sam Cassell scored 16 for the Clippers, who were beaten for the sixth time in their last seven games.
LeBron James watched another open shot clang off the rim, then screamed as he turned and trotted down the court. It was that kind of night for the Cleveland Cavaliers - so bad, it almost ended up in the record books. Yao Ming scored 24 points and the Houston Rockets overcame a mild concussion to Tracy McGrady to beat the cold-shooting Cavs 81-63 on Saturday night. James scored 21, but was 7-for-22 from the field. Cleveland shot 28 percent (22-for-78) as a team, flirting with its all-time worst shooting performance (23.8 percent), set in 1970. The Cavaliers' point total was just four points ahead of their all-time low for a game (59), set in 1997 against San Antonio.
Jason Kidd and Vince Carter seemingly didn't care that the New Jersey Nets almost squandered an eight-point lead in the final 24 seconds. Winning a couple in a row makes every thing right. The same couldn't be said for Allen Iverson down the hall in the Philadelphia 76ers locker room. Losing is a downer. Carter scored a season-high 41 points and Kidd had 13 assists as the Nets held off the 76ers on Saturday night, posting a 112-107 victory, for their second straight win after six consecutive losses.
NBA scores
5318. wabbit - 12/4/2006 2:03:11 AM  The Anaheim Ducks played near perfect hockey for two periods. The final moments of their fifth straight victory didn't measure up. Teemu Selanne had two goals and an assist, Rob Niedermayer scored in his 800th NHL game, and the Ducks beat the Los Angeles Kings 4-3 on Saturday despite giving up two power-play goals in the final 2 minutes. Scott Thornton triggered the Kings' three-goal rally in the third period. Rob Blake and Dustin Brown both connected with the man advantage after delay-of-game penalties to Todd Marchant and Scott Niedermayer for clearing the puck over the glass.
It doesn't matter if it's in regulation, overtime or a shootout -- the Buffalo Sabres have the New York Rangers' number. Daniel Briere scored the lone goal in the shootout, Ryan Miller made 36 saves, including six in overtime, and Brian Campbell had a goal and an assist in the Buffalo Sabres' 4-3 win over the New York Rangers on Friday night. The Sabres (20-3-2) swept the four-game season series from the Rangers, and became the fifth team in NHL history to accumulate at least 20 victories through 25 games, the first since Ottawa won 21 of its first 25 last season. Three of the four games between the two teams went to overtime.
During his heyday with the St. Louis Blues, Brett Hull was good for a goal a game along with maybe a gripe or two, his outspoken nature matching a knack for finding that perfect spot to unleash his slap shot. The franchise will reward one of hockey's premier snipers, and perhaps its most colorful player, on Tuesday when it retires his No. 16 jersey. It's an overdue honor for a player whose exploits filled the seats for 11 seasons, delayed by a rift with the front office prompted largely by his ever-yapping mouth.
NHL scores
5319. wabbit - 12/10/2006 7:37:55 PM  Maurice Cheeks liked what he saw. With a break or two, his 76ers might have even got a victory without Allen Iverson. Philadelphia played for the second straight night without its disgruntled star Saturday, losing 86-84 to the Orlando Magic in a game that could serve as a confidence booster for the sagging 76ers, who've lost seven straight. Chris Webber turned in one of his better performances of the season with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Equally important, he got his teammates involved in the offense with a team-high eight assists. Dwight Howard scored 28 points and Grant Hill added 23 for Southeast Division leader Orlando, which stopped a two-game skid and improved to 7-1 in games decided by three or fewer points. Iverson was sent home before Friday night's home loss against Washington and told he would not make the trip to Orlando, either. Sixers president Ed Snider said the seven-time All-Star, who has clashed with coaches throughout his 11-year career, will be traded. How long it will take to move Iverson is anybody's guess.
Paul Pierce was confident as the seconds ticked down and ball was in his hands for the final shot. Pierce hit the buzzer-beater Saturday night and the Boston Celtics rallied from an early 20-point deficit to beat the New Jersey Nets 92-90 and snap a five-game losing streak. Jason Kidd did all that he could to prevent the shot, short of fouling Pierce. Al Jefferson had 29 points and 14 rebounds for the Celtics, who trailed 22-2 in the first quarter. Pierce added 17 points and Delonte West 16. Nenad Krstic led the Nets with 20 points, and Vince Carter had 19 and 11 rebounds. The Nets have lost three straight and nine of their last 11.
Stephen Jackson didn't last until halftime. By then, the Indiana Pacers were done anyway. LeBron James scored 24 points - mostly with Jackson trying to guard him - in the first half and finished with 27 to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 107-75 win over the flustered Pacers on Saturday night. Indiana's ugly loss was compounded by an incident in the first half involving Jackson, who was kicked off the Pacers' bench by coach Rick Carlisle.
NBA scores
5320. wabbit - 12/10/2006 7:38:10 PM  Tomas Vanek drove a slap shot past goalie Cristobal Huet on Buffalo's second shot in the shootout to lead the Sabres to a 3-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night. Alex Kovalev beat Ryan Miller with a backhand on Montreal's first shot and Sabres co-captain Daniel Briere put a shot through Huet's pads to even it. Miller made a pad save to deny Canadiens captain Saku Koivu's backhand attempt, and Vanek stunned the sellout crowd when he wound up and fired a slap shot over Huet's right arm into the top left corner.
The New Jersey Devils' winning formula remains the same: play good defense and then count on Martin Brodeur to make the saves. Jay Pandolfo and Jamie Langenbrunner scored first-period goals, and Brodeur stopped 19 shots to lead the Devils to their season-high, fifth straight win, a 5-1 victory over the fading Boston Bruins on Saturday night. The Devils' winning streak came after a season-high, four-game losing streak. They led 2-0 after one period and that was all they needed.
Once the Calgary Flames grabbed an early lead, the rest was relatively easy in the comforts of home. Led by captain Jarome Iginla, the Flames tied a franchise record with their ninth straight home win. Iginla scored his team-leading 16th goal and added two assists to help Calgary take a three-goal advantage. The Flames then held off Vancouver's furious third-period rally and beat the Canucks 5-3 Saturday night.
NHL scores
5321. wabbit - 12/10/2006 7:38:26 PM  Troy Smith, the senior quarterback for Tressel's top-ranked Buckeyes and now officially the 2006 Heisman Trophy winner. Every player who's ever won the Heisman had his own special achievements and took his own unique path, but as anyone who tuned in Saturday night could see, few have led a more inspirational journey than Smith...While Saturday night was certainly a happy moment for Ohio State fans, Smith's Heisman struck deeper than that. In a touching segment played shortly before his victory, ESPN showed images of the poverty-stricken streets of inner-city Cleveland where Smith was raised. And many of his comments afterward were directed to that community. Asked by a reporter what he plans to do if the NFL doesn't work out, Smith said, "I'm going to go back to the Cleveland-Glenville area and try to make that place better. My passion for the mean streets of Cleveland runs so deep. I want so badly for there to be change in that community. Who better to start it than a Glenville guy?"
Appalachian State coach Jerry Moore wants his program to reach the level of Youngstown State's dominant teams of the 1990s. He's nearly halfway there. Armanti Edwards ran for 110 yards and three touchdowns and threw for another score and defending national champion Appalachian State beat Youngstown State 49-24 on Saturday to reach the NCAA Division I-AA title game. Kevin Richardson rushed for 145 yards and two touchdowns before leaving in the third quarter with a shoulder injury as the Mountaineers won their 13th straight game and advanced to face Massachusetts on Friday night in Chattanooga, Tenn.
Another good season next year for Penn State, and another subpar 2007 campaign for Florida State might help Lions' coach Joe Paterno surpass the Seminoles' Bobby Bowden on the career victory list for major college coaches. Paterno is three behind Bowden's 365 wins. Not that Paterno is counting. "What does it prove? I feel comfortable with whatever success I have had. I don't have to be the guy that wins the most games," Paterno said this week.
NCAA Football
5322. judithathome - 12/10/2006 8:41:38 PM I watched a boxing match last night...Jermaine someone and Kasim Ouma...the Kasim guy has an interesting past. He was captured by renegades in Uganda and made to fight for them at the age of 8 years old; then, he was captured by Ugandan troops and made to fight with them. Finally, he got into a boxing program with the Ugandan army and defected to the US during a match...I was pulling for him but Jermaine won. 5323. wonkers2 - 12/10/2006 10:06:31 PM Auburn Professor Petee gets caught cheating and should be fired. But of course he won't be fired. The Athletic Director wouldn' let that happen. Maybe he'll run for Congress where he'd fit right in. 5324. arkymalarky - 12/11/2006 1:36:44 AM The Jermaine guy's from AR. I've been so busy I don't know much, but he's been making quite a lot of news here for me to know about it--not just because I'm busy but because boxing ain't my thing. 5325. arkymalarky - 12/11/2006 1:39:59 AM Jermain Taylor 5326. wabbit - 12/11/2006 3:52:56 PM  LaDainian Tomlinson had barely swept into the end zone and the record book when he was engulfed by the behemoths on his offensive line. They hoisted him onto their shoulders and carried him toward the sideline, with Tomlinson holding the ball high in his right hand and waving his left index finger, a 48-20 win over the Denver Broncos and the AFC West title all wrapped up.
Facing former boss Bill Parcells for the first time, Sean Payton called for a reverse on a fourth-and-1 and made featured players out of guys who had never scored. Everything he drew up worked so well that the first-year head coach was brazen enough to call for an onside kick while his New Orleans Saints already were well on their way to a 42-17 victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night. The onside kick worked too, by the way, making the Saints (9-4) big winners in a showdown for sole possession of the second-best record in the NFC.
As Tom Brady prepared to take a snap, he shouted and pointed across the line, anticipating a blitz from end Jason Taylor lined up at middle linebacker. Maybe Brady's teammates didn't hear him. They failed to block Taylor, who swooped up the middle untouched to force a harried, errant pass. It was that kind of day for Brady and the Patriots, who lost to the Miami Dolphins 21-0 Sunday. The roving Taylor led a disruptive defense that sacked Brady four times, forced him to fumble twice and limited him to 78 yards passing. New England totaled 12 first downs and 189 yards, both season lows, and lost three fumbles, giving them 11 turnovers in the past three games. The Patriots committed nine penalties. Their best play was an illegal forward pass.
NFL scores
5327. wabbit - 12/13/2006 11:10:36 PM  I hope he's worth it...Daisuke Matsuzaka has reached a deal with the Boston Red Sox for six years, $52 million, a source close to the negotiations has told SI.com. The deal contains escalator clauses that could bring it up to $60 million. The clauses are similar to the ones in the contract of Curt Schilling, another starting Red Sox pitcher, a person connected to the team said. Matsuzaka and the Red Sox came to an agreement shortly before both sides boarded a private jet out of Orange County, Calif., around 9 a.m. PST on Wednesday. Matsuzaka is to take a physical shortly after landing in Boston. The deadline to sign Matsuzaka, the most heralded pitcher in the Japan League, was midnight Thursday. But the sides rushed to finish the deal by early Wednesday so there'd be time to conduct a physical and to get the blood work back.
When Matsuzaka, agent Scott Boras and Red Sox officials all boarded the plane, speculation was high that a deal was at hand after very difficult negotiations over 29 days. "They all took off together," Red Sox owner John Henry wrote to the AP in an email. "Assume a deal is done or close."
SI.com confirmed a deal had, in fact, been struck for the righthanded superstar who was 108-60 in his career with the Seibu Lions and MVP of the inaugural World Baseball Classic, won by Japan, this past spring. The Red Sox won the right to negotiate with Matsuzaka by bidding $51.1 million in the posting process...
5328. TheWizardOfWhimsy - 12/14/2006 12:02:15 AM What a planet! Can you imagine spending that much to have your heart broken?
[Wabb, don't miss the Sean Scully show at the Met––a Bon Bon!]
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