Showing posts with label Sports. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sports. Show all posts
Monday, February 25, 2008
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Monday, January 21, 2008
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Monday, January 14, 2008
Marion Barber Goes Nuts as Giants-Cowboys Tied 14-14 at the Half
Marion Barber Goes Nuts as Giants-Cowboys Tied 14-14 at the Half
The Cowboys were 7.5 favorites heading into today's NFC Divisional game against the Giants, but at the half, it's 14-14. Of course, the Jaguars and Patriots were tied 14-14 at the half on Saturday, but New England ended up winning by 11 points, so it's too early to start crowing asses.
One of the concerns coming into this game was that Tony Romo would be suffering some sort of Jessica Simpson Love Hangover, but he was 8 of 14 for 83 yards and a touchdown. While those aren't eye-popping numbers, Romo avoided the mental mistakes that have plagued him the previous few games.
More impressive, Marion Barber, getting his first start of the season, punished the Giants defense to the tune of 101 yards on 16 carries and one score.
Terrell Owens seems as healthy as ever (four catches for 49 yards, one touchdown), and Terry Glenn, after four months, made his first catch of in 2007 season ... in 2008.
For the Giants, quarterback Eli Manning continues to look sharp (8 of 13, 130 yards, two touchdowns). Plaxico Burress has only one catch (he hobbled off the field late in the second quarter), but Amani Toomer had a 52-yard touchdown catch-and-run to put New York up 7-0.
Both teams are playing well, but if the Giants don't slow up Barber, he could be the difference in the second half.
Source: http://sports.aol.com/fanhouse/2008/01/13/giants-cowboys-tied-14-14-at-the-half-marion-barber-goes-nuts/
Friday, January 11, 2008
Ex-US Skating Champ Christopher Bowman found dead in Los Angeles Motel
Ex-US Skating Champ Christopher Bowman found dead in Los Angeles Motel
HOLLYWOOD, California (AFP) — Two-time US national figure skating champion Christopher Bowman was found dead inside a Los Angeles motel, police said Thursday.
Bowman, who was known as "Bowman the Showman", was discovered face down on the floor at the Budget Inn motel on Sepulveda Ave in the early afternoon Thursday, Los Angeles police spokesman Paul McLaughlin said.
The 40-year-old Bowman died of unknown causes but the Detroit Free Press reported that the death might be the result of a drug overdose.
Bowman was born in Hollywood and had done some work in the movie industry as a child. He returned to acting since retiring from skating.
He appeared in American television series "Little House on the Prairie" as a youngster and had a role in an upcoming movie starring Gary Busey called "Down and Distance."
Police said they were alerted to the scene by a man who said he was a friend of Bowman's and they had been drinking together the night before.
The man told police he had been friends with the figure skater for the last three months. He said "he was with Bowman at midnight and he (Bowman) had been sitting at the edge of his bed drinking," McLaughlin said.
"When he went into his room this morning he found Bowman face down on the floor," McLaughlin added. "That's when he called us."
Bowman won US national championships in 1989 and 1992, was second in the 1989 world championships and third in 1990.
Bowman competed in two Olympics, finishing fourth in the 1992 Olympics.
It is not known if Bowman's death is accidental or suicide, but an autopsy is expected to be performed this weekend.
Bowman, who spent time in the Betty Ford Clinic after admitting to a cocaine habit, coached skating for 10 years in Detroit.
Bowman's ex-wife, Annette, and his daughter live in Michigan.
Article source: http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gA5NpM-dQxUdBPe-gwbllf7RCn8w
Thursday, January 10, 2008
No. 1 Tar Heels Beat UNC Asheville 93-81
No. 1 Tar Heels Beat UNC Asheville
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Tyler Hansbrough scored 23 points and Wayne Ellington added 19 to lead top-ranked North Carolina past North Carolina-Asheville 93-81 on Wednesday night.
Hansbrough, who reached the 20-point mark for the eighth time in nine games, started the Tar Heels' decisive 13-4 second-half run with a momentum-shifting dunk over the nation's tallest player, 7-foot-7 Kenny George.
Ty Lawson scored 17 points and reserve Danny Green had 12 of his 14 in the first half for North Carolina (16-0), which never trailed in completing its first perfect nonconference regular season since 1998 and just its fifth in 50 years.
Bryan Smithson had 25 points and K.J. Garland added 16 for UNC Asheville (11-4), which had its three-game winning streak snapped. Many of George's 14 points came on feet-on-the-ground dunks and layups.
But the snapshot of the night belonged to Hansbrough, who took matters into his own hands after the Bulldogs closed within 54-45 one minute into the second half on Garland's 3-pointer.
Hansbrough stormed down the left side of the lane and threw a two-handed dunk over George's outstretched arms, sending the crowd at the Dean Smith Center into delirium.
After Ellington's one-handed dunk capped the run and made it 67-49 with 14:14 left, UNC Asheville didn't get closer than 10 points the rest of the way.
The Tar Heels iced it by reeling off nine straight points after George's layup made it 84-74 with 5 minutes left.
Ellington had his second straight dominating performance, coming three days after scoring a career-best 36 points in the Tar Heels' Atlantic Coast Conference opener at Clemson — a victory he sealed with a last-second 3-pointer in overtime.
Vincent James added 11 points and George had 11 rebounds for UNC Asheville, which shot 53.2 percent yet fell to a combined 0-6 against the Kansas and North Carolina teams coached by Asheville native Roy Williams.
Deon Thompson added 10 rebounds for the Tar Heels, who flirted with a turnover-free first half before backup forward Mike Copeland couldn't keep control of the ball in the paint with 4 seconds left, leading to a layup at the buzzer by Garland that made it 53-40.
Source: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iiOdcx2f9Tfg8O5BjA2mtol-jnSAD8U2NST80
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
LSU Tigers managed to avoid one final upset in crazy season!
LSU Tigers managed to avoid one final upset in crazy season!
NEW ORLEANS -- On this, the crowning night of an utterly bizarre college football season, the LSU Tigers are to be commended for conquering an extremely difficult obstacle on their path to a national championship.
They managed not to get upset. Read the full reports from Sports Illustrated.
Friday, January 04, 2008
Martina Hingis suspended from tennis!
| This is something sad for Martina Hingis and tennis fans...read on...! Hingis Banned Two Years For Doping | |
| Washington, DC 04 January 2008 |
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| Martina Hingis at her November news conference. |
Hingis had already announced her retirement in November after the accusations of cocaine use were made public. The 27-year-old had vehemently denied using drugs but decided not to fight the case.
The ITF said an independent anti-doping tribunal found that Hingis had committed an offense and rejected suggestions there were any doubts over her test sample.
The suspension for the five-time Grand Slam winner is backdated to October first, 2007. The ITF also disqualified Hingis's results from last year's Wimbledon and any subsequent tournaments in which she played. She also forfeits any ranking points gained and about $130,000 in prize money.
Source: http://www.voanews.com/english/2008-01-04-voa27.cfm
Virginia Tech Hokies
Jayhawks have some Hokie in them
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. | When Mark Mangino took over the Kansas program, he knew a good place to look for a blueprint of how to build something where there was literally nothing.
Blacksburg, Va.
“We went back and evaluated (Virginia) Tech’s program from the time coach (Frank) Beamer arrived,” Mangino said. “There are a lot of similarities between what we’re trying to do and what coach Beamer and his staff have accomplished.”
That’s the thing. Kansas still has more than a decade of work ahead of it to get where the Hokies are. Tonight’s Orange Bowl will be Virginia Tech’s 15th straight appearance in a bowl game. KU has been bowl eligible the last three years, but was not invited to a bowl game in 2006. When the Jayhawks look across the line of scrimmage at the Hokies, they can only hope they’ll be gazing into the future of their program.
When making comparisons, it could be argued that Virginia Tech came from even humbler beginnings. The Hokies weren’t even a member of a conference and stayed independent until 1991, when they joined the Big East. By the beginning of Beamer’s sixth season, some fans were calling for his ouster. Mangino experienced the same thing this offseason, heading into year six.
It would take only two years — eight total — for Virginia Tech to play in a major bowl game. The Hokies beat Texas 28-10 in the 1995 Sugar Bowl, announcing their arrival to the rest of the country.
Beamer has said several times this week that KU has the exact same opportunity against his team tonight.
“Back when we played Texas in ’95 in the Sugar Bowl, I really thought that game meant more to us than it did to Texas,” Beamer said. “We ended up beating them. We were kind of a new team on the block back then. Now Kansas, with the way they’ve come around, and we’ve been to a few bowls, we’ve got to be careful that it’s as important to us as it is to Kansas.”
The Jayhawks and Hokies share much in common. In Blacksburg, they carry a lunch pail as a symbol of their work ethic. In Lawrence, they talk about “sawin’ wood,” although Mangino hasn’t made the Jayhawks carry a saw onto the sideline as the Hokies do with their lunch pail — not yet, anyway.
Both teams are not built on blue-chip talent and have spent a lot of time emphasizing the importance of special teams as a key to beating programs with more talent.
“We’re kind of like Virginia Tech,” Kansas offensive tackle Cesar Rodriguez said. “(Beamer) doesn’t recruit those big-time stars. He doesn’t take all the guys everyone else wanted. He takes those middle-of-the-road guys. What they have at Virginia Tech, with the lunch pail, that’s awesome. It’s something you should go by. Don’t let any day go by when you don’t work.”
Beamer knows what hard work looks like, and he sees it in Mangino and the Kansas program.
“He deserves a lot of credit,” Beamer said. “Someone said how did they get so good so fast? It’s solid people. He’s a solid coach. They’re very disciplined. They play hard. They’re going to be good for a while. It all goes back to the direction that he took that Kansas team.”
Article Source: http://www.kansascity.com/sports/story/428266.html
Photo source: wikipedia.com
Thursday, January 03, 2008
Noel Devine Scores: West Virginia 48, Oklahoma 28
GLENDALE, Ariz., Jan. 3 (UPI) -- Game-breaking, third-quarter scores by Noel Devine and Darius Reynaud Wednesday boosted West Virginia to a 48-28 win over Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl.
Three of the Mountaineers' six touchdowns covered more than half the length of the field, carrying them to their third consecutive post-season triumph, despite having their coach, Rich Rodriguez, bolt to Michigan. Bill Stewart coached WVU to the win.
Owen Schmitt scored on a 57-yard run in the second quarter, Tito Gonzalez hauled in a 79-yard scoring pass from Patrick White early in the fourth and Noel Devine finished the scoring with a 65-yard run for the Mountaineers (11-2).
Oklahoma (11-3) trailed by 14 at halftime before closing to within 20-15 midway through the third quarter.
Devine scored on a 17-yard run and Reynard finished off a 75-yard, three-play drive with a 30-yard touchdown dash to put WVU in control.
Both teams had national championship aspirations until late in the season and the Sooners suffered their second straight disappointing bowl setback. They lost by one to Boise State in last year's Fiesta Bowl.
White threw for two touchdowns and 176 yards without an interception. Oklahoma's Sam Bradford was 21 of 32 for 245 yards and two scores.
Source: http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Sports/2008/01/03/col_fb_west_virginia_48_oklahoma_28/8894/
Owen Schmitt stampeded down the sideline
WVU leads Oklahoma, 20-6, at Fiesta Bowl halftime By Rick Starr
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
GLENDALE, Ariz. – No. 11 West Virginia shook off a month of turmoil on and off the field and took a 20-6 lead over No. 3 Oklahoma in the first half of the Fiesta Bowl Wednesday night at the Univeristy of Phoenix Stadium.
The Mountaineers proved they were ready to rumble when 260-pound fullback Owen Schmitt stampeded down the sideline for a 57-yard touchdown with 6:29 remaining in the first half.
Schmitt, who is rated the top fullback coming out of college by NFL Draft expert Mel Kiper Jr., broke loose on a third-and-2 play to give WVU a 13-3 lead.
The Mountaineers extended the lead to 20-6 on their next drive.
WVU quarterback Pat White hit his mark when the Sooners blew the coverage in their secondary and left senior wideout Darius Reynaud open in the end zone.After faking a handoff, White tossed a 21-yard scoring strike when Reynaud broke open on a simple post route.
Reynaud tied the school record with his 12th touchdown catch of the season.
Few predicted a defensive struggle — or a battle between kickers — but it wasn’t until midway through the second quarter that Garrett Hartley put Oklahoma on the scoreboard with a 37-yard field goal.
Hartley added a 24-yard field goal before halftime.
The Mountaineers' defense held Oklahoma to 100 yards of offense in the first half.
West Virginia kicker Pat McAfee gave West Virginia a 6-0 lead with a pair of first-quarter field goals.
McAfee missed a 50-yard field goal attempt midway through the opening quarter, but punt returner Vaughn Rivers regained the momentum with a 51-yard punt return.
McAfee drilled field goals from 38 and 42 yards out before the end of the first quarter, snapping a streak of four consecutive misses.
Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford struggled early and often against WVU’s blitz schemes. Linebacker Reed Williams sacked Bradford and forced a fumble, safety Eric Wicks batted a pass back in his face, and defensive end Johnny Dingle also sacked the redshirt freshman in the opening minutes of the game.
Bradford failed to gain a yard on his first two drives and ended the first quarter with one yard of total offense on 12 plays.
Sooners running back Allen Patrick provided field position when he broke loose on a 73-yard kickoff return late in the first quarter, but Mountaineers safety Quinton Andrews intercepted Bradford’s pass in the end zone to end the scoring threat.
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
Containing Juice Williams is Key for Trojans
Illinois quarterback's biggest strength is his ability to carry the ball like a running back.
Examining the strategies when USC's defense faces Illinois' offense:If there's one thing that has frustrated USC in recent seasons, it has been defending a mobile quarterback such as Juice Williams, who operates out of a spread offense.
Vince Young was effective in this role when he led Texas to a victory over USC in the Rose Bowl two years ago, and Dennis Dixon burned them in Oregon's win over USC this season. In Williams, a 6-foot-2, 223-pound sophomore, the Trojans will face a different challenge.
While Young and Dixon used their legs to keep plays alive and were effective passers on the move, Williams' biggest strength is his ability to carry the ball like a running back. Just ask Ohio State, which was unable to stop Williams in Illinois' 28-21 upset victory over the Buckeyes on Nov. 10.
Over the final eight minutes of the game, Williams kept Illinois' offense on the field with one fourth-down conversion run and two key third-down-and-long quarterback keepers. Rarely does Williams go down on the first hit. That's not his style and that could be a problem for USC's hard-charging defense that loves contact but does not always wrap up ballcarriers. It was a problem for USC against Young and Dixon, who took advantage of poor tackling by the Trojans.
USC has to make sure that does not happen against Williams, who rushed for 774 yards and averaged 5.2 yards a carry this season. When Williams looks to pass, his main target has been freshman wide receiver Arrelious Benn, who was heavily recruited by the Trojans. At 6-2 and 215 pounds, Benn has the size and speed to keep USC's secondary busy, but then there's a drop off. While Benn led the team with 49 catches during the regular season, he was followed by running back Rashard Mendenhall, who had just 29. Jacob Willis was Illinois' No. 2 wideout and he had only 18 catches for 256 yards.
So expect USC's secondary, which has steadily improved this season, to stick to conservative coverages with senior cornerback Terrell Thomas often matched up against Benn. But passing has not been Illinois' calling card this season under offensive coordinator Mike Locksley. That responsibility falls on the Illinois ground game, powered by a dominant offensive line. During the regular season, the Illini -- led by all-Big Ten guard Martin O'Donnell -- did a great job of controlling the scrimmage line and opening holes for Mendenhall, who rushed for 1,526 yards and 16 touchdowns and was named Big Ten offensive player of the year. That's how the Illini accounted for a Big Ten-best 266.2 rushing yards per game. Inside-out or outside-in, the Illini love to run and by featuring an assortment of blocking schemes, they can grind down a defense with Mendenhall and Williams.
But that plays into a major strength for USC, which has the best defensive front Illinois has faced. Led by seniors Sedrick Ellis and Lawrence Jackson, the Trojans have the nation's No. 4-ranked defense against the run. If Illinois center Ryan McDonald -- a second-team all-Big Ten selection -- struggles to control Ellis, an experienced nose tackle with NFL talent, USC's defense will definitely have an upper hand. That's because the more blockers Illinois has to use on Ellis, the more flexibility the Trojans will have with their linebackers and defensive backs. It will also free up Jackson, who played the best football of his career over the final three games of the regular season.
Summary: Although Williams is known more as a runner than a passer, he can hurt a defense on play-action plays. That's how Williams completed four touchdown passes against Ohio State and the big reason why USC's defense can't just concentrate on stopping the run. But if the Trojans can force Williams into predictable passing situations, they should have an edge given that Williams has thrown five interceptions in his last five games and has 10 for the season.
Source: http://www.latimes.com/sports/college/football/la-sp-xsandos1jan01,1,7439252.story?coll=la-headlines-sports-coll_footb
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