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(06/19/07 2:55pm)
CHICAGO – Carlos Zambrano lost his no-hitter in the eighth. One inning later he lost the game.\nRussell Branyan homered with one out in the ninth Saturday and the San Diego Padres beat the Chicago Cubs 1-0 on a feisty day at Wrigley Field that featured a bench-clearing skirmish and four ejections in the fourth inning.\nZambrano (7-6) held San Diego hitless for 7 1-3 innings, but San Diego’s bullpen was just as tough after starter Chris Young was ejected in the fourth. The Cubs managed only two hits, as well, off relievers Justin Hampson, Heath Bell (1-2) and Trevor Hoffman. Hoffman pitched the ninth for his 19th save in 21 chances.\nMarcus Giles hit a chopper that bounded high over the mound and went off Zambrano’s glove for an infield single with one out in the eighth, ending the no-hit bid. The Cubs then turned their third double play to end the inning.\nBranyan connected on a 3-2 pitch to left center in the ninth for his fifth homer.\nThree players and a coach were ejected after a fourth-inning altercation that began when Young hit Derrek Lee with a pitch and Lee threw a punch at Young.\nLee and Young were ejected, as were Padres pitcher Jake Peavy and Chicago hitting coach Gerald Perry.\nZambrano, who was involved in a fight with his own catcher, Michael Barrett, on June 1, made a great play in the seventh.\nWith one out, Hiram Bocachica hit a slow bouncer to the left of the mound. Zambrano, known for his athleticism at 6-foot-5, 255 pounds, bounded off the mound, grabbed the ball with his bare hand and while falling backwards threw to first for the out.\nPadres manager Bud Black argued on the play, apparently saying Mark DeRosa’s foot was not on the bag.\nGiles reached second leading off the sixth when his hard hopper got by DeRosa for an error. Giles moved to third on an infield out. After Adrian Gonzalez was intentionally walked, the Cubs turned a double play.\nZambrano also pitched out of bases loaded jam in the fifth after an error and two walks, getting a double play grounder.\nThe Cubs threatened in the fifth as Ryan Theriot doubled and stole third but was out trying to score on Zambrano’s fly ball as Padres center fielder Bocachica made a great throw to the plate.\nIn the fourth, Young hit Lee in what appeared to be the upper left arm with the pitch, knocking him to the ground. Lee got up, walked by Young on the way to first, then said something to the 6-foot-10 260-pound right-hander.\nAfter the pitcher apparently responded, Lee threw a punch that didn’t land. Young tried to throw a punch back that missed. Then he and Lee tried to connect at the same time.\nBy that time both benches had emptied, resulting in pushing, shoving and holding in a scrum as Lee and Young were held back. Several players fell to the ground before order was restored.\nLee said the pitch actually hit him in the wrist and caught more bat than him. He said he was angry because he thought Young was throwing at his head.\nThe Padres were not happy Friday after Alfonso Soriano homered off David Wells, stopped at the plate to admire the ball and then started his home run trot with a few steps backward.\nYoung did not allow a hit in his three innings-plus Saturday. After the fight, he went back to the mound for warmup pitches as boos grew loud at Wrigley Field. But minutes later the umpires conferred and then ejected the pitcher, as well.
(06/19/07 2:54pm)
DETROIT – Justin Verlander shared an exhilarating hug with catcher Ivan Rodriguez, a quiet moment with Tigers manager Jim Leyland and made Comerica Park history.\nWith a big assist from his shortstop, Verlander pitched the ballpark’s first no-hitter, leading Detroit over the Milwaukee Brewers 4-0 Tuesday night.\n“It was the best thing that ever happened to me,” he said.\nThe 2006 AL Rookie of the Year struck out 12. He benefited from several stellar defensive plays, the best by Neifi Perez, who turned a possible single up the middle in the eighth into an inning-ending double play.\n“About the fifth or sixth you can’t help but think about it a little,” Verlander said. “Everyone kept giving me high-fives and nobody came and sat next to me.”\nVerlander threw 100 mph heat, crazy curves and a tantalizing changeup: The NL Central-leading Brewers didn’t have a chance against him.\n“We only hit four or five balls hard all night ... that’s how dominant he was,” said Brewers thirdbaseman Craig Counsell, twice called out on strikes.\nVerlander (7-2) worked around four walks in the Tigers’ first no-hitter Jack Morris in 1984.\nThe 24-year-old trotted to the mound for the ninth to a standing ovation from the crowd of 33,555.\n“I had way too much adrenaline, to be honest,” Verlander said.\nAmped up, he struck out Counsell and Tony Graffanino. That brought up J.J. Hardy, and Verlander had a momentary lapse, throwing a high breaking ball. At that point, Verlander stepped off the mound.\n“I said, ‘Let’s get it back down,’” he said.\nVerlander then got Hardy to lift a high fly ball that right-fielder Magglio Ordonez caught at the edge of the warning track.\nVerlander didn’t even see the ball settle into Ordonez’s glove.\n“I wanted to watch the catch, but Pudge was yelling in my ear,” he said.\nRodriguez was already at the mound and hugged Verlander as the pitcher wheeled around.\n“I think I was more excited than he was,” Rodriguez said.\nThis was the first no-hitter in Detroit since Nolan Ryan of the Angels did it at Tiger Stadium in 1973. Comerica opened in 2000.\nMilwaukee was last no-hit on April 27, 1994, by Scott Erickson at Minnesota. This was the third interleague no-hitter since interleague play began – David Cone did it for the Yankees against Montreal and a set of Houston pitchers blanked the Yankees.\nVerlander was greeted by manager Jim Leyland as he walked off the field.\n“A lot of things go through your mind when something like this happens,” Leyland said, fighting back tears. “I’m very happy for him, happy for the team, happy for the fans to see something special.”\nVerlander had all of his pitches working in his second career complete game and first of the season. He finished with 112 pitches in the no-hitter.\n“The guy was throwing 99 with a great hook and a good change,” Graffanino said. “That’s tough to beat.”\nVerlander set the tone early by striking out Counsell and Graffanino to start the game.\nMilwaukee didn’t get its first baserunner until Hall walked with one out in the third. But Verlander then struck out Gross, and got Counsell on a hard one-hopper that first baseman Sean Casey neatly handled.\nBrewers pitcher Jeff Suppan almost matched Verlander pitch for pitch the first five innings. He only allowed two hits in that span and his only mistake was to Brandon Inge, who hit his 11th homer of the season in the third.
(06/18/07 5:14am)
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Indiana Mr. Basketball Eric Gordon scored 32 points as the Indiana boys’ All-Stars beat the Kentucky All-Stars 97-79 Saturday night.\nThe Indiana-bound guard was 10-of-18 from the field, including three 3-pointers, and 9-of-10 from the free-throw line.\nPurdue-bound E’Twaun Moore added 15 points and 10 rebounds as Indiana outrebounded Kentucky 63-36.\n“It’s hard to teach size,” Indiana coach Mike Miller said. “Rebounding is a big part of any game, a big part of any stat. They weren’t big, but Kentucky hustled on the boards, but size can really help in these types of games.”\nThe win was the Indiana All-Stars’ sixth in a row over the Kentucky boys. The teams play again next Saturday in Indianapolis.\nBoth teams played a fast-paced game early on as Indiana settled into a man-to-man defense and held Kentucky to 40 percent shooting from the field. Kentucky Mr. Basketball Steffphon Pettigrew was held to six points and five rebounds in 25 minutes.\nKentucky pulled as close as 39-33 late in the first half, but Indiana then went on a run to close the half with a 47-33 lead. Indiana led by as much as 25 with 12 minutes left in the game.\nMatt Walls led Kentucky with 21 points and 11 rebounds, shooting 6-of-12 from 3-point range and setting a record for 3-pointers.\n“We just stopped rebounding and running the floor, period,” Walls said. “... My teammates got me some open looks, and it’s pretty easy to hit open looks.”\nAustin Hill scored 13, Greg Rice came off the bench to chip in 12, and Thomas Coleman had 11 for Kentucky.\n“It was tough,” Pettigrew said. “We just tried to go in there with the mindset to play with them, and hopefully we’ll play better next week.”
(06/11/07 4:01pm)
PARIS – Roger Federer missed another chance at the French Open.\nActually, he missed 16 chances.\nFederer converted only one of 17 break-point opportunities Sunday, and his bid to complete a career Grand Slam was foiled again Sunday by nemesis Rafael Nadal. The Spaniard won his third Roland Garros title in a row, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.\n“I am very happy,” Nadal said during the trophy ceremony. “But I am really sad for Roger. He is a friend and I know he is a great champion, whether he wins or loses.”\nFor the third consecutive year in Paris, the top-ranked Federer sought to become the sixth man to win all four Grand Slam events. Nadal defeated him in the semifinals in 2005 and in the final last year.\n“Of course, I’m a bit sad, a bit disappointed,” the 25-year-old Federer said. “Eventually, if I get it, the sweeter it’s going to taste. So hopefully I’ll give myself more and more opportunities, over and over again. I know I can do it now, that’s for sure.”\nThe latest loss also spoiled Federer’s bid to win a fourth consecutive major title, something last done by Rod Laver in 1969.\nWith a sequence of brilliant shots, Federer won many of the highlight-reel rallies, but squandered chances doomed him. He failed to convert his first 11 break-point chances, putting pressure on his own serve by repeatedly allowing Nadal to hold.\n“Bad thing – I missed too many opportunities,” Federer said. “I couldn’t get them done, in the first set especially, and then that maybe in the long run hurt me.”\nWhile losing serve only once, Nadal broke four times in 10 chances. He had 27 unforced errors to 59 for Federer.\nRooting for history, the crowd was pro-Federer and occasionally chanted “Ro-ger! Ro-ger!” But when Federer’s final shot landed long, fans roared for Nadal as he collapsed on his back to the clay in jubilation.\n“It’s a dream for me,” Nadal said. “I worked very hard to be the best.”\nFor Federer, the story was all too familiar: Since the beginning of 2005, he’s 4-7 against Nadal and 199-7 against everyone else. He fell to 1-6 lifetime against Nadal on clay.\nThe second-ranked Nadal made a little history of his own, becoming the second man since 1914 to win the tournament three consecutive times, and the first since Bjorn Borg in 1978-81. Still only 21, Nadal improved to 21-0 at Roland Garros and 34-0 in best-of-five-set matches on clay.\nOn the warmest day of the tournament, with the temperature reaching 81 degrees, spectators in the sun fanned themselves from the outset, and both players began to look weary in the pivotal third set. But the dogged Nadal kept chasing down shots all over the court, sprinting after one drop shot and flicking a winner nearly three hours into the match.\nNadal relentlessly probed his opponent’s weaker side, sometimes forcing Federer to hit half a dozen backhands in a rally. But Federer’s usually formidable forehand may have hurt him more – the shot misfired several times on potential put-aways and sailed long.\n“I couldn’t really impose my game like I wanted to,” he said. “I tried to make the game happen with my forehand. He didn’t allow me to do that too well.”\nFederer repeatedly had chances to take command. In the first set Nadal fell behind on his serve 15-40 twice and love-40 once, but each time the Spaniard rallied to hold.\nFederer took a 3-2 lead but became dispirited when he failed to convert five break points in the next game, and Nadal won five consecutive games.\nFederer broke for the only time to go ahead 4-3 lead in the second set. Even then he needed five set-point opportunities before he closed out the set to pull even.\nIt was the only set Nadal lost in the tournament, and he bounced back quickly, breaking in the second game of the third set en route to a 3-0 lead. Nadal broke again for a 2-1 lead in the fourth set when Federer dumped a weary shot in the net, and the Spaniard never wavered from there.\nIn the final two sets, Nadal faced only one break point, saving it with a big forehand.\nHe won $1.34 million, while Federer received $670,000 – small consolation for a player who has dominated the other major events, winning Wimbledon four times and the U.S. Open and Australian Open three times each, all since 2003.
(06/11/07 3:59pm)
NEW YORK – Roger Clemens popped out of the clubhouse in full uniform about 55 minutes before his first pitch Saturday, bouncing down a Yankee Stadium hallway with his cleats click-clacking on the cement floor.\nThe Rocket was antsy, excited – and a little rusty – once he stepped on the mound. But he was good enough to win, and that’s all that matters to the New York Yankees.\nClemens shook off some early struggles and gave the surging Yankees the lift they were looking for, leading them to a 9-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates in his long-awaited season debut.\n“It’s just great to be back,” Clemens said, sitting at the postgame podium with his two youngest sons. “It felt like old times.”\nPitching in pinstripes for the first time in four years, Clemens labored through the first few innings but got more effective as the afternoon wore on. He struck out seven in six solid innings and retired his final seven batters, leaving with a signature fist pump just before receiving a playful tap on the rear from Derek Jeter.\nMaking his latest comeback, the 44-year-old Clemens allowed three runs, five hits and two walks against the punchless Pirates, who entered with the lowest on-base percentage in the National League (.312).\n“He’s not as sharp as he’s going to be,” New York manager Joe Torre said. “Certainly as we get down the road here, your expectations are higher for him.”\nClemens fanned Ryan Doumit with his 108th and final pitch, pumped his fist in familiar fashion and then walked slowly to the dugout as Elton John’s “Rocket Man” played over the loudspeakers. Derek Jeter ran up behind his teammate, spun excitedly and tapped him with his glove.\nThat’s the kind of spark and enthusiasm the Yankees hoped Clemens’ presence would provide after they slumped through the first third of the season.\nFor one day at least, it did.\n“It was awesome,” Alex Rodriguez said. “I think all 24 guys were a little bit in awe. It was great.”\nAfter spending the past three seasons with his hometown Houston Astros, Clemens came out of retirement again when he agreed May 6 to a prorated, one-year contract with the Yankees worth $28,000,022 – the last two digits matching his uniform number.\nThe seven-time Cy Young Award winner had three tuneups in the minors and was originally scheduled to return to the Yankees last Monday at the Chicago White Sox, but that outing was pushed back because of an ailing groin.\n“My biggest hurdle was my legs today. I just don’t want to go backward with that,” Clemens said. “I expect to get stronger each time from here out.”\nClemens, who helped New York to two World Series titles and four AL pennants from 1999-2003, got a huge hand from the sellout crowd of 54,296 as he walked to the mound. Just before the first pitch, Jeter came in from shortstop for a quick chat and a pat on the chest.\n“We had a good laugh,” Clemens said. “He’s one of the reasons why I chose to put my spikes back on.”\nThough his low-90s fastball was far from overpowering, Clemens earned his 349th win – eighth on the career list. He finished the day with 4,611 career strikeouts, passing Randy Johnson for second place behind Nolan Ryan (5,714).\nThe Rocket also improved to 6-1 in nine starts against Pittsburgh, eight with Houston.\n“I certainly didn’t see any rust on his split-finger,” Doumit said. “I didn’t think his fastball was where he wanted it to be, but he’s 44 years old. That splitty was on point.”\nBrian Bruney, Kyle Farnsworth and Luis Vizcaino finished up with scoreless relief.
(06/11/07 12:11am)
• 10,000 meters\nSenior Jessica Gall, 33:46.69, 9th place in finals, All-American
(06/11/07 12:10am)
Three players with IU connections were chosen in Major League Baseball’s first-year player draft last week.\nSenior catcher/first baseman Jon Fixler was selected by the Houston Astros in the draft’s 19th round.\nIn addition to Fixler, two pitchers signed to play for the Hoosiers next season were also selected. Brock Huntzinger, a right-hander from Pendleton Heights, Ind., was chosen in the third round by the Boston Red Sox, and Kyle Leiendecker, a left-hander from Fort Wayne was selected by the Cleveland Indians in the 25th round. Huntzinger went 7-1 this season for Pendleton Heights High School, striking out 95 batters while only walking seven. He finished the season with a 0.29 ERA. \nIn addition to pitching, Leiendecker also played outfield for Homestead High School, helping the Spartans to a 22-4 regular season record and a spot in the semi-state round of the IHSAA Class 4A Baseball Tournament, where they lost 4-3 to Kokomo.\n“I’m incredibly happy for all three players,” IU coach Tracy Smith said in a statement. “Every baseball player dreams of playing in the major leagues, and so this is a great moment for all of them. Now they have to see if they get what they are worth, and if they aren’t happy with what is offered to them, we’ll be happy to retain them as members of the Hoosier baseball family.”\nThe three players now must decide if they want to sign with their respective clubs or play next season for the Hoosiers. Fixler may enter the draft again next year if he opts to return, but since Huntzinger and Leiendecker are coming out of high school, they will have to wait until they finish their junior year at IU before they are eligible to be drafted again. \nFixler hit for a .286 average in 2006, with two home runs and 35 RBIs.
(06/07/07 4:00am)
Even though I lauded "The Departed" as the best film of 2006 -- and it certainly was the best film made last year -- my true number one was Jean-Pierre Melville's "Army of Shadows," from 1969, which finally received a U.S. theatrical release after Rialto Pictures restored it. Thanks to The Criterion Collection, the DVD is available for those who missed it or, like myself, have been dying to own a copy. \nIn the wake of Hitler's occupation of France, numerous resistance factions banded together to topple the Nazi war machine. "Shadows" tells the tale of one of those factions, led by Philippe Gerbier (Lino Ventura), and the complex lives of its members, from the false identities they assume to the backstabbing they commit to save their own hides. \nThe film is dark, moody and has enough atmosphere to suffocate someone -- all trademarks of the Melville style, but also a historical reflection from Melville, who actually fought in the French Resistance. This is one of Ventura's greatest performances, which says a lot, considering he hated Melville and they never spoke on the set. Ventura is so effective at getting into the mind of the character that he remains dead silent most times, only muttering a few lines here and there and letting his supporting cast, which includes the likes of Jean-Pierre Cassel and Simone Signoret, do most of the talking.\nThis is easily one of the best DVD releases of 2007. With an in-depth commentary track by film historian Ginette Vincendeau and on-set interviews with Melville, the cast and even real-life Resistance fighters, the release reveals plenty of information on this almost-forgotten masterpiece. Perhaps the greatest artifact on this compilation, though, is a 1944 black-and-white documentary short which shows footage of the Resistance finally toppling the Nazi regime in the streets of Paris. \n$40 might be a hefty price tag, but filmmaking of this caliber is a rarity. Whether you rent it or blind-buy it, "Army of Shadows" won't disappoint you.
(06/07/07 4:00am)
Rarely are any departing characters on "The Sopranos" afforded the luxury of a funeral. Instead it's the bottom of the ocean, the middle of the woods or some other remote location that awaits them for their last earthly hurrah. \nBack in January of 1999, when the show premiered, HBO was still a luxury most households didn't have. While "The Sopranos" was hardly the network's first series, it wasn't until Tony and crew came along that HBO's original content gained such huge attention and eventually established its Sunday night reign, launching other favorites like "Six Feet Under" and "Entourage." The show's obvious attraction was its subject matter, which was rarely ever seen on network shows. Violence! Nudity! Swearing! More violence! The show more than earned its TV-MA rating, and it was for these reasons that as a sixth grader I was so initially drawn to the show (plus it was so much cooler than the other mobster-in-therapy offering, 1999's "Analyze This."). \nIt also was one of the first shows to really cash in on making its whole season available on DVD. My mom was horrified to walk down to our basement to find my group of 11-year-old friends enthralled by the show -- which just happened to be in the middle of a Bada Bing! scene. She snatched up the discs immediately, nervous about the hollering she'd most likely receive from the neighborhood parents if they found out she was letting us watch "The Sopranos" (we eventually went on a successful undercover mission to sneak into my parents' room and steal the box set back.). Soon, my parents gave up on the whole censorship thing, and we joined the many other American families who gathered to watch the show together. After all, it is essentially a family show, and we are Italian.\nIt didn't take long for me to look past the violence content and see how great the show's storylines and complex characters were. In movies, it is common for viewers to end up sympathizing with the villain after they learn about a traumatic childhood event or something, but never have audiences gotten so close to such a monster. The show has also always had great comedic wit sprinkled throughout its seriousness -- sometimes appropriate (Anthony Jr.'s spout of "what, no fuckin' ziti?"), and sometimes inappropriate (the hilarious spectacle that was Christopher's intervention). But anyone who's ever seen the show knows all this, so instead of rambling about its greatness, let's conclude with our favorite episodes and hope that someday Meadow will come to her senses and marry a good Italian boy (me), that somehow Adriana will be resurrected so we can hear her shouts of "CHRISTOFUH" and that Paulie will calm that temper. \nPrediction by Reviews Editor and wannabe gangster Brian Hettmansperger:\nIn a show where there is more whacking than a junior high student with an afternoon to himself (91 murders thus far), it seems the title character, Tony Soprano himself, is next. We here at WEEKEND say the only way for the show to go out is with Tony getting rubbed out. Here are the four best possibilities:\n• Phil Leotardo and Tony have a sit-down. Phil excuses himself to the bathroom, where a gun has been planted behind the toilet. Phil puts two in Tony's head.\n• Et tu Paulie? Paulie's loyalty has been questioned before, and I wouldn't put it past him to shoot Tony in the back and then join Phil's crew in New York.\n• Tony goes back to Dr. Melfi in need of more therapy. She refuses and kills Tony in self-defense with a pistol she's been carrying ever since she cut her services off with the depressed mob boss.\n• Tony's wife Carmela, fearing for her and her family's lives, offs Tony by running him down in her car.\nOut of the four hypotheses put forth, I like the Dr. Melfi one the best. She wasted some eight years trying to help a murderous sociopath, only to become a murderer herself. Tony Soprano has a way of turning those around him into criminals.\nHow do I think Tony will really die? Nothing as theatrical as the scenarios put forth here. \nPREDICTION: Tony will be gunned down by some of Phil's nameless goons. \nIn true "Sopranos" form, Tony's death will not be as "gangster" as those in the movies, but gangster enough to get the job done.
(06/07/07 12:00am)
CLEVELAND – When the older kids in his Houston neighborhood would pick on him or beat him up, little Daniel Gibson would run home crying to his mother. She gave him a nickname for not fighting back.\n“’Crybaby Boobie,’” Gibson said.\nIt’s just Boobie now.\nDuring Cleveland’s unprecedented playoff run to the NBA finals, the 21-year-old, always-smiling Gibson has emerged as an unlikely postseason hero. The second-round pick who left Texas after two seasons and who prayed he’d get selected by the Cavaliers, has become LeBron James’ co-star and sidekick.\nIn the Cavs’ conference-clinching Game 6 win over the Pistons on Saturday night, Gibson scored a season-high 31 points by making all five of his 3-pointers, including four in the fourth quarter, when he outscored Detroit 19-16.\nIn the midst of a scoring flurry nearly as stunning as James’ 48-point effort in Game 5, more than 20,000 fans inside Quicken Loans Arena began chanting “Boo-bie, Boo-bie.”\n“It gave me goose bumps,” Gibson said Monday. “I really truly thought it was all a dream. I didn’t think it was real. But this morning when I woke up, it still happened.”\nNot long after he completed target practice on the Pistons, Gibson was given a royal escort to the postgame news conference by King James himself, who hollered “Out of the way for the superstar” to clear a path for Gibson.\nJames, who is 14 months older than Gibson, has been in his younger teammate’s corner from the start.\n“When we got Daniel in the second round (No. 42 overall), I believe it was a blessing in disguise,” James said. “I believe we got a steal. I just knew how good of a basketball player he could be, and once I saw his work ethic during practice, after practice, before practice. ... I get to the gym early, and he’s there before me.”\nGibson played two seasons for the Longhorns before entering the draft. He wasn’t sure where he’d be picked, but he knew where he wanted to go.\n“The Cavs were a team that I really wanted to play with because LeBron is such a great player,” Gibson said. “I just wanted to have the opportunity to play with him and help him reach this level.”\nFollowing his pre-draft workout for the Cavaliers, Gibson canceled visits to other teams, including one to his hometown Rockets. His outside range made a lasting impression on Cavs coach Mike Brown, who envisioned Gibson being able to open the floor for James.\n“When (Cavs general manager) Danny Ferry and those guys brought him out for the pre-draft stuff, he stroked the mess out that ball,” Brown said, “and then in training camp you saw that again, and you saw his quickness, you saw his toughness and his explosiveness, and you’re like ‘wow.’”\nGibson’s size had Brown concerned about his ability to get the ball to the basket. He would need a new wrinkle to his game, and Brown, a former assistant with San Antonio, knew just the one.\n“One of the first things I said to him was, ‘Daniel, you’re a small guy so you’re not going to be able to have a medium game like (Detroit’s) Rip (Hamilton) where you can get into the teeth of the defense and pull up,” Brown said.\nThe Spurs most likely will keep a close eye on Gibson, who averaged 13.5 points against the Pistons, nine points above his regular-season average.\n“I’m pretty sure that those guys are probably going to pay a little more attention to me,” he said. “But at the same time we still have No. 23 out there so they had better pay attention to him. He’s the guy that really gets me a lot of my looks.”
(06/06/07 11:59pm)
DAVIE, Fla. – Former IU quarterback Trent Green is finally with the Miami Dolphins in South Florida, where Daunte Culpepper’s time is running out.\nGreen passed his physical with the Dolphins on Wednesday, completing a deal in which Miami acquired him from the Kansas City Chiefs for a fifth-round draft pick in 2008. Green’s agent, Jim Steiner, said the Chiefs may get a fourth-rounder instead, depending on how Green fares in Miami \nthis season.\nThe team scheduled a news conference Wednesday afternoon to announce the deal. It’s expected that Green will be on the Dolphins’ practice field Friday when the team opens a three-day minicamp.\n“I think everybody knows what this defense has done here,“ Green said. “It’s time for the offense to catch up.”\nHe’ll immediately be penciled in as the starter in Miami, which went 6-10 last season and missed the playoffs for the fifth straight year.\nLike Green, Culpepper wants to be there for minicamp, too – but that’s hardly a sure thing. A few hours before the Green trade became official, the Dolphins told Culpepper they “are going in a different direction at the QB position,” according to Culpepper, who is resisting \nthat plan.\n“They would like to trade me in order to ‘get something for me,’” Culpepper, who is his own agent, wrote in an e-mail after meeting with Miami general manager Randy Mueller and first-year coach Cam Cameron, who is a former IU coach. “However, it is my position that I have already been down that road and I am not interested in being traded.”\nHe may not have a choice.\nCameron confirmed that the meeting took place, but didn’t elaborate on what Green’s acquisition means in the immediate sense for \nCulpepper’s future.\n“Randy and I are still working through some things,” Cameron said. “By Friday we can probably lend a little more light on that subject. But today is about Trent Green.”\nIn 5 1/2 seasons as Kansas City’s starter, Green threw for 21,459 yards – an average of 244 per game – and 118 touchdowns while completing 62 percent of his passes. He missed eight games last season because of a concussion suffered in the season opener, and didn’t believe he would have a chance to compete fairly with Brodie Croyle and Damon Huard for the Chiefs starting job in 2007.\n“They wanted to get younger,” Green said. “I \nunderstand that.”\nSo he wanted a trade and worked out a new contract several weeks ago with the Dolphins, who traded for Culpepper before the 2006 season. Culpepper, though, was hobbled in his four-game on-field stint, getting sacked 21 times before Miami shut him down for the remainder of the year.\n“My position on Trent is that the Dolphins should get the best players that they can and let them compete for the starting job,” said Culpepper, who tore three knee ligaments while playing for the Minnesota Vikings in 2005, but was still traded to Miami for a second-round pick a few months later.\nThe Dolphins clearly never intended to keep both Green and Culpepper. The team recently re-signed backup Cleo Lemon to a one-year deal, and chose Brigham Young quarterback John Beck in the second round of this year’s draft after passing on a chance to take Notre Dame’s Brady Quinn with the ninth overall pick.\nGreen and Cameron have a long relationship. Both are former IU quarterbacks, and Cameron was Washington Redskins quarterbacks coach when Green was a third-stringer there in 1995 and 1996.\n“The excitement for us has been building for some time, to get back together,” Green said.
(06/06/07 11:59pm)
When Danica Patrick gets fire in her eyes, look out.\nLast Sunday at the Milwaukee Mile, she had run-ins with Dan Wheldon both on the track and off.\nThe Indy Racing League called the on-track incident in which the two bumped wheels, sending Patrick on a wild ride through the grass, “nothing more than a racing incident,” and handed out no penalties.\nIn the heated aftermath, Patrick said she thought she had made the pass, while Wheldon said he was still in front and had the right of way.\nPatrick, the third-year IndyCar Series driver, and Wheldon, the 2005 Indy 500 winner and series champion, had another very public meeting after the race.\nShe caught up to Wheldon on pit road and, in front of a roaring crowd that appeared heavily in her corner, grabbed the Englishman around the waist, did most of the talking and, when she didn’t get the answer she desirsed from him, gave Wheldon a light push and walked away.\nAfterward, Wheldon suggested Patrick is feeling the pressure of not having won yet and warned, “She’s messing with the wrong person if she wants to get feisty. I’m a lot tougher than she is on track.”\nIt’s true that Patrick, the woman who inspired a national “Danica-Mania” by becoming the first female to lead the Indy 500 and then setting a record for her gender by finishing in the race, has yet to win a race.\nSome are already trying to equate the attractive Patrick, who made waves several years ago by posing for a men’s magazine in a scanty outfit, with tennis player Anna Kournikova, who gained notoriety for her good looks and marketability but never won a major event.\nBut Patrick is showing on the track she’s far more than just another pretty face.\nTwo weeks ago, in her third Indy 500, she finished eighth. But, before the race was cut short by rain and her shot at a victory ended by a fuel strategy that left her in the wrong place at the wrong time, Patrick was running competitively with the big boys.\n“I thought she was very impressive,” said Andretti Green Racing teammate Dario Franchitti, who won at Indy. “She had a fast race car and she was sticking her nose in there and racing with everyone.\n“There’s no question in my mind that she can do the job. It’s just a question of everything coming together for her.”\nAt Milwaukee, Patrick had a bad day in qualifying and started 17th in an 18-car field. But she was battling Wheldon and Franchitti for fourth on the 88th of 225 laps when she and Wheldon collided.\nPatrick made a great save, reminiscent of the one Tony Kanaan, another AGR teammate, made at Indy. After she lost a lap while her team replaced a broken suspension piece, Patrick got back on the lead lap and finished eighth.\nPatrick, who joined AGR this year after two seasons with Rahal Letterman Racing, noted that circumstances often dictate how well a driver does.\n“In the first year, I had a fast car but I didn’t have a ton of experience and I wasn’t that good in traffic,” she said. “Then, in the second year, I had a car that was slow and I had more experience and I was driving smart, but, realistically, I had no chance of winning, really.\n“And, this year, I’m with a new team and I only had two test days before the year started. An engineer can’t read my mind and translate that into a perfect efficient chance every time. So this stuff just takes time and certain things just have to be right.\n“I think the fact that I almost won my first couple of races in IndyCar says a lot about circumstances,” Patrick said. “Why could that happen? I had a fast car. Things are falling into place now. It’s just a matter of getting it done.”
(06/01/07 6:44pm)
Despite sending 25 athletes to the NCAA Mideast Regional during Memorial Day weekend, the IU track program will only have four athletes to cheer on at the NCAA National meet.\nThe lone competitor on the men’s side will be sophomore Big Ten champion Blayne Burkholder. Burkholder won the pole vault competition at the Big Ten outdoor championships and followed that performance with a third-place finish at the regional, earning an automatic bid to compete at nationals. \n“This has been a great experience for Blayne,” IU assistant coach Jake Wiseman said in a statement. “He has found a really good rhythm and has been able to progress throughout the outdoor season. The trip to nationals will be a great experience for him as a sophomore.”\nBurkholder cleared 5.06 meters at the regional, but his personal best of 5.15 meters has him seeded 24 for the national meet.\nBurkholder was the only athlete to earn an automatic bid for nationals over the weekend for either team.\nSenior Lorian Price ran a personal best in the 100-meter hurdles preliminaries on the first day of competition. Her time of 13.44 seconds placed her fifth in IU history. She then came back for the finals the next day and improved that time. Taking 0.02 seconds off her time then made her fourth and fifth place all-time at IU. The time also earned Price an at-large bid to represent IU at the national meet.\nPrice will have two other teammates joining her at the national meet.\nSenior Jessica Gall did not have a chance to improve on her season’s best time in the 10,000-meter run last weekend because there were not enough competitors for a full heat. But her season’s best time of 33:54.65 in the run on March 31 at the Stanford Invitational provisionally qualified her for the national meet. Gall is the 10,000-meter Big Ten champion and will be seeded 16 at the national meet.\nVera Neuenswander is the top-ranked freshman in the nation and a Big Ten pole vault champion. She only cleared 3.81 meters, placing her ninth at the regional. But Neuenswander’s mark of 4.12 meters cleared on May 4 in Bloomington at the Billy Hayes Invite earned her the final at-large bid for nationals. She will go into the meet seeded 10.\nThese four IU athletes will compete beginning with the pole vault qualifying round at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, June 6 at the national meet, hosted by Sacramento State University in Sacramento, Calif.
(05/31/07 12:19am)
RALEIGH, N.C. — The NCAA has granted Duke’s request for an extra year of eligibility for its men’s lacrosse players following rape allegations that led to the cancellation of much of last season.\nThe decision affects 33 players who were not seniors during the 2006 season, and it grants them a fifth year of eligibility regardless of whether they play at Duke or another school. The announcement came Wednesday, just two days after the Blue Devils lost to Johns Hopkins by a goal in the NCAA championship game for the second time in three seasons.\n“These individuals were involved in an unusual circumstance that we believe warrants providing them the opportunity to complete their four years of competition,” said Jennifer Strawley, NCAA director of student-athlete reinstatement and membership services.\nDuke played just eight games last year before the university canceled what was left of the season as police investigated allegations a woman was raped at a March 2006 team party. Players Reade Seligmann, Collin Finnerty and David Evans were later indicted, but the accusations were eventually debunked by North Carolina’s top prosecutor, who called the trio “innocent” victims of a “tragic rush to accuse.”\nThis year’s seniors would be eligible next season by pursuing graduate-level course work. Coach John Danowski said he planned to talk with them in the coming weeks to see if any would be interested in staying.\n“Sometimes four years runs its course and they might want to move on and forward with their lives,” said Danowski, whose son, Matt, was a senior All-American for Duke. “Certainly we’ll give them their space. Everybody assumed this was a long shot and we didn’t allow them to think about that because we were also playing for the national championship.\n“For these (seniors ... whatever they want is fine with me.”\nVirginia coach Dom Starsia, whose Cavaliers won the national championship in 2006, was unhappy with the decision, though he said it was about more than seeing some of Duke’s top players possibly stick around a while longer.\n“Everybody in the lacrosse world was embarrassed by what happened,” he said. “But it almost feels now as if nobody’s really paying for this thing. I would’ve been the first to say that Reade Seligmann and Collin Finnerty probably deserved another year. But I’m not sure that everybody involved here should be painted with the same broad brush and it just seems that’s what the NCAA chose to do.\n“Most of these wounds seem to be self-inflicted at Duke. I’m not sure if the institution has kind of held itself accountable for everything that happened.”\nDuke defenseman Tony McDevitt said he talked with his fellow seniors after the NCAA’s decision, though it was too early to say whether any would stay and put post-graduation plans on hold.\n“I think it’s well-deserved,” said McDevitt, who is scheduled to start working with Merrill Lynch in New York in July. “When we think back to our junior years, when we lost that season and didn’t have a chance to play for a title, that hurt a lot and it still hurts. To have an opportunity to play a full four years – which is what we all expected to do when we came to Duke – it’s great and definitely worth thinking about.”\nThe NCAA said it considered several factors, including unanimous support from the presidents of the Atlantic Coast Conference universities, according to a news release.\nSeligmann and Finnerty were sophomores when they were suspended from the university after charges were filed, though they were invited back when it was clear the case had no merit. Neither accepted, with Seligmann opting this week to attend Brown University and play lacrosse there. Evans graduated the day before he was indicted last May.\nAlso on Wednesday, a Duke alumnus bought a full-page ad in USA Today to show support for the program. The headline on the ad reads, “For a team very few people stood by, how about a standing ovation?”
(05/31/07 12:16am)
NEW YORK - Gene Upshaw was taken aback when he first saw the list of retired NFL players applying for financial help under a new program to help those with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.\n“I played with or against quite a few of these guys,” the executive director of the NFL players’ union said Wednesday. “I knew one or two were having problems, but I never knew the extent.”\nUpshaw, a Hall of Fame guard for the Oakland Raiders from 1968-82, is one of four people being honored Thursday night by the Alzheimer’s Association of New York for helping start the “88” plan. It provides up to $88,000 from the NFL and the union to help with the care of players afflicted with dementia or related brain problems.\nSince the plan took effect Feb. 1, 35 retired players have been approved for aid, with 19 more applications pending. That’s up from 21 players two months ago, when the league and union were still trying to go beyond what Upshaw called “word of mouth” in identifying players.\nNow the identification is being done through the Bert Bell retirement fund, which handles pensions for more than 9,000 retired players, with the money coming from a trust fund administered by the league and union. So far, according to the NFL, 103 potential candidates for aid have been identified. There are 54 applications, and no one has been turned down. The applications of 19 players who have not yet been certified are to be reviewed.\nBut it’s still hard to know many ex-players need help.\n“A lot of people are embarrassed to talk about it or to acknowledge they have a problem,” says Dan Rooney, the Pittsburgh Steelers owner and a member of the NFL committee that oversees the plan. “They can have lucid moments when they think things are going all right.”\nThe plan is part of the labor contract agreed upon in March 2006 by the league and union and is administered by Upshaw and Harold Henderson, an NFL senior vice president. The “88” is the number of Hall of Fame tight end John Mackey, one of the first former players who qualified. His wife, Sylvia, was instrumental in persuading Upshaw and former commissioner Paul Tagliabue to include aid for dementia in the new contract.\nNFL and union officials say the correlation between NFL players and Alzheimer’s is anecdotal rather than scientific, and experts in the field agree.\nBut the heightened interest in the subject follows the death of Andre Waters, who committed suicide last November at 44. Reports concluded he had brain damage that resulted from multiple concussions during 12 years as an NFL safety. In addition, The Boston Globe and The New York Times reported in February that 34-year-old Ted Johnson, who spent 10 years as a linebacker with the New England Patriots, shows early signs of Alzheimer’s.\nActivists view the NFL/NFLPA program as a landmark.\n“This is the first union and industry program of its kind and it’s the first that recognizes the burden the disease puts on families,” said Lou-Ellen Barkan, president and chief executive of the New York Alzheimer’s Association. On Thursday, that group will honor Upshaw and Henderson as well as Sylvia Mackey and Dr. Eleanor Perfetto, wife of Ralph Wenzel, the only other former player who has been publicly identified as part of the program.\nUnder the program, players can receive up to $50,000 a year for home care and up to $88,000 if they are institutionalized. Barkan said that’s part of an ignored part of the burden of Alzheimer’s – those with dementia or Alzheimer’s need full-time care, and spouses or children must quit jobs to give full-time care.\n“Something like this allows them to hire help,” Barkan said. “It allows them to keep jobs without the burden of also being a full-time caregiver.”\nThose involved with the program say they can’t demonstrate clearly that dementia among football players correlates with football.\n“I’ll leave it for the doctors to decide that,” Upshaw says. “A lot of the guys we’re talking about are pretty much up in age, so it’s hard to know why they have the problem.”\nBarkan agrees but notes: “Just from what doctors tell us, there is a strong correlation from multiple concussions and the onset of problems.”
(05/31/07 12:08am)
Nearly one month after letting former coach Ken Hydinger go, the IU men’s tennis team promoted assistant coach Randy Bloemendaal to take over the open position.\n“I am very grateful for the opportunity (IU Director of Athletics) Rick Greenspan has given me,” Bloemendaal said in a statement. “I believe I have the support that I need to achieve success in the Big Ten and on a national level.”\nBloemndaal recently finished his second season as an assistant on Hydinger’s staff.\n“My family and I love IU and Bloomington and look forward to raising our two young sons here and making this our family’s home,” Bloemendaal said in a statement. “What an honor it is to serve Indiana University and its student-athletes as we continue the success of this historic program.”\nBefore coming to IU, Bloemendaal was the men’s and women’s tennis head coach at Charleston Southern University, as well as at Division II Lees-McRae College in Banner Elk, N.C., his alma matter. \nThe Hoosiers and Hydinger parted ways on April 30 after 22 seasons. During his tenure at IU, Hydinger led the Hoosiers to a 324-237-1 record and four NCAA tournament appearances. In 1992, he was named Big Ten coach of the year.
(05/30/07 1:57am)
IU University Director of Athletics Rick Greenspan announced Friday there would be a new director and head coach for the men’s and women’s cross country and track and field teams.\nRon Helmer comes to IU care of Georgetown University where he had held the same title for the last eight years.\n“Ron Helmer is a proven winner,” Greenspan said in a statement. “We conducted a national search and we feel Ron was the best fit for this program. He has had great success on a national stage and his student-athletes have always represented themselves at the highest level on the competitive field and in the classroom.” \nSince being promoted in the 1999-2000 academic year, Helmer led 61 Hoya athletes to Big East individual titles.\n"It is a really exciting time for me and my family," Helmer said in a statement. "This is an incredible opportunity. I was really impressed with the level of positive enthusiasm I encountered with everyone I met in Bloomington. It's going to be a great challenge and I'm really excited to get started."\nHelmer’s hire was announced Friday while the men’s and women’s track and field teams were competing in Columbia, Mo. in the Mideast Regional meet. A strong showing at the regional could mean spots in the NCAA National meet.\nOne athlete who has already punched his ticket for nationals is sophomore pole-vaulter Blayne Burkholder who cleared 5.06 meters to finish third. The trip will be Burkholder’s first. See Thursday’s Indiana Daily Student for more information.
(05/24/07 12:04am)
INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana Pacers CEO Donnie Walsh said his team could obtain one or more picks in the upcoming draft, despite having traded both of this year’s selections away in deals last summer.\nWalsh said Wednesday he was sure the Pacers would maneuver to try and get back into the June 28 draft.\n“This is the time of year where you’ve got to do those kinds of things,” he said. “Trades will be focused around the draft. Of course, they won’t all be for draft picks, but draft picks are a possibility.”\nWalsh didn’t say who the team would consider trading or for what, but he expects nonstop action before the new season begins.\n“I think it’s safe to say we will be active, and we will continue to be throughout the summer,” he said.\nThe top trade contenders are All-Star forward Jermaine O’Neal and point guard Jamaal Tinsley, the team’s top veterans.\nO’Neal averaged 19.4 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.6 blocks in one of the best seasons of his 11-year career. He’s a six-time all-star who finished third in fan voting this year for the Pacers’ 40th anniversary team.\nBut O’Neal missed 13 games with various injuries and illnesses. He had successful surgery to repair a meniscus tear in his left knee that hobbled him the last two months of the season. He has missed 82 games the past three seasons – a number that equals an entire regular season’s worth of games.\nO’Neal has denied reports that he demanded a trade to the New York Knicks.\nTinsley had one of his best seasons and was more durable than usual. He averaged 12.8 points and 6.9 assists in 72 games, the most games he’s played since the 2002-03 season.\nBut Tinsley’s off-the-court problems include a felony charge he faces from a February bar fight in Indianapolis. He also was at a fight outside a strip club in October that has former Pacer and current Golden State Warrior Stephen Jackson facing charges for firing a gun.\nThe Pacers missed out on a top-three pick in Tuesday’s draft lottery and had to send their No. 11 pick to Atlanta as part of the trade that brought Al Harrington to the Pacers last summer. Harrington was later traded away in a multiplayer deal.\n“I think we were realistic when we went up there,” Walsh said of the lottery. “There’s always some disappointment. You always like to see a Hail Mary pass caught. But I think we went in there knowing what our percentages were.”\nThe Pacers lost this year’s second-round pick when they traded to get James White in last year’s draft.\nThe Pacers are still looking for a coach. The front-runner reportedly is former Miami coach Stan Van Gundy, who wouldn’t say if he was the choice.\n“Let’s just say as far as my situation is concerned, we have a resolution,” he said Wednesday in a telephone interview. “I’ve talked with Larry Bird, and we both know what’s going on.”\nLanding a new coach would be a key step toward the Pacers regaining some stability. Indiana finished 35-47 this season and missed the postseason for the first time in 10 years.\n“I think we’re excited about re-forming the team, about a new beginning,” Walsh said. “We’re starting a process to put us in position to get back to contender status. How long that will take, I don’t know. But we’re pushing for sooner rather than later.”
(05/24/07 12:03am)
INDIANAPOLIS – Colts owner Jim Irsay wants another shot at the Super Bowl – and not just repeating as NFL champions.\nAfter Indianapolis narrowly lost its bid Tuesday to host the 2011 Super Bowl, Irsay said to count him in if city officials decide to make another push for the league’s most prestigious game.\n“That’s what we have to start talking about in the next couple of weeks,” Irsay said. “I don’t know where the mayor is going to come out on this. I know he was very disappointed today. But if we’re going forward, I’m up for doing whatever I can.”\nMayor Bart Peterson said that he would consider bidding on a future game. First, though, he wanted to find out why the city lost the 17-15 vote during the owners’ meeting in Nashville, Tenn.\nIrsay said the issue came down partly to seating capacity. Dallas’ new stadium is scheduled to open in 2009 and could hold up to 100,000 for the Super Bowl, while Lucas Oil Stadium has a potential capacity of 70,000. The Colts’ new stadium is expected to open in 2008.\nDallas’ larger stadium also is likely to include more suites, which could increase revenue. But Irsay thought that sent the wrong message to small-market teams that want to host future Super Bowls.\nIndianapolis’ bid included a video from David Letterman and had support from Indianapolis Motor Speedway chief Tony George, Pacers owner Herb Simon and Jeff Smulyan, the CEO of Indianapolis-based Emmis Communications Corp. and former owner of the Seattle Mariners.\n“As Tony (Dungy) likes to say, we’re disappointed but not dispirited,” Irsay said. “I know our city and our state deserve this kind of award. I just don’t know when that might be.”\nThe Indianapolis bid highlighted the central location of the city’s stadium and its success in hosting major events such as the Indy 500, the NCAA men’s basketball Final Four and world championships in swimming and basketball.\nWhile Irsay said owners called the Indianapolis bid a pleasant surprise and that many wanted the city to bid again, it was little comfort to disappointed state and city officials.\n“So much work has been done and so much effort has been put into this that it would seem as if we’d be in a position to go forward again,” Peterson said. “I think we need to step back and analyze what happened, try to learn a little bit more, talk to the NFL, try to get a sense of whether we’d be more likely to be successful in the future if we’d bid again.”\nThe city’s bid committee spent the past four months raising $25 million in private money to host the game, including $2.5 million from Eli Lilly & Co. and $1 million from Irsay and Forrest Lucas, whose company paid for the naming rights to the stadium.\nGov. Mitch Daniels praised the effort.\n“Like the Super Bowl itself, second place doesn’t feel very good,” he said in a statement. “It was well worth the effort and Mayor Peterson and his team did an absolutely spectacular job representing our state.”\nIrsay said he hoped the city would pursue the game again.\n“No, it wasn’t a surprise like getting punched in the face,” he said. “But we want to go forward.”
(05/24/07 12:01am)
After five years as an assistant coach for the IU wrestling team, Reggie Wright is leaving the Hoosiers to take a head-coaching job at Delaware State University. On Monday, Wright was named the head coach of the Hornets, a team not affiliated with a conference.\n“I am blessed to get this opportunity to be a part of a program that’s on its way up. DSU has made a commitment to the wrestling program, and I am committed to the work it will take to build a successful program,” Wright said in a statement.\nWright was an assistant for IU coach Duane Goldman’s program for five years, during which time he coached 10 All-Americans, including Joe Dubuque, who won the national championship in the 125-pound division in 2005 and 2006. He will replace Earl Walker, who went 0-39 in two years as the coach at Delaware State.\nIn 2001, Wright graduated from Oklahoma State University, where he was a three-time Big 12 champion in the 145-pound division and a three time All-American. He served as team captain during his last three seasons with the Cowboys. \n“We are committed to the wrestling program, and we are looking forward to working with Coach Wright,” Delaware State Athletic Director Chuck Bell said in a statement. “They will have the full allotment of scholarships that is allowed by the NCAA, so he will have the opportunity to get the type of athletes needed for success.”
