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(03/20/07 4:00am)
INDIANAPOLIS – Joel Cornette was a busy man the last time Butler reached the NCAA’s regional semifinals. Maybe too busy.\nAfter leading the Bulldogs past Mississippi State and Louisville in the 2003 tournament, the then-senior spent the next week selling the school to the media and tickets to the game in Albany, N.Y.\nThey don’t intend to get sidetracked that way this week.\n“When we got back on campus, the students wanted to celebrate, and there was the media circus and you’re trying to catch up with your school work,” said Cornette, now the Bulldogs coordinator of basketball operations. “You have ticket requests and everything. What we learned was that you’ve got to find a way to strike the right balance with all of that.”\nThe lessons from four years ago still linger with coach Todd Lickliter.\nHe admits now that having two senior starters, Cornette and Darnell Archey, camped out at a folding table in the Hinkle Fieldhouse lobby may not have been the best way to prepare for Oklahoma. Nor was setting aside so much time for interviews.\nBut when you’re a small school playing on the second weekend of the NCAA’s biggest stage, it’s tough to say no.\nThe Bulldogs believe the experience will make them better prepared for Friday night’s showdown with defending national champion Florida.\n“I know we won’t have that deal,” Lickliter said when asked about players selling tickets. “I think the peripheral stuff will be taken care of by the sports staff and that will help. The only thing I really remember was what that sting was like, losing to Oklahoma.”\nWhat’s changed in four years?\nPlenty.\nThe Bulldogs have already set a school record for victories, were ranked for 16 straight weeks and took advantage of earning the highest tourney seed in school history, a No. 5 in the Midwest Region.\nThey’ve proven they can play with some of the nation’s best teams, having won five games against “power conference” schools – all of which made the NCAA tournament. They’re also 8-0 on neutral courts this season and are confident they can continue winning.\nThe expectations are different, too.\nIn ‘03, two NCAA wins were a major accomplishment for a program that had won only three previous tournament games, including a victory in a third-place game in the 1962 regionals.\nYes, the Bulldogs still embrace their small-school image, but they’ve demonstrated they will not be awe-struck. Two November wins in New York City capped their improbable run to the NIT Season Tip-Off championship.\nSo Butler isn’t satisfied just hanging around.\n“We’ll get back to work, that’s not a problem,” junior guard A.J. Graves said. “We’ve experienced success, and we’ll put this in its place, too. We did that in the Preseason NIT, and we want to do more.”\nOff the court, Butler has other advantages.\nClasswork won’t be an issue since the school was on spring break last week when the Bulldogs were beating Old Dominion and Maryland.\nThey won’t necessarily be the central focus, either, since seventh-seeded UNLV is the lowest-seeded team remaining and Butler is one of four teams left that does not play in a “power” conference. The others are Southern Illinois, UNLV and Memphis.\nLogistics could help, too. St. Louis is about a four-hour road trip from Indianapolis, meaning the Bulldogs could bring a larger contingent of fans than it did in Albany four years ago.
(03/19/07 4:00am)
HAMPTON, Ga. – Jimmie Johnson already has his eye on the big prize.\nThe reigning NASCAR Nextel Cup champion passed Tony Stewart three laps from the end Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway and went on to win his second straight race.\n“We’re thinking championship already,” said Johnson, only four races into the 36-race season. “That’s really the mode anymore. You have to think about points and being in the top 12 all the time.”\nJohnson had the car to beat Sunday, leading 132 of the first 238 laps. But the only laps he led the rest of the way in the 325-lap event on Atlanta’s 1.5-mile oval were the last three.\nThe 25th victory of his Cup career moved Johnson within 28 points of current series leader Mark Martin, who plans on skipping next week’s race at Bristol and the race the following week at Martinsville.\nThat would leave Johnson just 20 points behind Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jeff Gordon and 17 behind Jeff Burton going into Bristol, the fifth of the 26 races that will determine the 12 drivers in the Chase for the championship.\n“Right now, it’s easy to feel good about things and there no doubt that the championship is what’s on our minds,” Johnson said. “When you come into the sport, you focus on victories and top 10 and now the Chase is a big mark for the teams to make.\n“But, after you win a championship, I think it changes you a little bit and that’s what you really focus on and what you want to do again and again. Since we came into ‘07, the team meetings and discussions, everything is about trying to win another championship. Right now things are going good and we’re doing the right things, but it’s way too early to get too excited.”\nJohnson, who overcame a penalty in the pits at Las Vegas to beat Gordon the previous week, had some problems with tire wear late in Sunday’s Kobalt Tools 500.\nStewart, a two-time Cup champion, appeared on the way to his first victory of the year after coming off pit lane ahead of Matt Kenseth and third-place Johnson after the final stops by the leaders during a caution flag on lap 311.\nAfter the green flag waved with 11 laps to go, Johnson took just three laps to get past Kenseth, then took off after Stewart in the duel of Chevrolets.\nJohnson pulled side-by-side with Stewart just past the finish line on lap 322. Johnson then got his nose out ahead and, as the two cars drove through turn two, Stewart scraped the wall.\nJohnson easily led lap 323 and continued to pull away from Stewart, going on to win by about half the front straightaway. He credited crew chief Chad Knaus for making some key adjustments on the last pit stop.\n“At the end, when it came time to race for checkered, Chad made some great adjustments to help me on the short run,” Johnson said. “That’s the one thing I was lacking compared to the 20 (Stewart). At the beginning of a run he had a little more grip and could drive a little harder.\n“At the end, I can’t say that I’ve driven a race car that hard before. It really was challenging internally in my own head to drive that hard to chase Tony down and get by him. That was just a great, great race.”\nStewart, who overcame a long pit stop in the early going when one of his crewmen dropped a lugnut, led 121 laps and was happy with second place. But he wasn’t particularly happy with Johnson.\n“I wish he had at least given us room to race for it,” Stewart said. “But we gained some points today and that’s what this team needed.”\nJohnson apologized, saying he wished he had given Stewart more room.\n“Tony had a good run on the inside coming off the corner and when I heard he was coming it was just too late for me to adjust,” the winner said. “I certainly squeezed him into the wall and didn’t leave him a lot of room, but it wasn’t intentional.”\nKenseth wound up third, followed by Jeff Burton and heralded rookie Juan Pablo Montoya, who barely held off Clint Bowyer to record his first top 10 and by far his best finish in five Cup starts.\n“I’m getting the handle of it,” said Montoya, who also won a Busch Series race on a road course in Mexico City several weeks ago and got as high as third in Sunday’s race before slipping a bit at the end.\nMartin, who finished 10th, remained in the lead by eight points over Gordon, who overcame a tire problem and a lost lap to finish 12th. Burton remained third, 11 points behind, and Johnson stayed in fourth, moving to 28 points back.\nBut longtime NASCAR star Martin switched teams this year in order to cut back to a partial Cup schedule and has said he will sit out the next two races, despite leading the points.\n“Somebody told me I was still leading the points,” the 48-year-old Martin said, grinning. “I don’t really know, but that will be gone after next week. At least we can say we were leading when we took a break.”\nThe Bristol race next Sunday will also be the debut of NASCAR’s new Car of Tomorrow, which could throw a wild card into the mix, depending on which teams figure out of the all-new, bigger and boxier car first.
(03/19/07 4:00am)
INDIAN WELLS, Calif. – By Rafael Nadal’s standards, it was a long dry spell.\nNadal captured his first title since the French Open, beating Novak Djokovic 6-2, 7-5 Sunday in the Pacific Life Open.\n“It was a very great week for me, a very, very important week,” he said. “I have (gone) eight months without any title, but I came back with a big one.”\nWhen Djokovic’s forehand sailed long on the final point, Nadal raised his arms, then flopped on his back and lay there a moment, arms still extended, as the fans laughed and cheered.\nA five-time champion last year and an 11-time winner in 2005, Nadal had gone a stretch of 12 tournaments without winning, dating to his successful defense of the title at Roland Garros last June.\nHe said that, even though he hadn’t won for a while, his game remained essentially the same.\n“Sometimes you’re a little luckier, a little bit more confident,” Nadal said. “But well, I wasn’t a disaster in those eight months.”\nNadal has been ranked No. 2 for a record 86 consecutive weeks, with Roger Federer a distant No. 1. The three-time defending champion at Indian Wells, Federer lost his first match in the event this year, ending his 41-match win string.\nAsked earlier in the week if he was disappointed he wouldn’t get to face Federer in the final, Nadal said, “No, no, no. Seriously, no.”\nAfter his victory over Djokovic, Nadal said he doesn’t really consider himself vying with Federer for the top spot now.\n“Right now, Roger’s not my competition. Roger is the best in history, so my goal is continuing winning tournaments and continuing being (high) in the ranking,” Nadal said.\n“I think if I play like this, I can win another major.”\nHe jumped on Djokovic quickly in the Indian Wells final.\nNadal was up 2-0 before Djokovic got his first point of the match, leading off the third game. By the end of the first set, the 19-year-old Serb had won only 12 points to Nadal’s 26.\nDjokovic acknowledged that he was nervous at the start.\n“It’s my first Masters Series final, first final of the really bigger tournaments,” he said. “The stadium was more or less packed, like 15,000 people. It was a great atmosphere.\n“He started playing really well. I didn’t. I made a lot of mistakes, unforced errors. He played an incredible forehand and he was in control of the match in the first set.”\nDjokovic said Nadal’s experience probably helped him.\n“Even though he’s only 20 years old, he has played many, many finals and grand slams and Masters Series,” he said. “So It’s OK. I’m not satisfied with me game today; I could do better, but I have to be positive.”\nDjokovic got his game going with his serves and powerful forehands in the second set, but Nadal was able to come up with the critical shots late in the set.\nTied 5-5, the Spaniard broke Djokovic’s serve, wrapping up the game by whipping a powerful backhand passing shot by the charging Djokovic. Nadal then held serve to finish the championship match that lasted just 93 minutes.\nDjokovic, who won his third tour title at Adelaide the first week of this year, is ranked No. 13.\nOn Saturday at Indian Wells, 2002 winner Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia took the women’s title again, beating Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-3, 6-4. A two-time champion in the desert tournament, the 23-year-old Hantuchova has not won any other tour events.
(03/19/07 4:00am)
PEORIA, Ariz. – Padres manager Bud Black called it “arena baseball.”\nThe Chicago White Sox roughed up David Wells in his third start of spring training and beat San Diego 14-7 on Sunday in a game that featured 34 hits.\nThe 43-year-old Wells gave up seven runs and 10 hits in three innings but said he wasn’t concerned. He retired his first two batters before his outing went downhill.\n“It was a geezer day,” Wells said with a smile. “I’ve probably done worse. I don’t think people should be concerned on a day like today as long as you can make your pitches. It wouldn’t have mattered if I was throwing 98 mph or 78 – they were destined to waffle them.”\nChicago’s Paul Konerko doubled high off the 30-foot batter’s eye in center field and later homered, and teammate Ryan Sweeney homered off Cla Meredith, who yielded five earned runs.\nSan Diego first baseman Adrian Gonzalez cleared the batter’s eye for a homer, and left fielder Russell Branyan had an opposite-field shot.\nPadres closer Trevor Hoffman even gave up a run in an inning of work.\n“It was a good day to hit,” Black said. “It was a difficult day to pitch, but they had their hitting shoes on.”\nWhite Sox reliever Gavin Floyd, who’s competing for the fifth spot in the rotation with John Danks, had his pitching shoes on. Floyd limited the Padres to one run in 4 1/3 innings in relief of Danks, who allowed six runs in 3 2-3 innings.\nChicago manager Ozzie Guillen said the team isn’t ready to make a decision on the final spot in the rotation. He said Charlie Haeger is also still in the mix.\n“One day we like one and one day we like another,” Guillen said. “Everybody knows Gavin has a good arm and he can be real effective.”\nWells was effective until he yielded four straight two-out hits in the first, including doubles by Konerko and Joe Crede. The burly left-hander allowed three more hits to start the second before Konerko hit a two-run homer to left.\nBut Wells wasn’t concerned with the results after pitching in the warm, dry desert air. He said he’s on pace to be ready for the start of the season, and that’s his biggest goal.\n“The ball just flies,” Wells said. “The lower the ball, the higher it went. It’s almost like golfing in Colorado. You hit a wedge 300 yards.”
(03/19/07 4:00am)
IU Director of Athletics Rick Greenspan will receive a contract extension through 2013.\nIU President Adam Herbert announced March 13 that he awarded Greenspan the three-year, nine-month extension through June 30, 2013, according to a news release from IU media relations. \nGreenspan is receiving the extension because he brought “stability and major improvements to IU’s intercollegiate athletic programs,” Herbert said in the release. \nIn just a few years in Bloomington, Greenspan has hired men’s basketball coach Kelvin Sampson, football coach Terry Hoeppner, baseball coach Tracy Smith and women’s basketball coach Felisha Legette-Jack, among others.\nDuring Greenspan’s tenure, athlete graduation rates have reached 92 percent, donations to the athletics department are at an all-time high, and a new financial plan has helped balance the department’s budget for the first time in several years, according to the release.\nGreenspan’s new contract will pay him $300,000 a year, with $60,000 in deferred compensation. The contract will also contain academic and athletics performance-based incentives and takes effect July 1, according to the release.
(03/19/07 4:00am)
You win some, you lose some.\nThe IU baseball team took that old adage to heart for its annual spring trip, losing its first four games before rebounding and running off four straight victories to wrap up its Florida visit.\nThe Hoosiers wrapped up their eight-game road trip Saturday with a doubleheader sweep at Florida A&M in Tallahassee, Fla. \nIn Saturday’s first game, IU headed into its half-of-the-ninth inning trailing by a run, but junior catcher Jon Fixler came through with a bases-loaded double that put the Hoosiers up two runs. \nSophomore pitcher Joe Vicini earned his first save of the season, pitching two-thirds of an inning to end the game.\nIn Saturday’s late game, the Hoosiers came alive at the plate with 14 hits while capitalizing on eight A&M errors that led to eight unearned runs scored by IU.\nSophomore center fielder Andrew Means led the way for the Hoosiers, going 3-for-6 in the second game with three runs scored and three RBIs. Means was one of nine players to knock a run in as the Hoosiers romped their way to a 16-10 victory.\nThe win brought IU’s record back up to 8-8 on the season.\nWhile IU wrapped up its spring trip on a positive note, it struggled out of the gate as it traveled to No. 10 Florida State.\nThe Seminoles pitching staff stymied the Hoosier bats, limiting them to just two runs over the course of a three-game sweep, 6-0, 8-2, and 9-0.\nMoving east to Jacksonville, Fla., for a two-game set with North Florida, IU found itself in the midst of a marathon game March 13. \nAfter nine innings, the two teams were knotted up at eight runs apiece as they headed into extra innings. Both IU and North Florida notched a run of their own in the 10th, but both teams settled in for the long haul.\nNeither team was able to muster a run for the next five innings until the Ospreys finally got to junior pitcher Doug Fleenor in the bottom half of the 16th inning. A North Florida double knocked in the winning run in a game that lasted 4 hours and 40 minutes. \nIn four plus innings of relief, Fleenor issued five walks and gave up seven hits but only allowed the one run to score as IU fell 10-9.\nFollowing the extra inning loss, the Hoosiers rebounded to win the next day against North Florida with a 10-9 victory of their own. IU won its Friday opener at Florida A&M before sweeping the Saturday doubleheader.\nThe IU baseball team will now return to Bloomington for its first home series as the Hoosiers host IU-Purdue University at Fort Wayne beginning this Friday at Sembower Field.
(03/19/07 4:00am)
“Rebounding” is usually a term associated with basketball. But as far as the IU women’s golf team is concerned, it can be used to describe the team’s performance at the UNLV Spring Invitational. \nAfter several disappointing tournaments, the Hoosiers bounced back in a big way to finish fourth and set a school record with a score of 864. That score beat out the previous low of 885 set in 2003 at the Lady Seahawk Invitational. \nIU coach Clint Wallman was complimentary of the effort afterward.\n“Obviously, I’m pleased with our finish in the tournament,” Wallman said in a statement. “To finish even par in a three-day event is very, very good”. \nLeading the way for the Hoosiers for the second time this year was junior Elaine Harris, who tied for 10th and was named Big Ten golfer of the week for the first time in her career. She became the first such Hoosier to earn that honor this season. \nAlso competing for the Hoosiers were freshmen Anita Gahir and Laura Nochta, who placed 16th and 18th respectively, Junior transfer Lauren Harling and freshman Kellye Belcher placed 26th and 34th. Competing as an individual, sophomore Amber Lindgren tied for 29th.\nThe competition saw 18 teams take part with Brigham Young taking the title with a score of 847. Rounding out the top five were New Mexico, Idaho, IU and host UNLV.\nIU returns to competition Saturday when it competes in the Mountain View Collegiate Tournament in Tucson, Ariz.
(03/19/07 4:00am)
For the second time in as many years, the IU women’s basketball team qualified for the women’s NIT tournament and will play its first game against Iona College 7 p.m. today at Assembly Hall. This will be the first ever matchup between IU and Iona.\nIn her first year as the Hoosiers’ head coach, Felisha Legette-Jack guided her team to an 18-13 record by season’s end, culminating in a 72-60 loss to Ohio State in the Big Ten tournament, March 2. Now facing Iona, the Hoosiers will look to extend their season after an early exit in the conference tournament.\nThough the Hoosiers fell in the second round of the Big Ten tournament, the team nearly pulled off an upset against the No. 1-seeded Ohio State Buckeyes, coming within six points in the final minutes of the game after being down as many as 15 points. In the tournament, sophomore Kim Roberson averaged 18 points, three steals and 1.5 blocks.\nIn the first round of the WNIT, Iona defeated Long Island 91-79 and will now face a Hoosiers team that is 3-0 in the WNIT at Assembly Hall. Last season, IU qualified for the WNIT and reached the quarterfinals, only to lose a 57-54 heartbreaker to Marquette.
(03/19/07 4:00am)
NEW ORLEANS – Al Horford flexed his biceps and offered an imposing stare as he posed for television cameras.\nFlorida’s most physical player had reason to show off a little bit.\nHorford had 17 points and nine rebounds and helped the defending national champions withstand a game effort by plucky Purdue in a 74-67 victory Sunday in the second round of the NCAA tournament.\n“I guess they felt like they were going to make Al score one-on-one,” teammate Corey Brewer said. “They made a bad decision.”\nNinth-seeded Purdue played just about how it wanted against the Gators – slowing down the tempo, rebounding well with a smaller lineup and keeping the game close much of the way.\nBut the top-seeded Gators took advantage of their tournament experience. They never panicked and made several clutch shots down the stretch to advance to the round of 16.\nHorford had three big buckets in the final minutes, and Brewer hit a spinning jumper and then made six consecutive free throws to seal Florida’s 14th consecutive postseason win.\n“We knew we had to make plays down the stretch to win,” said Brewer, who finished with 17 points and eight boards. “We couldn’t get frustrated because they were going to be physical; they were physical the whole game. We just took it upon ourselves and just made plays.”\nEspecially Horford.\n“If I’m in a rhythm and I’m feeling comfortable, I want to get the ball and I want to make plays for the team,” he said.\nThe Gators (31-5), trying to become the first team to repeat as champions since Duke in 1992, advanced to play fifth-seeded Butler in the Midwest Regional semifinals Friday in St. Louis.\nCarl Landry led Purdue (22-12) with 18 points and 10 rebounds. David Teague and Chris Kramer added 14 each.\n“They just made big plays,” Teague said. “They capitalized on a couple of turnovers and a couple of miscues ... and that is what champions do: they step up and make plays down the stretch. That was the difference in the ball game.” \nFlorida trailed by five points in the first half and was down at halftime for the first time in nearly three weeks.\nBut the Gators slowly started to impose their will on the undersized Boilermakers. It started with the 6-foot-10 Horford, who backed down the 6-7 Landry all game. Horford’s post presence also opened several outside shots.\nFlorida missed most of them in the first half – the Gators were 2-of-10 from behind the arc – but Taurean Green hit consecutive 3s to put the team ahead 43-38 with 12:35 remaining.\nLandry came up big for Purdue, helping keep the Boilermakers close.\nBut Lee Humphrey had another 3-pointer with about 6 minutes to play that put the Gators up by five.\nHorford and Brewer did the rest.\nHorford had three low-post baskets in the final 3 minutes and finished 7-of-9 from the floor – his only two misses were jumpers that rimmed out in the first half.\nBrewer was 8-for-8 from the free throw line. Joakim Noah had nine points and nine boards.\nThe Gators were 6-of-8 from the floor and 14-of-14 from the free-throw line in the final 6:43.\n“Guys knew what time it was,” Horford said. “We weren’t executing well all game. When it came down to it, we knew it was going to be a grind, and we were able to execute the game the right way and get the shots that we wanted.”\nGreen and Humphrey were off most of the game. They finished a combined 5-for-15 shooting and 4-of-14 from 3-point range.\nHorford picked up the slack, especially when Purdue stopped double-teaming him late in the game.\nHorford stared toward the Purdue fans after a late dunk and pounded his chest. Noah was on the other side of the floor riling up the Florida section that included the team’s three famous fathers – former tennis star Yannick Noah, former NBA player Tito Horford and former UNLV star and college coach Sidney Green.\nNow, the fathers and sons are moving on.\n“This is fun right now,” coach Billy Donovan said. “They should enjoy winning. I know they wouldn’t enjoy the other side of it if we were going home and this was over, so we need to enjoy this.\n“They need to be kids and have fun and enjoy this experience because they’ve worked hard to get to this point.”
(03/18/07 4:00am)
INDIANAPOLIS – IU coach Terry Hoeppner, who has had brain surgery twice in the last 15 months, will skip spring practice for health reasons.\nAthletic director Rick Greenspan said in a statement Sunday night Hoeppner had indicated a desire to regain his strength and energy after a rigorous recruiting campaign. Assistant head coach Bill Lynch will be in a charge of the team when it begins practice on Tuesday.\n“My faith, my family and the Indiana Football program are the most important things in my life,” Hoeppner said. “In order to serve them best and make a full recovery, I need to take some time away to regain my strength and energy.”\nIt’s the third time in less than two years that Hoeppner has temporarily left the team. He had brain surgery in December 2005 and was limited in recruiting and overseeing the Hoosiers’ offseason activities leading up to spring practice in 2006.\nIn September, Hoeppner again left the team to have brain surgery for a possible tumor. He was expected to miss two to four weeks, but returned after missing only two games. Hoeppner later said the test results revealed the best possible news, implying that doctors removed scar tissue rather than a tumor.\nWith Hoeppner back on the sideline, the Hoosiers moved into position to become bowl-eligible for the first time since 1993. But Indiana lost its final three games and failed to qualify, finishing 5-7.\nAthletic department spokesman Jeff Keag said Hoeppner has not had any additional surgery since the season ended, but declined to give a detailed update on Hoeppner’s health, citing privacy concerns.\nNear the end of the season there was speculation that Hoeppner might step aside because for health reasons.\nInstead, he signed a two-year contract extension in December.\nHoeppner said in the statement Sunday that he still intended to coach the Hoosiers this season and in future years.\n“We have encouraged Terry to make his family and health a top priority,” Greenspan said. “All of us are hopeful for a quick and full recovery with coach Hoeppner returning to lead the Indiana football program.”\nLynch also coached the team during Hoeppner’s absence last fall.\nThe former Ball State coach had a career record of 81-67-3 in 14 seasons as a head coach, including eight with the Cardinals, before joining Hoeppner’s staff in 2005. He lost both games as the interim coach last season.\nHoeppner reiterated his confidence in Lynch’s ability to lead the program this spring.\nLynch said he hoped Hoeppner would return to the team quickly and promised to help the Hoosiers make continue their progression this spring.\n“Our coaching staff will effectively guide this program’s progress throughout the spring practice period as we look to prepare for a successful season,” he said.\nHoeppner is 9-14 in two seasons with the Hoosiers, but has not yet ended the Hoosiers’ bowl drought, which is the longest in the Big Ten.\nBut he has bigger plans for the Hoosiers and said he still intends to fulfill them.\n“As I prepare to do so, I appreciate the media and our supporters respecting my family’s privacy as we handle this personal matter,” he said. “Likewise, we are grateful for all the well wishes we have received from Hoosier fans everywhere.”\nThe Hoosiers have scheduled 15 practices, culminating in the annual spring game April 14.
(03/09/07 5:00am)
The IU softball team said they were in search of consistency before making the trip to Clearwater, Fla., to compete in the Adidas Invitational. But that wasn’t what the Hoosiers got in their two games Thursday against No. 19 Georgia Tech and Massachusetts.\nIU lost both contests, losing to Georgia Tech 16-8 and Massachusetts 8-5. \nThe Hoosiers ran into problems on both sides of the ball that plagued them in their two loses. They had a chance for the win in both instances but let both teams go on huge runs that would end in the Hoosiers’ chances of pulling out a win.\nAgainst Georgia Tech, IU got off to a great start and scored all eight of their runs in the first inning of play. When they couldn’t keep up with the hitting streak, the Yellow Jackets countered with 16 runs throughout the course of the game that went unanswered.\nThough it was a high scoring event the Hoosiers trailed Georgia Tech throughout the game as they controlled from start to finish. \nThe second of the two contests wasn’t a mirror image of the first, though both saw the same outcome. The Hoosiers dominated the game against Massachusetts and they entered the seventh inning with a 5-3 lead behind the hitting of freshman Jennifer Glueckert who went 3-for-4 against the UMass.\nBut the Hoosiers’ dominance would stop there, as they surrendered five runs in the frame before recording an out. The five runs began with Lauren Proctor of Massachusetts, who drew a walk to score Candice Molinari. Stacy Cullington continued the rally when she drilled a 2-2 pitch over the fence in center to complete UMass’s late rally.\nThe Hoosiers had been looking to gain confidence and some form of an identity from this tournament, they said, but the early stages seem as if they will have to go back to the drawing board. IU still has four games left on the weekend and will face Illinois at Chicago in their next contest.
(03/09/07 5:00am)
INDIANAPOLIS – A man is suing the Indiana Pacers and the performer who portrays its feline mascot, alleging that the 6-foot-tall performer tackled him during a free-throw-shooting contest, leaving him with permanent injuries.\nNathaniel Jackson, who lives in northern Indiana’s Adams County, alleges in his lawsuit that as he was entering Conseco Fieldhouse for the Pacers’ March 11, 2005, game against Golden State, he was asked to take part in a free-throw-shooting contest during a timeout.\nJackson, who is in his mid-20s, initially declined, saying he was recovering from back surgery but was assured that “there would be no reason for concern or injury,” according to the lawsuit, which was filed March 2 in Marion Superior Court.\nAfter taking part in the free-throw contest, the lawsuit states that Jackson began to leave the basketball court but was tackled from behind by the team’s mascot, “Boomer,” a 6-foot-tall blue cat with gold whiskers.\nThe employee who knew about Jackson’s back surgery immediately told the mascot about the surgery, and Boomer responded by kicking at Jackson’s legs, the lawsuit alleges.\nThe complaint names the Pacers organization, Conseco Fieldhouse and the unidentified performer who portrays Boomer and accuses them of negligence.\nJackson’s lawsuit seeks compensation for his medical bills, lost income, pain, suffering and “permanent injuries” that are not detailed in the complaint.\nIn a statement released Thursday, the Pacers declined comment, saying that team officials had not reviewed the lawsuit.\n“We have just received word about the filing of this lawsuit. Until we can review the details and speak with all parties concerned, we will withhold comment,” the statement said.\nJackson’s lawyers declined comment on his behalf, saying they would prefer to allow the lawsuit stand for itself.
(03/09/07 5:00am)
Willis McGahee is in place as Jamal Lewis’ replacement in Baltimore.\nThe day after Lewis signed with the Cleveland Browns, the Ravens obtained McGahee from Buffalo for three draft picks – a third and a seventh in this year’s draft and a third in 2008.\n“We’re getting a dynamic back who has the potential to diversify our running game,” Ravens coach Brian Billick said. “We’ve studied him, and he brings the same passion and preparation that is common to Miami players, like our Ray Lewis and Ed Reed.”\nAtlanta, meanwhile, reached agreement with wide receiver Joe Horn, who is expected to play a lead role in new coach Bobby Petrino’s efforts to add a better passing game. And St. Louis signed tight end Randy McMichael, who was released last week by Miami.\nMcGahee has been available since the end of the season and several teams had been thought to be interested. But none was willing to put together a package of draft picks that satisfied Buffalo.\nMcGahee is coming off a season in which he finished with a career-low 990 yards rushing, but led the Bills with six touchdowns rushing in 14 starts.\nIn 2005, he rushed for 1,247 yards and five touchdowns in 15 starts. He established himself as Buffalo’s starter in 2004 with 1,128 yards rushing and 13 touchdowns in 11 starts.\nHe was attractive to the Ravens after the falloff by Lewis, who since rushing for 2,066 yards in 2003 has been bothered by injuries and averaged just 3.4 yards and 3.6 yards per carry the last two seasons. Baltimore released him last week.\n“I’ve got a lot left in the tank when I have something to work with, and I feel Cleveland is going to give me that opportunity to do what I do,” Lewis said in a teleconference with Ohio reporters.\nThe 35-year-old Horn, a fixture in New Orleans who was cut by the Saints after seven seasons, missed nine games the last two seasons with groin and hamstring injuries, including six games last season. Negotiations with the Falcons gained momentum after Horn passed a physical exam administered by the team.\nThe Falcons led the NFL in rushing for the third straight year but finished last with only 148 yards passing per game. Petrino plans to add more three- and four-receiver sets to the offense led by Michael Vick.\nHorn will join the team as a starter but also will be called on to serve as a position leader for Michael Jenkins and Roddy White, first-round picks who have struggled with inconsistency.\nMcMichael has averaged 65 receptions the last three seasons at a position at which the Rams’ leader last season was rookie Joe Klopfenstein with 20.\n“This has been in the works for a while,” said Rams coach Scott Linehan, who was the Dolphins’ offensive coordinator in 2005. “We even considered trading for him. He is an every-down tight end and a proven starter in the league.”
(03/09/07 5:00am)
While some people are heading home for spring break, the IU women’s golf team has a different agenda. \nThe cream and crimson is heading to Boulder City, Nevada for the UNLV Spring Rebel Invitational on March 12-14. \nIU coach Clint Wallman said he is confident his team can play well and rebound from their disappointing outing in Puerto Rico two weeks ago. \n“We are optimistic and had a good week of practice and are well prepared (for this upcoming tournament),” Wallman said. \nWallman, however, attributed his team’s poor play in Puerto Rico to circumstances beyond their control.\n“We had weather, injuries and sickness that affected our preparation for Puerto Rico that we don’t have this time,” he said. \nIn Puerto Rico, IU finished 11th in a 16-team field and did not have an individual player finish above 33rd. However, on a positive note, junior Lauren Harling, who was playing in her first tournament since transferring to IU this spring placed 48th and improved her score each day. \nWallman also said despite having to play in a tournament over the break he is looking forward to the pleasant weather Nevada has to offer. \n“I am really looking forward to the weather because if you are not excited for 75 or 80 something is wrong with you,” he said.
(03/09/07 5:00am)
CHICAGO – The IU men’s basketball team fell in overtime to the Illinois Fighting Illini 58-54 Friday night at the United Center in Chicago. The loss marked the third straight year the Hoosiers have lost in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament.\nIU freshman guard Armon Bassett led all scorers in the contest with 18 points on 3-of-6 three-point shooting. Junior forward D.J. White notched a double-double in the loss with 13 points and 13 rebounds.\nThe Hoosiers led 24-21 at halftime, but the Illini quickly overcame the deficit early in the second half. The two teams exchanged leads throughout the second half of the contest and entered the overtime period tied at 50. In overtime however, the Illini took control behind three points from Shaun Pruitt and several free throws from guard Trent Meacham.\nWarren Carter led the Fighting Illini with 17 points, while Pruitt contributed a double-double with 16 and 12 rebounds. \nThe win marked the 18th straight at the United Center for Illinois, who will now face the No. 4 Wisconsin Badgers in the semi-finals of the tournament.\nIU will now await the NCAA Tournament selection show Sunday evening to see where they will play next week.\nCome back to idsnews.com for more updates.
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IU was named as the No. 7 seed in the West bracket of the NCAA tournament Sunday. The Hoosiers will face Gonzaga on Thursday in Sacramento, Calif. Follow all the action and commentary of the matchup on the IDS BasketBlog.
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INDIANAPOLIS – Gary Walters understands the difficulty in filling those final spots for the NCAA field. This year, however, his selection committee faces a new twist – picking the top seeds.\nWith Florida’s late-season struggles, Wisconsin’s injuries and Kansas’ power ranking, Walters acknowledged Wednesday that putting together the 65-team field this weekend will be far from clear-cut.\n“There appears to be less clarity at the top this year,” Walters, the committee chairman, said during conference call day hours before the 10-member group was to meet. “So that could change the seeding if someone stubs their toes in the conference tournaments.”\nWhile much of the talk focuses on whether mid-major schools such as Old Dominion and Drexel of the Colonial Athletic Association, Santa Clara of the West Coast Conference and Missouri State of the Missouri Valley Conference have done enough to warrant at-large bids, the debate among committee members may driven more by seeding.\nAmong those in the mix are Florida and Wisconsin.\nThe Gators (26-5) are the defending national champions, the regular-season Southeastern Conference champs and were ranked No. 1 as recently as four weeks ago. Yet consecutive losses at LSU and Tennessee, before beating Kentucky at home last weekend, has knocked the Gators down to No. 6 in The Associated Press poll, No. 9 in the RPI Index, a calculation that includes victories over Division I opponents, strength of schedule and opponents’ strength of schedule. So Florida could be fighting for a top seed when the SEC tournament begins Thursday.\nWisconsin (27-4) finds itself in a different predicament. The Badgers are No. 3 in the poll and No. 4 in the NCAA’s RPI ratings but haven’t looked the same since starting center Brian Butch went down with a right elbow injury during a 1-point loss to No. 1 Ohio State on Feb. 25. Butch was expected to miss four to six weeks, meaning he could miss the rest of the season, and the Badgers have struggled to score without him.\nInjuries are something the committee generally considers as Cincinnati learned in 2000 after Kenyon Martin cracked a bone in his right leg and tore ligaments in a conference tournament game. The Bearcats, who were ranked No. 1, wound up with a No. 2 seed.\n“This is one of those real subjective areas, whether a player is scheduled to come back,” said Walters, the athletic director at Princeton and a former Providence assistant. “It’s something you can only hypothesize about, and some teams have done very well when a player goes out. Others have struggled.”\nOne committee member, UCLA athletic director Dan Guerrero, will participate by phone and computer. UCLA said he will be staying in Los Angeles because of his father’s death Tuesday.\nThe only lock, heading into the weekend, may be top-ranked Ohio State (27-3), which is No. 2 in the RPI and has steadily improved throughout the season. Otherwise, it’s a muddled picture.\nUCLA (26-4), which lost to Florida in last year’s championship game, is ranked No. 4 in the poll and No. 1 in the RPI, so a strong showing in the Pac-10 tournament could solidify its hold on a top seed.\nKansas (27-4) is ranked No. 2 this week but has an RPI rating (15) that could force the Jayhawks off the top line if they make an early exit in the Big 12 tournament.\nNorth Carolina (25-6) has the opposite problem. It’s ranked No. 3 in the RPI but only eighth in the poll, something Walters acknowledged would be one gauge used by the committee. So the decisions are likely to depend on which factors the committee considers most important.\n“The RPI is a tool, basically a general indicator of strength but it’s not an absolute,” Walters said. “Clearly, there would be some problems if a team played a weaker schedule or something. Our job is to determine the 34 best at-large teams.”\nAnd then decide how they fit into the mix.\nWalters said the committee would submit its first ballot late Wednesday night. Committee members are not expected to be available again for interviews until the bracket is released Sunday night.\nHow it eventually looks – even at the top – is anybody’s guess.\n“We need to continue to look at the unbalanced schedules in the league and the unbalanced schedules outside the league,” Walters said. “I think in the past, you could kind of scratch in the teams on the top line. Now, there’s more doubt between the first and second lines.”
(03/08/07 5:00am)
CHICAGO – After spending a day indoors quizzing Chicago officials about their bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics, a U.S. Olympic Committee inspection team began exploring the city Wednesday to see where some of the events would be held.\n“I think they’re very impressed with Chicago,” the city’s bid leader, businessman Patrick Ryan, said Tuesday before hosting a first-day wrap-up dinner at The Art Institute of Chicago.\nWednesday’s tour was to include existing venues and proposed sites where others would be built if Chicago is chosen to host the 2016 games.\nThe 11-member inspection team visited the McCormick Place convention center – which would host fencing, table tennis, rhythmic gymnastics and judo competitions – and stopped at the adjacent Hyatt Regency hotel for a bird’s-eye view of a proposed athletes’ village.\nFrom a room on the hotel’s 33rd floor, USOC officials looked out at balloons marking the athletes’ village, and a proposed outdoor dining area and private beach.\nTuesday’s bid-review session kicked off two days of events in which the city is strutting its stuff in an attempt to convince the USOC that Chicago – not Los Angeles – should be the American bidder.\nDemocratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama provided star power, lending his support in a videotaped message to the 11-member inspection team.\n“Chicago is more than just a city in the middle of America, Chicago is the heart of America,” the Illinois senator said.\nThe USOC will decide in April whether Chicago or Los Angeles will get to make a bid. Officials visited Los Angeles last week.\nThe International Olympic Committee will select the Olympic host in 2009. Other expected bidders are Madrid, Rio de \nJaneiro, Rome and Tokyo.\nChicago’s campaign to show its Olympic spirit is in full swing. The city’s nighttime skyline is lit with Olympic messages on buildings, and shirts bearing the city’s slogan – “Chicago 2016 – Stir The Soul” – are in stores.\nOn Wednesday, a single protester tried to heckle Olympic officials as they readied for their bus tour, shouting through a megaphone that the Olympics would displace the city’s poor.\nRyan said a key issue for USOC officials was to ensure the city chosen as the eventual American bidder can attract the international support needed to lure the Games.\n“There was good dialogue on that. ... I think we handled that well,” he said.\nLos Angeles is vying for its third Summer Olympics, having hosted the 1932 and 1984 games.\nEarlier Tuesday, Bob Berland, who won a silver medal in judo at the 1984 Olympics, said Chicago’s bid committee was well prepared.\n“We haven’t been caught off guard because we’ve done our homework,” said Berland, co-chair of the committee’s athlete advisory group.\nBusiness and civic leaders already have raised more than $30 million to finance Chicago’s Olympic effort and would have to pony up more if the city wins the United States’ bid and then is awarded the games.\n“The Chicago business community is four square behind our bid for the Olympic Games,” Mayor Richard M. Daley said in welcoming the USOC.\nChicago faces questions about its readiness. Unlike Los Angeles, Chicago would have to build many Olympic sites, including a stadium and an Olympic Village. But Chicago insists its Olympics would be concentrated mostly on the downtown lakefront, making it easier to get around than in sprawling Los Angeles.
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After a long season of practices, waking up at 5:30 a.m. four days a week and practicing each afternoon for upward of three hours, it came down to the meet of the season: the 2007 Big Ten women’s swimming and diving championships. \nNotably, as a member of one of the fastest conferences with the most depth of talent in the nation, our young team (17 freshmen, eight sophomores, four juniors and seven seniors) arrived at the first day of competition with a warrior mentality set on winning a championship. \nThis meant battling Michigan and Penn State, who were pre-scored to take the title. Competing for the second Big Ten title in IU women’s swimming history proved to be a challenging start and a rewarding finish.\nAs six grueling sessions of swimming unfolded, after each competition session the IU women earned the reputation as being stronger than ever. The unification of our fresh young talent and valuable upperclassman experience resulted in an unforgettable perfect, 5-0 season and the 2007 Big Ten win! \nWhile other teams’ weariness became evident in their performances by the third day, IU fully gained its momentum and never looked back. Fully shaved and in our fast skins, we raced to win our heats, accumulating points in every event. Each individual race had the support and cheering of the entire team and parents. No voices held back support. \nUltimately, we were able to outlast our competition due to our intense training, dedication and passion. The dreadful days of waking up early to jump in a cold pool for a good workout proved to be worth it.\nAfter two days in the battle for contention for first place, on the final day, we kept blazing ahead. Diving took the top awards and remained impressive, to say the least. While at the championships, we drew on our preparation. Our demanding training of the whole season was painful, drained us of energy daily and was a struggle to survive at times. But we stayed committed, and it paid off.\nIn some championships, the outcome is decided by the final event. Our victory was secured by the last couple of events. No team could touch us. We finally secured a winning position, not by several close points, but by a dominating margin that couldn’t be touched. \nWe proudly represented IU. We were crowned champions and the celebrating began. The shirts and hats were passed out, as well as the huge trophy! Then, as swimming tradition has it, fully clothed in warm-ups, the team, including coaches and staff, made one final entry into the pool – with jumps, belly flops, flips and a whole lot of smiles! \nWe had accomplished what we had set out to do from the very beginning of the year. It takes a special team to win a championship, and our team had great chemistry and the potential to do something great from the beginning.\nAs a senior class, we are ending our collegiate careers on top, hoping our young team will continue our legacy with consecutive Big Ten titles and top national standings.
(03/07/07 5:00am)
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Sacramento Kings forward Ron Artest slapped a woman’s face and grabbed her repeatedly, causing visible injuries, according to a sheriff’s report made public Tuesday.\nArtest was arrested Monday after a woman inside his home in a Sacramento suburb called 911 and said she had been assaulted.\n“Victim sustained visible trauma after being repeatedly grabbed by Artest and pushed to the floor,” said the Placer County Sheriff’s Department report. “Artest then slapped victim’s face (and) by use of force prevented victim from leaving.”\nThe report also said Artest took a phone from the woman the first time she tried to call 911.\nArtest was arrested Monday on suspicion of domestic violence and using force or violence to prevent his victim from reporting a crime. He was released from custody after posting a $50,000 bond and is awaiting a March 22 arraignment.\nThe remainder of the report is being kept confidential while the Placer County District Attorney’s office considers charges, sheriff’s department spokeswoman Dena Erwin said. She could not elaborate on the nature of the woman’s trauma or her relationship to Artest.\nAuthorities also said a 3-year-old girl was inside the house at the time of the argument.\nPlacer County Deputy District Attorney Dan Quick said his office had yet to receive the report, but that prosecutors would review other evidence such as the 911 tape and photographs taken at the scene.\n“In cases like this, we don’t do anything special as far as our treatment of them,” Quick said. “We want to see what evidence was gathered before we make a charging decision.”\nErwin said the sheriff’s department planned to post the 911 tape on its Web site Tuesday afternoon.\nArtest’s agent, Mark Stevens, said he planned to release a statement later Tuesday.\n“We’re trying to get the facts straight,” he said.\nKings coach Eric Musselman told reporters Tuesday that he spoke to Artest by telephone Monday night but would not describe their conversation. The Kings indefinitely removed Artest, the central figure in the 2004 brawl between Indiana Pacers players and Detroit Pistons fans, from the team while they seek more information about the arrest. He continues to receive his salary.\n“We’re just kind of wait and see,” team spokesman Troy Hanson said. “I think there’s a lot of things we still need to look at.”
