Carmelo Anthony's Sister Michelle Dies

Carmelo Anthony, 26, has left the Denver Nuggets to be with his family following the death of his sister, Michelle Anthony, and will not rejoin the team until after Christmas.
Anthony said he will return to his team after Christmas. Their next game is Saturday at Oklahoma City.  Team officials confirm his absence from practice two days earlier was not connected to Michelle’s condition.
Denver Nuggets small forward  Carmelo Anthony has joined hi family to mourn the loss of his sister Michelle this week. Michelle Anthony passed on Tuesday due to a pre-existing condition in Baltimore. She leaves behind four children.
The Nuggets released the following statement regarding Carmelo Anthony and his sister: “Our entire organization supports Carmelo during this difficult time for him and his family. It is heartbreaking news, particularly during the holiday season.”

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Watching live NFL Network

NFL Network (NFLN) is an American television specialty channel owned and operated by the National Football League (NFL). It was launched November 4, 2003, only eight months after the league's 32 team owners voted unanimously to approve its formation. The league invested $100 million to fund the network's operations.

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Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston "Just Go with It": Just Go with It trailer

Just Go with It, originally titled Pretend Wife, is an upcoming romantic comedy film starring Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston. Other stars include Nicole Kidman, fashion model Brooklyn Decker, and musician Dave Matthews. Allan Loeb and Timothy Dowling wrote the script and Dennis Dugan, who has collaborated with Sandler on most of his films, served as director.

The film is an unauthorized remake of the 2005 Bollywood film, Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya, which in turn was inspired by the 1965 Hollywood film, Cactus Flower.The film will be produced under Sandler's production company Happy Madison and will be distributed by Columbia Pictures.

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About Jim Tressel: Jim Tressel biography and image

 James Patrick Tressel was born December 5, 1952  is the head football coach at The Ohio State University. He was hired before the 2001 season to replace John Cooper. Since becoming Ohio State's 22nd head football coach, Tressel's teams have played in three BCS National Championship Games. His 2002 squad won a national title and achieved the first 14–0 season record in major college football since Penn went 15–0 in 1897. Tressel has an overall record of 105–22 at Ohio State, including seven Big Ten Conference championships, a 5–4 bowl record, a 4–3 mark in BCS bowl games, and an 9–1 record against the arch-rival Michigan Wolverines. Tressel's nine wins against Michigan place him second in school history to Woody Hayes, who had 16. He is the only Ohio State head coach to win seven consecutive games against the Wolverines.

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About John Joseph Gotti ---John Joseph Gott biography and picture

John Joseph Gotti
Born: 27-Oct-1940
Birthplace: Bronx, NY
Died: 10-Jun-2002
Location of death: Springfield, MO
Cause of death: Cancer - Throat
Remains: Buried, St. John Cemetery, Queens, NY

Gender: Male
Religion: Roman Catholic
Race or Ethnicity: White
Sexual orientation: Straight
Occupation: Criminal

Nationality: United States
Executive summary: The Teflon Don

John Joseph Gotti, Jr was born on October 27, 1940 - June 10, 2002 was the Boss of the New York City Gambino crime family after the murder of the previous boss Paul Castellano. John Gotti was the most powerful crime boss during his era. He became widely known for his outspoken personality and flamboyant style that eventually caused his downfall.

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Ten Most Dangerous Drugs :top ten hamrful drugs

The following three factors were considered in ranking the harmfulness of each drug that was evaluated:

    * Physical harm to the user
    * Addictive potential of the drug
    * The drug's overall impact on society

1. Heroin - Popular street names include smack, skag, and junk. Street price is between £10-20/bag, 300,000 UK users and kills 700 people a year in the UK.

2. Cocaine - Often referred to as snow, flake, coke, and blow. Street price is £30-60/g powder and there are 780,000 UK users. There are 214 UK deaths a year.

3. Barbiturates - Popular slang names include yellow jackets, reds, blues, Amy's, and rainbows. Street price is £1-2/tablet and they kill 20 a year in the UK.

4. Street Methadone - Street price is about £10/100ml, there are about 33,000 illegal UK users and 295 a year die.

5. Alcohol - Street price starts at £1 and a huge 40 million in the UK use the drug which is responsible for 40,000 deaths each year.

6. Ketamine - A powerful hallucinogen, often referred to as Special K. Ranging from £15-40/g Special K has about 100,000 users and there is on averag one death a year in the UK

7. Benzodiazepines - A family of sedative drugs. The 100,000 UK users pay about £1 for 4 x 5mg capsules and 406 people in the UK die each year.

8. Amphetamines - Known as billy or speed. Street price from £8-12/wrap, UK users: 430,000 and there are 35 UK deaths a year.

9. Tobacco - Easily available in shops, tobacco costs about £5 and there are 10m UK users. A massive 114,000 die each year.

10. Buprenorphine - Also called bupe or subbies. Street price is £2 for 4 x 8mg capsules and the nummber of users in the UK is unknown. There are about 2 UK deaths a year.

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Sabres’ Derek Roy out for season

Buffalo Sabres leading scorer Derek Roy will miss the rest of the season after tearing his left quadriceps tendon.

General manager Darcy Regier announced yesterday the center is expected to miss between 4-6 months, and will have surgery to repair the injury in the next couple of days.

Roy leads the Sabres with 35 points on 10 goals and 25 assists.

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Giants Daily Notebook

With a 9-5 record, the Giants control their own destiny in the postseason race. But to close the deal they’re going to have to win away from home. Their final two games are Sunday in Green Bay and next week in Washington . A victory over the equally-motivated 8-6 Packers in Lambeau Field will put the Giants in the playoffs for the fifth time in six years.

So how do they get it done?

“You stress the road warrior mentality,” Coach Tom Coughlin said, “and the idea that we have been able to come together as a team and really depend and rely on each other for strength and support and confidence as we go to play on the road in a difficult place to play.”

The Giants have been one of the NFL’s best road teams under Coughlin. A huge factor in winning a championship in 2007 was their ability to play well in hostile venues. That year, the Giants set an NFL single-season record with 11 consecutive victories away from home (seven regular season, four postseason, including Super Bowl XLII). Since the start of the 2007 season, the Giants have the NFL’s third-best record in regular season road games at 20-10, trailing only Indianapolis (23-8) and New England (21-10). They have played well on the road late in the season. Beginning in 2005 – the first year they made the playoffs under Coughlin – the Giants are 9-4 in regular season road games in December and January.

Why do the Giants play so well on the road?

“There are a couple things that of jump out at me,” said offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride, who has coached in the NFL since 1989. “One is they genuinely like each other. When you’re going into, for lack of a better word, a hostile environment, the fact that you feel good about the people around you and don’t feel like there is a need to have anybody else to be there in order for you to have a chance to win is a good starting point. Then, I think there is some mental toughness and I have great respect for our guys in that sense. They were able to weather the storm fairly well. The teams that do that seem to be the ones that go out and can handle the vicissitudes of the season, the ups and downs, and handle the changing venue. Whether it’s home with your home crowd, or when you’re away and the visiting crowd. For the most part, they’re able to block that out and focus in.

“I think there’s a realization, I preach it all the time, the fans aren’t going to win or lose the game for us and the media isn’t going to win or lose the game for us, it’s us. I think there is some maturity, some character, some toughness, and the fact that they believe in each other for the most part serves us pretty well.”

“We always like playing on the road because we know there’s no mystery of who’s on your side there,” running back Brandon Jacobs said. “We’ve always done well on the road. We win as a team and lose as a team, no matter where it is. We have a tough team in front of us on Sunday that’s playing for the same thing and we have to go get it.”

“This team has to make its own way,” defensive tackle Barry Cofield said. “We’ve had a relatively successful year on the road this year, and it’s just a ‘you against the world’ type of bonding experience. The last road trip we were on (which took the team to Kansas City and Detroit instead of the scheduled destination, Minneapolis ) was obviously a very interesting one, and I think we grew a lot as a team on that trip. So it’s just fun. It’s fun to quiet a crowd, and it’s a great opportunity to go up to a legendary setting, a legendary field and have a great win.”

One of the their most famous road victories in recent seasons was earned in the place where they must win this week, fabled Lambeau, the site of their epic 23-20 overtime victory in minus-23 degree wind chill in the 2007 NFC Championship Game. Twenty Giants who played in that game are on the current roster, including eight members of the starting offense (the five-man line, Eli Manning, Kevin Boss and Jacobs).

Although their focus is on the upcoming game, it is impossible for the Giants who played on that team not to recall their last visit to Green Bay .

“You just remember the fond memories,” Cofield said. “You remember the success you had and the feeling and you try and build off of that. You just know that you can go up there and win against a good Green Bay team, and that’s what we did at that point.”

“It helps because we know what it takes to win there,” guard Chris Snee said. “This is a playoff game, and obviously that was, too. Yeah, we have guys who can take a leadership role and show the way.”

The Packers also have 21 players on their current roster who were in uniform that night, including quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who stayed on the sideline because Brett Favre played the entire game.

“I remember I was about as miserable as far as the cold as I’ve ever been,” Rodgers said. “It was definitely a game that when you’re not playing it was probably that much more cold on the sidelines. I remember the excitement of being right in the game, of being one quarter away from the Super Bowl and going into overtime and unfortunately not coming up with the victory there. One thing I do remember though is that the first person I saw as I went on the field was Jeff Feagles. I had known Jeff for a couple of years, and he was crying. I think it was his 20th year at that point and going to the Super Bowl for the first time. I remember the joy on his face and thinking about how badly I wished we had been the ones to come up with a victory that day.”

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New Orleans Saints defense tackles recent problems

New Orleans Saints coaches reportedly did not stick lumps of coal in defenders' stockings this morning, but that doesn't mean the players aren't aware they were more nice than naughty when it came to tackling last Sunday."You can't try to deflect or act like it didn't happen. It did happen. They rushed for more than 200 yards on us, and they deserved it the way we tackled, the way we played," linebacker and defensive captain Jonathan Vilma said. "You look at it, you take it for what it is, and you be honest with yourself and look to improve."

Such improvement will be required Monday night when the Saints take on the Atlanta Falcons and talented back Michael Turner. The Falcons boast the seventh-best rushing attack in the NFL, and much of the credit goes to Turner, who has 1,256 yards and 11 touchdowns this season.

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Boston Celtics (23-4) at Orlando Magic (17-12), 2:30 p.m.

Two days after stopping San Antonio's 10-game winning streak, the Orlando Magic aim to derail the NBA's longest run this season when they spend Christmas Day hosting the red-hot Boston Celtics in a rematch of last year's Eastern Conference finals.

Boston, of course, topped Orlando in six games during last season's East finals before coming up a little short in Game 7 of the NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Magic, however, are a vastly different team now after pulling off a pair of major deals last week and the club won for the first time since the shakeup on Thursday when mainstay Dwight Howard scored a game-high 29 points to go along with 14 rebounds as Orlando routed San Antonio, 123-101, to end the Spurs' winning streak.

Brandon Bass added 17 points and Jason Richardson netted 15 as the Magic put a check in the win column for the first time since acquiring Richardson, Gilbert Arenas, Hedo Turkoglu and Earl Clark in two separate trades on Dec. 18. It was only the team's second win in their last 10 games.

J.J. Redick finished with 17 points, while Arenas and Turkoglu scored 14 and 11 points, respectively, in the win. Arenas also dished out a game-high nine assists.

"Our energy on the offensive end was fantastic," said Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy. "We were running hard, pushing the ball up, pushing it ahead. I like the way we played."
The Celtics, meanwhile, won their 14th consecutive game on Wednesday, outlasting long-time rival Philadelphia, 84-80, at TD Garden. Ray Allen led the C's with 22 points and six assists in that one.

Shaquille O'Neal finished with 13 points and nine rebounds and Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce added 12 and 11 points, respectively, for Boston, which finished up a perfect three-game home stand despite playing without star point guard Rajon Rondo, who remains out with a sprained left ankle.
"We are not really concentrating on the streak," O'Neal said. "One of our goals is to try to stay dominant at home and stay above .500 on the road."
Orlando has won five of the past six regular season matchups between the two clubs and eight of the last 10 played in central Florida but it's all about the postseason when you talk about these two clubs.

"We are not playing for December or January," Howard said. "We are playing for June."
"They have brought [in] more talent and they are a better team, to me, in the long run because they have added more talent," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said when talking about the Magic."
Shaq is preparing to play on Christmas Day for the 13th time, tying Dolph Schayes and Earl Monroe for the most in NBA history. His former teammate in Los Angeles, Kobe Bryant, is also scheduled to make his 13th appearance later today when the Lakers host the Miami Heat.

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Has Tiger Woods stopped the bleeding with sponsors?

Tiger Woods is out as a Gillette endorser. The men's grooming company told Game On!'s Michael McCarthy it won't renew its sponsorship deal with Woods after Dec. 31 as part of a plan to phase out its "Champions" marketing campaign.

Woods has lost four sponsors. But he's retained eight. Do you think Woods has stopped the bleeding and is primed for a comeback on Madison Avenue in 2011? Or do you think there's more losses to come?

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Charlotte passes on Utah assistant as head coach

Jazz assistant coach Tyrone Corbin said that it is just part of the business.

Corbin was a leading candidate this week to replace the esteemed Larry Brown as head coach of the Charlotte Bobcats. The job went to Paul Silas, a former NBA standout who previously led teams in San Diego, New Orleans, Charlotte and Cleveland.

While Silas’ track record and previous allegiance to the Bobcats tipped the competition in his favor, Corbin’s name was seriously considered during the search process.

It is not the first time that the seventh-year Jazz coach has come close to landing a head coaching job, and it likely will not be the last. Corbin is widely regarded as one of the premier assistants in the game, and is equally respected by colleagues, players and general managers for his ability to both push and relate to modern athletes. As a result, his name made the rounds last summer when the coaching carousel was in full spin, and it will almost certainly receive serious consideration this summer once jobs open up.

“You go with it,” Corbin said. “My job is here. And until the opportunity comes to go somewhere else, it’s here. I just let it be what it is.”

Prying Corbin away from the Jazz will not be easy. He highly values his relationship with head coach Jerry Sloan, and assistants Phil Johnson and Scott Layden.

Corbin learns something new every day, and his knowledge about the complicated off-the-court factors that must be blended to produce positive chemistry and team-oriented basketball continue to increase. Moreover, a 21-9 Utah team is winning games, and Corbin is enjoying the ride.

“I’d love to be a head coach in this league someday. When the time is right, though. When the situation is right,” Corbin said. “I’m happy where I am. I look forward to the opportunity when it comes to be a head coach. But until then, we’ll keep working here.”

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Spurs Vs. Magic: New-Look Orlando Routs San Antonio 123-101

When Orlando Magic general manager Otis Smith made the drastic decision to bring in Gilbert Arenas, Jason Richardson and Hedo Turkoglu, he did so with games like last night's win over the San Antonio Spurs in mind. The moves were risky, but if the team could find a way to integrate all three players into their system, they suddenly became arguably the most dangerous team in the league.

We saw that ability on full display on Thursday night. The Magic pulled away in the second quarter and routed the 25-3 Spurs 123-101 in Orlando, using a balanced team effort. Dwight Howard led the way with 29 points and 14 rebounds, but while he was dominant, other players stepped up as well, as all three Magic newcomers played solid games. Richardson had 15 points, Turkoglu had 11 and Arenas scored 14 with nine assists off the bench. If those three players can all play decently at the same time, Orlando becomes scary good.

More importantly, it looks like the Magic's transition game is better than ever. As SB Nation's Magic blog Orlando Pinstriped Post notes, the team is flying up the floor instead of trotting up leisurely.

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watching sports..football

One, Tebow appears on 230 different cards that have his authentic signature also on them -- what's known as a certified autograph because it was signed for a trading card company and placed into packs.

Two, Tebow appears on 326 different memorabilia cards -- cards that have a small piece of fabric or patch from a jersey he wore embedded into the card. They're either a Gators jersey or one of many Broncos jerseys he wore for Topps or Panini America at the NFL Players Rookie Premiere earlier this year in Los Angeles. It's at that shoot where many top rookies pose for their first card photos and sign some of their first autographs for NFL cards.

Three, Tebow has 25 rookie cards. By definition those typically are (but not always) the cards in a regular set without an autograph or memorabilia piece. That's a number that, like the other stats here, can dwarf big-name players from the past. Most players whose debuts came before 1989 have just one rookie card.

How does Tebow compare to John Elway? Elway signed 747 different autograph cards during his career and the years since. Knowing how popular Tebow is, the rookie will probably pass him there in 2011. Elway still has a good lead in the total card count though, with 5,272.

Kyle Orton, who Tebow replaced Sunday, has just 990 total cards since 2004. With Tebow exactly 300 behind, Orton will be No. 2 next season … and we're not talking about the Broncos' depth chart. (Tebow already has passed Orton's 212 autographs.)

Danny Wuerffel may have been a legend in Florida, but his short NFL stint meant just 393 cards -- just 34 of those being autographs. And Steve Spurrier? He's got just 154 cards -- 36 of those autographs -- and many of these are from his years wearing a visor.

As for some memorable NFL players, Tebow does trail Joe Namath's 1,568 total football cards, Joe Montana's 3,426 and even Brett Favre's 12,820. But they all had substantial head starts.

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Chicago Bulls (18-9) at New York Knicks (17-12), 12 p.m.

The NBA's Christmas Day action kicks off in the World's Most Famous Arena when the class of the Central Division, the Chicago Bulls, resume a three-game road trip by visiting the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.

The Bulls, who lead the Central by a comfortable five games over Indiana, stayed hot on Wednesday by winning the opener of their trek in Washington, 87-80. Carlos Boozer rounded out a big night in that one with a key basket in the final minute.

Boozer finished with 30 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists for Chicago, which has won two in a row and nine of 10 overall. The only loss during that stretch was last Saturday's 100-99 setback to the Clippers.

Derrick Rose ended with 25 points, but shot only 9-of-21 and missed all six of his three-point attempts. Luol Deng scored 14 points for the Bulls, who continue to excel despite the absence of star center Joakim Noah, who is sidelined after thumb surgery and is expected to miss about two months.Chicago, which is 7-6 as the visitor on the year, will finish its road trip against Detroit on Sunday.
Rookie Landry Fields notched 14 points with 10 rebounds, Raymond Felton contributed 12 points, 10 assists and six rebounds and Danilo Gallinari contributed 13 points for the Knicks, who improved to 7-7 at home this season.

"First half we had 20 assists on 25 buckets and then we ended up with 30 (assists), and that's how we have to play," said Knicks head coach Mike D'Antoni. "We have to move the ball. That's the key to any team and we did it tonight."

The Bulls have won four of the past six meetings in the series but New York has taken the only test this season, a 120-112 triumph in the Windy City back on Nov. 4. Boozer, however, missed that contest due to a broken hand.

This will be the third meeting between the Knicks and Bulls on Christmas but the first since 1994. Meanwhile, it will be the 46th Christmas Day appearance by New York, the most of any NBA team.

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Dallas Mavericks' Tyson Chandler goes from villain to hero

But sometimes, your enemy knows you even better. Tyson Chandler is proof.

There was a time, as most Mavericks fans can attest, when Chandler was a villain. He was a huge part of the first-round playoff series win by New Orleans over the Mavericks in 2008. That series ended Avery Johnson's coaching tenure in Dallas.As it turns out, Chandler was in full fact-gathering mode during that series."Playing against them, you could see the weaknesses," he said. "I scouted them, and we knew where we were going to attack them. Then, when you come here, the first thing you think about is, 'OK, that's not going to happen. I'm going to take that out of the equation.' "Chandler has erased some of the obvious flaws the Mavericks used to have – like overall softness and lack of athleticism at the center position. And he's done so by overcoming some significant odds.As the Mavericks are enjoying a long break without any games, although they did convene for a practice session Friday, there can be no doubt that the most critical change in their team from recent years is Chandler's presence.

He has brought a respect factor to the Mavericks' center position that has been absent pretty much throughout the franchise's existence. He's not Shaquille O'Neal in his prime. And he doesn't try to be.

Chandler is a legitimate player in the paint. When you have Dirk Nowitzki , Jason Kidd, Caron Butler and Jason Terry, that's enough to change how the Mavericks play.

"He does the dirty work for them," Utah coach Jerry Sloan said recently of Chandler. "They've always had scorers. But he's willing to do a lot of other things."

It's understandable if Maverick fans and even some people around the NBA are surprised by Chandler's play. He missed 68 games the previous two seasons because of injury, mostly a left foot problem.

And when it was clear he could withstand the physical rigors, it became a matter of Chandler just being himself around his new team. They took to him quickly, especially when he would offer constructive criticism.

"It says more about the character of the team," Chandler said. "It's such a good locker room that it's not hard to come here and fit in, and they don't mind somebody getting in their face and somebody telling them when they're wrong."I've had situations where it didn't go all peaches and flowers because everybody doesn't always want to hear what you have to say. I voice my opinions, and sometimes they don't want to hear that. But this team is about winning."

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Maurice Jones-Drew hurting

Jacksonville Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew missed a third consecutive day of practice, casting doubt about his availability against Washington.Jones-Drew was listed at doubtful on the injury report, and coach Jack Del Rio declined to reveal the injury or whether he expects his star to try to play against the Redskins.He sat out practice three days this week.Stafford on IR

The Detroit Lions placed quarterback Matthew Stafford on injured reserve with a separated right shoulder, ending his season with two games remaining.Stafford had played in only three games this season and 10 last year because of injuries. Stafford’s shoulder was separated in the season’s opener at Chicago. He later aggravated the injury.Favre doubtfulMinnesota Vikings coach Leslie Frazier said Brett Favre will be listed as doubtful with a concussion for the game against the Eagles on Sunday night.A week ago, the Vikings listed Favre as out for the game against Chicago with a sprained right shoulder. He was surprisingly upgraded to questionable the day of the game against Chicago and started Favre then was forced out in the second quarter after being sacked.

If Favre cannot play, rookie Joe Webb will make his first career start.

16 hit with fines

Sixteen players, eight in each conference, were fined yesterday by the NFL for illegal hits, including Atlanta defensive end Kroy Biermann and Cincinnati linebacker Dhani Jones, each docked $15,000.

Biermann got the biggest fine for helmet-to-helmet contact on Seattle quarterback Charlie Whitehurst. Jones was fined for the same infraction against Browns quarterback Colt McCoy.

Overall, seven players were fined for roughing the passer and three for flagrant fouls on defenseless receivers, two points of continued emphasis by the league this year in its crackdown on hits.

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Feigned ignorance equals bliss, full bowl roster for Ohio State

The stereotype of the big, dumb jock is not dead. The NCAA is telling us this loudly and boldly.

From the organization that gave us Cam Didn't Know comes Five Football Student-Athletes From Ohio State Who Didn't Know.
Incredibly, that was the NCAA's explanation for not suspending for the Sugar Bowl five Buckeyes who sold their souls -- or came darn close. They didn't know it was wrong to sell their jerseys, trophies and keepsakes. As it stands, the five players will miss the first five games of the 2011 season for selling awards, gifts and uniform gear and getting various extra benefits. A sixth must sit out the first game of 2011 for lesser violations.

The question is why the five are allowed to play in the Sugar Bowl. All of them are juniors who could conceivably declare for the draft after the Jan. 4 game.

Then what exact punishment would the Buckeye Five be getting?

Exactly.

Part of the reason the players are allowed to participate in the bowl game is that the NCAA said they "did not receive adequate rules education during the time period the violations occurred." Really? Isn't that why you penalize Ohio State to the fullest extent of the law? The school has one of the largest compliance departments in the country -- seven people. For good reason. This is a school that reported 375 violations to the NCAA from 2000-2009, the most in the country according to the 69 schools that responded to the a request by the Columbus Dispatch for such information. This is the school that went through the Maurice Clarett debacle, which almost brought the football program to its knees.

Six years ago, quarterback Troy Smith was suspended for two games (including a bowl game) for accepting $500 from a booster. This is the school whose faculty apparently sent a note to then-president William Kirwin protesting former linebacker Andy Katzenmoyer's questionable academic profile.

"The academic record of the University has become a joke," according to correspondence obtained by Sports Illustrated in 1999.

So no, lax rules education or lack of rules knowledge is not -- cannot be -- an excuse. Not at Ohio State. These players were hardcore pawn stars. It is a load of crap that players didn't know selling jerseys and championship rings was against NCAA law. I don't believe it. You shouldn't either. Somewhere Cam Newton is smiling. No, laughing his ass off. It's the NCAA's play-dumb defense that has legions of critics furious that something didn't happen in the Cecil Newton case. Thursday's developments weren't just about accepting discounted tattoos. This was selling some of the most revered hardware in the Big Ten. Buckeyes Mike Adams, Dan Herron, Devier Posey, Terrelle Pryor and Solomon Thomas sold, in some combination, Big Ten championship rings, a Fiesta Bowl sportsmanship award, a football jersey and the crown jewel of Ohio State football -- their Gold Pants.

Asked after the Iowa win in November whether it was more important to beat Michigan the next week or win the Big Ten, tight end Jake Stoneburner said, "Getting the Gold Pants for sure."

Every Ohio State player and coach who beats Michigan gets a miniature charm of gold pants inscribed with his initials and the score. The tradition is considered so sacred at Ohio State that center Mike Brewster didn't even think of giving his latest version of the Gold Pants to a girlfriend. Instead, the junior gave his to his mother.

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Fleury shines as Penguins beat Capitals in shootout

Center Sidney Crosby, without a college course to his credit but nearing a PhD in scoring with 23-game point streak, was ready with an answer.
"He was unbelievable," Crosby said of goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, who made 32 saves through overtime and five straight stops to close a seven-round shootout.


That goal pushed the Penguins to 24-10-2 (50 points). The Capitals, who are 20-12-5 (45 points), benefitted from a late shorthanded goal by Washington winger Mike Knuble. He forced overtime and provided his club with five points in six games after an 0-6-2 skid.
After all, they played 4 minutes and 51 seconds with only three Penguins on the ice because of two delay-of-game minors committed by defenseman Zbynek Michalek (first period) and left wing Matt Cooke (second period).
The Capitals managed only four shots during a 4-on-3 advantage and two 5-on-3 advantages.
They finished 1 for 6 on the power play, with defenseman Mike Green scoring early in the second period just one second after the expiration of a second 5-on-3 advantage.

"It seems like the better our (penalty kill) is going the more we want to test it," Penguins defenseman Brooks Orpik said.
He wasn't a fan of the officiating crew.

"It's difficult to tell what is and isn't a penalty in this league anymore," he said. "I know they've got a tough job, but ... "
Moving away from the officiating and onto the unofficial MVP-in-waiting, Crosby had an eye-popping deflection off a shot from defenseman Kris Letang that staked the Penguins a 1-0 lead early in the opening period.
HBO might show that one a few times during the third episode of "24/7" Wednesday night.
The cable network's cameras are capturing a superstar reaching rarefied air.
Add his primary assist on left wing Chris Kunitz's early third-period marker, and Crosby is on pace for 64 goals and 132 points. Each total would be a career high.
The Penguins' other superstar center, Evgeni Malkin, has matched a season-high with points in five consecutive games, adding an assist go give him 10 points over that span and 32 overall.
There is a belief around the hockey world that the Penguins are difficult to tame when their "Big 3" is rolling.
Well, they're rolling - with Fleury perhaps matching Crosby's consistency.

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Bruins in right spirit

For the team that played punchout against the Thrashers Thursday night at TD Garden, Christmas, peace on earth, and good tidings to all came at an inopportune time. After the 4-1 throwdown against Atlanta, the last thing the surly Bruins needed was a three-day break to halt their momentum.

“We were struggling there for a couple games, but you have that during a season,’’ said Michael Ryder, who netted the game-winning power-play goal, after the victory. “I think it’s good we responded the way we did tonight. But still, when we come back from the break, we have to go on this road trip and we have to play the same way. We can’t let it go away. We have to remember what we did tonight.’’

For far too long, the Bruins played a version of no-contact, zero-anger hockey that ultimately resulted in a 3-0 embarrassment against Anaheim Monday night. To address his soft and slow team, coach Claude Julien opted for two grinding days of practice. First, to jack up the emotion. Second, to generate some speed and establish the forecheck. Third, to give his new lines some time to get familiar with each other.


Starting with the new first line of Milan Lucic, Marc Savard, and Nathan Horton, the Bruins got multiple scoring chances on Ondrej Pavelec from every trio. They put 36 shots on goal, using multiple looks — heavy cycle off the forecheck, quick-strike opportunities from rapid puck movement, bombs from the point — to create their offense.

While the first line didn’t see any of its work turn into goals, it produced enough scoring chances that Julien surely will give the trio more looks in the near future. And even though Brad Marchand (undisclosed injury), who’s missed the last two games, could return sometime during the upcoming five-game road trip, Daniel Paille has done everything to earn more ice time.


“I thought that Dan played a real good game,’’ Julien said. “Especially on Thorny’s second goal, he makes a good block in our own end, he goes down the ice and makes a big play, and gives Thorny an opportunity to get a second

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Taurasi tested positive for modafinil----watching Baseball

standout and former Connecticut star Diana Taurasi tested positive for modafinil while playing in a professional women's league in Turkey, the country's basketball federation said Friday.
Modafinil is used to counter excessive sleepiness due to narcolepsy, shift-work sleep disorder or sleep apnea, according to the Web site for the prescription drug Provigil, which contains the substance.The Turkish Basketball Federation statement cited a report from the lab at Hacettepe University and said: "the urine sample taken from Diana Taurasi as a part of the regular process, after a game between Istanbul University and Fenerbahce . . . tested positive for modafinil, one of the illegal substances on WADA's banned stimulants list, according to preliminary test results." WADA is the World Anti-Doping Agency.

"We're not going to confirm what the drug is," Taurasi's attorney, Howard Jacobs, told the Associated Press. "We'll revisit it after the 'B' sample returns. They shouldn't be speaking about it at all."

He made $3.8 million last season, when he went 14-9 with a 4.51 ERA. The 28-year-old missed the final month after undergoing arthroscopic right knee surgery.

The San Diego Padres have agreed to terms of a one-year contract with Brad Hawpe to play first base, two people with knowledge of the deal told the Associated Press. They spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal is pending Hawpe passing a physical exam. Hawpe will replace three-time all-star Adrian Gonzalez, who was traded to the Boston Red Sox earlier this month.

The Pittsburgh Pirates claimed minor league left-hander Aaron Thompson off waivers and designated left-hander Wil Ledezma for assignment. Thompson was left unprotected by the Washington Nationals, who acquired him from Florida for first baseman Nick Johnson in 2009. Thompson, who made 26 starts at Class AA Harrisburg last season, was a first-round pick in 2005.

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Red Wings know there's room for improvement despite perch atop Western Conference standings

The Detroit Red Wings reached the NHL’s two-day Christmas break right where they want to be -- tied for first in the Western Conference.

But as well as the Red Wings have started -- they have led the conference most of the season -- coach Mike Babcock noted they are only six points out of ninth place.

“It’s tight in the West; we feel we have a good team, but we also feel there’s lots of good teams,” Babcock said. “The depth in the West is as good as it’s ever been. The line is finer.“Maybe your ranking going into the playoffs isn’t as important as it used to be. I still believe the more you win (during the season), the more you’re set up to win (in the playoffs). We got to get back on track and feeling good about ourselves. Confidence in the NHL is fleeting.”All it takes is a little slump to drop a few notches. The Red Wings are experiencing one right now, having gone 4-5-2 in their past 11 games.The Red Wings dominated the final 30 minutes of Thursday’s game in St. Louis, outshooting the Blues 29-11 over the last two periods. But they could not overcome a sluggish start, losing 4-3, as Chris Osgood, for the second time in three games, was denied his 400th victory.

After taking Friday and Saturday off, the Red Wings will fly to Minnesota on Sunday morning and play the Wild that night. It’s the start of a three-game trip in four nights. They visit Colorado on Monday and Dallas on Wednesday.

Their primary focus is to cut down on goals against. They have allowed four goals in each of their past four games. The last time that happened was Oct. 29-Nov. 3, 2003.

“It’s not easy to win games if you have to score five every game,” center Henrik Zetterberg said. “It’s something you got to look after.”

The Red Wings are 15th in the league in goals against (2.76 per game). Players say it’s a combination of allowing too many shots (29.4 per game, 14th in the league), committing too many turnovers and a downturn in penalty killing (16-of-24, 67 percent in the past seven games).

Goaltending also hasn’t been as strong lately. Jimmy Howard is 3-4, with a 3.48 goals-against average and .887 save percentage in his past seven starts.

“You got to think defense first, take care of your own zone and not be trading chances with teams,” team captain Nicklas Lidstrom said.
Defenseman Brad Stuart said they must take care of the puck better at both blue lines.

“We don’t need to be turning the puck over entering the (offensive) zone or trying to leave our zone,” Stuart said.

Defenseman Brian Rafalski said they need to be more cohesive in the defensive zone.

“I think the guys have a good idea of what we’re trying to do,” Rafalski said. “It just takes more communication. As the year goes on, it’s going to get better.”

The Red Wings were battling most of last season just to make the playoffs. They’re not as desperate this season. But their margin for error has been reduced.

“I don’t think (the conference) has ever been as tight as it is now,” Lidstrom said. “If you get a few wins in a row, you can move up, and if you lose a couple in a row, you can move down.

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Eagles-Vikings Scouting Report

The Minnesota defense led the NFL in sacks last year, but it ranks 26th this year. It was third in the league in stopping teams on third down last year, but it is 21st this year. The New York Giants crushed the Vikings on the ground two weeks ago and Chicago riddled them through the air on Monday.

So how does this defense match up against the Eagles No. 1 ranked offense? Simply put, it doesn’t.

The Vikings played good defense early in the season, but they have been in free fall for a month. They aren’t getting a pass rush and the secondary is being torched, especially safeties Husain Abdullah and Madieu Williams. It looks like another big day for Mike Vick and receivers DeSean Jackson (22.8 yards per catch) and Jeremy Maclin (ten touchdowns).

Jared Allen leads the team with 9.5 sacks, but he was almost invisible in Monday’s 40-14 loss to Chicago. The wide-bodied tackles Pat Williams and Kevin Williams are showing their age. A defensive front that was active and disruptive in 2009 now looks slow and ordinary.

On the offensive line, Mike McGlynn has improved steadily at center and his size (6-4, 320) will allow him to hold his ground against the massive Minnesota tackles. Winston Justice is back at right tackle after sitting out last week. Left tackle Jason Peters draws the assignment of blocking Allen.

Chicago’s Jay Cutler threw touchdown passes to three different receivers against the Vikings on Monday and the Bears receivers aren’t nearly as good as Jackson, Maclin and Jason Avant. The Vikings are a Cover 2 team and they won’t change this week because a zone defense has a better chance of containing the Eagles speed.

Last week, the Giants blitzed Vick and had success for three and one-half quarters, but then he took the game over in the last eight minutes. The Giants continued to blitz, but Vick took advantage of the man-to-man coverage in the secondary, hitting big plays in the passing game. He also ran four times for 94 yards in the rally from 31-10 down.

The Vikings will try to pressure Vick with their front four and drop seven men into coverage. They want to make Vick a dink and dunker rather than the dynamic vertical passer (8.37 yards per attempt) he has been most of the season.

When the Vikings have the ball
Things have gone badly for the Viking defense, but it has been a picnic compared to what happened on offense. Injuries sidelined key players and the quarterback position is a total mess with Brett Favre and Tarvaris Jackson going down and rookie Joe Webb forced into the starting role.

Favre suffered a concussion on Monday and is unlikely to play against the Eagles. Webb is expected to start. Webb completed 15 of 26 pass attempts with two interceptions after relieving Favre in Chicago. He also ran six times for 38 yards, including a 13-yard dash for a touchdown.

The Vikings selected Webb in the sixth round of the draft as a wide receiver, but former coach Brad Childress liked Webb’s arm and moved him back to quarterback. He can run and throw but he is easily confused reading defenses. Look for Sean McDermott to come after the rookie early with the blitz and hope to force mistakes.

Last week, the Eagles did not blitz Eli Manning in the first half and he picked them apart, passing for 188 yards and three touchdowns before intermission. But in the second half, McDermott turned up the pressure and slowed the Giants offense, limiting them to two third down conversions and seven points in the final 30 minutes. He won’t wait that long to dial up the blitz this week.
The Eagles have a lot of youth on their defense as well. They have seven rookies on that side of the ball. Jamar Chaney, who had 16 tackles against the Giants, will make his second start at middle linebacker while Kurt Coleman will start in place of Nate Allen (torn patella tendon in knee) at free safety. Both Chaney and Coleman were seventh-round picks in this year’s draft.

McDermott unveiled a new look against the Giants – four linemen and seven defensive backs. The idea was to get more speed on the field. Colt Anderson who was signed as a special teams player, has taken on a bigger role in the defense. When the Eagles went to the seven-man secondary, he replaced Chaney.

Dimitri Patterson had his worst game since replacing Ellis Hobbs as the starting right cornerback. He was burned for all three touchdowns in the first half but he came back and played better in the second half.

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Tulsa Trounces Hawaii

G. J. Kinne passed for 346 yards and 3 touchdowns for Tulsa (10-3) in a 62-35 victory over No. 24 Hawaii (10-4) at the Hawaii Bowl in Honolulu. Tulsa’s Damaris Johnson rushed for 101 yards on just 6 carries, including a 67-yard touchdown.
Michigan Athletic Director Dave Brandon may ask Rich Rodriguez why he should keep his job in a private conversation soon after the Gator Bowl against Mississippi State on Jan.

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Steelers move closer to bye with easy win over Panthers

Ben Roethlisberger threw for 320 yards and a touchdown and the defense turned in a Scrooge-like effort Thursday night as the Steelers beat the Carolina Panthers, 27-3, in front an announced crowd of 61,748.

Roethlisberger spread the ball around in dissecting the Panthers’ secondary at Heinz Field. The Steelers’ defense, by contrast, made life miserable for Jimmy Clausen, Roethlisberger’s counterpart.

Carolina (2-13) never really threatened to spring a seismic upset on a bone-chilling night despite moving the ball with some success early in the game.
Yesterday marked the 38th anniversary of the Immaculate Reception, the iconic play that served as a turning point for the Steelers’ franchise.

The Steelers did not need any last-second heroics to beat the overmatched Panthers.

The defense largely redeemed itself four days after free safety Ryan Clark said it had “stunk� in a 22-17 loss to the New York Jets.

The Steelers sacked Clausen four times, intercepted the rookie quarterback once and allowed just 72 passing yards.

One of those sacks came at the beginning of the second quarter after the Panthers had driven to the Steelers’ 32-yard line.

With the Steelers leading 3-0, lame duck Panthers coach John Fox opted to go for it on fourth and five. Clausen never had a chance on the play as Farrior dropped him for a 4-yard loss.

That set the tone for a quarter in which the Steelers dominated the Panthers.

Bryant McFadden intercepted Clausen later in the quarter and that led to the first touchdown of the game.

Roethlisberger, anticipating a blitz, hit wide receiver Mike Wallace with a pass just off the line of scrimmage.

Wallace split a pair of Carolina defensive players with his breathtaking speed, and his 43-yard touchdown catch gave the Steelers a 10-0 lead.The Steelers built their lead to 20-0 by halftime, but they only came away with 10 points from the three drives that probed inside the Panthers’ 20-yard line.

Roethlisberger directed a seven-play, 35-yard drive, and he capped it with a one-yard touchdown run on third down. A 22-yard pass interference call on Carolina had given the Steelers the ball at the 1-yard line.

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Watching sports-- Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning keeps adding to career numbers

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning owns the NFL's longest active streak of consecutive games started now that Minnesota quarterback Brett Favre's streak has ended at 297.

Manning is scheduled to make his 207th straight start Sunday against the Raiders. That would tie him with former Raiders left guard Gene Upshaw for the most consecutive starts to begin a career. Manning joined the league in 1998 out of the University of Tennessee as the No. 1 pick of the NFL draft.To put Manning's streak in better perspective, every one of the league's 31 other teams has used at least three starting quarterbacks during the past 13 seasons. Chicago has used 17, Miami and Cleveland 16 each.The following 15 players started at quarterback for the Raiders since Manning joined the Colts: Aaron Brooks, Jason Campbell, Kerry Collins, Daunte Culpepper, Charlie Frye, Rich Gannon, Jeff George, Bruce Gradkowski, Donald Hollas, Josh McCown, Rick Mirer, JaMarcus Russell, Marques Tuiasosopo, Andrew Walter and Wade Wilson.Manning is showing no signs of slowing down, either. In 14 games this season he has attempted a career-high 608 passes and completed 407. He needs 34 completions to break Drew Brees' NFL season record (440 for New Orleans in 2007). Manning also is 84 attempts shy of surpassing former New England quarterback Drew Bledsoe's mark for most attempts in a season (691).

"Obviously, some of it was by design and some of it was out of necessity," Caldwell said. "It just depends on the game we're playing, who we're facing. ... We are who we are. We're not going to change that."# Raiders coach Tom Cable's NFL playing career consisted of three games as a strike replacement player for the Colts in 1987.

"Guys who were playing during that time were just looking for opportunities," he said. "Kind of a blessed time. You were getting an opportunity that you probably didn't have (before the strike)."The Colts went 2-1 with Cable on the roster.Raiders defensive coordinator John Marshall was the Colts' defensive-line coach when Cable passed through. When asked what kind of player Cable was as a guard, Marshall said: "I can't remember."Then, after a pause, he deadpanned, "He was great. Dominant. Big, dominant man."

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Capitals' loss hurts so good

The Washington Capitals entered Thursday's contest against their main rivals speaking of the litmus test the Pittsburgh Penguins would provide. It was also a chance for the Capitals to make a statement, with a sellout crowd and the entire hockey world watching.

Ultimately, though, it's hard to say that the contest, which featured playoff-like atmosphere and fervor, ended in a fashion that put one marquee team much further ahead of the other. The Penguins captured a 3-2 win at Verizon Center on a goal by Pascal Dupuis in the seventh round of the shootout, in what hardly can be considered a disappointment for Washington even though it reads as a loss in the record book.

"If they can play like that every night I'll be happy," Coach Bruce Boudreau said of the first meeting between the teams, who will face off again in eight days, outdoors at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh for the Winter Classic. "They had passion, they played arguably right now the best team in the league . . . to a standstill. Whether it's a moral victory or whatever, you'd love the two points, of course, but I thought we played very well and it was one very hard-earned point."

The contest almost avoided the final tie-break activity though, when Mike Green appeared to wrap the puck around an outstretched Marc-Andre Fleury for what would have been the game-winner in overtime and his second goal of the night. But Fleury, who finished a staggering performance with 32 saves, got his glove over the puck and video review ruled that there was never any conclusive evidence that the puck crossed the goal line.

To even reach overtime and the shootout required two comebacks from single-goal deficits by the Capitals. Washington outchanced and outshot Pittsburgh for the majority of regulation, particularly in the first two periods, but just 17 seconds into the third frame, Chris Kunitz scored to give the Penguins a 2-1 lead.
As 1:51 of a two-man advantage evaporated in the middle of the second stanza without a shot by the Capitals, it seemed as though Washington might never seize the chance to tie the contest. But in the waning seconds of the regular five-on-four power play that remained, Green cranked a shot from the slot past Fleury's glove to make it 1-1 and charge the Capitals. It was Green's first goal since Nov. 14 against Atlanta, a span of 15 games.

The fast pace and intensity would only build for the rest of regulation, through Kunitz's and Knuble's goals all the way to overtime and the shootout. And although the result was disappointing, the Capitals believe they passed their midweek test.

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Redskins Rancor Continues

Washington Redskins offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan took his turn at the microphone Friday, challenging comments made by quarterback Donovan McNabb's agent.

Not that Shanahan provided clarity. If anything, the situation became more confusing.

Shanahan said agent Fletcher Smith's comments were "disturbing," so he spoke "face-to-face, man-to-man" with McNabb on Thursday night at Redskins Park in Ashburn, Va. He said the 12-year veteran told him that the claims made by his agent were untrue.Dodge handling the heat: After a relatively quiet rookie season, Matt Dodge is on the hot seat.

The Giants' punter was front and center on every sports highlight show on Sunday night with coach Tom Coughlin in his face, ripping him for failing to kick the ball out of bounds on DeSean Jackson's game-ending 65-yard punt return in the NFC East showdown with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Dodge was criticized by some and vilified by others for a play that almost certainly cost the Giants (9-5) the division title. The good news was there was no hate mail.

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Not known yet if trades did trick for Magic

What is one to make of the Eastern Conference when one of the best teams more or less guts its starting lineup in Orlando; the dark horse fires its coach in Charlotte; the newly formed superpower in Miami is still trying to figure out how to work all the gadgets; New York scores like the Suns but also plays defense like them, too; Milwaukee isn’t nearly as pesky without its point guard; and the Celtics, the conference’s best team, have put together 14 straight wins with nearly a third of their roster wearing gauze as winter fashion?
It’s a chaotic collage, with winning streaks and scoring streaks colliding with injuries and upsets. A third of the way through the season, coaches and players already have come and gone. No team in the league has more question marks than the Magic, whom the Celtics face today, and they’ll freely admit it.

“I think we’re a total unknown,’’ said Magic coach Stan Van Gundy, not sounding sure if that’s a good or bad thing. “I think the most unknown is us right now because of the moves we’ve made. I don’t think anybody knows how we’re going to fit into that whole thing.’’

On Dec. 18, Orlando acquired Gilbert Arenas from Washington for Rashard Lewis. It also acquired Jason Richardson, Hedo Turkoglu, and Earl Clark from Phoenix for Vince Carter, Marcin Gortat, Mickael Pietrus, a 2011 first-rounder, and cash. Dwight Howard and Jameer Nelson remain, however.

Staring at the standings doesn’t make the East picture any clearer. The 23-4 Celtics are three games ahead of Miami.

The Heat, Bulls, Hawks, Magic, and Knicks are all clustered together with just four games separating them. The Bucks — the team no one wanted to face down the stretch last season — are nowhere in the mix, and Brandon Jennings is out 4-6 weeks with a broken foot. Yet seeing them knock off the Lakers earlier this week made sure they will stay on every team’s radar.

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Bulls Vs. Knicks, NBA Christmas Day: Old Superpowers Rise Again

The Chicago Bulls and New York Knicks had some raging battles in the 1990s. But the Bulls have been average or worse for all but two seasons since the end of the Michael Jordan era, and the Knicks have been bad since 2001. That's not the case this season.

With the acquisitions of Amar'e Stoudemire and Raymond Felton, the Knicks are on the upswing, 17-12 two months into the season. Mike D'Antoni, the famed coach of the Seven Seconds or Less Phoenix Suns (starring Steve Nash and Amar'e), finally has the Knicks offense humming in his third season on the job. The defense is rather D'Antonian, but progress is enough right now after nine seasons of sub-.500 ball.Thibodeau has been passed over for a dozen head coaching jobs the last few years. Those teams likely regret missing out on Thibodeau after seeing his work turning the Bulls defense, 11th in the league last season, into the NBA's third best outfit. Meanwhile, Thibodeau has been able to put Rose in positions of success, and he's managed the rotation rather well. (Fans have been a bit perturbed by the reliance on veteran Keith Bogans at shooting guard, but that's a quibble after the grand Vinny Del Negro experiment.)

The Knicks won these teams' first meeting of the season in Chicago as hot shooting from long-range -- 16-24 -- carried New York despite a big 24-point, 14-assist performance from Rose. Boozer did not play in that game.

Bulls vs. Knicks tips off at 12 PM Eastern on ESPN. Dan Shulman, Doris Burke and former Cavs coach Mike Brown will work the game. Follow this StoryStream for updates on how the game plays out.

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Sports: David Fay, Director of U.S.G.A., to Retire at End of Year

David Fay, whose 21-year tenure as the executive director of the United States Golf Association, the sport’s governing body, has been characterized by an encyclopedic knowledge of the rules, a wry sense of humor and decidedly populist sensibilities, announced in a statement Friday that he would retire at the end of the year.
Fay drove many initiatives aimed at bringing the 116-year-old U.S.G.A. into the 21st century, including the successful staging of the United States Open at public golf courses and a 20-year effort to expand the sport’s global appeal by returning it to the Olympic Games.

Though he had given no public hints he was preparing to leave the U.S.G.A., which he joined in 1978, Fay pointed to his 60th birthday two months ago as a factor.

“When one is a cancer survivor, milestones like this take on extra importance, and sharpen perspective,” Fay, who was found to have stomach cancer in 1986, said in a statement. He added in a telephone interview: “We’ve got good people in place. Thankfully, the institution lives on. So long as the game is in good shape, people care about it, we’re going to be all right.”


Fay also became an enthusiastic proponent of expanding the United States Open rotation to golf courses open to the public, a concept previously limited to the 1972, ’82 and ’92 Opens at Pebble Beach Golf Links.

His efforts were rewarded in 1999 when the Open was played at the resort-owned No. 2 course at the Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina, and then went to a state-owned facility in 2002 in the first of two United States Opens to be played at the Black course at Bethpage State Park in Farmingdale, N.Y.

The Open will next be played at a public site in 2015 when Erin Hills in Wisconsin will host. Chambers Bay, outside Seattle, is the 2017 Open site, the first in the Pacific Northwest.

Things change. Fay’s answer, for now, is the Sept. 12, 1942, cover of The New Yorker, which he had e-mailed to a reporter. The cover illustration depicts a group of office-bound men in suits on one side of the commuter tracks looking, some askance, some longingly, at a lone commuter on the opposite platform. Dressed in golf togs and holding his bag of clubs, the man has his eyes on the horizon, in the direction of some distant golf course.

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watching sports: Kobe Bryant silent on eve of matchup

Kobe Bryant declined to speak to the media Tuesday as he made his way out of the arena after two fourth-quarter technical fouls earned him a trip to the showers before the end of the Los Angeles Lakers' loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.Bryant never emerged from the training room to answer questions about the impending matchup with the Miami Heat at Thursday's practice after the team had the day off Wednesday.

He again avoided the media pack Friday, offering up a brusque "Merry Christmas" as he passed by a few reporters lingering in the lobby of the team's practice facility after most of his teammates had already left.So we'll have to wait until after the game is over Saturday to hear what Bryant thinks about playing against LeBron James again.Bryant's team offered up plenty of sound bites about the Christmas game for him Friday, not because it will be against the glitzy Big Three and Miami, but because the Heat at 21-9 are simply a good team.

And the Lakers have not done too well against good teams so far this season, racking up a 2-3 record versus teams above .500 as of Dec. 24: They lost to Denver and Utah, split two games with Chicago and beat Portland.
When things were going rough in Miami and the team was barely above .500, Jackson said what everyone else around the league was thinking: Heat coach Erik Spoelstra's job could be in jeopardy of Pat Riley making the trip down from the front office to the sidelines again.What does Jackson think about Spoelstra now that the Heat has won 13 out of their past 14 games?

"I think he's going to be the Coach of the Year," Jackson said with a wry smile. "It took a real kind of 'Come to Jesus' moment, I think, for their team to kind of come to terms with who they were and 'This is who we're going to be, we're going to have to play within this framework' and they really got the spark back."Jackson also was asked if he tuned into James' free agency special on ESPN while he was at his summer home in Flathead Lake, Mont.

"I did not watch LeBron's decision and my thoughts echo that of Michael Jordan and some of the other guys who say they would never have done something like that," Jackson said. "They would have anticipated their team would have built up the talent so they could get back to the championship. I think that's kind of what everybody expected. Not too many players that have gone to the Finals like Cleveland did [in 2007] would lose a player that has been there. They would want to redeem that opportunity. But that's his choice and we'll all live with it."

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Private Jet- Flexibility, and Peace of Mind:Private Jet with image

An owner willing to restrict use of his plane to his own travel (not allowing it to be rented out to third parties) can, according to regulation, outfit the cabin with amenities to suit his every whim.

"There are two different standards [for cabin design]," explains Thomas. "If you're flying it commercial, you have to apply all sorts of stringent safely standards. It really limits the type of materials and configuration you can have. If you have a private design, you can more or less do what you like on board."

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Car insurance & about car insurance

The years are but reduces the cost of car insurance companies set the premiums for drivers in the profession and get benefits of previous no claims bonus you ever tried to find out how the car insurance premium is determined ? Your car's age and previous claims based on the general insurance companies determine premium. If you have car insurance under the last few years did not claim the advantage of no claims bonus if you can get.

Nirrdhaarankar determine the value of the car value car insurance companies that are based on age. Insured value or Aedivi Dicleerd it is called.

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Drug Rehab: why...????? Drug Rehab facility

 Unfortunately for many, this then becomes a habit; which can then turn into a very real and very dangerous addiction, which can in turn result in a host of problems; from losing one’s job to hurting our friends and family. Drug rehabilitation is something that most addicts will not admit that they need, and so it can often be up to loved ones to make take the first step. Watching someone you really love slowly deteriorate into someone you can no longer recognize is a painful experience, especially when the person you love is not aware of their change. With drug abuse rehab you have a genuine solution to overcoming their addiction. At the Perry Clayman Project, which can be viewed at www.rehabtoday.com, a host of short term and long term treatments are available here in the UK, where beautiful surrounds will make the process of drug rehabilitation run that bit more smoothly. Whether the addiction is related to alcohol abuse, marijuana, heroin, crack, cocaine, or even gambling, there are individually catered drug rehab programs that last from two to 24 weeks, with aftercare service included, and which have no waiting lists.
Drug Rehabilitation

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Stewart Mandel--INSIDE COLLEGE FOOTBALL

The NCAA can send out all the press releases it wants. It can trot out obscure bylaws. It can send its new enforcement chief on an "outreach" tour, as it did earlier this month when newly appointed vice president of enforcement Julie Roe Lach visited several media outlets, including SI.com.

None of it will change the perception -- fueled further by Thursday's Ohio State suspensions -- that the organization is making up the rules as it goes along.

You have every reason to be puzzled as to why five Ohio State players -- most notably stars Terrelle Pryor, Dan Herron and DeVier Posey -- will be suspended for the first five games of next season for selling various rings, awards and apparel, yet will be allowed to play in next month's Sugar Bowl against Arkansas.

If you're an Ohio State fan, you have every reason to be confused about why former star Troy Smith was suspended for the 2004 Alamo Bowl for receiving $500 from a booster while the aforementioned five will suit up despite pocketing between $1,000 to $2,500 from some other nefarious figure.

If you're a Georgia fan, you have every reason to be miffed that receiver A.J. Green had to sit the first four games of this season for a very similar transgression (selling a game-worn jersey) while the offending Buckeyes sold some of their stuff more than a year earlier yet never missed a game.

And if you're just a general college football fan, you have every reason to be puzzled, outraged and perhaps even despondent that the NCAA came down harder on Ohio State players for selling rings than it did on Heisman winner Cam Newton, whose father shopped Newton's signature for $180,000.

Just nine days away from the New Year, this Ohio State mess marks the latest chapter in an unusually busy year for the NCAA's enforcement division. From the USC/Reggie Bush sanctions to the North Carolina agent suspensions to Bruce Peal, Tom Izzo and Newton, the headlines have been never-ending.

In the heavily layered NCAA bureaucracy, however, different personnel groups handle infractions cases (USC, Tennessee basketball), agent issues (Georgia, UNC), Basketball Focus Group (Izzo) and athlete eligibility reinstatement (Newton, Ohio State).

It's no wonder the rules and the punishments seem so wildly inconsistent.

You can read the full release here, but in a nutshell, this is how the NCAA arrived at the punishments it did for the Ohio State players:

• The rules state clearly that a player must be suspended "four games, or 30 percent of a season," for receiving the level of benefits Pryor and Co. did.

• The NCAA added a fifth game because "the student-athletes did not immediately disclose the violations when presented with the appropriate rules education," which, according to the school, happened in November 2009.

• That date, however, was also the key in justifying why the players won't miss the bowl. AD Gene Smith claims the school was "not as explicit with our student-athlete education as we should have been in the 2007-08 and 2008-09 academic years regarding the sale of apparel, awards and gifts issued by the athletics department." Translation: The players didn't know they were breaking the rules as they were breaking them. (Suspend disbelief starting now.)

• Because of that, the NCAA broke out language almost no one (including, by his own admission, Smith) had ever heard: "NCAA policy allows [lifting] penalties for a championship or bowl game if it was reasonable at the time the student-athletes were not aware they were committing violations."
AD Gene Smith claims Ohio State was
AD Gene Smith claims Ohio State was "not as explicit with our student-athlete education as we should have been."
AP

If this were a court of law, we would have just witnessed a plea bargain. Ohio State threw its compliance department under the bus to keep from losing its top quarterback, running back and receiver for the bowl game and delayed penalties until next year, by which time some of the players may have bolted for the NFL unscathed. In the meantime, the NCAA looks tough for adding an extra game above and beyond its usual protocol.

I'm not saying that's what happened. I'm saying that's exactly how it looks to 99 percent of the general public. I'm sure it also looks like all parties were looking out for the interests of the Sugar Bowl, one of the sport's golden gooses, whose sponsors and TV partner would have been none too pleased to be shelling out millions to show a game featuring Ohio State's second-string offense (much like the Newton ruling suspiciously came down the week of the SEC Championship Game).

The truth is, the NCAA has almost no investment in the Sugar Bowl; it's a BCS property.The NCAA receives a puny $12,000 cut of the proceeds. If it truly wanted to send a message about ... whatever it is it's trying to send a message about, it would have said: "Sorry, the 'we didn't know' defense doesn't hold water." That's certainly what the Committee on Infractions told USC back in June.

But the student-athlete reinstatement staff -- again, a different group of individuals -- seems to have far more empathy toward claimed naivety. One of the reasons it declined to punish Newton was the argument that he didn't know of his father's black-market activities. Just as it apparently never occurred to Pryor that you're not supposed to sell your Fiesta Bowl sportsmanship award.

During her meeting with SI.com, Roe Lach, who began her new job less than two months ago, said the organization is reviewing all aspects of its enforcement process to see what areas can be streamlined and what issues merit greater education and awareness not only for the public and the media but also on campuses and in compliance offices. I would not want her job.

These days, almost everyone in the college sports community is ticked at the NCAA about something, and the collective stink of the past six months is soiling fans' enjoyment of the sport. Come January, two of the five BCS bowls will feature star players whom one segment of the public is miffed are still eligible and another segment is miffed were persecuted to begin with.

The only thing we do know: The Superdome will still be sold out. Allstate will still get a return on its investment. ESPN will get huge ratings for Auburn's national championship appearance.

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Islanders-Devils Preview

Now both of the league's worst teams have new coaches.

Jacques Lemaire begins his third stint behind the New Jersey Devils' bench Thursday night after the firing of John MacLean, facing a New York Islanders team which switched coaches just over a month ago.

MacLean was let go Thursday just 33 games into his first season as an NHL coach, with New Jersey being one of the league's biggest disappointments after winning Atlantic Division titles the last two seasons. The Devils (9-22-2) and the Islanders (7-18-6) are tied for the fewest points in the league.

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Larry Brown’s Departure

There is something comforting about a day in which the biggest news hardly seems like news at all. Larry Brown resigning from an N.B.A. team (or being fired, or mysteriously finding the locks changed on his office door) falls into the category of the sun rising in the morning or snow falling in winter. You may need to be reminded which team changed those locks this time (Charlotte) and how many N.B.A. teams remain that haven’t fired him (very few), but be assured that you have plenty of company in your complete lack of surprise
That’s not to say the Bobcats’ dysfunctional mess is not worthy of some rubbernecking. This is Michael Jordan’s team now and, as Adrian Wojnarowski writes on Yahoo.com, he had a lot to do with the head-scratching player moves, even if some were because he let Brown talk him into them. It’s clear Jordan needs to start a full-scale rebuilding and, as Ian Thomsen writes on SI.com, Brown does not have the patience for such things. In fact, he could run through four or five N.B.A. teams before the Bobcats straighten themselves out. At the moment, that unenviable task falls to Paul Silas, who may soon wonder why he came out of coaching retirement for this, writes Tom Sorensen of The Charlotte Observer.

The flip side of the Bobcats story right now is the Boston Celtics, who have won 14 in a row, including a game Wednesday night against Philadelphia that they had no business winning. But, as Peter May writes on ESPN.com, that is the sign of a truly good team, winning even when they stink. Another sign: the perpetually horrible free throw shooter Shaquille O’Neal sinking two after receiving courtside tips from David Ortiz, the Big Shamrock getting tips from Big Papi.

This, of course, is only marginally sillier than Wednesday’s preoccupation with videos that allegedly uncovered Jets Coach Rex Ryan’s foot fetish. Considering the Jets universe is full of whoopee cushions and funhouse mirrors, this dose not even qualify as unusual. As Kevin Hench writes on Foxsports.com, there isn’t anything nefarious about being attracted to your wife, and Steve Serby of The New York Post felt bad he had to be squirming through questions about it. The rest of us were squirming through all of the bad foot puns.

You could have turned your attention to Boise State’s resounding victory in the Maaco Bowl (not making that up), but you would have been watching the end to the most disappointing 12-1 season ever, writes Stewart Mandel on SI.com. Or you could have rolled your eyes upon learning that the N.C.A.A. is spending its time investigating whether Ohio State players perpetrated a hideous crime in trading autographs for tattoos. (Insert groaning sounds here.) Perhaps it should be investigating just how the Poinsettia Bowl (not making that up either) is going to be played in Qualcomm Stadium Thursday night without the use of canoes.

The only sogginess at the Stanford-San Francisco women’s basketball game Wednesday night was the tears shared when Stanford Coach Tara VanDerveer won her 800th career game in a game against her former player Jennifer Azzi, the San Francisco coach. There are also tears in this story: the former Yale hockey player Mandi Schwartz will have to continue her battle against leukemia after finding out the cancer had returned. And the tears in this story are of the happier kind: SI.com’s Paul Daugherty writing about his disabled daughter and the college basketball coach who made her a manager of his team.

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Car crashed on President Bush's lawn: A 'vintage' Mercury Cougar

There's something about old muscle cars. They always had more brawn than brains -- more power under the hood than decent steering and handling. So the guy who crashed on to the front lawn of former President George W. Bush's home in a gated Dallas community might have a good excuse: he was driving a Mercury Cougar "vintage 1970s high-performance car."So reports Reuters. The year of the car isn't given, but that's the original 1967 model of the Cougar in the photo above. The Cougar was an attempt by Ford Motor to give its Mercury division a performance contender in the new segment that it opened up with Mustang. Cougar was actually a pretty cool car for its time.
Despite sending the Secret Service into a tizzy, the driver of the car was questioned and released after agents figured out he didn't pose a threat. He claimed his accelerator because stuck. The Dallas Morning News says the errant driver was authorized to be on the street in the Preston Hollow neighborhood, on his way to see one of Bush's neighbors. At the accident took place about 8:30 p.m. Wednesday.

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Election board votes to keep Emanuel on ballot

Chicago election commissioners voted today to keep Rahm Emanuel on the Feb. 22 Chicago mayoral ballot.

The 3-0 vote came just hours after a hearing officer recommended that the former White House chief of staff should remain in the mayor's race because he meets the city residency requirement.The election board, however, is not expected to have final say on the issue. The losing objectors have a week to appeal the board's decision to the Cook County Circuit Court. The case could wind its way through the court system, including the Illinois Court of Appeals and the Illinois Supreme Court, for weeks.

Chicago Shopping: Your home for personalized holiday shopping deals >>

"My goal is to get this through the courts as soon as possible," said Burt Odelson, lead attorney for the objectors, to Emanuel' attorneys after the commissioners rendered their decision.

The vote came after hearing officer Joseph Morris' 69-page recommendation was issued at nearly 2 a.m. and the board opened its meeting at 9 a.m. in a Cook County building basement.

Burt Odelson, the attorney for the lead objectors, argued that Morris' recommendation turned the law of residency on its head.

"This (69-page) recommendation, I'm trying to guard my words, is shallow. It's shallow in reciting the facts," Odelson said before the vote.

"I was extremely disappointed we had to wait that long for such a poor product. This wasn't a difficult case. It only became difficult because of all of the objectors."

All of Emanuel's actions -- including applying for a homeowner's exemption, and amending his 2009 tax returns to declare he was an Illinois resident -- each came after Mayor Richard Daley announced he would not seek re-election, Odelson said.

Odelson declared Emanuel's moves as "self-serving action(s) taken to bolster his residency."

Election board chairman Langdon Neal gave objectors 15 minutes to read Morris' recommendation "since we did get it very late last night."

Neal limited the more than 24 challengers to 10 minutes each to argue before the commissioners as long as they made "substantive legal arguments."

Emanuel's attorneys and Odelson, the lead attorney for the objectors, said they needed about half an hour combined to make their case before the board decides.

Emanuel said earlier today he was encouraged by Joseph Morris' recommendation.

"It affirms what I have said all along -- that the only reason I left town was to serve President Obama and that I always intended to return," Emanuel said in a statement released this morning.

"Chicago voters should ultimately have the right to decide the election - and to vote for me, or against me. And they deserve a swift conclusion to this process."

Morris' recommendation came after a hearing last week that stretched out for several days and featured a colorful cast of characters arguing that Emanuel does not belong on the ballot because he does not meet the requirement of living in the city for at least a year before the election. Emanuel's attorneys argued that Emanuel always intended to return home to Chicago while serving as White House chief of staff and did not sell his North Side home.

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Palestinian medic: Israel kills Gaza shepherd

A Palestinian medic says the Israeli army shot and killed a shepherd near Gaza's border with Israel.

Adham Abu Salmia said the man was leading his goats in an open area near Gaza's Erez border crossing with Israel Thursday when he was shot. He died later in hospital. Another man with him was wounded.
Violence has escalated in recent weeks on Gaza's borders. Israel says the ruling Hamas militant group recently fired a tank-piercing missile for the first time. The army says it is deploying technology that can shoot down incoming projectiles before they hit.

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Rome explosions at embassies linked to Italian anarchists

Two small bombs exploded today at the Swiss and Chile embassies in Rome, injuring two people. The Rome explosions follow the the discovery of a fake bomb Wednesday on Rome's subway. Anonymous callers alerted police today that the presidential palace could also be targeted, but that report turned out to be a false alarm.

So far no group has claimed responsibility for today's attacks. Many experts, however, say the bombings, which come about six weeks after a string of parcel bombs in Greece targeted embassies (including the Swiss embassy), appear to be the work of Italian anarchists. Likewise, the parcel-bomb attacks in Athens last month were also blamed on anarchist groups.The attacks follows weeks of student protests against the proposed reform of the university system and, more broadly, against the current right-wing government. Earlier this week the students staged huge protests in Rome and in Milan, while last month a group of students stormed Pisa's world famous leaning tower.

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Storm lashes California and leaves polluted water

California residents who endured flooding, mudslides and evacuations during a weeklong onslaught of rain now have another problem: contaminated water and fouled beaches.

The rain washed trash, pesticides and bacteria into waterways, prompting health warnings. Four beaches were closed in Northern California's San Mateo County, and another 12 miles of beach from Laguna Beach to San Clemente in Southern California's Orange County were off-limits because of sewer overflows.

Numerous motorists were rescued from swamped cars during the days of rain, but one driver was killed. The body of Angela Wright, 39, of Menifee was recovered from a car that was swept off a flooded road Wednesday near Canyon Lake in Riverside County, the coroner's office said.

While the rain has eased, the danger was not over for foothill residents living below wildfire-scarred hillsides.

"The ground is so saturated it could move at any time" and the threat will remain for several weeks, said Bob Spencer, spokesman for the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works.

More than 200 homes were ordered evacuated for more than 24 hours in La Canada Flintridge and La Crescenta, suburbs of Los Angeles below steep hillsides that burned in 2009 and where mudslides inundated homes and backyards in February.

After days of relentless rain, long-awaited sunshine was finally in the forecast for Thursday, but officials said Californians may want to resist the urge to head to the ocean.

"It can be very nice the next day and everyone says 'This is great! This is a beach day,'" said Jonathan E. Fielding, director of the Los Angeles county public health department. "It could well be but we will be monitoring and testing water and we won't recommend people go back there until we're sure it's safe."

Experts normally recommend waiting 72 hours after a storm before getting in the water, though in this case some are saying five days might be wiser. The contamination in some areas could last for weeks because of the especially heavy rains.

Mark Gold, president of Heal the Bay, a Santa Monica based group that monitors and grades beach water quality, said more rain causes more pollution to get flushed into the region's water system

"Literally every beach gets an 'F' when we get a rain storm like this," he said. "It's big enough to pollute each and every beach in LA County. It's a pretty extraordinary event when we have rain like this."

Sixty people were rescued and more than 30 homes evacuated Wednesday when water surged through Dove Canyon, a gated Orange County community.

In Highland, about 65 miles east of Los Angeles, two creeks overflowed, swamping as many as 20 homes in up to 3 feet of mud. Up to 40 homes and around 100 residents were evacuated.

In San Diego, the first floor of the Premier Inn in the city's Mission Valley flooded, forcing guests to the second floor where lifeguards were sent to rescue them, police said. SeaWorld San Diego closed for the day as waters rose in the nearby San Diego River, but it was expected to reopen on Thursday.The storm weakened as it moved eastward, but floods still washed away six vacant homes and damaged nearly two dozen others in the Beaver Dam area of northwest Arizona, and inundated parts of Nevada and Utah. The low-pressure system could reach the Gulf Coast by Saturday with some rain, forecasters said.

Contributing to this report were Associated Press writers Raquel Maria Dillon and Gillian Flaccus in Laguna Beach, Calif.; Garance Burke in Fresno; Don Thompson in Sacramento; Elliot Spagat in San Diego; Sue Manning, Robert Jablon, Jeff Wilson, John Antczak in Los Angeles; Felicia Fonseca in Flagstaff, Ariz.; Josh Loftin in Salt Lake City; and Cristina Silva in Las Vegas.

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New York City, Northeast May Get Storm After Christmas, Forecasters Say

New York and much of the U.S. Northeast are expected to have a dry and mild Christmas, followed by the arrival of the weather system that dumped as much as 2 feet of rain in California.

Forecasters are tracking the system, which also dropped as much as 17 feet (5.2 meters) of snow in the Sierra Nevada mountain range. The storm may reach New York Dec. 26. Forecasters aren’t sure how strong it will be by then.

“Right now there is still low confidence but the risk is certainly there for something major,” said Travis Hartman, energy weather manager at MDA EarthSat Weather in Rockville, Maryland. “With that being said, I am leaning toward less than what some of the hypes are out there for a crippling storm.”

The storm has prompted winter storm warnings and watches across Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Arizona, according to the National Weather Service. The storm pounded California for almost a week and resulted in Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declaring a state of emergency in six counties there yesterday.

Travelers in the middle of the country may have to contend with weather problems before Christmas, while those on the East Coast will have the most trouble after the Dec. 25 holiday, said Tom Kines, senior expert meteorologist with commercial forecaster AccuWeather Inc. in State College, Pennsylvania.

Midwest Snow

Kines said storms will probably drop 3 to 6 inches of snow across the Midwest from South Dakota to West Virginia in the next two days.

“Most of this system will miss the big cities of Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland and Cincinnati,” Kines said.

In terms of heating, December has been cooler than normal in the Northeast, according to weather service heating degree days values. The value from Central Park this month has been 694, or 121 above normal.

The value, calculated by subtracting the daily average temperature from a base of 65 degrees, is designed to show energy demand, according to the weather service. The higher the value, the cooler the weather, and thus the more energy probably being used to heat homes and business.

In Boston it is 693 or 58 above normal; it is 976 in Chicago, or 190 above normal and 693 in Philadelphia or 110 above normal, according to the weather service.

Natural Gas

Natural gas for January delivery fell 5.2 cents, or 1.3 percent, to $4.10 per million British thermal units after the Energy Department said U.S. stockpiles dropped 184 billion cubic feet last week to 3.368 trillion at 10:30 a.m. Gas was trading at $4.08 before the report.

As of 11 a.m., there weren’t any air traffic delays in the U.S., according to the Federal Aviation Administration website.

Computer simulations don’t agree on what the storm will do after Christmas once it reaches the U.S. East Coast, Hartman said. A model developed in Europe “has been consistently bullish for a major storm,” he said.

Two others, from Canada and the U.S., show the storm tracking farther out in the Atlantic, meaning there won’t be as much snow, Hartman said.

Now that the storm is moving over land, the models should be more accurate, said Charlie Foley, a weather service forecaster in Taunton, Massachusetts.


Pollina said the storm needs to be watched.

“Stay tuned for updates,” Pollina said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Brian K. Sullivan in Boston at Bsullivan10@bloomberg.net;

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Abalone : Abalone Recipes and image

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skype outage and skype outage video

Dear friends ...come to see the Skype Outage video.....


Earlier today, we noticed that the number of people online on Skype was falling, which wasn't typical or expected, so we began to investigate.

Skype isn't a network like a conventional phone or IM network - instead, it relies on millions of individual connections between computers and phones to keep things up and running. Some of these computers are what we call 'supernodes' - they act a bit like phone directories for Skype. If you want to talk to someone, and your Skype app can't find them immediately (for example, because they're connecting from a different location or from a different device) your computer or phone will first try to find a supernode to figure out how to reach them.

Under normal circumstances, there are a large number of supernodes available. Unfortunately, today, many of them were taken offline by a problem affecting some versions of Skype. As Skype relies on being able to maintain contact with supernodes, it may appear offline for some of you.

What are we doing to help? Our engineers are creating new 'mega-supernodes' as fast as they can, which should gradually return things to normal. This may take a few hours, and we sincerely apologise for the disruption to your conversations. Some features, like group video calling, may take longer to return to normal.

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Poinsettia Bowl: Navy player driven to Marines

As we go into a holiday weekend, our local teams are getting a break -- no Chicago pro sports action until the Bulls face the Knicks on Christmas morning. Tonight, there are a couple of Big Ten basketball games, a pretty one-sided NFL matchup and the Poinsettia Bowl -- although as of Wednesday night Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, where the game is to be played, was under several inches of floodwater, as was one of the parking lots. Maybe it's a good thing that one of the teams is Navy.


“Not everybody is even able to do this,” said Yarborough, whose team faces San Diego State. “I am able to it, and that’s why I’m supposed to do it. I feel like I’ve been called to do it. Not everybody can have a job like this. I can, so I need to do it and I think my country is calling me for a reason. I think God put me in this position for a reason.”

Yarborough is scheduled to graduate from the U.S. Naval Academy with a degree in history on May 28. He then embarks on a course not taken by most Navy grads, who serve a minimum of five years in the Navy or Marine Corps.

The past two years, about a quarter of Navy grads were commissioned as officers in the Marine Corps -- the most in a decade. Most of the rest go into surface warfare or flight school. Yarborough opted for arguably the toughest assignment in part because that’s what his father taught him: Do the best you can.

It’s a message that parents often tell their children but one that Yarborough has taken almost to an extreme. It has even more meaning now after his father Bill, 56, died after battling cancer on Aug. 1.

“He’s a very driven guy,” Navy quarterback Ricky Dobbs said. “And he’s had to go through a lot.”

The death of Yarborough’s father happened just a few days before Navy opened football practices. It’s affected him ever since.

“I play every single day on the field for him,” said Yarborough, a 22-year-old native of Columbia, S.C. “I talk to him every day, I miss him a lot. I try to use that as motivation to do the best I can because that’s all he ever asked for: to do the best I can. So that’s what I’m trying to do. It’s something he would ask and something I will continue to do for him.”

That kind of approach helped him start every game for the football team this year after getting just two starts in his career before that. He has a team-high six sacks this season.

“If you had a billboard for a Marine, it would be Billy,” Navy head coach Ken Niumatalolo said. “He’s as tough as nails.”

Growing up, Billy Yarborough assumed that military service was not optional but a requirement. That’s largely because father had served eight years in the Air Force. But even when he learned it wasn’t optional, he still wanted to join the Marines. He wasn’t fazed by harm’s way, wars and sacrifice.

“I wanted to be part of something that’s going to protect this way of life and spread it throughout the world the best way that we can and help others,” said Yarborough, whose immediate family includes his mother and an older and younger brother.


Yarborough is one of 24 seniors on the football team who learned their service assignments on Dec. 1. Eleven will be commissioned as Marine Corps officers, including Yarborough. A Navy spokeswoman said there has been increased interest in midshipmen joining the Marines after 9/11 and the start of the war in Iraq.

Yarborough will begin training in about a year in Quantico, Va. A more normal life must wait.

“People typically think of the Marine Corps as being in front of the line with a rifle in your hand,” Yarborough said. “That’s definitely probably the biggest part of it, and I would absolutely love to do something like that.”

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True Grit.......Something....True Gri

True Grit is a 2010 American Western film written and directed by the Coen brothers. It is the second adaptation of Charles Portis' 1968 novel of the same name, which was previously adapted for film in 1969 starring John Wayne. The film stars Jeff Bridges as U.S. Marshal Reuben J. "Rooster" Cogburn along with Matt Damon and Josh Brolin.

Filming began in March 2010, and the film was officially released on December 22, 2010 after advance screenings earlier that month.The film is set to open the 61st Berlin International Film Festival on February 10, 2011.
Mattie catches up with Cogburn, after ferrying a river on her horse. He has teamed up with La Boeuf and agreed to split the Texas reward for Chaney. Accusing him of fraud, Mattie threatens to have Cogburn arrested for breaking their agreement, which specified that she must accompany him on the manhunt. Reluctantly, he allows Mattie to come along. After a disagreement, La Boeuf sets off on his own in search of Chaney. Eventually, Mattie and Rooster come across an isolated shack, where two outlaws are holed up. After they turn on each other, Rooster kills the older outlaw, and as the younger one is dying, he explains that "Lucky" Ned Pepper (Barry Pepper) and his gang were planning on returning to the shack later that night. Believing Chaney to be riding with Pepper's gang, Rooster and Mattie lie in wait for the gang.

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Bianca Maria Kajlich and image

Born on March 26, 1977 ( 33 years old )
Was born in Seattle, Washington, USA
Professional Actress
Ranks 2.7 on the Celebrity or Not? voting scale
126 fans have selected her as their favorite
Bianca Maria Kajlich was on born March 26, 1977. She is an American actress. Kajlich has had starring and supporting roles in television and film; she currently plays Jennifer on the CBS comedy Rules of Engagement.
Bianca was born in Seattle, Washington, to a Slovakian father, Dr. Relo Kajlich, and an Italian American mother, Patti. She is a graduate of Bishop Blanchet High School in Seattle, Washington, and attended Washington State University in Pullman, Washington.

 

 

 

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