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2008-12-31 | Jim Murphy
It wasn’t exactly the happiest of birthdays for LeBron James, who turned 24 on Tuesday. Mario Chalmers and Dwayne Wade scored 21 points apiece for the Miami Heat as they defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 104-95 in the back end of a “home and home” series. Cleveland won the first game in the set on Sunday to keep their home record perfect for the 2008-2009 season.
2008-12-31 | Jim Murphy
There was considerable speculation that Jauron would be shown the door after Buffalo finished 7-9 for a third consecutive year and many Bills fans vocally expressed their dissatisfaction with the coach’s performance. The guy who signs the checks felt differently, however, suggesting that the team had "played hard all year long and there are many positives to build on."
2008-12-31 | Jim Murphy
Boozer began his career in Utah well, but soon injured his hamstring which kept him on the injured reserve list for the better part of two seasons. At one point during his recovery process, his work ethic and commitment to rehabilitation were openly questioned by Jazz owner Larry H. Miller. Boozer would eventually return to the lineup and play well—and fairly dependably—until this latest episode.
2008-12-31 | Jim Murphy
In Cleveland, Browns owner Randy Lerner fired not only head coach Romeo Crennel but GM Phil Savage. The Browns dismal 4-12 finish clearly demonstrated that wholesale change was needed with the club. Cleveland has already been spurned by their first choice to replace Crennel, as former Steelers head coach Bill Cowher informed Lerner that he wasn’t interested in the position.
2008-12-31 | Jim Murphy
Matt Ryan became the future of the Atlanta Falcons when Michael Vick was sent to prison for his depraved enjoyment of animal abuse. Not only was it the best thing to ever happen to Ryan, it may have been a turning point for the entire franchise. Ryan has developed into a solid NFL signal caller and team leader faster than anyone anticipated, and improbably led the Falcons to an 11-5 record and playoff berth. On Tuesday morning he was rewarded for his achievement, being named the NFC’s top offensive rookie by an overwhelming margin.
2008-12-31 | Jim Murphy
The conventional wisdom is that Martz’s days as offensive coordinator were numbered when Mike Singletary began to experience considerable success as the Niners mid-season head coaching replacement. When the Niners named Singletary their permanent head coach, Martz’s firing was essentially a fait accompli—Singletary was effusive in his praise of Martz saying that “he did everything that was asked of him to the best of his abilities”, but it came down to a fundamental difference in offensive philosophy. Martz, most famous for leading the St. Louis Rams to the Superbowl title in 2002, prefers a high octane, pass oriented approach while Singletary wants to install a power running game in San Francisco.
2008-12-30 | Jim Murphy
Taylor’s assessment of the team as “gutless” sounds about right in light of the behavior of many Cowboy players after the game. The mood on the plane back to Dallas was apparently that of an up-beat party, with raucous laughter and joking. If the team was disappointed by the loss, let alone the entire season, they sure didn’t show it. Even more embarrassing was the classless finger pointing and name calling in post game comments, with no one wanting to take personal responsibility for the 2008 debacle.
2008-12-30 | Jim Murphy
Kevin Garnett led all scorers with 21 points and 11 rebounds in just 23 minutes of play as the Celtics emptied their bench as the lead started to grow. Ray Allen added 19 points for the defending NBA champs and Eddie House contributed 15 points off the bench. So complete was the Celtics dominance on both ends of the floor that Sacramento was fortunate to even have one player in double figures—John Salmons led the Kings with a paltry 11 points followed by Jason Thompson with 9 and two other Kings with 7 a piece.
2008-12-30 | Jim Murphy
A split decision win over tough Michael Bisping followed, but it was a highlight reel KO of longtime 205 champ Chuck Liddell that really got people to pay attention and accept that maybe Evans *was* “that good”. For Evans, he’s got all the validation he needs now in the form of an undefeated professional record and the UFC light heavyweight championship belt around his waist. He won the belt by yet another devastating knockout finish over Forrest Griffin in the main event at UFC 92.
2008-12-29 | Jim Murphy
The Lions realized full well the stakes of what otherwise would have been a meaningless swansong to the season by two non-playoff teams—during the week before the game a number of Detroit players suggested that this game was “their Superbowl”. That comparison is off base, of course, as many sportswriters have wryly observed that no one remembers the team that loses the Superbowl. By comparison, the Lions loss—or more specifically their season full of losses—will never be forgotten and serve as the measuring stick for pro football futility, much as the 1972 Miami Dolphins still do for regular season excellence.
2008-12-29 | Jim Murphy
Although the Raiders provided the dénouement to the Bucs once promising season, the Tampa Bay downward spiral began much earlier. When the month of December began, Tampa Bay was 9-3 and appeared almost a lock for a playoff spot. Four straight losses left them at 9-7 and on the outside looking in as the playoff fixtures were set without them. Most problematic was their season ending collapse at home, where they’d been 6-0 until their recent struggles began.
2008-12-29 | Jim Murphy
Mir, meanwhile, had been on the verge of a full time move to the broadcast booth before his victory over WWE superstar turned MMA fighter Brock Lesnar. The conventional wisdom concerning Mir was that he’d never fully recovered from a serious motorcycle accident in 2004 and that he was essentially a “shot fighter” physically, emotionally and psychologically. He eventually returned to the octagon, and after two TKO losses in his first three comeback fights began to consider the possibility that he just “didn’t have it” any more. A victory over highly regarded contender Antonio Hardonk along with his upset of Lesnar—combined with a weak UFC heavyweight roster—put Mir back into title contention.
2008-12-29 | Jim Murphy
San Diego’s offense was balanced and efficient, led by QB Phillip Rivers who finished with 207 yards on 15 of 20 passing with 2 TD passes and no interceptions. He was aided to victory by an equally dominant rushing attack—Darren Sproles gained 115 yards and Ladanian Tomlinson added 96 as the Chargers scored early and often against a shellshocked Bronco defense.
2008-12-29 | Jim Murphy
Cleveland took a two point lead into the locker room after a closely contested first half. The third quarter was all Miami, however, as the Heat took a nine point lead into the fourth quarter. For the second straight game, Cleveland used a torrid final period to propel themselves to victory. The Cavs held a 35-19 edge in the fourth quarter and used an 18-2 run early in the period to reverse an eight point deficit.
2008-12-29 | Jim Murphy
The Ax Murderer” and “Rampage” have a very eventful shared history. They fought twice before while superstars in the legendary Japanese promotion Pride FC. Both matches ended with Silva victorious, the second ending in one of the most violent knockouts in recent fight sports memory. A lot has changed since the PRIDE days, however, with Silva perhaps nearing the end of his career and “Rampage” ascending to the UFC light heavyweight championship before losing it to Forrest Griffin.
2008-12-28 | Jim Murphy
It was also a significant win in that it gave Laker coach Phil Jackson his 1,000 NBA coaching victory. He’s the sixth coach in NBA history to reach the milestone and joined Jerry Sloan as the second to do so this season (though Sloan won all 1,000 games with the same team). Jackson also reached the 1000 win plateau faster than any other coach in history—it took him 1,423 games besting the mark of another Laker coaching great, Pat Riley, by 10 games.
2008-12-28 | Jim Murphy
The 4-24 Wizards kept it close for the entire game and appeared to be on the verge of an upset victory, due in large part to an impressive job containing the Cavs superstar LeBron James. Heading into the fourth quarter, James had only 9 points though he added 9 more in the decisive period to finish with 18 for the game. Mo Williams led the Cavs with 24 points, while Delonte West also added 18. Washington’s Antawn Jamison led all scorers with 28 points, while Mike James chipped in 26.
2008-12-28 | Jim Murphy
Ellerson will replace Stan Brock, who was fired on December 12 just days after Army’s 34-0 loss to Navy. Army finished 3-9 for the third straight season, and Brock was 6-18 in his two seasons at West Point. Army Athletic Director Kevin Anderson praised Ellerson in a press release, suggesting that he was capable of producing a quick turnaround in Cadet football fortunes.
2008-12-25 | Jim Murphy
While his head coaching career got off to an awkward start including a QB benching, Mike Singletary has done something that trumped any of the “rookie mistakes” he’s made along the way—he’s gotten the 49ers to respond and play hard. After posting a 2-7 mark to open the season, the Niners have gone 4-2 under Singletary and indications are that he’ll be named the team’s permanent head coach after the regular season ends.
2008-12-25 | Jim Murphy
Though he deserves credit for sticking around the NBA for nearly a decade, Steve Francis’ career has been one of downward mobility. He was drafted second in the 1999 NBA Draft and dubbed—maybe by himself—“Stevie Franchise”. He quickly decided that he didn’t want to play with the Vancouver Grizzlies, and eventually was traded to the Houston Rockets. On Wednesday, the Rockets traded him back to the Grizzles, who are now located in Memphis.
2008-12-25 | Jim Murphy
It might not be the Rose Bowl or a BCS Championship, but it counts—Notre Dame ended a 15 year run of postseason futility with a 49-21 rout over Hawaii in the Hawaii Bowl on Christmas Eve. QB Jimmy Clasuen was the catalyst with 401 yards passing and 5 TD passes as the Irish ended a nine game losing streak in bowl appearances.
2008-12-24 | Jim Murphy
So what else is new? The Celtics won again on Tuesday night, this time defeating Philadelphia 110-91 at the TD BankNorth Garden. With the victory, Boston set a new franchise record for consecutive wins as they surpassed the 18 game winning streak put together by the 1981-82 team. They also set a new NBA record for best start to the season with only two losses at 27-2.
2008-12-24 | Jim Murphy
LeBron James scored 18 of his 27 points in the second half as Cleveland took control of what had been a closely contested affair throughout the first half. LeBron’s 27 led all scorers, with Mo Williams adding 23 points for the Cavs. Rafer Alston led Houston with 20 points, while Yao Ming scored 19. The game was tied at the half, but a 26-19 third quarter advantage put Cleveland on top for good.
2008-12-24 | Jim Murphy
Though the game itself was a nip and tuck affair, TCU posted a blowout on the stat sheet. TCU gained 472 yards of total offense to Boise’s 250. The Broncos did enjoy a 226-197 edge in passing yardage, but this was more than offset by the lopsided TCU advantage on the ground where they gained 278 yards rushing to only 29 for Boise. TCU also held a 28-15 advantage in first downs and a one sided 35:44 to 24:10 time of possession edge.
2008-12-23 | Jim Murphy
Actually, it wasn’t quite that easy—the Bears suffered a scary moment as the seconds ticked away in the fourth quarter when the Packers lined up for a potential game winning FG with: 18 left. The Bears Alex Brown got a hand on Mason Crosby’s 38 yard attempt to keep his team alive. The overtime was the easy part, with dependable Robbie Gould splitting the uprights to give his team a three point victory.
2008-12-23 | Jim Murphy
The Lakers looked sluggish in the first half, and headed to the locker room at halftime trailing 57-49. A third quarter surge cut the Grizzlies lead to 3 heading into the final period but Los Angeles was unable to chip into that lead and with just over 3 minutes left in the game trailed by 5. That’s when Kobe Bryant took over, sparking the Lakers to 17-3 run to end the game. Kobe scored 10 points during the decisive stretch including an emphatic fast break dunk as the game ended.
2008-12-23 | Jim Murphy
Buffalo got on the board just a minute into the contest when Daniel Paille beat Marc-Andre Fleury to stake the Sabres to a 1-0 lead. They stretched that advantage early in the second period Ales Kotalik “put the biscuit in the basket” at the 5:23 mark. The Penguins came roaring back, with goals by Pascal Dupuis and Alex Goligoski evening the score at 2-2. The Sabres regained the advantage with a power play goal by Clarke MacArthur at 15:58 and entered the third period up 3-2.
2008-12-22 | Jim Murphy
The victory was typical of many of the Titans’ wins this year, with Kerry Collins playing mistake free football and an opportunistic defense forcing the Steelers into making four turnovers. After a scoreless first period, the Titans opened up a 10-0 lead on a Rob Bironas 42 yard FG and a 34 yard TD pass from Collins to Justin Gage. The Steelers managed to cut the lead to 10-7 before halftime when Ben Roethlisberger hit Santonio Holmes from 31 yards out for his 17th TD pass of the season.
2008-12-22 | Jim Murphy
The loss made history of the wrong sort for Detroit, who became the first team in NFL history to post a 0-15 mark for the season. Until now, the 1976 Tampa Bay Bucs were the low water mark for seasonal performance as they finished at 0-14. With the season now two games longer, the Lions have the dubious distinction of owning the worst start to a season in NFL history and must win next week to become only the second winless team in NFL history.
2008-12-22 | Jim Murphy
With a number of bottom feeders like the New York Knicks and New Jersey Nets doing everything possible to clear up room under the salary cap, LeBron James threw a wild card into the mix of teams hoping to lure him to sign should he become a free agent in 2010. James suggested on Sunday that he’s going to explore the option of signing a long term extension with Cleveland in the off-season and not opt out after the 2009-2010 season.
2008-12-21 | Jim Murphy
At age 46, Holyfield would have been the oldest heavyweight champion in history had he been able to knock off Valuev. Early in the fight, Holyfield used his speed and agility to move around the ring and stay outside the giant reach of his opponent. As the fight progressed, however, Valuev began to land his jab with greater regularity. Despite doing enough to win rounds, the result was a tedious fight that saw a lot of Valuev standing in the middle of the ring and Holyfield dancing in circles around him.
2008-12-21 | Jim Murphy
The Dallas Cowboys will move into a swanky new stadium next season, and they wanted to close the book on Texas Stadium in a fashion fitting of a venue that has housed so many legends. Unfortunately, the Baltimore Ravens didn’t cooperate—they sprinted to a 33-24 win to bring a jarring dose of reality to the proceedings and in the process deal a severe setback to the Cowboys’ playoff aspirations.
2008-12-21 | Jim Murphy
For west coast college football fans it seems like only yesterday that the Arizona Wildcats and their vaunted “Desert Swarm” defense was arguably the most dominant in their land. In reality, it might as well be eons ago—for the past decade Arizona football has struggled somewhere between bad and mediocre looking for an inevitable light at the end of the tunnel. They may have found it in America’s “City of Light”—Las Vegas, Nevada. In any case, after ten years without a bowl victory or a winning season they’ll definitely take this year’s 8-5 mark and 31-21 win over #16 BYU in the Las Vegas Bowl.
2008-12-20 | Jim Murphy
Four of the five Celtics starters scored 15+ points—Ray Allen led all scorers with 27 points, while Kendrick Perkins added 25 points and 8 rebounds. Kevin Garnett contributed 17 points and Paul Pierce 16. The only member of the Boston starting lineup to not score in double figures was pointguard Rajon Rondo who was too busy getting his teammates involved in the offense by dishing out 15 of Boston’s 40 assists. Luol Deng let the Bulls with 19 points and 7 rebounds, with Derrick Rose chipping in 15 points and 5 assists.
2008-12-20 | Jim Murphy
Much of the talk in Salt Lake City this week has centered on the future plans of Carlos Boozer, who has given conflicting answers about his plans to opt out of his contract and test free agency this summer. He’s also equivocated about his desire to remain in Salt Lake City (he owns houses in both Los Angeles and Miami, and a move to the Heat is a frequent subject of speculation). Further speculation has swirled over the seriousness of his current quadricep injury and just how intently Boozer is working to get back in the lineup.
2008-12-20 | Jim Murphy
The underdog Richmond Spiders dominated traditional powerhouse Montana on Friday night to win the school’s first 1-AA/FCS football title. The Spiders used a power rushing game and solid ball control football to open up a 21-0 halftime lead and were never threatened. The Wolfpack were kept off the board altogether until early in the fourth quarter, and with Richmond controlling the clock and moving the chains it was too little too late and the Spiders prevailed 24-7.
2008-12-19 | Jim Murphy
Sundin has yet to play this season as he’s weighed a variety of options, including retirement. After narrowing the candidates down to two teams, he passed up the New York Rangers’ offer to join the Canucks. He’s expected to join the team just after Christmas, and could make his debut on 12/28 as the Canucks host the Ottawa Senators at GM Place.
2008-12-19 | Jim Murphy
Not surprisingly, the catalyst behind the Colts’ late season renaissance has been Peyton Manning who has regained his MVP form after a slow start. On Thursday night, Manning completed 29 of his 34 attempts for 364 yards and 3 TDs with no interceptions. His Jacksonville counterpart, David Gerrard, also played well as he racked up 329 yards on 28 of 41 passing with a touchdown and interception. The Jaguars held the edge in most of the major statistical categories—first downs, total yardage and time of possession—except for the one that really counts: the final score.
2008-12-19 | Jim Murphy
Like so much “conventional wisdom”, the reality isn’t necessarily as cut and dried as most people think. In 1984, the Blazers already had a future Hall of Famer at shooting guard in the person of Clyde Drexler. Until Jordan started compiling his fistful of NBA title in the early 1990’s, many considered Drexler—and not MJ—to be the best shooting guard in the league. With Bowie, the Blazers simply chose the best player available to fill their most pressing need. Hindsight is 20/20, but the choice of Bowie made perfect sense at the time.
2008-12-18 | Jim Murphy
The current streak is tied for the third longest in Celtics history, and the all time franchise streak of eighteen games is well within reach. Boston plays their next three games at home—where they’re 14-1 this season—against opponents with losing records (Chicago, New York and Philadelphia). Kevin Garnett, who went 5-5 in the 4th quarter to pace the Celtics to the 88-85 win over the feisty Hawks, suggested that minor accomplishments like winning streaks aren’t the team’s focus.
2008-12-18 | Jim Murphy
That could all change soon, with a number of reports, rumors and speculations suggesting that Mayweather is considering a return to boxing for a high profile fight and corresponding payday. It all started right about the time that Manny Pacquaio dominated Oscar De La Hoya to cement his claim to the title of best “pound for pound” fighter in the world. The next likely opponent for Pacquaio was Ricky Hatton who not only would offer the most credible challenge but also provide the most lucrative matchup.
2008-12-18 | Jim Murphy
Even before the decision was made to cancel the 2009 season, it had been a tumultuous off-season for the Arena Football League. It began with the resignation of long time AFL commissioner David Baker just two days before the Arena Bowl championship game. Though Baker put a positive spin on his resignation saying that he felt it was “time”, the timing was curious. Imagine the symbolic weight of the gesture were David Stern to resign right before the NBA finals, or Roger Goodell to step down before the Superbowl—even though Baker insisted that it the decision was strictly for personal reasons it doesn’t exactly send a positive signal about the stability of the league.
2008-12-17 | Jim Murphy
Kenseth has been one of NASCAR’s most consistent drivers throughout his career, and until 2008 his entire team was the picture of efficiency. Longtime crew chief Robbie Reiser was given much of the credit for the success, and after the 2007 season he was promote to a managerial role overseeing all of the Roush Fenway Racing Team operations. Bolin was promoted to crew chief and the results suggest that he was not ready for such a demanding role.
2008-12-17 | Jim Murphy
The latest superstar to long for a return to the ice is Peter Forsberg, who has already retired and come back one before. He hung up the skates after the 2006-2007 only to make a late season comeback with the Colorado Avalanche in 2007-2008. He retired again prior to the start of this season but has since made clear his intention to return to the NHL. In an interview on a Swedish hockey program Forsberg made the following statement.
2008-12-17 | Jim Murphy
Since he can no longer serve as an internal distraction to the team, Marbury did what any borderline psychotic would do when he just so happened to be in L.A. on “business” at the same time the Knicks were in town to play the L.A. Lakers—he bought a ticket to the game and sat courtside in hopes to make a scene. While he clearly hoped that his presence would somehow cause his former teammates to come unglued, they clearly didn’t care less. In fact, they played very well against the 21-3 Western Conference leaders before coming up short in a 116-114 loss.
2008-12-15 | Jim Murphy
A scoreless third quarter gave way to a wild final period, which began with Dallas going up 14-3 on another TD pass from Romo to Dion Anderson from 1 yard out. Defense and special teams kept the Giants in the game, as Mathias Kiwanuka tackled Romo in the end zone for a safety a few minutes later. John Carney added another 3 points from 47 yards out later in the quarter before Dallas iced the game with just over two minutes to play on a 38 yard TD run by Tashard Choice.
2008-12-15 | Jim Murphy
Though both fighters were making their pro MMA debut, Lashley’s superior training at American Top Team was evident from the opening bell. He quickly cut off the cage, moving forward and stalking Franklin before catching his opponent with a powerful takedown. On the ground, he mounted an effective ‘ground and pound’ attack that opened up a cut over Franklin’s left eye. Franklin extricated himself and regained a standing position, only to have Lashley unleash a barrage of punches demonstrating sound technique and impressive footwork.
2008-12-15 | Jim Murphy
The Rams not only “didn’t take care of it” in the first half but gave the game away entirely in the second. The Seahawks chipped away in the third quarter, using two Olindo Mare field goals to draw within four points entering the final period. Josh Brown extended the St. Louis lead with a FG early in the frame, but Seattle scored 10 points in the final 2:47 seconds to steal the victory. T.J. Duckett started the rally with a short TD run just before the two minute warning, and kicker Brown sealed the victory with a 27 yard FG as time expired.
2008-12-14 | Jim Murphy
Tebow was attempting to become only the second two time winner in history, equaling Archie Griffin’s 1974-75 achievement. Interestingly, Tebow drew the most first place votes among the candidates—he finished with 309 first place votes to 300 for Bradford and 266 for McCoy. Were Tebow not such a classy and gracious individual, he’d have a case to incite a “voting controversy” worthy of Bush v. Gore as what this seems to suggest is that some voters “sandbagged” Tebow to undermine his chances and increase the chances of other players.
2008-12-14 | Jim Murphy
In front of his adopted home fans in Manheim, Germany Klitschko had no problem whatsoever with Rahman whose handspeed has slowed considerably in the twilight of his career. He had great difficulty getting inside to effective mount an offense against Klitschko, a problem exacerbated by his seeming somewhat “gun shy”. Rahman’s best moments came in the fourth round, where he did some solid work to the body of the heavyweight champion.
2008-12-14 | Jim Murphy
The UFC concluded the 8th season of their reality show “The Ultimate Fighter” with the “Ultimate Fighter Finale” at the Palms Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. With a six figure UFC contract on the line for the light heavyweight and lightweight victor in the co-main events, and an opportunity for other contestants from this and prior seasons of “TUF” to fight before a nationwide TV audience there was a lot of up-and-coming talent on display—and no shortage of surprises.
2008-12-13 | Jim Murphy
Kobe Bryant led all scorers with 32 points for the Lakers while contributing 7 rebounds. Pau Gasol added 18 points and 11 boards, while Trevor Ariza scored 13 off the bench. John Salmons paced the Kings with 26 points with Beno Udrih and Francisco Garcia scoring 17 and 13 respectively. The Lakers scored more than 100 points for their fourteenth consecutive game, averaging a hefty 111.4 PPG during the run. The Kings, meanwhile, have allowed more than 100 points in 39 of their last 53 games.
2008-12-13 | Jim Murphy
Former Orange player Doug Marrone has been hired by Syracuse University and charged with the task of resurrecting the moribund program. He’ll replace Greg Robinson, who was fired by the school in November after posting a woeful 10-37 mark in four seasons at the helm.
2008-12-13 | Jim Murphy
Wood has a career mark of 77-61 with a 3.65 ERA, all with the Chicago Cubs. He performed well in his first season in the closer role, saving 34 games for the NL Central Division winners. Wood reached a tentative agreement with the Indians over a week ago, but had to pass a physical before the deal was consummated.
2008-12-12 | Jim Murphy
The Celtics Paul Pierce led all scorers with 28 points, while Kevin Garnett added 19 points and 10 boards. Center Kendrick Perkins chipped in 9 points and pulled down 13 rebounds. New Orleans was led by 23 points from David West, who also contributed 14 rebounds. Chris Paul added 20 points and 14 assists for the Hornets.
2008-12-12 | Jim Murphy
In any other season, the Cleveland Cavaliers would be running away with their division and dominating the entire Eastern Conference. After defeating Philadelphia 88-72 on Friday night, Cleveland ran their record to 20-3 for the season and have won 11 straight games. While they may be running away with their division—now 7 games ahead of second place Detroit—they’re only keeping pace with the Boston Celtics who lead the Eastern Conference.
2008-12-12 | Jim Murphy
Josh Koscheck is rightfully known as one of the best wrestlers in MMA, a four time NCAA Division 1 All American and the 2001 National Champion at 174 pounds. His striking has improved remarkably during his professional MMA career, to the point where it is becoming as formidable his groundfighting skills. His punching was on display in the main event of the UFC’s “Fight for the Troops” event where he defeated Yoshiyuki Yoshida with a devastating knockout that will definitely make the list as one of the best of the year.
2008-12-10 | Jim Murphy
Jerry Sloan became the head coach of the Utah Jazz on December 9th, 1988 replacing Frank Layden. He didn’t get off to a particularly auspicious start, losing his first game and posting a 3-6 mark after his first road trip. The “lowlight” of that trip was a loss to the expansion Miami Heat, who’d lost 21 of their first 22 games. His first big accomplishment was a win over the powerful L.A. Lakers on Christmas Day, and he’s been a fixture on the Jazz sidelines ever since.
2008-12-10 | Jim Murphy
The outside shooting onslaught capped an improbable comeback for the Magic, who trailed by as many as eight points in the 4th quarter, and represented a rare collapse down the stretch for the rapidly maturing Blazers. Portland was led by Brandon Roy, who scored a season high 30 points and did everything but sweep the floor at halftime adding 9 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 blocked shots. Power forward LaMarcus Aldridge added 25 points and 13 boards and four of the Blazers’ reserves chipped in double digits.
2008-12-10 | Jim Murphy
On Monday, Finkelstein responded via a press release from his Russian MMA promotional company M-1 Global. The release announced a three part video interview conducted by former PRIDE US head Jerry Millan via a translator in which Finkelstein covered a wide range of topics with specific focus on the UFC and its controversial and pugnacious boss. The goal, according to the release, was to “present the other side of the story” to the US media in hopes that they would “form their own opinion”. That’s no small challenge, since US media outlets that don’t parrot the UFC party line—or even really know what they’re talking about—are few and far between.
2008-12-09 | Jim Murphy
The decision was reportedly made by Taylor last week, but wanted McHale to agree to become his new head coach before he pulled the trigger. Reports also suggest that McHale was essentially given a “my way or the highway” proposition where he’d give up his duties as the team’s VP of Basketball operations and become head coach or leave the organization entirely. Prior to the change, McHale had ‘veto power’ over all personnel decisions but that’s no longer the case. Taylor did give McHale some time to mull it over and once he’d made his decision he swung the hammer.
2008-12-09 | Jim Murphy
Never one to rely on overpowering velocity or wicked breaking stuff, Maddux’s stock in trade was his pinpoint control and cerebral approach to pitching. His knowledge of opposing hitters was legendary, and the site of Maddux sitting in the dugout on his off days charting opponents wearing eyeglasses that made him look like a geeky team manager on a high school squad was commonplace. He was quick to share his knowledge with younger pitchers, and later in his career when acquired by a new team the rest of the staff would start to perform better almost as if by osmosis.
2008-12-09 | Jim Murphy
The Longhorns finished the regular season ranked #3 behind Oklahoma and Florida with an 11-1 record. McCoy was the linchpin of the Longhorn offense and set all time Texas records with 3,445 passing yards and 32 touchdowns as well as leading the team in rushing with 552 yards. Texas will meet Ohio State in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl on January 5th in Tempe, Arizona.
2008-12-08 | Jim Murphy
Simpson’s side of the story was that he and several cohorts were attempting to retrieve sports memorabilia that belonged to him on September 13, 2007 in Las Vegas. OJ maintained that these items had been “stolen” from him, and hatched a scheme to storm a hotel room and hold a couple of memorabilia dealers at gunpoint to retrieve them. What OJ obviously forgot to consider is the extensive array of surveillance video cameras employed by casino properties, nor the fact that one of his cohorts secretly made an audio recording of the event.
2008-12-08 | Jim Murphy
The Cardinals dominated the game statistically but were undone by careless play. Star QB Nate Davis appeared more interested in impressing NFL scouts than anything else, and was involved in all of Ball State’s four fumbles—all of which were turned into scores by an opportunistic Buffalo offense. He also threw an interception, though did gain 351 yards while throwing a TD pass. His lesser known Buffalo counterpart Drew Willy, meanwhile, threw for 206 yards and 3 TD passes—with no interceptions.
2008-12-08 | Jim Murphy
The referee had now seen enough--he addressed the crowd in Japanese stating that Hari had attacked Bonjasky while on the ground. Bonjasky was now seeing double as a result of the illegal attack and, the referee continued, this behavior was not only completely unsportsmanlike but an affront to the high standards of competition for which K-1 stands. The referee then brandished a red card toward Hari and dramatically announced "Disqualified".
2008-12-07 | Jim Murphy
There was much concern prior to the fight about Pacquaio’s ability to handle the naturally larger De La Hoya’s strength and power. That concern was completely ill founded, and the reigning ‘pound for pound’ king began to overwhelm De La Hoya from the opening round. Pacquaio’s seemingly non
2008-12-07 | Jim Murphy
Alabama regained the momentum in the third quarter, tying the score on a 2 yard Mark Ingram touchdown run and then regaining the lead at 20-17 in the final seconds of the period on another Tiffin field goal. Florida put them down for the count in the fourth, however, on a 1 yard Jeffrey Demps TD run followed by Tebow’s third touchdown strike of the day.
2008-12-07 | Jim Murphy
Not surprisingly, USC also dominated the statistical battle gaining 478 total yards to 157 for UCLA. The Trojans held a whopping 33-7 edge in first downs and a commanding 36:34 to 23:26 time of possession advantage. USC had 269 yards passing to 110 for the Bruins, and an even more one sided 209-47 rushing yardage advantage. The Trojan defense also limited UCLA to 2-13 on third down conversions.
2008-12-05 | Jim Murphy
After a scoreless third quarter, Rivers added another TD pass to Sproles from 18 yards out to complete the scoring. For the game, Rivers had a substandard completion percentage going 10/22 but picked up 214 yards with 3 TDs and no interceptions. Oakland’s JaMarcus Russell could only manage 68 yards on 9/13 passing with two interceptions in one half of play. He didn’t return to start the third quarter, reportedly suffering an unspecified ankle injury. His replacement, Andrew Walker, didn’t fare any better with 61 yards on 8/17 passing and 1 interception.
2008-12-05 | Jim Murphy
The Toronto Raptors have fired head coach Sam Mitchell after an 8-9 start to the season, making him the third NBA coach to get the ax so far this year. Mitchell went from the “penthouse to the outhouse” in record time, from winning the NBA ‘Coach of the Year’ in 2006-2007 to the unemployment line less than a year and a half later.
2008-12-05 | Jim Murphy
There’s no better indication that a coach is on the “hot seat” than when it becomes big news that he’s *not* fired and will keep his job. Such is the case at Notre Dame, where Charlie Weis will get at least one more season at the helm of the Fighting Irish. Notre Dame AD Jack Swarbrick made it official, saying that the “best course of action” is to keep Weis as head coach for the time being.
2008-12-03 | Jim Murphy
That means that Burress is done for the regular season and since the Giants also put him on the “reserve non-football injury list” it also means that he can’t come back for the playoffs either. It’s all a matter of semantics anyway, since Burress’ self inflicted accidental gunshot wound to his thigh would keep him out four to six weeks anyway. Despite swinging the hammer at their trouble prone wide receiver.
2008-12-03 | Jim Murphy
Unlike most interim coaches who are content to play out the string without causing trouble, Swinney took control of the situation immediately. He reached out to the Tiger fan base, reinstituting traditions such as the pre-game “Tiger Walk” through the parking lot of “Death Valley”. He also made some personnel moves, firing offensive coordinator Rob Spence and took over playcalling himself. Most importantly, perhaps, he kept the Tigers’ dominance over Palmetto State rival South Carolina intact with a 31-14 victory over the Gamecocks last Saturday.
2008-12-03 | Jim Murphy
New York started quickly and led 31-24 after one quarter, though the Blazers would cut into the lead in the second. At the half, the Knicks led 51-49 and held a slight edge in the third quarter where they outscored Portland 24-22 to take a precarious 75-71 lead into the 4th period. From that point on, it was all Portland as they tightened up on the defensive end and turned these stops into easy baskets. The Blazers would outscore New York 33-22 in the final period en route to the victory.
2008-12-02 | Jim Murphy
Marbury has spent the entire season riding the bench in street clothes as the Knicks seemed to be resigned to paying him $20 million a year for doing absolutely nothing. With the team experiencing some short term personnel issues due to injuries and trades, Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni approached Marbury about logging some playing time. Marbury refused twice, and the insubordination has prompted the team to revisit their attempts to rid themselves of the petulant point guard once and for all.
2008-12-02 | Jim Murphy
Burress accidentally shot himself in the thigh at a New York nightspot called “The Latin Quarter” on Friday night, not long after the Giants announced that he wouldn’t play against the Washington Redskins due to a hamstring injury. In a criminal complaint released by prosecutors, a witness reported hearing a “popping sound”. Shortly thereafter, the witness saw a bloody pistol fall out of Plax’s pant leg after which he suggested that his companions (including Giants linebacker Antonio Pierce)”take (him) to the hospital”.
2008-12-02 | Jim Murphy
Lane Kiffin definitely knows how to “land on his feet”. It was only a couple of months ago that he was sent packing by the Oakland Raiders and thrown under the bus by team owner Al Davis, who called Kiffin “a disgrace to the organization”. On Monday, Kiffin was named the new head coach of the University of Tennessee replacing Phil Fullmer who was fired after 17 years in early November.
2008-12-01 | Jim Murphy
The Redskins will take the hour long drive up I-295 next Sunday to play the Baltimore Ravens, before traveling to Cincinnati the following weekend. They’ll return home for a game against the Philadelphia Eagles on 12/21. The Giants have a tough scheduling stretch ahead of them as they host Philadelphia on Sunday before traveling to Dallas the following week. They’ll return home to play the Carolina Panthers on 12/21.
2008-12-01 | Jim Murphy
San Francisco’s defense might not have been statistically impressive, allowing 350 yards of total offense, but they “manned up” when it counted limiting Buffalo to one field goal in four trips to the “red zone”. The Niners scored the only TD of the game in the first quarter when Shaun Hill found Isaac Bruce in the end zone from 12 yards out. They would add a 50 yard Joe Nedney FG as time expired in the 2nd quarter to take a 10-0 halftime lead into the locker room. The only scoring that the Bills were able to muster came on a 22 yard Rian Lindell FG midway through the third quarter.
2008-12-01 | Jim Murphy
New England scored first on a 2 yard Sammy Morris TD run and after trading field goals with the Steelers found themselves up 10-3 midway through the second quarter. Pittsburgh would tie the game before halftime on a 19 yard Ben Roethlisberger TD pass to Santonio Holmes.
2008-11-30 | Jim Murphy
If you’re going to beat USC, you’ve got to catch them early in the season. With the victory, Pete Carroll improved his record in November to 27-0 since taking over the Trojan program. The win also represented the Trojans seventh straight over the Irish, which is their longest run of futility against any opponent since they lost eight straight to Michigan State from 1955 to 1963. Charlie Weis, on the other hand, lost his eighth straight and tenth of last 11 against a top 25 team. The Irish have lost a total of 15 games in the past two years—the worst two year stretch in Notre Dame football history.
2008-11-30 | Jim Murphy
Having a field day against the Warriors was Chris Duhon, who shredded their defense for a franchise record 22 assists to go along with 12 points. Duhon broke a record that had stood since 1958 when Ritchie Guerin had 21 assists against the St. Louis Hawks. David Lee added a career high 37 points and 21 rebounds. Newly acquired Al Harington added 36 points and 12 boards for New York. Overall, the Knicks put up 82 first half points, including 43 in the second quarter—both marks are Madison Square Garden records.
2008-11-30 | Jim Murphy
Minnesota started reasonably well, and even led by 6 after the first quarter at 31-25. Things went downhill in a hurry for Minnesota from that point, as Denver would outscore them in the second and third quarters by a 62-39 margin to make the outcome a foregone conclusion before the midway point of the second half. The third quarter, with Billups keying a 14-0 run en route to a 27-16 frame, was by his estimation the team’s best since he became a Nugget.
2008-11-29 | Jim Murphy
After a closely contested first half, the Hornets managed to take a four point lead early in the second half on baskets by Peja Stojakovic and James Posey. It was all downhill from there, as Portland went on a 17-0 run in the third quarter to put the game on ice. The Blazers would stretch their lead to 17 points late in the game before settling for the final 15 point margin of victory. Stojakovic led the Hornets with 21 points, while Chris Paul added 16 points, six rebounds and six assists.
2008-11-29 | Jim Murphy
Williams had 13 points and 15 assists in 27 minutes of play. He got to rest for the entire fourth quarter after the Jazz shellacked the Kings 44-17 in the third quarter. The 44 point outburst was the most in one quarter by a Utah team since they scored 46 against the same Kings in 1992, when John Stockton and Karl Malone still roamed the hardwood of the arena then known as the Delta Center. To put things into more perspective, in 1992 the Jazz were only one year removed from playing their home games at the old Salt Palace arena.
2008-11-29 | Jim Murphy
The two teams traded touchdowns in the first quarter, with Fresno’s Damion Owens scoring on a 68 yard interception return to put his team up 7-0. Broncos QB Kellen Moore quickly recovered, and tied the game three minutes later on a 9 yard TD pass to Jeremy Childs. The second quarter was even less eventful, with two Boise FGs by Kyle Brotzman to one by Fresno’s Kevin Goessling giving the home team a 3 point lead at the break.
2008-11-28 | Jim Murphy
After being held to 45 yards rushing against the Jets last week, the Titans’ running backs ran wild for 292 yards against their hapless hosts with Chris Johnson racking up 125 yards and LenDale White adding 106. The 47 points scored by Tennessee was the most in a single game since they scored 48 against Green Bay in 2004. Kerry Collins had another efficient, mistake free game with 127 yards on 11/18 passing with no interceptions. Even Vince Young got into the act, playing for the first time since opening week. Young threw one pass—a 54 yard completion.
2008-11-28 | Jim Murphy
Colt McCoy also continued his bid for a Heisman Trophy with an impressive all around offensive performance consisting of 311 yards passing (23/28) with two TD passes, plus 48 yards rushing and two rushing TDs. He managed to defeat the Aggies for the first time in three tries and set a couple of school records in the process—he earned career victory #31 as a starting QB, breaking Vince Young’s mark and pushed his passing yardage to an all-time Longhorn best 3,594 yards.
2008-11-28 | Jim Murphy
The Knicks had already resigned themselves to the fact that they were going to pay Marbury $20+ million this season to ride the bench, but weren’t about to let his insubordination go unpunished. The team suspended him for one game without pay and ordered him to stay away from the team and their practice facility until Monday at the earliest. The one game suspension will cost Marbury upwards of $400,000.
2008-11-27 | Jim Murphy
The Pistons had been embarrassed in their previous game by LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavs, but they looked like an entirely different team on Wednesday night. They had a special practice which players described as a “mini-camp” specially designed to better acquaint recently acquired Alan Iverson with the team’s tactics. Iverson finished with 16 points, and the Pistons looked more cohesive than they have sine the trade that sent Chauncy Billups to Denver for “The Answer”.
2008-11-27 | Jim Murphy
Utah’s All Star point guard Deron Williams returned to the lineup after missing seven games due to a relapse of a pre season ankle injury and helped the Jazz rout Memphis 117-100 in Salt Lake City on Wednesday night. The 117 points represented Utah’s highest point output of the year, with much of the credit for the outburst given to the return of their offensive sparkplug. Williams scored 11 points and added 15 points in his first game back and his presence alone gave the Jazz a visible boost in their energy and tempo.
2008-11-27 | Jim Murphy
The Portland Trailblazers ran their home record to a perfect 6-0 with a 38 point annihilation of the Miami Heat on Wednesday night. Before a crowd in excess of 20,000 at the Rose Garden Arena, Portland scored a season high 37 first quarter points en route to a lopsided 106-68 victory. Portland led 37-17 after one quarter and 59-40 at the half. The Blazers punished the Heat by a 30-11 margin in the fourth quarter to produce the final margin.
2008-11-25 | Jim Murphy
Ball State went up 14-0 in the first quarter, but Western Michigan answered tying the game at 14-14 early in the 2nd. That’s when Lewis and Davis took over, and Ball State ran off 24 unanswered points to stake the Cardinals to a 38-14 lead heading into the final quarter. Western Michigan scored early in the fourth to cut the lead to 38-21 but MiQuale Lewis ran for his final touchdown with just under five minutes to play to put the game on ice.
2008-11-25 | Jim Murphy
Brees threw for 323 yards on 20 of 26 passing, with four TD passes and no interceptions. The Saints put a total of 7 TD passes on the board, tying a franchise record. Their 51 points scored also equaled the all time franchise best. Deuce McAllister ran for his 54th career touchdown as a Saint in the third quarter, which set a new team record. Brees also has a decent shot of challenging Dan Marino’s 1984 single season record of 5,084 yards passing—he’s got 3,574 yards with five games remaining.
2008-11-25 | Jim Murphy
The Wizards opened the season by losing their first five games, then upset the Utah Jazz to avoid their first 0-6 start in franchise history. That success was short lived, however, as they immediately went back in the tank losing their next four games. The last straw was likely a sloppy 122-117 loss to the NY Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night—after a couple of trades the Knicks dressed the NBA minimum eight players and only had seven players available as petulant guard Stephon Marbury refused to play.
2008-11-24 | Jim Murphy
Brett Favre played one of his most effective games in a Jets uniform, racking up 224 yards on 25-32 passing including two TD passes and 1 interception. New York has now won five straight games after a 3-3 start to the Favre era. The Jets dominated the time of possession battle, 40:30 to 19:30 and simply wore out the Titans defense in the process. Favre wasn’t going so far as to proclaim his team the best in the NFL, but he did sound a bullish note on their victory over Tennessee.
2008-11-24 | Jim Murphy
This is Pacman’s second “second chance” from the league after he was suspended for the entire 2007 season for his off field behavior. He was acquired by the Dallas Cowboys in the offseason, and the NFL agreed to give him another chance convinced in part by the team’s assignment of a “security detail” to follow Pacman around and presumably keep him out of trouble. Ironically, it was that “security detail” that precipitated his latest “indefinite” suspension by the league—Pacman got into a drunken scuffle with one of his bodyguards at a Dallas area strip club. The NFL took a dim view of Pacman’s choice of leisure time activities and swung the hammer.
2008-11-24 | Jim Murphy
Last Wednesday, the Detroit Pistons played perhaps their best game since the Chauncy Billups/Alan Iverson trade as they ended Cleveland’s eight game winning streak with a decisive triumph. It’s been all downhill since, beginning with an 18 point blowout loss at Boston the following night. The Pistons struggles may have reached a nadir, however, as they were dominated at home on Sunday by the lowly Minnesota TWolves. The Wolves routed the Pistons 106-80 to win for the first time all season on the road and improve their overall record to 3-9.
2008-11-23 | Jim Murphy
The scoring floodgates opened in the first minute of the second quarter when OU’s Chris Brown ran it in from three yards out. Those were the first of 35 second quarter points for the Sooners who scored via the air on two TD passes from Sam Bradford (19 and 28 yards), along with another rushing TD for both Brown and Murray. Tech’s Graham Harrell found Tremain Swindall from 25 yards out during the period, but it did little to mitigate the damage from the Sooner barrage. When the smoke had cleared Oklahoma entered the locker room with a 42-7 halftime lead that they’d never relinquish.
