Sir Charles Barkley arrested - I wonder will he blame whitey lol

Barkely blames the "white man" for almost everything else. It seems Sir Charles was sipping the ole' tub water last night...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081231/ap_on_sp_bk_ne/bkn_charles_barkley_arrest

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Charles Barkley was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol early Wednesday.

An officer with a law enforcement task force that targets drunken driving saw the former NBA star run a stop sign around 1:30 a.m., said Gilbert police Lt. Eric Shuhandler.

Barkley, 45, failed standard field sobriety tests after the officer smelled alcohol on him, and he was arrested. Barkley declined to submit to a breath test but was given a blood test. The results weren't immediately available.

After Barkley was processed, he was cited and released. His car was impounded and he left in a cab, Shuhandler said.

Shuhandler said Barkley was cooperative, and that it is customary to release people after they've been arrested on suspicion of DUI.

"There was nothing unusual about how he was taken into custody," Shuhandler said. "He was treated exactly like we treat anybody else."

Barkley was arrested in Scottsdale's Old Town area, one of the trendiest spots in the Phoenix metro area.

A television commentator for NBA games, the former Auburn player was inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame last month.

He played 16 NBA seasons for the Philadelphia 76ers, Phoenix Suns and Houston Rockets, and played on the 1992 and 1996 Olympic teams. Barkley was an 11-time NBA All-Star and league MVP in 1993.

Selected one the NBA's 50 greatest players in 1996, he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.

Help Ashley Judd

Geez, she needs to cuddle with me lol.....

Two Time NBA MVP Steve Nash hurt

http://www.sportsnetwork.com/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=sportsnetwork&page=nba/news/news.aspx?id=4200091

Oklahoma City, OK (Sports Network) - Shaquille O'Neal recorded 28 points and 12 rebounds, and the Phoenix Suns overcame an early exit from Steve Nash to best the lowly Oklahoma City Thunder, 110-102.

Nash experienced back spasms early in the first quarter and left after just nine minutes of action without recording a point and did not return.

Matt Barnes picked up the slack with 19 points for Phoenix, which snapped a four-game road losing streak. Amare Stoudemire scored 14 points and dished out five assists before fouling out late in the game.

Rookie Russell Westbrook tallied a career-high 31 points to go with five assists, while Jeff Green finished with 22 points and 11 boards for the Thunder, who have dropped five straight overall and fell to 3-29 this season.

Kevin Durant had 18 points and eight boards in the loss.

There was hardly any defense in a first quarter that ended in a 34-34 tie. A 14-2 spurt that ended the half -- aided by two three-pointers from Barnes -- had the visitors up 60-55 at the break.

The third frame was another offensive showcase as the Suns held a five-point lead, 92-87, leading up to the fourth quarter.

A Dee Brown three-ball and a Jared Dudley bucket pushed Phoenix's lead to 10 in the first minute of the final frame, and Oklahoma City went more than five minutes without scoring.

The difference was 104-89 before nine consecutive points brought the Thunder within striking distance. Stoudemire and O'Neal halted the rally with back-to- back baskets for a 10-point lead with two minutes to play and the hosts didn't have the fire power to mount a comeback.

Game Notes

The Suns had lost two of three coming into the game...Phoenix has won seven in a row versus the Seattle/Oklahoma City franchise...Grant Hill had 11 points for Phoenix, while Desmond Mason scored 12 for Oklahoma City.

Mike Shanahan fired

Two time Superbowl winner Mike Shanahan was fired yesterday -

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jm_GPt2jmT8wZDlX03VHkBlZYgkAD95DLHTG0

DENVER (AP) — Over the past few years, Mike Shanahan, the vice president of football operations, didn't do Mike Shanahan, the coach, any favors.

In the end, both got fired.

The Denver Broncos parted ways with Shanahan on Tuesday following a late-season fizzle that knocked the team out of the postseason for a third straight season.

The collapse was complete with a 52-21 debacle at San Diego, with the Chargers rallying for the AFC West crown as Denver became the first team since divisional play started in 1967 to blow a three-game lead with three games left.

A dreadful defense — one built by Shanahan, the personnel man — was mostly to blame.

"After giving this careful consideration, I have concluded that a change in our football operations is in the best interests of the Denver Broncos," said owner Pat Bowlen, whose team finished 8-8.

Shanahan had a good run in Denver, leading the Broncos to two Super Bowl victories behind the legs of Terrell Davis and the arm of John Elway.

But life without Elway wasn't all that rosy; the Broncos have won only one playoff game since No. 7 retired after the second championship.

Over the past 10 years, Shanahan burned through three quarterbacks, five defensive coordinators and untold millions of dollars trying to get the Broncos back to the top. It didn't work.

The latest, most serious problem was the defense. Coordinator Bob Slowik attempted a different scheme seemingly every week — 3-4, 4-3, blitzes, zones, etc. — but the lack of talent was something no coach or scheme could overcome. Denver finished 29th in overall defense and last, at minus-17, in turnover margin.

It was Shanahan, in charge of every aspect of the Broncos, who put together the defense. This year, in his latest attempt to fix things, he brought in Boss Bailey, Niko Koutouvides and Dewayne Robertson in the offseason. But Bailey got hurt, Koutouvides couldn't get on the field — even with injuries at linebacker — and Robertson wasn't much help on the defensive line.

The team also said goodbye to John Lynch in training camp but free agents Marquand Manuel and Marlon McCree weren't the solutions at safety. Cornerback Champ Bailey had his worst season ever, missing almost two months after tearing a groin at New England in October and never regaining his All-Pro form.

"I'm part of the defense that didn't play well," defensive lineman Ebenezer Ekuban said. "You feel a little like it's your fault for what happened."

The 2008 Broncos also had a slew of injuries in the backfield — seven were placed on injured reserve.

But churning out tailbacks has never been Shanahan's problem. Davis, Olandis Gary, Reuben Droughns and Tatum Bell were all unheralded. All ran for 1,000 yards for the Broncos, leading to the notion that anyone could gain yardage in Shanahan's system.

Given all the ailments, some of the Broncos figured he'd get a pass for this season.

Didn't happen.

Shanahan and Bowlen were scheduled to hold news conferences Wednesday. Shanahan had three years left on his contract, worth about $20 million.

"The Broncos have had so much success under his tenure, you felt like he had it until he wanted to stop," said Spencer Larsen, a rookie fullback and linebacker. "I thought he was tremendous. Great person. He was always true to his word. He had a very good handle on the whole organization."

Shanahan went 146-91 in 14 seasons with Denver, including the playoffs. However, he was a pedestrian 24-24 over the last three seasons.

The new coach coming in will have pieces to work with — the offense is fully loaded. With Pro Bowlers Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall, rookie wideout Eddie Royal and a young offensive line, the Broncos finished with the second-best offense in the league.

It's that defense that needs work. The Broncos gave up 448 points this season, third-worst in the NFL.

Defensive deficiencies aside, Ekuban thinks the team is on the right path.

"Whoever comes in is going to have a well-stocked team that should be ready to go," said Ekuban, a pending free agent who hopes to be back. "As any year, some things are going to change. But I wouldn't touch that offense ... They did a tremendous job. Wish we could've helped."

The ousting of Shanahan came as a shock in Denver.

Bowlen has remained fiercely loyal to Shanahan over the years, viewing him as a coach who constantly redefined his operation to keep up with the ever-evolving league.

So entrenched was Shanahan, he's building a 35,000-square-foot house in a posh part of Denver, the mansion complete with a bowling alley and racquetball court.

Now he's out of a job — at least temporarily.

Shanahan went on the air last summer to declare Denver would make the playoffs in 2008, a brash prediction from the calculating coach.

It backfired.

AP National Writer Eddie Pells in Denver contributed to this report.

Cowher says no to the Jets

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3799959

Bill Cowher will not be in the running for the New York Jets' head coach vacancy.


A high-ranking Jets official told ESPN senior NFL analyst Chris Mortensen that the Jets reached out to Cowher on Tuesday about the job, but Cowher's agent called back to tell the Jets that his client had no interest in the opening.

"After reaching out to coach Cowher's representatives, we were informed tonight that he is not a candidate for the position," Jets spokesman Bruce Speight told The Associated Press on Tuesday night.

Initially, ESPN.com's John Clayton reported that Cowher told the Jets he was not interested because he wanted his own personnel director. The Jets official's response indicated the team was willing to let Cowher replace current general manager Mike Tannenbaum with his own candidate.

A Jets source also said Tannenbaum said he was willing to adjust his position to accommodate Cowher.

Cowher had not given the Jets the impression he must have total control of personnel, a person familiar with the search told AP. Still, Cowher took his name out of the running without a formal sit-down.

Whoever will coach the Jets, there also is the issue of quarterback Brett Favre. While team owner Woody Johnson and Tannenbaum have said they want Favre back next season, a source familiar with the organization's thinking told Newsday "while they're open to Favre returning, Woody Johnson and Mike Tannenbaum believe whomever we hire as the new coach should have significant input on that decision."

Sources told ESPN's Ed Werder that the 39-year-old Favre has been told by doctors that pain in his right shoulder this season is a result of a torn biceps tendon and some calcification in the area, but Favre would need nothing more than arthroscopic surgery to repair the injury.

The sources Tuesday also said Favre might be able to avoid an arthroscopic procedure altogether if he decides to play a 19th NFL season.

Cowher originally told friends the Jets' job interested him for several reasons. First, Cowher would love to coach in the New York market. Second, two of his daughters are either going to school or working in the New York-New Jersey area.

If Cowher doesn't take an open NFL head coaching job this offseason, he does plan to coach in 2010, sources told Clayton. In 2009, though, he is willing to return only if every situation is right for him. He wanted to have a two-year break from coaching to be with family and recharge.


Last weekend, Cowher met with Browns owner Randy Lerner, who asked him what it would take financially for him to be the Browns coach. Having a close relationship with the Rooney family in Pittsburgh and still wanting more time with family, Cowher didn't give Lerner a price, and said no.



Cowher, 51, was 161-99-1 in 15 seasons with Pittsburgh, including a Super Bowl win in 2006.

Cowher recently extended his contract with CBS for another season.


In addition to Cowher, the Jets are also lining up interviews with other candidates, including Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo. The Giants have granted the Jets permission to speak with Spagnuolo regarding their opening, sources told ESPN's Rachel Nichols.

New York is also expected to interview a pair of in-house candidates: offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer and offensive line coach Bill Callahan, who also served as assistant head coach under Eric Mangini, who was fired as head coach Monday. Mike Shanahan, fired by Denver on Tuesday night, could also be a potential candidate.

Spagnuolo has become a popular candidate given the Giants' success on defense the last two seasons under him. The 49-year-old defensive coordinator has been mentioned in connection with the vacant Detroit and Cleveland jobs, as well as the Jets.

He was hired by the Giants in January 2007 after working eight years under Jim Johnson with the Philadelphia Eagles' defense. Spagnuolo was considered for the Washington Redskins job after the Giants upset the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl last season, but he chose to remain with New York.



Chris Mortensen is a senior NFL analyst for ESPN. Information from ESPN.com's John Clayton, ESPN's Rachel Nichols and The Associated Press was used in this report.

Give Drew Brees the MVP

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/97604-why-is-no-one-talking-about-drew-brees-5000-yard-passing-season

Has the sports-news world gone mad or is it just me?

I must have been the only one who saw Drew Brees become only the second quarterback in NFL history to throw for over 5,000 yards in a single season.

I certainly didn't see much mention of it on nfl.com or sportsillustrated.com and the game has long been over.

This deserves to be a headline.

Breese's 5,069 passing yards fell only 15 yards short of the NFL record that Dan Marino set in 1984. Yet, where is the recognition this guy deserves?

First of all, I'm a Colts fan and I don't care much about the Saints as they have nothing to do with my team's future, but you have to put your personal convictions aside for a moment and realize the monumental significance of this event.

I personally feel that Brees should be the one and only person included in the debate of who will be winning the league MVP along side Peyton Manning.

And you know how much I love Manning.

But back to Drew Brees. His season totals are as follows...

5,069 yards, 34 touchdown passes, 17 interceptions, and a quarterback rating well above 96.0.


Yes, that is disappointing as a "team!"

That is the key word here people because the Saints as a "team" lost half of their games. Not Brees.

How many do you think they would have won without Brees?

Today's loss to Carolina was a perfect example. Despite throwing for 386 yards and four touchdowns (one of them coming on what looked to be a game-winning drive) the Saints still lost.

So I ask this question, if Brees played with the Steelers defense and he won the game 31-10, you'd be calling this man the league MVP wouldn't you?

So how on earth does the atrocious performance of the Saints defense and a pitiful running game where your leading rusher happens to be Pierre Thomas have anything to do with Brees?

People need to stop judging the greatness of players by what their "team" accomplishes. Yes, of course your winning record is vital but there are a lot of great players out there who play like champions despite being on horrible teams. If you placed these fantastic players on better teams, they'd be champions.

Furthermore, Brees has eclipsed the 5,000 yard passing mark without a single receiver producing beyond a pedestrian-level. No player on the team eclipsed even 1,000 yards receiving and their leading receiver is Lance Moore.

Lance Moore?

Unless your a hardcore Saints fan, these names probably seem as foreign to you as they do to me. Yet, Brees has still managed to do something that neither Joe Montana, John Elway, Brett Favre, Peyton Manning, or Tom Brady have never done.

I suggest that all of you Saints fans on bleacher report gather together and try to help bring some attention to this player that more than deserves it. Brees if nothing else is an MVP-candidate and the probable winner of the NFL Offensive Player of the Year award.

He deserves more respect than this.

Nobody wants Manny

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3798366

Apparently, the Dodgers aren't going to sit around all winter, waiting for Manny Ramirez to beg to come back. They now have Adam Dunn on their shopping list.



Dunn
The Dodgers contacted Dunn's agent, Greg Genske, over the holidays, according to an executive of a team interested in Dunn. And that creates an intriguing option for both parties.

Dunn has also drawn interest from the Cubs, Nationals, Mariners and Orioles. But adding the Dodgers to that mix gives him another contender to consider. The Cubs were believed to be his top choice before the Dodgers entered the mix.

The Dodgers, meanwhile, need to infuse power into a lineup that finished 14th in the National League in home runs last season. And with no certainty that they can re-sign Ramirez, they seem to have decided that Dunn represents their best alternative.

Dunn has hit exactly 40 home runs four years in a row -- which would be four more 40-homer seasons than all Dodgers hitters combined have had in those four seasons. No Dodger has reached 40 home runs since Adrian Beltre in 2004.

After batting just .215, with only two homers, at Dodger Stadium in his first six seasons, Dunn has had much better success over the past two years, batting .389 (7-for-18) in L.A., with two home runs and an .833 slugging percentage, in 2007-08.

Dunn also would require no draft-pick compensation because his former team, Arizona, didn't offer him arbitration.

Jayson Stark covers Major League Baseball for ESPN.com.

Lions go 0-16 - makes history lol

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/recap?gid=20081228009&prov=ap

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP)—Nobody will remember the Detroit Lions came close to winning their last game. All anyone will know—now and forever—is 0-16.

The worst record in NFL history, a dubious distinction that will permanently stain everyone involved.

The Lions lost to the Green Bay Packers 31-21 on Sunday, making them the first team to go winless through a 16-game season. The 1976 expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-14) were the last NFL team to complete a season without a victory.

“I’ve got to live with this,” center Dominic Raiola said. “I’ve been here eight years. This is on my resume.”

It’s also on the resume of Lions coach Rod Marinelli, who faces an uncertain future.

“No competitor wants to go through something like this,” Marinelli said. “This is not fun to go through, obviously. But there’s people going through a lot worse than this.”

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Asked what the next step might be if he does keep his job, Marinelli said, “Let me get through step one first.”

The Lions’ last loss didn’t come without a fight. After falling behind 24-14 midway through the fourth quarter, Kevin Smith’s 9-yard touchdown run put Detroit back within a field goal.

But Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers responded with a 71-yard touchdown pass to Donald Driver and the Lions’ Dan Orlovsky threw an interception on fourth-and-27 with 3 minutes left, dooming Detroit to futility of historic proportion.

“It’s just kind of numb,” veteran kicker Jason Hanson said. “It’s here. It’s been coming, though, a train rolling down the tracks for a while. We tried to stop it. We couldn’t.”

The Lions were building toward this for years and now have lost 23 of their last 24 games. The 0-16 record will be a lasting testimony to the Matt Millen era. With Millen as president of the team from 2001 until he was fired on Sept. 24, Detroit won only 31 games—none this year, of course.

It’s so bad that some Lions can’t remember the last time they won.

“I don’t ever want to be a part of this again,” Orlovsky said. “We haven’t won since, November of ‘07, maybe? I don’t even know the last time we won a game.”

The Lions haven’t won since Dec. 23, 2007, actually, when they beat Kansas City. Green Bay is where this woeful streak began at the end of last season. Since then, the Lions have lost 17 straight and have been outscored 551-281.

Marinelli has gone 10-38 in three seasons. His future has not been announced, but team owner William Clay Ford has decided the leaders of the front office, Martin Mayhew and Tom Lewand, will be back in some capacity.

“I am positive that every aspect of what we do as a football team has to be rethought and analyzed,” Hanson said.

Orlovsky was 22-of-42 for 225 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions for the Lions, whose bid to steer clear of the record book came undone in large part because of ill-advised penalties.

Rodgers was 21-of-31 for 308 yards and three touchdowns for the Packers (6-10), and Ryan Grant and DeShawn Wynn rushed for 106 yards each.


Green Bay Packers quarterback …

AP - Dec 28, 5:24 pm EST
After a disappointing season of their own, Rodgers said the Packers wanted a win to build momentum for next season. Left unsaid was that they didn’t want to be the only team to lose to the Lions this year.

“We didn’t want to lose, no, we didn’t,” Rodgers said. “But really it’s not on your mind once the game starts. I didn’t even think about it until the fans started chanting in the fourth quarter. They played hard, they really did.”

Packers coach Mike McCarthy didn’t want any part of the 0-16 discussion.

“I want to politely try to avoid the question here,” McCarthy said. “That’s tough. That’s a tough deal. But we were focused on winning the game.”

With the Lions trailing 14-7 early in the third quarter, safety Kalvin Pearson then put a hard hit on Grant to cause a fumble, and recovered the ball at the Packers 11.

Calvin Johnson caught a pass from Orlovsky and broke three tackling attempts to score a tying 14-yard touchdown with 10:20 left in the third quarter.

But the Packers drove for a 36-yard field goal by Mason Crosby early in the fourth quarter. After a three-and-out by Detroit’s offense, Lions linebacker Ernie Sims’ penalty for a late hit out of bounds on Grant played a key role on a drive that ended with a 5-yard pass from Rodgers to fullback John Kuhn.


Detroit Lions head coach Rod M…

AP - Dec 28, 5:13 pm EST
The Lions weren’t finished, as Orlovsky used two long completions to John Standeford to set up Smith’s touchdown with 8:34 left. After the ensuing kickoff, Rodgers reared back and threw deep to Driver, who blew past Lions cornerback Leigh Bodden and ran in for a touchdown.

Orlovsky led the Lions back into Packers territory, but a taunting penalty on Smith moved the Lions back near midfield and Orlovsky threw an interception to Nick Collins.

“It was a very bad, selfish decision,” Smith said. “I let my emotions get the best of me. It was tough, but it is no excuse.”

Perhaps more than anything, the penalties got Raiola riled up.

“Stupid,” Raiola said. “You know, just uncalled for. You’re in a game like that, you can’t do that. Just dumb.”

And very much like the Lions.

Notes: Green Bay’s Donald Driver and Greg Jennings each had 100 yards receiving Sunday. Combined with Grant and Wynn’s 100-yard rushing days, it is the first time in league history a team has had a pair of 100-yard rushers and 100-yard receivers in a single game, according to Elias. … Packers rookie TE Jermichael Finley caught his first career touchdown pass in the first quarter.

McNabb makes playoff - now the fans of Philly see him as Jesus lol

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/playoffs2008/columns/story?id=3798346

PHILADELPHIA -- Periodically, the critics have questioned his talent.

Repeatedly, they've questioned his leadership ability. Endlessly, they've questioned his ability to win the big game, to elevate the Philadelphia Eagles franchise to championship status, to speak up, speak out and ward off the palpable, alarming momentum that was calling for his ouster.

And all along, all Donovan McNabb kept saying was "I'll let my play do the talking."

Then he'd display his patented smile, of course, and invite his critics to kiss his you-know-what.

On Sunday afternoon, McNabb's play did his talking -- again -- in emphatic fashion in a 44-6 stomping the Eagles laid on the Dallas Cowboys in the regular-season finale. The Eagles, who seemed out of contention after McNabb was benched in a Week 12 loss at Baltimore that left them at 5-5-1, are going to the playoffs after all.

NFC East blog

ESPN.com's Matt Mosley writes about all things NFC East in his division blog.

• Blog network: NFL Nation

McNabb, presumably, will remain in Philadelphia after all. And all this whining about whether or not he should still be wearing Eagles' green once the 2009 season rolls around should evaporate just as quickly as any credibility Tony Romo supposedly had as a big-time quarterback.

Let the record show that McNabb is still a stud, something former Eagles' wideout-turned-McNabb's nemesis, Terrell Owens, wouldn't even try to deny at this point. McNabb certainly displayed the difference between a viable QB and a wannabe (Romo), despite Sunday's passing statistics (12-for-21, 175 yards and 2 TDs) that can be described as marginal, at best.

"It's not always about the numbers you put up," Eagles cornerback Lito Sheppard said after the game. "Especially with a lopsided game like this one. It's about the leadership a guy provides. Knowing he's the one you'll be able to turn to in the toughest of times. That somehow, some way, he'll come through in the end. When you talk about what motivates a locker room, especially after the way we almost ruined our playoff hopes by losing the Washington game last week, that's what you're looking for. It's what No. 5 gave us [Sunday]. It's what he's always given us."

I've been around McNabb for years, and when he alludes to how critics continuously motivate him, he isn't lying. He means it when he says, "I've been kind of revived, I guess. They've thrown me out. Ran over me. Spit on me. But I just continue to prevail. I continue to keep my chin high. Stay positive."

[+] EnlargeJames Lang/US Presswire

In November in Baltimore, Donovan McNabb's future with the Eagles seemed bleak after coach Andy Reid benched the star quarterback.


I've rarely been one to believe the last part from him. I fail to comprehend how even someone so strong-willed, so spiritual, can't be ultimately broken by the shrapnel of criticism McNabb faces -- especially when it seems so undeserved.


There is no doubt that McNabb has made his share of errors over the past 10 years. Indeed, he should have a career pass completion percentage better than 58.9 percent. His 60.4 percent accuracy this season is a little better, but still ranks just 18th-best in the league.

At 32 years of age, he is still one of the best in the game and has more than enough mileage left in the tank. So the fact that folks have called for the Eagles to trade him is beyond ridiculous -- particularly with the limited options swirling around the NFL.

Consider just a few of the other starting quarterbacks in the league this season: Tyler Thigpen, Dan Orlovsky, Ken Dorsey, Seneca Wallace, Tarvaris Jackson.

I mean, give me a break.



McNabb overcame the shock of being benched after the first half of the loss to the Baltimore Ravens to lead the Eagles to four victories in their final five games. Now 9-6-1, the Eagles head to Minnesota to play the Vikings in a wild-card playoff game Jan. 4.

That said, McNabb still is working without the threat of a reliable running game, something that coach/general manager Andy Reid has not provided, even with a star halfback in Brian Westbrook. And with the exception of Owens, McNabb's targets have not been star-quality. He's had Todd Pinkston one minute, Freddie Mitchell the next, followed by Greg Lewis and Reggie Brown and rookie DeSean Jackson, with a James Thrash thrown in in-between.

Essentially, nobody worth mentioning.

Yet over 10 seasons as an Eagle, McNabb has 29,320 career yards along with 194 touchdowns on his résumé. He's been to four NFC Championship Games and one Super Bowl. After Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, McNabb is on par with any of his quarterbacking peers.

The naysayers keep coming, holding McNabb accountable, acting like he's being coached by Bill Belichick. It's as if McNabb's presence was keeping the Eagles from developing one of The Matts (Matt Cassel or Matt Ryan instead of Kevin Kolb.

"I think it's easier [to deal with] now because I've been through these types of experiences for years," said McNabb, acknowledging how hard-core Philadelphians help him develop his alligator skin.

"When you go through [the criticism] for the first time, you don't know how to handle it. But with me being a part of something like that, with it happening over and over and over again, the way I continue to show that it never affects me is just going out and doing my job and having fun."

LA beats Boston - Ends Streak at 19

http://wbztv.com/sports/celtics/boston.celtics.los.2.895050.html

LOS ANGELES (AP) ―
Click to enlarge
Kevin Garnett drives past the Lakers' Pau Gasol in the first half. Garnett led the Celtics with 22 points.
Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images

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numSlides of totalImages Related StoriesLakers, Celtics To Meet For 1st Time Since Finals (12/25/2008)
Celtics Win Franchise Record 19th Straight Game (12/24/2008)
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Perhaps now the Los Angeles Lakers can put the anguish of losing the NBA finals to Boston and the embarrassment over the way the series ended behind them.

Kobe Bryant had 27 points, nine rebounds and five assists, Pau Gasol scored seven of his 20 points in the final three minutes, and the Lakers beat Boston 92-83 Thursday to snap the Celtics' franchise-record 19-game winning streak.

The game was the first between the teams since the Celtics romped to a 131-92 victory in Game 6 of the finals last June to win their first championship in 22 years and league-high 17th title. The Lakers blew a 24-point second-quarter lead in Game 4 at Staples Center to fall behind 3-1 -- a deficit that's never been overcome in the finals.

The victory was the 1,000th for Phil Jackson, enabling him to become the sixth NBA coach to reach that milestone. The 63-year-old Jackson has a career record of 1,000-423 in 17-plus seasons as coach of the Chicago Bulls and Lakers. He became the fastest to win 1,000 games, surpassing Pat Riley, who did it in 1,434 games.

"Here we are, a game that's been pointed to since the schedules came out," Jackson said beforehand.

The longtime rivals have met in the NBA finals 11 times, with the Celtics going 9-2.

The Celtics entered with a 27-2 record -- the fastest start by a two-loss team. They were in pretty good shape when Kevin Garnett put them ahead 81-79 with 3:57 remaining, but the Lakers went on a 13-2 run to finish the game.

Lamar Odom had 10 points and seven rebounds, and Sasha Vujacic also scored 10 for the Lakers (24-5), who won their 12th straight game at home, where they're 15-1. Andrew Bynum, who missed most of last season and the playoffs with an injured knee, had nine points and seven rebounds.

Garnett shot 11-of-14 in leading the Celtics (27-3) with 22 points, and he also had nine rebounds. Paul Pierce added 20 points and 10 rebounds, but didn't score in the fourth quarter. Ray Allen scored 14 and Rajon Rondo had 12 assists for Boston.

A 15-foot jumper by Gasol with 2:48 snapped an 81-all tie and put the Lakers ahead for good. Allen's 3-pointer failed, and Gasol scored from close range off an assist from Bryant with two minutes left, putting Los Angeles up by four and sending the crowd of 18,997 into a frenzy.

Garnett answered with a jumper to draw the Celtics within two, but Gasol's three-point play with 1:28 left put the Lakers on top 88-83. Gasol then blocked a 3-pointer by Allen, setting up Trevor Ariza for a dunk that gave Los Angeles a seven-point lead with 1:12 to go. Bryant's basket completed the scoring.

Boston's Eddie House made his only basket with 8:09 remaining to tie it at 75. Neither team led by more than two points after that until the Lakers took command down the stretch.

Pierce scored five points and Allen added three during an 8-0 run that put Boston ahead 64-62. Then, with Bryant on the bench, Odom made two 3-pointers, and the Lakers outscored the Celtics 9-3 to finish the third period and take a 71-67 lead.

Vujacic scored eight points and Bryant added six during a 16-5 run to begin the second quarter, giving the Lakers a 39-29 lead, and they were on top 51-45 at halftime. The Celtics shot 2-of-13 to begin the period and 7-of-12 to finish it. Boston attempted only two free throws in the half -- by Pierce with 13.5 seconds left.

Neither team led by more than three in the first quarter, which ended with the Celtics on top 24-23. Boston shot 61.1 percent to 47.6 percent for the Lakers, but committed six turnovers.

Notes: Boston's Glen Davis returned to action after missing two games because of a concussion sustained in a traffic accident last Sunday, and had four points and four rebounds in a reserve role. ... The Lakers played without backup point guard Jordan Farmar, who underwent knee surgery Wednesday and will be sidelined approximately eight weeks. ... The game marked the first time in NBA history that two teams met with so few losses (seven) this late in the season. ... The game was the 10th straight for the Lakers on Christmas. They have an overall record of 20-15 on Christmas including 11-6 at home. ... It was the Celtics' first game on Christmas since 2002. They have a 10-15 record, going 9-15 on the road and 1-0 at a neutral site. They have never played at home on Christmas. ... The game was the first on Christmas between the teams since 1970, when the Lakers won a 123-113 decision at the Forum in nearby Inglewood.

(© 2008 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

ND ends 9 game bowl losing streak

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/wire/chi-ap-fbc-hawaiibowl,0,2114754.story

HONOLULU - Jimmy Clausen ended Notre Dame's long bowl drought -- and Hawaii's bid for a fourth straight Hawaii Bowl victory -- with a record-breaking passing night.

Clausen set Notre Dame bowl records with 401 yards passing and five touchdowns to lead the efficient Fighting Irish to their first postseason victory in 15 years, 49-21 over Hawaii on Wednesday night.

"I told the team that's the only thing I wanted (for Christmas). I just wanted to win a bowl game," Irish coach Charlie Weis said.

"I heard it a hundred times in the locker room after the game and they wanted to know what I was giving them for Christmas. I told them: 'a flight home."'



Golden Tate had six catches for 177 yards and three touchdowns, also Notre Dame bowl records, including a 69-yarder that sparked a 28-point outburst to help the Irish (7-6) end their NCAA-record bowl losing steak at nine.

"I'm very happy for Notre Dame. This was a great step forward for us," Weis said. "It leads us into 2009 with a good taste in our mouth."

With Weis calling the plays from the coaches box for the first time because of knee problems that require him to walk with crutches, the Irish were unstoppable.

The offense scored at will. The blitzing defense shutdown Hawaii's run-and-shoot. And the special teams wasn't too shabby, either.

"The guys came out here on a mission," Clausen said.

After the Warriors (7-7) scored to end Notre Dame's 28-point run, Armando Allen returned a kickoff 96 yards for a score. Allen also caught an 18-yard TD pass on the Irish's opening drive of the second half.

Weis said he had an injection in his knee before the game, but still couldn't walk. The last time he coached from the box was in 2001.

"It's 10 times easier. It's night and day easier," Weis said. "I haven't been up in the box since Drew Bledsoe got hurt. ... You don't want to do that long term, but calling a game from up there is pretty sweet. As a head coach, you want to be on the sideline."

It was evident Weis, who was all smiles after the game, and his players cherished its long-awaited bowl victory.

As Notre Dame was presented the Hawaii Bowl's pineapple-football trophy at midfield, each player came around to put their hands on it.

Notre Dame's victory was its first in the postseason since it beat Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl to end the 1993 season. The Irish also avoided consecutive losing seasons.

Clausen was confident and sharp, completing 22 of 26 passes. He racked up 300 yards passing and three TDs by halftime alone, sending the crowd home early.

The sophomore broke Brady Quinn's postseason school record of 286 yards passing set against Ohio State in the 2006 Fiesta Bowl.

Warriors coach Greg McMackin said, including his years in the NFL, Clausen was "as accurate as I've ever seen."

"He was outstanding, his receivers were outstanding," McMackin said.

With Notre Dame up 14-7, Clausen broke open the game by connecting with Tate on a 69-yard TD play, the Irish's longest play from scrimmage of the season.

Clausen faked a handoff, turned and heaved it to Tate, who had blew past cornerback Calvin Roberts along the left sideline. With the catch, Tate became the fifth Irish receiver to break 1,000 yards receiving in a season.

The Irish made it 28-7 with a second left in the first half on an 18-yard hookup between Clausen and Tate on third-and-goal. Hawaii challenged the play, but replays showed Tate got his left foot down before stepping out.

Tate followed it up in the third quarter with a 40-yard TD reception that pushed the lead to 42-7 and gave the Warriors flashbacks of the pounding they received from Georgia in the Sugar Bowl to end last season.

Clausen and Tate shared the MVP award.

Hawaii couldn't get much going. Quarterback Greg Alexander was kept off balance and on the run by the Irish defense, which had eight sacks and forced two turnovers.

The Warriors, who didn't call a running play until 6 minutes left in the first half, were held to 32 yards rushing.

Alexander was 23-of-39 for 261 yards, throwing 10- and 21-yard TD passes to Aaron Bain. Bain had a career-best eight receptions for 109 yards.

Hawaii fans had little to cheer about. One of the biggest roars came when the Notre Dame leprechaun's flagstick snapped in half as he charged out to the field. Notes:@ Notre Dame was designated the home team, so Hawaii wore white jerseys and used the visiting locker room and sideline. ... The Irish had player names on their jerseys for the first time since the Cotton Bowl to end the 1987 season. It renewed a tradition from the Ara Parseghian years when Irish teams did not have names on the backs of their jerseys during the regular season, but added them for bowl games.



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Bowl to end the 1993 season. The Irish also avoided consecutive losing seasons.

Clausen was confident and sharp, completing 22 of 26 passes. He racked up 300 yards passing and three TDs by halftime alone, sending the crowd home early.

The sophomore broke Brady Quinn's postseason school record of 286 yards passing set against Ohio State in the 2006 Fiesta Bowl.

Warriors coach Greg McMackin said, including his years in the NFL, Clausen was "as accurate as I've ever seen."

"He was outstanding, his receivers were outstanding," McMackin said.

With Notre Dame up 14-7, Clausen broke open the game by connecting with Tate on a 69-yard TD play, the Irish's longest play from scrimmage of the season.

Clausen faked a handoff, turned and heaved it to Tate, who had blew past cornerback Calvin Roberts along the left sideline. With the catch, Tate became the fifth Irish receiver to break 1,000 yards receiving in a season.

The Irish made it 28-7 with a second left in the first half on an 18-yard hookup between Clausen and Tate on third-and-goal. Hawaii challenged the play, but replays showed Tate got his left foot down before stepping out.

Tate followed it up in the third quarter with a 40-yard TD reception that pushed the lead to 42-7 and gave the Warriors flashbacks of the pounding they received from Georgia in the Sugar Bowl to end last season.

Clausen and Tate shared the MVP award.

Hawaii couldn't get much going. Quarterback Greg Alexander was kept off balance and on the run by the Irish defense, which had eight sacks and forced two turnovers.

The Warriors, who didn't call a running play until 6 minutes left in the first half, were held to 32 yards rushing.

Alexander was 23-of-39 for 261 yards, throwing 10- and 21-yard TD passes to Aaron Bain. Bain had a career-best eight receptions for 109 yards.

Hawaii fans had little to cheer about. One of the biggest roars came when the Notre Dame leprechaun's flagstick snapped in half as he charged out to the field. Notes:@ Notre Dame was designated the home team, so Hawaii wore white jerseys and used the visiting locker room and sideline. ... The Irish had player names on their jerseys for the first time since the Cotton Bowl to end the 1987 season. It renewed a tradition from the Ara Parseghian years when Irish teams did not have names on the backs of their jerseys during the regular season, but added them for bowl games.

Ashley Judd update - she looks good, what more needs to be said?

Yankess spend $180 in one week - I hope they fail to make the playoffs

Unlike the Braves who use their farm system to find new talent, the Yankees simply steal players from smaller market teams.

http://www.startribune.com/sports/twins/36669524.html

NEW YORK - With one more bold stroke, the New York Yankees' spending spree went from wild to epic on Tuesday. CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett turned out to be mere stocking stuffers. Mark Teixeira, the first baseman with all-around skills, is the big package under their tree.

The Yankees agreed Tuesday to an eight-year, $180 million contract with Teixeira, the top position player in this year's free-agent market.

After signing Sabathia (eight years, $161 million) and Burnett (five years, $82.5 million), the Yankees downplayed their interest in signing Teixeira or Manny Ramirez, but team co-chairman Hal Steinbrenner asserted last week that "nothing was off the table."

With Teixeira's deal, the Yankees have lavished $423.5 million on three new players. The Red Sox had long appeared to be the most likely team to sign him, but their negotiations with agent Scott Boras broke down Thursday, and the Yankees swooped in -- their usual strategy with Boras clients.

"From the moment we arrived in Boston in late 2001, we saw it as a monumental challenge," Red Sox owner John Henry said in an e-mail to The Associated Press, a reference to being competitive with the Yankees. "We sought to reduce the financial gap [between the teams] and succeeded to a degree. Now with a new stadium filled with revenue opportunities, they have leaped away from us again. So we have to be even more careful in deploying our resources."

Teixeira will get a $5 million signing bonus, $20 million in each of the first two seasons, and $22.5 million in each of the final six years. He has a full no-trade clause.

"They have the revenue sources that most don't have, and they have a lot of money coming off the books this season," said Los Angeles Angels General Manager Tony Reagins, who had hoped to retain Teixeira. "So if they're willing and able to spend, I'm pretty sure they've made some good investments."

Teixeira, 28, is the type of hitter the Yankees hope will revive an offense that dropped from a major league-leading 968 runs in 2007 to 789 last season. The switch hitter batted a combined .308 with 33 homers and 121 RBI for the Braves and Angels. He has reached 30 homers and 105 RBI in five consecutive seasons.

Preparing to move into their $1.3 billion ballpark, the Yankees will hold the four largest contracts in baseball as they try to win the World Series for the first time since 2000. Third baseman Alex Rodriguez has the sport's highest deal at $275 million over 10 years, and shortstop Derek Jeter is second at $189 million over 10 years.

All of this is taking place in a city where cocktail party talk centers on the Bernard Madoff Ponzi scheme and the demise of Bear Stearns and Merrill Lynch.

How in the world can they afford this?

• The Yankees already own about one-third of their own regional sports cable network.

• They've started their own concession company in conjunction with the Dallas Cowboys.

• They have a new, $1.3 billion ballpark opening in April.

• The top ticket at the new Yankee Stadium goes for $2,500 next season.

The new stadium on the north side of 161st Street is 63 percent larger than the old, with four merchandise stores instead of one, and 13 restaurants, lounges and food courts for the public, including a martini bar and a steak house. There are 51 available luxury suites priced from $600,000 to $850,000 each, up from 19 at the old ballpark.

Even without the income from the new stadium, the Yankees already have paid out the top average salary in the major leagues for the past 10 seasons, according to the Major League Baseball Players Association. This year's $223 million final payroll, according to the commissioner's office, was more than double the $96 million MLB average and more than eight times Florida's $27 million.

Yet, the Yankees do help subsidize the other teams. New York is paying $26.9 million in luxury tax -- just $141,000 less than the payroll for the Florida Marlins' entire 40-man roster. Throw in revenue-sharing payments, and the Yankees are contributing $110 million to Major League Baseball for this year.

"As long as we follow all the rules, which we do, provide hundreds of millions of dollars, as we have over the past several years to other teams, and spearhead enormous revenue to the commissioner's office, networks and other entities, people should allow us to run our business the way we think is the most appropriate," Levine said.

And still, the Yankees haven't won the World Series since 2000 and haven't even won the AL pennant since 2003.

This article includes material from the Associated Press and the Hartford Courant.

Meeks score 46; hits 9 three points

http://www.govolsxtra.com/news/2008/dec/20/meeks-scores-46-points-kentucky/

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Kentucky’s been making the hour-long trip from Lexington to Freedom Hall for 50 years.

No Wildcat in the hallowed arena’s long history has enjoyed a game like the one Jodie Meeks put together on Saturday.

Meeks scored a career-high 46 points — the most ever by a Kentucky player on the home floor of archrival Louisville — as the Wildcats roared past Appalachian State 93-69.

“I just told him to make all his shots and he followed what I said,” coach Billy Gillispie said with a laugh. “It’s all coaching.”

Well, that and the kind of hot streak that had Meeks threatening the history books.

The junior guard did it all, making 14-of-21 field goals, including 9-of-14 3-pointers and hitting 9-of-10 free throws for Kentucky (8-3). Meeks’ total was the most ever by a Kentucky guard and the highest point total by a Wildcat since Dan Issel scored 47 against Alabama in 1970. His nine 3-pointers tied a school record set by Tony Delk in 1996.

“I had a pretty good idea I was hot,” Meeks said. “I was trying not to force shots. My teammates told me to keep shooting. It was hard not to.”

Patrick Patterson added 19 points and seven rebounds for Kentucky (8-3), though the Wildcats didn’t need much more than Meeks to win for the eighth time in nine games.

Working off screens for jumpers, driving through the lane, getting out on the break, Meeks put together the kind of dazzling all-around display that made his injury plagued sophomore year a distant memory.

“Forty-six points, that’s a lot of points,” Gillispie said. “That’s really hard to do. It’s not like he wasn’t being guarded.”

Kellen Brand had 16 points and Ryann Abraham added 14 points for Appalachian State (4-4), but the Mountaineers shot just 33 percent from the field and had no answer for Meeks.

“He made tough shots,” said Appalachian State coach Houston Fancher. “He made shots coming off down screens, shots in their transition offense and he finished plays on the break.”

Meeks outscored the Mountaineers by himself in the first half, pouring in 24 points as the Wildcats took a 53-21 lead at the break and cruised in the second half.

The only suspense over the final 20 minutes would be whether Meeks would become the fourth Kentucky player ever to top 50 points in a game. He gave it a shot but tired late, missing his last two 3-point attempts.

Gillispie said he hadn’t planned on keeping Meeks in the game so long, but decided to let it ride after watching Meeks hit a 3 with more than four minutes left that pushed his total to 46.

“I was going to leave him in until he got to 40, then all of a sudden he went from 38 to 46 in a hurry,” Gillispie said. “That’s OK. He can do that again if he wanted.”

Meeks departed to a standing ovation with less than a minute to go as the crowd chanted “Jo-die! Jo-die!”

Meeks got started early, hitting a 3-pointer during Kentucky’s game-opening 10-0 run. The Mountaineers managed to cut the deficit to six before the Wildcats put together a 15-0 burst midway through the first half that pushed the lead to 32-11.

“We were just sort of shell-shocked there to come out,” Fancher said. “They ran off and left us and we didn’t answer.”

The Wildcats — who entered the game averaging 17 turnovers a game — gave it away 15 times against the Mountaineers, most of those in the second half with the game already well in hand.

Kentucky went nearly 10 minutes without turning it over. The Mountaineers were hardly as crisp, struggling to hold onto the ball as the Wildcats overwhelmed them from the start.

“We missed some shots early but I think we got really good shots and forced those guys to really play defense,” Gillispie said.

The Mountaineers came in averaging 80 points a game but couldn’t get it going against the bigger, stronger Wildcats. Appalachian State tried to pound the ball inside early but missed its first eight shots. By the time Brand ended the drought with a layup, the Mountaineers already trailed by double digits.

Kentucky forward Ramon Harris scored four points had two rebounds in nine minutes in his first game since being hospitalized with a neck injury on Dec. 3.

“I’m feeling a little sore, a little winded,” Harris said. “When I took my first hit on a rebound it built a little more confidence. It’s just a blessing to be playing basketball again. I couldn’t feel my fingers or my toes (when I got hurt) and that’s a really scary feeling.”

Paul sets NBA steals record

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3777137

NEW ORLEANS -- New Orleans' Chris Paul set an NBA record with a steal in his 106th straight regular-season game Wednesday night.

Paul broke Alvin Robertson's mark set between November 1985 and December 1986. Robertson was playing for San Antonio when he set the previous mark of 105, which Paul tied Tuesday night in Memphis.



Paul

Paul broke the record when he stole the ball from San Antonio's Tony Parker with 3:43 left in the second quarter. The crowd immediately recognized the record and stood in applause.

"It's just something that he does. He has great anticipation and the biggest thing is he's always around that ball somewhere, a lot like Alvin when he played," said Hornets coach Byron Scott, who was playing for the Los Angeles Lakers when Robertson set the previous record. "Chris is the same way. Guys think they got layups and then all of a sudden, here he comes. So, that's an amazing record."

Michael Jordan had the third-longest streak in that category, swiping the ball in 77 consecutive regular-season games from March of 1988 to March of 1989.

Paul's streak began on April 13, 2007, when the Hornets, still displaced by Hurricane Katrina, hosted the Denver Nuggets in Oklahoma City. It nearly came to an end last Jan. 23, when he didn't make his first steal in a game against Portland until 3:12 remained in the fourth quarter.

"He's been such a good player, offensively, and when that happens, I think most fans and people recognize that about players," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said before the game. "They look at what people score, but very few players get credit for what they do at the other end of the floor also, especially if they're good offensively. So [the streak] brings attention to what he does at the other end of the floor and I think that's great because he deserves credit for it."

Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press

Paterno to stay another three seasons - not bad for 112 years old

http://msn.foxsports.com/cfb/story/8950644/Paterno-agrees-to-three-year-extension-at-Penn-St.

Penn State coach Joe Paterno has a new three-year contract extension to go along with his new hip.

Read more at... Want the latest from Penn State? Check out FightOnState.com on the Scout network for breaking news, notes, recruiting rumblings and more.
The Hall of Famer and winningest coach in major college football history has agreed to deal that runs through the 2011 season. JoePa turns 82 on Dec. 21.

The extension was first reported by FightOnState.com.

The agreement will provide "for the opportunity of Coach Joe Paterno leading the football program through the 2011 season," the statement said. JoePa turns 82 on Sunday.

"It was also agreed that the parties might reevaluate their circumstances and alter the arrangement by either shortening or extending its length as necessary," the statement said.

The agreement ends months of speculation about Paterno's future since his current deal had expired following this season. University president Graham Spanier and Paterno had announced in the spring that Paterno didn't need something in writing to stay on a job he's had a record 43 years.

Yet contract questions still dogged both sides until Nov. 22, when Paterno said after the Big Ten title-clinching win over Michigan State that he planned to return in 2009.

He had hip replacement surgery the next day. Back on his feet and easing back into his coaching routine, Paterno told reporters last week that he wasn't worried about getting an extension done before the No. 6 Nittany Lions play No. 5 Southern California in the Rose Bowl on New Year's Day.


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"If we can work out something that they are comfortable with and I'm comfortable with before the bowl, fine," Paterno said. "I just get tired of recruits asking me, 'How long are you going to be there? But most of them are fine."

Terms of the extension were not announced.

Records released by the State Employees Retirement System last year put his 2007 salary at about $512,000. The state data did not reflect other sources of compensation such as bonuses or outside income.

As for his health, Paterno has said he is feeling fine and that rehab is going well. He's eager to get back to the sideline, where he hasn't coached from since late September.

Paterno stayed vague about how much longer he thought he could coach.

"There's no reason for me not to think that I can go for a while," he said. "Now how long is a while? I don't know."

Counting Paterno's 16 seasons as a Penn State assistant before taking the head-coaching job in 1966, the 2009 campaign would be JoePa's 60th year on the Nittany Lion coaching staff.

Also Tuesday, Penn State sophomore Aaron Maybin was selected a first-team AP All-American. The defensive end is fourth in the nation with 12 sacks.

Center A.Q. Shipley was picked to the second team, while guard Rich Ohrnberger and receiver and return man Derrick Williams were named to the third team.

Local Sports Report

UK sucks. It looks like the third season in a row that all top-25 teams will run wild against them – and I’m stating this as a UK fan. I look for U of L to pound them by at least 18. UK is a three man team, Meeks, Paterson and Liggins. It takes a team to win games, not three players.

U of L has been very up and down, even though their record shows nearly all wins. One day they look like a top 3 team. Other times they look like a top 20-30 team. This has been typical for them the past few years; start out slow, the play good toward the end of conference play.

IU thanks. I mean, at least one area team looks worst than UK. I look for IU to win around 13 games all season. I know what a low total. But mark it down. IU will finish the season below .500.

WKU – Since beating U of L these boys have looked sharp. I look for them to finish 11-5 in conference play and making the tourney once again. However, I don’t see them pulling off upsets and making the Elite 8 once again.

U of L fans; crybabies

U of L fans are the biggest band wagon jumpers among sports fan. Nothing they do ever seem to not amuse me. Three years ago all U of L fans did was brag about how they “up and coming” or the future “elite team” in college football. This was based on a 12-1 season beating up on the Major Conference known as the Big East; a conference weak compared to the likes of the SEC, Pac-10, Big 12 and Big 10.

U of L fans seem to enjoy forgetting the past. This is not the first time in history they had one great season to only turn around and go back to a .500 or less team. They did this during the 1980 and 1990’s. Funny how U of L fans never recall the bad seasons they’ve had.

If we are going to judge teams by one good season as “up and coming”, then we should get ready to fear Ball State and Utah. I wonder are their fans as insane as U of L fans? Or do they have more common sense? My guess is no fan base is as fake as U of L fans.

Since this future “elite” team has gone 6-6 and 5-7 the past two seasons, their fan base wants their coach fired. And why? Do you truly believe U of L was on the brink of being a top 10 team year after year? Going 9 and 3 in the Big East is laughable to fan bases of the SEC and other elite conferences. Going 9 and 3 in the Big East simply means you beat up on a basketball conference beating such bad football programs such as UConn, Rutgers and Syracuse.

U of L fans should stick to the truth. Maybe move to division two if you wanna be ranked in the top 10 yearly. Hey wait, I am pretty sure back during the 1970 and 1980’s you all almost made that move. After years of bad football in the weak Metro Conference and only 4,000-7,000 fans showing up in your old 35,000 seat arena, you all almost gave up playing division one football. Maybe you crybabies should do that now.

My guess for next year is 3-9. Kiss the bowl bid for next year goodbye. Kiss the dreams of a Big East Championship goodbye. And oh yeah, please kiss the dream of being Elite goodbye. Stick to basketball. At least you all are good at something. Well I take back; you all are also good at making us Kentucky and SEC fans laugh hearing you all call yourself “up and coming” in football.

NCAA Men's Basketball top 25

1. North Carolina (72) 9-0 1,800 1
Last Week: Def. Oral Roberts 100-84 (12/13)
This Week: 12/18 vs. Evansville (7-1), 12/20 at Valparaiso (3-6) Tickets
2. Connecticut 8-0 1,715 2
Last Week: No Games Played
This Week: Def. Stony Brook 91-57 (12/15), 12/20 at Gonzaga (7-1) Tickets
3. Pittsburgh 10-0 1,646 3
Last Week: Def. UMBC 91-56 (12/13)
This Week: 12/17 vs. Siena (5-3), 12/21 at Florida State (10-1) Tickets
4. Oklahoma 10-0 1,585 5
Last Week: Def. Maine 78-52 (12/10), Def. Utah 70-52 (12/13)
This Week: 12/20 vs. Virginia Commonwealth (6-3) Tickets
5. Texas 8-1 1,473 6
Last Week: Def. Villanova 67-58 (12/9), Def. Texas State 81-73 (12/13)
This Week: Def. Texas Southern 88-72 (12/16), 12/20 vs. Michigan State (6-2) Tickets
6. Duke 8-1 1,347 7
Last Week: No Games Played
This Week: 12/17 vs. North Carolina-Asheville (4-5), 12/20 vs. Xavier (9-0) Tickets
7. Xavier 9-0 1,233 10
Last Week: Def. Ohio 78-56 (12/10), Def. Cincinnati 76-66 (12/13)
This Week: 12/20 at Duke (8-1) Tickets
8. Gonzaga 7-1 1,225 4
Last Week: Def. Washington State 74-52 (12/10), Lost to Arizona 69-64 (12/14)
This Week: 12/18 vs. Texas Southern (0-9), 12/20 vs. Connecticut (9-0) Tickets
9. Louisville 6-1 1,176 9
Last Week: Def. Lamar 78-56 (12/8), Def. Austin Peay 94-75 (12/13)
This Week: 12/18 vs. Mississippi (7-3), 12/20 at Minnesota (9-0) Tickets
10. Wake Forest 9-0 1,101 11
Last Week: Def. Wright State 66-53 (12/14)
This Week: 12/19 at Richmond (5-4) Tickets
11. Syracuse 9-0 1,005 13
Last Week: Def. Long Beach State 79-55 (12/13)
This Week: Lost to Cleveland State 72-69 (12/15), 12/17 vs. Canisius (3-6), 12/20 at Memphis (5-2) Tickets
12. Notre Dame 7-2 992 12
Last Week: Def. Boston University 74-67 (12/13)
This Week: 12/20 vs. Delaware State (2-12) Tickets
13. Purdue 8-2 765 14
Last Week: Def. Ball State 68-39 (12/9), Def. Indiana State 76-62 (12/13)
This Week: 12/20 vs. Davidson (8-1) Tickets
14. UCLA 6-2 756 16
Last Week: Def. DePaul 72-54 (12/13)
This Week: 12/17 vs. Loyola Marymount (0-10), 12/20 vs. Mercer (6-3) Tickets
15. Georgetown 7-1 750 19
Last Week: Def. Savannah State 100-38 (12/8), Def. Memphis 79-70 (12/13)
This Week: 12/20 vs. Mount St. Mary's (3-6) Tickets
16. Tennessee 6-2 683 8
Last Week: Lost to Temple 88-72 (12/13)
This Week: Def. Marquette 80-68 (12/16), 12/20 vs. Belmont (3-3) Tickets
17. Ohio State 6-0 576 21
Last Week: Def. Butler 54-51 (12/13)
This Week: 12/17 vs. Jacksonville (2-5), 12/20 vs. Iona (4-5) Tickets
18. Villanova 10-1 571 15
Last Week: Lost to Texas 67-58 (12/9), Def. Saint Joseph's 59-56 (12/11), Def. La Salle 70-59 (12/14)
This Week: No games scheduled. Tickets
19. Michigan State 6-2 506 18
Last Week: Def. Alcorn State 118-60 (12/13)
This Week: 12/17 vs. Citadel (5-5), 12/20 at Texas (9-1) Tickets
20. Arizona State 8-1 431 20
Last Week: Def. IUPUI 59-58 (12/14)
This Week: 12/20 vs. Brigham Young (10-0) Tickets
21. Baylor 8-1 420 22
Last Week: Def. Prairie View A&M 90-63 (12/13)
This Week: 12/20 vs. Texas-Arlington (4-4) Tickets
22. Davidson 8-1 398 23
Last Week: Def. West Virginia 68-65 (12/9), Def. Chattanooga 100-95 (12/13)
This Week: 12/20 at Purdue (8-2) Tickets
23. Memphis 5-2 350 17
Last Week: Lost to Georgetown 79-70 (12/13)
This Week: 12/17 vs. Arkansas-Little Rock (7-2), 12/20 vs. Syracuse (9-1) Tickets
24. Marquette 8-1 240 24
Last Week: Def. IPFW 69-50 (12/13)
This Week: Lost to Tennessee 80-68 (12/16), 12/19 vs. Western Carolina (5-2) Tickets
25. Clemson 10-0 196 NR
Last Week: Def. South Carolina State 90-63 (12/13)
This Week: Def. North Florida 76-36 (12/16), 12/21 at Miami (FL) (7-2) Tickets
Others Receiving Votes
Michigan 132, Miami (FL) 64, Missouri 44, Brigham Young 37, Butler 23, Dayton 23, Florida State 21, LSU 21, Illinois 15, Kansas 15, Wisconsin 15, Maryland 10, Arizona 10, Florida 8, Northwestern 7, Texas A&M 6, Saint Mary's 3, Temple 2, Minnesota 2, Navy 1, West Virginia 1.

Dropped From Rankings
Kansas 25.

Taken from www.espn.com

I feel the pain of U of L fans

You know, if U of L fans weren’t band wagon jumpers, I’d truly feel bad for them. U of L had three good years of football. They 9-3, 10-2 and 12-1, winning the BCS Orange Bowl. The last two seasons have seen them go 6-6 and 5-7. And they don’t play in a power conference such as the SEC or Big 12; meaning their record looks even worst on paper.

As a Kentucky Wildcat fan, I feel their pain. UK is the best basketball program in history with the best tradition. The last three years UK has been average at best. We have let teams like Florida and Tennessee (traditional football programs) dominate us in SEC basketball. This for UK fans is never acceptable. Sure you lose a game to them every now and then but not have losing streaks against these football schools.

I am 26 and have been a life long UK fan. My dad is 75 and has been the same. These last 3 or 4 years have been the worst era of UK basketball either one of us can recall. I was 8 watching UK being put on probation. Sutton’s last year UK went 13-19, their first losing season in 75 years or so. They then went 15-15, 23-7 and 27-7, losing to Duke by a last second shot. The very next year UK made the Final Four. Not only that, they stayed a top ten program for years to come.

Look at North Carolina, Duke and Kansas. Those power houses have remained top 5, top 10 and top 15 teams as we speak. Even U of L has rebuilt from the mess that Crum left, becoming a good to great team the past 5 years, making one Final Four and just missing another.

People say UK fans are to tough. How so? We’ve been tough since the 1920’s. And what were the results? It was a program with the most wins, 7 National Titles, 1 NIT (when it was a real tourney), and SEC titles that are almost countless. I don’t think the fans are to blame. Sure, we may be strict and hard, but we’re also the most loyal. Studies show that per 100 household, UK fans ranked number 1 in watching games. And by the way, who packs that 24,000 seat arena weekly? So I don’t want to hear that we “ask too much”. All we want is a program worth watching.

I made myself a promise. If UK misses or loses in the first round of the tourney this year I will boycott all their games the following season. No, I won’t jump on another team’s band wagon. I just refuse to watch a boring product play. If I wanna watch a team lose in basketball, I’ll become an IU fan (sorry, had to through that one in).

So U of L fans, don’t feel bad about your football team. How do you think us lifelong UK fans feel about our beloved basketball team? I can’t speak for them all, but I get sick in the stomach. I am embarrassed to watch. To be honest, they totally suck. If we can put up with two worthless seasons of our coach, so can you.

Bradford wins Heisman

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/14/sports/ncaafootball/14heisman.html?em

Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford arrived in Norman three years ago with modest hype and low expectations. The Sooners’ coaches acknowledged that they had recruited him for depth behind Rhett Bomar, who had been the country’s top quarterback prospect.


But Bradford’s rise from relative obscurity to national pre-eminence was sealed Saturday night when he won the Heisman Trophy, which is given annually to the country’s most outstanding college football player.

Bradford, a redshirt sophomore, seemed giddy and overwhelmed as he hugged his parents and his coach, Bob Stoops, and shook hands with a row of former Heisman winners.

“I was definitely surprised,” Bradford said. “I think it was everything I imagined. It’s going to take a few weeks for it to sink in.”

His victory did not come without a dash of drama. Bradford edged Texas quarterback Colt McCoy in the voting, 1,726 to 1,604, in the closest finish since Eric Crouch beat Rex Grossman by 62 points in 2001.

In a sign of how top-heavy the balloting was, McCoy’s second-place total was high enough to have won four of the past eight Heismans.

“Now I know what it’s like for those people on ‘American Idol,’ ” McCoy said. “My heart was pounding. What a great experience.”

The third-place finisher, Florida quarterback Tim Tebow, received more first-place votes than Bradford (309-300), becoming the first third-place finisher to do so since 1956. That did not seem to matter to Tebow, who last season became the first sophomore to win the Heisman.

“You lose, you lose,” he said with a smile. When told he had been left off 154 of the 904 ballots, Tebow added, “Either they love us or they hate us — that’s Florida.”

In leading No. 2 Oklahoma (12-1) to the Bowl Championship Series title game against Tebow and the Gators, Bradford orchestrated the highest-scoring season in college football’s modern era. The Sooners scored 702 points, the first modern team to break the 700 mark. They finished with a flourish, scoring more than 60 points in each of their final five games.

Bradford led the nation with 48 touchdown passes and threw only 6 interceptions. He finished with an average of 14.78 yards a completion.

“It’s as good of an offense as I’ve ever seen on video,” Florida Coach Urban Meyer said of Oklahoma.

Bradford is the fifth Sooner to win the Heisman, joining Billy Vessels (1952), Steve Owens (1969), Billy Sims (1978) and Jason White (2003). Only Southern California, Ohio State and Notre Dame have had more Heisman winners; each university has had seven.

Bradford will also hold a place in Heisman history in that he became the first American Indian to win the trophy since Jim Plunkett of Stanford in 1970. Bradford is one-sixteenth Cherokee and has become a role model in Oklahoma, a state with a rich American Indian heritage.

“I feel like that’s another blessing God gave me,” Bradford said. “He’s given me a great platform within the Cherokee Nation.”

Bradford’s victory set up a thick subplot in the title game Jan. 8. He will square off with Tebow, who led the No. 1 Gators to their second national title game in the past three seasons.

The last time two Heisman winners played for the national title came at the end of the 2004 season, when Southern California and Matt Leinart (the 2004 winner) blew out White and Oklahoma, 55-19, in the B.C.S. title game.

Tebow said he was looking forward to the opportunity to beat Bradford on the field.

“We still get to play on Jan. 8 and decide something a little bit bigger,” Tebow said.

He added that Bradford’s Heisman victory had already provided some motivation for the Gators’ defense.

“I think so,” Tebow said when asked if his defense would be eager to face Bradford. “They’re a little bit excited. I already got quite a few texts from some guys.”

It was an odd year in the Heisman voting in that none of the three finalists were seniors, the first time that has happened in the award’s 74-year history. There is a chance that all three players could return next season.

“Hopefully, we’ll be here again,” said McCoy, who has said he will return to Texas.

In a bitter twist to what has been a tough few weeks for Texas fans, the Sooners beat the Longhorns again. Texas defeated Oklahoma, 45-35, on a neutral field earlier this season. But Oklahoma won the Big 12 South and a spot in the conference championship game because of a tie breaker that used the B.C.S. rankings over the teams’ head-to-head result.

Not only did the Big 12 championship game give Oklahoma an avenue to the B.C.S. title game, it also gave Bradford a final platform to impress Heisman voters.

“I feel like having the opportunity to play in the Big 12 championship, things would have been a little bit different,” McCoy said.

But Bradford’s winning the Heisman was another example of how it has been a good year to be a Sooner. On Jan. 8, he will have a chance to extend that success into 2009. It will be a chance for an overlooked player from Oklahoma City to write another improbable chapter in his rapid ascent to the top of college football.

“There weren’t a whole bunch of people recruiting him,” Stoops said of Bradford, who was considered a three-star prospect. “So much for those guys giving out the stars.”

Auburn hires new Football coach

http://blog.al.com/goldmine/2008/12/auburn_ready_to_announce_chizi.html

Auburn has hired Gene Chizik as its new football coach, according to people familiar with the university's search.

Chizik has called assistant coaches from other schools to compile his new coaching staff, said someone familiar with the situation.

Chizik has been Iowa State's head coach the last two seasons. He compiled a 5-19 record there.

He was Auburn's defensive coordinator from 2002-04. He was the defensive coordinator at Texas the two years after that.


Chizik's 2004 Auburn defense led the nation in the fewest points allowed, just 11.3 points per game. He left Auburn to become the defensive coordinator at Texas. He was named Iowa State's head coach two seasons ago. He has a 5-19 record with the Cyclones.

The Birmingham News has reported Auburn has also interviewed Tulsa coach Todd Graham, Ball State coach Brady Hoke, Louisiana Tech's Derek Dooley, Buffalo coach Turner Gill, Georgia assistant Rodney Garner and University of Miami offensive coordinator Patrick Nix.

T.O. Blames Romo and Witten - Jesus may be next

http://www.star-telegram.com/332/story/1089729.html

Look, it’s Eldorado Owens doing again what Eldo has always done. No new news here.

He’s an excuse-making, finger-pointing, fake-crying (that January scene is still laughable) fool. A talented football fool, although not worth the fraudulent behavior to any team with an owner in his right mind.

That’s why Owens is at Valley Ranch.

When the strong media reports surfaced at Valley Ranch on Thursday, it was no surprise Eldo was again involved in excuse-making, finger-pointing, and fake-crying, this time about his role in the offense.

Look out, Tony Romo. As if Tony doesn’t have enough problems, now he’s got Eldo mounting one of his familiar campaigns to take down a quarterback, and take down a team.

Great timing, of course. Owens could care less it’s the Giants coming to Texas Stadium on Sunday night. And that the Cowboys are in a win-or-else situation. He’s the Me Man.

But Romo must be doing something right. This time Eldo is involved in a back-stabbing campaign, based on several reports. With Donovan McNabb and Jeff Garcia he was verbally out front in going for the jugular, not the back.

In a case of bad judgment, Patrick Crayton and newcomer Roy Williams were receivers who became Owens’ lap dogs, joining Eldo in taking their complaints on Romo to offensive coordinator Jason Garrett.

Too bad for Crayton and Uno Uno. They lowered themselves to slime level. The whine of the threesome, according to Clarence Hill of this newspaper, was Romo’s distribution of passes favoring tight end Jason Witten.

A "buddy system" was the focus, which means Witten was getting more balls (which he’s not, at least compared with Owens) because he and Romo are close friends. This crap, of course, has Eldo written all over it.

Then ESPN.com’s Ed Werder followed with a report right out of Desperate Housewives, male version.

Get this:

" …Owens has expressed resentment toward Romo, apparently jealous of the quarterback’s relationship with Witten.

"Owens feels that Romo and Witten hold private meetings in which they create plays the two will use in upcoming games without including Owens in the conversations." And Romo "seeks to deliver the ball to Witten regardless whether Owens is open."

This is like a squabble in eight-grade girls’ P.E.

Unfortunately, there’s no reason to doubt the validity of any of it. It’s Owens.

For the record, Werder, a veteran reporter and a longtime member of the Cowboys’ media contingent, was "congratulated" Thursday by a Valley Ranch front office executive for "writing the truth about this guy."

Actually, the biggest worry here really isn’t Owens, or at least he shouldn’t be. Jerry Jones continues to dangle dead rats by the tail, and the snake eats well due to Mr. Jones’ pampering. Eldo is simply being Eldo.

But where is the leadership at Valley Ranch? How does Garrett, for one, allow three whining wideouts to come in for a shoulder cry without first telling them, "Hey, let me get Romo and Witten in here, and we can all hash it out?"

Weak, Jason. Real weak.

Then there’s Wade. His reply on Thursday at Valley Ranch was, "I know nothing." The sad truth is he was telling the truth. Wade knows nothing.

Jerry? He’s still in hiding after his stupid remarks postgame in Pittsburgh concerning Marion Barber’s "toughness."

Snow cone stands have more leadership than the Valley Ranch football team.

Romo, meanwhile, is coming off his Pittsburgh moment, and attempting to recover in time for the Giants.

But the irony of Owens yelping about favoritism for Witten is that Romo’s biggest interception problem of this season is attempting to force passes to Eldo. Two of the picks in Pittsburgh were on balls thrown to Owens, the first of which he was a disgrace in flat quitting on a route.

Reportedly, Eldo is still miffed because he was open on the game-deciding pick thrown in Pittsburgh late in the fourth quarter. It’s true, according to those who break down film. Owens was open at the sticks.

The problem for Romo was that he had a blitzing linebacker in his grill and on a "hot" read, threw what he hoped would be a timing route pass to Witten.

On the last play of that game, Crayton was open at the 50-yard line, and Romo flat missed him, instead hurling a pass in Witten’s direction that he never saw.

After that loss in Pittsburgh, Owens was a finger-pointing fool, directing all the blame at Romo, who had already taken the blame. It’s not that Eldo wasn’t factual, just flat wrong in saying it, while also not mentioning his gutless lack of effort on one of the picks.

Oh, yeah, did I mention the Giants are coming to town? It’s win or else for the Cowboys. But the struggling quarterback is already being blitzed and blindsided like crazy. By his own receivers.

Nice team.

Randy Galloway, 817-390-7760

Shaq finally plays like the future Hall of Famer that he is

All season Shaq has looked out of shape, old and lazy. Last night, he finally played like the most feared player in NBA history which he is known for.

http://www.star-telegram.com/190/story/1084643.html

The Suns beat Milwaukee in Phoenix for the 21st straight time, matching the San Antonio Spurs' string of 21 straight home victories over Golden State for the longest active streak. The last Milwaukee victory in Phoenix came on Feb. 21, 1987, when the Suns played in Veterans Memorial Coliseum on the city's West Side.

O'Neal hit 14 of 19 shots from the floor and 7-of-12 from the line, and added eight rebounds and three blocks. It was O'Neal's first 30-point game since March 9, 2007, for Miami against Minnesota.

O'Neal was also assessed a technical foul on a hard foul on Richard Jefferson late in the game.

Amare Stoudemire added 22 points and Steve Nash had 19 points and 10 assists on a night the Suns offense reverted to the free-flowing style the team favored under former coach Mike D'Antoni. Phoenix scored a season-high 36 points in the first quarter, then topped that with 38 in the second on its way to a season-high 74 first-half points.

Charlie Villanueva scored 24 points, Michael Redd had 23 and Richard Jefferson added 22 for Milwaukee, which has lost six of its last eight games.

O'Neal asserted himself early. The Suns shot 63 percent from the floor in the first quarter but led only 36-35 after Villanueva took an inbounds pass, dribbled 50 feet and swished a 21-footer at the buzzer.

That's when O'Neal took over. With the Suns trailing 47-46, O'Neal hit a layup and drew a foul on Francisco Elson. O'Neal missed the free throw, but on the next possession he sparked a fast break with a block shot.

After O'Neal hit another shot in the lane, he drew a double-team and dished to Stoudemire, who dunked to give Phoenix a 56-49 lead.

Meanwhile, Nash was slicing up the Bucks' defense. He had seven assists in the first half, and the prettiest one came on a fast-break dunk by Stoudemire, who drew a foul on Luc Richard Mbah a Moute.

Phoenix led 74-64 at halftime. The Suns shot 66.7 percent from the floor and had four players in double figures.

The Suns cooled off in the third quarter with Nash and O'Neal resting on the bench.

Milwaukee crept within 93-90 on Dan Gadzuric's layup late in the period, but Stoudemire hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give Phoenix a 96-90 lead heading into the fourth quarter. It was Stoudemire's second bucket from beyond the arc in four tries this season.

Notes:@ The last time the Bucks won in Phoenix, the Suns' Goran Dragic and the Bucks' Joe Alexander, Mbah a Moute and Ramon Sessions were not yet a year old, and the Suns' Robin Lopez had not yet been born. The Bucks' first-round pick that season was Scott Skiles, their current coach. Skiles did not play in that game. ... This was the first of back-to-back games for both clubs. The Suns visit the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night, while Milwaukee wraps up a three-game western swing at Golden State.

CC Sabathia Yankees' deal to be the richest ever for a pitcher

More reasons ticket prices are a joke!

http://www.nj.com/yankees/index.ssf/2008/12/cc_sabathia_to_sign_with_yanke.html

CC Sabathia has informed the Yankees that he will not be negotiating with any other teams and will sign with them for the largest contract ever given to a pitcher in baseball history.


There had been talk during the negotiations of adding an opt-out clause to allow Sabathia to get out of the contract after two or three years if he didn't enjoy playing in New York. The official did not know if such a clause would be included in the final deal.

Sabathia informed Yankees GM Brian Cashman of his decision Tuesday night in a meeting at the pitcher's home near San Francisco. After meeting with Cashman on Sunday and Monday in Las Vegas, Sabathia called Tuesday to ask Cashman to come and meet with him and his wife in California. With expected offers from the Giants and Angels not forthcoming, Sabathia told Cashman he had decided he wanted to be a Yankee.

Details were still being worked out this morning, but Sabathia will be taking a physical shortly, and an announcement is expected sometime within the next week.

Meanwhile, the Yankees continue to pursue other free-agent pitchers, with A.J. Burnett and Derek Lowe at the top of their list. Ben Sheets is another free-agent starting pitcher at whom they're considering a run. But Sabathia was their priority all along -- all of their other pitching plans were secondary to their efforts to land the 2007 American League Cy Young Award winner. Now, it appears they've pulled it off.

Sabathia's decision was first reported by the New York Post on its web site.


See more in Dan Graziano

UK goes to third straight Bowl - they didn't deserve it - and I'm a UK fan stating this

http://www.kentucky.com/817/story/619116.html

When it came down to its bowl destination, the University of Kentucky football team used the theme that ultimately decided the 2008 presidential election.

It was time for a change.

There was talk of the Wildcats, who finished the regular season at 6-6, making a third straight trip to the Music City Bowl. But UK Coach Rich Brooks and his players opted for the school’s first-ever trip to the AutoZone Liberty Bowl, where they will compete against East Carolina (9-4) on Jan. 2 in Memphis’ Liberty Bowl Stadium.

The Music City Bowl had expressed interested in having the Wildcats again, but UK Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart said the players ultimately saw the Liberty Bowl as a more attractive option.

“Part of the bowl experience is to let the student-athletes see different things,” Barnhart said. “We’ve been to Nashville several times to play Vanderbilt. We’ve been to Nashville twice for the bowl game. (Memphis) is a place that we haven’t been. This will give us a chance to do something different.”

The players seemed to welcome the opportunity for a new experience.

“I think the coaches and Mr. Barnhart knew that it was important for us to find a way to get to another city because it’s easy to lose interest,” said junior defensive end Jeremy Jarmon.

“I felt the vibe that the guys didn’t want to do the same thing three times in a row,” senior running back Tony Dixon said.

This will be the 50th anniversary of the Liberty Bowl, which also hosted Paul “Bear” Bryant’s final game as head coach at Alabama.

Brooks will be participating in his third Liberty Bowl. He played in the game as a senior at Oregon State in 1962 when the Beavers beat Villanova 6-0, and he was an assistant coach at UCLA in 1976 when the Bruins were beaten by Bryant and Alabama, 36-6.

“We’re very honored to have the University of Kentucky,” said Liberty Bowl Executive Director Steve Ehrhart. “A great part of our 50-year history is to have top programs and outstanding coaches and players being a part of our tradition. We’ve wanted to have Kentucky as a part of our history for a long time, and we’re glad it’s finally happening this year.”

“It’s great that we’re playing in the 50th anniversary of a game that I actually played in when the game originated in Philadelphia,” Brooks said. “I think it’s an honor to play a conference champion, particularly one that was as hot to start the season as East Carolina was, and the way they finished the year will be a great test for our program.”

Jarmon, a native of Memphis, made the official announcement in spirited fashion during a timeout in the second half of Kentucky’s basketball game with Mississippi Valley State.

Jarmon is no stranger to the Liberty Bowl, having played in the Liberty Bowl High School All-Star game his senior year.

East Carolina was one of the country’s hottest teams early in the season, when the Pirates posted wins over then No. 17 Virginia Tech and No. 8 West Virginia in their first two games. They endured a three-game losing streak that started in mid-September, but they rebounded down the stretch and beat Tulsa 27-24 in the Conference USA championship game to earn their Liberty Bowl berth.

“East Carolina is an outstanding team,” Brooks said. “They had two of the most impressive wins that anybody’s had all year when they beat Virginia Tech and West Virginia back-to-back, and they beat a very good Tulsa team in their championship game. They’ve got an outstanding defense and an experienced quarterback. We’ll have to play very well to have a chance to win the game.”

This will mark the Pirates’ third trip to the Liberty Bowl. Nearly 4,000 ECU fans welcomed the team back to Greenville, N.C., after the win over Tulsa.

“It’s going to be a phenomenal trip,” East Carolina Coach Skip Holtz said. “This is what we’ve talked about beginning with the first day of practice — the road to Memphis and what we’ve got to do to get there. I can’t tell you how excited we are as a program and as a university to be there. It’s a fitting reward for the team and the fans, because they put it out there on the line, too.”