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December 28, 2005
The Tsunami, One Year Later
http://todayspictures.slate.com/20051226/
Posted by admin at 03:37 PM | Comments (0)
December 27, 2005
Team Canada goes with experience over youth
There are 32 million people living in Canada and almost as many home-made Canadian Olympic hockey lists. But as of late Wednesday there is only one list that counts and that's the one executive director Wayne Gretzky and the rest of the Canadian hockey brain trust came up with, a list that included forward Todd Bertuzzi and injury-plagued Rick Nash, but did not include super-youngsters Jason Spezza, Eric Staal or Sidney Crosby.
In spite of grieving the death of his mother Phyllis, Gretzky participated in the final 50-minute conference call Wednesday morning that resulted in a veteran lineup featuring 20 players who were part of Canada's 2002 gold medal effort and/or their win at the 2004 World Cup of Hockey. That kind of experience was more important to Gretzky, et al. than the fact that a number of those selected are suffering through sub-standard NHL campaigns.
"We're trying to build a team and we're not just building a team on statistics," explained Edmonton GM Kevin Lowe, Canada's assistant executive direction. A player's track record extends far beyond October 5th this season, sometimes years in the past, Lowe said.
"You win championships by having speed, skill, chemistry and experience and we feel we have all that to win a championship," Lowe added ...
The debate won't end with Wednesday's announcement. In fact, if anything it will increase as time slips away between now and the start of the Olympic tournament Feb. 15 and will not subside until this team either fulfills a nation's expectations and defends its gold medal in Turin on Feb. 26 or fails in that pursuit.
Here's a look at the squad.
Surprises?
Goal: With Martin Brodeur a given as the team's starter and Roberto Luongo getting a free pass onto the team based on his international play with Canada, you had to figure Marty Turco and Curtis Joseph were neck-and-neck going for the third spot on the roster.
In the end Turco has put a dreadful start to the season behind him to take over the NHL lead in wins with 18 and simply couldn't be dislodged.
"With Curtis it simply was we had to pick three and it ended up that we thought as a group that Turco was a guy we really said, how do we pull him out of there in spite of what Curtis has done," head coach Pat Quinn said.
It's a safe bet Turco will not see action, however, as Luongo reinforces the notion that Hockey Canada folks have long memories. It was Luongo who came on in relief of Sean Burke at the World Championships in 2003 to lead Canada to a championship. Then, after being named top goalie at the 2004 World Championships, Luongo came on in relief of Brodeur in the semifinals of the 2004 World Cup of Hockey and stoned a dynamic Czech team to lead Canada to an overtime win. Officials hope he can provide that kind of relief in Turin.
Defense: The only surprise along the blue line was that officials waited until long after the first six defensemen were named to announce that Vancouver Canuck Ed Jovanovski had made the team. (The announcement was made in Vancouver and one assumes holding off on announcing Jovanovski and Bertuzzi until the end made for greater drama although it probably didn't help the players' disposition much.)
Critics will point to the wretched year Rob Blake is having in Colorado (he is a puzzling minus-14 and has just 22 points), but the former Norris Trophy winner is just that, a winner, so he belongs.
The same can be said of Adam Foote who is struggling through his first season with the woeful Columbus Blue Jackets. His presence on the Canadian team is even more important given the absence of Steve Yzerman and Mario Lemieux.
Some members of the blue line were part of Canada's sweep of the World Cup of Hockey in 2004 and five of the seven were in Salt Lake City for Canada's seminal gold medal win in 2002. The group is laced with a daunting blend of size, speed, skill and straight out nastiness.
"It might be among the best defenses Canada has taken into any international tournament," Quinn said. "It just has the assets in all kinds of areas. We just hope the coaches don't mess it up."
If there was a mild defensive-related surprise it came with the inclusion of Toronto defenseman Bryan McCabe to the three-man taxi squad that will go to Turin and be available if there are injuries to players on the 23-man roster.
McCabe, who leads all NHL defensemen with 40 points, edged out smooth-skating Dan Boyle of Tampa Bay and sensational Calgary rookie Dion Phaneuf.
Forwards: What does it say about your national depth when the fourth- and sixth-leading scorers in the NHL (Eric Staal and Jason Spezza) aren't named to the 23-man roster and instead are relegated to the taxi squad? It says you've got a lot of toys in the toy box.
If Canada fails to win gold, critics will look back on the omission of the three young guns -- Spezza, Staal and Crosby -- from the 23-man roster as a possible oversight. But there is no doubt when looking at the Canadian forwards that Gretzky put a premium on players who have played and enjoyed success at the highest levels of competition, even if those players aren't necessarily enjoying stellar NHL campaigns.
Shane Doan, captain of Gretzky's Phoenix Coyotes, Ryan Smyth, the man they call Captain Canada, and long-time Detroit Red Wings Grind Line member Kris Draper will all be bringing their gritty games to Turin when many observers felt there would only be room for two of the three. This in spite of the fact Draper has but one goal and Doan has six. Doesn't matter. Doan scored the winning goal in the World Cup of Hockey and all three forwards have been long-time Hockey Canada guys. Case closed.
Not that offense should be an issue for a Canadian squad that boasts Joe Thornton, Dany Heatley, Joe Sakic, Brad Richards and Vincent Lecavalier, all of whom rank in the top 23 in NHL scoring.
Some will view Rick Nash's selection as a surprise given that injuries have allowed the big winger to play in only five games this season. But Nash's play at the World Championships last spring has Hockey Canada officials believing he is among the best players in the world. The fact he has two months to get back into the shape that saw him tie for the NHL goal-scoring title in 2003-04 made his inclusion a no-brainer.
Spezza's exclusion from the 23-man roster remains the most perplexing, especially given the tremendous chemistry he and team member Heatley have enjoyed in leading the Ottawa Senators to the top of the NHL standings. Between the two they have 94 points but age (he's just 22) and lack of international experience pushed him back onto the taxi squad.
Who Got Left In The Cold?
Lowe joked after the team was announced that Canada could field two Olympic teams and they'd both be favorites to win the gold and he's not far off. Marc Savard, Patrick Marleau, Brendan Shanahan and Alex Tanguay are all in the top 21 in NHL scoring and weren't named to the team. Marleau and Tanguay were both at the Canadian orientation camp this summer but were longshots at best to be asked to Turin.
The same can be said for defensemen Chris Phillips and Eric Brewer while Jay Bouwmeester has taken a step back in his development after being so good at the World Cup of Hockey.
Two-time Olympian Paul Kariya, a shootout specialist enjoying a renaissance in Nashville, simply didn't have the numbers to dislodge any of the incumbents. Jose Theodore, a former Hart Trophy winner, played himself out of contention for a job and simply didn't have the international cachet to match that of Luongo.
Sentimental Choice?
If there is one on this team it's Smyth. His 25 points in 28 games in Edmonton are certainly acceptable enough but the bottom line is the rugged forward epitomizes Canadian hockey. A seven-time member of Canada's World Championship effort, an Olympian in 2002 and member of the World Cup of Hockey squad, Smyth is to Canadian hockey what syrup is to pancakes.
Controversial Choice?
Joe Sakic. OK, just kidding. No question the addition of Bertuzzi to the 23-man roster is the single-most intriguing element of this Canadian team. Although he has very little recent international experience (he played on the 1998 and 2000 World Championship teams), Bertuzzi was essentially guaranteed a spot on the roster back in August when his suspension for the attack on Steve Moore was lifted by NHL commissioner Gary Bettman. Although he got off to a slow start Bertuzzi's play the last month made the decision to keep him on the roster that much easier.
"In the past three weeks to a month Todd has demonstrated that he's an elite player and I'm sure will be impressive on the big ice in Torino," said Steve Tambellini, assistant general manager of Bertuzzi's Vancouver Canucks and the director of player personnel for the Canadian Olympic team.
Team Strength
For a team that really does have it all from skill to size to speed, perhaps Canada's greatest attribute will be its cohesion. NHL teams play Sunday Feb. 12 while the Turin tournament begins Feb. 15. The fact almost every player has a strong connection to the systems employed by Quinn and assistants Wayne Fleming, Jacques Martin and Ken Hitchcock through the Salt Lake City Olympics or the World Cup of Hockey not to mention the orientation camp in August means this team should hit the ground running. In Salt Lake City, the Canadians took most of the preliminary round to get into sync, that shouldn't be the case in Turin where the competition figures to be even keener for the defending champions.
"The biggest thing I think we have instant chemistry with this team," Fleming said. A little chemistry can carry you a long way in this kind of tournament.
Team Weaknesses
It seems almost sacrilege to say this, but goaltending may be the biggest question mark for the Canadians heading into the Turin tournament. And when Marty Brodeur ranks as a question mark you realize that weakness is a relative term. Still, Brodeur has not enjoyed a stellar start to the season and has been hampered by a knee injury. His play of late has improved but he does not look like the Brodeur of old. Likewise, Luongo has been at times downright tepid for a Florida Panthers team that gives up a ton of shots not to mention quality scoring chances. Both Brodeur and Luongo will benefit, naturally, from the Canadian defense, but there remains a strange element of doubt surrounding what has traditionally been a strength in international competition.
Player That Might Make A Difference?
Wade Redden was the last cut of the 2002 Olympic team. And while he doesn't have the profile of other Canadian blue liners, Redden is having a Norris Trophy-worthy season in Ottawa. Although he missed 10 games with injury Redden has 24 points in 21 games and is a plus-19 tops among Canadian defenders.
Player That Might Not?
Before his injury, Philadelphia forward Simon Gagne was on a Gretzky-like goal-scoring pace with 23 goals in 27 games. But having suffered a tear in his right groin that forced him to miss the last two weeks, his return bears close watching. If he's healthy, Gagne is Canada's most important forward. If he's not at 100 percent it will put even more pressure on Thornton and Nash to produce.
Posted by admin at 03:24 PM | Comments (0)
Kwame barely worth a boo
WASHINGTON -- They booed him upon his return to MCI Center, booed him when he walked on the floor, booed him the first time he touched the ball. Kwame Brown expected as much.
Yet as the game wore on, the boos gave way to scattered chants, then to random jeers, adding up to ... well, no more heckling than Kobe Bryant prompted, and this on a night when half the fans in the building seemed to be sporting purple and gold jerseys.
As usual, the Washington Wizards' prodigal No. 1 wasn't really worth the sustained effort. Or the sustained bile.
"That was weak," Brown said of the catcalls that came his way during last night's 94-91 Wizards victory over the Los Angeles Lakers. "They were worse than that when I was here."
As for Brown's performance? Also weak. And as bad as when he was here. The top pick in the 2001 NBA draft, Brown left Washington for Los Angeles following four ineffective, injury-riddled seasons that culminated with a suspension during last year's playoffs.
In tallying five points and seven rebounds in just under 20 minutes of action, his first road game against his former team was much like his tenure in the nation's capital -- occasionally tantalizing, often frustrating, curiously feeble for a 7-footer whose ripped, intimidating physique wouldn't be out of place on the side of an ancient Grecian urn.
To put things another way: Brown was an inept franchise savior. Given a second chance to inspire some local passion, he made for an equally lame villain.
Fans hissed when Brown shot free throws. They cheered when he missed. They hollered for Wizards forward Etan Thomas to post Brown in the first quarter, delighting in each of Brown's four fouls. Mostly, though, they had little to scream about, for good or ill.
Brown simply didn't give them a decent opportunity.
Of course, this was always Brown's problem with the Wizards: Put him in a basketball uniform and he's impossible to ignore; put him in a professional game and he's anything but, a 23-year-old player more likely to make a momentum-squelching gaffe than to throw down a ferocious drunk. That Brown spent much of the final six minutes sitting next to Brian Shaw on the Lakers' bench -- and was outhustled by Gilbert Arenas for a crucial late-game rebound -- said even more about his maddening passivity and general cluelessness than does his paltry season averages of 5.9 points and 5.9 rebounds per game.
Really, where's the fun in jeering a guy who can't play?
You [stink]! a few fans yelled at Brown.
No means no! a few more screamed at Bryant, who finished with 31 points.
Indeed, Brown's duly harsh, yet hardly nasty reception was easy to understand. This wasn't Shaq and Kobe, Johnny Damon and the Boston Red Sox, the dissolution of a passionate marriage. To the contrary, this was more like an amicable divorce -- ending badly, to be sure, but only following a tepid relationship that rarely showed signs of genuine promise.
When Brown essentially quit on Washington during its playoff series against Chicago last spring -- later offering a silly, convoluted excuse about not wanting to physically assault Arenas -- his Wizards teammates could have publicly thrown him under the bus.
Instead, they collectively rolled their eyes.
Believe it or not, Brown remains well-liked in Washington's locker room. Why not? Like a foolish kid brother, he's mostly harmless, all bark and scant bite.
On one first half play, Brown made a deft pirouette around Washington's Calvin Booth, calling for a lob pass. The ball hit him in the hand, then bounced off his forehead, Jose Canseco-style, before spinning out of bounds. Afterward, Brown appeared to motion to the stands, egging on jeers. Maybe he was just rubbing his forehead.
Either way, it was classic Kwame.
Besides, the Wizards got the better of the deal that sent Brown west, picking up Caron Butler -- a hard-nosed competitor who is admirably filling in for departed star Larry Hughes and finished with 16 points last night, including a late-game three-pointer that gave Washington a 94-88 lead.
The crowd erupted after Butler's shot, their cheers louder than any of the boos directed at Brown, past or present.
"They should be cheering," Brown said after the game. "They booed me when I was here. They should be cheering now that I'm gone. I'm confused."
No need. Washington fans booed Kwame Brown last night. Early in the third quarter, they also booed a guy who missed a promotional half-court shot -- just about as vociferously, and for more or less the same reason.
Posted by admin at 03:16 PM | Comments (0)
WEEK 17
| WEEK 17 | ||||||||
| Saturday, Dec. 31 | ||||||||
| GAME | TIME | DIRECTV® | SIRIUS Radio | |||||
| AWAY | HOME | |||||||
| Denver at San Diego | 4:30 p.m. | 125 | 123 | |||||
| N.Y. Giants at Oakland | 8:00 p.m. | 125 | 123 | |||||
| Sunday, Jan. 1 | ||||||||
| GAME | TIME | DIRECTV® | SIRIUS Radio | |||||
| AWAY | HOME | |||||||
| Arizona at Indianapolis | 1:00 p.m. | 705 | 125 | 126 | ||||
| Baltimore at Cleveland | 1:00 p.m. | 709 | 111 | 110 | ||||
| Buffalo at N.Y. Jets | 1:00 p.m. | 712 | 123 | 131 | ||||
| Carolina at Atlanta | 1:00 p.m. | 704 | 107 | 144 | ||||
| Cincinnati at Kansas City | 1:00 p.m. | 710 | 145 | 119 | ||||
| Detroit at Pittsburgh | 1:00 p.m. | 707 | 121 | 118 | ||||
| Miami at New England | 1:00 p.m. | 711 | 117 | 147 | ||||
| New Orleans at Tampa Bay | 1:00 p.m. | 708 | 181 | 111 | ||||
| Seattle at Green Bay | 1:00 p.m. | 713 | 111 | 117 | ||||
| Houston at San Francisco | 4:05 p.m. | 716 | 126 | 147 | ||||
| Tennessee at Jacksonville | 4:05 p.m. | 715 | 181 | |||||
| Chicago at Minnesota | 4:15 p.m. | 706 | 143 | 146 | ||||
| Washington at Philadelphia | 4:15 p.m. | 714 | 110 | 125 | ||||
| St. Louis at Dallas | 8:30 p.m. | 126 | 110 | |||||
Posted by admin at 03:07 PM | Comments (0)
December 26, 2005
Week 16 snapshots NFL
Tampa Bay 27, Atlanta 24 (OT):
Dallas 24, Carolina 20:
Kansas City 20, San Diego 7:
Miami 24, Tennessee 10:
Pittsburgh 41, Cleveland 0:
Jacksonville 38, Houston 20:
Buffalo 37, Cincinnati 27:
Detroit 13, New Orleans 12:
San Francisco 24, St. Louis 20:
Seattle 28, Indianapolis 13:
Denver 22, Oakland 3:
Arizona 27, Philadelphia 21:
Would anyone want to tangle with the Washington Redskins in the playoffs? I don't think so. The Redskins are as hot as any team in the NFC, extending their winning streak to four with their 35-20 triumph over the New York Giants. The Redskins have their offense humming, getting touchdown passes against the Giants from three different players (two by Mark Brunell, one by Patrick Ramsey, and even one by running back Clinton Portis). Portis also was highly effective on the ground with 108 rushing yards and a touchdown. Ever since the Redskins began playing to the strength of their offensive line, which is blocking for the run, they have been able to consistently take (and keep) control of their games. In holding Tiki Barber to 80 rushing yards, the Redskins defense did precisely what it needed to do to slam the door on the Giants.
Posted by admin at 03:10 PM | Comments (0)
December 25, 2005
Ashlee James - Too Hot to Stop
Ashlee James drips with raw sexuality in her imagery, but once you get to know her in real life, she’s truly the girl next door.
Yet in her Ezsportsonline.com interview, she presented some provocative views on sex, her Internet persona and what really makes women tick.
Ashlee is passionate and sexual but she also values romance and loyalty. For many Ezsportsonline readers, she has taken on a larger-than-life quality that she finds puzzling...
“I get a ton of emails -- so many that I get overwhelmed going back and forth,” she said. “Some guys write in almost like I am some untouchable being. While that is flattering, it also makes me feel guilty. Men put models on some pedestal that is unattainable. I am just a normal girl and if any of these guys who wrote to me live in the state of Arizona, they could catch me out at Albertson’s in the middle of the day. They would find me with no makeup on, hair pulled up, sweaty from the gym. This happens to be what I do for a living.”
A lot of men would still hit on her, sans makeup, when they caught sight of her 36DD-26-36 figure in the fruits and vegetables aisle. A native of Detroit, this daughter of attractive Scottish parents first moved to Arizona at the age of 15. She moved to Miami but found the South Beach scene a bit fast for her, so she returned to Arizona.
Ashlee gave Ezsportsonline her thoughts…
Ezsportsonline: Your thoughts on winning the contest and having so many fans?
Ashlee: This is actually the only Internet modeling contest like this I’ve ever done. I was really surprised because I entered it on a whim. I was home recovering from surgery, I had nothing better to do, and I kept hearing about Xposed.com. I just uploaded my most recent pictures that had just been taken a few weeks prior. When I discovered the blogs is when I started to get really popular.
Ezsportsonline: I recall. You sort of took a commanding presence there.
Ashlee: I would just write about things in my everyday life that I either got kind of pissed off about or I found humorous. I would write in a sarcastic manner, sort of venting, but then also making it into an entertaining little story. That’s when everybody started to catch on and then it really took off when I discovered Chelsea Riera’s page and we started playing off each other’s comments, some playful competition. The rest of the models did not have much to say. I think that’s how I rose to the top, the blogs and answering emails.
Ezsportsonline: So you had a strategy to win it?
Ashlee: Some models carry themselves like they are on some unattainable level, like they don’t give these guys the time of day. That’s inappropriate because without emailing back and forth and developing relationships, these models wouldn’t have any type of career. Let’s face it: If you are not with a major agency or get discovered overnight, you are not going to become well-known. I work hard. Every Yahoo member I get, I work to keep them there, answering emails and letting them know where they can see me. Believe it or not, I would like every Savvy member to know that every email I get, I read it even if I can’t respond in a timely manner. Every compliment means the world to me and I do enjoy hearing feedback.
Ezsportsonline: Are you still getting penis pictures in your email? That’s our most-read blog still.
Ashlee: (Laughs) I was actually not sent any penis pictures whatsoever. I have a friend who was sent one penis picture. I was just bored and created a story about it because I thought it was funny. I did not say that people had sent me pictures.
Ezsportsonline: I got that impression. It sounded like you had a flood of them.
Ashlee: I know that other models receive pictures of men’s genitals or sex acts or just really lewd things. It was more of a sarcastic thing, which I did admit to in my Yahoo group. Also, I wanted to see how people would react to my using the word “penis” because every time I use that word, people are always either cracking up or they’re shocked.
Ezsportsonline: Speaking of shocking, you’ve done some modeling that might be deemed adult content.
Posted by admin at 07:49 PM | Comments (0)
December 23, 2005
WEEK 16
| THIS WEEK'S SCHEDULE - WEEK 16 | ||||||||
| Saturday, Dec. 24 | ||||||||
| GAME | TIME | DIRECTV® | SIRIUS Radio | |||||
| AWAY | HOME | |||||||
| Atlanta at Tampa Bay | 1:00 p.m. | 712 | 111 | 107 | ||||
| Buffalo at Cincinnati | 1:00 p.m. | 704 | 143 | 144 | ||||
| Dallas at Carolina | 1:00 p.m. | 709 | 146 | 145 | ||||
| Detroit at New Orleans (San Antonio, TX) | 1:00 p.m. | 710 | 159 | 119 | ||||
| Jacksonville at Houston | 1:00 p.m. | 706 | 147 | 122 | ||||
| N.Y. Giants at Washington | 1:00 p.m. | 713 | 181 | 131 | ||||
| Pittsburgh at Cleveland | 1:00 p.m. | 705 | 125 | 118 | ||||
| San Diego at Kansas City | 1:00 p.m. | 707 | 121 | 123 | ||||
| San Francisco at St. Louis | 1:00 p.m. | 711 | 126 | 180 | ||||
| Tennessee at Miami | 1:00 p.m. | 708 | 110 | |||||
| Philadelphia at Arizona | 4:05 p.m. | 716 | 123 | 117 | ||||
| Indianapolis at Seattle | 4:15 p.m. | 715 | 143 | 110 | ||||
| Oakland at Denver | 4:15 p.m. | 714 | 125 | 126 | ||||
| Sunday, Dec. 25 | ||||||||
| GAME | TIME | DIRECTV® | SIRIUS Radio | |||||
| AWAY | HOME | |||||||
| Chicago at Green Bay | 5:00 p.m. | 126 | 123 | |||||
| Minnesota at Baltimore | 8:30 p.m. | 126 | 123 | |||||
| Monday, Dec. 26 | ||||||||
| GAME | TIME | DIRECTV® | SIRIUS Radio | |||||
| AWAY | HOME | |||||||
| New England at N.Y. Jets | 9:00 p.m. | 125 | 124 | |||||
Posted by admin at 07:02 PM | Comments (0)
December 22, 2005
Zellweger, Chesney Union Annulled in L.A.
LOS ANGELES
Renee Zellweger's marriage to country crooner Kenny Chesney never existed _ at least in the eyes of the law.
The couple's union has been annulled by the Los Angeles Superior Court, according to documents obtained this week by the television show "Extra." Publicists for Zellweger and Chesney did not return calls to The Associated Press on Wednesday.
An annulment is a judicial declaration that a marriage never legally existed.
In California, an annulment may be granted when either party in the marriage is under 18, of unsound mind, bound to a previous marriage or if the consent to marry was obtained by fraud or force.
In court papers filed last September, Zellweger listed "fraud" as the reason she was seeking an annulment after four months of marriage.
The Oscar-winning actress later issued a statement saying the term was "simply legal language and not a reflection of Kenny's character."
Zellweger, 36, and Chesney, 37, wed in a small ceremony on the Caribbean island of St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands in May. It was the first marriage for both.
Posted by admin at 07:40 PM | Comments (0)
Evil Care Bare: Come help the care bears save the kingdom of Evil.
CLICK HERE TO ENJOY CAREBEAR KILLING!
Posted by admin at 07:29 PM | Comments (0)
December 21, 2005
Newspaper Hands Kate Moss Video to Police
LONDON
The tabloid that printed images allegedly showing model Kate Moss snorting cocaine has turned over the videotape to police, a senior staffer at the newspaper said Thursday. advertisement
Moss lost contracts with H&M, Burberry and Chanel after the Daily Mirror published the pictures in September. She later apologized to "all the people I have let down" and checked into an Arizona rehabilitation clinic.
Police said at the time that they would investigate the allegations, taking into account the impact on impressionable young people.
No one at the newspaper was willing to comment on the record.
A senior staffer at the newspaper who declined to be identified said that the Mirror had turned the secretly captured video over to police under a judge's orders. It allegedly showed Moss taking drugs with her then-boyfriend Pete Doherty, the troubled singer of British rock band Babyshambles.
Police refused to comment.
Moss has already begun a career comeback, picking up a string of new contracts and holding onto old ones. French Vogue devoted its December issue to Moss, with the cover tag line "Scandalous Beauty."
Posted by admin at 07:36 PM | Comments (0)
Previewing NFL's Week 16
Giants-Redskins, Cowboys-Panthers, Colts-Seahawks among top games. SATURDAY
Giants at Redskins: If the Giants win, they’ll clinch the NFC East title. If the Redskins win, they’ll keep their boring wild-card chase alive. There’s lot at stake.
Cowboys at Panthers: The Panthers are in a hot battle with the Buccaneers for the NFC South title. So beating the Cowboys is a must-win, assuming the Panthers can stop laughing at what the Patriots did to the Bucs last week.
Falcons at Buccaneers: Michael Vick versus Chris Simms. Vick will be running around, looking for an open man. Simms will be running around, looking for an open stadium exit.
49ers at Rams: Shocking, but the Niners are suddenly in the hunt for Reggie Bush, because the Texans won last week. The 49ers should rest their starters, and the second and third strings, too.
Titans at Dolphins: The Dolphins have won four straight. The Titans are 1-5 on the road. Miami hasn’t been this excited since Stan Van Gundy decided to spend more time with his family.
Lions at Saints: You know things are bad in Detroit when the Lions envy the Saints’ plethora of quality quarterbacks. Also, the “Fire Millen” contingent gets a road trip.
Bills at Bengals: The Bills have lost seven of their past eight. They’re playing a team that has clinched a division title for the first time since 1990. Maybe that will inspire Buffalo to remember what it was like to be good.
Jaguars at Texans: Can the Texans make it two straight? It’s unlikely. The issue here is that, by beating the Cardinals last week for their second victory, they reached their preseason goal.
Steelers at Browns: The Browns are tough at home, but the Steelers are coming off a huge road victory at Minnesota. Rivalry. Snow. Barking Dawgs. Kinda makes you glad you’ll be watching indoors.
Chargers at Chiefs: The desperate Chargers ended the Colts’ pursuit of perfection last week. But they’ll have to be perfect the rest of the way if they want to join the Colts’ postseason party.
Eagles at Cardinals: Which team is the bigger disappointment to its fans? The Eagles certainly had a huge lead in that race, but the Cardinals made up a lot of ground by losing to the Texans.
Colts at Seahawks: Will Tony Dungy rest his starters now that the Colts have home-field advantage throughout? The guess here is no, since they’re already fairly rested from doing nothing last week.
Raiders at Broncos: The Broncos have a playoff berth locked up. Don’t be surprised if Mike Shanahan dances around on the sideline while pointing at Al Davis in the press box and yelling, “We have a playoff berth locked up!”
Sunday
Bears at Packers: The Bears have an excellent team, but no quarterback. The Pack has an excellent quarterback, but little else. This is parity, except for the disparity in records.
Vikings at Ravens: The Vikings had their winning streak ended at six by the Steelers. This is one of the few games Vikings fans can boast, “Our coach is better than your coach” and get no argument back.
Monday, Dec. 26
Patriots at Jets: Looks like the Pats are revving up toward the postseason. Herm Edwards might have to give one of his “You play to win the game!” speeches, just to jog his players’ memories.
Posted by admin at 02:27 PM | Comments (0)
December 20, 2005
Bertuzzi on, Crosby off Canadian Olympic team
VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Todd Bertuzzi is an Olympian. Sidney Crosby is not.
Canada announced its Olympic team for the Turin Games on Wednesday and Crosby, a Pittsburgh Penguins rookie widely touted as the future face of the NHL, wasn’t on the list.
Bertuzzi, the Vancouver Canucks forward known infamously for the blindside attack that left Colorado’s Steve Moore with broken bones in his neck in March 2004, made the cut.
“We’re proud to have him,” Team Canada’s assistant executive director Kevin Lowe said of Bertuzzi. “As human beings and in life and in this country, I think a big part of being Canadian is being able to forgive.”
Bertuzzi, reinstated by the NHL in August after a serving a 17-month suspension, pleaded guilty in a Vancouver court to criminal assault on Dec. 22, 2004, and was given one year of probation, which ends this week.
“For them having the faith in me is pretty rewarding,” said Bertuzzi, sporting red-dyed hair. “Knowing they believe in me and that the so-called baggage that I carry wasn’t going to interfere with this team.”
Bertuzzi missed the final 13 regular-season games of the 2003-04 season and Stanley Cup playoffs, and his banishment continued throughout last season’s NHL lockout. He was also barred from the World Cup of Hockey in September 2004 and two world championships.
He struggled early this season, scoring two goals in his first 15 games. But recently has displayed the dominating form that he used to score 46 goals and 97 points in 2002-03.
“In 2003-04, no question Todd Bertuzzi was one of the top three or four forwards in all of Canada, if not the world, and that’s the type of player we’ve seen in the last couple of weeks,” Lowe said.
The team is mostly made up of players who represented Canada during wins at the 2002 Olympics, ’03 and ’04 world championships and last year’s World Cup.
Columbus forward Rick Nash made the team despite missing all but five games this season with a high ankle sprain and a knee injury. He was Canada’s best player at this year’s world championship and had two goals in his first two games back last week.
Crosby, the first pick in this year’s draft, ranks second among rookies and 29th overall with 14 goals and 19 assists. But the 18-year-old center was left out.
“This roster is built around not only skill and speed and courage, but also the experience,” said Steve Tambellini, director of player personnel.
Crosby was attending a players-only Christmas party Wednesday night and wasn’t immediately available for comment, but his agent, Pat Brisson, said he would have easily fit onto one of Canada’s top two lines.
“He’s such a competitor, but at the same time he understands Canada has a big talent pool of great players,” Brisson said.
Asked how upset Crosby was, Brisson said, “He wouldn’t be normal if he wasn’t disappointed. He’s a proud competitor.”
New Jersey goaltender Martin Brodeur, one of Canada’s returning gold medalists, said Crosby was just a victim of a rich talent pool.
“He’s a young guy,” Brodeur said. “When you have the privilege of playing for the greatest hockey country, there are only so many players. It’s not that he’s not worth being there, it’s just because he’s in a situation that Team Canada has a new wave of young players.”
Lowe read a statement by Wayne Gretzky, Team Canada’s executive director, thanking fans for their best wishes after the death of his mother, Phyllis, on Monday.
“This is a great day for Canadian hockey and congratulations to everyone. I know my mom was looking forward to this day as every Canadian is,” Gretzky said.
Nicholson confirmed he had discussions with the Canadian Olympic Committee over concerns about naming Bertuzzi, and forward Dany Heatley, who pleaded guilty to second-degree vehicular homicide and was sentenced to three years’ probation and community service for the car crash that killed then-Atlanta teammate Dan Snyder in 2003.
“I think it’s a non-issue,” Nicholson said. “They will look at the list in the next few days and I don’t expect anything coming back.”
Colorado Avalanche center Joe Sakic was named captain.
Defensemen who are returning to defend Canada’s gold medal include Colorado’s Rob Blake; Columbus’ Adam Foote; Vancouver’s Ed Jovanovski; Anaheim’s Scott Niedermayer and Edmonton’s Chris Pronger. Forwards headed back are Philadelphia’s Simon Gagne; Calgary’s Jarome Iginla; Sakic and Edmonton’s Ryan Smyth.
Rounding out the roster were goaltenders Roberto Luongo (Panthers) and Marty Turco (Stars); defensemen Wade Redden (Senators) and Robyn Regehr (Flames); and forwards Bertuzzi, Shane Doan (Coyotes), Kris Draper (Red Wings), Heatley, (Senators), Tampa Bay’s Vincent Lecavalier, Brad Richards and Martin St. Louis, Nash, and Joe Thornton (Sharks).
The reserves are Eric Staal (Hurricanes), Jason Spezza (Senators) and Bryan McCabe (Maple Leafs).
Key members of the gold-medal team not returning are Penguins owner-captain Mario Lemieux, Steve Yzerman, Paul Kariya, Eric Lindros, and goaltenders Curtis Joseph and Ed Belfour.
Posted by admin at 02:53 PM | Comments (0)
Spurs hand Knicks their seventh straight loss
Already a really good team, the Spurs came to New York as an angry one. The Knicks never had a chance.
Michael Finley scored 19 points and San Antonio shot 56 percent Wednesday night in its 109-96 victory over New York, which has lost seven straight games.
The Spurs had lost two in a row and were coming off a 109-107 overtime loss at Milwaukee on Tuesday night on Andrew Bogut’s basket at the buzzer.
“We responded well from a real tough loss last night,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “That’s what a coach always looks for. It was great to come out angry enough to try to put last night out of their heads. We played well most of the night, but a lot of the fuel for that came from last night.”
Tony Parker added 18 points and 10 assists as the Spurs’ starting guards combined to make 15 of 22 shots against the Knicks’ dismal perimeter defense. Finley was 8-of-12 in another start in place of Manu Ginobili, and Parker was 7-for-10.
The guards were so good that the Spurs didn’t even need much from Tim Duncan, who played only 22 minutes and scored 13 points.
“We attack the game in many different ways,” Duncan said. “Some nights it’s interior, but a lot of it is our pick-and-roll and finding our shooters. If they’re going to play the pick-and-roll a certain way or double team in the post, our shooters are going to have wide-open shots, and we have some of the best in the league.”
Posted by admin at 02:50 PM | Comments (0)
December 14, 2005
Mayra Veronica - Muy Caliente
Mayra Veronica is one hot Latin lady using her impressive talents to take over America.
Her bombshell looks get your attention, but Mayra’s skills as an actress and singer make her memorable. The daughter of a Cuban rock star, she just inked a deal with Universal Music for her debut album “Ay Mama Mia”. The deal came just days after she performed for Ad Week in NYC at BB King’s spot in Times Square.
Acting-wise, she has studied constantly since 1995 under several A-list coaches. She interviewed top celebrities such as Donald Trump, Burt Reynolds, Hugh Heffner, Marc Anthony and others while hosting entertainment news shows for three years. She starred herself in such movies as “The Suitor”, “Tumbe”, “A Day In the Death of Joe Egg”, and “Kid Purple.” She also appears on several Univision and Sabado Gigante sitcoms and became the principal model for a major national advertising campaign for Tecate and Coca Cola.
Perhaps you’ve seen Mayra featured in magazines like FHM (which named her one of the world’s 100 sexiest women in the world) or playing the dream girl in a Nike commercial with LeBron James. She does endorsements for Pantene, Instabanc, Colgate, L’Oreal, Burger King, Sears, Allstate, Ford and countless others.
All of the attention has made her calendar one of the top selling 2004 calendars in U.S. Bookstores for the Hispanic market and made her site one of the top 30 celebrity sites hit with more than 4 million hits bi-weekly. Her 2005 calendar was the best seller through Univision.
She gave ezsportsonline a moment of her time…
ezsportsonline: Where were you born?
Mayra: I was born in Cuba, but migrated to Miami with my mother. My father eventually reached the states. I’ve lived in Miami, NY, Vegas and now LA. I spend most of my time between L.A. and Miami where I am recording on my first record with Kike Santander and Roy Tavares. I’m also completing a feature film out in London called “Stagknight” where I have the principal role. The British press has been a bit overwhelming wanting to know about me.
ezsportsonline: They can wait until we’re done with you. What's the best thing about Miami and L.A.? Why should Savvy readers visit there?
Mayra: The weather for one... and the fact that both places have the best of everything you may ever want.
ezsportsonline: If you mean women like you walking around, yeah, true. What are you packing in that little outfit you are wearing?
Mayra: I measure at 36C-23-36
ezsportsonline: I understand getting voluptuous sort of ended your aspirations of becoming a professional ballerina.
Mayra: Yes.
ezsportsonline: Let’s talk about sex, okay?
Mayra: Sure. The best sex I ever had was in the ocean. The movement of the water inside a woman at the moment of orgasm makes the orgasm last a really long time. Try it. Your lover will thank you. As far as positions, it really depends on my mood whether I like to be on top or on my back.
ezsportsonline: What can guys do better in bed?
Mayra: Take your time, slowly and softly yet constant.
ezsportsonline: Ever fake orgasms just to get a guy off of you?
Mayra: I think that’s really doing yourself and your relationship a great disservice. It’s a form of lying, and that’s usually not good for any relationship.
ezsportsonline: How would you describe yourself?
Mayra: I am ambitious, opinionated, compassionate, adventurous, perseverant, strong… I’ve always pursued my dreams and opportunities.
ezsportsonline: What's the most fun you've ever had modeling or acting or hosting?
Mayra: Staying in Monte Carlo... the Hotel de Paris. One thing I will say about Cuba is that it is still untainted by commercialism.
ezsportsonline: How have you changed since grade school?
Mayra: In grade school I was outgoing, but then in high school I became really quiet and shy. I’m definitely not quiet now.
ezsportsonline: What kind of kid were you growing up?
Mayra: I was the performer... Always singing, dancing at family functions, outgoing... Also top of the class and a gifted honor student...
Posted by admin at 04:16 PM | Comments (0)
December 13, 2005
Stan steps down Stan steps down
Stan Van Gundy's out as Heat coach, and Pat Riley seems poised to return to the bench. All this just six months after Van Gundy -- Riley's hand-picked successor in '03 -- led Miami to within a victory of the NBA Finals.
MIAMI -- Miami Heat coach Stan Van Gundy resigned Monday, citing family reasons.
A team official speaking on condition of anonymity because the decision had not been made public told the Associated Press that Van Gundy's resignation would be announced later Monday.
Van Gundy led the team to the best record in the NBA's Eastern Conference last season.
It was not immediately clear who would replace him, but indications were that team president and former Heat coach Pat Riley, who chose Van Gundy as his successor a little more than two years ago, could return to the sideline.
Posted by admin at 03:34 PM | Comments (0)
December 12, 2005
Lemieux: Don't expect Penguins in Pittsburgh after '07
The bad news keeps coming. Out the last two games with an irregular heartbeat, owner-captain Mario Lemieux doubts his team can remain in Pittsburgh after 2007. Oh yeah, up next -- West-leading Detroit.
PITTSBURGH -- Penguins owner-captain Mario Lemieux said he doubted the NHL team will remain in Pittsburgh after its Mellon Arena lease expires in 2007, citing a lack of progress on a new arena.
The Penguins are projecting a $7 million loss this season, a figure that assumes the team will draw near-capacity crowds and advance to the second round of the playoffs.
"I think we're really running out of time," Lemieux said on Saturday. "We probably ran out of time already. It's been unfortunate that the city and the county haven't been willing to work with us over the last two or three years."
Lemieux has said for several years that the Penguins would not be able to survive in Pittsburgh without a new arena. Mellon Arena is the oldest and smallest arena in the National Hockey League.
The lease allows the team to solicit offers for the franchise beginning in June 2006. Kansas City is among the cities that have expressed interest in the team.
Posted by admin at 03:29 PM | Comments (0)
Week 14 snapshots
Pittsburgh 21, Chicago 9:
ampa Bay 20, Carolina 10:
Dallas 31, Kansas City 28:
N.Y. Giants 26, Philadelphia 23 (OT):
Minnesota 27, St. Louis 13:
New England 35, Buffalo 7:
Miami 23, San Diego 21:
Cincinnati 23, Cleveland 20:
Seattle 41, San Francisco 3:
Denver 12, Baltimore 10:
Washington 17, Arizona 13:
N.Y. Jets 26, Oakland 10:
Tennessee 13, Houston 10:
(Dec. 11, 2005) -- Call it Statement Game Two. Statement Game One was the Indianapolis Colts' Monday Night Football romp over the Pittsburgh Steelers. That time, the Colts showed the nation they could do whatever they wanted, on both sides of the ball. In disposing of the Jacksonville Jaguars, 26-18, the Colts pretty much did the same. Their loudest statement was that they could effectively move the ball and operate their quick-striking offense to perfection against a strong defense. Having captured home-field advantage through the playoffs, the 13-0 Colts now have intensified the debate that has already been heard for weeks: Do they go for a perfect regular-season record or do they limit the playing time of Peyton Manning and other starters through the remaining three games. I say Tony Dungy will, and should, do the latter because the only goal is to win the Super Bowl. I'm not bothered by a 13-3 regular season if it results in a 3-0 postseason. If the Colts happen to go 19-0, fine, but there is absolutely no need to risk the health of the players who give them their best/only chance to win it all. The challenge for Dungy is finding the right balance between playing his starters enough to be sharp for the postseason while not taking too large of a risk with their health in games that cannot improve their postseason status.
Pittsburgh 21, Chicago 9: When the Steelers are balanced on offense and stay committed to the run, they are very difficult to stop -- even for the best defense in the NFL. Jerome Bettis' big rushing day (101 yards and two touchdowns) and Willie Parker's 68 yards on the ground were a nice complement to the efficient passing of Ben Roethlisberger. Pittsburgh's defense did a splendid job of stuffing Chicago's running game, and putting the onus on rookie quarterback Kyle Orton to carry the offensive load. Not surprisingly, Orton was unable to deliver, leading the Bears to only one touchdown and a field goal.
Tampa Bay 20, Carolina 10: The Buccaneers showed plenty with this triumph. First, they showed that they have what it takes mentally and emotionally to step up to the challenge of battling for the top spot in the NFC South. Second, they showed that they can still play smothering defense when it counts, holding DeShaun Foster to a mere 46 rushing yards and Jake Delhomme to 220 yards through the air while intercepting him once. Delhomme did connect with Ricky Proehl for a touchdown, but that was pretty much the extent of the Panthers offense. Third, the Bucs showed that they still have an outstanding ground game with Cadillac Williams, who ran for 112 yards and two touchdowns. That paved the way for young quarterback Chris Simms to run an efficient, though not particularly explosive, passing game that saw him complete passes to seven different receivers.
Dallas 31, Kansas City 28: Drew Bledsoe can still throw a football with the best of them ... if he has the time. And, thanks to some strong work by young tackles Torrin Tucker and Rob Petitti, he had the time to throw for three touchdowns in a 332-yard passing performance. Larry Johnson was his typically dominant self, rushing for 143 yards and three touchdowns. And Trent Green held his own with Bledsoe by throwing for 340 yards and a score. These were evenly matched teams, and the Cowboys showed that when Bledsoe has the time to sit in the pocket and wait for receivers to get open (which hadn't been the case recently), he is extremely difficult to stop.
N.Y. Giants 26, Philadelphia 23 (OT): This time in overtime, Jay Feely kicked the winning field goal … on his first try. Of course, this game didn't figure to come down to that, especially considering the sorry state of the Eagles. But the Giants had to earn every inch of this win, even though Eli Manning threw for 312 yards and a touchdown and Tiki Barber ran for 124 yards. Manning did throw three interceptions, however, which has to create some major concerns about the state of the Giants as they move closer to the postseason. Andy Reid deserves credit for finding a way to inspire his team to try and recapture its dignity after the humiliating Week 14 shutout against the Seahawks. And Ryan Moats deserves recognition for stepping in for injured Brian Westbrook and running for 114 yards and two touchdowns.
Minnesota 27, St. Louis 13: No, the Rams aren't much of a test, just as the Lions weren't much of a test in Week 13. But winning six games in a row in the NFL is impressive, regardless of the opponents. After their disastrous start, the Vikings have no reason to apologize for their recent run of success. And Mike Tice doesn't have to apologize for being prominently mentioned as a coach-of-the-year candidate. He does deserve some of the blame for his players' embarrassing indiscretions during their bye, but he also deserves much of the credit for the team climbing back from the abyss. Some of the credit includes picking the right quarterback to lead this amazing comeback in Brad Johnson, who is 6-0 as a starter. Minnesota's defense also has done a tremendous job of making plays, intercepting rookie quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick five times and forcing a fumble, and stuffing the run.
New England 35, Buffalo 7: The Patriots are playing as a team on a mission, which is to wrap up another AFC East championship. Many have scoffed at the Pats' chances for a Super Bowl three-peat, particularly with the dominance of the Colts. But if/when the Pats secure another playoff spot, they should be considered dangerous, if only because they know their way to the top of the mountain. After their Week 13 meltdown in Miami and the controversy over the team's decision to suspend Eric Moulds for one game, the Bills are in as much turmoil as they have ever been in recent memory. Speculation that front-office and coaching changes could be forthcoming will continue to intensify, but owner Ralph Wilson is not going to do anything hasty. He will think through the situation carefully, and render a verdict after the season.
Miami 23, San Diego 21: Gus Frerotte, showing no ill effects from the blow to the head he took in Week 13 vs. Buffalo, threw two touchdowns to the red-hot Chris Chambers to prevent the Patriots from clinching the AFC East. The Dolphins, who are playing hard for first-year coach Nick Saban, had no success running the ball, but were opportunistic on defense. On a day when LaDainian Tomlinson had what, for him, was a modest 75 rushing yards, Drew Brees seemingly provided San Diego with enough offense by throwing for a pair of touchdowns. But the Chargers suffered from too many turnovers, including an interception and fumble by Brees and a fumble by reserve running back Darren Sproles.
Cincinnati 23, Cleveland 20: Maybe it wasn't as easy as or as pretty as it should have been. The Bengals don't care. At least, they shouldn't care. The fact they found a way to win against a Browns team with plenty of fight left was impressive. The Bengals struggled because their main cog, Carson Palmer, struggled. He threw for only 93 yards and a touchdown, and was intercepted. Cincinnati's workhorse was Rudi Johnson, who ran for 169 yards and a touchdown. Meanwhile, the Browns continue to play hard for first-year coach Romeo Crennel and to receive an encouraging glimpse of the future with another strong game from Charlie Frye, who threw for a touchdown and ran for another.
Seattle 41, San Francisco 3: Eighty-three points in two weeks. That pretty much sums up the dominance of the Seahawks, doesn't it? In Week 13, the Seahawks overwhelmed the Eagles, 42-0, with a strong defensive effort. Against the 49ers, the Seahawks did it with offense. Matt Hasselbeck threw for four touchdowns. Shaun Alexander ran for 108 yards and a score. And the 49ers got nowhere against Seattle's defense, which has taken its game to a championship level at the perfect time.
Denver 12, Baltimore 10: The Broncos are 10-3, but you wouldn't know it by the way they struggled to beat the 4-9 Ravens. Denver could not get its running game going to the level it had been when the Broncos established themselves as one of the top teams in the league. Jake Plummer had a solid day, throwing for a touchdown without being intercepted. The Broncos did intercept Kyle Boller twice. Boller and running back Chester Taylor each lost a fumble as well, giving the anemic Ravens the virtually impossible task of overcoming four turnovers.
Washington 17, Arizona 13: The Redskins are playing to their strength offensively by pounding the ball on the ground. For the second week in a row, they asked their big Hogs to muscle up and plow open holes for Clinton Portis, who finished with 105 rushing yards and a touchdown. That helped Washington overcome the three interceptions by Mark Brunell. The Redskins defense stuffed the run and forced Kurt Warner to attempt 41 passes. The result was a score, an interception, and not nearly enough offense despite Washington's limited offensive production.
N.Y. Jets 26, Oakland 10: The Jets still aren't overwhelming anyone with an offense devastated at quarterback. Mike Nugent kicked four field goals, and that would have been enough to beat a Raiders team that has turned the keys to the offense over to Marques Tuiasosopo, who threw two interceptions to one touchdown pass. Brooks Bollinger barely did enough to move the offense missing injured running back Curtis Martin, but for a team struggling as badly as the Jets, they'll take a win any way they can get it.
Tennessee 13, Houston 10: The Titans had Steve McNair at quarterback. The Texans had David Carr. In the end, McNair was more effective at making plays and moving the ball, and that was all of the edge Tennessee needed to win the game against a team moving closer to the top overall pick of the draft. Domanick Davis' 139-yard rushing day was impressive, but it could not overcome the mere 116 yards Carr had through the air.
Posted by admin at 03:09 PM | Comments (0)
December 11, 2005
Limping Brady leads Patriots past struggling Bills
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- If a sore left leg couldn't stop Tom Brady, the unraveling Buffalo Bills certainly didn't have a chance to slow down the New England quarterback.
Not with the Patriots moving toward another division title.
Despite a noticeable limp and playing on a slick, snowy field, Brady kept his feet and his poise in leading New England to a 35-7 victory over the Bills on Sunday.
"He sucked it up and made plays for us as he always does," New England receiver Troy Brown said.
Brady shrugged off the praise, saying he wasn't going to come out after getting hurt when he was tackled in the end zone following a 3-yard scamper that opened the scoring.
"I'm just playing," Brady said. "It's going to be hard to ever get me out of there."
Finishing 29-of-38 for 329 yards passing, Brady did it all. He ran for a touchdown, threw for two more and even set a block to open the way for Deion Branch on a reverse.
Posted by admin at 03:26 PM | Comments (0)
December 04, 2005
Week 13 snapshots
N.Y. Giants 17, Dallas 10
Kansas City 31, Denver 27
Carolina 24, Atlanta 6
Minnesota 21, Detroit 16
Chicago 19, Green Bay 7
Indianapolis 35, Tennessee 3
Jacksonville 20, Cleveland 14
Tampa Bay 10, New Orleans 3
Washington 24, St. Louis 9
Baltimore 16, Houston 15
Miami 24, Buffalo 23
Arizona 17, San Francisco 10
(Dec. 4, 2005) -- Whatever questions the Cincinnati Bengals might have raised with their home loss to the Steelers in October were erased with their 38-31 victory at Pittsburgh. The Bengals insisted that they were the better of these AFC North rivals two months ago, and they proved it by displaying the offensive firepower that was too much for the Steelers defense to handle. Carson Palmer can't be eliminated from any MVP discussion after adding three more touchdown passes to push his season total to 26. Covering Bengals receivers has become nearly impossible because Palmer can find them open practically everywhere. Of the seven Cincinnati receivers who caught passes, three (T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Chad Johnson and Chris Henry) caught five apiece. ...>>>
The Steelers did hold their own in this shootout, with Ben Roethlisberger overcoming a sore thumb to throw for 386 yards and three touchdowns. However, unlike the previous meetings of the teams, Pittsburgh relied far too heavily on Big Ben's passing, and the result was three interceptions. The Steelers ended up running 28 times, compared with the 47 times they ran in the October game, which did plenty to keep Palmer on the sidelines. In scoring his first career victory against the Steelers, Palmer deserves plenty of recognition for figuring out the complexities of a defense that went a long way toward causing him to have a horrendous game in October.
N.Y. Giants 17, Dallas 10: As expected, immobile Drew Bledsoe faced a long day of pressure from a Giants defense that had far better pass-rushing ability than the Cowboys' offensive line had pass-protection skills. Bledsoe was sacked four times, hurried on several other occasions, threw two interceptions, and lost two fumbles. Antonio Pierce returned one of them for a touchdown that gave the Giants all of the cushion they needed in this battle for NFC East supremacy. This win came down to a strong performance from the Giants defense, which is a good sign for a team with legitimately strong postseason expectations. On a day when Eli Manning struggled (two interceptions and only 152 passing yards), the Giants should feel a certain sense of relief that they are able to lean on their defense and the strong running of Tiki Barber (115 yards on 30 carries).
Kansas City 31, Denver 27: It has been said, over and over again, that the Broncos are benefiting greatly by the efficiency of Jake Plummer -- a quarterback who has been burdened by a reputation for being less than efficient. Plummer wasn't so efficient in this game, throwing two interceptions. He threw a touchdown pass, and for the most part, he didn't get the kind of strong rushing support he had received for most of the season. Trent Green had two touchdown throws and two interceptions of his own. But he also had Larry Johnson rushing for 140 yards and two touchdowns. The Broncos remain a top team. Losing at Arrowhead isn't exactly a source of shame. And, with their third win in a row, the Chiefs are surging into the playoff picture. It is still difficult to tell whether they are complete enough or deep enough on both sides of the ball to make it into the playoffs -- or last beyond one game if they get there. But they are moving in the right direction.
Carolina 24, Atlanta 6: The Panthers have found their running game, and that is bad news for the rest of the NFC South and perhaps for the rest of the NFC. DeShaun Foster ran for 131 yards and a touchdown, which, by itself, allowed Carolina's offense to be effective. But it also did plenty to help Jake Delhomme in throwing for a pair of touchdowns (including one to Steve Smith, who finished with a game-high seven receptions) because it did plenty to soften Atlanta's defense, which is slightly better against the pass. By often building a loose human net around the pocket, the Panthers defense did a nice job of containing Michael Vick and forcing him into two interceptions. It also didn't allow Atlanta's running game to dominate.
Minnesota 21, Detroit 16: Five wins in a row. That, by itself, makes a very loud statement about the Vikings, who continue to put significant distance between themselves and the nightmarish start to their season. In fact, they have every reason to think they will extend that winning streak to six after facing St. Louis in Week 14. Brad Johnson has had plenty to do with making this a different team than the unfocused, undisciplined bunch it was at the beginning of the year. He has brought stability and savvy to the quarterback spot, and the rest of the team has come to believe in him as a leader. He threw for 256 yards and two touchdown passes. The Vikings defense also keeps performing at an impressive level, intercepting Jeff Garcia and keeping Detroit's running game mostly under control. So much for the Lions getting a boost from Dick Jauron taking over as interim coach after the firing of Steve Mariucci.
Chicago 19, Green Bay 7: The Bears have a strong enough defense and a solid enough running game to make their case as a team to beat in the NFC. Against a struggling opponent such as the Packers, they can get away with modest offensive production. However, at some point -- and it will probably come in the postseason -- the Bears will need to figure out how to generate more points. It won't happen as long as Kyle Orton has games like this one (68 passing yards, no touchdowns and one interception).
Indianapolis 35, Tennessee 3: The Colts remain in a league of their own. They can dominate the good teams and the not-so-good teams. They make it look so easy on both sides of the ball that there is every reason to believe that they will finish the regular season at 16-0 ... except for one. Tony Dungy will preserve his starters once the Colts wrap up home-field advantage for the postseason. His focus is on doing everything possible to allow his team to win a Super Bowl, not have a perfect regular season.
Jacksonville 20, Cleveland 14: Good teams overcome major adversity, and the Jaguars did exactly that on two counts in this game. First, they won without injured starting quarterback Byron Leftwich. Second, they scored 17 unanswered points behind Leftwich's replacement, David Garrard, who threw two touchdown passes. Not only was it Jacksonville's fifth successive victory, but it also was the second time the Jags have won three road games in a row since 2001 (the only NFL team to do so). The Jaguars, who got a solid performance from their defense and 103 rushing yards from Greg Jones, refuse to allow hardships to stand in the way of their pursuit of a playoff spot. The Browns did find a bright spot: Rookie Charlie Frye, making his first NFL start in place of injured Trent Dilfer, was impressive and gives the team optimism that he could end up being its long-term answer at quarterback. He threw two first-half touchdowns to fellow rookie Braylon Edwards, who left the game with a knee injury of unknown severity.
Tampa Bay 10, New Orleans 3: The Buccaneers defense is flexing its muscles in preparation for a postseason run. The Bucs intercepted Aaron Brooks four times (three by Ronde Barber), kept him from making any scoring throws and held New Orleans' running game in check. Meanwhile, Chris Simms only needed to be efficient and hook up, once again, with Joey Galloway for a touchdown. Cadillac Williams made a nice contribution with 96 rushing yards, while Michael Pittman added 40 more on the ground. Tampa Bay has gotten good at figuring out how to win close games.
Washington 24, St. Louis 9: The Redskins made this win look pretty simple, which probably says as much about their persistence to escape a three-game tailspin as it does about the Rams' inconsistency and turmoil. Clinton Portis set the tone for the Redskins by rushing for a 47-yard touchdown on Washington's second possession. He would finish the day with 136 yards and two scores on the ground. And that made it fairly easy for Mark Brunell to succeed with a solid, 156-yard, one-touchdown passing day. Rookie Ryan Fitzpatrick, who threw for 163 yards and was intercepted once, had little chance for success in his first quarterback start for the Rams because he received absolutely no help from his running game.
Baltimore 16, Houston 15: It's hard to look at the Ravens' final statistics and see how they were able to win this game. Certainly, Kyle Boller did nothing overly impressive with his throwing arm. And the Ravens got nothing going with their running game, either. In fact, Baltimore had three turnovers to two by Houston, and allowed Texans running back Domanick Davis to run for 155 yards on 29 carries. But the Ravens were just good enough to find a way to dispose of a team that has the real prospect of having the top overall pick of the 2006 draft to look forward to. It counts as a win, but it still leaves Brian Billick and his coaching staff plenty to work on.
Miami 24, Buffalo 23: Turn this game off in the third quarter, and you would have arrived at the following conclusions: J.P. Losman has found his groove as a starting quarterback; Losman and other players weren't merely dispensing hot air with talk that the Bills still were very much in the postseason hunt and intended to perform accordingly the rest of the way; media speculation that Bills president Tom Donahoe's future was in doubt was premature; the Dolphins' passing game is a mess; and Miami is going nowhere with Gus Frerotte as its starting quarterback. But if you stuck around for the fourth quarter, you would have seen the major difference -- Sage Rosenfels taking over after Frerotte was injured while being sacked for a safety in the third quarter -- what a quarterback switch can mean in a very short time. The Dolphins erased a 23-3 deficit with 12 minutes left, as Rosenfels led them on a drive for a touchdown run and then threw two touchdown passes, the second a 4-yard toss on fourth down that Chris Chambers snagged with six seconds left. The Bills saw their defense vanish, along with virtually any hope of winning their once-winnable division.
Arizona 17, San Francisco 10: The Cardinals keep playing hard. It might not be pretty, but it gets the job done, particularly against a struggling opponent such as the 49ers. Kurt Warner threw for 354 yards and a touchdown, while throwing a pair of interceptions. Anquan Boldin proved impossible for the 49ers to cover, catching 11 passes for 156 yards and a touchdown. Alex Smith? The top overall pick of the draft looked like, well, a rookie, throwing three interceptions on a 185-yard passing day. Of course, neither quarterback was helped by the one-dimensional nature of his offense, because a running game was not to be found from either club.
Posted by admin at 04:50 PM | Comments (0)
December 02, 2005
table tennis (ping pong)
a shockwave to play table tennis
Posted by admin at 03:53 PM | Comments (0)